It was dark and quiet.

All Kiera could hear was the faint, rhythmic dripping of water trickling down the side of the small cavern. She stared silently at the dark ceiling, the sound echoing eerily in the stillness.

Hours had passed, and she had yet to find herself able to sleep.

No, it was more like she couldnt sleep at all. She was exhausted, her eyes were bagging, and she had no energy All of these signs would normally allow one to sleep easily, and yet she found herself unable to bat an eyelid.

As if haunted, all she could think about was the statue.

Haa.

Wiggling her way out of her sleeping bag, Kiera rubbed her eyes.

.So fucking annoying.

Problems just kept piling up for her. At first, it was her aunt, and then it was her inability to sleep. At the current rate things were going, she felt like she wouldnt be able to make it to the second phase of the Summit.

Thatd be pretty problematic.

Ugh.

Kiera tossed back into the sleeping back and tried to sleep again, but even as several hours passed she was still unable to sleep.

Scratch. Scratch.

Kiera started to scratch the side of her neck as a way to cope with the stress. At first, she did it because it was itchy, but she then did it out of habit.

Her mind was becoming murkier and murkier by the second.

Rustle

Even as a rustling sound echoed at the entrance of her cave, Kiera didnt react much, shifting her attention toward the entrance where a figure slowly started to wiggle inside.

Her expression remained the same as she stared at the entrance.

Ukh! Uhe!

From the sound of the voice, the one who entered was a girl. Wearing a thick jacket, she continued to wiggle through the narrow gap before finally entering.

Haa Haa

With heavy breaths, Josephine looked around the cave. It was dark and she couldnt see properly. Nonetheless, she was sure that someone was there.

The map had said so.

Anybody here?

Josephine tilted her head slightly, sensing a presence nearby that remained unresponsive. The lack of reaction unsettled her, and as she frowned, she pulled out a small orb and directed it forward, trying to light up the surrounding darkness.

.!

Her breathing stopped the moment she shined the light forward.

Greeting her was a familiar yet hollow face. With vacant eyes and a reddened neck, Kiera stood completely unresponsive, her gaze fixed blankly in Josephines general direction.

Horrified by what she was seeing, Josephine took a step back.

This

Her horror only lasted for a brief moment before Kiera snapped out of it, her eyes returning to normal and her expression easing.

Uhm?

She looked around, finally spotting Josephine.

What are you doing here?

.

Josephine didnt answer. The image of Kiera from before was still lingering in her mind, forcing her to keep her breath even.

It was only when Kiera glared at her that Josephine snapped out of it.

Are you you?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

No, I mean

Josephine recalled the look on Kieras face from before and pursed her lips.

You seemed so weird before. I thought that you were possessed or something.

Possessed?

Kiera looked at Josephine with a look that seemed to say, Have you lost your mind?

Josephine waved her hands.

You really did!

No, I just couldnt sleep. I am not possessed or some shit like that.

.I see.

It was only when she saw Kiera act like normal again that Josephine finally calmed down.

Maybe shes right.

Looking around, she saw that while the cave was small there was still space for her to rest. She turned to face Kiera.

Its pretty much morning outside. What do you want to do? Rest a little or?

Ill rest for a bit.

Kiera answered with a thin smile.

Turning around, she entered the sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

As opposed to the past, she didnt have problems sleeping. In fact, she quickly sunk into sleep.

Josephine blinked her eyes slowly while staring at her.

Seeing that her breathing had evened out, she blinked her eyes slowly before taking out her own sleeping bag and setting it up a few meters away from her. Slowly entering it, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Only for her to

Hiaaakh!

Wake up with two hands at her throat.

***

In a different area.

Hieeeek!

A gigantic hawk came screeching down from the sky, its sharp beak glinting under the blazing white sun. It plummeted with terrifying speed, its eyes locked onto a red-haired girl beneath.

She met the hawks gaze without much of an expression, and just as it closed in, she raised her hand and swiped downward.

Boom!

The hawk had no time to react.

With a simple gesture of Aoifes hand, its head came crashing first against the ground, solidly hitting the ground with no regard.

Blood spilled all over the surroundings as Aoife took a deep breath.

Not bad.

A crisp voice echoed from behind as Aoifes eyes briefly locked onto a lock of purple hair.

Without uttering a word, Evelyn approached the hawk and carefully retrieved a small knife. She began to skin it right in front of Aoife, her movements were fluid and precise, as if she were a seasoned expert in the task.

At first, Evelyns skills surprised her, but with time, she started to grow used to it.

How do you want it? Slow-cooked or grilled?

Grilled.

Aoife answered while swallowing her saliva.

It wasnt just her cleaning skill that was good, but so was her cooking. Having tasted all sorts of cuisines due to her background, Aoife knew what good cooking tasted like, and Evelyn was surprisingly a very good cook.

Crackle~! Crackle~!

With a snap of Evelyns fingers, a fire started to burn as she positioned herself behind it and started to cook the meat. From her bag, she took out several spices which she sprinkled on top of the meat.

A pleasant smell started to waft through the air immediately after she started cooking.

Swallowing her saliva, Aoife sat down on the opposite end and stared at the crackling fire that stood before her.

..

..

It was silent between the two.

While one was busy cooking the other was busy watching the flame. It was a strangely peaceful scene.

But the silence was soon broken by Aoife who lifted her head slightly.

Hey.

She called out for Evelyn who didnt stop and continued to flip the meat over the pan she brought.

Though she didnt answer, Evelyn raised her brow to indicate that she was listening.

Aoife took the chance to speak.

Is it true that youve known Julien and Leon since childhood?

.

Evelyns movements paused for a brief moment before she quietly answered.

Yes.

How were they like?

In all honesty, while Aoife was curious, this was more because she wanted to make small talk with Evelyn. The two of them met up with the map, and while they were somewhat cordial with each other, they werent exactly friends.

They could converse and cooperate with each other without any problems, but their conversations were somewhat stiff.

How were they like?

Evelyns movements stopped again as she smiled.

Leon was nice. Hes changed quite a bit, he was less stiff and smiled a lot more. But at heart, hes the same person. Youd know if you had been there.

Oh?

An image of a young Leon appeared in Aoifes mind. She imaged him smiling, and the thought weirded her out.

He was a bit like Julien in the regard that he didnt smile much.

No, rather

I think Ive seen Julien smile more than him.

What about Julien? How was he like?

Julien?

Evelyns eyes turned strange, almost blank. Then, raising her head, she looked at Aoife.

Which one are you talking about?

Hm?

Which one..?

As the firelight flickered in her eyes, Evelyn opened her mouth once more. This time, her voice came out somewhat distant.

Hes changed about five times. Which Julien do you want to ask about?

***

Leon stood still for a brief moment, quietly observing Julien for a few seconds. He could hardly read his thoughts as he remained still for a few seconds before stepping forward.

Leon followed quietly after him a few short seconds later.

.

.

A suffocating silence enveloped the two of them as they walked past the dimly lit candles. It was dark so it was hard to see ahead. Before long, a small wooden door came into view, barely illuminated by the flickering candlelight. Nestled at the end of the corridor, the door seemed ordinary, as if there was nothing special about it.

And yet

.

.

Neither Julien nor Leon could move forward. It was as if an invisible force was pressing against them, halting their steps and making it hard for Leon to breathe.

The sensation was suffocating, sending a tingle down his chest.

Horrified, Leon looked in Juliens direction, but the sight that greeted him stunned him. Unlike him, Julien seemed to be in a trance. His eyes were blank, and his mind appeared to be elsewhere.

Stunned, Leon hastily reached out for him, shaking his body lightly.

Hey. Hey!

Uh!?

Julien did eventually snap out of it. With a stunned and almost lost look, he looked around.

Whats going on?

.

Leon was unsure of what to say. He stared at Julien for a brief second before telling him exactly what had happened.

Youre saying that I was in a trance?

Yes.

Hmm.

Juliens eyes narrowed as he fell into thought. As he did, his gaze would occasionally fall on the wooden door before them.

He seemed out of it of sorts.

Almost as if he was snapping in and out of consciousness.

What in the?

Juliens alarming state made Leon swallow dryly. Just as he raised his hand to reach out to Julien, the door suddenly burst open.

Clank!

!

Leons entire body flinched as he stared at the door, his heart pounding in his throat. His mouth was dry, and his hands were tingling with nervousness.

He tried to peer through the door, trying to see what lay behind it.

Beyond the door lay a suffocating darkness, a black void that seemed to reach out, threatening to swallow him whole.

Alarm bells rang in Leons mind as he processed the situation.

He had just turned to face Julien when he was stunned to see that he was gone.

Uh?

In shock, Leons mind blanked for a brief second.

Then, just as he wondered where Julien had gone, Leon felt an overwhelmingly powerful suction force coming from the door.

Uekk..!

Leon tensed his muscles, trying desperately to resist, but the force was too strong. In an instant, his entire body was yanked through the doorway, which slammed shut behind him.

Clank!

The temple fell silent once more.