The survivors of the expedition team picked themselves up as soon as the rain stopped.
One by one, they emerged from the small cave. They did not speak as there was nothing left to say.
They had to keep going. They had to finish the mission—to find the lost gold of Paititi. If not, then Ayumu's death would be for nothing.
No amount of gold will bring her back.
The thought passed through each of them like a shadow. But they could at least dedicate this finding in her name. A memorial. As without her, they would'nt have survived.
And at the front of the group, Kaiser led the way.
His red eyes scanned the path ahead, but his mind was elsewhere.
They climbed up to a small road by the cave—a path that wound upward along the cliff face. The road was narrow and steep, barely wide enough for one person at a time. On one side, rough stone scraped against their shoulders. On the other, a sheer drop into the misty depths below.
A fall could be the death of them.
But this place was not a garden to walk in.
The first goblins appeared without warning—scrambling over the rocks ahead, their green faces twisted into snarls, their sharp nails scraping against the stone. Yellow teeth gleamed in the dim light. Small, beady eyes tracked the group with hungry intent.
The survivors were in no mood to fight such tedious monsters.
But they did anyway.
Drobar cut through the first goblin with a single swing of his sword—no flourish, no battle cry, just cold efficiency. The creature crumpled. Osmond crushed another against the cliff wall, its body folding with a sickening crack. Levain sent a sharp jet of water through a third, pinning it to the stone. Fifi's defensive tattoos flared as he deflected a goblin's claw swipe, and Rhea's vines snatched a fourth from the ledge, hurling it into the abyss.
Kaiser did not even use his fire. His shadow lashed out like a whip, tearing through two goblins at once.
The fight was over in moments, and they just continued climbing.
After a while more and more monsters came.
Deformed lions with too many teeth and eyes that glowed in the shadows—their bodies twisted by whatever ancient magic haunted this forest. Swarms of hornets, each one the size of a fist, their buzzing so loud it drowned out all other sound. Oversized prehistoric birds that swooped from the cliffs above, their feet large enough to stomp a man flat.
The group fought together.
But after each fight, there were no words between them.
It was as if they had made a silent vow—a vow of mourning. They spoke only when necessary, their voices clipped and low.
Unbeknownst to them, Ayumu was well and alive.
Although, she is stuck in a predicament of an entirely different kind
---------------------------------------------
Back in the treasure chamber, the djinn drifted around Ayumu in slow circles, watching her with obvious amusement.
"Brave," it said. "Very brave. Why would you not wed me, Ayumu Velmiar?"
"B-because we just met, Great Djinn! How could I?"
"So it means that if we knew each other long enough, you would wed me."
Ayumu was flabbergasted. She fell silent, actually considering it.
The djinn's grin widened. "I have eternity. I do not die. I can wait for you… forever."
Ayumu gasped. No words came. Her bewildered expression seemed to stir something in the djinn's chest.
"Hahahahahahaha!" Its laughter boomed again. The entire chamber trembled. Coins rattled. A small cascade of gold trickled down a nearby mountain of treasure.
"Oh, Great Djinn, can you please refrain from teasing me and laughing like that?" Ayumu steadied herself on a pile of gold coins. "I might get killed by an avalanche of gold." She glanced nervously up at the towering hoard beside her.
The djinn grinned. It snapped its fingers.
Wind coiled around Ayumu—warm, gentle, drying her soaked clothes in seconds.
She was amazed.
And then the wind swooped her up.
"Ah—!"
She screamed—a short, startled cry—as the air lifted her off her feet and carried her upward. Her robes billowed. Her hair streamed behind her. For a moment, she was flying, weightless, soaring through the golden chamber.
Then she dropped. Her bum touching something solid. Something that rumbled with quiet laughter.
She landed on the djinn's lap.
He sat on his throne again—she had not seen him move, had not seen him return to his seat. Such impeccable magic. She looked around, bewildered, trying to understand how she had gotten there, how the wind had carried her so precisely, how the djinn could bend the very air to his will.
"Great Djinn," she said, her golden eyes shining with genuine wonder, "your powers are amazing."
She sat on top of his lap—close enough to see the individual currents of darkness that swirled across his face.
And she was not afraid.
Maybe it was because he was not human. Maybe it was because he had shown no ill intentions toward her. Even despite his power, his ancientness and his terrifying laughter, he had been kind to her.
But then Ayumu snapped back to reality.
"Oh!" She straightened, her hands pressing against his chest—which was surprisingly solid beneath the shifting shadows. "But I still won't marry you, O Great Djinn."
He snickered—a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through her. "Well. We shall see."
He reached to his side and retrieved a mirror.
In its massive hand, the object looked normal-sized, but it was easily the span of Ayumu's torso. She stared at her own reflection—the djinn itself was invisible in the glass.
Ayumu's eyes widen a the sight but then the image in the mirror shifted. It was no longer her reflection, but an image of a long road near a cave entrance. Snow was falling. And among the white haze, six figures moving carefully through the storm.
It was her friends.
Ayumu's eyes locked onto one figure immediately. "Rhea! Oh, she's okay. Thank goodness." She leaned closer to the mirror. "Where is this place?"
"The weather outside is unpredictable, after all the whishes the Paititi people made which destroyed this place entirely." the djinn said, its voice oddly flat. "I no longer have the power to control it."
Ayumu glanced up at it. "Even that bolt of lightning that struck so close to me so coincidentally, Great Djinn?"
Silence.
Ayumu's pout returned. "Great Djinn is a merciless tease."
She turned back to the mirror, watching her friends with relief blooming across her face—while the djinn's white eyes lingered on her, unreadable.
Then the djinn smiled. "Why is it that you have not asked for my name?" He seemed eager to change the subject.
"Your name is what binds you. That's what I read about djinns." Ayumu looked up at it. "You must have your own reasons for staying in this place all these years. I will not pry, nor will I overstep, Great Djinn. Your name… I shall not ask for it." She smiled.
The djinn simply humphed in understanding. What an odd human he had on his lap. Never once had he intended to touch humans before this. And yet, with her, it came naturally.
"Let us then make a bet."
Ayumu's eyes shone. "A bet?"
"Yes. A bet." He smiled. "If your friends are able to find this place, then I will grant each of them a wish."
Ayumu's eyes sparkled even brighter. What a bargain! Her friends could gain something from this bet too.
The djinn continued, his voice dropping to a low, menacing whisper. "If they do not… you will stay with me here. Forever."
"That sounds like a good bet." Ayumu was beaming, light radiating from her with joy.
"Wait, wait, wait!". A voice came out of nowhere, one of ancient sound but alarmed.
The glow around Ayumu intensified, coalescing into the form of a phoenix. It was Vesta.
The djinn's expression soured at the presence of this unwanted bird.
"Oh, Vesta, do you want to join the bet too?" Ayumu asked cheerfully.
"Ayumu, wait!!! Think about this. This demon is trying to trap you!" Vesta cried out, its wings flapping in a frantic, panicked rhythm as it darted around its master, desperate to stop her from doing something so utterly bizarre.
Ayumu scowled at her spirit. "It's rude to call someone a demon, Vesta."
The djinn grinned. "That's right, little bird. Who gave you the right to speak?" It swatted at Vesta.
Vesta dodged and darted closer to Ayumu. "Remember what I told you about bets! You white magis do love games, but make sure it's fair! Put your own terms in too!"
"Noisy bird!" The djinn's swat connected this time, sending Vesta tumbling into a mountain of gold.
"Arghhh!"
Ayumu sat in silence for a moment, thinking.
Then she straightened. "O Great Djinn, I would like to accept the bet. BUT—"
The djinn's eyes narrowed, displeased. "But?"
"You may not use your powers to influence the outcome. It must be fair for them."
"Hahaha." The djinn's laugh rumbled through the chamber. "Do you truly believe in them so much? That they can survive such weather and attacks? I still have twenty spriggans guarding the very door to this place."
"Yes." Ayumu's smile was sincere. "I believe in them." She held his gaze. "So other than what you have already said, you will not interfere further. Do we agree, Great Djinn?" She stretched out her hand.
The djinn studied her for a long moment. Then it grunted. "Hmph. I agree."
It took her hand with two fingers—its own being far too large for a proper shake.