MURKY WATER

Traveling to the Eastern Mountains from the Tainia stronghold took a good amount of time. The winter was picking up, snowfall leading them most of the way to the cave.

Upon entering the cave that used to be adorned with tons of crystals covering the walls like a museum, Marshall was surprised to see it all empty.

Even the tiniest of crystals were gone from the wall, leaving the stony surface naked with all its natural ridges and scratches. There was a lighter patch on the ground where the bed and the wooden crates had laid.

"Seems like Gi Gaia moved out," Marshall concluded, looking around. "She didn't even bother to disguise the stairs leading to the cavern."

He stared at the steps, gathering himself. Wyn's sachet was still in his pocket like an anchor. The worst that could happen was all of them being trapped inside together. While that wasn't likely with Gi Gaia gone, it was better to take precaution.

Marshall glanced at Sun Hayden. The blond disciple was too excited to see the pond, leaving him upstairs would've resulted in whining on the way back. But he knew he needed Wyn to come down with him. Which left Elysia.

"Elysia, can you stay upstairs to keep guard?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay here," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, perhaps she didn't want to go down in the first place.

Sun Hayden eagerly descended first, Marshall and Wyn following behind at a slower pace.

The emerald pond greeted them with murky, dull waters. If there had been a glimmer stretching over the surface before, then now it was all gone. 

"That's the pond?" Sun Hayden questioned, staring at the water with a frown. "I think that water is more likely to give someone an infection than heal anything."

"It looked different last time I saw it," Marshall noted, pacing by the edge. It looked like exactly what he had seen twelve years ago, when he first fell into the cavern.

"The water turned dark because Gi Gaia took the Smaragdine Lily and left. I'm sure of it. She has it," Marshall concluded.

Without the healing crystal sustaining the pond with spiritual energy, the cavern looked like just another hole in the ground – dark, gloomy, lacking any sense of a sanctuary. 

Not willing to stay there any longer than they had to, Marshall moved quickly, looking for any clues Gi Gaia might've left behind. His steps echoed dimly over the cave floor, the sound bouncing off the walls.

"Why do you think Gi Gaia left?" Sun Hayden inquired. "Did she discover that the Stygian Overlord was after the Smaragdine Lily and decided to run away while she could?"

With the three of them alone, Wyn remarked, "The Chastity Tower is looking for the crystal as well. Taking that into account, the possibility that Gi Gaia went on a run to avoid being discovered is a highly likely."

Marshall paused, his gaze trailing around as he wondered where she would run to. There was likely no place in Sky Oriels where she would have been safe. But illegally traveling to other sects had risks of its own. He chewed on his cheek, then sighed.

Sun Hayden impatiently kicked pebbles across the stone floor, grumbling, "How convenient for her to disappear right before we show up! It doesn't even look like Gi Gaia left too long ago. The carrot peels still look fresh."

"What carrot peels?" Marshall's attention shifted as he walked over to check.

"There," Sun Hayden pointed at a bunch of vegetable peels stuffed into a narrow crevice.

The disciple picked one out, observing the shred of carrot skin. It was slightly damp, but not slimy—it was a day old at most.

The moisture sent a shiver down his spine, reminding of the slick cave walls. Although it was winter, the musty smell wasn't lost on him. Occasionally, a cold wave ran trough his chest, urging him to leave.

"Alright," Marshall tossed the peel back into the crevice, wiping his hand in his pants. "Gi Gaia's not here, neither is the Smaragdine Lily. Let's go back."

Sun Hayden's face stretched in surprise. "Already? But we just got here. Shouldn't we investigate some more?"

Pride and rationality clashed within Marshall. He wasn't going to tell Sun Hayden that being in caves or similar environments sent him to the brink of insanity. All he could do was keep his cool act and agree, moving onto examining another gap in the wall.

It appeared Gi Gaia had managed to move everything, leaving behind only vegetable peelings and other waste.

The uncanny quiet and the occasional drop of melting snow made his skin crawl. He swallowed hard, focusing on the crevice in front of him.

The smell was tolerable now, and he didn't want to take the sachet out and get questions from Sun Hayden, so all he had to do was calm his racing heart.

As he zoned out staring into the gap, something bumped into his arm and he jumped with an exclaim, "Damn!" 

Sun Hayden's startled gaze clung to him, his hand lowering. Marshall chuckled awkwardly, patting his friend. "My bad, it slipped out. I thought a bug touched me."

"What bug?" Sun Hayden scoffed, poking his sides. "Do I look like a bug?"

Marshall moved back a bit, teasing, "Yes, buzzing in my ear randomly."

"That doesn't make me a bug!" the blond disciple poked him again, the movement light and fast like a mosquito bite.

"Your actions are not helping your case," Marshall pointed out, dodging the following jabs. "And you sound like a mosquito when you sleep. When I pass your room at night, I hear a 'zzzzz' coming from behind the door."

The blond disciple let out an outraged groan, "Hey, that's not true!"

Wyn watched the banter with a faint smile, his quiet presence always within Marshall's reach. As always, he was calm and observant, but not obvious enough to draw Sun Hayden's attention. 

Marshall's heartbeat didn't slow, yet it felt different form before. Warm and a little ticklish, as if his heart was itching.