Chapter Twenty-Nine
They walked over to the fabric, and Gwyneth watched as Kiran used the tip of his sword to push it aside. She had expected maybe a hidden weapon or more stone, but it led into another, smaller chamber. As they entered the room, they found people of all ages chained to the cave walls and gagged. Some lay on what appeared to be iron examination tables. The scene resembled something out of a bizarre horror movie.
“Everyone!” Kiran yelled, prompting the other fighters to enter the cave room.
The room was almost shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by a few portable lanterns scattered on the stony ground.
“Let’s free them,” Kiran ordered.
They began searching for keys and quickly found them, unlocked the chained individuals, and released those tied to the tables. Gwyneth observed as Kiran efficiently organized everything, instructing his men on what to do with the prisoners. However, something caught Gwyneth’s attention, and she noticed a narrow path leading away from the prison room.
She followed it, grabbing one of the lanterns, and moved away from the group. Kiran’s voice grew fainter the further she ventured into the underground tunnel. Eventually, the tunnel opened up into an even larger cave. Holding the lantern high, she marveled at the vastness, barely able to see the ceiling. Then her eyes fell, and she stood before another Jumper. It was smaller than the one she had used to get there, but it was unmistakably of the same kind.
She approached it, her heart racing. She glanced around, searching for a control panel, but found none. Gwyneth circled the large Jumper, hoping to find something that could activate it or provide instructions on how to use it, but her efforts proved futile.
“Gwyn!” someone yelled.
“In here!”
It took a moment, but then Kiran appeared. He halted as he entered the cave and caught sight of the large Jumper that she stood in front of.
“What in the Gods’…” Kiran trailed off, and Gwyneth turned to him with a smile.
Kiran approached slowly and stopped beside her. She held the lantern higher, casting light in the dark chamber.
“What is that?” he asked.
“A Jumper.”
He turned to her, a look of surprise on his face. “That’s what you used to get here?”
“Yes. It’s smaller and probably modified, but it’s the same type.”
Kiran fell silent, and Gwyneth turned to him, sensing the sadness in his expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“You can go home,” he whispered.
Gwyneth sighed and looked down. She could indeed go back, yet the thought didn’t fill her with happiness. “I can…”
“It’s what you’ve wanted.”
“It is…”
“So…”
“I can’t get it to work,” she admitted in a hushed tone.
“What?” he asked.
“At least, not at the moment. I can’t find a control panel,” she explained.
“That’s the thing that controls it, right?”
“Yes, and it ensure it takes you to the right place,” she clarified.
“Then what?”
Gwyneth sighed, lacking an answer. Instead, she turned away.
Kiran followed. “Gwyn! Gwyn!”
She retraced her steps, and Gwyneth noticed how empty the place had become, all the stolen wolves now gone. Upon reentering the smaller cave, Kiran grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Stop!” he urged.
“I need to keep searching.”
“For what?”
“For something to control the Jumper. They must have had some kind of controller.”
“You want to search for a controller?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me again, why does it always have to be you?” he whispered but let his hand drop, obviously still struggling to come to terms with this, and it made Gwyneth’s heart ache so terribly. She wanted to tell him it could be different, or even that she was chosen for the cause by some higher power, but there was nothing left to say to provide him with a better explanation.
“Kiran, you should take the prisoners back,” she said, seeing the way his eyes widened. It was evident to her that he had expected a different answer.
“What about you?”
“I will keep searching.”
“Gwyn…”
“This is who I am.”
Kiran gazed at her for a moment, clearly in disagreement with her decision but not willing to stop her either. He walked around her and left the small cave. Gwyneth sighed but refused to let the weight of her emotions bring her down.
She began her search, first meticulously combing through the room where the prisoners had been held, and then moving on to the other room where the scientists had stayed. She inspected every box, turned over every item, and even slashed open the mattresses in search of a controller, but found nothing. Frustration overwhelmed her, and she released an angry howl that echoed within the cave before dropping to her knees. She panted heavily, shaking her head in frustration, angry that she couldn’t unravel the mystery of the missing controller.
Then a thought crossed her mind. If she couldn’t find the controller, could she stay? Why did the idea bring her such immense happiness? But wasn’t it obvious why? She was in love with Kiran. She wanted to say it back to him, even though he had told her not to.
“Maybe I should just go back,” she whispered to herself as she rubbed her eyes. The thought of returning to the castle, to Kiran, was not a bad one. So why stay with him? Nodding determinedly, she made her choice, and once she decided, she stood up. However, as she took a step forward, ready to begin a new life, a strange beeping sound caught her attention. She looked around to locate the source, before finally realizing it came from the lifeless body of the leading woman further away.
“Oh, shit…” she muttered, bending down to search the woman’s pockets. Her hands came away stained with blood as she retrieved a small, translucent screen that resembled a phone but was much thinner. Gwyneth wiped the screen clean and then activated it using a small button on the side. It powered on, displaying only one clickable item. She pressed it, feeling the familiar electrifying energy in the air. A smile graced her lips as a buzzing sound echoed in the cave.
She rushed back to where the Jumper was and saw that it had activated. The white-blue shimmering light had emerged in the middle. Gwyneth examined the controller again and noticed some small settings on it.
“Fuck, this is smart,” she whispered, impressed by the scientists’ modifications to the Jumper.
There was a world setting, she observed, but when she clicked on it, it revealed other realms as well. Which one was hers? She scrolled down until she found the one that was unmistakably Earth—labeled as “Dying World.” But what about the other worlds listed? Were they places the scientists wanted to conquer? Gwyneth shook her head, finding the idea repulsive. However, a thought crossed her mind. If she could jump between worlds using this panel, could she return to Kiran after saving Earth? Gwyneth smiled, but when she scrolled through the realms, she wasn’t sure which one belonged to Kiran.
“How am I ever going to figure this out?” she muttered to herself.
Gwyneth returned to the area where the bodies lay and began searching for notes or documents that could provide clues about her location. She found some papers on a table, including a small folder with descriptions.
“Icon,” she murmured, reading one note. “Ice-covered world with snow-like monsters.”
She realized these were notes about the worlds in the controller. She scrolled down to find “Icon” but then sought the world Kiran had mentioned back when they met for the first time. He had called it Durran, but she wondered if that was the name of his realm as well. As she flipped through the folder, she spotted a single piece of paper with only three words written at the top.
“The New World,” she whispered and continued scrolling through the options. There it was, “The New World.” Was that Kiran’s? It seemed the scientists had explored other realms to find a suitable one, and Kiran’s had been the best option. But they didn’t want the werewolves. They aimed to conquer this place and reshape it according to their desires. It sickened Gwyneth, but she now had what she needed to leave. Yet the question remained, should she go?