The two acquaintances were now sat across eachother, like two old best friends, catching up after not seeing eachother for a while.
"What are you doing here?" said Aiden, genuinely not sure what Cassius wanted in the middle of the day. "The 24 hours still isn't up, what's the problem?"
"Well, the problem is, if you went back to that forest north of the lake, you would've probably been arrested." said Cassius, before pulling a flask out of his pocket and taking a sip. "Before you ask, yes it's alcohol. Yes, I have a problem. But you would too if you had to constantly move homes. Well, not homes, bases, but you get what I mean, right?"
Aiden's confusion just kept growing. "I just don't get what you mean by 'arrested'? Arrested for what?"
"Well, a bunch of Oracle weirdos showed up at our base just west of where we were, uninvited at the crack of dawn. I guess they tried sneaking in, but they set off a tripwire at the main entrance, so we were alerted in time to get out of there." Cassius seemed quite worried, not to mention that he was sweating in the middle of the winter. "Also, since I haven't told you this yet. I'm not just a member, I'm the leader of the group of people that worship our Lord Feyr."
Aiden wasn't shocked at this revelation in the slightest, which surprised Cassius. "Well, I guessed so. The scar across your face is a tell-tale sign, if we're being honest." Aiden took the final sip of his coffee, after which he gestured towards the waiter to bring him the receipt. "So, what now? Do I have to go to the now abandoned base as a sign of dedication or something, since this doesn't seem accidental."
"Nah, that's too cliché. We'll meet tonight at the Forest of Clarity, just south of here." Cassius got up from his chair, getting ready to leave, and as he was putting his coat back on, he said, "Do know that I'm expecting you tonight. You seem like a man with a lot of potential, neither of us would want to miss out on that."
Cassius walked out of the door, disappearing without a trace. After Aiden paid his bill, he went back to his apartment to shower and get ready for dinner with Midori. The snow was still gently falling, a light breeze flowing through the city streets. Children running across the town square, throwing snowballs at each other. Elderly couples enjoying time together, people spending precious moments with their loved ones. Although his desire for power was grand, and him joining Cassius was a certainty in his eyes, Aiden almost felt as if he'll miss this peace he surrounded himself with as of late. He truly did believe that Cassius and his group were peaceful, but the Oracle's intervention made him feel uneasy. What would his father think of this? Yet, his focus was unwavering, he couldn't let fear get the better of him, especially so close to his goal.
Once he got ready, he drove to Midori's house. Up until a few moments ago, he figured they're going to a restaurant of some sort, but Midori apparently made dinner at her place. This made Aiden considerably more excited about the dinner, because since he moved out of Emberfell, he could not get enough of forests, the lake and the clean air. However, Aiden was perplexed about the nature of this dinner. After all, he viewed Midori as nothing more than a good friend, and a colleague.
He shook his head, brushing off the feelings. This was Midori after all, the first person to fully accept him for who he is, without question about his powerlessness. She treated him as an equal from day one. Getting flustered over dinner plans would only ruin the camaraderie they'd built. However, romantic or not, Midori was the first person in Aiden's life he believed he can actually trust, other than Valarie. He didn't have many friends in life so far, he was even homeschooled, so even a purely platonic dinner made his heart beat just that little bit faster. With a light knock, soon the cabin's front door opened and Midori emerged, brushing back a loose strand of her pure white curls. She'd changed into a flowy green sundress patterned with leaf designs that seemed to perfectly suit her effervescent nature.
"Aiden! You're right on time," she exclaimed happily, before jumping in to hug him. "I was just about to call you and make sure you didn't get lost in the woods or anything, I know your sense of direction isn't the greatest."
"Hey, not all of us trek through the forest to go home each day, you can't blame me for not knowing how to orient myself when everything looks the same around here." Aiden jokingly said, laughing. He moved his leg forward, intending on stepping into the house, when Midori stopped him.
"You really think that we're going to eat indoors, when were in the middle of a forest? Come on, follow me!" said Midori as she slowly started skipping away from the house, down a path that led deeper into the forest. "Hurry Aiden, I want to make it to the spot before sunset!"
They started strolling side-by-side down the shaded path leading away from the cabin. Aiden breathed in the crisp, earthy scents of the forest around them. "This is such a peaceful spot you've found out here," he remarked. "It's like being in another world from the streets of Sylvanwood, let alone the big city, like Emberfell."
Midori's eyes danced with delight. "It really is, isn't it? I fell in love with this little grove the moment I first saw it. Listening to the wind whispering through the trees, the gentle lapping of the lake... it's like nature's own sweet symphony." Aiden watched as she rushed ahead of him and twirled in a slow circle, arms outstretched as if she hugged the nature itself.
Midori slowly led him to a small canopy situated right on the lake's shore. Although winter definitely isn't when nature is at its most beautiful, there was just something so serene about this lakeview. It was so clear, so unobstructed, just water as far as the eye can see. All that was present on this lake was an island, one that was quite close to Aiden's hometown of Emberfell, in fact. Midori was pouring him and Aiden some cranberry tea. It's Midori's favorite, and Aiden has also grown accustomed to it as of late.
"You know, maybe we should go to Emberfell one day. We could rent a boat and visit the island over there. I've lived my entire life there and not even I have any clue what is on it." said Aiden as he placed a hand over his eyes, shielding them from the sun's bright rays so that he could see better.
Midori seemingly choked on the tea she was drinking, before violently beginning to cough. Waving her hand to signal to Aiden that she's okay, she soon stopped. It took her a second to catch her breath, and then she began speaking. "Oh, that abandoned place over there? Oh it's nothing, nothing really." After saying that, it seemed almost as if Midori muttered something under her breath.
"What?" said Aiden, as he was certain she said something. "Something, something, base, war… that's all I understood."
"Oh, you heard me…" said Midori, bowing her head down, almost as if she was embarrassed. "Well, I suppose it costs me nothing to explain, then." Midori straightened her posture and leaned back in her chair.
"Basically, you know about the War, the Great Faction War?" She said to Aiden, to which he nodded his head yes. "On that island over there, is an almost castle-like building, one that was the base of operations for the Aegis Faction during the war, but it's now long since abandoned."
"Wow, really? That's cool, then we should definitely go visit it one day." said Aiden excitedly, as he chugged down the tea he had left in his cup with one sip. "Also, I'm surprised you know that, you never seemed like someone who was into history to me."
"Oh, w-well, I'm not. Sarah told me the story, she visited that island with her family not that long ago. It was interesting, so, it kind of stuck with me…" said Midori, as she too finished her tea off. "Alright, then, should we eat?" Midori's voice cracked for a fraction of a second there, which never fails to make Aiden laugh.
As Midori stayed behind and set up the table, Aiden went back to her house to grab the food and drinks. Aiden was dying of hunger, his last meal was breakfast. As he entered the house, a strong aroma of meat hit him. He felt as if he was going to faint from how heavenly the smell was. He went over to the marble countertop of Midori's kitchen where he noticed the food. Steamed bao buns. He was going to collapse from sheer excitement. He bolted back to the canopy as fast as he could without dropping the food, and began eating before Midori even sat down. Midori was absolutely shocked at the sheer speed at which Aiden was devouring everything in sight. However, after a few buns, he calmed down and began eating slowly. They enjoyed dinner with a few casual words exchanged, and Aiden's doubts were finally removed. It indeed was just a casual dinner.
After helping Midori clean everything up, he headed home. The battery on his truck was beginning to die out, so he stopped by a charger to refuel. He grabbed a coffee, and sat in the back of his pickup, enjoying the clear sky and the stars that were spread all across it. Looking at the watch on his wrist made his heart skip a beat. In an hour, he was supposed to be in the Forest of Clarity.
"Damn it, I hope the car will have enough charge to last." He tried to make himself to believe this was the reason behind his worries, when indeed, it wasn't…