The field seen in front of the Barrier of the Rophions looked so calm at that moment despite the fact that it had been scorched by Fenrir’s fire, who used the flames to stop their enemy’s attack. A calmness that was a kind of illusion because, here and there, on that field, between the gray piles of smoking ashes or under them, a few of those enemies were still moving. Yet, it wasn’t a sign that they were still alive. No, it was because of Tenebre’s magic that was still flowing through their veins, but which left their body at that moment when they stopped breathing. Also, the movement seemed so intense because of the smoke seen around, which looked more like fog than smoke, even if it was clearly seen that Rophion Forest was burning. Yes, the woods were in flames at that moment, a hint that somewhere in the distance Dike and his fellows were still fighting to make sure that they would see the sun of tomorrow on the blue sky again.
Fenrir and the rest of his friends, who were still behind the Barrier, looked exactly at that smoke. They carefully looked at it, feeling a strange burning in their chests. It felt as though the worm of fear sneaked inside and, after taking possession of their center of energy, started to squirm continuously, making them feel powerless in front of Fate, like cowards. However, it was nothing more than a natural feeling, one caused by everything that happened around them because… maybe they were magic creatures, with big powers to use to control the world, which could make them feel like kings in front of the others, but they were still alive creatures eventually that feared in front of death.
„Just like those that fell… they also felt it!” Mago suddenly murmured, making everybody wince and stare at him, confused.
After such words, Nathaniel looked straight into his friend’s eyes because he couldn’t understand the reason why Mago said those words. Not the same Mago felt because he, looking straight in front, at that field that was covered by white steam and gray smoke, seemed not to see him or anybody else. Yes, Mago seemed to see nothing else around, except the smoke and the steam, one that surrounded them from all over, making them feel something cold sneaking inside, in their bones, and shudder like hell.
Probably because of this Mago winced when Nathaniel touched his right arm. Then, staring at Nathaniel, with lost eyes, Mago saw a strange man by his side, a man whose face he couldn’t see. Thus, closing his eyes, he felt dizzy because it was definitely something he had never lived before. Dizziness that lasted a few moments and made him murmur, „Who are you?”
Pumping his eyes even more, Nathaniel kept staring at his friend, just as anybody else was doing. Eventually, also because of the surprise, Nathaniel asked, „Who am I? What do you mean by who I am? Mago, it’s me, Nathaniel.”
„Aaa,” Mago responded, randomly. „I thought… I thought…” he stuttered. After that, not finishing his thought, still feeling deep pressure on his brain, Mago turned his back to the others. And, at slow step, looking around at the Rophion soldiers’faces, at Island, and the ghouls that were next to the Siars, Mago headed toward the same tree under which Nathaniel and Arion had that soul talk with Palar a few days ago.
Seeing him leaving and looking so strange while crawling his legs, the others wondered in a single voice, „What’s wrong with him?” After that, finding no answer to that question, everybody shook their heads, confused, trying to clear their minds.
Eventually, everybody looked at Izkina when he said, „It’s because of the smoke and the steam! It’s what controls Mago’s will.”
„His will? But… why?” Nathaniel asked.
„I don’t know this. What I know is that this generally happens to someone who's weak inside… he’s easily controlled by someone’s power.”
The ghoul’s answer enraged Malon, who yelled, „Who are you calling weak? Hei, who are you calling this way?” Yet, even if Malon was more than eager to punch Izkina’s nose, he couldn’t get at him because of Nathaniel, who stepped in front of him. After that, forcing a little bit with his friend, Nathaniel managed to turn Malon to his place, telling him:
„Malon, don’t be a burden for us, too! I think we have enough problems right now without thinking about how to control you too.”
„But, Nathaniel, how can you talk like that? You also heard what he said! He called Mago weak! Mago, the one that’s the strongest of all of us!”
„Yet, he’s also the first to fall prey to a spell!” Zorrota’s remark made everybody stare at him. However, he, looking at the ground and with his arms folded on his chest, thoughtfully said, „Whose spell? I can’t tell you right now!”
Listening to the ghoul mentioning a spell, Fenrir and Arion exchanged glances. Yet, even if they asked the other one by a glance what he thought about this, none of them seemed to know the answer. What they saw in the other’s glance were more questions and preoccupations because it was the first time they experienced something like that. That’s why they didn’t know how to solve it.
Not the same thought Zorrota seemed to have. He seemed to know something or at least to suspect that someone from the camp was to blame for that spell. That’s why he told Malon when he spotted that one’s glance focused on him, „If you care about your friend, never leave him alone! Not even for a second!”
„What do you mean by that?” Asked Malon, staring at the ghoul.
„I’m not sure, yet, but… I’ll definitely find it out. Meanwhile, keep an eye on him! Even when he sleeps because we don’t know exactly what to expect from him right now.”
„Are you saying that he’s able to betray us?” Malon hissed through his teeth. He was pissed off and angry with the ghoul for insinuating things like that.
Zorrota, understanding very well why Malon acted like that, calmly replied, „I’m not insinuating anything! I just mention things that might eventually happen. And, even if this happens, if we are betrayed from inside, it’s possible that we’ll be unable to blame anybody for this.”
„What you want to say right now is that it might be that someone from outside is able to control the will of some of us just to get into the camp?” Fenrir asked.
„That’s right, Fenrir. It’s exactly what I want to say. So, as it isn’t the right moment to waste our time, I say to keep an eye on everybody, especially on those who act weirdly. Why? Because it’s the only way we can avoid being taken by surprise with a sudden attack!”
„But… this is impossible!” the old Mūkkutti almost shouted. „Even if someone from outside purposed to use his power to control the mind of one of us, he can’t cross through the Barrier!”
„Did you try this?” Izkina asked the old man, staring into his eyes.
Mūkkutti, who'd felt confident by then, suddenly felt disarmed and shuddered when he looked into the ghoul’s eyes. Something that made him look elsewhere right away and murmur, „We’ve never tried this, yes. Even so, we are sure of our success because our force made this Barrier. It’s controlled by Master Dike’s power. It’s unbreakable. I’m more than sure of this.”
„Yet, you forget one thing now, old man!” Izkina said, confident.
„He forgets? What exactly?” Pāṇṭittiyam wondered.
„That Titan Dike is outside now and not here. This can play against us.”
„Impossible, as I said,” Mūkkutti was obstinate with his idea. „Master Dike won’t ever hurt his people.”
„I never said that. What I said was that while he’s outside of the Barrier, focused on something else, Fate is more than able to play a prank on us. Thus, once we aren’t sure of anything, I think that it won’t be something wrong to be cautious.”
„The Ghoul Izkina is right,” said Island, approaching them along with Yamu. They were returning from the village, after visiting Ahi to check if that one was already awake. Thus, while approaching the others, they heard what their friends were talking about and became preoccupied. „Izkina is right in suggesting to be cautious.”
„But, Grandpa, we’re talking about the Barrier of the Rophions. The one that it's said that’s unbreakable!”
„That’s right, Sephir! It’s what is said. Yet, you also saw this, especially in the last few days: nothing is as we’ve thought before. For example, the Rophion Forest: until recently, everybody thought that it listened to Dike’s command only. However, now we’ve seen that this forest is also influenced by Parca, Tenebre, and Pakai. So, we are sure that we aren’t sure of anything. The Barrier isn’t an exception!”
„If I carefully think about this, I think you are right, Titan Island,” murmured Yamu thoughtfully, making everybody attentive. He didn’t look at any of them, but said, „I mean the Forest and the Barrier. As far as I remember, when we built this village and this Barrier to protect us, we managed to tie it somehow to the Forest’s power. Or… am I wrong now, old Pāṇṭittiyam?”
„No, Yamu, you aren’t,” replied Pāṇṭittiyam in a shaking voice the moment he remembered that it was as Yamu said. „We decided to connect the two powers, trying to make sure we avoid being attacked from all over. Thus, we managed to build this Barrier, by connecting its power to the Forest’s power because we were sure that only Master Dike had control over the Forest. Something we’ve been wrong about, I see now because… if this Forest falls, controlled by Evil, this wall can also fall!”
Old Pāṇṭittiyam’s words made everybody shudder. Some of them even swallowed hard when they felt bitter saliva on the top of their tongues. Others… squeezed their swords, spears, or bows in their hands because, after their families entered the Tunnels of Ārakkiḷ, they decided that it wasn’t a bad idea to be armed all the time. Thus, nobody had been left behind because they were sure that it was useless to fight with empty hands against evil, especially those with no magic power in their veins, like the Siars. That’s why they were far behind the others, somehow protected by those that controlled the Magic, to make sure that everybody would be safe in case of a sudden attack.
***
„I’ve told you that they don’t trust you. They consider you a coward, weak,” Calmac whispered into Mago’s ear, suddenly appearing behind the trunk next to which the young man was sitting.
Mago, as though stubborn and at all eager to hear the ghoul, suddenly shook his head. He even covered his ears with his palms, pressing them with force because that voice, which was all the time talking to him in his head lately, started to bother him. That’s why he tried, as he could, to chase that evil away from him, even if he failed eventually.
Why did he fail? Simple: because Calmac wasn’t the kind of being that accepted a no as a fact. He simply loved to poke his nose into others’businesses or sow dissension between others. Then, when the problem was real already and the fight between those he sowed dissension started, he was moving aside, enjoying the view of that „show” as he thought it was. Actually, because of his power to make others fight, Laṟṟa chose him to whisper sweet words into his ear, making him responsible for the problems that came after that. Thus, as Calmac was a damn good pupil, he did everything he learned without fail.
Thus, determined to rile Mago and cause ructions among the others, Calmac sat down by Mago eventually. The ghoul sat a little bit to Mago’s right to make sure he wouldn’t be seen there by anyone. From whom was Calmac hiding? Izkina or Zorrota because if any of them had seen him talking to Mago, they would have definitely understood who was to blame for the young man’s weird behavior.
Nevertheless, Calmac wasn’t stupid to commit himself. That’s why he chose a hidden place to talk to Mago. He even seemed completely focused in his attempt to brainwash Mago, even if his eyes were focused on the others. Thus, he saw them focused while talking, at all interested in what he was doing. Something Calmac simply loved. That’s why he eventually grinned. After that, satisfied, he whispered, „When the cat's away…” And, focusing his glance on Mago again, he told him, „I believe in you, Mago. I’m more than sure that you are the king of everybody here.”
Such words managed to „convince” Mago to listen to what Calmac wanted to say after that. Yet, he didn’t look at Calmac because he still considered that he was listening to a voice in his head and not of someone next to him. Thus, staring in front, Mago kept seeing only the field that was still smoking and the steam that was dancing around as though it was an invisible enemy there. This made him confused and enraged him at the same time. That’s why he suddenly sketched a weird smile on his face. He even showed his teeth, something that made Calmac rub his palms: he was definitely happy and sure of his success. Moreover, he convinced himself that he was on the right track when he heard Mago saying, „I’m also sure you trust me because… there are so few of those like me: strong and powerful.”
„Absolutely,” rushed Calmac to support that idea. „Actually, you aren’t only strong, but also wise. The only one that can make sure that this earth is safe. Thus, as you are the only one capable of protecting this world, you don’t have to ask for permission to do something or ask for advice, just as you don’t have a reason to listen to what others are saying to you.”
Mago winced. Then, confused, he looked at Calmac. What he saw there was just a shadow like any other shadow he saw on that field, covered by smoke. Thus, convinced that it was a shadow who „supported” his idea, Mago said, „Yet, different opinions mean wisdom.”
„No,” shouted Calmac through his teeth. „This is a lie. More opinions mean confusion. Or what… did you manage to do something really good after listening to others’advice?”
After such a question, Mago took thoughts. He couldn’t remember if others’opionions somehow helped him in the past to solve his problems. What he remembered was his „successes,” those he managed to achieve „alone” as Calmac made him believe. Thus, completely controlled by the ghoul’s power, poor Mago understood that he was sure of nothing at that moment: neither of what was reliable in his life nor of what was wrong. Yet, soon after this, everything that Calmac said made sense and it was true, making him think he lived in a pink world where he was the hero. Yes, he was the mighty Mago, the one who was carrying the safety of the whole world on his shoulders. Thus, thinking that he was the second Atlas, Mago suddenly jerked to his feet, saying, „You don’t even know how right you are! I can decide the future!”
Calmac grinned. Then, still rubbing his palms, he also stood up. Once on his feet, the ghoul carefully looked around to check if someone saw him there. Yet, he was safe because the others still kept talking to each other about the problems they faced. Thus, getting a green light from Mago to brainwash him further, Calmac told him, „I know how exactly we can decide the future.”
„Do you know?” Asked Mago, confused, seeing the ghoul’s face clearly this time. Thus, seeing Calmac, Mago saw a kind smile on his face, even if this one was cunningly smiling at that moment. Seeing that smile, Mago felt „encouraged” by his new friend and smiled too, saying, shortly after this, „Then… if you know this, show me too! Show me how to decide the future and bring this world to its knees, saving it from evil!”
The ghoul grinned again. After that, taking a few steps in front, he got next to Mago. Only a step from him, Calmac stopped and, carefully looking around to make sure no one saw him, he whispered into Mago’s ear, „If you want to know how, just follow me! Yet, don’t tell anybody about this because… not everybody has to know such a miracle of the world: to know the future I mean. Only the Chosen Ones have this right, Mago! Only you and nobody else! So… follow me! Yet, do it silently because… you are the only one who should be the… king!” After that, slowly turning his back to the young man, Calmac sneaked toward the village, having only one thought in his head… to bring the world to its knees.
Mago, totally controlled by the ghoul, followed him without saying a word. He didn’t even look back or tell someone about their plan: he was afraid that others could „find out the secret of the world.” Thus, keeping silent about the snake’s cunningness, which took Calmac’s form, he helped evil to triumph even if he always swore that he’d be the one to kneel it down.
***
„Where did he go?” Malon wondered, frightened when he didn’t see Mago.
„Who exactly?” Asked Fenrir, looking at Malon, confused.
„Mago! He was right over there, under that tree. Only what. Now… he’s gone!”
Fenrir, at all preoccupied, suddenly shook his head and murmured, „You never trust him!” Actually, what Fenrir said wasn’t a simple remark, but what he thought because he was sure that Mago, after regaining control over his mind, felt ashamed and ran to hide in some place. That’s why Fenrir rushed to calm Malon by saying to him after that, „That’s why you should stay calm because I’m sure he’s fine, somewhere there, licking his wounds. You know how Mago is when he’s ashamed. Thus, when he feels better again, he’ll be back.”
„What if it’s more than this, Fenrir?” Insisted Malon, preoccupied. „What if Mago, completely controlled by that power, hurts himself?”
„I think you are exaggerating right now. Why? Because Mago isn’t the kind of person that hurts himself. I know this and you know this too. Actually, you know this better than I do once you have known him since he was born. That’s why you should trust him more than others.”
Malon frowned, still looking at Fenrir. He even cooked his nose at one moment as though he was asking Fenrir this way, „Are you serious right now or just kidding?” After that, folding his arms over his chest, he told the wolf, „Honestly, this didn’t sound well.”
„What exactly?” Asked Fenrir in an innocent voice.
„Just… forget about it!” Malon hissed through his teeth, turning his back to the wolf. „If you don’t believe what I say, that something wrong happens to Mago, it’s up to you! I’ll figure it out by myself! Actually… I’ll go to look for him right now because something tells me that my friend isn’t okay and he…”
Suddenly, keeping silent, Malon stared at the Barrier. Something started to bother him about that dancing smoke that was surrounded by white steam. He even thought that someone was there, behind all that. Who exactly?! He didn’t know. Malon was sure only about one thing: that he met that person whose presence he felt there. He, because he knew that person from behind the smoke, started to shudder. From top to toe actually. Shaking of his body that Fenrir also noticed.
Actually, Fenrir spotted that Malon was acting weirdly because the Siar kept silent so suddenly, something that wasn’t characteristic of him. Thus, seeing Malon staring in front, at the field that was smoking at that moment, Fenrir also looked over there. Yet, Fenrir saw nothing there. Nevertheless, if Malon kept silent and continued to stare at that smoke, he was sure that something was behind all that. Why was Fenrir so sure of this? Because of Malon, whom he knew was curious about certain things. It was also because he trusted his instinct. Thus, if something important hadn’t been there, behind the smoke and the steam, Malon wouldn’t have ever left behind the idea of finding Mago, behavior that suddenly started to preoccupy Fenrir and this because he saw nothing on that field even after moments of staring at it.
Eventually, Fenrir approached Arion and tapped his shoulder, pointing with his head toward the field. His gesture made everybody attentive, not only Arion. Yet, they also didn’t see anything on that field even if they felt that strange presence there. That’s why they exchanged glances eventually, asking the others this way if they knew something. Fenrir, who started to feel that presence better than before, a presence that seemed so familiar to him, looked at Arion in the end and asked him, „Do you think Tenebre is over there?”
„No. I have the feeling that’s someone more powerful than she is.”
„Pakai?”
„No, he’s not there either. Yet, who’s there, I’m not sure. All that I know is that there is a familiar presence over there. Actually, I’m sure that I’ve met that creature before and not only once. Even so, I can’t figure out who he might be. Something that I hate actually.” Saying this, Arion cooked his nose. He even gnashed his teeth as he used to do when an enemy was coming closer to him but he couldn’t figure out who that enemy was. And, as Arion simply hated it when he was caught in a trap, suddenly hissed through his teeth, squeezing his fists, „Come on, weirdness with a smoke body, show up at once! Or what… are you trying to play the fool or kill my nerves all day?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Fenrir grinned, „Something that he does a marvelous actually because… I haven’t seen you so nervous since long ago.”
„Are you looking for a fight right now?”
„No, I just mentioned the truth! One that you hate, it seems to me.”
„What seems to me is that you haven’t learned the lesson.”
„Which one?” Fenrir asked, looking in amazement at his teacher, whose eyes were sparkling because of anger. Arion got furious eventually when he saw Fenrir looking with innocence at him even though he considered that the wolf had chosen the wrong time to do that. Something that Fenrir also understood soon, that it wasn’t the right moment to play the fool, because he suddenly pulled back, muttering, „I was just trying to make everybody feel relaxed.”
„A stupid idea in my opinion because it’s not the right place or moment for your stupid jokes.”
„The same opinion I have, actually,” Nathaniel told them eventually, hissing through his teeth, „That's a bad idea to personify two rams looking for a fight.” Nathaniel looked furious because the behavior of the two men got to irritate him eventually and this was because they didn’t lose a chance to fight. Something that seemed not only strange to him but made him think at one moment that he had to deal with two spoiled and mindless boys. And, because he could barely control his anger, Nathaniel told the two in the end, „If you don’t want to see sparkles floating around you or to tell Sephir that you are playing the fools instead of being serious, I suggest you control your emotions. Both of you!”
„Whose friend are you anyway?” Fenrir asked Nathaniel, frowning. „I thought that a man should support another one no matter what. We were friends, remember? Or… should I take it as an acceptance that I’ve been wrong and you’ve never been my friend? Actually, I’m sure of this because if you are my friend, then I’m a flying horse now.” Remark that made Arion growl. „Yes, yes, I got it: I hurt your ego.”
„Absolutely!” Arion growled again. „Do you know why? Because you can’t be friends with your brother-in-law! Especially with the one that loves to take your sister to the river to cool their souls… only the two of them there!” Yet, the one who felt cooled eventually had been him because, by saying this, he managed to take revenge on Nathaniel for what he told them before. A thought that wasn’t wrong actually because, understanding that he pushed it too hard, Nathaniel pulled back. He even raised his hands in the end, hinting that he gave up on that fight. Yet, by doing this, he gave Fenrir the chance to feel that he won because he saw the wolf suddenly turning his back to him and, proud of himself, Fenrir told Nathaniel while heading toward the Barrier:
„At least some of my friends care about me!” Thus, extremely happy because Arion defended him there, the wolf grinned and closed his eyes for a few moments, enjoying the pleasure of being safe. Yet, opening his eyes again, he saw Tayakkam right in front of his nose. The Titan was only two steps away from the Barrier, strangely grinning at him while staring at Fenrir. This one, suddenly turning into a wolf, the moment he touched the soil with the four paws, let a „Mama, help me!” came out of his throat as though he didn’t see a friendly creature there but a ghost or the Grim Reaper herself.
He showed his fangs eventually when he heard Arion whispering into his ear, „If you don’t want to see UmI descending on a ray to save you now and be the fool of everybody after this, I suggest you yell only in your head, wolf! Otherwise, your reputation is dead, dude! Well, at least that is what I think!”
„You should better tell me who that weird creature over there is instead of… giving unfriendly advice,” Fenrir growled again.
Arion shrugged instead. „Do you think I know everything in this world or what?”
„It seemed to me to be so! Why? Because you’re old as the world,” the wolf teased his friend. Then, looking at Tayakkam, who kept happily grinning at him, Fenrir murmured, „I think I’ve been wrong all this time. Why? Because, eh, who lost the wisdom to allow you to find it eventually?!”
„Do you feel itches on your skin or what?” Arion asked the wolf, still staring at the weird creature from in front of his nose, who kept staring at him too, smiling. Eventually, he widened his eyes and looked in amazement at Fenrir when he heard that one saying:
„I feel only my gums hurting me! And my teeth, which I intend to sharpen by eating that strange soul over there!”
Such bold words heard from the wolf’s throat made Arion look askance at him. Yet, understanding that the wolf didn’t joke, he became attentive. He even looked in front again, widening his eyes even more when he saw Ahi to the left of Tayakkam while to his right he saw a… red fox. „Inmar?” Soan wondered.
„No, it’s not her!” Fenrir and Arion heard right behind them. Looking at Island, who told them this, they saw him staring at the three unwelcome guests, who, so suddenly that everybody shouted because of the surprise, vanished from in front of the Barrier, appearing seconds only after this about 500 meters away from it. „She’s Anaya! A red fox that’s only a ghost!”
„A ghost?” The wolf asked, extremely surprised. „Since when can I see ghosts? Did I die or something?”
Island smiled. „You don’t have to die to see her. Actually, even if she’s in a bad company, Anaya is a good soul.”
„Something I doubt. Moreover, knowing who her friends are,” the wolf growled, looking at his enemies again.
„You are wrong now, Fenrir, because… I have known this fox since long ago. A fox that has been a human once.”
„A human?” Asked Arion, confused. „How… how is this possible?”
„I don’t know this. I only suspect that Gaea and my brother have something to do with that.”
„Mother Earth? What does she win by doing this?” Island shook his head, hinting that he didn’t know. „Then… we should only wait for her and when Gaea and Lodur are back, they’ll tell us the reason for sure.”
„I think that we’ll find out other interesting things before we find out the reason why a human has been turned into a fox. Like why the devil knocked on our door,” hissed Fenrir through his teeth so suddenly, making everybody wince. „Like the fact that if Ahi is here it is definitely for his body, which we still have actually!”
„Let him tighten his belt, then!” Said Nathaniel. „He won’t have his body back ever! Not until he pays for everything he’s done to the Siars!”
„I have a different opinion though,” responded Fenrir, making Nathaniel stare at him, confused. After that, Nathaniel frowned, a hint he was upset with the wolf. Fenrir, calm and determined to solve that mystery, told his friend, „I think that if he’s here and not looking for the fox, it’s because he has a deal to offer!”
„Then, let’s listen to what he has to say!” Island said. After that, looking at Yamu, he told him, „Open the Barrier! I'm going to see my brother!”
„Not alone!” Whispered Sephir, grabbing his arm. „If you have to talk to him, you’ll do it with me by your side!”
„I’m in too!” Fenrir growled, not allowing Island to disagree this way.
„It’ll be safer if there are four of us there!” Said Arion, taking an arrow out of his quiver. After that, using his power, he made a bow with a blue wooden body appear in his hand.
The decision seen in Soan’s eyes and in the glance of the two spouses let Island understand that they were right and it wasn’t safe for him to go to talk to Ahi alone. This wasn’t because Island was afraid of his brother. They fought so many times before and knew how to protect themselves. Even so, they lived in times when he didn't have to rush to make decisions or let emotions control his will and mind. If he had done this, if he had allowed the negative emotions he gathered in years in his heart after all the bad things Ahi did to him to control his will, Island would have lost control for sure. That’s why he decided that it would be wiser for everybody if Ahi and he wouldn’t be alone there.
Nevertheless, Island wasn’t calm even if he tried to seem so as not to worry the others. He decided so because it was his duty while he was the older one in that camp. This made him wise and others relied on him because of the wisdom he showed in all those years. Also, he had good friends by his side. That’s why he had to trust them. Thus, when a gate was already opened in the Barrier, Yamu joined the group, turning into a wolf as Fenrir did, walking on Island’s left while Arion, Sephir, and the wolf Fenrir were to Island’s right.
Passing through the gate, the strange group, formed by two wolves and three magic creatures, headed toward the place where Ahi, Anaya, and Tayakkam were, waiting in silence for the others to approach them. Around them, the smoke and the steam were still acting up, hiding them from the glances of the others. Not for long, only for seconds the smoke was hiding their body, allowing others to see them after other seconds of waiting, as though the smoke and the steam were washing their souls of sins while the black horizon, seen to their right, was pierced by thick thunder lights, those that were making the sky seem in fire. To their left, also on the celestial vault that was covered by black furious clouds, a star appeared. A shining star was seen there as the star of hope, one that nobody saw there eventually - Aṭōṉis.
Aṭōṉis appeared in the sky the Moment Island’s group stopped about 10 steps from the place Ahi and his fellows were. None of them said anything instead. They only looked at each other, in silence, chewing questions in their minds and living the fear in their souls, not knowing what exactly was waiting for them in the future or what to wait from those seen in front of them.
***
MILLENNIA AGO.
It was a strange morning when a young couple with a two-month-old baby in the arms of his mother and four girls of different ages behind them stopped at the Gate of the Village of Rophions. They wore brown cloaks on their shoulders, they had the hoods on, and a few bags on the back of an old and skinny donkey. The strangers were also carrying bags on their backs or in their hands. And, in their left hand, to support themselves or to protect from the attack of the wild animals, they had a thick stick.
Actually, that morning they had been forced to fight with a pack of dogs that met them at the entrance to the village. The moment they saw the strangers there, the four-legged beasts started to bark loudly, summoning other dogs there to protect their territory. Animals that looked as though they lost their minds while barking, letting the strangers know that it was time to stay where they stopped or turn back because the entrance to the village was closed to them.
Yet, even if they made a big fuss with the loud bark and their madness, the dogs didn’t attack the strangers. They only summoned their masters there, at the edge of the village. The dogs not simply called their masters there, but the villagers came armed with what they could, thinking that the enemy was trying to attack them again. Instead of an entire army of enemies, the villagers saw only six souls. These ones were shaking like hell, afraid to be attacked by the villagers or by the dogs, at whom they were actually staring at that moment because the dogs, mad after their silence had been disturbed that morning, kept fiercely barking at the strangers, announcing them to be very careful or they would tear up them for sure.
The barking stopped eventually the moment the sun appeared in the sky, piercing the celestial vault with its golden rays. Also, piercing the thick leafy vault made by the trees’branches, the golden rays made that part of the forest seem like a piece of Heaven. This had been the signal for the dogs to stop barking. Yet, it wasn’t the only reason why the dogs calmed down. It happened also because of Dike, who finally showed up there. He’d been late to come to the edge of the village because the moment the dogs started to fiercely bark, he was still in the Valley of Silence after he talked to Lodur. Thus, getting to that place, Dike carefully looked at his people first. After that, seeing them so serious and preoccupied while staring in front, the Titan also looked over there.
Nevertheless, seeing the strangers there, Dike didn’t seem as preoccupied as it happened to the villagers. All that mattered to him was that he was sure that they came there for a reason, one that he could only guess by judging by the bags from the donkey’s back or by those from their backs and hands. Also, looking into the strangers’eyes, Dike saw them so tired and scared that felt sorrow for them because he understood that they were there looking for shelter after being forced to abandon their home. Where exactly the strangers were heading at that moment, Dike didn’t know. He only understood that they were trying to cross the village because it was safer for them this way. Yet, why exactly they considered that path safer, Dike didn’t know, but he intended to find out. That’s why he asked eventually, „Who are you, stranger?”
„I’m Kōpcāri, Iṟaku’s son or Black Feather as he was known before among ours,” the stranger said, taking a step in front and the hood off.
The stranger’s answer made Dike attentive. He paid attention to the shine seen in the man’s eyes when he mentioned his father, a shining that hinted at the big admiration for his father. Yet, what made Dike more attentive than before was the movement of the baby. Also, when the boy moved into his mother’s arms, he took a hand out of the blanket, touching the woman’s chest and letting her know he was hungry. Not this seemed strange to Dike at that moment… that the boy asked for his mother’s breast when he was hungry, but the fact that the woman rushed to cover the boy’s body, who looked so pale and somehow purple, as though he wasn’t fed enough. Seeing this, Dike looked at one of the villagers, at Viraikkā (sharp), to whom he said, „Let them in!”
„But, Master Dike, the strangers can disturb our peace,” Viraikkā opposed the idea, looking scared.
Dike smiled instead. After that, touching the man’s shoulder, he told him, „They won’t do this because they have a good soul.”
After such words, Viraikkā felt guilty. More than that, he felt strange because he understood that when he opposed Dike’s idea to allow the strangers to enter their village, he showed that he didn’t trust Dike enough. He thought that by acting this he was questioning the Titan’s ability to make the difference between Good and Evil. Yet, even if he felt all this, he still asked, „How do you know all this, Master Dike?” He didn’t ask this because he tried to make sure that nobody would disturb their quiet living, but because he had to do that while the silence of the village depended on him too.
„I just know this!” Replied the Titan in a kind voice. „You’ll convince yourself of this too, very soon actually.” After that, looking at the strangers again, Dike told them. „Follow me!” After that, without waiting for their answer, Dike turned his back to them and headed to the center of the village.
Behind him, the Rophions exchanged glances, amazed. Yet, they said nothing. They only seemed confused with Dike’s decision to trust the strangers. Nevertheless, because they trusted him, they decided to allow the strangers to enter the village, forming a kind of corridor when they stepped back. Some of them, when the dogs started to bark again, rushed to chase the animals away, not to scare the kids.
The strangers, while they headed toward the villagers, kept looking at the dogs. They did that not because they were scolding the animals this way or because they had a bad thought about those poor souls, but because they tried to make sure that they wouldn’t be attacked eventually. The girls looked more scared than their parents, girls that had the age of four to ten. Because of this, because they were so scared, they kept staring at the animals that showed them their sharp fangs. And, also because they were so scared, the poor kids squeezed their mother’s hand or skirt while they also squeezed the stick with the other hand.
Who looked more scared than the others was the younger of the sisters. She was to her mother’s right, squeezing her mother’s skirt with her left hand, afraid not to be left behind. Then, when her mother took her little hand in her hand and smiled at her, the girl also forced a smile because she was scared of everything that happened around them. She also seemed not to understand too much of what happened to them lately when, so suddenly, their quiet life stopped and they’d been forced to run.
The nightmare started for them two months ago. Why? None of them knew it. All that the girls knew was that they’d been awakened one morning, forced by their mother to dress, who also put bags on their backs and asked them to follow them in silence. After that, in big secret, at dawn, the seven left the village with no intention to return there one day.
After that morning, the little girl remembered that they walked for a long time, resting during the day and moving forward during the night, only on secret paths where it was quiet and no soul was seen wandering. On their way, they met only wild beasts. Yet, they hadn’t been torn up eventually because those beasts weren’t hungry when they met them and that meant luck for their family. Thus, protected by nature and by the mercy of the Celestial Father, they got to the edge of a village that morning, the only village where they’d been left to enter. Why exactly they’d been left to enter, none of the girls knew. That’s why they looked scared while advancing on that village’s streets. Especially, they stared at the villagers that followed them a few steps behind them only as though watching them just to make sure they wouldn’t hurt anybody while being there.
Eventually, the girls looked in front when their mother scolded them in a whispered voice, „I told you that’s not good to stare at someone! Especially, don't stare at strangers! So, look only in front!”
None of the girls said anything. They only nodded after they heard their mother saying those harsh words. After that, they looked only in front, at the stranger who talked to their father and who was stopped in front of a hut. A stranger that was smiling at them at that moment and, in whose eyes, the kindness was seen sparkling. This made them look less preoccupied, moreover when they heard Dike saying to them, „Please, enter my humble house and have some rest! I’ll be back soon!” After that, again not waiting for their answer, Dike headed east, with the rest of the villagers following him.
Once left alone, the woman looked at her husband and asked, „Do you think they’ll have a council because of us?”
„I think so,” the man said without looking at her. „Nothing strange in fact because we are strangers eventually, people they don’t know and they have no idea what to expect from us.”
„They could have simply asked,” the woman said, disappointed.
Looking at her, Kōpcāri smiled. „Do you think this helps? Asking, I mean. No, Āṇavam! Nowadays, one shouldn't trust strangers. Not even our friends we should trust. We live in difficult times when we don’t know what a friend thinks, moreover, a stranger. Why? Because nobody knows what’s in a human’s heart. There can be thorns, Āṇavam, thorns that can tear up an entire people eventually.”
„Maybe you’re right,” replied Āṇavam, sighing. „Yet, I hoped we’d find peace here, a shelter. Instead, it seems as if we are forced to continue our journey starting soon.”
„Who knows?!” The man randomly replied. After this, opening the door of the hut, which Dike gave them to rest, he looked at his family and told them to follow him inside the hut. Yet, before closing the door behind him, the man looked around, making sure that it was safe for all of them to be there.
***
„His name is Tīrkkatarici,” Kōpcāri told Dike when the two of them were staying in front of a stone Vāyil, far more primitive at that time, which could be found in the Rophions’village. He said this to the Titan after uncovering the boy’s face and looking at him.
„The Oracle?” Dike asked in amazement, staring at the man.
„Yes. Tīrkkatarici means the Oracle in your language.”
„But… why? Why did you choose this name for your boy? As far as I know, only a few souls in this world are chosen for such a role.”
Kōpcāri said nothing after listening to Dike’s question. He only looked in front, at that strange altar built from different stones that had different sizes and colors, in front of which the Rophions often worshiped. After that, he sighed. Then, closing his eyes for a few moments, as though he felt a big pressure over his chest, the man said, „Because this child is an Oracle.”
Dike winced, hearing Kōpcāri talking like that. After that, when he felt the boy moving in his father’s arms, Dike looked at him. Then… he winced again when the boy opened his eyes and he saw that they weren’t clear but covered by a white peel as the Oracles had their eyes at that time. Actually, it was considered that only the blind ones, who couldn’t see the surroundings of the real world, could see through it and notice the truth hidden behind Fate, making the difference between Good and Evil this way. After that, feeling that Kōpcāri was watching him, Dike also looked at him. Yet, none of them said anything. For a few minutes, none of them said a word. Only in the end, looking at the Altar again, Kōpcāri said:
„We are part of the People of Toḻilā or the People of the Musicians, the ones that use to build their musical instruments and wander the world only to make people feel their music and fully enjoy it. At least we were part of that people, the one we left behind two months ago when we’d been forced to abandon our house and music and run, just to save our lives.”
„Because of the boy?”
„Yes,” the man whispered. „Because of this little creature, we’d been forced to leave our village two months ago.”
„But… why? Is it because he’s blind?”
„No. It’s because Toḻilā thinks that a blind child brings misfortune closer. Not because they consider that a blind kid can’t sing, but because they think that the blind ones lure Darkness around us. That’s why the elders of the village decided, a few days after my boy was born, to leave him in the woods as food for the animals. We, his parents, couldn’t leave him behind because… how could a parent forget about his blood? No, at least I can’t accept this. I chose to run away instead, with my family behind me, only for him to be safe too.”
Dike sighed too. Then, looking at the boy, who, despite his blind eyes, was staring at him, said, „He’s so small. Even so, he felt so much pain around him.”
„That’s true. He’s a fighter. He has fought for his life ever since he was born. When Āṇavam gave birth, he wasn’t breathing. He didn’t make a sound, actually. That’s why the midwives thought he was dead. Not my mother-in-law, a woman who gave birth to fourteen souls. She, right away, approached them and started to rub his little body, warming him. Thus, she brought him back to life. Yet, not even then did he cry, even if it was normal for him to cry. He didn’t cry for a long time and this breaks our heart because we are sure he’s not mute.”
„Yes, the boy isn’t mute!” Said Dike, confidently, making Kōpcāri wince and stare at him, scared, as though he didn’t understand the Titan’s words very well. Seeing him watching him, Dike said, „You are probably wondering why I’m so sure of this.” Kōpcāri nodded. „It’s because this boy isn’t the first Oracle I've met in my life. I knew another one once. His name was Amaitiyāṉa. I don’t know if you heard about him.” Kōpcāri shook his head this time. „Actually, it’s normal for you not to know him because he was the Oracle of the People of Noear, whose kingdom is far from our lands, somewhere in the west. I met Amaitiyāṉa on those fertile soils once. And that blind man, who isn’t alive anymore, told me then, „Master Dike, this isn’t the last time you see these eyes.” I asked him what he meant that day. He told me then, smiling, „I mean the eyes that will see the future of your people, the eyes of the man that will make sure your people and your blood will survive because Evil has targeted you and wants to see you dead… you or your blood. Yet, you shouldn’t be afraid because this won’t ever happen. It’s something decided by Fate, millennia ago. So, if a young couple with a baby in their arms knocks on your door one day, a baby that will have my eyes, let them in, feed them with bread and salt, give them a place to build a house on your lands and help them with what they need. If you don’t do that, if you are afraid that Darkness will knock on your door if you do this, then be sure that it’ll be Darkness all over you after that because Mōrgaṉā will take care to destroy everything you’ve ever built with your hands.”
„Have you let us enter the village because of that old man's words?” Kōpcāri asked, confused.
Dike shook his head. „It’s because of this little man’s heart that beats in the rhythm of kindness. Yes, it’s because of his heart that is full of kindness and love for this people because this is already his home. He wanted to be here and got here eventually.”
„He wanted to be here? What do you mean, Master Dike?”
The Titan smiled. Then, looking at Kōpcāri, he said, „The truth, Kōpcāri. I say the truth, the one decided by Fate because it’s true what is said: nothing happens without a reason. The same happened to this boy, who was born as an Oracle… he has a destiny to fulfill.”
„I don’t understand though,” repeated Kōpcāri, confused. „Even if your words are clear, I don’t understand their message. I mean, I understand what that old man wanted to say, that an Oracle will save the People of Rophions. Yet, if this is true, shouldn’t it be an Oracle born from the Rophions?”
„No, Kōpcāri. The magic wolves don’t have such a power flowing through their veins.”
Kōpcāri winced, „The magic wolves?”
„That’s right! This is the village of the magic wolves! The wolves about whom it is said that have a great future in front. What future?! We don’t know. Only fragments, like those Amaitiyāṉa mentioned once. Yet, even if we have magic power and we can defend these lands, and ourselves, we can’t predict our future. Because of this, Fate sent this child to us. Actually, as I said, there’s nothing random in this world. Not even the fact that you’d been chased away from your village and got here eventually. It’s because this child is meant to be here, to fulfill his mission in this world because, besides being the Oracle, this child has another destiny to fulfill: he’s the one to control the Power of the Six Destinies.”
„The Power of the Six Destinies? What’s that?” Kōpcāri asked, confused and amazed at the same time.
„Just… something that exists but we can see,” whispered Dike, looking into the child’s blind eyes. There, he clearly saw six shining blue circles forming themselves… the Circles of the Destiny.