[NOTICE! A hidden event triggered]
The sudden system ssage almost made jump, the sound echoing in my skull like a whisper from another world. I had not even had ti to understand why the cave shut down before an arrow manifested from thin air, glowing brightly in the dark cave, directing where to go. The light wasn’t natural either; it flickered like a heartbeat, soft pulses pushing back the darkness in long breaths.
What the... my jaw dropped. For a short mont I felt frozen. I felt a little terrified, but not because of the arrow or the sudden event; it was the familiar dread rising in my chest, the fear that Elira would find out about my special system. That would be the true disaster. My instinct scread to hide it, to shield it from her eyes before she asked questions I could never answer.
But apparently, when I looked at her, she was confused, her gaze drifting around the cave as if she were trying to find the source of the glow that only I could see. Her eyes narrowed slightly, adjusting to the darkness, unaware of the neon arrow floating just a breath away from my face. It made her silhouette look strangely fragile, swallowed by the shadows.
So she can not see it, huh? What a relief... My heart settled down for a mont, loosening its grip around my ribs.
But the arrow in the air kept on pulsing with a blue light, insisting on being noticed, directing ahead. Each pulse felt like a tap on my nerves, nudging deeper, urging to move. Was this... a ga? A trial? Or another trap laid by the system that enjoyed watching struggle?
I breathed in slowly, the cold air sliding into my lungs like fog.
[You have received a new quest: Follow the arrow and investigate the secret of the cave]
[Reward will depend on the percentage of the exploration]
I raised my eyebrow as the ssages faded. I wondered what could possibly be so difficult about crossing this simple-looking cave. At first, I imagined it would not even be that deep, since it was carved into a hill and not a mountain. Yet the system reacting like this made my skin crawl. It only ever showed itself when I was close to dying, which ant sothing about this place was anything but normal.
"Beatrice, do you think we’re trapped?" Elira asked quietly, her breaths slowly adjusting to the thin air inside the cave.
"Maybe for now. Can you see anything at all?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
"I can see the pulse of sothing ahead. It is the thing that called here. I am sorry... it is all because of ..."
"Not at all. I was the one who pushed you inside, so stop blaming yourself." I sighed softly. "Let’s move forward and see what opportunity or disaster is waiting for us."
Despite wanting to rip the system apart for dropping another challenge on so soon, a strange excitent ward my chest. I actually wanted to know how Elira would benefit from this. She had a natural connection to the elents, so whatever was pulsing inside the cave had to be tied to that power.
I, on the other hand, felt nothing at all. I possessed but one lonely affinity that I never even used. With no frost skills to support it, I had not a single trick that matched hers. But it would be amazing if I gained sothing here. Hopefully, the system would reward with that and not throw so random item at my head again.
Our steps echoed off the walls, mixing with the slow splash of water as it dripped from the ceiling with every ter we traveled. The air grew heavier, moist and cold, and the deeper we walked, the sharper that cold beca.
"Is it just , or is it getting colder and colder the further we go?" Elira whispered, her body shivering gently as she hugged her arms.
I felt the chill as well, but not nearly as sharply as she did. In fact, the cold wrapped around with a strange comfort, like slipping into a cool bath after a long, exhausting day. It should have been the sa for her, or at least close to it. If soone had an affinity for an elent, the elent would never truly harm them. I rembered that clearly from the book.
So why was Elira, who also carried frost affinity, suffering from the cold like this? Was my affinity stronger? No. That should not have been possible. Right?
The arrow’s pulse grew stronger the deeper we walked, brightening with every step. I still had no idea when or how the system planned to start tracking my progress, only that it watched from sowhere unseen. After what felt like a long stretch of walking, ti impossible to judge in this lightless place, the tunnel finally split into two paths.
Both sides glowed with the sa faint pulse ahead, but the arrow tugged to the right. As for Elira, I could tell by the way her gaze softened that her pull ca from the left, the way her fingers twitched as if sothing whispered to her from that direction.
"We should split for now," I said quietly.
Elira sighed, the sound gentle but tense. "Are you sure? What if it’s dangerous ahead? Wouldn’t it be better if we stayed together?" Her voice wasn’t pleading. It carried a steady seriousness that made et her eyes.
"Yeah. I feel sothing calling from the right. And you... It’s the left for you, isn’t it?" I asked, watching her expression shift.
She went silent for a mont before nodding slowly. "Yes." The word weighed heavily in the cold air. "I want to go left. So let’s split up for now. If anything happens, just shout and I’ll run to you." She reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly.
"Likewise. If you need to save you, I’ll co running." I smiled at her, but she answered with a snort.
"I’m not weak. I don’t need your saving, Beatrice. Let’s see which one of us chickens out first. It won’t be ." She flashed a quick grin and hurried down the left tunnel. "We et on the other end. If not, we co back here."
Her voice faded as the darkness swallowed her footsteps. For all her softness, she had her own strength, her own bravery. Maybe in my shadow, she forgot how capable she really was. This trial might be perfect for her, a chance to think and act without hovering over her shoulder.
I clenched my fists, refusing to be the one who backed down first, and stepped onto the right path. Cold mist wrapped around my ankles instantly, filling the tunnel with a chill that crawled up my legs. A soft chi echoed in my ears as a system window flickered to life.
[Exploration progress: 0%]
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