As the sky became darker and the woods became more quiet and scary, axel walked deeper inside with a fearless expression on his face.
It was almost as if he was still shocked about everything that had happened, the fire, the deal, and the fact that he had killed his own parents, but even then he didn't stop walking.
As he went deeper into the woods, he started hearing sounds of wild animals moving around in the darkness, branches cracking and leaves rustling, but axel didn't react and just kept walking forward until he came across a small path that led to a broken wooden bridge.
He walked towards it slowly and went underneath the bridge before sitting down, the area was quiet and cold.
Axel leaned back slightly and looked up at the sky, the moon was shining brightly. He slowly raised his hand towards it as if he was trying to touch it, but after a few seconds he dropped his hand and continued staring in silence.
Then suddenly a bright light appeared, axels eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up. The light was coming from above, from the direction of the moon, and it was getting closer and faster until it crashed down right in front of him.
BOOM
Dust spread everywhere as the ground shook, axel quickly raised his arms to protect himself. After a few seconds the dust slowly began to clear and axel lowered his arms and looked forward.
Standing there was the goblin.
But this time it looked different, it was wearing armor made out of diamonds and the crown on its head was also made of diamonds, its red eyes were glowing as it stared directly at axel.
Back in the city inside her room, Lyra had just finished bathing and was sitting at her desk preparing to do her homework, everything looked normal but her mind wasn't.
"…is he really oky…?" she thought as she stopped writing for a moment. "…how did he even get out…?" she wondered as she remembered how badly injured he was, her expression became slightly serious as she looked down at her desk.
Back in the forest, the goblin slowly walked towards axel. "are you enjoying your power?" it asked with a small smile.
Axel looked at it without changing his expression "…I haven't gotten the hang of it yet" he said.
The goblin chuckled softly.
Axel then looked at it more seriously "…you said the price was my parents" he said.
The goblin stayed silent.
"…does that mean you also took my real father?" axel asked.
The goblin shook its head "no, I only take those who are currently present in your life" it said.
Axel stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again "…so if I wanted another wish…"
The goblins smile slowly grew wider.
"…can I sacrifice my biological father?" as axel asked the goblin that question
The goblin smiled "…it is possible" it said "as long as your biological father is still alive".
Axel listened carefully as the goblin continued "but if you intend to ask for more power, the ability you choose will not be as powerful as the current one, this is because you are only sacrificing one person this time".
Axel stayed quiet as the goblin kept speaking "there is also another option, it is possible to wish for the dead to come back to life".
Axels eyes slightly widened, but the goblin continued "that wish comes with its own condition, you will lose all your powers and half of your lifespan".
The forest went quiet for a moment before the goblin smiled again "you are wise enough to know that bringing someone back to life would be a foolish idea, since you'll be losing your powers and also half of you life span".
For a few seconds axel said nothing, then suddenly his eyes opened wider as his red eyes glowed "…I want another ability" said axel.
The goblin looked at him with interest "what kind of ability?" it asked.
Axel didn't hesitate "…I want the ability to control invisible slashes that can cut through almost anything" he said.…"and in the future, once I master it, I want those slashes to evolve, I want them to cut things in different dimensions but still affect them in the real world".
For a brief moment the goblin froze, its eyes widened slightly and its mouth opened a little, then it slowly closed its eyes and smiled again "…your wish is my command".
In that moment something changed, axels red glowing eyes gained a faint gray color around the edges as a strange feeling flowed through his body, it felt like he could lock onto anything without touching it.
"…what is this power?" axel asked "where does it come from?"
The goblin stayed silent for a moment before speaking "it is the secret of the multiverse, a mortal like you should not know".
Axel frowned slightly "…then at least tell me how it works". The goblin looked away as its body slowly began to fade "…use your imagination, everything your mind can create, your power can bring into reality" it said before disappearing.
The forest became silent again as axel stood there alone in the darkness. After a few seconds he walked towards a nearby tree and stared at it, his eyes locked onto it and without moving his hands several invisible slashes cut through the branches, the branches snapped and fell to the ground.
Axel walked over, picked them up and went back under the bridge where he placed them together. He raised his hand and formed a small fireball before throwing it onto the branches, the wood caught fire and lit up the area under the bridge as the flames reflected in his eyes while he sat down quietly.
At lyras house she had just finished her homework and got into bed, she switched off the lights and stared at the ceiling. Her mind was still thinking about everything that happened "…axel…" she said quietly.
"…tomorrow I'm going to look for you, no matter what, I'm not going to give up until I find you, and you owe me some explanations… you really are troublesome" she said as she slowly closed her eyes, but her expression remained serious.