Virumi's mind spiraled, unable to latch onto a coherent thought. Malaes' words had landed heavy on her, unraveling layers of doubt she had never confronted before. Her eyes stared vacantly into the crackling fire, as if its chaotic dance held some answer she was too lost to find. The storm outside, once ferocious, had begun to subside, its raging winds giving way to an eerie stillness, yet the turmoil inside her raged on.
Malaes' voice cut through the tension again, steady but soft, laced with a sincerity that was undeniable. "See, there are so many things you don't know," she said, her tone careful not to press too hard. "We always think whatever we do is the right thing without considering other possibilities—without understanding the consequences of our half-knowledge." Malaes' gaze was sharp but compassionate, holding Virumi's fractured mind in place like a steady hand catching someone on the edge of collapse. "But your motives weren't wrong, Virumi. So, trust us when we say this—freedom isn't hopeless."
Malaes' words hung in the air, weighty yet gentle, like a long-forgotten truth being pulled from the depths. "Tell us where you want to go. You have two options—and in both, we're going to stay with you. You won't be alone. So, what's it going to be?" She leaned in, her voice a quiet command, "To the sea? Or back home?"
Virumi squeezed her eyes shut, her brow knitting in frustration. It was as though the question itself had set off a storm within her, fiercer than the one outside. Her clenched fist pounded against her forehead, each hit a desperate attempt to force her mind into clarity, to pull an answer from the tangled mess of thoughts that threatened to break her. She gritted her teeth, pain twisting her features, and for a moment, the fire's crackling seemed louder, filling the suffocating silence that had fallen between them.
As she wrestled with her indecision, Yesdar's voice cut in, calm but undeniably firm. "Freedom isn't hopeless because hope is the first step toward freedom." His words, though soft, carried the weight of someone who had lived through enough battles to understand their deeper truths.
Virumi's clenched brow began to soften, her fists loosening ever so slightly as she turned to listen. Yesdar's tone was righteous but not overbearing. His eyes locked with hers, holding her in place as he continued. "Our teacher used to say, common sense shouldn't need reminding. From the worst things to the best things, our ancestors have known it all—something they called wisdom. And now that wisdom isn't just some motivational phrase passed around to depressed souls. It's something everyone should know as life."
His eyes burned with a quiet intensity, the firelight flickering in them as he leaned forward slightly. "You don't need someone to pull you out of the darkness every time you fall, Virumi. That's what wisdom teaches us—how to pull ourselves out."
Virumi's eyes reflected back the same fire, something stirring inside her, a deep recognition of what he was saying, though she couldn't yet grasp its full meaning.
Yesdar's voice softened, but it didn't lose its edge. "And today, I understand that better than ever."
He smiled then, not a broad, boastful grin, but the kind of smile born from the satisfaction of knowing a hard truth. His eyes, brimming with both kindness and determination, locked with Virumi's, and for the first time since their conversation began, she didn't look away. She held his gaze.
"In simple words..." Griswa's calm voice cut in, his tone as effortless as the flow of a river, but carrying a depth that couldn't be ignored. Virumi's attention snapped to him, her senses drawn to the weight of what he was about to say.
"What Yesdar means is this: Do I need to remind you—'Never give up'? Do I need to remind you—'Believe in yourself'? Do I need to remind you—'Never lose hope'? Do I need to remind you—'You can do it'?"
Each phrase was deliberate, a hammer striking an anvil, forging something raw and powerful in the silence that followed. His eyes, still glowing with the multicolored reflection with the flames, bore into Virumi's soul.
"Isn't that what people have been saying again and again, everywhere you go?" he asked, his tone unwavering. "If these words have been passed down from generation to generation, shouldn't they be common sense by now? Why should we need to say them again to someone who already knows their meaning?"
Virumi's breath caught in her throat. She had heard those words countless times before, but never like this. Never with this sharpness, this depth.
Griswa leaned forward, his voice steady but growing darker, more intense with each word. "It shouldn't be necessary to remind anyone of these things anymore, especially not in our world. Everyone's heard them since childhood. They've become a part of our very existence, whispered into the very fabric of who we are. So why is it that, even after hearing them all our lives, some people still need to be reminded?"
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing. "People have the right to feel pain, to grieve, to break under the weight of their burdens. But what I'm telling you is this—this generation, our generation, shouldn't need motivational words anymore."
His eyes hardened, not with malice, but with a truth Virumi couldn't deny. "You don't need someone to tell you to rise after you've fallen. You already know it. That's what life teaches us. Whenever you think you're a person who's suffered more than anyone, remember—there's always someone out there who's been through worse and still found a way to smile."
The fire crackled louder for a moment, filling the silence between his words. Griswa's voice grew quieter but no less powerful. "The biggest motivation in your life, Virumi, is... your life itself."
Those last words slammed into Virumi's mind like a lightning bolt, sweeping away the remnants of doubt that had clung to her for so long. Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as Griswa's words sank deep into her soul. Her mind, once chaotic and cluttered, began to clear. The storm that had raged so violently inside her stilled, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a strange, unfamiliar sense of calm.
Griswa lowered his head slightly, his gaze softening. "Yeah, maybe I'm a hypocrite. Maybe I just used fancy, wise words to motivate you while telling you not to rely on them. But take this as the first and last motivation you'll ever need."
His words were deliberate, final. "After this, you'll never need me—or anyone else—to motivate you again. Because motivations die long before your life does. So make life itself your motivation."
Silence settled in the cave again, but this time, it was different. The storm outside had stopped, the winds quieted. The chaos had lifted, both inside and out.
"Now tell us, Virumi," Griswa said, his voice calm but filled with purpose. "Where do you want to go? Home or sea? You have the choice, you have the hope—so you are free to choose your freedom."
Virumi's eyes darted to Griswa, locking onto his multicolored gaze once more. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't quite place. A challenge, maybe? Or something deeper, something that stirred the very core of her being. And then, she smiled. It wasn't a smile of relief or joy, but a smile born of realization. A smile that held the weight of newfound truth.
"If freedom exists," Virumi said, her voice clear and steady, "then I have the free will to gain freedom by going to the sea. And I also have the free will to go back home." Her smile widened, a glint of determination shining in her eyes. "So I'll do both. No one can stop me."
Griswa smiled back, that familiar Shonen grin of his—a grin that held both amusement and respect. "Accepted," he said.
There was a twist in his words, a deeper meaning behind them that Virumi couldn't quite grasp yet, but she didn't need to. Not now. Griswa had accepted her challenge, not just to test her resolve but to understand something greater. Something that went beyond one person's desire for freedom. Griswa was trying to grasp a universal truth, a question that burned in his mind—what did people truly want when they sought freedom? Was it something as simple as personal liberation, or was there a deeper, more intricate desire woven into the fabric of every soul?
Griswa had always wondered: was there a difference between what one person wanted and what a zillion wanted? Was the concept of freedom a singular, personal experience, or did it ripple outward, influencing the desires of entire worlds?
The deeper meaning behind Virumi's choice was something Griswa needed to understand. And to find that answer, they would have to walk the paths she had chosen.
.....
Although the group sat by the fires, Griswa's mind was suddenly far from the warmth of the flames. The flickering light cast dancing shadows on the cave's walls, but Griswa wasn't paying attention to any of it. His eyes were open, but his thoughts got buried deep in his mind palace—a labyrinth of organized chaos, a place where mystery unraveled itself, only to entangle again in a different shape.
Malaes had spoken earlier, raising the question about the Ondra Hadrakshis possibly leaving the land long ago. Griswa couldn't shake the feeling that there was far more to this than just one tribe of cannibals. The story was far too tangled, too messy to be simply solved by Virumi's limited understanding of it. Aximia's secrets were deeper than they appeared, layered with centuries of hidden truths that only revealed themselves when someone knew where to look.
His mind pulled at the strands of mystery, one by one. How did Fheniz find the Gate of Ehayor here in this jungle, this cave? Cannibals ruled the area, hunting down any outsider they could get their hands on. How had Fheniz passed through this mess? Surely, he couldn't have done it by luck alone. Griswa's thoughts expanded, connecting dots that felt scattered and half-formed. Fheniz had said he had followed rumors, vague directions given to him by people. But who were these people?
Were they the Ondra Hadrakshis? Or perhaps the cannibals themselves? Or was there yet another tribe, another clan, hiding in the shadows? Had Fheniz spoken to one of them without realizing who they truly were? It didn't add up. If these people were so hostile, why had they allowed him to pass?
Griswa's mind leapt from one possibility to another. Were there multiple tribes or clans still living in this forsaken jungle? Were these possibly the remnants of the Schinong Azvoria still present after 185,000 years, their descendants hiding in the shadows, waiting for something? The gate had been sealed by the Ehayor Gods — but what had happened after it was closed? Had anyone ever tried to reopen it? Did the Shulvris get to know its location? More questions swirled. What about the Ondra Hadrakshis? Had they ever discovered the gate?
The Gate, Fheniz, the Shulvris, the Cannibals, the Staircase System—how did all these puzzle pieces fit together? Had Fheniz known about the Staircase System? Perhaps he had secretly passed through the territories without bothering to mention it ever, because it seemed irrelevant to his or their goals? Or maybe he had seen everything and decided not to mention it because it wasn't necessary. Their main goal was freedom from the Yahunyens. Fheniz wasn't exactly the type to volunteer extra information unless it was crucial to the mission. But what if he didn't mention all this because he never passed through any of the territories or cared to know anything that was happening or had happened on this land?
And finally, there was the Shulvris' pact with the Yahunyens. Virumi had called it "some secret pact," which meant she didn't know the details either. Griswa thought about questioning her further, but he realized it would likely be pointless. She was just as much in the dark as he was. Still, the very existence of such a pact raised another question. What exactly was the pact?
Griswa's mind raced faster, connecting Amaulyans to Yahunyens and Shulvris, Shulvris to Ondra Hadrakshis, Ondra Hadrakshis to the Cannibal Tribe, and the Cannibal Tribe to Fheniz, and in the end to the Schinong Azvoria. A web of intrigue, a complex weave of history and hidden motives. One that Griswa was determined to untangle.
Griswa's thoughts built layer upon layer of questions, problems with no apparent solutions. But that only made the mystery more compelling. Perhaps, solving these puzzles would bring the answers they needed—not just for Virumi, but for Aeartha as well. After all, if they wanted to free the world from the Yahunyens, they couldn't afford to leave any stone unturned. The deeper they dug, the more secrets they'd uncover.
But he knew—he would only find the truth if he ventured deeper into Aximia. He had to see the territories, explore their secrets, and discover the deeper history of this forsaken land. Only then would the mysteries unravel, and the solutions would come, one after another. He wasn't just here to help Virumi find her freedom. No, this went far beyond that. This was about understanding the greater secrets of this world, fixing the loopholes in the story, and getting to the heart of a truth that had been buried for far too long.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the haze of his thoughts.
"Oi, Griswa!" Yesdar's voice, filled with impatience, snapped him out of his mind palace. A firm hand shook his shoulder, pulling him back to the present.
"Uh, yeah?" Griswa replied, blinking as the cave's firelight came back into focus. He realized they were all staring at him—Yesdar, Malaes, and even Virumi, all waiting.
"In what thoughts are you lost?" Malaes asked, her brow raised with curiosity.
Griswa glanced between the three of them, then quickly composed himself. "Uh, nothing," he said with a casual shrug. "I'll tell you on the way."
Yesdar sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "Always with the deep thinking."
Malaes, though, was less patient. "You better. Keeping things to yourself won't help," she warned.
Griswa nodded but quickly redirected the conversation, his eyes settling on Virumi. "So, Virumi, we'll get to both the sea and home. The real question is: Where do you want to go first?"
Virumi lowered her gaze, her eyes clouded with deep thought. "Although it's harder than reaching the sea…" she began, her voice quieter, more contemplative. "I actually want to go home first noi. I want to see my father, my sisters and brothers—people I haven't seen in seven years. Now I realize... If I were to go to the sea, I'd first want to say a proper, happy goodbye. Not by running away, not by making them worry anymore noi."
"I know they've been worried about me all this time," Virumi continued, her voice breaking slightly. "They probably tried everything to find me noi. I've fought with them all the time. But this time... this time, I want peace. I want to leave on good terms noi."
Malaes listened carefully, her face softening with empathy, though a part of her had expected Virumi to pick the sea instead. She shot Griswa a look that said as much. Well, guess I was wrong, her expression seemed to say.
Virumi's gaze sharpened as she continued, her determination returning. "I want to reunite the Shulvris and make the walls fall. And after that, I'll go to the sea noi. I want to find the Ondra Hadrakshis clan and reunite them with the Shulvris too noi. I want to make all of these things happen, one by one noi. If freedom is real, then I'm free to do so noi."
Griswa's mouth hung open for a moment, caught off guard. He understood the depth of Virumi's desire, but her ambition was enormous—larger than life. Reunite the clans? He had his doubts, not because Virumi lacked resolve, but because he knew how little time they had. They came here to free the world from the Yahunyens, not embark on an endless journey with her. The weight of their mission pressed against his chest like an iron burden.
Malaes raised her eyebrow, having the same thoughts. She hadn't expected Virumi's grand vision unfolding again, and it showed on her face. She really thinks we can stick around for all that?
But Griswa quickly composed himself. "Umm, sure... do what you want," he said, though his tone was more awkward than anything. He didn't want to crush her dream, but he knew they couldn't stay forever.
Virumi nodded, seemingly unaware of the doubts swimming in Griswa's head. Her eyes now burned with purpose. "Yeah, I will," she said with newfound confidence. But then, her expression shifted slightly, a practical concern creeping into her voice. "But do you guys have any ideas on how we're going to get the lifts down noi? We won't be able to cross the Urhula territory without them, you know the guards will not agree noi."
It was a critical question, one Griswa hadn't yet fully considered. But instead of showing concern, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, no worries," he said, waving his hand as if the problem were trivial. His confidence radiated through the slowly lighting cave.
Malaes tilted her head, catching his meaning instantly. "So, you want to show her?" she asked, her tone slightly skeptical. "Are you sure?"
Griswa grinned. "Not a big problem," he replied casually, glancing at Virumi.
"Oh-ho? Also some time before you said we had no time?" 😏
"Umm, but you said we're kind-hearted." 😁
"Hehe, good decision." 😌
Virumi's confusion deepened. What are they talking about noi?
Malaes closed her eyes, the room's atmosphere shifting as she focused. "Alright then," she murmured. Her mind reached out, scanning the entire expanse of Aximia. The world outside their little cave unfolded in her consciousness, every territory, every hidden nook, every detail flooding into her awareness.
"What is she doing noi?" Virumi whispered to Yesdar, her voice a mix of awe and uncertainty.
"Just keep watching," Yesdar replied with a smirk.
Minutes passed before Malaes finally spoke, her voice breaking the silence. "Forwarding you," she said to Griswa, her eyes still closed.
"Got it," Griswa replied, his own mind syncing with hers. In that instant, he saw everything she had seen—the layout of Aximia, the territories, the barriers, and most importantly, the empty spaces where no one would block their way.
"I see it," Griswa muttered, his eyes still closed as the information processed. "There's an empty space… no people's energies. I'm not sure which territory it is, but we can go there for now."
Virumi's eyes widened, her mouth falling open. What the hell is going on noi?
Griswa opened his eyes, the usual calm returning to his face. Without hesitation, he stood up, turned to face the opposite direction, and muttered, "Portal Commanding: Point Two."
A glowing wormhole materialized before them, its swirling, infinite depths casting an otherworldly light that bathed the cave walls. It was like staring into a tear in the fabric of reality itself, a portal to a place no 'human' eyes could ever witness.
Yesdar and Malaes stood up, ready to follow.
Virumi, however, was frozen. Her eyes widened, her heart racing. "Wha—what is that?" she whispered, both terrified and mesmerized by the sight.
Griswa shot her a grin, his voice casual as ever. "Your first step home," he said, the words carrying a weight she couldn't yet comprehend.
Virumi's gaze flickered between the portal and Griswa. Was he some kind of god? The thought crossed her mind, unbidden but undeniable. "Are you…" she hesitated, her voice barely a whisper, "are you a god noi?"
Griswa's smirk grew wider. He put on his hexagonal blue-tinted glasses in style, gleaming in the portal's glow. "I am Griswa Skaar," he said, each word landing like a declaration. He gestured toward Malaes and Yesdar. "She's Malaes Hersley. He's Yesdar Hawins."
Virumi's breath hitched in her throat, the overwhelming realization crashing down on her like a tsunami wave. She could barely process what was happening, let alone who these people truly were.
Griswa adjusted his glasses, sliding them onto his face with a flick of his fingers. The moment they settled in place, he added, "You can call him —Helezar Mackenadock." 😎
Virumi's mind reeled, her heart pounding against her ribs as the weight of their identities finally sunk in.
Griswa grinned wider, his voice ringing out in the quiet cave like a battle cry, a declaration of unshakeable truth.
"Together," he said, his voice sharp and filled with a mass of unspoken power, "WE ARE LEGENDS."
Pronunciations:
Helezar Mackenadock: [HEL]+[AY]+[ZAAR]+[MACK]+[NAA]+[DOCK]