The party woke up the next day. The captain was already awake and was scouting around. He took out his sword and checked the barrier. The barrier was intact. Then he came back.
"There's no sign of them…And the barrier is fine as well,"
"We will eat and check the wall," Elna responded.
Elna distributed the food, and after eating, they were standing in front of the wall. When the sun rose, the light was back on the same hole.
"I think this might be the place…" Felmer said to them.
"Wait…Weren't we looking for a shadow…" Flexin asked.
"When I studied optics, I found that the shadows of certain objects appear to have a similar colour to the object. So, we can try this place out. Moreover, the holes in the roof and the symmetry aren't naturally found." Elna replied.
Felmer went close to the wall and crouched. He stared at the hole. Then he took out his dagger and put it inside the hole. He imbued the blade with magic. Nothing happened. Then he took out his sword, imbued it with magic and placed it inside. Still, there was no change. Felmer tried countless times, but nothing happened.
"I think we should check some other place. The mechanisms must be outdated or dysfunctional…" The captain said.
They stood for some time, then headed back to their horses. But Felmer remained there.
'No…This has to be the right place,' He thought.
He looked at his sword, and only one thing came to his mind. The blood ritual. He exhaled and cut his palm in the same place as before. As he cut, the blood stuck to the blade, and the green patterns turned red.
"Felmer, what are you doing?" The captain said angrily.
But Felmer paid no heed and stuck the blade. He looked for some time. The blood was going into the slot. And then the wall rumbled, and it began to open. It was a door, and Felmer had opened it.
"We were doing it the wrong way…" Felmer said to the captain.
Captain Irnik sighed at him.
Felmer deactivated the ritual and sheathed his sword. Then they entered the cave. The base of the mountain was indeed hollow. They went further inside and were left in awe. The cave was large, beyond their imagination. The walls of the cave were filled with vines and moss. The ground was covered with a thick layer of moss.
"It's beautiful…" Elna said as she looked around her.
They moved deep inside, and then they heard a voice.
"Welcome…Travellers," An old lady said.
"Huh?" Melfer and Felmer said in unison.
They all turned and took out their weapons. Behind them stood an old lady. The lady looked old, but she felt like a young and strong woman. She wore a green robe above her white clothes. Her face was wrinkled and her eyes hooded. But her posture and expressions told that she wasn't an old hag, and she was for sure wise.
The lady looked at Felmer's bleeding hand and understood how they entered.
"Does the sun still shine?" The lady asked them.
They looked at each other in confusion. They didn't understand. The captain thought for a moment, and then he understood.
"Yes, the sun still shines," The captain replied.
The remaining looked at the captain in utter shock.
"Does the mountain still stand tall?" The lady asked again.
"Yes…The mountain still stands tall and proud," Irnik replied again.
The lady was satisfied with the answers.
"Welcome…Members of the Gorbin family, I presume?" The lady smiled.
"Yes…A part from me…" The captain replied. "These two are from the main family. This lady is of the branch family, and this boy here is the adopted brother of these two." He said, pointing to each of them.
The lady walked near Felmer and held his left hand. She touched the wound and then the blood. She left it and then looked at the captain.
"If you are not from the family, how do you know the password?" She asked.
"I am a captain in the Cerfisian Army. I was trained by the Eye of the Mountain. That's where I learned about this password."
'Never in my thirty years of experience, I imagined that someone would use this password,' The captain thought.
"Follow me," The lady said and headed further inside the cave.
The squad looked at the captain and then began to follow the lady. She led them to a small hut. In there, she poured tea into small cups and presented them.
"How did you unlock the door?" The lady asked, looking at Felmer.
"I first tried to open it with my magic. Then, I used the Gorbin Blood ritual, and it worked." Felmer replied, taking a sip.
"There was no need for that…Your blood alone would have been enough."
After hearing that, everyone looked at Felmer, who hid his face and drank his tea.
"Why are you here? And how did you find this place?"
"We read about the badge of ascension in an old history book, written in ancient Algerim. In that book, we found this page. We deciphered the poem and found this place." Elna replied, handing her the paper.
The lady looked at the paper and understood immediately. She handed back the paper and then looked at them.
"So, are we in the right place?" Felmer asked.
"I am Wernia Alore, also known as the first sky…"
"Wait…So the five skies are people?" Melfer asked.
"Yes…The badge was entrusted to us. Here you will find your next clue, and you will find the second sky." She said and looked at Felmer. "I touched your blood and felt the magic of who we were waiting for. Only you are eligible for this trial," She said. "Your name?"
"Felmer Gorbin…"
"Yes…Master Felmer…You are in the right place, and your trail begins."