Realm Wars

Chapter 104: Hidden Cave 2

Kai shifted from his position inside one of the small spaces of the reefs. He didn't know where to put his eyes when Jane was looking at him like he was a wanted man.

If Kai knew that he would be put under such torture from Jane's scrutinizing eyes, then he'd rather follow Ryu and Seraphina.

Jane might be a beauty with a mature vibe and attractive motherly aura to her, Seraphina was prettier, friendly, and very much single. There was no way that he would stain his pride as a cultured man and steal someone else's woman! 

Kai heaved a sigh. Jane doesn't trust him, and he surely didn't trust her either, so none of them was getting the rest they wanted. Except for Theodore, who was fast asleep on top of his sister's lap.

If only Ryu were here, at least Kai could get some wink while Ryu took the first watch.

Come to think of it. Aren't they taking their time?

"Ryu! Don't tell me!" Kai shot to his feet. 

Were Ryu and Seraphina doing something!

"Ouch!" Kai rubbed his head when someone smacked him from behind.

"Don't get the wrong idea," said a deep clear voice that was very familiar in Kai's ears.

Instead of getting angry, Kai's face lit up at the sight of Ryu and Seraphina.

"Ryu! Darling Seraphina! What took you so long?!"

Theodore stirred from Kai's voice. He then rubbed his eyes and asked. "Did something happened?"

Seraphina nodded. "We've found an underground cave, and it might lead to something."

This got Jane's attention. She and Theodore went to their feet and approached Ryu and Seraphina.

"A cave?" Jane inquired. "Where?"

"Just a couple of kilometers from here," Seraphina answered. "Though we don't know where it leads. Do you guys still want to explore it?"

Seraphina snatched Ryu a look when she said that. Ryu found the cave after all, and it was also his suggestion to explore it with the others. A wise decision considering that they didn't know what dangers lay ahead.

Jane looked at her little brother first. "It might be dangerous."

Theodore flung his eyes on the ground. "B-but. .. it also might contain treasures."

Jane nodded, and every eye went to Kai's reaction.

Kai crossed his arms and lifted his head, appearing to be thinking of something. "Well. .. I think we better check it first, and if the Leviathan happened to be there, then we'll make a scram for it."

Everyone agreed, and they made their way into the hole. Just past the dense reefs and plants laid the underground cave that could only accommodate a single person at a time.

Kai beamed at Jane. "Ladies first."

Jane rolled her eyes, but she dived into the cave nevertheless. Since they didn't know what would happen inside the constricting cave, it was best to have the mages go first since the fighters' movements were limited, and the mages could just use their spells in case something happened. 

Using an item [Pixie's Glow], a bundle of glowing dust captured by a magic lamp that amplified its glow tenfold, Jane could see a tunnel leading into somewhere.

"What do you see?" Kai asked.

"A tunnel. I think it's leading deeper in the ocean."

Kai chuckled. "It might lead to Septverden's core."

"We might if you swim for another hundred years," Jane said with a faked smile.

Kai's lower lip pucker out. "It's a joke."

".. ." 

It was silent.

"Did she already went ahead?" Kai thought to himself before he swam after Jane.

Next to them was Theodore. And when it was Ryu's turn, he looked over his shoulder when he felt something. Like their wren eyes spying at them.

If only his nose were working underwater.

"What is it?" Seraphina asked and looked in the direction where Ryu was looking.

"I thought I felt something."

Seraphina focused her eyes on their surroundings, and after a moment, she sighed. "I don't feel anything."

Ryu took a sweep at the place one last time. "Must be my imagination." He then swam after Kai and the others while Seraphina followed behind him.

Seraphina cut a portion of the reef with a whoosh of her staff and covered the hole with it. It wouldn't do much, but at least the hole wouldn't be out in the open for the others to inspect if someone happened to stumble in this location.

Inside the tunnel, Jane was leading the group into a one-way path. They could only sigh in relief that the tunnel didn't have many twists and turns or that would be a problem when they decided to go back above.

They didn't know what to expect inside the cave, but if the Leviathan was really here, they have to go back where they came from fast!

"Are we there yet?" Kai asked behind Jane. He liked the view of her long legs and the shape of her round butt, but the little light they had was teasing his senses, and he couldn't take the torture any longer. 

He'd rather see an entire leg and butt out in the open rather than be teased by it in a cold-contained space with minimal light.

Jane ignored Kai and continued to swim forward. When she finally saw the light, she breathed all the worry she had. "I finally see the light at the end.

Everyone's faces brightened.

Moving faster, the group finally got out from the restrictive tunnel and what stumbled before them was the interior of a cave. It was much bigger, like a hall made out of rocks and reefs. There were also numerous arches leading to a different pathway on the side of its walls.

Kai raffled his hair. "Now what? 

"I-I don't like this." Theodore hugged his staff.

"Usually, sea creatures or even worse inhabited this place," Jane said in a hushed voice, afraid that any slight noise would attract something towards them. 

"Or it's remotely cut from the outside world that no living creatures could survive here." Kai wanted to lighten the mood. This was not the time to be scared and go back.

"Should we explore some more?" Seraphina suggested. Her face was the epitome of calmness. It was like she lacked the capacity to feel worried, which made Jane jealous.

That must be the secret to her glowing and youthful skin. Jane thought.

Ryu swam closer towards the many arches, and he stopped in one of them. "We should take this path," he said, pointing at the far left archway. 

The heat in his back was pulsating, and he wanted nothing more than to slap it away. But he was afraid that there was something on his back, and he didn't completely trust the others yet.

If it wasn't a dream that he met Tethyt in Deadman's Rock, then there was a high chance that something on his back or inside his body shouldn't be discussed with someone he couldn't trust.