The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

Nianshi's eyes blackened, looking at the narrow opening Xinyi found because he felt a pulsing power inside. Xinyi sensed the same, but what she specifically sensed was an inviting power, calling her to go. But the path was so confined, only one person standing sideways could walk in. 

"My lady, be careful. Let me go in first," Nianshi said as he went near Xinyi who was staring at the path.

"No, let me," Ming pulled Xinyi and was about to walk in but Lofey came instead and tried to walk in but his bulky body couldn't go through.

"Damn this path. Why so tight? We need Tyriece now."

"Do you mean we will take another two rounds against those things so we can bring Tyriece in?" asked Sir Gib, troubled to have another intense fight when they needed to save their energies for whatever awaited them in that narrow path. He even preferred to go out, leave this place, and not come back.

Old Lofey sighed. He regretted leaving the rock Chiangda behind. 

"There's nothing we can do now." Ming said, observing the tight road. Sir Balin lit up a fire to look what beyond the passage. All of them huddled at the opening. What they saw was a long and cramped dark passage between rugged stone walls. It would turn right a bend and they couldn't see beyond it.

Sir Gib gulped, unsure if he wanted to walk in. He rather fights in an open field where he could move more easily than in a narrow one. Chances for winning a battle were slim this way. He could blow those spirits, but what if they directly come right at him from the wall? 

He recalled when the team came in; the spirits avoided them and only focused on Xinyi, in a reason they didn't know why. But later, they started to strike at them. He was even hit on his left hand and a stinging pain throbbed on it every time he used his wind. He now only used his right hand because of it. Good thing he was right-handed.

He also had a pregnant wife and a two-year-old son waiting for him. This made him more reluctant to go in.

Sir Balin knew of his painful hand and his family... and felt bad for him. "Gib, just stay here with the general if you're unsure." And patted the man's shoulder.

The consoled man was relieved, but the general wanted to burst in anger with that statement but knew there was nothing he could do.

"Yahhh!" He vented his anger by slashing his sword on a wall to dig an emerald stone out. Dust barred his vision while his disappointment filled his chest. He leaned on the wall as a stone popped out and fell on the ground.

"Don't be angry, big brother. There's nothing we can do now but adjust with the situation," said Ming, trying to console the old general.

General Lofey picked the stone and stared at it. "Go now and come back alive or I will blow this damn place down," he said as he firmly clutched the stone.

"We will. Don't worry," Ming said and waved a hand, gesturing the others to go in. 

As Ming was about to walk in, "Wait!" Ming turned and received a huge hug from the general while placing the stone on Ming's coat pocket. "Keep safe." He also hugged the rest, including Nianshi until he reached Xinyi and only stared at the lady. "You fight well." He shyly pulled her hand and softly shook it. "Please take care, madame." 

"I will. Please, take care too." Xinyi sweetly smiled at the big man. That smile slightly relieved the man from apprehension. 

Sir Balin led with his fire, followed by Nianshi, Xinyi, and Ming. They silently walked sideways to the path.

----- o ----

Mafan was walking sideways in the same path with a longer distance from the group, but with no light. He kept on murmuring, "Follow the narrow path until you reach the white hall." Then two ghouls came out from the wall, trying to hit him but moved back right after, afraid of something he wore. 

The place was getting hot and dry. His hands and back were muddy because of sweat combined with the dirt. Slowly the path ahead became brighter. A huge grin on his face showed, thinking he had reached his destination.  As he stepped out into a wider path, a heat wave struck his face.

"Ah," he gasped and hurriedly moved back. Before him was a lake of smoking and bubbling blue water, probably a hundred yards wide. 

"What is this? This was not written in the diary." 

He looked around and only saw a path enough for a man to walk but wider this time around the pool. He sighed in relief, knowing didn't need to walk sideways. 

When his eyes went to his right, his lips curved up because he saw a cavern entrance but a misty path was ahead of him before reaching that door. He examined the place again and saw the misty path was the nearer way. Thus, he took it. 

He directly walked toward it, thinking he could bear the heat with the short distance. But after taking his fifth step, he suddenly stopped, jumping right back. His body leaned on the wall to relax from the fright but hissed and jumped away. The wall at that area was steaming hot. 

He looked down where he was supposed to walk on, where the smoke came from, and saw a deep cliff where the blue water slowly moved. Mafan thought it was a waterfall of blue water, but as he looked closely, it was going the opposite way. 

"What kind of magic is this?" He looked down at his feet and kicked some pebbles to the moving liquid. He sucked in hot air to see the tiny rocks dissolved into nothingness.

While his eyes fixed in amazement on the hazy water going up, he didn't realize the pool began to stir. Something moved up from the middle in a slow pace, facing straight at him. But more emerged and turned to him.