• 36 - ON THE ROAD TO •
Pandemonium, a place of destruction.
| Aeron's POV |
I parked the car outside an inn and me and Scythe get out of the car. We're at southwest Germany, bordering France to go to the place where we will find the sorceress, Liliana is talking about. Unfortunately, this village is the first place we need to go through.
We walked inside the inn with our bags. We have many stuffs with us since Liliana told us that we might stay out here for awhile. I don't know what she meant by that but when I found out where we're going.. I fully understand now.
I look around the lobby area as I stood in front of the supposedly reception counter. Is there any people in here?
"Hello?" I called out. I look at Scythe but he shrug his shoulders.
"Hello gentlemen."
My eyes snap at the woman or should I say an old lady behind the counter. Good thing I controlled myself before I can even summon a sword. Since when she got there? The old lady have a silky raven hair with also black eyes. My eyes quickly notice that she's holding a spindle.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
"We're here for a room." I answered and she nod her head. She grab a book from her desk and look through it. She stop at one of the pages and glances at us. She nod to herself before opening a drawer and grabbing a key.
"Here is your key." she handed me the key before pointing to my left. "My sister will bring you to your room." at my left, I saw another old lady. Same ravin hair and black orbs but definitely different person from the woman on the counter.
"Follow me gentlemen."
Me and Scythe look at each other before carrying our bags and follow the old lady up the stairs. There's something odd to this inn.
We stop in front of a room and the old lady gestures me to open it. Now I noticed she's holding a measuring rod. First thing I saw after swinging the door open is another old lady. Really. What's with the old ladies in this inn?
"Oh, we have guests." said the one inside the room. She move towards us and I also noticed she's holding a shears. "Welcome to our inn. May you have a happy stay here. Let's go sister." she said and gave us a smile before going with her sister. Wait.. the three of them are sisters?
Scythe close the door and dump his bag on one of the beds. "They're not gonna let us leave." he said.
"Yeah, I know. I figured that out just now." I sigh and mentally shook my head. Gods..
"When do we start?" he asked.
I turn my gaze at him. "Now."
°=°
"Where are you going?" the old lady from the reception counter asked.
"Outside. Look around the area." I answered while staring at her coldly.
Her eyes runs to our hands. "But why do you have your bags with you?" she asked again now walking out of the counter.
"Are you two leaving already?" the old lady who accompanied us earlier asked.
"Yes."
"You should know by now that you can't leave this place... demigods..." now the one we saw inside the room earlier spoke and stood beside her two more sisters.
Here we go.
I just gave them a cold stare and tilt my head on the side. This made them angry somehow.
"We know what made you go in this place demigods." the old lady with the spindle stated as she played with the thread on her hand.
"And you won't be able to go in there." the woman with the measuring rod continued.
"You'll be facing many creatures on your way.. the people there won't even let you leave.. alive." the one with the shears stated while touching her hair and cutting the ends of it.
"Sorry to break it to you but we don't care." I said. "We're going now." I starts to walk towards the door.
"Don't!-- what-?!"
I halt midway and glances at the three old women. They can't move at their places as if frozen. My gaze goes down and saw their shadows connected to Scythe. He controlled their shadows so that they can't move. As I look at them carefully and to the items they hold. They are the Moirai.
The Moirai (The Fates) were the three goddesses of destiny. The are three of them..
Clotho "spinner" spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle.
Lachesis "allotter" or drawer of lots measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod.
Atropos "inexorable" or "inevitable", literally "unturning", sometimes called Aisa was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death; and when their time was come, she cut their life-thread with "her abhorred shears".
We nod at each other and about to go when the one with the measuring rod spoke.
"The night where even the stars have fallen asleep.
The dawn should be feared, for the night will take it's heir..."
I stared at her frowning. I can feel my heart stopped when I remembered what Luana told me before. This thing about the 'night'.
"Be careful on your way demigods." the one with the shears look at us. Atropos. "The future is uncertain.. and you can't change your fate."
°=°
No one talked between me and Scythe when we entered the Black forest just behind the village.
The Black Forest is a mountainous region in southwest Germany, bordering France. Known for its dense, evergreen forests and picturesque villages, it is often associated with the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
We've been walking for like half an hour and our only guide is the compass Liliana gave me. But this compass is not just an ordinary compass that mortals know, instead of the normal directions such as north, south, west and east, this compass points itself to where the mist is thicker.
Now, the mist I'm talking about is what divides the mythology realm to mortal realms. The mist protects every mythological stuffs to the eyes of the mortals. The mist surrounds itself to every abilities we produced with illusions to fool the mortal eye. Like when if I summons any weapon, mortals can only see random things that is normal in their world such as guitars.
Liliana told me to just follow where the mist is thick and it will lead us to a big tree that is different than the others. She doesn't specially told me what it differs but I'll just stick to the fact that it's different.
I put the compass on my pocket. I've been checking on it every 5 to 10 minutes so that I'm assured that we're in the right way.
My brows furrowed when I noticed something from ahead. I slightly lowered my body to avoid a tree branch and step to a glade at the middle of this forest. The sun is at its peak now that's why we can see the place clearly.
What happened in here?
I walk to the center and saw burn scars on the ground. As I look around, black marks can be seen at the woods much as same as in the ground. Some sort of explosion must happened in here then.
My snaps at my left when I heard the bushes move.
"We're not alone." Scythe said as we both look around. I heightened my senses as I ready myself to summon any weapon. "There are two of them." he claimed moving to my side.
"What a great treats, walking to their own death?"
Me and Scythe turn at our front and saw a young white man smirking at us. He stands there at the shadows of the trees. He's wearing a black coat, unbuttoned shirt and black pants. He's not wearing anything on his feet and his eyes is flaring red. My gaze turn at his side where a woman landed and she have this cold stare. Wearing an emerald green dress and boots. Also have a white skin and red eyes.
"Now, now, what makes you humans walk to this part of the forest?" the man asked stepping forward. The sun touched his skin and I noticed the stone of his necklace shines. We didn't answer, instead we just stared at them, cautiously. "Not answering, well then.." he glanced at the woman behind him. "My fiancé' have been so hungry this days, you're just right in time."
My grip on the strap of my bag tightened. Looks like there's something wrong on his nose then.
"You're not gonna like our blood." I finally said. The man just scoffs.
"We're not really that picky. Anything is fine."
Me and Scythe quickly summons our weapons when they showed a sign of attacking. Our movement made them halt as their eyes widen.
"Demigods."
I heard the woman said and I smile at her. Now they know.
"Get out of our way, bloodsuckers." Scythe's eyes flash to black making the two vampires stepped back.
The male vampire gnarls at us and hold his fiance's hand. "Such a waste." he lastly mumbled before they jump and get out of our sight.
Vampires can't drink our blood. It's because of the ichor that is running through our veins. Same blood that is running through the gods. It's not digestive to them cause it can poison them just like what happens to humans who got contact with it.
We made our weapons disappeared and get the compass from my pocket. "Let's go." I nod at Scythe and starts to walk towards the east.
°=°
I slide to the right and swing my sword to cut a gnome's head. Shit. There are so many of them! I kicked one and slice one. If we stay at this particular place, I know more creatures would attacked us.
"We need to get out here!" I shouted to Scythe who grunted and angrily swing his hand as black smoke came out of his hand. It go through the noses of the rest of the gnomes and their eyes turns black. Not that long, their body turned cold.
"Let's go!"
We run until I saw Scythe falls to his knees. I move closer to him. "You good?" I asked. He is out of breath and I quickly noticed how his eyes starts to flash in black.
He nod. "Yeah. Just-- give me a minute." he said and I quickly agreed. The ability he used earlier drained him so a rest is needed.
°=°
"This must be it."
We stopped in front of a giant tree. The trunk is wide and the roots is big. Just the same height as me. I observed the gap between the giant roots.
"Where it can take?" I asked Scythe while staring at it. He squats and touch the roots just at the opening. His eyes glows dark and shadows crawls out of his hand and inside the gap.
"A little walk inside and a slide. It's deep... but there's a soft a landing in the end." he answered. His eyes flashed back to normal before standing.
"Let's go then. Let's not waste any time." I secured my bag on my back and get inside first. I summons a dagger that is surrounded by flames and use it as my light. Like the son of Thanatos said, I saw a deep hole.
Looks like this is the main entrance of the territory we're heading so I let my weapon vanish and then jump.
A deep groan left me when my body falls to my side to some mountain of roots. I heard Scythe groans a little while afterwards. Wow, is this called soft landing? I wanted to say that to him but just let it passed and stood up while holding my right shoulder. I rotate my arm until I heard a crack on it and the pain eases.
We're in a cabin, at a room. I go by the window and peep outside. There's not much people outside. The buildings is destroyed outside. There are even holes on the grounds and scattered glasses.
"Who are you?"
A sudden voice made me summons a sword and point it towards where I heard it. In my peripherals, I saw Scythe doing the same with his weapon.
The woman slowly raise her hands. She have red hair and some dandelion eyes. Wearing some pair of army uniforms.
"You're not from here." Scythe said lowering down his weapon so I look at the woman frowning.
"I'm not, indeed." her eyes shift to me and she squint, tilting her head as if remembering something. "Demigods?"
I drop my hands, still gripping my sword. "Yes, we are."
She let her arms fall on her sides. "What take you here? Don't you know that if the people sees you, they would not have a second thought to locked you up in the dungeons." she said.
"We need someone from here. Who are you anyway?" I asked.
"You can call me Aries." she answered. Wow, her name is like the same as my father's. "I see you two are not here for trouble. I can help you. Who are you looking for?"
Me and Scythe changed gazes before answering. "Her name is Unmei. One of the princesses here."
She stares at us for awhile until she frowned. "What do you need from her?"
"Her help." Scythe answered boredly.
"Well then.. I can bring you to her--"
"How can we trust you?" I asked disappearing the sword and changing it to some kunai.
This place is called Pandemonium, the place of chaos and destruction. There's no sun in here cause this place is literally under the ground and the fire on the torches is the only source of light. This woman in front of us is definitely not like the people in here cause the people of Pandemonium are all dark people like their skin have been burnt with a pair of blazing red orbs. If the people who is different from the others should be in the dungeons right at the moment someone saw them.. how this woman is still in here?
She smiles. "I'm a great friend of Unmei and trust me, she's also different from the people of this place. The residents don't know about it since no one ever saw her out of her room." she explained. She's right. Liliana told us the appearance of Unmei so that we can defined who she is. When no one is talking between me and Scythe, she look at us.
"I'm no harm, demigods. If you just let me lead you to the way only I and Unmei know. You'll get out of here with the help you're seeking."
°=°
We are now walking through a tunnel that Aries said should lead us at Unmei's room at the end. No one is talking since Aries told us that someone might hear our voice outside since we're like walking through their town wall. We turn to the right and to the left and finally I saw something straight ahead.
"Be careful, it's a little high." Aries warned us before she jumped and we followed. She slide a small door to it and placed a painting over.
I look around and I can say that it's a woman's room base on the clothes that is on the bed. A door creak open and our attention shift to it and a woman with blonde hair came out. Her green eyes observing us. Her features fits what Liliana described.
"You're here. Son of Ares. Son of Thanatos. Glad you made it." her voice gentle and soothing.
"Princess Unmei?" I called out.
"Yes, it's me and please don't call me princess anymore. Mei is fine." she said and sat down to the round table. She gestures us to sit down also so we obey. "Good thing you two trusted, Aries. She is sometimes... unpredictable."
We nod our head.
"Mei, I'm going straight to you. We need your help." I said.
"I know demigod and I'm not gonna refused you." she said making me relief. Gods, I thought I would need to plead. "But my help have a favor to ask."
Shit.. I didn't see that coming.
"Just win the war.. and accept the result."
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