“Were you looking for this?” A voice rings out from the entrance of the cave.
Both Moe and I turn to look in shock.
I hurry to her side, pulling her behind me to shield her against the potential threat.
A tall male walks casually into the cave. He’s dressed in a neat brown striped suit, no speck of dust anywhere on him. His dark hair is slicked back and shrewd black eyes watch us.
He raises a hand and unfolds the map.
“Who are you?” I demand, already thinking of potential scenarios to evade him.
“The closure of the proto-realm should give you an idea as to who I am.”
Both Moe and I stiffen.
“So it is you,” I say grimly. “Was that your purpose from the beginning? To give me the map, and ,if I succeed, reap the spoils yourself?”
“You’re oversimplifying things.” He rolls his eyes. “If I wanted that, I have plenty of resources to make it happen. I don’t need a Zantrax addict and his mortal to do it for me.”
I grind my teeth at his appellation.
“Then why? What’s your purpose?”
Considering the secrecy with which Utopiya operates, the fact that he revealed himself before us in his true form can only mean one thing—he doesn’t plan to let us leave.
“Closing the proto-realm and taking your items? That was just to annoy you.” He shrugs. “I’ve been watching you closely ever since you started on this journey, though I still cannot understand what’s so special about you?”
I frown. “What are you talking about?” He makes no damn sense.
He shakes his head at me. “Do you know how many tried to get that book before you? Hundreds. All of them ended up either banished by the forest or killed by it. Yet you not only survived, you conquered it.”
“You’re talking about that mission?” Now I’m even more confused. I don’t understand what any of that has to do with the situation at hand.
“Of course I am. But I don’t expect someone like you to understand.”
“Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It was easy to realize why you needed those specific ingredients. Your meridians were blocked, weren’t they?” He chuckled. “You should thank me, though. I delayed this encounter on purpose so you could use that potion. Magnanimous of me, I know, but I was curious if that would reveal anything about you.” He pauses. “Sadly, it has not, so now I will have to resort to other means.”
“I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t. As I said, I don’t expect someone like you to know anything. But it’s an easy fix. Now that your meridians are open, I can harvest the core of your energy and study it to understand why the forest let you in.”
“You’re crazy,” I mutter in disbelief.
Moe’s expression is one of terror as she raises her eyes at me.
I squeeze her hand in comfort. Whatever happens, I will ensure nothing happens to her at least.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she whispers. “Don’t. We leave together or none at all.”
I don’t reply, my body tense as I try to think of a way out.
“Perhaps.” The male shrugs. “But I have been studying the myth of Urteos for thousands of years. This might be my one chance to truly understand his legacy.”
“You’re doing all of that for a tyrant who lived tens of thousands of years ago?” I ask intentionally to goad him. From the corner of my eye, I scan the back of the cave. There don’t seem to be any other people laying in wait there. And from whatI saw when I went to wash myself, the cave is deep, leading to a subterranean water source.
Perhaps…
