"This is my distant cousin, Josh, he is here to take me away" I tried to explain it as simply as I could.
"Oh, I see, so when are you leaving?" He asked. This part was bound to be the hardest but I was prepared to brave through it
"Right now, there is nothing left for me here old friend so I believe it is time for me to move on from this place and be with the rest of my family. " I explained, and surprisingly Jake's reaction was way better than what I had anticipated
"Oh I see, well I bet we will meet again pretty soon goodbye my friend." He answered, but deep down I knew that this would probably be the last time we were to see each other.
"Yeah, I bet so." I smiled politely, Josh and I stood up and left Jake behind I could feel his eyes on my back but I knew that I had chosen my path even though it was still blurry I was intending to see it through.
"Are you okay, Mr Moirai?" Josh asked his eyes focused on the path, I could feel that he was not asking out of the kindness of his heart but I suspected that it must have been an order, from whom? I was going to find out soon enough. The whole idea of a secret organization that deals with bizarre incidents had never crossed my mind and right now I am currently following a stranger who says he is part of that secret organization I believe my life is finally going to be interesting.
"Yes I am, can we pass by my house I want to fetch some clothes.", I answered and Josh nodded without looking. On our way to my home, my mind was plagued by the scenes of the bizarre incident that happened,
"Does it still haunt you? " Josh brought me out of my thoughts and I responded "What?"
"The incident Mr Moirai, does it still haunt you?"Josh's question was a strange one, so I thought to myself should I lie or just speak to truth? Oh well
"Yes it does, It's like a shadow that follows me everywhere. I wake up with it in the morning and go to bed with it at night. i have a dream where nana's face is obscured by a hooded cloak and the scene changes bringing us to the woods with vines wrapping around me in Nana's hand is a sewing needle and just before the vines strangle me to death two other hooded people appear right beside her and they scream those two words waking me from my nightmare."I explained
Josh remained quiet for some time possibly thinking of a way to console me, "That's good, but what I'm most worried about now is your nightmare. You said you saw two other hooded people there with your grandmother?" He asked, but my mind was on his first answer "What the heck do you mean that's good? Nothing is good about living a life where I see the strange death of my grandmother every single day, so don't you dare say that's good." I snapped a little bit, his response to me was not exactly what I expected to hear. Josh tilted his head to look at me from the corner of his eye before looking back at the path in front of us and a long sigh escaped his lips
"Mr Moirai I understand your grief but please don't you ever speak to me in that manner again after all you are currently a seeker and I'm several positions above you so please have some respect." Josh's tone was calm and firm and he also exuded a strange sensation as he spoke that was a bit suffocating to me.
Quickly nodding and responding with a shaky "understood." the sensation vanished and I could finally breathe, after taking in a few huge breaths I finally stabilized my condition and made sure to keep my mouth shut. Josh sighed again and this time he halted in his steps seemingly deep in thought before turning to face me
"Mr Moirai, I asked you a question, you said you saw two other hooded people appear right before your dream ended right?" Josh asked, I stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly "Yes-Yes I did."
Josh's brow furrowed in contemplation, his hand absently rubbing his chin. Then, unexpectedly, he posed a request that caught me off guard. "Can I see it?"
Confused I reply "Huh?" Josh repeats his question one last time "The scene from your dream, can I see it ?" Josh's question was strange very strange I hesitated before responding. "If you have the means to do so, then... yes, I suppose," I replied hesitantly, unsure of what to expect, and in turn, he got closer to me and placed his right hand on my nape and the left on the center of my chest before closing his eyes and chanting strange words until-unti-unt.....
"Nana!"
That was the only word I could yell out as I saw my Nana on her deathbed face sickly white and a horrid stench was emitting out of her body, as I moved in to touch her a familiar voice spoke from behind me "There is nothing you can do this is but a replay of the scenes you experienced before. So whatever you do or say can't affect the dream, Mr Moirai. " Josh appeared right beside me his arms folded behind his back, he turned to me and I managed to get a better look at him everything about him was still the same except for his eyes.
"Your eyes, your eyes." Was all I could say, The once ordinary irises seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly light, as if reflecting the depths of the cosmos itself. Flecks of silver and indigo danced within the depths of his gaze, like stars twinkling in the night sky. The pupils dilated slightly, drawing me into an abyss of unfathomable depths, his gaze was piercing even though I wanted to look away I could not.
"Oh my eyes, I forgot about those but that's not the reason we are here, tell me Mr Moirai do you recognize where we are?"
"Yes, this is the scene from my dream," I answered, Josh nodded and turned to look at my Nana.
"As I told you before Mr Moirai we as the Refined Brotherhood of Mysteries investigate bizarre incidents and by that, I mean that we investigate cases that a normal person would deem supernatural, and for us to do so we also have to be equipped with bizarre abilities, I can't tell you much but as you can see for yourself these abilities grants us the power to do the unimaginable. Right now I have accessed the nightmare scene and from here on I can get a better view of what we are dealing with." Josh explained
Looking at the bed, a grand monument in the center, Its towering posts draped in silken but right now it housed my sick Nana.
The armoire stood tall against the wall. Above it, portraits of my ancestors gazed down upon me, their stern expressions reminding me of the responsibilities our family used to carry.
Tapestries adorning the walls, each thread a testament to the triumphs of my lineage. The flickering flames of the hearth castimg dancing shadows across the room, breathing life into the scenes depicted.
The chandelier, hanged suspended above, bathing the room in a gentle glow.
Gazing out of the window, I was greeted by the serene landscape that stretched before me. The rolling hills and lush forests telling tales of a time long past, a time when my family's name was synonymous with power and prestige. A time where The Moirai bloodline ruled over Sif'ur city but now those times are long gone and our family influence is long forgotten.
It was only a few moments after his explanation that everything started, my Nana who was lying down sickly and frail was now levitating a few feet above the ground clothed in a black worn out cloak with a giant hoodie obscuring her face.
"Interesting."Josh quietly observed after whispering that comment out. But the moment seemed to stretch on a little bit longer and that's when it clicked. When Josh said there was nothing I could do to affect the scene he forgot to add that the same rules do not apply to him, quickly turning to look at him but his eyes were already on me with a lazy smirk on.
" I'm impressed Mr Moirai many seekers are not able to perceive the true nature of my ability. What you have just realized is correct, only I am able to affect what goes on in this dream well not only me but also everybody else who shares the same ability as mine. Now listen to me intently i believe there are somethings your grandmother had kept hidden from you, but first tell me Timothy how familiar are you with the folk song "The Weaver's Loom" ?" Folk songs are a very important part of our tradition here in Zebhannon and The Weaver's Loom is one of the most popular songs we have, it's a song that talks about the three hags of fate that weave our destinies so yes I am pretty familiar with it but what does that have to do with my dream?
"Yes I am, but how is the song of any relation to the scene before us Mr Belling?" I asked looking directly into his eyes. Josh half-rolled his eyes probably cursing my whole lineage because of my question.
"Can you let me explain? Okay good, there is a line in that song that says and I quote "With fingers gnarled and eyes aglow, They spin the threads of fate below." Your grandmother's eyes glowed right before she passed and now in your dream you have a hooded woman standing right before you with fingers gnarled and her face obscured by the hoodie to me it can only mean one thing, that your grandmother's death was a ploy of the Weavers Of Fate." Josh explained, but I still could not wrap my head around the whole thing. Letting out a deep sigh I had now realized the gravity of the situation "If what you are saying is true then what is their goal in all of this ?" I ask calmly, Josh smiled a bit before answering;
"For you and I to cross paths. See I did not just stumble upon you nor did the organization send me to you I was actually guided to this place, everything about you was shown to me in my dreams all I did was request to the organization for the authorization to recruit you and they granted my request on the condition that I report each and every detail I discover about you and this city." Josh explained finally revealing the truth to me and I could not even be angry that he lied but at the same time his words were so hard to believe especially the part where he says our meeting was orchestrated by destiny. The idea that they were beings that had control over my fatewas kind of disturbing, for I am not a believer.
"So are you not going to go through all of the scenes ?" I asked but Josh lazily shook his head
"No need, I had already scene it right after I touched you and revealed my ability to you don't forget we are still standing in the middle of the path and if we stand any longer it will seem very strange." Josh's mouth twitched at his own words probably thinking about the scenario where every passerby stop their advance and stare at us with weird looks in their eyes. Shit, I cannot even imagine the level of embarrassment I would be feeling.
Right before I knew it we were back in the busy streets of Sif'ur and Josh had already let me go and already started walking, just as I was about to take a step forward a sinister breeze swept past me and all the hairs on my body stood up and my intuition screamed"run".