Chapter 5: Caged in Corrosion
"What do we have here?" The dwarf's voice carries a greedy excitement. His fingers twitch as he examines the floating orbs. "Rare spirit orbs. One black, with white light pulsing at its center, a ring swirling around it, two piercing eyes… And this one—purple, no ring, two eyes as well. A rare find indeed." His sneer deepens, hunger glinting in his gaze.
A flicker of movement catches his attention. He scowls. "What!? Why are the bars melting? Bah, no matter—the magic box is what holds them." He chuckles darkly, turning on his heel and disappearing down the corridor.
"Emma, wake up!" Ethan's voice cuts through the suffocating silence. His form flickers erratically as he jolts her awake.
"Ugh… what happened?" Emma murmurs, blinking against the dim light.
"It doesn't matter. We're stuck in a cage." Panic tightens his words, his body trembling—unstable.
Emma searches her thoughts. "All I remember is… a blue light."
Ethan flickers violently. "Don't worry about it. The dwarf said we were rare—meaning he has plans for us. We need to get out. Now."
Emma absorbs the urgency in his voice. Without thinking, she hurls herself toward the eroded part of the cage—but instead of breaking free, she crashes into an unseen force.
"Ouch! That freaking hurt!" she squeals, floating back slightly.
"Oh yeah, forgot to mention—there's a magic barrier," Ethan says, chuckling despite the situation.
Emma glares. "Oh wow, such a great joke. But do you have a way for us to leave?!"
"Nope, not a clue." Ethan's form darkens as he activates his atom corruption. The barrier warps under his influence, distorting like ink spilling into water.
"I think it's working! Try going through, Emma!" Ethan shouts as his black haze spreads.
Emma surges forward—but just as she slips through, the barrier snaps shut, trapping Ethan inside.
"Where do you think you're going?" The dwarf stands in the doorway, his lips curling in amusement as he notices the escaping orb.
"RUN, EMMA! BEFORE HE GETS YOU!" Ethan's voice is raw, desperate.
Emma hesitates. "But what about you—"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." His voice steadies, calm despite the chaos. "Trust me—we'll meet again. For now, we separate."
Emma takes the hint, floating away as fast as she can. The last thing she sees is Ethan flickering violently, his form pulsing in reaction to the dwarf's twisted smile.
A sudden uproar erupts outside. Several royal knights surround the carriages. One of the dwarves stumbles into the room, eyes wide with terror.
"Boss! The royal guards—we were ambushed!"
The dwarf snarls. His grip tightens as he turns back to Ethan. "Damn orb. I'll deal with you later."
Ethan flickers wildly, the distortion in his body deepening as his fate is sealed. The carriage starts rocking back in fourth creaking with every shack then stops
"We know you have the orbs hand them over or else" one of the royal knights yell out to the dwarfs
Ethan thinks to himself there's no way they are talking about me and Emma right his form valiantly flickering and shaking "there's no way right, isn't this a good thing they are here to save me right?" Ethan questioning what he said his flickering calms done but he still has doubts