CHAPTER 21: Dream
Somewhere nearing the ancient cave.
Before an enormous and beautiful waterfall.
The surrounding area was covered by natural greenery. Birds and beasts could be seen every now and then. A rainbow arched through the mist, indifferent to the man beneath it.
At the very bottom of the waterfall sat an old man wearing a simple white-robe.
All the water from the waterfall was falling heavily on him. But his eyes were closed and his posture calm. It was as though the crushing pressure of the falling water didn't have any force against him. Like a natural occurrence, he looked like one with the water.
His left hand was pointed skyward, while his right hand was pointing forward. His robe had long since been soaked.
At some point he spoke,
“I keep forgetting that I forget that I keep forgetting… Ah… what was that?”
He opened his eyes and retreated his arms.
“Almost everyone is already dead here. What was I thinking when I left while saying those words to Zephyr? Sigh… I've grown old, huh…”
His old voice bore a hint of melancholy.
He rose and approached a rock near the bank of the river. He stood there, lowered his head, and looked into the water.
The mirror-like surface reflected an old face— and eyes far too alive for it.
“The reason I lost my own eyes… the things I did to possess these eyes… make me wonder if I was ever any different from the ones, whom I used to hate with my all.”
A few moments of silence followed.
“After all the things I've done… in the end… there's nowhere for me to return to… no home… no family… no friends…”
He sat on the rock which barely contained his figure and looked at the sky this time.
He stood up and reached the bank. He stood firmly on the moist ground this time.
He shouted.
Then he lowered his voice as his shoulders drooped. His voice became hoarse as he spoke —
His lips quivered before the tremor claimed the rest of him.
He shut his eyes as he remembered the boy he once was.
His fingers dug into his own soaked robe as if to keep himself from falling apart.
But…
There was no one to see him…
No one to hear him…
Neither was there anyone to ask him…
Nor was anyone there to… save him.
And then.
The shaking old man suddenly froze, his lively eyes widening.
“Ah… Right… I still have Zephyr and Blacky with me.”
He took a deep breath and wiped away his tears with the back of his right hand. While still soaked, he left the waterfall area as he mumbled with a sorrowful gaze in his brown eyes,
“I keep forgetting that I forget that I keep forgetting… I at least have someone and something with me here while that kid is probably all alone in that godforsaken place for the last 1,741 years…”
…
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Aethelgard.
Aernight City.
Inside the office.
A petite blonde girl in a black tunic knelt before a tall, well-built, middle-aged man with a thick mustache.
Today, Mr. Ron wore a silver robe.
At this moment, a frown could be seen on his somewhat handsome face.
He sat in his expensive chair beside the luxurious desk and lowered his gaze at the kneeling girl.
“What is up with you? And why are you kneeling? Are you trying to ruin my reputation? I can swear by the name of my ancestors, I've never been in contact with you. Why are you doing this to me!?”
He asked with an anxious voice.
“I just wanted to see you panicking.”
The petite girl spoke as she stood up and sat atop the desk— just before Mr. Ron.
Mr. Ron was, in fact, panicking.
His financial influence over the kingdom granted him considerable freedom but reputation was everything. Even he had rules to follow if he wished to remain the image of a humble benefactor.
And so, although he involved himself in both white and black dealings, he still wished to appear flawless in society.
Today, when he arrived at his trading shop, he saw a beautiful blonde wearing a black tunic sitting in the waiting area with a forced smile on her face. And as soon as she saw him, the petite girl stood up at once and hurried toward him, shouting—
“Master! You're here! I thought you had abandoned me after using me! Oh, how heartbroken I was!”
She instantly knelt down and hugged his knees while crying miserably.
A little crowd was formed near the shop after the words were spoken like that. People immediately began whispering about Mr. Ron’s morals as soon as they got a glimpse of the kneeling girl.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ron was totally dumbfounded. The corner of his mouth twitched as he broke into a cold sweat.
‘Here goes my image as a clean man! Which I created with blood and sweat! Damnit! Damn you girl!’
However, as experienced as Mr. Ron was, he soon came to his senses and, clearing his throat, said in the most natural worried tone he could master,
“Sigh, poor child. She must have been through a lot. Come with me girl, I will help you deal with the bad guys who used you and then forsook you. May GOD help us all.”
Then he walked straight to his office and at one random moment along the way subtly signaled his men to send the girl in, after a while.
“I was just about to leave Aethelgard… but then I remembered that you owe me something…”
A subtle smile hung on her face as the girl continued from before.
Her blue eyes glistened as she put her chin on her right hand which rested on her right thigh, while her left hand tousled Mr. Ron’s wavy hair.
“You almost had me there. So? Which incompetent business rival of mine sent you here to cause a scene?”
Mr. Ron asked as he regained his composure.
“Hmmm… you're really something, huh. I'll give you that. You handled the situation quite skillfully back there. Anyways, I'm not who you think I am.”
She said rather than answering the question.
Mr. Ron studied her for a bit and then said in a neutral tone ,
“So, you are one of Lord Zalchys’s—”
Before he could finish the sentence, the girl put her left index on his lips signing him to stop.
“Yes and no. Yes— I'm with him. No— I'm not his servant. Our relationship goes way beyond that.”
Her smile widened as she added,
“You could say he is my lifeline…”
Mr. Ron was flabbergasted and was at a loss for words upon receiving such a reply.
He swallowed hard and thought,
‘This girl… Her background is mysterious. I should watch my tone before her.’
“I see. Unfortunately, I don't remember anything about me owing you. Please clear your intentions.” He said.
And then.
A low chuckling caught the both of them in surprise.
They turned their heads towards the only window of the room at the same time.
It was a pale kid with jet-black eyes.
“Mr.Navan…” Mr. Ron spoke first.
“Navan! Ah, you're here as well.” Then the girl spoke as well.
“Yes. That would be me. You two should drop the acts now.” Navan said as he sat beside the girl who was just before Mr. Ron.
“Then you should have called me by my real name, Mr.Navan.”, said Mr. Ron.
“Okay then, Usheer and… Young Miss, would the two of you be kind enough to let go of all the pretenses?”
Navan said.
“Then I shall.” Mr. Ron’s appearance changed slightly as his previously silver-robe turned into a shiny black battle armor.
“You're so boring Navan. I was just starting to enjoy his false pretenses too.” The girl pouted while complaining, her arms crossed.
“Young Miss, although you were playing with me… maybe. I'm quite sure now that you are looking for one of my men who brought Lord Zalchys here a year ago, right?” Usheer asked, his tone solemn.
“Sigh! Yep, you're right. So? Where is he?” The girl asked.
Usheer hesitated for a moment and replied,
“To be honest, that guy vanished without a trace, I have no idea. I'm extremely ashamed of my incompetence. The last time I saw him was the day when we used the trigger incident for Lord Zalchys's eighteenth avatar in this land.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that? He is someone like me— a fragment of being, bound to him. He cannot simply vanish, so he must return with me and reunite with Lord Zalchys.”
This time, the girl started to panic.
Navan listened silently, a contemplative look forming on his pale face.
Several minutes passed in silence.
Finally Navan broke the uncomfortable silence,
“I might just have figured out the issue here… If we are to actually think about it from a certain point of view… Lord Zalchys's comeback wasn't supposed to be this quick either, prove me wrong if you will.”
Usheer and the girl were confused at first but soon they seemed to have come to a conclusion.
The girl stated her thoughts,
“Now that you mention it, I didn't give it much thought… but wasn't his imprisonment supposed to last for three thousand years?”
Usheer nodded in agreement with her and added,
“That's my conclusion as well. He was supposed to manifest at least twenty four avatars before the main body could awaken… yet it happened after the eighteenth. That shouldn't be possible.”
For the first time in a while Navan wore a serious look on his face too.
Then the girl completed their theory,
“Then that would mean… one of us merged with him during the trigger incident of the eighteenth avatar.
But that violates the sequence. That shouldn’t have happened.”
Navan’s tone turned heavy.
“The laws of this world… are shifting.”
He paused.
“And that… is never a good sign.”
A few more moments of silence followed after which the girl spoke in a serious tone,
“I'll reunite with the others and let Lord Zalchys know of the matter.”
And then.
She vanished as though the room had only imagined her presence.
“I… am not sure if I should bring up this matter in tomorrow's meeting.” Navan spoke.
“Mr.Navan, although I don't know Lord Zalchys as well as you do… I really do believe, whatever is happening… is willed by him personally. I have a feeling that… it was meant to be like this from the start… Not to mention the current me is one of the Hasardspillers, I'm not afraid of the future anymore…
By the end of the sentence, Usheer's lips curved up into a slight smile.
Navan looked at Usheer’s faint smile as he inwardly said,
‘Never have I ever seen this guy make a wrong assumption… neither in my life as a Supreme Overlord… nor as a free soul…’
Just as he thought that, in the next moment he stiffened and stared blankly in the beautifully decorated wall behind Usheer.
Navan shut his eyes and shook his head vigorously.
‘That shouldn't be the case. I'm overthinking things.’
Noticing something different in Navan, Usheer asked in a worried tone,
“Mr. Navan, are you alright?”
“...Yes, I am. I think I should get ready for our meeting with Lord Zalchys.”
Navan disappeared just as eerily as he had appeared in that office room not too long ago.
“I don't remember the last time I saw him in such a shock.”
Usheer uttered, alone in his office. His features aged slightly once more, and the black armor dissolved back into its former silver robe.
…
Aethelgard.
Aerking City.
Royal Palace.
Inside a beautifully decorated chamber.
A soft hissing sound lingered in the air, followed by—
“Ah… that was a good sleep after a great meal.”
An old man in a golden robe rose from his bed and walked toward the window— toward the source of the sound.
“Hey there, Little Blacky. How was your sleep?”
He smiled cheerfully.
A small black snake-like creature hovered in the air before him.
Little Blacky hissed again, as if responding.
“Hohoho! That’s good, that’s good.”
His cheerful smile dimmed slightly as he continued staring at the tiny creature a moment longer than usual.
“You know, Little Blacky… recently, I haven’t been feeling like myself. I mean, I know I’ve grown old, but… I’m still quite fit despite my age, right?”
Little Blacky nodded.
The man’s smile slowly faded.
“I feel like… I’m forgetting something. Like… I don’t deserve the smile I wear…”
The little creature tilted its head, confused.
“Still… what’s wrong with being happy? With doing what you want? There’s nothing wrong with that… right?”
Little Blacky nodded again.
“Yes, yes. It has been a while since I last bathed beneath a waterfall… Perhaps I’ll visit Coralis within a day or two.”
His face brightened once more.
“And while I’m there, I might as well visit that girl— Carine. She’s such a pure soul… yet powerless against her cruel fate. Sigh.”
He shook his head in pity.
Then suddenly he jolted.
“Huh? How do I know about her fate? I don’t remember her ever telling me that…”
He paused for a moment.
“Strange… it’s as if… I keep forgetting something…”
He winced.
“Argh! Whatever.”
He scratched his head and moved toward the exit. The snake-like creature drifted forward and coiled gently around his neck.
As he stepped out of the chamber, his expression darkened unconsciously. A distant sadness settled in his brown eyes as he murmured under his breath—
“…How am I any different from her? In the end, all that I have… is nothing but lies.”
A faint, almost broken smile appeared.