Inside the cave, a sense of calm had finally settled over those present. They began trying to conceal the entrance from the beasts and even mustered the courage to set up camp.
Cassane stared fixedly at Morgana before finally asking the question that had been weighing on her.
"Where is Cassian?" The question came out sharply, carrying an implicit warning: depending on her answer, Cassane might not remain friendly toward Morgana.
Morgana raised her eyebrows in surprise and let out a slightly faded smile.
"I really don't know," she replied, and the usual spark of superiority in her eyes dimmed for a moment. "When the door opened and everyone disappeared, he simply wasn't there. He didn't appear with us."
Victorio frowned upon hearing this, while Valeria exchanged a doubtful glance with Cassane.
Cassane furrowed his brow, knowing that Cassian's chances of survival were low. Still, considering his skill with the sword or the mystery around him, there might be a small glimmer of hope. She shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and asked:
"What do we do now? If the legacy doesn't close, we won't last long. The climate will quickly drain our supplies, and I doubt we'll find a water source in this place."
Morgana looked toward the depths of the cave they were in.
"Maybe…" she murmured.
"No," Victorio interrupted. "We have no idea what might be deeper inside. And if the beasts aren't approaching, it might not be for the reason we think, but because they're afraid of whatever is in here."
Valeria nodded at his words and added:
"Victorio is right. Even if this place seems safe, we can't let our guard down. Venturing deeper could end up being worse than going outside to explore."
Crack... shhh!
Everyone in the cave froze at the sound of branches snapping and underbrush being pushed aside right outside. Suddenly, the branches and debris they had used to cover the entrance were violently shoved open.
"Cassian!" Morgana shouted excitedly.
Victorio heard her cry and immediately grabbed her, covering her mouth so she wouldn't make any noise that could attract the attention of the creatures hunting them. Then he turned his distrustful gaze toward the person who had just entered their hiding spot with far too much calm for their current situation.
"How did you get here?"
Cassian looked at everyone inside with tranquil eyes.
"If you don't want to die, I suggest you get out of this place."
Victorio frowned at his words, noticing that he had completely ignored the question.
"Why?" Cassane began to ask, but before she could get an answer, Cassian had already turned around and left the cave.
Morgana freed herself from Victorio's grip and hurried after him.
Valeria and Cassane exchanged a brief glance, unsure, before following as well.
Victorio, seeing himself being left behind, decided to follow them too, though not without casting one last look toward the darkness that stretched into the depths of the cave, in the opposite direction of the exit.
When he stepped outside, he wore an irritated expression. "Why should we listen to you?" Victorio began interrogating him, his patience wearing thin.
"Haven't you realized it yet? The beasts are ignoring this area… because you were inside one."
Victorio clearly hadn't expected that answer. "Inside one…?" he murmured incredulously, then looked back, trying to see something that would tell him the cave was alive.
But nothing indicated that, so he turned to Cassian again, searching for a logical explanation that his senses couldn't grasp.
"How can a beast like that even exist? If you're going to lie, at least do it better," Victorio snapped, full of disbelief.
Cassian wore a bored expression, clearly annoyed by the interrogation. Besides, he could sense that another person he knew was inside this creature. He ignored Victorio and directed his gaze at Morgana.
"I can't stay here babysitting you for much longer. If you head over there," he pointed toward a section of the forest, "and walk for a while, you'll find Leonardo Demor unconscious. Stay close to him and you should be fine."
Morgana looked at him with concern.
"But… can't you stay or at least come with us?"
Cassian didn't answer right away.
"I think Seraphine might be in trouble. I really can't do more than get you out of there," he said, pointing toward the cave—which, at that exact moment, erupted with boiling lava that appeared without warning.
Victorio swallowed hard, realizing they could have still been inside when that happened. Cassane and Valeria listened to the conversation between Morgana and Cassian with doubt, until Cassane finally intervened.
"If Seraphine is in trouble, we should all go help her. This isn't something you can handle properly on your own," she declared firmly.
Cassian turned his gaze toward her with absolute coldness.
"Haven't you noticed yet? You wouldn't be any help. You'd only get in the way."
With those words, Cassian vanished from the spot without leaving a trace.
Cassane stood there stunned.
Victorio, for his part, stared at the place where the young man had been, completely confused. This was his first direct contact with him, and although he knew of his swordsmanship, that attitude and what he had just done didn't add up at all.
Victorio turned his gaze to Morgana, expecting an explanation, but she didn't waste any time. If Cassian said they would be safe if they went in a certain direction, that's where they would go.
Cassian, who had already left in the opposite direction, could feel Seraphine's life force growing fainter by the moment.
He also thought about the group he had just helped. Although he didn't really owe them anything, he had ended up saving them anyway. Even so, he hadn't placed a protection on them like he had with Leonardo. Whether they survived or not was still uncertain.
…
Inside the beast's stomach, Seraphine—who was still completely intact—looked around in fear. She was surprised to find herself in an immense space, illuminated by pools of lava.
She began walking aimlessly, trying to find an exit, but even after walking for a long time, she couldn't find any sign that she was in a different location.
If it had been hot outside, inside here she could barely breathe from the heat. But whether by luck or something else, at some point she fell through a tunnel that led her to another similar place.
However, this one had in its center a kind of altar made of crystallized obsidian, upon which floated a sphere of pure energy that pulsed like a beating heart.
Seraphine stopped abruptly, sweat clouding her vision and her lungs burning.
The object seemed to be calling to her, so she approached it hesitantly and exhausted.
She extended her hand, and the moment she touched the core, the interior began to tremble.
Outside, the beast started shrieking as if something were attacking it.
The core began to fade while Seraphine started glowing and levitating. Then the light vanished, and she collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Cassian appeared shortly afterward. He looked at the disaster around him and the beast's core, now completely destroyed.
He frowned as he looked at Seraphine.
Just like the last time with the Pradiles students, she had shown something that didn't quite fit with this world. And now she had absorbed the energy of a beast at the level of the Lightning Tribulation.
He picked her up from the ground and headed toward a place where he could leave her until she woke up.
He searched for a corner naturally protected by the terrain and gently laid her down.
In the distance, he sensed that Morgana and Cassane's group had finally reached Leonardo's position.
Cassian also noticed that two other familiar people seemed to still be alive: Lucas Wyrne and Julius. The latter should be safe, as long as he stayed near the now-dead body of what was probably the strongest beast in this place. The smell of death and the residual pressure would keep the lesser creatures away for quite some time.
Sylvia couldn't say that he hadn't taken care of her "grandchildren".