Chapter 703

Liam followed Eldric silently.

For the first few minutes, stalking the village elder was almost ridiculously easy. Elaris was still in chaos because of the rumor, with villagers moving through the streets in groups and constantly talking about Liam’s supposed discovery. Nobody paid much attention to the two men moving through the town, and even if someone did glance in Eldric’s direction, they had no reason to suspect that the village elder was being followed.

Liam kept a reasonable distance behind him, occasionally disappearing behind houses or using groups of villagers as cover whenever necessary. He didn’t need to rush. Eldric wasn’t running, and as long as the man continued moving, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

Still, the moment Eldric finally passed beyond the edge of the village, everything changed.

The noise of Elaris gradually disappeared behind them.

The houses became fewer.

The dirt road stretched into the surrounding wilderness, surrounded by tall grass, scattered trees, and rocky terrain. The further Eldric walked, the less cover Liam had available. There were no crowds anymore, no buildings to disappear behind, and no villagers whose movements could provide a convenient distraction.

Liam immediately became more cautious.

Eldric seemed to notice the difference too.

Every few minutes, he turned his head.

The first time, Liam had already slipped behind a large tree.

The second time, he crouched behind a cluster of rocks.

The third time, he simply stopped moving and allowed the distance between them to increase.

Eldric’s eyes lingered on the path behind him for several seconds before he continued.

Liam watched him carefully.

"You’re more cautious than I expected," Liam muttered quietly.

Eldric continued walking.

The village elder adjusted the cloak around his shoulders as he walked, occasionally pulling it tighter around himself whenever the wind grew stronger. His pace remained steady, neither hurried nor relaxed.

At least Liam was grateful for one thing.

It seemed Eldric was actually going somewhere.

He hadn’t turned around.

He hadn’t abandoned the path.

He hadn’t returned to the village.

The rumor had worked.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

All he needed to do now was follow him.

The surrounding landscape slowly changed as they moved farther from Elaris. The ground became rougher, the trees became denser, and the road gradually disappeared until Eldric was simply walking through the wilderness.

Liam followed.

Ten minutes passed.

Then fifteen.

Then twenty.

Eldric finally stopped.

Liam immediately froze.

He was standing behind a large tree several dozen meters away, his body completely still.

Eldric looked around.

Liam watched him carefully.

The village elder seemed to be making sure nobody had followed him.

Liam didn’t move.

He barely breathed.

Eldric turned his head to the left.

Then to the right.

Finally, he looked behind himself.

His gaze passed over the large tree hiding Liam.

Liam remained motionless.

After several seconds, Eldric turned back around.

He crouched.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing?"

Eldric reached toward the ground.

His fingers disappeared beneath the sand.

Then he grabbed something.

With a sudden pull, he lifted it.

Dust exploded into the air.

A small cloud of sand and dirt rose around him as something beneath the ground shifted.

Liam’s eyes immediately activated.

Aether Sight.

His vision pierced through the dust.

Then he saw it.

An opening.

There was something hidden beneath the sand, a concealed entrance built directly into the ground. It looked like some kind of passage leading downward.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

He tried to see beyond it.

Nothing.

He focused harder.

Still nothing.

His Aether Sight passed through the surface around the entrance, but whatever lay beneath it remained completely hidden from him.

Liam’s expression became serious.

"Interesting."

This had been the problem with Elaris from the beginning.

No matter how much he searched, no matter how powerful his vision became, whenever he tried to see something important, something always blocked him.

Leo’s soul.

The hidden entities.

The strange cave.

And now this.

Whatever was beneath the ground had protection strong enough to interfere with even his Aether Sight.

Eldric looked around once more before stepping toward the opening.

Then he disappeared downward.

Liam waited.

One second.

Two.

Three.

He could hear footsteps.

Faint at first.

Then clearer.

They echoed from somewhere beneath the earth.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"So that’s where you’ve been going."

He immediately moved.

His body dashed forward.

The distance between the tree and the opening disappeared in seconds. Liam reached the entrance and stopped at its edge.

Eldric was gone.

Only the sound of his footsteps remained.

Echo.

Echo.

Echo.

The darkness beneath the ground seemed to swallow the sound and carry it deeper into the earth.

Liam looked down.

There was no visible bottom.

No light.

No indication of how deep the tunnel went.

He smiled faintly.

"Well..."

He took a breath.

"Here we go."

Liam lowered his body.

Then he jumped.

His body descended silently through the darkness.

He controlled his fall completely, using his strength to ensure his feet touched the ground without producing more than the faintest sound.

His feet finally landed.

Nothing.

Liam looked around.

The tunnel was pitch black.

Not ordinary darkness.

It was the kind of darkness that seemed to swallow even the faintest trace of light.

Liam activated Aether Sight.

His eyes glowed faintly.

He looked ahead.

Nothing.

He looked behind.

Nothing.

He focused harder.

Still nothing.

Liam’s expression slowly changed.

"Seriously?"

He had never encountered darkness like this before.

Even in caves, even underground, even in places where there was absolutely no natural light, his Aether Sight had always allowed him to see through the darkness. Matter had never been an obstacle.

But here?

His vision was useless.

It couldn’t penetrate the darkness.

It couldn’t reveal the walls.

It couldn’t show him the floor.

It couldn’t even tell him what was waiting several meters ahead.

Liam stood completely still.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Well, that makes sense."

He looked forward into the endless darkness.

"If the treasure is here, then it must clearly have protections around it."

Whatever was hidden beneath Elaris had been concealed for decades.

The dome itself was already proof that whoever created the mechanism had gone to extraordinary lengths to protect whatever was inside.

So Liam wasn’t surprised that his Aether Sight had finally encountered something it couldn’t penetrate.

In fact, he found it interesting.

Very interesting.

But he didn’t need to see.

Not yet.

Liam tilted his head slightly.

There.

Footsteps.

Eldric’s footsteps echoed through the darkness.

Slow.

Steady.

Clear.

Liam listened carefully.

He could hear the direction.

The distance.

The rhythm.

Eldric wasn’t trying to hide his movement.

Perhaps he assumed nobody had followed him.

Perhaps the darkness gave him confidence.

Either way, it worked in Liam’s favor.

He didn’t need his eyes.

All he needed was direction.

And Eldric was giving him exactly that.

Liam began walking.

One step.

Then another.

His movements were completely silent as he followed the distant echoes deeper into the underground passage.

The darkness swallowed him.

The entrance behind him slowly disappeared from sight.

Ahead, Eldric continued walking.

Liam’s smile widened.

"Well..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"Let’s see what you’ve been hiding all along."

Irina walked through the streets of Elaris alone.

The noise of the village was still loud around her, but she barely heard any of it. Villagers continued talking about Liam, the treasure, and the possibility of finally escaping the town, yet their voices seemed distant to her, as though she were walking through a dream. Her mind was somewhere else entirely.

With Liam.

She could still picture him standing by the door earlier that morning, his expression serious as he explained why she needed to stay with him. He had not ordered her to stay. Liam never did that. He had simply explained the consequences, reminding her that if Eldric realized they were watching him, they could lose their only chance of exposing him. Irina understood every word he had said. She knew he was right. She knew they needed evidence, and she knew that rescuing Mira too early could ruin everything.

But knowing that didn’t make walking away from Mira any easier.

Irina slowed down.

Her fingers curled into fists.

She could go after Liam.

She could turn around right now, catch up with him, and continue the plan they had created together. Liam would probably tease her for changing her mind, and she would probably pretend she hadn’t been worried about him at all. They would follow Eldric together, uncover whatever was beneath the town, and finally find the evidence they needed.

It was the logical choice.

The safe choice.

The choice that gave them the best chance of exposing Eldric.

Irina closed her eyes briefly.

Then Mira’s face appeared in her mind.

That frightened expression.

Those scars.

The way she had kept her head lowered when she spoke.

The way her entire body had seemed tense, as though she were constantly waiting for something terrible to happen.

Irina opened her eyes.

She couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t knowingly leave another woman trapped in that house while she went chasing after a mystery.

Maybe Liam was right.

Maybe they would lose their chance.

Maybe Eldric would discover what they were doing.

Maybe everything they had planned would collapse.

But Irina had already seen enough.

She had seen what fear had done to Mira.

She had seen the signs of someone who had been controlled for far too long.

And every step she took away from that house made her feel worse.

"I can’t," Irina whispered.

She stopped in the middle of the street.

A few villagers passed nearby without paying attention to her.

Irina looked back.

The direction Liam had gone was behind her.

For a moment, she almost turned around.

Her heart pulled her in that direction.

She trusted Liam more than anyone in this village. If there was anyone capable of surviving whatever was hidden beneath Elaris, it was him. She knew he could handle himself, and she knew he had already considered the possibility of things going wrong.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried.

What if something happened?

What if the underground passage contained something even Liam hadn’t anticipated?

Irina’s jaw tightened.

She hated the thought of not being there.

Yet another thought was even harder to ignore.

What if Mira needed her right now?

Irina slowly turned back toward Eldric’s house.

Her decision had been made.

She would trust Liam.

She would trust that he could handle whatever waited beneath the village.

And Liam would have to trust her to handle what was happening above it.

Irina began walking again.

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

The closer she came to Eldric’s house, the quieter her expression became. The warmth and uncertainty disappeared from her face, replaced by the cold, focused look that had become familiar whenever someone threatened a person she cared about.