Boom…
A massive clash between Jake and the man sent out a terrifying shockwave. The ground cracked violently as Min and Renzo were thrown back.
"This..." Min muttered, her eyes wide in shock.
Renzo followed her gaze.
Jake and the man were no longer visible. In their place, two blazing flames ,one black, the other green clashed mid-air, crackling like thunder ready to strike.
"We should get away from here," Min gulped, forgetting the villagers they were meant to protect. Her survival instincts had kicked in, and fear blanked her mind.
"Agreed... Let's go," Renzo muttered, equally stunned.
Power… this is real power...
Is this the strength of the Ember Realm against the Kindled Realm?
Images of the roar and terrifying light that ended his father's life flashed through his mind.
"Renzo, let's go!" Min shouted, grabbing his hand.
"Yeah… yeah..." Renzo snapped out of it just as wind burst around them, swirling like a miniature cyclone.
But before they could move, the already cracked ground beneath them gave way
And they fell.
Time seemed to slow as their bodies plummeted into the earth...
***********
Moments Later
"Renzo... Renzo..."
At first, it sounded like a mosquito buzzing, then a fly, then... a voice.
Renzo opened his eyes to a blurry image, Min's face.
"Glad you're awake," she said between raspy breaths, then slumped back against a nearby rock.
Renzo inhaled sharply. Dust hung in the air, and dim light bathed the area. His body ached as he slowly sat up.
"What... what happened?" he asked, holding his head as sharp pain stabbed through his skull.
"We fell into a hole. Let's just rest for a while," Min said.
Renzo looked at her and froze.
She was clutching her left side. Blood soaked her shirt.
"You're bleeding?" he asked, shock evident in his voice.
Min forced a smile. "I'll be fine. We heal fast."
She moved her hand aside, revealing torn cloth and a sealed wound. Though no longer bleeding, the dried blood around it told the story.
Renzo winced as the coppery scent filled his nose. He shook his head and sighed.
"Alright..." he muttered, trying to clear his thoughts.
*****
Minutes Passed
After resting, the two finally stood.
"Can we get back up?" Renzo asked, eyeing the narrow shaft above where faint sunlight trickled down.
"Tried. We're too deep, hundreds of meters down. And there's some strange rock blocking the path. I can't squeeze through or break it," Min said, frustrated.
Renzo nodded. "No wonder you woke me up."
"I guess we have no choice... we have to explore this cave," he said, peering into the darkness ahead.
"Yeah, we've wasted enough time already..been down here for over an hour," Min added.
"An hour?!" Renzo was stunned, but followed as they started moving.
Side by side, one tall, the other short, they ventured deeper into the cave.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. The dusty air slowly gave way to a foul stench like rotten eggs.
Soon, the darkness became complete. They couldn't even see their own hands.
Renzo was about to say something when
"Look. Light!" Min pointed ahead.
A faint glow.
Not an exit, but at least a way out of this suffocating blackness.
They kept moving. Along the way, they exchanged a few quiet words, but mostly walked in silence.
"Do you think Instructor Jake is alive?" Min asked as they reached a wider opening.
"I don't know," Renzo replied honestly.
He was more focused on escaping… and getting back to the village. Corruption? Other Danchi users? None of that mattered now.
"What is it?" Renzo asked, hearing her go silent again.
But as he stepped forward, he saw it.
And understood why she went quiet.
The stench..
It was coming from this.
At their feet, rotting corpses. Dozens. No… hundreds.
Retch…
Blergh…
Min dropped to her knees and vomited.
Even Renzo nearly lost it.
"Who... did this?" Min croaked, holding her stomach.
Before them was a massive chamber, at least eighty meters wide, and over two hundred meters long.
And it was filled with dead bodies.
More than a thousand corpses. Mangled. Rotten. Piled like trash.
Renzo shivered. "I don't want to find out. Let's leave."
Sure, he'd killed people too but this? This was monstrous.
Min nodded, but just as they turned to leave...
Footsteps.
"Hide," Renzo whispered quickly, eyes darting around.
They had no choice. They slipped behind the piles of corpses, trying to stay quiet even as every instinct in their bodies screamed. An intense stench hit their nostrils as they felt repulsive and the urge to just purge but they had to hold it in. Maggots crawled over the corpses and some sighs of fresh "meat" could be seen.
And then...
A voice.
"Renzo… Min… still alive?"
It was Jake.
He stepped into view, clothes tattered, blood on his lips.
"Instructor… you're alive!" Min called out, eyes wide with relief. Even Renzo managed a faint smile as they both stepped out of the corpses they hid behind earlier.
Jake sighed in relief too.
"Glad you two are safe. I was so worried when you fell," he said, looking around the cave with a frown.
"We're fine… but there's no way out," Renzo said.
Jake chuckled. "Oh, I know the way."
Min's face lit up. "You're amazing, Instructor!"
"You're a good man..." Renzo added, heart wavering slightly.
Maybe… maybe not all humans are monsters… I mean so far min was okay Same as instructor Jake.
Jake smiled warmly.
"Aha… why wouldn't I know the way out?"
He paused.
"After all…"
"I built this place."
********************†************************†*******