I felt like a hammer was endlessly driving nails into my skull as I finally awoke from that sweet but boring dream.
My muscles were numb, as if I'd been lying down for days. That's not what had happened to me… right?
Julia and Ethan arrived from the lake. Had they gone swimming? They weren't wet though, and Ethan looked odd—maybe she had inspected him too?
"Wake up~, or we're going to be late."
Klaus jumped.
"Shit, we've got to hurry. How long have we been asleep here?"
"No idea. The sun hasn't moved an inch this whole time—but at least ten hours."
He sighed.
"Well, we should still have time to make it."
He really was a tense guy.
Ethan placed a hand on my shoulder.
"The… the fairies want to talk to you, Cain."
The fairies? Those horrible things? Damn, just remembering their faces gives me goosebumps. How can something so beautiful even exist? I hate that. Even if I'm way more handsome than they are, obviously.
"Alright, pretty boy, I'm going. Don't leave without me, okay?"
I stood up a bit too quickly, staggered sideways, and made my way toward the lake, where the women were staring at me strangely.
As I walked, I heard Amelia's low mutter:
"Holy shit, I feel like I've got the worst hangover…"
A hangover? I wonder what that is.
Seconds later, I found myself face to face with those three beings. Were they going to bless me? Give me amazing powers? Priceless treasures? Or maybe—
The woman in the center took my hand and closed her eyes.
Huh?
They wanted to shake hands?
What kind of scam was this?
A cold sensation began to creep through me, as if my blood were slowly freezing, spreading through every inch of my body. It was incredibly unpleasant.
Soon, my heart began to race, pumping blood at an insane speed—two hundred beats per minute? Three hundred? I didn't know.
Suddenly, she released my hand, knelt before me, and bowed her head.
I didn't know what to think anymore.
"I have fulfilled my duty, Oh, One Imbued with Madness."
What?
What the hell was she talking about?
She just touched me! Where were the treasures and superpowers?!
And why was she calling me mad? I'm not mad at all!
"Uh… thanks? But what exactly did you give me?"
She raised her head, her crystalline eyes locking with mine, a faint smile on her lips.
"You will know in due time, Traveler. Now go, your time is precious."
She calls me over and sends me off just like that? What am I, a dog?
And I hate suspense. Why not tell me right away? I'm sure it would've saved me a lot of trouble.
My gaze drifted involuntarily down to the lake, which reflected their true appearance;
Three young women, dressed in rags. Their beauty was far more ordinary than the fake forms they had taken. But why change at all? If they looked like horrifying monsters, I'd get it—but they didn't.
But the worst part was the scarlet chains that wrapped around their wrists and ankles, plunging to an unfathomable depth beneath that damned lake which, I now supposed, was their prison.
My smile didn't falter—
But my blood boiled.
I hated this.
Those who have never known captivity, yet still strip others of their freedom.
It made me sick.
Death would be a blessing in comparison—especially for beings like them, who probably lived for centuries. Who knows how long they'd been trapped here?
In some way, they reminded me of myself.
That was probably the cause of my anger.
"Who imprisoned you like this?"
The three of them straightened, a faint, apologetic smile on their faces, pity in their eyes.
They pitied me? Me? The future great sorcerer Cain? The nerve!
The three opened their mouths, and their voices resonated as one:
"We will answer with a riddle."
"From beginning to end, I will walk with you.Even when you have nothing, I will remain.I know everything about you.You speak to me without even knowing.You may love me or hate me,Accept me or deny me,But you cannot escape.I have thousands of faces,But only one reveals the truth.All think they know me,But none understand me."
I sighed. Who did they think I was? Only madmen solved riddles like this! I didn't have time for this—I had to reach the tower and finally gain magical powers!
"I'll think about it. Well… see you next time?"
I waved goodbye.
It was awkward.
I didn't know how to behave around fae creatures—I'd never read about it.
Maybe I should've bowed? Or curtsied? Taken off a hat and pressed it to my chest? Oh right, I don't have a hat.
I rejoined my companions, who were already ready to leave. Ethan's eyes were wide, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost.
Maybe he had? Do ghosts exist? I hope so—if they do, I could hunt down their souls and make them suffer again without having to go to hell. That'd be awesome!
"What are you all waiting for? Let's go!"
Sigh
In a cave with black walls adorned with azure crystals, three silhouettes stared into the void, watching something only their eyes could perceive.
Their voices echoed endlessly through the vast cavern.
"How did you know, Azemir?"
The crystals glowed brighter and brighter.
A face of triangular shape, with indistinct features, reflected in each of the tens of thousands of crystals. A cavernous voice replied:
"When the first eye opened, I was already present. When the first star was born, I had existed for eons. The universe is but a child to me. So tell me,O Woman of a Thousand Faces, Siren of Secrets, Reflection of Heart and Mind—How could I not know?"
The three silhouettes frowned and sighed.
"Still as vague and dramatic as ever, O Being of the Unreal, Mirror of All Souls."
The crystal lights flickered faintly.
"Vague? Ironic, coming from 'She Whose Riddles Burn the Mind.'"
"You're exhausting Azemir. If you keep making up new titles for me every time we speak, I'll stop talking to you."
"But O Lady of the Lake, Beloved of Rain and Storm, She Who—"
Tsk
The woman clicked her tongue in irritation.
"You may be as old as the world, but try not to get senile."
The crystals gave off a sound that could only be described as a melancholy sigh.
"Yes… Nireïa."