8 Druid of Abyss.

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"What was that?" Lydan's notion muttered

"What happened, Your Highness?" Ellen inquired, "Why did you suddenly stop; you have to budge in before the fog vanishes?"

Shaking his murmuring thoughts, Lydan started walking but suddenly ceased, as he felt that Ellen wasn't following him. He looked back.

"You aren't coming?" Inquiring, Lydan signed. 

"No, your highness, we stewards aren't permitted to follow you in there," Ellen said, smiling.

"But why?" anxiously signed.

"It's the rule here, your highness," Ellen said. "Oh, and when you walk a bit farther, there'll be a keeper; he's stone-blind, but you have to show him your hand."

"A stone-blind man, who can see?" Lydan's notion muttered

"So I have to go alone from here?" Lydan signed with regret.

"Your highness, we'll meet after a time till then take care of yourself" bowing Ellen stated. 

Lydan trudged a few courses toward Ellen before hugging him tightly. Ellen's face lost its tone as if there was no soul left in it.

Ellen tried his best to compose his dreadful face before Lydan could break the clinch. 

"You've been with me since I was five," Lydan signed. "It'll be hard to stay alone."

"There's no other option, your highness," Ellen told him, smiling, "Your luggage would have been in your room by now."

"This fast?" Lydan's notion muttered

"Then I will be going, Ellen, see you after a year," Lydan signed, smiling.

Lydan started treading ahead in the fog, waving to Ellen from behind.

"We will meet sooner than that, Your Highness," Ellen muttered as Lydan disappeared into the fog.

...

Lydan saw his surroundings while treading ahead; nothing was visible except for the path because the fog was covering all the surroundings.

"I should have worn more clothes, not just this white shirt and black pants." Lydan's notion muttered, "It's chilly here even though it's summer."

Lydan was traipsing while locking his arms around him; his hands were freezing.

"How long do I have to walk?"

His body was quivering—he kept his footing as he tried to put his hands in his pocket, but before he could put his hands in his pocket, he felt something in it.

"I nearly forgot it," Lydan's notion murmured.

He took out the small rustic gift box from his pocket and opened it; the crimson pendant was looking breathtakingly beautiful.

"Why does it look redder than the last time I saw it?" Lydan notion muttered as he took out the pendant from the box, "Maybe it's just my thinking."

"It looks beautiful," Lydan's notion muttered again. "Should I wear it?"

Lydan took many breaths before deciding to wear it eventually and start ambulating again.

"How much farther?" "I am tired," Lydan's notion muttered.

Lydan was walking when he eventually saw a branch of a tree in the fog. He hastened toward it.

"Are you a student?" A sharp voice came from the fog beside the tree.

Lydan stopped as soon as he heard the voice, and trudging forward, he saw a youthful boy, who'd be the same age as him, leaning on the tree blindfolded.

"I can not speak" realizing, Lydan's notion muttered. 

The blindfolded boy was wearing a mantle. He had short red hair and white skin, and his face was average.

"I said, are you a student?" The boy said, "I smell something strong from you that I felt a long time ago; who are you?"

Lydan got anxious; his head was making cracking sounds, thinking about how to communicate with the boy.

"I asked a question. Are you mute or something?" The boy said it with ferocity.

Squinching, Lydan came forward to the boy and reached for his hand. "What are you?" the boy said with disdain but stopped as he felt some scribbling on his hand.

"So you're mute, What is your name?" the boy asked. 

Lydan scribbled his name, the boy quailed as he sensed the scribbled name of Lydan. 

"Did you feel something before entering the door?" the boy asked in a low voice.

Lydan fell still and looked at the boy with befuddlement before scribbling again. 

"How do you know?" Lydan scribbled. 

"So you did," the boy said as he suddenly felt someone's existence. 

"Yes." Lydan scribbled again.

"I have to go, but remember, if you see someone with golden eyes, never follow him no matter what." Taking back his hand, the boy warned in a hurry.

"Who is there?" A voice came from the fog.

Lydan took a few seconds to look in the direction of the fog, and again, back at where the boy was standing, he got foreboding as he saw there was no blindfolded boy.

"I can sense you there. Are you Prince Lydan?" the voice said.

Lydan slammed the tree to make a noise to give evidence. A muscular and lofty man came out of the fog; his eyes were white, and he was wearing a long black fleece with fur at its neck.

"Your highness, why are you here and not at the guard point?" the man said as he rushed over and gave a brown furry fleece to Lydan. 

"Can you see me?" Lydan signed. 

"Did you say something, Your Highness?" the man asked.

Lydan took the man's hand and scribbled on it "No your highness, I can't," the man said. 

"Who are you?" Lydan scribbled. 

"Where are my mores?" My name is Roger, your highness, and I am a guard at the academy," Roger replied, smiling.

"Then who was the blindfolded boy just now?" Lydan scribbled making Roger blench. 

"With red hair, your highness?" Roger asked, "How can it be?" 

"Yes?" Lydan scribbled. 

"Your highness, that person rarely shows up in front of people" hesitantly, Roger said, "He's called the druid of the abyss" 

"We last saw him ten years ago" Roger continued. "Did he say something to you?" 

"No, but why is he called that?" Lydan scribbled. 

"That is because he can give dreadful prophecies and because he lives in this abyss," Roger said.

"We're in an abyss?" Inquiringly, Lydan scribbled.

"Yes, Your Highness, this is an abyss created for the protection purposes of the Academy," Roger said. "We're here, Your Highness."

Lydan looked around and saw a delve in front of him. "How did we end up here?" We were just talking to each other," Lydan's notion muttered.

"Just go straight into the delve and you'll enter the academy, your highness," Roger said, smiling, "but before that, can you show me your hand?"

Lydan extended his hand towards Roger, still in a daze. Roger placed his right hand on Lydan's hand and started chuntering in an ancient language.

A ray appeared in Lydan's hand as Roger's eyes bolted to scintillate.

To be continued...