Ch18. Approaching Darkness

Ruun looked at Faerah, raising his brow and turning away from her.

"Tell them what? That they're a bunch of idiotic fools that believe in anything that's comfortable to them, because it's easier than facing the brutal truth of reality? If that's what you want to tell them, consider it said and done. I'm out of here, I have more urgent business to attend to."

But before he walked away, he turned around once more, and called out.

"I need you to come with me, Theresa. 'And if any other human tries to follow us, I won't think twice about killing all of you."

***

Theresa followed Ruun out of town, accompanied by an infuriated Faerah, and when they made it to a humble house he was familiar with, they stopped.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Faerah grabbed Ruun by his collar.

He glared at her with murderous intent, and she immediately let go.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"Do you really want me to try harder than I already did, for people who are so selfish, that they believe in anything anyone tells them, as long as it satisfy their own sense of reality?"

Faerah glued her eyes to the ground, and Theresa kept quiet, waiting for him to tell her what she was doing there.

And even more.

How he managed to escape the Abyss by himself!

"I died once, after realizing how cruel this world really was." Ruun spoke again. "Then I came back, thinking I had enough power to do what was right, and I was wrong. So let them think whatever they want to think. If they want to see me as the villain they need to focus their hatred towards, so be it. I'm not fighting for them, anyway."

"But you saved them... Didn't you?" Theresa retorted, breaking the silence. "I saw the slave's mark in Gorkas' shoulder. You gave him some kind of power, didn't you?"

"So you have a mouth, after all... I was wondering how long it would take for you to finally address me with some words."

Ruun looked at her, and to her and Faerah's surprise, he hugged her.

"I know you remember everything, so, it's good to have you back, little sister."

Theresa was taken aback by Ruun's gesture, but after a few seconds of surprise, she hugged him back, tears running down her cheek.

"H-how... How did you... Know?"

Ruun gently broke away from the hug, and raised her chin with his finger.

"Actually, that's why I brought you here. And it's a bit complicated, but I need you to keep focusing on creating the spell that'll get me out of the Abyss. It will take some time, but... You do know something about longevity magic, right?"

Theresa looked down, and after a few moments of consideration, she spoke.

"No, but why do you ask? You're here, aren't you?"

"The girl has some innate talent, Ruun. But her eyes aren't open, yet."

Ruun glared at Faerah, but rolled his eyes and stepped aside.

"Open them, then. I need her to understand it, before I get to the main point of discussion."

"Okay..." Faerah walked towards Theresa, but the girl stopped her before she could do anything.

"Is that why you're here for? To 'open my eyes'?" She asked squinting her eyes into a fine line.

"You're smart." Faerah rolled her eyes. "But not as bright as you may think. In a thousand years, maybe, but not now. I'm here to help you with your path towards finding the spell that will free the present Ruun from the Abyss."

"Present... Ruun?" Theresa frowned.

"Just come here before I get you here, girl!"

At Faerah's command, Theresa approached her, begrudgingly, and the Fjäri queen touched her forehead.

"This, is the truth, nothing but the sole, cruel, absolute truth." She said, as both their eyes glowed in bright red.

Theresa began to tremble, as she saw through Faerah's eyes, everything that happened, and that haven't happened yet.

"I know that it's too much for a simple human to handle, but if you hang on tight, it will be rewarding."

Theresa's nose began to bleed as her lips bobbed up and down, mumbling something neither Ruun, nor Faerah could understand.

"If she dies because of you, you know how many deaths await you, right?"

Faerah flinched at the thought, but kept focusing on her job.

And after a few more seconds that felt like centuries, Theresa dropped to her knees, panting heavily, her nose still bleeding, but much less than before.

"What... How... Shit, I can't think straight..." Theresa shook her head, but Ruun came forward and helped her get up.

He healed her, and after she was feeling better, she asked him.

"How do fairy people know about anything that hasn't even happened yet? And why do you need me, if you're already out?"

"Before I can explain it all, we should meet an old friend of mine."

And as if it were a cue, an old man's voice echoed from the inside of the humble hut.

"It's fine Ruler, you don't have to curse this old man behind my back, come in." And then the voice laughed.

"You didn't lose your weird sense of humor yet?"

They all went in, greeted by an old, short man, with snow-white hair, and a beard that reached down to his knees.

"Log time no see, Ruun. Do you finally know what you're looking for?"

"Yes, but first, this is Theresa." He said, pulling his sister to his side. "She's the one who'll set me free, thousand years from now."

"Wait, wh-what?" She retorted, shocked. "But..."

"And since she doesn't know anything about longevity magic, you brought her here, in order to find out what will happen, so that she can live for a thousand years, and everything can happen according to fate?" The old man said, without paying attention to Theresa's question.

"Yes, and I'm here, also, because I need you to tell me everything about the Unnameable void..."