I wanted to talk more, I had so many questions hammering in my head, but I felt my body getting weaker by the second. Several semi-transparent threads began to come out of me, and I became more and more invisible, as if I was unraveling.
When my body finally disappeared completely, I opened my eyes. It was already morning.
"Hey, he woke up" I heard a voice next to me. I retreat a little when I realize that Hircine, Morrissa and Ermmind were very close. The three of them looked relieved, while the others slowly approached where I was.
"What's wrong?" I asked, in my deep voice.
"What's wrong? Man, you were talking to yourself all night. His voice woke us up, it was horrible! Sometimes it seemed like a little boy was talking through you, other times it was women. Everyone spoke a strange language, no one understood anything" they replied.
I rubbed my forehead, feeling a throbbing pain. It must have been weird indeed.
I looked around, at my belongings and my bag, and felt an immediate relief to see that the secret thread left as a warning was still intact, with no sign of having been broken.
"I think I already know what we should do" I said, before approaching my sword.
The others walked away, watching me with an almost palpable strangeness. I saw the color fade from their faces as I walked toward the skeletons hanging from the trees.
I spent several minutes cutting the ropes, carefully removing the remains—all but the little boy's.
Then I started gathering branches and dry leaves. I took a flint tree and lit the small fire.
The sun was already beginning to rise on the horizon when the flame shone. Then I felt the ringing in my ears come back with force—much more intense this time—and I winced involuntarily.
I heard cords breaking, one by one, and with each crack the buzzing diminished, until it disappeared completely.
Minutes later, I wiped the sweat from my face and looked at the silent well. The others stared at me as if I were a freak—a strange, frightening presence.
The sound of bones bursting was the only noise that broke the heavy silence for several seconds.
"The well" I muttered, feeling my head throb as if a knife were stuck in my brain. "The boy told me that there is something for us inside. We need to dig"
Ermmind looked at her sister, who was already on her way to the horse. She took a small shovel from her bag and began to walk toward the well northwest of the mansion. Everyone followed, and I followed close behind, picking up my things with difficulty, trying to ignore the pain that pulsed in my head.
Morrissa dug for several minutes until he finally pulled out a black box buried at the bottom of the shaft. The box was made of wood and iron, old and heavy. After cleaning it, she opened it slowly and revealed a scrolling wrapped inside.
Everyone looked at each other, feeling the weight of that moment.
"He's a key figure" Ermmind spoke quietly, his voice serious. "We need to keep him around"
Morrissa nodded. There was no way they could have discovered that without me having given them the way.
It will be days, perhaps weeks, before someone else finds this box, so deeply buried in the well.
I noticed the gazes of others change, a glint of greed passing through them. I soon regretted having said so much — I only delivered what I knew.
They pulled away a bit and then surrounded me, leaving me in the middle. None of them brandished weapons, but the attentive way they watched me made it clear that they were ready for any move by me.
The seven of them knew that I could unravel important secrets at that moment.
Ermmind picked up the scroll with an expression that was no longer a joke. He quickly read the content before handing it to me.
"I vote for this guy to be the leader now" he said, firmly.
"I agree" Morrissa's voice came, with a smile that tried to sound kind but sounded calculating.
"Me too" Hircine said, with a calm and steady look.
"He has to be now" Orisis also agreed, without hesitation.
Number 01 nodded, and for some reason he was now standing in my shadow. Anker and Hasis also agreed to a nod, but it was clear that Anker was a little afraid of me. Since that night, he had not been able to face me without feeling goosebumps — that 'dialogue' had been too macabre.
"Now that you are the leader, we will all protect and guard you. Thank you for your hard work" Ermmind said, handing me a scroll.
I knew that was just an excuse. 'Protecting him' was a way to prevent me from running away, and 'keeping an eye out' was to monitor any abnormalities in my behavior.
(I should be more discreet) I thought to myself, but everything was new, and I had little idea how to handle this situation. The answers I had until then were minimal.
(I see) I reflected, weighing pros and cons. It couldn't take on seven combat masters at the same time right now. I needed to refine my skills before anything else.
I opened the scroll, and my eyes narrowed as I focused on the contents.
(Are we being tested?) I thought as I looked at the contents of the map.
"We need to go deeper into the forest, beyond the mansion. We are going to the south of the continent. There are many paths that lead there, but they have all been abandoned for a long time" Orisis explained, pointing to the map.
Ermmind, curious, pointed out some strange letters.
"What does that mean?"
Now, all seven of us approach, with our heads almost together to decipher.
"Door of a Thousand Swords" he read in a low voice.
"What about these dots?" I asked, gesturing to the markers scattered around the map.
"They are stops" Orisis replied. "If we follow the right path, we will find three of them to the door. It will take us about a month to get to each one, if the numbers are correct."
"Can you tell the travel time?" I asked, noting the numbers on the sides of the map he showed.
"More or less. These numbers between each point indicate the distance, but considering the rough terrain and other circumstances, if we go on foot, it will take us about a month to check each point. On horseback, it's only a few days" he replied confidently.
"I understand, but the road doesn't allow it" I commented, remembering the difficulties of the terrain.
"Yes, this route is at least 200 years old. The roads have been abandoned ever since" he said, almost with a tone of regret.
"Why so long?" someone asked.
"Two hundred years ago was when the Iperme Empire fell, the snake worshippers. The Iperme Empire was basically what is now the Empire of the Dawn. He fell into the hands of the Cult of the Holy Light. Because they were considered heretics, their lands were classified as cursed, and much of it was abandoned. The southern region of our continent is full of these ruins" I said almost automatically, as if the words were already engraved in my mind.
Orisis cast a glance at Hircine.
"This guy is much smarter than us, isn't he?" he commented, a little surprised.
"Shut up" Hircine replied, clearly in a bad mood when she realized how long it would take.
"So let's walk through desolate places. Do you know if there are people living here?" Anker seemed more confident now, beginning to feel that the situation was under control.
He always prepared for combat, never thought about anything else.
I began to rummage through my memories, trying to remember everything I could about this region.