Stravros continued.

"The cold sleep must have lowered the rate of dark magic infection. But, it had not stopped. I was awakened by someone, I've had a fleeting idea of being human. But, these people hurt and angered me. After that long sleep, I had only my instincts to rely on. I remember pain and unrestrained rage. I must have been fed with the poisoned flowers, as I remember eating them.

Until you cleansed me, it was like waking up from a nightmare, a nightmare I didn't even know I was having.” He looked at Eiden with so much love in his sunken eyes.

"I can't remember the whole prophecy of Sri Devi amma." He took what looked like a little red stone, embedded in the amulet he wore around his neck.

With a touch of his hand, he revealed the true form of the stone. A torn piece of vellum was wrapped around a crystal. When the crystal was taken out, there was a surprise "Ohh" from all his friends.

It was a fiery red crystal, shaped into a triangular prism. The red light danced twirling inside it. It felt cold and heavy in Eiden's palm

"Read it." Stravros gave Eiden the torn vellum.

Two must remain to guard and guide, the two halves of a key will be lost and found,

Many lonely years ahead, to wait and hope for the love and salvation,

"You must find your mother and the rest of the key, your world feeling the loss of magic means the First tree is dying. How to cure it, nobody knew at that time. But, at least, now you know where to find it." Stravros shifted to another position. He seemed to be in pain.

"So, how do you go to Anyar?" Nub asked.

"My child, the doorway to Anyar is on an island, we call it, ‘Islet of Cora’ in the North Sea. Eiden, first, you need to open the door to the shadow dimension. It's on the seventh island from the Western shore of the fallen city, Nerynth.

Now the problem is someone had discovered me there, and had brought me to the South. you see, the danger has escalated. Someone else must have been trying to find the lost history. We must hurry, my son."

Eiden curved his fingers around the key.

"How did that door open without any key when we were attacked?" He was frustrated by the lack of understanding.

"I think, the people attacked must have been contaminated with the same dark magic as shadow dimension, from me, and the force of the explosion can be enough to form a temporary link with the doorway as your mother had the half of the key,” Stravros said thoughtfully.

"We need to grow the flowers for Papa. We can't wait too long, Uncle is just around the corner." Eiden looked at his friends and then back at Stravros.

"Son, growing flowers will need constant attention and expertise. But we have no such time to spare," Stravros said.

"Well, Do you remember the sequence to the door?" Eiden asked.

Stravros started to write the sequence on a paper Ierma brought.

"Eiden, my heart breaks to think of you going into the shadow dimension. You're too young to compete with them," he sighed.

"I healed you." Eiden laid out the facts, being hurt by the doubt about him.

"You did, but.."

"No, it's already been over a year, they are trapped with shadows, I'm going." Eiden studied the sequence which was still clutched in Stavros's hand.

"My child, the power to open the door is not in the sequence. It's in the person, you need a lot of power, and you need to navigate through it," Stravros explained to the group. Eiden knew that it was hard to trust someone of his age to go through such a trial. Even he wasn't sure that he could do it. He looked at Stravros.

"Too bad, all you got is me," he snapped with a sudden childish anger which exploded inside him. Stravros stared at him for a moment, laughed and then a sorrowful look came to his eyes.

"Esrion used to say that too, when he was young. All I got is you, now," he said softly.

"We must go as soon as possible, as I do not have much time. I can not come with you, but I will defend you until you go to the shadow dimension. Let me see, I think I could change the sequence so that the time will be irrelevant when you open the door back."

Stravros took the pen and started some changes to the runic sequence with numerological calculations, adding what Eiden understood as temporal kāla units.

"Time. A..what." Cissa poked his head over Eiden's shoulder.

"Can you change the time?" he asked in awe.

"No. I can't. I'm only making it relative. Some knowledge is very dangerous," Stravros said seriously and smiled at Cissa.

"Don't ask me to teach you."

"That's too bad," Cissa meowled. Nub smacked Cissa.

"Eiden is not going alone anywhere, definitely not with any shadows." She put an arm around him.

"You're not leaving me behind this time," Nub said and Eiden leaned on her.

"Nope, I'm going alone," he said. He heard a growling. Yeah. When you live with creature people you get used to that.

"Nope, Clade,"

"Try that, kitty cat," Cissa purred.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I'm with the cat," Ivar said somewhere behind Eiden.

"We are serious, Eiden," Clade said.

"You have some loyal friends, Eiden. I'm not sure what to tell all of you. But, this journey is very dangerous. They can use you against your own people." Stravros finished the calculations and handed over the changed sequence. He tried to get up and Ivar supported him. Eiden got his other hand.

"Aren't you too weak to go?" he asked.

"I'm just glad I found you before my last breath." Stravros put his arm around Eiden and held him to his chest.

They started preparations to leave for the shadow dimension.

Not only were they going into the last place on Earth where they were supposed to be, but also they were hugely inexperienced and outnumbered. The Palace must be furious with Eiden, and anyone supporting him.

"This is NOT WORKING."

Eiden screamed and kicked the small wooden box of runic stones which slid fast through the room, hit the wall, and turned upside down, spilling everything. Nub, who was searching for something in a bag of crystals, alarmed by Eiden's sudden outburst, dropped her bag, resulting in a loud clattering noise.

In half a minute, everyone flooded the room drawing various weapons.

"What happened Nub?" Ivar asked, hugging her to his side as she stood trembling. Eiden stood frozen in the middle of the room, among the scattered stones, crystals, and whatnot.

"There's going to be dozens of trained guards for us, less than 10. This is madness. I go into that damned hole and drag them out to what. They could be weaker than an infant. Who's outside, you and you, no offense to you, but they can chew you half, and you're telling me that you're going to DIE." Eiden didn't realize he was yelling.

"Oh. Thought someone attacked." Clade put his knife back in the belt.

"Yeah, just Kit stepped on his invisible tail." Cissa patted Nub's head.

"Eiden," Stravros called his name in a calm, but firm tone.

"Well, son, yelling doesn't fix anything. But I understand. I never had fought a war. You're more experienced than me. What do you suggest?" he asked.

"We need another safe house, this place is too close to the village and we are planting those flowers. I need you, Papa," Eiden said in a shaky voice. The frustration and scary realization of them being no match to Uncle's power had almost brought him to tears.

"Guru's cabin?" Ierma asked meekly as if Eiden's anger and mention of war shocked her.

"Guru would be glad to meet the Lord, and he has a garden, he might help us plant the flowers," she added.

"He's too private." Eiden looked at Ivar and Ierma. Ivar agreed it's a good idea.

"Guru respects you a lot. He pours you tea, never does that to me alone,” he said petulantly. Nub giggled and the tension drained from the room.

"Go then. Now." Eiden with swift movements in his hand, collected everything into Nub's dropped bag.

"Where are you going?" Clade asked, eyeing suspiciously at Eiden.

"Only Ivar has proper armor. We just got lucky last time. Clade's thick skin might stop a shallow blow from a normal blade, that's all,” Eiden said.

"Shadows with swords?" Cissa playfully pounced on Eiden's things that he dropped to the floor.

"Aww," he howled as Eiden grabbed him by the scruff.

"This is not a game," Eiden almost growled at the sulky Lugar cat.

"It magically adjusts the size." He took his grandfather's chainmail and gave it to Stravros.

"Go to the cabin now. I'll be there." He took the bag of Gold, and no one got a chance to say anything, as he vanished into thin air.

Eiden arrived at his father's hometown, Fayfox. He took a couple of wrong turns but remembered the red brick house where the old smith of their family lived, when he saw it. Sneaking to the backdoor of Baloo's workshop, after checking around for anyone, he tapped the door. The door was opened and Baloo was startled to see a youngster wearing black and had a hood covering his face.

"Baloo," Eiden dropped the hood for a second. Baloo's jaw dropped, and he tried to speak but Eiden put a finger on his lips, as he entered the room.

"Isn't this young lord?" Baloo whispered.

"Yes, Baloo, I'm Eiden." He sat on a stool.

"My lord, Palace has been looking for you everywhere for months." Baloo covered all the windows by quickly pulling curtains.

"Baloo, I need help."

"M..my lord," Baloo looked terrified, as he stammered.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not asking to endanger your life. I remember when I came to you a few times before with my grandfather, you had a collection of very fine chain mail, different sizes, and belts. I'm in a hurry, I need some armor. But, I can not get them anywhere as the Palace is looking for me." Eiden knew he might sound pretentious, he pushed that thought aside.

"Name your price." Eiden took the bag of gold out. Baloo looked at Eiden and Gold a few times like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"My lord," he paused and looked at the gold.

"How many my lord wants?" he finally asked. Eiden described his friends and their weapons.

"Come inside my lord, only my wife is there." Eiden followed him, he was alert, but he didn't feel threatened.

They entered the armory that he knew Baloo highly valued. The glistening chainmail, chest pieces, etc. were displayed with logs attached to each piece, describing their history. Looking around the beautifully arranged armory, Eiden took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Baloo, I have no other choice."

"My lord, Baloo served your family for years. Nothing to apologize for." Baloo selected a few pieces and appropriate belts.

"Why is my lord only choosing part of the armor?" Baloo asked.

"My friends are not soldiers. Yet they are going to war." Eiden didn't specify. Baloo silently folded and packed them.

"My lord, pardon me, I'd have fought beside you if I were a lad. My old age is catching up with me," he sounded honest. Eiden looked at tall, muscular blacksmith whom he knew in his whole life as old Baloo, and for the first time, noticed a little unsteady trembling in strong looking hands.

"Baloo, I'd have liked it if nobody had to fight." Eiden smiled sadly. They shared a moment of heavy silence, before Eiden turned to leave.

“My lord, please wait for a while.” Baloo started to open a wall safe. Eiden was surprised, but he was curious, when Baloo took a polished wooden box with many carvings on the top and sides.

[https://i.imgur.com/VKwjS93.jpg]

Baloo set the ornate wooden box on the table

"My lord, please take this." Baloo opened the box, taking out a long dagger-like bundle wrapped in black silk.

He unwrapped and drew an intricately carved ornate dagger from its golden sheath. The hilt of the dagger was made of a carved bone and studded with gems, and sharp red tip was glinting in a cold light. Eiden, who lived in a Palace, had seen many famous weapons but this didn't equal to anything he had ever seen.

"Baloo, this is.." Eiden touched metal, it was highly magical and he suppressed a shiver.

"Made before the great city fell. Only a very few of these had ever been crafted, and I don't know if any still remains. The tip is a red diamond harvested from the fire mountains. It's said that this can pierce dragonhide.

When our people came to hide in the mountains, my old master smith's ancestors brought this. He had no children, and he passed this to me," Baloo explained.

"Baloo, this is priceless, I can not pay money, I don't think even a fortune will compensate." Eiden gave it back, but Baloo put his hand on Eiden's.

"Please, my lord is fighting for a worthy cause and needs a weapon designed for such a battle.” Baloo wiped the dagger with its silk wrapping, and gently taking Eiden's dominant hand, he lightly touched the tip on his palm, drawing blood. Then, he pressed his palm to the bony hilt of the dagger, Eiden felt his magic readily accept the weapon.

"Thank you, Baloo," Eiden was overwhelmed by this kingly gift, and his words were filled with gratitude. Baloo didn't want any money, but Eiden insisted, paid him some gold, and left.