Chapter 3: IN THE DEEP HOLES OF ANSWERS

Inside this cave he walked carefully, firmly holding a torch. Rats ran around his feet, he felt a bit frightened.

A strange breeze blew to his exact direction, turning off the flames of his torch. Now all he could see was total darkness at this point. Scrapping stones together to make up a fire. He tried to make sparks but were not enough to make flames for his torch. Suddenly he noticed strong footsteps approaching. So he quickly kept scrapping the stones to make a fire. As his torch was successfully on, he stood up slowly, now he couldn't hear those footsteps approaching. Looking around swiftly in fright. He couldn't find anyone, he stood there just confused and frightened.

Now everything was silent "what is your purpose down here?" A deep loud voice echoed asking him in the dark... "Please i'm here to see one of the lost spirits in your care...my Father" he begged as he stood right in the dark wandering what would happen to him soon, like his fate was to end right there. "You can go in now" said the gatekeeper as a very huge iron gate was now open to him.

Alexander now walked straight into the gate. All he could notice were smoke and silence.

"Alexander" the voice whispered like the wind but Alexander noticed this was not just the wind...it sounded like his late father calling out to him. Feeling this unpleasant atmosphere around him as he firmly held the torch with both hands this time

"Fa-Father, is that you?" he asked as he walked towards the direction he noticed the voice was coming from.

"I'm here son, turn around" now the voice was clearer like it was coming from behind him.

"Father!" "Is it really you?" "Oh Father where are you?" Inhales sharply as he asked with so much excitement. If you were there you could have seen it in his eyes though.

"Father i'm sorry i had to watch them kill you" "...I couldn't do anything... I-I-I could have saved you, Father" He said as he tries to move closer to his father hoping he could feel him.

"Stop... don't come anymore closer than you have already" "If you touch me... you will be lost in here...forever" he chuckled, facing the floor. Now there was silence in the atmosphere, everything and everywhere was now calm. Like Alexander couldn't hear anything around him but the voice of his father.

"Look how much you've grown, the last time I saw you were about six years older then?" He chuckled as tears rolled down his eyes.

"I'm so delighted to see you, you are much taller than i am now" he said as he smiled at his son.

"What brings you here, you summoned me...why? He said softly lifting his eyes while his face was still facing the ground.

"Father i have two questions ..." he said slowly as he inhaled sharply.

Now they both paused for a moment, gazing at each other with unpredictable facial expression.

"Father...before you were killed, years ago the bandit's leader asked something from you...like it was a statue i presume?" said Alexander.

"Yes! Yes!" " A golden statue of Thraba'am the 3 snake goddesses" "It was said these women once lived amongst men at that time." said his father's ghost. " Each had a magnificent power, one controlled the waters, another had the power to control the winds and the last had the ability to control fire" said his father's ghost.

"But why do they need it" "So they killed almost everyone just for this metal...thing!?" Alexander said furiously as he waves the torch in demonstration.

"No, No-No...Alexander, my son" he said as he chuckled, gazing into the flames of his torch.

"The statue has the potential powers to cause damage if it gets into the wrong hands" "But in the hands like yours it can be of good use, my son" he said stretching out his hand in the direction of his son.

"Alex, i have to leave you now...the soul gatekeeper is calling on me" "Say hello to Lily for me?" He said softly looking at Alexander straight into the eyes. Now Alexander was suprised as his father knew this but Alexander just smiled shyly.

"Visit the two witches of the dark, Yenrim and Meruka...they will have all the questions which you seek" he said with a higher tone as he departed.

Alexander still watching his father's ghost fade into the smokes of death.

"Go!" said the soul gatekeeper to Alexander with a very strong voice as a strange wind blew Alexander off the cave entrance which was his way out.

Now Alexander was out of this cave, seeing the old woman resting at a corner placing her back against the cave's wall and waiting for him to come out. Alexander seeing her state, he smiled as he woke her quietly.

"Let's go home" as he took her by the hand to lift her on her feet.

"Did you get all the answers which you seek?" said the old woman curiously gazing upon his face like as if her answers was written on his face.

"Yes...i did...how can i get to the witches of the dark?" he said looking at her feet"

"Wh-what, no!" "It's dangerous, they will give you a deal you won't want to refuse, just for something that would cost you so much" she said as they both went out of the cave's entrance to head to the horse they kept outside the cave.

"I'm telling you Alexander this is not a good idea, you have to listen to me" she said.

"What's more dangerous than what i had to go through as a kid?" "I watched my father been taken away from me...they took his life...in cold blood, right in front of me!" "My mother carries a scar she won't recover till her death, many of my people were killed"he yelled as she watched tears filling his eyes.

"Is it worth all these?" she asked looking into his eyes with sadness on her face.

"...Yes it's worth everything and anything and afterwards i will find this Bandit-leader and end him" "Before i take his life i let him know why i did it, i will remind him why he would not live" he said as he helped her onto the horse's back as they both rode back home they still had the same conversations, she tried to conceive him but it was like his mind was already made up for this.

"Can you imagine what i had to go through as a little child...i watched them do it...to my Father?!" he yelled again furiously as they rode.

Like he decided to write another fate for himself now. He was young she believed the old-knowledge counsel was best for him due to advice. But when you are young you think all is at your grasp. Alexander got his mind fixed on his quest, like he believed he was in so much in control of everything now.