Encounter.

An ominous presence follows you...

The double shift went as all normal shifts do. Today, they cut down only pines, and they were on the northern side of Lake Zenith. The forest here was much more dense than the one around Midori's house, although the pine trees did let a lot of light in. The moist air was really difficult to work in, Aiden breaking a sweat from even the slightest effort. However, everyone endured, to the best of their ability. Jake and Mark were constantly complaining, and Sarah spent more time sitting and eating the snacks they prepared than she did work.

The shift finally ended, and darkness had fallen long ago. The rest of the team already left, and Aiden purposefully stayed behind to pack everything up so the rest could go home. After all, he was the one who suggested the double shift, it's only reasonable he took on most of the work. As he placed the equipment in the back of his pickup, he kept trying to make sure he didn't miss anything. Words couldn't explain how much he wanted to go home and sleep. But, something to him felt off. Yes, an empty forest at night is scary in of itself, but that wasn't it. This anxiety that Aiden felt was direct, almost as if something, someone was causing it. It felt like someone's watching. Aiden wanted to make sure, but he didn't want to be too direct, fearing the creature would lash out. So as he kept packing everything up, he glanced around him slowly, making sure no spot left unchecked, yet he saw nothing. Ignoring his fear, he went to get in the truck, and as he reached for the door handle, a gentle voice echoed.

"You couldn't find anything so you just decided to turn around and leave?" said the ominous voice, sending a chill down Aiden's spine. "Smart move, the fear of the unknown is not one that can be defeated, it can only be ignored." Aiden quickly turned in all directions, before noticing a hooded figure leaning against a tree.

"Who are you? What do you want?" exclaimed Aiden, as he curled his hand into a fist and prepared himself to run away if needed.

"Oh, but I am no enemy, you see. You seek power, power is what you'll find. And I can give that power to you, the one you were always promised." The hooded figure pulled out from his pocket a weird necklace. From it hung a large X shaped pendant, with a bright ruby in the middle. "Do you know what the X means, Aiden?"

The man threw the necklace at Aiden, telling him that he'll be needing it, before stepping away from the tree he was leaning against and removing his hood. From underneath it emerged a sulky man with long black hair, and a visible scar diagonally stretching his whole face. His eyes pitch black as well, he looked as if a shadow came to life. "My name is Cassius, my pleasure to meet you, oh the forsaken Silvius child."

Aiden was shocked that this man knew who he was. He intended to ask him about it, but before he even managed to say anything, Cassius stopped him and began speaking.

"In this world, powers are no more than blessings we humans were lucky enough to receive. I intend to honor the one who gave me mine, Lord Feyr, by fulfilling his greatest wish." Cassius pushed back the sleeve on his right arm, revealing a large X on his forehand, similar to the pendant on Aiden's necklace. "When a human is born with a power, his soul is adorned with a mark, and in that mark is an inscription. It tells you who your power belongs to, who you can thank for granting you the sweet embrace of strength. For me, that is Lord Feyr, I am gifted with his mark of X. Meanwhile, the tattoo on my hand, is a symbol of allegiance to my group. We have no official name, but the Ardenians call us 'The Cult of Feyr'. Personally, I think cult is a bit rough. We just revel in the gifts our Lord has provided us with."

Aiden had a rough time understanding everything. He heard of the Deities before, Aldegar told him stories but, never did he get such an explanation. "A Soul Mark?" he asked Cassius, who just lightly nodded his head.

And you Aiden, you too can be graced with Lord Feyr's gift, you too can proudly carry the mark he bestows upon us mortals, but you must join us first." Cassius put his sleeve back in place, and put his hood back on. "Don't worry, I won't rush you. You have 24 hours. If you wish to join us, return here at the same time tomorrow. The rest will be explained afterwards. Goodbye now, o forsaken one." And so, he returned into shadows as quickly as he appeared.

Aiden couldn't decide what to feel after this encounter. He was as terrified as he was excited by this prospect of getting a power. But, should he even trust this man? Is he truly who he says he is, or just some con artist? His mind was a mess, and he didn't want to think about it now. It's clearly a topic that needs to be thought through, that's why he has so much time to decide. Aiden finally got into his pickup, and hit the gas, getting away from the forest as fast as reasonably possible. He left the truck at the Commerce, and without even stopping by to say anything, he went home. "Damn it, I need to spend 24 hours thinking about this, and I have dinner with Midori tomorrow." Aiden was furious, why did this have to happen now? He wanted to make sure that he doesn't involve Midori into this mess in the slightest, so he had to play it safe. No mention of anything. 

He headed home as he got ready for bed, his mind swirling with plenty of questions. However, no matter how many things he asked himself, Aiden's focus was unwavering. He will join Cassius, it's something he's certain of. He wasn't sure, was it his lust for power, was it his spiteful promise to Hilda, what caused him to be so determined? He had an iron will and would not let this chance go to waste, he promised himself that. As a storm still raged in his mind, he was able to fight back and barely fall asleep. However, it still felt like the best sleep he's had in a long while.

When he awoke next morning, he was greeted by snowfall. Almost the whole winter went by without snow, so Aiden was pleasantly surprised. He always preferred the cold. He woke up quite early, since he forgot to turn his alarm off. He got up, made himself breakfast before heading out to take a walk in the shallow snow. He soon stopped by a café, to warm himself up a bit. He was sitting alone at a table, enjoying his free time, until someone sat down beside him. Aiden didn't even notice it at first, but with a second glance he was certain. Not only did someone sit at his table, that someone was Cassius. Once he realized Aiden saw him, he extended his hand and shook hands with Aiden firmly.

"What are you doing here?" said Aiden, genuinely not sure what Cassius wanted in the middle of the day. "The 24 hours still isn't up, what's the problem?"

"Well, the problem is, if you went back to that forest north of the lake, you would've probably been arrested." said Cassius, before pulling a flask out of his pocket and taking a sip. "Before you ask, yes it's alcohol. Yes, I have a problem. But you would too if you had to constantly move homes. Well, not homes, bases, but you get what I mean, right?"

Aiden's confusion just kept growing. "I just don't get what you mean by 'arrested'? Arrested for what?" 

"Well, a bunch of Oracle weirdos showed up at our base just west of where we were, uninvited at the crack of dawn. I guess they tried sneaking in, but they set off a tripwire at the main entrance, so we were alerted in time to get out of there." Cassius seemed quite worried, not to mention that he was sweating in the middle of the winter. "Also, since I haven't told you this yet. I'm not just a member, I'm the leader of the group of people that worship our Lord Feyr."

Aiden wasn't shocked at this revelation in the slightest, which surprised Cassius. "Well, I guessed so. The scar across your face is a tell-tale sign, if we're being honest." Aiden took the final sip of his coffee, after which he gestured towards the waiter to bring him the receipt. "So, what now? Do I have to go to the now abandoned base as a sign of dedication or something, since this doesn't seem accidental."

"Nah, that's too cliché. We'll meet tonight at the Forest of Clarity, just south of here." Cassius got up from his chair, getting ready to leave, and as he was putting his coat back on, he said, "Do know that I'm expecting you tonight. You seem like a man with a lot of potential, neither of us would want to miss out on that."

Cassius walked out of the door, disappearing without a trace. After Aiden paid his bill, he went back to his apartment to shower and get ready for dinner with Midori. The snow was still gently falling, a light breeze flowing through the city streets. Children running across the town square, throwing snowballs at each other. Elderly couples enjoying time together, people spending precious moments with their loved ones. Although his desire for power was grand, and him joining Cassius was a certainty in his eyes, Aiden almost felt as if he'll miss this peace he surrounded himself with as of late. He truly did believe that Cassius and his group were peaceful, but the Oracle's intervention made him feel uneasy. What would his father think of this? Yet, his focus was unwavering, he couldn't let fear get the better of him, especially so close to his goal.

Once he got ready, he drove to Midori's house. Up until a few moments ago, he figured they're going to a restaurant of some sort, but Midori apparently made dinner at her place. This made Aiden considerably more excited about the dinner, because since he moved out of Emberfell, he could not get enough of forests, the lake and the clean air. However, Aiden was perplexed about the nature of this dinner. After all, he viewed Midori as nothing more than a good friend, and a colleague.

He shook his head, brushing off the feelings. This was Midori after all, the first person to fully accept him for who he is, without question about his powerlessness. She treated him as an equal from day one. Getting flustered over dinner plans would only ruin the camaraderie they'd built. However, romantic or not, Midori was the first person in Aiden's life he believed he can actually trust, other than Valarie. He didn't have many friends in life so far, he was even homeschooled, so even a purely platonic dinner made his heart beat just that little bit faster. With a light knock, soon the cabin's front door opened and Midori emerged, brushing back a loose strand of her pure white curls. She'd changed into a flowy green sundress patterned with leaf designs that seemed to perfectly suit her effervescent nature.

"Aiden! You're right on time," she exclaimed happily, before jumping in to hug him. "I was just about to call you and make sure you didn't get lost in the woods or anything, I know your sense of direction isn't the greatest."

"Hey, not all of us trek through the forest to go home each day, you can't blame me for not knowing how to orient myself when everything looks the same around here." Aiden jokingly said, laughing. He moved his leg forward, intending on stepping into the house, when Midori stopped him.

"You really think that we're going to eat indoors, when were in the middle of a forest? Come on, follow me!" said Midori as she slowly started skipping away from the house, down a path that led deeper into the forest. "Hurry Aiden, I want to make it to the spot before sunset!"

They started strolling side-by-side down the shaded path leading away from the cabin. Aiden breathed in the crisp, earthy scents of the forest around them. "This is such a peaceful spot you've found out here," he remarked. "It's like being in another world from the streets of Sylvanwood, let alone the big city, like Emberfell."

Midori's eyes danced with delight. "It really is, isn't it? I fell in love with this little grove the moment I first saw it. Listening to the wind whispering through the trees, the gentle lapping of the lake... it's like nature's own sweet symphony." Aiden watched as she rushed ahead of him and twirled in a slow circle, arms outstretched as if she hugged the nature itself.

Midori slowly led him to a small canopy situated right on the lake's shore. Although winter definitely isn't when nature is at its most beautiful, there was just something so serene about this lakeview. It was so clear, so unobstructed, just water as far as the eye can see. All that was present on this lake was an island, one that was quite close to Aiden's hometown of Emberfell, in fact. Midori was pouring him and Aiden some cranberry tea. It's Midori's favorite, and Aiden has also grown accustomed to it as of late.

"You know, maybe we should go to Emberfell one day. We could rent a boat and visit the island over there. I've lived my entire life there and not even I have any clue what is on it." said Aiden as he placed a hand over his eyes, shielding them from the sun's bright rays so that he could see better.

Midori seemingly choked on the tea she was drinking, before violently beginning to cough. Waving her hand to signal to Aiden that she's okay, she soon stopped. It took her a second to catch her breath, and then she began speaking. "Oh, that abandoned place over there? Oh it's nothing, nothing really." After saying that, it seemed almost as if Midori muttered something under her breath.

"What?" said Aiden, as he was certain she said something. "Something, something, base, war… that's all I understood."

"Oh, you heard me…" said Midori, bowing her head down, almost as if she was embarrassed. "Well, I suppose it costs me nothing to explain, then." Midori straightened her posture and leaned back in her chair.

"Basically, you know about the War, the Great Faction War?" She said to Aiden, to which he nodded his head yes. "On that island over there, is an almost castle-like building, one that was the base of operations for the Aegis Faction during the war, but it's now long since abandoned."

"Wow, really? That's cool, then we should definitely go visit it one day." said Aiden excitedly, as he chugged down the tea he had left in his cup with one sip. "Also, I'm surprised you know that, you never seemed like someone who was into history to me."

"Oh, w-well, I'm not. Sarah told me the story, she visited that island with her family not that long ago. It was interesting, so, it kind of stuck with me…" said Midori, as she too finished her tea off. "Alright, then, should we eat?" Midori's voice cracked for a fraction of a second there, which never fails to make Aiden laugh.

As Midori stayed behind and set up the table, Aiden went back to her house to grab the food and drinks. Aiden was dying of hunger, his last meal was breakfast. As he entered the house, a strong aroma of meat hit him. He felt as if he was going to faint from how heavenly the smell was. He went over to the marble countertop of Midori's kitchen where he noticed the food. Steamed bao buns. He was going to collapse from sheer excitement. He bolted back to the canopy as fast as he could without dropping the food, and began eating before Midori even sat down. Midori was absolutely shocked at the sheer speed at which Aiden was devouring everything in sight. However, after a few buns, he calmed down and began eating slowly. They enjoyed dinner with a few casual words exchanged, and Aiden's doubts were finally removed. It indeed was just a casual dinner.

After helping Midori clean everything up, he headed home. The battery on his truck was beginning to die out, so he stopped by a charger to refuel. He grabbed a coffee, and sat in the back of his pickup, enjoying the clear sky and the stars that were spread all across it. Looking at the watch on his wrist made his heart skip a beat. In an hour, he was supposed to be in the Forest of Clarity. 

"Damn it, I hope the car will have enough charge to last." He tried to make himself to believe this was the reason behind his worries, when indeed, it wasn't…