Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora: LVI. Only The Rare

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XIV. Stoic

"And that is the last of what you know?" Atlas asked Sundahl.

"It is," he shared.

Everyone was standing outside of the castle. Τhough slightly veiled by some clouds that formed into massive grayish white lumps, the morning sun blazed brightly in the sky.

"Thank you for sharing. You took a fatal risk by telling us."

He nodded glumly, the two other noblemen sighed miserably. Fearing they would suffer retribution at the hands of the Dakini, they became skittish, trembly and miserable.

"And you promised to protect us, savant?" The tallest nobleman asked.

"That was a promise I have already made. The day you became my students, your lives were already under my protection so do not be too concerned. And one more thing, I have only one command for you all. I order none of you to die!"

By saying this, Atlas inadvertently made the atmosphere tenser. They were all already so fearful of the future. Atlas walked forward.

"Pontus, it is time."

Pontus sighed and began spreading his aura, allowing it to envelop the eleven others. And just like that, they were levitating in the air once more. They were well above the trees now, hundreds of feet in the air. They saw clear past the expanse of wintry trees and the few ranges of hills and mountains in the distance. They were traveling so quickly this time, faster than they had before. Pontus was in better health after the grand meal they all joined in back inside the castle.

"This trip will probably take days, so at whenever any of you become hungry just talk to Gelasius, he has the saddlebags with packed food and water. As promised, the three of us will tell you all everything we've come to learn about the Dakini in the past hundreds of years. I'll even tell you of the day that I first met them," Atlas shared, an ominous mood prowling in his tone of voice.

The three Rare Men conversed with the others for so long, sharing everything that they could remember and recalling past events they had nearly forgot about because it had been so long ago. The things they shared left a sour and frightening ambiance lingering in the air. The others now had a better understanding of the powers that they were facing. They were completely inundated by fear and nervousness. The morning sun had now almost disappeared entirely, bowing its head to make way for his sister.

They'd been talking for hours, longer than they had realized. The others were petrified after hearing all that the Rare Men had to tell about the Dakini. They felt disgusted and intrigued at the same time.

"They were responsible for all of that?" Maddard asked fiercely. He was in disbelief. "They had us manipulated for so long!"

"They work in shadows and have been doing so for the last thousand years."

"I still do not agree with you having private meetings with their leader," Pontus and Alastor both expressed with dissatisfaction.

"I never held my tongue on that subject. I am not ashamed by it and I would not necessarily call it a meeting. He comes and goes as he wishes. I've learned to become used to it and I've come to appreciate sitting down and speaking calmly with my enemy. It makes you recognize the only thing stopping two individuals from coming together, no matter their history, is because of their own personal pride and ignorance."

They still did not approve.

"One thing you must all know is that you should never be afraid to sit down and try to understand your foe. If he is willing to use words to meet an end then you should be willing to do the same. I believe anyone with the power to feel and use their words is ever too far gone. An enemy can become a friend and a friend an enemy."