Kismet (Book One - Completed)

Chapter 2: Chosen One

Chapter 2: Chosen One

"Lanet. Lanet!" Kayla yelled anxiously as she shook him, "Wake up! Are you okay? Answer me!"

Lanet opened his eyes groggily. Sensing that there were dust specks on his hair, he used his fingers to brush them away. Lanet was shaking. Disturbed, he glanced sideways and propped his knees against the wall. Kayla rejoiced at the fact that Lanet was still alive, even though she felt guilty for putting them in peril.

"Lanet! Are you alright?!" Kayla asked. "Please speak to me." Brows raised, lips trembling, Lanet refused to move away from his spot. Kayla feared that Lanet was traumatised by the fall.

Still languid from the fall, Lanet had to acclimatise to his surroundings. Without a word, he turned towards his spear, which had laid five feet away from them. The weight of the spear caused it to plunge headfirst into the ground, dismantling cracks and blasting concrete out of its way. Lanet knew. Had his spear fallen down on them at the right place and the right time, they would have died for sure.

After Lanet's throbbing headache subsided, he said, "I'm fine. How about you? Are you hurt?"

"I am completely fine." Kayla replied.

As Lanet recovered from the shock, it occurred to him that they had to keep on moving. He staggered towards his spear, trying to pull it out of the floor. But it was useless. It did not budge.

"I can't retrieve my spear anymore." He grunted, "It's best for us to leave it behind."

"I understand that." Kayla said, her voice trembling with remorse. "The sound it made when it almost plunged into you...I shudder when I think about it. This is all my fault. I was the one who pressured you to look for the Jansa." Kayla said, feeling disgusted with herself.

"It's not all your fault." Lanet consoled her, "I should have been careful from the start. I'm just glad that we are both alive. Right now, it's more important for us to get out of here."

"But first... where are we?" Kayla piqued.

Lanet and Kayla looked around. The space was confined, damp and small. Judging by the humidity of the air and the coolness of the earth, Lanet knew that they were several feet underground. They explored every nook-and-cranny of the underground chamber, only to discover that this chamber led to another enclosed area.

Kayla went into the second chamber. She noticed that a stone tablet was jointly-wedged between the walls.

"Lanet." Kayla said, "Look over here." She pointed to an item on the stump.

On top of the stump was an ivory box covered in dust. It was adorned with intricate patterns on its lid. "It looks like it has been sitting here all this while." Kayla commented. "I think that there might be something inside this box." Naturally curious, she was tempted to reach out to the mysterious box. It took some self-restraint for her to keep her hands off it. Another rash action from her might put their lives in danger.

However, doing nothing was not the solution either. Kayla knew that they would die of hunger and thirst if they do not find a way out of the sequestered cave. Nervously, Kayla spoke up.

"There's no way out. Maybe we should check out the box?"

"We should." Lanet replied, "Alright Kayla, stand behind me. I'll open up the box."

Lanet took a quick breath. Once he was ready, he used his thumb to nudge the box's latch. Then he lifted up the box's lid. Kayla held her breath. The two of them saw a brilliant ray of light peeking out of the box. Even Lanet couldn't stifle his excitement. His heart was beating with trepidation and fervour as he looked at the box's centrepiece. Sitting amidst the holder was an emerald orb of considerable size. The orb shimmered like fireflies.