The smoke from an improvised campfire rose in lazy spirals through the night air of Sylva and Gorr's secret camp—a cave hidden behind curtains of vines and illuminated by bioluminescent fungi. The scent of damp earth, moss, and roasted game filled the cramped space. We were all drenched, exhausted, and in Elara's case, visibly shaken.
She trembled uncontrollably near the fire, wrapped in a rough blanket Gorr had given her. Her lips were bluish, and her once-bright eyes now looked dull and hollow.
"I can't... get warm," she stammered, her teeth chattering. "It's like the cold from that water got into my bones. And my mana... it's so empty it hurts."
I knelt beside her, rubbing her frozen hands. The escape from the Submerged Temple had been a blur of desperate swimming, with Gorr and Sylva guiding us through unknown underwater tunnels to this hideout. Kaelen and his elves hadn't followed us—at least not immediately.
"She used elven magic under stress, in a place saturated with ancient energies," Sylva said, methodically drying her arrows. The elf didn't seem tired—just alert, like a panther. "And the fragment she inadvertently touched on the altar... it amplified everything, draining her far beyond her usual limits."
Liriel, who was examining a glowing mushroom on the wall with disdain, turned around. "Elven magic is unstable for mortals. Their essences are too... coarse. It's like trying to channel a river through a straw." She took a sip of her wine, which had miraculously survived the dive. "Of course, a goddess wouldn't have such problems."
"A goddess who almost drowned us all by activating an army of statues," I retorted, unable to hide my irritation.
She snorted. "Details. The outcome was favorable, wasn't it? The elves retreated."
"Favorable?" Elara's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. She looked at her own hands, where thin bluish veins—like cracks of ice—were visible beneath her pale skin. "I feel... an echo. Inside me. It's like a piece of that cold... that elven magic... stayed behind."
Sylva stopped what she was doing and approached. Her sharp eyes examined Elara with clinical intensity. "Consequence of contact with the fragment in a place of power. Ancient elven energy can leave a mark—a frost on the soul. She will recover, but her magical capacity may be compromised for a while. And her mana consumption... could become even more severe."
A heavy silence fell over us. Elara, our already limited mage, now even more weakened. The news hit hard.
Vespera, who was trying to dry her bow with a dirty cloth, looked genuinely worried for the first time. "That's bad, isn't it? Like, 'we're-not-getting-our-powers-back' bad?"
"It's 'we'll-probably-die-sooner' bad," I corrected, rubbing my face. Exhaustion was one thing, but seeing Elara like that... it hurt in a different way.
That was when Gorr, who had been standing guard at the entrance, entered the cave. He carried a damp leather pouch that smelled of algae and stagnant water. In his thick hands, he held the fragment he'd taken from the altar—the black, cold diamond now pulsing faintly with a dull inner light.
"The price of alliance," he growled, extending the fragment to Sylva. "One fragment, as agreed."
Sylva took the object carefully, wrapped in a piece of leather. Her fingers didn't touch the black surface directly. "Good. This will give us... options."
"What are you going to do with it?" I asked, suspicious. The sight of that thing made my own backpack, filled with whispering fragments, feel heavier.
"That's none of your concern, skin-shedder," Gorr replied, his eyes fixed on me. "We've upheld our part. A messenger has already been sent to Durin. Your debts have been reduced by 50 coins, as promised. You now owe 35. Consider yourselves lucky."
Thirty-five coins. Still a fortune—but a relief nonetheless. Yet the victory felt hollow.
"And now?" Elara asked, her voice a little stronger but filled with apprehension. "Kaelen knows we're here. He'll be back."
Sylva nodded, tucking the fragment into a pouch at her waist. "Yes. And he'll bring more elves. We need to move. And you need to get stronger." Her gaze landed on Elara. "Your mage is a burden. If she can't fight, she's a blind spot."
"She's not a burden!" I shot back instantly.
"In battle, everyone is either a burden or an asset," she said coldly. "Right now, she's the former. There is... a possibility. Something that could stabilize her condition, perhaps even strengthen her against the elven influence."
I stood up, a spark of hope igniting within me. "What?"
"The Lake of Silent Souls," Gorr said, the name coming out as a growl. "It lies within the Whispering Depths, a system of caves beneath where we stand now. They say its waters have purifying properties. That they can 'soothe' rebellious magic and heal wounds of the soul."
It sounded... too good to be true.
"And what's the catch?" Liriel asked, raising an eyebrow. "A place with a pompous name like that always hides some divine trap or a creature with bad breath."
"The catch," Sylva continued, "is that the lake is guarded. By an ancient aquatic beast. The dwarves call it Lodocra, the Devourer of Echoes. It's drawn to... magical fluctuations."
We all looked at Elara, whose very magical essence was now unstable and "whispering."
"Perfect," I muttered. "So, basically, we're bringing live bait to a monster."
"It's a chance," Sylva shrugged. "Without it, she may never fully recover. And with the elves and the fragments closing in on us, we can't afford to carry someone incapable."
The logic was cruel, but undeniable. I looked at Elara. She met my gaze, fear and determination battling in her eyes. She gave a small nod.
"I... I need to try," she whispered.
"Great!" Vespera exclaimed, springing back up. "Another aquatic adventure! This time, I hope the creature has tentacles!"
Liriel sighed dramatically. "More water. More monsters. More work. Fine. Let's go. But if my dress gets soaked again, I'm cursing someone. Maybe all of you."
The descent into the Whispering Depths was a claustrophobic journey through narrow, slippery tunnels. The air grew heavier, and an oppressive silence hung around us, broken only by our breathing and the distant dripping of water. This time, Sylva had provided us with an improved version of the air bubbles—small blue crystals that, when placed in the mouth, created a breathable air field around the head. They smelled of mint and wind, a significant improvement.
Finally, the tunnel opened into a colossal cavern. The Lake of Silent Souls stretched before us, vast and untouched. Its waters were a deep, almost black blue, so clear it was possible to see the bottom, dozens of meters below. Natural stone columns rose from the water like bony fingers, and a cold, ghostly light emanated from the lake itself, bathing the cavern in an otherworldly glow. It was eerily silent. No sound of life, no movement in the water. Just absolute stillness.
"The lake... it's beautiful," Elara murmured, her whisper echoing strangely against the crystal walls.
"And deadly," Gorr warned, pointing to the water. "Do not make a sound. Lodocra senses vibrations. In water... and in magic."
He and Sylva took positions at the entrance, weapons ready. "We'll distract it if it appears. You take the mage to the center of the lake. There, the water is purest. She must immerse herself completely."
It was a simple plan. Swim to the center in silence, in a perfectly still lake, under the threat of an ancient beast. What could possibly go wrong?
We entered the water. It was freezing—cold that burned the skin even through the air bubble. I swam beside Elara, who moved slowly, her weakness evident with every stroke. Vespera followed us, her eyes scanning the deep water with morbid curiosity. Liriel floated behind, making the least effort possible, her silver dress shimmering under the ghostly light.
We were almost at the center—the submerged stone platform visible below us—when Elara suddenly stopped. A shiver ran through her.
"Takumi," she whispered, her face contorted in pain. "It's... it's happening again. I feel the elven magic inside me... it's reacting to the water."
Thin lines of ice began to form on the water's surface around her. The fragment in my backpack started to vibrate, responding to her turmoil.
"Calm down, Elara," I tried to soothe her, holding her arm. "Breathe."
But it was too late. A wave of cold, unshaped energy burst from her—a silent yet visible pulse that spread through the water like a ring of frost. The entire lake seemed to sigh.
And then, the silence was broken.
From the abyssal depths, something enormous began to move. A dark, sinuous shape, larger than anything I had ever seen, rose toward the surface. The water around us churned violently.
"LODORA!" Sylva's warning cry echoed through the cavern.
The beast broke the surface. It was a creature from a nightmare. Its long, serpentine body was covered in iridescent scales that reflected the ghostly light, and its head was a mass of translucent, writhing tentacles, each dotted with photophores that blinked in hypnotic patterns. At the center of that tangle, a circular mouth full of needle-sharp teeth opened, emitting a sound that wasn't really a sound, but a vibration that made our bones tremble — the Devourer of Echoes, indeed.
It turned directly toward Elara, drawn by the burst of unstable magical energy.
"Now or never, mage!" Gorr roared from afar, brandishing his spear. "To the center!"
I pulled Elara, who was paralyzed by fear and pain, and swam desperately toward the central platform. Vespera, in a surge of courage (or insanity), swam straight toward the beast, brandishing her bow.
"Come on, big guy! Look at me!" she shouted, firing an arrow that bounced harmlessly off the creature's scales.
Lodocra ignored her, its tentacled "eyes" fixed on Elara. It moved through the water with terrifying speed.
Liriel, seeing the creature's approach, raised her hands. "That's quite enough! Divine magic of... aquatic repulsion!"
A jet of golden energy struck the water in front of the beast, creating a shockwave that pushed it back for a moment. Lodocra seemed... annoyed. Its tentacles twisted violently, and it emitted another deafening vibration.
We reached the central platform. The water here was even colder—almost solid.
"Elara, dive! Now!" I commanded.
She looked at me, one last flash of terror in her eyes, then closed them and submerged completely.
The moment her body disappeared beneath the icy surface, something changed. The magical disturbance around her ceased abruptly. The icy lines on the water dissolved. The water itself began to glow with a soft, soothing light.
Lodocra halted its advance. Its tentacled head tilted, as if listening to something. The light patterns on its tentacles slowed, becoming steadier, more rhythmic. It seemed... confused. The magical bait was gone, replaced by an aura of purity and stillness.
The creature hovered in the water for a long moment, observing the spot where Elara had submerged. Then, with a fluid, almost graceful movement, it turned and glided back into the dark depths, vanishing into the abyss.
Silence returned to the lake, deeper than ever.
I stayed there, gasping, my heart pounding in my chest. Vespera swam up beside me, astonished. "Wow. It's gone. What an anticlimax."
Liriel floated over, adjusting her dress. "Obviously. The presence of a goddess calmed the beast. As expected."
I ignored them both and dipped my head into the water, looking down. There, at the bottom of the platform, Elara knelt with her eyes closed, her hair floating around her face like a halo. The glowing water seemed to envelop her, and the bluish veins on her skin were fading, retreating. She looked... at peace.
When she finally surfaced, gasping for air, her eyes were clear. The bluish tint of her skin had vanished. She still looked tired, but the pain and instability were gone.
"It worked," she whispered, a tear mixing with the lake water running down her face. "The echo... it's gone. I still feel weak, but... it's calm. Everything is calm."
I swam to her and hugged her, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. For a moment, everything was fine.
The moment was broken by Sylva, who called from the shore. "Come on. The beast might return. And the elves are still out there."
We left the lake, soaked but alive, with Elara restored. She walked with more steadiness, and a bit of light had returned to her eyes.
As we prepared to leave the Whispering Depths, however, I felt a different kind of chill. I looked at the black, silent water of the lake. Lodocra had spared us, but the feeling that we had disturbed something ancient and powerful lingered. And the fragments in my backpack, now quiet, seemed... satisfied, as if the price of Elara's magic had been paid — but the greater debt was yet to come.
We had healed our mage, but the lake watched us, and its silent souls whispered that our debt to the magical world was far from settled.