Chapter 39 - Arrival

The view that unfolded before them when they arrived at the glade was picturesque, to say the least. Knee-length high beautiful light-green colored grass, with a huge patch of flowers and herbs of every color mixed in-between. In the middle of the glade was a small pond, with crystal clear water in it.

Looking at it, Aiden wasn't even sure how it got there, it made no sense. Everything about this place was so incredibly beautiful that he just couldn't wrap his head around it.

Lily on the other hand, when saw the glade, her mouth went agape with the shock and surprise. Shortly after a cheerful 'Uwaaaaa' could be heard as she bolted towards the patch of flowers and promptly got lost herself in it.

'Well, at least she is having a good time. That's good.' thought Aiden looking at Lily. The bad, ominous feeling he had was giving him such an intense pressure it was almost impossible to stay calm. He still had his Dark Sense running at maximum efficiency and was checking his map for new blips. Their ever-present spy, the little birdie was still close-by, just a few trees away. One of the problems he was facing was that he will not be able to use his transformation skill if a problem arises, as to not give away any of his unique skills to the spy. Aiden still didn't know the purpose of her presence, and to whom she reported to.

Granny, seeing what Lily was up to, couldn't help but smile at her actions. Walking over to the patch of flowers where Lily's small head could be seen popping up every now and then at different locations, she motioned for Aiden to follow.

"Come here kids. We shouldn't waste too much time, there's a lot that we want to accomplish today. Lily... " looking at the blonde pig-tailed head that popped up close to her, she continued with a gentle smile. " ...you have more experience in this than Aiden, so help him okay? Your job will be to gather the rarer flowers this time. You know, anything that you find interesting, star shapes, bell shapes, red colors, blue colors, yellow colors, all is good. For Aiden, help him gather as much Devil Cloves as you can, we need a lot if we want to fulfill the request and help you two learn as much as possible, okay?"

"Sure, Granny! What will you do? Will, you also come and gather some flowers?" asked Lily. Usually, Granny would come with her and help fill up the baskets, but this time it seemed she has other plans.

"Not this time dearie. I need to prepare and do something important. Granny has this bad feeling and wants to make sure you two are safe. Now go, and have fun with your brother while you fill-up the baskets!"

"Haaaii!" Then looking at Aiden, Lily waved her hands as she stood up. "Come, brother, let's go! I will show you what to look for!"

As the kids went to look for the flowers they will need later, Granny walked to the middle of the glade, next to the pond. Closing her eyes, she stretched out both of her hands in front of herself. Murmuring something in an ancient tongue, she started drawing a set of symbols into the air with both hands simultaneously. Yes, this time she was drawing multiple characters, all of them new for Aiden, whose system was diligently recording the event, providing him with new progress towards understanding this craft.

[Rune Magic discovered! Analyzing information… 22%]

As she finished a rune, she immediately started drawing the next and continued her chant with her eyes still closed. The runes glowed in different colors and stood still in the air. The whole scene was mesmerizing, an extraordinarily unique way of casting magic.

Number 3 had to move closer cause this was the first time she saw this unique way of casting. She had no idea what the elderly woman was up to, but it looked like something big, something unheard of.

As she finished the last rune, Granny's eye snapped open and as she clapped her hands the runic symbols still lingering in the air, immediately vanished. Soon after the ground around her started glowing, and a blue-colored pentagram appeared. She sat in the middle, and once again closed her eyes, while facing it towards the location of Number 3…

Startling to see all of this, Number 3's first thought was to escape, she had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. However, before she could think further, an unfamiliar female voice suddenly resounded in her head.

'I do not know your true purpose for following us, watching us for the past couple of days, but you do not seem to be a bad person.'

Looking towards the direction of the elderly lady, Number 3 was baffled what was happening.

'Who, what are you? How can you do this?' She asked in her head. She was certain, the elder can hear the question. Just as she expected the answer came to her mind almost immediately.

'You can call me Granny like everyone else. As for the past, let's not bother with it, it doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that's important is the safety of these 2. However, some terrifyingly evil presence is heading this way, and I am not sure if I will be able to deal with it myself. So my only hope is to ask you... Please make sure these 2 are safe.' The elderly voice started cracking up as she said the last few words. It sounded like she was pleading.

'I-I can't interfere. I'm not allowed to, I can only watch and register what's happening with him.' answered Number 3. She wasn't heartless, but she had to follow the orders of the Grandmaster.

'If they die here, how will you report back? I understand that you have to follow your orders, but if you let these two to their deaths, how will you do that? Not to mention, only a heartless person would leave innocent children to die, and I am sure you are not one.'

'But... if I show myself, I will not be able to continue and will be forced to retreat…' Number 3 answered.

'We have known about your presence since the day you appeared. You have no idea what this boy is capable of, he immediately noticed your presence. The only reason he let you be, was because you didn't seem like a bad person, you had no ill intent.' answered Granny.

This answer shocked Number 3 deeply. She was absolutely certain she hid her presence, nobody should have been able to notice her if she didn't want it to. This technique was taught to her by the Grandmaster himself, how could it not work? It is impossible!

'That's impossible! I hid my presence immediately when I arrived. How could a child like him possibly know about me? Don't lie to me!' she snapped back at the elderly lady.

'You are way too young and inexperienced. You have not seen all the wonders of this world. From your words, you still think that this child here is just some exotic-looking human right?' The snickering voice of Granny, irritated Number 3 quite a bit, but swallowing her feelings, she answered.

'Yes. He is just a human kid with slightly tanned, colored skin. While I admit that his golden eyes are indeed strange, I presume he is from some faraway land, maybe an exile or something similar.'

Chuckling could be heard inside Number 3's head for quite some time. Slowly, as the laughter died down, Granny answered.

'Let me tell you, that boy is not human. I hoped you would have noticed it by now, but he is far from being an ordinary 'human kid' as you just called it. He is…' The voice paused, making Number 3 even more curious. After a few seconds, however, Granny continued.

'Sorry, the connection is starting to weaken, I'm not sure how long can I keep this up. That boy is not a human, but a Dragon. A very unique one at that.'

'Impossible! I can't feel his aura at all! If he would be a dragon, he would be radiating his heritage!' protested Number 3. All dragons capable of transforming to human forms are the highest of their kind, it's not something a newborn like him could achieve. All those types should have that terrifying draconic aura, the signature of their draconic blood.

'I have no reason to lie to you. We found him as a dragon egg in this forest. He hatched like this, in his human form. He has some kind of innate ability to hide his presence and currently, he doesn't seem to have complete control over it. During extreme duress, when he is stressed out, his heritage unfolds, and he will lose control. If this happens here, I'm not sure either of us would be able to calm him down and stop him from doing something he would regret later on. You are my only hope. Please I beg you, help them!'

Before Number 3 could think about what to answer, she could feel the connection sever, and then she could see the elderly lady slowly standing up, as the pentagram around her faded away.

She wasn't sure what to do…

However, before she could lament on her options a bit more, she suddenly felt a terrifyingly evil aura, something sinister has arrived...