"Okay, people! I'm ready. It doesn't have a good smell, but it works quickly. So if it bothers you just take a deep breath, pinch your nose and swallow it like that." Suk dusted off his hands as he took the pot in which he was cooking the medicine off the heat. The team then drank the medicinal potion, which did not look promising in the least, one by one. Although most people just frowned after drinking, Citar, for example, almost shouted his displeasure.
And when it was Rahul's turn, the boy also realized what the cause of the problem was. The thing, which was mostly broth-like in color, smelled like a composting pot that no one had touched for weeks. Of course, Rahul's stomach was affected by the nauseating smell as soon as it hit him.
"And this works?" He asked, covering his nose with one hand.
"Half a minute and you'll be fine, you just have to swallow it." Suk waved. "You see that Citar also has no problems, he just likes to overplay things." He looked grumpily at the mentioned.
"Heavens have mercy. If I die of it, there will be no stone unturned." Rahul took a deep breath and swallowed the medicine in one gulp. "Horrible." He shivered. "But not as much as the smell." He thought and then shook his head. "All the same. Anyway, now that we're here in the Fene, does anyone know where we should go?" He looked at the team, but everyone just shook their heads, even the grandfather.
"On that. There is a cave on the beach, and at its entrance is the bone gate." Razvan pointed behind him.
"Boss, you aren't saying that we have to go deeper into the Fene, are you?" You could see Citar's concern as he asked the question.
"We have no other choice." Razvan growled as he looked behind him into the distance. "We have to get to the Shadow World. We can't do this anywhere else." He sighed heavily. "Humans can only cross into the Shadow World there." He took the medicine bowl handed to him and drank its contents. "Let's rest a bit, and then we'll continue." He gave the order.
"Tapló boss." Rahul narrowed his eyes.
"Yes?" He asked with a faint smile on his lips.
"If you knew grandpa in your previous life, did you also know the one-eyed hegin in the mountains?" Asked the chüvigh boy, and the team noticeably moved a little closer to the pair.
"Yes, Inepta was also his men." Etele shrugged. "As a matter of fact, he also knew Riki." He waved.
"Who is Riki?" Teveli interrupted.
"The turul!" Rahul and Etele snapped at him at the same time.
"The turul bird of the táltoses, who told you your levels." Razvan chuckled. "You are still his mother Svihák."
"Shut up!" The ghost growled at the leader.
"It's no use trying to deny it. You also act like you are his mother with Rahul." The chief of the Athamana waved.
"Shut up, very quickly." Rahul also scolded.
"Hey, Razvan. How long ago did you last live?" Achilleus asked.
"About a thousand years ago." The boy scratched his neck.
"Did you see Athira then?" Benkó asked enthusiasticly, but he only managed to make Etele laugh. "Now what's so funny?"
"He was my twin brother." Razvan said with his eyes closed, causing the team to fall silent.
"I didn't even know he had a twin." Citar blinked.
"Then I'll introduce you. The twin brother of the great Athira, the head of his second army, the Tapló chief, General Csito." Etele extended his arm, palm up, in the direction of Razvan.
"Thank you, Svihák." The aforementioned rolled his eyes. "Now that we're over that, it's better to get going. I have a feeling that if we don't move, you won't rest, you'll talk. Let's go, believe me, you don't want to wait for the sunset." The leader of the team stood up, and when everyone gathered themselves, he started along the river, further and further away from the mountains.
They had been walking along the riverbank for a good two hours before they saw a change in the landscape. Before their eyes, the place looked like a small hill, but they all knew that they were going there. Their steps became slower, more measured and more careful. Thus, the otherwise mere hour's journey became an hour and a half. The bone gate was as scary as they expected it to be, based on Etele's description. However, the skull did not speak when they came to it.
"It is suspiciously quiet." Etele grimaced looking at the skull.
"It might be sleeping." Citar tried.
"Please tell me that you had to force yourself to squeeze such stupidity out of yourself." The ghost looked grumpily at the boy.
"Who wants to enter my gate?" A resounding deep voice was heard, and all the members of the team trembled.
"The Athamana." Razvan announced as if nothing had happened.
"What are your goals?" The next question came.
"We want to ask the daimon king for help." Said the leader calmly and entered the cave without bothering about the skull any more.
"Boss! Don't leave us here!" Citar squealed and immediately hurried after the leader, which the other Athamanas did as well.
The inside of the cave was completely dark, as if from the blazing sun suddenly one would have entered the pich dark night. The members of the team could not even see as far as their noses, for more than ten or twenty steps, when a faint light began to shine towards the interior of the cave. The Athamanas immediately started towards the light.
"Oh, living people." A giggling voice spoke out of nowhere. "Do you want to die this bad?" He asked the question.
"We don't even have it in mind." Razvan's voice filled the entire cave.
"You stand at the gate of the world of the dead. Whoever enters here will never come out again. The only way to leave the land of the daimon king is through rebirth." The voice laughed. "Go and take a test if you want..." It stopped here, then continued quietly, almost whispering. "If you dare."
"Boss..." Citar whispered, but he couldn't get any further.
"Silence!" Razvan scolded, but the owner of the strange voice stepped forward into the looming light. The team couldn't see its features clearly, it was as if the whole creature was shaking.
"Oh, there are a lot of you... Then maybe it wouldn't be a problem if some of you didn't get through." The creature's yellowish-green eyes flashed, then disappeared for a moment and appeared closer to the team. "I wonder which one..."
"Griffin!" Rahul called suddenly and as soon as he finished the name, the huge animal appeared snarling in front of the black figure, which started to back away. "Whatever the hell you are, I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. Griffin, is not in a good mood." Rahul folded his arms in front of him. "Tapló boss, where are we going now?" The boy asked.
"There." He pointed to a lake at his feet, from the bottom of which the glow came. "You swim to the bottom and on until you come to the surface. You should end up in an identical cave. Svihák, go ahead, the others after. Rahul, can your griffin stay?" He turned to the person asked.
"Sure, he'll come after us." Rahul waved.
"Let's go, kids. After me!" Etele shouted and jumped into the lake, followed by the members of the Athamana one by one. When only the creature, the griffin and Razvan were standing on the shore of the lake leading to the Shadow World, the leader of the Athamanas turned straight to the black figure.
"If you value your life, you never... Ever threaten my people!" At Razvan's words, the creature retreated to the wall with a scream, and the boy turned to the griffin. "Come on, Griffin, let's go after the others." He smiled at the animal and jumped into the lake, leaving the dark cave behind.