"I was just about to start the training with your sister. What a surprise to see you so soon." The old man still smiled as if he was playing with kittens.
"What is happening, Orren? You know what happened, don't you?" Silas said irritated.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Silas gritted his teeth. 'Ugh! There's no way to pdasdfadfafsfsafsrove that he knows future. I will have to play his stupid games to find out something.'
He set on a frustrated smile. "Well then I should tell you what happened, no?" Silas sat down.
Orren was still grinning. Clearly enjoying the events. "Stella, young gal, come and sit down. Your brother surely has a lot to tell."
As soon as everyone sat down, Silas told them what conspired. Stella's expression got grimmer with every word he said.
'I see. It seems that everyone forgot me...
An Ilusion? ...
Is Silas affected by the red sphere like me now? No, he can't perceive them because he's colorblind...
He nearly got attacked?!'
Orren though, sat still, listening with wide eyes. He nearly looked shocked.
"... and then I decided to come here." Silas ended. He left out how he expelled the flame of rage. Instead, he simply explained that, after standing up, they regained their senses, which wasn't a lie. Just a simple misdirection. 'Let's see what he's gonna say now.' Silas kept on smiling, waiting for a reply.
Orren though, waited a few moments and asked. "What do you think happened?"
"Well, It's like the mind hex, no?" Silas was genuinely curious about this.
"Yes and no. You see, it wasn't the mind hex. But the forest has already infected you. I guess it's time for the rest of my story. You see, sixty years ago, I was fourteen. My great gandfather was the elder of that time. As I already told you, he was able to unlock the basic power of ones true self. Ones first ascension component. Ussually, there were four people from every fourth generation whose potential got unsealed. Ones first component is always unsealed at the day of ones 17th birthday. If it happens one day later, it won't work." Orren coughed, his voice rasping like last night.
Silas and Stella looked at each other. Both knew the obvious implications. 'Do you think we'll be able to find this "knowledge, the old man told us so much about till our birthday in two weeks?
Silas was very concerned about th
at idea. 'I guess there won't be much sleep for me in those next few weeks. Five places to search in and about fourteen days to work with. So there are probably 2 days per place in the worst-case scenario.'
The old Orren was about to continue when Stella suddenly interjected. "There's a problem though. Our birthday is in two weeks from now. How is Silas supposed to get the sphere and the box in this time frame? I mean, in the worst-case scenario, he will find it at the last place. Wouldn't it be better if I.."
"No! I won't allow it!" Silas exclaimed, knowing what she was about to say.
"You won't decide on what I'm going to..."
"You're wrong. I WILL decide what you're going to do because I am the one who is responsible for you right now. Without me yould still be in prison or even..." Silas stopped abruptly, not wanting to continue the sentence.
An awkward silence took place between them. After what felt like an eternity of avoiding each other's glances and the flimmering of the nearly burnt down candle Stella glimpsed down sadly. "Alright." She whispered.
Silas looked at her suspiciously. "Do you promise?" He asked gravely.
She looked up again, staring into his eyes. Determination gleaming in them as if she had made a decision. "Yes." She simply answered.
Silas sighed. Not being able to force a facial expression anymore, he simply seemed neutral. "Please tell us more."
Orren, as if oblivious to the situation, continued smiling. "Of course. Still, I can only agree with Silas, you should stay here and learn spirit vision from me."
Silas threw another suspicious glance toward his sister, who looked a little lost in thought. "And what will happen if one uses this "knowledge" before or after ones seventeenth birthday?"
"It's rather simple, really. You will certainly die." He exclaimed while smiling joyful.
The silence returned but didn't stretch as long as before. The responsibility weighed heavily on Silas' shoulders, but Orren didn't seem to notice it.
"Alright then, would you continue?" Silas wasn't able to force a smile anymore, so he simply asked in a neutral countenance.
"Anyway, as I was about to say. That day, I was peacefully playing with a friend of mine..."
***
"Orren! Orren come here!" Rason called out on a small meadow near the walls. The sun was about to descend below the horizon. It already touched the trees in the distance.
"Then come and get me!" A young Orren challenged playfully.
He was about to run away when suddenly a high pitched scream came from the part of the village they lived in. Both children stopped, looking at each other apprehensively.
"We need to return. There's something happening." Orren nodded. They sneaked toward the wall and climbed up a rope. As soon as Orren looked at his home, an old house standing out between the way more luxurious houses in the neighbourhood, his eyes widened.
"Wh... What?" He stuttered, not believing his eyes. A blazing fire raged in a portion of the city. Four elders were desperately trying to stop it while everyone else ran away. It was just that... the fire was no fire. And the old ones weren't just old. They were the "lucky" ones, having their first ascension components awakened. They actually looked rather young for their high age.
"Orren!" A man of rather well stature called out, having noticed him while running away. The masculine man slowly stopped. An indecisive expression, veiling his ussually stern face.
Having made some kind of decision, he accelerated toward the nearest portion of the wall, climbed up and sprinted toward his son. "Come here as fast as you can!" He called out slightly anxious.
Orren looked at Rason. Just then, he saw a small red light, in the corner of his sight. It slowly ascended the wall, trying to reach the city. Fully taken aback by it's beauty, he looked straight at it.
His mind froze in that second. Curiousness overtook him and a feeling of warmth spread throughout his chest. There were voices, clearly trying to reach out to him. He even felt a distant touch, trying to hold him back, but Orren didn't want to. There was only one thing he wanted. 'I want this warmth.' He tried to take a step forward but something held him back.
The red sphere, having already noticed him, floated toward him. The closer it came, the more Orren was bewitched by it.
Orren raised his hand when the red sphere came close enough. It touched him and suddenly, the heat in his chest was stronger. Something boiled inside of him for a moment. And then... it stopped. Leaving only a cold emptieness. His senses were clear again. 'What was that just now?' He glanced at his palms, then up toward his father and friend.
"Shit!" his father exclaimed, holding a hand in front of his eyes as if some kind of pain resonated in them. Rason though, wasn't that reserved. He stared at Orren directly, making a shiver run down Orren's back. An unsettling tenseness masking his usual body language.
"What is it, Rason? Why are you..." Rason took a step toward Orren who slowly backed away.
Just then, his father, eyes still closed, went between Orren and Rason.
"Stop." he whispered. Sorrow filling him for what he was about to do.
As Rason didn't stop, Orren's eyes widened. His father raised a hand and then, everything happened in slow motion. A hand grabbed Rason's collar. Slowly, he began to rise from the wall. The hand pulling him up with visible strain. Orren's father took a step forward. Then one more.
"I'm... sorry. It's either you or my son." He whispered in order to convince himself to let go. And let go, he did.
Orren didn't hear anything. No noice. Nothing. Untill finally, a loud crack could be heard. Orren was frozen in place. Not being able to process what just happened.
"Dad? Wh... Why?" Orren stuttered.
His father turned around, thick lines of blood running down his cheeks. He took his hand off his face. There, except for his eyes, only two deep holes took their place. Orren's eyes widened even more. The shock made him dizzy. A deep feeling of disgust overtook him.
"Son, everything is going to be alright. I'll make it alright." His father said to force determination upon himself. At exactly that moment, the sun vanished behind the trees, drenching the world into darkness. The only source of light were now the crimson light spheres and the red moon, both reflecting from the white marble.
***
"And then, my father took me to this place, building a hut after the destruction. The elders used some of their magical power to draw the spheres toward themselves. And... you saw what happens when a sphere enters your body. The people around you are slowly overtaken by a deeply rooted desire to exterminate you. You know about the stories, children are vanishing in. Right? Well, the children come back home most of the time... But when they arrive, their fate is sealed as soon as someone sees them." Orren finished. His usual smile, even if a little sad, still adorned his face. A slight glance of sadness, crossing his eyes.
Fully taken aback, Silas exchanged a frightened glance with
Stella. Both eyes widened because of the frightening story.