Nicolas grasped for air as if he hadn't inhaled oxygen for eternity. Wet and soaked, it took him a whole minute to process what was happening. Recollecting himself as he sat up, he found himself facing an irregular rock wall. It appeared out of place yet camouflages perfectly to the rest. Behind him was the angry waterfall, dispersing the orange rays of the sun into the surroundings as it passed through.
"Where am I?" he muttered, coughing as he stood, using the wall for balance. No sign of his pursuers can be found and that relieved the distress in his palpitating heart. "Did I get away?" he thought as he tried to walk, but being out of energy, he ended up leaning on the wall instead.
To his surprise, the wall felt like it was unsupported, and he continued falling as it broke down. "What the—" with his mouth half open, he could only admire the opening he found; for a little bit, he can feel that he's finally on an adventure.
As he finally sat back up and assessed himself for injuries, another adventure book delighted his heart. "A temple," he rejoiced while excitedly standing up, not minding the bump on his head that he got from the fall.
The temple was large; there are great implications of passage of time, yet it retained its shape and integrity. One can compare it to an Aztec pyramid in terms of scale and design. Some of the bricks were already deteriorating and mossy, but what caught most of his attention were the lamps that illuminated the temple from both outside and inside as he ventured deeper.
Although spacious, it's interior is rather simplistic, with an entrance from four different sides, all leading to a single room in the middle of the temple. At its center was a circular platform surrounded by stone tablets on its sides. As mysterious as it is, they bore an incomprehensible scripture that Nicolas found similar to the ones at the well back at Gregoria.
With his mind full of questions, he took one of the lamps and surveyed the room. As he ran his fingers into the walls, he observed that they similarly had etchings on them. Although indecipherable, Nicolas can somehow understand what it pertains to, all thanks to the illustrations: a moon, swords, bows, shields, and a figure that seems like blasting a stream of light into a dark circular entity.
"Could this be the Legend of the Blue Moon that Madam Veronica talked about?", he whispered as he once again ran his fingers to the engravings. He was met with a realization: "This isn't their hiding place, right?" he thought while starting to feel worried that he might have unknowingly presented himself to the enemy as fodder. "I'm at the right place, I know, but in the wrong fucking time, this is suicide", he uttered as he rushed outside as soon as he can.
Yells from outside stopped him on his tracks, a few steps from the entrance. "Who the hell ruined our fully camouflaged entrance to the cave?" The high-pitched voice kept complaining, as upset and furious tantrums can be heard in every statement.
"This really had gone for the worst", he thought as he felt his heart pounding, failing to think of an escape plan. Based on his deduction and the confirmation that it's a cave, that hole is the only point of entry and escape. He could try and find another way, but his luck is rather nonexistent when it comes to bets.
"What the hell would you do if those pesky cult-people found this place", the voice irritably exclaimed as she kicked one of her comrades.
When everything went silent and the sound of the waterfall took over, Nicolas peeked in and saw three people on the other side. Silence had always been the greatest treat Nicolas had enjoyed; it gave him clarity of mind, but too much of it was bad for his heart, especially in his circumstances.
"See? I told you they already found this place, you piece of sh*t," the voice exclaimed, breaking the silence. "You, hiding at the entrance," it added, and Nicolas was certain he's the one they were talking about. "There's no use hiding; your shadow is sticking like a sore thumb."
A bit too late to realize that the lamp on his side causes him to cast a shadow, he began debating, "Should I fight them? They are only three people after all", he thought.
"SHOW YOURSELF"
"But to fight them, I'll need to materialize my soul, and everyone that's looking for me will sense where I am", the pros and cons froze him on the spot.
"REVEAL yourself, OR IDRAG YOU OUT BY force."
"Edmund!" Nicolas yelled back while thinking to himself, "Whatever this is, do or die," before summoning his blade. He took a deep breath, pulled his hood up then exhaled before sprinting forward like a bull, with his sword as his horn.
The trio got startled as Nicolas bulldozed his way, stabbing one of them as he escaped. As he passed the heavy waters of the falls, he thought he was on the right track. All is well, but not until dozens of men came out of nowhere, waiting for him in the clearing, ready to take him down.
"Just right in time, you slowpokes," the girl whose been belting high-pitched shrills can't seem to have a break, "and as for you lost boy, it's you're not so lucky day."
"Nobody moves", Nicolas exclaimed, threatening everyone who dares to get close with his sword. He was hopeful that it would ward them off but they did not flinch. Instead, they revealed that they too has swords to make things even.
The girl raised her right hand, halting her men. "That voice—could it be?" she smiled from ear to ear as she walked towards him. "So this is where you've been."
"What the hell are you talking about?", Nicolas recoiled, pointing his sword towards the girl. She might be an enemy but he knows he can't hurt a lady, at least not until she present herself as a threat like Alice.
"Nice to see nothing's changed; as cold as always, that's so you," she giggled as she finally went past Nicolas's sword.
She halted in front of him; in a blink of an eye, she's already holding his cheeks, and not a single second later, she placed her soft lips into his as her hood fell off. "Surprise," she smiled, dodging Nicolas's blade and backing off.