Isabelle's gaze remained fixed on Lorzark, frozen in shock as he stood motionless. His expression was cold, and his eyes seemed suspended in time. A cloth bound her mouth, and Lorzark was about to proceed with an ominous process before abruptly stopping and freezing in place.
Despite Isabelle's attempts to reach out, Lorzark remained unresponsive, as if time had halted for him. The cave echoed with the distant sounds of footsteps, prompting Isabelle to turn her attention to the source. Leo emerged, rushing forward with a flashlight in hand. In a desperate attempt to warn him, Isabelle tried to shout, but it was futile. Leo was already near, and her mouth was bound, rendering her voiceless. Her teary eyes turned back to Lorzark, anticipating a threat to Leo, only to be shocked by the absence of Lorzark himself, leaving behind only his footmark.
*****
"What do you mean? It's not a trap, Isabelle. I've checked the cave; no one's here," Leo asserted as he untied her from the pole.
"No, you are wrong, Leo. He was just standing there. He should be nea—"
"Is everything alright, guys?" Heidi's voice rang out as she emerged behind Leo, joined by the others. "It's been five minutes already; we thought something might have happened to you," she said, walking towards Phil to assess his condition. Phil, his soul seemingly beaten out of him, could only stare. Weak and unable to utter a word, let alone move, he was, nevertheless, alive—a fact for which the group of teenagers felt grateful.
After ensuring Isabelle was okay, Leo turned to Heidi, chiding her furiously. "Didn't it occur to you that I may have encountered trouble, which was the reason I am not out? Yet, you walked in and brought the others alongside you. What if I was attacked by something enormous? You all could have met the same fate along with me."
"Hey! We were looking out for you, so you wouldn't mind shutting your ungrateful mouth, will you?" Isabelle retorted fiercely.
Leo's voice changed, now addressing the group, "We are trapped in an unknown world, all by ourselves. Despite the dangers here, you brought the whole group after me. If any of them were to die, their death would be on me. This is a dangerous place; any mistake could spell our demise. We need to work with logic rather than emotions; it's the only way we can survive." Leo, unaffected by Heidi's disagreement, left Isabelle with the girls, carrying Phil on his back as he walked away.
"Well, I guess I'll go with him." Dropping the flashlight, Moris quickly followed Leo. Tilly, considerate and armed, removed the whip from her waist, handing it to Isabelle. "I knew you liked this, so I brought it for you." Isabelle hesitated to return it, but Tilly showed her the bow slung diagonally across her. "It's okay, I have my own weapon."
Guided to her feet by Heidi, Tilly, and Eliza, Isabelle was ushered out of the cave, where Leo and Moris awaited them. Together, they returned to Lorzark's lair, where Ethan, Eloise, and Sophia waited patiently. The trio, having just buried Liam's body, stood solemnly before his grave.
Sophia's swollen eyes reflected the toll of extended crying, Eloise held her skirt in distress, and Ethan stared at Liam's grave with an expressionless face. The memory of driving the sword into Liam haunted him, making him the most shaken among them. Eloise, holding Ethan's hand, attempted to console him. "Don't blame yourself; I gave you the potion. And it wasn't our fault; we only did what we thought was right."
Ethan's face abruptly changed, yanking Eloise's hands away. "Are you even human? Can you hear yourself speak? I drove the sword through his stomach, yet you think we are not responsible for his death. With this... We killed him! We fucking killed him. Yet you find an excuse to clear yourself and your conscience. You are a snake in human skin."
*****
Heidi's group joined them, and the atmosphere was tense. Before Heidi could inquire about the situation, another event diverted their attention. The ground beneath them shook, subtle enough that had Heidi not been focused, she might have missed it.
*BANG!*
Dust rose as Liam's hand punched through the earth. Ethan stepped back in fear, stumbling. Leo rushed towards the grave with a shovel in hand, quickly digging the dirt. The others joined him, packing the sand with their hands. After a minute of relentless digging, they finally unearthed his body.