My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 1151: Chapter 1152: The Thieves

Ric narrowed his eyes, and for some reason the expression made Ranar subconsciously think of her father.

He stared at the dark cave before them.

It wasn’t very large.

In terms of height, it was only about as tall as they were. Its width was even worse, so narrow and claustrophobic that it looked like it wanted to swallow anyone foolish enough to enter.

Just looking at the dark opening made both of them feel uneasy.

"Are you sure the sack of food is in there?" Ranar asked, rubbing her arms as her scalp tingled.

Ric slowly bit his lip, folding his arms across his chest while keeping his eyes fixed on the cave.

"More or less."

"So is whatever we’ve been chasing," she pointed out, glancing into the darkness. "Whatever it is just went inside."

Neither of them knew whether this cave was located in a section of the mountain where the barrier was weaker.

And they couldn’t exactly test it.

Ranar was immune to the barrier’s effects.

"Well... it’s now or never," she said, raising a hand as several glowing spheres of light began forming above her palm.

Ric quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her before she could release them.

"Wait."

"That’s not good."

"There’s this spell my master uses. You cast it on your eyes and it lets you see in the dark."

Ranar blinked before nodding.

"You mean the Nightlight Spell."

"My mom... I mean Eva... uses it."

"My father doesn’t need it since he can already see in the dark, but she taught it to me."

Relief washed over Ric’s face.

He let go of her hand.

"I’m glad you know it."

"My master said it was invented by a friend of his who was an elf."

Ranar reached forward, placing two fingers gently against his forehead.

A soft golden glow gathered around her fingertips.

"Nightlight."

The spell flowed into Ric’s eyes.

She then tapped her own forehead, casting it on herself as well.

If Damon had known the Nightlight Spell Sylvia created deep within the darkness of Lysithara was now being used by his own children...

He would have been proud.

The darkness within the cave slowly melted away.

What had once been an endless black void now revealed itself in shades of gray.

There wasn’t really anything terrifying nearby.

At least...

Not yet.

The two children cautiously stepped inside.

Ric naturally took the lead, his eyes constantly scanning the ground and walls for signs of movement.

Before long he crouched down.

His fingers brushed against a loose strand of cloth caught between two rocks.

A grin spread across his face.

"Got you."

The cave system was small and cramped.

Fortunately, they could still stand upright.

The passages twisted endlessly through the mountain, splitting into narrow tunnels before joining together again in confusing patterns.

Even so...

Ric never lost the trail.

He carefully followed every clue, occasionally kneeling to inspect disturbed dust or tiny scratches along the stone floor.

Eventually they reached another passage.

Then...

A dead end.

There was nowhere else to go.

Ric slowly lowered his head.

They had spent nearly five hours wandering through this barren maze of stone.

His shoulders slumped slightly as disappointment settled over him.

Ranar looked around in silence before tilting her head upward.

"Hey..."

She pointed toward the wall.

"Is it just me..."

"Or do those look like something you’re supposed to climb?"

Ric looked up.

Sure enough, dozens of small holes dotted the cave wall like crude footholds.

His gaze slowly traveled higher.

Near the very top...

A thin crack allowed a narrow beam of sunlight to spill into the cave.

His eyes widened.

"Aha!"

"I knew it."

"I expected this all along."

Ranar snorted before folding her arms.

"Yeah, right."

"You looked like you were about to cry."

Ric coughed awkwardly, pretending not to hear her.

Ranar didn’t bother climbing.

She bent her knees before leaping straight upward.

Her hand slammed against what looked like a solid slab of stone.

Boom!

The rock shifted before breaking free with a loud rumble, sunlight pouring into the cave as loose dirt and pebbles rained around them.

A fresh breeze drifted inside.

The two children climbed out together.

Warm sunlight greeted them once again.

The sun had already passed its highest point in the sky.

They found themselves standing in a vast grassland.

At its center rested a beautiful lake whose crystal clear waters reflected the blue sky like a mirror.

Gentle waves rippled across its surface as the wind swept over it.

Wildflowers swayed among the tall grass, filling the air with a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Large rocks and weathered boulders dotted the open field.

Scattered among them stood what appeared to be ancient statues of angels.

Time had worn away many of their features, yet they still stood silently, watching over the lonely grassland as though guarding a forgotten secret.

She was completely entranced by the angel statues.

Ric followed her gaze before nodding as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hmm... yeah, those are Weeping Angels... or Smiling Angels." He spoke casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Never trust an angel statue."

He said it so naturally that one would think they were ordinary horrors.

Of course, Ric had seen them before.

He had seen them die at his master’s hands.

He had even watched Renata crush one into nothing more than a lifeless rock.

The memory had left a deep impression on him.

Since these ones weren’t moving, however, he assumed they were simply ordinary statues.

His attention shifted.

He noticed Ranar staring toward the far side of the lake.

Following her gaze, he saw a thin trail of smoke lazily rising into the sky.

His eyes narrowed.

Near the lakeside sat a group of children gathered around a campfire.

They laughed together while eating merrily.

Ric’s face immediately twisted in outrage.

He placed a dramatic hand over his chest.

"No..."

"No, it can’t be..."

"Those thieves!"

"How dare they steal my hard earned food!"

Ranar slowly turned to stare at him.