The mysterious cave

It was a sunny day but cool at the same time because of high altitude of the peaks around them and the chilly winds blowing from them. The Daemons had built their home on a mountainous region in the west of their Adham Empire.

Hael was on his jet-black horse. His hair blown by the wind as he stared straight ahead like a warrior out on a conquest. The feeling was wild ,free and intoxicating.

On a speeding horse was where Hael felt truly free as the wind dishelved his short black hair. It was where he felt like he was on top of the world as he looked down at people as he rode his mount. Free as he could be from the pressure he was under, the pressure to return the family name to it's former glory that ate at him from within.

Like this they had reached the East gate of the castle. When the guards there saw Hael and Mace they bowed as they let them pass. Immediately Hael were on their way again heading for the Turcoln peak in the east. There were three peaks in total that acted mainly as the first line of defense for the Daemon castle, The Turcoln peak in the east, The Siren peak in the west and finally The Raven peaks in the North.

After some time on horseback they had reached the valley via the sloping path snaking from the east gate. As they reached the bottom, Hael and Mace tied the horses by some trees at the edge of the forest and walked in.

The forest was green as everything was in full bloom. The occasional rays of sunlight passed through the leaf cover and shone brilliantly on the humid ground, The birds were singing and beast's could be heard growling and howling.

The beasts were creatures of this world but we're mutated and gained intelligence and some special traits and skills like some lizards that turned to the previously mythical creatures the dragons, eagles that grew in size and could carry ships off the seas and even the cats that changed to chimeras. Now these were rarely found as most creatures mostly remained the same with increased intelligence and maybe just a slight increase in size.

As the growls persisted they forged on, leisurely walking through the forest heading for the Turcoln peak. They were aware that there weren't any mythic evolution creatures in the forest just the normal. At least the normal of the age of Evo type of normal. And with Mace there there was nothing to worry about as he could hold his ground against some strong beasts, after all he was an elite guard of the Daemons.

"Ayo, Uncle Mace how about we roll one" Hael suddenly said as he was getting bored with the silence.

"Hahaha, now now you hell demon you want to get me in trouble again after your mother made me wash the stables again after I allegedly I repeat, allegedly, got you high." Mace replied. Now that they were outside the castle they could drop the formalities as they were really close. Hell Demon was what Mace called Hael when they were alone.

"But truth be told I don't even remember a single word of what she said. I just feel that I was scolded. Sigh ,those snitching ghosts that follow us didn't even have that courtesy to say that you are the one who got me high in the first place."Mace added.

Ghosts is the word they used for the elite guards that followed them undercover everywhere they went. Even now they were being tailed.

"Mom's lectures are worth a thousand punishments that for sure. Anyway wanna hit one?" Hael asked.

Mace could only look at Hael with an incredulous look."Didn't you here a word of what I said? What is it that you young ones say these days, Can't you read between the lines? Anyway it's a firm NO." Mace replied

"Hahaha, look at the great chief of the elite guards get all scared over mom." Hael said as he laughed. He really enjoyed teasing his uncle. Ofcourse he knew Mace was warned against repeating what happened last time and punished more than he let out. He knew he wouldn't take the generous offer.

"I know you know this Hael but Anna is no one to be messed with. Ask the elite guards or better her personal elite guards and you shall be enlightened." Mace said as he shuddered at the thought of his elder cousin, Hael's mother.

"I know. Sigh, I guess it's a pass then."

"A hard pass if you may." Uncle Mace replied

"Anyway away from that I don't want to even think about it lest I dream of your mother strangling me in my dreams, what are you looking for around the Turcoln Peak today. There is nothing there, The guards stationed there haven't reported neither a beast nor anything for some time, about two weeks."Mace added.

"First I need to confirm that you won't tell anyone about this not even mom or Grandpa."Droy whispered.

From the sudden change of tone infused with seriousness and the low voice from the usually loud spoken Hael when they were together, Mace was hooked and was all ears. He had to think about the part of keeping it silent to anyone even his cousin Anna and the patriarch of the family, Hael's grandfather.

But being the rebel he was Mace agreed to it.

"Okay I'm all ears but let me hear it first before I completely agree. If it's dangerous I'm carrying you back to the castle. You know what will happen to me if anything happened to you.

Hael for sure knew that his favourite uncle's life would be in danger if something bad happened to him this he decided to reveal his reason for going to the Turcoln Peak.

"Okay some time ago, a week ago to be more accurate as I was in the market with Jess, a merchant sold me a map of the Turcoln."Hael said

"Being the type of person I am I naturally bought it lest someone else bought it and found a secret path through the mountains and invades us."Hael said with a nervous laugh as he scratched the back his head.

"Sigh." was all Mace could do.

"Hey, don't judge me yet, guess what I found when I heat the canvas?" Hael said now looking straight into Mace's eyes with a smug look on his face.

"Ummm, ummmm, okay okay I can't guess, what did you find."

Right now Mace the usually cold and composed Chief of the elites couldn't hide the curiosity in his usually cold and distant blue eyes.

"I found that it was a treasure map drawn by lime juice, you know, the kind the sapiens used to write secret messages." Hael said.

Honestly he was ,how to say it, a sapiens history enthusiast if you may and knowing this Mace held his curiosity and let Hael rub the fact that he was more knowledgeable than him in history in his face.

"They wrote secret messages in lemon juice where the carbon compounds in the juice were absorbed into the fabric and since lemon juice is a weak fiber it softens the fibers creating an invisible message that can only be uncovered using heat on the canvas which reveals the secret message."

"Ok, so what did you find?" Mace asked, still curious.

"A mysterious cave on the mountain dug before the family was formed. I investigated it and found books in the library that said there was a strong darkness user that lived on the peak of the Turcoln as strong as the first generation Daemon patriarch, maybe even stronger. Furthermore, you know how we call Turcoln 'The Raven peak' because of the dark energy that used to sorround it in the pre-families era that still linger on it to date, I suspect that the said darkness user left his legacy there before his death and if I get it the Daemons will rise back to our former glory."