A castle stood in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dead trees and barren land the place looked ever so lonesome. With the sky covered in a thick black cloud, not a spec of sunlight touches the ground.
In the castle, a woman stood in the watchtower. Meticulous eyes looking over the land below, in her thin lips as small frown forms.
"Mother," a voice called her.
The woman turned to look at her daughter, "Did you find the archway?" she asked in a deadly serious tone.
"Yes, mother. I have and I made sure to place a familiar to keep tracks on its movement." She explained.
"That archway moves too frequently making it difficult to enter the Kingdom of fays, well done."
"Another thing, I have met the older son, mother. I have to say he is quite handsome," the daughter giggled. "Can't we just keep him, mother? Like a sort of pet,"
"No, the older child was too unstable that's why have to use the younger." The mother sternly replied.
"It's a shame really, why do we have to kill him?" The girl sighed.
"Because he had been trained by Ravana, you can never be too careful when she's involved. I'm not sure about it yet, but something is telling me… she had done something to that one."
"Well, I did sense a bit of power in him," the girl mused.
"It's only a small portion now… but if he continued to pursue and train with those hunters. He might pose an actual threat- especially with that cursed sword of his. Maybe we should cut the tree before it grows." The witch pondered.
"Anne."
"Yes, mother?"
"Tell our allies that the archway has been secured, now it's time to speed up the war preparations." The mother commanded.
"Of course," Anne bowed her head before retreating into the dark.
"Now, I just sent someone to take care of the lad for me." The white crow mumbled.
"Achoo!"
"Whoa, are you okay Darius?" Brennan asked as he mounted his horse. "Did you catch a cold or something?"
"No, I'm fine… it's just a random sneeze." The other replied as he wipe his nose. "We need to get back in the road, we will reach Sentry in a few."
"Yeah… that mission happened pretty quickly huh." Brennan sighed, "And I was expecting we will have the chance to fight a monster or something."
"Don't say such things, we are lucky that the mission was very easy. If it was something else we might have ended up with an injury or even worst."
"That's true but we didn't have the chance to see if our skill really did improve over the past month."
"Yes…" Darius mumbled, yet he has a feeling that they gained something. Especially with the meeting with the Queen of the Fays, it was… as if they had grown their connection.
It was a bitter feeling, but something is telling him that one way or the other… he will meet Titania again.
"Hey! Did you see that?!" Brennan exclaimed, wide eyes staring at the edge of the forest.
"Saw what?" Darius needed his brows as he gaze in the direction of the tree line. "Brennan there is nothing there." He pointed out.
"No. No. I saw it, a creature run past as. It was quite agile." The younger man persisted.
"If it was passed as us then there's no point of looking for it." Darius sighed at the other's enthusiasm.
"But what if it was something dangerous?" he reasoned.
Darius sighed, the younger man just loves looking for adventure.
"We need to" Brennan began while Darius held his breath preparing for what he will say.
"Find it…"
Darius could feel the fatigue inside him multiply, he's too tired for this. Fighting a monster for a mission is one thing but to purposely look for trouble is another.
"Look there is it again!" Brennan shouted commanding his horse to go faster, leaving Darius behind in the dust.
"Wait!" Darius sweatdrop.
"Damn it" he cursed.
"Maybe if I let him be and just say he was eaten by a monster Oraculi won't look for him," Darius mumbled.
Another sigh left his lips, of course, he can't. Even if the younger man could be troublesome, he's a friend.
Kicking his horse, Darius followed Brennan at the edge of the forest.
"Brennan!" Darius shouted upon taking a halt beside his companion.
"What was it? Did you catch the monster you were chasing?"
"No, it was already gone."
Darius sighed, "Let's go then, we have to hurry back."
"Thou…" a low voice whispered, the sound spread into the woods and the wind.
In front of them, a person stood. His skin was in the mix of gray and green, covered in ivy and moss, tree bark, and tiny yellow flowers.
But the most noticeable part of its body is the two antlers above its head.
His body was quite thin, with long slender arms and fingers with long black nails. With him, he carries a staff, made out of wood from an elder.
In all honestly, he appears like a walking tree.
"Thou… who holds the devouring sword." He pointed a crooked finger at Darius.
A lump formed in Darius's throat, his stomach filled with butterflies making him sick.
"Lend me thy hands and I shall grand thee a request."
"W-who are you?" Darius stuttered. He wasn't sure why but the creature shook him, it wasn't particularly terrifying but there is something about it that bothers Darius.
The creature sighed deeply, as a small tree suddenly grew from the ground forming a stool for the creature to sit onto.
"I have many names… the horned one, the lord of the woods, the god of the beast, but many call me Cernunnos."
"You wanted my help?" Darius asked.
"Not help lad… buy service. If thy fulfill my request, I will reward thee."
"Now if thee agree, I want thee to head south and find the nest of the Adar Llwch Gwin. Once thy find the nest, thou shall protect it from the person who's trying to take the eggs."
"Adar Llwch… isn't that a bird creature?" Brennan asked.
Cernunnos nodded ever so slowly, like a branch blown by the wind.
"There had been a stirring in the creatures of the wild, but I'm too weak to protect them- especially with this one. They are powerful and far too many for me to handle, but if anything is certain… those people are collecting creatures for their disposal." Cernunnos said distastefully.
Darius could feel his stomach twist, he wanted to think that it was not related to his family's untimely death. Yet he knew that it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"If you manage to do as requested, I shall grant thee a wish." The lord of the wild said.
'Do it, Darius, if you completed the task. You can ask for a sacrificial beast.' Ravana whispered in his head.
Darius flinched at the sudden appearance, alas Ravana only appears when there is something that can benefit her cause.
Darius bit his lower lip, 'What on earth will I need a sacrificial beast for?' he thought.
'Fool! It is not for you but the sword, it demands blood for you to gain its power.'
'What?! Why am I only hearing this now?'
'It doesn't matter if you're only hearing about this now,' Ravana groaned, thinking how clueless Darius is. 'I will explain the rest for soon, but for now, you must take this opportunity.
Darius swallowed thick as the lump in his throat grow bigger in each moment.
"Before I accept your offer, I need to know. How did you find me? And why did you choose me for this task?"
"I the lord of the wild can connect through nature, I can hear the voice of the tree, the whispering of the wind, the songs of the water, and at special occasions the words spoken by the Yggdrasil."
"Yggdrasil?"
"The world tree had spoken your name Darius and the tree wish you a glorious future," Cernnunos explained.
Darius could feel the cold sweat forming in his nape, maybe… he had gotten more than he bargained for.
But not in the manner he wished it to be.
"Glorious?" Darius frowned as he repeated the word, he was not particularly fond of such terminology. If anything it sounded quite troublesome.
"I cannot see the future, however… I can only tell thee that the gods will be in thy favor in the adversities ahead. After all… the fates had already paid thee service. Lachesis did return the devouring sword to thee, did she not?"
Darius held the hilt of the sword, he does have a faint memory of a woman dressed in a red robe, he remembered that she gave the sword to him. In the open field after he burned down the shack where his family once lived.
Yes, he did remember leaving the sword in Ravana's castle as a sign that he will abandon the life he once had. However, the woman appear out of nowhere to return the sword… then vanished again into thin air as if it was nothing more than a dream.
He wasn't sure what lies ahead, but his goal is as clear as day.
And that is to grow strong and save his little brother.
Therefore, if it is power Cernunnos can offer after this service then…
"Fine, I will accept your request." He replied.