Help from the OtherSide

60. Fate's Playthings

We stood by the entrance, collecting our belongings. I swung my bag over my shoulders and felt the familiar warmth from Glowy inside. I hadn't realised it yet, but I was shivering. His warmth provided me with temporary comfort.

My friends and the siblings were discussing the next steps. Toni glanced at us suspiciously and went back inside. The old woman waited beside me, smiling at me bag.

"Ask." She confessed.

"What?" 

"You have something on your mind child." She radiated motherly concern.

"So, what is this Eclipse everyone keeps talking about?" I straightened my tunic.

"You already know." She chuckled.

I opened my mouth to argue, but I knew she would end up giving more riddles.

". . . Okay. Aren't you going to charge us something? Since you told us the prophecy."

She looked at me warmly. "I have. You will pay me by saving this beautiful Realm from darkness."

Rinae told of the task we'd have to complete.  There has to be a catch.
I scoffed. "Let's leave sentiments out for some other time. You obviously--"

"--have other motives?" She read my mind.  "Sweet boy, I do not blame you for your cynical and sceptical outlook on life. Your circumstances shaped you to believe that every good deed comes with a underlying attachments.
It has served you well in your past. Luckily, you found a person you could trust in your school days.
 Being on your own when you had no one to fall back on. Living a lonely and untrustworthy life can be quite depressing on it's own.  But believe me when I say this, I'm proud of you my child."

That is not what I had expected her to say. 

I cannot remember the last time someone told that they're proud of me. 

While I was grateful for her words, one of her sentences struck me.

"You found a person you could trust in your school days. . .  Wait--" I gasped and stumbled back as it dawned on me. 
 "The bit about my friend from school hadn't been shown to anyone-- Unless you knew from the very beginning. There was no way that you only felt my past hindering the process. It's because you knew all along who I was."

That explains her indifference towards Killian's past. From what I've heard, he didn't have a good childhood either.

"I see why some call you quick." She raised her brows, studying my face.
"You're right, son. I knew of your past all along, the moment you stepped in I saw your life briefly. I saw everyone's.
Although none of your companions had anything of this sort to hide. You refused to tell anything about yourself  to those children; craftily steering the conversations during such discussions."

"Surprisingly they never tried asking. But it was necessary. You held on to the secret which heavily weighed on you. Now you will feel at ease; knowing that there is nothing holding you hostage to your own conscience.
I needed to free you of your past trauma, in order to keep your mind on the upcoming hurdles."

So she did gain something from me after all.