The abducted part of me

[Minoas Stratis]

Out of Character:

Plot I 8060180

The enhanced greenery smell was creating a sense of freshness in the air that early in the morning. Despite being early summer and the weather had become significantly warmer, the moments before sunrise in the desert were quite cooler that from other places. Minoas sneaked out of the Stratis household, closing the heavy door behind him as quietly as possible. The sun wasn't visible yet. Not at least for him since his family's property was located in a hollowed mesa which was looking much more like a dormant crater. The rocky 'fence' of the mesa had isolated a vast area of fields and groves from the dead-silent desert outside, along with a neoclassical mansion made of pentelic marble, some other minor buildings and an enormous stable of Minoan architecture. That was Minoas' first stop for today and his body language was giving out that he hadn't informed anyone for that.

Anyone but his father. The semester at school that had just ended wasn't the best one for this young wizard. His habit of breaking the rules now and then had triggered a rather unpleasant series of detentions and punishments. Being confined within Hogwarts' walls for a month was nothing compared to Professor Kingsley's update to his parents about their son's deeds. After being welcomed back home for Christmas holidays, his mother expressed keenly her dissatisfaction and disappointment along with a long, endless preaching about acting more disciplinarily and responsibly. Even his father, who was generally more tolerant, wasn't happy about the owl he had received that day from the head of Gryffindor house. Grounded for a week within the house and having their Christmas holidays cancelled, Minoas spent most of his time within his room. His urge to disobey and get out of the house was so irresistible but he managed to occupy himself with reading. Reading books about spell-crafting, another sore subject between him and his parents who disapproved this dangerous hobby for a young teenager. He had promised he would stop waving his wand while chanting self-invented incantations but he hadn't promised to stop reading about relevant material in already existing bibliography.

He had kept a low profile and he had showed signs of repentance. He had even managed to prevent himself from secretly flying out of his room's window while everyone was sleeping and he was eagerly helping around the house without complaining, igniting his younger brothers' mocking. After last night's dinner and before heading of back to his room, he father had told him conspiratorially to meet him at six o'clock in the morning at the stables without being noticed by his mother and his brothers. At first his father's promising smile had made him looking forward to a surprise or something but then Minoas remembered that he was grounded and he thought that it would be another chore, maybe cleaning the stables and gave up hope.

Not wanting to be late, he descended the marbles stairs to the garden. A crystalline shimmer was collected on the upper surface of the leaves, adding a healthy gleam to natural foliage. Minoas rubbed his bare arms regretting to have worn a t-shirt while it was still too chilly. The smell of grape filled the moisture air as he took the shortcut through the vineyard. Their foliage was thick but the clusters of grapes were still too small to be eaten or become a wine. These vines were from his grandfather's fine variety from Greece and his father was trying to see if they were going to flourish on these parts. Despite being too young to consume wine, Minoas enjoyed the smell that was carried through his room's window by the summer breeze. It was a smell that was bringing along a sweet nostalgia, full of memories and beautiful images from the past. He took a deep breath of that boosting aroma as he reached the end of the vineyard to see the majestic stables in front of him.

A stone-paved path was stretching towards the stable that was constructed in ashlar masonry. It was actually a complex of buildings with open courts seperating the and numerous internal divisions and partitions that were reminding more of a palace rather than a stable. The flat tiled roofs were supported by scarlet, wooden columns which had a greater diameter at the top than at the bottom. Minoas hesitated in front of the building and looked at the top of it. His father was standing close to the edge of the roof and was waving at him. Smiling, he entered inside just to climb the ladder to his right, indolent snorts coming from the other rooms from the winged horses that were starting waking up. Reaching the roof, the chilliness returned on his skin along with the silence of dawn.
"Morning dad." he mumbled while he was trying to smother a yawn.
"So. What's the task that must be done that early?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't going to be assigned to clean the stables.

Out of Character: Keys

Greek

 

[Asterion Stratis]

Asterion was admiring the immense stillness of nature from the top of his stables. It was not really a silence but a beauty that made the environment seem so peaceful and perfect. There were not many sounds present at dawn but those few that existed could be heard without disturbing that relaxing stillness. A croaking symphony was sung out by the frogs down the stream. The breeze that suddenly sprang up and whistled in his ears carried their duet with the relaxing sound of the running water. The breeze was also making audible the rustling unison of the trees' leaves from the closer olive grove, sounding like the whisper of mother nature.

He was feeling proud for what he had managed to create there for him and his family. A nice place close to nature for his sons to grow up, a successful business that was extending slowly globally and a safe sanctuary for his family. This hollowed mesa or what could be described better as a crater, had kept his family safe for more than five years. No one facing from outside this ancient mesa could possibly imagine that there were people living inside and for those that could be flying above it, there were always camouflaging spells and charms that were concealing the crater.

When he and his family were forced to abandon their home back in Greece they had to keep a low profile, not staying at the same place for a long time. Eventually they left the country after the pressure they were facing and New Zealand became their new home. It was at the other corner of the world with many opportunities for his sons' future and away from the people that wanted to harm his family. The adaptation to their new home was hard at the beginning but eventually he established all that he had ever wanted. He had started feeling confident that they were left alone to continue their lives. Possibly their pursuers had lost their tracks after so many years but that familiar feeling of restlessness had returned to haunt his sleepless nights. An unjustifiable uneasiness was consuming him for the past one week but he wasn't letting show to his sons or to his beloved wife, his soul mate, who was able to read him like an open book. In an attempt to excuse his recent concerns he started blaming the stress of his job, refusing to believe that an invisible threat was really existing. His breeding program of flying horses was going really well that now he was planning to start a breeding program about the threatened griffins. He was planning to introduce more individuals of that species into the wild in order to boost their population. This was quite the task but his was going to have the valueable assistance of his nephew. It was an investment for his sons' future. He was hoping that one day they were going to take over when they would reach adulthood.

Suddenly, the flapping of a pair of big wings drew him out of the depth of his thoughts. He turned around to see a dark, winged horse landing elegantly a few yards away on the roof. The black stallion trotted closer to him and shook its mane proudly, folding its wings against the sides of its muscular body. Any worries that could have filled Asterion's head a few moments ago vanished at the sight of his loyal friend and companion. He knew Orkus from a foal. It was one of the first winged horses of his breeding program with which he had a special bond. The mare that was giving birth to Orkus died during the labour leaving the foal alone. Asterion took over the role of its mother, by feeding it and comforting it every time needed. Asterion could even trust his life to this magnificent being. Sometimes beasts proved to be more human-like than most heartless humans. Asterion smiled and scratched the stallion's strong neck greeting each other silently, as if there were communicating telepathically.

Asterion had also another unique bond in his life. For this one he could make countless sacrifices that couldn't be measured in any possible way. His sons were the reason of his existence and why his life was so beautiful. There wasn't a single mischief or small achievement of them that he wasn't proud of. Sometimes he was an accomplice in crime but he usually had to take over the role of the father, assisting his wife in her attempt to discipline them. He had particularly a weakness for his firstborn son, Minoas. He was reminding him so much of himself when he was at that age. Not only they looked like physically but they were also sharing the same ambitiousness, stubbornness and thirst about life. There were times that his son was testing his limits and although he had to lecture him as a father about what is wrong or right, at the same time he was glad that Minoas wasn't making any discounts to his life experiences and was living his life to the full. There was nothing better for a father to see his child following his step but at the same time accomplishing more things than what he had accomplished in life.

Despite Minoas' latest blunder of entering a dangerous territory of the school, Asterion knew that his son had full awareness of his actions. That was shown shortly after he was disciplined when he accepted punishment without protesting as he usually did. Except from being assigned with chores around the house and the stables, Asterion had to cancel their Christmas vacations after his wife's persistence that this was going to teach to their son a lesson. He had noticed that Minoas was in low spirits lately, having nothing really to channel his energy and so he had decided to reward him for his good behaviour ever since he was scolded.

That was why he was waiting at the top of that roof. The night before, he had got on with his son about the place of their meeting. He knew that his wife wouldn't approve that so he had left their bedroom quietly without waking her up. He hadn't really informed his son about the reason of this secret meeting. He wanted to be a surprise and until then, to excite his imagination. What Asterion had in mind could wait a few years until Minoas was older and more mature but why wait for later when this could take place now? Tommorow it could be too late. He knew better than anyone that maybe only Quidditch could compete with what he had prepared for Minoas today. He just couldn't wait to see his son's face when he was going to realize why exactly he was summoned there.

And then a younger version of Asterion immerged out of his vineyard with the same gray eyes as his. Minoas didn't seem to stop growing up. He was getting taller by the day and he no longer looked like a mischievous child but more like a young man. He waved at him from the roof to perceive his presence and soon his son reached the roof, climbing the ladder. "Good morning son!" he said with a wider smile than before when Orkus arrived. He could tell that Minoas was expecting some sort of labor and he wanted to extend a little bit his waiting just to make the surprise even better. "I hope that your brothers didn't catch you coming here." He knew that this could ruin his plans for them. His younger sons were simply too young to take part in this and their protesting would have his wife awaken and contrary to what he was planning.

Out of Character:

whoa sorry but I got inspired all of a sudden
I thought it would be nice to have some background of Asterion.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Out of Character:

i like it! great idea!

Usually his father was assigning chores without really chattering. It seemed to Minoas that this time the chore was different, maybe more laboured than those he had used to. He was suspecting that his father was trying to introduce him to this new task in a softer manner. "They are both fast asleep. Someone was actually snoring heavily." he replied with a chuckle to that. A helping hand would be needed in case he was going to undertake the cleaning of the stables but a helping hand from his brothers wasn't going necessarily to be helpful. They had the remarkable skill to turn the world upside down if they wanted so and trouble was the last thing that Minoas wanted in his life at that moment.

"Look dad. I know that what I did back at school wasn't right and I have truly regretted it. So I'll do anything you ask me to show that I have learnt my lesson." he stated and his chest swelled with pride. He could tell when he was right or wrong and he was going to face proudly the consequences of his actions in the end. He had just misbehaved in front of the head of his house just because he didn't enjoy other people telling him of what to do. There were only a few people from who he could tolerate that. "I'm ready whenever you are. Just please, use some kind of spell if you can to reduce the smell of the stables while I'll be cleaning them." self-deprecation was always helping him a little bit in occasions like this. He glanced at Orkus, his father's winged horse and sighed. He would be delighted to learn how to ride one of them right now rather than having to do another wearing chore.

 

[Asterion Stratis]

Asterion had no doubt that his son had left their house unnoticed. He had developed that talent of stealth from a toddler when Asterion and his wife were in anguish each time Minoas was managing to sneak out of his crib and wander even out of the house. It was a moment he wanted to share with each of his sons separately. While his twin sons were too young, Minoas was old enough to experience this. He listened to his son as he was admitting for the first time openly his misbehaviour and that made him smile heartily. "I know that son," he said, the smile not leaving from his face. He tapped Minoas on his shoulder. "It is only human to make mistakes. We all do," he was on his way to share those bits of knowledge that his father had passed to him as a child. The same knowledge wanted to pass to his own sons to become better individuals. "The whole point of mistakes is to learn from them. Besides, I'm sure you'll agree that life is only worth living when those mistakes exist just to learn how to fix them," he pointed out. "I was giving my parents a headache as well when I was younger. Well...maybe even when I finally matured a little bit," he laughed as he admitted that to so his son that no one was perfect.

Asterion knew when to stop lecturing especially when the listener was Minoas. "You won't really need a spell to do what I have for you," he shook his head while smiling at the same time. He was expecting that Minoas wouldn't have a clue of what he had prepared for him. Without further hesitation Asterion took out of his pocket a single leaf and rolled it. He put it on his lips and closed his eyes as he whistled through it a soothing, short tune that sounded like the whisper of the wind. Soon another winged horse made its appearance and flew towards them. This one was male as well but younger. With coat black as coal, smaller and less muscular than the stallion that was currently standing next to Asterion. The young winged-horse landed on the roof to join them, leaving some distance between them. "Son, this is Mithos," he introduced Minoas to his new companion. "Like I'm your father, Orkus is Mithos' father. I should have waited until you'll turn fifteen like my father did with me but I beg to differ." he said with a shrug, knowing that his own father would have argued that family's customs should be observed. "Consider it as an early Christmas present," he wanted to be the best present that Minoas had ever received. His son had flown with a winged horse before but under his supervision and while Asterion was controlling the flight. It was time for Minoas to learn how to fly on his own. Of course Asterion was going to keep more than an eye on him. He wouldn't be letting him do this if he wasn't positive that his son wasn't in any danger. He was going to fly alongside him with Orkus. "I guess you can't wait to begin our lesson, right?" he asked Minoas, expecting a wave of excitement from him.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas secretly enjoyed the pep talks he was receiving now and then from his father. He was even noting down some of the quotes he liked in order to remember them but he didn't want to admit this. Instead, he usually was acting that he was having enough of this while rolling his eyes. This time however, he kept a straight face when he realized that at least his father had noticed that he had repented. "Not everyone. I've never seen you making any mistakes. Even when I thought you did, time proved that you were right in the end." he said while admiring this father's attribute. Every time he was making a choice, Minoas was hoping he was doing the right thing. This wasn't the case most of the time. In an unexplainable way he was finding himself entangled in the most inexplicable turn of events. How was his father always right and he was always heading straight towards the wrong turn?

He casted this query aside when he watched his father taking out of his pocket a leaf. Puzzled, he watched as he turned into a whistle to play a soothing melody. The sound of wings against the morning breeze alerted him and surprised he watched as another winged horse landed on the roof. Minoas just loved the way the hooves of this creature were clanging against the concrete surface of the roof. He shot a questioning look towards his father before turning his attention back to the winged horse that looked younger and distant. With each word Asterion was saying, Minoas' face was transforming. Bewilderment turning into enthusiasm.

"You are kidding right?" he asked with his facial features beaming euphoria. "Am I really going to fly on my own?" he asked again while he was trying to control his exhilaration that it was vivid on his expressions. "Sweet! That's the best Christmas present ever!" he exclaimed and was ready to run towards the younger winged horse. He stopped and hesitated before going back to his father to hug him and show his gratitude in a form of a tight squeeze. "Thank you." he smiled and pulled out to enjoy straight away his Christmas present. However, Mithos seemed cautious and sceptical by keeping some distance from them. Minoas took a few steps closer to him but the young winged horse responded with a whiney. The teenager reacted defensively and flinched. "Umm dad. Why is he reacting like that?" he asked his father, not sure of what he should.

 

[Asterion Stratis]

It was nice for a father to see that his own son was looking up at him. Although it was flattering to be haering from his sons that he was a super dad, he didn't want to embrace that title. If they were having that idea about him and at some point he was going to let them down in any way, they were going to get really disappointed. "That's not true Minoas. I've made countless mistakes in my life. I just learnt as I grew up how to make up for them", he explained that he had also vulnerabilities. "Send an owl to your grandfather and ask him. I'm sure that he would gladly share with you a whole list of my aberrations", he chuckled as he was recounting in his head some of the events as an adolescent that had brought his parents to their limits.

It was so amusing to see this eruption of excitement from his son. It made him wonder how had he looked like when his father had taken him for his first flight. He was expecting from Minoas that he wasn't going to misbehave after this as he had did. He had abused his father's good will by taking his winged horse and secretly fleeing. He was going to make clear that to Minoas. He wasn't going to tolerate a similar behaviour from him. For the time being, he accepted his son's gratefulness. "Go, go now", he said slightly emotional and ruffled Minoas' hair. He was aware that his son should do something else before being able to tame that young stallion but he didn't say anything. He wanted to see if it was going to hit him.
"I'm not sure if you have talked about hippogriffs in school but just like them, there is a similar etiquette that must be followed", he said with a grin when Minoas had a hard time to approach the winged horse.
"No bows here. Just keep a firm eye contact and approach him to pet his muzzle", he explained to him what he would have to do. "Don't show any signs of fear or weakliness. Winged horses are testing their riders in this way, they are seeing through the eyes into their soul. They only let to ride them people that could show dignity, magnanimity and confidence", He knew that son had these attributes so he let him do this without his intervention.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas listened carefully as his father was explaining that a special etiquette should be maintained. If there was any signs of fearfulness in his gray eyes, after his father's words they were casted away. As he was slowly taking confident steps closer to Mithos, his eyes intensified as if they were casting off smouldering embers. Getting closer, he extended his arm and flashed a warm smile. Mithos snorted vigilant, his tail swinging lively while stomping its front legs on the roof. "Easy boy." he tried to calm him down as his finger touched his jet black coat. It was silk soft and Mithos closed slightly his dark eyes to accept Minoas' caress. Mithos let his guard down by lowering his head and relaxing his ears. "I think I did it!" he beamed at his father before he was interrupted by Mithos who poked him with his snout. Minoas turned to face his new companion and watched as Mithos lowered his body to invite him for a ride. Minoas mounted awkwardly on the back of the winged horse with the excitement of a small kid all over his face. "Okay, let's gooooooh!" he exclaimed and ducked closer to Mithos body, his fingers tangled in his mane as the winged horse started galloping and then sprinting closer to the edge of the roof.

Minoas shutted his eyes feeling like he was losing his breath. The breeze kissed his face, inviting him to reopen his eyes and have a peek. The outstretched, black wings were flapping against the wind so elegantly that they were almost silent and with each hovering they were getting heigher. "This is amazing!" he said ecstatic and opened his arms, riding without holding on somewhere. "Woah!" he yelled surprised and he locked his arms around Mithos' neck as he was jerked forward. Mithos kicked the top of the crater's wall giving to his flying a boost as they were leaving behind them the safety of the crater. The sun rays showered upon them as the vast desert outstreched underneath them. Minoas scanned the jaw-dropping scennery and spotted a canyon in the distance, fissuring the deserted landscape. "Let's go and check this out." he patted Mithos on his neck and pointed at the cliffs of the canyon. Mithos obeyed immidiately and tilted his body to dive and zoom towards the deep revine.

The wind was whistling violently above the cliffs. Minoas and Mithos were flying above the hiatus that was formed by the pass of time with the aid of water and winds. The scene was giving him goosebumbs. This experience was going to be unique for him. The ideal memory for his patronus charm. His grey eyes locked on an isolated pillar of land that was standing alone in the middle of the canyon, elevated at the same level with the cliffs around it. He tapped Mithos on his neck once more. "There." he indicated to his companion who responded with a neigh. Soon Mithos was flapping his wings above the small area of land on the top of the rocky pillar, raising a cloud of dust. He shook his brawny neck as his hooves touched the ground and folded his wings on the sides of his body. "Good boy!" Minoas praised him and jumped off his back. There were no words to describe this experience and he was surprised to see that riding a winged horse was so natural to him. He walked closer to the edge of the pillar of land that they were standing on to look at the gorge that was streching to the horizon.
"We are a good team Mithos. We are going to have so much in the future. I know it." he said to his companion but his attention was drawn when something overshadowed them. He looked above him and show out of nowhere dark clouds forming, blocking the sun. "This is a somewhat strange cloud." he soliloquized and watched bewildered the sudden and peculiar change of the weather with the wind strengthening and howling across the canyon.

 

[Asterion Stratis]

Asterion watched closely as his son was making his first contact with his new companion. If Mithos was going to start acting aggressively all of a sudden, he was ready to interrupt and protect his son. Mithos looked like he was on edge but Asterion was an expert on studying the behaviour of winged horses. Minoas wasn't really threatened. Mithos was just testing the limits of the boy and Minoas looked like he was going to do well. Asterion responded with a smile when his son managed to earn the trust of the winged horse. It was just what he was expecting from his son. It was in the family and Asterion was already convinced that Minoas was going to master a flight with a winged horse with the same ease. "Well done! Now remember that...", he was interrupted as Mithos started galloping with Minoas on his back and in the end soared in the air. Asterion panicked for a moment and mounted on Orkus' back. He sighed when Minoas managed to take control of the flight and followed them closely. He waved his wand to dispel the invisible barrier that was keeping the crater secure and undetected from the outside world.

He started having some difficulty to keep up with the duo as they had build some speed and they were preceding, increasing the distance between them. "Oh come on Minoas!", he snapped indignant as he watched from the distance his son heading towards the canyon. "Faster Orkus!", he commanded his winged horse to follow their sons that were recklessly heading towards cliffs. Orkus was thankfully fast enough and started closing the distance between them. Asterion watched relieved as Minoas and Mithos landed on a canyon pillar in the middle of the chasm. As he was wishing that his son was going to stay there and wait for him, an ominous wind started blowing. His gray eyes widened when he noticed dark clouds forming above the canyon.
He sensed the danger when a lightning flashed within the cloud to broke for an instance the darkness that spread across the area. "Minoas! Get out of there now!", his voice roared from his lungs and echoed on the cliffs. His heart started pounding in his head as he was never so terror stricken before in his life.

Shifting winds were starting knocking both him and Orkus off balance. His winged horse was struggling to reach the canyon pillar but it wasn't going to give up. Asterion pressed his feet on Orkus sides as the swirling clouds started forming a cyclone. Orkus struggled and reached closer, flapping his wings rapidly. The moment they were a few meters away Asterion jumped off Orkus back and landed on the pillar. Orkus and Mithos flew away as their insticts took over.
"Varitita Tholio!", he yelled as he rushed next to his son and pointed his wand towards the cyclone that was going to land onto them. A black dome with lightning traveling on its surface was casted out of his wand and covered the both him and his son, including the whole surface of the pillar. As the dome pinned on the ground, small stalagmites on the dome's perimeter appeared. The dome sealed them away. No sound could be heard from the menacing winds outside and it protected them as the hurricane crushed on the dome and engulfed it.
"Minoas! Listen up! We don't have enough time", he turned to his son, exerting himself to stay calm. "I'm not sure how long this protective charm will last so listen to me carefully. Don't ask questions, it's not the right moment", he tried to show him the graveness of the situation.

He flicked once more his wand to strengthen the protective dome before placing both his hands on his son's shoulders. "First of all, promise me that no matter what is going to happen here you are not going to give up school. I'm so proud of you trying to become an animagus and bring back our family's old custom", he said with a weak smile. "Don't give up on this", he insisted. He knew how reactive could become his son and what he was feeling that was going to happen there, could make Minoas act hastily. "Secondly, protect our family. Take care of your mother and brothers. Don't let them any bad happen to them. I set you responsible for them and their well-being", Asterion was convinced that Minoas was never going to gave up on his family. He was just reminding him to stay united whatever it was going to happen to him.
"Now this is serious Minoas, promise me. Promise me that you would never, ever search for me. You understand me? Never! What is hidden behind these it's not fooling around. Okay? I want you to understand this", he was shaking his son now. He wanted to make sure that he won't recklessly search for him putting his life into the line. The sound of smashing glass above them distracted his attention. A crack formed on the protective dome and wind swirled inside. Asterion knew that there was not enough time left.

"Last but not least, I want you to take this and keep it safe", he said and took out of his pocket a scroll case.
He placed it on the ground between him and Minoas. "Portus!", he barked and pointed his wand at the scroll case which vibrated and shined with a blue light. It was a good thing that the Ministry didn't have the ability to detect the creation of such portkeys. "This will take you back home. Don't forget! This must not end in wrong hands. Keep it safe!", he said as another shattering sound brought another gust of wind within the penetrated dome. Asterion squeezed Minoas in his arms. "I'll be always with you, whatever you do", he said and struggled to keep his tears from rolling of his eyes. "Tell your mother and brothers that I love them", he said and clenched his teeth. He let Minoas go and stood back. He didn't listen to his protests or whatever else was saying. He also knew that Minoas wasn't going to use the portkey but instead stay with him. Asterion swished his wand making the portkey fly towards Minoas and touch him. With a flash of light Minoas and the scroll case disappeared out of sight. The black dome shattered in thousand tiny shards and the cyclone surrounded him. The power of the winds swallowed him and lifted him violently off the ground. Piecies of stone and from the stalagmites created by his spell scraped his skin and his wand got carried away by the wind as he was drifted closer to the dark cloud. Something knocked him on his head and everything got lost into blackness. He got lost into a dark void knowing at least that Minoas was safe.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

The large dark cloud charged with electricity and Minoas stood there watching awestrucked as the cloud was turning into a hurricane. He heard his father's voice in the distance but he felt like a hypnotized moth to the fire. Mithos stood on its hind legs and neighed. Afraid of this supernatural phenomenon, the winged horse was scared away and abandoned Minoas alone on the pillar of land. Like a cloudy tentacle, the hurricane descended from the dark cloud and his pupils widened as it went straight for him. Out of nowhere, he father was now next to him like he always was. A protective charm of charged energy was casted around them, blocking the catastrophical power of the hurricane. "What's going on?" he managed to utter as he was clueless of what was going on. Everything was happening so fast. However his father didn't explain a thing. Instead he started requesting him to keep promises. It was then that Minoas started realizing what was going on. What his father was planning to do.

Everytime he was trying to argue with something that his father was asking him to promise, he wasn't given the chance to do so. "What is going on dad? Who's doing this? What they want?" he kept asking. He wanted answers. All this came out of nowhere and his father looked like he knew something. "I'm not promising anything!" he snapped frustrated when his father wasn't giving him the answers he wanted. "I'm not leaving!" he shouted when his father created a portal on an object that he asked him to keep it safe. "I'll stay here or we'll escape together. I'm not leaving you alone!" he set this dillema to his father who hugged him farewell. It was then that Minoas reacted the most when he realized that his father was determined to let go. "No dad! NO!" he yelled and tried to get closer to him but the portkey zoomed towards him, in his hands and everything blurred around. The familiar vortex of colors disolved his father's presence and sucked him in. The next moment he was sput onto the hot sand of the desert, right in front of the hollowed mesa where their house was located.

Nauseous, he tried to stand up and see around him. In the horizon, the canyon with the dark cloud where still visible. The hurricane seemed to be retreating back into the cloud. His father was into that cloud. Minoas tossed the scroll case, ignoring it completely and found a ray of hope when he saw Mithos flying towards him coming back from the canyon. "Quickly, we must hurry." he said and mounted Mithos still unable to accept or realize what had just happened. When Mithos realized where Minoas was planning to go, he protested by standing on his hind legs. Minoas fell on the sand with his back. "Fine. I'll do it myself!" he spat wrathfully and started running towards the canyon that was located miles away. His eyes filled with tears when he realized that was he was doing was pointless but still he didn't want to give up. "It's my fault. IT'S MY FAULT!" he screamed at the wind still running. His watery eyes prevented him from noticing a rock and he stumbled on it concluded on the ground.
"No. No!" he sobbed lying on the ground, striking his fists on the sand as hard as he could. He had no longer the strength to stand up. In the end, his hands bleeded as the grains of hard sand pierced his skin from the impact. He lifted his head off the sand to check for the cloud. It had disappeared. Either it had dissolved or travelled far into the horizon where he couldn't see it anymore. He had no idea what had happened, who had abducted his father.

He stood up at a loss of what to do next. He wiped the tears and the sand off his face and cleaned the blood on his hands on his t-shirt. He turned back where Mithos was standing and took into his hand the scroll case. On closer inspection, Minoas could make out that it was made of copper with golden details and symbols. He tried to open it and see what was holding inside but it was sealed pretty well. He noticed a small hole among the symbols on it where seemed that something was placed there. Maybe something decorative, a jewel perhaps that it was detached.
He had to inform an adult. Probably his uncles, his grandfather or someone that could handle the situation. He wanted answers and he was going to demand them if anyone had them. If not, he was going to search for them. He wasn't going to keep the promise of not searching for his father. He was going to find out what was going on and revenge whomever was behind this. He pocketed the scroll case as he wasn't going to share this with anyone. He was going to figure this one out on his own while it was his fault that his father wasn't there. He entered back into the secret location of the mesa thinking of how he was going to inform his mother about the incident. He had to stay strong for his family. At least that promise he was going to keep it.