Farouk was walking with his confident stride over the rugged forest ground, followed by Kialen whose body was shaking violently. The silver moonlight was pouring between the branches to draw moving shadows, while the cold breeze teased the tree leaves, making a rustling sound that mixed with the voices of restless animals and insects, and the movement of creatures hiding amidst the thick grass.
Kialen had just come out from the frost of the waterfall, and he still felt a coldness gnawing at his bones; even his academy clothes were completely soaked and sticking to his skin like a piece of ice. His mind was drowned in thinking about Farouk's words; how the Great War was nothing but a major lie, and how he described the world as mere remains of a mysterious natural disaster.
After a grueling journey of exhaustion, they finally reached the house. Farouk opened the door gently, and they entered into the relative warmth inside. Kialen turned toward Farouk and said in a voice trembling from the intensity of the cold:
"Can you light the stone fireplace? I feel very, very cold."
Farouk answered him quietly as he headed toward the inner door:
"I will go to the storehouse and bring some wood."
Farouk went out, and Kialen remained alone, sensing comfort and peace after hours of painful torture under the waterfall. He sighed deeply, telling himself happily:
Finally, I will sleep.. finally.
Farouk suddenly entered carrying dry firewood and a matchstick. He threw the wood roughly inside the stone fireplace, then lit a match and tossed it into the middle of the logs. He moved quickly toward the kitchen and brought a dose of oil, splashing it over the wood, causing the fire to erupt suddenly and fill the room with a warm orange light. Kialen sat directly in front of the fireplace, receiving its heat with gratitude, while Farouk said:
"I'll go into the kitchen to cook something for us to eat."
Kialen nodded his head in agreement, watching Farouk's back as it disappeared behind the kitchen door. After minutes, Farouk shouted from inside in a commanding tone:
"Put the table in its place, I'm bringing the food now!"
Kialen got up from his place with difficulty; the warmth was tempting him to stay still, but hunger was stronger. He carried the wooden table that was in the corner of the room and placed it in front of the fireplace to stay close to the fire. Moments later, Farouk came out carrying a large plate from which delicious steam was rising; roasted chicken browned with care, surrounded by golden potato pieces, and stuffed with seasoned rice that looked indescribably appetizing. Farouk set the plate down and looked at Kialen with a serious, threatening look:
"Don't touch the dish.. I warned you!"
Kialen replied, swallowing his saliva with difficulty:
"Don't fear.. I will wait for you."
Farouk entered the kitchen again, leaving Kialen alone facing the smell of the delicious chicken, his mouth almost watering from the intensity of the hunger tearing his insides. Farouk returned carrying fresh circular bread, placed it on the table, then sat and said:
"You can start eating now."
Kialen looked at the table with wonder and asked:
"Are there no spoons to eat the rice?"
Farouk replied while cutting the bread:
"No.. you can eat the meat with the rice using the bread, it gives a beautiful and delicious taste."
Kialen took a piece of bread and dipped it into the meat and rice. As soon as he tasted the first bite, he felt as if he was flying from sheer joy; the taste was delicious beyond his expectations. He engaged in eating greedily, while Farouk ate with dignity and calmness without looking at him. As they were nearing the end of the dish, Kialen tried to open a topic for discussion, speaking with his mouth full of bread and rice, so his words came out distorted and incomprehensible. Farouk interrupted him sternly:
"Swallow the bite first, then talk! There are rules for table manners that you must respect."
Kialen swallowed what was in his mouth quickly, then asked in a tone filled with curiosity:
"Is it true that the world we live in is just remains from a natural disaster's debris?"
He looked at Farouk waiting for an answer to satisfy his hunger for knowledge. Farouk replied while chewing a piece of potato slowly:
"I don't know this secret in full, nor how the old world was destroyed. But in my research and travels with the Five Philosophers, we found something strange in the middle of a forest; a huge statue of a person who looks human, but his ears were very long. There is no one in the race of humans or demons who possesses ears shaped like that."
Kialen was shocked and stopped eating, asking:
"Does this mean there was an extinction of other races?"
Farouk answered him while nodding his head:
"Yes.. there are those who lived before us, completely different races that vanished from existence. But don't think too much about this matter now; think about the Guild you will choose when you pass the exam."
Kialen wondered and asked with amazement:
"A Guild? And how does that work?"
Farouk explained to him:
"This exam tests the students to see who among them has reached the third level. The successful ones are chosen by the Guilds to complete their studies and training within them."
Kialen scratched the back of his head nervously and said:
"So I have to choose a Guild.. alright, I'll choose whatever Guild my friends choose."
Farouk looked at him with a sharp and serious gaze:
"Your thinking is completely wrong. There are Guilds that only accept nobles, like the Crimson Moon Guild and the Gray Covenant Guild. And there are Guilds open to everyone, and others with special conditions. Choose the Guild that suits you and makes you a hero as you aspire."
Kialen went silent, thinking about Farouk's words, then said quietly:
"You're right.. I'm sorry for all that noise and shouting I caused you during these days."
Farouk laughed lightly and said:
"That's normal, for I haven't spoken with a young man of your age for a long time."
Kialen gathered his courage and asked the question that puzzled him:
"I have another question.. why do you call yourselves the Five Philosophers?"
Farouk smiled and said in a tone filled with pride:
"We are a team famous throughout the world as seekers of knowledge and the hidden secrets of this existence. All the team members participated in the Great War and were my close friends. After we knew the truth of that war, we decided to leave the army and establish this team."
Kialen smiled bitterly and whispered:
"Just like my team.."
Sadness showed on his face as he remembered Elthra's tragic death and Noctis's terrifying transformation into a demon. Farouk interrupted him firmly:
"You must sleep now, for it is late and hard training awaits you tomorrow."
Farouk carried the empty dish and said:
"Return the table to its place, then sleep."
Farouk moved toward the kitchen to put the dish away, then headed to his room and closed the door. Kialen returned the table to its place, took a pillow and a heavy blanket, and spread them on the floor in front of the stone fireplace, which was still spreading a comfortable warmth throughout the room.
Outside the house, in the darkness of the mountain overlooking the hut, two people were watching with their black shadows. One whispered to the other:
"I found him.. one of the Five Philosophers lives here."
The other person replied coldly:
"Well done.. inform the Tiger immediately to help us in attacking them."
The person wearing a white robe decorated with red lines raised his hands toward the sky and said in an obsessed voice:
"Everything is going according to plan, O legendary monster.. soon the rituals will be complete, and we will return you to your original world."