CHAPTER 119: MOODY TEMPAKAR

"Back off or be tossed out into Tempakar’s fury!" Atia shouted into the darkness while Aiyana seemed to purr, inviting them to come closer, daring them to try her.

That seemed to have the opposite effect, and the bright red eyes seemed to shuffle away from where they hung.

Nova clung to Yoa still, overly aware of the bats she could not see, and that they could attack her within a second, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Her knuckles turned white from where she gripped the spear tighter in preparation for anything to jump out at her.

And it would. She was the weakest one there, and they all knew it. But with Yoa by her side, none dared move. Or so she assumed from the silence and her friends’ postures subtly relaxing.

Another forked lightning struck the ground just outside the cave, making them all jump. Yoa scowled, pulling Nova behind him, acting as a barrier between her and the God who, for some reason, seemed angrier than usual, and at them? It didn’t make sense.

Nova yelped when lightning struck again. This time, the four of them backed further into the cave. Aiyana and Atia nodded once at each other, then scanned their surroundings, scouting the area before calling back to them. "All clear. There’s no vampiras down this tunnel!" Atia’s bright voice calmed Nova.

She let Yoa pull her further into the darkness, her eyes locked on his luminous golden-red ones, feeling safe and protected. She watched him for a while as he led her deeper into the unknown. If it hadn’t been for her Serakai, she might be a fried human goop right now on the sand.

Going onto her tiptoes, she tugged Yoa’s hand, and his movements synced with hers as he instantly lowered his face, allowing her lips to capture his. Her hands slid into the back of his hair slowly, a sigh escaping her lips as coconut and spice cocooned them. "Thank you," she whispered breathlessly between their heated kissing.

Yoa’s arms tightened around her, almost squeezing the breath out of her lungs. "I cannot even begin to fathom a life without you, cor meum... anima mea... lux mea." His voice almost broke while his mind kept repeating the moment Tempakar struck the land, aiming for Nova and him. The Storm God was most likely irritated discovering them still roaming the beach after much time had been given, so they may seek shelter to wait out the storm.

"And I could never live without you," she whispered, rising to her tiptoes again and beginning to trail kisses along his jaw, inhaling his earthy, coconut spice scent.

A low purr rumbled along his chest as he turned his head and pressed his lips to hers, deepening it until a cough announced they weren’t alone, interrupting their moment. Nova giggled at Atia’s not-so-subtle hint while Yoa glowered in his direction. Or so she assumed, everything was mainly pitch black.

She stepped back, and her ankle gave way. A scream followed swiftly after her yelp as she fell backwards. Yoa’s hand shot out, but it was too late by the time he grabbed her. Both of them crashed into the ground and slid down a rocky incline, pulled deeper into the cave. Warmth bled into Nova’s skin from beneath her as the darkness gradually faded. Yoa lifted her as he rose to his feet, glancing back at the stony descent and where Atia and Aiyana stopped at the edge.

No vampire bats were in sight, and the deeper they went, the more certain Nova knew there was something magical about this place. Waves of golden light reflect back along the walls like the sparkling shine of the tranquil sea. The shadows danced along Yoa and Nova’s features as they walked towards the light, a magnetic pull making it hard to stop and resist, acting like mere puppets.

They didn’t panic, though, and soon after, despite Yoa’s warnings about the strange magic, Atia and Aiyana followed. Instead of landing on their asses like Nova, they flipped off the edge in synchronisation.

The damned show-offs. They, too, couldn’t resist the pull, and their legs moved for them, dragging them towards the bright light.

"Brother..." Atia began as a low rumble reverberated along the ground and walls. Dust and pebbles trickled down, the grey and reddening-brown particles clouding around them before settling in their hair.

"It’s okay. I sense no danger..." Actually, the sensations running through him were more like that feeling of returning home after a long, hard day, and embracing home comforts and snuggling with his Serakai.

Sparkling swirls of gold swept around them like a soft, warming breeze as the ground and walls started to get warmer the more they made their descent. Time passed strangely here. Nova could tell they’d been walking for some time when her legs started to grow achy. Yet, it felt like only five minutes had passed.

Golden cracks shot out from the ground, branching out beneath them, like veins, pulsing with a power that seemed like the island was almost breathing. Nova watched the patterns as they drew nearer to the end. Was this it? The veins drew back towards a cavernous wall, shooting up until they burst over around them like lightning.

The four of them stopped as the pulsing continued, and they stared up at the wall that curved to the side. A narrow tunnel curved around. Nova was the only one to break free from the others as magic pulsed through her body, compelling her to follow the tunnel.

"Nova?" Yoa called out to her, but she was in a strange trance.

"Something’s wrong..." She murmured, her hand now tracing along the shimmering gold pattern.

Yoa felt it through the bond. The energy thrumming along her body. "What is wrong, lux mea?" He asked. He couldn’t quite understand the strange magic within her, but it was not a threat to her or them.

Nova stared up at the wall, her body disappearing into the darkness as it curved around. The light grew brighter, the heat starting to feel like a sauna as sweat beaded at her brow and trickled down the back of her neck.

"Nova?!" Atia called out as she disappeared.

"It’s okay. She is safe..." Yoa said, even as worry formed at his brow.

"Yoa, something’s not right here..." Nova called back, her voice echoing.

The power flowing along her arms started to fade as a giant ruby gem-like structure five times her size pulsed in front of her. Every time the light throbbed, it revealed a strange, shadowed shape in a foetal position inside.

"What..." Nova reached towards it, then fell back with a scream.

An eye opened and stared straight at her.