The fall was brutal.

  Mirai hit the rocky ground, rolled with the impact, and sprang to her feet. Unharmed.

  The darkness was absolute, swallowing everything. Silence. Only the skitter of falling pebbles and the drip of distant water.

  Seconds later, another thud nearby. A muffled groan.

  Kaiser staggered to his feet, coughing. He felt his body for broken bones. Mirai scanned her surroundings—a narrow, damp cavern passage. Its walls glistened with a cold moisture. The heavy scent of earth and wet stone filled the air.

  No sign of Hikari or Arisa.

  The darkness hid Kaiser's tension from her. The realization that he was separated from Arisa shattered his last thread of composure. He started in a desperate whisper.

  "Arisa… Arisa!"

  No reply. Panic seized him. For a moment, he forgot who stood beside him in the dark.

  "Arisaaaa!" he roared, his voice echoing endlessly down the dark passages.

  "Quiet."

  Mirai's voice was sharp and cold. "Shouting won't help her. It will draw every monster in this cave straight to us."

  He turned toward the sound of her voice. He could barely see her shadow standing a few steps away.

  "But she… she's..."

  "She's with Hikari," Mirai said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And he'll protect her. All we can do now is move forward and find them."

  For a moment, his anxiety for Arisa overrode his fear of Mirai. He forgot who she was. He saw only a cold, uncaring person.

  "Protect her?" he said, unable to stifle his scorn. "That kid is weak! His magic is barely there! How can he protect anyone in a place like this?! I sized him up. He has no weapons, and his magic isn't offensive."

  Silence reigned for a second. In the dark, Kaiser saw the faint trace of a smile on Mirai's lips.

  "He *was* weak," she said, already walking down the dark passage. Her steps were confident. "Now, he can protect himself. And those with him."

  ---

  Hikari got to his feet. He scanned the dark space. He turned to Arisa, who was just getting up.

  "Are you all right?"

  She was trembling. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared into the oppressive darkness.

  "I think so… but..." Her voice trembled. "Where are we? Kaiser! Mirai!"

  "We're separated, most likely," Hikari said calmly. "But they're definitely fine."

  He raised his hand. Dozens of golden butterflies streamed from his palm. A warm, gentle light spread through the space. It revealed a network of branching, interconnected tunnels. Their walls were filled with deep cracks and small crystals that faintly reflected the light.

  "We have to keep moving. Staying here makes us an easy target."

  He had barely finished his sentence when they heard a sharp scraping sound coming from the cracks in the walls. Moments later, a swarm of small, scorpion-like creatures scuttled toward them. They were armored in crystalline shells. Fast.

  Arisa screamed and retreated behind Hikari.

  But Hikari showed no sign of tension. He calmly reached into a small pouch. He pulled out three small, crimson-red diamonds. He held them between his fingers. He muttered a single, inaudible word. The diamonds glowed with intense heat. He tossed them toward the attacking creatures.

  They exploded on contact with the ground in small fireballs. The creatures were instantly incinerated. The sharp smell of sulfur filled the air.

  Arisa stood stunned, her mouth open in shock. Then she calmed slightly. She felt a sense of relief, but the anxiety hadn't left her.

  "Come on," Hikari said simply, and started walking.

  She followed him in silence. They walked for a few minutes, the golden butterflies fluttering ahead of them, lighting their path.

  Suddenly, a much larger beast dropped from the ceiling—a massive lizard with claws as sharp as swords—pouncing directly on Arisa. There was no time to react.

  But an inch before its claws reached her, a translucent, glowing barrier materialized around her. The beast slammed into it with full force. It recoiled, letting out a shriek of pain and rage. Hikari used another diamond on the beast, turning it to ash.

  Arisa looked at herself, confused. She examined the faint aura surrounding her.

  "I put a protection barrier on you," Hikari said calmly. "You won't get hurt. You can walk without worrying." He paused for a moment, then added with confidence, "Even Mirai and Kaiser. They're both safe."

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't know what to say. But she felt a deep sense of relief.

  The two continued walking. They finally reached a fork in the path. One passage led right, the other left. Hikari stopped for a moment. He took out two green diamonds. He unleashed a powerful wind element spell down each path. Then he closed his eyes. He began to listen, as Arisa watched him in silence. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.

  "We'll go right," he said, his tone calm.

  After they had taken a few steps down the right-hand passage, he turned back toward the path they'd left. He pulled out an earthy-gray diamond and placed it on the ground. A faint pulse. A thick stone wall rose from the ground, sealing the passage completely.

  "That will stop anything from flanking us."

  They resumed walking. Arisa's sense of fear began to fade, replaced by a feeling of safety next to this calm young man.

  After a while, they entered a wider, more humid chamber—its ceiling was high, disappearing into the darkness. Hissing and slithering sounds filled the space. From among the rocks, a group of five monsters resembling rock lizards emerged. Their hides were caked in petrified mud.

  "These look tough," Arisa whispered.

  "Every enemy has a weakness," Hikari said, studying the monsters.

  He pulled a pure blue diamond from his pouch. He tossed it into the air above the monsters. It exploded into a dense mist that turned into a heavy downpour. The monsters were completely soaked. Their muddy armor became slick and shiny. Arisa didn't understand the point. The monsters looked annoyed, but unharmed.

  Then, while the monsters were still soaked, Hikari pulled out another diamond. Bright yellow, glowing with static electricity.

  "And now."

  He threw the yellow diamond into their midst. A chain of lightning shot from it, arcing from one wet monster to the next in the blink of an eye. It electrocuted them all in place. The five monsters collapsed to the ground, motionless. The smell of ozone filled the air.

  Arisa stood speechless. It wasn't brute force. It was pure strategy.

  They continued forward. Every time they faced an obstacle, Hikari had a clever solution for it. He used a brown diamond to create a small earthen bridge over a chasm. A white diamond to release a burst of wind that dispersed a cloud of toxic spores.

  "These diamonds..." Arisa began to ask hesitantly as she followed him. "I've never seen magic like this before."

  Hikari turned to her with a small smile. "It's not exactly my magic. Each diamond is pre-charged with a specific spell. I just act as the key to activate and direct it. They sell them in magic tool shops."

  They walked for hours, the gentle light of the butterflies accompanying them. They passed through a vast cavern where massive crystals of different colors—blue, green, purple—pulsed with a faint light. They crossed a calm subterranean river, its water so clear they could see the smooth pebbles lining the bottom. They used a bridge of ice Hikari made with a sky-blue diamond.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Then, there it was. Ahead of them was a massive stone gate, carved into the solid rock. Ancient, eroded runes covered its surface. The gate was slightly ajar. From the opening, a faint light emanated, along with a foul stench, like blood and rotting meat.

  The two entered together. The chamber inside was surprisingly vast. It resembled a natural arena, carved by nature over thousands of years. Its ceiling was vaulted, rising hundreds of feet. Massive stone columns hung from it like giant fangs. The ground was littered with scattered bones and the broken armor of less fortunate adventurers.

  The place was quiet. Too quiet.

  Arisa advanced slowly, her eyes scanning the area warily. Then she froze. Her eyes lit up. On a high ledge on the other side of the chamber, she saw a faint blue light coming from a cluster of small, glowing flowers.

  "Hikari!" she whispered with suppressed excitement, pointing toward the flowers. "There! The flowers!"

  They were more beautiful than she had imagined—their blue petals throbbed with a soft light, illuminating the space around them with a magical aura. She began to walk toward them, drawn to their captivating beauty. A small smile touched her face despite all the tension she had been through.

  But the ground trembled beneath her feet.

  From behind the massive rocks next to the flowers, something massive burst forth. The Gourmander. It appeared suddenly. Without warning, it lunged straight for Arisa, its long claws tearing through the air.

  Arisa screamed, instinctively raising her hands.

  The claws slammed into the translucent, glowing barrier that appeared around her. The impact sent a shockwave through the air. Arisa scrambled back, her heart pounding. Fear filled her eyes.

  "Arisa! Get back!" Hikari shouted, rushing forward.

  The Gourmander roared, its voice filling the cavern with a terrifying echo. It turned its attention to Hikari. The beast charged him, moving with astonishing speed for its immense size.

  Hikari pulled out a brown diamond and slammed it on the ground. A thick earthen wall erupted in front of him. But the beast shattered it with terrifying ease. Dirt and rock fragments flew in all directions. Hikari used the second he'd gained to leap aside, dodging the impact by a hair's breadth.

  The beast gave him no time to breathe. It spun with surprising agility, swiping with its massive claws. Hikari threw a white diamond at his feet. A powerful gust of wind blasted him away from the attack. He landed several meters away, but the beast was already on him.

  He threw a red diamond without hesitation. It exploded in a massive fireball that struck the beast's chest. But its bone-like armor absorbed the heat. The beast roared in annoyance, but the attack didn't stop it.

  The Gourmander leaped high, its four claws extended. Hikari, in a swift motion, threw a blue diamond into the air—it exploded in a torrent of water that slammed into the beast, knocking it slightly off course. The beast landed beside him, its claws gouging deep grooves in the rock.

  Hikari immediately threw a yellow diamond. Chain lightning struck the wet beast, but the electricity merely crackled across its armor without penetrating.

  The beast began to circle him slowly, its eyes glowing with a primal intelligence. It was learning from each attack. Becoming more cautious.

  Hikari tried everything—earthen walls, gusts of wind, ice, fire—but the beast adapted to every attack. His supplies were running low. The beast was barely tired.

  He reached into his inner pocket. His fingers brushed a different diamond. Gray, the color of a storm cloud. It was pulsing with an intense electrical energy, stronger than anything he had used so far.

  Gray Lightning. His mother's spell.

  But he hesitated. His fingers clutched the diamond, but he didn't pull it out.

  "I can't rely on it every time," he whispered to himself, his jaw tight. "I have to find another way."

  He put the diamond back in his pocket.

  The Gourmander roared and lunged again. This time, Hikari didn't try to engage. He dodged. He jumped. He moved back. His eyes scanned the cavern, frantic.

  There had to be something he could use. Anything.

  Then he saw it.

  A massive stone column hanging from the ceiling on the right side—one of the natural pillars supporting the roof. It was as thick as an ancient tree. But halfway up, there was a clear fissure. A deep crack running through the stone.

  If that column fell...

  He started running—not away from the beast, but *toward* the cracked column. He ran at full speed. The Gourmander roared behind him, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground with every step.

  He reached the base of the column and spun around. He threw a small fire diamond at the beast's face—not to hurt it, but to provoke it.

  The small explosion hit the beast's snout. It roared in pure rage and charged directly at him. All its caution evaporated in the face of blind fury.

  At the last second, Hikari used a powerful gust of wind to propel himself sideways.

  The Gourmander, unable to stop its charge, slammed into the base of the column with immense force. The entire cavern shook. Small pebbles rained from the ceiling. But the column held.

  While the beast was dazed from the impact, Hikari pulled out three red diamonds at once. He hurled them all at the fissure in the middle of the column.

  Three consecutive fireballs struck the crack directly. Rock shrapnel exploded outwards. A horrific cracking sound began to spread through the stone.

  The fissure widened rapidly. Spiderwebs of fractures spread in every direction.

  The Gourmander looked up, its eyes widening as it saw the massive column begin to tilt.

  The enormous stone pillar—tons of solid rock—toppled directly onto the beast. The Gourmander tried to leap away at the last second. It was too slow.

  The impact shook the entire cavern. A thick cloud of dust exploded everywhere, obscuring all vision. Scattered bones on the floor jumped from the force of the impact. Old armor rolled away.

  Then… silence.

  As the dust began to slowly settle, Hikari saw the Gourmander, buried beneath the massive stone. Its tail twitched once, weakly, before falling still.

  Hikari stood panting, his hand still clutching an unused diamond. He looked at the rocky rubble. Then at his palm, which held only a few diamonds. He managed a faint smile, exhausted but satisfied.

  But when he looked at the ledge where the flowers had been, they were gone, crushed by the falling column.

  A heavy silence.

  He heard Arisa's slow footsteps approaching from behind. She stopped beside him, her eyes fixed on the crushed blue petals beneath the stones.

  "The flowers..." she whispered, her voice laced with disappointment.

  But when she turned and looked at him—standing, exhausted, but alive—she gave a small, sad smile.

  "Thank you," she said quietly. "For saving my life."

  **Meanwhile, in a deeper, darker passage**

  Mirai moved confidently through the darkness. Kaiser followed her like a shadow, his senses on high alert. The passage they took was teeming with monsters—small groups of goblin-like creatures attacking them from every crevice in the walls.

  Mirai dispatched them with swift, efficient strikes, her sword a blur in the darkness. She wasted no movement, no energy.

  Kaiser, however, fought beside her with a completely different style. He used two short daggers with obvious skill, but he focused on parrying attacks and keeping the monsters off him. He rarely delivered a killing blow. He would dodge, deflect, and push back—but he only killed when he had no other choice.

  Mirai noticed, but said nothing.

  Suddenly, from a crack in the ceiling directly above Kaiser, a rock-serpent-like creature lunged, its jaws open to reveal sharp, crystalline fangs. A treacherous, fast attack.

  But before its fangs could reach him, the same translucent, glowing barrier materialized around him. The beast slammed into it hard, recoiling with a hiss of pain.

  Kaiser froze in place, staring at the invisible barrier that had just saved his life. He turned to Mirai, stunned.

  "He put a protection barrier on you, too," Mirai said flatly, beheading the beast in a single strike. "You won't die easily."

  She continued walking, leaving Kaiser standing there for a few moments. Hikari wasn't just protecting Arisa. He was protecting *him*, from a distance. He felt a strange mix of gratitude and confusion.

  They pressed on, but the passage seemed endless. Suddenly, it opened into a wide chamber that looked suspiciously natural—its floor was perfectly level. Smooth as glass. In the center of the chamber, something glittered.

  "A trap," Mirai whispered.

  "I know," Kaiser replied quietly.

  But before they could retreat, strange runes on the floor around them flared to life. The floor beneath them suddenly collapsed—it was just an illusion, hiding a bottomless pit.

  The two fell into a darkness deeper than anything they had ever faced. The fall was long. The air whistled in their ears as the void swallowed them.

  ---

  Kaiser opened his eyes to find himself at the bottom of a deep chasm. Mirai was already on her feet, scanning their surroundings. They were in what looked like the beginning of an older, more brutal cave system. The walls were covered in black moss and thick dampness. The air here was heavier, harder to breathe. The darkness was so thick it felt solid, pressing in on him from all sides.

  He got up, his entire body aching.

  "We have to move," said Mirai, who was already scouting. "Staying here isn't an option."

  They walked for what felt like an eternity through the twisting passages, fighting monsters the likes of which they had never seen—creatures adapted to the absolute darkness. Their eyes were milky and blind, but they moved with terrifying precision, relying on other, more lethal senses.

  And in every battle, Mirai noticed the same thing: Kaiser wasn't fighting like the warrior he was supposed to be. His movements were defensive. Calculated. Reserved. The beast she had known before was gone.

  After a particularly vicious fight against a group of giant spiders—spiders the size of horses, their fangs dripping a glowing green venom—Kaiser leaned against the cave wall, panting from exhaustion.

  "I need to rest," he said, his voice tired.

  Mirai looked at him. She saw the genuine exhaustion carved into his face. She nodded.

  "Alright. We'll rest here for a short while."

  They found a small, defensible alcove—a narrow entrance and solid walls on all sides. Kaiser gathered some dry stones. He held out his hand, concentrating for a moment. A flame sparked to life between his fingers. He lit a small fire, which provided a faint but comforting warmth.

  Mirai sat across from him. She pulled a waterskin and some dried meat from her magic bag and tossed them to him.

  "Eat."

  He caught them and began to eat in silence. They sat for several minutes. The only sounds were the quiet crackle of the fire and their own breathing. The light danced on Kaiser's face, revealing old scars on his neck and hands. A deep weariness was etched in his eyes.

  Mirai watched him in silence, her eyes studying him. But there was no hostility in her gaze. Only curiosity.

  Then, she suddenly broke the silence.

  "Why aren't you using any of your powerful spells?"

  Kaiser stopped chewing. He slowly looked up at her, his eyes slightly wide.

  Mirai continued in the same, level tone, her eyes never leaving his.

  "I know the abilities you used against me, a long time ago." She paused. "But you're fighting... differently now. Defensive. Reserved. Like you're someone else entirely."

  Kaiser's eyes widened further. He slowly lowered the food from his hand. He stared at her for several long seconds. Then he looked at the ground, his jaw tight.

  "So..." he said, his voice a rough, barely audible whisper. "You knew?"

  Mirai answered calmly, without shifting her gaze, "Yes. Since the wagon."

  A heavy silence filled the space. Kaiser didn't move. He didn't look at her. He just stared into the fire, his face a complex mask of shadows and emotions.

  Then, he let out a long, deep sigh, one that seemed to carry the weight of years.

  "I don't like to use my combat abilities without reason," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I don't kill if I don't have to."

  He looked up at her. And in his eyes, there was something Mirai had never seen before—not fear, not just regret, but a kind of painful peace. As if he had finally accepted something he had been running from for a long time.

  Mirai looked at him for a long time without saying anything. The silence stretched between them. But it wasn't hostile. It was expectant.

  Kaiser took a deep, shuddering breath.

  "Do you want to know?" he asked quietly. "Why I stopped using that power?"

  Mirai didn't answer, but her gaze was enough.

  He looked into the flames in front of him. Fire always reminded him of the beginning. He closed his eyes for a moment.

  When he opened them, he wasn't seeing the dark cave.

  He was seeing somewhere else. Another time.

  (To be continued)