WELL 'WELL' HERE WE COME
"You and your father often visited your great great great grandma in our home during our annual Memorial", she said to me.
"I have no memory of that", I replied to her again.
"Come with me", the girl said to me.
The girl was intelligent, but she didn't seem manipulative like the aristocrats of the family. For some reason, she seemed endearing to me, or Oriese at least.
"Alright", I agreed with the girl.
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Xene led me to a secluded hill overlooking the family estate.
This spot, once vibrant, now lay barren and untouched. Yet, it wasn't just abandoned, it was off-limits. Enclosed by sturdy fences, the small woodland atop the hill stood as a forbidden enclave, heavily guarded and accessible only to those bearing the Mithridocus family insignia.
Entering the forbidden woods felt like stepping into a vacuum of oppressive air, as if some unseen force was sapping magic from the surroundings.
Guiding me towards the heart of the woods, Xene revealed a large well, its entrance sealed shut by metal grilles and chains. Encircled by ancient stone pillars, the well was ensconced within a formidable force field, imprisoning anyone who dared to approach its confines.
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"Here we are, can you remember this Well?" Xene asked me.
"Erm… sorry I can't remember", I replied to her.
"It's okay. Do you want me to tell you about our experiences here?" Xene asked me.
"Why not?" I replied to the girl curious about what happened here to Oriese and her.
"Well, when we were around seven years old, during our annual Memorial, there was a group of naughty kids who bullied us", Xene told me.
"Bullied?" I asked her.
"Yes, that was before you became a bully. You were bullied by the boys from the other families who came to our family for our Memorial party", Xene told me.
"Who bullied me?" I asked her.
"There were many boys, but they all follow the lead of Spiros of the Demetriodes family", she told me.
"I won't mind meeting this Spiros", I replied to her.
"I know you have become stronger recently with your discovery of your Medicine Affinity, but Spiros is a different animal. Since he was young, he has had a powerful affinity, the strongest Angel Affinity. His strength is monstrous, and he could defeat knights who are several tiers above his", Xene told me.
"Angel Affinity? Wouldn't the Church catch him for reformation?" I asked.
"The Church couldn't touch the Demitriodes family even if they wanted to", she replied to me.
"I'm sorry I couldn't remember but this happened when we were young, there is no need to remember about it", I told Xene.
"I am not reminding you about your experience being bullied by Spiros, it is what happened after that", she told me.
"What happened?" I asked her curiously.
"That time that Spiros came, we were walking in these woods. Spiros as usual came to taunt us. I was afraid of these boys and cried. But you stood up for me and challenged the boys", she told me.
"I did that?" I asked her.
"Yes, you even fought with them, but you were defeated by them", Xene said to me.
"Then what happened?" I asked her.
"After that, Spiros and his goons threw us into this well", she told me as she pointed at the Well that was closed and protected by magic.
"What the hell is this Well?" I asked her.
"That is what everyone wants to know. This Well appeared in these woods about two hundred years ago and everyone who enters the Well, never returns", she told me.
"Didn't you say we were thrown into this Well?" I asked her.
"Yes, we were the only ones who ever came back alive from this Well", she told me.
"Really, what happened inside the Well?" I asked her.
"That is what I want to ask you, but you forgot about it", she told me.
"Did you forget about the experience inside the Well too?" I asked her.
"I don't really know. All I could remember was that I returned to the woods after falling into the Well. I remembered nothing else but when the people found me, they told me we were gone for a month's time", Xene said to me.
"Do you mean I was lost with you inside the Well for a month?" I asked her.
"Yes, you fell ill after you returned, and your father brought you back to Staari city. He never returned to the family's Memorials after that", Xene told me.
"I thought he was never invited", I said to her.
"No, we did invite your family to come here after that, but your father was afraid the experience in the well was too much for you to bear. Since you forgot all about it, he didn't want you to be reminded about that experience. After a while, we stopped inviting I think", Xene told me.
"He wanted to come back for the Memorial? I was the one stopping him", I asked Xene.
"Yes, only now that he knows that you've grown up that he decides to come back here. Maybe he thinks you can accept the reality of your bad experience when you were here as a child", Xene told me.
"What is in the well?" I asked Xene.
"That is what everyone wants to know", she replied to me.
"Should we go explore the Well again?" I asked her.
"Actually, I wanted to return into the Well again for a very long time. There is enormous magic inside the Well that could contain important relics or treasures. But I dared not because nobody else who went in returns. We have sent many people into the Well before this", she said to me.
"So, you don't want to go into the Well?" I asked her.
"I've thought about it for a long time. In the end, I have a conclusion. I need you to go with me to the Well. This is the only way that we could be sent back like what happened ten years ago", Xene told me.
"I am curious about this too. When are we going inside?" I asked her.
"Anytime when you are ready", she said to me.
"Well, 'Well' here we come", I replied to her.
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