Chapter 17 – Locks and Whispers
The witch's house door closed behind them with a dry creak. The air outside was humid and cold, heavy with the dense scent of the surrounding forest. The trail, barely marked between branches and roots, guided them toward the upper left, toward a small cabin that Cael vaguely remembered from the game.
The Black Armored Knight walked alongside him, ever silent, attentive to his surroundings.
Soon they spotted the structure—a solitary cabin, ancient in appearance, covered in moss and partially wrapped in mist. The wood looked rotten in places, but the iron door was sturdy. Cael tested the handle. Locked.
"Typical..." he muttered, staring at the worn lock.
"It is locked," the Knight commented simply.
Cael let out a short sigh.
"I noticed."
He ran his fingers over his forehead, trying to recall with precision. Then, as if something stirred in his memory, he whispered:
Master Key... of course.
"Ah, finally using your head. That door only opens with a special key... remember where you buy it, genius?"
Cael turned slightly away from the Knight and muttered under his breath, so no one else would hear:
"From the Prayer Master... at the sanctuary."
"Bingo. But guess what? You'll have to go all the way back there if you want to see what's behind that door. I hope it's not locked too. Ha-ha."
The Knight watched in silence.
"Are you talking to yourself?" he asked, in an almost robotic tone.
"Just thinking out loud," Cael replied quickly.
"Good. Keep pretending you're just half-crazy. It's better than explaining the existence of a talking magic system with questionable humor."
Cael cast one last look at the door before turning away.
"Let's go. I have an idea."
Without saying another word, they headed back the way they came. The forest seemed quieter now. But Cael knew—that silence was never empty.
Cael walked in silence, but his mind raced. The path through the forest branches seemed shorter than he remembered—perhaps because he already knew where to go. The image of the locked door on the cabin kept hammering in his head.
He stopped suddenly.
"Wait..." he murmured, looking at the leaf-covered ground.
"What is it now?" the Knight asked.
Cael turned with a thoughtful look.
"The bonfires..." he said, almost to himself. "They don't just serve for resting."
"Finally. I was waiting for you to remember that on your own. The bonfires work as teleportation points, remember? Of course you do. You've played this more times than you've slept decently."
"The bonfire in the Forest of the Forsaken..." Cael continued, ignoring the system's sarcastic tone. "We lit one near the entrance. We can go back to it."
"Go back? Why?"
Cael hesitated for a second before replying.
"I want to... resolve something before we move on."
The Knight stared at him for an instant and simply nodded.
A short time later, they arrived at the clearing where the spectral flame burned in silence, dancing even without wind. The bonfire they had lit earlier was still burning, wrapped in that bluish, supernatural light. Cael approached, extending his hand. The flames reacted, flickering abnormally—as if they recognized his touch.
"Here we go. Think hard: Sacred Forest. And be careful not to mess up, or you'll end up in the middle of a worm nest."
With a quick, ethereal flash, the flames engulfed them. The world trembled and went dark for an instant.
When the light returned, they were before the bonfire in the Sacred Forest—the first place where Cael had awakened.
The air was fresher here. Familiar.
In the distance, the hooded figure of the Prayer Master was already watching them, standing exactly where he had always been.
"Time to chat with the dark rabbit. Just be careful not to irritate him. It's never good. Not even when he's smiling."
Cael took a deep breath. It was time to negotiate.