After giving others some instructions, the group moved toward the tunnel. It was being blocked by a trapdoor, so before going in, they began explaining about their abilities.
Being the one who had already used his ability once in front of everyone, Adam moved forward. Looking at the group, he said shyly,
"As you all already know, my active ability makes me invisible unless I use another active ability. My passive ability makes my presence faint."
'Now that makes sense…' Gareth thought, looking at him.
While everyone nodded their head, the fierce-looking girl looked at Adam weirdly. Her skin had a rich olive tone, lithe and muscular. Standing at 5'8", she dwarfed most of her classmates.
Tying her shoulder-length hair, she looked dead in his eyes and asked, "Adam, were you a pervert... why are your desire to be invisible?"
Pffttt
Listening to her words, Adam almost choked on his breath, while others weren't any better.
Blushing, he looked at her and said, "It's not like that, Nyra. I just want to live--"
Cutting him in between, a boy moved forward, shaking his head. It wasn't the first time he would gotten in trouble because of his friend's mouth.
Being lean and wiry, he was the total opposite of Nyra. Standing at 5'10", he had high cheekbones, a narrow jaw, and eyes like cold steel. His skin looked ashen, as if he spent more time in moonlight than under the sun.
With his short, tousled black hair, he muttered, "There is no need to explain yourself, Adam. It's alright, everyone has their secrets."
"N-no no... it's alright... Nox," Adam said, smiling.
Knowing this could take a while, he just moved forward and explained about his ability, "See, my passive ability makes me resistant to fire, and my active ability lets me generate and control fire."
"Like fire benders?" Gareth asked with a hint of amusement.
"Exactly like that, sir," he said, snapping his finger. In a matter of seconds, a tiny flame began dancing in his palm.
"Coooooll! As always… now let me tell mine..." Cutting him in between, Nyra introduced her desire.
"The name of my [Desire] is [Superhero]... hehe! It's exactly how it sounds... my passive ability gives me extra endurance, and my active ability enhances my physical ability. I haven't tested it, but I would say it's about 4 to 5 times greater than normal."
'Something straightforward but not bad at all…' Gareth thought, impressed by her [Desire].
"I guess it's my turn..." Saying this, a boy moved forward.
He was tall, with a height of around 6 feet. With a strong shoulder and a toned frame, one could easily tell the boy regularly goes to the gym. His sun-kissed skin was marked with small scars, signs of an unfortunate accident.
Stroking his brown hair, he moved forward and muttered, "I'm Taiven, and my [Desire] is [Travel]. Its passive ability lets me see far away clearly... and my active lets me teleport a short distance. I think it's about 5 meters long."
'Ohoho! Not only active... even his passive ability will be of great help.' Pairing him with Adam, Gareth couldn't help but be happy that the chances of their survival just increased a great deal.
Nodding his head, he looked at the last member of the group. There, standing beside Taiven, was Seren. And, unlike Adam, who was faint, her presence demanded attention from others.
Her long, silvery-blonde hair fell in waves down to her mid-back and wasn't helping to conceal her presence either. Standing at 5'6", with eyes as blue as the ocean, she was slim, graceful, and carried herself with a kind of calming pose.
Moving forward, she looked at everyone and began explaining her powers.
"I don't exactly understand my power because of their vague descriptions. So let me tell you everything..." Pausing for a moment, she looked at the screen before continuing.
"My [Desire] is [Independence], and its passive ability protects me from curses. I understand this part, but the active ability puzzles me..." Looking at the group with a hint of confusion, she added,
"It just says, 'You can free the unwanted'. I mean, what is that supposed to mean?"
Listening to her explain the ability puts others in confusion as well.
'Hmm! Free one from the unwanted… ahh! Like traps!?' Gareth thought, confused.
Others were thinking the same, as Adam replied, "Ah!!.. M-maybe it can be used to free one from, like, traps?"
"Yes! At first, I had thought the same, but for some reason, I know that's not all. There is something that I'm not getting here…"
"Ohh! Is that so!! If that's the case, then we can only rely on trial and error," Adam suggested.
Listening to it, others nodded their head as well.
From the moment their Desire had begun to exist, a weird feeling had been present in them. It was like they had awakened some sort of sixth sense.
The sense—something that let them comprehend things they wouldn't be able to otherwise.
So, as time passed, they began to not ignore its call.
And now that it came to her feeling, there was no telling what was right and what was wrong.
"There is no point thinking over it for long... let's just go, and she can figure it out after using it a few times. How about that?" Gareth suggested.
"Yes! I think this is good as well..." Adam nodded his head.
"I'm sorry… I wasn't that much help to the group…" she apologized, looking toward Gareth.
"N-no… no, what are you doing? There is no need to apologize. It's already enough that you are coming with us… and anyway… your passive ability could be of great help if we encounter something related to curses…"
Gareth said quickly. He didn't want her to think she wasn't welcome in the group… or worse, was a burden to them.
"Yes, it's alright… no need to think much…" Nyra muttered as well.
Listening to her words, everyone agreed, and finally, the group began to move toward the tunnel.
"Now all that's left is to lift this up…" Gareth said, looking at the trapdoor that was covering the tunnel.
Nyra moved and activated her active ability… but the heavy thing only budged a little. It took quite some effort, but in the end, the door gave up, opening wide.
Creeeekkk!!
As the old trapdoor creaked open, a soft cloud of dust spilled into the air. Fine grains drifted down like ash, dancing in the dim light of the cave.
Looking at the entrance, Gareth muttered, "Let's go.