Chapter 361: Ahead of Schedule
“Ha. Ha...” Ania chuckled and sighed before she and Bradok silently held each other for a few minutes. “I... I’m sure you’ll be surprised when you see Oli. I’m certain.”
“Well, where is he?”
“He... I’m not sure.”
Raising an eyebrow, Bradok asked, “Don’t you know where he is?”
“Yes, but also no,” replied Ania. “He’s in some kind of secluded training, I think.”
“Who’s teaching him? If we can find the teacher, then he won’t be far off,” reasoned Bradok. “I’m sure he can take a moment to say, ‘Hi.'”
But Ania shook her head. “It’s more complex than that. I’ll...”
.....
“You’ll... what?”
“I-”
‘Bradok can see him, but only after he agrees to lead the territory.’
A single sentence drifted into Ania’s mind, leaving her relieved. “Dad, one other reason I’m here is to-”
Disrupting the conversation, the kitchen doors were thrown wide open as a hulking man entered the silence formation. “So, let me guess. Vloz and the others told you where to find Oli?”
“Zelsh?!” Startled, Bradok looked to Ania but was even more surprised when she nodded. “What’s going on-”
“I’m Oli’s private instructor. I’ve been told to take you both to him,” stated the king. “I was told I can take you at any point today or tomorrow, so when-”
“Right now!”
Smiling sorrowfully back to the mother gorilla, Zelsh nodded. “As expected... Bradok, will you be-”
“LET’S GO ALREADY!” Bolting out of the kitchen, the balding gorilla disappeared into the hallway but quickly came back into view. “Come on! How do I know where to go without you leading?”
“Dad. First, there’s something you have to agree to-” Ania chimed in.
Shrugging, Bradok chuckled, “Sure, I agree. Now let’s go see my grandson!”
With calm steps and a soft chuckle, Zelsh led the eager gorillas through the halls. For added secrecy, Zelsh spoke telepathically while in the halls, ‘Since Vloz is busy training the kids, we’ll have enough time for you to sneak a peek. But you’re only allowed to see him, nothing more.’
“HUUUUH-” THUD!
‘Quiet. Don’t attract attention or you won’t see him at all,’ Zelsh demanded, not even looking at the gorilla after slapping him into a nearby wall. ‘These aren’t my rules, so don’t think this was my choice...’
‘You’re his teacher!’ argued Zelsh, now using telepathy. ‘You can-”
‘Not your choice? What do you mean by that?’ questioned Ania, cutting off her father’s rant.
Ignoring Bradok, Zelsh glanced back at Ania. ‘There’s a reason you can only see Oli. You can’t touch him or interact with him at all. Right now, no one can.’
Ania squinted as she felt her chest tighten. ‘Why is that?’
‘You’ll see.’
Zelsh said nothing more. He patiently took them to his personal study and activated the hidden door, surprising both gorillas.
“He’s down there... Follow me.” Telepathy was no longer necessary, so they felt slightly more at ease.
“He’s... down here? What reason-”
“We call this the chasm. It’s where I trained my sons in the fundamentals of essence. Here, Oli uses dark and earth essence to survive while training, forcing him to better recognize the true nature and potential of his essence,” Zelsh explained, leaving Ania apprehensive. “However, right now he’s undergoing something that even I don’t understand...”
Bradok shouted in surprise, “WHAT?! You, an old king? And you don’t understand your own teachings?!!”
“You’re lucky it’s impossible to disrupt Oli right now, otherwise your shouts would’ve compromised his cultivation...” said Zelsh, stopping and staring at Bradok. “As I said before, everything you’re about to see was not my choice, but Oli’s... Don’t forget that.”
“How’d you get Oli here without me-”
“You’ve already met him, you idiot,” scoffed Zelsh, playfully shaking his head.
“HUUUHHH?!!!?”
“Again, there’s no need to be so loud. I’m right next to you...” Walking again, Zelsh added, “Don’t tell me you already forgot about him? How often do you meet a talented kid with so much respect for you Iron-body Gorillas?”
“Wha-WHAAAAAAT???!! HE’S-”
“Time to jump. Follow me, and watch your step.”
Leaving Bradok behind, Zelsh leaped into the dark pit. He was quickly followed by the silent but anxious mother gorilla. And the aged, raving gorilla eventually took the leap as well.
Normally, they wouldn’t be able to see anything in the dark cave without the aid of essence. However, both apes were astounded to see a small beam of light come into view upon entering the pit. As it grew larger, a sense of awe and uneasiness washed over them. They weren’t sure what sort of energy that was, nor how it got deep beneath the palace.
“Welcome.”
A new voice filled the gloomy chasm, one Bradok didn’t recognize. He blinked time and time again as he neared the pillar of energy. Finally, a shadowy, hooded figure came into view beside the strange energy.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bradok. I’m glad you and Ania have been able to control yourselves thus far,” the man stated, showing only his friendly grin beneath the hood. “Please, keep it that way.”
Despite Bradok’s efforts, it was Ania who replied first. “You said I wouldn’t be able to see him till morning? How come-”
“Originally, you weren’t planning on telling your father so soon,” said the man. “You thought about mentioning Oli only after returning to Iron Territory. But that changed, didn’t it?”
“You weren’t going to tell me?! You weren’t gonna let me see my boy-”
“SHUT UP! DAD!” Pounding on Bradok’s back, Ania momentarily silenced her father.
Unfazed, the hooded man shrugged. “Either way, you get to see Oli, as promised.”
“But can’t I-”
“No. It’s impossible.”
Confused and irritated to be left out, Bradok asked, “What’s impossible?! Nothing’s impossible to-”
“It’s simply impossible,” repeated the man. “At this moment, not even I can commune with Oli. See for yourself.”
The moment the man pointed into the raging energy, Ania and Bradok were left speechless. Ania’s lip quivered in disbelief. Bradok’s mouth hung open as he finally noticed a large, humanoid figure sitting cross-legged in the center of that terrifying energy.
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