A Hidden Master

As the water enveloped him, Aiden felt a fleeting sense of relief, though no emotion stirred within him.

He waded deeper, the water reaching his waist, then his chest. He let himself sink below the surface, the silence of the pond wrapping around him like a cocoon.

For a moment, he was weightless, free from the worries and doubts that others might have felt.

As he surfaced, an eerie presence washed over him. He turned to see a towering figure standing at the edge of the pond, cloaked in shadows and devoid of any discernible features.

Its presence was oppressive, a void that seemed to consume all warmth and life around it.

"You are weak," the entity's voice was a monotone, devoid of inflection or emotion. It was a statement, not an accusation or a judgment, but a simple, cold fact.

Gabriel looked at that entity, one he had never seen before. But he felt a strange sense of familiarity as if he was always there.

Gabriel's eyes, devoid of any feeling, focused on the entity. "I have fought hard to get here," he stated flatly, his voice steady. "I have faced countless challenges."

The entity remained still, its form shifting slightly as if it were a shadow cast by an invisible flame. "Your efforts are meaningless," it said, its voice unchanging. "You lack the strength, the resolve. You are inadequate."

Gabriel's expression did not change. He had faced many adversaries, but this was different.

The entity's words were merely information, facts to be considered. "I am not weak," he said, his tone measured. "I have survived. I have overcome."

"Survival is not strength," the entity responded, each word a hammer blow to Gabriel's resolve. "Overcoming is not victory. You were driven by fear, not by power. You are fragile."

The entity's presence seemed to grow colder, more oppressive. "You seek validation from an existence that is devoid of meaning. Strength is not something you prove. It is something you embody. You must shed your fear, your doubt, your reliance on the external."

Gabriel's breath came in steady, controlled breaths, the weight of the entity's words pressing down on him. "And if I can't?" he asked, his voice level.

The entity's response was immediate and final. "Then you will remain as you are—weak, insignificant."

As the silence settled over the pond once more, Gabriel stood alone, his thoughts a maelstrom of calculations and determination.

He knew the path ahead would be arduous, fraught with challenges that would test not just his body, but his very essence. Yet, in the face of the entity's cold indifference, a spark of resilience began to flicker within him.

He knew the path to the truth, to go back to his companions was not going to be easy.

Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the harsh words. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice steady despite the weight of the encounter. "How do you know me?"

For the first time, a sound emerged from the entity—a low, mocking snicker, devoid of any true emotion. If it had a face, it would have a grin on it. "Who I am is irrelevant," it said, the snicker fading into the cold monotone once more. "As for how I know you...I see through the facades you present. Your weaknesses are plain to me."

"Master!" A very familiar voice echoed in Gabriel's ears from afar, his sense of hearing always sharper than that of an ordinary human.

'Thud, thud, thud'—Lowell's footsteps rustled through the grass.

"Master! Master! I've finished preparing the food. Please come eat before it gets too cold. Master, where are you?"

"It seems it is my time to go," the entity said, turning its head to look at Gabriel, as if to indicate its departure. The shadows of its cloak dragged through the grass, merging with the dancing shadows created by the moonlight.

"Fear not, we are bound by fate—no, a curse. For wherever you are, I will always be there," the entity continued.

Gabriel did not feel any solace from this statement. "Fear? I've long since lost the meaning of such a word. So don't worry, and I hope this curse you've mentioned unbinds soon, as it would be better for you."

The entity left without looking back, as if it had never been there to begin with.

'Sploosh'—Lowell heard the sound of the water's surface rippling.

"I've heard you, Lowell, so please stop shouting. You are disrupting my peace. Also, please break that habit of yours of always shouting." Gabriel emerged from the pond, droplets caressing his body.

Lowell turned his head away in surprise.

"What are you getting shy for? You've seen me and touched my whole body naked before."

Lowell didn't have an answer for that and didn't turn his head back.

"Let's go." Gabriel's pale hand patted Lowell's shoulder. Lowell nodded and was about to follow his master, who was already leaving, when he suddenly sensed something.

His ears perked up, and his bright eyes reflected the moon's glimmer. He knew it—there was somebody, no, something hidden in the plains of this vast forest.

Had it been watching his master? Was it something that put his master's life in danger?

"Lowell, hurry." Distracting him from his thoughts was Gabriel's call, urging him to move.

"Yes, master." Lowell looked back at the darkness one last time.

Suddenly, a leg swinging off the branch of a birch tree was reflected in the moonlight. "This kid really has a good nose." The entity snickered as it lay lazily, its body relaxed.