"One that sees. No, to be exact, one that will improve my sight and intuition so that I can find the thing I truly want."
"Well, what is it you truly want then?"
"A guide for my mind," Selvar replied instantly, too eager to care about clarity.
"Hmm, a guide..." Oren said, staring into Selvar's eyes as he pondered. Is this really a fair trade? Isn't this pointless?
He wondered if this person, Selvar, the proclaimed Enlightened Archer of the Fog, would one day turn on him.
Whether that be in battle or in Everdream, perhaps even beyond those ventures.
That was what happened with all of them after all. The cities of the mountains.
Emperois. Rosain. And Riverdam that lay deep in the roots of the First Mountain. Beyond them rested the once vast ocean that had long grown empty and docile.
At the very edge stood Mortine, desolate and silent.
Ever since reaching the First Mountain, he had chosen to visit only the largest and most powerful cities. Emperois. Rosain. Riverdam. Many others he had long forgotten.
Yet they had all felt uncannily familiar.
Despite that strange and indescribable peculiarity, there was another similarity that all people of the mountains shared.
They were treacherous bastards. Miscreants at the very least. Despite that, Oren was shocked when the first mindless spawn attacked him.
It seemed the people had grown far from those they once worshipped, the names of their villages.
Mortine, Emperois, and Rosain were more than villages. They represented religious icons and ancient myths.
Mortineo the Life Bringer, Emperoisea the First Light, and Rosaineo the Separator.
Because every single person in each of those villages had tried to kill him.
Everyone tried.
None succeeded.
Betrayed. Condemned. Sacrificed.
Everything he thought was truth had been a lie. Everything. Anything. He no longer knew.
But he knew one thing.
None of this would have happened if he were not immortal.
Selvar stepped forward and took the vermilion bow from the string, gripping it firmly.
He seemed to assume that Oren's silence meant he was judging his worth. That he was searching for a reason to help him.
After a moment of silence, Selvar spoke.
"Yes, my only thought is for you to tell me what I need to know. I need your information. Your years of research and your explorations on Erols."
Oren grinned again.
"Fine. If such an Erol exists within the Unison Range, I will help you obtain it. But my information is more precious than you becoming my hostage.
The knowledge I give will cost heavily. Do you still wish to become the Demon's hostage knowing this?"
Selvar bowed slightly, just enough that Oren could no longer see his expression.
Devotion. Longing. Desire.
Yet none showed regret.
He spoke without hesitation.
"If you truly intend to give me the information I seek, then it does not matter what I have to do to obtain it."
"Even the smallest piece of information will bring me closer. This is not for anyone else, It is mine. My own selfish and idiosyncratic goal. So I will be the one to see it through, I need nothing else. I want nothing more."
Chuckling coldly, Selvar continued.
"still, Xeyren, do not feel indebted to me for becoming your hostage, your slave even."
Oren's eyes flickered, then smiled. Oren simply smiled.
With a small nod, he turned toward the third path he had taken to reach the centre of the Everdream Forest.
Selvar's smile froze as Oren glanced at him and spoke.
"Ah yes, the Enlightened archer of the fog. Just remember this is what you asked for."
Oren's mask faltered for a moment as he spoke honestly, the mockery no longer colouring his words.
"I promise I will not go back on my word. If we cannot find this Erol, or if my information proves insufficient…"
Oren's indifferent smile slowly returned.
"Then I will create it."
Selvar laughed, facing where Oren was looking, where the battle had occurred.
"We sound strange, but that is fine."
Oren nodded as Selvar began to walk.
"In these Unison Mountains, everything is peculiar.
However, the false adversaries of Everdream are even more unique in a way."
With those words, Oren followed and mumbled.
"Especially the Auburn Huntress."
"Auburn Huntress? Do you mean that insane woman?"
Selvar's grey eyes lightened for a moment.
"I agree. She is the worst of the bunch. She truly thought she could fight you alone and win when we approached you from the fog."
His hand did not tremble, even while holding his long bow like a sword and using it to sweep aside the overgrown branches and bushes of the forest.
Oren walked behind him, laughing softly.
"Ah, what a foolish girl. And that leader. That act was amazing."
Inside, though, Oren was calm, carefully observing the strength of an Enlightened.
He questioned how the archer had become Enlightened, but never asked.
Somehow, even Oren did not know the sequences and trials one had to complete to reach Enlightenment.
All he knew was that after eating the Erol of immortality, it was impossible.
He also did not know why it was impossible.
Perhaps someone told him?
Oren mused to himself.
It must have been long ago, so maybe I forgot. He continued walking in Selvar's shadow.
After a while, Selvar asked a sincere question.
"Why are you walking behind me? Do you fear another ambush? Do not worry. There might be an ambush in the forest, but there will not be one in the fog. We are nearly there."
His voice rose with pride as he continued forward. "That is because it is rare for someone to see through the fog. I am a rarity, you see."
Selvar fell silent, listening to himself as his pale blonde hair fluttered in the wind.
When he eventually spoke, his voice was full of childish doubt.
"Actually, I think it may be a genetic heritage. What I mean is, if anyone tries to fight us, they will not have the advantage."
Oren chuckled lightly.
"Ah, no. I am not worried. I am just looking for shade. You think me, an Immortal Demon, is scared of an injury or two."
Oren pointed at his neck, but the wary archer did not turn around.
He was focused on the surroundings.
What he had said was true.
Since the crimson sun had begun to rise, he needed shade.
But it was also false, because Oren was taller than Selvar by a small margin.
It seemed Selvar already knew that.
For some reason Oren did not know his steps were slowing down.
He had not asked why.
Instead, Oren continued walking slowly.
He watched as the vibrant lines of forest trees dulled and thinned, not by age, but because they were nearing the edge of the Everdream Forest.
The birds stopped, and the number of small insect like creatures Oren had once seen became scarce.
When the green leaves and the verdant flowers turned a dull grey, the wind became louder.
And when their footsteps started to echo through the distorted forest light, Oren knew they were entering the fog.
It was a seamless transition, and yet it weighed down on Oren tremendously.
Because now there was fog everywhere.
The grey mist clung to the distilled bark of the trees, making them look formless and indistinct.
Fog filled the blue sky, making the red radiance of the sun fade. Yet Oren could rarely see faint red sun rays shimmering through what seemed to be an absolute grey.
He turned back towards the forest, but the mist was there too, blurring every image together.
The illusory grey fog truly was everywhere.
Selvar's voice was full of nostalgia as he spoke with a faint smile.
"We have finally made it to the Fog of Everdream."