|Flames of hell|
Arsh made a little fireplace by converging some rocks and wood for amenity, waiting for Miss Gelina to return. He sat near the fire, piercing a slice of diced meat with a branch, then putting it directly above the fire to cook it.
"Last time it tasted decent. Let's see how it turns out this time around."
Arsh looked at the churning wood in front of him with a thoughtful expression.
'....I just hope they are all okay.'
He knew how desperate the situation he left his companions in was. Even after giving his all, he wasn't able to take down the Millennium.
So hoping for Alan to take down 2 of them without a scratch looked quite the stretch to him. Even after training with him for one year, Arsh didn't know how mighty Alan really was.
He never had seen him pushed to his brink, until that fateful event with the 3 Millennium, of course.
Alan was genuinely terrified in their bout with the calamities. But, whether it was for himself or Arsh and others was a question for later times.
"As far as I know that fucker. He should have been able to take care of them without losing any limbs...At least I hope that is the case."
Arsh sighed, taking the cooked meat out of the fire, and chewing it loudly. He still had an important thing to discuss with the fearsome Griffin.
".....Good enough"
Eating in silence, he hummed a little tune to himself, which he had learned from his late mother when he was barely 7.
He wanted to move on from the agonizing pain of remembering her. Living a normal life away from all the bloodshed and massacre.
But….It was impossible.….. However much he tried to forget her.
….Like a scar on his soul. Never ever to be healed.
He stopped his humming, hearing the sounds of footsteps near him again. Miss Gelina had told him before entering the dark cave, to wait at the entrance for her, as she fetched her baby sister out of the cave.
"Nidia! Don't test my patience anymore. Come out of there, Right Now!"
The shouting could be heard even out of the cave. After a few more shouts, Miss Gelina's figure became visible, dragging out a little kitten-like creature with her.
"Sigh… This girl is getting more and more rebellious with time"
"Kyuuuu"
"What was that?"
"....."
Arsh looked at both of them from the other side of the fire with deep interest. He stood up from his spot offering them the already-cooked meat.
"Thank you, Arsh"
Miss Gelina showed her appreciation while the little kitten just growled at him, causing every sense within him to rise. Again reminding him of the fact, however docile they looked in appearance, they were still a mythical race.
'...That thing has too much attitude for a baby'
Arsh let out a sigh, his face divulging into a frown, as he returned to his seat. He didn't like kids in the first place….Except for the cute ones like Elsa.
"Sorry about that, Arsh. She is my little sister Nidia."
"Kuuuu"
Nidia hummed happily along the line knowing she was being introduced. Arsh looked at her from the corner of his eyes with confusion.
'Wait….What language was that?'
As to answering his thoughts, Miss Gelina sighed and spoke again.
"She can't communicate with you just yet. I didn't teach her about languages. Also, due to her special hate for studies, I can't do anything about that.
"I know Nidia kind of has a bad personality. It is mostly because she had been spoiled too much as a child. But, I hope you don't take it to heart, Arsh. She is just a kid"
Arsh nodded understandingly at Miss Gelina's pleasant explanation. He looked at Nidia nibbling at the meat with an adored expression on his face.
He looked at her smiling and reached his hand out to the little kitten, to pet her.
'....She really is a baby. Her size is so small compared to Miss Gelina'
Nidia growled again looking at Arsh annoyed, scratching his reaching hand with her little undoubtedly powerful paws. Causing Arsh to jump backward in pain.
"Kuu. Kuu. Kuu"
The little kitten gave Arsh a mocking grin. Snickering to herself as she looked, Arsh jumped up and down in pain.
'...This little shit'
Arsh tried to keep himself from cursing out loud while Miss Gelina started laughing out loud witnessing the lighthearted scene.
Afterward, It was peaceful for some time. They ate dinner together and chatted about Nidia's spoiled upbringing with giggles and laughs, as Nidia fell asleep in the middle of the story.
'.....She is only cute when sleeping'
Arsh caressed the face of the little sleeping kitten with care, her eyes filled with warm feelings.
'....I hope, I had siblings'
Arsh sighed letting go of useless thoughts in his mind, turning to Miss Gelina again. The giant Griffin had started shifting to her original form.
"I will guard the cave. You can sleep if you want to rest"
Arsh rose from his place dusting his teared-up clothes, moving to the side of the Griffin, toward the entrance of the cave.
"...No, I have something important that I want to discuss with you"
"Oh, you have?"
Gelina smiled playfully at him and moved closer to Arsh.
He was silent for a few moments contemplating whether to ask her or not. Before adding in a low voice.
".....Can you help me get out of the valley?"
Arsh looked at her with the corner of his eyes, gouging out her reaction from the side, and to his surprise, she was smiling.
"Yeah, sure. Why not?"
Arsh blinked several times hearing her reply. His expression was flabbergasted by the sudden reply, his eyes pinned in the direction of giant Griffin, confusion dripping through them.
'Umm, What? Isn't this supposed to be the hardest part?'
Miss Gelina laughed out loud looking at him confused and added in a cheerful voice.
"But I have a condition"
'Figures'
"You have to take us with you"
Arsh looked at Miss Gelina for a few seconds then sighed. He was hoping that she was going to ask what happened before he fell into the valley.
But she didn't get into the matter. Not asking any personal or philosophical questions. She just chatted with him like an old friend who he had met after a long time.
Leaving Arsh no place to ask her the reason for coming with him.
"Okay. Just help me out…"
The cave was silent once again, followed only by the sound of the forest, monsters, and the remaining woods churning inside of the fire.
"Miss Gelina? For how many days have I been unconscious?"
Arsh asked the question he had been lingering in his mind for some time.
"...4 days. You were insentient for 4 days after I picked you up. You were in a comatose state after sustaining terrible physical and mental wounds"
Arsh nodded, before asking again in a serious tone.
".... Before waking up, I was in a place that was sort of like a dark abyss. Do you have any idea as to what it was?"
Miss Gelina heaved a heavy breath, averting her eyes away from Arsh.
"...It was your soul tomb. The place where your soul resides."
"You were in a very critical state after your fight with Millenium. Before I saved you from the fall, you already were on your death door. I had to use most of my essence in keeping you alive for the first two days."
"Your soul should have also taken considerable damage. I think it was most likely, you were sent to your soul tomb"
Miss Gelina replied with a sigh, her unwillingness to discuss the topic clear from her voice. But, Arsh needed to know about it whether she was willing to tell him or not.
"How can I go inside there again?"
Gelina's head jolted to Arsh, with a surprised expression on her face. The most intense Arsh had seen her firsthand.
"Why? Why do you want to return there? Aren't you afraid of that abyss?"
He was very much afraid of returning to the maddening place. But the feeling of the call of the void, as though it contained every answer he wanted was too strong.
Arsh downcasted his eyes, before adding in a mesmerized voice.
"....I don't know"
Arsh again found himself in the silence of the night again. Before the giant Griffin stood up from her spot, looking at Arsh with sharp eyes.
"...It is getting late. You should sleep for now. We will depart in the morning first thing. Go, get some rest before then"
Arsh looked at the giant Griffin, nodding in understanding, as he stood up in his place.
"Okay…Good night"
*****
She was now all alone at the entrance of the cave. Her head downcasted to the ground, as she rasped in a dark voice.
"You should rest for now, Child. The life ahead of you is not going to be a peaceful one. Oh…Child! Cursed by fate"
The wind fouled up through to the very end of the cave, with no one to answer the silent muttering of the giant Griffin, as she slowly closed her eyes.