We walked back to the conservatory in silence.
No one dared speak—not even Felix, whose steps had grown slower, heavier with every footfall. James stayed beside me, steady. I could feel his eyes flicking between Mira and Felix every few seconds, like he was expecting something to crack open and explode.
They hadn't seen what we saw.
They hadn't stood in that tunnel and felt the walls close in around Elias' name.
Now they would.
I pulled back the vines, revealing the hidden panel, the etched triangle, and the circle within.
Felix leaned forward. "That symbol again."
Mira didn't say anything. But her jaw tensed.
James gave me a look, and I nodded. I pressed the charm into the panel again.
Click.
The door creaked open, the cool scent of stone rising to meet us. Without hesitation, we descended, this time together. All four of us.
As we reached the base of the spiral steps, the flickering light reappeared in the distance—still waiting. Still glowing like a beckoning flame in the dark.
"This way," I whispered.
Felix brushed his fingers against the wall. "This tunnel's older than the others."
"Look there," James pointed. "The name."
Mira's eyes followed his hand. She stared at the carving in silence. ELIAS H.
She didn't blink. She didn't ask. She just stared like she already knew.
Something cold stirred inside me.
"You're quiet," I said.
Mira looked up. "Because I've been here before."
Felix spun toward her. "What?"
She raised her chin. "I didn't lie. I said I didn't know everything. I didn't say I knew nothing."
"You knew about this tunnel?" I asked.
"I followed the map your father left," she said to Felix. "It led here. This is where Elias was last tracked."
"And you didn't tell us?" James said.
"I didn't need to," she answered. "You found it on your own."
"No," I snapped. "You let us. You let us do the hard work so you could stand back and keep your hands clean."
Mira finally turned to me. Her voice was ice.
"No, Rosa. I stood back because I didn't trust you."
The words hit harder than I expected.
My breath caught.
Felix stepped forward. "Mira, what are you saying?"
She smiled, almost sadly. "I told you before—this mission goes on with or without you. But what I didn't say is that I was never here for all of you. I was here for Elias."
I felt the floor shift beneath me. "What?"
She looked at me. "He's my brother."
Silence.
Time slowed.
"Your brother?" James echoed.
"Yes," Mira said. "We were separated when we were children. The Circle took him—trained him. My parents were part of it. When they tried to leave, they were punished."
Felix's voice cracked. "You never said—"
"I didn't have to. Because this was never about your father, Felix. Or your pendant, Rosa. Or your loyalty, James."
She stepped toward the tunnel that flickered with light.
"This is about finishing what Elias started. Even if I have to do it alone."
"No," I said, stepping in front of her. "You don't get to decide that. We're part of this now."
Mira tilted her head. "That's exactly what I don't need. People with feelings. People who hesitate. You and James—you're too emotional. And Felix…" she gave him a long, unreadable look, "you let your guilt control you."
"You used us," James said through clenched teeth.
"I guided you," Mira replied coolly. "The only way you learn is through pressure. Through risk. You made it this far, didn't you?"
"I should've known," I muttered. "You never flinched. Not when the floor caved in. Not when Felix confessed. Not when we found the pendant. Because you already knew. You were always three steps ahead."
She smiled. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
She turned, walking straight toward the flickering light.
"Where are you going?" Felix called after her.
"To Elias," she said. "To finish this. And to make sure you don't get in the way."
A low rumble echoed through the tunnel.
Something shifted behind us—something mechanical.
James spun. "She activated something!"
"Mira!" I yelled, running after her.
But she was already gone.
A gate slammed down between us—thick iron bars dropping from the ceiling like a guillotine. Sparks flew. Dust filled the air.
"MIRA!" Felix banged his fists on the bars.
She didn't even turn back. Just disappeared into the glowing dark.
James coughed beside me, eyes burning. "She played us."
"She's not just finding Elias," I whispered. "She's trying to beat him there."
Felix looked up, his voice a whisper of guilt. "And we helped her do it."
The walls around us groaned.
The floor under the tunnel shook slightly, as if responding to her betrayal.
I turned to the others. "We can't stop here. There has to be another way around."
James grabbed a flashlight from his bag and shone it down the second, darker tunnel—the one we'd ignored earlier.
"Only one path left."
Felix stared at the iron gate. "She won't wait for us."
"She won't need to," I said. "Because if Elias is really down there, and if Mira thinks she can control him—"
James looked at me. "Then we better get there first."
We ran.
And behind us, the tunnel groaned again, as if it, too, was shifting sides.
The tunnel was colder now.
As if Mira had taken the last of the warmth with her.
We moved fast, each step echoing with urgency. James led the way, flashlight flickering as we dove deeper into the dark passage none of us had dared to enter before. The walls here weren't carved—they were raw, uneven, cracked in places. It felt like we were entering a part of the estate no one had touched in decades.
"Careful," James said, sweeping the light across the jagged floor. "This path isn't stable."
"Good," Felix muttered behind me. "Means Mira didn't come this way."
"Or no one ever made it out," I added.
Silence followed.
Then we heard it.
A sound like metal grinding against stone. Far off, but moving. Following us?
James whipped around. "You heard that, right?"
We all nodded.
But there was no time to stop.
We reached a bend in the tunnel where the ceiling arched lower, forcing us to crouch slightly. Felix ducked, his bag scraping the top.
Then it happened.
A sharp click.
I froze.
"What was—" Felix didn't finish.
The ground beneath him gave way.
"FELIX!"
He dropped straight down with a shout.
I lunged, grabbing his arm just in time. My feet slipped, scraping against the crumbling edge of the pit. James dropped to his knees beside me, seizing Felix's other arm.
The flashlight tumbled from his hand, clattering into the darkness.
"Don't let go!" Felix gasped.
"We've got you," I hissed, hands burning from the rough stone and strain.
The hole beneath him was deep—far deeper than any trap we'd seen so far. The flashlight lay at the bottom, its light spinning wildly. Spikes lined the lower walls, jagged and rusted. Not fatal maybe, but enough to injure. Enough to cripple.
"Pull him!" I shouted, digging in my heels.
We heaved together.
Muscles strained. Arms shook.
But slowly, painfully, we pulled Felix back to solid ground.
He collapsed on his back, panting. I sat down hard, chest heaving. James knelt beside us, rubbing his shoulder.
"That… could've been it," Felix whispered. "If you hadn't caught me—"
"Don't thank me yet," I said, standing and shining my spare light across the floor. "We need to check for more."
But Felix didn't move.
He groaned, clutching his ankle. "I think I twisted it when I fell."
James checked. "Yeah. Swollen already."
I looked back toward the path. Mira was gaining distance every second.
But we couldn't leave him behind.
"We'll help you walk," I said.
Felix nodded, face pale but determined. "I can still move."
We pressed on, slower now, every step cautious. The tunnel narrowed into a stairwell—spiral, like before—but broken in places. We had to jump gaps, climb over debris, and brace against loose walls.
Then we reached another chamber.
And it stole our breath.
Massive. Circular. Lit with eerie blue flames lining the walls—torches that had no fuel, yet burned on. The floor bore the same Circle symbol, this time glowing faintly. In the center stood a tall structure—an obelisk of some kind—surrounded by floating shards of crystal.
And in the shadows ahead—
A figure.
Standing still. Facing the obelisk.
James raised the flashlight. "Mira?"
But it wasn't.
The figure turned.
And everything inside me froze.
He was older than us. Maybe twenty. Brown eyes. Dark hair. A scar cutting down one cheek. He looked like someone who had seen things no one should. And he was staring right at us.
"Who are you?" he asked, voice calm, low.
James stepped forward. "We're here to help. Are you—?"
"Elias," I said. "You're Elias."
He didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it.
Behind me, Felix shifted. The floor beneath him creaked again.
Too late.
Another crack.
The floor beneath Felix collapsed a second time—but this time, we were all standing too close.
The ground crumbled in a circle, stone breaking apart like paper. James grabbed my hand, but the ground under me was already gone.
We fell.
All of us.
Down into blackness.
I landed hard on my shoulder, pain shooting through my side. James crashed next to me, groaning. Felix landed against the wall, yelling out in agony. His ankle—maybe even his leg—was done now.
I coughed, choking on dust.
"James?" I called out.
"I'm okay," came his voice, hoarse.
"Felix?"
No answer.
"Felix!"
"I'm… here," he said. His voice was tight, strained. "I… I think my leg's broken."
I scrambled toward him. Blood. Not much—but enough. A long gash on his shin. His foot bent at an unnatural angle.
"No no no…" I whispered.
Above us, the hole glowed faintly. The chamber we'd just been in—gone now.
Sealed off.
We were trapped.
"James," I said. "Help me lift him. We need to find a way out."
"I'll check the tunnel."
James lit the space ahead with his flashlight. A narrow path led forward—rocky, but open.
I turned to Felix. "Hold on. We're getting out."
His eyes were wide, the pain flooding in. "She… Mira. She did this."
"No," I said. "The tunnels did this. She just left us."
James returned. "Tunnel goes forward. Might connect to the other side."
"Then let's move."
We wrapped Felix's arm around both our shoulders and carried him, step by painful step, into the darkness.
But something had changed now.
We were no longer chasing Mira.
We were trying to survive her choices.
And above us, in the glowing chamber where blue flames danced—
Elias was still watching.
I was scared now.
Not just uneasy, not just cautious—truly scared.
The kind of fear that coils in your chest and doesn't let you breathe right.
The tunnels felt tighter, darker. Every step echoed like it would be our last.
James was ahead, guiding us with the flashlight. Felix leaned heavily on my shoulder, limping, wincing with every other step. I tried to steady him, but my hands were trembling, and he noticed.
"Rosa," he said softly, glancing sideways at me. "You're shaking."
I didn't answer at first.
I kept my eyes on the tunnel wall, trying to pretend it was just the cold or the pain of holding him up. But he wouldn't let it slide.
"You've always been the brave one," he added, voice low. "So if you're scared now…"
I stopped walking. My eyes burned.
"I'm not brave, Felix," I whispered. "I just pretend really well."
He shifted his weight so he could see my face. "You don't have to pretend with me."
I looked at him then. His face was pale, sweaty, twisted with pain—but his eyes were still strong. Steady. The same eyes that had once felt like they held all the answers. Now they held something else.
Something like guilt.
Something like understanding.
"I trusted her," I said, my voice cracking. "Even after everything. A part of me still thought maybe… maybe Mira had a reason. That she cared."
He nodded slowly. "Me too."
That made the ache worse.
James called softly from ahead, "Guys, we need to move. There's a bend up ahead. I think I hear water."
Felix squeezed my arm gently. "Come on. Be scared. But don't stop."
I nodded, wiping my face.
And we kept walking.
But inside, something had shifted.
Because fear is one thing. But being betrayed while you're scared?
That changes you.
That breaks something.
And I wasn't sure how many more pieces of myself I had left to break.
Here is Chapter 6 of your story, continuing directly from the aftermath of Chapter 5. Felix is severely injured, everyone is bleeding, and Elias is still silently watching from above.