The two of us walk together towards the imposing mountain. I look up at it in awe, it’s so tall it’s piercing the clouds, and the little bit of snow at the top is glistening in the blue moonlight. I shiver a little as the autumn night cold settles in. Blake, noticing this, puts his hand around my shoulder.

“Better? It’s quite chilly tonight.” he asks with a kind and gentle tone.

“Yeah! Thank you!” I answer and feel my face heat up a little.

The two of us travel in silence as I am barely able to remain awake from the exhaustion. Thankfully, in no time, we are at the base of the mountain. The pathway ahead enters an icy cave, which leads straight to the top according to a sign that sits in front of the entrance. The beautiful icicles decorate the roof of the cavern as the ice is glowing slightly from the light of the moon. Towers of wood are holding the cave together and little minecarts full of salt are sitting silently on abandoned metal rails. I can feel the air inside being even colder. Echoes of water drops and flying bats can be heard from inside as we get closer. The cave is huge and magnificent, being thrice as tall as me. Staircases, sculpted in the ice lead up and seem never-ending, and thousands of railroads go in every direction.

“I’m so tired, I don’t think I have the energy for this.” I say as we reach the entrance.

“Don’t worry! There is an elevator nearby! The mountain was an amazing salt mine before the whole haunted forest thing happened.” Blake says.

“How do you know so much about this place?” I ask, confused.

Blake is about to answer, but before any words can come out of his mouth, I stumble and fall. I quickly grab his shirt and hold onto him. He also tries to catch me. He puts his arms around me and holds me firmly. We’re hugging as we look at one another, our eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean…” I start, my face turning completely red.

“No no, don’t worry, I…” he replies, a little embarrassed.

“Your shirt…” I say as I point at his black and green shirt.

“I’ll be fine! This shirt has been through way worse, I’m an adventurer after all!” Blake says and chuckles. “I’ll answer your question later, you’re absolutely exhausted, you need to rest! Don’t worry, we’re safe in here. You can hold onto me till we find the elevator. Ok?”

“Thank you!” I say as I lean on his arm and continue walking slowly beside him.

We enter and explore the abandoned cave system. We walk past stalactites and stalagmites covered in sparkly ice and we hum a few tunes, which echo throughout the cavern enchantingly. In a few minutes, we find an abandoned wooden elevator. Sturdy ropes are holding it and elegant wooden railings surround each wall. The doors are made of steel and have a little rust on them. Blake and I enter. There are no chairs, but the floor can be cosy as well, I guess. Anything would be good right now. I sit down with a sigh of relief and prop myself against one of the walls. Blake closes the door and presses the button next to it. The elevator shudders, and creaks and squeaks can be heard from above. I look up, distrusting the integrity of this thing. Blake is also looking with concern at the roof of the elevator as it starts moving upwards. It’s peaceful for a while, but then, alarms start blaring and I jump with fright. Blake tries to force the doors open, but he can’t. He looks at me, terrified, and his eyes tell me everything. I get up and try to force the door as well as the alarm rings in my ear. Red light is bathing the world around us in crimson as panic rises. The elevator stops moving and the creaking is echoing louder and louder above, till we hear a snap. For a second, nothing happens. We just look at one another with fear and regret. Suddenly, the world around us starts falling and we’re thrown towards the roof of the elevator. The sound of the alarm is ringing louder and louder as the elevator reaches the first floor once again. Blake is screaming at the top of his lungs as I take his hand. He doesn’t even notice. My hands and eyes glow with a purple mist as stars and constellations appear around us. I concentrate thoroughly on the elevator as my powers illuminate the world around us. The purple light turns violet from the danger lights as I slowly move my free hand in circles, as if rotating a wheel. Blake’s eyes grow bigger from shock as the elevator’s descent slows down. I try to concentrate, but my fear is blocking me.

“No, I can’t do it! I’m not strong enough!” I shout with desperation.

“Yes, you can! Concentrate!”

“I’m sorry, Blake, I’m trying! Ugh! I’m too weak! I’m… I’m not strong enough to be here!”

“You can do this, Elwyn, I believe in you! Use your heart! Sing the song in it through your magic!” Blake yells.

Suddenly, I realise something.

“Singing… Yes! That’s it! Sing something! Purple magic responds to sound!” I shout over the blaring alarm bells.

Blake nods and starts humming a melody. We’re floating peacefully as if underwater in the falling elevator as the purple and violet lights surround us in an embrace of colours. Stars big and small decorate the small cabin, floating just like us and sparkling at any touch. I start humming as well as I move my hand faster. The elevator stops falling and descends slowly. Blake smiles at me and squeezes my hand as we reach the bottom floor. The ding of the elevator reaching its destination plays as the doors open slowly. We float down as the light fades away, not letting go of one another. As our shoes touch the floor, the exhaustion comes back as I almost fain in his arms.

“Are you ok?” Blake asks as he helps me out of the elevator.

“Yeah, just tired, that took almost everything I had! But I couldn’t have done it without your incredible singing! The better the music, the stronger purple magic can become. I’m a terrible singer, so I can’t really boost it.”

“Thank you! I didn’t know sound played such a big part of purple magic. And come on now, you were ok!”

“You’re just saying that to be nice!” I say with a smirk and he admits defeat with a nod.

I sigh with relief that nothing happened as the adrenaline of the moment leaves me and the exhaustion returns fully. Suddenly, we hear another snap and the elevator falls, its windows shattering and wood snapping, sending dust our way. Blake puts me behind him as the dust settles and then looks at me with sorrow.

“Thank god you are such a great mage! I could have gotten us killed!” he says.

“It’s ok! Let’s just be happy we’re not in there! Any other way to get up there that doesn’t involve stairs or elevators?”

Blake thinks for a second, then smiles happily.

“Actually! There is! The merchandise and tools ramp! It goes straight up, and it is on a metal chain of the highest quality! That one should be safe! You are ok with that?”

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

We travel a bit further into the abandoned mine until we reach a big room with a wooden platform in the middle. It is suspended a meter above the ground on a huge metal railing that just as Blake described, looks really high quality. Blake easily jumps onto it and helps me up. We pull the lever in the middle of the ramp, and it starts moving slowly up.

“I think it will take till morning to reach the top at this speed! We should get some rest!” Blake offers and sits down on the floor.

I do the same and chuckle.

“We just survived a falling elevator! And we’re going into a spooky mine! What an adventure!” I comment.

“Yeah! What an adventure.” Blake repeats warmly.

The two of us fall asleep as we go up the icy cavern, the sound of grinding gears singing a mechanical tune.