REACHING FOR MISTY PEAKS (3)

Just as Marshall was about to finally receive answers, an odd trembling sensation spread through him. His eyes widened in alarm as he noticed tiny pebbles skittering across the floor.

Both of them rose to their feet.

"What... Is there some sort of a defense mechanism against intruders?" Marshall's voice rose to pierce through the rumbles.

Wyn shook his head with a deep line between his brows. "Not that I know of."

Before they could leave the cave, the ground began shaking violently, and rocks dislodged from the ceiling, crashing down.

"Step back!" Wyn exclaimed.

They jumped apart like two cheaters caught together, stepping in opposite directions.

A massive rock jumped out of its place right above them. As it landed with a deafening crash, the cave was split in the middle. 

Darkness. Clouds of dust.

Marshall was left standing there, dumbfounded as his eyes got used to the dark. His mouth hung open with a disbelieving exhale. He stood still, listening for any sounds from the other side of the new wall, yet the only thing he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

"You—you—!" he pointed an accusatory finger at the rock, but choked on the thick dust.

After coughing out a few curses, he looked for a gap to escape. 

"Wyn, can you hear me?!" Marshall shouted. 

No response, only the echoes of his own shout. 

The disciple's eyes bore into the wall, his mind heating up until it felt like smoke was about to burst through his ears. 

"This day—" he stuttered in anger, "This day is fucking unbelievable!"

Marshall kicked the rock, resulting only in aching toes. "Agh! Ah! Damn it!"

The disciple hopped on one foot until the pain subsided, then paced around, groaning and muttering in frustration.

So close! He was so close to pulling the answers out of Wyn! Why did the damn cave have to start shaking right that moment?!

"And how am I supposed to leave?" Marshall questioned the rock, suppressing the urge to kick it again.

Receiving no answer from the stone, he stared at the ceiling, huffing. 

After the his anger and the dust had settled, he flipped around to look for a way out.

His gaze fell upon a newly revealed tunnel that seemed to lead down, deeper into the cave. "Was this there before...?"

A dim light seemed to flicker at the bottom of it, welcoming him in. The disciple glanced between the massive rock and the narrow tunnel.

"Well, I doubt it can get any worse," he muttered, entering the tunnel.

As Marshall made his way down the stairs of the tunnel, there were no demons or threatening figures.

Upon reaching the end, what he saw was a serene pond shimmering with emerald light, sitting in the middle of the cavern.

A bunch of candles were positioned near the pond, burning with vibrantly yellow flames that reflected in the still water.

Seated by the pond's edge was a mysterious figure, throwing handfuls of water up into the air, gleefully watching the droplets pitter back into the pond with light taps.

Marshall stilled, gaping at the image. This place was identical to the cavern he had fallen into twelve years ago. In fact, it was the exact same cavern. 

He whipped his head around, staring at the tunnel, then up, above the pond. Indeed, there was an opening in the ceiling—same shape, same width as it was when he fell through it as a child.

Even the shrine was there, just devoid of all color and energy. Now it was nothing but a shell of the mighty dark energy that used to possess it.

"What's going on..." Marshall murmured under his breath, approaching the emerald pond that exuded a glowing spiritual light.

His foot nudged a pebble on the way, setting it skittering across the floor with an echo. 

The woman by the pond whipped her head around. Her troll-like attire was met by a youthful face that had eyes of a trickster glinting between loose strands of stone colored hair.

"Ah! You finally came down! Sure took you a while. Like a princess getting ready to descend the stairs. Ha! Either way, welcome!" she spoke fast, brimming with enthusiasm.

Marshall's perplexed expression must have amused the woman because she broke into laughter.

"Why so shy? We've met before! Or is it that you don't recall?" she mused, hopping up from the lotus pose. 

The asymmetrical vest on her shoulders seemed to be made of moss, its fuzzy texture moving along her wild gestures.

Was this the person who carried the seven-year-old Marshall out of the cavern after the demonic apparition of the shrine had possessed him?

Before he could think or even blink, his hand was seized in a firm handshake. "I'm Gi Gaia. There, I introduced myself. Now you know my name!"

She took a step back, tapping her chin as she scanned him up and down. "You grew up quite nicely, little thief."

The disciple shook his head, bewildered, "Who are you calling a thief?"

"You, of course. Or do you see anyone else in the cavern besides us?" Gi Gaia snarked, fixing her vest with an irked huff. 

Pointing at the empty shrine, she got in Marshall's face, pointing fingers. "You robbed me of my blessing! Have you any idea how many years I prayed?!"

She threw her hands up in the air, pacing around theatrically. "Over a hundred years! All the offerings, the endless prayers, just for you to ruin it!" 

Suddenly, Gi Gaia strode towards him again. "You ignorant child! Jumped into my cavern and stole my blessing! Gah! Even after a dozen years, I can't help but get angry!"

"First of all," Marshall raised his hands in surrender. "I don't know what blessing you're talking about. If you mean the demonic energy, then I got possessed, not blessed..."

"...second of all—why were you praying to a demonic shrine in the first place? And third of all—are you the second cousin of General Gi?"

Gi Gaia spat. "A cousin? I was so much more than just someone's cousin! I was one of the strongest!"

"But they still treated me like nothing. Titled me Jewel Imp! Ha!" Gi Gaia waved her hand in disgust. "So pretentious! I know, I was a criminal, but couldn't they pick a nicer name?"

"A criminal?" Marshall echoed, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes. "I took a few gems to study them, and the tower insisted that I stole them. Which... perhaps it wasn't entirely false. However—"

Gi Gaia extended her arms, revealing lines of scars stretching across her fingers and tops of hands. "See this? They almost sliced my fingers off with a whip! I mean, was this necessary?! You can't imagine how badly that thing stung!"

Marshall chuckled knowingly. "Oh, I'm familiar."

"You are?" Gi Gaia quirked an eyebrow.

Before she could jump into another monologue, Marshall interjected, "Look, I'm sorry, but my friend and I stopped by your cave to rest for a bit. And your cave's defense mechanism split us—"

Gi Gaia interrupted him, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "Who, that boy, Chioni Wyn?"

Marshall nodded, then paused, his smile freezing. How did she know? Had she seen them enter the cave together?

"Wasn't Chioni Wyn secluded because he went against his father's ways? That takes some guts. Respectable!" Gi Gaia snapped her fingers in acknowledgement.

"That's... right...?" Marshall's words fell flat as he thought about it.

Frankly, he had forgotten about Wyn's crime. All he knew was that he executed an official that had some relations to something demonic. Why did he know so little about the snow deity?

"Well, doesn't matter. Your little friend will have to leave on his own," she tapped his shoulder, grinning slyly. If green foxes existed, this woman would be one of them.

The disciple turned his head in suspicion. "You're not letting me out?"

"Not anytime soon, no, no," Gi Gaia snickered. "I have grand plans for you, little thief!"