A tense silence hung in the air as Aldric Vael regarded them carefully, his eyes shadowed with suspicion. His earlier patience had evaporated, replaced by something colder, sharper.
"I'll ask again," he said, his voice measured but firm. "Who are you?"
Lumien, still seated, opened his mouth to respond, but Aldric raised a hand, cutting him off.
"And think carefully before you answer," he warned. "I don't know what game you're playing, but you should have picked a place other than Durnhart. I know my people. You don't look like them. It's true, your features are Vaharian, I would have believed it if you said you were Eldorians. You could have just said that instead of trying to pass yourselves off as Durnhart locals."
A heavy weight settled over the group. Aldric was sharp. Too sharp.
"I'll ask one more time," Aldric said, his voice colder than before. "Who are you really?"
Lumien clenched his fists, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. "Look, I understand why you're wary, but I swear, we're not your enemy. We woke up in this darkness not too long ago, just like we told you. We don't know what's happening outside because we weren't there when it all went down."
Isla added. "We don't know anything about the outside world. Please, just trust us."
Aldric exhaled slowly through his nose his gaze moving between them, analyzing every expression, every twitch of muscle, then he realized something strange "You say you don't know anything about the outside world. It is true that if we have crossed roads before in any other situation I would have passed you off as Eldorians, but you don't know where that is either".
He thought about it for some time before he remembered something "No, that's absurd, those are just myths and stories" he thought to himself, but the situation demanded him to thing of the impossible, so he asked "If you're not from Vaharos, then where did you come from".
Jasmin seeing the soldier open to convers jumped at the opportunity "We are …" but Mia was quick to cut her off "We don't know either, we woke up together in this place, we know each other but have no memories of how we got here"
Aldric sighed, "You're asking for trust," he said, almost amused. "Yet, you refuse to answer me honestly".
Mia feeling the situation escalate took a few steps back. "I was sent to investigate the anomaly of the Heart. And here you all are, sitting right in the middle of it." His voice hardened. "I can't ignore that coincidence."
He extended his left hand to reach for something on his back "We need answers, and it doesn't seem like I will get them here, so I will need you to cooperate till we leave this place"
The shift in his stance was all the warning Elijah needed, as he moved in an instant, lunging at Aldric.
Aldric Reacted not with hesitation but with experience, sidestepping Elijah's attack and twisting his body fluidly. Their actions shocked the group, and forced them to step back, caught off guard by the sudden clash.
Aldric wasted no time. His military training showed in the way he advanced with precision, each movement economical and sharp. But Elijah was faster. He parried a strike aimed for his ribs, countering with a swift elbow toward Aldric's temple. The soldier barely dodged, his expression darkening as realization hit him.
"You fight like someone trained," Aldric muttered, dodging another blow. "Who taught you?"
Elijah didn't answer. He moved again, a blur of motion aimed straight at Aldric. His fist lashed out, precise and sharp, forcing the soldier to step back. But he barely had time to react before Elijah followed up with another strike, his movements fluid and trained.
His expression was unreadable, cold, almost detached. His movements were too refined, too calculated for someone his age. Each attack was delivered with efficiency, no wasted motion.
Aldric parried, deflecting the attack with ease. His expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered with something close to approval. "Not bad, You're too young for this level of skill" he murmured. "You must've had a great teacher to fight this well at your age."
Elijah smirked blocking a kick aimed at his ribs, the smallest hint of pride glinting in his eyes. "Something like that."
But that momentary acknowledgment cost him. Aldric suddenly changed his rhythm, his strikes coming faster, sharper. Elijah blocked what he could, dodged what he couldn't, but Aldric's experience began to overwhelm him. A strike to the ribs, a kick to the leg-Elijah barely managed to recover in time before the soldier stepped back and, for the first time, drew his sword.
The glint of metal under the dim light sent a wave of unease through the others. Elijah tensed as the soldier took a step forward.
"This ends now," Aldric stated.
Elijah barely dodged the first strike, feeling the blade cut the air near his skin. Aldric's movements were calculated, controlled. Each swing forced Elijah back, giving him less room to maneuver. His body screamed at him to retreat, but there was nowhere to go.
Aldric's sword came down again. This time, Elijah wasn't fast enough.
But before the blade could reach him, a pulse of energy erupted around him. Chains of shimmering light burst from Aldric's outstretched hand, wrapping tightly around Elijah's limbs and forcing him to the ground.
Aldric had stopped his blade and used a small metallic object, inscribed with unfamiliar symbols, and glowing chains of energy shot out, latching onto the group.
Lumien and the others barely had time to cry out as the chains coiled around their limbs, rendering them immobile. They struggled, but the bindings held firm, glowing with an eerie blue light.
Elijah felt the weight press down on him, restraining his every movement. His muscles tensed as he fought against the force, but it was no use. It felt like the chains became stronger the more he struggled. Aldric took a step back, watching them carefully.
Aldric exhaled, his posture relaxing slightly. "Now we can talk properly," he said, sheathing his sword. His gaze swept over them. "Let's try this again. Who are you?"
Ava, breathing hard, pleaded, "We really don't know anything."
Aldric stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Whether that's true or not, I can't risk leaving you here. You're all coming with me."
"Coming where?" Yusuf asked, his voice tense.
"Back to Durnhart. The investigation can wait-"
A sound. A distant, echoing set of footsteps from the depths of the cave.
Aldric's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. His head snapped toward the darkness behind him, his grip tightening on his sword once more.
The air grew thick with something unspoken. The group could only watch, bound and motionless, as Aldric slowly turned to face whatever had found them.
He focused on the darkness, ready to defend against what was hiding in the shadows.
As the sound of footsteps echoed in the silence. Slow. Measured. Each step deliberate, as if the unseen figure had all the time in the world. The air grew thick with something unseen, something unnatural.
Then, out of the shadows, a pair of glowing, cold blue light stared back at him.
Then suddenly the lights blinked.
Aldric took an instinctive step back, his body tense with caution. The glow cut through the darkness, growing sharper as the figure approached. The dim flickering firelight finally revealed the newcomer-a man clad in the same uniform as Aldric, the insignia of Durnhart's forces embroidered on his chest.
But something was wrong. Horribly wrong.
His skin looked pallid, his movements eerily fluid, as though he were walking through water rather than solid ground. His breath was absent, his expression void of emotion. And those eyes-shining with an unnatural, frozen light reflected nothing but emptiness.
Aldric's breath hitched.
"…Varian?" His voice was laced with disbelief.