Filoksenia

"And? Did you find anything?" Asked Grisko.

"Not yet sir!" Raven saluted in a playful tone.

He was keeping an overview on Grisko's shoulders.

"Hm, yeah that's what I thought, so, how old are you Raven?"

"Uh I don't know exactly, but I feel like im 12 or 13!"

"F-feel like huh, well cant fault you with that, so you are from the slums right, you know when I was in the slums, I had one day a fight with a raccoon over a piece of food, thats how I got my scars over this arm" Grisko then sleeved up his arm and showed Raven.

"Was it worth it?" Asked Raven.

"No it tasted like shit, but I didn't starve and the racoon Hehehe, it got its ass kicked. "

"I feel like your priorities on that one were false"

"Huuh what do you know! You should have seen it smug face, that damn raccoon just thinking about it, makes my heart boil lava!"

'What kind of guy has a feud with a raccoon?!' Raven thought silently for himself.

Grisko kept on rambling, Raven stopped caring about it at one point.

He was suddenly lost in thought, then his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He fell asleep very quietly. Grisko hearing no reply back for a while looked over to Raven. He found him leaning his head on his head, using it as pillow. Drooling on his hair.

*sigh*

Grisko stopped, he put him carefully on his back, carrying him silently.

"Hm, he must be exhausted, understandable, looking what he went through. Oh boy, what trials awaits me, is giving me a headache..."

"Hohohoho is that so?"

"Yeah i mean, you don't know how danger-"

Grisko realizing that someone snuck up on him, was ready to move away at lightning speed!

Grisko used his speed and dashed back like 20 meters.

He was stunned, he couldn't suddenly feel Raven on his back! Then he looked over to the person.

The person was carrying Raven like a princess, more like he was floating.

"Hohohoho, we don't want to wake up the young man now don't we?"

Grisko grunted. He couldn't move not carefully!

'DAMN he is faster than me! What does the old man want?!'

"Hm what I want? Nothing much really maybe hot milk and cookies? Hohohoho, im joking of course! Except you have them here, then I won't decline! Hohohoho *cough* *cough* *cough* I laughed too hard *crack, argh! My back!" Elder Eldrick then slowly sat down. He was rubbing his aching back.

Grisko just stood there in silence.

'Ehhh~ that is the old man who beat the shit out of me..?'

"Yeah thats right! I will do it again if you keep having these rude thoughts!"

"Ahem, so you can read my thoughts? Then what do you want from me? You, I don't trust you one bit just you know. Just because you don't want me to fight doesn't mean shit, if you are holding the brat hostage!"

"Hostage? Listen you little punk, I don't need hostages! If I wanted you dead, you would be already dead! *snort* who does this dimwitted punk I am huh"

"Yeah, yeah so what do you want old man?!"

"Well, I am here to fulfill my duty, as im obligated to. You should know by now what kind of place this."

"Don't tell me..., you are the one that oversees this part of Babylons tower?" Grisko couldn't help but be shocked.

Elder Eldrick put his eye brow up and looked at Grisko like he just ate shit.

"I thought you knew, well it doesn't matter. I'm here to tell you, you and your friends already cleared 2 trials. The first one was fighting me, to see if you are qualified to take the trial. The second one was a bit more complicated, fighting a beast, that could only be defeated through certain steps. Of course there are more stages that you cleared additionally, like defeating the knight and others, these will give you more rewards. There is one last trial remaining. Normally I would have told you at the beginning everything, but we had other 'contestants', who were pretty annoying to deal with."

"Are you talking about Avarus malum? How come they don't get the same treatment..., the overseer is in most cases unpartial. You old man are treating us a little bit too good.." Grisko slanted his eyes a little bit he was suspicious about the old man.

"Thats the question you ask? Hohohoho, not where your friend is? Or how you overcame the second trial? But why I treat you nicely? Hohohoho oh boy, you are truly interesting, instead from the thousands of questions you could ask, you ask me why I am nice to you. " Elder Eldrick pointed with his walking stick at Raven.

"What does he have to do with your decision?" Grisko was concerned and nervous.

"This child, his fate, his destiny..., its resolves around him, he will walk a way that no one else can. So guardian, I don't treat you nicely per se, hmmm how do I explain? It's falling in place as fate moves through the waves of time, they are unchanging. Or should I say unstoppable?"

"Stop speaking in riddles old man! Speak more clearly!"

"You dumb nitwit! Do you think I can share the secrets of fate and destiny with you just because you asked!"

'Hmm? So he can only tell me what he is allowed to, I see that means, something is restricting him from telling me the whole thing huh, now I get it...'

Grisko thought it through what Elder Eldrick said.

Elder Eldrick read his thoughts and smiled slightly. Successfully bringing his intent forth.

"Wait a moment when you are here, who is then at my friends place?" It dawned on Grisko that John and Elisa too must have met an overseer too!

"Some hothead, he is a pain in the ass but, he can be pretty reliable, though I must say that you must be really relaxed around the child, you didn't even feel my presence unlike last time hohohoho!" Elder Eldrick was stroking his long beard.

'Yeah...now that he mentioned it, I didn't even realize it, i let my guard down around the kid...'

Grisko looked at the floating sleeping Raven with deep profound look.

"This kid here is truly..*sigh* nevermind, after they are done talking, I'll guide you to the resting area." Elder care rubbed his back, the pain was seemingly still there!

"Hey old man stop reading my thoughts!" Grisko exclaimed.

"Make me!" Elder Eldrick showed him the tongue and began to laugh!

This made Grisko even more pissed off! His eye was twitching and he already sleeved up his arms!

"Just wait old man till im rested, ill kick ya ass! You hear me!"

"Hohohoho sure, sure!"

'This bastard of a old man doesn't take me seriously!'

Elder Eldrick picked up a small pebble, he then flicked it, it flew like a pistol shot, it hit Grisko's arm!

"Ouch! God damn that hurt!" Grisko rubbed the place where he got hit, wishing it would ease the pain a little! It didn't!

Elder Eldrick picked another pebble and flicked it!

"Ouch! Whyyy?! I didn't think of anything right now!" Grisko rubbed his other arm!

"Hohohoho I am bored" Elder Eldrick then picked another pebble!

'This little -'

Before Elder Eldrick could hit him, Grisko dodged the pebble!

"Hahaha! As if i would jus- ouch!"

There was a second pebble behind!

Grisko rubbed his shin like crazy while looking at Elder Eldrick with resentment !

Then got bombarded with multiple pebbles!

Grisko could only defend and hold his guard up, he could only let himself get hit!

Then it stopped.

"*sigh* I'm really disappointed, I thought you could at least dodge, but you can't even defend yourself in front of these little pebbles" elder Eldrick looked disappointed at Grisko.

Griskos vein bulged! He felt provoked.

"F-fine! Lets see old man if you can hit me again! I wasn't ready before, now I am! Come and hit - Argh! fuck! That hurt! Again old man!"

'*snort* so easy to see through him, he still needs to learn...'

Meanwhile

"So Elisa, since when do you like Raven?" Asked John.

Elisa was flustered!

"N-not really! W-w-who says I like that idiot?!" Elisa got red, like strawberries.

"You know how you look at him, my sister looked liked that at Grisko, so you could say it isn't my first time seeing it!"

"I-is it that obvious?" Elisa buried her head like a ostrich.

"Haha, for me but not for everyone else, it seems Raven is pretty dense when it comes to love huh, my condolences, you must have suffered!"

"Mhm, well I'm trying to hide it as good as I can, but sometimes I can't help myself feeling my eyes drawn to him, having my thoughts filled with him, missing him when he's not there, but I'm telling you this now, if you were to betray me, I'll make sure you suffer for it!"

'Wooah... her whole aura changed! Her eyes, her eyes! So scary!' John was sweating bullets!

"M-m, dont worry I won't tell anyone, it can be our little secret you know" John tried his best to reassure Elisa.

Feeling shy Elisa muttered, " secret.." she smiled.

For her it was the first time other then Raven, she could have someone to talk to, even having secrets!

As they walked their path ahead was blocked, more like blocked by someone.

John put Elisa down, like a mother goose trying to protect its youngling, he stood in front of her.

Elisa was stunned as she peeked at the person, not believing her eyes!

Before john could do anything to stop her, she ran in front of him and had tears welling in her eyes pointing at him.

"You are alive! Arvan!" She slightly bit her lips as to try not break out in a cry, her tears slowly kept overflowing, till she saw nothing but tears.

"Yeah, well i always was..." Arvan not sure how to handle this situation felt awkward, he felt guilty looking at the little girl, barely knowing each other, she truly felt saddened by his 'death'.

'Ahh..., this is why I told father this was a bad idea from the start, i know a trial is still a trial, but that's too much'

Elisa mustered her strength and gave him a truly beautiful smile, she had snot and tears all over her face, but her intent flowed from her heart, she showed true kindness and a gentle soul, a gentle soul indeed she was.

"I'm just glad you are alive"

This made Arvan even more guilty, he felt ashamed as an overseer to have deceived this child.

John watched from the sidelines, prepared to intervene at any moment it seemed dangerous.

He furrowed his brows together, firmly pressed together.

"So, I can interfere you faked your death, for their trial, now you want to tell us, you feel guilty and want to apologize. Am I wrong?"

"Well partly, I feel indeed very sorry, for deceiving them, but im here to tell you, you cleared 2 trials, therefore you have the right to rest, im here to bring you there. Don't get me wrong little one, I'm truly sorry for deceiving you, but we had to see what kind of a person you were, if you were qualified to take part in the trials. Rest assured, you were never in danger to begin with, as we know fate more than anyone else. It may be hard to understand now, but you will someday."

Arvan explained calmly.

"No, its alright, I don't have to understand, i can feel it, its okay "

Elisa showed her thumbs up as she was standing with a proud look!"

"Uhh...then, well, we have to be on our way, we have to pick up someone, your friends."

'Friends...? Not friend..?' John took Elisa's hand and looked at Arvan.

"Im an overseer, we see everything in our trial, your companion is resting."

"Resting?" Asked John.

"Yeah, resting." Arvan pointed at the floor.

John looked where he pointed then back at Arvan.

"Resting...?"

"That's right, underneath us. "

John blinked multiple times.

*sigh*

"May you find peace, wherever you are now "

Meanwhile

"Achooo!!! Someone must be talking about me,

Lets get out of here!"