It began with a knock—sharp, hurried. A guard entered the council chamber, breathless and tense.
"I have a report for the council," he said. "Something has happened. It's urgent."
One of the guards had escorted a man into the hall just moments before. The report was impromptu—raw and unfiltered. He was not someone the council knew. Just an average citizen. But his face bore the urgency of someone who had seen something unexplainable. Something wrong.
The man stood nervously before them, voice trembling slightly.
"I was just passing by… when I saw a crowd gathered outside the prisoner cell. It looked serious, so I approached."
He paused. All eyes were on him. Even the scribes had stopped writing. Then he continued, his tone more hushed.
"Inside… I saw the guards and the prisoners lying on the floor. At first, I thought they were dead. But when I got closer—"
He swallowed hard, as though reliving the moment. "They were breathing. Normal. No wounds. Their metabolism… normal too. But they weren't waking up. It was like they were asleep—but something deeper…"
A stunned silence followed. No one moved.
"Is this serious?" Galley whispered, breaking the stillness with a cold undertone of dread.
"Yeah," the man replied. "It's urgent."
Just then, Yamin stepped out from her chamber. Her presence shifted the air. Like a storm about to form. She wore a flowing maroon robe, marked with the seal of the High Council. Her footsteps echoed louder than they should.
"Call the council. All of them," she ordered the guards. "Now."
As the guards left to spread the word, Yamin walked calmly into the Judgment Hall. She took her seat on the Judgment Throne, the carved stone echoing her authority. Her face remained composed, but her mind was already racing.
She stared at the man, her voice calm but edged with concern.
"You saw all this yourself?"
"Yes. I still don't understand it. And to be honest, I still don't believe it," he said quietly.
Yamin turned to a nearby guard.
"Get me General Marcus. Now."
Then, returning her gaze to the man:
"We'll find the cause. Don't worry—we'll handle it. You may leave."
The man gave a shaky nod, bowed, and exited. The hall remained heavy with silence. Whatever was behind this—it was not ordinary. Not an illness. Not poison. Something... else.
---
After crawling out of the tight tunnel, Tony, Skyler, Elsie, and Gabby found themselves in a fog-laced clearing deep within the forest. The air was cool, the sky veiled by twisted branches overhead. Strange birds called out in the distance. The ground was soft with layers of ancient leaves. It felt like they had stepped into a world hidden away from time.
Gabby didn't waste a second.
"This way," she said, leading them past thickets and tangled roots. Her pace was steady, like she knew exactly where she was going.
Before long, they reached a sloped ridge where several caves lay carved into the stone. Most looked plain, empty—forgotten by time and untouched by light. But one stood apart.
It shimmered.
Symbols—graceful and glowing faintly—were drawn around the cave's entrance, not with harsh edges but with swirling beauty, like the strokes of a painter's brush. They were not crude markings, but elegant and deliberate. The light they gave off wasn't harsh, but gentle, almost welcoming. As though the cave itself wanted them to enter.
"Wow," Skyler breathed, stepping forward with wide eyes.
"It's… different," Tony said, his voice sharp with suspicion as he scanned the area. His eyes darted across the surroundings, instinctively assessing for danger. "Too different."
Gabby stared at the glowing cave mouth, thoughtful. She didn't move at first. Just stood there, breathing in the energy of the place. Then, without a word, she turned toward a nearby cluster of mossy, oversized tree stumps. She climbed onto them, pushing a few aside until she unearthed a hidden locker beneath the roots—its metal frame worn and etched with strange symbols completely unlike those on the cave.
She traced them quickly, her fingers moving like someone who had done this before. She arranged a few of the pieces, pressed her palm to a flat section, then reached down and yanked a rusted lever hidden beneath it.
Clunk... shhhh.
The cave responded immediately. Though the locker's markings weren't the same as the ones on the cave, only Gabby knew what she was doing . A gentle tremor rolled through the ground as the door slid open with a soft hum.
They stepped closer—and gasped.
The inside wasn't a tight crawlspace. It was a steep but open tunnel, tall enough to walk through freely. As they entered, their footsteps echoed against smooth, polished walls. The tunnel curved slightly, then revealed a breathtaking sight.
And then… it opened up.
The cave's interior was like a secret underground dwelling. Neatly carved rooms branched off from the main path. There were tables carved into the stone, wardrobe-like niches built into the walls, and shelf-like surfaces covered in dust but still standing sturdy. The air smelled of earth and old magic. The walls glowed faintly from embedded crystals, casting soft shades of amber and violet across the room.
Elsie's eyes sparkled with wonder. She stepped forward and gently ran her fingers along one of the smooth stone tables. Her fingers glided as if greeting an old story.
"It's beautiful…" she whispered, almost to herself. "Like someone really lived here. Like it meant something."
Skyler was already circling a wardrobe, curiosity taking over.
"Is this place even on any map? How can this exist and no one know?"
Tony stood near the entrance, arms folded, his eyes narrowed and sharp as he scanned every corner, still not dropping his guard.
"We need to know what this place was built for. Just because it looks pretty doesn't mean it's safe."
Gabby walked slowly through the main chamber. She ran her hand along the walls like she was retracing memories.
"This wasn't just a hideout," she said. "This was designed… like a base. A haven. For someone... important."
And somewhere deeper in the cave, a distant mechanical hum stirred—as if awakened by their presence...
"Commander, gather your troops and track them down. I want them brought here immediately," the councillor ordered firmly. Every part of the decision had been executed with precision...