Our group fares onward. There was a division among us as to whether we should do so; Odin’s empty stare never left the forefront of our minds. Most interestingly, Patru was the one who came to this decision. He said that we had come with a goal, to turn at the first hint of difficulty would belittle the loss of his brother. I myself was uncertain on which path to take, though with each step I wish we had turned back. Was there a reason for Odin to die? Is our reason to continue our search for this treasure reason enough?

The ground takes us steadily downward, pacing through staircases and steep floors. Emptiness is what covers the ground, continuing into the void that spread beneath the ledges. How far down we could not tell; Ni dropped a coin into it, only for it to disappear without a sound. Not even the faintest echo. I see what little courage there is left in us. Everyone keeps a hand near their weapons. Feelings are silent, weakness is left to the soul.

We rest a while. I spoke with Peth; she feels confindent in Patru’s choice. To her, his decision to continue onward in the face of grief is bravery. I can’t say I agree – all I see is denial. Patru talks grand to us, but I observe him now, brooding in his lonesome. Confidence is only a distant wish for him. I ask Peth to tell me her story. Why this journey is of importance to her.  She tells me of her sister, wishing to earn a better life for the two of them. Her words brought a smile to my face. There’s true goodness in her heart. It also saddens me.

We are getting ready to leave. Five of us gather. No more. We call for Ni, his name losing its way into nothingness. It might be that he’s off exploring further. No one truly believes that, yet we need to. He’s nowhere on this floor, so we take the stairs to the level below. Not there either. It may be that he went up. So we walk back whence we came.

He’s gone. I speak what we all are thinking of. This cave is cursed. What treasure there might be is not worth these sacrifices. The best we can do is prevent any further accidents. Everyone agrees. Even Patru. Tears force their way through him, glimmering in the faint of torchlight. I wonder what point there was in this journal. My hope rests in finishing it as soon as possible, alive and well. We carry on.

Familiar patterns in the shadows worry us. Our eyes grew weary of them. Liu takes a ring off her finger and leaves it on the ground. She says not a word. We climb up a floor. There it is – that same ring. She goes to pick it up and looks back at all of us. We are going in circles; there’s no going back up.

What are we to do?

We set camp for today. It is quiet. Speech is brief, nothing beyond necessity. I’ll be going to sleep. Could it be that this is a dream?