Joe lit the torch and looked around carefully. It was the first time he entered the forest. The forest was denser than it looked from the outside. The trees were standing close to each other, some of their branches had entwined each other, forming a thick layer of net over their heads. The air was heavy and the silence was oppressive, as if there were no hint of life in there.
Kaelin looked curiously around them. Though he entered there once before, it was dusk. There was still a dim light remaining. This time, the forest was immersed in darkness. The whole atmosphere was different than before.
Last time he felt weird, he felt something was off about this jungle. But this time the feeling was different. He felt that in the dark, there was something waiting for him, something terrible, waiting silently for the perfect time!
"Finally, you came."
Suddenly they heard a deep voice from behind. Startled, they looked back immediately. Kaelin saw-
From a little far away from them, there was standing a man. He was wearing a cloak, and the hood covered two thirds of his face, only the sharp jawline could be seen.
It was that cloaked figure he saw on the day of rescuing Noah.
"It's him!"
He murmured.
"Huh!"
A surprised sound came out of Joe's mouth.
"He is the cloaked man whom I saw that day, disappearing quickly into the woods. I thought maybe I was wrong,but no! It was not an illusion."
He said in a low voice.
Joe grabbed his hand and pushed him behind him. Looking at the man, he asked.
"Who are you?"
He slowly took down the hood.
"Lyrien. I am the one who has the answers to all your questions, on whose call you have come here at such a late night."
They looked at him.
He was tall, with an imposing figure. The piercing dark black eyes of him held a deep wisdom. His silver hairs fell to his shoulder. The sharp jawline, wrinkles on the forehead and strong yet gentle expression clearly made him stand out.
"That means, Noah--!"
He smiled.
"It's a long story. Follow me, soon you'll know."
He moved around, then looked back again.
"Joe, you can trust me. I'm not going to harm anyone of you."
He stepped into the forest. Kaelin and Joe looked at each other, then followed him silently.
Joe felt, the forest was getting denser with every step they took. The century old trunks of the trees twisted and tangled with each other in some places. Their feet were sinking under the piles of leaves sometimes. Stout roots lay somewhere above the ground, covered under them. They had to walk carefully, otherwise there were plenty of chances of stumbling.
Lyrien was walking ahead of them, easily bypassing those roots. He seemed like he was walking in a plain clean grass field.
"He knows this place like the back of his hands."
Kaelin murmured.
Joe nodded. His brows were furrowed. Where he was taking them!
After some time, he stopped. Both Kaelin and Joe looked around. This place was a little less dense than the whole forest they walked by. A group of tall trees stood straight. But somehow Kaelin felt, something was missing.
Lyrien looked at him and smiled.
"You're right."
"Could he read my mind!"
Kaelin thought.
"How did he know what he was thinking!"
Lyrien smiled again.
"No, I can't read mind, but I can easily read the expression on a person's face."
They didn't say anything more. They were curious about what he was going to do.
Lyrien clenched his fists to his chest, then closed his eyes and murmured for a few moments. Then opened the fist of the right hand and threw it forward.
They were surprised to see that a dim red beam surrounded the whole place. A few moments, and then appeared before their eyes, a hut!
"What was that!"
A scream came out of their throats together.
Lyrien whispered.
"A little glimpse of what prevails in your world. Come inside, we have to talk."
Startled, they followed him inside. Lyrien locked the door, and unknown to them, the whole place disappeared again from the forest!
The hut was small, warm and cozy. The stones were made up of stones, and the ceiling was of woods and thick leaves of some unknown trees. There were some minimal furniture, and a fireplace burning at one side.
They sat on the couches. Lyrien went towards the fireplace, a kettle hanging there. He poured something in a cup, then came towards them.
Sitting in front of them, he sipped the drink and smiled.
"Sorry, there is nothing to offer you. You can't drink this."
"No need. You just tell us, what do you know about Kae and his family? How could his grandmother fight with those beasts? And why she told him to find his true self! What's all these!"
Joe said.
Lyrien finished the drink and put the cup aside. The calm expression from his face disappeared. He seemed serious.
"Well, there's a long story. If I tell you directly, you won't understand. It'll take time to understand everything."
He stopped, then looked at Kaelin.
"Today I called you because this is the time to know everything about your past, about your own world."
"Own world!"
"Yes. I had an agreement with your grandmother. We decided that we'll never talk about this. We'll never tell you about your true identity. We thought in this we'd be able to protect you. But-"
"But!"
Joe asked.
"But we were wrong. We forgot one thing, we can't control destiny. We can't change fate.
You have to go back, Kaelin, you have to go back to the place where you're meant to be. You have to fight your own battle."
"What are you saying? Say it clearly, I really can't understand!"
Kaelin asked hurriedly. His heart was pounding. What was he talking about!
Lyrien looked into his eyes.
"You're not a human. Kae, you are the last legendary beast master of Theria, the ultimate controller of nature and peace."
"What!"