The darkness in the carbon tunnel was almost tangible, broken only by the faint glow of the books and the summons of Brok and Micah.
The space, though confined, felt strangely empty, the weight of their mission hanging heavy in the air.
"You know," Brok began, his voice muffled by the oxygen stone, "I never thought I'd be here, in the bowels of the monster sea, building a tunnel with magic." His massive form seemed almost comical in the narrow space.
Micah nodded, a slight smile curving his lips. "Life takes unexpected turns. A year ago, my biggest concern was how to get enough mana for my family." His eyes held a faraway look, remembering simpler, if not easier, times.
Brok grunted in agreement, recalling his own past struggles. "And now here we are, trying to save the entire city. Elio really got us into something big, huh?" There was admiration and trepidation in his voice.
"Speaking of Elio," Micah said, his tone turning more serious, "do you think it's a good idea to expand upwards first as he told us? I think we should avoid any more absorption until everyone arrives."
Brok paused in his work, considering the question. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe it's a better idea to expand the horizontal part first."
Micah let out a soft laugh. "True. Even if he's the leader, he's still Elio, eh. He can make mistakes like everyone else..."
The concern for Elio's challenge returned to their minds, a shadow passing over their faces.
Suddenly, the base of the tunnel began to fill with cores. Brok and Micah stayed at the top, aware that this would give them time to react when the others arrived, without having to keep absorption constantly active.
Someone else had arrived.
"Who do you think it is?" Brok whispered, peering down into the darkness.
Micah shrugged. "Could be anyone. Let's hope it's not Kriz, I'm not in the mood for his jokes right now."
To their surprise, the figure that emerged from the darkness was none other than Valeria. The young woman, with her characteristic air of confidence, nimbly climbed to where Brok and Micah were.
"Well, well," Valeria said, her voice carrying a tone of amusement despite the oxygen stone in her mouth. "Look who got here first. The muscles and sarcasm of the team."
Brok felt a twinge of pride at the implicit compliment, while Micah simply arched an eyebrow.
"Welcome to the early birds club," Brok responded, noticing for the first time how toned Valeria's arms were as she settled near them.
It was Zara.
With Zara's arrival, the team in the carbon tunnel became more determined to begin the expansion in earnest. The four quickly gathered to discuss the best way to proceed.
"With four people, we can be more efficient," Micah suggested. "I propose that two of us focus on frontal absorption when opening the tunnel, while the other two work on expanding the tunnel."
Brok nodded, appreciating the logic. "Good idea."
Zara, newly arrived but quick to catch up, added: "If two people absorb at the front, we can release the pressure and create a free space to expand the tunnel more easily."
Valeria smiled. "I like it. Let's do it."
As they organized themselves into their new positions, Brok couldn't help but wonder aloud: "How the hell did Elio manage to create this tunnel with all the cores surrounding him? It must have been insane."
Micah, focused on his absorption task, replied: "Elio has always had a unique way of facing challenges. I guess that's one of the reasons we follow him."
They worked in relative silence, each focused on their task. The sound of cores being absorbed and the crackle of expanding carbon filled the air.
"Remember," Zara said after a while, "the plan is to keep our mana between 10 and 40. We don't want to waste it, but we also don't want to run out in case of an emergency."
The others nodded. As they worked, carefully spending their mana, the conversation began to flow again.
"You know," Micah began, his voice tinged with admiration, "every time I think about how Elio has changed his attitude, I'm amazed."
Zara, whose face lit up at the mention of Elio, responded enthusiastically: "He always had the attitude of looking for something more. Although you're right that there are different things about him, I can't help but feel surprised by those other changes too... Even proud of him."
Brok, noticing Zara's reaction and remembering the earlier conversation with Valeria, spoke without thinking: "Well, it seems you're not the only one who has noticed the... changes in Elio. Right, Valeria?"
A tense silence fell over the group. Valeria shot a warning look at Brok, who immediately regretted his comment. The air in the tunnel seemed to thicken with unspoken tension.
Zara, her curiosity palpable, turned to Valeria. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the tension in the tunnel seemed to increase exponentially. The others held their breath, sensing the potential for conflict.
"Is that true, Valeria?" Zara asked, her voice calm but with an underlying tone of something more... concern? Jealousy? "Do you have a special interest in Elio?"