128 To the Cave!

AUTHOR'S POV

Running off into the deeper ends of the cave, Haelan and Andrew dive into its vast, darker depths as they escape the wrath of the dark healers. Haelan thought it would be easier to face them in small spaces, than out in the open. As they go further, the passageway started to become narrower. On a much slower pace, the pair went in with caution both for the ghouls outside and the creatures creeping in the shadows inside.

"I'm jealous, I thought I'm the only enemy you have", Andrew huffed with the firewood on his hand.

"I know, so get in line", Haelan said as she graze her palm on the weathering walls of the cave. "Lose the torch, they'll easily spot us", Haelan was prudently watchful and discrete in the face of danger tailing them.

Afraid of the dark, Andrew have no plans to douse the fire even at Haelan's fearfulness and the incoming dark healers. "This isn't a walk in the garden. You expect me to go in the dark? Don't tell me you'll pull out that bling sword you got there hanging around and show off", he said as they reach a large dome-like chamber of the cave. Haelan shook her head at Andrew's flat turndown. "So, how did you do it? Like, is it an impulse or something?" he asked.

"No, it's more like it comes out if someone with me is a coward", Haelan derisively said.

"Well…", Andrew grab hold of Haelan's arm and pinned his hefty body on Haelan's against the cave wall. "Then, I'll have to squeeze that detail out of you if I have to", he breathlessly said as he once again get lost in Haelan's eyes.

Haelan know for a fact that Andrew can't lay a finger on her, given the consequences. "You can't, and you never will", she honestly said.

"I have ways", Andrew whispered in Haelan's ear as he breathe shakily. He doesn't know what got into him but, there's something in Haelan's scent that he started to appreciate. Then, he pulled himself away Haelan before he gets trapped in her orbit.

Haelan isn't afraid. Andrew may be rough and tough, but she believed that he won't do anything reckless for a traveler. She took a deep breath as she continued to trail the walls and looked for some more passageways they can go into. After a while, she saw a much steeper downward passage where they have to go in sidewards. Haelan bravely went in followed by Andrew, who have finally get rid of the firewood and tossed it in the middle of the dome chamber.

The lack of noise in the fissure pushed Haelan to overthink. She even considered to just surrender completely to Gaius, instead of resisting and putting up a fight. However, the image of her mother keeps flashing in her mind, telling her to run away and save herself.

"Can you at least tell me how to control the winds? Prolly, I might consider not taking you with me", Andrew blurted out as he squeeze himself inside the crack. "What else can you control? Can you take hold of the waters too?", Andrew chattered absentmindedly that snapped Haelan. She instantly grabbed Andrew's chest, pulled him closer and snapped her finger that casted a blue flame.

"Do you think this is a game? Those dark ones will burn your ass and mine any second now if you don't stay quiet", Haelan's tears started to flood her eyes. Uncontrollably, she sobbed as she keep her overwhelming anguish and anger that's tanking her heart.

Andrew met Haelan's tearful eyes as they feel each other's warm breath. He looked down on her lips which seemed irresistible as it tremble in so much sourness. Thereafter, Haelan seemed to have come to her sensibility as she let go of her tight grasp on Andrew.

"Sorry", she apologized as she turn away and kill the blue flame that she flicked.

Andrew felt his heart skipped a beat when he found Haelan's gray eyes. "Fine, I get it.", Andrew finally understood the rhythm of his beating heart from the moment he saw Haelan until now. Seeing her this way, he thought Haelan just had a profound feeling of disquiet for being chased by the deadly versions of their kind. But then, he realized that in all actual, the situation is mere sentimental and personal seeing how Haelan's tears didn't fall despite how heavy they were.

It has been silent. However, the silence bothered Haelan. She couldn't sense anything nearby. Deeper as they go, the walls became more solidified with limestones and marbles. The air is explicitly damp and cold.

Later, the two reached a spot where the walls were glistening even more, like there were stars sparkling embedded on the rocks. It was gleaming that it could illuminate the area well enough. Haelan then found two more passageways where they can squeeze into. She sensed a different aura in the wider crevice, that makes it clearly not an option to go into. And so, Haelan chose the dove hole where they have to duck and creep in. Looking in, she perceived it isn't much of a far-reaching crawl space anyway.

"You go first", Haelan uttered.

"I'm not going in there", Andrew shook his head instantly.

"You and I both know why we can't go the other way", Haelan said.

"I'm still not going in", Andrew positively said. He's never a fan of too cramped enclosures.

"Look Andrew, I don't want to argue anymore. In fact, I don't care if you're coming with or not", Haelan thought that Andrew is slowing her down and this might be the end of her if she keeps letting him. "But these dark healers will take you and make you turn like them. The choice is yours. And for the record, I don't have plans to die today", Haelan said as she prepare to duck in.

Andrew stared at her for a moment before he swayed Haelan to the side indecisively. "I'll go first", Andrew said softly. Andrew squeezed himself into the dove hole and moved in slowly. Haelan followed in shortly.

Crawling in the tight space, Andrew moved forward fast and easy. "I can do this, I can do this…", he said over and over. Just a few more crawling, he could already taste the sweet-sour scent on the other side. However, Andrew started to feel numb. His head spinned, that it was so hard to breathe.

"Hey? Are you okay? Why did you stopped?", Haelan asked worriedly.

Drops of sweat appeared on his face as he keep on mumbling inaudible words. "Stellan… father… closet…", he said shakily.

"Andrew?", Haelan called. "Don't play games on me now!", she said as she tap on Andrew's legs.

"Hae-hae… Haelan! I can't do it…. I can't do this…", Andrew sobbed uncontrollably as his fear dominated his mind.

"Is this some kind of a joke? Don't tell me close confined spaces scare you?", Haelan supposed anxiety is crushing Andrew's sanity. However, she still assumes that Andrew is playing jokes on her.

"Get me out of here now! Let me out!", Andrew shouted as his entire body stiffened.

"Okay great, close confined spaces make you hysterical", Haelan whispered as she think of something fast before the dark healers gets to them. "Okay calm down Andrew, breathe slowly.", she lulled Andrew with an attempt to soothe him.

"No no no, don't leave me here…", Andrew's hands turned to fist as he cry more tears.

"I'm here, I won't leave you.", Haelan said.

"I'm sorry, I'm weak father, I'm not a paladin like your real son!", Andrew continued to breakdown.

"Wha- what?", Haelan was caught by surprised. All along she thought Andrew just look a bit like Stellan. And now, her intuition seemed to be accurate. Suddenly, she felt the only thing that she's terrified about. Haelan could sense the dark healers coming closer.

"I'm worthless..", Andrew continued to weep all the way, dissolving his masculine image.

"Okay, listen Andrew… You got this, You are stronger than you think.", Haelan had no choice but to use her powers to heal Andrew so he can finally move out of the way. She touched Andrew's leg and pulled all the weeds of his fears from his heart. He cleared his clouded mind from the insecurities he had with his past.