The little creature faced its palm in her direction and shot sothing out of its palm. It was a fireball.
"D*mnit!" She cursed and rolled to the side, barely avoiding being hit. "Why are you so violent, kid?!" She shielded her face and closed her eyes.
When the dust cleared, she noticed a glow. Only now did she notice that the troll was holding a small glowing orb in its hand. The faint orange glow illuminated its features, making it look equal parts adorable and nacing.
[That’s probably what’s giving it the ability to shoot fireballs from its palms. If only...]
She charged at the little troll, pretending to move to the left before quickly stepping to the right. The little troll was caught off guard by her agility and stumbled slightly as it tried to adjust its aim.
Aristia took advantage of the montary opening and swung her stalagmite shard, aiming for the glowing orb in the creature’s hand.
The shard connected with a loud clang, knocking the orb out of the creature’s grasp. It rolled across the ground, its glow flickering like a dying ember.
"No!" The creature shrieked, scrambling after the orb.
Using the opportunity, she sprinted past the distracted trollq, heading further into the cave.
She hadn’t gone far when her legs stopped. She stared at the two entrances staring back at her. There were two separate walking paths.
They clearly led to different places. Aristia was torn. She didn’t know where any led to. What if she entered the wrong one? Not like she knew where she was going on the first place. But she had no choice.
The footsteps behind her beca clearer. The creature was catching up with her. She didn’t have ti to waste. She ran into the right entrance.
As she ran deeper, the only thing she passed were more and more rocks.
She rounded a corner and skidded to a stop, panting. She leaned on her knees for a mont before straightening up. Suddenly, she heard the troll behind her.
[Oh, give a break!]
"Stop right there human! Aren’t you tired of running?"
Aristia turned to face him and rolled her eyes again.
"This ti, you won’t escape." The troll snapped, clenching his fist.
Aristia braced herself, gripping the stalagmite fragnt tightly for the third ti. "Bring it on, goblin."
The self-acclaid guardian of the cave roared—well, it was more of a high-pitched squeal—and charged at her, flas crackling in its hands.
Aristia sidestepped its initial attack, then swung her weapon with all her might. The stalagmite fragnt struck the ground near the creature’s feet, sending up a spray of dirt and forcing it to stumble back.
She used the sa trick she had used before again— striking the orb out of the unprepared troll’s hand.
[You’re just a child, falling for the sa trick twice.] She sneered.
The troll ran again with a shriek to pick up the orb, but this ti, Aristia did not run away.
Aristia didn’t waste any ti and she was faster. She imdiately picked up the orb. It felt slightly warm in her palms. She held it up loosely above her head, with a threatening gaze fixed on the troll.
[It feels like glass but I’m not sure if it can smash. But...]
"Stop, please," the little troll had a look of horror, holding out its hand and pleading with her to not smash the orb like she planned to do.
She raised a brow in bemusent. "So that you’ll attack and continue to shoot fire at ?" She asked, feeling deeply annoyed.
"No, no," the troll shook its head furiously. "I won’t, I won’t. I promise."
"Fine," Aristia nodded.
She stretched out her hand to hand the orb back to the troll.
"You win," the troll carefully collected the orb from her with both hands and cradled it like a treasure while saying. "I won’t ask what you’re doing here or why and how you’re here, and I won’t tell anyone."
[Tell who?] Aristia shrugged and nodded mindlessly, not paying any mind to the troll’s words.
She turned and headed further into the cave, but while doing so, she still watched behind her carefully, in case the troll decided to change its mind.
[He’s just a child. I guess that thing’s like a toy to him.]
Far behind her, the troll cuddled the orb in its arms as it sat on a small rock. It clutched sothing in its hand.
It inhaled the sweet slling, slighty solidified object in its hand and slowly put it into his mouth.
"Mm," his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Sweet." He put the rest of the candy into his mouth, his eyes trailing in the direction Aristia had disappeared down.
***
Aristia began heading deeper into the cave. The air grew colder the further she went.
There was a hole in front, large enough to fit her. After so thought, she bent down and crawled through it.
After crawling out, a gasp left her mouth.
[Wow!]
All around her, there were crystals of different colours, shapes and sizes, all glimring beautifully.
"So beautiful... Where is this place? It’s so... magical."
The crystals sparkles. Many of them were even bigger than her.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
In the distance, Aristia could hear the faint dropping of water. It wasn’t the sound of water falling on the floor.
[There’s a body of water.]
She said this because as the water dropped, it sounded like it made contact with water, making a plop sound.
Aristia stopped marvelling at the crystals around her, instead she walked further in.
Unlike the brightness of the cave in the crystal, this part of the was darker. As she walked, it beca darker and darker.
Aristia strained to see, trying not to trip on a rock and fall.
She had walked a bit when...
Drip. Plop.
Drip. Plop.
The sound of the water had beco clearer, and Aristia knew the source of the sound was near.
The cave echoed, causing the sound to be magnified.
"Hmm..."
Moonlight stread in from a gap in the cave’s roof, illuminating a spot.
Moving closer, Aristia saw that there really was a small lake filled with clean, clear water. The moonlight streaming in reflected on its surface, causing the water to shimr and shine, sparkling just like the crystals she had passed.
As water dripped down, it created smll ripples on the lake’s surface.
Walking closer and kneeling down, she dipped her hand into it. The water felt cool and refreshing on her fingertips.
She glanced at her reflection on the water. She still looked the sa, still in the form of a child.
The water was entrancing, causing her to keep staring at it.
She got up from where she knelt.
"Ti to move on."
After so ti, she left the lake continuing further into the cave.
"You know, I’ve been staring at the edge of the water long as I can rember, never really knowing why." She almost sang.
[Who knows how far I’ve gone.]
After leaving the part of the cave the lake was in, a faint light began to illuminate the path ahead.
There was an opening that she guessed led outside the cave.
[Where’s this one gonna lead now?] She was curious. [To be honest, out of everything I imagined seeing, I didn’t expect sothing like these when I was trying to feel our spiritual connection.]
She quickened her steps and walked through the opening.
Suddenly, she was standing on plain grass. She turned behind her, but there was no cave. Aristia exhaled a breath. This spiritual world was truly sothing else.
It was dark outside. Could she have spent an entire day here?
In the distance in front of her stood those towering set of chains glowing with a purplish light that looked ominous on this dark night with sparse stars. Suspended within them was an orb of light, pulsating faintly.
"Millie?" Aristia whispered, stepping closer.
The ball of light flickered, and Aristia felt Millie’s familiar aura.
"I’m going to get you out of here, I promise."
The only thing she could see around her was the grass around her and far away in the distance, and the giant chains in front of her.
[Alright. Ti to do this.]
Aristia lunged toward the glowing chains. She could feel the energy radiating from them, sharp and electric against her skin even when she hadn’t touched it.
Summoning every ounce of courage, she reached out and grabbed the nearest chain, her hands barely wrapping around it.
[Will it push backwards again? Where will I appear? Back at the hill, the cave, the adow, sowhere else entirely?]
The thought bugged Aristia.
But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
An intense surge of pain shot through her body. Her head fell backwards and her veins bulged, her fists clenched and unclenched on the chains, her toes curled and the hair on her body sprang up. It felt like her body was being ripped apart from the inside and her insides were being squeezed and dried.
Her body burned as if it was filled with molten lava and her skin pricked as if it was being pricked by thousands of small, sharp pointy needles.
It took everything in her not to bite her tongue, and it took even more effort to not let go.
She felt like taking off her hands for relief, but she clenched her teeth and held on.
Soon, the chains began to glow brighter, trembling under her grip.
With a final, desperate pull, she yanked the chain.
A blinding light filled the place, and Aristia felt the weight of the energy dissipate.
When the light cleared, Aristia was flabbergasted.
"You have got to be kidding !"
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