Standing on the platform, Glenn glanced with excitement at the caves above him. The giant, flowery shape connected each of its petals with wooden bridges, where dozens of people passed overhead with their research materials.

  While the rest of his family got out of the small boat, he walked forward and observed the people around him; they were coming and going between the caves and boats with speed; some were happy, probably due to discoveries or simply the passion of the research; others were disappointed, surely to have found nothing, or maybe it was their last days here.

  "Glenn! Come here! We need to get the stuff!"

  Turning around, Glenn walked over to the boat and grabbed his stuff. After everyone had retrieved theirs, they walked towards the caves. They took the stairs leading to it and passed the security checkpoint. After a few minutes of climbing a particularly steep staircase, they arrived in front of one of the five caves, the middle one, which was surrounded by the other four caves composing the flower and representing the petals. The one that stood in front of them represented the center, the most important.

  "Are you ready?"

  Despite his father's serious tone, Glenn couldn't help but smile as he observed the cave in front of him. It was time.

  "Yes!"

  Listening to everyone's answers, Glenn's dad stepped forward and nodded.

  "So here we go!"

  Everyone followed him and entered the cave. What a surprise it was when they saw its size; it was huge, really huge. The constant influx of people suggested that the interior, at least the entrance, was going to be crowded, but no, there was indeed a constant flow in and out of the cave, more or less fast, but there seemed to be no one.

  An empty entrance, but that didn't shock Glenn; the entrance had surely already been sifted through, and there was nothing left to find. Then he looked up and saw the cave from a new angle, which seemed even bigger. The walls were, as outside, rough, going from grey to beige, with dozens of striations showing the thousands of years of formation. The height of this one was at least fifteen or even twenty meters.

  One could see some paintings in certain places, where most of the people were gathered at the moment. When he looked at the bottom of the cave, Glenn couldn't help but gloat. It was dark, you couldn't see anything, you'd think there was no bottom to this cave, and it was the

  same for the other four; the galleries inside the caves were so vast that they had to open the caves to the public to discover more.

  Interested in the paintings at the entrance, Glenn went forward, stood among the few people in front, and observed. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the painting. He could see a man, or rather a teenager with black hair and purple streaks, wearing a kind of military outfit that is so often seen in historical or fantasy manhwa.

  The teenager was surrounded by translucent purple flashes; one of his eyes was golden, while the other was simply purple. Around him, there were two other people, with their backs to Glenn. He could nevertheless see a woman with red wavy hair wearing heavy golden armor. Next to her was another teenager with long white hair. He was wearing a kind of military uniform with silver plates covering some parts of his body.

  As he continued to contemplate the fresco, a short shiver ran down his spine. Glenn felt observed, as if he had been caught doing something he had no right to do, as if there was a bug in a game and he could access a part of the map that he should not be able to see.

  After contemplating the painting for a few more minutes, Glenn approached the next one. This one was completely different; one could see a man in his twenties carrying a spear, sitting cross-legged and with his eyes closed. He was completely surrounded by darkness, so black that it looked as if it was a black hole and that one could dive into it. He was wearing a kind of white and black kimono with a strange pattern on it.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As he looked at it, he immediately felt an uneasiness running through his body. For some reason, he felt that he should not be allowed to look at the mural, as if he were doing something forbidden.

  Continuing, he stopped in front of the second-to-last fresco at the entrance to the cave; in fact, it was not a fresco but an engraving. In its center, he could see seven people, each one fundamentally different, but only three were colored; the rest were somehow hidden, as if Glenn could see them but not see them at the same time, as if his gaze could not linger on them, while only the colored ones could be perceived.

  'What a strange feeling...'

  The three colored figures were each completely different, both in expression, appearance, and body position. The first one had dark hair and wore a kind of cloak or robe like those worn by travelers; around his waist could be perceived a sword, then another indefinable object, strongly resembling a bottle, maybe more like a gourd. These eyes were orange without pupils. This looked a bit inhuman.

  The second one had lighter hair, half-long and pulled in a ponytail; he had no object on him except these clothes, composed of a dark shirt and even darker pants; he also had gloves on his hands; the right one was worn on his heart as if to greet the figure in the center. One of the undefinable figures.

  The last one had light blue and half-long hair; his eyes also had the same color. He wore a kind of tank top stuck to his body, while a kind of cape, or dress? Floated in the wind. It looked like he was walking angrily towards the nondescript figure in the center and getting closer to Glenn; under his feet, he could see an ice pick rising upwards.

  Like the previous frescoes, Glenn felt uncomfortable, as if a very heavy ball had appeared in his stomach. He felt as if he didn't belong looking at the drawings, as if they shouldn't be looked at. The fact that he had, for some mysterious reason, avoided looking at the figures of the engraving could have proved that.

  'Strange...'

  After having finished with this engraving, where he had insisted for some minutes on trying to look at the various indefinable figures without having succeeded once,

  They went towards the second last fresco, on which he could see in its heart an imposing figure that captivated the look; in profile, the man was wearing full armor that radiated a golden glow. The light of the stars in the background reflected off his metal suit, highlighting the sharp contours of his body. His intricately patterned helmet added a touch of mystery to his presence. One could sense an immeasurable power emanating from this being.

  Moreover, the back of the figure blended into the shadows. His helmet also cleverly hid his face, adding an aura of enigma to his presence. On his suit, there were places covered with bits of fabric, molding parts of his armor. He seemed ready to move with unparalleled agility. Cleverly placed holsters housed his specialized weapons, ready to be drawn in an instant.

  However, Glenn would have thought he saw pain there, as if the pain were barely bearable. Despite this air of power, the back was a bit curved, giving the impression that it resisted an immeasurable force. Finally, in his hand, or at least floating above it, was a kind of drop, or rather, a translucent blue seed, shining like one of the stars surrounding the figure. Maybe the seed was the staggering weight that the being could hardly bear.

  However, what surprised Glenn the most was that he felt nothing—no thrill, no discomfort—just nothing, like a person who was observing what he was supposed to be observing as if he were looking at a painting in a museum.

  'Actually no.'

  No, he didn't feel anything; the sensation was even stranger than the ones in front of the various frescoes and engravings. Glenn felt a kind of warmth in his chest, not a strong warmth but rather pleasant, as if he were in a nice warm bath, which he had, of course, never experienced. But instead of discomfort, he felt attraction—the feeling of being in his place, of having found the answer to a question that had been lingering on the tip of his tongue for a long time.

  The worst was this seed; the seed seemed to move, and even in the mural, Glenn thought it was moving.

  'Pffff! Impossible!'

  After struggling for several long minutes, Glenn managed to turn his gaze. Looking behind him, he saw his family still far away.

  'That's where I belong.'

  With a smirk on his face, Glenn made his way to the last fresco, but before he could get there, a pale blue light, small, very small, like a sparkle, appeared in his field of vision. It was in the dark back of the cave. As he looked closer, Glenn could see it flickering brighter and brighter as a strange emotion ran through his mind. He was drawn to this light that no one else could see.

  Looking behind him and making sure his family was still far away and focused on the frescoes, Glenn walked towards the light.

  'Just a quick look, and I'll be back!'

  Encouraging himself to try to convince himself as best he could that what he was doing was not a mistake, Glenn stepped forward and finally disappeared into the endless darkness of the cave.