Chapter 611 At The End Of The Path

Mary finally caught up to the other two after several minutes of weaving through the winding tunnels. By the time she reached them, Liam and Tatiana had already finished dealing with most of the beasts. Their surroundings looked like the aftermath of a one-sided massacre. Corpses were scattered across the cave floor, black blood mixed with slimy fluid seeped into the cracks between the rocks, and dozens of glowing beast crystals lay beside the remains where the creatures had fallen.

Liam was crouched beside the final corpse, his hand buried inside what remained of its shattered upper body. His expression was as calm as ever despite the unpleasant task. After digging around for a few moments, his fingers finally closed around something solid. He pulled out another beast crystal, wiped the sticky residue off against the creature’s own skin with obvious disgust, then inspected the faint blue glow before slipping it into his storage.

Tatiana wasn’t any cleaner.

She had already gathered several crystals herself and was trying to wipe the black slime from her claws with a torn piece of cloth. Every few seconds she frowned in annoyance before giving up and simply shaking her hand, hoping the disgusting liquid would fling itself away.

Mary barely spared the battlefield another glance.

"Leave that for a second."

Her voice came out much quicker than usual, almost cutting through the silence of the cave.

The urgency immediately caught both of their attention.

Liam stood up.

Tatiana also looked over.

Mary took a slow breath, trying to calm herself even though excitement was written all over her face.

"We’re so close to Gregor."

She pressed one hand against her chest again.

"I can feel it."

Her eyes slowly widened.

"So clearly."

Liam didn’t waste another second.

He harvested the final crystal from the beast at his feet before placing it together with the others.

"Then let’s move."

Neither woman objected.

The three of them immediately continued deeper into the cave.

Unlike before, nobody spoke.

The tunnel ahead twisted several times, becoming even narrower than the previous passages. The walls no longer glittered with countless crystals. Only the occasional fragment remained embedded in the rock, casting a weak blue glow that barely reached the floor before being swallowed by darkness.

Mary’s floating orb had become their only reliable source of light.

It drifted silently ahead of them, illuminating the path while casting their shadows across the uneven cave walls.

The deeper they walked...

The stronger Mary’s reaction became.

She unconsciously increased her pace.

Then again.

A few seconds later she was practically speed walking.

Tatiana noticed first.

"You found him?"

Mary nodded without taking her eyes off the tunnel ahead.

"We’re getting closer."

Every sentence came faster than the last.

"So much closer."

She suddenly stopped.

Her brows furrowed.

"...Wait."

Liam immediately looked at her.

"What?"

Mary closed her eyes.

The magical connection she shared with Agatha’s talisman had suddenly shifted.

Her expression slowly changed.

"...He’s moving."

Liam and Tatiana both reacted instantly.

Their eyes lit up.

"Where?"

Liam asked.

"Which direction?"

Mary hesitated for only a heartbeat.

Then she opened her eyes again.

"...Towards us."

Silence.

Both Liam and Tatiana froze for the briefest moment.

"...What?"

Tatiana couldn’t hide the confusion in her voice.

"If he’s coming towards us..."

Liam’s thoughts immediately began racing.

Was Gregor free?

Did he escape?

Or...

Was whatever captured him bringing him here?

None of the possibilities sounded particularly comforting.

Tatiana immediately inhaled deeply.

She relied on her nose once again, carefully filtering through every scent surrounding them.

Stone.

Dust.

The lingering smell of the creatures they had just killed.

But...

Nothing new.

She frowned.

"I still can’t smell him."

Liam glanced sideways.

"Nothing?"

She slowly shook her head.

"Not even a little."

That bothered Liam more than he wanted to admit.

If Gregor was genuinely approaching...

She should’ve been able to smell him long before now.

Unless...

Something was hiding his scent.

Or...

Something else was approaching instead.

Without another word Liam quietly moved ahead of both women.

His pace quickened until he was directly behind Mary’s floating orb.

If another ambush happened...

He wanted to be the first thing it met.

His senses remained fully active.

Aether Sense quietly scanned every fluctuation around them while his eyes continuously swept across the tunnel.

Several more minutes passed.

Then...

Liam narrowed his eyes.

"...Guys."

Both women looked toward him.

"I think I see something."

Far ahead...

Beyond the range of Mary’s orb...

There appeared to be another faint light.

Not bright.

Barely visible.

It flickered softly inside the darkness.

Between them and the light...

The air looked strangely distorted.

Almost blurry.

Like heat rising above a road during summer.

Liam slowed slightly.

His instincts immediately became alert.

Mary suddenly pointed ahead.

"I think it’s him."

Her voice trembled.

"The signal is coming from there."

The blurry figure continued moving.

Closer.

And closer.

It wasn’t standing still.

It was walking toward them.

Liam’s pace immediately increased.

He almost broke into a run.

Tatiana and Mary hurried after him without hesitation.

The distance between both groups rapidly disappeared.

The blurry silhouette gradually became larger.

The light behind it grew brighter.

Liam could now make out the rough shape of a person.

"They’re coming fast."

Mary whispered.

"So are we."

Within seconds...

Only a few metres separated them.

The distorted blur suddenly cleared.

Bang!

Liam crashed directly into someone coming around the bend.

The collision happened so suddenly that neither of them had time to react.

His footing disappeared beneath him.

The loose gravel beneath his boots shifted violently.

Instinctively, Liam reached forward to grab anything that could stop his fall.

Unfortunately...

The other person had done exactly the same.

Their combined momentum carried both of them backward.

Thud!

They hit the cave floor together.

The impact echoed loudly through the tunnel.

Liam let out a quiet groan.

"...Ow."

For a brief second he simply lay there, slightly dazed.

Then...

A familiar scent drifted into his nose.

Soft.

Natural.

Refreshing.

Almost like fresh snow mixed with wildflowers.

His eyes slowly opened.

The first thing he saw...

Was long hair cascading down around his face.

A pair of icy blue eyes stared directly into his own.

Wide.

Completely frozen.

"Irina?"

She was lying directly on top of him.

Apparently just as stunned as he was.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them seemed capable of processing what had just happened.

Liam blinked once.

Twice.

His mind slowly caught up with reality.

Something...

Felt strange.

His right hand wasn’t on the ground.

It wasn’t supporting his body.

It was...

Holding something.

Something remarkably soft.

His fingers unconsciously tightened ever so slightly.

The object compressed beneath his palm.

Irina’s entire body suddenly stiffened.

Liam felt it.

His expression froze.

His eyes slowly drifted downward.

Then...

Everything clicked.

"...Shit."

His hand...

Was firmly wrapped around Irina’s breast.

The realization struck him like lightning.

And to make matters infinitely worse...

He had unconsciously squeezed it while trying to regain his bearings.

"...Shit."

Both Liam and Irina remained completely frozen.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them even seemed to remember how breathing worked.

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity before Liam finally snapped back to reality.

His eyes widened.

He pulled his hand away so quickly that it almost looked like he had been burned.

"I’m sorry."

The apology came out immediately, without the slightest attempt to defend himself.

It had been an accident.

A very unfortunate accident.

Irina still didn’t answer.

She pushed herself off him in one swift movement before turning her back toward everyone else. Without saying a word, she began dusting the dirt from her clothes, brushing at her sleeves, her trousers and her cloak as if she were completely focused on cleaning herself.

She was facing the direction they had come from.

Which was probably for the best.

Because if anyone had seen her face at that moment...

They would’ve discovered that the normally composed Ice Werewolf looked as though she could melt an iceberg.

Her ears had turned bright red.

Even the back of her neck had begun to flush.

She shut her eyes tightly for a brief second.

"...Of all people..."

She whispered the words so quietly that not even her own companions heard them.

She took a slow breath before continuing to dust herself off, hoping the cool cave air would somehow hide the warmth spreading across her cheeks.

Liam scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"...She’s definitely angry."

There wasn’t much else he could conclude.

He had just accidentally grabbed her.

Then, to make matters infinitely worse...

He had squeezed.

There was probably no explaining himself out of that.

Before he could think any further, Tatiana hurried over.

"Liam."

She quickly crouched beside him.

"Are you okay?"

There wasn’t the slightest trace of jealousy in her voice.

She had seen the collision happen from beginning to end.

It had been so sudden that nobody could’ve avoided it.

Liam gave her a small smile.

"I’m fine."

She smiled back before reaching toward his head.

"You’ve got dirt in your hair."