As the fire crackled in the dimly lit cave, Aldric Vael knelt beside the small fire, his bronzed hands expertly preparing the peculiar meat Yusuf and Elijah had brought back. He handled the process with practiced ease, slicing and searing the strange, dark-fleshed creature as the rich, earthy scent filled the cave. The group watched cautiously, a mix of curiosity and hesitation in their eyes.
"Are you sure this is edible?" Jasmine asked, wrinkling her nose at the sizzling meat. "It looks... questionable."
Aldric answered. "It's not exactly a delicacy in the city, but it's common in deep caves and shadowed places. Hunters sometimes bring it back when supplies are low." He prodded a piece with his dagger, satisfied with the texture. "Tough, but safe. And it'll keep you alive."
Mia sighed. "I guess we don't have much of a choice."
The soldier took a seat near the group, carefully inspecting the meal they had prepared. The strange, fleshy fungus-like meat, now skewered and lightly charred over the flames, gave off a faintly earthy aroma.
Ava hesitated before asking again, glancing at the soldier. "I know you said it is but are you sure? It doesn't exactly look... appetizing."
Aldric chuckled, the tension from earlier temporarily easing. "It's not the worst thing I've eaten in the field. It's called Hollowroot. Found in deep caves like this one. Most animals avoid it, but we learned to make do. Nutrient-dense, keeps you going longer. Just don't eat too much in one sitting unless you want a fever and nausea."
Merry frowned, poking her piece with a stick. "Great. Cave food with side effects."
As they settled in, Aldric's sharp eyes swept over them, his expression unreadable. "I should at least know the names of the people I'm sharing a meal with."
The group exchanged quick glances before Lumien took the lead. "Of course, good sir. I'm Lumien, and these are my friends- on this side Mia, Jasmine, Merry, Isla, Chloe, Ava, and the boys Allen, Chris, Yusuf, and Elijah."
As they began eating, Aldric subtly shifted the conversation. "So, tell me again, where exactly did you all come from in Durnhart?"
Mia responded quickly, a well-practiced lie slipping from her lips. "The outskirts. We were traveling for a few days when all this started."
Aldric's gaze flickered, keen enough to notice how quickly she answered. "The outskirts, huh? That's a rough place to live. Not many travelers come from there."
"We like adventure," Chris added with a forced chuckle, trying to sound casual.
Aldric raised an eyebrow. "That so? What were you doing near the eastern district? It's mostly merchants and scholars passing through."
Merry smiled, keeping her tone casual. "We're travelers. Not much more to it."
The air thickened with unspoken tension. Yusuf cleared his throat. "We weren't exactly prepared for this. Everything happened so fast. One moment we were together, the next, we woke up here."
Aldric let the words hang in the air before taking another bite. He could sense their unease, but he chose not to push-yet.
"You're lucky you ran into me, then," he said, shifting the conversation. "The situation outside isn't good. Tension was already rising between Rothengar and Nyxara, but just before the barrier appeared, something changed. The Naxaris border guards withdrew, retreated deep into the violet forests. That's never happened before. Then House Rothengar gave orders to pull back as well."
A heavy silence settled over the group. Even without understanding the full picture, the weight of the information was overwhelming. Wars. Borders. Tensions spanning across the entire continent. The world they had stumbled into was already teetering on the edge of something far worse.
"And it's not just here," Aldric continued. "From what little word we received before communications went dark, something is happening across all of Neria."
The group's heads pounded as they tried to process the influx of information. But what disturbed them most was how clear and precise their memories of his words were.
Chris looked up from his meal. "And the barrier—what does it look like? Have you tried escaping?"
Aldric's expression darkened slightly. "I don't really have information on the matter, it happened only a few days ago, and this things rising from earth followed soon after. That's why my unit was sent to investigate this place. But... they disappeared. One by one."
Jasmine tensed. "Disappeared? Like, taken?"
Aldric's gaze fell to the ground. "Vanished. No signs of struggle, no blood, no sound. One moment they were walking beside me, the next-gone. I searched for hours before finding this cave." His sharp bronze eyes flickered between them. "And then I found you."
Lumien felt a sharp unease settle in his gut. As a newly assigned policeman back on Earth, he had been taught to read people, to analyze conversations, and this was off.
No military man, no matter how relaxed, would casually share this much classified information with strangers. It was almost as if Aldric were...
Meanwhile, Elijah had remained unnervingly silent. Unlike the others, who had been trying to keep their act together, he had barely spoken a word, merely listening with closed eyes and, a smile.
Aldric noticed. "And you? You've barely said a thing. What's your name?"
Elijah met his gaze, unfazed. "Elijah."
"You're not the social type are you" Aldric asked with a smile
Elijah opening his eyes answered with the same smile "No, I just don't like games"
The group felt sweat forming on their foreheads
Aldric chuckled "how boring, I like my games" he slowly examined the group, his face darkening. The air in the cave grew tense, as if the shadows themselves were closing in, that's when they realized that this soldier never put down his sword.
His voice turned cold. "You've been dodging my questions all this time. And everything I've told you... some of you did well in keeping the act up. But the truth is—"
His sharp gaze swept over them like a blade.
"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"