CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 34: PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST (8)

Oliver walked behind Aria, who now looked like an elderly woman well past seventy.

Her steps were extremely slow yet steady, and her back was slightly bent.

Even so, she walked as if she knew every corner of this village.

And the deeper they went into the alleys, the more people ran the moment they saw her.

Some dropped whatever they were holding, and some slammed their doors shut so hard the wood shook.

Oliver felt something strange creeping into him as he watched this chaos. The faces of the people made him uneasy.

Not because they were frightening, but because they were familiar in a way that made discomfort rise inside him.

Their features were slightly distorted, yet they were far too similar to faces he knew from his real village.

He could not explain the feeling, a disturbing mix of confusion, nostalgia, and fear.

All those emotions rushed into him every time he looked at those faces.

As for Aria, she walked in complete calm.

They continued forward until they stopped in front of a building Oliver had never seen before, unlike the rest of the village that felt strange and familiar at the same time.

This place was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

It had an enormous stone wall with no door and no windows, just a massive cube made entirely of stone walls.

Aria raised her hand casually, and the moment she flicked her fingers, a door appeared on the wall. She opened it and stepped inside, and Oliver followed without hesitation.

Inside, the place resembled an underground cell. A narrow corridor and a large number of guards stood in every direction, their weapons ready.

The moment they saw Aria approaching, they lifted their weapons in clear panic. But she simply snapped her fingers lightly.

Instantly, the weapons vanished from their hands, along with the armor they wore. Everyone froze in place, their faces turning pale.

Most of them staggered backward in fear, while others, overcome by panic, tried to attack her and Oliver.

But Aria raised her hand again, and a wall that looked like glass appeared, completely solid.

They collided with it hard, then stumbled back and tried repeatedly to break or pass through it, but nothing worked.

Oliver stared, stunned, his mouth half open, unable to comprehend what was happening before him.

He turned toward her.

"Is magic really this strong?"

She answered while walking toward the row of cells.

"In general, dream magic is not this powerful. But the unique structure of this place makes what I am doing possible."

"Is there magic that can do even crazier things than this?"

She nodded without looking back.

"There is magic far stronger than this."

He glanced at her face. She looked even older now, more wrinkles, her hair even whiter.

"Does using this magic make you age every time?"

She turned toward him sharply and gave him a piercing look.

"Didn’t I tell you to watch your words?"

He raised his hands.

"It was just an innocent question, I swear."

She sighed.

"Normally, this does not happen. But as I said, everything here is tied to the city’s structure."

He walked beside her.

"Outside this place, what else can you do?"

"Can you stay quiet for at least a moment until we find your little gray friend?"

He stepped back, clear frustration on his face.

"Fine, I get it."

They continued walking between the rows of cells. Behind the bars sat people, but their faces were pale and unclear.

Unlike the villagers, whose faces looked like a blend of familiar features to him.

No one moved, no one spoke. They did nothing but sit there.

The sight was enough to make Oliver more anxious about Lemur.

Fortunately, it did not take long before they reached the cell where Lemur was being held.

The moment Lemur saw Oliver, he jumped to his feet and rushed toward the bars.

"Oliver, Oliver, I am here!"

Oliver did not hesitate and ran toward him.

"Lemur!"

He approached the bars and reached his hand through the gaps, his eyes scanning him quickly.

"Are you alright?"

Lemur answered while pressing himself against the bars.

"I am almost fine. But how did you get here? Did the commander come to rescue us?"

Oliver pointed toward Aria standing behind him, arms crossed, eyes observing everything.

"No, I came with her help, Aria."

Then he quickly added while turning back toward the bars,

"But there is no time for questions now. Let us get you out first."

Aria raised her hand, and the bars disappeared in an instant, vanishing as if they had never existed.

Lemur froze for a moment, staring at the empty space that had separated him from freedom, then stepped out carefully.

But the moment he did, he turned toward the inner corner of the cell, where another man sat on the ground, his back against the wall and his head lowered.

Lemur pointed at him proudly.

"Orion, he came to save me, just like I told you."

Orion slowly lifted his head.

He stared at Oliver, then at Lemur, then at Aria, after which he closed his eyes again and leaned back against the wall.

Lemur quickly approached him, grabbed his coat, and tried to pull him up.

"Come on, human, you are free now, we can leave."

But Orion did not move nor open his eyes.

Aria tapped her foot against the ground sharply, then approached Oliver.

"Can you tell your little friend that time is not on our side? We need to move now."

Oliver, who had been watching from a short distance, stepped forward until he stood between them and looked at Lemur.

"Do you know this man?"

Lemur answered while still trying in vain to get Orion to stand.

"Yes, he is my cell partner, Orion."

"I have many questions for you. But we will save them for later."

Then he crouched toward Orion and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello, can you hear me? You are free now. You can come out."

Orion opened his eyes halfway and looked straight at Oliver, a brief glance, then closed his eyes again.

Oliver waved his hand in front of the man’s face, but Orion showed no response.

"Orion, can you hear me?"

The moment the man heard his name, he opened his eye sharply and looked directly at Oliver.

"How do you know my name?"