CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 35: PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST (9)

The look Orion threw at Oliver made him feel slightly afraid.

It was a sharp, solid look, completely different from the dead expression he had shown earlier.

Even so, Oliver held himself together, then pointed at Lemur standing beside him.

"He’s the one who told me that."

Orion’s eyes widened a little.

"You can speak his language?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Can’t you? In that case, how did you tell him your name?"

Orion turned his face away for a moment.

"It’s nothing important. I just told him my name while I was trying to calm him down when they first threw him in here."

Oliver looked at him, folding his arms.

"I’d love to ask you about that in detail but not now. We have to leave these cells quickly. Can you stand so we can get out?"

Orion stared at him with half closed eyes.

"And why do you care about getting me out? We barely met."

Oliver pointed at Lemur again.

"I’m not the one insisting on getting you out, he is. So can you stand so we can finish this?"

Orion closed his eyes.

"There’s no point. Go without me."

"What do you mean? Do you plan to stay here alone in this dark cell?"

"Yes. And I’d appreciate it if you returned the bars after you leave."

After that sentence, Orion turned to stone. He didn’t speak or move. Every attempt Oliver made to talk to him went nowhere.

Oliver let out a breath and shook his head, then walked toward Aria who was inspecting her nails.

"Can you get this man out with us?"

She raised her head toward him.

"Didn’t you hear him? He said he doesn’t want to leave."

"I have a lot of questions for him. I can’t leave him here."

Aria lifted her hand and Orion rose off the ground, floating.

Then she touched a point on the wall, and a wide opening like a doorway appeared. Orion drifted straight through it, floating in front of them.

Lemur didn’t lift his eyes off him the entire time. He kept staring at Orion with worry.

Oliver turned to Lemur as he walked beside him.

"I know the timing is terrible but curiosity is killing me. Tell me what exactly happened. How did we enter this village? The last thing I remember is us walking behind the masked man."

"I don’t know how we entered the village. Everything started when we woke up and found ourselves in this strange place surrounded by strange creatures."

"You mean surrounded by humans?"

"No, these are not humans. They look like everything except humans."

"And how did they throw you into the cells?"

"I was trying to warn the others about them and they pushed me inside the cell with Orion. I was sure the leader would come rescue me, but you’re the one who came."

Oliver lifted his shoulders with a light sarcastic comment.

"Why does your voice sound slightly disappointed about that last part? Anyway, how do you see those people exactly?"

"Their faces aren’t faces. Just a mass of darkness moving."

"And what about the village itself? How do you see it?"

"The place is strange, yet I see it more clearly than those creatures."

Oliver pointed at Orion who was still floating ahead of them.

"And what about this man?"

"He’s Orion. My companion."

"I know he’s your companion. But why does he look like that? And why are you this close to him? How long were you two inside those cells?"

"I don’t know. A lot of time maybe. And Orion was the cell companion. A cell companion becomes the closest person to you."

"Is that one of your rules, you greys? You have prisons?"

"Yes. It’s a room where the little ones who broke the rules sit until they’re allowed to leave."

"That’s not a prison, you know?"

"...A prison is a closed room you’re not allowed to leave, right?"

"Yes, kind of. But there should be guards outside, and there should be bars."

"If there aren’t bars, then that place we left earlier isn’t a prison?"

"No, it’s still technically a prison."

"In that case, the holding rooms are also prisons. And outside, one of the warriors stands to stop me from leaving until the punishment ends."

"I guess that’s technically a type of prison."

As they walked, Lemur looked behind him toward Aria who was walking while Orion floated beside her.

"Who’s that old lady there?"

Oliver turned quickly to Aria, then back to Lemur.

"That old lady? That’s Aria."

He barely finished the word before a staff appeared in Aria’s hand out of nowhere, and she struck him on the head with a fast hit.

"Didn’t I tell you to speak respectfully?"

Oliver placed his hand on his head.

"Why the violence? I was just answering his question."

"I don’t know what kind of question you were asked, but it’s better to answer respectfully no matter what. Understood, kid?"

Lemur, who saw the scene, stepped a bit closer to Oliver.

"You shouldn’t have said it to her face, you know? When dealing with elders, it’s better not to say that in front of them. It reminds them that they’re close to dying."

Oliver turned to him quickly, clearly irritated.

"Weren’t you the first one who called her an old lady?"

"Yes, but she doesn’t understand my language. She understands yours."

"You know what? I don’t want to hear that kind of logic from you."

Lemur changed the subject.

"How can that lady do those strange things?"

"She’s a witch."

Aria struck him again on the head with the staff.

Oliver yelled, holding his head again,

"Why? I just said the truth! Aren’t you a witch? You use magic!"

"I’m not like those idiots. I’m half mythical creature. Don’t compare me to them."

"And what’s the difference between you and them?"

"The difference is that they get their magic by serving a mythical creature, while I don’t need that nonsense."

"There’s a method like that and you didn’t tell me about it?"

"It’s useless for you. You’re a hybrid. You can’t use any magic except your own."

Lemur listened but didn’t understand anything they were talking about.

"What exactly are you two talking about?"

"Nothing important. Just a simple discussion."

When they reached the tower, Oliver pushed the door with his shoulder and they all entered.

As soon as they crossed, Aria lowered her hand and Orion fell to the ground quickly.

Once he hit the floor, he opened his eyes, stood up and brushed the dust off his coat, then looked at them one by one with a confused expression.

"What exactly is happening here?"