"Do I know you?" I finally asked.

"No, but I know you," the beast replied. It spoke like us. No voice penetrated my soul or spoke inside my head. It spoke clearly, articulated every word as though it had learned our tongue from birth.

The beast turned to Raiya and observed her with its feline eyes. It was difficult to discern what Abrath thought at that moment. Reading through a beast's facial expressions wasn't among my specialties. Their eyes met, and they stared at each other in silence. After a while, Abrath spoke again.

"Raiya O'Cheran, the witch that beat all the odds." the beast said. "What does your heart yearn for?"

"I want to see her smile one more time," Raiya immediately replied.

The beast made a sound that resembled the purring of a cat. "Indeed," it said. "Are you prepared to sacrifice her memory to leave this place?"

Raiya shook her head. "I'd rather die," she replied.

Abrath roared, and the cave walls shook. "You have trespa.s.sed upon my land. To leave, you either pay the toll, or serve as food for my minions." Its voice resounded throughout the tunnels. I heard its echo travel as far as the cave I came from.

"I can always fight you," the witch said. "Raiya O'Cheran never backs down from a fight."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Was Raiya seriously thinking of fighting this monstrosity? I had stretched my senses toward Abrath when we entered its cave. What I sensed was more terrifying than my initial a.s.sessment. The beast's energy was stronger than anything I've ever felt before. It was even stronger than the horse demons I met back in Sosalk.

"I never took you for a fool, time witch," Abrath replied.

It then turned to me. When its eyes landed on mine, I felt cold s.h.i.+vers run down my spine. It felt as though the beast could read through my soul. In an instant, my whole life flashed before my eyes. I knew then, that Abrath had seen the same things I had. It knew everything I cherished. It saw all my experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"What about you Stalwart?" the beast said. "Are you willing to fight me too? It's been a while since I've had a thrilling hunt."

I was in no shape to move, let alone fight. "Look at me," I scoffed. "I don't think I can move even if I wanted to."

Abrath's monstrous muzzle parted in a grotesque form of a smile. It had rows of incisors instead of normal teeth. They looked sharp, dangerously so. It shook its head, and the multicolored crown on top of its head swayed. They looked as though they grew on the monster's head. They weren't an accessory.

 "A hunt isn't fun when the hunted party's injured," Abrath said. It sounded almost disheartened. "Nevertheless, I must ask you. Are you willing to fight me to leave this place, or is it just the witch?"

I turned to look at Raiya, who shook her head. 'Leave this place,' she said. 'Regroup with the others. They already have Bodrick. Your grandfather can't reach him now.'

'What about you?' I asked. 'Fighting this monster is suicide.'

"I can hear everything you two are discussing," Abrath interjected. "Your brother has already left this cave. He was adamant on leaving. He didn't even blink when I asked for your family's legacy. He didn't stop mumbling too. It seems notifying your dear grandfather outweighed his precious gift."

"Legacy?" I asked.

"Myles… Don't get sucked into this…" Raiya warned. She looked deeply concerned and disturbed by what the beast had said.

Abrath turned toward Raiya. "What's the matter, time witch?" it asked. "Are you afraid the boy would hate you for hiding the truth from him?"

"What truth?" I asked them both.

"Don't listen to him," Raiya said. "Whatever he tells you, it won't change anything."

"Oh but it will," Abrath retorted. The beast turned to me. It showed me all its sharp incisors. I took it as its way of smiling, or grinning, whichever worked best. "Why do you think your brother hates you so? Why do you think your dear grandfather could never accept you as a Stalwart? Don't you wish to know?"

I did, but not from a monster. In fact, I didn't know who I was ready to hear it from. No, scratch that, I didn't want to hear any of it. I only wished to forget the past and live in the present. Too much dwelling only leads to overthinking. Overthinking ultimately leads to self-doubt, depression then regression. I took a deep breath, looked at Raiya, then turned to Abrath.

"I always thought I cherished my past," I said in a solemn voice. "I thought of it as my catalyst, the thing that kept me moving forward. For a while, my anger and desire to avenge my family's death stopped me from ending my own life.

"As time pa.s.sed though, I began to forget, and the wounds healed. Now, I can barely remember how my mother sounded like. My older sister's smile had long vanished from my memory. Whatever revelation you think you have for me, it won't bring my parents back. It won't undo the mistakes I've made.

"There's nothing I cherish most in this world than Utar's life, the Priest that turned my life into a living h.e.l.l. So state your price, oh king of beasts. Or step aside. Let us walk out of here."

"Do you think you can make it to the exit with that leg?" Abrath asked.

"I'll take my chances," I said. "There's nothing you can take from me that hasn't already been taken."

"There's still your life," Abrath retorted. "I can take the memories of your parents' death, take your motives away from you. Then there's that Fragment you hold. Minsec would never gift you his power. How did you come by it?"

"I woke up one day and it was right next to me," I said.

"Peculiar…" Abrath said, pensive. "You of all people should not, and cannot, use that Fragment. What you've achieved is nothing short of a miracle."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Myles…" Raiya's eyes warned me not to pursue the matter anymore, but I've already fallen for the bait. Abrath roared once more, and the walls around us shook heavily.

"You, Myles Stalwart, are an anomaly," Abrath replied. "How many times have you had close encounters with death? Do you think a mere human can survive all of them?"

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

"I see you've already met one of the Primordials' pets," Abrath said, completely changing the subject. "I'm surprised you don't remember that part of your life. Let me refresh it for you. It's a big snake, bigger than a mountain. It has wings and a sharp forked tongue."  

I did remember, but I chose to forget. I've met the gigantic snake long ago, back when I had just started working as a fisherman. I was on a boat called Namira. Our captain was a reckless adventurer who decided to take us to the high seas. He said Viraldo, the hunter guild master, would pay us handsomely for every fish we bring home.

There was a reason no one ventured that far in the Kozagan Sea though. A vicious snake had taken residence in those parts. Eventually, we encountered the beast we all feared. The snake was, after all, the protector of all marine creatures. If it weren't for my religious nature at the time, I would have perished like my comrades. I had placed an offering before we set sail to Osimir, the G.o.d of sea.

So I survived the encounter, not without repercussions. Or so I thought anyway. For years, I counted my lucky stars for surviving that encounter. I also explained it by my meager offering to Osimir. We were poor, so I could only offer dried fish, but Osimir had deemed it sufficient to save my life.

For years, I kept dreaming of the beast that attacked our s.h.i.+p. We were smaller than ants compared to its size. We were toddles trying to escalate a mountain. The giant serpent killed everyone on board as I watched, helpless and terrified. I was but an eleven year old rookie sailor, and my first trip ended in disaster.

"The snake you all considered a G.o.d is but a pet Empor, the Primordial Lord of power, forgot on this earth long ago," Abrath said. "Empor uses it now to bestow his gift of power upon his chosen ones. He even entrusts their training to his snake pet. If you'd met your grandfather, you would have seen that your family's crest is none other than that d.a.m.ned snake. Don't you ever wonder why it left you alive?"

"Myles, don't listen to him…" Raiya said.

"Woman… You bore me…" Abrath, despite its huge corpulence, moved with tremendous speed. It looked like it vanished from its place then reappeared behind Raiya. It hit her with its forearm, and Raiya flew across the cave then hit a wall. I heard her gasp for air as she fell to the ground. Then she lost consciousness.

Abrath reappeared in front of me. It sat on all fours, its head held high, and looked at me from above.

"Would you like to know why Empor's pet kept you alive?" Abrath asked. "Would you like to know why your father never loved you? Would you like to know the real reason behind your mother's sickness, and your grandfather's hatred?"

"What do I have to pay for such information?" I asked.

"That thing in your pocket," Abrath said.

I couldn't read through the beast's facial expressions, but there was one I could read on any living creature, greed. Besides, instead of offering me a way out for the thing in my pocket, Abrath was willing to trade secrets n.o.body had ever divulged to me.

The thing Abrath spoke about was the crimson drop the fox had left me. Did it know I was going to run into this monster? If so, why didn't it teleport me out of the cave instead of getting me to hop on a broken piece of wood?

I took the crimson drop out of my pocket and held it high for Abrath to inspect. It sniffed at it, and I saw its feline eyes widen. It definitely wanted whatever the fox had gifted me. I could tell that it was almost desperate to get it.

"I don't want your information," I said. "But I'd take your venom, and safe pa.s.sage for both of us out of here." I jerked my head toward the unconscious witch.