The next day they moved out right after dawn. Iris still felt exhausted, even after a few hours of sleep. Her muscles hurt, and the bump on her head was throbbing with pain. None of them was talking. The atmosphere was rather gloomy. Jayden walked behind her, his jaw clenched, glaring at anyone who dared to come close to him.

But as the hours passed and nothing jumped out of the shadows trying to kill them, they relaxed a bit. Even the young Mage seemed to let go of his anger. When they stopped for a break at noon, he let Arlo engage him in some lively discussion. Iris noticed him smiling a few times, which was unusual. He looked like a completely different person with a smile. Someone could even call him friendly-looking, but Iris only scoffed and laughed at her thoughts. Yeah, friendly, right.

'How is your head?' Myrica asked, sitting next to her on the grass.

'Still throbbing. Hurts like hell when I accidentally touch it.'

'I have something that might help.' Myr took out a small jar from her pocket and unscrewed the lid. Her long, elegant fingers scooped a little bit of a creamy green substance, and she gently rubbed it on Iris' swollen forehead. It felt cool and had a strong herbal scent, bringing her some relief.

'Thank you, Myr, it feels great.'

'You fought well yesterday. I was impressed. I thought you would be rather... useless.'

'Why? Did you talk to Jayden by any chance? I'm sure he'll tell you all about how hopeless I am.' Iris scoffed. But she wasn't angry, not really. Truth be told, she was impressed with herself too. She would never imagine she could have held as long as she did yesterday. It made her feel better about herself. Maybe she wasn't worthless after all.

'He is a tough teacher, is he not?'

'More like a slave driver.'

'He is a good man, though,' Myrica said gently. 'He did not have an easy life, so he has a problem with trusting people.'

Iris looked surprised at her companion. The woman was looking at two men conversing on the other side of the clearing. 'How so?'

'Jayden has been with the Rebels even longer than I have. He was one of the first Mages Marcus saved. He was a teenager back then and was sold to Inquisition by his own father.'

'Oh, I see,' Iris mumbled.

'Since then, he treats Marcus like a father. This ideal parent he did not have. I think that is why he is so harsh on you. You remind him of what he was, what he still is. Maybe he fears you will take his place at Marcus' side?'

'But that's ridiculous! I would never....' Iris protested, but Myr only laughed.

'You, humans, are foolishly stubborn. Always making sure to conceal your true feelings, as if this was something to be embarrassed about.'

'Well, I see what you mean,' Iris agreed. 'Are the forest people different?'

She smiled gently. 'We do not lie so much as you do. We find it a waste of breath. Living in the wild is simpler than in your big cities. There is no need to keep secrets to gain advantage on others.'

'Sounds good. May I ask why you have left them?' Iris asked shyly.

The smile dropped from Myr's face. 'We do not often deal with humans. We tend to keep to ourselves and live peacefully in the wilds, where the ancient Spirits dwell. But since the Ritual fiasco, the whole world has been degrading. Your Church is taking more and more of our lands, chopping down our trees and burning our forests. They still mostly keep away, but it is only a matter of time before their greed pushes them to invade our lands. Someone has to stop them.'

'Then why are you alone here? Why others of your kind won't help too?'

Myr looked at her with a sad smile. 'My people are different, Iris. We live longer, and we do not make hasty decisions. Not on the matters that are vital for our survival. The elders' council is probably still discussing how we should proceed in this new world.'

'So, you just went on your own?' asked Iris in awe.

'I was never the patient one. That is my biggest flaw, not commended by my kind. But I am the Guardian of the Wild, and I made a promise to the ancient Spirits that I will do all in my power to protect nature and its holy sanctuary. I will not sit idly and wait to see how the situation unfolds. Soon it will be too late to stop it. So, here I am.'

'I'm glad you're here,' Iris said with a smile. 'I think you are brave. To fight for what you believe, even against your people's wishes.'

'There are things in this world worth fighting for, Iris. I believe we can still save it. We need to let go of our pride and work together.'

'Hey, Myr! We shall get moving now!' Arlo called. The woman got up with a smile.

'That we shall. Let us go.'

***

'We are here. This is the place,' said Myrica. They stopped at the dark mouth of a cave at the bottom of the rocky hill. The rough stones were overgrown by moss and other flora, making the cave hard to spot from a distance. Huge rocks were littering the dark opening. It looked as if they recently fallen off the hill, revealing the entrance to the cave. Myria led them here without hesitation.

'Are you that's it?' Jayden asked with raised brows. 'Looks rather ordinary.'

'I am certain, yes. I can feel powerful magic deep inside. It is a deep cave. We must go in. Arlo, ready the torches.'

The big man did as commanded, and they entered the cave. The air inside was stale and musty, the stone walls rough and damp. There was a sound of dripping water somewhere further inside. Apart from that, the only noise was the thumps of their feet. The tunnel was relatively narrow, so only one person could walk freely. The ceiling was also not exceedingly high, so Arlo had to hunch quite a bit to avoid hitting his head all the time. The sounds of the forest disappeared utterly, replaced by the empty echoes from inside of the cave.

The tunnel led them steeply down into the depths of the rocky hill, turning from left to right. They must have gone down quite a bit because it was getting colder with every passed turn. Iris shivered and rubbed her shoulders. She felt her skin covered in goosebumps even though she wore her warm cloak.

'Is it me, or is it getting brighter all of a sudden?' Jayden asked from the back. Once he mentioned that Iris realised, he was right. The darkness surrounding them was no longer impenetrable. There was some light ahead of them, but not the natural kind.

'Yes, that means we are almost there,' Myrica said and hastened her steps.

The closer they got, the stronger the glow grew. It had an otherworldly, intense blue hue. The tunnel suddenly ended, opening to a massive cavern. Inside was so bright they didn't need the torches anymore. The walls and the ceiling were covered in shining blue crystals, growing directly out of the cold grey stone.

'Woah,' Iris gasped, looking around with awe. She touched one of the crystals close to her. It was glowing faintly but was cold to the touch. Iris realised it was not emanating the light but rather reflecting it. She looked around, searching for the source. There were crystals everywhere. Some were tiny, while others were bigger than her fist. The part of the wall was obscured by the massive pile of rubble full of loose stones. It looked like a cave-in, but Iris couldn't quite point her finger at which part of the cave crumbled.

'Do we know what crystal we are looking for?' Arlo asked, looking around dubiously.

'How about the one in the centre?' Jaden asked, pointing.

In the middle of the cave stood a small pedestal, carved in stone as an elaborated column covered by floral vines. At the very top of it was a beautiful azure crystal. It was roughly the size of Arlo's fist. It entrapped the light coming into the cave from a small trench in the ceiling, going back to the surface, and its many facets were sending the reflected light in all directions. They were caught by other, smaller crystals, illuminating the whole cave with a mesmerising glow. The crystal itself was nested into the holder made from silvery metal, shaped like a floral stem, making it look like an exotic flower.

'This is it! The Crystal of Illumination!' Myrica gasped, her tone full of reverence. 'It is real after all!'

The woman crossed the cave in a few quick strides and stopped at the pedestal. Her beautiful face illuminated by the glow looked like a statue of some ancient goddess.

'After so many centuries, it resurfaced, just as was foretold,' she mused and hovered a hand over the Crystal. The rest of the company joined her, and they all looked at the artefact in silent awe.

'So, what now?' Arlo asked, clearing his throat. 'We just take it?'

'It is worth a shot,' Myrica replied, her fingers almost touching crystal's surface.

'Wait!' Arlo caught her slender wrist in his big hand. She looked at him, brows raised. 'Let me try first. I have a bad feeling about this.'

Myrica rolled her eyes but took a step back, giving a man space to take over.

Arlo clasped his hand and cracked his fingers loudly. 'Let's do this,' he said and sounded like he was trying to give himself courage. He reached his hand and touched the crystal. It took him half a second to withdraw it with a loud hiss. Iris jumped, startled by his sudden movement. 'It's too hot to touch!' the man complained, blowing at his fingers.

Jayden hovered his hand over the surface of the artefact. 'It doesn't feel hot from here.'

'Why don't you try touching it then, lad?' Arlo scoffed.

Young Mage cautiously touched the Crystal with the tip of his finger and quickly backed it down. 'He's right. Curious.'

'It is probably some spell that protects it from unwanted attention,' Myrica mused, walking around the pedestal, and looking at the artefact from different angles.

'How are we going to undo this spell?' Jayden asked. 'I know next to nothing about Magic of the Wild.'

'Maybe we won't have to undo it?' Myr said. 'The ancient Spirits of the Forest created the Crystal of Illumination so the Guardians could use it to protect the wilds. I am the descendant of those protectors. Maybe I will be able to hold it?'

'Worth a try, I guess,' Jayden admitted.

Myrica tried to touch the Crystal, but the effect was the same as previous attempts. She sighed. 'Any ideas?'

'In the legend, you told us,' Iris said shyly, and everyone turned towards her, 'they used it to amplify Light Magic, right?'

'Yes, that is correct.'

'Maybe it should be wielded by a Mage?'

'I already tried that.' Jayden scoffed with annoyance. 'And it's not working.'

'But what if we use actual magic on it?' Iris continued, unperturbed by his hostility. She was already used to it by now. 'What if we try to infuse it with light?'

'That is an interesting idea,' Myr agreed. 'Go ahead, Iris. Try it.'

Iris drew light from the torch she was still holding in her hand, just a little bit, careful not to extinguish the flame completely. She hovered her hand over the artefact and let the light from her hand descend into the azure jewel. For a second, nothing happened, and Iris sighed with resignation, but then, suddenly, the crystal illuminated so brightly, she had to cover her eyes. Everyone gasped in surprise. But it was the other noise that caught her attention – the grinding of stones.

The stone under Iris' feet shook and trembled. She turned on her heel, and her eyes went wide. The rubble she noticed earlier under one of the cave's walls was moving. The loose stones were rolling around and forming a mass that built up with every passing second.

'The hell have you done?' Jayden hissed.

'I don't know!' she cried, feeling her knees starting to shake.

'It does not look good,' Myrica said, stepping in front of her, her bow ready to strike. 'Stay behind me.'

In the meantime, all the rocks finally got to their place, forming an enormous stone wyrm The creature raised its head. The blue lights shone brightly in place of its eyes. Its jaws opened, showing rows of incredibly sharp stone teeth as long as Iris' arm. The whole cavern shook with the monster's mighty roar.

Picture by sammi-jake from Pixabay