CHAPTER 31: SAFE ZONE?

Falling. Again.

This was getting ridiculous.

I barely had time to process before we hit water.

Cold, dark, definitely full of monsters water.

I plunged into the abyss, bubbles escaping my mouth as I fought the sudden pressure. The others splashed in around me, their muffled yells lost beneath the surface.

Something brushed my leg.

I didn’t think. I kicked violently.

Then I grabbed Felix, who was flailing like a dying fish, and hauled him toward the surface.

We broke through with gasping breaths.

Felix coughed up a lung. "I—I hate this—I hate this—"

Julien swam past, grinning. "Refreshing, huh?"

Felix pointed at him. "I’m going to kill you."

Leo groaned. "Where are we?"

I glanced around. The cliffs we had jumped from were gone. Just smooth, endless cave walls stretching upward. The only light came from the eerie blue glow of some unknown plant along the edges.

Great. Underground lake.

Cassandra’s voice drifted over the water. "We should get to land."

Mira was already paddling toward a rocky ledge. "Agreed. Preferably before something eats us."

Felix shrieked. "Something’s in here!"

Wallace immediately panicked. "WHERE?!"

Felix flailed. "I DON’T KNOW I JUST KNOW IT’S HERE."

Julien looked down into the abyss. "Hmm. Could be flesh-eating fish. Or a water wraith. Or—"

Felix latched onto me. "PROFESSOR PLEASE."

I sighed and started swimming. "Move faster unless you want to find out."

We booked it.

Dripping, shivering, and 100% done, we collapsed onto the rocky shore.

Felix lay flat, face buried in the stone. "I’m not moving. Ever again."

Leo wrung out his clothes. "We have the worst luck."

Julien flopped onto his back. "I don’t know, this is kind of fun."

Felix threw a rock at him.

Mira rubbed her arms. "We need fire. Wallace, any ideas?"

Wallace adjusted his glasses. "I might be able to use some of my alchemical supplies..."

I stood up, stretching. "Good. Do it."

Then I saw it again.

The purple smoke.

It drifted along the cave walls, curling, twisting, watching.

It still didn’t do anything.

But I was very aware that it was there.

And that no one else could see it.

Felix sneezed. "Ugh. I think I swallowed cave water."

Mira smirked. "Congrats. You’re now part of the ecosystem."

Felix looked horrified.

Wallace worked quickly, mixing something in a small vial. Moments later, a bright flame flickered to life.

Leo let out a relieved sigh. "Finally. Some warmth."

I sat down, letting the heat sink into my bones.

Then I turned to Cassandra.

She was staring at the water.

Completely still.

Too still.

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you see?"

She blinked. "...Nothing."

That was a lie.

But before I could press, Mira cursed. "Our weapons."

We all turned.

The realization hit.

We’d dropped our weapons in the lake.

Silence.

Felix made a strangled noise. "You mean we’re unarmed in a death cave?"

Julien sighed. "Technically, I still have my fists."

Felix looked betrayed. "WHAT GOOD IS THAT AGAINST A MONSTER?!"

Julien shrugged. "You ever punched a monster?"

Felix wheezed. "NO, BECAUSE I’M NOT INSANE."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Enough. We’ll figure it out."

But then... the water rippled.

Silence fell instantly.

We all stared.

Something large moved beneath the surface.

Felix’s whisper was barely audible. "Professor... what are the odds that’s a harmless fish?"

I didn’t answer.

Because the glowing yellow eyes staring up at us said otherwise.

Leo cursed. "Nope. NOPE."

Mira grabbed Felix. "RUN."

We bolted.

The water exploded behind us.

I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to look back.

But I heard it.

The roar.

The wet, slithering movements of something dragging itself onto land.

The ground shook.

Felix was sobbing. "WHY DOES EVERYTHING WANT TO KILL US?!"

Julien laughed. "To be fair, we did drop into its home."

Felix screamed, "THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT CAN EAT US!"

We sprinted into the dark tunnel ahead.

The smoke followed.

Twisting.

Curling.

And for the first time...

It felt like it was guiding me.

We ran.

We ran like hell.

The cave twisted and turned, the sound of slithering, wet nightmare fuel echoing behind us.

Felix was practically foaming at the mouth. "I SWEAR IF WE DIE HERE, I’M COMING BACK AS A GHOST TO HAUNT YOU ALL."

Julien, still grinning, barely dodged a stalactite. "Make sure to be a useful ghost."

Felix shrieked. "SCREW YOU—"

The ground rumbled.

A horrible, gurgling screech tore through the tunnels.

And that’s when I made the mistake of looking back.

Big. Wet. Too many eyes. Way too many teeth.

Yeah, that was enough of that.

I turned back around and sprinted faster.

Leo gasped, "WHAT—WHAT DO WE DO?"

Mira hissed, "Do I look like I have a plan?!"

Cassandra suddenly spoke. "Left. Take the left tunnel."

I didn’t question it.

We veered left.

The moment we did, I felt something shift.

Not just in the air. In my bones.

The purple smoke coiled ahead, swirling through the tunnel like a living thing.

I knew it was leading me somewhere.

The question was: where?

But I had no time to think.

The monster was still behind us, and judging by the ground quaking, it was gaining.

The tunnel opened up into a massive underground chamber.

Stalactites hung from above, glowing fungi lined the walls, and at the center was a giant stone door covered in runes.

The moment I saw it, my instincts screamed: Go there.

Mira noticed it too. "That—That looks important."

Leo panted. "DOES IT MATTER?! JUST OPEN IT!"

Wallace ran up and frantically examined the door. "It’s locked! I think it needs a key or—"

BOOM.

The tunnel entrance collapsed behind us.

Dust and rock flew everywhere, cutting off our favorite horror movie reject from following us.

Silence.

The only sound was our gasping breaths.

Felix collapsed to the ground. "I have never hated my life more than I do right now."

Julien grinned. "I have. That one time I got caught sneaking into the girls’ dormitory—"

Mira elbowed him.

I ignored their banter and stared at the runes.

Ancient, intricate, complex.

And familiar.

Too familiar.

The purple smoke slithered over them, twisting around the engravings like it belonged there.

I felt a chill.

Felix groaned. "So, what now? We’re just trapped in here?"

Cassandra spoke softly. "We open the door."

Leo shot her a look. "You say that like it’s easy."

Wallace frowned. "We don’t even know how—"

I raised a hand, cutting them off.

Because I did know.

I could feel the answer clawing at my brain.

I took a step forward.

Traced my fingers along the rune patterns.

The moment I touched them, the smoke shifted.

For the first time, I heard a whisper.

It wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t even a voice.

Just a feeling.

Like something was waiting.

I took a deep breath.

Then I pressed my palm against the center of the door.

The runes glowed purple.

Felix flinched. "Uh. Professor?"

The door shuddered.

Dust rained down. The stone groaned.

And then—

It slowly creaked open.

A gust of cold air rushed past us.

Darkness loomed beyond the threshold.

Mira muttered, "I hate that this keeps happening."

Julien clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Well, Professor, since you opened it, you get to go first."

Felix’s voice cracked. "I vote we don’t go in at all."

I ignored them and stepped inside.

Because somehow, I knew...

Whatever was waiting inside...

Was waiting for me.