The cave wasn't natural, it was shaped by will and desperation.
Hidden beneath the jagged edge of a mountain cliff, its mouth was barely noticeable behind a curtain of hanging vines and rock debris. Leo hadn't stumbled upon it. He made it. Or rather, he willed it into being.
The magic was rough, unrefined. Earth wasn't his expertise, he was better with fire, wind, the elements that danced instead of dragged. But after hours of focus, chanting under his breath, and bleeding mana into the stone, the mountain had listened. A shallow cavity tore itself into the rock, just wide enough for the trio to crawl through and collapse inside.
It wasn't much. Damp air clung to the walls. The ground was cold and uneven. But it was a shelter.
And right now, that was everything.
