42.- The trap of silence

The silence in the main chamber of the dungeon was absolute, a shroud that seemed to swallow even the faintest echoes that usually reverberated from the lower levels—the drip of water from the lake on the second floor, the rustle of creatures in the shadows. The bioluminescent flowers coating the walls pulsed with a slow rhythm, their petals opening and closing like tiny lungs breathing the magic woven into the place. The air hung heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and moss, laced with a metallic tang of ozone that stung the throat—a stillness Aurora had imposed since her awakening, her will hushing the dungeon as if time itself held its breath. She sat on the spongy floor, legs crossed beneath the dress woven from leaves and blue blossoms, gazing at the crimson orb floating at the center with a curiosity flickering in her amber eyes—a new instinct coursed through her, a strength that had grown since her awakening and tugged at her like a whisper from deep within.

Kaili stood a few paces away, her iridescent wings catching the orb's light in faint glimmers that danced across the mossy ground. Her dark eyes tracked Aurora's every move with a blend of admiration and caution, her stance relaxed yet alert, like a predator gauging the wind. The golden, silver, and red runes tracing her armor pulsed with a soft glow, a constant reminder of her power—a force that could shatter gods with a blink, something Sebastián knew all too well. He lingered near the entrance, one hand resting on the moss-covered wall, watching them both with a mix of awe and a warmth that filled his chest. Aurora's evolution had left him breathless—no longer the fragile figure he'd sworn to protect in those uncertain days after "The Catastrophe," but a presence whose beauty and power flooded the chamber like an echo he couldn't ignore.

"Sebastián," Kaili said suddenly, her melodic voice slicing through the silence like a blade wrapped in velvet, "I've detected intruders at the edges of Veridian Forest. Adventurers sent from Eldoria."

Sebastián turned to her, his hand slipping from the wall as he frowned, his mind still circling the imposing calm of Aurora. "Adventurers? What are they after here after a century?"

"They're chasing traces of the power that unleashed chaos a hundred years ago," Kaili replied, her tone dripping with disdain like venom. "But it doesn't matter—it's the perfect chance to lure them into the Enchanted Forest and train our queen." Her gaze slid to Aurora, a calculated smile curling her lips as her wings quivered with a rustle that stirred the air.

Aurora lifted her eyes from the orb, her amber gaze flashing with an intensity that sent a shiver down Sebastián's spine. "Train?" she asked, tilting her head with a curiosity that echoed in her voice, her fingers brushing the moss with a softness that mesmerized him.

"Yes," Kaili continued, stepping toward her with an elegance that made the runes on her armor gleam. "A practical lesson. We'll draw them from Veridian to here—you'll move them like pieces in your game, sharpen your wits with them." Her voice was firm, but a playful glint danced in her dark eyes, a hint of the provocations that had filled a century alongside Sebastián.

Sebastián took a step forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword with a tension he couldn't hide. "Kaili, are you sure? Aurora's just starting to explore what she can do—what if something goes wrong?" His voice came out steady, though a flicker of nerves betrayed him, his eyes seeking Aurora's with a protective boldness that didn't waver.

Kaili glanced at him, her wings curving for a moment as a low laugh slipped from her lips, sharp but tinged with amusement. "Go wrong, you say? Sebastián, our queen could crush those worms with a sigh." Her hand brushed his arm with a light pressure that made him sweat. "And with you and me here, what could slip from my grasp? She needs this—it's time she played."

"They could still be trouble," he pressed, his voice rising as his eyes locked on Aurora. "We don't know what those adventurers bring—even if they're nothing to you, she's too precious to expose without reason." He took another step, his stance bold but edged with a nervousness that showed, his trust in Aurora's strength and Kaili's control keeping his resolve firm.

Kaili sighed, exasperated, but before she could retort, Aurora raised her voice. "I want to do it," she said, her tone clear and steady, slicing through the air like a gentle blade, startling them both. She stood with a motion that sent the dress whispering against her skin, her amber eyes blazing with a determination that left him speechless. "I want to learn how to move them."

Sebastián looked at her, his mouth opening to protest, but the words stalled. "Aurora, you don't have to—" he began, his voice steady but softened by the force of her gaze.

"No," she cut in, stepping toward him. "Kaili's right—I need to understand my power. I want to be strong… for us." There was a fire in her voice, a spark that warmed him from within, and he felt his resistance melt under the weight of her will.

He opened his mouth again but then smiled, his hand easing off the sword. "Alright," he said, his voice soft but brimming with trust. "I know you can handle them—and Kaili won't let anything spiral out of control." His gaze met Aurora's, bold and warm, certain of her strength and Kaili's mastery.

Aurora nodded, a small smile curving her lips as she looked at him with a warmth that anchored him. "I know," she said, and he felt a nervous relief blend with the heat in his chest.

Kaili, pleased, turned to the orb with a graceful motion, her fingers tracing the air to summon a hologram that hovered between them. "Perfect, my queen," she said, her cruel smile glinting under the crimson light. "We'll guide them from Veridian Forest to the Enchanted Forest—a trap they won't resist." Her wings flared for a moment, brushing Sebastián's arm with a touch that made him sweat, a provocation he didn't shy from this time. Instead, his hand rose boldly, stroking the edge of one wing with steady fingers, feeling its velvety softness against his skin. "Always so soft," he murmured, pressing it to his cheek with a mischievous grin. "They'd make the perfect pillow for this clumsy head."

Kaili stiffened for a heartbeat, her wings quivering under his touch, then let out a low, surprised laugh, sharp but laden with amusement. "What's gotten into you, gardener?" she growled, her voice edged as her wing curled closer against him, a challenge in her dark eyes. "A century, and now you play bold—careful, or I'll use you as my pillow instead." Her tone was biting, but the gleam in her gaze betrayed an approval she hadn't anticipated.

Aurora laughed softly, a sound that filled the chamber like a gentle chime, and stepped closer to Kaili, her fingers grazing the hologram with a curiosity that made it pulse. "How do we draw them in?" she asked, her voice soft yet brimming with an intensity that captivated him.

"From Veridian," Kaili explained, pointing at the hologram as her wings folded with a rustle. "My creatures will lure them to the oak—the Enchanted Forest will swallow them from below." Her fingers tweaked the lines, and a swarm of winged shadows appeared—flying vipers with black scales and ember-like eyes. "They'll leave a trail they can't ignore—straight to you."

Sebastián stepped beside Aurora, his hand resting on her shoulder with unwavering confidence as he met her gaze. "I can help with the traps," he said, his voice steady as he glanced at Kaili. "I've got shadow nettles and sleepcap mushrooms—they'll muddle them from the first floor." His fingers pressed gently against Aurora's shoulder, a bold gesture reflecting his faith in her.

Aurora turned to him, her amber eyes gleaming with a warmth that enveloped him. "Thank you, Sebastián," she said, her hand covering his with a touch that made him sweat. "I knew you would."

Kaili smirked, her wings shivering for a moment as she leaned toward him. "Not bad, gardener," she growled, her breath grazing his nape with a warmth that tensed him. "Maybe a century with you wasn't such a waste." Her fingers brushed his wrist with a light tease, and he shot back a playful grin, his boldness growing under her taunt.

The training began—Aurora knelt by the hologram, her hands tracing the lines with a precision that sent the bioluminescent flowers pulsing faster. "On the first floor," Kaili said, "basic traps—spears springing from the ground, mist to cloud their minds—just to test their cunning." Aurora nodded, her fingers adjusting the projections as the flowers released a thicker mist. "The second floor will challenge them," Kaili went on. "The lake beasts, fiercer now, will wear them down—illusions on the walls will break their path."

Sebastián crouched beside Aurora, his hand brushing hers with confidence as he pulled shadow nettles from his pouch. "These can go on the first floor," he said, his voice steady as he offered them. "And the sleepcaps on the second—they'll slow them down." Aurora met his gaze, her warm smile igniting a heat within him, and took the nettles with a touch that made him sweat.

"And the fourth floor?" he asked, his eyes steady as he turned to Kaili.

She grinned with satisfaction. "That's where you step in, my queen," she said. "You'll move them like pieces and stop them—a lesson for Eldoria." Her dark eyes gleamed, and he felt a surge of pride for Aurora, knowing Kaili held everything in her grasp.

Aurora nodded, a flicker of excitement crossing her eyes—a spark that fascinated him. "I trust us," Kaili said, catching his tension as she leaned closer, her wing brushing his back with a tease that made him sweat. "It'll go smoothly—those worms are nothing to her, and I won't let it slip." He nodded, his trust in both unshaken as stone beneath his feet.

With the plan set, Aurora and Kaili fine-tuned the details. Aurora touched the flowers, her hands coaxing a denser mist that filled the air. Kaili barked orders to the flying vipers and lake beasts, her voice sharp and commanding. Sebastián pitched in without hesitation, his hands moving nettles and mushrooms with precision, brushing Aurora's arm with confidence as they adjusted the hologram together. "I'm ready," she said at last, her voice ringing with a strength that filled the chamber. Kaili looked at her with pride. "Then, my queen, let's begin," she replied, her tone cruel and satisfied.

The trap sprang to life—the flying vipers streaked toward Veridian Forest, their black scales glinting under the twilight. They left trails of residual energy, subtle but irresistible, luring the intruders toward the oak. In the chamber, Aurora, Kaili, and Sebastián waited, the air thickening with an anticipation that weighed like the moss on the walls.

Sebastián glanced at Aurora one last time, his concern softened by his trust. "Be careful," he murmured, his voice steady as his hand squeezed hers without a flicker of doubt. She smiled back, her warmth wrapping around him. "Don't worry, Sebastián," she said. "Everything will be fine."

But as the dungeon's shadows stretched and the air grew heavy with expectation, he felt a distant echo—a whisper from Veridian, from the oak waiting beneath the earth, from the vipers lurking in the dark. Something was about to shift, and he knew it.

Beyond, at the edges of Veridian Forest, the group of adventurers rested by a stream, their weapons close after a day's march. They were five—a warrior in silver armor with a stern gaze, a mage in blue robes with a bow slung over his shoulder, a leather-clad warrior with twin daggers, and two scouts in dark cloaks wielding crossbows. A sharp buzz cut through the air—flying vipers, their slicing wings glinting like obsidian under the dusk.

"What's that?" one scout growled, raising his crossbow as the creatures dove from the trees. The other aimed. "Don't know—looks like trouble from the deep woods."

The silver-armored warrior drew his sword. "Strange creatures," he said, his voice deep. "Take cover!" The mage unleashed a blue flare that seared one viper, the leather-clad warrior sliced through wings with a swift spin, and the scouts loosed bolts with deadly aim. The fight was fierce—the vipers slashed at armor, but the warrior beheaded one with a clean strike, the mage burned another with a precise spell, and the warrior pinned the last with her daggers. The bodies fell, smoldering, and the group gathered in the clearing, wounded but alive, their breaths ragged against the silence.

"They were tough," the warrior said, wiping blood from his blade. "Something powerful's close."

"Yeah," the mage agreed, healing a cut with a blue glow. "That trail… it's coming from there." He pointed into the forest, where residual energy shimmered among the trees.

The leather-clad warrior sheathed her daggers. "We keep going." The scouts nodded uncertainly. "Rest up," the mage said. "Tomorrow, we move."

Tension hung thick in the air—they knew the forest held more. And as the shadows stretched from the dungeon, waiting to guide them, the clearing's silence thrummed with an echo promising chaos.