Son of Khione: The Demon In The Mountain

3

Hail woke up. He sat up and looked at his fresh new clothes. They were delicate and soft. He looked at the place where he stayed. It was bright. Too bright that he could not see anything except himself and wisps of white smoke in the air.

And everything was a dream, he thought.

He checked that he was not falling. But when he turned around, he saw the unfilled jar given by The Wizard of the Tower. The crystal jar that could contain the honey that could melt anything. It was also dangerous like the bees.

He grasped for it. But then he saw his right arm being cut away. He felt nausea at first but he remembered the sting, the painful sting that caused him to be in that place.

He shouted, "Where am I?"

Nobody answered.

He remembered the voice of Cadell, the demon of the mountain Rime, how a blood of Khione could free the monster.

He remembered the pain from hitting the ground. The sting of the rocks tearing his skin reminded him of the pain in his back. He straightened up while reminiscing the moment of falling.

He screamed, "Am I dead?"

Still no one answered. Hail stood up properly and walked around. He grabbed the jar and wished that someone could actually talk to him.

"Leaving?", a soft spoken voice resonated in nowhere. Hail thought it might be a woman.

"Yup."

"And where do you think you're going?"

"And heaven is authoritative."

"Not really heaven." The voice laughed with sophistication.

"Show yourself!" Hail cried while holding his right arm.

The sound of flapping wings became loud. Hail looked for the sound. He tried to follow until, on his back, the woman apeared and said. "Son of Khione, I'm here."

Hail looked at her. She was astounding. She had white pair of wings. She was wearing a free flowing dress that was intricated with gold lining. Hail thought she might be an angel. He bit back and realized what they really are.

"A child of the Light Lord." The woman laughed. She radiated a bright light like morning was the partner of her laughter. "You are a Filia Lux."

"Yes. A messenger of the Light Lord, one of the seven daughters of the Light Lord." She interjected. "I'm Branwen, the White Raven."

Hail gasped. "That would also mean, I'm in the Castle of Light."

"Yes. Where all the destined heroes, either dead or alive, meet the Light Lord."

"I'm not a hero." Hail, blank-eyed, said.

Branwen laughed with a high tone. "You're too cute to let yourself not believe that you are one of them. Especially, you're a son ok Khione." She smirked.

Hail looked down and thought of falling in the Tree of Khione back in the mountain. He thought of the words of Cadell about how shameful to see a son of Khione falling in the tree. He thought that it was more shameful that a son of Khione died in the mountain where Khione trapped a demon mountain.

Hail wondered that he did not deserve the title, son of Khione.

"Hail, I know you are thinking of your death." Branwen said in a very low tone.

"What?"

"I can read minds, silly kid." She waves her hand as if puttong it aside. "But you know, Cadell is born like that. He always irritate everyone. He is a bully. And it is not your fault if you fell. Cadell got lucky and tricked you. He's born with a purpose to fight and engage in war, so he's a natural bozo." Hail laughed with depression on its roots. "But honestly, he is the most easiest to trick. Khione tricked him by trapping him in the mountain. And so can you."

Hail blinked. "Why? How? I mean..."

"Remember this," Branwen interrupted him. "Those who talk a lot are those who have a very small minds. But those who are silent, they are the most dangerous. Like the falling of snow."

Hail let the thought sink into his mind. He knew one day, he would use that.

Branwen clapped twice. "Get ready Hail, the Light Lord wants to see you now. "