Leo stood at the edge of the underground pond, his hands tucked into his pockets as his gaze lingered on the water below.
The waterfall crashed relentlessly from the cavern ceiling, its thunderous roar reverberating through the enormous chamber. The impact sent ripples racing across the pond's surface, yet despite the constant movement, the water remained unnaturally dark.
Too dark.
Leo leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes as he tried to peer beneath the surface.
Nothing.
Not even a faint outline of the bottom greeted him.
It was as though the darkness itself had swallowed everything beneath the water.
"...How deep are you?" he murmured.
The question vanished beneath the roar of the waterfall.
For reasons he couldn't explain, the pond unsettled him.
Not because he feared deep water.
But because it felt...
Wrong.
Almost as if something beneath the surface was staring back.
He shook the thought from his head.
"You're starting to imagine things."
Just then, a familiar voice echoed across the cavern.
"Leo."
He turned.
Kieran stood behind the colossal wolf statue, partially hidden by its enormous stone legs. The wolf leader raised a hand, silently gesturing for Leo to come over.
Curiosity quickly replaced the uneasy feeling in Leo's chest.
"What did you find?"
Kieran didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped aside.
Hidden behind the statue, almost completely concealed from anyone standing in front of it, was a narrow crack running through the cavern wall.
Leo's brows rose.
"...Well."
He walked closer.
"I definitely wasn't expecting this."
The opening was barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through.
From a distance it looked like nothing more than an ordinary fracture in the rock.
But the closer Leo got...
The less natural it appeared.
He crouched down, resting one hand against the cold stone.
"Hmm..."
His fingers slowly traced the uneven surface.
"It almost looks natural..."
He paused.
"...Almost."
The edges weren't clean enough to suggest someone had carved them.
Yet they weren't completely random either.
It was as though something had forced the rock apart long ago.
Leo leaned closer.
Beyond the opening...
Nothing but darkness.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
A small idea began forming in his mind.
If this really was just a crack...
Why hide it behind the statue?
And why did it seem to continue much farther than it should?
Curiosity won.
As it usually did.
Leo cupped both hands around his mouth.
"HELLO!"
His voice shot through the opening.
Silence.
Then...
"...Hello..."
"...Hello..."
"...Hello..."
The echoes rolled back one after another, bouncing through what sounded like a much larger space beyond.
Leo's grin widened.
"I knew it."
Before he could finish the thought—
A shrill screech pierced the silence.
"Wha—?"
A black blur burst from the opening.
Then another.
And another.
Within a heartbeat, hundreds of bats exploded from the narrow crack, pouring into the cavern like a living cloud.
"Move!"
One of the wolves shouted.
Several warriors instinctively ducked.
Others reached for their weapons before realizing what they were looking at.
The bats swarmed overhead, their wings beating frantically as they escaped into the open cavern.
Leo stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing.
"Okay!"
He threw an arm over his face.
"I definitely deserved that."
Even Sasha flinched as several bats darted past her head.
"They came out of nowhere!"
"They came out of you yelling."
Leo pointed out.
"I'll admit..."
"...that one's on me."
Within moments, the swarm disappeared into the darkness near the cavern ceiling.
Silence gradually returned.
Only the endless roar of the waterfall remained.
A few wolves exchanged awkward looks before lowering their weapons.
Leo let out a long breath.
"...Well."
He scratched the back of his head.
"I wasn't expecting the welcoming committee."
Despite the joke, his attention quickly returned to the opening.
The grin slowly faded from his face.
His eyes focused on the darkness beyond.
The echo.
The bats.
The depth.
It all pointed toward one conclusion.
He slowly stood and looked at Kieran.
"I don't think this is a random crack."
Kieran folded his arms.
"What makes you say that?"
Leo nodded toward the opening.
"The echo."
"It traveled much farther than it should have."
He looked back into the darkness.
"If this were just a split in the rock..."
"...my voice would've bounced straight back."
"But it didn't."
He rubbed his chin.
"It kept going."
Kieran remained silent.
Leo continued.
"I've got a feeling..."
"...there's some kind of chamber behind this wall."
The wolf leader studied the opening carefully.
The floating mist from the waterfall drifted between them, making the darkness beyond seem even more impenetrable.
"...Maybe."
He admitted after a moment.
"But I don't think it's wise to simply walk inside."
"There could be anything waiting for us."
Leo nodded.
"You're right."
A brief silence settled over the group.
Sasha glanced between the two men.
For a moment...
She almost believed Leo was actually going to listen.
Then she noticed it.
That grin.
The exact grin she had come to dread.
"Oh no..."
She sighed.
"He's thinking again."
Leo placed both palms against the stone wall.
"There's only one way to find out."
"Leo."
Kieran called.
Too late.
Turning sideways, Leo slipped one shoulder into the opening.
The gap immediately tightened around him.
"Whoever designed this place..."
He grunted as the rough stone scraped against his clothes.
"...clearly hated visitors."
He pushed harder.
The rock pressed against both shoulders, forcing him to exhale before inching forward again.
Several wolves instinctively stepped toward him.
"Should we pull him back?"
One of them whispered.
Kieran slowly raised a hand.
"No."
Everyone fell silent.
Little by little...
Leo disappeared into the darkness.
First his shoulders.
Then his torso.
Finally...
Only his legs remained visible.
With one last shove—
They vanished as well.
The wolves outside exchanged uneasy glances.
For a brief moment...
There was nothing.
Only darkness.
Leo gritted his teeth as the narrow passage squeezed against his shoulders from both sides. The rough stone scraped across his clothes, forcing him to inch forward little by little.
"This is definitely not made for people..."
he muttered under his breath.
Another push.
The pressure suddenly disappeared.
Leo stumbled out of the narrow passage, taking two quick steps before regaining his balance.
He let out a relieved sigh and dusted the dirt from his sleeves.
"Finally."
He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness in his muscles.
The chamber was silent.
Not completely silent...
The distant roar of the waterfall still echoed faintly through the stone, but it sounded much farther away now, as though the walls themselves were swallowing the noise.
The air felt colder.
Heavier.
Almost untouched for centuries.
Leo slowly looked around.
"...Great."
He chuckled dryly.
"I can't see a thing."
The darkness before him was absolute.
Even after letting his eyes adjust, he could barely make out the outline of the passage behind him.
Everything beyond that was consumed by blackness.
He took a cautious step forward.
Then stopped.
"No..."
He muttered.
"That's how people die in stories."
Before he could decide what to do—
A warm golden light suddenly appeared behind him.
The darkness retreated.
Leo instinctively turned around.
Kieran stepped through the narrow opening, brushing a layer of dust from his shoulder.
Hovering above his raised palm floated a small sphere of fire.
The flame burned quietly.
It produced no smoke.
No torch.
No fuel.
It simply floated in the air, casting a gentle golden glow throughout the chamber.
Leo blinked.
His eyes remained fixed on it.
"...Magic?"
Kieran looked at him, slightly puzzled.
"What?"
Leo pointed at the floating fire.
"That."
Kieran glanced at the flame before looking back at Leo.
"You sound surprised."
"It's just a basic magic."
Leo stared at him for another moment.
"...Right."
He slowly turned away.
Basic?
He resisted the urge to ask a hundred questions.
Apparently floating fireballs were considered ordinary here.
"I'll ask later..."
He murmured.
"For now..."
"...let's see where this place leads."
The floating flame drifted beside Kieran as they ventured deeper into the chamber.
With every step, more of the ancient passage revealed itself.
The walls were remarkably smooth.
Not polished...
But shaped.
As though someone had carved the tunnel countless ages ago.
Tiny cracks stretched across the stone, their edges worn down by time.
The air carried the scent of damp rock mixed with centuries of dust.
Their footsteps echoed softly ahead of them.
Neither man spoke.
It felt wrong to disturb the silence.
Then...
Leo suddenly slowed.
"...Hold on."
Kieran stopped beside him.
"What is it?"
Leo stepped closer to the wall.
The floating flame followed, its warm light washing over the ancient stone.
His eyes widened slightly.
The wall wasn't empty.
It was covered with carvings.
Simple lines etched into the rock.
Some had almost vanished beneath the weight of time.
Others remained surprisingly clear.
Leo brushed a thin layer of dust away with the back of his hand.
The image beneath became clearer.
"...These aren't random."
He whispered.
His eyes followed the carving farther down the wall.
One image flowed naturally into the next.
Each engraving continued the previous one.
Like the pages of a book carved into stone.
At the very beginning...
A lone wolf stood proudly.
Unlike the colossal statue outside, this wolf had been carved with simple lines.
Yet somehow...
It drew Leo's attention immediately.
The wolf remained at the center of every scene.
Everything around it changed.
The wolf never did.
Leo slowly walked along the wall, following the sequence one carving at a time.
"...It's telling a story."
He said quietly.
Before Leo could ask anything—
Kieran spoke.
"It's the story of our God... Mobius."
Leo's eyes remained on the carvings.
"The story of Mobius?"
There was a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Kieran nodded once.
"Yes."
Kieran walked toward the wall.
The floating flame drifted after him, throwing long shadows across the chamber.
He reached out.
His fingers gently rested against the weathered carving of the wolf.
For a brief moment...
The stern expression he usually wore softened.
A faint smile appeared.
One Leo had never seen before.
"When I was younger..."
Kieran's voice became quieter.
"My mother used to bring me here."
Leo looked at him in surprise.
"Here?"
Kieran nodded.
"She said every Grayfang child should know this place."
His fingers slowly traced the ancient lines carved into the stone.
"And every time we came..."
"She would tell me this story."
He withdrew his hand and looked at the first carving once more.
"The story of Mobius."
The chamber fell silent again.
Only the gentle crackling of the floating fire and the distant roar of the waterfall accompanied them.
Leo folded his arms.
A small smile formed on his face.
"Then..."
He looked from Kieran to the ancient carvings stretching endlessly into the darkness.
"...I'm listening."