Page 19

SELENE

T he torrent finally flung us, bruised and gasping, onto a muddy bank in the crushing darkness of an unfamiliar cavern. Before I could even get my bearings or call out to Kavan, the unstable earth gave another violent heave. Stone groaned overhead. This time, the ceiling directly above gave way.

Dust tickled my nostrils as I pushed myself up from the cave floor where the impact had thrown me. The collapse's thunder still echoed in my ears, but immediate danger seemed to have passed. My eyes adjusted to the black nothingness, searching....

"Kavan?" My voice bounced oddly against stone walls. "Are you all right?"

"Here." His voice came from my right. "A few meters away."

I turned toward the sound and stopped cold. I could see him. Not clearly, not as in daylight, but his outline stood distinct against the darkness - tall frame, broad shoulders, the subtle movement of his tail. My brain raced through possibilities: no light source, total darkness, yet visual processing occurring.

"I can see you," I whispered.

It wasn’t just his outline my eyes found—it was his presence, steady and unwavering. In the dark, stripped of everything else, it felt like I was seeing Kavan clearly for the first time. Not as a protector. Not as a mystery. But as someone who had become a constant in a life full of chaos.

"As I can see you." He moved closer, and his face emerged from shadow - sharp cheekbones, the concerned set of his mouth. "Your markings."

I looked down at my arms. The silver patterns emitted a soft radiance, not enough to light the cave, but sufficient to outline my form. "They've never done this before," I said, turning my hands over to examine the delicate whorls across my palms.

"More than knowledge transfer or communication," Kavan traced one shimmering line along my forearm. "Adaptation to environment." The touch sent electricity through my spine. Since our connection in the facility, every contact between us resonated deeper.

"Another ability the markings unlocked? Hammond would love that confirmation." My laugh echoed bitter and hollow.

"You see differently now?" he asked.

"Not like daylight. More like... thermal imaging with depth perception." I stretched my hand forward, noting how objects registered as distinct shapes. "I can make out forms, contours."

"The Nyxari adapted to hunt in darkness long ago." Kavan surveyed our surroundings. "Our vision perceives heat signatures and movement patterns."

I focused beyond us. The cavern branched in multiple directions, jagged formations hanging from the ceiling. The ground sloped downward, and a steady trickling sound caught my attention.

"Water," I pointed toward the sound. "Underground river system?"

Kavan nodded. "Rivers typically lead outward. Toward daylight."

I stood, brushing dust from my clothes. "Then that's our path."

At the water's edge, I noted its flow speed - too fast for wading, but the direction seemed promising. "We follow alongside," Kavan motioned to a narrow path hugging the cavern wall. "Water seeks the path of least resistance. It may lead us to an exit."

The riverbank proved treacherous - slick with minerals and uneven. My medical brain cataloged risks: fall hazard, possible fractures, hypothermia if submerged. I pushed away Hammond's voice in my head: This is what happens when you trust aliens .

After twenty minutes of careful progress, Kavan halted. His tail stiffened, one hand raised. I stopped instantly.

"What?" I whispered.

"Movement. Not water." He pointed ahead where the path widened into a small chamber. "Many lifeforms."

I squinted, focusing my new vision. Shapes moved along the chamber edges - pale, elongated bodies slithering across stone. As my perception sharpened, details emerged - slick, almost translucent skin, no discernible eyes, and mouths filled with needle-like teeth.

"Cave lurkers," Kavan murmured. "Blind hunters that sense vibration. Highly territorial."

My medical mind analyzed. "No eyes, so they developed alternative sensory systems. Lateral line organs like Earth fish, perhaps."

"Step exactly where I step," Kavan instructed. "Minimal pressure. Slow movement." He demonstrated, placing his foot with deliberate care, then transferring weight gradually. I mimicked his movements, hyperaware of every muscle. The creatures ahead continued their restless patrol.

That's when I noticed it. "They're avoiding something."

Kavan paused. "Explain."

"Look at their movement." I pointed to the nearest lurker. "They all curve around those outcroppings." Crystalline formations jutted from the wall at irregular intervals - pale blue deposits that showed faintly. None of the creatures ventured within a meter of the crystals.

"Minerals they find repulsive? Or harmful to them?" Kavan studied the pattern.

"We can use them as waypoints." I analyzed the chamber. "A path connecting those deposits would keep us furthest from their hunting grounds."

Kavan nodded. "Sharp observation."

We plotted our course, moving from crystal formation to crystal formation with painstaking precision. Each step demanded total concentration - too much pressure might send vibrations through stone.

We'd almost reached the chamber's far side when my foot slipped on a slick patch. My leg shot forward, scraping against stone with a faint but distinct sound.

The effect was immediate. Every lurker in the chamber froze, then oriented toward us, mouths gaping.

"Run," Kavan abandoned stealth for speed. The creatures moved with terrifying quickness, slithering across rock and ceiling. Three lunged from above while two more cut off our exit path.

Kavan stepped in front of me, his body shifting subtly - shoulders widening, spine straightening. The warrior stance emerged fully. His tail whipped through air, connecting with the first lurker mid-lunge. The impact sent it flying against the cavern wall. Another creature latched onto his arm, needle teeth sinking into emerald skin. Without hesitation, Kavan grabbed it behind the head, squeezing until something cracked. Viscous blue fluid spurted from the creature's mouth as he tore it off and flung it away.

I grabbed a crystal formation, breaking off a jagged shard. When a lurker launched itself at me, I drove the crystal into its body. It convulsed upon contact, then went limp.

"The crystals are toxic to them," I called out.

Kavan understood immediately. He broke off another shard, using it to slice through the next attacker. The remaining lurkers retreated, slithering into crevices.

I knelt beside one of the fallen creatures, medical curiosity overcoming revulsion. The blue fluid leaking from its wounds smelled familiar—acrid yet medicinal. "Kavan, this composition... it's structurally similar to the Luraxi Fever treatment." He crouched beside me, examining it briefly. "Potential anticoagulant properties as well."

"I need a sample," I said, quickly retrieving a container from my medical kit. While I collected the fluid, Kavan stood guard. "Nature provides what healers require, even in darkness," he observed quietly. I secured the container. "Let's hope Hammond never finds out."

A distant rumble interrupted our contemplation - deep and ominous, vibrating through the stone beneath us.

"Seismic activity," Kavan warned. "Increasing."

The rumble grew to a roar. Small stones skittered across the cavern floor as the entire passage shook. Cracks appeared in the ceiling.

"Move!" Kavan grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the exit passage as a section of ceiling collapsed behind us. The underground river surged with sudden force. Water level rose visibly, swallowing the path we'd traveled. The tremors intensified, driving us deeper into the tunnel system as water chased at our heels.

"Higher ground," I gasped as ice-cold water reached our ankles. The temperature indicated deep underground origins, possibly glacial meltwater. The tunnel branched ahead. One path sloped downward - now a rushing waterway. The other angled upward at a steep incline.

"There!" Kavan pointed to the ascending passage. As we climbed, I noticed markings carved into the rock wall - symbols similar to those we'd encountered in the medical facility, but older, more primitive versions.

"Nyxari writings," Kavan traced the symbols with his fingers. "Ancient dialect."

"Can you read them?"

He tilted his head, studying the markings. "Directional indicators. And... warnings? No, guidance. Toward something sacred."

Water surged below us, filling the lower passages entirely. The climbing path narrowed, occasionally branching. At each junction, Kavan examined the wall markings to determine our route. "The symbols grow more elaborate," he observed as we proceeded. "More precisely carved. We approach something significant."

The passage widened suddenly, opening into a vast underground cavern. My enhanced vision barely perceived its boundaries. Water rushed in from multiple tunnels, the level steadily rising.

"There." Kavan pointed across the expanse. Structures rose from the cavern floor - not natural formations but constructed ruins. Angular buildings of unfamiliar design, partially collapsed but unmistakably artificial.

"A Nyxari outpost?" I asked, already moving toward the ruins. Water now covered the lower third of the cavern, with more pouring in by the second.

"Research station, perhaps. The symbols suggest a place of learning."

We raced across the uneven cavern floor, leaping from rock to rock as water claimed more territory. The ruins drew closer, tantalizingly elevated from the flood.

Then we hit the obstacle. Between us and the ruins gaped a massive chasm - at least fifteen meters across, with sheer rock faces descending into darkness. The remnants of a stone bridge jutted a few meters from either side, the center long since collapsed.

"No way across," I said, assessing the gap. My medical training calculated the drop - over forty meters, unsurvivable.

Kavan studied the chasm walls. "Look there. Handholds. Carved intentionally." I followed his gaze. Small indentations marked the rock face in a horizontal line, continuing around the chasm perimeter.

"A maintenance path?" I suggested.

"For guardians who couldn't fly, yes." Kavan moved to the edge, testing the first handhold. "Secure enough for my weight."

"And mine?"

"We'll discover that." He offered his hand. "I'll go first."

The crossing became a nightmare exercise in upper body strength. Each handhold required stretching to my limit, fingers cramping as I supported my weight. Kavan moved ahead with greater ease, his tall frame allowing faster progress.

"Don't look down," he advised. "Focus on the next hold."

Halfway across, disaster struck. The handhold beneath my right hand crumbled at my touch. For one sickening moment, I hung by one hand, legs swinging over the abyss.

"Kavan!" My voice emerged as a strangled gasp.

In an instant, something strong and flexible wrapped around my waist - his tail, extending to its full length. It tightened, supporting my weight as my fingers slipped.

"Grab the next hold," he instructed, voice taut with effort. I swung my free hand up, found purchase, and pulled myself back against the wall. "Thank you," I panted, heart hammering against my ribs.

"We continue." His tail unwound slowly, ensuring I had stable footing.

The final section presented a gap too wide for handholds. A meter-wide ledge waited on the far side, leading to the ruins, but required a leap across open space.

"I can't make that jump," I admitted after calculating the distance against my capabilities.

"Not alone," Kavan agreed. "Together, however..." He positioned himself on the final handhold. "Your weight distribution combined with mine. I push off, pulling you along. My tail provides counterbalance."

The physics seemed dubious, but the water below had risen to just meters beneath us. If we fell now, the impact might not kill us - but the cold and current might.

"On three?" I asked.

"One movement," he corrected. "Feel my timing through the contact." His tail wrapped around my waist again. Our eyes met, and something passed between us - trust, or perhaps resignation to our shared fate.

Kavan tensed, muscles coiling. I mimicked his posture. Then he pushed off, pulling me through the air beside him. For one endless moment, we hung suspended over darkness.

We hit the ledge hard, rolling to absorb impact. Pain flared in my shoulder, but all limbs remained functional. We'd made it.

"Medical assessment?" Kavan helped me to my feet.

"Bruised, not broken." I rotated my shoulder, wincing. "You?"

"Functional." He led the way up the ledge toward the ruins.

The structures looked even more alien up close - built from a material similar to the facility we'd found earlier, but weathered by time. We found shelter beneath an arched doorway as water continued to fill the cavern.

"Safe, for now," Kavan settled beside me against a wall. "Until the water recedes."

The adrenaline crash hit me hard. I slumped down, shaking with delayed reaction.

"My markings saved us," I said, looking at the silver patterns still showing faintly. "This vision ability."

"They respond to your needs," Kavan observed. "Adaptation."

"That's what scares me." I traced one silvery line across my wrist. "How much adaptation before I'm no longer... me? No longer human?"

Kavan considered this. "What defines human? Physical form alone?"

"No, but..." I struggled to articulate the fear. "Hammond says the markings are changing us. Making us loyal to Nyxari. What if he's right? What if I'm losing myself without realizing it?"

"Is Kavan still Kavan if his path differs from typical Nyxari?" he asked, surprising me with the third-person reference.

"What do you mean?"

"My ancestors were warriors all." His golden eyes reflected my silver markings. "First males of my lineage chosen for hunting bands for generations. My father - renowned fighter, leader of raids against dangerous predators. He expected the same of me."

"But you chose healing."

"I chose what called to me. What felt true." His hand found mine. "Does this make me less Nyxari?"

The conviction in his voice soothed a fear I hadn’t dared name. That changing didn’t mean erasure. That I could grow, adapt, connect deeply with someone like him—and still be wholly myself.

"No," I admitted. "Just a different kind of Nyxari."

"And you - a doctor who follows evidence even when authorities deny it. Who risks safety for truth. Are these not human traits? Admirable ones?"

The logic penetrated my fears. "You're saying the changes don't erase what I fundamentally am."

"Consider the tree adapting to wind – it bends, grows stronger, but remains a tree," he said softly. "Your essence is unchanged."

His words touched something deep within me. The shared understanding between us felt profound, as though he'd articulated something I'd always known but never expressed.

I leaned forward, drawn by impulse rather than thought. Our lips met - gentler than our desperate kiss in the cave, but no less intense. His hand slid to my neck, cradling my head with surprising tenderness. The kiss deepened, my body responding with instantaneous heat. My markings shimmered, matching the golden warmth that spread beneath his emerald skin. Where our bodies touched, silver and gold patterns seemed to reach for each other.

"," he murmured against my mouth. The way he pronounced my name - with reverence, with desire - unraveled my remaining hesitations. My hands explored the unfamiliar contours of his chest, finding the hard planes of muscle beneath. His tail curled around my leg, drawing me closer.

Time suspended as we learned each other through touch, through taste. The ruins around us, the danger we'd escaped, all receded before this more immediate reality.

Later, wrapped in his arms, I studied our surroundings with renewed clarity. The architecture told a story of sophistication beyond what I'd seen of current Nyxari settlements.

"What happened to your people?" I asked. "To lose all this?"

"The Great Division," Kavan replied, his hand tracing patterns on my back. "Civil war between factions with different visions for our future. One side seeking domination, the other preservation. The destruction was... complete."

I nodded against his chest. "Like humans. We nearly destroyed ourselves a dozen times. Maybe that's the true test of intelligent species - learning not to annihilate ourselves."

We dressed slowly, reluctant to break the intimate bubble we'd created. As Kavan helped me to my feet, his attention shifted to something beyond me.

"There," he moved toward the intact section of the ruins. "A sealed doorway."

The door stood twice his height, made of material that had resisted erosion far better than the surrounding structure. Most striking were the markings etched into its surface - intricate patterns that mirrored those on my skin and his.

"Healer markings," Kavan touched the door with reverence. "And master patterns. Sacred knowledge."

I placed my hand beside his on the cool surface. Where our hands rested, the door's markings began to show faint light - silver and gold spreading outward in synchronous waves.

A seam appeared down the center of the door, widening with a soft hissing sound. Beyond lay a chamber unlike the weathered ruins—pristine, as though sealed away from time itself.

"After you," Kavan said softly.

We stepped through together. The moment we crossed the threshold, the door sealed behind us with a decisive click.