The battlefield was gone.
But the tension wasn't.
They moved deeper into the broken lands, where the ground dipped into uneven valleys and the light itself seemed… uncertain.
No one spoke for a while.
Riven finally broke it.
"…So are we just going to pretend none of that happened?"
Kael walked ahead.
Silent.
Riven sighed.
"…Right. Silent treatment. Classic."
Elara didn't react.
But something about her felt… off.
Not weak.
Not tired.
Different.
Riven glanced at her.
"…You sure you're good?"
"…I said I don't know."
Her voice was sharper this time.
Riven raised his hands slightly.
"…Alright. Not asking again."
Kael slowed slightly.
Just enough to notice.
Then—
Elara stopped.
Suddenly.
Kael turned instantly.
"…What is it?"
She didn't answer.
Her hand pressed lightly against her chest.
"…It's back."
Silence.
Riven's expression shifted.
"…The voice?"
Elara shook her head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Something else."
The air around her changed.
Subtle.
But heavy.
Like something beneath the surface… trying to rise.
Kael stepped closer.
"…Control it."
Elara looked at him sharply.
"…I am."
A pulse—
The ground beneath her cracked.
Not outward.
Inward.
Riven stepped back slightly.
"…Okay. That's new."
Elara's breathing grew uneven.
"…It's not listening."
Kael's gaze darkened.
"It's not supposed to."
A pause.
"Not anymore."
Riven frowned.
"…That didn't sound comforting."
Elara clenched her fist—
And suddenly—
The world shifted.
Not physically.
But inside.
Her vision blurred—
And for a moment—
She wasn't there.
Darkness.
Not empty.
Alive.
A faint glow pulsed in the distance—
that same spiral symbol.
And a voice.
Not the same as before.
Deeper.
Closer.
"You're waking up."
Elara's voice echoed back—
not aloud—
but within.
"…Who are you?"
Silence.
Then—
"You already know."
The spiral pulsed brighter.
"They divided you."
Fragments flashed—
faster now—
Chains.
Light.
Hands—
Kael's—
Then darkness again.
"And he helped them."
Reality snapped back.
Elara staggered—
hard.
Riven caught her instantly.
"…Hey—HEY!"
Kael was already there.
"…What did you see?"
Elara pushed herself away slightly.
Breathing heavy.
Eyes shaken.
"…You."
Silence.
Riven blinked.
"…That sounded serious."
Elara looked directly at Kael.
"…You were there."
Kael didn't move.
"…When they did this to me."
The air tightened.
Riven looked between them.
"…Okay… I feel like I missed something important."
Kael's voice remained calm.
"…You're not seeing clearly."
Elara stepped forward.
"…Don't."
A pause.
"…Don't lie to me."
For the first time—
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Riven noticed.
"…Kael."
Silence stretched.
Then—
Kael spoke.
"…We don't have time for this."
Elara's eyes hardened.
"…That's not an answer."
A faint tremor passed through the ground again.
Stronger this time.
Riven looked down.
"…Uh… guys?"
The cracks were spreading.
Not from Elara.
From beneath all of them.
Kael's gaze snapped downward.
"…Move."
Too late.
The ground collapsed.
All three dropped—
into darkness.
Stone shattered around them as they fell into a deep, hidden cavern below.
They landed hard.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Cold.
Riven groaned slightly.
"…I really hate falling into unknown places."
Elara stood slowly.
Still shaken.
Kael rose immediately.
Already alert.
"…We're not alone."
A faint glow lit the cavern walls.
Symbols.
Ancient.
The same spiral.
Everywhere.
Elara stepped forward.
Drawn to it.
"…This place…"
Her voice softened.
"…I've been here before."
Riven froze.
"…That's not good."
Kael's expression darkened.
"…No."
A pause.
"…It's not."
Deep within the cavern—
something moved.
Not fast.
Not hidden.
Aware.
And watching them.
"You've returned…"
The voice echoed through the stone itself.
Low.
Ancient.
Alive.
"Just as expected."