Troy led the way, and the group followed him down a narrow, crevice-like slope that hugged the mountain. The path was rough, and the air grew thinner the further they descended. Soon, the crevice opened into a cavern, its gaping mouth seeming to beckon them deeper into the planet's bowels.
Axel glanced over his shoulder, the dim light from the mountain above already swallowed by the darkness behind them. He adjusted his grip on the jagged rocks that jutted from the cavern walls, careful not to slip. Each step forward echoed off the stone walls, the sound eerily distorted in the oppressive silence.
"How far are we going?" Axel muttered to himself, keeping his voice low so as not to alert Troy. The longer they walked, the more anxious he became, his thoughts turning to the possibility of a trap. But after all the information Troy had shared about the crystals and the planet, Axel pushed the thought aside.
**Why lead them this far if the intention was betrayal?** Still, the creeping sensation of doubt lingered.
Ahead, Troy raised a torch made of dark wood, the flickering flame casting unsettling shadows on the walls as it illuminated their path. The air grew cooler, the oppressive silence broken only by the sound of their footsteps and the crackling flame.
"Sorry we're taking so long," Troy's voice broke through the tension, his tone calm. "These are pure forms of beast crystals—older than the planet itself, or so the story goes." His words seemed to echo endlessly through the tunnel, swallowed up by the vast darkness ahead.
Loki, who had been trailing a few steps behind Axel, stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. "Did you say beast crystals?!" His voice rose in excitement. Loki, ever the scholar, was the most curious of the group when it came to the mysteries of this planet.
Axel could hear the awe in Loki's voice and turned to see him gawking at Troy with barely contained enthusiasm. "That would mean..." Loki continued, eyes sparkling with a sudden realization, "the core of this planet could be made from these beast gems. Does Earth have something similar? Could a gem in its core be the source of our abilities?"
Troy didn't respond, but Axel noticed a subtle smirk tug at the corners of his mouth as they pressed forward. **Loki's questions weren't baseless,** Axel mused, though the notion of Earth being comparable to this alien world seemed far-fetched.
A sudden chill crawled up Axel's spine. "He's not entirely wrong, Master," a familiar voice whispered beside him. Axel glanced to his right and, sure enough, Velerium materialized, his skeletal form glowing faintly in the torchlight.
"Velerium..." Axel growled under his breath, keeping his voice low enough so that none of the others would hear. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see your face again after that mess with Trisha." He waved his hand discreetly, as though swatting away a fly, but Velerium stayed put.
"My Lord, it took me quite some time to track you down," Velerium said with a hint of desperation. "But I came to offer you valuable information about these gems."
Axel could feel the sheer energy radiating from the crystals, making the air hum with power. His heart pounded in his chest, both in awe and unease.
"What grade are these crystals?" Loki asked, his voice barely a whisper. His watch beeped and flashed frantically on his wrist before a distorted voice crackled through.
"Grade three and four crystals... malfunctioning... too much data..."
Suddenly, the watches on their wrists all went dark, shut down from the overwhelming energy.
"Whoa!" Josh exclaimed, grabbing both Axel and Loki by the wrists in excitement. "Can you imagine what the facility will think of these? We'll be rich! Stop frowning for once and rejoice in this, you idiots!" With that, he pulled them forward, running toward the nearest cluster of glowing stones.
Axel let out a rare laugh, amused by Josh's enthusiasm. "All right, let's see who can get the best crystals!"
For the first time in a long while, Axel felt a spark of something he hadn't experienced in years—joy. **Maybe, just maybe, he could enjoy this moment.** But even as he sprinted forward with Josh and Loki, a nagging voice in the back of his mind warned him not to let his guard down.
Behind them, Troy and Ham stood at the mouth of the cave. Troy's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Ham.
"Lock the entrance," Troy ordered, his voice cold.
Ham hesitated, frowning. "Are you sure?"
Troy's lips curled into a twisted grin. "No one leaves this place. Not until they're all dead."
As Ham moved to seal the cavern's entrance, the sound of heavy stone scraping against stone echoed through the chamber. The once bright and lively atmosphere dimmed, replaced by a sudden, suffocating tension.
Axel slowed his pace, feeling the shift in the air. The weight of the moment pressed down on him as if the planet itself was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable clash that was about to unfold. **He hadn't outrun his demons after all.**
Something was terribly wrong.