Chapter 33: A Dangerous Cavern (1)

Emrys slowly opened his eyes. His body felt heavy, and his head was spinning. For a moment, he couldn’t remember what had happened. 

As his vision cleared, he realized he was lying on soft grass under a giant tree. The sky above him was a deep shade of blue, with soft clouds drifting lazily. The place was calm and quiet, far too peaceful compared to the chaos he had been in before. 

He sat up, feeling his body ache all over. His arms and legs were sore, and his head throbbed slightly. He touched his chest and realized he was wearing strange black armor. The armor looked familiar but different at the same time. 

"This... isn't this Elysia’s armor?" he muttered to himself. He ran his fingers over the smooth, dark surface. It felt alive, pulsing faintly with energy. 

Memories of the battle flashed in his mind. He remembered fighting endless insectoids, then a sharp pain at the back of his neck before everything went dark. 

"Where is Elysia?" he whispered, looking around. 

The area was quiet, with no sign of insectoids or danger. He was surrounded by tall trees and colorful flowers. A small river flowed nearby. Its water was clear and sparkling under the sunlight. It was a completely different place from the battlefield that the Insectoid Island looked like before.

"What is this place?"

Emrys was shocked, not knowing where he was. This place was unlike anything anyone could imagine an Insectoid Island to be. For a moment, he even suspected that he may have already left the Insectoid Island, but then again, that was definitely not possible.

If it was so easy to leave this island, a Seventh Star Esper like Elysia would have left long ago.

Obviously, this place was still situated somewhere on Insectoid Island. It is just the location was unknown to Emrys.

Emrys stood up slowly. His body still felt weak. He looked at the armor again and noticed faint red marks on its surface. He also felt a strange energy inside him, stronger than before. 

"Elysia must have done something," he thought silently in his heart. At the same time, he clenched his fists tightly. What caused him to raise his eyes a little was the sensation of a strange power coursing through his veins. He could feel his own strength had grown a little, but he didn't know how or why.

"Could this also be related to that true Royal Voidfrost Weevil or is there another reason?"

Emrys was not sure, but thinking too much about this would not give him an answer at the moment. So, he shook his head and no longer thought about this situation. 

He took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing thoughts. At the same time, he decided to find Elysia. It was not only because she saved his life several times in the past few days and taught him how to fight, but it was also because she was a friend he accepted and also the only support that could struggle together with him to get out of this island.

Standing up, he looked around, only to see a faint trail of footsteps leading away from the tree.

"Footsteps?"

Emrys was startled, not expecting to see traces of footsteps here. But these footsteps obviously don't belong to humans.

After hesitating a little, Emrys started following the trail.

Emrys followed those footsteps carefully. The trail was faint, but it was clear enough to guide him. The footsteps were strange. They were large and clawed. Emrys's heart raced as he moved deeper into the forest, but he kept going. 

As he walked, the trees around him grew taller and darker. The air felt heavier, and the peaceful feeling from before began to fade. The soft chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves disappeared, leaving only silence.

As he followed the trail, the ground beneath him started changing. The soft grass turned into rough and rocky soil. The footsteps led to a narrow path between two massive rocks. Emrys hesitated but stepped forward, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.

As he followed the path, the path twisted and turned, growing darker with every step. Soon, he reached the entrance of a cavern. The opening was wide and jagged, like the mouth of a giant beast. Cold air blew out from inside, carrying a faint, metallic smell that made Emrys uneasy.

He stopped and stared at the cavern. He could see strange shadows moving faintly inside, and a low, eerie hum was also echoing from within. The sound was unnatural, almost like a warning.

Emrys took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.

“What is this place?” he whispered to himself. 

The trail of footsteps disappeared into the cavern. Whatever left them had gone inside.

Emrys started hesitating. His instincts were screaming at him to turn back, telling him that the path ahead was full of dangers and that he may never be able to walk out. But he thought of Elysia and clenched his fists.

He has zero idea where this place is or where Elysia is. He also doesn't know what happened that caused him to lose consciousness. He only knows that he found himself covered in Elysia's armor after waking up. He only hoped that Elysia was nearby.

As for this cavern, since the footsteps led to this place, what if Elysia was caught by an insectoid and was brought here?

Somewhere deep in his heart, he knew he might be overthinking, and entering the cavern would be a foolish idea, but the thought and worry of Elysia made it impossible for him to back down.

“I can’t stop now,” he muttered in a low voice.

Summoning his courage, Emrys stepped into the cavern.

Darkness surrounded him immediately and the cold air wrapped around him like a chilling embrace. His armor pulsed faintly, the red marks glowing softly, giving him just enough light to see a few steps ahead. 

The walls of the cavern were rough and covered in strange claw marks. The ground was uneven, with cracks running through it. As Emrys moved deeper, the hum grew louder, vibrating through his chest. 

Suddenly, a faint glow appeared in the distance.

It was faint and flickering, like a dying flame.

Emrys narrowed his eyes and walked toward it, his blade ready in case of danger.