Just beneath the surface

The scorched caverns

Souverngoule has another incantation, one for pearl manipulation. In order to extract the right water, they would have to fully manipulate the pearl. They had to place the pearl in a hanging cage in the rear of the ship, as it would expel water nonstop in an attempt to propel itself away and escape. The crew had prepared all the supplies and equipment for their land expedition, and already hired a caravan. Fernando knew that the ship had to be guarded, so he left some of his loyal men under the leadership of Victor, while the marines and the new recruits would accompany Fernando to the mountain. They readied their carriage at first light. With them, they carried two thirty four pounder cannons, just in case the big guns would be needed. Slowly, they made their way to the rising sun. They had to be vigilant, as Rebels from the British colonies galloped in their horses around the lands in between. Fernando had faith though, as they were well armed, and Jahmil alone could well handle an army. The sun struck at them with no mercy for the first few days of the trip, and the road was still long, stretching for miles into the horizon. Luckily for then, the wind swept hard as well, and it flung the sweat from their faces. The plains seemed endless, but with each step they felt like they were getting closer. They pressed on for two more weeks, and with each passing day the wind grew colder and colder, signalling the ever closing distance between them and the chain of mountains up ahead. The nights were colder, and they had to huddle up with the camels and mules as they couldn't afford to risk getting unwanted attention by creating fires. Jahmil still took on lookout duty, meditating and feeling his new environment at the same time. The wind seemed to be full of mana, natural mana, and it flowed gracefully around him. Throughout the trip, Veronica was silent, constantly polishing the revolver and fidgeting it around her hand. This would often frighten Andres, who was tasked to watch over her. He still couldn't stop questioning about which personality was the real one. The kind and sweet demeanour that made him want to ask her name, or the cold, dark, and silent side she showed up until now. She barely ate, oftentimes she would just ignore Andres. He in turn proceeded to reading the books, even though he had scanned all of its pages multiple times already, just to wipe off the awkwardness hovering around them. He still couldn't get the right moment to start a conversation with her.

"You reading those blank pages makes me feel quite nervous about your mental condition", Veronica remarked.

"As I said, there are only three of us that can read this book. Normal people like you can't— wait a minute, did you just talk?" Andres asked.

"What do you think I am, a mute?" Veronica asked.

"No, but you act like one. You haven't said anything for days", Andres chuckled. Perhaps the cold side was her true self, he thought.

"There's not much to talk about anyways. It's not like I can discuss murder plans with you", Veronica said.

"Seriously, that's the only thing on your mind?" Andres asked.

"If you were in my shoes you would be feeling the same way", Veronica said.

"Excuse me, my father was the captain of that ship", Andres replied.

"Anyhow, when and how did you know about what happened to your father?" Andres asked.

"A hooded man told me and my mother five years ago, when I was nine. He claimed to be a being who could see everything that happened in the world, and though my mother believed him, I didn't. It wasn't until a retired sailor from the Invasor who told me about the entire thing that I believed", Veronica replied.

Andres wondered if the hooded man she spoke of was the hooded man they met. Just what was he scheming to go through such intricate planning? He asked himself.

"Aren't you mad after knowing the truth? I mean, to think he never told you about it", Veronica asked.

"To be honest when I heard him tell me the truth, I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth, even regretting why I was helping him in the first place. But, I don't see any point in killing him, it's not like his death would bring anyone back from the dead", Andres replied.

"Killing him would just stain my hands in the blood of a fool, and I would be just as worthless as he is. I don't want to mourn about his death any longer, either. I would be imprisoning myself from the freedom of happiness. All I want is to continue along his legacy", he continued.

"If only everyone thought that way", Veronica said.

"Come on, I know that the smile you wore back at Campeche wasn't a mask. Just don't think too hard about it, as you might just end up hurting yourself. You nearly killed yourself, remember? Do you think your father would like that?" Andres asked.

Veronica remained silent, and looked to the endless horizon up ahead. Gallops, whispers, and whistling filled the air.

Jahmil continued to listen to the symphony of the high winds, and continued to feel the mana flowing around them.

"Your heart seems scared. That's not good if you are out here", a voice said.

"I see, so you have life, wind", Jahmil said.

"I am very surprised , it has been so long since someone spoke to me", the wind replied. "To be able to hear me, you must have been given natural mana by someone, the forest, was it?" It asked.

"You sure know a lot", Jahmil remarked. "What lies underneath the mountains up ahead?" He asked.

"Death. Death lies on the very doorstep of the cavern leading to the roots of the mountain. Its source casts fire that burns my very air, halting me before I could see it with my own eyes", the wind replied.

"You are wise, and knowledgeable, yet you don't know what lies underneath. How trivial", Jahmil said.

The wind was irritated, and blew up sand into the air.

"So are you saying it's impossible to enter?" Jahmil asked.

"It is possible, At Least for lowly humans like you. The rumoured Golem That lies underneath only senses those with high and rich mana, such as me, but it will barely notice humans. But, I suggest you start practicing how to suppress your mana, just in case", the wind replied.

"I see", Jahmil said. "Does the ocean speak too?" He asked.

"It did, before. But now it has gone silent. The ocean is full of pride, pride too great, greater than that of the sun. It keeps many secrets, secrets that even I have yet to uncover", the wind replied.

"Have you heard of Atlantis? I'm very sure you know about it. Where is it?" Jahmil asked.

"Atlantis, yes if I remember, before it fell into the depths it was located in—"

Suddenly, the ground shook, and it shook hard. Back at the harbor, waves crashed on the wooden bridges, and rocketed the ships. In fear, the wind trembled, creating a dust storm around them.

"Earthquake!" Fernando shouted.

The shaking then stopped, and the wind calmed down.

"I— I must depart now, there are secrets the ocean doesn't want man to uncover", the wind said.

"To think that the ocean would stop us. Just what am I defying right now?" Jahmil asked.

"You have defied the laws of nature ever since you embarked on this quest, and by the slightest chance, may the gods be with you", the wind replied. It swept through them, hurling sand into the air. Soon the mountains were in sight. They decided to stop by a village situated just a few miles from the mountains. It was of Chinese nationality, a small neutral village where travelers would stop by before crossing the mountain pass.

"Greetings foreigners! Feel free to stay here!" The chieftain exclaimed. All around them, men trained their bodies and honed the martial art skills and strengths passed Down to them by their Himalayan ancestors, while the women busied themselves with weaving and laundering. It seemed that staying within the town could affect the people's lives.

"We're going to camp out tonight, and we set out at first light", Fernando said.

They set camp just on the outskirts of the village, and rested. The village chief however insisted that they have a few barrels at the tavern. Jahmil remained outside, trying to grasp what they were up against. To normal people, it might have not been much of a big deal, but to him, whatever was beneath the labyrinth emitted so much mana that it began seeping out of the mountain itself.

"To get the lava of purity?" The chief asked.

"Trust me, no weapon is worth throwing your life away", He continued.

"It's for a greater cause, and I don't need your approval, all I need is directions to the entrance of the cavern", Fernando said, handling out a pouch of gold pieces.

"Only few have ever heard of such lava, and very few still live to tell about it. My predecessors, the chieftains of this village, passed this information from generation to generation. And in the six generations we have spent as guides, not one adventurer returned alive", the chieftain said.

"Beyond the entrance, what else do you know?" Fernando asked.

"Nothing more. It will be a bet against the devils if I step foot into that labyrinth. The bodies of the damned lay right at the entrance", The chief replied.

"No one even dares to recover the bodies of those who perished there. None of them have a proper burial", he continued.

"I understand, but it won't stop me and my men, I'll need you to guide us there", Fernando said.

"I already warned you, so please do not let your ghost condemn me", the chief replied.

"Do not fret, not one more soul will perish there", Fernando said.

That night, for the first time, the crew felt relaxation, as there seemed to be no pressure at all. Perhaps it was the calm before the storm. For most of the sailors, it could be their last. To Fernando however, it wasn't relaxation at all. He feared what might happen, and already he could feel that it would clearly be the costliest part of their voyage. Land was never their forte, so it was by sheer luck that they would be successful. He would have to rely on Jahmil, and he wondered what he was up to now.

Jahmil ran all the way to the base of the mountain, trying to pick up what was beneath the surface. He noticed that apart from the massive concentration of mana located in the bowels of the earth, numerous smaller concentrations dotted all across what seemed to be an intricate structure underneath. He began practicing on how to suppress his mana, and so far, it seemed to work out. In the process, he found out something else. Suppressing his mana allowed the mana of the surroundings to flow through him. Despite not being able to directly use the mana, it gave him an even better picture of his surroundings, allowing him to make a three dimensional picture out of dust of his surroundings. He realised that it would be useful, as finding one's way out of the labyrinth is always harder than finding one's way in. When he arrived back at the town, he immediately dropped into his tent, and lay down. It had already been months since he slept, yet with his mana suppressed, he felt rather sleepy. The wind dashed through the fabric of his tent, caressing him. And in the silence of the land, for the first time in months, he fell asleep.

Suddenly he felt his body burn. It felt like he was enveloped in a blaze. He got up, and saw his body wrapped in golden flames. He rolled on the ground in agony, trying to extinguish the flames, but they wouldn't budge. No one seemed to hear his screams, and the air sensed and suffocated him. The ground around him cracked, and collapsed from the inside out, and Jahmil fell into a pool of lava. As he slowly drowned into the depths of the indescribable pain, he heard voices echoing through the air. Around him, regret, hatred, and agony, were clearly flowing around him.

"It's your fault! You were the one who created that abomination!" A voice shouted.

"We can stop it! Grab your weapons!" Another exclaimed.

"We can not get out", another said.

"It's too early to lose hope, blow up the passage!" A voice shouted.

Cries and screams of the damned filled what seemed to be a never ending pool of lava, and slowly, Jahmil's flesh melted away.

He woke up, panting heavily, sweat running across his body. A mixture of the cold from the frosty morning wind freezing his sweat and the burning sensation from his dream filled his body, and Jahmil knew that he could no longer sleep in peace, even though he suppressed his mana. He went out of his tent, and saw Fernando already preparing for the journey ahead.

"Let's not die in there", he said.

Fernando remained silent. In his heart, he was sure that someone was going to die, someone valuable.

"Yes", he replied. "Let is not".

The rest of the crew began packing up, preparing their rifles for what was ahead. Veronica loaded her revolver with the gunpowder the crew had obtained from the Quezian world, and stashed all the ammo she could find, keeping the obsidian rounds in store for any sudden need. Andres had been feeling odd of late. For some reason, his body seemed to be drawn towards the mountain, and now that they were finally heading to the mountain, he felt relieved. The morning sun shone upon the plains from behind the mountains, guiding the pathway for the daring adventurers, slowly pressing up the frigid slopes. The way up was rocky, and by every step, the wind only grew colder and colder. Snow glided down from the mountain tops, and Fernando knew that they would have to be careful, as just one small mistake could cause an avalanche. They reached a cavern in the midpoint of the mountain, where their guide said was the entrance to the labyrinth.

"Like I said, I warned you all, so you have one last chance to turn back, and live", the chief said.

Fernando then remembered what Veronica said, and turned around. He looked at the crew with steady eyes. His gaze was so stern, that the crew immediately formed in attention.

"We have come this far. We have faced it all" Fernando said. "But I will not go forward if your lives are at risk. If you feel like your life is more valuable than this, feel free to turn back. If I don't return, divide the wealth amongst yourselves, and be fair", he continued.

Suddenly the crew burst into laughter, especially the marines.

"Sir with all due respect, is that what you think of us? It's an utter insult", Pedro said.

"We are tougher than this!" Randall exclaimed.

"We shall succeed together, and fail together!" A sailor shouted.

"Captain, we will follow you to the end", Jahmil said.

Fernando held back his tears, and kept his steady gaze.

"I can say that I'm the luckiest man in the world. I am honoured to be your captain", Fernando said.