The night felt short as the sun had not even fully risen above the horizon when they were all awake and nearing the bridge above the deep canyon between the edge of the forest and the mountain range. Arriving at the poorly maintained wooden bridge tied together with old rope, they took a glance below only to see rushing water and a very long fall to meet it.
Orion looked at them expressionless as he spoke, "Alright, we have to cross one at a time if we want to make it to the other side, and I know this is cliche, but don't look down."
Indra smiled cheekily as she stepped off the edge of the cliff, only to hover leisurely to the other side with the wind underneath her feet. Orion then sighed in exasperation as he turned to Draco, "Well then it's just us I suppose, you first then!" Orion then shoved him onto the bridge, Draco stumbling as it swayed and creaked under his weight. He regained his composure and cautiously crossed over to the other side, walking over to meet Indra and waiting for Orion to follow.
"That's not so bad, huh?" He teased as he walked over the bridge with his eyes closed as if mocking a blind man, but the last board broke as he stepped on it, and he quickly took his weight off that foot as if stepping on air and hopped to the other side. Draco and Indra both laughed at him as he had gotten some dirt on his pants during the misstep.
"Those boring wise men are right, I guess you do reap what you sow," Indra said, still laughing. Orion's face was identical to that of a child who was told not to misbehave, "Whatever, it's not like I actually fell or anything."
Looking ahead, he saw the familiar sight of the mountain path, a dark stone track that led in between the steep mounds of earth covered in brown brush and capped in white. "Are we getting close to the cave?" he heard Draco ask over the crunching of gravel beneath their feet. "Close enough that we should reach it by sunset at this pace," he answered dryly.
The sun was bathing the white capped mountains in deep orange and yellow as it began to set on the three adventurers. Indra and Draco shared a confused look as they realized Orion had disappeared into thin air. "He was just here a second ago?" Indra said, confusedly looking around. Draco had no answer as he was just as confused.
It was hard to see anything distinct amongst the gray rocks, trees getting sparser as they had gotten higher. The hunter had mostly trailed behind them until this point, just pointing which directions to take from behind. The temperature began to drop as well because they got higher, which caused tensions to slightly increase.
"Over here!" Indra turned her head as she heard a small shout from somewhere nearby. Looking up, she saw Orion's head peeking over some boulders near one of the mountains. Beckoning Draco, she headed towards the hunter, and in that moment his head disappeared behind the rocks, and he called out from the darkness. She shuffled toward him blindly, feeling the cold, dark stone around her in what felt like a tunnel.
A faint light was finally appearing ahead after what felt like forever in the dark twisting tunnel, pressing forward they finally burst into a massive dark room where Orion was waiting for them. "There seems to be oil in a trough around the room. Draco, can you still do that trick when you snap your fingers?" Orion asked while pointing at the nearest spot to the oil.
Draco nodded confidently and held his strong hand over the oil and snapping his fingers so loud it echoed throughout the chamber as a spark flew from his fingers into the oil. After a brief moment, the oil was set ablaze throughout the room, lighting up the walls and filling the party with a childlike wonder at the display.
The room was supported by seven pillars decorated with purple and gold, and the walls were adorned with unfamiliar murals of ancient myths long since lost to time. On the wall on the far side of them appeared to be a large door ornately decorated, but it only led to more mountain stone. In the center of the room was a pedestal made of the same dark stone matching the walls, with the imprint of a hand on the top of it.
One mural in particular stood out, a depiction of a king dressed in gold walking with a man in white and a gold ring over his head. They were walking through the forest surrounded by wildlife like birds and deer. Although it was difficult to tell due to wear, the two appeared to be friends, smiling in the mural.
Draco paused as he looked at the mural, "Could this be related to the legend of King Midas the scholars discovered on the ancient tablets?" Orion seemed to be genuinely interested for a moment, "I remember them speaking about it once, 'The saint and the king with a golden touch.' If it were true, I wonder how something like that could have ended."
Indra jumped in on the conversation, "Do you really think divine beings like the saints could have existed?" Although it was odd for someone as young as two hundred to think about such things, Draco answered earnestly, "I doubt it, but there could be a possibility. If there are vast other lands, there could be much more than we could ever imagine."
Indra sighed wistfully, "If they are real, I hope it could be like it is in that mural once again."
They took a long pause as they admired the surrounding artistry before the hunter broke the silence. "I wasn't in here for that long last time, so I didn't try anything or even look around too much." Draco and Indra just shot him an exasperated look as Orion approached the pedestal in the center of the room.
He reached out his hand and put it in the shaped impression in the stone, "Of course... nothing happened! Why don't you guys give it a try?" Orion said as he just sat down next to the doorway to nothing seemingly pouting. As Draco walked up to the pedestal, it began to glow and the room began to shake violently.
Looking up, Draco and Indra begin to notice the door begin to form a portal and form a clear picture of sand on the other side. Shaken away from his pouting, Orion turned around to see the picturesque portal opening before his eyes, and he only laughed before abruptly jumping in headfirst. Draco and Indra simply looked at each other and shrugged before strolling through after him.
The man in white stepped into the room after they had gone, looking around the room curiously. "These things were never that reliable. I suppose all it needed was a divine touch."