Chapter 13
Warmth.
It was the first thing Kyrth became aware of.
Not the warmth of the fire.
Not the faint glow of the strange crystals embedded in the cavern walls.
A different warmth.
Steady.
Gentle.
His consciousness slowly surfaced from the darkness.
His eyelids fluttered open.
The ceiling above was nothing but ancient stone, washed in a pale blue light cast by countless luminous crystals growing from the rock.
The fire nearby had almost burned itself into glowing embers.
For several moments, he simply listened.
The crackle of dying flames.
The distant drip of water somewhere deep within the cavern.
A slow, rhythmic breathing…
Far closer than it should have been.
Kyrth lowered his eyes.
His breath caught.
Saeroyx was asleep against him.
Sometime during the night, he had shifted close enough that his head rested beneath Kyrth’s chin, one arm loosely around Kyrth’s waist while the other lay across his stomach, as if making sure he wouldn’t drift away even in sleep.
Their travel cloak had slipped over both of them.
The cold of the cavern never reached the space they shared.
Kyrth remained perfectly still.
Only then did he notice that Saeroyx wasn’t wearing his shirt.
Fresh white bandages crossed his shoulder, disappeared around his ribs, and wrapped firmly around one arm. A faint stain of dried blood had seeped through one corner of the cloth.
His usually neat orange hair was slightly disheveled, several loose strands falling across his closed eyes.
Kyrth’s gaze drifted lower.
The skin on Saeroyx’s hands was marked with tiny cuts.
Some were fresh.
Others had already begun to close.
He must have spent a long time treating wounds, gathering supplies, carrying wood…
Doing everything alone.
Without waking him.
Kyrth slowly looked at himself.
Every injury he remembered had been cleaned.
Every bandage had been wrapped with surprising care.
Even the smallest scratches along his fingers had been treated.
His cloak had been folded beneath his head to soften the stone.
For a long while…
He simply looked at the sleeping figure resting against him.
Saeroyx’s expression was unusually peaceful.
Without the teasing smile that was almost always present, he looked younger.
Quieter.
Almost vulnerable.
A faint shiver ran through him.
Even asleep, his injured shoulder twitched slightly.
Careful not to wake him, Kyrth reached for the edge of the cloak that had slipped down during the night.
He lifted it little by little and draped it back over Saeroyx’s bare shoulder.
His fingertips accidentally brushed warm skin.
Saeroyx stirred.
Not enough to wake.
Only enough to instinctively seek the warmth he had nearly lost.
His fingers tightened slightly against Kyrth’s side.
His forehead rested more comfortably against Kyrth’s chest.
A soft breath escaped him.
Kyrth froze.
His heartbeat seemed strangely loud inside the silent cavern.
Slowly…
Almost absentmindedly…
His hand, still hovering in the air, came to rest lightly against Saeroyx’s hair.
He didn’t stroke it.
He simply left it there.
After a few quiet moments, Saeroyx relaxed completely again, his breathing becoming slow and even.
Kyrth looked down at him, the corners of his lips lifting into the faintest smile.
He made no attempt to move.
Outside the small circle of warmth created by the fading fire…
The ancient cavern remained silent.
Blue crystal light shimmered across the endless darkness.
Several quiet minutes passed.
Kyrth remained awake, careful not to disturb the sleeping man leaning against him.
The fire had burned low.
Its orange glow mixed with the pale blue light of the crystals, casting gentle shadows across the cavern.
Saeroyx shifted in his sleep.
A faint crease formed between his brows as though his injuries had begun to ache.
Without waking, his hand instinctively tightened where it rested around Kyrth’s waist.
Kyrth’s shoulders stiffened.
He held his breath.
The grip wasn’t forceful.
It was almost searching.
As if, somewhere within sleep, Saeroyx was making sure the warmth beside him hadn’t disappeared.
His fingers loosened again.
Then, a moment later, settled more comfortably against Kyrth’s side.
The movement drew him a little closer.
Their shoulders touched completely now.
Kyrth could feel the slow rise and fall of Saeroyx’s breathing against him.
His heartbeat became strangely difficult to ignore.
He glanced down.
Saeroyx’s head had slipped slightly, resting more securely beneath Kyrth’s chin.
A loose strand of orange hair brushed against Kyrth’s neck whenever he breathed.
The unconscious movement made Kyrth instinctively straighten his back.
For several long moments, he didn’t dare move.
He simply watched the steady rhythm of Saeroyx’s breathing.
The careful bandages around his shoulder.
The small cuts across his hands that hadn’t escaped Kyrth’s notice.
Slowly, Kyrth lifted the edge of the cloak again, making sure it covered Saeroyx’s injured shoulder completely.
His fingertips lingered only long enough to adjust the fabric.
Saeroyx responded with another sleepy shift, unconsciously leaning into the warmth surrounding him before becoming still once more.
A quiet smile appeared on Kyrth’s face.
He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and rested his head lightly against the stone behind him.
For just a little while longer…
He decided he didn’t mind staying exactly as they were.
Just as Kyrth finally allowed himself to relax…
A quiet voice broke the silence.
“…Are you sure you’re not enjoying this?”
Kyrth’s eyes widened.
He looked down instantly.
Two amber eyes were already looking back at him, half-lidded with amusement.
“You’ve been awake?”
Saeroyx’s lips curved into a lazy smile.
“For a while.”
Kyrth stared at him in disbelief.
“You…”
A faint chuckle vibrated against Kyrth’s chest.
“I wanted to see how long you’d stay frozen.”
Without thinking, Kyrth immediately tried to move away.
Saeroyx’s arm, still loosely around his waist, tightened just enough to stop him for a brief moment.
“Leaving already?”
Kyrth looked down at the hand around his waist.
“…Move.”
“Hm.”
“You’ve had a comfortable pillow all night.”
“I have.”
“So let go.”
Saeroyx tilted his head slightly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
“I don’t know…”
“It seems rather comfortable here.”
Kyrth reached for Saeroyx’s wrist, intending to pry it away.
Instead, Saeroyx released him on his own.
The sudden freedom nearly made Kyrth lose his balance.
Saeroyx caught his arm before he could tip sideways.
For a heartbeat…
Neither of them moved.
Their eyes met.
The teasing smile on Saeroyx’s face softened.
Kyrth was the first to look away.
He cleared his throat and straightened the cloak around his shoulders as though nothing had happened.
Saeroyx sat up slowly, one hand pressing against the bandages wrapped around his ribs.
A faint wince crossed his face before it disappeared beneath his usual smile.
Kyrth noticed.
Without saying a word, he reached over and adjusted the loosened bandage near Saeroyx’s shoulder.
His movements were careful.
Almost instinctive.
Saeroyx watched him quietly.
The usual teasing faded from his expression for just a moment.
When Kyrth finished, he withdrew his hand.
“There.”
Saeroyx looked at the neatly secured bandage before smiling again.
“So…”
He leaned back against the stone wall.
“…you really weren’t enjoying it?”
Kyrth paused.
Then, without looking at him, he picked up a small pebble from the ground and flicked it straight at Saeroyx’s forehead.
Tap.
He blinked once before rubbing the spot with an exaggerated look of betrayal.
“You threw that surprisingly well.”
Kyrth calmly reached for his waterskin.
“You deserved it.”
“I merely asked a question.”
“You asked the same question twice.”
Saeroyx smiled.
“I still didn’t get an answer.”
Kyrth took a slow drink before setting the waterskin aside.
“You never will.”
Saeroyx let out a disappointed sigh dramatic enough to echo through the cavern.
“What a cruel partner.”
“We are not partners.”
“We fell off a cliff together.”
“That changes nothing.”
“We survived together.”
“…”
“We’re sharing a camp.”
“…”
“You even fixed my bandage.”
“I fixed it because you would have reopened the wound.”
“So you were worried.”
Kyrth gave him a flat look.
“I am beginning to regret saving you.”
“I knew you cared.”
Another pebble landed against Saeroyx’s shoulder.
This time, he laughed.
The sound carried gently through the otherwise silent cavern, easing the lingering tension left by the previous day.
After a few moments, Kyrth’s expression gradually became more serious.
He looked toward the glowing crystals scattered across the vast chamber.
Without the sun…
Without the sky…
There was no way to judge the passage of time.
He frowned.
“…Saeroyx.”
“Hm?”
“Do you know how long I was unconscious?”
Saeroyx’s smile faded.
“I kept track as best I could.”
Kyrth immediately straightened.
“…Then?”
Saeroyx glanced toward the fire, now reduced to glowing embers.
“If my estimate is right…”
He paused for a brief moment.
“…it’s already Day Seven.”
The words settled heavily between them.
Kyrth’s eyes widened.
“Day Seven…”
He instinctively counted the days in his mind.
The investigation had begun only a week ago…
Yet it felt as though months had passed.
Then another thought struck him.
“The wedding…”
Saeroyx nodded quietly.
“It is tomorrow.”
Silence returned to the cavern.
Tomorrow…
The day the second prince was supposed to marry.
The very event that had brought fifty-four investigation teams to the palace.
Now only a handful remained.
And Kyrth and Saeroyx were trapped somewhere beneath the Western Forest, with no idea where the others were—or whether they were even still alive.
Kyrth slowly rose to his feet despite the soreness in his body.
His gaze drifted toward the endless darkness stretching beyond the reach of the crystal light.
“We’ve already lost too much time.”
Saeroyx stood beside him, adjusting the bandage around his shoulder before collecting his sword.
“Then…”
His amber eyes turned toward the ancient passage ahead.
“…let’s find a way out.”
The fire behind them was extinguished.
Their small camp, which had offered warmth for only a single night, was packed away once more.
With the pale blue glow of the crystals lighting their path…
The two stepped deeper into the forgotten world beneath the mountain.
The deeper they ventured beneath the mountain, the more unnatural the cavern became.
The rough stone gradually disappeared.
In its place stood smooth black walls, as though countless hands had polished them over centuries.
Blue crystals protruded from the rock at irregular intervals, illuminating the endless passage with a cold, ethereal glow.
There was no need for torches anymore.
The crystals alone painted everything in shades of silver and blue.
Neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their footsteps accompanied them.
After walking for what felt like another hour, Kyrth finally broke the silence.
“…Something is wrong.”
Saeroyx looked toward him.
“You noticed it too?”
Kyrth nodded slowly.
“When I first accepted this investigation…”
“I read everything available about the royal family.”
He continued walking, his eyes scanning the walls as though expecting them to answer him.
“Old maps.”
“Records of the palace.”
“The surrounding territory.”
“Even stories dismissed as children’s tales.”
His brows gradually furrowed.
“…Not once.”
“Not a single document…”
“…ever mentioned a passage beneath the Western Forest.”
He stopped walking.
His hand rested lightly against one of the unnaturally smooth walls.
“This isn’t a forgotten tunnel.”
“This is enormous.”
He looked into the endless darkness ahead.
“A place this large doesn’t simply disappear from history.”
Saeroyx quietly observed the wall beside him.
“Maybe someone wanted it forgotten.”
Kyrth slowly shook his head.
“No.”
“You can erase words.”
“You can burn books.”
“But you can’t erase an entire mountain.”
His voice became quieter.
“Someone would have found it.”
“There would have been expeditions.”
“Legends.”
Collapsed entrances.”
“Anything.”
“But there was nothing.”
He turned toward Saeroyx.
“It is as though…”
“…this place never existed.”
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Saeroyx’s gaze drifted farther down the corridor.
“I don’t think that’s the strangest part.”
Kyrth frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Saeroyx pointed toward one of the glowing crystal formations.
“Look closely.”
Kyrth stepped nearer.
The crystals pulsed faintly.
Not randomly.
Rhythmically.
Almost…
Like breathing.
The light brightened.
Then dimmed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Neither of them spoke.
Then, without warning—
Every crystal in the passage dimmed simultaneously.
Darkness swallowed the corridor.
For a single heartbeat…
Everything vanished.
Then the blue light slowly returned.
Kyrth’s eyes narrowed.
“…Did you see that?”
Saeroyx gave a small nod.
“I don’t think it was the crystals.”
“What do you mean?”
Saeroyx looked into the depths of the passage.
“It felt…”
He searched for the right words.
“…as if the mountain blinked.”
A chill crawled down Kyrth’s spine.
He instinctively glanced behind them.
The path they had already walked stretched into the distance, illuminated by countless blue crystals.
It looked exactly the same.
Every pillar.
Every wall.
Every crystal.
Identical.
For the first time in years…
Kyrth found himself doubting his own sense of direction.
And somewhere deep within the ancient mountain…
Something had just become aware…
That the two strangers had begun asking the right questions.
