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[b]Randold, Anise, Hania[/b]

The water mirrored the drifting lights of the fireflies.

Silence pressed all around them, and so did the darkness. All Randold, Anise and Hania could see of one another were tiny flashes of yellow light against their skin.

For a long while, there was nothing but calm, quiet stillness.

They sat on a rocky ledge beside the edge of the water. In the darkness, they could not possibly see that there was a hallway beside them that led deep into the cavern wall -- until a faint yellow glow appeared within it.

It might have been a firefly, at first. The glowing light was constant, though, and continued to grow bigger and brighter, as if it were moving slowly toward them.

After a few moments, the glow was close enough that they might see that the hallway within its light glistened with streaks of precious stone.

After a few more moments, it became clear that the light was not moving on its own, but was being carried. The yellow light illuminated a strange animal-like mask with pointed rabbit-ears, draped by waves of long brown hair.

The person wearing the mask appeared to be a scrawny boy of about Hania's age. His gray clothing was thin and simple, and his bare feet made a quiet slapping sound on the cool stone floor as he approached the water. He held the glowing ball of light in his long fingers.

When he was a few yards away, the yellow light fell upon Randold, Ania and Anise. The boy noticed them, and he stopped, his head raised. He shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain whether he should approach or run.