'I'm sorry Dex. I'll get you later. Please let it not have been Dex. Please...'
Silas was still running with his sister close behind him.
"We will soon... reach the hut... Keep running... for now." Silas said while gasping.
Stella was so exhausted, she couldn't even protest.
"But... alright."
The forest was slowly growing denser, making it harder and harder to reach their destination.
A while later they finally reached a small hut, built from wood as walls and a roof made of moss.
Silas opened the door, pushed Stella inside and followed inside for a few seconds. Something was different from the last time he left it. A small table and three chairs on the right corner of the house and a carpet made from some animal hide on the floor. A new, burning candle was placed on the table. The place was about 2 meters wide and 3 meters long. No light was possible to enter the hut, drenching the insides in darkness.
"Hello young souls." A croaking old voice said.
Completely taken aback, Silas looked toward the table. There, an old man was sitting in the corner. A bright smile decorated his shriveled face.
'No, not again.'
Silas tensed and thought surprised and annoyed.
'Who even is this guy? I've never seen him anywhere in the forest. I've had enough trouble already'
As if the old man had read his mind, he said with a ragged voice.
"I am no one to be scared of, you two. Don't be afraid. My name is Orren of the forest of souls."
'Ugh, I wanted to let Stella stay here while I search for Dex, but that plan's not accomplishable anymore.'
"Your brother is alright... for now. You needn't worry.'
'Did he do it again? Dammit! Is he reading my mind? No, that's impossible. But still...'
"Why would I trust you?"
'The only way a question like this could be answered is if he has some kind of foresight ability. Got you!'
"You can either leave your sister here with me right now and look for your brother or stay here. One choice is as good as the other.'
'Dammit he's got a point.'
Stella, who had finally caught her breath sounded confused.
"Sill, do you know him?'
"'No I've never seen him to be honest."
Facing the old man once again he asked
"How do you know so much about us though?"
"I only know what my great grandfather told me. Nothing more and nothing less."
'What is this guy blabbering? His grandpa? What the heck?'
"I am here in order to tell you something important."
"Alright... Orren was it? We'll listen."
"You better sit down. It will take some time to tell."
Stella and Silas sat down on the opposite side of the table.
"A long time ago, about sixty years it has been. Back then, the town you live in wasn't that different from now. The main water source was the river. The houses were built from marble and pinewood. The people ate bread and fish most of the time. Everything else was imported. I was a young boy back then. Not older than 14 years old. I lived in an old house, made from ancient wood and stone.
Everything was exactly the same as it is to this day. Except for one crucial difference. That difference, young souls, was my great grandfather, the oldest elder of our village. He was 91 years old at that time..."
Orren coughed, and looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Do you know what a facet is, dear children?"
Silas and Stella looked at each other, having the same thought.
'Doesn't everyone know that?'
Finally Silas said
"It's a of part of something, no?"
The old man smiled.
"Of course it is, but it goes deeper than that. So where was I? Right, my great grandpa. People like him were the reason, why humans were able to settle in this damned place at all. Because he had knowledge of our forefathers , given from one generation to another. It was the knowledge to awaken certain powers in people. You see, there once were two brothers who wanted to learn that knowledge from their elders. They lived far away, far beyond the marble mountains and far beyond the reaches of this realm. But since the elders only ever gave one person that knowledge, the two had to fight for it. Normally, the older sibling would get the knowledge, but since they were twins they had to fight for it till death. That's how it has always been and how it should have continued... But the brothers refused to fight against each other. So they stole the knowledge from the oldest elder of their time. Humans were on the top of the food chain before. Everyone who had their power unlocked had unbelievable power in a certain domain. They were gods as one would call them today. One thought of someone who had inherited the power of water by example and the sea would split in two. That's also why those godlike humans were limited to the number of 90. The human gods always lived to the age of 90 years old. Every first offspring of a god was entitled to their powers and accepted them with glory. Every other child of them was born and lived as normal creatures or humans. But as soon as the two twins stole the power of the elders and turned 18, everything built by the ancient humans crumbled. You see there were eleven realms. Every realm used to inhabit nine godlike humans lead by the elder, who was the only one inhabiting his eleventh realm. His power was equivalent to that of nine other gods. But as soon as the two new elders, the twins, came upon his realm and he died from old age the other gods got furious, feeling threatened by the twins. Then, a war started between the 10 realms and the brothers. What happened next is known by no one. There are many mysteries about this time frame and what happened before. What I have just told you is a story, my great grandfather told me."
Silas was fully taken aback by the story. His brain, processing all of the new data, came to a peculiar conclusion.
"That's very interesting and all but why are you telling us all of this? There must be a reason."
Orren looked calmly into both of their eyes.
"I told you about the so called facet didn't I? You see, it is something the ancient elders were able to invoke in people, making them absorb their true nature. Take water for example. If one has the predisposition for this special element, then the ancient elders could invoke it to fully encompass ones being, making one a godlike creature. That knowledge has been lost over the years though. It was scattered across the realms, making it impossible to fully merge with ones nature. But as I said it was scattered."
Silas processed every word. Carefully observing how the old Orran behaves while talking.
"Then isn't it irrelevant if it's impossible to use?"
The voice of the old guy was raspy after talking so long, but he still had a lot to tell.
"Not quite. You see, scattered doesn't mean unusable. My family line for example has the knowledge for the ascension of spirit vision qualities. My father taught me how to use it a long time ago, even though I am not very good at it, I do know the basics. There's another part of knowledge hidden in the place you call home. The knowledge of starting a transformation in someone. As I already told you the elders were able to fully bring out ones essence in a matter of minutes. That's how gods were born. With the knowledge, hidden in the village, one can do something similar. The powers one awakens might be weak and minuscule at the beginning but with the right cultivation..."
Silas had his emerald eyes locked onto the old man.
"I see where you're going with this. You want us to steal this knowledge, don't you?"
The man smiled gleefully, his voice becoming more sinister.
"You are wrong. I only want you to steal it, Silas." he said in a neutral tone.
"But what do I get out of it."He sighed.
"And again, why would we believe you?"
"Because you have no other choice. What do you plan on doing with your sister, Silas? Run through the forest till you find a place to live? No, you wouldn't dare. Traverse the mountains? Ha, don't make me laugh. The monsters there are so strong you couldn't even look at them without fainting. Also..."
The man started to smile again.
"There's no reason not to trust an old man who just wants to help his family."
'Yeah right, as if we were really related.'
His smile widened, making his wrinkles even more pronounced.
"I know what your thinking. So back to the question of what you get out of it. First I will help you cultivate your facets. And secondly... I will teach you to use spirit vision, since you are part of my families lineage."
Silas grasped for air.
'So this old dude is really related to me?"