When Duwei awoke, he found his head resting against something soft. A dull ache radiated through his body, as if every muscle and joint had been wrenched and pulled to its limits.
He struggled to open his eyes.
To his relief, his two female companions were still beside him.
His head was cradled on Joanna's lap, while Vivian lay nestled in his arms, her head pressed against his chin.
As Duwei stirred, both women began to rouse as well, their eyes fluttering open groggily.
"Where are we…? Were we swallowed by the monster?" Joanna muttered, rubbing her temples. Her gaze shifted downward, and she immediately noticed Duwei's head on her lap. With a sharp cry, she yelled, "Get off me!"
She shoved him unceremoniously, sending Duwei tumbling to the side.
It took him considerable effort to rise, his legs trembling from the pain of overworked muscles—an ache akin to a severe strain.
"What's with the overreaction? It's not like I did it on purpose," Duwei muttered, casting a glance at Joanna. She had already pulled herself upright and was now helping Vivian to her feet, ignoring him entirely.
Poor little Vivian looked disoriented, her expression still dazed.
All three of them were soaking wet, their hair matted in clumps. Duwei fared slightly better than the others, but the two girls were in a sorry state.
Joanna was somewhat fortunate, her enchanted latticework armor offering her some semblance of dignity. Vivian, however, wasn't so lucky. Her mage's robe had been torn to shreds during their days on the island and ultimately repurposed as makeshift raft bindings by Duwei. Now, she wore only the thin inner garment beneath.
Ordinarily, the garment was modest enough, but drenched as it was, it clung to her figure, leaving little to the imagination.
It was painfully evident that this world lacked a crucial piece of clothing that women in Duwei's previous life would never go without: a bra.
The soaked fabric adhered to Vivian's skin, accentuating her youthful curves and unmistakably revealing the budding outlines beneath. To make matters worse, the garment was light-colored, and Duwei couldn't help but notice…
His gaze lingered for just a moment too long, and he felt his thoughts begin to wander despite their dire circumstances. He sighed inwardly as he glanced at Vivian's innocent, slightly bewildered face. What a shame…
"What are you staring at?" Joanna snapped, her sharp instincts catching his wandering eyes. She yanked Vivian behind her protectively, glaring daggers at him. "Perverted little noble! Keep it up, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Duwei wisely avoided confrontation, turning his attention instead to their surroundings.
It was a cavern.
Just a few steps from where they had awoken, seawater lapped at the rocky floor. From this, Duwei surmised that they were in an underwater cave. The unique terrain had kept the water at bay, leaving the cave itself dry.
The walls of the cavern glimmered faintly, casting a dim light that allowed them to see.
Reaching out, Duwei ran his hand along the rough, uneven surface of the cave wall, feeling gritty particles beneath his fingers. Embedded within were tiny, luminous grains that seemed to emit their own natural light.
"Phosphorescent stones? No… these are smaller—probably something akin to glowing sand." He withdrew his hand thoughtfully.
His knowledge from a previous life told him that such luminescent minerals often carried harmful radiation. Hardly a reassuring thought.
"What are you poking around for?" Joanna's voice broke his contemplation.
"Assessing the terrain," Duwei replied. "We should be grateful we're still alive. We must've been attacked by that beast, but I can't fathom how we ended up here."
"I… I think I might know," Vivian spoke hesitantly, her face flushing with embarrassment. She avoided Duwei's gaze, her expression flustered—perhaps partly from recalling the way he had looked at her earlier.
Before Duwei could respond, Joanna cut in with a deliberate cough, glaring at him before turning to Vivian. "What do you know?"
"A whirlpool," Vivian stammered, gesturing awkwardly. "I… I think we were caught in an underwater whirlpool that dragged us here."
Duwei frowned. "Just like that? A whirlpool conveniently pulls us in, bypasses all other places, and deposits us perfectly into this cave without drowning us? That's a little too precise for mere chance." His expression darkened. "I don't believe in coincidences…"
The cavern wasn't particularly large, but its dome-like shape gave it a peculiar symmetry. The walls offered no visible exits, making it a sealed space save for the watery passage nearby.
"If we want to leave, our only option is to dive into that channel and swim out," Duwei concluded.
"We should've just stayed on the island!" Joanna huffed, her frustration evident. "At least there, we had water to drink and roots to eat. Here? Just rocks!"
"Not necessarily. At least we have air. The fact that we're breathing means there's some connection to the outside—however small—though we haven't found it yet," Duwei replied.
"Air? What's air?" Joanna frowned.
Duwei hesitated. Explaining the concept of oxygen and its role in respiration to someone from a magical world was an uphill battle he wasn't eager to tackle. He mumbled an evasive reply and quickly changed the subject. "We need to figure out our next move. Can either of you use magic?"Both female magicians shook their heads, extinguishing Duwei's final glimmer of hope.
"What now?"
The question came from Joanna.
Perhaps without realizing it, after days on the island, the two women had begun to look to the youngest among them—Duwei—as their leader. Even Joanna, for all her strength, couldn't help but develop a sense of reliance on the boy. Among the three, Duwei was the calmest, the one who devised their escape plans, searched for food and fresh water, and, consciously or not, took on the role of caretaker for his companions.
But what now?
Duwei genuinely had no idea.
He was no deity. Trapped in a godforsaken place where neither cries for help nor desperate prayers could reach, what could he possibly do?
Even forcing a bitter smile felt beyond him. He had half a mind to shout into the void, to vent the suffocating frustration building within him.
But when his gaze met theirs—especially Vivian's, whose wide, trusting eyes held an unspoken faith—he sighed deeply.
Forcing a smile, he tried to offer them comfort, his voice steady despite the storm within. "Don't worry… If fate has spared us and brought us to this place, then it surely means our story doesn't end here. There's always a way out."
Sighing inwardly, he walked to the cavern wall, brushing his hand lightly against its rough surface. With a faint chuckle, he said, "Let's rest for a while and regain our strength. Then…" He hesitated before continuing, "…then we'll figure something out. Hey, would anyone like to hear a story?"
Joanna scoffed, curling her lips. She wasn't as naive as Vivian; she could see that Duwei was grasping at straws. But glancing at her trembling sister, she sighed heavily and kept her thoughts to herself.
If they were destined to die here… so be it. The burden she had carried for so long would finally be lifted. Perhaps, in death, there would be solace.
As Joanna sank into her own thoughts, Vivian took a timid step forward, her gaze brimming with hope as she looked at Duwei. "W-what kind of story?"
"A story…" Duwei smiled faintly. "I once heard a tale about a bandit and a treasure. It's said there was a young man named Ali Baba…"
He recounted the legendary tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, weaving its intrigue and mystery into the cavern's somber atmosphere. At last, he gestured toward the wall before them and laughed softly. "Who knows? Perhaps the gods will grant us a miracle. Maybe if you touch the wall and shout, Open Sesame, a door will appear to lead us out."
Vivian lowered her head, pondering his words. When she finally looked up, tears shimmered in her eyes. In a trembling voice, she asked, "Duwei… you're just trying to comfort me, aren't you?"
Duwei said nothing. In this moment, silence was his only answer. Gently, he reached out and stroked Vivian's hair.
Suddenly, Vivian beamed—a radiant smile filled with determination despite her tear-streaked cheeks. "If Duwei says there's a way, then… then there must be! We'll find it, one step at a time. We'll keep trying! Let's start… with this Open Sesame!"
Her innocent smile was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, a beacon of hope amidst despair. Without hesitation, she raised her hand, lightly knocking on the wall. Then, with a sweet and cautious voice, she recited:
"Open… Sesame…"
Duwei felt his chest tighten, a pang of sorrow piercing his heart. This endearing, optimistic girl—was she truly doomed to perish here?
But it seemed the heavens had yet another twist in store for them.
Before his tears could fall…
Before Vivian's soft voice had even faded…
The solid wall before them began to ripple, as if its unyielding surface had transformed into liquid.
And then, as the three of them stared in stunned disbelief, a withered hand suddenly emerged from the wall, its skeletal fingers clawing through the rippling surface.
An ancient, feeble voice, barely more than a whisper, emanated from within the wall:
"At last… visitors have come… Please, come in…"