The group of four looked upon the newly revealed route of Garal-Javena. Despite being inside a cavern, it resembled a lush green forest, complete with trees, flowers, and crashing waterfalls.
The team looked upon the area with awe. It was unlike anything Marsh, Aren and Reece had ever seen before.
"So this is what's inside the Bionis?" Marsh gazed upon the verdant green cavern full of life. He didn't know that a cave could house so much life. "I've never heard anything about something like this, though."
"Count me in on that, too…" Aren added. "Would've thought someone would have said something about this."
"Me three. I do a lot of reading, but I've never seen anything about a place like this." Reece mumbled.
"Of course you guys haven't heard anything about these. My people keep these places a secret from the world. They're those types of guys." Sariel notified with a frown. "These places are useful, but nobody gets to use them but a few. Not really fair."
The group stood in silence temporarily as they gazed at the cavern route, Garal-Javena. Then, they set foot into the grassy cavern.
Previously, the group had been warned of creatures that lurked within Garal-Javena. Aren kept a close lookout for any such beasts. He hoped to encounter some form of monster, in order to get a good fight in. The metal-armed pugilist had been itching for any fight.
On the other hand, Marsh also kept an eye out. He too wanted to look out for any beasts that may lurk in the area, but he didn't particularly want to fight them. It would simply cause more of a hassle, he thought.
Marsh and Aren caught a glance of Reece, however, who headed over to what seemed to be an innocuous tree. Nothing about it seemed unusual… it seemed to be made of brown wood, and had verdant green leaves.
"It's so cool that there's trees down here… I never would have believed it." Reece spoke, and placed a hand onto the tree. "It's a regular tree… I thought it'd be made of stone or something."
Marsh scratched his head, confused. "Why would it be made of stone…? That doesn't make any sense."
"Well… trees need sunlight to grow, but we're inside the Bionis. There's no sun." Reece explained. "Isn't that a little weird?"
Now that Reece mentioned it, this piqued Marsh's interest. He couldn't think of any reason trees would grow inside the Bionis… it was true, they didn't have any sunlight. The Bionis was a weird place…
Sariel brought a hand to her chin temporarily.
"There's an explanation for it, but… I'm damned if I know. I wasn't interested in that stuff. They just grow down here and that's all I need to know."
"Hey, check out those rocks. They look pretty real, huh?" Aren squatted down, placing his metal gauntlet-covered hands onto the ground to support himself. "Missy, this is a real weird place."
Sariel gasped, grabbing hold of her dual pistols immediately.
"Holy cra-" Sariel cut herself off as she placed her gaze onto the rocks… but pointed them away almost immediately with a sigh of relief. "My bad...! There's a weird rumour back home about those things… it really creeps me out."
Reece stepped up to Sariel.
"Rumour?" Reece inquired.
"Nah… don't worry about it. It's goofy as hell… just a myth to get cheeky kids to not run away. Sis always told me that kinda stuff. Guess it stuck with me." Sariel looked at the ground. "So don't worry about it."
"No reason not to tell us…" Marsh responded.
Rolling her eyes, Sariel looked to her side, then to the stone that resembled a creature. Marsh followed suit, and analysed the stone.
It seemed to resemble a type of creature Marsh had heard about – the Feris species, a vaguely feline-like beast that lurked within Makna, or rather, Lagrop Forest. But Marsh could tell – Marsh could tell something about it was putting Sariel on edge.
Suddenly, Marsh felt as if he'd figured it out. Rumour had it that there were creatures that utilized camouflage to resemble an inanimate stone. Was this stone Feris one of those creatures?
As Marsh thought this over, he felt as if something was off. A shiver rolled down his spine, one of what he could only presume was dread.
Marsh looked over to his companions. Aren had one of his gauntlets on his head, as if he had a light migraine, while Sariel narrowed her eyes… then suddenly reached for her two ether pistols in a frenzy. She moved her hands incredibly quickly, to get the pistols as quickly as she could, but failed to grasp them at first, instead grabbing at her jacket.
"Something's wrong... I can feel it!" Marsh exclaimed. "But I don't know what…!"
"You too, huh? Something's goin' on with this place. 'Don't think it's any monster or whatever… I can't see anything anywhere." Aren mumbled slowly, fist still on his head. There was the slightest instance of pain in his voice. "This headache's messin' me up. Maybe that's what's got me on edge."
Aren looked over at Reece, who was shivering wildly.
"Reece! Keep close to me!" Aren ordered… which was followed up by an enormous thud, as if an enormous stone had smashed into the ground.
Marsh and Sariel glanced over at the door they'd entered through to access Garal-Javena, fearing the worst. Marsh wildly tried to recall... wasn't the door large and made of stone? If it were to slam shut, then it would be capable of making a booming noise like the one that presently echoed throughout Garal-Javena.
"Holy crap… you're kidding me…!" Sariel screamed. "That's not supposed to happen! What the hell's up with this place?!"
"Missy… you took us here. Everything about this place feels wrong to both me, Reece, and your travelling partner… and now the door's slammed shut on us. I don't wanna go accusin' you of being some murderous mastermind or whatever, but… you'd better have a damn good explanation for all this. Because frankly, it sounds like you're hidin' something from us."
"I-I can open the door again…"
Aren hastily, but briefly replied to Sariel's notification. "Oh."
"But what are you saying with all that crap? You seriously think I'm gonna kill the three of you in here…?" Sariel asked. "I'm just going to ignore that and say I'm just as creeped out as you guys. Something's different from the last time I visited, but… I can't tell what. It's probably just that rumour I was talking about."
"Can you just tell us the rumour already…?" Reece groaned impatiently, still standing by Aren's side as he scanned the area. "Why aren't you telling us?"
Sariel was silent. In fact, the whole group was silent as they waited for her to explain. It took her a while to speak, but she did, eventually.
"It really doesn't matter. It's a myth of my people… it's crazy crap to keep children at home, to keep them out of this place. Now anyways, let's just go already!"
Marsh watched Sariel closely as she spoke. And she seemed to shiver ever so slightly… what was troubling her? Garal-Javena had a particular aura about it… it was unlike any other place Marsh had set foot in. It was almost otherworldly.
Aren and Reece followed close behind Sariel, leaving Marsh behind.
'I really need to stop getting distracted.'
Marsh trailed behind Aren, Reece, and Sariel. Sariel rushed by the stone Feris statue, quickly taking at it out of the blue. When Aren and Reece reached it, they instead stopped to investigate it. Marsh joined them in these endeavour as Sariel continued running further into Garal-Javena.
"Sariel!" Marsh called out. "Quit being so reckless! Get back here!" He spoke with an ordering tone to the runaway, sprinting Sariel, then looked over at the stone Feris.
Aren reached out onto a small, wooden torch by the stone Feris, extending forth a single, bulky, metallic finger onto the torch. Marsh could tell he was being careful not to damage the torch in any way.
Meanwhile, Reece investigated the stone Feris itself, placing his hand onto the rocky beast's mane. Marsh reached out as soon as he did this, in fear that the beast would come alive and attack, like something out of a novel, but… it didn't. It stood still, unflinching like a loyal beast or a trainer soldier.
"Have to wonder what these torches are doin' here. Ain't hard to see in here." Aren quietly mumbled. "It ain't lit, too. The torches back there were though. They must've been lit recently… they forgot about this one, it looks."
"You're right, but they're just torches. On, off, who cares? This place is light enough already…" Marsh replied. "This stone Feris though… what's that doing here, in a cave like this?"
Marsh gazed at his surroundings, showing off the lush, forested cavern once more, abound with waterfalls and rocks… though none even resembled the stone Feris. It was if someone had sculpted the stone Feris statue, then placed it in the cavern.
For a brief moment, Marsh entertained the thought of selling it. It would no doubt sell for a high price, but that was if one could get it out of Garal-Javena. Marsh doubted even Aren could lift the thing, but didn't ask. He felt that Aren may have seriously considered it.
Aren then clutched his head, once more, and fell to the ground.
"A-Aren!" Reece cried out. "Are you okay?!"
"Yeah. Headache's playin' up again, though."
Aren placed one of his hands onto the ground, then forced himself to his feet slowly, his eyes closed… and his other hand still on his head. Aren's headache seemed to be causing quite a lot of trouble for him, and it wasn't the best introduction for a pugilist who had been seeking out fights.
Marsh looked upon Aren, still struggling to get back to his feet. Reece was by his side, trying his best to support his friend by trying to hold him up, though he struggled.
Briefly, Marsh thought about assisting Reece with lifting Aren. But something sudden, something strange had caught his attention. It wasn't an object or a creature, no. It was a sound that was similar to that of a beast's roar.
Marsh readied the Monado. There was something in the caverns of Garal-Javena with them. Something they didn't know.
Aren forced himself to his feet, tearing his arm away from his aching head and getting to his feet. Both he and Marsh scanned the area for their enemy, but they were nowhere to be seen. As for Sariel, she held both ether pistols out and seemed to be in a cold sweat. She couldn't stop taking quick glances around the cavern, as if she could sense something's presence.
As if out of nowhere, Sariel fired an ether round from her right ether pistol out of the blue. She didn't seem to have a target, as her shot simply flew to the natural and green Garal-Javena's walls, where the shot dissipated swiftly. She didn't seem to have a target.
"W-we're screwed! They're probably everywhere!" Sariel exclaimed. It was clear to Marsh that something was on her nerves. It'd been clear for a while.
"Probably…?" Marsh parroted. "What are you talking about?"
Sariel fired off another shot, and this time, the shot flew towards a waterfall.
"The statue!" Sariel yelled. "As soon as I saw it, that's when I realized…!"
"It's just a statue." Reece mumbled, placing a hand onto the statue. It felt exactly what one would think a stone statue would feel like.
'… Is it just a statue, though?'
Something was evidently wrong. Sariel had been acting strange and talking of a rumour. It was evidently something that was eating away at Sariel, without a shadow of a doubt – as evidenced by her suddenly firing at the walls. Marsh didn't know why she'd brought up the statue, however. Keen to find out, though, Marsh approached the Feris sculpted out of stone, which stood guard, unmoving. Standing by its side was the young Reece, who wore a particular expression of fear on his face as he frowned.
Nothing was off about the statue. It was completely unmoving, and resembled a Feris almost to a tee. The unlit torches by its side were strange, however, though they had no importance to Marsh's investigation. Other than the statue's placement in a cavern, there wasn't anything off about the statue, or so it seemed.
'In books, I've heard of monsters which turn to and from stone. So, maybe...'
Marsh held the Monado over the statue of the Feris, its ether blade flaring up instantaneously, showing that it was ready for use.
'If I shatter this statue, it'll show us if there's something up with this statue.' Marsh thought. 'If it really is living – then we'll see once we divide it by two.'
Bringing the Monado and its blade of ether down onto the centre of the stone Feris's body, Marsh utilized all his strength…
But as soon as the blade struck the stone Feris, Marsh had another vision. As per usual, his vision began to fade out, only to reveal a new scene.
In this vision, Marsh could see his three travelling companions and himself. He noticed that Reece was speaking, but he couldn't hear what he was saying, for an unknown reason.
Replying to Reece, Aren called out. "Reece! Hang in there!"
Aren dashed over to his young friend, but something unforeseen brought itself to the forefront. Something that Marsh didn't expect.
Marsh kept his eye on Reece. The visions seemed to have a common theme that someone was hurt in them… so what was going to happen to Reece?
It was then that the unbelievable happened. A white light engulfed Reece, blinding all the onlookers – the Marsh in the vision, Aren, and even Sariel, who looked on… along with the Marsh witnessing the vision. The white light didn't linger for much longer though, as it dissipated in a rather short time, revealing…
Absolutely nothing. Reece was gone. And that was where the vision cut off, which sent Marsh back into reality, at the exact moment when the Monado struck the Feris. All the power he'd put into the strike had disappeared as the Monado struck the stone Feris and didn't even chip it.
"You need help with that? My gauntlets… they'll be able to blast that thing apart." Aren mumbled, slowly and clumsily heading over to Marsh. It seemed as if the headache was still affecting him "Trust me."
Marsh shook his head, then yelled.
"Aren, Sariel! Keep your eye on Reece!"
"Why?" Aren quickly replied back, evidently confused. "What's wrong-"
"I had a vision… if it comes true, then Reece is in danger. We need to stop that." Marsh explained, not daring to move his eye away from Reece. If Reece were to talk, then it was likely Marsh didn't have much time left to save him.
But that – saving Reece brought forth a dilemma. The question Marsh needed answered regarding this vision was how he could conceivably save Reece from disappearing into light. Nothing about it was anything like he'd ever seen. In his previous visions, he'd seen people be attacked by beasts, all normal things.
This vision, however… it was decidedly more supernatural than anything he'd encountered so far. There didn't even seem to be a reason for Reece's disappearance.
To make matters worse, Reece began to speak… but once again, no words came out of his mouth. This proved odd… especially because Marsh was around two feet away from him.
"Reece! Hang in there!" Aren exclaimed, just as he had in Marsh's vision, and leapt towards the boy as if he were a leopard.
This didn't manage to stop Reece from being shrouded in the white light. And just as he had in Marsh's vision, he disappeared.
Aren was silent for a few moments as he looked down at the ground, then back to Reece's previous position, mumbling something underneath his breath. It wasn't audible to Marsh or Sariel.
"T-that light… so I guess those rumours are real." Sariel nervously spoke. "I didn't want to think they were."
After Sariel finished speaking, Aren began to stomp over to her, his metallic boots clanging and his iron gauntlets in the form of fists, as he stood close to Sariel and told her something.
"What just happened to Reece?" Aren growled with anger. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?!"
"H-hold on… before you get angry at me, let me explain." Sariel assured. "I didn't want to say, because it'd only scare you and make me look dumb if it wasn't true…"
"You're lookin' pretty dumb right now for not tellin' us! If I don't see Reece again…-"
Sariel suddenly shouted. "A-alright, here it is! You don't have to believe it… but these tunnels are where the spirits of the dead are said to lurk!"
Placing the Monado onto his back, Marsh placed a palm over his face in disbelief to what Sariel had spoken of.
"'Spirits of the dead'? Sariel, you've been acting real weird. First the firebomb, now this. Just what's gotten into you?"
"You're talkin' about ghosts, right?" Aren groaned. "Huh?"
"That's what I thought!" Sariel responded. "I'm not making crap up just to scare you guys! I had my suspicions, but all I'd heard were rumours!"
Sariel stepped away from Aren, who grumbled once again.
Then it was Marsh who spoke up.
"Alright, then, Sariel. Tell us more about these ghosts."
Nothing else made sense in this scenario. Nothing explained Reece's disappearance except ghosts. It made the most sense, and even still, it was highly unlikely. But on the off chance these rumours were real, then… the trio could very well stave off the spirits.
In the works Marsh had read in the past, ghosts often had weaknesses. Perhaps it was childish to assume it would be the case in this situation, but even just thinking of ghosts as real struck Marsh as childish itself.
Sariel adjusted her hat and began to answer Marsh's question, though she still took frequent glances around the area.
"Give me time to explain, please… I'd like to make this short, but anything less than the whole story will make this seem even more stupid than it is…" Sariel said. "So the rumour goes that these High Entia tunnels are where the dead of the Bionis go, in spirit. Creatures go here, people go here."
Aren raised an eyebrow at the mention of High Entia, but allowed Sariel to continue speaking.
"Some of these spirits are said to be vengeful… so people need to protect themselves from these spirits." Sariel continued explaining. It had become apparent she was using her more formal tone to Marsh and Aren. "Now take a look at that statue, if you will."
Marsh didn't see the significance of the statue, and neither did Aren.
"These statues aren't merely decorations… they protect wanderers from these vengeful spirits. But they can only do this if the torches near them are lit, which allows them to enter the spiritual world and ward off the vengeful spirits. If the torch isn't lit, though… they're powerless, and the spirits roam free in that area."
The group was silent. It seemed as if Sariel had finished explaining.
"What a bunch of shi- crap, am I right…" Sariel switched to her regular, non-formal tone. "See why I didn't tell you before?"
"So ghosts are real?" Aren responded. "Then where'd they take Reece to? I'm not letting anything happen to that kid, and you two are going to help me."
"We are?" Marsh inquired. "So are we waging war on the spirits of the dead now?"
With a sigh, Marsh rested his head on his hand. His adventure had only barely started, and it had already grown unusual, with talk of ghosts being real. Not only that, but it seemed like a valid possibility.
"To be real with you, I don't think it's even possible. Not in the slightest. But you'd better believe that I'm going to give it my all. I'll break the unbreakable to do whatever I've set my mind to. And I want you two to do that, too, whether you're with me or not."
"Aren! That's actually really inspiring to say… and we can't just resign Reece to whatever the hell happened to him. If we're to be heroes, then that's our duty. To protect and save those in need, huh?"
Marsh sat down and leaned against a rock.
"You two want to be heroes? Heh." Aren smiled ever so faintly. "So do I… and you guys are passin' in my book. And if you two really want to help, then I'll gladly take you up. It's for Reece, after all… he's practically my little bro. Larane'd kill me if he got hurt."
As Aren and Sariel continued to speak, ideas rushed through Marsh's mind, as per usual. The others were simply small talking… Marsh, though, was finding ways to get out of their situation.
A series of small rocks were laid upon the ground close to Marsh, instantly bringing an idea to mind. If Sariel was well and truly correct, then lighting the torch near the stone Feris would prevent them from supernatural attacks.
Rubbing rocks together could make fire, thought Marsh. But that wasn't his plan. It was similar, but not his plan.
Marsh was used to making fire. In the winter, it was necessary for him and Lapa to stay warm. His method of creating fire involved an old pocket knife… and some quartzite, along with char.
"I'm going to try and light that torch." Marsh butted into Sariel and Aren's conversation. "I'm experienced with this."
Over thirty minutes had passed as Marsh attempted to make fire on the torch, and failing on each try. He didn't understand what he was doing wrong and grew increasingly frustrated as he stomped down some stray flame that had found its way onto the grass below.
Sariel sat on the stone Feris's back, while Aren stood by Marsh's side, both watching intently.
"Why the hell are you guys still acting like I'm doing good?" Marsh hissed. "I've screwed this up exactly six times. Doing it a seventh time isn't going to change anything… I'm done."
"Don't say that, Marsh… you're not giving yourself any credit." Sariel encouraged. "You're doing a better job than us two. Sometimes you just have bad luck, you know."
Then, Aren smashed his steel knuckles together with a loud clang, echoing throughout the caverns as he looked upon Marsh with a grin.
"I'd bet you feel like it's impossible. But I'm going to tell you one thing, and just one thing. Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it… and if you're givin' up, then you're lettin' the other thing win. So show it who's boss, Marsh. Nothing's impossible, you hear me?"
Marsh looked away from his two comrades. Not out of rudeness, but as to not show that he was smiling. Marsh didn't want to admit it, but Aren's words gave him the drive to try again.
"… That's two things, you know." Marsh notified. "Also… that's ridiculously cliché."
But with that, Marsh began to try to make another fire on the torch once again.
"We failed this time, but… we've got a seventh chance, haven't we?"
"Exactly, Marsh. So go ahead. We believe in you." Aren spoke calmly.
"It's up to you, Marsh…! We know you can do it!" Sariel followed up Aren's advice, and Marsh tried once again.
'Come on… this is super cliché. Ridiculously so…'
Minutes passed… and finally, Marsh had succeeded.
"Yes!" Marsh cheered, then covered his mouth as if he'd said the wrong thing. "Uh, hooray, I did it…?"
Sariel jumped up from the stone Feris with a cheer. "I knew you could do it! And I bet even the ghosts are impressed with how you didn't give up! They would just be laughing at you if you gave up. But you showed them, and now we can get some ghost-free rest."
Marsh smiled, though he didn't hide it this time.
'… Don't the torches ward off the ghosts? I don't think the ghosts would be impressed, but… you do you, Sariel.' Marsh thought.
"My headache… it just disappeared." Aren calmly spoke. "Did the ghosts cause it? Well… that would imply we're safe, at any rate. We'd best get some rest... if we're tired when we go lookin' for Reece, we'll be puttin' ourselves in danger."
'That's pretty reasonable of you, Aren… if Lapa got kidnapped, I wouldn't be able to rest… not until I found him again.'
And with that, the now group of three all rested against the stone Feris, in pursuit of getting some sleep. It had truly been an unbelievable day for each of them…
Author's Note:
Admittedly, I'm not too sure on how this chapter ended up... I felt I should make a chapter, but some things happened and now it's in pretty late. I might do some edits on this later on, to make it more readable...
Also, thank you to my readers! I don't have many, but I'm still pretty thankful that you guys are reading this.
