Athan took another sip of water to moisten his lips and throat. Everyone was waiting for him to continue speaking. Athan cleared his throat " Chiala lived amongst the humans for a good while. Their number increased, spreading across the entire realm. Peace reigned for some time. Kingdoms and nations formed and divided. They fought against each other for supremacy. More bloodshed ensued. Although, Chiala could end all of it. She didn't interfere. It wasn't her purpose. Ruma hadn't created her to mitigate humans or protect them from themselves. They needed to learn. Your kind is a bit slow. Anyway, she disappeared without a trace before our kind entered this realm. When the Sithrians walked through that gate, the was forest unoccupied, or so the scrolls say." He took a deep breath " Our kind claimed the land as our own. We still don't know how the gate to this realm was created, but it couldn't be closed. It was forbidden. Iris was the first Guardian ever to close that gate. There have been attempts by other Guardians, but none of them was successful." He looked at Maya and Dakran, who looked somewhat befuddled " I think Edýia is Chiala or her vessel. More likely Chiala's vessel." He concluded and looked at Edýia over his shoulder.
Edýia frowned as she looked in the distance. She had questions, so many questions. Some of them were answered by Athans's story, and some she had yet to ask.
" So, if, " Dakran broke the silence and paused, " She is just a vessel, what does that mean for Edýia? Is she going to die when she is not needed anymore?" Dakran worriedly asked and looked over his shoulder to Edýia, who had stopped breathing.
Athan shrugged " I don't know. I think she is just a vessel. Think of it like an empty house. You live in it, and if you take good care of it will stay on the ground for ages, but if you don't, it will collapse eventually. What I'm saying is she has to look after her body and mind. Cracks don't stay cracks for long," He warned and glanced again over his shoulder to Edýia.
Dakran lightly nodded and turned his attention ahead. He seemed to be mulling over what Athan had told him. Dakran's gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the dark clouds lingered. Those same clouds hid the sun. He had a bad feeling. Something changed back home.
" We are heading north," He suddenly informed, and Iris nudged the horse past the others and stopped next to Dakran.
" Did you see something? I can feel that something is not right," Iris murmured while looking ahead in the distance.
" Those clouds, I've never seen anything like it before. Something..." he paused and looked down at Maya wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him" Dangerous is coming our way." Dakran looked over his shoulder " Be prepared for incoming," He ordered, and everyone drew their sword.
Dakran chuckled " Not right, now," and shook his head, and Iris giggled
" At least they're ready to fight," She amusedly said, and Dakran nodded " That is good, but we have to be careful. The creatures are much bigger than us, and we can't face them head-on. We have to bring them down first, and the only thing that kills them is a sword through their heart. At least it used to. A lot changed. " His voice faded, and he grew worried.
Iris looked up at the dark sky. She hoped she would be able to tell how much time had passed, but with the thick clouds covering the sky, it was impossible to tell. She fumbled in the bag and pulled out a fruit and a piece of bread while Dakran did the same, giving them to Maya instead, who took the fruit and the piece of bread, looking somewhat surprised at the gesture.
She wasn't expecting anything from Dakran, the man had no obligations toward her, but he looked after her.
Riding through the woods was rather dull, Athan found, and his time being stuck in a cave quickly came into his mind, and his boredom dissipated soon.
Dakran had more questions, but seeing that Athan was busy stuffing his face with whatever he pulled out of his bag, he kept quiet.
When Athan wouldn't stop pulling food out of his bag, Dakran lost his patience " How many Guardians are there?" Dakran asked, and Athan turned to him with his cheeks full of food and forcibly swallowed everything at once.
" Many. I don't know all of them. Nobody does. Most realms aren't aware of the existence of other realms." Athan answered and brought a piece of bread to his mouth to take a bite.
" What about the Gods? How did they come to be? Dakran asked, and Athan looked at the bread and at Athan " The lower gods were created by the two brothers after Ruma left. They were so afraid of Chiala and the power she wielded that they felt the need to protect themselves from her. That's how powerful Chiala was if they were capable of breathing life. You can imagine what she was capable of. She is now what you know as the Revered Mother. The humans just made some up, and they don't exist." Athan answered and took a bite of the bread before Dakran asked more questions.
" I see." Dakran murmured and took a deep breath, and Athan was terrified " Which ones are real and which aren't?" Dakran asked, and Athans's shoulders slumped " Not that many. Only the other eight gods are real. Their names changed over time, different kinds different names. But the Higher Gods were created by the Alyth Ilwen or All Father in your tongue," Athan answered
" Where are they? The gods that created us, then?" Dakran continued to ask, and Athan put the bread back into the bag. He had lost hope of finishing his meal.
Athan sighed " I don't know Dakran, nobody does. It's not like we have drinks together." Athan quipped, and the others chuckled.