Luca walked off to check on the horse, brushing some dried leaves off its mane. He found a patch of grass nearby and tied the reins loosely to a tree so it could graze.
While he was busy, the scar-faced man leaned closer to the driver and whispered, "Brother… when the kid relaxes, we kill him. We were careless before. Won't happen again."
The driver's eyes never left Luca's back. Then he let out a slow breath. "Don't be a fool."
"What do you mean?" the scarred man asked, frowning.
"I'm telling you, that kid's not normal," the driver said quietly. "He's reached Harmonisation. I'd bet my life on it."
The scarred man's eyes widened. "What?!"
"You saw how he moved," the driver gave him a tired look. "That speed, that strength. No way he's just Essence Flow. He took us all down like it was nothing. To reach harmonisation at this age means, he must be from a powerful noble clan. "
The scarred man said with a calculating gaze, "But he doesn't look like someone from a noble clan."
The driver's gaze drifted back to Luca, "You think nobles all walk around in golden robes and shout their names in every village? Who knows what they're thinking."
The scarred man went quiet, his brow furrowed.
The driver continued, voice low. "This could be good for us. If he's someone important, this might be our only shot at getting out of this mud-stained life."
Just then, Luca returned.
He knelt beside them, cut the ropes around their legs, and stood.
"Get up," he said simply.
He turned to the lean man, who was still trembling a little. "You. Lead the way."
The lean man gulped but nodded quickly. "Y-yes. This way."
They started walking, the forest grew denser. The light above dimmed as the trees leaned closer, their branches interwoven like quiet watchers. The only sounds were the crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional call of a distant bird.
Even the scar-faced man kept his mouth shut now, his earlier fire replaced with wariness. The driver walked with quiet steps, eyes occasionally darting toward Luca, like he was trying to read something hidden behind that calm expression.
They had been walking for what felt like hours, the forest growing more tangled and oppressive with every step. But then the lean man pointed ahead with a shaking hand.
"There, that's it."
Luca slowed as the trees parted slightly, revealing a squat stone structure half-swallowed by moss and vines. It barely looked like more than a large shed, certainly not the kind of awe-inspiring ruin one would expect from whispered legends.
"This is it?" Luca asked flatly, eyes scanning the worn stone and crumbling pillars.
The driver nodded. "It's older than it looks. The real place is beneath."
Inside, the ruin was nothing but broken columns and collapsed walls. No inscriptions, no altar, not even a statue, just ruin and dust.
Luca's gaze sharpened, "Go."
The driver stepped over a slab of stone, his fingers brushing along the cracks in the floor. He paused at one spot near the rear wall, then crouched down and pressed his hand against a seemingly random section of earth. There was a low click, followed by a grinding sound.
Stone scraped against stone as a narrow panel shifted open, revealing a flight of steps spiralling downward into darkness.
Without hesitation, he made the three of them go first. As they descended, they pulled out a small pre-prepared lantern, that emitted a soft, bluish light.
The air grew cooler as they went further.
Eventually, the passage ended at a wide stone door. It had no handles, only a rough groove at the bottom.
"It lifts," the driver muttered. "Not out. Up."
The three of them put their backs into it, grunting, slipping, swearing under their breath. The stone barely budged. Luca stepped forward, added his strength, and with a final push, the door rose just high enough for them to slip through.
They entered another corridor, the air ancient and dry. It wasn't long before the driver lifted a hand.
"There are traps from here on."
Luca nodded. "Do they still work?"
"Hard to say. Some rusted out, but others," the driver said, trailing off.
True enough, they didn't get far before the first trap triggered, a series of darts shot from the walls, one narrowly grazing the scar-faced man's arm. He cursed and ducked behind the driver.
The traps grew more vicious the deeper they went, blades sweeping from hidden alcoves, sudden pits opening in the floor, spikes that shot from the ground with a cruel hiss. The three men were panting, scraped, and bleeding by the time Luca raised a hand.
"Enough," he said. "From here, I go first. And if any of you try something behind me, I will know. And you will regret it."
Something in his voice made their blood run cold. They nodded silently.
With Luca leading, progress became smoother. His senses were unnaturally sharp. He would pause a moment before a tile, then step lightly around it, or wave the others back before swinging his blade to disarm a hidden trigger.
Eventually, the corridor widened into an enormous cavern-like space.
Luca stopped, eyes widening slightly as he took in the sight.
A massive tower rose from the centre of the ruins, its sides jagged with age. Stone bridges arched toward it from different angles, one connecting directly from where they stood.
As they stepped onto the bridge, a loud boom echoed behind them. They turned, just in time to see the path back seal shut with a massive slab of stone.
"Try opening it," Luca ordered the three of them.
The three rushed to the door, but their efforts were futile. Even with Luca's strength added in, the stone wouldn't move.
Luca's jaw tightened. "It's sealed. We go forward." The others exchanged nervous glances, with their faces pale.
As Luca moved near the tower, he suddenly felt a slight chill in his spine. The chill intensified as the distance shortened further. Luca took a deep breath to push away the uneasiness.
He turned to the others. "From here on, you're on your own."
The three stared at him.
"What?"
"I'll deal with whatever's ahead. But I won't be watching your backs anymore," Luca said, with a calm voice . "If you can't keep up, don't expect help."
He turned, walking forward alone, footsteps echoing across the stone bridge as he approached the looming tower.
The three men hesitated, glancing at one another, then, slowly, they followed.