Haruki understood the gravity of the situation. He did. But the cave's pull only intensified, as if it were retaliating.
His knuckles turned white from the sheer force of his grip. He hesitated—should he endure this, or should he scream for Lanling?
Mainu sensed the shift. Concerned, he opened his mouth to urge Haruki back to the carriage.
But before he could speak, a sudden cold snap crackled through the cave. Lightning erupted in jagged streaks, illuminating the dark, rough walls, which instantly became coated in ice—frozen lightning spreading beneath its surface like veins of a fractured gemstone.
The wind stilled for a moment.
Then it wailed in protest.
The sudden gale sent Haruki hurtling forward, a sharp whistling noise trailing in his wake.
Mainu barely had time to register what had happened. In the span of a breath, Haruki was gone—his figure a blur, vanishing into the cave's depths.
