A MAZE OF MADNESS

Mohieazttha hurried through the forest, she wanted to stay as far as possible from the fanme. No sooner had she left, than she saw the same fanme sitting in the woods. He repeated the same words.

"Come child, I will tell you what your future holds, you may not like what I have to say but it must be told.

The tree of fear began to grow in mohieazttha. She tried not to pay any attention to the fanme, but he kept on calling out to her, what is this? Was it all part of the contest.

She began to run, but step after step she saw the same fanme. His voice ringing in the air. "Why do you do this to yourself child? Are you not man enough to face the truth about chi?"

She froze, shattered by the fanme's words. "How do you know my brother?" She turned to him, her voice trembling in fear.

"The secrets of the future is not for you to know. Fanme knows everything, fanme knows everyone."

"Go back from where you came! There's no place for you in YHÀKADÉI."

Mohieazttha got on her knees. "What do you know about my brother?!"

"Fanme knows everything, fanme knows everyone. Your brother exchanged destinies with you in an attempt to protect you. Sadly you'll still not last long - if you don't leave from here!"

"Lies, lies, lies! Fanme knows nothing!" She screamed. "I did not...chi is not in this state because of me. No!"

"Chi is suffering your fate." His voice rung in the air. She shut her eyes and screamed even louder. She wanted all of it to stop. "No shut up!"

She opened her eyes and found herself in a dark in a dark realm.

"What is happening? Hello??" She cried out. "Anyone? Help?!"

"Mohieazttha!" A voice called out. It was him, her most beloved. CHI

She only heard his voice, no sight of him. And then, she saw a faint light in the distance. She walked towards it. "Yes mohieazttha come, come to me." His voice said.

From the shadows emerged a vision of her home, and beside it stood her brother, who had long been bedridden. He stood tall and strong, defying all expectations. "My love." She cried. "I'm I going mad? For I know you can never walk." She embraced him, tears streaming down her face. Was this all part of the contest? Or some cruel trick?

But then, a voice from behind her whispered. "No my dear, this is no trick. A gift from the forest." She turned but saw no one.

"Haha." The voice cackled through the air, "I'm the spirit of the forest no soul can lay eyes on me, I heard your plea and granted your wish. Your brother is now free from his affliction."

She buried her face in her palms and screamed, she wanted all of it to stop. "No!"

Chi held her hand and they sat in silence on a log outside their home. The air was heavy and tensed, until suddenly, her brother spoke. His voice cold and emotionless. "You know I'm in this state because of you. Right?"

Mohieazttha's heart sank, she wanted to tell him to stop, to tell him it wasn't true, but the words stuck in her throat. Her brother stared at her, his eyes blank, as if his soul had been stolen.

"You know the fanme is right, you know the fates are right mohieazttha." He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. "That day I exchanged destinies with you mohieazttha, I didn't know how terrible your fate was. It had brought me nothing but pain and sorrow. I regret it!"

"No!" Mohieazttha sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted the pain to end, but his words kept coming like a never ending torrent of sorrow.

He pulled her hair and stared into her eyes. "Mohieazttha I revoke my gift of water, I disown you and everything you have become. I loathe you mohieazttha, I loathe you so much."

Mohieazttha couldn't bear to listen any longer. The emotions coursing through her became too much to bear, her knees buckled and she collapsed, her world fading away around her.

And on another side of the forest, was Leomere. Still brainstorming about the riddle. "There's an orb in the note, it can't possibly be that, or could it? Ayy!" He kept kicking the stones on his path.

He looked at the sky, a few birds flying west. Not too much time left.

"With lustros in this forest, man must walk on egg shells." He thought aloud and his eyes widened. "Egg shells! Egg! An egg, that's the answer! It's an orb with no hinges or key, the golden treasure that lies within it is life, the only way to open it is to break it and that will surely wake it. Yes!!" He rejoiced.

But where on earth was he going to find an egg. At that moment, he remembered seeing bright colored ostrich eggs. He had to retrace his steps, without wasting more time he picked up the note and headed back. As he did, he met Parele sitting in front of a fanme.

"Hey Leo!" He called out, "you wouldn't believe this a FANME! Come and learn what your future holds."

"I don't believe in fanmes." Leomere replied his voice cold

The fanme cackled. Parele stared at Leomere, he was dying to know if there was any progress about the riddle. Leomere kept mute.

"Ahh, I guess nothing."

Leomere nodded and walked away. He made his way to the ostrich eggs, but something was off - he saw four different colored eggs. He could have sworn they weren't like that earlier. BLUE, GREEN, BLACK AND RED.

He didn't know which one to pick, he knew nothing good ever accompanied red or black. Green a symbol of nature and blue of water.

He had to pick one QUICK.

After a session of brainstorming he came to a decision. "Blue it is!" He cracked the blue egg with the edge of his pocket knife, and turned out luck was on his side. He saw another note and underneath it, the princess's diamond ring of honor. He fell to his knee as he held it. "Oh I'm not deserving to lay my hands on this."

He read the note: "Congratulations soldier, you are now the princess's royal body guard. You have proven yourself worthy, now back to the palace. For not all winners make it out alive."

He quickly wrapped the ring in the note and put it in his pocket. Even though Leomere had solved the riddle and knew the dangers that the forest held after dark, he did not hesitate to make his way back to the palace - to announce his victory before the sunsets.

Leaving his friends in search for already found treasure.

But one could not blame Leomere for his actions, for he had been born without a conscience - a curse that he had carried with him since the day he was born. He sometimes did good and sometimes did bad, but unlike everyone else he had no conscience to guide him.

According to the books, curses like this could only be lifted by the blue jaoji. However Leomere wasn't one that believed in legends OR books. So he accepted his fate and learned to live that way, relying on his instincts.

He made his way back to the palace and at the gates he saw Venus and palace guards.

Leomere took a deep breath and closing his eyes in relief, and in that moment, he had made a terrible mistake. By closing his eyes he had allowed the forest to take a hold of him, even though he had escaped it's physical boundaries. When he opened his eyes, he too found himself in a realm of darkness, with no sight of anyone or anything...