The Imperial hall fell into silence as the grand librarian, Aaron, prepared to address the Divine Emperor. The guard, wearing a resplendent golden armor adorned with lines of shimmering red silver, made the announcement: "You are in the presence of the Divine Emperor, Son of the Heavens, Blessed shall be his name, Thaddeus Aurelius the third."
The room, a testament to the power of the Golden Empire, was adorned with golden paintings of majestic dragons and phoenixes, their images rendered in exquisite detail. These mythical creatures seemed to bow in reverence to the Divine Son of the Heavens who sat upon the Divine Throne.
Grand Librarian Aaron responded with deep respect, bowing low before the emperor. "And blessed it shall be, Your Highness," he said
Thaddeus Aurelius nodded , allowing the librarian to rise from his bow. The old man straightened his posture, his chest thrust forward, and locked eyes with the emperor , "May I speak?" the librarian inquired.
The emperor regarded him with a keen gaze. "Have you found the answer?"
"I have, to some extent, Your Highness," the oldman replied "I scoured every tome, hidden record, historical archive, and journal related to the person you mentioned. I even journeyed to the United Kingdoms under the guise of a diplomatic mission to exchange historic tomes while continuing my search. I also called in favors from the Sages of Astoria, as our interests intersected in arcane studies. I believe we have made significant progress."
A pleased expression crossed the emperor's countenance as he signaled to the Imperial Guard by his side. The guard immediately issued a command "Everyone out!"
The grand hall was immediately emptied as servants and soldiers filed out, leaving only the emperor and his aged advisor.
With the room now devoid of prying ears, the emperor invoked ancient incantations. Circular runes materialized around the room, stretching from ceiling to the polished marble floor. "An Archmage inscribed these runes three centuries ago," he murmured, "even the demon kings themselves cannot overhear us. Now, tell me what you have discovered."
"As you are aware," the librarian began, "the knowledge we possess concerning King Arthur is exceedingly fragmented. His emergence came at a time when demons had already overrun most of the realm, nearly obliterating all races save for a few resilient cities. The tales surrounding him are many, but I have uncovered hidden journals, left by his companions for their descendants. Regrettably, most of these documents have been lost over the millennia, but there are some surviving fragments."
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The emperor leaned forward, his eyes locked onto the old man. "Get to the point. Have you found anything?"
"The secret to his power and mastery over magic, which he later imparted to his student Merlin before his passing, ultimately earning Merlin the title of 'Father of the Old Magic,' was never explicitly mentioned. However, we have gathered some clues, Your Highness. Firstly, during King Arthur's later years, a tragedy happened. Apparently one of his children, Robert, under the influence of certain nobles, attempted to murder his brother John. This event was documented by a historian of that era, who retired in a rural village known as Stoneleaf in the western reaches of the Velorian Kingdom.
"Secondly, we found a journal left behind by one of the elven companions. Though only a portion of the journal remains, it contains detailed insights about the era and a conversation which happened between King Arthur and the elf. In it, the king uttered the phrase, 'It enforced the burden of the entire world on me.' Some argue that he referred to himself as 'it,' but this interpretation is doubtful. If it were so, the elven language would likely use the 'Ra'e' rune rather than the rare 'Vl'a' for a conceptual reference, as the latter is usually employed before a physical object.
"So, are you suggesting that there was a physical treasure helping him? A single artifact responsible for his legendary feats, including shattering a part of the continent and turning the entire realm into a battlefield against the infernal horde? any evidences to support it ?"
"As I was saying," The liberian replied, "the third and most challenging clue was discovered on the forbidden floor of the Arcane Academy—an incomplete diary entry written by King Arthur's wife, Velora. In it, she describes the king's descent into despair following the tragic events involving their children. Allow me to quote her words directly."
The librarian retrieved a small tome from his pocket and opened it carefully. "'I believed that power was the solution, but it proved to be the opposite. Curse them all, for their insatiable appetites know no bounds . It was right all along; it had one purpose, and I achieved it for it.'"
"In this passage, Queen Velora questioned the king's words about who was right all along, and King Arthur used an unfamiliar term, Your Highness."
"It's an unknown word, Your Highness," the old man continued. "No similar term has been found in any language. The closest word we located was 'Systin' in the local language of an island far to the south of the Citadel."
"He used the term 'System,'"