The group took him to a tent where it did not take time to find himself slip away into slumber's embrace. Where he floats again for a second time but not in pitch blackness but in the hands of numerous women. Hands as soft as cotton caress his body, his cheeks, his belly and his nipples. It isn't hard for him to get hard. He swims in his own realm of lustful desires, but these desires are forced to quench when cold winds blow across his nipples, at first it feels good but soon he finds himself freezing in the cold. Not a fun way to end a dream but he opens his eyes and sees a familiar face. The same one from the beach, he finds a piece of the tent cut open, not big but big enough for someone to crawl through, "That explains the wind" he thought, "Come with me," the girl says and quickly crawls out of the tent.
He looks around not knowing what to do, he shrug his shoulders and follows the strange girl anyway. He follows her as she runs in a bent position, strange as it is he follows her like a chameleon, mimicking her movements until they come close to the forest, "Wait, is it safe in there?" he asks but she ignores his question and keeps moving forward. "They are at the tent," like a thunderclap he hears someone shout, he recognises it as John's voice.
He tries to wave at them but an arrow lands in front of his feet, that's when he notices Shea behind John, preparing to release another arrow at him.
"It's me," he says but it makes no difference, the arrow flies through the air, fast and swift, aimed for the kill but another arrow comes from behind to hit the incoming arrow midair. "Fuck," "Run," the girl shouts and pulls away as they make their way into the forest. He runs and his feet leaves the welcome grounds of the beach and into the grass and twig-filled grounds of the forest. Tall trees quickly mask them while arrows give chase, missing at almost every turn while something or someone in the forest keeps shooting arrows back at their attacker.
"Why are they attacking us?" he asks as they run, "Less talking more surviving," the girl shouts back as she leads them through the maze of a forest, turning at narrow corners. She stops at a big tree which she places her hand on and in a swift movement, the bark of the tree opens up and they both fall into the tree and down its roots they slide. The girl remains composed as this seems normal to her but not him; he screams.
He doesn't stop until they come out flying from a burst end of the root, the girl lands on her feet and he lands on his ass and back. "What kind of world is this? I just got here and I'm already…" his jaw drops at the sight of the cave he finds himself, it's beauty sends him into a trance. He has never seen anything like it. It is a giant underground cave, its top looks like colourful skies lit with stars that shine down below on the cave dwellers. There is a pathway in front of where they landed and just in front of it is a large stream that stretches as far as the eyes can see. The stream reflects the many lights that shine from above. Patches of smooth green grasses escape the field of flowers that fill the place. A blue moon hangs at the top of the cave like the skies are inside this underground cave.
He looks up and down with mouth wide open, this is undoubtedly the most beautiful place he has seen in his life. Even his past life did not have something like this, at least to the best of his introverted knowledge. "What is this place?" he asks as he stands up, he turns around in amazement, it is immaculate, beautiful beyond anything he could ever dream.
"Move," the girl says and pulls him out of the way as two more people come out of the burst end of the root, they land on their feet just like the girl. A dark skin man and a dark skin woman, they wear light armour and hold bows and arrows. "The arrows from the forest, it must be them" he thought. "Emilia, do you really think he is the one? He doesn't look anything special," the man says, eyeing Maxwell from head to toe.
Maxwell moves backward, another discovery had come to his attention about the man, the woman beside him and Emilia, the girl who he followed; they had pointy ears. He had not noticed it with all the commotion, but now he sees it clearly, they have pointy ears, "Elves," he almost screams, "I'm in a world of elves," he says with a short laugh, "This is going to be amazing," "Is he crazy? Human, are you crazy?" The elven man asks him, "I am Sanches and this Matilda," the man introduces himself and his partner, "Who are you?" "Kane," he answers without hesitation.
There again. It happens again without his control. He is really adopting the name Kane, he suspected it before and now his suspicion grows, something is making sure he cannot answer the name Maxwell.
"Kane, you must come with us. We have been waiting for you. The man from the sky," Emilia says, he looks at her face and she looks pleased. She smiles while pulling him with her, her grip is good too. He tries to get her to stop but he gets a sight of the elf's backside, its swing from left to right as she walk dazzles him. "What do you mean by you have been waiting for me?" he asks as they walk along the stream, "And why were they attacking us?" He asked again, "I saw you fall from the sky, just like the prophecy said. The chosen one will come from the sky," Emilia says while smiling from ear to ear.
Maxwell had come to find that there are different homes at each sides of the cave, camouflaged by the cave walls and the colourful flowers, their homes are easily hidden away from normal eyes. "They are attacking us because that is what they do. For months they have been here, causing the monsters of the forest to rampage while trying to capture our people," Sanches starts, "They want that for themselves," he says and points at the moon at the top of the cave, the one that generates the most light.
"The moon?" "That isn't a moon. It is called Mani, the underground moon. To them it is a powerful resource since it holds immense magic," Kane's ears jumps up at the words that come out of Matilda's mouth, "Magic? There is magic here," he rubs his hands together, he glances at Emilia's backside once more, "Is there magic to control people?" "Only the dark arts possess such evil powers," Sanches says. Maxwell pouts but he has to accept that his desires can only be satisfied by the dark side, whatever that may mean.
They walk close to the stream and its lights provide a heavenly ambience, truly mystical but what catches Maxwell's eyes is the person he sees in-between the elves. He sees a young man probably in his early twenties in the water's reflection, he has blue eyes and white messy hair; "Who is that?" He ask with raised brows and a surprised gaze, "That is you, chosen one," Emilia said, "Are you sure he is the chosen one? he seems broken," Sanches says, "Come on, let's go" he say he as urges them forward.
Maxwell's eyes catches some young elves running about and an adult chasing them around, "Get back here, it isn't safe outside," he shouted as he runs after them.
"Why were those guys attacking us? They offered me shelter, I can't just believe that they are bad and trying to steal your, uh, moon" he says, "They are mercenaries. They are hostile to elves and you being dragged by us must make you suspicious to them," Emilia say, "And you dragged me because…?" "You are the chosen one," "Chosen to do what," "That's why we are here," Matilda says as they stop in front of one of the smaller caves.
There is a makeshift wooden door which they knock on before they enter. The place is dark, for some reason the lights in the cave did not reach here, "Seer, we have found him. We have found the chosen one" Emilia shouts and the walls return her echo.
Slowly the cave becomes lit with blue colours, flowers that hang from the cave walls shine brightly and something moves in the air; it is not a whisper but a shout of spring. A heady perfume that wraps around them like a velvet cloak, the scent evokes images of dew-kissed petals, fertile earth and the promise of a new beginning through one's mind.
"What is that scent?" Maxwell asked, "Hyacinthus," out of nowhere a woman appears, with a bull's skull in her hands. She has yellow eyes and dark skin. She wears a long black gown that barely covers her legs. Maxwell swallows saliva as she stares at him with plain eyes. She slowly put on the bull's skull over her head.
"You have to believe it when I ask you," she suddenly say and he looks her in the eyes, trying his best not to stray to her breasts, "Who are you?" "Hmm, Kane" "Who are you?" "Kane," "I said, who are you?" "The chosen one?" He says sheepishly and almost immediately the woman stamps her feet on the ground a blue wave of light spreads throughout the room, it knocks Maxwell down and he finds himself speechless and back there, in the pitch black night