As they were leaving, Maya glanced back at Daria. As someone who isn't around often, Maya couldn't miss this opportunity to steal a glimpse at her soul. However, what she saw shocked her.
Maya felt as if she had glanced at something incomprehensible which left her with an unsettled feeling.
'Was Daria even human?'
Her soul had a completely different makeup than anything Maya had glimpsed at before.
'Is that a soul of a conquisitor? Someone who can freely travel between worlds?'
Maya had a hunch Daria's soul belonged to an entirely different dominion of magic. There were so many different types of magic present right under their noses, but only Maya was able to perceive them.
Finally, they were free to get to the well.
After making sure they were unnoticed, they approached the academy's back gardens where they had previously spotted an old well. There was nothing to suggest its existence visible, but Maya reached out to touch it.
She found it. It was an odd sensation, feeling something tangible underneath her palm, while her mind insisted it wasn't there. She had anticipated difficulty in prying off the planks, but they weren't actually fastened or nailed down. It seems the perpetrator who had hidden it under the cloak of magic expected it to be enough of a warding barrier.
While Maya removed the planks and wrestled with her senses, Elena secured the rope to a robust nearby tree. They tossed the other end into the well and watched it vanish, their minds struggling to comprehend the sight.
"Do you think it will be enough?" Elena asked.
"I hope so."
Maya was not a climber, yet she was prepared to become one for this mission. It was her purpose. Even though the academy was currently devoid of students, they couldn't predict who might appear. Maya grasped the rope and hesitated, contemplating her approach.
"It might be easier if you close your eyes," Elena suggested.
"That sounds even more terrifying," Maya confessed.
"But you won't be as confused. You are literally going in blind anyway."
Taking a deep breath, Maya held it in, believing it would calm her nerves even though she had no real reason to do so. With her eyes closed, she allowed Elena to help her over the opening. She then started descending the well wall, her hands tightly gripping the rope. Elena maintained her grip on Maya until she was out of reach.
The moment Elena released her, panic surged through Maya. She quickly realized that holding her breath was a mistake and began to hyperventilate. Opening her eyes, she saw what one could anticipate: the damp, mossy interior of the well. It showed itself. She looked upwards and was momentarily blinded by the light. There, as a silhouette, she could make out Elena leaning over the edge.
"I'm coming down," Elena whispered inside before doing what she announced.
Maya cast her gaze downwards, straining her eyes to penetrate the inky darkness that veiled the bottom of the well. She could hear echoes of debris from their clumsy climbing fall dawn and hit the water's surface. It didn't seem that far, but they reached the end of the rope before they could reach the bottom of the well.
"There's no more rope," Maya gazed up and informed Elena.
"Use the walls. They are fairly climbable."
"I'm not a free climber!" Maya whisper-shouted, terrified by the idea. "And walls widen here."
"Then jump."
"Are you insane? We don't know how deep the water is."
"Maya, you got four elements to bend at your will. Figure something out," Elena was annoyed.
Maya was looking down, calculating what she could do. Maybe she would have enough time to soften her fall with air, but the end was still in the water.
"Today?" Elena was impatient.
"I can't exactly use magic while I'm holding a rope," Maya argued.
"For fucks sake," Elena's grumbling could be heard.
Maya felt the rope above her shifting. When she looked up at Elena, she could see her letting go of the rope and shifting her body to hold opposite sides of the well with arms and legs like a spider to position herself so that it wouldn't be directly over Maya.
While Maya began to wonder what she was trying to do, Elena let go. Maya didn't get a chance to scream as Elena flew by her, plummeting down and disappearing with a splash into the black water.
Maya called for her desperately until she surfaced with exhilarated cheer. "Some cold fucking water!"
Maya gave a sigh of relief. "This was extremely stupid," Maya scolded her.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Come on down. It's deep enough. Freezing, but deep enough."
"I'm not jumping into the water."
"There's no other way. You can jump or climb down, but either way, you're getting wet. There's no surface to stand on."
"Crap."
"Watch your tongue, there," Elena was teasing her. "People might hear you using such vulgar language."
"Oh, shut up."
"Are you coming? I didn't come here for a swim."
Maya gathered a bit more courage before letting go. She told herself, if Elena was fine, she would be too. The drop wasn't far, but Elena wasn't joking about the freezing temperature. Her muscles tensed up and the cold-induced shivering made it hard to float.
Maya looked around and found herself in a cavern much more spacious than the claustrophobic well hatch they had arrived through. Light from above reflected off the water, bouncing around the cave ceiling. The effect created a surreal atmosphere, surrounded by darkness.
Aside from the cold water, it was terrifying. Maya was uncertain whether it would be more frightening to see the bottom, with all its potential hidden dangers, or being engulfed in pure blackness and the unknown.
"Where to next?" Elena asked.
Maya was looking around. She saw nothing but darkness.
"I swear to gods, if we got here just for it to turn out as a dead end…" Elena grumbled.
"Follow my voice." Maya couldn't see Anastasia, but she could hear her, and she followed in that direction. Elena soon stopped complaining and followed.
They reached the rocky bottom and emerged from the water, shivering like a group of wet cats. Using magic, they extracted water from their clothes—a task more difficult than it appeared. As they were doing this, a large chunk of rock separated and crashed into the water behind them, somewhere in the darkness.
"Entering an underground cave right after an earthquake. Brilliant idea," Elena commented.
"I didn't force you to go."
"It's too late for my self-preservation to kick in now, anyway. I can't imagine spending my afternoon in a more interesting way." Even though Elena was throwing criticizing comments, Maya felt Elena was more eager to be here than her.
Excited by the adventure at first, Maya was now wet, cold and in a dark and scary place. It was hard to keep holding on to her bravado.
"We just need some light and everything will be fine," Maya was trying to soothe herself. She rummaged through her bag to find a light.
"I wouldn't use any open-flame source. We don't know if there are any flammable gases."
"Good point."
"I wouldn't mind the Academy getting blown. I'd just prefer to witness it from the outside."
Maya chuckled while getting the witch-light out of its container that blocks its light. Soon their surrounding was illuminated by the bright white light. Maya didn't like how their faces were illuminated from below where she held it, and the sharp shadows the rocks cast now were eerie to her.
"I'm glad you're with me," Maya was sincere. "Alone, I wouldn't stand a second before falling into a panic attack."
"We're just casually exploring the underground."
Maya laughed at Elena shrugging off anything being potentially fear-inducing in what they were doing. There was only one way they could go, and they continued down that path.