The mountain air was so cold and crisp that it bites the skin like the freezing winter breeze. The atmosphere was covered with a veil of the morning fog, while the plants are covered with freshly fallen dews.
FLINK
It sounded as another drop added to the pooling water on the ground.
"Careful it's slippery," Kalla said as she led the way.
"It is just me or the air is thinner up here?" Brennan asked, mist coming out of his mouth as he spoke.
"We are in a higher ground now, it is natural to have colder and thinner air," Kalla explained.
"How much further?" Darius asked.
"We are close, we did surprisingly well really. Maybe just another hour or two."
In the corner of the woods, Brennan saw a person watching them.
A chill run in his spine, like a million spiders, crawled behind his back.
'No, you're just seeing things. Don't look and just keep going.' He told himself.
But even after the time passed by, he could still see the man following them.
"Hey…" he called the attention of his friends.
"Is it just me or someone had been following us?" he asked.
"Huh? I didn't see anyone." Darius started looking around.
"So do I," Kalla shook her head a small frown adorning her lips.
Brennan chuckled, "Maybe I was just tired… can we have a short break?"
"Did you get enough sleep last night?" Darius looked at him worriedly.
"I did…"
"Kalla, can we stop for now?" Darius asked.
"Of course, it wasn't that far anyway. Just over there!" she chimed pointing at a slanted tree by the side of the cliff.
It was standing far from the rest of the trees in the forest, dangerously hanging over the cliff.
"Wait, Kalla… look over there." Darius pointed at the edge of the forest near the cliff.
A person wearing a red hood was walking towards the tree.
"Oh no! We have to hurry!" panic suddenly engulfed the young woman.
"They are already at the nest! We have to go quickly!" She said, her heart thumping wildly.
"Robbie?!" Brennan suddenly stood up from the tree root he was sitting on.
"Who?" the other two asked both at the same time, their confused eyes shifting to Brennan.
"You bastard you're alive?!" he shouted before suddenly running off in the other direction.
"Bloody hell! Brennan wait!" Darius shouted as he tried to stop Brennan but he was far too late.
"Oh no! Oh no!" Kalla looked at Brennan then at Darius. She was trembling in fear.
"What do we do?!' She jumped, using her hands to fan her face nervously. Her breathing started rising.
"Brennan went nuts and the enemy was close to the nest!" she shouted in a panic, she hand find her hair. And she started pulling against them softly, while her eyes are starting to wet with tears.
She can't fail Cernnunos, she owed him everything.
"Go get Brennan, I will go to the nest first," Darius instructed as he pointed at the direction Brennan run off to.
"B-but you can't go alone! It's too dangerous!" she argued.
"We can't solve both problems if we stick together, go find Brennan and then follow me to the nest." He order.
"F-fine!"
Kalla started running after Brennan, while Darius went in the other direction.
Darius run as quickly as he can, he was going so fast he did not even care about the small branches that's hitting his face.
He could feel his heart pumping wildly, the lung burning inside his chest, and even though the cold wind was blowing against his skin remains hot.
He wasn't even sure if he was going the right way, but he kept running in a straight line.
The cliff… he just needs to get to the cliff, he told himself.
'Fuck why did Brennan have to run off like that?' He thought, wishing that his companion was doing fine.
"Screeeeiiiikkkkk!!!!!"
He heard the sound of what seemed to be a thousand eagles' screams.
Followed by the sound of massive wings flapping wildly.
He can't see what was happening because of the tall trees, but he at least know… that this task will not be easy.
Darius wasn't even sure how long it took him, but he did manage to reach the cliff.
And right before his eyes, a woman in a red robe stands. Her back facing him.
While she pend off against the giant bird.
No. Not just a bird.
It has a giant head and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion – expect that it has talons in both of the front feet.
All this time the Adar Llwch Gwin was a griffin.
Darius watched as the woman manifested a scythe from thin air to fight griffin.
'If I attack now, she wouldn't even know.' He thought, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
"Oh no you don't," another woman emerged from his back.
Before he could even react, Darius was blasted away with a single touch. His body rolled away from his attacker and into the feet of the woman in the red cloak.
He stared at her as she held the site, amber eyes wide with surprise and confusion.
"Finish him," his attacker ordered and without any hesitation, the woman brought down the scythe.
In a quick moment, Darius rolled away and dash to the side of the nest. Standing close at the edge, he held his sword tightly.
It's was two against one.
And his weapon was severely outmatched by the scythe.
What the other woman emerged from the shade of the forest. She revealed her white cloak, her face still hidden by the hood.
"I didn't know we will meet this early Darius," the woman in white hood said.
'It's you.' He hears Ravana spit bitterly.
At that moment, Darius knew that he is in a battle that he can never win.
To face the white crow this early and with one of her daughters… such a terrible fate.
And here he was thinking he has a few more months to prepare. But it would seem that he will never have the chance to stop the summoning.
"I say, it will be for the best if we cut the weed before it had the chance to completely grow." The woman in the white cloak said.
"I agree mother," the one in red cloak nodded.
"I have to say, it was such a shame to cut your linage off. But then after the seals are broken and they are summoned, your bloodline will never be needed." She said with a haunting smile in her lips.
While her daughter smirked, oh how Darius hated that smirk of hers. How he wishes to wipe it off of her face.
Her amber eyes looked down at him like his was nothing but dirt.
When the wind blew the red hood fell from the woman's head, revealing her red-colored hair. Under the sun, her hair glowed just like the embers of a fire.
"Farewell." The woman mouthed, her sly smirk still adorning her lips.
With a flick of her finger, the white crow blasted Darius away.
Brennan stood in front of Robbie, he looks exactly the same. Brown hair, pale skin, perfectly shaped face, clean brows almost as if it was drawn by an artist.
But most importantly, his crystal blue eyes.
He was doubting it earlier, but now it was certain.
This man is his friend… Robbie Hunter.
"Where have you been?!" He asked with a smile on his face.
"I genuinely thought you were dead, how did you get out of the Morte Castle?"
"I can't believe that you didn't even bother to tell me that you're alive all this time."
"What have you been up to?"
"Hey, talk to me." He said as he approached him, but oddly enough. Robbie remained still, he didn't move a single muscle, he didn't answer Brennan's questions, and he didn't even smile.
He just stood there with a stone-cold face, nothing like the man he once was.
"Robbie?" Brennan knitted his brows.
Out of a sudden, Robbie vanished with a puff of black smoke. Leaving Brennan stunned.
"What… happened?"
"Brennan!" Kalla shouted, her hand roughly grabbing Brennan's shoulder.
"I can't believe you just run off like that!" she scolded.
"Hurry, we have to follow Darius in the nest. The enemy was already there!"
"We can't let him fight alone!"
Kalla slapped Brennan lightly to shake him out of his daze, "Are you listening to me?" she asked.
"Robbie was here, I swear. I saw him!" he said.
"I… I don't understand." Kalla shook her head.
"But please! We have to go!" she begged.
"He was supposed to be dead but he was just right here," he pondered.
"Brennan! I can't understand what you are saying but we have to go! If we don't hurry Darius will die!" Kalla took his hand and dragged Brennan, who was still in shock and disbelief.
Amber stood over at the dying griffin, blood pooling out of its chest.
"If you just surrendered then you could have lived," she said coldly.
"What should do mother? The nest was destroyed and the male griffin is dead."
"Let's just take the female, since the eggs are now broken. Well, it's not like was can wait for those hatchlings to grow." The white crow replied.
"Understood."
"Oh. Mother, Robbie's old friend is here as well. Can I kill him?"
"You may, but after we capture the griffin."
"Then let me make this quick." She smiled with the most evil smile one could ever muster.