Evan finally awoke from his unconscious state. He couldn't be sure how long he had been out. In this place, everything always looked the same, whether it was morning, noon, evening, or night. The cave room was always dimly lit by some unknown source of light.
He scanned his surroundings. Nothing seemed too different from before he passed out. Puddles of yellow lizard saliva filled the corners of the room. The "rain" of saliva from the giant lizard's powerful attacks had left marks in the middle of the chamber. Evan let out a relieved sigh when he saw no lizards around.
But when his eyes fell on the enormous figure of the giant lizard itself, lying motionless not far from him, Evan gasped. He cursed his carelessness. The creature had been right in front of him—how had he not noticed as soon as he woke?
His mind began to race, recalling the last moments before he lost consciousness. The last thing he remembered was being flung against the rock where he was now leaning. But one memory flashed through his mind. He vaguely recalled seeing Ezra wielding her dagger, stabbing the lizard's eye twice. Then, as she went for the third strike, the lizard opened its mouth and swallowed Ezra whole.
"Oh no…" Evan muttered, a mix of emotions flooding over him.
With great effort, he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the large rock. His left rib was aching, his body unstable from the pain. He staggered toward the lizard, unsure if it was still alive. But at this point, Evan no longer cared. If Ezra was dead inside that creature, he had to retrieve her body.
Evan grabbed the sharp stone, as long as a wooden sword, that he remembered using to stab the lizard's eye. He gripped it tightly in his left hand, while his right hand clutched his aching ribs, which grew more painful with each step.
Once he reached the lizard, Evan knocked on its head. There was no reaction at all, as if the beast were in a deep sleep. He tried again, hitting harder this time. Evan knew he was tempting fate, but he wasn't about to shy away from this challenge.
The second and third hits did nothing, and Evan felt a bit of relief. He prepared for the fourth strike, telling himself this would be the last. If the monster awoke, so be it—he'd join Ezra in the afterlife. But if it remained still, it would be a stroke of luck.
Gathering all the strength he had left, Evan delivered the final blow. A loud sound echoed as the rock struck the lizard's temple, shifting its head slightly, and its mouth opened. Instinctively, Evan leapt back, expecting the creature to attack. But what he saw next was completely unexpected. From its slightly opened mouth, fresh blood began to pour out—an alarming amount, flowing steadily.
"Ezra!" Evan shouted in panic, quickly kicking the lizard's snout upward and holding it open with his left hand, forcing the beast's jaws wide apart.
What Evan saw inside at that moment was something he would never forget. No matter how hard he tried, the sight would be forever etched in his memory.
There, before him, was a surreal mix of horror and beauty, brutality and grace. Evan stood frozen, his eyes wide in disbelief, unable to blink. His body trembled, his limbs weak, but a surge of emotion welled up in his chest.
Ezra, the eighteen-year-old girl whom Evan knew only for her speed and thieving skills, lay curled up peacefully on the lizard's tongue, clutching Evan's dagger tightly. Blood surrounded her as if it were cradling and warming her slim frame. Her long hair, now disheveled, covered parts of her body, her pale skin resting in the silence, as though she wasn't unconscious, as though she hadn't just been nearly eaten by the creature. In Evan's eyes, it seemed as though the lizard was protecting its queen, who lay sleeping soundly, resting upon the thick tongue.
"Oh…" Evan snapped out of his daze. He quickly lifted Ezra out of the lizard's mouth.
A new wound was visible on Ezra's left arm, but fortunately, it wasn't deep. Evan bandaged it using a torn piece of Ezra's already tattered clothing. He then removed his own cloak to cover her half-naked body. After tending to her, he turned once more to the giant lizard.
Judging by Ezra's condition, it seemed she had fought fiercely inside the lizard's mouth. The creature's skin was tough, but not the inside. Ezra had slashed wildly with her dagger. Though the wounds might not have been fatal individually, there were so many of them that the creature had lost a significant amount of blood. That, it seemed, was what had ultimately killed the lizard.
Now he looked at Ezra again. His view of the girl had changed. No longer just a quick-handed thief who could flee in an instant. Not the carefree girl who would laugh the whole way. But a knightly soul, more than worthy of wielding a sword, raising it to the neck of an enemy for honor. Like a wanderer, like her father.
"You did more than you should have, and that's incredible," Evan whispered. He knew Ezra wouldn't hear him, and that's exactly what Evan wanted. He didn't want her to boast with that annoying crooked smile. But, for a moment, he saw her smile faintly. Oh, had her father appeared in her dream?
Who knows…
***
"Thanks for your help," said Ezra, tying her hair. "And for this cloak, too."
"I had no other choice." Evan cupped his hands to scoop water, washing his face, hands, and feet. "Do you remember what you did?"
Ezra paused, gazing at the flowing river inside the cave, her reflection mirrored in it. "Yes, I remember well," she said after a moment of silence. "I just got my revenge."
"And saved me," Evan added.
Ezra quickly turned to him. "I don't feel like I saved you. You saved me."
Evan shook his head, his voice sincere. "I'm not lying. You saved me."
Ezra fell silent again. After a moment, a wide smile brightened her sweet face. "Whatever you say."
After carrying Ezra's unconscious body for about an hour, Evan accidentally discovered the river inside the cave. He had been suspicious and wary, knowing the water could be dangerous. But Evan was relieved when, after inspecting it, the water was not harmful, and even cleaner than the river above. Even luckier, since the big lizard had died, there hadn't been any more cursed six-legged lizards.
"Where are we going?"
"To the end of the cave," Evan answered firmly. "Which I don't even know where that is. There were so many forks in the path, I picked at random. I don't know which tunnel leads to the end."
Ezra frowned, glancing around. "This is the first time I've really missed the sun in the sky."
"It won't be long. I hope." Evan stood, helping Ezra up. But in doing so, Ezra had to support him as pain shot through his left ribs again.
"How could you carry me here when your ribs are broken?" Ezra had been wondering about that for a while but only now voiced it.
"That was what they taught me in the academy," Evan said, wincing in pain. "'Even if your body is shattered by thousands of swords and spears, if there's someone you must protect, don't stop until your eyes close forever.' That's what my battle master said."
Ezra's gaze flickered with admiration for a moment. "Oh." But that was all she said in response. "So, where are we going? Downstream, upstream, or some other direction?"
"Upstream."
"Why?"
"Maybe the source of this river is the end of the cave. Let's hurry. We'll be forced to find a way out if we starve. There's nothing to eat here."
They continued upstream. The journey was no easier than before—perhaps even harder.
At times, the path climbed steeply, adorned with stalagmites and stalactites that, because of the cave's narrowing ceiling, forced them to bend over awkwardly to pass. At one point, a large rock blocked their path, forcing them to swim several meters against the current. Ezra was even dragged under and nearly fainted again when her cloak got caught on the rock's edge, her body sinking in panic. They laughed together after Evan managed to expel all the river water from Ezra's body through her mouth and both nostrils.
No one knew how much time had passed, but the atmosphere remained the same—dim. The cave's walls and ceiling hadn't changed much either. Thick green moss decorated parts of the walls and ceiling in various places. However, in this part, stalagmites and stalactites were more abundant.
"Are we far?" Ezra asked, nearly despairing. Her breath was uneven. Although they had only been walking, she would have preferred to be running from being caught stealing than walking half-crouched and sometimes sideways through narrow gaps. "Carry me again," she whined, her voice barely a whisper from exhaustion.
"Look there." Evan pointed ahead, ignoring Ezra's incoherent ramblings. The girl lifted her head and widened her eyes. "What's that light? Is it the way out?"
"It's better than being trapped here."
"But what about the tunnel's end and the Philosopher's Stone?" Ezra protested, incredulous. All their efforts would be in vain. And for a fleeting moment, if that was indeed the case, Ezra would have preferred to die eaten by that lizard earlier, joining her father, rather than struggle for nothing.
"Maybe the tunnel's end is another entrance. As for the Philosopher's Stone…," he paused. "Maybe it's just a myth," he continued, a tone of sadness in his voice. "Come on."
However, what they saw at the end of the tunnel was entirely different from what they imagined. The bright light was indeed from the sun hanging in the sky, but it wasn't an exit. Instead, as Evan first suspected, it was the source of the river at the cave's end.
This place was beautiful.
Taking in their surroundings, it was as if all the exhaustion and tension lifted from Evan and Ezra's shoulders. The place was beautiful, yet strange.
Deep within this ancient cave was a garden of flowers of various colors. From red to black, even flowers in colors that couldn't be defined—neither green nor yellow. Despite everything, the fragrant scent of the flowers chased away the tension that had gripped Evan and Ezra for hours.
The area was concave, about ten meters deep from the surface. Yet Evan felt confident he could climb up there with his climbing skills. The source of the river was hard to explain. In the middle of this depression was a small island connected to the shore where the flowers bloomed. White stones were arranged like a bridge between the shore and the small island. Between the shore and the island was a stream over ten meters wide, encircling the island. That was the river's source.
But what stunned them even more was what stood on the island.
"What's that?" Ezra squinted, trying to get a clearer look, and it made her shiver.
There, a large tree with thick leaves stood. The leaves and branches were so dense that they formed a giant umbrella. Right beneath it was a throne made of crystal and gold. Neither Evan nor Ezra had ever seen something so luxurious and beautiful.
But there was something even stranger. Sitting on the throne was someone—or something?—in a long black robe. On the right chest was a rose, though from this distance, it wasn't clear if it was real or not. On its head was a crown as beautiful and luxurious as the throne, white and gleaming. Yet, despite all this beauty, the figure seated on the throne was nothing but a skeleton.
What was even more intriguing was the second figure—a figure in a white robe kneeling before the throne, as if they were a servant or aide to the skeletal figure in black. Whether this one was also a skeleton or a living person, Evan and Ezra couldn't tell, as the figure had its back to them.
Ezra had shivered earlier at the sight of the throne and the figure in white, but what made her shiver even more was the third figure. A raven perched on the left shoulder of the one in white. It was staring straight at them, with its violet eyes, unblinking.