The crunching of rock grinding rock echoed through the passageways, gathering in the large cavern in a haunting chorus. Large chunks of stone shifted off of the ceilings, crashing to the ground. Some broke on impact, forming piles of dirt on the ground while others remained intact, creating impassable obstacles. Huddled together and shielding their heads from the rubble, Levy and Cabre both closed their eyes, waiting for the shaking to stop. When it finally did, they rose to see the aftermath. 

Sand was still settling around them, drifting through the streaks of light, dulling the room. Many of the passageways had been blocked off by large piles of dirt or large chunks of sandstone, including the one that led back outside. Any sounds of life that had once been present in the cavern had vanished, filling the air around them with silence.

“Nice going.” Cabre looked to Levy, unimpressed.

Levy glared.

“Oh, sorry for saving your ass.” Levy retorted. He stood, raising his hands into the air angrily. “How was I supposed to know that would happen?”

“Maybe with some common sense you could’ve figured it out.” Cabre returned the glare, standing as well.

Levy took in a deep breath, stopping himself from continuing the argument. He closed his eyes before exhaling and dropping his hands.

“Let’s just find a way out, alright.” He reasoned.

Cabre looked away with a sigh. “Yeah, alright.”

The two stood in silence for a moment, taking in the cavern around them. A few of the holes in the ceiling had opened up to let more light in in the collapse, but even if they could reach all the way up there, none of them would be big enough to squeeze through. Out of the many passageways that had been connected to the room, only about 5 of them remained. A few of the entrances lay higher up on the cavern walls, proving difficult to reach without some sort of climbing mechanism.

“So, which way do we go?” Cabre spoke up again.

Levy shrugged, walking over to one of the passageways before pausing, He closed his eyes, taking in any subtle changes to the atmosphere that he could. It took a few more steps forward before something finally changed. The air felt cool and damp. He could just barely make out the faint dripping of water, similar to what he’d heard earlier during his trip inside.

“That’ll probably take us further down.” Levy stated, moving on to the next passageway.

Cabre raised a brow, looking to Levy before turning his gaze down the first passageway. It was dark and empty. It looked like any of the other hallways that branched off of the cavern. How did Levy gather so much from just… standing there? Cabre took a few steps inside, not noticing much of a difference. He stood there for a moment, hoping to catch any sort of new sensation, but nothing came. With a frustrated huff, he turned and walked out, watching as Levy moved onto the last of the three entrances they could reach from the ground.

“How could you tell?” Cabre questioned, walking closer to his companion.

“The air was cold and damp, which means there's water. The only places there’s water is deep deep underground.” He replied, stepping further into the last passageway.

Cabre furrowed his brows. “Really? I didn’t feel anything different.”

“Not my fault.” Levy said, closing his eyes.

Cabre crossed his arms and waited for Levy, watching him pause before taking another few steps. He seemed to spend longer in this passage, as if trying to sense something subtle: something he wasn’t sure about.

“So what’s the verdict Mr. Magic Senses.” Cabre mocked.

Levy’s gaze flattened in an unimpressed stare. “That’s the best you could come up with?”

Cabre rolled his eyes and waved a hand. “So?”

Levy turned and pointed to the second passageway.

“Well that one smells like animal shit, so I don’t recommend we go that way.” He wrinkled his nose as if he could still smell it. “Might be more of those creatures from earlier, but I don’t want to find out.”

Cabre wrinkled his nose in solidarity. “I have to agree.”

Then, Levy turned back to the third tunnel, staring into its depths. Cabre furrowed his brows, moving to stand beside him. He looked from the darkness of the passageway to Levy. His traveling partner's gaze seemed distant. Distracted.

“What about this one?”

Cabre’s words seemed to snap Levy out of whatever daze he was in, because he blinked a few times and furrowed his brows.

“We should go this way.” He said firmly.

“You’re sure?” Cabre asked.

Levy hesitated. Then, with a deep breath, he started walking. Cabre had no choice but to follow.

“Not really.” Levy finally replied. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

Cabre gave a small nod. The passageway grew darker as they left the open cavern behind so Levy clasped his hands together and formed the floating ball of light again. With a gentle push of his hand, he sent it floating ahead of them. Cabre’s jaw dropped in awe and he stopped his previously steady stride while Levy continued on as if nothing had happened.

“How did you do that?” Cabre asked, flabbergasted.

Levy stopped and turned to look at Cabre, shrugging. After a moment of Levy waiting expectedly, Cabre finally picked up his pace again, keeping his stride matched with his companions.

“Have you always been able to do stuff like that?” Cabre asked, curious.

Levy turned briefly to look at Cabre before turning his gaze back to the passage before them. He didn’t respond for a while, as if mulling over the answer, regardless of how simple it really was.

“I mean… not this easily, but stuff like this? Yeah.” Levy replied.

Cabre paused, thinking for a moment.

“Is that how you were able to change your hair and eyes?”

Levy replied with a nod. Cabre hesitated again. He didn’t want to bother Levy with all his questions, but he was curious.

“How come it didn’t change back when I knocked you out that first time in Foolshope.”

Levy sighed.

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of it, but I’ve figured out a few things over the years. I can use my magic both consciously and subconsciously. When I change my hair or eyes or want to do something else that’s going to last for a longer period of time, it tends to switch to a subconscious effort after a while. Those effects don’t go away unless I’m really knocked out, like a deep sleep sorta situation.” He explained.

Cabre nodded in understanding. At least, he thought he understood.

“So that’s why your hair and eyes changed back after you were knocked out for so long?”

Levy nodded. “Exactly. Now can we change the subject please.”

He turned his head away from Cabre, his face flushed his embarrassment. It felt weird, talking about himself this much. He’d only ever gone over the details of his powers with himself in his thoughts or when writing in his journal. Even then, it had been so long since he discovered anything new about them, he hadn’t even done either of those recently. He knew his limits and that’s what mattered.

Now that the conversation had stopped, the cave was quiet, save the sound of their boots against the stone and the gentle hum of Levy’s magic light. Before long, they reached another large alcove in the cave system. This one was smaller than before and the ceiling was completely sealed. Unlike before, this one didn’t seem entirely natural.

“Woah.” Cabre gasped, his eyes drifting over to the far wall.

Not far from where the passage opened into the cave was a large flat wall. It didn’t look like sandstone like the rest of the surrounding area. Instead, it was a solid rock. Intricate carvings made their way across its surface. A well-crafted border surrounded the scene that graced the center. Three figures were carved near the top, in the center, a single circle and below that a fourth figure lay. The figure farthest to the left was relatively masculine, but soft features painted their face. Long hair flowed over their shoulders adorned with flowers and vines. Their clothes were simple, yet graceful. One delicate hand rested over their heart while another gently danced over the surface of the center circle. The figure farthest to the right was a strong-looking man with a kind face and long hair tied behind his head. He wore a fancy shirt embellished with lace and ruffles. His hand rested carefully over top the circle as he looked down at it. The final figure stood with her arms outstretched, her face looking down with a smile at the center. Flowing down behind her were long, loose curls. Out of the three figures, her outfit was the most intricate. Long flowing layers swept around her, sailing to the edges of the carving past the other two figures. Over her forehead was a simply made diadem with only a few jewels decorating it.

The circle in the center was definitely a planet. There were lines carved around it, mimicking the separation between continents and oceans. A long-lost world that no one here would have remembered.

The final figure was barely humanoid. Its face was indistinguishable. Near where a head would normally rest, in some places, there were gnashing teeth, in others screaming faces, in others raging flames of hatred. Its arms, not just two of them, but more, stretched out towards the planet, claws desperate to rake its surface, but they couldn’t reach. Its body was cut off in the middle by the bottom of the carving but, hundreds of blinking eyes seemed to fade in and out of its figure.