Two full weeks had passed since they left the war-torn dwarven kingdom. Two weeks of walking winding dirt roads, sleeping in modest inns, and watching the landscape gradually shift from harsh, rocky mountains to gentle green hills. Mirai and Hikari finally found themselves in the new town, a quiet trading post nestled at an old crossroads connecting three major provinces.

  The town wasn't bustling with crowded markets. It was smaller, calmer, more organized. Its cobblestone streets were clean, and its two-story buildings were painted in warm colors. People here moved at a slower pace, as if time itself had decided to take a break in this one spot. It was the perfect place to rest and regroup before setting out on another long journey.

  ***

  The next morning, inside a small café, they sat facing each other at a wooden table near the large window overlooking the main street.

  Mirai was staring at the passersby through the glass, her gaze calm and contemplative. She followed an old man pulling a vegetable cart, and a little girl chasing an orange cat between the alleys. It was a noticeable change, one Hikari had observed since their last confrontation in the dwarven kingdom. She was no longer looking for excitement around every corner; she had become more patient, quieter.

  Hikari took a sip from the hot coffee in front of him, then pulled out the map. He spread it carefully on the table, mindful not to tear the frayed edges.

  "Just as I thought," he said in a low voice, almost a whisper, as if talking more to himself than to her. "Our journey is long, Mirai. Frighteningly long, actually."

  He traced the route on the map with his finger. "To reach the Ancient Desert, we first have to cross this entire province—which isn't small, by the way—then reach the port here on the east coast. From there, we have to take a ship east across the Sea of Storms... a voyage that could take a full month if the winds are in our favor."

  Mirai slowly lifted her gaze from the street and turned to the map, studying it for a moment. "And is this route reliable?"

  Hikari shook his head, his hesitation clear. "That's exactly what worries me." He ran his hand over the map nervously. "This map is old, Mirai. *Terrifyingly* old. It dates back thousands of years at least, maybe more. Look at these symbols, this style of drawing... it's from a civilization before the Great Wars."

  He pointed to different areas on the map. "Most of these places you see here—forests and empty plains—are very likely bustling cities or entire kingdoms now, with their own armies and laws. The roads have certainly changed, kingdoms have risen and fallen, borders have shifted. The world isn't what it was when this map was drawn."

  He paused, then added in a more serious tone, "The only thing I'm absolutely confident still exists, without a doubt, is our final destination: 'The Desert of Whispering Bones.' Because no one dares to go near it or change its landmarks. No one builds a city in the heart of that place."

  He turned to face her directly. "It's a completely devastated region, Mirai. Uninhabitable in any way. Filled with monsters of unimaginable power, creatures from ancient eras... and corrupt magical energy that fills the very air. Even S-rank adventurers rarely make it back alive."

  He folded the map with extreme care, as if it were a precious artifact, and returned it to his bag. "So, before we move a single step toward the port, it would be wise—no, *essential*—that we gather some updated information. We need modern maps, intel on the kingdoms we'll be passing through, any warnings about monster activity or bandits. The best place for all that is the Adventurers' Guild. They'll have up-to-date reports from other adventurers who've passed through those areas."

  Mirai nodded in agreement without hesitation, her face still as calm as the surface of a still lake. "Good idea. Practical."

  Hikari smiled, a faint, joking smile, trying to lighten the serious mood. "And... I also think it's wise if we take one simple quest from the Guild. Something quick and easy. We don't want our licenses suspended for prolonged inactivity again, do we? The Guild is strict about that. And this journey will be far longer than anything we've done before. We might be away from civilization for months."

  **Inside the Adventurers' Guild**

  The Guild branch in this town was much smaller than the massive headquarters in the capital. It was a simple two-story building of gray stone, with the Guild's familiar emblem carved above the heavy wooden door: two crossed swords over an open book.

  But despite its small size, the place was not lacking in activity. Adventurers were constantly coming and going, some carrying bags full of loot, others loudly discussing the details of new quests. The smell of leather, metal, and sweat filled the air, mixed with the scent of ink and old parchment.

  Hikari headed straight for the reception desk in the corner, where a thin, middle-aged clerk with thick glasses sat behind a long counter piled high with maps, scattered papers, and colorful wax seals.

  "Good morning," Hikari said politely, placing his hands on the desk. "I need some information, please."

  The clerk looked up from a ledger he was writing in, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Go ahead. How can I help you?"

  "We're heading toward the port. I'd like to know the best routes to get there, and the current security situation on those roads. Any monster activity? Bandit gangs? Any areas best avoided?"

  The clerk began pulling various maps from drawers and spreading them out, explaining the different routes, warning of some areas that had seen recent attacks, and advising on certain times to travel.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Mirai wandered with slow, visibly bored steps toward the large wooden quest board hanging on the wall. It was covered in pinned notices, each representing a different quest, with colored seals indicating the danger level and required rank.

  Her sharp eyes quickly scanned the typical, repetitive tasks: "Wanted: Collect medicinal herbs from the Pine Forest - Reward: 3 Silver - Rank: D," "Deliver urgent message to Green Valley Town - Reward: 3 Silver - Rank: E," "Guard merchant caravan for two days - Reward: 5 Gold - Rank: C."

  Nothing interesting. All routine, boring quests for novice adventurers trying to make some easy money.

  But one notice, tacked up in a separate corner from the rest, with a large red seal stamped "URGENT," caught her eye. She moved closer and read it intently:

  **"WANTED: IMMEDIATE EXTERMINATION OF 'GOURMANDER' MONSTER"**

  **Description:** A massive, armored-bear-like beast, standing up to three meters tall on its hind legs. Its hide is thick and covered in hard, iron-like scales. Claws as long as daggers. Possesses immense physical strength and extreme aggression. Has been frequently attacking travelers and carts near the 'Blood-Heart Cave' on the main road to the port. Already responsible for the deaths of three travelers and seven injuries in the past two weeks.

  **Reward:** 25 Gold Pieces + Additional bonus from local merchants.

  **Recommended Rank:** A (Highly experienced adventurer, minimum).

  **Note:** Teamwork is advised. The beast is fast and elusive despite its large size.

  Mirai stared at the paper for a long moment, her mind quickly analyzing the information.

  When Hikari returned from the reception desk, carrying a few folded maps and a set of written notes, he found Mirai standing in front of the quest board, staring intently at one particular notice. She was pointing at it with her finger, without turning to look at him.

  "Hikari. Look at this."

  He walked over and looked at the quest she was pointing to. He read it carefully, then raised his eyebrows. "The port road... 'Blood-Heart Cave'..." He paused, then realized. "That's our exact route. We'll be passing right by it."

  Mirai stated, in a practical, direct tone devoid of any emotion, "Two birds, one stone. We take out this beast on our way, and we get some extra coin to cover the ship's passage."

  Hikari broke into a wide grin and shook his head in admiration. "I couldn't agree more. A very convenient quest. It's perfect, even." He chuckled lightly. "We really do have good luck. More than once, we've stumbled on quests that intersect so neatly with our path. It's like fate is helping us."

  "Or we just pick our quests intelligently," Mirai replied dryly, but the corner of her mouth twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile.

  They headed back to the reception desk together. The quest was accepted.

  They left the Guild and went directly to the main carriage station in the center of town, a wide, stone-paved square filled with carts and wagons of all shapes and sizes, and drivers shouting their destinations at the top of their lungs.

  "Carriage to the port! Carriage to the port! Seats available!"

  They approached a burly man with a thick black mustache, who was standing next to a large wooden carriage covered with a thick canvas roof, pulled by four strong brown horses.

  "Do you have seats available for the port?" Hikari asked.

  The driver looked them over with small, assessing eyes, then nodded. "Aye. Got three seats left. We leave in exactly ten minutes. Fare's five silver pieces per person."

  Hikari paid the fare, and they climbed into the carriage from the back. Inside, simple wooden benches were fixed to the sides, facing each other. They found that two other passengers had already taken their places at the far end.

  The first was a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, with long, soft brown hair falling over her shoulders and warm brown eyes. Her features were gentle and meek, and her slightly pale face held a clear expression of anxiety. She wore a simple, light-blue dress, clean but slightly worn, and clutched a small cloth bag tightly in her lap.

  Beside her sat a young man who looked to be about eighteen. He was wearing a long, dark-gray robe that covered most of his body from neck to ankle. Stranger still was the large hood pulled up over his head, hiding his face almost completely in deep shadow. He sat in a tense posture, his shoulders hunched slightly forward, his hands hidden beneath the folds of his robe.

  Hikari, with his usual friendly nature, took the seat next to the brown-haired girl and offered a polite greeting: "Good morning."

  The girl smiled shyly and replied, "Good morning."

  Across from them, Mirai sat down in complete silence on the opposite bench, directly facing the young man in the dark robe.

  As soon as Mirai had settled into her seat, the young man opposite her slowly, slightly, raised his head, to see who had sat down in front of him.

  For one fleeting instant, short as a flash of lightning, his eyes met her calm, cold ones.

  The young man froze completely. Every muscle in his body tensed at once. His heart stopped for a long, agonizing moment, then exploded into such violent pounding that he was sure everyone in the carriage could hear it. His ears began to ring. His mouth went completely dry. His hands, hidden beneath his robe, began to tremble uncontrollably.

  *The same eyes.*

  *The same cold, deadly calm.*

  *The same terrifying feeling of impending death.*

  A wave of absolute terror washed over his entire being.

  In a quick, desperate motion, he snapped his head down and stared at the wooden floor of the carriage, as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. He pulled his hood down further and further to cover his face more deeply, until only the very tip of his chin was visible. He tried to shrink his body, to make himself smaller, unnoticeable, invisible.

  Arisa, the brown-haired girl sitting next to him, noticed the faint tremor that had begun to run through his body. She saw how he had suddenly hunched in on himself, how unnaturally tense he had become. She worried immediately.

  She leaned toward him cautiously and whispered in a very low, barely audible voice, full of concern, "Kaiser... Are you all right? Are you feeling sick? Should I get you some water?"

  Kaiser didn't dare speak. He didn't even dare lift his head or look at her. He was afraid that any movement, any sound, would draw the attention of the terrifying woman sitting directly across from him. All he did was raise his right hand slightly from under his robe in a small, sharp gesture—a clear signal that he did not want to talk right now.

  Arisa understood the signal immediately. She tensed up as well, though she didn't know why. She felt something was happening, but she couldn't understand what. She kept her silence, but her worried eyes continued to watch him from the corner of her eye.

  On the other side of the carriage, Mirai hadn't noticed anything unusual. Or rather, she hadn't cared.

  She turned calmly and looked out through a small gap in the carriage's canvas roof at the clear blue sky outside, lost in her own thoughts about the coming journey and the beast they had to kill.

  Hikari, meanwhile, was busy examining the new maps he'd gotten from the Guild, comparing them with the old map in his mind, planning the optimal route.

  Neither of them paid any attention to the terrified young man sitting opposite them.

  The carriage finally set off after the driver urged the horses on with a sharp whistle. The sound of its heavy wooden wheels began to beat a steady, rhythmic cadence on the packed dirt road. They gradually left the town, and the surrounding landscape began to change from city buildings to wide green fields and scattered trees.

  Time passed slowly. The warm sun in the sky began its slow journey toward the western horizon. Its golden light gradually turned to orange, then red, then a faint violet.

  As the sun set, night began to cast its long, creeping shadows over the road. The sky turned from light blue to dark blue, then to a stark, star-studded black. The darkness grew thick, and the road ahead became difficult to see in the pale moonlight.

  After hours of continuous travel, when darkness had fallen completely, the driver suddenly stopped the carriage by the side of the road, in a relatively open area away from the dense trees.

  He turned to the passengers and said in a serious, firm voice, "We'll stop here for the night and continue at dawn. The road is too dangerous at night, and monsters are everywhere after sunset. Big, hungry things. I don't want us becoming dinner for one of them."

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  Before anyone could agree, or object, Arisa spoke in a slightly trembling voice, filled with obvious desperation and hesitation. She was wringing her hands anxiously.

  "Excuse me, sir... Could we... could we please not stop? We... we're in a terrible hurry."

  She paused, then added quickly, in a pleading tone, "I... I'll pay you more. Double the fare if you want, even triple! Whatever you ask! But please, *please*, it's critical. A life is on the line. We need to get to our destination as fast as possible, every hour matters!"

  The burly driver shook his head in immediate, firm refusal, without the slightest hesitation. "I'm real sorry, miss, I understand your situation, but I can't risk all our lives for some extra coin, no matter the amount. Money's no good if we're dead. This road is notorious for its dangers at night. Big, predatory, hungry monsters. Some of them hunt in packs. We won't be able to defend ourselves if we're attacked. The decision is final."

  Arisa sat back in clear disappointment, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears. She bowed her head and put her hands over her face, trying to hide her silent weeping.

  Kaiser, sitting beside her, felt his heart clench with a sharp pain. He looked at her from under his hood and saw the sadness, fear, and helplessness in her broken posture. He saw her shoulders shaking slightly.

  He desperately wanted to speak, to do something, to shout at the stubborn driver in a loud, confident voice: "I can protect us! I'm strong! I can guarantee everyone's safety! Just keep driving!"

  But the absolute fear of the woman sitting directly across from him, the woman who hadn't moved a muscle since the carriage started, paralyzed his tongue. If he spoke loudly, she would hear his voice. And if she heard his voice... she might recognize him. And if she recognized him... He didn't even want to think about the consequences.

  Still, seeing Arisa this heartbroken was more than he could bear. *An innocent child is dying... and we can't do anything?*

  He felt a violent internal conflict. Fear versus duty. Cowardice versus courage. Selfishness versus sacrifice.

  *I have to do something...*

  *I can't just sit here silent while...*

  He slowly worked up his courage, taking a deep, shuddering breath, trying to gather all his remaining bravery. *Just... one sentence... quick...* to force the words out of his dry throat.

  He raised his head just a tiny bit, opened his mouth hesitantly...

  But before he could utter a single letter, before he could make any sound, Mirai's calm, confident, and firm voice came from the seat directly opposite him, cutting through the tense silence in the carriage with perfect clarity.

  "We're in a hurry, too."

  She paused, then added in the same calm, confident tone, with no hint of boasting, just as a simple fact: "I am an S-rank licensed adventurer from the Guild. I can guarantee the protection of this carriage and all its passengers until we reach our destination. Just drive. No monster will come near us."

  The driver stared at Mirai for a long moment, his small eyes examining her with clear skepticism. Then he caught sight of the pendant bearing the large, meticulously engraved letter **S**.

  He suddenly felt a surge of confidence. "S-rank... If you're really S-rank, then the usual night monsters won't be a problem at all."

  But he hesitated again due to a practical problem. "That's... that's good and I believe you, but the road ahead is pitch black. Aside from the monster danger, I personally can't see well in this darkness. Especially since this road we're on is full of sharp cliffs and dangerous turns. We could fall into a ravine or hit a large rock. The horses themselves won't see the road well."

  "It's fine," Mirai said with utter simplicity. "My teammate can light the way sufficiently for us."

  She then turned calmly toward Hikari, who was sitting next to Arisa, and looked at him directly.

  Hikari understood immediately what she wanted. He nodded with a slight smile and slowly raised his right hand in front of him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, concentrating his magical energy.

  A warm, golden energy began to glow around his raised hand.

  Suddenly, dozens of small, golden, luminous butterflies shot forth, glowing with a golden light. They flew lightly and gracefully through the front opening of the carriage and scattered into the air in front of the horses, flying in an organized formation, illuminating the dirt road ahead for dozens of meters with perfect clarity.

  The golden light transformed the pitch darkness into something magical, dreamlike, beautiful. The road became perfectly clear; every stone, every turn, every side of the road was clearly visible.

  Everyone in the carriage was stunned by the beauty and effectiveness of the spell. Even Kaiser, despite his fear and tension, raised his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the amazing golden butterflies.

  Arisa was completely mesmerized, her eyes wide with wonder, forgetting her sorrow for a moment. "Oh my... they're... they're so beautiful..."

  The burly driver grinned widely, visible even under his thick mustache. He felt relieved and reassured. An S-rank adventurer for protection, and a mage who could light the way with such beauty... there was nothing to fear.

  "All right then!" he shouted in a loud voice full of renewed enthusiasm, turning forward and gripping the reins tightly. "Hold on tight, everyone! We're going to fly down this road!"

  He surged forward once more.

  Inside the moving carriage, the atmosphere settled again, but it was charged with conflicting emotions. The golden butterflies cast their soft, warm light through the gaps and openings, lending the interior a soft, beautiful golden glow.

  Arisa turned to Mirai with a quick, eager motion, her face radiating deep, sincere gratitude. Her brown eyes shone with tears of thanks. "Thank you... Thank you so much! You've truly saved us! I don't know how to thank you enough."

  Mirai looked at them with absolute calm, her face still devoid of any clear expression, but her tone was gentle enough. She asked curiously, but in a direct manner, "What's so urgent that you'd risk traveling at night on a road full of monsters? It must be something very important."

  Arisa took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm herself after the tension she'd been through. She sat up straighter, wiping the last traces of tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. Then she began to speak in a low, quiet voice, but one filled with deep anxiety and clear sadness:

  "First, let me introduce myself. We... my companion Kaiser here..." she gestured with her hand toward the silent young man sitting beside her, who didn't even raise his head at the mention of his name. "We work together at an orphanage in a small, quiet town called 'Hope's Valley,' located near the port. It's a modest, simple place, but we try our best to provide the children there with a decent life. Warm food, a clean bed, a simple education, and love... a lot of love."

  Hikari smiled gently and warmly, trying to ease her obvious tension. "Pleased to meet you, Arisa. My name is Hikari, a licensed adventurer. And my companion here..." he gested toward Mirai, "is Mirai, an S-rank adventurer as she mentioned. We're a team, we've been working together for a long time. Please, tell us your problem."

  Arisa swallowed with difficulty. Her voice began to tremble slightly. "There's a little boy, only seven years old. A very sweet child, always smiling despite everything he's been through. His health has suddenly and frighteningly deteriorated over the past week. He started coughing up blood, and he's become so weak he can't even stand on his own. A very high fever that never breaks. Severe pain in his chest."

  Her voice began to choke with emotion. "We've run out of all our conventional medicines. We've tried everything. Everything we have. The local doctor in town, he examined him several times. He said it's a rare disease that affects the lungs. And he also said..." She stopped, her tears starting to fall again. "He said the only, *only* thing that might help him, that might save his life, is a very rare flower called the 'Red-Heart Blossom'."

  She quickly wiped her tears and continued in a desperate tone, "This flower has exceptional healing properties, especially for lung and heart diseases. But it's so rare that it only grows in one known place in this entire region... inside the 'Blood-Heart Cave,' which is right on this road we're taking now. Deep inside, in damp, dark chambers, where it grows because of a special kind of phosphorescent moss."

  Hikari, who had been listening intently the whole time, thought for a moment, then adjusted his posture to face her directly. He said in a serious, concerned tone:

  "That cave is extremely dangerous. I read the reports at the Guild. Monsters have been proliferating in that specific location, alarmingly so in recent months. There's a huge beast, the 'Gourmander,' that has made a lair in one of its chambers. It's already killed several travelers. It would be incredibly dangerous for you two to go in there alone without proper protection. Didn't you try to hire professional adventurers to accompany you? Or at least put in a formal request at the Guild?"

  Arisa shook her head sadly. "No, we couldn't. Kaiser and I, we first came to this town because we heard some merchants there sell rare herbs and flowers. We were hoping to find the blossom there, even if it was expensive. We were willing to pay everything we had. But we didn't find it. We searched every shop, every market, asked every merchant. No one has it. And that's when we learned from an old herbalist that the only source is the cave."

  She took another deep breath. "We couldn't wait weeks to file a formal request at the Guild, wait for adventurers to accept it, and wait to organize an official expedition. The boy doesn't have weeks. The doctor said he might... he might not last more than a few days if we don't find a cure quickly. Every hour that passes, his condition worsens. So we made the hard decision, we decided to take the risk and go ourselves, as fast as possible. There was no time for complicated plans."

  Hikari said in a more serious, direct tone, looking her straight in the eye with focus, "Since our path is the same, and since the cave you're looking for is our exact destination as well, we'll help you with your task. You don't need to worry anymore."

  Arisa's eyes flew open in complete surprise. "What? Really? Your destination too?"

  Hikari nodded. "Yes. We're actually going to the cave to hunt the monster residing there, the 'Gourmander.' We have an official quest from the Guild to eliminate it. So, since we'll be entering the cave anyway, we will help you find the flower you need. It will be much easier with us."

  Arisa felt a massive wave of relief and hope wash over her. Her eyes filled with tears again, but this time they were tears of joy and deep gratitude. "You... thank you, thank you so much!"

  She said excitedly, as if remembering something important, and gestured with her hand toward the silent Kaiser, "My companion Kaiser is very strong! Really strong! He can help you too! He can protect and fight! Right, Kaiser?"

  Mirai's and Hikari's eyes turned directly to Kaiser, who was still hiding his face completely under the dark hood, sitting in a hunched, tense posture.

  Kaiser felt the weight of their gazes on him. His heart raced again. *No... don't look at me... don't draw attention to me...*

  But he couldn't refuse Arisa, couldn't let her look like a liar. He slowly, hesitantly, extended a hand from under his robe and gave a silent, awkward, fumbling nod of agreement, without saying a word, without raising his head even slightly.

  Hikari looked at him with mild curiosity but didn't comment. He seemed like a shy person, or perhaps had social difficulties. That was fine; many people were like that.

  As for Mirai, she calmly turned her gaze back to the window, uninterested in the details. She had enough other things to think about.

  The atmosphere inside the carriage settled down more after that. The carriage continued on its way through the darkness, safely following the glowing golden butterflies. The sound of the wooden wheels on the dirt road, the steady rhythm of the horses' hooves, and the cool night breeze seeping through the gaps all created a relatively peaceful atmosphere.

  After a few long hours of continuous travel, around midnight by approximation, the terrain around them began to change noticeably. The flat land gradually turned into rocky hills, then into small mountains. The trees became fewer, the rocks more numerous. The road itself became rougher, narrower, winding between large boulders and steep slopes.

  Then, suddenly, the carriage came to a complete stop. The driver pulled hard on the reins, and the horses stopped at the base of a towering rocky mountain that rose before them like a giant black wall in the darkness.

  The burly driver turned to the passengers and said in a serious voice, "This is as far as I can go with the carriage. The path from here is impassable for wagons, too narrow and rocky. You'll have to continue on foot."

  He pointed his massive hand toward a large, dark opening in the rocky mountain ahead, a wide entrance that looked like the gaping mouth of a giant beast, swallowing the darkness. "That is the entrance to the cave. I wish you all good luck."

  The four of them climbed out of the carriage one by one. Hikari paused and said to the driver, "Wait here for a bit. I'll place a magical barrier around you and the horses. It will protect you from any monsters that might pass through this area."

  Hikari raised both his hands in front of him and closed his eyes in deep concentration. A dense, golden magical energy began to glow around his body and settle over the driver and the horses.

  Hikari opened his eyes slowly and looked at the driver. "I've placed a transparent barrier on you and the horses. This barrier is very strong. No ordinary monster will be able to penetrate it. Even if strong monsters attack it, it will hold, and I can renew the barrier from a distance. You and the horses are perfectly safe."

  The driver stared at Hikari with his mouth open, completely stunned. "That's... that's amazing! I've never seen magic of this level before!"

  Then he looked at Hikari with eyes full of deep respect. If Mirai was S-rank, this mage beside her was definitely just as powerful. He no longer had the slightest worry. "Thank you... thank you so much. I'll wait here safely."

  Hikari smiled. "No need to worry. We'll be back soon."

  The four of them stood at the cave entrance, staring into the wide black gap. The air coming from the depths of the cave was very cold, damp, and heavy, carrying a strong smell of wet earth, mold, and something else... a smell of rotting meat, old blood, death. A disturbing smell that made the stomach clench.

  "Alright," Hikari said in a calm but cautious tone, summoning his golden butterflies again with a simple gesture of his hand. Dozens of glowing butterflies appeared around him, then flew toward the dark cave entrance to light it. The golden light revealed rough, damp rock walls, an uneven floor, and a passage sloping downward into the darkness. "Let's go, but with extreme caution. Stay close to each other. Don't ever split up."

  Everyone nodded in silence.

  They moved slowly and carefully into the cave. Mirai walked in the lead, her steps incredibly light and completely silent, as if she were a ghost floating over the ground. Her sharp eyes scanned every corner, every shadow, every movement. Her hand was very close to the hilt of her sword hanging at her waist, ready to draw at any moment.

  Directly behind her walked Hikari, maintaining his concentration on the luminous butterflies, controlling them to light the path ahead and to the sides.

  Then came Kaiser, who deliberately kept a safe distance of several meters between himself and Mirai. He walked with visible tension, his head still lowered, his hood pulled forward, his hands hidden. All his senses were on high alert—not for monsters, but for any sudden movement from the woman in front of him.

  And finally Arisa, who was clinging to the edge of Kaiser's robe with a slightly trembling hand, walking very close to him, afraid of the darkness and the unknown surrounding them. She kept looking around anxiously, seeing the shadows dancing on the walls, hearing the sound of water droplets falling somewhere in the distance.

  The main passage was wide at first, but it gradually began to narrow. The walls grew closer, the ceiling lower. The cave floor was slippery from the dampness, covered in green moss in some places.

  After several minutes of continuous descent into the darkness, in a slow, winding slope, Mirai suddenly stopped. She raised her hand in a silent signal to halt.

  Everyone stopped behind her immediately, tense.

  Mirai bent down slightly and examined the floor carefully. There were clear tracks: deep scratches in the rock, the marks of massive claws, and dark stains that looked like dried blood. "Monster tracks. Fresh, maybe only a few hours old."

  Hikari looked at the tracks with concern. "The size of these claws... the beast is huge. This is probably the 'Gourmander' we're looking for."

  At almost the same moment, Arisa pointed excitedly at the walls around them, her voice full of hope, "Look! Look at this moss!"

  Everyone looked. On the damp rock walls, strange phosphorescent moss had begun to appear, glowing with a beautiful, faint blue light, spreading in small, scattered patches.

  "This is a very good sign!" Arisa said with an optimistic smile, the first genuine smile since they had met her. "This glowing blue moss, it only grows near the 'Red-Heart Blossom'! The doctor told me. He said it's a sure sign. The brighter the moss glows, the closer we are to the flower!"

  Hikari said in an understanding but wary tone, "It seems the monster has made its lair in the most precious and rarest spot in this entire cave."

  They continued forward with even greater caution, following the glowing moss, which gradually became denser and brighter the deeper they went into the cave.

  Finally, after what seemed like a long hour of walking and descending, they reached a wide opening at the end of the passage. They emerged from it to find themselves in a huge, vast, and stunning cavern.

  The cavern was enormous, the size of a large cathedral. The ceiling was so high that the light from the golden butterflies barely reached it. Everywhere, huge, sharp stalactites and stalagmites, some as thick as large tree trunks, hung from the ceiling like terrifying giant fangs, while others rose from the floor like sharp thorns.

  The blue phosphorescent moss was spread everywhere here, covering large areas of the walls and rocks, filling the cavern with a beautiful and eerie ghostly blue glow.

  And in the approximate center of the cavern, between a cluster of large rocks, they saw what they were looking for.

  The Red-Heart Blossom.

  A large, strange flower, its deep red petals glowing with a soft light, growing from a crack in the rock. Its beauty was stunning and frightening, as if it were a piece of a living, pulsing jewel.

  Arisa's mouth fell open in awe, her eyes shining with indescribable joy. "We found it! Oh my goodness, we finally found it!"

  "Don't move."

  Mirai's cold voice cut through the joy of the moment like a sharp blade. She was standing frozen in place, her eyes scanning the cavern with intense focus. Her hand was on her sword hilt.

  Then came a loud sound. The sound of claws scraping slowly on rock. A sound coming from the darkness behind the large rock pillars on the right side of the cavern.

  The Gourmander emerged from the shadows.

  It was even larger than the reports had described. Three and a half meters of muscle, scales, and primal force. Its body was completely covered in hard, dark-gray scales that glittered in the moss-light like metal armor. Its eyes were glowing red, filled with animalistic intelligence and hunger. Its long black claws scraped the rock floor with a grating sound at every step.

  It stopped about twenty meters away from them, staring.

  And then it roared.

  A deafening sound filled the entire cavern, shaking everything. The echo bounced off the walls again and again, multiplying the terror. Arisa screamed and covered her ears. Kaiser jumped in front of her, shielding her.

  Mirai shot toward the beast with incredible speed, her sword raised. The beast responded instantly, charging at her with a ground-shaking force. They met in the middle of the cavern in a violent collision.

  At that exact moment, everything began to fall apart.

  The initial impact between Mirai and the Gourmander was terrifyingly powerful. A shockwave exploded from the point of impact, blasting everything around them.

  The beast, in an attempt to hit Mirai with its full force, swung its massive body violently and slammed its armored tail into one of the huge rock pillars connecting the ceiling to the floor.

  A horrifying cracking sound filled the cavern.

  The massive rock pillar, as thick as a giant tree trunk, began to crack from its base. Deep black fissures spread with frightening speed across its immense size.

  "Collapse!" Hikari screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes wide with absolute terror. "Run! Now!"

  But it was too late. The pillar gave way completely.

  A massive explosion of dust and rock filled the air, choking the lungs, completely obscuring all vision. The floor beneath them began to shake violently, to crack, to give way.

  In the absolute chaos, Hikari saw Arisa stagger, the ground disappearing from under her feet. Without thinking, he leaped toward her and grabbed her, pulling her toward him. But they fell together.

  On the other side of the cavern, Mirai had sprung back from the beast with a quick leap, but the collapse was faster. An entire section of the floor crumbled beneath her and Kaiser. They fell into the darkness.

  Into the unknown depths of the cave, into endless blackness, to separate fates.

  Mirai and Kaiser in one direction.

  Hikari and Arisa in another.

  And above, in the collapsing cavern, the Gourmander was still roaring in the dark. And unseen monsters stirred beneath the earth.

  The real fight was about to begin.

  (To be continued)