Cyrene yelps and springs back at the young man's sudden emergence. She loses her footing and begins to slip into the basin behind her. He casually grabs her hand and catches her just before she can fall into the water. Her panicked gaze locks onto his set of calm eyes. The young man tilts his head somewhat while inspecting her. 

“Your face," he says, inspecting her, "I don't believe I've seen it around The Sapling. Are you from a different land, perhaps?"  

The young man was suspended in midair by a long greenish vine of energy protruding from his hand. He pulled her forward, helping her to her feet, and flipped onto his feet, the vine of energy disappearing. Cyrene ogled the odd power left in his hands before redirecting her gaze to him again. Once she found her bearings, she snapped back into her headspace and snatched her arm away, leaving the young man bemused by her abrupt withdrawal. 

“Wh-what’re you talking about? Who are you?” She asks defensively. 

“Ah, yes, where are my manners?” He fixes his poise. “My name is Gideon. I am a denizen of The Sapling, a tree at the center of the Emerald Sea.”  

On closer examination, his appearance was like none she had seen before. The young man was nearly as tall as Cyrus. He had grey skin, dark eyes, silver irises, pointy ears that extended horizontally, and deep brown hair that barely brushed past his shoulders. His clothes were tribal-like in appearance; dark browns and shadowed greens dyed his tattered attire. A  dirty sky-blue pullover cloak ran from his back and rested over his chest. A white insignia of a tree with thick, overflowing branches flows throughout the cloak. Dirty bandages were wrapped around his legs and arms.   

“Did I frighten you? I must apologize again., I saw you from above, and I couldn’t resist pursuing you."   

“Right…” She remarks, still recollecting herself. "Um... did you say you live in a tree?"

"Indeed," he nods. "And yourself?"

"I'd rather not say," she responds, cautiously. 

Gideon pivots himself to the side, looking beyond Cyrene to the path she previously treads.  

"Oh... did you perhaps come from there?" 

Gideon takes a few steps toward the path.

"I had no idea there was another path in this cavern..." 

Cyrene chases after the young man, grabbing him by his hand and yanking him slightly. Gideon turns to him, a bit curious. 

"A-actually," she stammers, "Y-you know what, maybe I can answer one of your questions later, but first, can you tell me something?"

"Of course," he nods.

She lets go of his hand, and he faces her. 

"Did you see a person come through here by chance? A guy with a purple cloak and mask? A little taller than yourself?" Cyrene asks. 

Gideon's eyes shift from left to right, trying to recall if an event such as this occurred previously. 

"Someone wearing a purple cloak and mask," he ponders aloud. "No, unfortunately, a character of that description doesn't ring familiar. If they did, I'm sure I would have spotted them. These hollow caves make so much noise it's hard for anything to sneak around." 

"And... how long have you been here?" She asks.

"A few hours, I believe."

"A few hours? And you didn't see anyone?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No, not at all." 

"That can't be right..." The huntress sighs.

She turns around, ready to take off once more. 

"Thanks for letting me know, but I need to hurry."

Cyrene tries to hurry along,  but Gideon calls to her.

"Erm, would you please answer my previous question?"

Crrrk

Cyrene skids her boots against the rocky terrain and stops herself. She turns around somewhat. 

"Hm? Oh yeah, erm, I'd still rather not tell you where I'm from, but I can at least tell you I don't live in that treehouse you call home. I've never heard of that spot until now."

A faint light illuminated Gideon's eyes. He approached the huntress with an enthusiastic step forward.

“The Sapling? The Emerald Sea? None of those are familiar places to you?" He asks, surprised. 

Cyrene responded with a curious gaze. 

"Am I supposed to know those places?"

Gideon’s eyes widened with awe. 

“Unbelievable...!"

He suddenly felt breathless. He leaps toward Cyrene, grabs her by her hands, and clasps them together. Unprepared for his sudden advancement, she reels back slightly. A shimmering smile forms on his face. 

“I’ve been searching for someone like you my entire life!” 

Still glaring at the young man, she felt her face inadvertently flush a tinge of pink.  

“E-excuse me?” 

“Your presence is a blessing! Ah, yes! You truly are an outsider! We must return to my home! I must show my Master there is proof of people like you!" 

The room grew quiet. Sounds of water beads plopping onto the surface of the basin echo across the cavern. Cyrene, a tad breathless, began to regain her composure. 

“What…?” 

Gideon releases his grasp on her hands.  

“Throughout my life, my Master has forbidden me from leaving my home. He’s always told me there was nothing further beyond to see, but this place and your presence alone disprove that! If I bring you to him, surely he must allow me to venture further beyond my residence!” 

Cyrene backs up slightly, becoming more defensive against the mysterious young man. 

"If your Master doesn't want you leaving home, then why are you here now?"

"For weeks, I've heard rumblings of monsters residing within a cavern that lies further south of The Sapling. Many of the beasts in the Emerald Sea do not flock towards the south, so naturally, I grew curious. My wonderment had been gnawing at me for so long, and on this night, I decided to venture on my own. And not only did I uncover a beautiful cavern, but your presence as well."

Gideon lets out a hearty chuckle.

"Haha! How fortunate! I am one step further toward exploring the world! But I can't do that without your aid! What do you say? Do I have your cooperation? Oh! And if it's not too much trouble, I'd need your help in a different affair as well." 

He gave the huntress a tender smile, and she replied with an inquisitive stare.

"Er... no..." 

Gideon reels back slightly, having been dealt a crushing blow to his heart.

"Urk!"

He digs his nails into his chest before attempting to regain his composure.

"Y-you wound me, mistress..." he groans in pain. "Why? Why would you not assist me after our times well shared?"

Cyrene felt herself in disbelief.

"Times well shared-" She interrupts herself, "I just met you, and I don't even know who your Master is! I’m not interested in whatever you're talking about!” 

Gideon's face scrunched up in pain, his hand still resting on his chest.

“P-pardon?”  

“Look, I’m only here to get through this cave and find that masked man, that's all."  

Cyrene gazes at the grotto's labyrinth. She takes several steps toward the multitude of passageways surrounding her; the sight gives her slight cause for concern. 

"On the other hand, it doesn't look like finding my way outta here's gonna be easy..." she mutters. 

Gideon springs up with life, having formulated an idea in his head.    

"I believe I can be of assistance in the navigation outside of this cavern. I have traveled up to this point, and I am positive I can retrace my steps."

Cyrene places her hands on her hips, shooting Gideon with a doubtful look. 

"Really?" 

"Indeed. If this mysterious person did navigate around the cavern without my knowledge, then it is likely my Master may have encountered him. No form of life gets by him in the Emerald Sea."

"Alright... and what's the catch?"

“If you come along with me to The Sapling, you can serve as my conduit to the larger world! Having my Master's approval on the matter of travel is all I need, and you are the key to doing so! What do you say?"  

Cyrene crosses her arms and sighs while contemplating her next thought. Before she could let out a word, the sudden scratching of gravel entered her ears. She hastily observes the setting and sees several familiar insects and quadruped monsters coming from the cracks and corners of the cavern. Due to their smaller size, they did not appear as threatening to her compared to previous adversaries, but the number they arrived in could prove to be problematic. At first sight, she seemed a bit anxious. But she quickly toughens up and takes a defensive stance. 

“Damn it! I don’t have time for this-”

Her body moving instinctively, she extends her arm out, causing her to conjure her black sword in her hand unintentionally. She is taken aback by the weapon's sudden appearance.

“...again…?” 

Momentarily eyeing her weapon, Cyrene adjusts her focus back to the enemy at hand. She corrects her posture into a fighting stance and raises her mantle over her mouth. From the corner of her eye, she sees Gideon still nosily ogling her.  

“What is it?” She asks sharply. 

“You have a similar power to me as well? Truly, the world knows no bounds,” he chuckles. “You simply must accompany me back to my dwelling.”  

“Ugh, okay, tell you what, help me take care of these things, and I’ll follow you to your Master. Does that sound good?” 

“That sounds excellent!”  

Gideon strikes a peculiar pose. He extends one arm forward and partially runs his other hand through his hair. Slithering out of his bandages were dark vines that slithered several feet in front of him. These vines were made of his peculiar energy, which was constructed in the shape of an animal: a massive ethereal dog with a wide-open mouth and an extra-thick coat of fur along its chin and eyebrows; loose fur also dangled across its body. 

As the animal approached Gideon's side, Cyrene felt her heart race. She stammers, a quiet gasp escaping her lips after witnessing such an anomaly.

"Wha...?"

Cyrene felt a heavy pressure form inside her chest; stress formed from great befuddlement and concern. Gideon darts his eyes at his opponents with a confident smile, standing erect beside his familiars.  

“Let us dispose of these pests, posthaste!”   

Gideon's confidence forced Cyrene to recollect her composure. She steels herself and prepares to engage the enemy.