Lord Shadow

Will instead of running again walk slowly. He doesn’t know if he walks because he is afraid of the truth or because of something else.

He is not quite excited to find the truth…but at the same time he could not help but keep walking forward.

His breath never let fear dictates his choices. Instead he makes his choice despite the fear. Probably that is why he become that strong.

He keeps reminding himself of the words that his brother told him

‘Being fearless…does not mean having no fear. It is charging forward…despite of it. It is bravery…. mixed with the good kind of foolishness. Because things are uncertain, people have fear. And charging through that uncertainty is how one become fearless.’

So, he too would make the same decision. he keeps walking forward…but slowly. Like he is waiting for some sign to make him turn back.

But he could only hear the shrieking of the seagull and the waves slapping the beach. He looked upwards and saw the sparkling stars of the night.

He looks on his left and he could see a river not far away from the house. Someone built that river using their abilities.

Santorini have no rivers and water is usually scarce.

The rain is also rare but after the Fall people have a lot of abilities. Just looked at Death Monarch Azief.

Wherever he goes storms and thunders would follow. Weather manipulation is easy for powerful people.

As he walked to the house, he could saw a tomato garden on the outside. It is intensely red, staining color.

There are also a few white eggplants and katsoúni, a unique local variety of large cucumber which, if left unpicked when green, turn yellow and acquire a sweet taste almost indistinguishable from that of melon

Will used to eat it when he meets one of the Seven Warlords of Delphi. He could see the house is large and is a two story house.

As he come closer he notices something odd about the house and the entire vibe of the area. It is too silent….and too serene.

It was a premonition. Not of a premonition of something gone wrong…it is just an unease and uncomfortableness.

He arrived at the front door and then he knocks it. He waited for a moment but no one answered. Will pushed the door of the house and with a creaking sound it opens.

The windows and the door slowly opened up and Will could see there is no one on the second floor of the house.

At this time the weirdness of this house is raised several levels inside Will heart.

He took a step forward and enter the house

The light is open on the first floor, the chair overlooking the large sea on the veranda is empty. Then Will heard a noise.

He could hear that it comes from upstairs. Will already uses his divine sense before and he knows there is two people in the house.

But yet, in the first floor no one is there. And while it does seem like a trap nothing sprung up at him yet.

Then Will finally understand why he felt unease.

It was like someone is waiting for him to come here. It was like he was always in the calculation of this person.

Is this person Erika or someone else? Will ask himself. If truth be told, the reason he came here tonight is not just because of the vision he saw about his brother.

But he also came because there is a vison about himself. It is quite a long dream. For some reason, there is also excitement in his heart as he is about to see the Oracle.

But he no longer hesitated.

He slowly climbs the stairs and arrived at the second floor. The second floor is an open area with no ceiling and with the full view of the expansive Aegean Sea.

There is only a tarp like cloth that is attached to the pillars of some wooden pole that would protect anyone from rain.

It is flapping because of the wind

Like the first floor the second floor is illuminated with lights and there is even a dinner table in the middle of the open area.

Sitting there leaning on her chair is a woman. She sighed when she saw Will and said

‘I guess, it is true. You came after all.’

Will looked at the woman and he is trying to see whether the woman is shocked at seeing him but he saw no such thing on the face of the woman. Instead he saw only disappointment.

It was then he remembers the message in his dreams

He slowly asks

‘You know I would come. Did you also see it?’ Will asked even as he tried to deny the truth

Erika sighed.

‘I actually hope you would not come. If you did not come tonight…I intend to treat what I saw as nothing more than this woman delusional thoughts’

Will smiles bitterly

The wind blows onto the second floor and Will hair ruffles and lightning sparks from the tip of his hair.

‘I came’ Will said

Bitterly smiling Erika nodded

‘Yeah…. you came…. that is truly unfortunate. I guess it is more than just a dream after all.’ Will did not say anything else instead he asks

‘Did you send that message in my dreams?’

Erika sighed again. She looks at the stars on the sky and as the wind blows on her face, her hair waves gracefully under the illumination of the light.

‘Please sit first’ she said gesturing to Will to take a seat.

‘Let’s eat. I thought you would come so I prepared some dishes. I am quite a good cook.’

This time it is Will turn to be surprised. The matter he is about to speak about is something that is very serious.

Erika saw the expression on Will face and said.

‘I know, I know. It is a serious matter. But let’s eat first. I am starving’

Will did not immediately take his seat. Instead he asked

‘Where is Antonius? I know he is here’ By now he could already have deduced who is the other person in the house.

And the way he said the name is like the man is his rival. Erika notices it and she smiles a bit. What a tangled fate…she thought to herself

Erika then raise her eyebrows.

‘Wow, paranoid much?’ Then Erika shakes her head.

‘Death Monarch is rubbing off on you’ Will just shrug it off.

‘Where is he?’ Will asked again

‘he is asleep at the moment. So we could have our talk more comfortably’ Erika finally answered Will question

‘Asleep?’

‘Well, technically I drugged him…but he is asleep’ Hearing this Will look at Erika incredulously. Erika just raise her shoulder and said

‘He doesn’t know anything about what we will be talking about. Since you came…. you also wanted to know, right? Or to be more accurate you want me to tell you it is not true right? Or do you want to tell me it’s the truth. That is why you had such a face. You are in dilemma of wanting to believe and don’t want to believe’

‘Well, then…Is it…true?’ Will ask, his clear eyes are staring at Erika. Erika only smiles

‘Well…. if you want to know, let’s eat first’ and Erika laughs looking at Will face. He looks like he just swallowed a fly.

‘Don’t give me that face. This is a rare opportunity to taste my cooking. It is usually people serving me food and not the other way around. Will the famous Speedster…be honored that I am cooking you food’

Will seeing no other reasons to refuse take a seat on the table. Because there are more reasons to eat Erika food than not.

Erika couldn’t see it but Will is smiling as he takes the seat but he quickly wipes the smile after he sit down.

On the table there is a lot of food. The is fava, brantada which is fish dish. It is cod fillet coated in a mixture of flour, water, salt and from what Will smell beer.

It is served with garlic salad. The dish in the table is overflowing like Will was invited into a feast. There is Koskosela and Sfougato.

There is also some Omatokeftdes. It is tomato fritter made with cherry sized tomatoes.

For the drink there is Vinsato, the Holy wine. It is a dessert wine made from the best sun-dried Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Aidani grapes, and undergoing long barrel aging

Will don’t even know how Erika got his hand on most of them. It is quite amazing when you think about it.

It is like Loki and his carbonated drinks. Even till now Will don’t know how Loki got that.

‘There is a lot of food on the table’ Will remarked. Erika only smiles. Then she answered

‘You have been running all around the world searching for me. Correct me if I’m wrong…you speedster need to eat a lot right?’

‘We could absorb energy from the world’ Will reply

‘Ah’ And Erika wave her hand like that is something insulting.

‘But the world energy doesn’t really have a taste right? It could not beat the taste of a good aged wine or a freshly baked bead’

Will nodded

‘Well, you are not exactly wrong’

‘HAHAHA. I rarely do’ Erika laughed. Will was about to take a sip on some of the soup but Erika said before Will had the chance to take a sip

‘There is also white wine if you want. It is quite strong and extremely dry. It is citrus scent. Tell me if you want that instead. I got it holed up in my wine cellar and like you could see right now I don’t get many visitors here…. other than the pirates. They are a rowdy bunch but they are quiet interesting’

Will just nodded and said

‘I think this is quite enough for me’

‘Good. Let us eat before Antonius wakes up’ Will just nodded and slowly eats his dishes.

He felt weird as he is eating.

He thought he would be having an intense discussion by now, probably frowning and solemnly thinking by the edge of a hill by now after finishing the conversation with Erika.

Who would have thought instead of anything like that he is invited to eat and sit down on her table drinking some aged wine and eating some fish?

For some reason he felt his heart comforted. Since the moment he saw that scene in his dream his heart could not stop beating with anxiousness and fear.

They eat in silence and calmly. Erika sometimes stole a glance at Wil and when she saw Will eating her food with delight, she also unconsciously smiles.

***

Pay attention to thsi chapter because it hinted at the shcoking revelation in next chapter. Anyway, tehre is not a lot to talk about about thsi chapter other than the hints I spread aroudn in thsi chapte rto hint about the shocking revelations.

Anyway, I will be going ona trip on 24 to 26 so I will schedule a chapter for that day. Anyway, this is the countdown to the end of the Arc