Chapter 5. First time in Centuries.

"Pant! LIV!!! Pant!! LIIIIVVVV!!!! Pant! Wait!! Wait for me!!" "We've talked about this Dan, we can't afford to stop!!," "But I don't get the point of running. You were the one who said that once we get to the forest, he won't be able to find us and now we're here so we can stop right?" "We can't stop, he has the relic, you have to understand, he may be strong enough now to sense us even in these woods." She said. "How long do you plan to keep running like this? If he can find us in these woods, then he can find us anywhere, then why run?" "You are the one who's not understanding the situation Dan, He's not a person we can take on anymore, he maybe more powerful than the both of us combined." She tried to reason with him, trying to keep them on the move but he was not one to back down. "But if he's after us that means he must see us as a threat, probably we're the only ones who can end his tyranny once and for all." There was silence for a moment until she decided to tell him. "He's not after us. He's after you." She said. "What? After me? What do you mean?" "He's after you. You're the final piece in his plan and if he succeeds, he'll be unstoppable for any or even all of us together." She said with her head low trying to avoid an eye contact with him. "I don't get it, why am I the one he's after? Why do you know this? HOW do you know this? What is going on?" She knew she could not hide it anymore. "There is something we have…. something I have hid from you about yourself…." And suddenly a voice started echoing all around, "MYKAL... MYKAL..."

"Mykal…. Detective Darke…" both Candice and Feyona were sitting beside him, trying to wake him up. "Liv…" he whispered, before he got back on his feet with his regained consciousness and sat back on the couch. "Who's Liv?" Candice asked. "Who?" he replied in a confused manner. "You were murmuring that name over and over again while you were unconscious" she said. "Yeah, about that, how did I lose my consciousness?" he asked them. "I don't know, one moment, you were looking at that picture and the next thing I know, you're lying on the ground murmuring the same name over and over, as if she was your long-lost love." "Not love!!!" exclaimed Feyona. "I'm sorry?" he said. "I mean, it didn't feel like he was trying to reach out to a lover, it seemed more like a kin, a sister perhaps?" she said with a cunning smile.

"There's no one besides me, but why would you say that?" "No one else beside you? Well, that's just sad. Because the way you said it had more of a 'blood bond' feel than that of a lover's" she replied handing them tea. "Now, tell me, how can I help you?" "Right, I would like to know if you could tell us everything you know about the vanishings that happened a few months ago in the woods." Asked Mykal. "A lot of things happen in those woods detective, I can't keep track of everything now, can I?" she said. "What do you mean by 'a lot of things'? What do you know?" he caught her off guard. "Let's just say I've seen things people find hard to believe and besides, it has nothing to do with the case, I'm sure." She said. "It is for me to decide if the information you provide is useful for the case or not." He pressed on. "I can't tell you what I know, I have given my word." She replied sternly.

"Your word? To whom?" asked Candice getting impatient. "To the forest." She said while staring out of the window into the woods. Mykal and Candice looked at each other in bewilderment of what they had heard. "What do you mean you gave your word to the forest? It's not like the forest could've asked for your word, right?" said Candice. "The forest is capable of many things; it's not called mystic for no reason" she replied with a confident smile. "Miss Feyona, this is serious, people have gone missing and apparently without a trace, you have to tell us what you know, or I'll be forced to take you to the police station for a formal and less friendly questioning." Said Mykal with a firm voice. "Are you trying to threaten me detective?" she said setting down the cup, still smiling. "I'm trying help you realize the gravity of the situation while suggesting a way less troublesome for all of us." This time he set down his cup too. "I understand that you have to do what have to do, but I stand by what I said, I have to keep my word, but I can tell you this, if anything could help you get closer to what you are looking for, it is the forest."

Mykal inhaled deeply and got up letting it out in a sigh. "I tried to do this the easy way, but I guess the police will have to deal with you personally" "Oh I'm not bothered by them, but do take note of what I said, the forest will have all the answers you seek." He gave her an awkward look, "Right, and why would that be?" "Because, the forest belongs to you," "What do you mean belongs to me?" "The actual name of the forest isn't the mystic woods; it was created by your family and hence its name is the Darke Forest."

Suddenly it felt as if everything went silent, silent enough that even the wind was audible. Mykal finally decided to break the silence, "Well, it seems as if you know my family better than I do." He said before turning to leave. "As a matter of fact, I do, you see a person in your family was a very close friend of mine, so yes, I do know more about your family." He could feel the anger building inside of him. "Oh yeah? Who is it from my family, if there is one in the first place, that you personally know? She started smiling again and said, "You shall know from the right source when the time is right, for I'm not the one from whom you should hear this." That was it, 'I've had enough' he thought, "Right, let's go Candice, there's nothing more left for us to do here."

He stormed out of the house with Candice slowly flowing him not knowing what to say while thinking about what had just happened. "Good luck Mr. Darke, may the Darke Forest guide you on your path…" He stopped to look back and saw her standing at a distance from the door before it closed. "She seems a bit weird" said Candice keeping her note back in her bag. "Yeah, no kidding." He looked towards the ominous woods and everything went silent again.

"We should search the woods for clues I guess." Said Candice, "I will search the woods for clues while you go back home."

"I'm not going anywhere until I get any leads regarding my brother."

"Listen, I understand how you feel, but you need to think practical here, trained policemen have gone missing in those woods, it's dangerous even for me, so you stay here and find out from outside the woods if you can find anything useful, alright?" He didn't realize how close he had got to her and that he was holding her by her arms, she was clearly intimidated because she couldn't speak.

"Alright?" he shook her "Yeah…Yeah, here's my card, you call me as soon as you find anything, okay?" "Okay." "You promise?" she asked "What?" he exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere until you promise me that you'll call me as soon as you find anything"

"Alright, I give you my word that I'll call you as soon as I find something Okay?" she agreed and left. He let out a sigh and walked towards the woods but stopped right before it. "Named after my family huh? Let's find out what's so Darke about you" and went in. Inside her house Feyona kept back all the cups in the sink and walked towards the portrait on the wall. She looked at it with a gleaming smile. "I think it's finally happening Liv, first time in centuries, he recognized you, this may be the time…. I need to locate the dagger as soon as possible, before they resurrect him once again." "What dagger? Resurrect whom? And who's this Liv person anyway?" said Candice standing right behind her.