Chapter 11
Silence filled the cavern.
Not the peaceful silence of safety…
But the heavy silence left behind after surviving something that should have killed them.
The faint humming of the swarm had finally disappeared beyond the sealed entrance.
No one knew whether the insects had left…
Or were simply waiting outside.
The thirteen surviving investigators sat scattered throughout the rocky chamber.
Some leaned against the walls with vacant expressions.
Others silently cleaned their weapons, though their trembling hands betrayed the fear they refused to show.
The healers moved from one survivor to another.
Bandages were wrapped.
Venom was drawn from fresh wounds.
Medicinal herbs were crushed into thick green paste before being carefully applied to swollen bites.
The sharp scent of medicine gradually replaced the smell of blood.
No one spoke about those who had been left behind.
There were no bodies to bury.
Only memories.
Kyrth sat quietly against the cave wall while tightening a fresh bandage around a cut across his forearm.
His uniform had been torn in several places during the escape.
There were dozens of shallow scratches along his hands and shoulders where the insects had grazed him.
None of them were serious.
But together…
They reminded him how close they had come to dying.
“You missed one.”
Kyrth looked up.
Saeroyx had crouched beside him without making a sound.
His amber eyes calmly examined Kyrth from head to toe.
“I said I’m fine.”
“I know.”
“Then?”
“You still missed one.”
Before Kyrth could protest, Saeroyx gently took hold of his wrist.
His movements were surprisingly careful.
He turned Kyrth’s hand over, revealing a thin cut hidden beneath dried blood near his thumb.
“It isn’t deep.”
“No.”
“But it’ll hurt tomorrow if you ignore it.”
Saeroyx accepted a roll of bandages from a passing healer before beginning to wrap the small wound himself.
Kyrth watched him in silence.
“…You’re awfully good at this.”
“I’ve had practice.”
“With treating wounds?”
Saeroyx smiled faintly.
“With convincing stubborn people to let me.”
Kyrth almost laughed.
“You’re calling me stubborn?”
“You argued over a cut barely longer than my finger.”
“…Fair point.”
Saeroyx finished tying the bandage before lightly patting the back of Kyrth’s hand.
“There.”
“You’ll survive.”
“I was planning to.”
“I know.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Around them, the remaining investigators were beginning to organize the cave.
Some gathered loose stones to strengthen the blocked entrance.
Others prepared another small fire deeper inside the cavern.
The atmosphere remained tense, but at least everyone had something to do.
Saeroyx looked toward them before returning his gaze to Kyrth.
“You should sleep.”
Kyrth frowned.
“Now?”
“You’ve barely closed your eyes since we entered the forest.”
“There are too many things to think about.”
“There will still be too many things to think about after you’ve rested.”
Kyrth opened his mouth to object.
Saeroyx cut him off.
“Don’t.”
“You sound like my mother.”
“I’ll accept that.”
“…You shouldn’t.”
“I know.”
A faint smile appeared on Kyrth’s face despite himself.
Saeroyx stood.
“I’ll keep watch.”
“So will everyone else.”
“I know.”
“But you won’t.”
Kyrth looked up at him.
“I’ll handle everything for now.”
“You need rest more than another hour of worrying.”
For several seconds, Kyrth simply studied his expression.
There was no teasing.
No playful grin.
Only quiet certainty.
Finally…
He nodded.
“…Wake me if anything happens.”
“I will.”
Though somehow…
Kyrth already knew Saeroyx would probably try to handle the danger himself before waking anyone else.
He sighed in quiet defeat and shifted closer to the cave wall, resting his head against his folded cloak.
The exhaustion he had ignored all day quickly caught up with him.
Within minutes…
His breathing became slow and steady.
Saeroyx remained seated nearby.
He quietly watched the cave, listening to the distant echoes drifting through the stone passages.
Beyond the blocked entrance…
The forest had fallen silent once again.
Too silent.
As though it had not given up…
Only paused.
And somewhere deep beneath the mountain…
Far below the sleeping survivors…
Something ancient stirred in the darkness.
The hours passed slowly.
The small campfire burned low, its gentle flames casting long, wavering shadows across the stone walls of the cavern.
One by one, the remaining investigators surrendered to exhaustion.
The healers slept beside their medicine satchels.
The sentries, unable to fight off their fatigue any longer, took turns keeping watch before eventually resting as well.
Soon…
Only the crackling of the fire and the quiet breathing of the survivors echoed through the cave.
Kyrth slept soundly, the events of the day finally catching up with him.
Not far away, Saeroyx remained seated against the cold stone wall.
His amber eyes never closed.
Hours slipped by.
The fire burned itself into glowing embers.
Darkness deepened outside the cave.
Then, slowly…
The first rays of dawn crept across the forest.
A soft golden light filtered through the narrow cracks near the entrance, chasing away the endless darkness of the night.
It was now…
Day Six.
The sixth day since the investigation had begun.
The sixth day since fifty-four teams had entered the royal palace.
Now…
Only thirteen investigators remained.
Saeroyx quietly stood.
Not once during the entire night had he fallen asleep.
Not once had he looked tired.
He walked silently toward the sleeping survivors and looked out into the silent forest.
The morning mist drifted between the ancient trees like wandering spirits.
Everything appeared calm.
Too calm.
Behind him, the survivors still slept, unaware that another day inside the Western Forest had already begun.
Saeroyx rested one hand against the cold stone beside the entrance.
For reasons he couldn’t explain…
He had the strange feeling that the forest wasn’t watching them anymore.
It was…
Waiting.
So he decided to wake everyone up.
One by one, the survivors slowly awoke.
The cave, silent only moments before, gradually filled with the sounds of movement.
Someone rekindled the dying campfire.
Another fetched water collected from droplets that trickled down the cave walls.
The healers immediately began checking yesterday’s wounds, relieved to find that none of the venom had spread further during the night.
The atmosphere was noticeably calmer than the day before.
The frantic terror of escaping the swarm had settled into quiet exhaustion.
No one spoke about those who had died.
The empty spaces where they should have been said enough.
After a simple breakfast of preserved meat, dried fruit, and hard bread, everyone silently packed their belongings.
Kyrth had just finished tightening the straps of his backpack when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
He turned around.
Saeroyx stood behind him, smiling as though yesterday’s nightmare had never happened.
“Morning.”
“It’s been morning for an hour.”
Saeroyx shrugged. “I wanted to wait until you looked less grumpy.”
“I wasn’t grumpy.”
“You looked like you wanted to challenge the cave wall to a duel.”
Kyrth sighed. “I regret answering you.”
“You always say that.”
“And yet you keep giving me reasons.”
A quiet laugh escaped one of the nearby investigators.
“I swear those two can argue anywhere,” someone muttered.
Kyrth rubbed the bridge of his nose. “They’re listening again.”
“They always do,” Saeroyx said, clearly amused.
Kyrth shook his head and walked toward the others, with Saeroyx following a step behind.
By then, the remaining investigators had gathered near the center of the cavern.
One of the senior team leaders unfolded a rough map Kyrth had drawn the previous day.
“Our original objective was the royal mausoleum.”
He looked toward the sealed entrance.
“After yesterday, I don’t believe returning outside is our best option.”
Several investigators nodded immediately.
“The swarm could still be waiting.”
“We barely survived once.”
“If we leave now, we might walk straight back into them.”
Another investigator glanced toward the darkness stretching deeper into the cave.
“…Then we only have one path left.”
Everyone turned.
The cave extended far beyond the area they had used as a shelter.
Its passage disappeared into complete darkness.
No one knew where it led.
The healer spoke quietly.
“If this cave is natural, it may have another exit.”
“And if it isn’t…”
Kyrth finished the thought.
“…then someone made it.”
Silence settled over the group.
For the first time since entering the cavern, everyone truly looked beyond the firelight.
The walls ahead appeared strangely smooth.
Too smooth.
As though they had once been carved rather than shaped by nature.
One investigator slowly drew his weapon.
“I suppose we have our answer.”
Another lit a torch.
Its golden light pushed back the darkness by only a few meters.
Beyond that…
The cave remained silent.
Waiting.
Without another word, the thirteen survivors gathered their equipment.
Their destination had changed.
No longer the forest.
Now…
They would uncover the secrets hidden beneath it.
