The group slowly approached the mouth of the cave.
Thick vines draped over the entrance like nature’s curtain, nearly hiding it from anyone passing through the forest.
Moss clung to the surrounding stone, and wildflowers had begun sprouting from cracks in the rock.
Months without anyone tending the place had allowed the forest to slowly reclaim it.
Riven stopped at the entrance.
For a long moment…
He simply stared.
Memories flooded back without warning.
Long nights listening to the rain echo through the cave.
Countless mornings waking before sunrise to train.
Raku quietly sharpening his sword while breakfast cooked over the fire.
For years…
This lonely cave had been his entire world.
Without saying a word, Riven reached forward and gently pulled the hanging vines aside.
“They’ve grown a lot…” he murmured to himself.
He stepped inside.
The cave was dark.
Cool air drifted through the tunnels, carrying the familiar scent of damp stone and old firewood.
Behind him, the others hesitated before following.
“Aelwyn…”
Riven spoke softly.
“Would you mind?”
The elderly spirit smiled knowingly.
“Of course.”
Golden Vyr shimmered around his fingertips before a tiny flame danced to life.
With a gentle flick of his hand, it floated across the room.
One by one…
Old candles along the walls burst into warm light.
The darkness slowly retreated.
A small wooden table rested near the center of the room, its surface scarred with countless knife marks and deep cracks from years of use.
Beside it sat several roughly carved wooden stools, each slightly different, as though they had been made by hand rather than bought.
A faded rug covered part of the stone floor.
Time and moisture had left patches of mold creeping along its edges, but someone had once cared enough to make the cave feel like a home.
Against one wall stood a row of battered wooden training dummies.
Every single one had been hacked apart.
Deep sword cuts covered their bodies.
Several had missing arms.
One had been split nearly in half.
Javon slowly turned in a circle.
“…I was expecting…”
He scratched the back of his head.
“…a dark cave full of bones.”
Instead…
He smiled.
“This actually feels…”
He looked around again.
“…kind of cozy.”
Syanna nodded in agreement.
“You made this yourself?”
Riven’s eyes wandered across the room.
“…Not all of it.”
His gaze settled on the old table.
The countless evenings eating dinner there flashed through his mind.
A faint smile appeared before quickly fading.
“Raku…”
His voice caught.
“He…”
The words refused to come.
Silence settled over the cave.
Everyone understood.
Without another word, Riven quietly walked toward the back of the cave.
Hidden behind a rough wooden partition was a small storage room carved into the rock.
A few shelves lined the walls.
Dried herbs still hung from the ceiling.
Clay jars sat exactly where Raku had left them.
Nothing had changed.
Riven knelt beside a loose stone near the back wall.
He reached underneath it and pulled out two worn velvet bags tied tightly with old leather cord.
They were surprisingly heavy.
He carried them back into the main room and gently placed them on the table.
He looked toward Javon.
“…Will this be enough?”
Javon untied the first bag.
The moment he opened it—
Silver light spilled across the table.
Coins.
Hundreds of them.
The room glittered as polished silver reflected the candlelight.
Javon’s jaw slowly dropped.
“…No way.”
His hands disappeared into the bag before emerging with two overflowing handfuls of silver coins.
They slipped between his fingers like water, clinking loudly against the table.
“Haha…”
His laughter came out almost involuntarily.
“We hit the jackpot!”
He looked at Riven as though seeing him for the first time.
“Riven…”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much silver.”
Syanna stepped closer.
Her emerald eyes widened.
“…Neither have I.”
She carefully picked up a single coin, turning it over in the candlelight.
“This alone could feed a family for weeks.”
“There has to be…”
She looked back inside the bag.
“…several hundred coins here.”
Riven blinked.
“…Really?”
“You didn’t know?”
He shook his head.
“Raku always told me to keep whatever I found inside the monsters I hunted.”
“I just…”
He shrugged.
“…kept putting it in bags.”
Javon slowly lowered the handful of coins.
“You’ve been casually throwing away fortunes into storage…”
“…for years.”
Riven tilted his head.
“…Was I not supposed to?”
Javon covered his face with one hand.
“I don’t know whether to laugh…”
“…or cry.”
The room erupted into quiet laughter.
Even Aelwyn couldn’t hide a small smile.
For a brief moment…
The cave felt alive again.
After the laughter faded, Riven looked down at the silver.
“…Should we bring it with us?”
The question immediately silenced the room.
Vistara’s expression grew serious.
“I don’t think we should.”
She rested a hand on one of the velvet bags.
“If people see us carrying this much silver…”
“…they’ll attack us.”
She looked directly into Riven’s golden eyes.
“There are still bandits in these forests.”
“And not all of them are as weak as the ones you fought in Sabercrest.”
“They would follow us.”
“They would wait until we were tired.”
“Or attack innocent people traveling beside us.”
Her fingers tightened around the bag.
“No amount of silver is worth someone’s life.”
Riven quietly lowered his eyes to the two velvet bags.
The silver shimmered beneath the candlelight, casting soft reflections across the old wooden table.
For a long moment…
No one spoke.
The cave was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Then…
A faint whisper brushed against Riven’s ear.
“So…”
It was barely audible.
Like someone speaking from the other end of a long tunnel.
His eyes narrowed.
“…Finally…”
The whisper faded before he could make out the rest.
“…people…”
Riven froze.
His heart skipped.
Another voice?
His hand instinctively drifted toward the crimson scar hidden beneath his shirt.
No. This voice…
Was different.
That voice from before was heavy.
Cold.
It carried anger.
This voice…
Sounded curious.
Almost…
Lonely.
“…Are…”
The whisper returned.
“…there really people here?”
Riven slowly turned his head.
“…Who’s there?”
The others looked toward him.
Javon blinked.
“Who are you talking to?”
Riven didn’t answer.
His golden eyes slowly searched the cave.
Then…
He saw it.
Floating near the far corner of the cave…
Just above one of the old shelves…
A tiny sphere of pale blue light gently bobbed through the air.
It was no larger than an apple.
Its soft glow illuminated the surrounding stone with gentle sapphire light.
Tiny specks of luminescence drifted away from it like glowing dust before disappearing into the darkness.
It looked almost…
Alive.
The little light seemed to notice him staring.
It froze.
“…You…”
Its voice sounded surprised.
“…You can actually see me?”
“…Can you hear that?”
He asked without taking his eyes off the floating light.
Everyone exchanged confused glances.
“Hear what?” Syanna asked.
“The voice.”
Silence.
“…I don’t hear anything.” Vistara admitted.
Javon slowly looked around the cave.
“…Riven…”
“Please don’t tell me the cave is haunted.”
Without another word…
Riven began walking toward the floating light.
Each step echoed softly through the cave.
Almost nervous.
“Wait…”
It sounded excited now.
“You’re really coming over here.”
Javon frowned.
“…People?”
Riven quietly nodded.
“I think…”
He tilted his head.
“…someone’s talking to me.”
“Someone?”
Javon looked around wildly.
“WHERE?”
Riven ignored him.
The glowing orb floated closer.
Its light brightened.
“I’ve been alone…”
It spoke quietly.
“For such a long time.”
“I thought…”
“…no one would ever come back.”
Vistara watched Riven with a small smile.
“He has a habit of doing this.”
Syanna looked at her.
“What?”
“Talking to invisible things.”
Vistara laughed softly.
“The first time we met…”
“He walked into a dark alley because he heard Aelwyn talking.”
“…I thought he was crazy.”
She smiled.
The little blue light slowly drifted until it hovered only inches from Riven’s face.
It circled him curiously.
“You…”
It whispered.
“…You smell like Raku.”
Riven’s expression softened.
“You knew him?”
The light floated excitedly.
“You really can hear me!”
Its glow suddenly intensified.
The tiny sphere began spinning faster.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Blue light flooded the cave.
The others instinctively shielded their eyes.
Streams of glowing Vyr stretched outward like ribbons dancing through the air.
The small orb slowly grew larger.
A head formed.
Then shoulders.
Arms.
Legs.
Long flowing hair appeared, shimmering like moonlight beneath the blue glow.
A beautifully carved bow materialized across her back, followed by an elegant quiver filled with glowing arrows.
The light slowly faded.
Standing before them…
Was a young woman.
She looked no older than her early twenties.
Long sapphire-blue hair cascaded down her back like flowing water.
Her translucent robes drifted gently despite the still air.
Her eyes glowed a brilliant cerulean, carrying centuries of quiet wisdom.
She looked around the cave with childlike wonder.
“…There really are people…”
She smiled.
“I thought I was dreaming.”
Behind her…
Javon’s face turned completely pale.
“…”
He slowly pointed a shaking finger.
“…A…”
“…A…”
His legs gave out.
“AHHHHHHH!!”
He stumbled backward so quickly he slammed into the cave wall.
Without hesitation…
He grabbed Syanna by both shoulders and pulled her directly in front of him like a human shield.
“Protect me!”
Syanna looked back at him in complete disbelief.
“…Seriously?”
The mysterious woman tilted her head.
Confusion spread across her face.
“…Isn’t he supposed to be a warrior?”
The cave fell silent.
Everyone slowly turned toward Javon.
His face flushed bright red.
He awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Ahem…”
With as much dignity as he could recover…
He gently moved Syanna back beside him.
“I…”
“…was merely testing everyone’s reaction.”
He puffed out his chest.
“Obviously.”
Syanna crossed her arms.
“You hid behind me.”
“I strategically repositioned.”
“You screamed.”
“I yelled…”
“…tactically.”
Even Riven couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.