THE ROAD

THE KEY

We had an amazing lunch after the ritual. I thanked Sirena for making me feel so good after a long time. I went to my room, drew all the curtains, and sat down crossing my legs, facing towards the window of my room, and placing my palms on my laps, and focusing on the power inside me. I wanted to see Roisin, where she was? what was she doing? was she safe? Where was the book? when it was time? what valdsams were up to?

With all the thoughts in my mind, I closed my eyes and just focused on my breathing and after a while, my thoughts vanished and nothing was going on in my head anymore. I saw through the illusion that might have been created.

 But, you see sometimes you don't get what you want, you get what is necessary for you. I too saw something that was needed for me to know, not what I wanted to see. The universe had different plans on how to end this forever.  What I saw told me that now, even God doesn't want his people to die and the tribes to vanish. I saw something that could end this for once and all. Perhaps, I was turned eighteen now and that's why I saw this, or the book deliberately made me see this, perhaps, the power inside me was now completely resuscitated.

'So, what did you see?' Stephanie questioned.

'Damn...how do you arrive out of nowhere?' I asked giggling.

'She's a vampire..' Sirena replied.

'no wonder...you are here...'

'actually, we all are...' said Bleidd.

'hi..to you guys..... but what you all four are doing here..?'

'Well... There's nothing to do in the house. The house is huge, no doubt, and we tried everything.. .. nothing excited us..' said Sirena.

' well... We haven't seen such a thing earlier...  I mean ..they have ...but I am not used to see such things...those balls on the table...How come it's called a game? You just hit it with the stick.. and I saw Jake hitting a ball with his foot, and you call it a football, and why not you call it a handball when you drr...ahh dribble it with hand, but you call it a basketball....' she paused and then laid on my bed saying, 'Humans are way too confusing...and you look around yourself..you have a round ball on the ceiling ..you call that ball with..or that disc with wings fan..and damnn how come you see yourself and capture yourself in that rectangular box... I am done with this world..'

'rectangular box..?' Asked Sirena...

'yeah...this one..' Stephanie picked up my phone and said. we all laughed at the way she depicted things. We knew she had been living in a place captivated unaware of what advancements have taken place from her time. It's been more than two centuries, but she was acting funny and dumb but I felt it was cute and innocent of her.

' so, sleeping beauty what did you see?' Ernouf asked. Bleidd gave him a look by raising his brows and mumbled, 'wow..'

'what was that..I mean that look you gave him?' I questioned.

'yeah... That's what I wanted to know..what was this way..I mean he never talked to a girl like this before..and never has he ever..talked to a girl for hours and stargazed..'

'What...?' asked Sirena.

'No...noth..nothing....'I interrupted and then said, 'I had a question... It's really important..'

'Go ahead..'

'Did you guys have any idea...How Akuma died earlier? I mean how Alessandro earlier killed him..?'

They looked at me and then away as if they are were taking time to figure out what I just asked. After five minutes of silence, Sirena said, ' We don't know..'

'you don't know...how come this is possible?'

'yeah..we don't know... because Akuma never dies......'Sirena paused.

'only the loyalists die... this is what my dad said once..' Ernouf added.

'What does that suppose to mean?' asked Stephanie.

'This means what I saw had something to do with the death of Akuma. Sirena, you remember you told me that leader of Valdsams is Akuma, irrespective of his original name. '

'Yeah..so..?'

'Since the past few days, I have been encountering weird dreams. I have been seeing the dungeon, a face of a man..again and again, and that cemented podium. I feel like my dreams want to tell me something. They are hints and right now before you all came in ... I wanted to see Roisin, but I saw that dream I have been seeing ..again...'

(knock..knock..)

'Come in...'

'Hi ..there...birthday girl.' Rose came in and sat on the chair near me.

'Hey..where have you been?' I asked.

' I went home to bring you a present..'

'It wasn't needed...I am just happy you are here..'

Rose smiled and said, 'Mom left it for you...I mean she had it for years and she used to tell me that she would give it to you on your eighteenth birthday....' she paused and then added, ' you need it.'

'Aunt Jennet left it for me...' I smiled and my eyes filled with tears as I took that small gift-wrapped box Into my hands. I then unwrapped it and found a beautiful blue velvet box, I opened it and it had a beautiful silver key with a flower bow and a bluestone embedded in its center.

'A key..! why would you need it..?' Bleidd asked.

I gave it a glance and then smirked and said, ' the podium'

'The treasure box!' Dad exclaimed. ' How did you get it? '

'Dad...? this is the treasure? this is what you were talking about near that gate when Rose was performing that ritual.'

'yeah... but wait..you were there..?'

'yeah..that's why I went to meet Stephanie after that and then she took me to the dungeon and then I came to know about everything...'

'I see....clever lady..you are... This was with Jennet.' Dad claimed.

' Mom left this for her...' Rose said.

'we decided to give it to you on your 18th birthday...I mean..this is the legacy. This key is given to every member of our family when turned 18, this is the "Alessandro key". '

'Wow...what's the Alessandro key...?' asked Ernouf.

'It tells who is the Alessandro. Well, whenever any family member turns 18 this key is given to him and if the person is able to touch it without burning his hand, then the book finally claims it's the Alessandro.' dad told.

'Yeah.....this key was given to Francis as well..but his finger burnt..although we never got a chance to ask and talk about it..'

'this was because he wasn't Alessandro, he was the protector.' dad answered.

'what are you thinking Eabha? Is there something wrong?' Rose asked.

'The key not only tells who the Alessandro is but it has a way big role to play..' I replied.

'what is it...?'

'Let the time come...and all shall be revealed..'