Reincarnated as an Elf Prince

The cavern wasn't cold anymore.

No, that would have been polite.

This was the kind of chill that got inside your teeth and asked if it could redecorate.

Lindarion shifted his weight, back still pressed to the curved wall. The stone was smoother here. Not comforting, just less judgmental. Like a disappointed relative who didn't expect much from you anyway.

His breath fogged faintly, curling around his scarf like a lazy ghost.

Meren had stretched out across a flat patch of ground and was already attempting to merge with it. His coat made him look like a small, defeated animal trying to disappear into the rock.

"I'm not saying I'll die here," Meren muttered, "but I am saying if I do, I want someone to tell my parents I had cool last words."

"No one's lying for you," Ren said, flicking a pebble at his head.

Meren didn't react. Either asleep or emotionally checked out. Or both.

Ardan stood a few paces away, hands folded behind his back like he was preparing to deliver a lecture. Or execute someone. It was hard to tell with Ardan.

Lira hadn't moved since the seal marks. Her eyes were on the wall again, tracking something only she could see. Her posture hadn't changed. Still coiled. Still ready. Lindarion doubted she even knew what relaxed looked like anymore.

He let his head rest back.

The ceiling was still a black void. The fire hadn't touched it. Probably wouldn't. Not unless he started throwing fireballs upward just to make a point. Which, to be fair, was tempting.

'That would make me feel better. Also probably kill nearly everyone. But you can't have everything.'

His fingers twitched once.

Just enough to let a thread of warmth pulse back into his hand. A small flame flickered back to life. Not big. Not dramatic.

Just his version of a comfort blanket. One that could incinerate someone if hugged too hard.

Ren sat cross-legged a few feet away, poking the stone with a stick she'd conjured from who-knows-where. "This feels cursed."

Lindarion nodded slowly. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Curses come with complications. And paperwork."

"Since when do you care about paperwork?"

"Since I realized you can be cursed and still be legally liable for damages."

Lindarion exhaled through his nose. It counted as a laugh. Barely.

His gaze drifted back toward the seal mark. Still faintly burned into the ground. Too clean. Too round. The kind of shape that only ever meant trouble.

But the air was still.

No magic hum. No vibration. Just dust, stone, and disappointment.

He leaned his head back again.

'This was supposed to be a simple detour. Climb a mountain, survive frostbite, avoid avalanches. You know. The basics.'

Instead, here they were. In a cave with ancient scorch marks and a general vibe of "bad things happened here."

He rubbed his eyes with one hand.

The fire flickered slightly, matching his mood.

"You gonna sleep?" Ren asked.

He didn't answer at first.

Didn't really know.

His thoughts weren't racing. Just pacing. Quietly. Like they knew if they got too loud, they'd start asking questions again. About Evernight. About the people he'd left. The people he missed.

Luneth's face surfaced for half a second before he shoved it back down.

'Nope. Not doing that right now.'

"I'll take second watch," he said instead.

Ren grunted. "Fine. Don't get eaten."

"You too."

Ardan had moved closer, now crouched near the opening they'd come through. His face was unreadable. As usual. Lindarion didn't envy whoever tried to sneak past that man.

Lira finally spoke.

"Flame off. Try to rest."

He blinked at her.

She wasn't looking at him.

Just watching the far wall again. As if daring it to move.

Still, he obeyed. The flame shrank, then disappeared into nothing.

Darkness pressed in.

Not heavy.

Just present.

Lindarion exhaled again, slower this time.

His muscles didn't unclench. But they stopped protesting.

He let his eyes fall half-closed.

'Five minutes of sleep. That's all I need. Five minutes and the world can wait.'

—

The cave definitely wasn't supposed to creak.

It wasn't made of wood. There were no beams. No rope. Nothing overhead but ancient stone and the occasional stalactite threatening a slow, dramatic death.

And yet it creaked.

Lindarion's eyes snapped open.

He stayed still.

The kind of still where your body is ready to move but pretending not to exist. His hand was already half-curled toward his coat.

Not for warmth. For the sword he didn't want to need at three in the morning.

Another sound.

Deeper this time.

A thud.

Not loud. But low. Thick. Like someone had dropped a massive bag of wet stone somewhere in the dark.

He glanced to his left.

Ren was still asleep. Her arms folded, mouth slightly open like she'd been mid-complaint even in dreams.

Meren was curled up with his cloak over his face, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like saying it was not his turn to watch.

Ardan? Awake. Of course. Already sitting upright against the wall, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his blade like it had always been there. His eyes met Lindarion's with that classic expression of someone saying 'so we're doing this now'.

Another thud.

Softer. But closer.

Lindarion sat up fully, slow. His joints didn't protest. The cold wasn't biting anymore. Which would've been nice if it didn't feel like the cave had gone quiet for a reason.

The air was wrong.

Not stale. Not damp.

Just… waiting.

The kind of stillness that made you feel like the walls were listening.

He let a tiny thread of fire bloom in his palm. Barely the size of a coin. Just enough to light the floor around him and not wake the others.

No movement.

No shadow.

Just the steady drip of water somewhere deeper in the tunnel.

He looked at Ardan again. Got a nod. A very slow, very annoyed nod.

They both stood.

The crunch of boots on stone felt too loud. Like the floor was ratting them out on purpose.

Lira was nowhere to be seen.

Of course.

Ren stirred as Lindarion passed her. "What…?"

He held a finger to his lips.

Another thud.

This one had rhythm.

Like footsteps.

Heavy ones.

And close.

Ren's expression changed from half-asleep to wide awake in the span of one blink. She didn't say anything. Just pulled her coat tighter and reached under it for her dagger.

Meren groaned into his blanket. "Tell it I'm not home."

"Shut up," Ren whispered.

Lindarion stepped further into the cave's inner chamber. The light from his flame barely touched the walls now. Shadows hung like curtains over every edge.

The footsteps stopped.

Completely.