A few fathoms north of the House-Field where Tengir dwelt there was a gaping chasm. Though only ten feet wide, it was two hundred and fifty-some long, and who knows how deep, for standing at its chilly mouth one could not even see the bottom. Even at midday it was cloaked in a cruel darkness, but Tengir was taken in by its mystery. So he fastened a well-wrought rope at the top and lowered himself down there with a candle in one hand and a shovel in the other, to know whether that place was not the threshold of another world.
When he set foot at the bottom, he looked round and saw that the place branched off in every direction into caverns and crevices that faded into the mist of darkness. While he was thus looking round, the Spirit of the Cave appeared before him in robes of white silk and had these words to say: "Child, you have set foot in a world which is not your own, to which I am not in the least opposed, so long as you do not fail to prevent it from rejecting you, as it will try with its utmost strength to do. For the land beneath the land is caped in thick blackness and is the oblivion of life. Even the sun, that ruler of the boundless skies, is a stranger here. This place is the shadow of the world, it is the shadow of Spirit. So if you dare to scavenge for treasure here, do not bring with you a mirror, for the true image of things cannot be caught without the light of the sun. Bring with you only a wisp of that fire to light your path--it is the next best thing. I don't even know what the hideous creatures that dwell down here can do, and neither do you, but they sure know."
When the Spirit of the Cave finished saying these words steeped in caution, Tengir replied: "Spirit, will you give me anything to aid me on my journey?" To which the Spirit: "I have but one thing to give you. It is for you to hold what you need to hold, when you need to." And the Spirit of the Cave furnished a small glass jar and gave it to Tengir.
After that, the Spirit disappeared in a flash. The sky overhead, with what little light it granted, looked far away as a twinkling star and empty as a mirage on the verge of fading into unreality. Gripping his candle tightly, Tengir turned his back to the light and the rope and descended into the breast of the Earth. With each step the image in his eye of the walls and floors grew less distinct, until that spark of fire was the only means of sight. Faint howls, whispers and monstrous noises, coming from who knows where, came bouncing off the walls. But whether the creatures that made them were close at hand or far off, it was impossible to tell.
He had not been down there for an hour, when he suddenly glimpsed a bluish white flame flash into existence to his left. Whether it was a large flame that was far away, or a small flame that was close at hand, he could not tell, but could only stand there fascinated by its beautiful luster which reminded him of the daytime sky, now as far away as a dream. Like a playful animal, it flitted and fluttered in a ritualistic dance that he figured was meant to draw him closer. Not without suspicion, he approached it, but kept his distance.
Now aware of his presence, the Wisp said thus to Tengir: "Friend, are you not lost here in the land beneath the land? And how could it not be so, without the light of the sun you surface-dwellers so adore. But in these parts, you either bring your own light or you go without. That paltry flame of yours will do you little good in so vast an ocean of hiddenness as this place is. What will you do when that wick burns low? Luckily for you, I am here, who am my own light, and I would be more than happy to show you around, if you are willing to pay."
Just then, an icy breeze blew through the cavern and doused the candle. Tengir replied thus: "Wisp, what is your price?" The Wisp said thus: "You will know--but not until we have arrived." He had no choice but to go with the Wisp, who led him this way and that through the unfathomable caverns. Their path twisted and turned and seemed to Tengir to be completely random, but indeed there was nothing he could do or say, for the Wisp flew fast and was always twenty paces in front of him. He struggled to keep up. Angry, he shouted thus at the Wisp: "Wisp, you are a fiend! Just where are you leading me?" But the Wisp did not reply.
They had been going thus for almost three hours, when suddenly the Wisp halted and began to dance in cursed patterns. Its flame tripled in size and a wicked, black grimace appeared on it. It was an expression of laughter and hatred, and it made such a terrifying sight that Tengir froze in his tracks. With a distorted voice, the Wisp said thus: "Now I have shown you the beauty of darkness, there is no chance of you escaping. It is time for you to pay. Now I will help myself to your soul." Tengir roared: "I will kill you! You are only fire and smoke." To which the Wisp: "Put me out if you dare. You will not see enough to find your way out of here." The Wisp morphed into a humanoid figure, then pulled a glittering silver sword out of the rocks at his feet. He was about to cut Tengir.
At once, Tengir took out the glass jar the Spirit of the Cave had given him. With one swift motion top to bottom, he caught the Wisp in the jar, and the sword fell to the ground. When he fastened the jar's lid, the Wisp screeched, but its voice had become silent. Its bluish flame was just as bright as it always was. With the light in hand, he picked up the silver sword, which was called the Stone-Splitting Sword, and went back to the surface.