"Ethan!" Arthur is calling me.
I opened my eyes to see that I had been asleep. Was all of that… just a dream?
If so, it's extremely strange. Everything felt… real.
I got up, everyone was ready to continue the path. We stopped at the mountain because night had fallen, and also because of the long staircase that looked like it took you to the ends of the sky.
To the left and right of the stairs were cherry trees extending to the end of the steps. They were tilted, as if leaning toward those ascending to the summit. Along with the trees, the soil was adorned with small red shrubs whose leaves looked like autumn leaves, even though we were in the heat of summer.
Each step was gray mixed with a light whiteness. Its sides were inlaid with shiny white stones. And even though the place was supposedly ancient, it bore no trace of age.
As we climbed the stairs, a bird came and threw a newspaper to me. I don't know who still uses newspapers, but it must be something important since it didn't ask for money in exchange.
I started reading the newspaper. And thankfully, it carried good news.
The war ended, not entirely, but the kingdom will not be in danger from a war against a country like Athene. Such a thing wasn't mentioned in the paper, but Luxaria Kingdom and the state of Athene must now be in some kind of cold war. The situation is safe, but not entirely.
Hours had already passed. We began to feel severe exhaustion from the length of the staircase, but before any of us could speak about our condition, the stones on the sides of the stairs lit up and shone with a cloud-colored light toward the sky. Before we could have a moment to comprehend the situation, the place we were standing in changed.
Clouds, giant birds, cold winds, and a fragrant smell of flowers.
The staircase I thought had no end was replaced by a blue sky and white clouds gathered together to form a single sentence: "Welcome to those chosen by the light"
Then I heard the voice of an old man from behind me saying: "I haven't had visitors in a long time"
I turned to find a bald man wearing a black, almost religious robe. Behind him were plants of various types and colors all gathered around a small wooden hut, and to its right was a purple pond.
Arthur, amazed by the scenery, took a step forward and asked: "Excuse me, but are we… on the summit of the Mountain of Beginning?"
With a comfortable smile, the man nodded, "Yes, you are. Not only did you believe the mountain legend was true, but you also didn't stop climbing no matter how endless the steps seemed. And here you will receive what you desired."
The man approached me and extended his hand. "I see your left hand needs healing."
I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I took his hand.
He pulled me toward the purple lake. He placed my hand in its waters. I didn't feel anything. But when I pulled it out, I understood everything.
My three fingers were back! I could feel them and move them. How I missed this feeling!
Amazement and joy mixed on my face and even more on the others' faces. But what we shared was happiness.
The man welcomed us into the hut and served us hot green tea. Something to relax the nerves a bit.
Then the man spoke with the same smile, which now started to make me uneasy.
"I see you're the only one here who uses a sword. So there's a special gift for you."
He stood up and took something wrapped in white cloth from the table behind him. He gently removed the cloth until he was done.
A sword. A sword whose hilt had an oval shape. The hilt was wrapped in nearly black leather. The guard at the base of the hilt and the blade extended to the right and left sides and ended in a quarter-circle shape. The blade was longer than my short sword and sharp. At the base, it was wide but began to narrow as it rose.
"This sword… is for me? Why?" I asked.
He placed it in front of me before speaking, "You reached the summit. And you're the only one who uses a sword. Consider it a reward for reaching the top. No one will reach here after you except perhaps after many years. I might die before I see other faces."
After his words, I looked at the sword intently. I turned my face to Arthur; he too was examining the sword with his eyes before looking at me. He nodded.
The sword is mine. As soon as I touched it, the place changed and we found ourselves at the beginning of the staircase leading to the mountain summit. The same one that took us up now brought us down.
I carried the sword and we started walking. Questioning is pointless since the sun is about to set, and returning is impossible.
Arthur spoke after noticing, "Ethan, since when has this mask been hanging on your belt?"
A white mask was hanging on my left side belt. It had many black musical notes on it. Then I remembered.
Could it be that this… is the Mask of Eternity?..
I tried to speak about the matter of the Mountain of Beginning's heart, which I thought was a dream, but I felt my tongue tie and my neck being squeezed.
"Maybe it's a gift from the old man." If I don't lie, I might die from choking by something I don't even know.
---
At the summit of the Mountain of Beginning, the old man was sitting in complete silence, looking at the entrance of his wooden hut. The calm smile was still drawn on his sharp face.
He finally broke the silence in his deep voice.
"There was an old book. A book in which five stages of despair were mentioned: Distance, Questioning, Loss, Collapse, and Salvation. But sometimes, the fifth stage turns into… Destruction."
---
"Look at it, isn't it cute?" Kafka said while holding a frog in his hands.
"Is this frog poisonous?" Ank asked.
I answered her, "I don't think frogs are poisonous."
We stopped in this forest for the night. There is a village nearby, but entering it at such a time wouldn't be the best idea, especially since we don't know what race lives in that village.
Arthur is preparing the wood to light a fire outside while I prepare the food ingredients.
But that Mask of Eternity still occupies my mind. How did it suddenly appear with me? Why couldn't I talk about it? Is it connected to the old man?
Many events happened in succession, and I'm truly confused. Also, that light that came from the egg and entered my clothes—I still don't know what that was.
Don't forget the spirits… Esteliora is in your care… the mask is your fate.
I don't know what the spirits are. I don't know how that egg is in my care… and why the mask is connected to my fat—
Wait… Esteliora is in my care? Could that light that entered my clothes be the being the egg was named after? If so, then where is it now? It's impossible for an egg to contain something non-living.
Then I felt Ank tapping on my shoulder. "I called you five times."
I was distracted… "I didn't notice you."
Arthur prepared the food. We ate it and went to sleep directly.
Arthur's cooking is wonderful… I envy the girl he'll marry.
I woke up in the pitch-black night because I felt fur on my chest. I lifted my shirt to see a small creature with white and orange fur sleeping. As soon as I saw it, I thought of only one thing: Is this Esteliora?
Before I got lost in my thoughts, I noticed something that made me jump from my place. Kafka was not there.
I got out of the tent and looked everywhere around me.
The darkness is extremely thick. I must not shout Kafka's name, as my voice might only attract annoying animals.
While I was thinking, I heard loud sounds coming from a nearby place.
These sounds must be from the village. I got closer for the sounds to become clearer. These were the sounds of chains.
I woke Arthur and Ank and told them about the matter while we were preparing our weapons for anything that might happen.
If my thoughts are correct, then this village is just a cover for human trafficking.
The village has a gloomy vibe, of course it would be like that, it's too late for anyone in a rural life to be awake. Closed doors. Dim lamps.
We observed the situation from beside a slightly distant house. My assumption was correct, the village is a cover for slave trade. A few people were being dragged toward a certain house.
"Do we need to make sure they took Kafka?" asked Arthur.
"Let's just go. We're adventurers now, the law won't stop us from ending such a crime."
Ank held her staff tightly. Arthur readied his weapons. And I got ready to raise my sword at any moment.
The sounds of the chains were decreasing with every slave entering the house.
We stormed the house, and there were two people wearing iron armor with the letter (L) engraved on it, which means they are Luxaria knights.
My grip on my sword tightened but before I drew it, I finally noticed.
A big hole beneath us with no visible end.
"Damn it!" I rushed to save Kafka. I acted on emotion!
The last thing I saw before falling was one of the knight's wicked smile.
We fell for about 10 seconds until we found ourselves in deep water.
I got out of the water, and then the creature that was sleeping came out from my shirt.
'Where are we?'
Thi— that wasn't the voice of Ank or Arthur... Whose voice is that?
'I'm talking to you!'
No way...
I looked at the creature to find it looking at me too. And then I heard the voice again.
'Where are we?'
This creature... is communicating with me telepathically!