Chapter 2 Hail’s POV:

Chapter 2- Hail’s POV

The cave loomed ahead, its jagged mouth glowing faintly from within. The light flickered and pulsed, too steady to be fire, too unnatural to be comforting. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my blade, scanning the shadows for movement. Nothing. Still, I didn’t fucking trust it. You never walked into a place like this without expecting fucking trouble. “Inside,” I said, keeping my voice steady. She didn’t move right away. Her golden eyes narrowed as she stared into the darkness, her expression a mix of defiance and unease. “And what’s in there?” “Answers,” I said, though the word tasted bitter. “And maybe more questions.” She didn’t like that. I could see it in the way her jaw tightened, the way her fingers twitched at her sides like she was imagining all the ways she could fight back if she had her fire. But in the end, she followed.

The air inside was colder, and heavier. It carried the metallic tang of old magic, the kind that seeped into your bones and lingered long after you left. The glow came from the walls themselves, faint runes etched into the stone that pulsed with a dull, rhythmic light. I glanced back to make sure she was still behind me. She was. Her eyes darted around the cave, taking in every detail, her expression unreadable. “How do you know about this place?” she asked, her voice low. “I make it my business to know places like this,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the full truth either.

She didn’t need to know how many times I’d walked into caves like this one, chasing whispers and leads that rarely paid off. She didn’t need to know about the scars I carried, the ones no brand or blade had left behind. This wasn’t about me. It couldn’t be. I focused on the task at hand, keeping my steps deliberate and my breathing steady. Every hunter knew the rules: don’t let them see your fear. Don’t let them see anything. But she wasn’t just anyone.

Her presence pressed against me like a flame I couldn’t ignore, her silence louder than any scream. She was watching me, studying me, probably calculating the best way to kill me the second the cuff came off. The thought should have bothered me more than it did.

We reached a chamber deeper inside, where the runes burned brighter, casting long shadows against the walls. At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal, its surface smooth and unnaturally black. She stopped just behind me, her gaze fixed on the pedestal. “What is this?” “Information,” I said, stepping closer. “If you know how to look for it.” The runes on the pedestal shifted as I approached, glowing brighter, their shapes twisting into something almost familiar. I didn’t touch it. Not yet. I’d seen what could happen to people who rushed into things like this. “Why are we here, hunter?” she asked, her voice sharper now. “What is this really about?” I turned to face her, meeting her glare head-on. “We’re here because I need to know what the fuck is coming,” I said. “And so do you.” She frowned, her eyes narrowing. “You think this place is going to tell you something? What kind of fool trusts a pile of glowing rocks?”

I smirked, despite myself. “The kind that likes to stay alive.”

Before she could snap back, the pedestal flared to life. The runes blazed white-hot, and the air around us shifted, heavy with energy. A low hum filled the chamber, growing louder with each second. “Step back,” I said, my voice sharp. She didn’t argue this time. The light from the pedestal twisted, forming shapes figures that moved and writhed like smoke caught in the wind. I stared, my chest tightening as the images sharpened into something I recognized. The fire-born…shit! Dozens of them, swarming through the forest, their molten eyes blazing with purpose. And behind them, a shadow a figure I couldn’t quite make out, but I didn’t need to. I knew who the hell it was.

My mark burned faintly, the pain dragging me back to reality. I clenched my teeth, forcing the images out of my mind as the pedestal dimmed. “What did you see?” she asked, her voice cautious. “Fucking trouble,” I said, turning away. “And a lot of it.” I started toward the exit, not waiting to see if she followed. The cave felt smaller now, its walls pressing in on me. “You saw something else,” she said, trailing behind. Her voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it, like she knew I was holding back. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Doesn’t it?” she pressed. “Because it looked like you were afraid.” I stopped. The words hung in the air, heavier than the magic in the room. I didn’t turn, didn’t let her see the flicker of truth in her accusation. “Keep moving,” I said, my voice hard. She didn’t push further, but I could feel her questions lingering between us as we stepped back into the cold night air. The fire-born were coming. That much was clear. But the shadow behind them was something else entirely something worse. And if I was right, then neither of us would survive what was coming next.