~March 19th, x800~
Rain taps against the train window. It blurs the image outside so the passengers can't enjoy the scenery of the Fiore countryside. Lightning flashes, and thunder roars soon after. A loud snap echoes in the compartment as Ria devours carrot after carrot as if the vegetables personally and viciously wronged her. She tucks her feet beneath her, and despite her slight frame, she takes up most of the seat. She glares out the window at the landscape speeding past. Beside her, Craish sits like a sentinel. His piercing blue eyes stay fixated on the door, and he doesn't seem to mind the little space Ria has left.
Across from them, Hunter leans back against the seat with his arms crossed and one leg lifted; his fingers tap against his forearms, and a deep frown is etched into his face. Leflin slumps slightly forward beside Hunter. His mouth quirks up in a smirk as he watches Ria brutalize her carrots, which she seems to have an infinite supply of.
"What's gotten our little Victoria in such a foul mood this day?" Leflin asks.
"Nothing. I'm just peachy-keen." Ria's lips twist into a mockery of a smile. "Can't you tell?"
"Right. Forgive me. I forgot you always look like you want to set the world on fire when you're in a good mood."
"It's nice having friends who know me so well." Ria slides off the seat, nearly tripping over Craish's legs. "I'm gonna raid the dining cart. Feel free to gossip about me while I'm gone."
She slams the door shut, and Leflin lets out a low whistle.
"She's pretty upset. Care to shed some light on the situation, Craish?" He asks.
Craish shakes his head and forms an "X" with his hands.
"Is that because you don't know, or because you don't want to share?" Leflin asks.
'It's not my place to tell you.' Craish quickly scribbles out.
"I see. It seems you don't understand our dynamic properly. Allow me to elaborate." Leflin clears his throat and stands. "I am Victoria's best and only friend."
Hunter barks out a wolflike laugh. With a roll of his eyes, he stands.
"If you're just going to start spitting lies, then I'm leaving. I don't have the patience to sit through your dramatics."
"There's no need to be rude, Hunter. Just because I'm Ria's favorite doesn't mean she doesn't care about you. It's just that her love for me is significantly greater than her love for you."
"Leck mich," Hunter says, his irritation growing when Leflin just laughs. He slams the door shut, but it doesn't close with nearly enough force to make him feel better. More curses leave his lips. He ambles towards the dining cart, his heels dragging against the ground—another round of lightning and thunder flashes and booms. The lights flicker. Rain thrums even harder against the windows.
When Hunter reaches the dining cart, all he finds is an abandoned plate piled high with carrot cake. His ever-present frown deepens. There aren't too many other places Ria can be. Lightning and thunder make their presence known once more. Hunter heads to the back of the train. Through the small window in the door leading to the observation deck, he glimpses mahogany hair twirling in the wind.
Bracing himself for the biting wind and pounding rain, he steps out. He shivers and pulls his trench coat closer to his body.
Ria drapes her torso over the railing. Her eyes are closed, and she tilts her face up to allow the raindrops full access.
Hunter sidles up beside her, but she barely spares him a glance. Suddenly, though, the rain refuses to touch him. He lifts his arm and watches the way the water comes within a centimeter of touching him, but never makes contact. Beside him, Ria is still being soaked.
"What are you doing out here, Dummkopf?" He asks. "You'll catch your death of a cold."
"I don't really know." She lifts a hand and watches water gather in her palm. After a moment, she climbs onto the railing, swinging her legs over, so her feet dangle off the side. The tracks move in a blur behind the train.
"There's just something about hearing the rain that drives me insane." She leans forward. "I need to feel it on my skin." A bit more forward. "I need to taste it. To smell it." Evermore forward. "But even then, it doesn't feel like it's enough. Just experiencing the rain doesn't satisfy me. I want to become part of the rain. I need to..."
By the end, Ria is leaning so far forward that she's nearly parallel with the ground.
Hunter grabs her arm without thinking.
Ria startles, and whatever spell she cast to keep him dry breaks. He once again feels the steady thrum of rain on his skin. She looks at him with wide hazel eyes that nearly burn, her gaze sliding from his face to his hand that still grips her. With a swallow, he lets go.
"Sorry," Hunter says, then frowns. He's not sure what he's apologizing for.
"It's okay." Ria breathes deep, and something seems to settle inside her.
Hunter offers his hand to her, and Ria lets him help her back onto the deck. He pretends not to notice how shaky her limbs are.
"...Let's go back inside," she says.
They step out of the rain together, and with a flick of her wrist, Ria pulls the water off of their bodies, leaving a puddle on the floor.
"What was that?" Hunter asks.
"I guess you could say it's a side effect of my magic." Ria turns her back to the observation deck door. "My mother was the same way, apparently. Normally, I can manage. It gets harder when I'm upset, I guess."
"Alright. What upset you enough to make you lose control, then?" Hunter crosses his arms and leans against the door.
Ria swallows and crosses her own arms, almost like she's trying to shield herself from Hunter's gaze. And while his fingers begin to tap, he remains silent and keeps his expression as neutral as he can manage, though his trademark frown still slips through.
"I got in a fight with Evander before we left," she admits. Her eyes sting, and her throat aches, but Ria forces her tears to stay at bay. "He said some things. I said some things. We were both trying to hurt each other. It's not a big deal."
"It doesn't seem that way. What did he say?"
"Nothing that wasn't true." Ria rubs the heels of her palms into her eyes. She takes three deep breaths. Once she's positive she can keep it together, she forces herself to smile. "It really is fine, Hunter. Or it will be. We always fight. By the time we get back, it will be like nothing even happened."
With a sigh, Hunter shakes his head. He beckons Ria to step closer, and when she does, he pinches her nose. Hard.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"Dummkopf," Hunter says. "If you're upset, then be upset. Don't just go home and pretend nothing happened, either. If what Evander said hurt you, and what you said hurt him, you both need to talk it out and apologize. What are you, children? Do I have to put you both in time out until you're ready to behave like adults?"
Ria kicks Hunter in the shin.
"Verdammter Scheiß!"
"I already have a dad, Asshole. I don't need you trying to tell me what to do." With a huff, she stomps back to their compartment.
"Oi! Miststück! All I did was give you advice!" Hunter stomps after her. "It was good advice too! If you're too dumb to listen to it, then that's your problem, but there's no need to get violent!"
"No one asked for your advice! And you pinched me first!" Ria shouts. A few passengers peek their heads out at the commotion, but one venomous glare from both Ria and Hunter is enough to make them go back to their own business.
"You really are a child. Is it your nap time? Is that why you're so grumpy? Do you want me to find you a juice box?"
Ria flips Hunter off, then sticks out her tongue for good measure. By now, she's reached the compartment, and she throws the door open.
"Thus, I had to break off our engagement, and while Victoria was heartbroken, we have maintained our beautiful friendship." Leflin finishes saying.
"Can you please stop telling people we were engaged? It was for less than 20 minutes and under duress!" Ria reclaims her seat beside Craish, who looks utterly taken aback.
'He was telling the TRUTH?!'
"Unfortunately." Hunter takes his seat back as well, and he crosses his arms once more.
"You'll soon come to find that I am a beacon of truth and honesty," Leflin says.
Hunter and Ria scoff, both visibly affronted with their synchronization. They scowl at each other, and then both turn away with a huff. Tension fills the compartment.
"Wow. You somehow pissed her off even more." Leflin pats Hunter on the shoulder. "I'm so proud."
"Du kannst mich mal!"
"Such vulgar language!" Leflin places a hand on his heart. "You're setting a poor example for Craish!"
"I'm going to throw you off the train!" Hunter growls.
"If I had a jewel for every time someone said that to me, I'd have ten jewels." Leflin smiles.
"Only ten?" Ria asks.
"It feels disproportionately low, doesn't it? I might need to step up my game."
'You want to be threatened more?' Craish asks, staring at Leflin like he was a few pieces short of a complete puzzle.
"Leflin is built different," Ria says. There's a small quirk at the corner of her mouth. The compartment's air is lighter, and Leflin lists all the times he was threatened, specifically with being thrown off a train in chronological order.
By the time they reach Jessamine, the rain has stopped, and the moon is full and high in the sky. The town itself is quiet and dark, but they're not heading into town proper, anyway. Alone, at the edge of the town, is a small information booth. Sitting inside, a young woman with long silver hair and paper-white skin rests her head in her palm as she sleeps, glasses pushed up into her hairline. A bit of drool drips off her chin.
Hunter snaps his fingers in her face. The woman jolts awake with a scream and holds up her hands, glittering silver light gathering in her palms.
"Woah! We come in peace!" Ria shouts, even as Craish, Hunter, and Leflin enter battle stances.
The woman blinks and squints her pale red eyes.
"Oh. Are you those guild mages?" She asks, then slides her glasses back into place. "Phoenix Refuge, right?"
"That's us."
"Great. Give me a sec." She pulls down a black curtain over the booth window. There is a crash, followed by a muffled string of curses that goes on for a while. When she emerges from the booth, she's wearing a rumpled Rune Knight uniform.
"I'm Sergeant Laila Astra," she stretches with a yawn. "We'll talk while we walk. The sooner we reach base camp, the sooner I can chug a mug of coffee."
She goes off in long, sure strides, and the others follow her closely.
"Welcome to the Jessamine Nature Preserve. Because of the steady incline of industrialization, most of the creatures are endangered, and the Queen's really into that whole environmental protection thing, you know?"
"I know," Ria sighs, a dreamy look on her face. "She's great."
"She's certainly something." Sergeant Astra looks like she's trying hard not to laugh. "Well, the problem is that a place with no people is really attractive to criminals, especially if that place has endangered plants and animals."
"There was a smuggler problem then?" Leflin asks.
"Got it in one." Sergeant Astra sighs. "Some poachers were holding out here, trying to catch as many rare creatures as they could. We pushed them back into one of the water-bound caves. Eventually, we could apprehend all of them, but not before the group released a ton of snakes into the cave system, most of which aren't native species."
"That could irreparably damage the entire ecosystem of the cave," Ria says.
"It sure can, sweetheart." Sergeant Astra winks at her.
Ria flushes and trips over her feet a bit. She glares back at Leflin as he chuckles.
"Not to mention half of those snakes are highly illegal." Sergeant Astra continues. "Luckily, they're contained in the caves, so we should be able to catch 'em all. The poachers were even kind enough to make a list of all the snakes and how many of each species there were. After some persuading, of course. Your mission is to go down there and make sure you catch all of them."
"Is there any reason the Rune Knights couldn't have handled this?" Hunter asks, eyeing Astra in suspicion.
She clears her throat and laughs nervously.
"Yeah… About that-"
"The Rune Knights are barred from our caves," says a woman with dark skin and short, curly black hair, "since they were negligent and incompetent enough actually to cause part of the cave system to collapse. I've requested they're removal from the preserve entirely, but I have to wait for their mess to be cleaned up. Then I'm free to ban them for life."
Astra sighs. "This is Director Diana Vega. She's in charge of… well, everything really."
"A pleasure to meet you all. Thank you for coming on such short notice. Normally, my team could handle this, but Sergeant Astra has threatened to detain anyone who enters without her permission."
"They're civilians and unable to use magic. Like it or not, those caves are now an active crime scene. They're not trained to handle this."
"And I maintain you are wrong and making a mistake." Director Vega turns to the four mages. "So? What makes you all fit for the job? What marvelous magic do you use that proves you're more competent than the team I carefully cultivated for years?"
"Oh! Me first! Me first!" Leflin waves his hand frantically.
"Cut that out!" Hunter makes to smack him upside the head, but Leflin deftly steps out of the way.
And as he moves, Leflin's body changes. His skin fades from white to grey. He shrinks and bends to all fours as fur sprouts all over his body, dissolving his clothes. His nose and mouth expand into a muzzle full of sharp teeth, and his ears grow pointed while his eyes shift and sharpen. The entire process takes only three seconds, and before anyone knows it, a wolf stands where Leflin once stood.
His tongue lolls out the side of his mouth, and Ria can't resist the temptation to scratch behind his ears. Leflin's tail wags.
"Leflin Utgard: Transformation Magic," Sergeant Astra says. Her glasses glow as words of data flow across the lenses. "It allows the user to shift their appearance in any way they please. Greater mastery allows for more complex forms. When the user transforms into something, they gain their strengths and weaknesses but gain absolutely no magic abilities. According to my data, he is also capable of Illusion Magic. Quite an interesting combo, if used correctly."
Leflin transforms back into his human self.
"Archive Glasses? Now that's just cheating," he says.
"I only have as much information as you submitted when you joined your guild."
'So you have information on all of us?' Craish asks.
"Not just you, but your entire guild and every other legal guild in Fiore." Sergeant Astra taps the arm of her glasses. "Your use Arcane Smith Magic? Let's see… An enchanting type of magic used to give various magic effects to objects, most commonly weapons and apparel. I assume your armor is enchanted this way. There aren't any notes attached… You must be a new member."
"Notes? What notes?" Hunter crosses his arms.
"Just whatever your Guild Master has added to your file. You're Hunter Damek, right? Himmel Magic: a type of Light Magic in which the purest form of light is drawn from the heavens into the caster, allowing it to flow freely inside before exerting itself when a spell is chanted. Now you have the number of notes I would expect."
"Does my dad know you're reading his private files?" Ria asks, a hint of a threat in her tone.
"I imagine so, seeing as he's blacked out most of the information. Now, Victoria Cinerus: Water Magic. Short and sweet." Sergeant Astra removes her glasses, massaging the bridge of her nose before replacing them. The data has receded, and she gives Ria another wink. "And your file is pretty straightforward."
Ria chokes and struggles for words. Craish pats her on the back while Hunter shakes his head.
"Oh. I think she's short-circuited." Leflin smirks.
"Enough nonsense." Director Vega huffs. "I don't see how any of them are more qualified than my team."
"This was the compromise we agreed on. If you don't let them in, then I'll just ignore your authority and send my team in." The women glare at each other for a moment, neither wanting to back down. Finally, Director Vega sighs.
She turns her glare on the four mages, her lips twisting into a shark-like grin.
"I trust you all will treat our delicate caves with the respect and reverence they deserve." There's a hidden threat behind her sweet tone, one that Hunter and Ria instinctively bristle at. Luckily, Leflin has the wherewithal to hold them back.
'Of course, Ma'am.' Craish scribbles quickly, sensing the tension.
Director Vega relaxes a little.
"Excellent. Come along, and we'll get you geared up."
They're equipped with helmets, rope, and lanterns that will only illuminate their immediate area so as to not bother the wildlife. Director Vega draws up a map of the caves from memory.
"This system was small and well mapped before the collapse. It was what we used for educational tours, but now the whole thing is unstable. There may be tunnels and chambers not on the map, as well as chasms and cliffs that were unearthed in the aftermath. You may even come across areas on the brink of another collapse, so be vigilant," Director Vega says. "We've left supplies inside, including freshwater, oxygen tanks, and extra lanterns. You may need them the deeper you get, so I've marked their location on your map."
They're each also given a list of the snakes they're looking for and a retractable net.
"Pay close attention to the list. There is a species of snake which is native to the cave, and they are delicate. The last thing we want is to capture one of them by mistake." Director Vega warns.
"You're looking for eighty invasive snakes," Sergeant Astra informs them. "All of which are apparently harmless to humans. All you've got to do is get them in the net, and they'll end up in one of these." She holds up a tub with a few holes punched in the sides for airflow. "They're nothing fancy, but they'll do. Hopefully, it won't take you more than a day or so to find them all."
"And what's going to happen to the snakes once we do find them?" Ria asks.
"Some of them will go to other, more appropriate sanctuaries," says Sergeant Astra. "We will return some to where they came from."
"Will any be euthanized?"
"Not unless they're already on death's door. I can give you my word as a Rune Knight."
"Good," Ria smiles, giving her net a couple of practice swings. Sergeant Astra chuckles.
"You really are exactly how he described you."
"What? Who?" Ria frowns. "Are you talking about my file again?"
"Never mind." Sergeant Astra waves away her question. "It's time you all get going."
With that, the four are packed into a car with Director Vega and take off across the preserve. She parks near a large, placid lake. The water is so clear it reflects the sky above like a mirror. Only the occasional ripple on the surface breaks the illusion.
"The part of the cave we used to enter was destroyed in the collapse," Director Vega says. "The only other way into this system can be found there." She points to a small strip of land in the middle of the lake.
'How do we reach it?' Craish asks. Director Vega sighs.
"I'm afraid that will be your first challenge. We've been getting more rain than expected lately, and our boat sank yesterday."
Ria kneels beside the water, gazing at her reflection. "How deep is it?" She touches the surface and watches the distortion.
"Approximately 45 meters."
"I could swim across," Leflin says. "Or fly. However, I'm not sure how the three of you would manage. I'm afraid you've all indulged too freely in sweets for me to ferry you across."
"Oh yes," Hunter says. "It has nothing to do with the actual size of your transformations."
Leflin places his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "I'm so glad you understand."
Hunter smacks the hand away. "Perhaps you can turn into that little fish of yours, and we can dangle you over the water. You'll be the perfect bait to attract something big enough to ride across."
"Or maybe you could flash your little lights and attract something that way?"
"Never mind, I'm sure your ego is big enough to carry us."
"Please. That lake is far too small to contain my ego."
As the two continue to bicker, Craish and Vega watch Ria remove her boots and socks. She ties the laces together and swings them over her shoulder before stepping onto the water. She gasps. It's cold, and a shiver goes up to her spine. After rocking back and forth on her heels for a second, she walks across.
"Oh my," Director Vega says.
Craish waves to get Leflin and Hunter's attention, but the two are too invested in their snide remarks to notice. He huffs, then flicks them both on the side of the head. His armor adds a nice clink to the contact. Before either can retaliate, Craish points to the lake, and they're both stunned to silence.
The reflection of the night sky in the water creates the illusion that Ria is walking on moonlight and stars. A gentle breeze blows through her long, curly locks, and for a moment, she looks like she's flying. She turns to face them, and her hazel eyes glow in the moonlight.
"Are you guys coming or what?" She asks.
"Since when are you able to walk on water?" Hunter calls.
"About ten seconds ago," Ria calls back. "Now, hurry up and follow, or I'll leave you all behind!"
"How are you doing this?" Leflin asks, even as he steps onto the water behind her. He bounces up and down. "Oh! You're controlling the surface tension, aren't you? How great is your reach? Are you controlling the entire lake?" He steps to the side and nearly falls into the water, getting his leg soaked.
Ria yelps as she starts to sink, having to concentrate on regaining her control.
"Stop messing around!" She says, "I can only affect the parts nearest to me. That's why you need to hurry before the places I touched lose their effect!"
Craish steps onto the water next, and Hunter is about to follow when Director Vega pulls him back.
"Before you go, take this." She pulls a necklace from around her neck. "This is an emergency communication lacrima. It will send a signal with your location back to the base, and I'll form a team to extract you."
"Won't Sergeant Astra stop you?"
"She can try, but trust me when I say she won't get far. Now, it only works once, and the signal dies after an hour, so use it only if you've exhausted all other options."
"Alright." Hunter drapes the necklace over his head and tucks it into his shirt. "Thank you."
"I only wish I could be of more help. Good luck."
Without further ado, Hunter steps onto the lake. It feels strange, like a thin sheet of fabric has been placed on top of the surface then pulled tautly. He can feel just how tentative the spell is, though, and runs to catch up to the others. The closer he gets to them, the more stable the water beneath him.
"So, how long have you actually been able to do this?" Hunter asks.
"I've been trying for a couple of months now, but this is the first time I've been successful," Ria says. "It's something my mother could do. She could also part the ocean and walk along the seafloor, and make waves big enough to swallow a ship. She could even change the temperature of the water. If she was here, she would have just made a bridge of ice across, and she could have maintained it for days. She was incredible. I don't have any of the control or power she did."
"Don't sell yourself short. How many people can walk on water?"
"Anyone who can use water magic, I imagine." Leflin supplies unhelpfully. "Or perhaps someone with super speed, or someone who can control gravity, or-"
"Yes, thank you, Leflin," Hunter says.
"Like I said," Ria turns back to shoot them a small grin with a shrug. "This is nothing."
It isn't long before the four of them reach the island, though calling it that is a bit of a stretch. It can't be over 20 feet by 10 feet wide, and there's absolutely no sign of the cave anywhere. Once they actually step ashore, though, Craish finds a hole near the island's center. He whistles to get the others' attention and waves them over.
"Cool. You found it," Ria says. She gets ready to just jump into it when Craish stops her.
He tosses a nearby rock down. The four of them listen, and it takes almost a minute before they hear a splash.
"That's a deep drop," Hunter says. "We need to be careful about getting down there."
"We've got a rope. It shouldn't be that hard." Ria says, already searching for something to anchor said rope onto. There's a boulder not too far away from the entrance, and Ria knots it with the professionalism of a sailor. She yanks the rope as hard as she can, then makes a beeline for the cave mouth.
Hunter shouts, and Craish makes to grab her, but she ducks out of his reach and jumps.
She's plunged into darkness. The air whistles past and whips her hair in her face. Her stomach flips as yells of her name echo behind her. Suddenly, the rope pulls taut and bounces her up and down like a yoyo. When it settles, she turns on her lantern to see just how far from the ground she is. It turns out she stopped just shy of crashing into the water.
Ria lowers herself down slowly, testing the depth of the water with her foot. It's shallow enough that it only kisses her ankles.
"I lived." She yells, examining the surrounding space. There's nothing special about it. "You guys can shimmy on down now."
Hunter is the first one down, and he lands with a great thud and splash.
"Are you crazy?" He grabs Ria by the shoulders and shakes her back and forth. "If the rope had been too long, you could have died!"
Ria shushes him. "We knew there was water at the bottom. I was going to use it to break my fall. I'm not an idiot, you know."
"You could have fooled me," Leflin says as he drops next. Craish slides down right behind him, almost knocking him over. "This water isn't deep enough to break anything but your legs. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a death wish."
"Oh please," Ria scoffs. "I took a calculated risk to save time. If I thought I would get seriously injured, I wouldn't have done it."
"Right. Just moderate injuries are okay." Hunter says.
'It was unnecessary and reckless.' Craish says. 'How much time did you actually save? Minutes? Seconds? You could have easily let down the rope first, then climbed down in a controlled descent.'
Ria glares at all three young men, but once it's obvious, no one is going to budge, she sighs.
"Fine. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about the snakes. They've already been down here too long. I want to help them as soon as possible."
"You can't help anything if you're dead, Dummkopf," Hunter says.
"You're right. I'll be more careful from now on. I promise."
"Good!" Leflin ruffles Ria's hair. "Now, was admitting your wrong that painful?"
"It was excruciating." Ria pouts. Her mussed hair makes her look like a grumpy kitten.
"Now that that's settled," Hunter says, "let's get this search party on the move."
'Does anybody have an actual plan?' Craish asks.
"According to this," Leflin says, holding up the map. "There are four main caverns connected by an intricate forming of tunnels, each of which is about a mile long. The last cavern has been cut off because of the collapse caused by the Rune Knights, so we'll only need to search the other three and the tunnels connecting them. It used to be one big loop, but now we'll have to walk all the way to the third chamber, then double back. Despite the inconvenience, we should be able to search through them thoroughly. Even if this map is a little off now due to the cave in, I should still be able to guide us properly."
"Does that thing tell you how far below ground we are?" Hunter asks.
"Two hundred feet right now, but we should be nearly five hundred feet deep by the time we reach the second chamber."
"How long until we reach the first chamber?" Ria asks.
Before Leflin can say anything, a loud clap gets their attention. Craish points to an alcove emitting a soft light and slips inside. The three of them follow behind him.
The sight that greets them is a small chamber, not much bigger than the guildhall, filled with illuminated flowers that look as though they're carved from crystals. Fluttering back and forth, glowing moths land on their petals and drink their fill of nectar. The floor seems to be made entirely of granite and catches the light of their lanterns in a way that makes it look like a galaxy.
"Beautiful," Ria says. Two moths fly close, and she stands still as a statue when they land on her hair. They only stay for a moment before going off...
And landing on Craish, along with twenty more. Ria laughs at the overwhelmed look on his face and gently brushes them away.
"They're attracted to the light your armor is reflecting," she says. "They should leave you alone when they realize you're not a flower."
Craish nods and shoos away a few more moths trying to land on him.
Leflin approaches one of the crystal flowers and touches its petal. The flower curls closed as its light goes out. He removes his finger, and the light turns back on.
"Interesting." He mumbles before trying to inspect the moths surrounding Craish.
Hunter notices a plaque across the way and goes to read it. As he crosses the room, the floor illuminates under his feet and leaves an imprint of his steps behind him. Ria follows the path he makes, stepping where Hunter did. She's still barefoot and can feel the warmth of the ground.
"According to this," Hunter says when she steps beside him, "the floor and walls are made of Moonshade Crystal, and it illuminates when touched. The flowers are Glass Lilies, and those are Marble Moths: the nectar from the lilies is how they gain their glow."
"What makes the lilies glow?" Ria asks. Hunter shrugs.
"It doesn't say."
"Maybe Leflin knows," Ria says as she runs off to join Leflin and Craish, the floor lighting up behind her.
Hunter watches her go until he notices movement from the corner of his eye. He looks to the exit of the chamber, but nothing is there.
No, wait. There is something. A mark is illuminated on the cave wall. He squints, but it's too far away to make out from where he's standing. He moves to step closer but is interrupted by Ria's shout.
"I just saw a snake! It went that way!" She points down a small tunnel and takes off running.
"Ach du lieber Himmel!" Hunter runs after her, closely followed by Craish and Leflin. "What kind of idiot runs barefoot and blind down a dark tunnel?! Do you even know where you're going?"
Back in the crystal room, the mark on the wall fades away. If Hunter had got close enough, he would have seen it was a handprint.
*Edited January 17th, 2021*