The group finally reached the end of the cave. Before them stretched immense frescoes carved directly into the stone. The images, of striking precision, told an ancient story. Everyone remained dazzled for a moment.
"Wow…" Diana breathed, eyes wide.
"It's… so beautiful," Kira murmured.
"You can say that again," Bryan added.
Ray stepped closer.
"But what do these frescoes tell? It would be good to understand them."
"I agree," Klaus approved.
Élias straightened up, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Well… that's precisely the reason for my presence. These frescoes tell that there was a terrible explosion in the town of Ashenford. The culprit was a man named Kil. This man was greedy for power. He had discovered that one of his friends possessed an immense power… capable of controlling the world. So he kidnapped her and forced her to give him that power. She refused. She resisted with all her strength. But when she reached her limit… she lost control. Unintentionally, she destroyed the town. However, just before… she had managed to speak to her friends and asked them to evacuate."
Asher frowned, curious.
"But then… how did you survive?"
Élias sighed slightly.
"Well… first of all, it's thanks to that girl. Her name was Miria Lysara. She held back her powers as long as possible to give the survivors time to flee. And this cave… she is the one who built it. It is magical. It was able to withstand the impact of the explosion."
Miria, in a tone charged with hope, asked:
"So… you mean the survivors took shelter here during the explosion?"
Eiden, skeptical, intervened:
"Even if that's true… it took us about twenty minutes to get here. So how did the survivors manage to arrive in time?"
Élias smiled.
"That miracle… is thanks to the second actor in this story. A man named Leo Caelum."
Asher immediately became troubled. A shadow passed through his gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"Leo was a sorcerer from a family of very powerful sorcerers," Élias explained. "He created a portal that allowed the survivors to arrive close enough to the cave. All they had left to do was run to enter it as quickly as possible. Those who died… are those who couldn't take shelter in time. But there weren't many of them. There were no heavy losses."
Miria lowered her eyes. A sad smile formed on her lips.
Miria's thought: *That's why other tombstones were removed… It was simply because those people weren't dead.*
Axel, trying to lighten the atmosphere, said:
"It's a very good story that ends well, isn't it?"
Élias shook his head, a sad smile on his lips.
"No… not exactly. Because Miria… committed suicide."
A deathly silence fell. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Some discreetly glanced toward Miria, who lowered her head, ashamed.
"Why…?" Marlie asked, still in shock.
Élias continued in a lower voice:
"The survivors believe that, despite the explosion, Miria's power didn't destroy her. When she woke up, she saw the disaster her powers had caused. She must have searched for survivors… and finding no one, only broken objects… she believed that no one had survived. So she created tombstones for all the families of the town… and she committed suicide because of the guilt. Her friends found her near the tombstones… lying in her blood, the dagger in her heart."
Katrina brought a hand to her mouth.
"That must have been heartbreaking for everyone…"
"Alas… yes," Élias confirmed. "It's sad to see someone die of guilt… when she had nothing to reproach herself for. She had managed to save lives. Of course, she didn't save the entire town… but she saved three-quarters of it. And we will be eternally grateful to her. Even for the generations to come. That's the reason for these stones."