Chapter 2: The rings

"We wish you a great continuation in the world of adulthood!"

"HOORAY!!!"

A large chant was heard as all the students on the big stage threw their graduation hats in the sky as a way to celebrate the end of their teenage years.

The students were walking down the stage and met their parents in their graduation robes, and one couple in their 50s accompanied by Lizz was waiting for Caleb to join them.

The skinny father with white hair was holding his wife, who had grey hair while Lizz was right near them.

"My baby is there!" the wife shouted as soon as she sighted Caleb.

When Caleb saw them, a big smile came up his face, and he walked to them spreading his arms wide to hug them.

"Collective hug!" Lizz gripped her parents and Caleb and hugged them as hard as she could.

"I'm so proud of you love," Caleb's mother said holding his cheeks.

Her eyes were watery, and she was trying to keep her composure and not cry in front of Caleb.

"Now we have two grown adults in our family!" Caleb's dad said patting him on the back.

The pat on the back made Caleb slightly lose balance, and his father started laughing at how weak his son was.

"Something we have to work on is your body now, you're way too weak!" The father replied cheekily.

"Stop teasing him, Mark," Caleb's mum pulled him away from Mark,

"To celebrate, let's go home so I can start cooking a feast worthy of the occasion!"

Mark lifted his fist in the air excited by what his wife just said,

"That's what we're talking about May, a good feast worthy of the alpha male of the house!"

Caleb was walking to the car with Lizz while his parents were a few steps away.

"Are you ready for your Ether test?"

Caleb simply shrugged at the question.

"Don't you feel stressed that your Ether test would turn out negative?"

"Not really, I am not expecting it to be positive anyways, plus, I want to pursue a career in historic exploration, so I don't find any loss in the results,"

Lizz smiled at Caleb's response and wrapped her hand around his shoulder.

"You may be a little pussy, but at least you aren't lost in life like all those idiots that claim to be tough,"

"Oh and by the way, what's going on between you and professor Grant, I always see you guys laughing together," Caleb said in an attempt to tease his sister.

She looked away and answered, "He's just become a good friend and colleague,"

"Friends with benefits, that's how I see it..." Caleb whispered

Lizz heard what Caleb said, and started to choke him with her hand wrapped around his neck.

"Sorry... I didn't mean it!" Caleb groaned while still in the headlock.

It has been 1 week since the incident that happened in the museum, and ever since, Caleb was trying to study the inscriptions on the ring and the relic in vain.

There were no records at all of the languages on the relic and his ring, thus he has no real way of translating the language. However, Caleb knows at this point, that the rings left by his biological parents are without a doubt related to humanity's history.

As he conducted more and more research, he realised, that many of the artefacts, scrolls, and relics, have the same language, but not in the same pattern.

After conducting more research, he finally found a link between all relics, a similar pattern that all the relics had.

"Galorwy tolorn tolhoe doemoan llorad,"

Even if he doesn't understand the meaning, it is clear, all these items are related to the same past. The real question he was asking himself was whether these artefacts unlock a dark, or bright past.

Once they got home, May started the cooking, and Caleb was about to go out. He was to meet his only friend, Roy who was helping him with his research.

As he left the house, he had his dairy in his bag and his necklace on him too. The deeper he was going in his research, the more he was wondering how in the world his parents caught their hands on an artefact, and most importantly, who are his parents.

"I'm having the feeling that the answer to all this won't be a happy one,"

Caleb stepped into a café and walked to a table with a brown-haired athletic gorgeous man and a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes wearing a white shirt, and black jeans that were tight at the level of her thighs, revealing her physical figure wonderfully.

The brown-haired guy was Roy, however, Caleb wasn't pleased with seeing the beautiful lady.

"What is Maya doing here?" Caleb whispered in a disappointed tone, "the only thing she brings with her every time is problems and her boyfriend Trent..."

"Caleb, guess who we've got here to help us!" Roy exclaimed as soon as he saw his friend.

Caleb walked near Roy and leaned to his ear,

"It's Maya... are you sure she's not here to set you up, you know how crazy her boyfriend is,"

The two friends looked at each other for a second and turned their heads to Maya before Roy said,

"I'm sure it's gonna be fine, you're just overreacting,"

"You are way too kind sometimes-"

"Hey Caleb, I've seen your work and I'd like to say I'm interested in it," Caleb was interrupted by Maya's soft voice and her bright smile.

Seeing her this way almost seemed like she was a nice and likeable person, however, for some reason, Caleb always saw her as a problem, mostly because of her boyfriend Trent.

Trent had black spiky hair, and a lean body with a perfect muscular shape, but his personality was rotten to the core. He wouldn't hesitate to destroy someone's life if it was for his benefit, and this personality of his gave him a bad reputation amongst people.

For this reason, anyone that would be considered a friend, or even worse, a girlfriend of Trent cannot be trusted, however, Roy didn't care about that as long as he saw that a person was l in his book.

"Thanks..." Caleb answered with a forced smile.

Even though he didn't like her, he had to play nice to not get on Trent's bad side.

"You might not believe me, but my parents are explorers and have come up with similar results, but the only problem is the language, they can't translate the language because there are no records at all of it,"

Caleb looked at Maya with a surprised expression, 'Her parents are explorers... maybe she could be of some help after all,'

Caleb then reached for his bag and brought out all the 2d prints he found on the artefacts he studied and showed them on the table.

"Did they come to the same conclusion that the artefacts have only one similar pattern too?"

Maya skimmed through the readings before she started to weirdly place the prints. She placed one print on top of another, and others beside each other, until the pattern started to be clearer for Caleb.

Once Maya was done, the prints showed inscriptions which were going in two-circle patterns. The inscriptions showed the same language as in the relics.

'Those inscriptions... they're the ones in my rings,' Caleb thought.

Maya pointed at the pattern she had made.

"My parents say that the rings are the openings to their mystery. It seems like the ring is like a key that can open unanswered questions about the past. However, they've been searching for it for the last few years in vain. They have no clue where the rings are, and they assumed that they were kept hidden this well for a reason. Someone, or maybe our ancestors were hiding something they do not want us to know,"

Caleb listened attentively to what Maya said, and made a hypothesis of his own through that.

'Her parents may be correct, but not entirely, it's not that the rings were hidden, I have them, but what she said earlier about the key might be a valid statement. Just like what happened in the museum, it might be that each artefact has its own story... that's why the inscriptions are all different, and maybe, those inscriptions are just directions guiding us to something, and the rings are the key to unlocking that thing,'

"So do you think the inscriptions are trying to tell us something?" Caleb asked Maya intriguingly.

"I'm not an expert, and I couldn't tell you what the inscriptions mean, but it would be impossible to do any further research without the rings, and this is probably why no one has discovered the meaning of the gibberish language,"

While they were discussing the artefact and the meaning of the inscriptions, a report on the news suddenly intrigued Caleb, forcing him to cut their conversation short to listen to the news.

"Please could you turn the volume up?"

On the news, a young reporter was giving detail about a robbery in the Great museum.

"Breaking news, last night, just a few minutes after the closure of the museum, it is reported that a demon, a gas demon to be more specific managed to break into the museum, and successfully stole the Nirvana relic. It is said that this is the first appearance of a gas demon with intellect in Tyggstral, thus, the police do not know the demon's objectives. There is not much known concerning the Nirvana relic and for this reason, many wonder whether the demon knows something about the relic we do not know, and most importantly, how dangerous is the information the demon has?"

Caleb's face turned pale as soon as he saw the news. He did think of demons being related to this, but he didn't actually believe it.

'A demon stole the relic right after the inscriptions on it disappeared, and apparently, the demon has an intellect... Would this mean the relic is bad news for demons?

No, if it was bad news, then the demon would have stolen the relic way before to make sure this type of situation doesn't happen. This would surely mean that the relic and the disappearance of the inscriptions are good news for the demons, and the fact the demon only stole the Nirvana relic and waited for the inscriptions to disappear also asserts that the rings are the key to unlocking whatever the relic kept.

As for what is inside the relic, now that I think of it, my stupid ass never thought of the whispers that caused this. Those whispers were attracting me to the relic as if it sensed the rings. Those whispers, they were something demonic, surely a sort of demon or spirit persuading me to transfer whatever was in the relic into my rings,

Everything's becoming clearer now, but, this could get very dangerous. The demon is surely going to come for me and the rings, so what should I do now?

At this point there is only one answer, get rid of the rings before something bad happens to me...'

Caleb was so deep in his thoughts he didn't realise his friend was trying to get his attention for the past few moments.

"Caleb... Caleb!" Roy shouted waving his hand in front of him.

Caleb regained his senses and looked at Roy and Maya just to figure out whether they had realised anything sketchy related to what was said on the news.

However, they seemed more concerned about him spazzing out for a moment.

Caleb would have told Roy if he was alone, however, he didn't entirely trust Maya because, at the end of the day, she was still Trent's boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, I'm just getting a bit tired, I should probably head home," Caleb said scratching the back of his head with a smile.

"Oh... well I'll come with you, just give me a minute, I have to go to the toilet," Roy said.

Roy stood up and walked to the toilets leaving Caleb and Maya alone together.

The atmosphere was weird in the beginning, Caleb was going through his 2d prints, while Maya was awkwardly looking around her trying to find a topic to discuss.

"So, I heard you aced all of your exams, you must feel confident for uni I guess,"

"Yeah, I wanna become an explorer just like your parents, and I've already started searching for the best universities,"

"You're lucky," Maya smiled at him, "You've got everything to succeed, and if your Ether test turns out positive, nothing will stop you from becoming what you aspire to be except yourself,"

Caleb silently returned the young lady's grin. While smiling at her, he realised what a beautiful woman she was, and if she was genuinely this sweet, everyone would want to be her friend if it weren't for her boyfriend's reputation.

However, just in a few seconds, his smile turned to a disappointed and pale expression once he heard a voice familiar to him.

"Maya, what are you doing with mushroom head here?"

When Caleb looked at who was talking behind him, it was Trent, and two guys as big as him.

They walked toward the table and took a seat, the two dudes assisting Trent sitting on both sides next to Caleb.

Maya who tried to not show her concern knew that Trent appearing at this moment would cause problems the moment Roy comes back from the toilets.

"Trent you don't have to cause any commotion, we were just talking,"

"Babe, don't worry," Trent replied in a reassuring tone, "we are just here to talk that's all,"

"I was about to leave anyway... hehe," Caleb said as he attempted to stand up and pack his things, however, the two guys next to him slammed him back on his seat.

"What's the rush for?" Trent said with a cynical smile on his face, "we're just trying to be friends here!"

He then looked at the 2d prints on the table and lifted two of the papers.

"Aren't those the artefacts we saw in the museum during the field trip?" Trent said looking at the prints, "Why do you have them mushroom head?"

At this point, Caleb wanted to avoid any damage to the prints and decided to go along with Trent until Roy came back.

"I was just conducting some research, I want to be an explorer, and this is a great way to train my skills-"

"I really don't care," Trent replied coldly cutting Caleb off.

He looked at Caleb with a cold expression nearly as if Caleb had done something wrong and then suddenly tore the two prints in half.

"Boys, tear the papers," Trent said, and suddenly, the two guys started to grab all the papers and tear them one by one.

"Please, could you just stop..."

Caleb said with his hands on his lap and his head down.

Trent moved closer to Caleb with a grin on his face and looked up and down at Caleb.

"If you want us to stop, do something," Trent said waiting for Caleb to react.

Unfortunately, Caleb simply didn't move and kept his head down. He clenched his fists, sick of his inability to do anything, however, he wasn't trying to get on Trent's bully list.

Suddenly, a manly hand landed on Trent's shoulder pushing him away from Caleb.

"Back off before something bad happens to you,"

At that point, all the prints were torn to pieces, and Trent with his two subordinates were facing Roy.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Trent said clenching his fists, "it's a three against one,"

Roy then lifted his fists and went into a defensive posture ready to fight.

However, Maya went in between the two and attempted to calm the tensions.

"Trent, let's just go and leave these two dumbasses alone," Maya said holding his hand and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Trent looked at the beautiful face of his girlfriend, and her charm was enough to convince him. He smiled at her and turned to Roy.

"Your lucky I'm in a good mood Roy," He said before walking out of the cafe with Maya and the two other dudes.

"But next time, don't expect things to go this smoothly!" He said walking out of the cafe.

Roy watched as they left the cafe and then turned to contemplate the damages.

"Shit... I'm sorry Caleb, I should've been there earlier,"

Caleb lifted his head and smiled at Roy, "Don't feel like you are the one at fault here... I should learn to stand up for myself at one point,"

"Don't feel like you should fight if you're not strong enough, it won't benefit you or your opponent,"

"Yeah..." Caleb sighed, and a brief moment of silence went by before Caleb decided to explain to Roy of his discovery.

"So how are you gonna get rid of the rings," Roy asked.

"I don't know, but it must be a quiet place where no one will be,"

Roy lowered his head and started to think of a location. Tyggstral was mainly animated because of the tourists visiting museums and the historic places it had.

If they were to make sure the ring was gone for good, they had to choose a location, not in town but a bit further away from it.

"Oh, I know, if we bury the ring in the Male forest, there would be low chances someone finds it!"

The idea was a nice one, however, burying it in a forest would be way too simple.

"Are you sure about it, it sounds about cliche to me..."

Roy patted Caleb on the back and smiled "Don't worry if we bury it deep enough, no one would think of it for the exact reason that it would be too obvious. They'll think of another impossible location, while the rings are right under their nose,"

For a moment, Caleb thought of it, but then, he reckoned that his objective wasn't to hide the rings from everyone but just to get rid of them so he wouldn't encounter any life-threatening situation,"

Caleb nodded his head and stood from his chair, "Alright, this night, we go to the forest to get rid of the rings,"

*A few hours later*

"This dinner is to Caleb's success and his bright future!" Mark exclaimed raising his cup high.

Caleb was at the dining table with his mother, father, and even his sister Lizz who doesn't live with them came by.

"Thanks, dad, it's a real honour," Caleb said with a smile on his face, "I really appreciate everything you have done for me since a child,"

"Don't make things so sad," Lizz responded, "this moment is supposed to be a festive one!"

"Well said Lizz, plus we are your family, why wouldn't we help you succeed?" May added.

Caleb looked at his family and felt a warmth in his heart, for, not only did he feel like he was supported by the best people on earth, but he felt like nothing could stop him at this point, not even a demon!

As time went by, Caleb realised that it was nearly time for him to meet with Roy.

"Oh, I have to get going soon," Caleb said eating faster than before.

"Where are you going?" Lizz asked realizing Caleb was in a hurry.

"Why would you want to know, I thought you didn't care about the shit I did unless it was related to education,"

"Oh, so you're not gonna tell me?" Lizz said feeling her anger boiling inside.

Caleb realised he was about to get punched up if he did not answer, "Alright, I'm going to the Nimbus coast with Roy, are you happy now?"

Caleb decided to lie about where he was going to Lizz.

"What are you going to do there?"

"I'd like to tell you," Caleb responded, "unfortunately, it's none of your business,"

"You're starting to get cocky," Lizz grinned, "at least you're becoming a full-grown man, not a little pussy that lets everything slide,"

Caleb stood from his chair and ignored Lizz's comment as he headed for the door entrance.

"I'll see you later!" Caleb exclaimed before shutting the door behind him.

After closing the door behind him, he took his bike from the garage and cycled to the location. His weak arms and legs made it harder for him to cycle especially after eating. Thus, he took longer to get to the point of Rendez Vous.

On a dark lane that had only a lamp post as a light source, facing a row of tall and thin trees, Roy was waiting with a shovel for Caleb with his phone torch to see what was going on around him.

Only one car in a while would drive through this lane, and it was a quite spooky place, to begin with. The lamp provided small lighting, however, the moon was shining bright that night, thus the road was illuminated by its light.

Roy would turn his head in all directions every time, for he could hear animal noises coming from deep inside the dark forest.

"What took you so freaking long!" Roy shouted as soon as he saw Caleb in the distance.

"My bad, I had a family dinner this night," Caleb said removing his necklace from around his neck, "we should get going, I don't wanna stay here any longer,"

The two boys entered the forest and started to walk deeper into it. The only light source they had at that point was their phone's torch.

Every sound they heard would make them jump, and they walked tightly next to each other.

"This was maybe a bad idea..." Caleb whispered.

He was fed up with walking for so long, and his feet were feeling sore.

"That's an even better reason to keep going, if you wouldn't want to come in the forest, what are the chances someone else does and finds the ring?" Roy said encouraging Caleb to keep going.

They arrived at a glade after approximately 30 minutes of trekking. The glaze was lighted by the natural light of the full moon. To Caleb, though, this just felt like a creepy region where something was waiting for them to appear out of nowhere.

"I think this place would be a good one," Roy said in a tired tone, "plus, I dont wanna get any deeper in this place..."

Caleb nodded and took the necklace out while Roy was getting ready to start digging.

"Are you sure about this, I mean what if you are wrong and just you're just getting rid of the only item your parents left you?"

"I dont really care," Caleb said, "I don't have any interest in my parents, so I don't feel any sort of emotions for the rings,"

"Oh well," Roy said just as he was done digging, "if that's what you think..."

Caleb looked at the necklace for a moment, and read the inscriptions once again.

"If only I could read what is written on th-"

...

It was too abrupt, and none of them had seen it coming. Roy was in shock for a moment and was out of words and was paralysed by the situation, however, he finally regained himself and screamed.

"CALEB!!!!"

In a split matter of seconds, everything that was going well fell to shambles. Before both could see anything coming, a hand reached for the necklace behind Caleb, piercing through his chest to get the rings.

Roy who was left in shock shouted Caleb's name and took a good look behind Caleb to realise that it was the gas demon.

His red eyes were looking down at Caleb, while he was expressing the most cynical smile just like in the museum.

"The ring to unleash the powers of the dark demon is now mine!"