Lara POV (continued)
There's a burning house in front of me, and people all around.
They look like men from Viking legends. "Hello, I'm looking for someone named Micah," I asked the man in front of the house.
He had a beard and was wearing a robe, his swords polished.
These men are professional killers, I'm sure of it.
"Get lost, bitch," he said and walked toward me. He was taller than me.
But then there was a scream—a woman and a man were dragging someone else on the ground.
"I swear, I'm one of you, the gods are my witness, please don't kill me," the man begged.
But the woman kicked a log lying on its side, straightening it, and the man placed the head of the prisoner-like figure on the log. The woman drew her sword.
I pushed the bearded guy in front of me. "What do you think you're doing?! Let him go right now!" I shouted at the woman.
The man who was clearly a prisoner was about to have his head cut off.
"If you don't want to die, stay out of this," said the bearded guy I had pushed.
But I approached the man holding the prisoner. "Let this man go."
"Or what?" said the man in front of me.
I spat on the ground. "Or instead of asking nicely, the things flying will be your heads!" I said.
My voice was threatening.
"So that's how we're playing," said the man holding the prisoner.
He drew his sword and let the person go, but the woman grabbed the prisoner.
Then someone intervened. "HOHOHO, a guest, hmm? Aren't you a hero? What a surprise, but you've chosen the wrong person."
I turned around and saw symbols on the man's face, similar to mine, but they were grotesque.
The scars on his face were wilder, as if a lion's claw had torn it apart.
This was definitely Micah. "Micah von Everic, I was looking for you!"
"Oh, I'm pleased the hero was looking for me, but you interrupted my men while they were about to kill a traitor. To earn my forgiveness, you'll have to defeat me in a sword fight, and no one interferes," he said.
Everyone, including the guy I pushed, stepped aside.
I drew my sword. It wasn't fancy, but it wouldn't break easily.
But Micah appeared in front of me before I was ready. The moment he swung his sword, I defended myself with mine, but he hit me hard with his shoulder.
Ahhh, the spot he hit was slowly burning.
I didn't care and charged at him with all my strength, holding my sword in a stabbing position, but he parried it easily.
But I knew this would happen, so a light appeared from my empty hand.
A life force ball was about to pass through Micah, but he turned into black mist.
He appeared above me and came crashing down, but I rolled to the side.
He fell, and his sword got stuck in the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, I lunged again in the same stabbing position, and unexpectedly, my sword pierced through his stomach.
I could feel the resistance.
Micah stood up and walked forward until the hilt of my sword, and I was certain my sword had gone through him and out the other side.
"Is that all you've got, hero?" he said, but then I swung my sword upward, and he was split in two.
But I was met with a scene I could never have imagined; his blood unified his body into one piece.
Even vampires can't do that. How did this happen?
The whole process unfolded before my eyes.
"That was a good move," he said, raising his hand to signal everyone to leave.
But he didn't seem angry with me.
Anyone else in this situation would be furious or laughing, but no, he acted as if I hadn't just split him in two.
He truly had no emotions...
I swung my sword, flicking the blood off it. "What are you…?" That's all I could say.
I thought I was the only one with this kind of power.
But when Micah turned into black mist, I realized he was using dark magic—at least a fourth-tier sorcerer, and he definitely didn't use life force, I'm certain of that.
The mansion in front of us was still burning, smoke rising, leaves falling from the trees.
Then something happened, and everything froze.
Oh, he arrived.
Suddenly, someone stepped out from behind a tree. Micah still showed no expression. "So, you've finally come, huh, Raul?"
"After all, you've been doing what you wanted for three years. Now it's time to pay your debt," said Raul.
But Micah looked at me, then at Raul. "Is this your tool? Did you take her as hostage?"
"No, no, foolish Micah. We've been working together, and now I'd like to inform you that this hero, or rather, Lara by name, will fulfill your three wishes," said Raul, laughing.
His smile was warm, like when we first met, but there was a different kind of warmth, like he was having fun.
I couldn't see Artemis.
Micah sighed. "I see. Listen, Lara, I'm giving my first wish in front of Raul: I want a piece of the World Tree, and I want you to bring it to me in exactly three hours."
"Three hours, ha! After making me wait three years, you want her to go and come back in just three hours with a piece of that tree, no less," Raul said in a mocking tone.
What an absurd request… It's not impossible to complete, is it?
The World Tree, or Yggdrasil by its full name, is the sacred tree protected by the elves.
Not only is taking a piece impossible, but even approaching it is unthinkable.
But then I heard Raul's voice in my head.
'Listen, we'll give him a piece, and we can even do it right now. But what we'll do is go deep into the forest. You'll find a surprise there,' he said.
I was still looking at Micah in shock. Micah pulled out his phone. "Oh, by the way, you've become quite famous, haven't you? I'm following you. You've got quite an artistic soul."
"Micah, as much as I enjoy meeting you, we won't meet again until the wishes are fulfilled," said Raul. He bowed slightly and walked toward the tree, but he didn't come out from behind it—he vanished.
Micah glanced at his watch. Meanwhile, I was heading to the place Raul mentioned, moving quickly toward it.