Elementals

Chapter 51-Tunnel Runners

"These should take us right back to the library where we found the second half of the scroll." He said confidently.

"Good. Then let's get going."

With that, we all entered. The tunnels got darker and darker the deeper we went. Celest and Samantha lit up the path, shedding a bright light across the tunnel. We had been walking along for quite some time, so much that It felt like hours had passed. The dark cracks that ran along the walls quickly became apparent and grew in size the farther down we went. That's when I noticed Keith's expression had changed.

"What's the matter, pup?" Amaru asked him. Keith didn't look to his uncle, instead having his eyes transfixed on the cracks.

"These cracks...I don't remember seeing them here the last time. And this trail...it's been a while since we walked through these tunnels, but it didn't take us this long to get to the library. Unless..."

Keith stopped and bent down, looking down at the glowing trail of pawprints. Everyone else stopped as he inspected the trail. Then, his eyes widened.

"...we're going the wrong way."

"What?" Alex exclaimed. It had been the fist time he's spoken since we got here, and yet his voice had a blend of surprise and anxiety present.

"But how could that be?" Lumaro asked, slightly annoyed.

"I don't know." Keith said, staring down at the prints. "The tracking spell should always lead someone down a path they've walked before. It's always led me to a familiar place and down a familiar path, so I have no idea how we could've gotten lost."

"Unless..." Trevor bent down and inspected the pawprints once again. His eyes started to glow dimly.

"...these tunnels were altered." He said. Everyone shot him a confused glance.

"I don't understand..." Silva said out of confusion. "How could the tunnels have been altered?"

"These cracks..." Amaru muttered. He held his hand close to the walls of the tunnel, about an inch away, glowing faintly as he moved his hand across.

"You said they weren't here the last time you walked through these tunnels, right?" He asked Keith. Keith nodded.

"Then that's how we've been going the wrong way." Amaru said. "The cracks."

"Of coarse." Arthur spoke. "I'm unsure how, or when this became possible, but the Corrupted King's power must give him some level of control over the other elements."

"So, you mean to tell me that he could use terrakinesis if he corrupted the ground?" Keith asked.

"Look around." He said, motioning to the cracks along the walls. "These walls are covered with large gaping cracks, cracks that you stated weren't here before."

"And with the tunnels being different, suddenly that theory doesn't sound so bizarre." Alestor muttered.

"He obviously knew we were coming, so he must've corrupted the tunnels and reconfigured them to throw us off." Damian thought out loud.

"He must be doing this to keep us from finding an entrance to his castle." Aaron said. "No wonder the trail was different."

"Well, now that provides us with another problem." Diana said. "We are traversing through a series of tunnels and caverns with no clue of where we're going. How are we going to find a way into the castle?"

"This is quite the predicament." I muttered.

At that moment, I felt the earth begin to tremble beneath my feet. Some of the loose bits of dirt and rock started to fall from the tunnel. The cracks began glowing eerily, pulsing with a corrosive energy. The trembling turned into a rumbling, and soon, the tunnels shook intensely.

Alex looked around frantically. After a moment, cracks started to form underneath the students' feet. Alex turned to me in fear.

"Grandpa, what's happeni-"

Without a second to process anything, the ground tore open under them and swallowed them all. Their screams quickly echoed through the tunnels as they fell. I made a mad dash towards the giant hole in the ground and dove to them. But by the time I got there, it was already too late. The ground had closed up.

The students were gone.

It was too quick for any of the older elemental to react. It was so sudden. The tunnels fell silent as the shaking ceased, and soon after, the guardian's and teachers spoke amongst themselves in a panicked tone, each of them expressing the shock that they were feeling. I sat there staring at the ground with a blank, dumbfounded expression.

'What just happened...?'

~~~~~

Author's Notes

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's been a while since I did one from Koran's point of view, and honestly, it would've been a completely different chapter if I'd gone with anyone else. I especially liked the bit where he was wondering whether it was a good idea to brig the students along on this mission (which, I know, bringing a bunch of inexperienced teenagers to the lair of the most dangerous being in the entire realm sounds like a really stupid idea) but trust me, it'll make sense later.

-BlueBoyHalo14