17th Julián 756AR
My name is Varrence and I was the Court Scribe of the province of Alesia at the time of the demon invasion. My job was to write whatever was said at court and as a trusted man of the Lord since I had saved his life when he was a young lad from slavers I had been assigned to this position ever since.
I didn’t even mean to save him I just tripped into the man and sent him flying in front of a carriage causing him to drop the sack he had hidden Leviticus in. I have served him since then and am beside him every day as he listens to the plight of nobility.
Never have I been so glad that I am below the sight of both gods and kings as I have been when listening to their almost illegible complaints. Words with barely any meaning in order to confuse the listener to agree with their proposals.
My most memorable moment is also the most horrific one to date even in my old age I will be forever haunted by it and it is the reason for me writing this before I depart from this world and follow my Lord Leviticus the Lionheart of Alesia and his dearest wife the 4th princess of Kingdom Farrowend.
Twenty-six years ago in the court of Castle Revers the eve before the invading army reached its gate Leviticus had his wife sing the Ode de Fallen and while we were so captivated wither song no one realised when the blade had emerged from her chest.
He stood behind her, his sword gleaming blood red reflecting the light from the pitch torches on the wall. As he removed the blade he held her in his arms and laid her lifeless body gently on the ground.
It was silent for a long time, no one moved and no one wanted to. We were all in shock. Even I who loved him as a son, who watched him grow into a man that the entire world could depend on was angry beyond belief.
Lilianth was a woman who would stubbornly stay by his side even in this losing war on the frontlines. She ignored all pleas from her father King Aliverick to return to the capital yet she refused to even read the letters.
General Cambridge was the first to move and he spoke in whispers so sharp I was barely able to catch them. “Why Levi? Why do this mere moments before battle? Why kill her now?” To this Leviticus replied in a voice lacking in all emotion “After the battle, let me pay for my sins after the battle Cambridge.”
He ordered the doctors to move her body to the underground crypts and lock the doors so that no one could enter till his return and then he turned to me. It was for the briefest second but we stared into each other’s eyes and what I saw sent shivers through my entire being.
Leviticus the Lionheart did not die during battle but there in the halls of his stronghold. I did not understand his actions at the time but after the battle a horrid understanding befell me and had stricken me deep with grief.
I was sent with eight others after the soldiers left to face the army on the horizon and we watched as they sent demon’s through the forest while the main forces were kept occupied. Within an hour the once invincible and believed impregnable defence had fallen into ashes.
Then before the sun set Leviticus had slain the Demon King in single combat returning to the destructions the demons had wrought. The eight of us were waiting for him near the crypt. We had abandoned our mission to inform the King until after we had attended to our Lord.
The bodies that littered the castles remains were desecrated beyond recognition and those that could be recognised we wish could not be as they were defiled beyond hope. The ones who were burned or killed during the initial breach were blessed in comparison.
We removed the fallen pillars which had landed on the entrance and unlocked the doors which were barely dented from the weight. Her body laid untouched beside the red stain on her chest. A single quick strike, not a painless death but a quick one.
I watched as he sat beside her on the stone table staring at her with trembling shoulders. Before any of us could react he had taken his dagger into his own heart and laid down beside her. We watched as he held her hand next to her, his eyes never leaving her as he passed from our world to join her in death.
When we reached the capital I was sent to King Alverick’s private room. At first when he heard that Leviticus had killed his daughter his anger and despair almost destroyed the entire room, however when he calmed I was able to convince him it was a mercy to her and that he was so distraught over the loss of his wife he joined her willingly.
He demanded to be read her final moments and as I read the event I had recorded I could not stop my voice from faulting. When I had read this and the report of the battle to him I waited in silence for the King’s order to condemn our hero to a traitor’s death. However, the king with tears in his eyes said this “He has paid for his sins Varrence, tear this letter apart and burn it. I will not hear this again, they both died in the final battle.”
The king passed on five years later and now I am the only one alive who bore witness to this tragedy. I am writing this in my final moments before death yet I feel no relief for revealing this tale only regret.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
To my dearest Levi forgive us for you have sacrificed everything for a future that does not involve you. During the invasion we had entrusted our hope in you and in doing so we have taken your smile, soul, and only love from you. Forgive us.
Written by Varrence Court Scribe of his Imperial Majesty
Aliverick Farrows VI
* * *
“Celeste why am I here?” Levi says in an emotionless voice. “Why am I still in existence? I stabbed myself to join her Celeste, why did you bring me here?”
“Because you have ascended, your soul is now becoming immortalised in this realm.” Replied Celeste as she wipes away tears from her face.
“I don’t want this. send me to join her, I have finished the task assigned to me.”
“I can’t Levi, I can’t harm another god it is a rule among us to keep balance.”
“I am no god Celeste the transformation I can feel it changing me but it is not complete yet there is still time for you to end this nightmare.”
“I-It doesn’t work like that” She stutters.
“Why not?! I have done everything asked of me! You yourself promised me anything I desired, that was the contract between you and me!” The anger in his voice causing Celeste to shiver.
“gods can’t have contracts between each other” her voice a whisper.
“I never asked to be a god! I never asked to fall in love! I never imagined any of this would happen and if I did I would have refused you! If I refused you then maybe….”
“She would have died Levi; everyone you knew on that world would have died without you, she wanted you to live! She wanted you to be happy even when your sword pierced her heart!”
“Am I some form of entertainment to you Celeste? You are a god with power I couldn’t dream of, why didn’t you interfere? Why didn’t you just make a wish and fix everything?” Levi’s voice once more emotionless.
“Rest Levi, go to sleep. When gods sleep they dream of a world of their own where we can forget everything else.”
“You expect me to forget?”
“Sleep. Not forget. I am not asking you to forget her I just want to ease the pain a bit.”
“It hurts.” Levi says with a strained voice.
“I know, death always does.” Her voice filled with regret.
Levi closes his eyes and breathes in deeply. “Goodbye Celeste, I pray I never awake from my dreams.” Light envelopes him and he disappears from the white room.
“You’ve gotten soft sister, I suppose I should expect less from a goddess of hope and love.” A deep male voice came from thin air followed by the appearance of a tall skinny man in a tan robe.
“He has suffered enough without the influence of you or the others brother. He gained godhood from my realm so he’s my responsibility until he is ready Tempest.” Celeste replied while looking annoyed.
“Indeed, I would have it no other way. This one seems too emotional for our line of work and I would hate to have such a difficult task.”
“He has a stronger aspect than us or the others, given time he will become more powerful than either of us combined.”
“All the more reason to end him now while he is still young, did you get him to agree to the code?” Tempest Sternly asked.
“Not yet, give him time to rest. The assimilation of the vows is painful and his mind’s fragile enough right now” Celeste replied wiping the last of her tears away.
“Well it’s not my problem is it although if I was you I would have him go through it soon as the higher gods are getting a bit nervous about him. He has a strong aspect after all.” Tempest said while playing with the end of his white beard.
“Truth and Clarity. I’m surprised that they’re nervous about that; got something to hide do they?” Celeste asked curiously.
“Not telling.”
“Fine I’ll have it done by the end of the millennia” Celeste sighed. “At least give him this long to rest.”
“The sooner the better but it’s acceptable for now, goodbye Celeste, watch him closely.” Tempest turned to return from wherever he came but faltered “Hey Sister how did he ascend? I know it requires an immense amount of the god’s aspect to be collected in their realm but I saw him when he died, he was devoid of hope and heart broken.”
“It’s simple, it did not matter how much hope he had but the amount of hope people had placed in him. Imagine bearing the hope of millions dreaming for a future on your shoulders. As for love he died for it in the end just to be with her again.”
“Yet here he is further away from her than he ever could be. Sister Fate can be cruel sometimes can’t she?” Tempest spoke with pity.
“gods can’t interfere with another god’s realms you know that Tempest we all do. It is the code. Whatever happened in my realm was no one’s fault but my own.”