Chapter 135: Infiltrating the Black Market (1)
The descent had already begun.
Max, Neros, Seraphine, and Dorian moved through the interior of the giant tree, descending a long staircase of damp stone that seemed endless.
The air was cool, and the atmosphere silent. Filled with that distinct scent of old wood, wet earth, and something... ancient. Very ancient.
Only their footsteps could be heard. And the faint echo they created as it vanished into the depths.
Seraphine looked ahead. Then to the sides. Darkness. Almost absolute.
"Do you need me to cast a light spell?" she asked, slightly raising one hand. "I can illuminate the path."
Dorian shook his head calmly.
"No need."
He raised both hands. And clapped against the walls.
Clap. Clap.
Silence, for a few seconds.
And then, tiny points began to light up.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Max lifted his head. The walls all around them began glowing with tiny golden lights. Fireflie, thousands of them. Covering the entire tunnel downward like a living constellation. Their soft light bathed the stone stairs, transforming the darkness into something almost magical.
Max’s eyes widened slightly.
"Wow... this actually looks incredible."
Dorian smiled proudly.
"Isn’t it great?"
He spread his arms a little, gesturing around as if the place belonged to him.
"Down here, these fireflies light everything up."
He watched one land near his shoulder.
"Since sunlight doesn’t reach this place, they decided to use these little guys instead of wasting unnecessary magic."
Max let out a small laugh.
"Now that’s efficiency."
Neros observed in silence. His eyes followed the lights, reflecting their golden glow. For a moment... he genuinely looked amazed. Almost fascinated.
Seraphine noticed. And smiled softly.
"It’s been a long time since I last saw that light in your eyes."
Silence.
Neros blinked. It took him half a second to process what she had said. And then he blushed instantly.
Pure reflex made him raise a hand upward, trying to cover himself with his helmet.
But... there was no helmet.
His hand remained suspended awkwardly in the air.
Frozen.
Max saw the whole thing. And had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
Neros slowly lowered his hand. Turned his head. Looked away.
Defeated by a compliment from his ex-wife.
Dorian let out a small amused breath.
"Hurry up."
He resumed walking.
"We need to go see my childhood friend."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"The fifth member?"
"Exactly."
A smile.
"Finn."
A dramatic pause.
"The black market’s professional thief."
Neros frowned.
"Wait."
He looked at Dorian.
"Not that famous Finn?"
Dorian’s smile widened.
Max chuckled quietly, because he knew exactly who they were talking about. He had seen those wanted posters more than once. With an absurd bounty. And a pretty terrible illustration.
Dorian turned his head slightly.
"If Finn helps us recover the king’s pet..."
He looked directly at Neros.
"You have to promise me you won’t tell the guards where he is."
His expression grew tense.
"And that you won’t come looking for him."
Neros remained silent. Thought it over seriously. Calculating.
Max shrugged.
"Come on. The king would probably ask even the continent’s most wanted criminal for help."
He looked at the knight.
"And he’d probably pardon every crime he’s ever committed just to get Chloe back."
Neros exhaled slowly.
"Mmh..."
Then nodded.
"Fine."
He smiled.
"But only if he actually helps."
Dorian grinned broadly.
"Perfect."
Seraphine let out a small laugh.
"This is becoming more and more interesting."
And so...
The group continued descending. Step by step. Beneath the golden light of the fireflies.
Venturing deeper and deeper into the underground passage leading to the black market.
***
After several more minutes of descending, the stairs finally came to an end.
The group arrived in a small stone chamber.
So small that the four of them could barely fit inside without bumping shoulders.
The walls were smooth, damp, and ancient. But what truly drew attention stood before them.
A massive stone door.
Sealed.
Covered in strange runes carved across its entire surface. Curved lines. Unfamiliar symbols. Faintly glowing with a soft bluish light.
Neros stared at the door in silence. Then let out a quiet sigh.
"It really is difficult to get to the black market."
Max nodded.
"This definitely doesn’t seem like a place meant for casual visitors."
Dorian, on the other hand, smiled with complete confidence.
"Don’t worry."
He stepped toward the door.
"This is easy."
He raised a hand. His fingers traced over several runes as if reading them. Until they stopped on one in particular.
An elongated symbol, with a central curve and two diagonal lines.
"This one means ’open,’" he explained casually.
He placed his palm against it.
And then, the rune glowed.
A vibration rippled through the entire door.
Grrrrrrr...
The stone began to move. Slowly separating. Opening to both sides.
But behind it...
There was no hallway.
No stairs.
No stone.
There was light.
A portal.
A swirling vortex of golden and white tones. Brilliant. Almost incandescent. Like staring directly into the inside of a star.
Max’s eyes widened.
For a second, he forgot to breathe.
’...No way.’
It was his first time.
The first time he was physically about to enter another plane of Eldoria.
He had read about them. Seen mentions of them. Knew they existed.
But in the games... they never actually explored that part.
Everything had been reduced to loading screens and map transitions.
Nothing like this.
Nothing this real.
Nothing this...
Incredible.
Max smiled, unable to hide it.
’I definitely wasn’t expecting this.’
Seraphine observed the portal with genuine interest. Her eyes gleamed faintly.
"I have to admit..." she said, "this is becoming rather fun."
Dorian turned toward them, clearly pleased with himself.
"Do not be afraid."
He opened his arms slightly, presenting the portal.
"This is the true entrance to the famous black market."
Without hesitation, he leapt forward.
And vanished into the portal.
As if swallowed by the light.
Seraphine went next, a curious smile on her face. Floating a few centimetres off the ground before propelling herself forward.
"See you on the other side."
She entered.
And disappeared as well.
Neros stepped quickly after her. His expression had changed. More tense. More alert. Clearly worried about whether his ex-wife would be alright.
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
He jumped in after her.
And then...
Grrrrrr...
Max heard the sound and looked to the sides.
The stone door was beginning to close.
"Huh? Hey, hey, hey!"
Without wasting time, he ran.
A few quick steps.
Then he leapt forward.
Entering the portal in a rush just before the stone door shut completely behind him.