"Escalabus rev!"
Startled, I take a few steps back in fright and stare at the entrance of the tunnel in front of me and June. June turns to me with worry etched on her face and asks, "Are you alright, Steph?" Her voice is soft and soothing. My eyes continue to roam around, and I shake my head at her question.
"Did you hear that?" I ask, my eyes reflecting my feelings. June takes a deep look into my eyes for a few minutes before answering. "Hear what exactly?" she asks.
"Nothing... Never mind, let us get inside." I answer, trying to forget about it. June stares at me for a few seconds longer before turning back to the entrance and gently pulling me to it.
The inside of the tunnel is not dark at all. The tunnel has a luminescent glow produced by strange worms that slither along the tunnel walls. The ground beneath our feet is wet, and some of the strange worms are visible underneath the water. Instead of being afraid, I feel happy. The tunnel is comfortably silent, and only the soft sounds of our footsteps resound throughout the rocky surface of the tunnel.
"Steph?" June stops and looks at me for a few moments as if she is trying to uncover the secrets I have hidden deep in my soul, well half a soul.
"What?" I respond, trying to suppress the surprise in my voice.
She seductively bites her bottom lip before responding, "You have been smiling a lot ever since we entered this tunnel. What exactly is on your mind, mister?" She asks, her eyes shining with a seductive glare.
At first, the question confuses me, but I quickly pick up on what she is hinting at and decide to quickly clear up the confusion.
"Saving my sister and Catalina, why?" I answer in the most innocent tone I can muster. But then her shoulders fall in disappointment, and she asks again, "Are you sure that is all you are thinking about? Nothing more, nothing less?" Her voice is now soft, and it oozes with uncertainty, but there is nothing I can do, so I simply nod, and we continue on our way.
We walk for a long while, but I start to feel a little bit dizzy. My eyes are clouded by a dense fog that comes out of nowhere. I try to focus on what is in front of me, but the image of the tunnel becomes more and more distorted from my vision. Strange faces start appearing in the fog, and a strange sense of foreboding hits me. The danger is near.
Frightened by the hidden danger, I turn to June who is right beside me, and ask, "Can you see that, June?" June faltered in her steps and I could feel every hair on my body standing. My senses went haywire and my intuition screamed "Runn!!!" But my body could not even move an inch forward. My whole body was paralyzed on the spot.
"Escalabus rev, ESCALABUS REV!" The words started as a whisper and then turned into a blood-curdling scream. The ground beneath our feet shook violently and debris fell from the ceiling of the tunnel. The fog began dispersing, and I could vaguely see a silhouette of a person. Even though it was still unclear, I felt a deep familiarity with the silhouette hidden by the dispersing fog. The fog quickly cleared away, and the vague silhouette was now visible. I shockingly discovered that the familiar silhouette was my father's. Slowly he approached us, his steps seemingly relaxed and calculated like a calm predator baiting his prey into thinking he was harmless.
My father – no, whatever that thing was – it exuded no killing intent nor bloodlust, but my intuition kept screaming "Danger, run!!!" In the silent cavern, only the sound of my heavy breathing was audible. Turning to look at June, she had a curious expression on now. Can't she not sense the danger? Can't she not see who that is? That man is not supposed to be in this world nor is this supposed to know of him. Maybe I'm the mistaken one. Who said I am the only one that can access the forgotten lands? Just like how Sebrjna was able to enter it without me knowing, maybe my father also has The Home of Secrets hidden in his soul. Maybe it's a family thing since my family is shrouded in many mysteries. I would not be surprised if we are one of the founding families of our world. As I was in my thoughts, my "father" chuckled.
"Mí'tûr boy, oh, it has been long since I saw you, son." The voice, everything about him was the same as father's. To shocked to answer I stared at him with the fiery flames of doubt burning in my eyes, he saw it and stopped his advance choosing to stand a few yards away from us.
"I thought I had taught you to not reveal your emotions on your visage, I can see the doubt in your eyes so let me do some explaining boy, every member of our family has access To The Home Of Secrets. Our family is very ancient with a history spanning over a thousand millennia, I have been watching you ever since you entered this forgotten land and I must say you have been on a rampage boy ." He smiled as he paused, it seemed like my thoughts were correct I was not the only member of my family with access to the home of secrets, and that was why my father was here. Maybe he can help me find Moraine and Sebrina and also help me liberate Concilia and make them be remembered again. But my intuition was still telling me to run, why would I run away from my father?
"Steph, what's going on? Who is he? And what the hell is he talking about?" I was brought out of my thoughts by June's question, staring blankly at her I swallowed hard unsure about what to say.
"I'm his father Edward, nice to meet you" he gave a small bow, damnit I have some explaining to do....