Chapter 2: Bygone Dream

The dappled sun shone through the trees, creating mysterious shadows. The sun was a peak high. It was midday. Although it was vague and blurred, the breeze brought back a nostalgic feeling in his skin. He fixated his eyes in front of him to focus even more. As he realized it, the wind blew up his black hair. His eyes widened in shock. It was the village. The village that he thought that had lost and ended in a downfall. He roamed his eyes. Confirming he was not mistaken. Wooden houses, rocky roads, tall trees and lumbers settled at the centre of the village; used for night fire when at night. He was not mistaken at all. He furrowed his brows. "Why am I back at the village?" Asked himself. He tapped his forehead. The view in front of him was too untrustworthy, he started questioning his self once again if he just had his eyes covered in gold dust. "This. Is this true? Then," He was trying to reminisce what happened before this. The village was burned almost to ashes and spit, the people pleading to escape safely and Eliaz's death as well as his entire family. Was that all just a mere hallucination and his hellacious thinking? He thought. He massaged his forehead with his palms. But, interrupted by the sudden change of his physic. Theon, without a hint of slowness, checked his body. "What is this?" He said and gasped. "I'm at my younger self." Now, it made him confused. He turned his gaze back at the houses. After just considering it, the houses were built and formed by the days when he was still training. Theon was in awe. Indeed, everything he saw was not to be believed. Desperation quite changed his perspective. He assumed that all the tragedy that had happened was just because of the steadfast pressure he experienced, he was a warrior, it was not a matter of ridicule that he wanted to indulge in a group that only sought peace for its land. Still stuck in his reverie. Theon walked and began to search the house that he had his eyes set for. Step after step, he almost overlook all the houses but there was only one that caught his attention. It was Eliaz, his mother and the chief's house. He halted and stared at it. "This was burning," He spoke up. "And now it seems that it hasn't been destroyed by anything." The man took a few paces and stayed right in front of the entrance. He somehow hesitated to pass into the entrance, afraid of what he might discover. After all, he insists to believe that all that has happened might just be an oversight. He proceeded to enter and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock. His body was stunned and he could stare at it. It was Zynthia. Sitting on a stool while knitting winter clothes with her hair ringlet down, brown coloured eyes, pink rosy lips, ocean blue eyes and emitting an aura that Theon missed to sense. It was the comfort of a mother. And yes, Zynthia is Eliaz's mother that he thought was already lifeless. "Dear Theon, why are you here?" The woman furrowed her eyebrows confused why Theon has gone back to the quarters. Theon didn't even move a notch. He couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the wonderful woman who has taken care of him ever since he was just a child. His eyes became blurry as he ran to this woman and gave her an embrace while he was on his knees. Zynthia raised her brow and tilted her head upon seeing Theon's behaviour and how it acted in front of her. Surely, something might have happened and she is deeply thinking as to what had happened. "Why are you in your tears, my dear," She raised a question. "Is Ganord giving you a hard time with the training?" Theon was silenced. Perhaps, he was still desperate and insists he believes this very moment that's occurring. For a while, he wanted to stay like this and never let go of her. "Chief is alive?" Still, he asked. And he raised his head to meet her gaze. "What nonsense. Of course, he is. How could he not be alive? What's the matter?" Worry was marked in her utterances. Theon just shook his head even though everything is shocking him off. "My heart is beating so fast, Mother." He said. "Calm down then. There's no need to be nervous." She refrained from laughing but chortled a little. Zynthia thinks that Theon is nervous because Ganord might get angry. However, Theon thinks otherwise. "Ganord is probably waiting for you, you should head out, my dear." She insisted while holding Theon's chin. "Will you still be here?" He asked staring intently at Zynthia. Zynthia was shaken by his question but she didn't make it obvious for him to see. She smiled softly and did not even do any reckless actions to pressure Theon and his palpitating heart. Instead, she stood up and head to a near furniture. On the other hand, Theon followed her every action and was quite confused. Later on, Zynthia was already carrying something brilliant and it caught Theon's eye. "What is it that you're holding?" He could not resist but to ask. "This is an ornament you wore on your neck. A necklace." As soon as he got his eyes close to it. Indeed, it was a necklace. It was made of a silver piece of chains and a round pendant hanging at the centre. Zynthia noticed how the ornament brought predicament in Theon's face. She laughed. "This was given to me by my father. He was such a great man. Just like Ganord, so dedicated to their land and the woods." She gleamed as she reminisced her father's attitude. "I was so little back then when he wanted to continue his father's legacy to pursue the success of keeping the land and not giving in to the conquerors." She gripped the necklace tightly. Theon noticed Zynthia's changes of emotions so he held her hands. And so she continued. "However, he died in that war. And the only thing he left me was this necklace. You see this?" She showed Theon what was carved in the pendant. Theon was mesmerized by the detailed carved leaf in the round pendant. "What does that mean, Mother?" Theon prefers to call Zynthia his mother even though she was not the one who gave birth to him. Just as how he also treat Ganord as his father. For him, everybody is a family if it's close to their heart. Theon has always thought about such things in this way. "Father has always treasured the woods. So he carved this leaf right here himself and told me that wherever he might be in the world. This leaf will make me remember the forest and the forest will make me remember him." She smiled. Now Theon understood. He gazed back at the necklace, with such little things meant much more. He was stunned upon listening to Zynthia's back story. "And now, my dear. I am handing this to you. So my presence will stay with you even though we're not near each other anymore." She put it on his neck. Theon stared at it and stared back at her afterwards. "Now, now. Moving along, Ganord's possibly searching for you. You should head out now." Zynthia inferred. "Yes, I will." He couldn't help but smile. As he head out of the house Zynthia continued her knitting. However, The thought of returning to his young self and the sudden changes of time in the village bothered him once more. How could all of that happen? He was battling with himself at this point. So the only way to clear all these things out of his mind, he had to search for Ganord. Theon roamed around the village and remembered a place where he usually trains during the time he was young. He ran hastily and could not even want to waste a second. "Theon, there you are!" A man shouted at his back. His memories served him precisely and he was pleased to see the man he was looking for. He was gasping for air as he wailed for this man. "Father! Chief!" Ganord, Eliaz's father and also the chief of the village was standing right in front of him. Impressive height, brown-haired and slightly grown beard. However, his eyes were coloured green, like the forest leaves with a dark tinge. Eliaz has taken on his eye colour as well, however, it has a lighter complexion like the fresh leaves from the spring season. He ran towards Ganord and Ganord on the other hand bent his knees to phase on Theon's view. "Where have you been, young man?" Ganord asked. Theon could not answer him. He was lost in his thoughts. Confused as to why everything looked so surreal. He attempted to touch Ganord, it felt bare and real. Ganord was flummoxed at Theon's demeanour. "You look as if you're lost in a maze. What's gotten into you? Did something happen?" Implored by Ganord. "You're alive, chief." That was the only thing he could utter. "That's father to you. How could I not be alive?" Ganord laughed in a playful manner. ‘I can't tell you otherwise I will be acting like a fool.' Theon thought. He was still in a haze when he observed Eliaz was nowhere to be found. He knows only Eliaz could disentangle every crisis he's been withstanding as of the moment. His eyebrows furrowed. "By any chance, do you know where Eliaz is?" The elephant in the room has finally been outspoken. Eliaz hummed. Theon thought they both were together in the first place. "I've sent him to the forest to train." He exclaimed. Theon widened his eyes in concussion. How come the chief send his son inside the forest when he knew how dangerous it could be. Wandering around the forest compromises as you are a rabbit waiting for someone to attack you. Even though they live here, no one knows what is beyond the deepest part of these woods. And for that moment he already knew something was absolutely wrong with all that he's been seeing. Hesitant, he faced Ganord and hugged him once more. A huge contingency will occur that Theon might never see them ever again so he made sure he felt their warmth before finally disappearing from each other sight. Gigantic trees appeared before his eyes. Running inside the woods, he glanced left to right and there was no inkling of Eliaz presence. After roaming around the forest in jiffies he gazed at a familiar sight. Nervous, he walked into it and he was right, it was the specific cliff he fell. He stood at the edge of it and he heard slight noises from below. Even though he was frightened he filled up his courage and went down. He slowly walks in the same direction where he found the cave but before that he almost jumped when Eliaz appeared. "Eliaz!" He called. Eliaz faced him. It was a younger feature of Eliaz and he ought to ask him knowing he might not know of it. "Eliaz, how are you still alive and why are we back to our younger selves?" "What are you babbling about? I was looking for you everywhere. Did you get scared again?" And he was right, things are not the way it's supposed to be. His heart began to palpitate at a ridiculous speed and panted harder. "Eliaz, I can't stay here any longer." He said to him while continuously shaking his head. Eliaz furrowed his brows and misunderstood what Theon was trying to say. "We can not go back yet. I have a friend that I want you to know of," Eliaz revealed. "Friend? What do you mean?" "Stop asking questions and follow me!" Before he could oppose Eliaz, it had already run away from him and he could tell by the direction that it was headed to the cave. He had no choice but to follow Eliaz. He was already worn out, not being able to follow Eliaz pace his body collapsed and before he could black out he heard something. "Roar!" "No-," He screamed. Sitting on a rough surface. Rocks and droplets of water he felt. It was opaque inside and yet the sun shone before his black pitched eyes. He held his chest tight. 'It was all just a dream,' he thought. He slumped right back to the ground dismayed by the reality that revealed contrast to his reverie. "Of course, it was a dream. Who am I ridiculing?" His voice almost cracked. Even though he was pessimistic by it. He grabbed his chest and the necklace was there. Now he remembers that all of the things he just dreamt of was a memory from the past. The village, Zynthia and the necklace she gave, Ganord the chief who he treated as his father and Eliaz. He stopped for a moment. "That roar." His brows met as he gasped his current situation. He gazed at his surroundings. As soon as he knew he was inside the cave he stood up in an instant. "It's not the first time I knew about this cave. Eliaz brought me here, But who was his friend?" While thinking he heard steps from his back. Eyes widened he slowly faced it and what appeared in front of him was not what he expected. "Who are you?" "Who are you?" The both of them exclaimed. It was a man with long silky black hair, clothes were loose and wide, nails were pointy and long, huge length and what shocked him was its vermillion furry eyes that brightened even after the darkness of the cave. "I asked you first. You shall answer me." Theon demanded. The man walked towards him. Every step was heavy he could feel it. It was lessening their distance, he had no choice but to walk backwards and eventually halted as he hits the walls of the cave. He was pinned on by its wide broad shoulders. The man looked at him intensely and snuffed him. "You are a man from that village." "Y... You know about my village?" It didn't answer him instead it went out to face the sunlight. Theon was astonished by its visuals. He has never seen such a furiously looking man, jaws were perplexed, his hair was blown by the wind and its cloth was waving, it was his first seeing a man like this. "I could hear all your noises from here, how could I not know your village." He kicks up a fuss. Theon eventually headed out as well to talk to him. "How could you not help us? We were attacked by the conquerors." Theon said while holding in his frustration. The man glared at him. "Don't make me laugh. One being could not overstep such evildoers." "You could have called for help." "Help? From whom? Do you know how vast this forest? And perhaps, you would know the amount of silver weapon those people attained. No matter how strong you are trained for, strength alone won't help." Theon was silenced by it. He knew he was right and no matter what he says it does not matter to this man. It was a stranger and won't ever help them with their matters. ‘He might be thinking, I crazy to even start a conversation with him.' Theon said in his subconscious mind. He was about to leave when he remembered something. So he went back to the man's position. "What's your name?" He asked. It looked at him and immediately avoided its gaze. Theon got pissed so he walked towards it and held its shoulders. "You look like you live in this cave. You must have seen that creature. It was huge and it had wings, it was as if a dragon." His brows met. "What dragon?" "Uh," Theon halted for a second and thought for a better description to say. "You know, those old stories they say. About a winged creature." The man just got more confused by him. Its brows were lineup and pursed lips. "Don't tell me you have not heard of those stories? Your grandmother should have told you." Theon was trying to convince him. "I don't have such relatives." He said and went back to ignoring Theon. Theon heaved a sigh. ‘He even lies about not having relatives. How could anyone have no one?' He thought. This man's back was facing him and Theon just stared at it for a few seconds, until he decided to go near him. "Are you certain that you haven't seen any creature before?" The wind passed before them and the trees waved on the horizon. Silence engulfed them and the rustling of the leaves in the trees were the ones that can only be heard. The man turned and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I am Ambroz and I know nothing about a creature." To be continued ——————— ABYSSCESS