Trapped

"Japan? How does Master know about your world?" asked Haku, her eyes fixed on the pages as she flipped through them with feverish speed. The old leather creaked with each turn. Her eyes were wide and frantic, trying to engrave every word in her mind as fast as possible. She had to see her beloved Master's stories in his lines when he wasn't killing innocents on Earth.

They walked towards the tall mountains they saw in the diary. To their surprise, the fog was really thick, so they just guessed the direction they were heading.

"I'd like to know that, too," Ren muttered. "How could he have gotten there in the first place?"

"Maybe there's a specific place somewhere where, by using the right magic, we could slip through," Lily mused aloud, but Zel answered that everyone was thinking:

"If that were the case, wouldn't more people disappear?"

Nobody opened their mouth to answer. There were many things they still didn't know, and what they did know was just a guess. Zel shifted from one leg to another nervously for a while, collecting enough confidence to ask the next question. He probably thought about it a lot.

"Now that we know the Mage created the witch's circle, how can we undo it?"

Lily answered, "As I said, only the one who created it can undo it."

"Didn't we find anything in his cellar that could help?" Zel desperately searched for an answer. "Or... or Lily, you said a powerful Mage could do it. Lily, you're stronger now, aren't you?"

The prophet slowly and resignedly shook her head, her lips pursed. "I'm sorry. I've become stronger, but still not strong enough."

Zel sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand. He spoke in a near-crying voice, "I... I don't know what to do without my power. The prophecy said that I, Ezekiel, would save the world from evil. But how can I do that with only half my power?"

"And who said you have to save the world alone?" Ren asked Zel jokingly.

Haku totally ignored the conversation and, without realizing it, completely ruined the wholesome moment. "How can we know if we're there?" she asked, without looking up from the diary. Her voice was a quiet hum.

Zel led the way, his long, straightforward strides eating up the ground. Lily walked beside him, their arms linked. Their pace was quick and sure, a stark contrast to Haku's desperate jog behind them. The four had fallen into a silent rhythm. No one spoke, their thoughts a heavy, unspoken weight in the air.

Zel gave a curt nod, pointing ahead. "I think it'll be easy." The words were meant to be reassuring, but the tone of his voice said otherwise.

Just as the sun began to warm the back of their necks, the thick, swirling fog that had covered everything began to dissipate. It peeled back like a curtain, in slow, creeping tendrils, revealing a landscape they'd never seen before. It was not the familiar, rolling green hills of the Ebony Vow, but something totally different. The fog was so dense that unless they had been standing directly in front of the cave, they would have missed it entirely. A sharp intake of breath escaped Ren's lips as the last of the mist vanished.

Before them stood a wall of black, jagged mountains, their peaks so high they almost scratched the clouds. They were like a strange beast's teeth jutting from the earth, and their summits gleamed a blinding white where the snow had settled. The air grew colder, heavier, carrying the scent of damp rock and something else—something old and dormant. A sinister atmosphere pervaded the entire place. It felt as though a great secret had been kept from the world, and they had stumbled upon it by accident.

"How long has this been here?" Ren's mouth gaped open, but Zel just looked at the mountains as surprised as Ren.

"What are you talking about?" Haku asked, her nose not even poking out from behind the fading letters of the diary. Ren let out a long sigh, pushing her forehead up with his hand.

Haku finally looked up, her eyes widening in pure shock. A string of choked whispers, a mix of "wows" and "waws," came out of her mouth. It was clear that even the great oni Haku didn't know this place was hidden in the vicinity of the Ebony Vow.

"Something's not right," Lily whispered, her linked arm with Zel tightening.

Suddenly, a strange stillness fell over the area. Ren turned back, and his heart sank. The fog had closed in behind them, a silent, impenetrable wall that had sealed their path. They were trapped. The air grew more humid, thick with the smell of wet earth and decay, making it difficult to breathe. Ren was used to this kind of feeling, but he could see the strain on Lily and Zel's faces. Haku, however, seemed to relish it, her breathing deep and even.

They followed the winding path, where they found the vast, dark entrance to a cave. Its maw was a perfect circle, three times as large as the boys, and no light seeped in. It was a perfect, impenetrable blackness.

Lily's eyes flashed, glowing a brilliant, ethereal teal color as she switched to her new vision mode. It was like a living magic detector. She inhaled sharply, her body going rigid. The magic was so vast and ancient it felt like a living thing, a coiled serpent waiting to strike.

"Something huge is inside," she breathed, her voice a strained whisper. "The whole place is full of a giant amount of magic." Her eyes darted around, her eyes full of fear. "It feels like every living thing is screaming. They're scared of what's inside."

Zel and Haku took their weapons in their hands. Haku gripped her glowing red sword, and Zel his plain silver one, their blades gleaming in the low light. They moved to the front, their bodies shielding Lily and Ren.

They had a similar experience not long ago with a similar tunnel, but this one felt different. The high ceiling of the cave swallowed their every sound, only to echo back every step they made, in a low, rumbling threat. The air was heavy, a cold weight.

"Whatever's in there, it already knows we're coming," Haku hissed nervously between her teeth.

The ceiling was completely free of any obstructions. There wasn't a single stalactite or bat, not even a single scratch, as if the creature's head was scraping the top, not allowing anything to be there. The high entrance eventually widened into a space the size of an ancient Roman gladiatorial hall. From the opening above, a faint light filtered in, casting a weak glow over the massive, broken landscape of rock and debris.

As they stepped forward, they looked like small ants in the cavernous space.

Lily suddenly did a pushing move towards Zel with her hand, a slight, forceful shove that sent the boy sprawling to the ground. She then grabbed the nearest, Ren and Haku, pulling them down too. A split second later, a deafening sound, like a thunderclap, tore through the cave. The ground shook violently, and a monstrous piece of rock landed behind them, sending a cloud of dust into the air and blocking the passage they had entered through.

They scrambled to their feet, coughing and sputtering in the thick dust. They were trapped.

A deep, trembling voice, heavy with scorn, came from above their heads. "Hmph, I thought I hit them." The words vibrated through the very ground. A sound of a colossal body descending began to fill the chamber. The thuds grew closer, until with a final, earth-shattering crash, the being landed in front of them, its feet breaking the very floor.