Silas layed on the bed again, having regained his composure after the "deep talk" with Sorelle. He stared at the lower part of the upper loft bed.
'The wood there is actually quite nice. it has cool textures. It looks like a butterfly, spreading it's wings while breaking it's cocoon.'
Knock. Knock.
'Finally someone who has enough sense to knock.'
"Come in."
"Silas... we need to talk." Dex sat on his bed, placed on the opposite side of Silas' own.
'I knew this would happen. I usually hate lying, but this time it probably has to be... A little bit.'
"Do you wanna tell me why you sneaked out of town last night?"
'Straight to the point. Wow, how unexpected.'
Silas tried to calm himself down with these thoughts. And it surprisingly worked.
"No, I actually don't."
Silas tried to be honest till it was impossible.
"Well, that makes it harder... At least say that you won't go outside there at night."
Silas thought for a moment.
'Can I afford not going out of town at night? I could just use that time to go to the designated places though.'
"I don't plan to." He said honestly but still didn't clearly.
'Please don't have heard it. Please just accept this answer.'
Dex sighed, obviously uncomfortable with the answer. He touched his face and rubbed his temples.
"Well, there's nothing else I want to tell you, just... take care."
Dex's discomfort clearly vanished as he put that part of his thoughts away. A mischievous grin taking place on his face.
'Oh, no. Please, I'm begging, not again.'
Silas' eyes widened again as he thought of a way to bring his brother's attention to something else. Obviously, he failed miserably. Exactly like with Sorelle.
"So, what are we gonna eat today?" Silas asked tensely.
Dex saw through Silas' attempt to direct the conversation into a different direction, so he didn't even answer the question.
"How's your new girlfriend by the way" Dex enjoyed the visible discomfort of his brother like a cat, playing with a mouse.
'That's for making me search you for a whole night.' Dex thought.
'He's just trying to make uncomfortable, that's all. Keep your composure.' Silas responded mentally.
"Oh, you mean the girl accompanying me yesterday? She's alright, why are you asking?" Silas was as relaxed as he could be. Looking at his fingernails like he didn't care about the situation at all. Dex however, was confused for a short moment. His smile froze on his face.
'Yes. You should see that expression Dex. It's soo laughable.'
Silas obviously didn't let his rejoice reach his body. But Dex saw through it a moment later.
'Argh. That little... No problem, how do you like this?' regaining his composure, he set on a pleasant smile.
"What's her name? And why don't you introduce her to us sometimes. Oh, I've got an idea. How about next time you meet her. I come with you." Silas froze once again.
***
Half an hour later, Sorelle wanted to check on Silas.
'I hope Dex didn't scold him too hard.'
But unexpectedly, as she was about to knock on the door, a joyful laughter could be heard through the door.
A small smile adorned Sorelle while she headed back toward her own room.
***
After sleeping for 3 hours, Silas was woken up for lunch.
"What's it for today?" He said, walking down the stairs while yawning.
"Bread... But we also got some fish today!" Elira announced positively.
As they all sat on the table, the family talked about different news. Silas didn't listen though, enjoying his meal and thinking on what to do next.
'I should probably go to the hut and look after my sister today. This old geezer... I don't trust him one bit. There's something unnerving about the way he talks and smiles, I can't wrap my head around. Also, there's still to choose where I search first...'
"Silas, do you know something about it?" Sorelle asked calmly. She clearly asked him because he was zoned out.
"Ummm, noo?" Silas said carefully.
"Well, I guess then no one remembers about the "trial that should be held today" or the person to get persecuted." He said while looking at Sorelle, trying to help his brother.
'Oh, that's what their talking about. Well, I guess they also forgot that too.'
***
"So that's the first place." An enormous pagoda towered in front of Silas. At least 40 meters tall and reaching far above the clouds. The enormous building wasn't fully visible because of the fog, hiding everything above 20 meters of height. It had 11 floors, all ornamented with pitch coal drawings, showing worms eating the droplets off leaves. The droplets though, were made from colored glass. Most were blue, green, or magenta, even though there was one, directly above the entrance, colored green.
Ignoring this because he can't see colors, Silas entered the ominous town hall. The gates stood wide open while the sun shone through the dense fog. The interior looked exactly as it was the day before. The luxurious hall was nearly empty. The pedestal in the middle standing high, a long table on top of it. The ground floor was used for important gatherings, hence the table. Silas didn't waste time on it and instantly headed toward a door on the right corner of the room though.
'The library it is then.' Silas headed up the spiral staircase. The handrail made from pinewood, the same worms, consuming droplets, engraved into the wood and walls.
'I hope I find out about the revelations, the old man told me about. Maybe I can even verify if some of it is true.'
Silas ascended a few steps already, completely lost in thoughts.
'Still, there are no real hints on where I could search. Maybe the history section could help'
'What could this old guy teach us anyway? There are so many things I still want to ask him... Even though I believe that he will lie about some things. Why he left the forest as a child for example. Why his grandpa died. Why he is helping us...'
'Right, where was he all those years. Sixty years was it? Where could he have been all this time? There's no way, he just wants to help... Or is it really family kinship? I guess we'll see what's going to...'
"Woa!" Silas suddenly tripped, some force pushing him forward. Falling nose first onto the next stair, he could already feel the pain and blood running from his nose. His imagination was faster than reality though. Because just as he was about to hit the edge of the next stair, he suddenly fazzed through matter and hit a flat ground.
His nose, though bloody, wasn't broken.
"Urgh!" Still a little pained, he stoop up and looked around. There was sunlight and a white floor.
'I was just inside. What the heck is this aga...'
"Wait." Silas wais shocked. "Why am I outside again?" Many people were standing around him in a circle. Their expressions were non existent. With fully relaxed facial muscles, they looked at him like ghosts.
'The red flame again.' Silas was frightened somehow. A severe feeling of dread took him over. He backed away. The mob took one step further. 'No way out. What to do, what to do?' Silas panicked a little, trying to find a way out.
"Guys, what's up?! Don't you know me? It's me, Silas." He tried to sound casual, even if it sounded a little forced.
Though, his struggles were for naught. They took another step. At that moment, something in himm changed again.
'Focus, Silas!' Ignoring the anxiety, he calmed his breathing and closed his eyes.
***
An eye opened in a dark space. Illuminating the surroundings with green light, the pupil widened.
'Where are you?' Suddenly, a number of fully vivid pictures rushed by, filling his mind with understanding. The memory of himself being controlled at the day of Stellas arrival. Seeing his family in the kitchen, talking about the supposed trial. The pain he felt while meeting Stella in the dungeon. Finally, the pictures stopped. In front of him, a grey lake streched into the reaches of the snow filled forest ground. The seedlings and moss sprouting, as they absorbed the blood Dex left behind. And above, the mmonste was backing away. The air around it rippling with fear, emitted by the beast.
Silas was statisfied and opened his eyes slowly. A grin slowly forming in his face. In front of him, a person, Jasper, stood nose to nose, looking into the reaches of his being.
Just then Silas stared back, his eyes glancing deeper, straight into the flame of rage, controlling Jasper.
He spat with coldness and will "Give it to me." Jasper though, did not react. Silas took a step closer, his eye one centimeter from Jesper's apart. A deep desire to take Jasper's eyes overwelming him.
"I... want... it."
Just then, the fire and expressionlessnes left his neighbour, leaving him bare and confused. Silas took a step back.
'What was that just now?'
Weirdly uncomfortable with the situation, he left. Steadily accelerating to leave the people behind. The others slowly gained consciousness again.
***
Silas reached the gate. His mind full of questions that remained unanswered.
'Was that the mind hex again?'
"Hey Silas, I heard you finally got a girlfriend!" A tall and broad shouldered guard said, interrupting his thoughts. Silas was too busy with the new events, spiralling in his mind though. He waved dejectedly to signal the guard that he's not in the mood.
As Silas left, the guard murmured in thougths "I've never seen him that trubbled. His parents must have punished him real har... Oh right. His brother must have been really mad."
***
A small hut stood in an empty forest, surrounded by dense fog and trees. A boy, his face buried in thougths, knocked on the door, urgency visible in all of his movements. Stella opened the door cautiously. A smile on her face as she saw Silas vastly vanished upon seeing his movements. Now, concern adorned her.
"Sill, are you alright?"
But Silas didn't answer, he pushed her aside and looked around in search for Orren.
"It's alright." He murmured, still taken aback on what happened. "Orren!" he said a little louder, contained fury slightly audible in his voice. But there was something else. Something, Stella knew too well. There was a great amount of fear hidden beneath.
'What could have scared him that much. His movements, all of them, only there to conceal his worry.'
"Ahh, my beloved student! What do you wish to know?" The old man exclaimed as if he was truly curios. The detested smile, making Silas even more angry... and scared.