Brynlie's POV
I barely had time to react when Kalaya pushed us all in here and the door closed abruptly. I did though, want to know what was happening before I got pushed inside. Sadly, once the entrance closed, all I saw was nothing but pitch black and those tiny white dots you see when focusing on something to closely. Not only that but I was being squished between both sides of the rocky wall that felt both cold and damp.
"Holly? Brynlie? Abigail? are you guys okay?" Kalaya whispered. "I'm fine," Holly replied, her voice seeming unfazed.
Looking again, hoping my eyes would adjust to the darkness, I started seeing small shapes around the cave. In addition, once I realized that before the door closed, I remembered getting a small glimpse of the inside after it had opened. It looked like some sort of path with narrow walls here and there including the one I was jammed into.
"Are you sure there's nothing in here that can help us see?" Kalaya questioned.
I tried touching the walls again looking for anything that felt out of the ordinary but had no luck. Instead, there were just jagged edges and the higher up I went, the narrower it got.
"I can't find anything," I replied.
Suddenly there was a strange sound coming from the back of the passage. Drip. Drop. Plop. Over and over it echoed, bouncing back and forth as it repeated the same thing. Drip. Drop. Plop. Then came a trinkle, as if water was spilling continuously on the ground.
"But I think I hear… water?"
"It sounds like it's coming from up ahead." Abigail's voice echoed.
"Where's up ahead?" Asked Kalaya as her voice couldn't help but do the same.
I started inching toward the sound of the falling water, one hand skimming along the rough stone wall to keep myself oriented. The floor felt uneven beneath my boots as I kept walking. Soft in some places and strangely raised in others. Then a sharp clank! echoed through the darkness.
My toe had accidentally gotten caught on a loose stone, and before I could react, it sent me flying towards the ground as my body pitched forward.
“Wahahaha!” I yelled, as I started falling. "Woah!"
Air rushed past my face, as I braced for impact only to jolt to a stop when my hand latched onto someone’s shoulder. My knees buckled, but the person steadied me before I could face‑plant.
“Gotcha!” Abigail barked, gripping my arm and hauling me upright with surprising strength.
Kalaya’s voice floated toward us with concern, Holly close beside her. “Hey! You guys ok?”
I blinked in the darkness, still stunned she’d reacted so fast. “Yeah, we’re fine,” I answered with a shaking breath. “Thanks for catching me. That was a close one!”
“No problem. Just remember to stay on your toes… not off,” she teased, giving my arm a light pat.
“But seriously, my word. Is there really no way for us to see?” I pleaded once I had my balance back and caught my breath.
"I'm afraid not," Kalaya answered, her tone apologetic.
"Actually… there might be," Abigail cut in.
“Brynlie, I’ll need you to stand back a bit.” As she turned, her stance shifted, planting her feet as she brought her hands forward, palms hovering just inches apart. Even without light, I could sense the focus radiating off her.
“Lumen aria, by pulse and breath. Rise and awaken to shine forth!”
As she chanted each word, strange symbols with thin, glowing strokes of light began to unfurl around her wrists. They drifted upward like weightless ribbons, circling her hands in slow spirals. One word after the another she spoke made the symbols flare brighter, humming with a soft, resonant vibration that prickled against my skin.
It was unbelievable. The cave walls, moments ago swallowed in pitch black, now pulsed with a faint silver glow cast by the floating runes. Both Holly, Kalaya and I looked at her breathless in aww as we stood there watching her movements. The runes shimmered, then drifted together, merging into a single sphere of white light that hovered above her palms as it started shrinking.
Her hands clapped together with a sharp, echoing crack. The sphere of light vanished between her hands. Then, as her hands parted, a glowing white orb drifted upward above and steadied itself in the air. Then… Abigail’s knees buckled.
She collapsed forward, catching herself on all fours as her breath hitched in her throat. We rushed to her side, boots scraping against the stone. Holly darting past Kalaya, reaching her first.
“Hey! You ok?!” She said with worry as she knelt beside her, one hand already on Abigail’s back.
“Yeah… I’m fine,” replying between breaths as her shoulders rose and fell in uneven waves. “Just… a little out… of breath. Light magic takes… a bit out of you. But… I’ll be all right.”
The orb above her flickered gently, as if responding to her exhaustion. After a moment, Holly slid an arm under Abigail’s and guided it over her own shoulders, lifting her with slow and carefully. Abigail leaned into the support, shaky slightly but trying to stand on her own.
“Easy,” Holly murmured. “We’ve got you.”
Once to her feet, a long sigh of relief left us.
"Wow, that was awesome. Great thinking Abby!” Kalaya grinned. “I wish I had thought of that!”
“Thanks.” She said with a smile, the light reflecting off her face.
“Here, I’ll heal you since I’ve gotten a better handle on it.” I said stepping forward, raising my hands.
“Seren vela, by gentle glow. Restore what’s broken to rise and return.”
A soft green radiates from my palms then drifts outward, wrapping itself around Abigail’s being like a gentle blanket of green light. The glow pulsed once, then twice until it slowly faded, taking the tension in her shoulders and the shakiness in her breath with it.
“There, that should help,” I said with a small smile.
Kalaya tilted her head, brows knitting. “Wait… aren’t you tired from using your healing magic like Abigail was?” She questioned.
“No, not at all,” I explained. “I have a natural affinity for it like Abby so I can use it more efficiently. That and it was only exhaustion. The more severe the injury, the more energy it takes. Plus, I’ve been practicing for years now.”
I lowered my hands, feeling the last traces of warmth fade from my fingertips. “Healing and light magic fall into different categories anyway. Healing is a blend of light and earth magic, which makes it easier to use than pure light magic, but it’s just as rare and both take years to master.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Kalaya said, nodding slowly as the explanation settled in.
“Now, let’s find a way out of here.” Abigail stated stepping forward, separating her support from Holly. The glowing orb drifting ahead of her like a loyal guide. Shadows peeled back as the passageway came into view. Jagged stones, uneven ground, and the faint glimmer of moisture on the walls, all were now visible. Holly, Kalaya, and I followed close behind, our footsteps echoing softly as the newly born light led us deeper into the cave.
My name is Brynlie, which you know by now. However, there is much more to me than just my name.
I grew up in the bustling city of Daewynn, a place with large streets filled with the scents from food stalls and spell‑shops. Daewynn laid on the Eastern side of the continent between Green Wood and The Dhal Mountains, which ran popular spots for merchants and travelers from all over.
My parents ran a small bakery tucked between a potion shop and a tailor’s stall from before I was born and where I grew up. There, I learned to cook and bake before I could properly write my name, though I mostly helped in the kitchen or ran deliveries through the winding streets with my older brother. He always walked a little too fast, and I always tried a little too hard to keep up.
Then, everything changed the day a traveling mage stopped by for a loaf of honey‑wheat bread. For a while, they watched me, which made me feel uncomfortable around them. Then, quietly told my parents that I carried a rare affinity for light, earth, and water magic. I didn’t understand the weight of those words at the time, but my parents did. Within weeks, I became the mage’s apprentice at the age of nine.
Training was… intense and I soon learned that magic wasn’t just an ability but that it needed discipline, and patience. By the time I reached fifteen, I could use basic and small amounts of advance magic at ease which made doing certain jobs easier.
My brother, gifted with air magic, left to study abroad shortly after my apprenticeship began when he turned old enough. The house felt emptier without him, but I stayed behind with our parents, continuing my studies and helping out until I turned sixteen.
That was the year I enrolled in the Lumina’s Nexus Institute, a place that whispered many different rumors about the lord in the area and an ancient relic recently founded with unknown properties.
The academy itself was vast, filled with students from every corner of the continent, each with different abilities like my own. It was there, within the old stacks of the library, which required special access to enter, given only to a select few that I met Abigail. A meeting that would change the course of my life more than I realized at the time.
My word, I’ve been rambling. My apologies. Now, lets get back to reality shall we.
The four of us still continued deeper into the cave, our footsteps echoing softly as Abigail led the way toward the faint sound of dripping water. With every step, the noise became louder and louder as it dripped, landing on the stony floor until it felt like it was coming from right in front of us.
“Hey, look,” Kalaya said, pointing upward.
Abigail lifted the glowing orb toward the ceiling. Its light revealed thin streams of water slipping through cracks in the stone, falling in cold droplets that splashed onto the floor, and a few onto her head.
“Eek!” She shivered, recoiling as the icy water fell in her hair then slid down her face. She wiped at it quickly, shoulders hunched.
“Hahaha!” I couldn’t help but laugh at her startled reaction. Kalaya joined me, placing her hand on my shoulder to steady herself.
“Come on. It’s not that funny.” She protested while brushing the droplets away, Holly moved ahead, chuckling quietly as she scanned the walls with a focused, almost investigative look. I watched her walk away, then come over to help Abby get the water out of her hair.
“Hey, check this out,” she called, gesturing for us to come over.
Abigail brought the orb closer, and its glow revealed a narrow gap in the rock, just wide enough to be an entrance to a small area inside. However, the inside was pretty dark without the orb lighting the inside.
“Ominous,” Kalaya murmured, her voice echoing as she leaned in and peeked through the opening.
“Okay, who wants to go first?” I joked, though part of me was genuinely sizing up the entrance.
All of us turned to look at Kalaya, whose head was already halfway inside.
“…What?” she said defensively. “Surely you jest! Besides, I’m not the one holding the orb, remember?!”
“Okay, okay.” I chuckled, as Abigail laughed. “Fraidy cat.” Holly added mockingly, giggling with Abby.
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’ll go first since I have the orb,” Abby said, putting on a mock-heroic tone as she stepped through the gap. Holly followed right behind her, trying to hide a soft laugh.
As they passed, Kalaya stood in front of me shooting a suspicious look in my direction, eyebrows raised. I lifted my hands in surrender, giving her my best “what did I do” expression before shrugging it off playfully, placing my hands behind my head, elbows out, and stepping through the gap with a cheeky expression.
Kalaya let out a long, dramatic sigh before finally brushing off her irritation and stepping through after us. By the time we caught up, Abigail and Holly were already scanning the walls, their hands gliding over the rough stone as if they expected something to shift beneath their fingertips. The passage ended abruptly here, forming a cramped space with uneven walls and a ceiling that dipped low enough to make us instinctively duck.
“Now what?” I asked, glancing around as the orb hovered in the center of the room, its pale glow casting soft ripples of light across the stone.
“Start looking for a lever or button, or something that opens up… if anything even does,” Holly said, her fingers roaming the edges of a jagged seams in the wall.
She paused just long enough to shoot me a pointed look. “Brynlie, no more weird levers for you though.”
“What?! That’s not fair.” I protested, throwing my hands up.
“Your hand almost got stuck in the other one, if you forgot.”
“Yeah, I know…but still.” I muttered, letting out a defeated sigh as I rested my hand against one of the stones to steady myself as I leaned into the wall.
“Don’t feel bad,” Abigail said gently, turning her head toward me. “It’s just a precaution.” Giving a small, warm smile.
“Sigh… okay,” I grumbled.
The moment the words left my mouth, the stone beneath my palm shifted inward with a slow, grinding resistance. My hand slipped off as I stumbled forward, catching myself just in time. The stone clicked into place with a dull Thunk!
“Uhm… guys.”
“What is it now?” Holly groaned, her annoyance practically vibrating through the air as she turned.
“I did a thing,” I said, pointing at the stone that had sunk into the wall.
Before anyone could respond, a series of strange, muffled sounds rumbled from the other side, like gears turning, and stones scraping. We all stepped back instinctively, eyes wide with shock and anticipation.
“I told you not to touch anything!” Holly warned in an irritated but urgent tone.
“I didn’t know it would do that!” “Well, of course it would. It’s a secret entrance after all!”
The wall shuddered, then slowly began to slide aside, revealing a widening gap with a soft light spilling through the opening.
“Aaaaaaand she does it again, ladies and gentlemen!” Abigail announced triumphantly. She stood, walked over, and placed a hand on Hollys shoulder to calm down. Then gave me an approving pat on the back, and, of course, was the first one through.
“Nice job there,” Kalaya chuckled as she brushed past me.
“Maybe we should start calling you the Lever Master,” Holly teased, flashing a smirk as she followed.
“Sure thing. I’ll get right on that,” I said, dripping with sarcasm.
I stepped through the doorway last. A small beam of light flooded my vision instantly, so bright I had to throw an arm over my eyes. Spots danced across my sight as everything blurred together.
When my vision finally began to clear, I blinked and froze.
Abigail, Holly, and Kalaya were gone.
Nowhere to be seen.
Just… gone. Like they just disappeared suddenly.
“Where did you gu-!?”
and then Add to home screen.