Chapter 11: Echoes Beyond the Waterfall
The group sat in a shallow alcove inside the waterfall cave, the flickering flame from Eline's torch dancing across the damp stone walls. For a moment, they let silence settle between them—a rare stillness after so many close calls. The only sounds were the soft trickle of water and their steady breathing.
Then, Leo broke the silence with a stretch and a smirk. "I think this cave's the safest place we've been since we fell into this crazy mirror."
Eric perked up. "Safe? You mean after almost being turned into orc stew?" He chuckled and jabbed Leo with his elbow. "Hey, remember when you were all tied up and yelling, 'I'll kill a hundred orcs with my bare hands!' You couldn't even wiggle your pinky!"
Leo glared. "I meant it! Get me out of those ropes, and I'd have worn those orc heads like trophies. I'd stuff fifty of them into your backpack just to shut you up!"
That sent Eric into a full laugh. Even Eline joined in, holding her stomach as she laughed softly. "Fifty heads in one backpack? Now that I'd love to see."
They all laughed—except Lucas.
Lucas sat quietly near the wall, eyes half-closed but alert. Something wasn't right. He could feel the air shift, like the breath of something ancient hiding in the shadows. But he said nothing—for now.
Eric stood to do another impersonation, waving his arms. "Fear me, I'm Leo the Orc Slayer! Just untie me first!"
But as he turned and stepped backward with a laugh, his foot slipped.
"Whoa—!"
Eric tumbled off the ledge they were sitting on and landed hard on a lower platform.
"I'm fine!" he called up, waving from where he stood.
Then the ground beneath him shifted.
Not ground.
Scales.
"Eric, MOVE!" Lucas shouted.
The stone platform began to rise, shedding dust and moss. A low growl echoed through the cavern as the creature beneath it awakened. A massive body unfurled, revealing claws like blades and scales dark as midnight.
Three heads rose.
The first: a long, venomous python with fangs that gleamed in the dim light.
The second: a traditional dragon's head, sharp-toothed and blazing with inner fire.
But the third… it was no beast of this world. Its face was horned, twisted, eyes glowing white without pupils, and when it spoke, it didn't open its mouth.
The voice rumbled directly in their minds.
"This is the end of your path. You are mine now."
The entire cave quaked under their feet. Loose stones rained from above. The ground cracked—then gave way.
Lucas, Eline, and Eric fell through the broken ledge, landing roughly beside Leo.
The three-headed beast roared.
Leo stood up first. "Everyone behind me!" he barked. He reached for his knife, then stopped.
Too small. Useless.
He turned to Eric. "I need a long arrow and a strong shield! Now!"
Eric fumbled with the backpack strapped tightly to him—a backpack enchanted and bound to Leo's fighting spirit. It responded only to Leo's commands.
He reached in without hesitation.
A shimmering silver shield slid out first, followed by a long, gleaming arrow tipped with something glowing—something unnatural.
Eric tossed both weapons forward. "Here!"
Leo snatched them mid-air, twisted, and raised the shield just in time to block a blast of ice from the python head. The air around them frosted instantly.
Then came the fire—the dragon head opened its jaw wide, launching a stream of scorching flames. Leo ducked behind the shield, gritting his teeth. The metal heated but held.
The third head lowered, its horns pulsing with power. The voice returned.
"You've escaped many deaths… but not mine."
The cave trembled again.
"Lucas! What do we do!?" Eline shouted, helping Eric to his feet.
Lucas stood still, watching the creature, his eyes glowing faintly.
"I—I don't know."
Leo smirked, gripping his arrow tightly. "Well, while you figure it out… I'll keep him busy."
With a roar of his own, Leo charged.
The dragon's three heads lunged one after another—ice, fire, and that eerie telepathic voice echoing across the walls.
Leo blocked the icy breath with his silver shield, sliding across the ground from the force. He spun up just in time to intercept the wave of fire with another solid block.
Behind him, Lucas gritted his teeth. His eyes glowed faintly as he focused.
"Teleport. Now!"
But nothing happened.
Again, he clenched his fists and shouted, "Teleport!"
Still nothing.
"I— I don't know why I can't teleport in here!"
The cave walls pulsed faintly with a strange light, almost alive, resisting him.
Leo didn't stop moving. The beast swiped its massive claws toward Eric, trying to lift him like prey.
"Not today!" Leo yelled, diving forward. He rolled underneath the claw, and with one strong upward thrust, he stabbed the long arrow deep into the dragon's palm.
The creature screeched, its python head flailing as it pulled back in pain.
Lucas's eyes widened.
The claw.
The shape, the jagged black nails, the massive size—it looked exactly like the one he saw etched into the stone wall of the prison cave, where they once hid from the Nyrewolves. That wasn't just a beast. It was a guardian. Maybe even something older.
"Lucas! RUN!" Eline screamed, grabbing his arm.
As the dragon writhed, the group bolted toward the back of the chamber. They spotted a narrow, almost invisible crack in the cave wall—just enough space to squeeze through.
The fire came again—hotter, wider.
Leo spun around and threw up the shield. The heat slammed into it like a storm. Sparks flew.
"GO!" Leo shouted. "One at a time!"
Eline scrambled through the gap first. Eric followed, trembling but determined. Lucas hesitated, glancing back at Leo—still blocking the flames.
"I said GO!" Leo barked, sweat and ash on his face.
Lucas dove into the crack, sliding through the stone tunnel on hands and knees.
Outside, Eline reached back through the gap, yelling, "Leo, grab my hand!"
Leo dropped the shield, spun, and launched himself into the hole just as the fire scorched the stone behind him. He barely squeezed through before the beast's claws could grab him again.
They tumbled out into the open—breathing hard, covered in ash.
They were in the deep jungle, sunlight pouring through the trees.
Behind them, the dragon roared furiously from inside the mountain, its voice shaking the earth.
"You will never escape my death. I will end you ALL!"
But the creature couldn't fit through the narrow tunnel.
Leo lay on the ground, panting. "Okay… that… was fun."
Eric groaned. "Remind me why we're still alive?"
Eline turned to Lucas. "Why couldn't you teleport back there?"
Lucas looked at the cave, his hand still glowing faintly.
"I don't know… But I think something in that cave blocked my power. And that creature—" he paused, "
The group collapsed in the grass just outside the narrow cave entrance, gasping for breath. The jungle around them buzzed faintly with insects and the distant caws of unseen birds. The sun was rising, casting long shadows across their soot-stained faces.
Eline lay on her back, staring at the sky. Leo was still groaning, holding his ribs. Eric curled into himself, shivering, while Lucas remained on one knee—his eyes fixed back on the now-quiet cave.
He wasn't panting. He wasn't even blinking. His mind was racing.
"Those claws…" Lucas finally muttered. "The ones the dragon attacked with—I've seen them before. In the prison cave. On the wall."
Leo lifted his head. "What are you talking about?"
Lucas stood slowly. "Back when we first hid from the Nyrewolves in that underground prison, remember the wall—covered with symbols, scratches, and carvings? I saw claws… those claws. Exactly like them."
Eline sat up sharply. "You're saying… that thing was once locked inside one of those prison cells?"
Lucas nodded grimly. "And I don't think it was the only one."
Eline's face paled. "You've got to be kidding me… There were hundreds of those cells. You're saying they all broke open?"
"The Guardian Beast, now this three-headed dragon…" Lucas said. "What if someone—or something—freed them all?"
Eline's eyes widened. "Oh no… What did we get ourselves into?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "What kind of world is this?"
Eric sat up, panic rising in his voice. "We're going to die here. I knew it! I want to go home—now. Please!"
They all turned to Lucas again, but he had no answer. He just stared toward the cave, as if trying to read the truth out of the stone.
Leo exhaled deeply and let himself fall back into the grass.
"Mom…" he groaned. "I have a lot of assignments to do down here that I can't skip."
That made Eline laugh nervously. Even Eric chuckled through his fear.
But Lucas didn't laugh.
He looked toward the dense jungle ahead.
Something had been unleashed—and they had only just begun to understand what.