Shadowhaven Cave

June 7th,

"Jamie! Carl! Auntie! Uncle!" I screamed, stopping to look back as Lissa slipped on moss and fell. They were not in sight as Ray helped Lissa up and Tony nudged me to keep moving.

"Let's go...they aren't coming behind us." Tony said, shaking his head as I wept. We ran into the woods as Brookville became something I never imagined. People were either being killed or dragged away as I saw him- Kyros emerge from the chaos with an escort and...Dany!

"What?" Lissa gasped breathlessly. We all saw her.

"No, no, no...." I hear Ray mutter.

"C'mon. We have to go. If Dany's involved, then she'll definitely be looking for us too. We are not safe here." Tony said as I cleaned my face and turned forward. We kept walking and walking in the forest.

My grip on Lissa's hand tightened as we all navigated through the darkness, the sounds of destruction and panic escalating behind us. The emergency bag, packed with supplies and a few cherished belongings, bounced against my back.

"Where are we going?" Ray asked, his voice trembling.

"Wherever God leads us," I replied, my eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of safety. "I believe He'll send us help."

As we ran, the flames engulfing Brookville cast an ominous glow on the horizon. My thoughts were with my aunt and her family, how had they separated? Had they made it out alive?

The forest loomed ahead, its towering trees like sentinels guarding the night. We dashed into the shadows, the sudden silence a stark contrast to the chaos we left behind.

As we ventured deeper, the sounds of Brookville's fall faded, replaced by the rustling of leaves and the beating of our own hearts. But I knew the danger was far from over. Kyros' army would not stop until they claimed every last soul.

We walked further, Lissa suddenly dropped on the grass.

"I-I can't anymore. I think my feet are swollen now." She said, panting as I squatted beside her and Ray rested against a tree.

"Sorry Lissa but we can't stop here. It's too dangerous. We have to keep going further-"

"To where exactly? We have no idea where we're headed so what's the use? We're just gonna get lost in this huge forest then." She said, her voice filled with frustration.

"Want a lift?" Tony asked as she raised a brow at him.

"What? If Kyros and his men don't catch us then we'd be dinner to the wild animals in here! Which do you prefer? We keep going and find a place to hide or we expose ourselves to danger out here?" He asked as Lissa huffed and frowned then lifted her arms for her brother to give a piggy back.

Just as we caught our breaths, Ray let out a dry chuckle.

"What?" Lissa asked.

"So it's real?!" Ray asked, looking in awe as he pointed his flashlight to a cave.

"What's this? "I asked as Ray smiled lopsidedly and we all looked at the cave before us.

"Shadowhaven Cave. I believe that's where we are...I've read about it in books and even heard of it in stories..."

"Nestled deep within the rugged Mountains of Mor'Dhul, where ancient forests give way to treacherous cliffs and hidden caverns.....yeah I remember that!" Tony said, smiling slightly as I just shook my head in confusion.

I looked ahead and saw that the cave's entrance was a narrow, camouflaged slit in the mountain's face, obscured by a tapestry of overgrown vegetation and weathered boulders. The opening appears naturally formed, as if the mountain itself was split by some primordial force.

"This looks so....beautiful." I said, admiring the beauty of this cave. I was about going in when Lissa shouted.

"Wait! What if it's dangerous? W-what if there's an animal or something there?" She asked as Ray took a dead tree branch and walked in, with me behind him as he held the branch in case he had to defend himself.

As i stepped inside, the air grew cooler and damper, filled with the scent of damp earth and aged stone. The cave unfolded into a spacious, high-ceilinged chamber, with rough-hewn walls that seem to absorb the faint, flickering light that filtered through the entrance.