Ryan got to his feet and joined the others.
Grizzly turned to him.
"How did you do that?"
Ryan blinked a few times.
"I am not sure. I had a dream, and there was an Elf. We spoke, and she said I could take the Betrayer."
Eragon looked at Ryan.
"You talked to an Elf?"
Ryan nodded and started walking to the entrance in the tree.
He looked back at the others.
"We can go in. The prison is unlocked."
Before he could go further, he was held back by Eragon.
"Let's get our stuff first."
Ryan had a strange instinct before he answered.
"There is no time. They are coming."
Eragon frowned.
"Who is coming?"
Ryan pointed to the darkness.
Grizzly seemed to understand what he meant and killed the campfire.
In the distance, small dots started appearing.
Next came the chittering of a horde of goblins.
Ryan walked to the entrance and waited for Eragon and Grizzly to follow him.
As they moved, it was the signal for the creatures to attack.
When they entered, Ryan touched the wall, and the doorway closed.
Eragon turned to Ryan.
"Dude, what was that?"
At first, Ryan didn't know, but the answer was there.
"The tree kept the goblins at the outskirts. Now that the prison is unlocked, they have free rein."
Grizzly grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.
"Are you ok? How do you know all this?"
Ryan thought for a moment, then the answer came to him again.
"The spirit of this place. She is helping us."
Grizzly let go and lit another cigarette.
"If she wants to help, ask her where he is."
Ryan nodded and turned around.
They were in what seemed like an underground cave.
There were no torches or any form of illumination, but he could see normally.
Throughout the cavern, there were dozens of tunnels.
Ryan was drawn to one as if he had grown up there.
He pointed to the one as he looked back at the others.
"That is where we must go."
Grizzly nodded as he took a big drag.
"Lead the way."
As Ryan walked, Eragon took his place next to him.
"Are you ok, dude?"
Ryan frowned.
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
Eragon pulled out his tablet and opened the front camera.
Ryan looked and saw that one of his eyes was pure white, but he could still see normally.
He looked at his friend.
"I don't know what is happening to me."
As he spoke, the answer came to him.
"Wait. The spirit, Aeriath. She is giving me access to some of her memories."
Eragon frowned.
"Elf magic is weird."
Ryan nodded and kept leading the way in silence.
As he was walking, he tried remembering her memories, but none came to him.
How did this power work?
After a few minutes, he just decided to follow the way to Ayeden Flyleaf.
The name almost made him freeze.
How did he know that name?
Ryan shook his head and kept walking.
A few minutes later, they entered a massive cavern with a single translucent dome in the centre.
Inside the dome was a single man sitting in the middle.
Next to him was a small bed.
His back was turned to them as they approached.
When the group came close, he stood up and turned to them.
Just like Aeriath, he had long ears and white eyes.
Even though he had no pupils, Ryan could feel his gaze.
"Interesting. Was your other parent a half-Blood?"
Ryan kept quiet as the Elf studied the others.
There was a look of shock when he looked at Grizzly.
"David. I never thought we would-"
Before he could finish, Grizzly punched the dome so hard that Ryan could feel a slight tremor in the ground.
"Don't call me that!"
The Elf took a few steps back and sat down on his bed.
He looked at Grizzly.
"Why have you come here, and where is Aeriath?"
Grizzly lit another cigarette.
"We need you to take us to your people."
Ayeden stood up and walked to the edge of the barrier.
"I will help you if you deliver me back to my prison."
Grizzly nodded, and Ryan noticed the scales on Eragon's neck glowing.
This caught the attention of the Elf.
"You keep interesting company."
Eragon roared at him with fire that dissipated around the dome.
"Shut up! I know what you did!"
With glowing eyes, Eragon loomed over the Elf.
Ryan could feel an intense heat emanating from Eragon.
At that moment, Grizzly grabbed him by the horn.
"Calm down."
The heat slowly disappeared as Eragon calmed down.
As Grizzly let go, Ryan saw the hole that was burned through his glove.
Eragon took a step back and spoke.
"Sorry, Grizz. I don't know what came over me."
Ryan turned his attention back to the Elf.
He was studying the trio in front of him.
"What is your choice? Do you leave me here, or do you want my help?"
While the others were quiet, Ryan spoke.
"How can we trust you? Aeriath called you the Betrayer."
To his surprise, Ayeden had tears in his eyes.
"It is true that I am here for the crime of betrayal. It is also true that it was my choice. Just like it was my choice to abandon those I called friends."
Ryan frowned.
"Is that why you said you want to come back after you lead us to your people?"
Ayeden nodded.
"Yes, and they are your people too."
Ryan grimaced.
"No. They are not my people."
Ryan turned to Grizzly and Eragon.
"What should I do? Do I free Ayeden?"
Grizzly's head snapped from Ryan to the Elf.
"So that is your real name."
Ryan blinked a few times and spoke to a confused Eragon.
"The spirit told me."
After he spoke, he heard a chuckle from the dome.
Ryan turned to him.
"What is so funny?"
With a smile, Ayeden spoke.
"That was no spirit. The warden you met was a record of the mind of an Elf."
Ryan took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady.
"You speak as if we should have known."
Ayeden took a few steps closer to the edge of the dome.
"My apologies, it is common knowledge to me, and I forgot I was in mortal company."
Ryan stared into his eyes.
"The record called you the Betrayer. Is that common knowledge, too?"
Ryan studied his face for any changes, but he couldn't see anything.
To his surprise, Ayeden fell to his knees.
"That is why I wish to return after I accompany you. I have many years of punishment I need to complete."
Ryan frowned as he looked to Grizzly for confirmation.
The old man nodded.