The cave swallowed them whole the moment they stepped inside.
Light vanished almost immediately—natural light, at least.
Luna sighed softly, then raised her hand.
A gentle glow bloomed around her, soft at first, then bright enough to illuminate the rough stone walls, jagged stalactites, and the narrow path ahead.
Zane glanced over his shoulder.
"…Wow," he said. "A living lamp. Do you come with adjustable brightness or is this the default setting?"
Luna shot him a look. "You're not funny."
"You say that," Zane replied, "but you're still lighting the way."
She huffed, cheeks faintly pink, but didn't turn the light off.
They walked deeper, boots crunching against loose gravel. The air was cool, damp, and thick with mana—old mana. The kind that had been sitting undisturbed for a long time.
Asher suddenly slowed.
"Wait. Hold up."
Everyone stopped.
He squinted ahead, then sideways—then his eyes landed on Mira.
"…Why did you dye your hair red?" he asked. "And why only halfway?"
Mira froze.
The glow from Luna's light made it impossible to miss now—the ends of Mira's dark hair had taken on a deep crimson hue, subtle but unmistakable.
Asher scratched the back of his head. "I noticed it earlier, I just… didn't really think about it. But now that we're in here, it kinda stands out."
He reached out, curious.
"Can I—"
Before his fingers could touch her hair—
A shadow moved.
Not fast.
Not violently.
It simply rose.
A thin shadowy tendril slid up from the floor and wrapped around Asher's wrist, stopping him inches from Mira.
The cave went silent.
Asher blinked, then slowly turned his head toward Zane.
"…The heck?"
Zane hadn't moved. Hands in his hoodie pockets. Expression neutral. Almost bored.
He met Asher's stare.
"Not every question," Zane said calmly, "is meant to be answered."
Asher clicked his tongue.
"Oh, we're doing this now?"
Space around his trapped wrist distorted slightly—air bending, folding—
Snap.
The space warped, slicing clean through the shadow tendril.
It dissolved instantly, melting back into the floor.
Zane winced.
"…That hurt."
Asher raised a brow. "You're welcome?"
The tension spiked—sharp, immediate.
Celeste stepped between them without hesitation, planting a hand on Zane's chest and the other on Asher's shoulder.
"Enough," she said firmly. "You two can measure whatever this is after we deal with the owl."
She glanced around the cave. "Save that energy for the corrupted beast. Not each other."
Asher exhaled and stepped back.
Zane shrugged, unbothered.
Mira had already moved away, pulling her hood up slightly. Luna dimmed her light just a bit and stood closer to Mira, clearly unsettled.
The cave seemed to watch them.
Zane glanced ahead, eyes narrowing slightly.
"…Alright," he muttered. "Let's keep moving."
And with that, they continued deeper into the darkness—
where something very much awake was waiting.