The serpent's scream still echoed through the cavern, even as its massive body finally collapsed into the glowing abyss. Waves of violet light rippled outward, crashing against the broken fragments of the bridge. The air smelled of smoke, blood, and something rotten.
Sayos was on his knees, holding Mizu's limp form. His voice shook with rage. "It took her… it actually took her—!"
Lucy snarled beside him, her fur bristling, but even she hesitated, staring down into the abyss where Rika had disappeared. The water was calm again, almost mocking, as if nothing had happened.
Honkai's jaw tightened. He punched the ground, sparks crackling at his fists. "No… this isn't how it ends for her. I don't believe it."
Sayos looked at him, eyes wide with despair. "You SAW it! She's gone! She's—" His voice cracked, breaking off as his throat closed.
"No," Honkai growled, his voice low. "If she were dead, the fire would've gone out completely."
Mizu stirred weakly in Sayos's arms. His eyes opened just a slit, glowing faintly blue. His voice was hoarse, barely audible. "She's… alive…"
---
The group froze.
"Mizu?" Sayos leaned closer. "What do you mean alive? We all saw—"
"I felt it," Mizu whispered, his hand gripping his pendant. "Her flame… it didn't vanish. It… moved. Somewhere else."
Lucy whined softly, stepping closer to the shattered edge of the bridge. Her ears twitched. Then she let out a low growl.
The cavern had grown deathly quiet. But in that silence… there was something. A faint whisper, like voices carried by the wind.
Sayos's head snapped up. "Tell me you hear that too."
The whispers grew louder, echoing from the abyss. Faint words, broken, but familiar. A woman's voice. Rika's voice.
"…Mizu…"
---
Honkai's eyes narrowed. "It's coming from below."
Sayos paled. "Nope. Nope, I don't like this. First she gets eaten, now her ghost is calling us? I'm out—"
Lucy barked sharply, her eyes fixed on the abyss. Without hesitation, she leapt onto one of the collapsing fragments and started climbing down.
"Lucy!" Sayos cursed. "You're all insane…"
Mizu pushed himself upright, shaky but burning with resolve. "She's alive. I'm going after her."
"Mizu, you can barely stand!" Sayos snapped, grabbing his arm. "What the hell do you think you're gonna do if you fall too?"
Mizu's blue flame flickered to life around his hands. "Whatever it takes."
---
The whispers grew louder as if the abyss itself was speaking. The fragments of the bridge began to glow faintly with runes, creating a narrow, crumbling path downward.
Honkai stepped forward, his lightning sparking. "It's leading us somewhere. A trial, maybe… or a trap."
Sayos groaned, ruffling his blond hair. "Great. Just what I needed. A creepy, whispering death-pit."
The group carefully descended, following the glowing fragments. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The whispers surrounded them, sometimes Rika's voice, sometimes voices they didn't recognize at all—voices that made their skin crawl.
At last, they reached the bottom.
---
The cavern floor was lined with stone graves—rows upon rows of cracked tombs, covered in glowing runes. Mist coiled around them, carrying the whispers. At the far end stood an ancient gate, half-buried in stone, its surface carved with symbols that pulsed with a faint crimson glow.
Sayos swallowed hard. "This… this is bad. Really bad."
Honkai's eyes scanned the graves. "The Whispering Graves… a place of lost souls. I've heard of it, but never thought it was real."
Lucy growled low, her gaze fixed on the gate.
And then—suddenly—the whispers silenced.
The gate groaned. Its runes flared. And from the mist, a figure stepped forward.
Rika.
Her body was pale, her eyes half-shut, her movements stiff, like a puppet on strings. Her crystal glowed faintly red instead of its usual fiery shine.
Mizu's heart stopped. "Rika…?"
Her head tilted slowly, unnaturally. And when she spoke, it wasn't her voice.
**"She belongs to the graves now."**