Chapter Eight

The next morning Ateara and Igor continued on their journey, Igor had no idea where he was heading as Ateara wasn't telling him what he found out other than directions to where they needed to go. He knew it wouldn't take them long as they walked non-stop, occasionally phasing and running as part of their training.

No matter what he did nothing could block the thought of what he read in the book, it just circled endlessly in his head like a music CD stuck on repeat. Suddenly heard his name being called out several times and snapped out of his thoughts. "What is it Igor…?" Ateara asked. "You will need to guide me to where we are going as I have no clue and I want to know is this the place…?" Igor said seemingly lost and agitated.

"You need to calm down Igor, it may seem like I wasn't paying attention when I'm in deep thought, but I was well aware of our whereabouts and to answer your question 'Yes…we are here', just have to find the landmark so we can start your training properly."

"My training???" Igor asked "thought we were trying to figure out my past" He continued.

"Yeah, your training is part of the path leading to finding out who you are and it begins here" Ateara explained, pointing to some ruins.

As they walked closer both looked up in astonishment. When they reached the center they looked around in wonder, trying to take it all in. They eventually just stood still. "So, we start here and it's safe as no one really comes here no more"

"Really…I wonder why…" Igor muttered. Ateara smiled and nodded and started to carefully look around for information whilst admiring the structures with fascination.

Still standing in the center Igor continued his training but harder than what he usually did, till Ateara gasped loudly and Igor stood still looking at Ateara, he never looked round he just stared at the rubble and went to pick something up, but Igor couldn't make out what it was. Igor hesitantly looked before continuing his training then as he thrust his hand forward the huge boulder exploded to dust right in front of him. Igor stood there frozen in his stance unaware that Ateara had been watching and he just smiled, nodded whilst muttering 'That's it you got it, feel it and control it' then he turned back around to finish what he had discovered,he just couldn't believe…

'Remember Ateara, keep this to yourself till the time is right…'voice of the chief said, Ateara nodded and walked back to Igor to have a few battles. Ateara could feel how strong Igor had gotten in just a few days, but he knew he needed to battle with someone else to gain more, but he also knew that time will come and wasn't in haste for that to happen.

As the day was nearing the end Igor and Ateara decided to call it a day and just to have fun and relax so they phased and just ran around the forest not realizing that the days had passed quickly. Ateara sensed someone very close by. Then he sensed another figure and they both appeared walking slowly towards them. The more Ateara focused on them the clearer they became he recognized one of them as Carns but couldn't figure out who the other guy was. "Hi nice to bump into you two again, good to see you both of you still going strong" Carns said

"I see you found someone to accompany you and you seem happy too" Ateara responded gracefully.

"Oh yeah we are very happy and this is Jal, he found me and as it turns out, according to him we were once together in our past life" Carns said.

"Nice to meet you Jal. I have heard something about that, someone once told me it happens, where there was a couple that were soulmates one died suddenly and was reincarnated, when he grew older and travelled on his own their souls found each other again and what Jal is also trying to say is that he is still living his life that your past self 'Calvert' left and became you 'Carns'" Ateara explained.

"Well that does make sense why I can remember Cal…I mean Carns, I got to stop doing that. It does explain why Carns doesn't remember me" Jal said

"It's been said that in time he may remember everything again when doing or saying something that triggers that particular moment, so just be patient. If the bond is strong then it will happen" Ateara said reassuringly.

"So what brings you here Carns, thought you were going to find yourself on your own path?" Igor scowled at him.

"Well…Yeah…I was then bumped into Jal, but I am still on my path to finding myself I just have Jal with me now, but during our journey we both keep getting whispers as if guiding our path which coincidently landed us here and bump into the both of you" Carns explained.

'This can't be a coincidence…can it' Ateara muttered under his breath. "As it happens we are only here looking for information for Igor's past" Ateara explained

"So who was this voice you heard that told you to come here" Igor asked suspiciously

"I dunno who it is, but he sounded a little like Ateara, but I know it wasn't, it was quite deep" Carns answered.

Ateara and Igor looked at each other, Igor knew just by looking into his eyes that Ateara knew all too well who the voice was. Ateara also knew now what the Chief meant when he said 'You will be up against a familiar face' Ateara muttered under his breath. "What's that you say?" Igor asked quietly, Ateara looked at him and smiled "It's nothing just remembering some…thing else...that we have to do"

Igor knew Ateara was slightly frustrated at this stage and didn't dare to question him anymore all he could do was to divert the conversation, but instead he just did what he did best, which is staying quiet. Ateara looked at him and exchanged smiles then he turned back facing Carns and Jal, but he noticed something that seemed to glisten in the far distance. Throughout the time he had kept his eyes on it, until suddenly without a word he sprinted so fast and ran to where he had been staring at for hours in record time. He looked at the others just standing, looking around and he picked the item up and he saw it was a key. He pondered to himself for a while looking at a blank spot on the cave wall.

Ateara looked at him whilst listening to the conversation between Carns and Jal, then he saw Igor's head rise up with eyes wide and Ateara moved quickly standing face to face. "What is it that you know Igor?" Ateara said quickly. There was a long pause "I don't know how to explain this or how I know this, but I think, by that I mean I'm certain that this key unlocks the mausoleum, I just need to remember where it is'' Igor said with the look of satisfaction on his face in the hope of finding more about his past life he has forgotten.

'Well I'm sure you will, but I'm just trying to think if we need Carns and Jal with us, but if what Carns said before is true...….Ahhhhh!!! …..what…How …did my life get this complicated…' Ateara just stood there trying to make sense of it all. When he realized he couldn't do it alone he headed back to the others slowly.

"Ateara??" Igor whispered "Do you just want it to be just the two of us", Ateara shook his head and mouthed 'I will tell you later' Igor nodded trustingly. This had not gone unnoticed by Carns and Jal as they looked at each other.

Ateara kept thinking about the Mausoleum and started walking out of the rubble with Igor by his side, Carns and Jal together decided to just follow them, Ateara didn't even need to look, he knew they would follow.

Igor looked at Ateara and whispered 'They are following us', 'Yeah I know and I wouldn't expect anything else from him, I'm still trying to figure out his partner Jal, he's not easy to read." Ateara almost mouthed his words to Igor.

'so what was you going to tell me that you couldn't tell in front of them'

'well it's still not really the right time but I will give you a hint, it has something to do with two of them' Ateara mouthed again.

Igor has learnt by now when not to ask any more questions or just when to be silent, they walked arm in arm together. For days they walked non-stop until Igor sensed some familiarity about the part of the forest they were in. "I think I know this place, there should be still a cave here somewhere".

Igor had a quick look around then said "Ah ha…Here it is…This is where I use to go when I was much younger"

As they followed Igor into the cave, they noticed it's weird carvings and some stuff lying around. Igor took a closer look at the carvings, he looked at them with a sense of familiarity.

"You ok Igor" Ateara asked, "Yeah I'm alright" he replied looking all around. Ateara sat him down on a makeshift bed that he flattened out for comfort nearby to calm him down. Igor had spent all night pouring out his feelings, whilst Ateara just sat beside him gazing and smiling. As the night went on it got colder and Ateara closed the gap between them and wrapped his arm around him as a teardrop fell down his face. Igor turned and their eyes locked, he had stopped mid-sentence and moved in closer where it was only his scent he was smelling 'His scent so sweet, so empowering and paralyzing' he thought.

Ateara was just gazing into Igor's eyes thinking 'His eyes are so magnetizing, if only I knew what he's thinking about. This handsome guy with a complex past…'

No one had spoken a word for quite some time and neither moved from their position still breathing on each other. Ateara, then moved in and gently pressed his lips against Igor's, Igor's heart skipped two beats as he regained control. Without a second thought he moved in, pressing his lips to Ateara's neck slowly and gently moving to his cheek then sealing the moment kissing him on the lips. Then one thing led to another, they began taking each other's clothes off. Igor moves his hands and feels Ateara's chiseled abs, he kisses each ab working his way down. Ateara laid there groaning with pleasure. He groaned louder as he moved onto his 'Pole'.

"Oh wow, Ateara you have a really big..." Igor started saying, "Igor! Are you sure you want to do this?" Ateara interrupted, "Of course I am sure, actually I have never been more sure about anything in my life" Igor said continuing to gently kiss him all over his abs before landing himself on his lips kissing like there was no tomorrow.