Guardian (Part I): Last Winter

Chapter 4: Eris

It was difficult for me to argue with Finn when he said that it was a bad idea to stay where servants of the Abyss knew where we lived. We slept through the night, and in the morning, we gathered our things to begin south, toward Soareus Peak. Finn could not have been more excited, and neither could I. It would be nice to spend more time with my son than I had in the past. There was also a need for me to leave the house that I had for the longest time. If the myth about Soareus Peak was true, then we would both need to be prepared for the worst. My sword was enchanted with a crystal of radiant malakyte, which made it capable of killing any sort of creature of darkness, and my cuirass had the same kinds of crystals stitched into it, which generated an aura shield that could protect me from anything until something broke through it. Mine would take great strength to break, and Finn's would take even more. We were ready.

"Look," said Finn, pointing south. I saw the mountain on the horizon, rising all the way into the clouds. Hundreds of miles stood between us and the mountain, and a single mile was likely between the base and the summit.

"It'll be a long trip," Finn warned.

"I know," I agreed. "But an important one. Are you ready?"

"Before we go..." Finn answered. He ran back into the house, and came out with a small paper bag in his hand.

"I got something for you," he offered.

"You did?" I asked. He raised his hand that held the bag and handed it to me. My heart warmed when I saw what was inside. There were a dozen pieces of chocolate that had been melted and molded into the shape of bells. It could not have been more thoughtful of a gift from Finn. It had been far too long since I had eaten chocolate, and when I ate one of the bells, I relished its taste. I had no idea how else to thank Finn for such a gift.

"Thank you, Finn," I said, smiling. "Let's go while we still have daylight, and the clear weather."

"Okay," Finn agreed. We began away from our house, and from our woods. Finn didn't look back, but I did. I had called these woods home, and had built countless houses for myself to live in out of its trees, for fifty thousand years. This was hardly my first time leaving them, though. I had fought in every conflict, and every war I heard about since the Ancient War. Barely any of them were worth remembering, but I always remembered leaving the safety of the woods before I went to fight. This time, I wasn't going to fight. I was climbing a mountain with my son so he could meet his father. It was a serious change from what I would normally leave the house for, and I had Finn to thank for it. I would inevitably have to fight to protect Finn, but fighting wasn't the sole reason I was going with him. Soon, the house, and then the forest, were out of my sight.

"Isn't there a path underground that could take us to Logres?" asked Finn. "We could cut through it and get to by sundown."

"How do you know that?" I demanded. "I told you never to go down there."

"Well, I may have crept out while you were sleeping one night and..."

"You went down there at night!?" I shouted. "My goodness, Finn. I told you that there are far worse monsters that could attack you when the sun goes down, especially in times like these." Finn could undoubtedly sense that I was angry, and I began to sense a feeling of guilt from him. I could only feel terrible from seeing the look on his face. His eyes lowered, and his head hanging with shame. I rubbed my hand across his shoulder to show that I wasn't too angry with him. Saying that what he said was right would hopefully take more guilt of not doing what I said away from him.

"You're right, though," I admitted. "Logres will be our first milestone, and that passage is the fastest way there. You remember where it is?"