After a moment, Ely finally broke the silence.
Ely: I think we're safe now.
He gently dropped Alicia to the ground.
Alicia: Thanks for the ride.
She turned on her phone's flashlight.
Alicia: Good morning.
Ryan carefully helped Iriel down.
Ryan: There you go.
Iriel: Thanks.
She gave him an awkward smile.
Ryan looked around, trying to ease the tension, even though he wasn't feeling much of it himself.
Ryan: Where are we?
Alicia: In a dark cave.
Ryan: I know that already.
Ely forced a nervous smile.
Ely: So what now? Do we stay here forever?
Iriel: But how do we get out when we can't see anything?
Ryan: We find clues.
He spoke with the confidence of a captain giving orders.
Alicia: How? In this darkness?
Ryan: How many phones do we have?
Alicia: One.
Ely: Plus mine. Two.
Ryan: Good. We split into two groups.
They divided instinctively, each knowing who they would go with.
They scanned the walls with their phone lights.
Then they noticed something strange.
The walls weren't made of ordinary rock.
They looked like ancient, damaged technology, scarred by time and covered in marks that seemed to carry memories of something long forgotten.
Ryan: This place isn't normal.
Ely: Not just the walls. Even the atmosphere feels strange.
Suddenly, Iriel's voice echoed through the cave.
Iriel: Guys! You need to see this!
They rushed over.
Ryan: What is that?
Iriel: An inscription.
She brushed away the dust covering the wall.
Iriel: It says... THE MART FORCE.
Alicia: Does that sound familiar?
Ryan: No... but Mart does. When the orb teleported us, I heard a voice in my head. It said, "Marthardon."
Iriel's face lit up with realization.
Iriel: Then this place must be a military hideout. Those things outside were security units.
Ryan: You mean those gigantic monsters?
Iriel nodded.
Alicia: But that still doesn't explain why the red orb brought us here.
Iriel fell silent.
None of them noticed that Ely had already walked away.
Ely: Guys, I found something!
His excited voice immediately drew them toward him with renewed hope.
But when they reached him, Ely stretched his flashlight toward an elevator door embedded between the cave walls.
The moment they saw it, their hope dimmed.
Alicia: So you called us over just to show us this?
Ely looked surprised as he shone his phone's light over their faces one by one.
Ely: What's with those faces? Come on, guys. This door could be our way out of the mess we got ourselves into.
Iriel: You mean the mess you two got us into.
She pointed at Ely and Alicia.
Alicia: We know that already.
She brushed her off.
Iriel: That was just a reminder.
Ryan raised his hands to calm them down.
Ryan: Okay, that's enough. Ely, what proof do you have that this thing won't throw us into another heap of trouble?
Ely: Zero point zero zero zero percent. Actually, I have none.
Alicia: That's exactly where the real problem lies.
Iriel: And not only that. Do we even know the passcode for this thing?
Alicia: Does it even have one?
Iriel: She's right. If we know how to get in, then we can decide whether it's worth the risk.
Ryan tilted his head, staring at the large circular elevator door.
Ryan: I think I know how to open this door, if you guys can lend me a hand.
Iriel: Why wouldn't we? We want to go home.
Ely: Wait. What evidence do you have that you can actually open it?
Ryan: One thing. On my tenth birthday, my dad taught me a lot. Part of it was how to open doors like this.
Alicia: Your dad must've been a tech genius.
Ryan: Yeah.
Even though the memory reopened a long-nursed wound, Ryan held his emotions inside.
He walked up to the door and grabbed the large circular wheel.
He tried to turn it, but he couldn't do it alone.
Ryan: I need your help.
They rushed toward him.
Together, they grabbed the wheel and turned it anticlockwise with all their strength.
The door screeched loudly.
Slowly, it began to open.
They stepped back and watched intently.
Cold gas spilled into the cave.
It was thick, but still bearable.
Iriel took a deep breath.
Iriel: Here goes nothing.
They stepped inside.
The room was massive.
The walls were different from those of the outer cave. They were clearly artificial, although darkness swallowed most of the room.
Using the two phone lights as guides, they spread out and began inspecting their surroundings.
Alicia noticed something at the center of the room.
She moved closer as the gas began to thin.
Then she stopped.
It was a rectangular object.
She stepped closer.
A coffin.
Despite the danger, fear didn't stop her.
They were already trapped in chaos, and any clue was worth investigating.
The coffin had a glass-like top, while the rest was made of a stone-like material.
Alicia: Guys, you need to see this.
They hurried over and examined it.
Iriel: What the hell is that?
Ryan: It looks like a coffin.
Alicia: Whose coffin?
Ely: Let's find out.
He rubbed his palms together, trying to clear the condensed gas from the glass.
Ryan stopped him.
Ryan: Carefully.
Ely: Okay. Your move.
Ryan carefully wiped the mist from the glass.
Inside lay a man.
His skin looked unnaturally fresh.
He had dark-blond hair, long eyelashes, closed eyes, and eyebrows as dark as night.
Above his eyebrows were three black dots.
Ely: Who is this?
Alicia: How would we know?
Ryan suddenly froze, as though a realization had struck him.
Ryan: I think this is the owner of this place. The cave was probably built in his memory. Those robots were guarding it. He must've been a soldier... or part of some elite force.
Alicia: You think so?
Ryan: Maybe.
Iriel: But that still doesn't explain why that big blue orb brought us here... does it?
Ryan: No. It doesn't.
As Ryan spoke, Alicia noticed something carved into the stone body of the coffin.
Alicia: Guys, look at this.
She wiped away the fog and reflected her flashlight onto the inscription.
Alicia: It's an inscription... the same one we saw on the wall outside.
They all stared at it.
Ryan: It says... Mart Force.
Suddenly, the coffin was bathed in yellow light.
The man's eyes snapped open.
Ryan: Oh no...
Ely: Oh crap!
The glass shattered into countless pieces with a powerful burst of energy.
Ely: RUN!
They didn't speak.
They simply obeyed their instincts and ran across the icy stone floor.
Behind them, the man rose into the air.
But he was no longer human.
Dark smoke consumed his face.
His eyes grew massive and hollow, filled with a murderous aura.
A black cloak wrapped around his body, covering everything except his face.
A faceless undead being.
He released a terrifying roar.
A bluish aura flooded the room, lifting all four of them into the air and slamming them against the closed door.
They were pinned in place, gasping desperately for air.
The creature flew toward them.
Then it multiplied.
Four identical copies appeared.
They struck simultaneously.
Sharp claws pierced through them, and terrifying fangs sank into their necks.
They screamed as agony consumed them.
Ryan jolted awake.
He gasped for breath, drenched in sweat.
His heart thundered as he looked around in terror.
He was in his room.
Ryan: What the...