Zakula: Beloved Companion

13: Transformation

Karelias told the gods of the underworld everything. How he met his father in Black Deer Cave, Tirato's claims about the blood of Zakula. How he thought this was the reason why his dreams pointed him to Lake Taipas and how Adelo led them into this cave.

"This is very worrying," Räkimarak, still in human form, shook his head. "Mortality is neither good nor evil, it is fundamentally human. If you remove that, you will inevitably change many, many other things too and there is no way to tell what the outcome might be."

"It sounds like a trap," Idaka added. "The Nameless One has done this before. He lures people in with grand promises, like immortality, so they worship and praise him every single day and do whatever he wants."

Karelias walked in circles around the island, fidgeting with his fingers, "I wouldn't put it beyond Tirato. But we can't leave Adelo alone. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into."

Räkimarak grumbled for a bit, "the Nameless One probably uses his powers to hide their presence and lead them to a place in this realm he has specifically prepared. Whatever Adelo and your father find there might look like the blood of Zakula and that's how the trap is going to work. If they drink whatever it is, it will give the Nameless One power over them."

"Vothorak, Voomarak," Idaka called out and soon, two more dragons appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Both had large horns, ruby eyes and emerald scales.

Karelias recognized them, "the great hunters, keeping the underworld free of demons!"

"Yes, our sons will follow you," Idaka explained, pointing to one of the many small cave entrances around the cavern. "This path leads you to whoever you are thinking about right now. Go in there and think about your father and Adelo. You will reach the right place."

Räkimarak meanwhile explained everything to the emerald dragons. Then they both looked at Karelias. "This is not the first time the Nameless One has enticed people with immortality, but luring humans into the underworld is bold even for him," Vothorak noted.

"I'll be honest with you, the cave of wishes is treacherous," Voomarak added. "Mother built it to reunite lovers, so it works great if only one soul is passing through. But the cave doesn't like it when someone is following... for good reason."

Karelias gulped, "Understood... let's do this." He thanked Räkimarak, Idaka and Kimorak for everything, said goodbye and then took a deep breath. With slow steps, he left the island, walking on the water towards the cave entrance Idaka had pointed at.

Standing before the cave of wishes, Karelias hesitated for a bit. He turned around, once more taking in the beauty of this cavern with its white marble walls and veins of gold and opal lit up by polar lights. Räkimarak and Idaka had turned back into dragons, waving at him. Vothorak and Voomarak stood to his left and right, waiting for him to go in.

When Karelias turned to face the cave again, his knees started to wobble and his chest clenched. Idaka said this cave would lead him to whoever he was thinking about right now and she said Armas had already been reborn. Maybe this cave could help him find little brother.

Maybe...

No, he needed to get Adelo out of there and teach Tirato a lesson. Just when he thought of his father did a memory come back to haunt him. Something he had almost forgotten. Back when Armas was just a puppy, Tirato used to imitate the calls of predators to scare him for fun.

This memory angered Karelias. Puppy Armas would always run to him whenever he got scared. Time to show Tirato what it felt like to get bullied! With a cold anger in his heart, Karelias stepped into the cave, thinking about how he would take revenge on his father.