Moon and Selene stood at the front of the cave, both glancing at the small entrance with frowns on their faces.
Entering was incredibly dangerous. Whoever went first would absorb any incoming attacks from within the cave, making them the most vulnerable.
In the end, Moon decided to enter first. The entrance wasn't so narrow that they couldn't prepare for attacks, but it was still risky. If Gareth was waiting inside, if this was a trap, Moon would be the one to spring it.
He wasn't being chilvirous but he was being realistic. With his new skill, he could heavily injure selene if he used it whilst being behind her, and that was a big no.
"Stay back," he whispered to Selene. "Give yourself room to react."
Silently, Moon entered first, his body tense, mana already gathered and ready to cast. Selene followed right behind him, keeping a safe distance of several meters. Having a chance to respond to any variables was crucial, especially against someone like Gareth who radiated that level nine aura.
Surprisingly, they managed to enter the cave without incident.
Moon's body remained alert, his senses straining for any sound, or movement. His mana churned ready, prepared to unleash his newly evolved Elemental Attack at the slightest hint of danger.
Looking around the cave, Moon found... nobody.
"Where is everyone... nobody is here," Moon muttered, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space as he surveyed the area with a grim expression.
Selene shared the same reaction, her eyes scanning the cave. The fire pit was long exhausted, nothing but cold ashes remaining where flames had once burned. The injured woman and man who'd been sitting by the fire were gone. The pelts, the supplies, the makeshift bedding—all of it remained, but not a single person occupied the space.
"Do you think he already..." Selene whispered, unable to finish the sentence.
"Not sure," Moon whispered back, moving deeper into the cave while maintaining his vigilance. "Let's check the area deeper inside, where the supposed toilet was."
Selene nodded and walked alongside him, her staff gripped tight, ready to cast at a moment's notice.
They moved through the cave, checking every alcove. The stone walls pressed close around them, the torches that had provided light during their first visit now extinguished.
After five minutes of thorough searching, the verdict was clear.
The cave was completely empty.
"Damn it, he must've moved at some point this week..." Moon cursed under his breath as they prepared to leave the cave. More than a week had passed since they'd escaped. Plenty of time for Gareth to relocate slowly, especially if he suspected they knew something.
At this point, both Moon and Selene had verified that there was indeed something deeply wrong with Gareth.
The question that remained was: where was everyone? Derek, John, Elara, Marcus, Iris—where had they all gone?
Moon's eyes widened as a thought struck his mind. "The graveyard, we need to check the graveyard."
Selene's face paled slightly, but she nodded. "To see if..."
"To see if there are new bones," Moon finished grimly.
They exited the cave and made their way through the snow to the area where they'd originally discovered the human remains. The location wasn't far, just around the rocky outcropping where the wind had created natural drifts.
Moon's heart pounded as they approached. Part of him hoped desperately that they'd find nothing new. That somehow, against all odds, Derek and the others were still alive somewhere.
They arrived at the site and began searching, pushing aside snow, looking for any fresh remains.
Minutes passed.
"Nothing," Selene said finally, her voice carrying a mix of confusion and fragile hope. "There are no new bones. The same ones we found before, but nothing fresh."
Moon frowned, his mind racing through possibilities. "Either nothing happened to them..."
"Or Gareth already decided to change locations entirely," Selene finished. "If he suspected we knew about the bones, about what he was doing, he might have moved everything. Covered his tracks."
Moon stared at the old bones partially buried in snow, the same remains they'd discovered a week ago. The evidence was inconclusive. Their teammates could be alive and relocated. Or they could be dead and disposed of elsewhere. Or something else entirely could have happened.
"What do we do?" Selene asked quietly.
Moon was silent for a long moment, weighing their options. They were level ten now, significantly stronger than when they'd first arrived.
But Gareth was still estimated at level level 13 minimum, possibly higher. And they had no idea where he'd gone or what his true capabilities were.
"We keep getting stronger," Moon said finally. "We focus on surviving, on preparing for the temple. If Derek and the others are alive, we'll find them. If they're not..." He let the sentence hang.
Selene nodded slowly, accepting the harsh reality. "The temple. The heart of winter. That's our way out."
"That's our way out," Moon confirmed.
They turned away from the graveyard and began the trek back to makeshift camp that they had found the journal in, leaving behind the unanswered questions and the ghosts of their former teammates.
In this frozen hell, survival came first. Everything else was secondary.
So they proceeded to the camp, encountering a few beasts along the way which Moon and Selene took care of easily.
[You have killed level 9 Arctic Boar.]
[You have killed level 10 Arctic Lynx.]
…
"Wow. Moon, you are so much stronger now. Your attacks are almost instantly killing these beasts, did you level up your skill?"
Moon nodded his head. "Yes, I levelled up my main skill a few times. What about you?"
"I did too, but the effect isn't as exaggerated as yours."
"Hmm, well it depends on the skill we have different skills…so yeah."
Selene nodded her head.