The forest atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. Moonlight slipped through the gaps in the leaves, forming strange patterns on the ground riddled with protruding roots. Lyra's steps were light, almost silent as she tailed Mr. Gharrick.
She was surprised. The old man walked faster than she had anticipated. With a body that large, he shouldn't be able to move this nimbly.
"Does he know I'm following him?" Lyra thought, holding her breath slightly.
Suddenly, Mr. Gharrick slowed his pace. His shoulders tensed, as if sensing someone's presence behind him. Lyra immediately crouched behind a bush, her eyes observing the man's every move warily.
"Almost..." she muttered inwardly, feeling her heart beat faster.
Mr. Gharrick didn't remain still for long. After a moment, he started walking again, making Lyra follow him even more cautiously.
The deeper they went into the forest, the thicker the darkness enveloped them. The sky, once adorned with the moon, was now almost swallowed by the black of night. The night air was piercing, and the sound of crickets mixed with the rustle of wind through the trees.
Then, Lyra saw something that made her eyes widen. From behind Mr. Gharrick's robe, something glowed faintly—a dim green light that seemed to dance in the darkness.
"That... what is it?" Lyra thought, sharpening her gaze.
She frowned. "An ornament? An artifact? Or perhaps... Etherium?"
Etherium could indeed glow in the dark, especially if it still contained active energy. But Lyra couldn't jump to conclusions. It could just be an ordinary trinket... or something more dangerous.
Mr. Gharrick kept walking, as if undisturbed by anything. Deeper into the forest, until finally Lyra saw the man's destination.
Before them stretched a cave with a gaping mouth like the jaws of a giant. The air around it felt colder, carrying a damp, earthy smell.
Lyra felt the hairs on her nape stand on end.
"Why is he coming here...? This cave..."
She bit her lip. This place wasn't an ordinary cave—this was the Dark Cave, a place filled with rumors.
"What is he really looking for here?"
---
Lyra tightened her thin coat. The air around the cave was different—colder, quieter. Even the insect sounds that had filled the night slowly vanished, leaving only a faint rustle of wind.
Mr. Gharrick stopped right in front of the cave entrance, raised the green pendant, and observed it for a moment. His gaze was sharp, as if searching for something within the depth of the glowing green light.
Lyra held her breath. The light from the pendant reflected on the old man's face, creating faint, moving shadows on his skin.
"He looks so serious..." she thought.
She recalled the rumors often circulating in Beysolun.
"Rumors about teleportation, about missing people... and this cave is often mentioned as a forbidden place."
But so far, all that was just empty talk. Lyra herself had come here before, trying to find the truth behind the myths. Yet all she found was a dark cave without any signs of magic or strange phenomena.
So why was Mr. Gharrick coming here now?
Suddenly, the man moved again. He stepped into the cave, letting the green light from his pendant become the only illumination.
Lyra bit her lip.
"Should I go in too...?"
It felt dangerous. But her curiosity was too great.
She let out a slow breath, then peered deeper inside.
But before she could step further...
"Ugh... not now..."
Lyra's face tensed. Her stomach churned; the nausea she had been holding back since earlier was getting stronger.
"I can't concentrate like this!"
She retreated a few steps, pressed herself against a tree, trying to calm down.
When she finally felt a little better and peered toward the cave again...
Mr. Gharrick was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
Lyra stood still, her eyes scanning the area around the cave. No sign of the man. Only thick darkness enveloped everything.
Lyra's chest began to pound.
---
Lyra stood frozen, staring at the cave now silent with no trace of Mr. Gharrick. Her heart was still racing, not just from tension, but also from something more urgent.
"Ugh, why now?!"
She looked down, her hand pressing against her stomach. The nausea was getting worse. As if her stomach was also panicking seeing Mr. Gharrick disappear just like that.
"Damn, this cave is creepy, but if I can't hold it, I still have to find a spot..."
Her eyes darted around, looking for a sufficiently hidden location. Her first choice was to go back to the bushes from earlier, but after thinking... "What if there are snakes?"
Second choice, go back to the village. "But the way there is so far! I might have an accident before I even get there."
Third choice, go back to the base. "Seriously, Lyra? Can you hold it until the base? Want to test your guts?"
While her mind was busy debating, a second wave of stomach trouble hit. This time stronger.
"No! Can't delay any longer!"
With quick steps—and a slight tiptoe—Lyra ran behind the bushes, making sure no one (or any other creature) was around. But before she could start, a rustling sound came from the direction of the forest.
Her eyes widened.
"Don't tell me someone's there!"
Lyra quickly crouched, trying to hide herself. The seconds felt long. But when she looked around... it was just the wind blowing the leaves.
She let out a long sigh.
"Almost... If I got caught in a condition like this, my dignity would be shattered!"
After answering nature's call with utmost caution, Lyra finally returned to her original spot. Her nausea subsided, but one thing still made her uneasy.
Mr. Gharrick... had truly disappeared.
And that meant she had to find another way to get answers.
---
Lyra entered the cave mouth, after what had happened to her. She might have missed some events, but the most important thing was that Mr. Gharrick was still in there.
The air inside the cave was damp and smelled of bat droppings, creating a suffocating atmosphere. Every step Lyra took echoed softly, mixed with the sound of water dripping from the stalactite-covered ceiling.
A few meters in, the cave floor began to slope steeply, forcing Lyra to be more careful. In the faint torchlight, she saw something that made her stop.
Traces of spilled Etherium.
The substance oozed along the entrance path, glowing dimly in a green hue, flickering like a flame about to go out. Lyra narrowed her eyes, observing her surroundings. If a mage had performed a ritual here, there should be traps around.
But so far, she had only found one, and it was very obvious.
Then her gaze fell on something else.
In a corner of the cave, the carcasses of several monsters lay in unnatural positions. Their forms were strange, like a cross between a wolf and a snake, with sharp claws and rough, grayish skin. The wounds on their bodies were not neat—they looked like the result of a strong impact, not sword slashes or pure magical attacks.
Lyra let out a short breath.
"Was this Mr. Gharrick's doing?" she murmured to herself.
She wasn't sure. If the librarian was this strong, why had he never shown it? But if not him, who had slain these monsters?
Lyra's steps halted when she arrived at a wider chamber inside the cave. The faint green glow from remnants of Etherium energy still lingered in the air, making shadows on the walls seem alive.
In the center of the room, a large magic circle was drawn on the stone floor. The intricate symbols still emitted a faint light, though most had dimmed.
Around it, bowls containing thick red liquid were neatly arranged—some had spilled, leaving dark stains on the rocky ground. A pungent, metallic smell stung her nose, mixed with the distinct scent of Etherium.
Lyra crouched, observing several ritual tools scattered about. There was a dagger with strange carvings on its hilt, cracked Etherium crystals, and the remnants of half-burned spell papers. Something big must have happened here, but the traces only left destruction.
Her eyes then caught something on the other side of the room—a figure lying still, its white robe stained by a dark color creeping like the shadows of night. Lyra tensed. She didn't approach immediately, only observed from where she stood.
The figure was a woman. Her head hung at an unnatural angle, as if an unseen weight had dropped her just like that. Her face stared at the cave ceiling, empty, no longer holding any trace of life. Beneath her, the rocky ground seemed to have absorbed something, leaving a faint shimmer that slowly faded into the darkness.
Lyra felt the hairs on her nape stand on end. She swallowed, her mind trying to process what had really happened here. If the mage was like this, then where was Mr. Gharrick? Had he met the same fate?
Her feet moved, slowly leaving the body behind. She searched for other traces in the cave, hoping to find signs of Mr. Gharrick, if the man was still around here. However, the further she searched, the emptier the cave felt. Nothing else, only remnants of the ritual and destruction.
Finally, Lyra took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "He must have won and gone home," she muttered, as if trying to convince herself. If that were the case, Mr. Gharrick would surely investigate this further—and that meant she also had to be prepared.
Ignoring the tension creeping up her nape, Lyra took a deep breath. She had to report to the base immediately. Rasmus would want to hear about this.
Without touching anything, Lyra turned and walked away, leaving the lifeless body in the darkness of the cave.
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