Chapter 31: Mystery of Origin, Part One

Ciaran was planning to take it easy today, to just unpack his things and settle in his new home. Too bad for him, that he just couldn't sit still. With no access to books, and all three of his remaining friends busy, he had to find what to do for the remainder of the day.

'Let's just go to the Maze then, I did make a promise.'

Going to the green labyrinth was not in his restrictions technically, which in his book meant that it was absolutely ok to use it. Now if the thing itself was not in the mood to deal with him, then that was a different story.

'I hope they didn't cause too much trouble by helping me out. I don't want it to take its frustration out on me.' The boy snickered.

He got to the entrance and sighted. Usually, there was a massive line of children, each waiting to go in and attempted the daily Trials. Now, it was just him, the rest had gone in already.

The boy went right to the entrance and stopped. He was a little hesitant, but seeing as nothing bared his path, he went in. Right as he went the entrance closed, and a wall simply grew out of the ground.

"Well, hello to you too. Did you enjoy my show?" Ciaran asked with a smirk on his face.

To his surprise, in front of him, two greenish people appeared. There was one man and one woman, beautifully ethereal. Ciaran could say with absolute certainty that neither was human.

The male dryad had roots on his head resembling antlers. His skin was a rich, earthy brown color, and he had a tall, lean build that speaks to his connection with the trees. His eyes were a deep, dark green, and his features were sharp and defined, giving him a commanding presence. He was adorned with intricate tattoos that seem to have been etched into his skin by the very trees themselves. His antler-like roots are a symbol of his connection to the forest and the animals that inhabit it. He wore a cloak made of woven leaves and twigs that seems to blend seamlessly into the surrounding foliage.

The female dryad, on the other hand, had weed for hair, which flowed down her back in long, tangled locks. Her skin was a delicate shade of green, and her eyes were a bright, sparkling emerald. Her features are soft and gentle, giving her an almost ethereal quality. She wore a simple yet elegant dress made of woven grasses and leaves that rustle softly in the breeze. She was surrounded by a soft, glowing aura that seemed to radiate from her very being, making her appear almost like a living, breathing embodiment of the forest. Like her male counterpart, she had intricate tattoos that seem to swirl and dance across her skin like vines.

Both of these dryads were extremely beautiful, but they each possess a unique energy and presence that sets them apart from one another. The man had a wild smile on his face as he had just found his prey after years of hunting, while the woman's smile was gentle like a mother looking over her newborn.

"Kid I know you were crazy, but I have to hand it to you, you truly don't know the meaning of the word restraint." The man said.

"Nice to meet you Ciaran I am Verdania. We met before when I gave you the swamp challenge, but I failed to introduce myself at the time."

The woman slightly bowed and introduced herself. She was the definition of grace and beauty. From her voice to her every movement, it was nothing short of perfect. A fact that more than scared the boy.

'Of the two, she is by far the more dangerous one. While I am sure both could kill me easily, the dude is like Rayon, an open book. Reading him is easy. But Verdania, she reminds me of mom, she looks kind, but still, waters run deep.'

Ciaran was already getting the creeps from the woman, still, that didn't stop him from walking up to her and shaking her hand. The smile on his face was less convincing than hers, but still ever radiant.

If he was to not lose his advantages in the following years, he would need the Maze's help. And staring at the two of them side by side, the boy judged it would be far more productive to make friends with these forest spirits, rather than enemies.

"Thank you for all you did for me, sir. I would never have succeeded if not for you. If you have been punished on that account, please accept my- "

And before he could finish he got slapped behind his head.

"Sis likes the courtesies', I can't stand that bullshit. Name's Eleftherios by the way, I am the gardener of this place."

"Now, as per our agreement, I want to run some tests on you kid. Come with us." The man smiled with his teeth, earning himself a frown from his sister.

"Do not worry Ciaran, it will be nothing painful. You just have to lie down in a body of water, it will not have anything dangerous in it you have my word."

"My brother found something in your body, a flaw if you will, and I want to make sure the humans have not done anything to you."

Ciaran almost pointed out that he was a human too before he stopped to ponder. Why did she phrase it like that, and why did they even show themselves to him? Either way, there was no running away from this so the boy just agreed and followed after them.

They went through a tunnel, but unlike the ones he was used to this one had no roof, and he could clearly see the sky.

In less than half a minute they were in front of a pond standing in a lush forest.

"Get in kid, and let sis work her magic."

"Figure of speech, or actual magic?" The boy asked in wonder.

The man was startled and then grinned.

"So you did get something useful after all. By the words of that red-haired menace, I thought you wasted my time. Glad to hear you ticked them kid because if you didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"We can talk about that later boys. First, let's check if Ciaran is ok. Please lay down in the water with your belly up. This will only take a second."

Ciaran did as instructed, and floated in the water. The woman guided his body to the center of the pond. Next, there was this bright blue light and everything went dark.

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There was an image of a broken armada of boats. A younger Liam held a man in his arms while a younger Camille held a baby in hers.

"Please, take care of my son Liam, they took my wife, and now I am going after her. Protect him, hide who he is if you have to, just please keep him safe."

"I promise." That was all Liam could say. And just like that, the man died in his arms.

Ciaran was looking at this scene like it was a movie, and he didn't know what to make out of it. He had never heard of a massacre this big anywhere close to his home. More importantly, he had never seen his father sad, let alone with tears in his eyes, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Whoever this was, he was important to Dad."

It was an easy conclusion to make. What flabbergasted the boy was that the baby in his mother's arms was very strange. It kind of looked like a human, but it had scales, its eyes were murky and gad fins on its arms and legs.

Next, the scenery changed to an operating table, the baby had multiple tubes stuck in it. Before it could play out, however, everything went dark once again.

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The boy woke up in the pond, embraced in a tight hug. He wanted to struggle but found out that the woman was a lot stronger than she seemed.

"Monsters. They call us beasts, but they did that to a child, an innocent newborn child. Fucking abominations, the whole lot of them." She whispered, clearly not knowing he had woken up.

He looked at Eleftherios who was still standing on the shore. The man had a confused look that was slowly changing to that of horror.

'Not used to hearing her swear are you? The same thing happened to me when I heard Mom curse out the military commander when they took Ray for his first day of drills.' The boy thought.

He didn't move and just enjoyed the pleasant feeling of being held. Ciaran knew it was going to be a long day, and chose to pretend to still be unconscious for a few more minutes.

'Nothing wrong with taking it easy from time to time.'