The cave was silent again, save for the soft shuffle of feet and the occasional rustle of breath. The group of eleven, once disoriented, had gathered into a loose circle. Everyone still felt the weight of exhaustion pressing on their limbs—an unnatural weakness that gnawed at their strength. The air was thick with uncertainty, and every step seemed to drain just a bit more energy. The cavern, with its endless stretch of darkness, felt like a living thing, pressing in on them.
Elijah, however, stood apart from the group, seemingly unaffected by the strange environment. His chest rose steadily, and his movements were smooth and sure as he stretched and tested his limbs. The others could see it too—something was different about him. He moved with an easy grace, a silent resilience that they couldn't match.
"You good?" Lumien asked, his voice quiet.
Elijah nodded, his lips curling into a small, almost amused smile. "Never better," he said, flexing his fingers. "In fact, I feel... stronger than I ever have."
A few of the others exchanged uncertain glances, clearly uncomfortable with how easy Elijah seemed to adapt to this alien place.
The girl with dark hair and blond ends –Merry, asked "Do you remember anything before we got here Elijah? "
"Beats me, I didn't even recognize you guys for a second back then, I don't remember what I was doing before. It's like the memories are there but they're in Chaos"
"The last thing we remember is the class reunion and after that.. we woke up here" Isla said
The others nodded in confirmation.
The girl with the dark hair—Mia, leaned toward Lumien, whispering. "Do you think something happened to him? Why does he look fine?"
Lumien shrugged, his gaze flicking back to Elijah. "Maybe he's just built differently. But we need to focus. Everyone feels weak. It's like we're not fully ourselves."
"Agreed," Mia murmured, though her eyes still lingered on Elijah.
"Alright," Lumien said, louder now. "Let's split up and see what we can find in this cave. We can't just sit here and wait. Chris, Yusuf, Elijah—let's go check the surroundings. Keep your eyes open, and don't stray too far."
The three men nodded, moving toward the dark tunnel at the far end of the cavern led by Elijah. Lumien, watching them go, hesitated for a moment before turning back to the others. "Stay here. We'll be back soon."
The deeper they ventured into the cavern, the more surreal it became. The walls seemed to breathe with a quiet hum, and the air, heavy with something unknown, made every step feel uncertain. The soft glow of the orbs disappeared as they moved farther, leaving only the faintest flicker of light from the cracks in the rock.
"I don't know about you guys," Yusuf spoke up, his voice low, "but this place gives me the creeps."
Chris, taller and more silent than the others, nodded. "Yeah, it's like… like we're not supposed to be here. The whole place feels wrong."
Elijah, walking ahead of them with confidence, looked back with a faint smile. "We're in a cave, surrounded by rocks and strange lights. What's so wrong about it?" His voice was light, almost teasing, but there was an undercurrent of something unsettling in his words.
"I don't know," Yusuf muttered. "Feels like we've been dragged here. Like we're prisoners."
Chris lips tightened. "Could be. Who would bring us to a place like this, and why? We need answers, not just guesses."
The four continued onward, their footsteps echoing faintly against the jagged stone floor. After a while, Lumien stopped abruptly, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Wait, hold on," he said, crouching low to examine something on the ground.
Yusuf followed suit, bending beside him. "What is it?"
Lumien's fingers brushed over something dark, smooth, and wet. "This..." he muttered, his voice trailing off. He stood, looking up at the stone walls. "It's... water."
The two exchanged glances, disbelief in their eyes.
Elijah, hearing the commotion, turned back. "Water? Here?"
Lumien nodded slowly. "Yeah, seems fresh. There's a stream running through the rock."
Chris frowned, kneeling to touch the water. "This is good news. It would have been a problem if we didn't have water in a place like this"
Elijah stepped forward, examining the stream. "Maybe there's more to this place than we thought."
As they continued along the stream, they noticed something else—small, barely perceptible forms growing in the shadows. Trees. At first, Lumien and the others thought it was a trick of the light, but as they came closer, it was undeniable: small, thin trees, their trunks spindly and dark, but alive.
Yusuf stared at them, incredulous. "How are these even growing here?" he muttered. "This cave is... too dark. No sunlight, no warmth—how is this even here?"
Elijah bent low to touch one of the trees, running his fingers over the leaves, which trembled at his touch, a strange energy pulsing from them. "I have no idea. But it looks like... these plants are thriving in total darkness. Something's keeping them alive."
Lumien expression tightened as he stood up. "This place—it's not normal."
"No kidding," Elijah replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "But I'll tell you one thing—it feels... different here. Like this cave, or whatever it is, is alive in its own way."
They continued down the rocky path, following the stream to a small outcropping where the trees grew in clusters. The air felt fresher here, more breathable. Chris and the other two's legs seemed to regain some strength as they walked, the initial heaviness in their bodies slowly lifting.
They broke a few branches from the trees, a source of kindling in case they needed it. The thought of fire seemed almost absurd, given the environment, but they had to try.
As they made their way back, Elijah's mind was elsewhere; drowning in thoughts the others were oblivious to.
When they returned to the group, the four men carried the branches in their arms, careful not to let them fall apart. The others were gathered around in a small circle, waiting for their return.
But Elijah, ever the enigma, was not the first to speak. Yusuf shifted uncomfortably, setting the branches down. "We found a stream. And trees. It's… it's weird. Nothing about this place makes sense."
Allen nodded slowly. "Anything else?"
Chris cleared his throat. "I don't know how we're supposed to get out of here. But we can try lighting a fire. Maybe it'll help us see what we're up against."
As they began setting up the branches, eyes turned to Elijah, who had remained oddly quiet, standing at the edge of the group, looking distant.
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Elijah?"
Elijah looked up, as though startled from a deep thought, and finally stepped forward. In his hands was something different. An object he hadn't carried before—an old, weathered diary, its edges frayed, its cover cracked with age.
The group froze.
"Where did you find that?" Merry asked, her voice sharp.
Elijah looked at them, his expression unreadable. "I found it at the end of the path. By the trees."
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "What's inside?"
Elijah opened the book slowly, his fingers tracing the faded pages. "I don't know yet. But it's something. There's something here. And it's not just us who've been brought to this place."