Chapter 10: The Discovery

The discovery of Elena’s body unfolded in the cold, heart-wrenching way that only tragedy can. Yannis had been one of the first to join the search, a torch gripped tightly in his calloused hand, his face a mask of determination as the team moved through the twisting paths leading up to the cave. Flashlights cut through the night, their beams trembling over jagged rocks and ancient stone, illuminating the narrow passageways like the haunted recesses of some forgotten underworld.

Niko was among them, though he could barely stand, his legs heavy with a guilt that seemed to sink into his very bones. The Kykeon’s effects had long worn off, but what remained was far worse: the sickening realization that whatever had happened to Elena, he was at the centre of it. His breath came in short, sharp bursts, and his hands trembled as he fumbled with the torch, unable to steady his mind, let alone the light.

They had searched for what seemed like hours, their voices echoing through the empty corridors of the caves, calling Elena’s name into the void. And then, a shout broke the silence.

“I found something!”

It was one of the older men, his voice cracking with dread. The search team rushed to the sound, their lights gathering on the figure lying motionless against the jagged rocks. Elena. She was draped across the uneven ground, her body limp, lifeless.

Niko stood frozen, unable to move as the others rushed to her side. Her arms were bruised, the deep purple marks of where she’d been gripped too tightly during their frantic escape from the hallucination-induced chaos. Her clothes were scuffed, torn at the elbows and knees, and there was a gash on the back of her head where she must have struck the stone when she fell.

But it was her face that cut through the night like a blade. Her makeup, which earlier had glowed softly in the dim light of the festival, was now streaked down her cheeks, tear-stained, as if she had cried out for help before it all ended. Her eyes, once so full of life, were now closed, forever shut to the world.

Yannis arrived last, stumbling to the scene as the men gingerly laid Elena’s body onto a stretcher. His flashlight slipped from his hand, clattering to the stone floor as he fell to his knees beside her.

“Ελένη μου... κόρη μου...”

His voice cracked as it tore from his throat, a howl of anguish that echoed through the cavern. His hands hovered over her bruised face, too afraid to touch, as if he could somehow undo what had been done. Yannis rocked back on his heels, looking up at the men who surrounded him, then locking eyes with Niko, who stood several paces away, silent, paralyzed by the weight of his guilt. He wanted to speak, to explain, but no words would come. He could barely look at Elena’s lifeless body, knowing it was his recklessness, his selfish need for release, that had led them here.

The men in the search party stood solemn, their faces dark with grief and anger. One of them finally broke the silence, his voice low but firm. “What happened?”

Yannis’ head snapped up, his grief twisting into fury as he fixed his bloodshot eyes on Niko. He rose from the ground with a wild, desperate energy. His face contorted with rage, and before Niko could react, Yannis lunged at him.

“You!” he screamed, his voice cracking with a mix of rage and devastation. “You brought this upon us! You brought her here!”

The force of Yannis’ grief and anger knocked Niko back against the cave wall. Yannis grabbed him by the collar, shaking him violently. “You killed my daughter!”

Niko didn’t resist. He didn’t fight back. How could he? Everything Yannis said was true. His throat was dry, and his mind was blank, flooded with a crushing guilt that left him paralyzed.

One of the older men stepped forward and grabbed Yannis by the shoulders, pulling him off Niko, but Yannis continued to shout, his voice ragged and broken. “Lock him up! He is to be locked up until I decide what to do with him!”

There was no pity in the eyes of the men who surrounded Niko. Only cold, hard judgment. They pulled him to his feet, their grips tight and unrelenting, and dragged him away from the cave. He didn’t resist; he couldn’t. His mind had gone numb.

Elena’s body was placed gently on a stretcher, her lifeless form covered with a blanket, her face hidden from view. Yannis’ cries echoed after them as they carried her out of the cave and into the night, the weight of the loss pressing down on everyone.

Niko was led back to Yannis’ house, his vision blurred with tears, his body moving as if on autopilot. They locked him in an outhouse at the back of the property, the wooden door slamming shut behind him with a dull thud. He was alone, trapped in the dark with nothing but his guilt to keep him company. He sank to the floor, his hands clutching his head, trembling uncontrollably.

Yannis’ final words echoed in his mind. “You killed my daughter!”