The weight of the earth fell upon him, the air thick with an energy charged across his skin.
The deeper in they went, the colder it got. Strange, glowing moss clung to the walls, casting eerie greenish light on the path ahead; the steady dripping of water echoed through caverns, and Caelum could feel that something old, something lurking, had just passed out of sight.
"Stay awake," one of the guards said, "it gets worse the further in we go."
The closer they came to the middle of the cavern, the more oppressive the walls became, weighted with spell and incantation, and Caelum could feel the tethers around him kink and twist in accompaniment. There was something alive in here, watching.
The earth suddenly shook loudly beneath their feet, and then from that darkness ahead, one huge creature emerged: its body scaled in pieces of polished obsidian, eyes glowing like coals of hot fire-the creature from the legend, one of those ancient beasts the academy had warned him about.
The guards drew their swords, but Caelum knew they were not prepared for this. He was. He stepped forward, racing heart, his mind focusing sharply. Again, he reached for the threads, and once more there was no hesitation in drawing on the raw, untamed energy of the cavern. This time he fashioned the spear out of pure Force.
The beast sprang, but Caelum was quick enough. In an instant, he let fly with the spear of energy right into the chest of the beast. A loud roar tore from its maw, tumbling it backward; far from over, the thing was. Caelum's heart pounded hard within his chest, the magic swirling within him.
This time, he wouldn't hold back.