5 Years Later

IRIDA

I whistle cheerfully on my way up the stairs to the house I'm renting, groceries in hand. I moved to Mystikos, a town that lay on the outskirts of Mitropoli about two years ago with the blessing of Areti in search for something I hadn't quite figured out yet. My mother had told me I needed to come here, never really said why. I found this house in a large clearing in the woods of Mystikos on instinct where Galen stood outside as if waiting for me. After talking to him for a while it turns out he was actually waiting for me.

From our conversation I learned a few things about Galen- he was a healer, he was a seer, he was a warrior even though he never admitted it, his physique and reflexes gave him away, and he was the proud owner of the huge castle-style mansion he was standing in front of. Galen was prepared to house me for free but I insisted on paying rent much to his chagrin. I made my payments by tending to the beautiful gardens that stretched around the mansion and helping him make his potions that he would often take into town, or use whenever he allowed a client to come to the house.

I loved the tasks I had taken so it was barely work for me. Galen had workers who came twice or thrice a week to tend to the small farm in the backyard, to tend to the horses and to clean the mansion. I loved spending time with the horses on the days the workers didn't show up. The surrounding area was beautiful, colorful and full of life. There was even a river in the woods just a little distance from the mansion. Galen had let me have the entire top floor to myself which had a penthouse and a beautiful terrace. I could still roam the rest of the mansion freely but the top floor was my personal space.

Galen was a quiet one, he was about thirty years old, seven years older than me but something about his energy felt much older despite his youthful looks. He liked silence, he was always working on some potions, burying his nose in a book or training when he thought I was out or asleep. His towering stature was almost intimidating, considering he was a solid foot taller than me, but he was gentle and kind.

"What exactly are you doing?" Galen's deep voice comes quietly from behind me and I smirk.

"Making us some breakfast, clearly," I quip, focused on the pot of stew and the pot of creamy mashed potatoes that are cooking at the same time.

Galen would often get lost in his work or in his head to the point where he'd forget to eat, so I'd made it a point to have at least one meal with him everyday. I can already picture Galen's face, he probably has his brows furrowed in confusion as to why I'm not in my penthouse while simultaneously trying to hide how tantalizing the scent of the food wafting in the air is. It's probably what drew him here from whatever corner he'd been hiding in.

He sighs behind me and I smile to myself. Galen wasn't exactly grumpy, no, just silent and used to isolation. He often found himself the victim of my attempts to break through his isolation and even though he'd never admit it I knew he liked having me here. Something about him had seemed incomplete when I arrived. It took a whole year of friendship for him to tell me about the girl he loved, taken five years before I showed up.

"Birdy, I know what you're doing," he said, appearing at my side to catch a glimpse at what was inside the pots. He started calling me birdy after he caught me in the backyard surrounded by birds as I fed them and let them perch on my arm and shoulder on my second day here.

"Oh yeah? And what am I doing?" I turned to him and raised my brow with a smug smile.

He simply smiles and shakes his head, shuffling backwards to the table that sits in the center of his main kitchen. Once the food was ready I grabbed a bowl and served myself, inviting Galen to do the same. We eat in comfortable silence and when we're finished Galen takes the bowls and cleans them up.

"You know, I really appreciate you but you don't have to do anything..." He starts as he turns from the sink and I knew what was coming next. He always did this whenever I did something for him.

"Bear, don't even think of finishing that sentence. You're my friend, you're like a brother to me and I know you're used to taking care of others but as long as we're friends and as long as I'm around, we look out for each other, we take care of each other, understood? I know I don't have to but I want to so I have to, get used to it," I say firmly, effectively cutting him off from whatever he was about to do. Galen nods, his green eyes slightly wide and gleaming.

"You know one would think you're my elder with this mama bear attitude," he says teasingly narrowing his eyes at me.

"Can't hog all the stubbornness and intimidation, Bear. Plus, if you're going to spend so much time lost in that brilliant head of yours, someone's gotta step up," I chuckle, getting up and heading to the barn to spend some time with the horses.

When I step out of the barn it was almost noon. I spot Galen sitting on the steps of the mansion looking glum and a bit lost so I decided to join him.

"Another vision?" I ask quietly as I settled next to him.

"Yeah," he rasps.

"Same as always?" I ask and he nods quietly.

His eyes are red and with the way he sounds, he'd have to have been crying. My chest tightens and I place my hand on his shoulder. Every now and then he gets these visions of his girl, Calla, lost in the darkness, calling out to him. He doesn't know where she is but he's always told me she's in another realm, lost. He never really spoke in detail about what happened to her but it was something magical. We sit in silence for a while before I got an idea.

"Bear, want to spar with me? Blow off some steam?" I ask tentatively unsure of his answer.

He stays silent for a few minutes before he turns to face me, his brows furrowed.

"What if I hurt you?" He asks, his eyes shining with concern and something else. I simply smile and shake my head.

"First of all, I'll have you know I'm well trained. And second of all, you'd never hurt me," I answered.

He stares off into the distance, contemplating before he turns to me and nods. I find myself letting out a sigh, mists of relief and anxiety intertwining within me. This would be the first time we've trained together. He's never seen me train but I've watched him train the times I caught him so I'm familiar with his style. I take him to the terrace on my floor where I train and take my shirt off, leaving me in a black tank top and he lets out a soft gasp.

"What's with the tattoos?" He asks as he takes in the markings scattered down my arms.

"Came with the magic. Every level I mastered came with new markings," I shrug with a smile.

"So this is why I never see you training," he says as he takes in the well spaced structures I've put up around the terrace for my training.

I simply shrug in response as I walk towards the center where there's open space, waiting for him to join me once he's done gawking at my training area.

"What if I throw you over?" He asks, worry leaking into his voice as he looks around and I roll my eyes.

"You're not going to stop worrying are you?" I ask and he simply shrugs so I wave my hands, putting up a barrier around the terrace for his benefit. "Better?" I ask, turning to him with my hands on my hips.

"Better," he chuckles lowly, sighing in what sounds a lot like relief.

"Well, come on. Get a move on, make your move and it'll flow from there," I say a little impatiently and it's his turn to roll his eyes as he faces me and gets in position. We spar for a good hour, neither of us really having the upper hand over the other.

"Where'd you learn how to fight like that?" He asks, out of breath as we stop for a water break.

"Trained with a group of priestesses and warriors in Ayia," I answer with a shrug.

"You've been holding out on me, haven't you?" Galen turns to me glaring and I shrug.

"So have you," I fire back at him and bump his shoulder with my fist.

"Cause I didn't want to hurt you!" He says, throwing his hands up in exasperation and I laugh.

"Neither did I, Bear," I answer, walking back to the circle and I can feel his glare at the back of my head.

"Stop holding back," he growls as he gets into position in front of me and I raise my brow.

"You first," I taunt.

An hour and a half later Galen collapses onto a mat, struggling to catch his breath and I join him. "Why have we never done this before?" He pants.

"Cause you like to hide," I chuckle. "I do not!" He sputters.

"Do too," I tease.

"How come you didn't use magic?" He asks more quietly as I take down the barrier I'd put up and he watches it disintegrate.

"Level the playing field," is all I say in response.

"Yet you beat me," he grumbles.

"That I did," I laugh.

"You know, you're not all what you seem. I mean in a way you are but also so much better, so much more unexpectedly better," Galen says quietly then he snorts loudly. "A whole lot of muscle, strength and speed crammed into a girl your size," he laughs and I chuckle.

"Pretty sweet advantage huh?"

"Let's not forget badass magic added to the mix," he chuckles, nudging my side.

"They never see it coming," I laugh in response.

After our little sparring session and lunch, Galen disappeared into his study and I went out front to wait for the birds, armed with seeds and bread. It doesn't take long for the birds to flock to me, almost like they'd been waiting.

"There you are!" I coo at them as I throw the seeds and bread out in front of me. Curiously enough today it's just crows, owls and eagles. Once they're fed the crows start to caw pretty loudly, forming somewhat of a circle around me as they surround me. Most of the owls settle on the branches of the nearest tree, two of them perched on each of my shoulders and the eagles fly in circles above me. Most of the time I'm used to their shenanigans but today there's something about the way they're acting that makes my stomach feel hollow and a strange feeling creeps up my spine. Something must be coming.

Later that evening, I decide to make a summoning circle on the terrace and call Areti.

"You couldn't send a note first?" She grumbles, her face set in her usual scowl and it makes me laugh.

"Nice to see you too, Ma," I chuckle with a raised brow and her face smooths out.

"How are you, ???????? (dear)?" She asks, her voice low.

"I'm good, Ma, as always," I start, fidgeting with my fingers.

"I miss you," I say, forcing my hands at my sides and shoving them into my pockets.

"I miss you too, ???????? (dear). How's Galen?" She responds, her voice softer and my gaze bores into hers.

"You already know," I say quietly with a smirk. She only asks about him when she senses something is up. We chat for a bit and then sit in comfortable silence, watching the sun begin to set.

"Something's coming, ???????? (little one). You need to be alert, more than ever. And you need to be careful," Areti says, her voice grave enough to turn my head. Her entire face screams worry and concern and I know whatever it is, it's serious.

"I will, Ma. Always. In case of anything I'll call you," I say to reassure her and myself.

"Have you seen the wolf yet?" She asks and my brows furrow.

"In my dreams, yeah. Why?" I answer, confused on why she's asking about that now. Everything about Areti is always significant, she never does anything without reason or meaning.

"I don't mean in your dreams..." She starts, her brow furrowed as she stares into the distance. "No matter, you'll see him soon," she says in a finality that tell me I'm not getting any more out of her no matter how much I pry. Once I close the circle I bound downstairs and into Galen's study where I'm sure I'll find him.

"Are you... Are you dozing?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at Galen whose eyes are half closed as he sits in his chair, book in hand.

"Huh?" He says as if in a trance.

"Calla!" He calls out, his voice coming out pained. Shit! He's having one of those visions and I stay frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Calla, no!" He says again, this time his voice much louder and more panicked.

I don't think, I just act, rushing to Galen and grabbing his hand and my vision goes black. I find myself floating in a dark place. All there is is black mist and strange wispy shapes, twisting. Groans and wails fill the air and it sends a shiver down my spine.

"Birdy? What are you doing here?" Galen's deep voice comes from somewhere behind me and I turn to him, rushing to his side and taking his hand. His face is filled with panic as he processes the fact that I'm here.

"I found you in the study in a trance, then you were yelling and I didn't know what to do so I took your hand and here I am," I rattle the words in a hurry then look around.

"K????? (hell), this place is creepy!" I mutter as I look around. Galen is unusually quiet, even for him and I turn to look at him only to find him staring past me. When I follow his gaze I find the space empty then suddenly a figure rushes from that direction towards us.

"Okay, we're leaving!" I shout and close my eyes, pulling Galen and I out of the creepy place. I take in a deep breath and blink as I take in the familiar study around me while Galen comes to, panting lightly.

"H-how did you...?!" He sputters, grasping for words.

"Well trained, remember?" I simply answer, pulling him out of his chair.

"Come on, time for dinner," I say as I grab his hand and start walking towards the kitchen, dragging him behind me despite his muffled grumbling.

"Well trained, remember?" I simply answer, pulling him out of his chair.

"Come on, time for dinner," I say as I grab his hand and start walking towards the kitchen, dragging him behind me despite his muffled grumbling.