The Sorcerer's Game

6. Purple light

Micheal and his group started with their excursion again, with Keith following them at the back. Nobody noticed his smile as they proceeded deeper into the cave they were exploring. 'How idiotic these people are!!' He scoffed, shaking his head lightly. 'I do not want to be in this hellhole. But if this is what it takes for me to get promoted, then I will have to bear with it.' He sighed, glaring at Azriel's back, wishing to burn him alive. 

As they moved further, they heard a hiss, scaring the s**t out of the man, who had no idea about what he had signed up for. "What the f**k was that?" He yelled, getting his gun ready for some action.

Michael chuckled, hearing him curse. "That, young man, is a snake. Brace yourself, for you will be meeting a lot of them."

"What?" Keith almost shouted in fear, and Azriel cringed, hearing his voice echo through the place.

"Do you mind reducing your volume? We do not want to attract those animals by our foolish acts?" He admonished lightly, and now, it was Dhara's turn to giggle. Keith was stunned to hear Azriel scold him, for it was the first time he had done so. Though Azriel was as proficient as him, he had never scolded him, at least not in front of strangers. Now that it was happening, he could not digest it. However, he decided to shut up, as it was not the time for him to take out his anger on him.

'Azriel, I will take care of you once I get promoted.' He clenched his fists, vowing to avenge the man for humiliating him.

They ventured deeper into the never-ending cave, making sure to avoid the snake they had heard before. As time passed, they started to feel the lack of oxygen, and the thick air around them was making them pant for breath. They had no idea how long they could bear it. Keith was the first one to give up, and he stopped walking, complaining silently in his mind. 

However, the trio did not even look back as they continued walking. Even Azriel did not say a word even though he knew that Keith had stopped walking. "Mr. Glenn, I think we take some rest. We can proceed after some time." Keith suggested.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Inspector. I don't need them." Michael's reply was instant, his words stunning Keith.

"But..." He tried to argue, only to seal his mouth when he realized nobody gave a second thought to it.

"Inspector Ryker, do you want to take a rest?" Michael queried, and once again, Keith was stumped at the difference in treatment.

"How far are we away from our destination?" Azriel returned with a question of his own. He already knew that the old man would not be stopping before they reached their destination for the day. "If we are any close, let's get finish it," Azriel added, even though he doubted he could last for long. The lack of oxygen was making it hard for him to breathe, and he wondered how Dhara and the old man had made it till here without complaining.

"We are almost there. Let me assure you we will be done in fifteen minutes." Micheal answered, exchanging secret glances with Dhara.

"Sir, are you sure?" Azriel frowned, flashing his torch in front of him. "This cave seems to have no end. We have been walking for a long time, and we are still at the fifth cave."

"I am sure, young man. Trust me. We are nearby, and soon we will be somewhere else." Azriel did not understand the cryptic words the old man was talking about. So, he shook his head with a sigh.

"In that case, let us get over with it. The faster we finish, the sooner we get to rest for the day."

"You are right, Azriel. The faster we finish, the sooner we can rest." Micheal repeated, and Azriel nodded, completely missing the underlying meaning in his words.

"Azriel, you lead us this time." Micheal moved aside, making way for the man.

"But.." Azriel was dumbfounded by Micheal's words. "I don't know what we are looking for, You must take the lead, Sir." He replied politely. However, Micheal was having none of it. 

'If I were to achieve my goals, Azriel must take the lead. Only then can we return home.' With that thought, Micheal shook his head, stopping Azriel from talking any further. "No, Inspector. You will take the lead from here, and trust me, you will know what we are looking for yourself."

Azriel did not understand a word the old man was saying. But he decided to entertain him and finish the task so that they could rest for the day. He took the lead, flashing his light in front of him while the other three people followed him. They had to duck their heads at some places where the cave was extremely small. 

Even though Azriel was annoyed at the situation he was in, he did not complain, unlike Keith who did not stop grumbling. However, as they got closer to the destination Micheal had in mind, Azriel's complaints vanished. He could feel a sudden surge in the energy around him, and it pulled him to it. His feet automatically padded in the direction of the source, even though he had no idea where he was going.

Azriel did not even need a torch he sauntered inside, and he did not stop until he was standing in front of a small purple light floating in the air. Micheal smiled, seeing Azriel's instinctive response. 'I knew it. You were the one we were looking for. You are the man we have been searching for for long.' He celebrated in his mind and gave Dhara a knowing look. 

The only person who did not understand what was happening was Keith, and he stared at the purple light, bewildered by the way it was floating in the air. No source per se was flashing it, and he was in utter disbelief. "How?" He mumbled. But he could get any response as Azriel had touched the light.

The moment he did so, the purple light widened, and once it reached a sufficient width, it spread its power everywhere, strong enough to suck a soul into it. At once, Azriel was pulled into the light, much to his surprise, and one by one, the other three people too were sucked into the light. Once Keith too disappeared, the light vanished from the cave, darkness settling in it once again.