Chapter 697: A Book

The Queen of Janea was silent in response to his argument, and her smile disappeared. However, Arthur could feel no hostility, only sadness from the woman. Finally, after a long while of unsaid words, she nodded.

"Hiding this from you is useless," said Ava. "You have seen what I wanted to tell you. However, this is more than just about Janea. Is it wrong for me to care about my kingdom and the world?"

"You are wrong for assuming I don't know what's killing your little plants," said Arthur as he leaned back. "It's the same thing that all seven families ignored: Nameless. This creature and its minions have been infesting this world for decades, and you have yet to do a thing."

"There is no other option for us. The decision has been made for us for a long time. However, the Divine Blood is calling, and we can only answer." Queen Ava said without hesitation.

"You seem to have that rehearsed." Arthur gripped his armchair while pressing his lips together. "Ask the Divine Blood to save you, then."

"Please, Arthur Silvera." Queen Ava bowed her head humbly, and her green hair hung low. "I wanted to meet the fated man for a long time, but never in these circumstances."

"What fate?"

"My mother told me about you, and her mother told her. So it has been the tale of generations, bedtime stories about the man whose single touch can raise the dead."

"Are there any dead you'd want me to raise since I'm here?" said Arthur with a calm face. "You brought me here to seek my help, but we are no allies."

"I believe that you are a man of insight." Queen Ava rose from her chair and walked toward the balcony's door. "I will be back soon."

Arthur sat there alone and waiting. A few fireflies were resting atop the balcony railings, but he didn't disturb them. Instead, he looked at the view that covered most of Janea's thick forests and sky rivers.

"There is a book that is inherited in my family. Of course, it's forbidden to be seen by anyone other than the royalty, but I believe you have the right to read it. After all, it's about you."

Arthur received the book from her hands. It was an old leathered book with an engraved drawing of a shadow atop a mountain. The cover was golden and black, sending waves of nostalgia throw Arthur's mind.

"This book is…" muttered Arthur as he gripped the leather until his fingers dug into it. "I read this book before." Arthur breathed out with a shaky hand. The last time he thought about this book was on the trial grounds.

"Can you read the title on the cover?" asked Queen Ava with surprise. Arthur nodded his head. It was written in runes so that he could read them now. However, he never realized the book title he knew by heart.

"I lost this book long ago and never expected to find it again. In return, I will tell you what the title means in our language. However, it would be meaningless to you."

"I still want to know it, please."

"This book is called… The Sorcerer."

***

Arthur looked through the glass ceiling at the infinite stars of Janea. This kingdom had no light pollution, so the stars looked brighter than any lantern in Janea. He was sleeping on a hammock with the book resting on his chest.

"May I come in?" a voice asked from outside the vein-covered door. Arthur turned his gaze toward the door, which opened without waiting for his reply. It was Tiara holding a tray with two wooden cups in them.

"I guess you allowed yourself inside," said Arthur as he sat up and stared at the cups in her hands. "I didn't ask for anything."

"I know, but since you decided to stay the night here, I wanted to introduce you to our specialty. This is our Stars Syrup. This alcoholic drink is made from special trees that feed on the stars. A single sip from it would allow your spirituality to overflow."

"A different kind of drunkenness." Arthur accepted the offer and came down from the hammock. Tiara placed the tray on the ground before she sat on her knees. "I feel like there are other things you wanted to discuss."

"There is that," said Tiara while glancing at the book in Arthur's hand. "I read it countless times before, almost memorizing it. I heard the title from my mother, and I couldn't understand."

"This is a tale of what happened thousands of years ago. It is almost a sick joke rather than a tale: a man who wanted to change the gods but failed. Instead, he got betrayed over and over again. He kept trying. He kept failing."

"Then, those events happened before?" asked Tiara with amber eyes staring at the cup in her hand. Arthur picked up his drink and placed it close to his lips.

"That's right." Arthur took a sip from the syrup, feeling his soul almost touching the stars. His mind left his body for a brief second before returning to him. Then, he opened his eyes. "You were right."

"Then, what does the title mean?"

"I, the outsider, was once known as the sorcerer because of my abilities. It seems that because they were many, I was labeled as such. This is not the first time I have heard about this. The citizens of the other world know this too."

"The first time I read this book, I had a single thought: the world was too cruel to the man who wanted to help it. However, as I grew up, I learned that we were the people he wanted to change."

"A storyteller is the one who chooses the villains and heroes," said Arthur as he placed the book down. "Although this book has the same things I once read, it contains an extra chapter: the relationship that Lyari, God of Life, had with the sorcerer."

"Our ancestor was the ruler of the Elves," said Tiara with a nod. "Although he was known as the Healer Guardian, he had an illness he could never cure." Tiara took a sip as well. "Then, he met the sorcerer, who became our ancestor's first friend."

"Lyari wasn't ready for the sacrifices the sorcerer was willing to make to save the world." Arthur placed his hand over the book. "Therefore, he tried to go behind his back and sabotage his friend's plans. This was the first betrayal."

"I cried when I read that chapter." Tiara closed her eyes as her grip tightened around the cup. "I refused to believe I was the daughter of a man who could betray his benefactor. However, the reality was as such. We lived in fear of the day your revenge is due."

"The debt that I owe you for treating me will end here, Tiara," said Arthur as he presented the book. "This time, I will let you see what happened inside his mind."

"His mind?" Tiara looked confused as she stared at Arthur, whose fingers ran across the golden title of the book.

"Lyari left a message for the day I arrived. It was embedded on the cover of this book. It might have been something he wrote or thought at that time."

"There is no reason for you to trust me with this, Arthur." Tiara frowned before she stood up. "I might be just deceiving you with this information. Although I appreciate it, I cannot…."

"Consider it a man making the same mistakes again. History is bound to repeat itself," interrupted Arthur before he slid his fingers across the runes. They broke down and started rearranging themselves into something else.

Tiara closed her mouth as she stared at the cover. Arthur picked up the book, and her eyes fell on the new words that appeared. The first two words proved his thoughts.

"Dear friend," read Arthur aloud, and Tiara stiffened. "I write this with the bitterness and weight of what happened between us. This will be left with my family, waiting for the day of your return to my land. This makes me feel both envy and happiness, as I know that you will be reading this one day."

"Stop," muttered Tiara, and Arthur raised his head toward her. "I'll leave, so please stop reading. I don't want to hear this."

"You have the right to know what your ancestor was like," replied Arthur before his eyes fell back on the words. "I will keep reading, and you can do what you want. However, looking away will get you nowhere."

"…I understand," said Tiara before sitting down. "Please, keep going." The princess asked, and Arthur resumed.

"This is for my descendants, who will wonder why I did what I did," said Lyari in his message. "I want them to live in doubt of me because I have been in doubt of myself since I met you, Arthur."

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