96 The Contract Part 1

---Marcus---

The pain I felt immediately fades away. I can hear the chirping of birds and the sound of the waterfall and blows of the winds through the leaves. So relaxing. Good for meditation. Last night, I saved Patrick, yet I didn't get his mate. Now, I don't know where I am, but it feels relaxing.

There's also the sound of the frog and rustling of something… maybe the squirrels or bunnies. Or worse, lion or some wild animals. A soft thing perch on my nose tips. That's when I tried to open my eyes. A black and white and sparkling magenta wing. A worm? With wings? I sat up that makes the magnificent butterfly flew away.

"Oh snap!" I hold my temple, gently massaging it. I look around thinking that I am in a cold rain forest of our place. But everything around here is mystical, magical, and tropical. The butterflies have huge wings and the chirping of birds is like a group of chorales. There are sparks flies around together with other bees.

I am no longer in the world where I used to be. It's where I would find my love wandering around… this is now an Inside world that they say. I felt my heart skip a bit and suddenly it beats louder and louder. Amanda… she's near. I have to look for her.

I felt a jolt of happiness, stood, and pick up my crossbow. I pull my phone from my pocket and there's no service, however, it is working. So, it is only true that I am already in the Insideworld. But where in the hell will I find her?

"I miss her dearly… for twenty years of waiting, now here I am." I close my eyes with a deep breath in and out. I should have a plan. Or maybe I should just follow my instincts or wait for her to come to me. "Damn this is hard when you wanted to see her."

I am quite confused about what happened. Okay, I should refresh my mind and think about what happened. Amanda gets into my dream and warns me about Marissa because her mad biological father wanted her to pull in here. Then, I followed them to protect Marissa and let them fly away from here. There's lots of Erian's warrior-like they expected it to happen. And when Patrick is about to get killed by the golden armored guy, I hit it directly to its neck. Kraig and Andrew were already fighting them when Patrick passed out and I follow Marissa and the other guys trying to catch them out.

Then, things happen fast. I saw a white hind and follow it and things get brighter and I was swallowed by the light and then my world turns black…

A sling sound of metal makes me almost jump and very sharp steel was pointed in front of me. Bayonet. Nice one. I look directly into the man's eyes. It was a color of deep black and his face was younger like twenties or eighteen, I guess. Nope. Probably twenties.

"Uhm, hello." I greet him. He looked at me from head to toe.

"You are from the Outside world. What brings you here? How did you get in?"

"Same thing on how your people get in on the Outside world."

He smirked and pull down his bayonet. I look at him from head to toe. He had two hilted bayonets on his boots and a sword at his back behind that cloak. He is also wearing a silver lace chain and an oblong pendant… which I think is a locket.

"What are you looking at?"

"If I attack you and disarm you in four times; I won't survive."

"Of course, you won't," he speaks and then he speaks in an odd singsong poem in front of me.

A brave one who is bounded

To the Princess who was born

After the death of the Goddesses.

And thy love conceived a Goddess

Will come to claim

Thy love to live from the pain

With a crossbow from the Outside world

Shall lead to his love

And lead to his daughter.

"It's you. Am I correct?"

"The brave one who is bonded to the Princess?" I asked him quizzically. "Well, I wanted to ask you a really important thing before I answer that question. Can I?"

He raised his chin and sign me to keep talking so I did keep talking.

"Perhaps you know where the Kingdom of Psyche is."

"That's not a question." He crossed his arms and cock his head.

"I am sorry, I will rephrase it. Do you know where the Kingdom of Psyche is?"

"Yes." Another jolt of excitement and happiness hits me.

"Can you show me the direction?"

"I won't." I slump my shoulders and grimaced at him. Really! This young man needs a lecture. "Ask me why."

"Why?"

"Because you are from the Outside world and I need to be sure that my Kingdom is safe from you."

"Alright, first of all, young man, I won't kill anyone here except some threats. Second, I need to see my soulmate. Do you know how hard it is when you are far away from your love?"

"I know. Because my soulmate dies in front of me."

That makes me surprise. My eyes widen on his bluntness or maybe he's playing on me? That's not going to work on me.

"Is she hidden on that locket of yours?" he immediately held his chest where the locket is hidden inside his fancy shirt. He smirked at me and tilt his head to the right. "You are the son of Haji."

"Nope. I am not."

"The only man who can see metals behind the secured black box is Haji. And he lived long ago as a warrior of my family, yet he disappeared with his wife."

"How do you guys get that kind of superpower?" I asked and look around to find an apple tree.

There's always an apple tree that's why I go to it and climb and took one not waiting for his answer. "Do you want some?" I pull one and throw it to him and his reflexes were good, so he caught it with one hand.

"You have blood and scratches on your clothes, yet you are not wounded."

"Because it heals."

"How did it heal fast?" I bite on my apple while sitting on the big branch.

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours. How do you get that kind of superpower?"

"Our Goddess gifted us those kinds of gift."

"Her name?"

"Adhiti, she was called Adhiti yet she never showed up here in our world, unlike the other Goddesses."

That makes me stop. Adhiti? That's the real name of Catastrophe. Perhaps they just have the same name. "Answer my question."

"How did I heal fast? Because someone close to my heart and soul heals it."

"Princess Amanda." My eyes dilated. "You are Princess Amanda's mate." I thought of his poem again and he knows it!

"You are a Prophet."

"A foreteller."

"That's the same thing! Are you close to my Amanda?" I jerk off from the tree and walk towards him.

"I am… quite… I lived for centuries and I am older than her." That's it! I suddenly feel close to my Amanda. Love, I'll come to you.

"Can I beg?"

"No."

"Please… I just wanted to see her. I promise to find her."