Poly: "So, where is it?"
Troov: "It's right this way."
Kayushi: "Are we really going there?"
Aurora: "Yes..."
Polish: "Only 400 meters now, and then we will reach... The Fountain Of Youth..."
Aurora looked around the forest.
Aurora: "This place is weird."
The trees stretched endlessly in every direction.
Polish scratched his head.
Polish: "Is it?"
Aurora: "Like, how can a whole forest be here?"
Polish: "Lavenor is full of mysteries. You won't know them because you weren't born here... Anyway, we have a bigger fish to fry right now, so let's focus on that—"
A sound came from a nearby bush.
Polish: "Ugh. What was that?"
Troov: "I'm gonna check."
Troov went inside the bush...
---
A whole minute passed.
But he didn't come back.
Polish: "Captain Belhama, are you okay!? Captain Belhama!"
Poly: "This is not good. Why isn't he responding?"
A mix of worry and confusion filled their faces.
Aurora: "Step aside."
Polish stepped aside for Aurora.
Aurora was about to enter the bush when suddenly—
Troov came... out? He had a happy grin on his face.
Polish: "What were you doing in there? And—"
Polish looked at Troov's hands.
Polish: "What is that?"
Poly: "A cat?"
Troov: "Sort of. It's an ocelot. Look how cute it is."
Troov patted it on the head, and it purred.
Aurora sighed.
Aurora: "We genuinely thought something happened to you."
Troov: "Ugh, sorry."
Troov let the ca—ocelot go.
They continued their journey through the forest.
---
Aurora studied the surrounding trees.
Aurora: "Hmm... Interesting. At first, I thought it was some kind of tropical dry forest. But now that I'm looking at it, it's more of a rainforest."
Kayushi: "What's the difference? Both are forests."
Aurora: "Yes. But a forest can't be this dense in such a hot environment."
Polish: "The weirdest thing about this is that it appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't here before."
Aurora: "You mean, it just... popped into existence?"
Polish: "No, no, not like that!"
[Flashback]
It was the year Polish became Mayor.
He was walking through the land with his guards.
Polish: "It was the month I became Mayor."
Polish: "Everything was normal, going as always. I needed to visit Jeten for some food supplies."
Poly: "The Mayor was Graham Altero at that time."
Polish: "That's correct."
Polish: "When I reached the border, I noticed something... plants."
Aurora: "Plants? In the middle of nowhere?"
Polish: "Yes. But at that time I didn't pay much attention to it. I guess that was when it started spreading."
[Flashback ended]
Aurora: "And how much time has passed since then?"
Polish: "Almost 40 years."
Aurora: "Strange indeed. Although, with everything that's happened recently, stranger things are becoming a bit too common."
---
Troov: "The last time I came here was five days ago. Back then I had to leave early because a soldier from my army reported about Pietro."
Poly: "So, you didn't see the fountain?"
Troov: "No."
Ten minutes later...
Polish: "Guess we reached it."
They were in the middle of the forest, standing at the edge of a giant round hole.
Aurora: "So this is the fountain?"
Polish: "Yes."
Poly's eyes widened in surprise.
Poly: "It's... it's like 20 meters wide!"
Aurora stepped closer to the edge.
Water poured endlessly from the rocky cliff above, crashing into the enormous crater below.
Mist drifted through the air.
Strange blue flowers grew along the edges of the hole.
The sound alone was powerful enough to drown out conversation.
Aurora stared at it for a few seconds.
Aurora: "Interesting. I didn't know fountains could fall from that height."
Polish: "What?"
Aurora: "I see. Age has finally damaged both your eyes and your brain."
Aurora: "Because that... isn't a fountain."
Polish: "Well, they call it a fountain, so I call it that too."
Aurora: "I can't believe people called you the 'Thousand-Eyed Polish'."
Polish: "And they still do."
Aurora: "Honestly, 'No-Eyed Polish' suits you more."
Aurora started laughing.
Troov turned away.
His shoulders shook slightly.
Poly covered her mouth.
Polish: "I hate you."
Aurora: "Anyway, 40 years ago... did this place have this giant hole?"
Polish: "No. This area was plain. It didn't have that hole before."
Aurora: "Hmm... Maybe the land collapsed. Have you ever experienced an earthquake here?"
Polish: "Since the day I became the Mayor? No. Never."
Aurora: "Then it must have been the wind."
Polish: "Ah yes. The famous crater-making wind."
Polish: "Very funny."
They walked around the edge of the hole a little bit.
The real depth of the hole was unknown.
Aurora switched with Kayushi. He tried to reach for some of the water—
Kayushi lost his footing.
The loose dirt beneath his feet crumbled.
For a split second, everyone froze.
Troov lunged forward and grabbed Kayushi's wrist before he could fall.
Troov pulled him back onto solid ground.
Troov: "What were you doing?"
Kayushi: "Oh. My bad."
Poly: "WHY IS KAYUSHI IN CONTROL!?"
Aurora: "...Don't do that again."
...
Kayushi: "Okay. Let's see the inside now."
Polish: "Are you kidding me? This hole is like 30 meters deep! How are we supposed to get you out?"
Kayushi glances at the hole again. The water is far below them.
Kayushi: "You... are right."
Polish: "DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT!"
Switch
Aurora: "Don't touch the water. Who knows what could happen."
A strange golden light flickered across the surface of the water.
Troov narrowed his eyes.
Troov: "Wait..."
Troov pointed toward the opposite side of the crater.
Troov: "Look. There is a staircase."
Aurora: "What? A staircase? Where?"
Polish: "It's on the other side. For some reason... it's glowing."
Aurora: "A glowing staircase?"
They immediately moved to the other side.
A staircase descended into the crater.
Its faint golden glow reflected off the water below.
Aurora: "Well, this isn't natural, is it?"
Troov: "These stairs are too symmetrical to be natural."
Troov crouched beside one of the steps.
Troov: "Someone built this."
Troov looked at Aurora's face.
Aurora: "Something is wrong."
Polish: "What now?"
Aurora: "Forty years of water..."
Aurora looked at the staircase.
Aurora: "Not a single sign of erosion."
Poly raised an eyebrow.
Poly: "Wait... yes, actually. Why aren't the stairs damaged even a little bit? They look like they were made just yesterday."
Troov observed the stairs for a moment before speaking.
Troov: "They're not reflecting light."
Troov placed a hand near one of the glowing steps.
Troov: "They're producing their own light."
Troov: "But strangely... it's nothing like anything I know."
Aurora replied in a calm but confident tone.
Aurora: "There's only one way to find out."
Polish: "And what is it?"
Aurora: "We need to go down."
Everyone nodded.
Polish hesitated for a moment.
Aurora looked at him.
Polish sighed.
Polish: "Fine. Let's go."
As they descended the staircase, the glow grew brighter and brighter.
The golden light spread through the fog surrounding them.
With every step, the world above felt more distant.
Aurora: "These stairs are long—"
Aurora quickly glanced at Polish.
Polish had a smirk on his face.
Polish: "You—"
Aurora: "Shut up."
After several minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
A vast underground chamber stretched before them.
The walls glowed with the same golden light as the staircase, though much dimmer.
The air felt strangely still.
Troov slowly looked around.
Troov: "It's awfully quiet in here."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
Then the echo returned.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As if the room were far larger than it appeared.
Aurora: "This looks like a hallway. We should go deeper."
They walked deeper into the hallway and soon stumbled upon two paths.
Polish: "Well, which way should we go?"
Aurora: "It would be a pain to go through each path separately."
Polish: "So what do you suggest we do?"
Aurora: "To explore this place fully, we need to split up."
Everyone seemed nervous.
Aurora: "What?"
Troov: "It's nothing, I just... I'm not feeling very comfortable all of a sudden."
Poly: "I don't understand it either."
Polish also looked nervous.
Polish: "Yeah, me too. It happened even the previous time. Suddenly, I felt something unusual."
Poly: "Maybe we shouldn't go any further. I don't feel safe."
Poly looked around again.
The golden glow of the walls had grown slightly brighter.
Poly: "I don't know if it's because of this place or something else..."
Aurora calmly spoke up.
Aurora: "I hear you. But don't worry. We adults are here if anything happens."
Aurora looked at Polish.
Aurora: "At least I am, if you don't count Polish."
Polish: "Hey!"
The tension eased slightly.
Aurora: "We will split up and explore both paths."
Aurora: "Is that okay?"
Troov: "I don't like this plan."
Aurora: "Neither do I. But if this place is as large as it seems, staying together would waste too much time."
Everyone finally agreed.
They split up as planned.
Troov and Poly went left, Polish and Aurora went right.
Polish and Aurora walked through the path.
Aurora: "Hey, I forgot to ask. Are you feeling okay?"
Kayushi: "Yes. When I'm not in control, I don't really feel my body. I can only see and hear. You know that, right?"
Aurora: "I just wanted to make sure you're alright."
Kayushi: "I am."
Aurora smiled in relief.
The path had become more like a corridor now.
They both continued walking forward.
Scene changes to Troov and Poly.
They are also walking through a corridor.
Poly: "So, when did you join the army?"
Troov: "Last year."
Poly: "Last year? And you're already a captain. That's impressive."
Troov smiles.
Troov: "Thanks."
They keep walking.
Troov: "Umm... Miss Poly, can I ask a question?"
Poly: "Sure. And no need to call me 'miss'."
Troov: "How is it like to live with the Mayor?"
Poly: "It's... nothing special, actually."
Troov: "Oh."
...
Poly notices the silence.
Poly smiles and speaks in a playful tone.
Poly: "Hey, why did you stop talking?"
Troov: "Umm... it's just..."
Poly: "You look nervous."
Troov: "Sorry about that."
Poly: "Why are you so nervous...? What's your age?"
Troov: "Oh, I am... twenty-two."
Poly: "You're just two years younger than me. Are you nervous because of that?"
Troov: "No! That's not it."
Poly: "Then what is it?"
Troov: "I don't know."
Poly: "You don't know?"
Troov: "It's hard to explain."
Poly: "Try."
Troov looks away.
Troov: "I think this place is making me nervous."
Poly: "Good. I thought I was the only one."
Troov: "You feel it too?"
Poly: "Yeah."
Poly looks around at the glowing walls.
Poly: "Everything here feels wrong."
Troov: "Exactly."
Poly: "Well, if a monster jumps out..."
Troov: "I will protect you."
Poly: "Wow. That was immediate."
Troov: "I am a captain."
Poly: "And here I thought you were just a guy who disappears into bushes to pet cats."
Troov speaks up nervously.
Troov: "It was... too cute. I couldn't resist."
Poly: "I have a cat at home. Her name is Mia. When we get out of here, you can meet her."
Troov's eyes stay on the walls. He is still nervous and answers without looking at Poly.
Troov: "Mia, huh? I would love to meet her."
Troov: "May I know why you joined the army?"
Poly stops walking.
Troov stops too.
Poly looks sad for a moment before forcing a smile.
Poly: "Why? Because I want to become the Mayor!"
Poly: "So many people in the town have done something for me. The only way for me to repay their debt is by doing something for them."
Poly: "I will become the next Mayor and do greater things that even the old man hasn't done."
Poly's smile is no longer forced.
Troov looks at Poly.
Poly: "What?"
He immediately looks away.
Troov: "Nothing."
---
They walk a little more.
When suddenly—
Poly: "Stop."
Troov asks in a confused tone.
Troov: "What happened?"
Poly points at something in the distance.
Poly: "Is it just me, or do you also see it?"
Troov looks at it, raising both eyebrows.
There is a doorknob on the wall.
Poly shouts.
Poly: "That's a door, isn't it?!"
Troov nods.
They walk closer to it, and it is indeed a door.
Troov turns the doorknob.
Troov immediately changes his tone.
Troov: "Please stay behind me. There might be something inside."
Poly: "Oh... okay."
Poly hides behind Troov.
Troov slowly opens the door. And there is... nothing.
It's just a small room.
Poly: "There's nothing inside. It's empty."
Troov: "Still... be careful."
They enter the room.
It smells like fresh flowers.
Poly notices two small boxes on the ground.
Poly: "Look. A red and a blue box."
Poly tries to open them.
Poly: "They're locked."
Troov's mouth is slightly open. There's a hint of confusion on his face.
Poly: "There must be a key somewhere here."
Poly finds a small key.
She tries to open the red box, but Troov stops her.
Troov: "Wait. Let me do it."
Troov uses the key and opens the blue box.
Poly: "What... is that?"
Inside is a small spiral notebook.
Troov checks it.
Troov: "Looks like a notebook. There's something written on it, but only about twenty pages are used. The rest are blank."
Troov opens the first page.
---
The scene shifts to Aurora and Polish.
Aurora: "Seems like we have hit another dead end. Is this the last one?"
Polish: "Yes. It's the fourth and last one."
Aurora's face shows disappointment.
Polish: "Let's find the two of them. They might have found something."
Aurora: "Right."
They turn back.
But before they start walking, Polish notices a grain-sized speck fall from Aurora's hand, flashing faint purple before disappearing into the ground.
Polish: "Hey, Aurora."
Aurora: "Yes?"
Polish: "Seems like you dropped something."
Aurora lowers his head and looks at the ground.
Aurora: "Oh, that? Don't worry about it."
Polish nods.
They start walking.
Every step echoes through the hallway.
The silence is so heavy that only the sound of breathing and the heartbeats of the two ancient warriors can be heard.
They finally reach the place where the four of them had previously split up.
They wait for Troov and Poly to return.
Then they hear it.
Footsteps.
...
From outside.
Polish tenses up.
Polish: "I think there's someone outside."
After a few seconds, Aurora whispers:
Aurora: "...Outside?"
Polish: "Yes."
After a moment of hesitation, they decide to go up.
They slowly and carefully climb the stairs.
---
The scene shifts back to Troov.
Troov turns the page.
Then another.
---
First page.
Nothing unusual.
Just text.
Normal words.
---
Second page.
His eyes slow slightly.
Not understanding yet.
Just reading.
---
Third page.
A pause between breaths.
Longer than before.
His grip tightens a little on the notebook.
---
Fourth page.
His thumb shifts against the edge of the paper.
Like he is trying to steady it.
Or steady himself.
---
Fifth page.
His eyes stop moving for a fraction of a second.
Then continue.
---
Sixth page.
A faint crease forms between his eyebrows.
He reads it again.
Just once.
---
Seventh page.
He swallows.
Harder than before.
---
Eighth page.
His breathing changes.
Not loud.
But no longer even.
---
Ninth page.
His hand tightens.
Paper bends slightly.
Not enough to tear.
Almost unconsciously controlled.
---
Tenth page.
He stops.
---
For a moment, nothing happens.
Not even movement.
His eyes remain locked on the page.
Too still.
Too focused.
Like looking away would make something happen.
---
Poly tilts her head.
Poly: "…Troov?"
No response.
---
A faint crinkle from the notebook.
His grip tightens again.
---
Poly: "Troov…?"
Still nothing.
---
His eyes move again.
He reads further.
Faster now.
Too fast.
Pages turn with sharper motions.
One.
Two.
Three.
---
He swallows.
But it doesn't feel normal anymore.
Like his throat is resisting.
---
A small tremor runs through his fingers.
Then his wrist.
Then his arm stiffens slightly, as if it is forgetting how to move naturally.
---
Poly steps closer.
Poly: "Hey… what's wrong?"
---
No answer.
---
Troov keeps reading.
But now his eyes are no longer calm.
They don't track smoothly.
They jump.
Recheck.
Hesitate.
Continue.
---
Like he is forcing himself to see it correctly.
Like the words are starting to mean something he doesn't want them to.
---
Then—
He reaches the last pages.
---
Silence.
---
He stops completely.
Not even breathing for a moment.
---
Poly: "Troov?"
---
A long pause.
Too long.
---
Then—
He closes the notebook.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like it might react.
---
His face has gone pale.
Not fear yet.
Something worse.
Recognition turning into understanding.
And understanding refusing to settle.
---
He slides the notebook into his pocket.
His fingers miss slightly on the first try.
Then correct.
That small correction feels wrong.
---
A sharp inhale.
Sudden.
Like he forgot he was holding his breath until that moment.
---
Then his body moves before his voice does.
He steps back.
Once.
Twice.
Small steps.
Uncertain.
---
Then—
He turns.
And suddenly breaks into motion.
Out of the room.
---
Poly: "WHAT HAPPENED?!"
---
Troov does not look back.
---
Poly: "What was in that notebook?!"
---
His voice finally comes out, but it is strained.
Not loud from anger.
Loud from urgency.
Like speaking is harder than running.
---
Troov: "THERE'S NO TIME! WE NEED TO FIND LORD AURORA AND LORD POLISH!"
---
Poly: "O-okay!"
---
They run back the way they came.
---
But—
The corridor ahead is blocked.
Not partially.
Completely.
---
Poly: "What!?"
---
Troov stops.
Instantly.
---
No panic.
No confusion.
Just stillness.
Like his mind already finished processing the possibility before his body arrived at it.
...
For the first time since Poly met him…
he looks completely lost.
...
Troov: "…We're trapped."
---
The scene shifts back to Aurora and Polish.
They are now very close to the top.
???: "They are not here."
???: "Where did they go?"
???: "I don't know."
???: "DO YOU EVEN KNOW 'ANYTHING'!?"
Aurora and Polish whisper to each other.
Aurora: "Looks like there are multiple people."
Polish: "What the heck should we do?"
Aurora: "What else?"
Polish: "What...?"
Aurora: "We'll approach them."
Polish: "Wait—what?"
Aurora climbs the remaining steps.
Then he freezes.
Polish: "What happened?"
Aurora squints.
Aurora: "Thalas... Altero?"
Thalas, Specule, and Sir Hemenor stand on the opposite side of the crater.
Specule: "Ow... why did you hit me on the head?"
Thalas: "This all happened because of you!"
Specule makes a sad face.
He turns around, looking at the crater, then at Aurora, then back at the crater, and then again at Aurora.
Specule: "There! Look! There he is!"
Thalas slowly turns around.
His teeth clench.
His face twists with anger.
Thalas: "Jin'Uz Aurora..."
Polish steps out behind him.
Thalas: "...Scopus Polish..."
Then he explodes.
Thalas: "YOU DAMN BASTARDS!!!"
The scream echoes throughout the entire forest.
It is certain now.
Thalas...
...is furious.
---
To be continued...