Miko and Daena's attempts to go with Darka were so many that he ended up giving in due to their insistence. And he also knew that if he forced the two to stay behind he would only make them come up with some plan to follow in secret, which could be even more dangerous. Amara was going to take them in his vehicle, an old but surprisingly sturdy pick-up truck, and said he would keep an eye on them both if they needed it.

— We are not kids, you should respect us! — Daena was sullenly sitting in a corner of the truck bed, on top of a toolbox and with Miko on her lap.

— If respect means letting you two be completely careless with your own safety, then I'd rather be rude. — Darka, sitting in front of them, was still trying to look responsible.

— How long until the location, young man? — Katarina, in the passenger seat, asked Amara on the steering wheel. — I need to know how long the ordeal of enduring this will last.

Amara laughed at the question, relieving a little of the tension that formed on his face. He explained that it would be a short trip of just half an hour, but given the noisy company it certainly wouldn't be boring. The road to the mountain was quite bumpy and winding, but they would have no problem getting there. It was almost like a vacation trip, if the goal wasn't to save the world.

— So, Unpronounceable... — Katarina spoke without looking at Darka, keeping her eyes firmly in front of her and her posture rigid despite the vehicle's rocking. — What are we going to do when we get to the mountain?

— I'm going to go into the cave where I came from. I was buried along with Yrina, but I didn't saw anyone with me when I woke up, so I'll have to look better. If she's still there, she shouldn't be that far from where I was.

— We'll have to look better. Don't think you're going in alone, scum.

— I thought the ugly nicknames were behind us. — Darka complained, pouting.

— Force of habit.

Miko left Daena's lap and with the rocking of the car, they stumbled towards their friend, who caught them halfway.

— We're going in too, Darka! Did you know that I can see in the dark?

— Of course you're going in, Miko. — Darka looked annoyed. — Even if I said no, you would find a way in. But I warn you that if something goes wrong, you both need to leave immediately, otherwise I'll kick you both out of there myself.

— You say these things, but you don't even have the courage to lift a finger at us. — This time it was Daena who spoke, in an arrogant tone. — You're just a complaining kid with no authority whatsoever, in fact, even Miko is more intimidating than you.

When she looked at him, Daena saw Darka looking very hurt, not knowing if it was an act or not. Miko also noticed their friend with his head down and turned to the girl.

— Miss Daena, stop hurting Darka's feelings!

— I just said the truth! Look, he's a real slacker, that's for sure! How are you going to save the world like that? Obviously we will need to help him.

— It's ok. — Darka sighed. — I don't care what you think of me, just promise me that if things get too dangerous, you'll take care of yourselves.

— I don't promise anything. Let it be known that I think you are an idiot. But you're still my friend, and I don't let friends down.

Katarina watched the scene in the rearview mirror, thinking how happy Daena seemed to be. Ever since her mother died, she had always been sad or angry, but now the girl's excitement was almost palpable. The paladin thought about how she wanted to tell Estephan about that.

✰★✰★✰

Despite its name, Jhotar Mountain was actually a hill just over two hundred meters high, located in the far east of the continent. Formed mainly by the rubble of the ancient capital of the province of Jhotar, turned over by Angelo Aurea during his fight against Yrina, the place was inhabited only by animals and was avoided by everyone who believed that those lands were cursed with the witch's energy. The remains of buildings, pillars and bricks among the vegetation made the silhouette of the place kinda odd and broken, giving an hint of strangeness to the surroundings, as if it didn't belong there. When they finally arrived at the base of the mountain, they went down and started looking for a way in.

The entrance to the cave where Darka came out was almost imperceptible in the dense vegetation, which took him almost an hour to find the place. Two years had passed in the world of Red Ocean since he emerged, and Lauren noticed how strange it was to have different memories of the same situation. She remembered both being in front of a computer pressing the W key and the feeling of the sun on her skin after a hundred years underground.

— Darka, is everything okay? — Amara, who was handing out flashlights to everyone, had noticed that he was distracted.

— Yes... I'm fine. — He turned to the rest of the group. — Okay, let's do this way, I go in front with Katarina, Miko stays behind us and Amara and Daena close the line. The two of us will make sure the path is safe, while the three of you keep an eye out for any sign of the twins.

Nodding to the formation, the group entered the cave. Although it was damp and slightly cold, it was wide enough for them to pass through comfortably. The path was also unobstructed, with only a few columns and rocks narrowing the passage from time to time. Darka knew they were getting closer to where he appeared when he noticed the marks on the rocks becoming more prominent as they advanced. Those marks were similar to those on his body, and were made by Yrina on the floor of the central square when she began the resurrection ritual.

— What a strange place. — Daena observed the walls, running her fingers over the marks. — What are those things on the rocks, Darka?

— These are the runes that Yrina drew. They served to channel magical energy and have probably spent the last hundred years feeding my body with the remnants of the source of magic.

— Eww. — The girl looked disgusted. The idea of ​​spending years buried in those conditions seemed horrifying.

— Yes,"eww", but where is the witch? — Katarina's impatience grew. — I don't see anything but rocks and marks.

Darka decided to ignore the two and started looking for anything that could indicate the presence of another person, but he didn't even know where to start. The cave ended in a dead end where there was the small cavity where he had awakened, surrounded by the same symbols on his body.

— What are we looking for, exactly? — Miko asked as they lifted a stone the size of their hand.

— I don't know, maybe a passage, a gap, somewhere where there could be a body, I don't know...

While everyone was talking near the end of the tunnel, Amara was a few meters away from the group, carefully observing the walls. When his flashlight failed, he noticed something.

— Can you turn off the flashlights for a moment?

— Did you find anything? — Darka pointed the flashlight at the wall Amara was looking at.

— Maybe, but I need a little darkness.

The first person to turn off the flashlight was Miko, with some excitement. There was a palpable eagerness in the little creature to show off their skill in the dark. The others turned off their flashlights too, waiting to see what would happen.

— How beautiful, Mr. Amara! It's glowing! What is that?

— What are you talking about, Miko? I'm not seeing anything. — Daena felt around in the dark, trying to get her eyes used to the darkness.

Everyone was confused, still not knowing what was happening. Amara's voice sounded serious in the pitch black.

— The runes are active, but very weak. If we follow their direction, maybe we will find something.

— I'll go ahead! — Miko, who could clearly see the faint light of the marks, ran towards where the light was flowing.

— Wait, Miko! — Turning on the flashlight again, Darka tried to hold the luziwurm before they hurt theyself, without success. He only had time to see Miko disappearing behind a boulder, through a crevice too small for anyone other than they to get through.

Darka felt Katarina push him aside and go towards the crack, carrying a glow in her right hand and throwing a punch in the middle of the stone. A crack appeared on the surface and popping sounds could be heard throughout the rest of the cave.

— What the hell... Do you still have powers?!

— Apparently yes. — The paladin looked slightly surprised at her own closed fist, still vibrating with energy. Her movement had been instinctive, but she didn't want to admit it.

— That was dangerous, aunt! It could have caused a landslide! — Daena approached the crack, pointing the flashlight at the hole. — Miko? Are you there?

A few seconds passed before the little creature's horns appeared through the hole, relieving the group's tension.

— What are they doing? What was that noise?

— Get out of there now, you stubborn worm! — Darka scolded, stamping his foot. — I told you not to leave my side!

— Guys... — Noticing a certain noise around them, Amara nervously tried to attract attention. — We can focus on...

— Yes, let's focus on the mission, but I need you guys to behave!

— Hey, what do you mean "you guys"? I did nothing! — Daena complained.

— Enough!! — Losing her patience, Katarina unconsciously stamped her foot on the ground with the same energy as her last punch, which caused the crack in the stone to spread beneath everyone. The noise Amara heard earlier was more cracks appearing, which came together and caused the fragile floor they were standing on to collapse.

A large hole opened, and all five of them fell into it.

✰★✰★✰

It was dark, cold, damp and uncomfortable. Darka's head hurt, his eyelids felt heavy, and his throat felt dry. He didn't know where he was, but he felt like he was floating and, most importantly, that he wasn't alone.

A hug came from behind, and a familiar feeling flooded his chest.

— You are alive. — A woman's relieved voice tickled her ear. — It worked out.

— Yrina...?

As quickly as it appeared, the voice disappeared and Darka woke up. He was sinking in what appeared to be water and quickly propelled himself towards the surface. Despite being practically lying at the bottom, when he got up he realized that he was in a shallow part, with the water reaching up to his chest.

— Right there! — He heard Miko's voice. — This way, Darka!

The rest of the group was on the edge of what looked like a lake. Amara helped Daena out of the water and Miko jumped to get their friend's attention. As soon as he reached the shore, Darka noticed that his body stigmata glowed and that he felt strangely "charged".

— Katarina, I know we're not on good terms yet, but did I deserve this?

— Are you saying I did it on purpose?! How dare you suggest that?

— Ok, let's calm down, please... — Amara tried to alleviate the situation. — We need to find the...

— Yrina. Yes, I already know where she is. — Darka interrupted.

The place where they were was a wide cave, and the hole they fell through was not very high. The lake where they landed was large and appeared to be shallow, at least close to the shore. But what caught the most attention was how the place was illuminated by the many marks on the walls that seemed to go towards the bottom of the water, all emanating the same bluish glow as the runes on Darka's skin.

— You're not going to tell me she's at the bottom of that lake. — Katarina crossed her arms, impatient.

— Not exactly. — Darka passed his hand over his shoulder, where he felt the witch's embrace. —She is the lake.