„That morning, the sun was powerfully shining in the sky,” Mai started her story, after a long period of silence that fell over the Grotto of Ārakkiḷ. „The sunrays were plentifully bathing the south part of Rophion Forest, the land of the magic wolves or the „Protectors of the World” as they were also known by the other creatures.” Then, feeling the necessity to take a short break, Mai kept silent and carefully looked at each face seen in that grotto. She saw sadness on those faces and in their glances, she saw them overwhelmed by everything that happened to them all those days since their sunny realm was taken by evil and darkness. At the same time, she saw lost glances, of those that didn’t know what to do next or how to survive alone. Yet, there was also hope in that grotto. Mai saw it in the eyes of the children that were sitting next to their mothers. She saw the innocence blinking in their eyes, something that made her smile and continue her story…

„Nothing predicted the storm that morning. It was just a usual morning like any other morning… with a proud sun in the sky, with a blue sky that was stretching to the horizon, which made the golden of the sun’s spares seem holy and dears. Not even the multicolored butterflies announced the magic wolves about what was about to happen. They just kept flying above the scentful flowers while down, under them, the green blades of grass were shaking their clothes off the morning dew. Blades of grass that weren’t alone that morning because the young Tīrkkatarici was next to them, practicing his magic as he was doing every morning. He wasn’t alone there, but with the Rophions, who were fulfilling their daily routine, at all afraid of evil, and this because they always trusted Fate. Yet… they’d been so wrong believing in Fate and in their silence because, so soon, everything changed, drastically changed, turning their calm lives upside down. A silence that Tīrkkatarici found too weird that morning, and this started to preoccupy him.

Because of this, at one point, he looked in the distance, at the edge of the forest that was stretching somewhere to the horizon of the field where he practiced his magic. Why did he look over there? Because something was bothering him at it… the vibrations of the air that came from there. Vibrations he felt so clearly on his skin, like waves of energy that were dancing all over his body. Yet, even if he felt all this, he couldn’t understand why he felt it. Eventually, he understood it… after minutes of listening to the music of the horizon, with the inner ear of his soul while standing with his eyes closed, with his arms folded on his chest while all around him six weird bubbles were floating. It was then when he heard Lalli’s terrified scream…

„Run!” She yelled while running as chased by the devil toward the camp. „Run, the enemy attacks us! He’s attacking!” Lalli kept yelling. Yet, her yell wasn’t strong enough to alert all the Rophions, especially those who were still in their houses.

This didn’t stop Lalli from running or yelling. At the same time, she didn’t feel that it was time to give up and this was so because she understood that she was on her own in that forest, which she entered that morning at dawn to pick fresh blackberries. Yes, Lalli was lonely and unprotected that morning in the woods. Even so, she never gave up and kept running, rolling on the ground in some places, where the stumps of the dried herbs appeared in her way and she didn’t see them to jump over them or because of the lianas that sneaked toward her, silently. She was just standing up as soon as she could, continuing running, even if her injured arms and legs hurt her like hell… our poor Lalli just kept running to save her life and her dears.

Behind her, the nightmare was coming. A nightmare in the form of the fearsome enemies of the Rophions - the great gray wolves Īyam, those who were always thirsty for blood. They were chasing her, moved from inside by a secret and by a desire that was as old as the world just to bring their biggest enemies to their knees: Dike’s wolves.

In front of them, the great Rawik was running, the king of the gray wolves, who was leading them toward glory at that moment. Rawik was a big gray wolf, with fire eyes due to the volcanic power from his soul, which he wasn’t able to control anymore since long ago. At the same time, Rawik was unable to control the desire of his soul, the one that was yelling at him all the time to bring Dike to his knees. And, if he hadn’t been able to do that, then… to kill him because everybody knew already about the Titan’s great power, a power Rawik always wanted to have to be able to defeat Dike and destroy the Kingdom of Rophions. Because of this, he was often attacking the magic wolves’village… just to make sure that one day he’d be able to triumph.

That morning, when they headed toward the Rophions’camp, intending to attack them again, Rawik decided to be cunning that time and not let the magic wolves understand his plan. Because of this, he told his wolves to be very careful while sneaking through the woods and to try not to awaken the old and faithful soldiers of the woods… „The Rophions’s watching dogs,” as Rawik called them in mockery… the secular trees.

Nevertheless, Fate seemed not to be by his side lately because they felt something moving behind a bush when they were halfway to the village of the magic wolves. Thinking it was maybe just a wild animal, none of the gray wolves paid attention to this. At least at first. They just said it wasn’t the right moment for hunting and decided to continue advancing. Rawik was who told his fellows, a few dozen wolves that were far behind him, „No sudden movements! Just focus and keep going, as we agreed! It’s the only way we can succeed today!”

„But… great Rawik,” begged a wolf, who wasn’t as big as the other wolves, one known as Toad. „It won’t be something wrong if we crack the neck of a sweet bunny before the battle. Thus, without feeling hungry, we can be braver and sure that we had our last meal because… none of us knows that he’ll return home safe. Not after we found out about Master Dike of Rophions…”

„Shut up!” Yelled Rawik, furious. After that, staring with hatred in front, he saw fear in his wolves’eyes. This enraged him and made him feel weak inside because… it wasn’t the same feeling they had the night before when they decided to fight. Something happened while they headed over there. What exactly, he didn’t know. Actually, he wasn’t that eager to find out this either, just as he didn’t have enough time for this. That’s why he told his wolves, in a demanding voice, „Don’t turn back! Just… follow me!” After that, he turned his back to them and kept advancing.

Too upset, after seeing fear in the wolves’eyes, Rawik didn’t see those two eyes that were shining behind the bush… Lalli’s eyes. Unlike him, Lalli clearly saw each of them. She also heard each word they said. Yet, even if she understood all this, she didn’t have the magic power to fight with them alone. She had to wait and this was what she did: she waited until she was sure that Rawik and his wolves didn’t see her anymore and, after making sure she was safe, Lalli got out of her hideout and, on a secret path, as she thought, she headed toward the village, as fast as she could.

On the road, something happened, however. She’d been betrayed by the Forest or maybe by Fate because, when only about 2 km were left until the forest's edge, she felt the havoc blowing behind her: the wolves Īyam smelt her trace and followed her. Actually, who smelled her was Toad, who told the others that they were in danger and that a spy saw and heard everything they said. Thus, as none of them was eager to lose in front of Dike’s wolves again, they decided to get rid of the spy first, as they considered the girl, and to see what would happen only after that.

Lalli had the same thought at that moment: she considered Rawik’s wolves enemies and decided to get rid of them at any cost. Yet, her only chance to succeed was the village. The Rophions were her chance to escape, the magic wolves, who protected her so many times before, but who were so far away from her at that moment while the Īyam were so close. She felt them right behind her, their hot breathing blowing down her neck. She heard the noise of their paws that were stepping on the green and slippery moss of the forest, those paws that broke dried branches when they stepped on them, without caring about the forest’s soul. And… Lalli also felt their smell, the stinky one that came from their fur, which hadn’t probably washed in decades because the Īyam chose the dried area of the Rophion Forest as their Kingdom, the one that was so close to Mannar’s Glade. Enemies that made her shudder inside, terrified of what could have happened to her. However, they were enemies that didn’t manage to make her give up on her idea of protecting her people if she couldn’t protect herself.

The girl intended to get at least to the field where her brother used to spend his time and, once there, to give the alarm. A thought that served as a push for her each time she stumbled and rolled on the ground, injuring her skin to the blood. Then there were the words she was saying to herself, „You must resist, Lalli! Give the alarm and only after that you can tell Fate that you have given up! Not before this, did you hear me? You can’t leave others to die just to protect your back. Not now! Not here!”

With such words in mind, Lalli got to the edge of the forest. Once there, seeing her brother, she yelled that the enemy was attacking. She yelled as loud as she could, with tears in her eyes and flames in her soul. Yet, she was happy, even if she was also afraid. Then… she stopped.

Her mistake… the fact that she stopped the moment she saw Tīrkkatarici looking at her. Then she smiled. So sweetly Lalli smiled her last smile on earth… right before a Īyam wolf, Rawik, pounced on her and ended her life with the kiss of death when he stubbed his fangs in her throat.

„No, Lalli!” Tīrkkatarici screamed when he saw his sister grabbed in the paws of the enemy wolf. He saw her and right away ran toward her, trying to help her, to save her. In his head… only a thought was spinning, a thought sent to him by Lalli… which got to his ear as a whisper, „Not now, Tīrkkatarici! Save the others! If you can, you’ll save me too, later! Do you hear me?”

Tīrkkatarici stopped, hearing her whisper. He stopped and, with his eyes in tears, he gathered all the strength he had in his right fist, which he squeezed with hatred. A hatred that took the form of a black lump, one that hit Rawik’s head eventually, tossing the wolf aside and forcing this one to release poor Lalli’s throat. „A victory,” as many would have shouted, seeing the young man’s bravery - Tīrkkatarici was only 18 at that time. Unlike others, he thought, „A failure,” because after the wolf rolled enough meters away from his sister… he saw her eyes… those in which Virgin Mōrgaṉā was seen flapping her black large wings…

Seeing the big bird Mōrgaṉā’s flight reflected in Lalli’s eyes, Tīrkkatarici turned his back to the place where the wolves Īyam were stopped, stunned, because none of them knew what to do after their leader, Rawik, was tossed meters away and was still laying after that. Then, gnashing his teeth, Tīrkkatarici approached those six weird bubbles, which kept floating above the field and stopped right in the middle of the circle they formed. Once there, the boy closed his eyes and sent all his energy toward those bubbles. Thus, using the energy of Yin and Yang, the power of the Earth and the Sky, of Sun and Water, Tīrkkatarici turned those bubbles into Six Impressive Rings of Fate.

The Six Rings weren’t floating randomly above the field but were positioned in the form of a cube while Tīrkkatarici became part of the space from inside of the cube eventually. He changed completely after getting there. He had white long hair, up to his waist, the clothes he wore were completely black and, at his feet, his little sister Lalli was lying.

How Lalli got inside the cube, not even Tīrkkatarici knew that. Actually, it didn’t matter too much to him. All that mattered to him was that he could protect his people, the people Lalli protected by paying the biggest of the prices - her life. And, not to disappoint his sister, Tīrkkatarici used his knowledge and skills and created an impressive Barrier, formed by those Six Rings, a Barrier that completely surrounded the village, protecting it from the enemy’s attacks… forever…”

***

The Tunnels of Ārakkiḷ were much more complex and big than anybody could ever imagine. They were dug deep in the ground, practically surrounding Rophion Forest, everywhere, having the role of protecting soil for everything that was on the surface. And it wasn’t an exaggeration when saying this because the entire forest, especially the secular trees like Blue Beard and Gray Bark were taking their power from the depths of the Tunnels of Ārakkiḷ. In fact, what nobody ever knew, not even Dike, was that Kherā was able to send his roots deeply into the heart of Ārakkiḷ, to the secret grotto of the former Oracle, the one named Oḷiyiṉ Kaṇ or the Eye of Light.

When or how the grotto from the tunnels of the Rophion Forest appeared, nobody knew. Except for Tīrkkatarici, who was the Father-Oracle or the Ārakkiḷ - the first and the last Oracle of the Rophions because nobody after that had been able to equal his power. This happened to Tīrkkatarici because he’d been able to defeat Mōrgaṉā, the Virgin of the Dead Waters, the day he saw the big black bird reflected in Lalli’s eyes, the moment she was dying.

The fight between Tīrkkatarici and Mōrgaṉā took place the same night after the wolves Īyam and Rawik failed to attack the village of Rophions. That day they suffered the shame of not only being kept outside of the borders of the magic wolves’village, but also the shame of not being able to turn back home, to the Realms of Bozafer or to the Lands of Lead as those lands were also known by the Rophions. Why did the magic wolves call that realm the Lands of Lead? Simply because there were a lot of deposits of lead, something that gave to the soil and to the few herbs and bushes that were growing in that area a gray-pale color. Even so, even if they had rich soil in lead and they knew this, Rawik had never been happy with this or had been satisfied with the richness of his kingdom. He always wanted more. He dreamt about having Dike’s throne and defeating the village of Rophions. Even if it was weird, to want Dike’s throne because everybody knew that Dike had never had one. Even so, Rawik thought that if he’d been able to have it one day, he would have been the only master in that magic forest.

A wrong thought in fact because, instead of an earthly throne, he met Death that day. Not alone, but along with the bravest of the wolves Īyam, those who died because of Tīrkkatarici’s rage, who lost control for the first time in his life. Yet, it’d been enough to win the title of being the fearsome of the Rophions and the Mago, whom everyone should always avoid. After that day, those who didn’t know Tīrkkatarici started to whisper, „He’s the Mago of the Darkness.” A whisper that kept everybody away from the borders of the village of the magic wolves, creatures that started to fear that, by coming there, they could be turned into targets by that crazy Mago, the one „Who killed an entire people to punish them for killing the only dear person he had ever loved.”

What many of those who started to whisper such tough words didn’t know was that Tīrkkatarici didn’t kill the wolves Īyam while looking for revenge. At least he hadn’t been aware of this. All that he did was to use his power, which he threw over the Gray Wolves, somehow involuntarily, moved by it from inside when he felt that strange calling in his broken heart, and this because he was torn apart after losing his little sister, Lalli, the only one who supported and understood his madness, his longing, and dreams. A dear soul that was threatened by Mōrgaṉā, who wanted to take Lalli from that cube and take her far away from those realms on her big black wings.

Seeing her leaving, the moment he understood that he was powerless and defeated, for the x time in his life, Tīrkkatarici felt a strange wave of uncontrolled energy inside, an energy that started to pulsate in his veins. He also started to feel this because of his mother, who was crying in her husband’s arms, both staring behind the bird Mōrgaṉā, who took their priceless treasure at that moment, a treasure they wanted to have forever - the kind and cheerful Lalli. This drove the young man crazy - seeing his parents and sisters crying for losing part of their hearts. Thus, also because he felt pain for his family, the boy decided to do everything to save them from sufferance. Tīrkkatarici decided to save not only his family but also the entire village of Rophions, villagers who were next to them at that moment, feeling the same pain as they felt. Rophions that kept silent when they felt a deep pain in the chest of the two parents, who lost everything because of Mōrgaṉā, who, after taking their heart with her, headed toward the Lands of the Dead Waters, those lands the Rophions feared to death.

Tīrkkatarici didn’t fear those waters, even if he feared, for an entire life, the bird that controlled them. However, the moment he understood that Lalli’s soul wouldn’t have peace with Mōrgaṉā, he forgot about fear and about everything. All that mattered to him was Lalli and nobody else. Thus, not thinking too much about what could have happened, the moment he remembered how much power was flowing through his veins, the boy hardly squeezed his fists. It was a power he started to feel also because of Lalli, after that night when they stared at the wooden ceiling of their hut and he dreamt about riding the bird-Time, Nēram. Thus, he made the bubble around the Rophion Village powerfully vibrate. That bubble that turned into the Barrier of Rophions after this, which was also considered the heart of the Six Rings of Fate, the Power of the Oracle, or the Ārakkiḷiṉ.

The moment Tīrkkatarici squeezed his fists, the Six Rings of Fate, which formed the cube around him, a cube controlled by the power of the Ārakkiḷiṉ, suddenly split up, surrounding the Oracle. The movement of the circles made the Rophions suddenly pull back, scared, staring with terror at it because they couldn’t understand what happened at that moment. More than that, they started to stare with fear at the Barrier that surrounded their village, which was badly shaking at that moment, making a strange sound be heard all around. Yet, not this was the most impressive for them, but to see those six circles turning red, the color of the fire, in seconds only, revealing to the world its perfect shape.

Each of the circles had a strange labyrinth painted inside, a labyrinth in the form of a spiral. It was a labyrinth never seen before, and nobody could explain how it appeared and what it could be. Yet, everybody knew that it was a magic labyrinth because they clearly saw the tunnels of that labyrinth and, how, along those tunnels, as though they were balls in a crystal vase, two multicolored bubbles, so alike to Ionas’s bubble, were floating. Inside those bubbles wasn’t the void or the desert. No, the Twelve Balances of Themis had been seen inside those bubbles soon after this.

„It can’t be,” the elders murmured, staring at the Six Rings, which had two Balances inside each of them. „Is this the power of Themis?”

„No. This is the Power of the Oracle or the Ārakkiḷiṉ,” explained Dike, approaching them.

The words of the Titan amazed the elders a lot. Not only the elders felt overwhelmed by what they found out but also the rest of the Rophions. That’s why they kept staring at Dike, for minutes in a row, waiting for him to continue his thought. An answer that wasn’t heard eventually because Dike was too busy to look at the circular movements, precise and perfectly controlled by Tīrkkatarici. The boy, staying right in the middle of the circle formed by the Rings of Fate, moved continuously and rhythmically, having his eyes closed, which allowed him to control his huge power. A strength that was seen on the outside too, in the form of a spiral, floating around the boy and having the same shape as it had inside of the Rings. The only difference between the two spirals was that the one seen floating around Tīrkkatarici’s body didn’t have the Balances on it. Yet, Themis also influenced the red currents of that second spiral. Dike was sure of this because he saw this in the multicolored bubbles where the Balances of Themis kept moving, on the Tunnels of Fate, how the Titan named them in his head, a movement that made the energy that was floating around the boy strangely vibrate.

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Suddenly, the circles of fire snapped together around Tīrkkatarici. It seemed to asphyxiate him at first, but, even so, the miracle happened! The energy around the boy exploded, the Six Rings of Fate turned transparent as though they were a simple hologram, two meters above the boy’s head while, from the circles of energy created by him, a huge labyrinth had been formed, right inside of the lands controlled by the Power of the Ārakkiḷiṉ. And, inside of the same labyrinth, Tīrkkatarici was seen. He wasn’t alone there but along with Mōrgaṉā, whom Dike and the rest saw floating above the labyrinth as though she was unable to leave that place, and seemed that Mōrgaṉā was trapped in her own trap.

„It’s impossible what my eyes see,” one of the elders murmured. „This… this can’t be! It’s impossible. Only those that control the Power of Darkness can create something similar.”

„No,” Dike said, confident. „This is not the Power of Darkness, but the twin of the power controlled by the Virgin of the Water of the Dead Ones.”

„Tīrkkatarici?” The same old man asked.

„That’s right. Starting today, Tīrkkatarici is an Oracle. The only one that’s capable of controlling Mōrgaṉā and taking a soul from her… Lalli’s soul.”

The same old man, who talked to Dike, and the rest of the Rophions, stared with pumped eyes at the Titan when they heard what he said because it was something they’d never experienced before. They had a lot of questions in their heads, questions that remained unanswered because Dike kept silent long after this, carefully looking at the boy’s mastery in controlling the Power of the Oracle, taking a soul from the Lands of the Dead Ones to bring it back to the Lands of Life.

That exchange of powers between Tīrkkatarici and Mōrgaṉā lasted for long. It was almost evening when the boy, who turned into an adult in a few hours, could knock Mōrgaṉā to the ground. He forced her to fall inside of that labyrinth not like the bird Mōrgaṉā but like the Virgin in black, the one who found it impossible to rise above the tunnels again and run away. Yet, she understood this only after long hours of looking for an escape from that labyrinth, hours that seemed as long as an eternity for her, when she felt powerless and started to fear the boy even if the Rophions had feared her before that. At the same time, she started to regret that she accepted to take the soul of the young Lalli that day, even if it was something that belonged to her once Lalli fell prey to the fangs of the Gray Wolves, who were considered cursed by Fate.

„One wrong step taken in front,” Mōrgaṉā heard Tīrkkatarici’s voice eventually. She heard it floating around her, but she saw him nowhere, even if she carefully looked around. At one moment, to make sure she’d see the one who defeated her, Mōrgaṉā stopped. Looking around, she only saw the fog, even if she was sure that she wasn’t in the middle of a swamp or something. No, she felt hard soil under her feet and, somewhere in the distance, she felt the smell of grass. This made her confused and upset at the same time. Yes, she was upset with her and with Fate, who deceived her eventually. More than that, she started to hate the Oracle for his daring to declare war on her.

„An Oracle, whose coming into this world was announced to me,” she said eventually, still staring around to see Tīrkkatarici, but seeing him nowhere.

„Yet, I guess I’m the Oracle, whom you hoped to never see, right?”

„Right. I must accept this.”

„Why? Because you were so confident in yourself?”

„No. It’s not because of this.”

„Then?”

„Let’s just say that Fate has given me the power not to be afraid of anyone.”

„You are afraid of me, Mōrgaṉā. I see this in your eyes.”

„A hint you have poor eyesight, boy,” the Titanide replied in mockery. „If I had been afraid of you and you had been sure of this, you would have showed up in front of me and not hide like a coward as you do now.”

Suddenly, Mōrgaṉā winced the moment she heard the scream of a huge bird above. Looking over there, she saw, besides the Rings of Fate and the Barrier created by fire energy, the huge bird, which she was often turned into when she wanted to take a soul on her big wings and take it to the Lands of the Dead Waters later. It was surprising! How not to be so when she had never been able to see that bird before? Yes, Mōrgaṉā had never seen that part of her because it was impossible for her to see the bird when she was the virgin Mōrgaṉā and vice-versa. Yet, at that moment, she saw that bird clearly, something that made her shudder and whisper, terrified, „It can’t be!”

„Of course, it can be,” Tīrkkatarici said, suddenly appearing behind her. His sudden appearance made Mōrgaṉā wince again and stare at the 30-year-old man, who had long white hair and wore black vestments, and his eyes were shining like the fire in the fireplace. In his eyes, she saw herself burning. Then she saw the black bird in flames, a bird that was captive in that labyrinth after wandering for a long time through those tunnels. Then, she saw the bird falling into a trap of chains. After that, she saw a big Loop of Energy floating above those tunnels: the energy of the Rings of Fate against which she was unable to fight. It was so because it was taking power from her.

Understanding this, Mōrgaṉā shuddered again, staring straight into the young Tīrkkatarici’s eyes. What amazed her at him was to see how fast the years were passing over him, changing his body too. „As though Fate itself is against you,” she murmured.

„You are actually right,” Tīrkkatarici said. „The Oracle can be also cursed if he uses his power to subdue another power. Your power, which is so different from mine.”

„Even so, even if you knew this, you dared to use your power against me. Why?”

„For justice and for heart.”

„For heart? Whose heart? Don’t tell me that it’s because of that soul, which is still on the bird Mōrgaṉā’s back.”

„That’s right! I did this for her.”

„But… why?” Mōrgaṉā suddenly shouted. „Why did you do something so reckless, fool? Why did you do that for a soul that was meant to reach the Water of the Dead Ones today?”

„It’s because nobody can take something that belongs to me. Not even you.”

„Of course, I can! I’m the one who controls Death!”

„You are only the Virgin that controls the power of the Water of the Dead Ones, Mōrgaṉā. Don’t think that you are more than you really are, having fake illusions and ideas.”

„Illusions? Fake ideas? Do you really believe this?”

„I don’t only believe this, but I can prove it. I actually did that by closing you inside of that labyrinth created by two powers because… I didn’t create it alone, Mōrgaṉā.” She winced again. „That’s right! These tunnels have been created by joining our powers: two opposite powers, in fact.”

„But… how could you do that? Why did you do that? Only to save that girl?”

„Yes, Mōrgaṉā: I did all this to save her.”

„Why?” Mōrgaṉā suddenly screamed, making the air around tremble.

„Because Lalli is part of my soul. The same blood flows through our veins. And, just like me, she also has part of the Oracle’s Power.”

Mōrgaṉā winced again. „Don’t be a fool!” She harshly told the Oracle eventually. „A woman can’t have the Power of an Oracle. Or… do you really think I’ll believe this?”

Tīrkkatarici smiled, looking at the ground. „It’s because of this you’ve lost in front of me, Mōrgaṉā! It’s because you underestimated the power of women! That’s why I’ve brought you to your knees eventually: because you’ve never believed that the Balances have equal power. Yes, this is what you have ignored all this time! It’s something that has always taken power from you, closing you inside of this labyrinth: forever! Yet, you can be free if you accept my offer! It depends on you if you are free again or not.”

Mōrgaṉā frowned. She was shaking with all her body. Not because of fear but because of hatred. At the same time, shame controlled her, the one she felt after she understood that a boy, who got old in a few hours, got to teach her about life and about the laws of the world. Yes, Tīrkkatarici grew old in a single day, sacrificing himself in the name of love… love for his sister. Yet, he didn’t care about this. Not the same happened to Mōrgaṉā: she cared about this, about her freedom, and about everything, because she understood that she was unable to escape that trap without his help. She could have asked for someone else’s help, but she had nobody by her side, who could come and help her. That’s why that offer, which the fool in front of her proposed, the one who sacrificed his power and life in the name of a brother’s love, was the best choice for her at that moment. Yet, instead of accepting that pact right away, she said, „Depends on the offer! What do you propose exactly?”

„My sister’s soul and body for your freedom!”

„Something you won’t ever have, even if I accept this. Why? Because nobody ever has taken something from the Waters of the Dead Ones. Not even me. So, you can't take it too.”

„Allow me to carry this burden inside. You… just accept the pact and are free to go. I’ll take care of the rest. So, what do you say?”

Mōrgaṉā kept silent for a long while after this. She said nothing but only looked at the old man in front of her, who seemed a fool even if she was sure he wasn’t one. What she saw in him was the wisdom and many years of living among the magic wolves even if his body was old. It was a vision of the future that made her smile eventually and say, „Well, be as you wish! You won! I accept my defeat and I give up on Lalli’s soul. Forever and not only for today.”

Saying this, the bird Mōrgaṉā flapped her wings above those tunnels, descending and leaving Lalli’s body at the Oracle’s feet eventually. Then, she took Virgin Mōrgaṉā on her back, rising far above the labyrinth and far above the Barrier. Yet, even if she was free to go, Mōrgaṉā decided not to do this right away. She told herself that she had to say something to Tīrkkatarici, something like, „Be careful, old man! Fate isn’t something you can play with! It’s tricky! And, as you’ve defeated me today, Fate can bring you too to your knees one day!”

„Trust me, I know!” Tīrkkatarici replied, bitterly smiling. Then, bowing, he took Lalli’s body into his arms and turned his back to that place and to the village, heading to the heart of the forest eventually.

Behind him, right in front of the bird Mōrgaṉā's eyes, the moment he got to the edge of the woods, leaving the field behind him, the labyrinth that had been the trap for the Virgin of the Dead Waters vanished, just as the Six Rings of Fate vanished. Not the same happened to the Barrier of the Oracle, the one meant to protect the Rophions and their beloved Forest, woods that hid Tīrkkatarici eventually, protecting him too while he declared war on Fate when stealing Lalli's soul just not to give it to Death. Yet, where did he take her eventually, nobody ever found out…

***

„…only the Oracle knew about this,” Mai said in a low voice while she, Akita, Yellen, Yāṉutā, Kkuṟai, and the other two virgins of the Rophions were advancing on the Tunnels of Ārakkiḷ toward the heart of them. „He knew where exactly the soul of the young Lalli was hidden, the one whom Fate and the Power of the Dead Waters always hunted her.”

„The Power of the Dead Waters?” Akita asked, confused. „Mother, how is this possible? As far as we know, the Dead Waters are just a land. Their power is controlled by Virgin Mōrgaṉā and… don’t tell me, has she always looked for Lalli’s soul?”

„No, Akita! Mōrgaṉā has never looked for that poor soul. Why? Because she has left it free. Yes, she released that soul in exchange for her freedom. Actually, even if Mōrgaṉā had wanted this, to find Lalli again, she wouldn’t have been capable because the Power of the Oracle had always controlled her after that, even if she never knew about this.”

„It’s because… if the Virgin of Death accepts the Oracle’s offer, she becomes his slave forever.”

„That’s right, Yellen! Because of this, Mōrgaṉā gave up on Lalli. At the same time, it’s only said that Mōrgaṉā has never stopped taking souls from among the Rophions because she was looking for Lalli’s soul among them. Why? She was sure that Lalli was reborn, even if she considered that soul lost forever, at first only. Actually, Mōrgaṉā looked for that soul among those who died because of a wolf’s bite because she thought Lalli would die in her second life just as she’d died in her first one. Yet, even after centuries of looking for that soul, Mōrgaṉā has never found it.”

Listening to Mai’s words, Yellen frowned. This reminded her of the conversation she had with Mōrgaṉā the night she impeded her from taking Kkuṟai’s soul on her back because the boy was still alive. More than that, she remembered that Mōrgaṉā mentioned the name of Oḷi, who had control over the Virgin of Death by controlling Accu. That’s why she suddenly said, „Mōrgaṉā always hung around Rophions not because she was looking for Lalli, but because she was looking for her freedom. Why? Because the Maṉatiṉ Kaṇ or the Eye of Mind, the one controlled by the last leader of the Yātrīkars while they were still alive, was tied to the power of the Rings of Fate.” Answer that made Mai and the others suddenly stop, staring in amazement at Yellen.

„The Power of the Oracle and the Maṉatiṉ Kaṇ are tied?” Mai asked.

„I’m not sure, but it’s still what I think, Mai! We can find this out if we find the first energy source of Ārakkiḷiṉ!”

„But… this is impossible!” Yāṉutā shouted. „Nobody ever knew about the source of the Oracle’s Power. Not even us, who are the Priestesses that serve him. How is this possible that…?”

„Just follow me!” Mai cut Yāṉutā off. After that, turning her back to them, she put the hood of her black cloak on, heading with sure steps toward the depths of those dark and sinuous tunnels, from where mold and wet air were felt, just as strange voices were also heard.

***

„The Power of the Oracle in full glory,” said Mai. She was stopped in front of a huge circle, carved in stone on the wall in front of them. There, on that wall that seemed to be a mirror, a huge Ring was carved, and, inside that ring, tunnels were seen, the same tunnels created by Tīrkkatarici the day Lalli died.

What was different at that Ring of Fate was its edge, which wasn’t created from fire anymore, like those Tīrkkatarici created while he was on earth’s surface and that kept Mōrgaṉā captive inside of its tunnels. This ring had a blue edge, almost transparent, from a gelatinous material like the one Bestla used to create her mirrors. Also different was the fact that it didn’t have only two bubbles floating inside it, but 13 bubbles that were slowly rolling on the perfect tunnels of the labyrinth that was also inside of the Ring.

„A perfect map of the Power of the World and Cosmos,” said Yellen, suddenly, words that amazed the others a lot.

The only one who didn’t seem amazed by Yellen’s words was Mai. She seemed to enjoy the fact that the stranger, her son’s bride, knew the secrets of that place, secrets that she'd been the only one to know by then. Actually, because of the secrets she knew, Mai started to be called the Supreme Priestess of the Oracle, a closed cult, but still known by the Rophions, a cult where only the Virgins with the power to see the future were accepted, even if there weren’t so many virgins among Rophions to have such power. There had been only a few dozen in those centuries after the Oracle came to their village.

The last of the Virgins of the Oracle that was born among the Rophions was Yāṉutā. Yet, even if Mai told her about her power, she denied it for a long time. The reason? She was afraid. Yes, Yāṉutā feared humans and their hideous faces, which she saw in her visions because, unlike Mai and the rest of the Priestesses, who saw the future and the past in warm colors and in clear images, Yāṉutā saw them bathed by gloomy light while the faces of those whom she read their past or future were unshaped. At first, Yāṉutā didn’t know why she saw people looking like this. Only after Mai told her, „It’s because you see the size and the color of a soul,” she understood that she was actually seeing their sins first and, related to those sins, their future was also connected. Yet, even if Yāṉutā understood this, that she actually saw the evolution of a soul overwhelmed by sins, the one controlled by avarice, enmity, and other evil feelings, she could never understand why she never saw them clearly, but only surrounded by shadows. Even so, when she started to listen to what her heart told her, not to insist on finding out that secret message because the world wouldn’t ever allow this, Yāṉutā accepted her power.

After that day, Mai took the girl to her house to take care of her because the girl was an orphan. She raised her like a daughter and taught her everything she knew. The girl, a good pupil and soul, did everything to learn what Mai taught her. Because of this, she started to be considered by the other Priestesses as Mai's heir. Yet, until this happened, everybody knew that it was still time. Mai knew that and also Yāṉutā knew it. Actually, Yāṉutā never wanted that role, even if her power was similar to Mai’s and she was the best pupil Mai ever had. Yāṉutā knew almost all the secrets Mai knew also because of this. Yet, Mai never told the girl about that place, just as she had never mentioned to anyone that such a Ring existed there or what its meaning was. However, when Mai showed them that place, after Yellen’s words, Yāṉutā frowned because she felt that she was left behind by her teacher.

Even so, young Yāṉutā didn’t feel hatred or envy of Yellen. She only felt hurt and this was so because she also felt powerless in front of the world, that world that hid secrets from her. Yes, maybe Mai had also hidden things from her, but the girl was sure that Mai had a good reason for doing this. Which one? She didn’t know. Not even Akita, who was Mai’s daughter, knew that because even if Akita didn’t have the power of a priestess, she still learned about their cult. She did that being curious, convinced that it would serve her one day. She felt this, even if she’d never known the reason why she felt all this all that time.

Nevertheless, even if she had never understood the reason why Mai insisted that she had to be by the priestesses’side, Akita felt compassion for Yāṉutā at that moment. She understood the reason that made the girl confused. Because of this, she looked carefully at Yāṉutā’s eyes, which were bathed by tears while looking at that Ring of Fate. Akita even approached the girl and, resting her palm on the girl’s shoulder, whispered to her, „It’s just another secret of the world we’ve discovered today! Don’t take it personally because I’m sure that mother didn’t hide that from you because she didn’t trust you or something like that.”

„I know,” replied Yāṉutā in a sad voice, looking at Mai and Yellen, who kept silent while looking at the perfection of that Ring of Fate, which Mai called the Power of the Oracle. „Even so, I feel I’m not worthy to be the heir of our master. Yet, that young girl seemed to be.”

„Yet, she won’t be,” Akita said, smiling. „She doesn’t have wolf blood while you have it.”

Yāṉutā sadly smiled again. „Don’t forget that the First Oracle also didn’t have it. Actually, he’s still considered the only Oracle of our People.”

„I know,” murmured Akita, still smiling. „Yet, my heart tells me that my mother will be replaced one day by you, and not by Yellen.”

„What makes you think so?” Yāṉutā asked, confused.

„Just… something I feel. And… you know very well that what I feel is generally true. So, don’t be sad! Just wait and time will definitely show you the future. Just as you see the future of humans.”

Akita kept silent after such words. Yāṉutā did the same because she didn’t know what else to say. Yet, her heart was speaking, the one that suddenly started to beat weirdly in her chest. And, unwillingly, Yāṉutā looked back, toward the place she suspected that was the outside world. Looking over there, her eyes bathed in tears again because there wasn’t only the future or the past, but also Ilēcāṉa. Even so, she said nothing about this because it was a secret… a huge secret of the young man, the one who seemed to ignore her all that time, but who the girl knew that felt the same thing as she felt.

Eventually, when a heavy noise came from the wall inside of which the Ring of Fate was carved, Yāṉutā looked in amazement over there because she didn’t expect that that Ring would come eventually alive. Looking over there, she saw Mai and Yellen touching it: Mai with her left hand while Yellen used her right hand. Between them, Accu was floating, left free by its young master. Yet, Accu wasn’t blue as it had been by then, but it illuminated red… the same red seen at the ring… the real face of the energy that controlled the Power of the Ring of Fate… the Ārakkiḷiṉ!