Aria's breath caught in her throat as her eyes moved from cage to cage. Each was a monument of suffering, the golden ichor dripping in slow streams that glowed faintly before pooling into runes carved into the black stone floor. The ichor pulsed once, then sank into the stone as though the prison itself drank it in.
The figures suspended within the chains looked almost peaceful at first glance, as though asleep, but the closer she looked the more her stomach twisted. Their wounds were fresh, glistening with golden trails that would not close, no matter how much divine strength lingered within them. The chains dug into their flesh, burning marks that seemed etched into their very essence.
She shuddered as her gaze fixed on one cage in particular. Within it hung a young man with hair like molten bronze, his eyes closed, his chest rising in shallow, trembling breaths. Every drop of ichor that fell from him seemed to dim the faint light that clung to his body.
Further on, a woman of breathtaking beauty dangled like a broken doll, her limbs slack, her radiant skin marred with cuts that wept endless streams of gold. Even her face, serene and sculpted like that of a goddess, could not hide the despair carved into her stillness.
The beast came next, a massive hound whose once-proud form was now skeletal beneath the weight of its chains. Each inhale rattled its body, each exhale carried a faint growl of pain, and still the ichor flowed from dozens of open gashes across its hide.
Aria pressed her lips together, her heart aching. Her voice was a whisper, trembling but barely audible. "They are… alive."
Lily's hands gripped her chest as if to steady her pounding heart. "Alive, but barely. It is like they are being harvested."
Leo's gaze hardened. He could not look away, yet each step past another cage filled him with a deeper disgust. These were not mortals, not creatures meant to be chained. These were gods, reduced to husks, their divinity siphoned drop by drop into the veins of the prison.
Adam walked ahead of them, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. His eyes burned with fury as he looked upon every cage, every suffering figure. Each sight only stoked the fire inside him, driving his resolve deeper into something unshakable. Read full story at novel[f]ire.net
Luna turned her head away, unable to look any longer, her teeth digging into her lip. "This place was not built to judge. It was built to feed on them."
Her words lingered in the air, heavy with truth.
And still the cages stretched on.
After a few more minutes of walking, Adam froze mid-step. His chest tightened as a sensation unlike any other struck him, sharp and undeniable. It wasn't the oppressive weight of the cages or the suffocating aura of the prison that gripped him. It was something far more personal, something that thrummed in his very blood.
He turned sharply, his head snapping toward a distant corridor that cut away from the endless hall of cages. His pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out the rest of the world. He didn't need proof. He didn't need to second guess. He knew.
Arachne was near. She was close.
Before anyone could question him, his feet were already pounding against the stone floor. His body moved without hesitation, driven by a pull that tore through every ounce of restraint he had left.
"Adam—!" Leo's voice cut through the air, sharp with alarm. He exchanged a glance with the others, then broke into a sprint after him.
Luna's eyes widened in shock before her legs carried her forward as well. "He's going to get himself killed if he keeps charging ahead like that!"
Lily groaned loudly, clutching at her side as she started running after them. "Why do I always volunteer before finding out it involves running?" She gritted her teeth, pushing her legs harder despite her complaints.
Aria, instead of joining the scramble, let her wings flare open with a beat of wind. The shimmer of her feathers caught the faint light as she pushed off the ground, soaring ahead in pursuit. Her voice carried over the pounding footsteps of the others.
"Adam, wait! You don't know what's ahead!"
But Adam didn't stop. His pace only quickened, every stride fueled by the fierce, desperate certainty that the presence he felt was hers. The distance between them stretched, but so too did the tension, each of them fearing what lay at the end of the path Adam had chosen.
Adam weaved between cage after cage, his steps growing faster and more frantic with every turn. The faces of the imprisoned gods blurred in his vision as his focus narrowed on that single pull in his chest. It guided him like a beacon, louder and clearer with every stride, until at last he skidded to a halt.
A wall of black stone loomed in front of him. It stretched floor to ceiling, seamless and solid, cutting off the corridor entirely.
Adam's breath hitched. His heart pounded in his ears. This was not what he had expected. The presence had been so strong, so close, and yet…
"No…" His voice cracked as his knees buckled beneath him. He dropped to the cold stone floor, his hands curling into fists that struck weakly against the ground. "I was right there. I felt her. Why… why is it just a wall?"
His forehead pressed against the stone, his teeth clenched hard enough to hurt. "Was it all in my head? Did I fail her again?"
The sound of beating wings came first. Aria swept in from above, landing lightly just a few feet away. Her wings folded against her back as she looked down at him. The anguish in his voice pulled at her chest, and for a moment she said nothing.
"Adam…" she whispered.
He didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on the wall, wide and wet with despair.
The pounding of footsteps followed soon after. Luna and Lily rounded the corner, breathless and wide-eyed, while Leo trailed behind them with his usual steady pace.
Lily collapsed to one knee, clutching her side. "Why does it always have to be running…" she wheezed, dragging herself back up with effort.
Leo's gaze fixed on Adam, his brows furrowing as he slowed to a stop. "Adam. What happened?"
Adam shook his head, voice heavy with shame. "I am sorry. I thought I felt her. I thought she was right here. But it was nothing. Just another mistake. I failed you. I failed her."
Leo tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "That's not the case."
Adam finally looked up, confusion flickering across his face.
Before he could respond, Lily straightened, pressing a hand against her chest as she drew in a sharp breath. "Leo's right. It's not nothing. I can sense it. There's life behind that wall."
Everyone turned to look at her, surprise flashing in their eyes.
Leo's brow arched. His lips parted, and he spoke with quiet certainty. "Wall? What wall?"
The group fell into silence. Their gazes darted between one another, lingering on Leo with dawning realization.
Aria's wings twitched as her eyes narrowed on the stone barrier. Luna's teeth caught her lip, her expression tense. Lily's fingers curled tighter against her chest as if steadying her own pounding heart.
Only one thought came to them all.
The element of illusion.
And now, perhaps without realizing it, Leo had begun to see through it.
The brick wall shimmered faintly before them, its edges flickering like smoke against the air.