[NOTICE! A hidden event triggered]

The sudden system message almost made me jump, the sound echoing in my skull like a whisper from another world. I had not even had time to understand why the cave shut down before an arrow manifested from thin air, glowing brightly in the dark cave, directing me where to go. The light wasn't natural either; it flickered like a heartbeat, soft pulses pushing back the darkness in long breaths.

What the… my jaw dropped. For a short moment I felt frozen. I felt a little terrified, but not because of the arrow or the sudden event; it was the familiar dread rising in my chest, the fear that Elira would find out about my special system. That would be the true disaster. My instinct screamed to hide it, to shield it from her eyes before she asked questions I could never answer.

But apparently, when I looked at her, she was confused, her gaze drifting around the cave as if she were trying to find the source of the glow that only I could see. Her eyes narrowed slightly, adjusting to the darkness, unaware of the neon arrow floating just a breath away from my face. It made her silhouette look strangely fragile, swallowed by the shadows.

So she can not see it, huh? What a relief… My heart settled down for a moment, loosening its grip around my ribs.

But the arrow in the air kept on pulsing with a blue light, insisting on being noticed, directing me ahead. Each pulse felt like a tap on my nerves, nudging me deeper, urging me to move. Was this… a game? A trial? Or another trap laid by the system that enjoyed watching me struggle?

I breathed in slowly, the cold air sliding into my lungs like fog.

[You have received a new quest: Follow the arrow and investigate the secret of the cave]

[Reward will depend on the percentage of the exploration]

I raised my eyebrow as the messages faded. I wondered what could possibly be so difficult about crossing this simple-looking cave. At first, I imagined it would not even be that deep, since it was carved into a hill and not a mountain. Yet the system reacting like this made my skin crawl. It only ever showed itself when I was close to dying, which meant something about this place was anything but normal.

"Beatrice, do you think we're trapped?" Elira asked quietly, her breaths slowly adjusting to the thin air inside the cave.

"Maybe for now. Can you see anything at all?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

"I can see the pulse of something ahead. It is the thing that called me here. I am sorry… it is all because of me…"

"Not at all. I was the one who pushed you inside, so stop blaming yourself." I sighed softly. "Let's move forward and see what opportunity or disaster is waiting for us."

Despite wanting to rip the system apart for dropping another challenge on me so soon, a strange excitement warmed my chest. I actually wanted to know how Elira would benefit from this. She had a natural connection to the elements, so whatever was pulsing inside the cave had to be tied to that power.

I, on the other hand, felt nothing at all. I possessed but one lonely affinity that I never even used. With no frost skills to support it, I had not a single trick that matched hers. But it would be amazing if I gained something here. Hopefully, the system would reward me with that and not throw some random item at my head again.

Our steps echoed off the walls, mixing with the slow splash of water as it dripped from the ceiling with every meter we traveled. The air grew heavier, moist and cold, and the deeper we walked, the sharper that cold became.

"Is it just me, or is it getting colder and colder the further we go?" Elira whispered, her body shivering gently as she hugged her arms.

I felt the chill as well, but not nearly as sharply as she did. In fact, the cold wrapped around me with a strange comfort, like slipping into a cool bath after a long, exhausting day. It should have been the same for her, or at least close to it. If someone had an affinity for an element, the element would never truly harm them. I remembered that clearly from the book.

So why was Elira, who also carried frost affinity, suffering from the cold like this? Was my affinity stronger? No. That should not have been possible. Right?

The arrow's pulse grew stronger the deeper we walked, brightening with every step. I still had no idea when or how the system planned to start tracking my progress, only that it watched from somewhere unseen. After what felt like a long stretch of walking, time impossible to judge in this lightless place, the tunnel finally split into two paths.

Both sides glowed with the same faint pulse ahead, but the arrow tugged me to the right. As for Elira, I could tell by the way her gaze softened that her pull came from the left, the way her fingers twitched as if something whispered to her from that direction.

"We should split for now," I said quietly.

Elira sighed, the sound gentle but tense. "Are you sure? What if it's dangerous ahead? Wouldn't it be better if we stayed together?" Her voice wasn't pleading. It carried a steady seriousness that made me meet her eyes.

"Yeah. I feel something calling me from the right. And you… It's the left for you, isn't it?" I asked, watching her expression shift.

She went silent for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes." The word weighed heavily in the cold air. "I want to go left. So let's split up for now. If anything happens, just shout and I'll run to you." She reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly.

"Likewise. If you need me to save you, I'll come running." I smiled at her, but she answered with a snort.

"I'm not weak. I don't need your saving, Beatrice. Let's see which one of us chickens out first. It won't be me." She flashed a quick grin and hurried down the left tunnel. "We meet on the other end. If not, we come back here."

Her voice faded as the darkness swallowed her footsteps. For all her softness, she had her own strength, her own bravery. Maybe in my shadow, she forgot how capable she really was. This trial might be perfect for her, a chance to think and act without me hovering over her shoulder.

I clenched my fists, refusing to be the one who backed down first, and stepped onto the right path. Cold mist wrapped around my ankles instantly, filling the tunnel with a chill that crawled up my legs. A soft chime echoed in my ears as a system window flickered to life.

[Exploration progress: 0%]

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