Whispers started to spread throughout the room. It was faint at first, but then they became louder and started layering over each other. Everyone had been told through *Flameborn Connection* that they had reached their current destination.
Luis' vision darkened again for a split second, like when he had first entered the *Shadow Prison*. Even though Luis wasn't chained in the *Shadow Prison*, it felt like an invisible weight disappeared from him as his body was being released by Sera.
Luis knew the name of the place they were going, but he didn't really know what caverns were. All he knew was that it was like a cave but bigger and underground. When coming out of the *Shadow Prison*, he had expected it to be dark, but to his surprise, it was fully lit up, brighter than the *Shadow Prison*. Looking around, Luis noticed that there were gems on the walls lighting up the cavern. The gems were all the same shade of blue, illuminating their surroundings. The gems were called Azurin Crystals. They were the main source of trade for the kingdom Luis's family was in.
Standing up and taking a breath, Luis could feel the weight of the world again—the pull of gravity on his body and the air pushing past him. The invisible force that had kept Luis in Sera's ability had disappeared.
The cavern was vast. Rock formations jutted out from the floor like fangs. A small stream ran through the cavern, disappearing into a narrow hole in the wall that only a child would be able to fit through. The ceiling also had rock formations protruding like fangs. It was high enough that if any of those rocks fell, it would be fatal.
Luis then noticed a thin blue barrier starting to appear on the walls and ceiling of the cavern.
A few feet away, the two Xoliti Clan members who had traveled with them had already moved into action.
Luis watched as the Xoliti Clan members moved to different sides of the cave. They had both raised their hands, palms open to the walls. Aura spread around their bodies, glowing in a bluish hue outside their skin.
The air in the cave shifted it started to feel more breathable and less cold. The blue film surrounding the cavern walls faded after fully enveloping the cavern. As the blue barrier disappeared, small symbols appeared instead, glowing faintly on the walls and ceiling.
The barrier was set up to seal the cavern entrance and act as protection, stopping people with abilities that could locate them.
While Luis was still focused on the Xoliti Clan members, his mother approached from behind. She placed a hand on his head to make him realize someone was behind him.
"Luis, everyone's already been told what to do by Bane. We are gonna help set up tents. Do you wanna come watch or help out?" Elena asked in a gentle and soothing voice.
Luis raised his mother's hand from his head. "I'll help out, but how are we gonna get tents?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Aunt Sera can also carry supplies in her shadows it's easier than carrying people," Elena replied.
Elena pointed to her right, near one of the corners of the cave, where Noah and his siblings were already setting up tents. Although his siblings were just sitting on a rock and watching.
"I told you with *Flameborn Connection* that we were gonna set up tents, but it looked like you were too focused on the barrier around the cave, so I told your dad to go first while I told you."
Elena gestured for Luis to follow her. While following Elena, Luis looked around to see kids of similar ages to his siblings. Some were having fun, some were confused, and others were scared, clinging to their parents. Luis noticed that the older a person was, the more distressed they looked.
Luis looked at his siblings once more. They appeared better than before. Once they were told that nothing had happened to Taran and that no one was harmed, their expressions eased. It also helped that Mira and Rico had lightened the mood when talking to Kael and Lira. Mira did leave halfway through to talk to Aelina and Ardyn.
Getting closer to where people were setting up tents, Elena turned around and said, "Sorry, Luis. Looks like we have a change of plans. Can you take your siblings and head to that man who was setting up the barrier earlier? The tall, skinny man over there." She pointed at the man sitting near the stream, writing something on another kid's arm.
"He will place a protective barrier on you. It will also help stop people from detecting you. It's what we have used to hide our Phoenix blessings, but way stronger. Also, Mira, Rico, and another person from a different village you don't know are gonna be rounding up all the kids, so just ask them if you have any questions. Also, tell this to Kael and Lira, okay?" Elena said, smiling at Luis.
Luis just nodded instead of responding.