“Please have a seat, Ser Rayze.”
“…”
“Don’t be so suspicious. You can see it’s just a normal chair. It’s not like I booby-trapped it or anything.”
“…”
“Yes yes, I know your years of experience on the battlefields has taught you to always be on guard when entering an unfamiliar territory, but believe me when I say this Ser Rayze, you’re gonna wish you were sitting down when you hear what I have to say.”
“…”
An awkward silence hangs in the room for a while before the Elder from Ouroboros finally chooses to plant his behind on the chair that was pulled up by the pigtails maid.
“I just felt like sitting down.” says the elderly redheaded nobleman quietly.
“I know.” smiles the boy. “And we’ll both politely pretend that it has nothing to do with the fact that your right knee has started aching, consequence of an old injury inflicted by an archer from the Kingdom of Marak some twenty odd years ago.”
“…”
“Now, there are two ways we can go about here. We can either continue this charade, pretending to be things that we aren’t, you: a concerned member of the school board, here to visit a helpless injured student, that’s me by the way, who was seriously injured by a deranged ex-teacher. We can talk about the weather, kittens, flowers, shoes, butterflies, make-up. I’ll even let you braid my hair while we discuss which girls we like and rate them base on their hotness.”
“…”
“Or… we can end this façade and just face each other like the officers and gentlemen that we are.”
“…”
“Ah, you’re thinking about taking the third option. I’m a big fan of that as well. Just fucking let loose and get crazy. Let loose the dogs of war. Let the chips fall where they may.”
“…”
“But the only problem with the third option is that sometimes only one party gets to leave this room with their eyes open, while the other party walks home in body bags.”
“…”
“Wait, that doesn’t make sense… Never mind. The point that I’m trying to make is we can close each other's eyes right now, real fast. But I’m offering you a chance here; we should settle this as gentlemen, not with fire.”
*long awkward pause
“…I’m listening.”
“Good, listening is good. Sometimes the most vital decisions you could make in life is to know not when to talk, but when to listen. Me? I love talking. A few millenniums spent falling through the Time Abyss alone without any company will do that to you. Ah, but please don’t let what you mistakenly think is my obnoxious behavior put you off and discourage you from the virtues of talking.”
“…”
“Just like listening, talking is also extremely important. Half of the wars that happened in the long history of the Grandiel Continent could have been averted if people had only chosen the option to talk with each other. Doesn’t that blow your mind? No? All those souls lost in a senseless war because their rulers were too stubborn or couldn’t be bothered to start an open dialogue or negotiate. What those people who died unnecessarily could have achieved if their lives weren’t cut short by Death.”
“…”
“All they were, all they could have been, gone, just like that. No trace of them, extinguished so easily you could equate the affair to the simple act of blowing out a candle.”
“…”
“But I digress. Now where was I? Ah yes, talking. See? That’s the interesting thing about talking. Talking is a free action. A whole week could have passed outside this room in the time we managed to exchange a few lines. Even though you are aware that it’s only been a few minutes since you’ve been here, but to your men who are on standby outside, waiting for the other shoe to drop, they are spending their time contemplating all possible meanings of the word ‘eternity’.”
“…”
“But the topic of relativity doesn’t blow your mind either. You’re not interested in ‘what ifs’ or ‘what could have been’. A man as intelligent as you only got to the high position you hold today because you learn from the past, focus on the present, and dream for the future. Which by the way is actually an excellent plan for anyone who’s looking for a method to succeed in life.”
“…”
“Unfortunately the problem with that plan is, it’s not good enough to prepare you for what’s coming. And I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about something much worse than me. And that’s the dilemma I face when I’m dealing with you humans, you guys don’t believe in shit until shit starts happening. I could spend an eternity standing on the highest mountain in this continent, screaming at the top of my lungs, warning you about the things that are heading your way, and it still won’t be enough.”
“…”
“Left with so few options, the only thing I can do now is try to meet a few selected individuals and ask them to hear me out. Sometimes it’s easy, all I have to do is just stroll into the headmaster office and tell him stuff. Sometime it’s hard, I would have to tread carefully into a classroom when I’m facing an ageless entity and put my life on the line. And sometimes I have to go to great lengths to get a face-to-face meeting with the guys at the very top. The guys who secretly control everything from behind the scene. The people who toy with the millions of lives in the Grandiel Continent as if it was their playthings. The ones who play Gods without permission.”
“…”
“See? That’s the problem with being an apex predator. When you’re so high up the food chain, you’ll think there’s nothing above you. Again, I would like to stress that I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about something much worse than me. Anyway, all I have to do is get myself injured, maybe poison myself a bit, and the sharks will come circling when they smell blood in the water.”
“…”
“Ah, you’re thinking if this is the exact time you should scream for your men to storm into this room and save you. Again, I would like to stress that this isn’t a trap. We’re just two gentlemen having a little chat. But if you still wish to do so, then by all means, go ahead. This room is built for that kind of party, very thick walls you see, although we may have to get a bigger bed.”
“…”
“You’re still wondering if this invitation is another trap. I assure you Ser Rayze, we have nothing up our sleeves. Your men must have done a five block sweep around this place and found nothing out of the ordinary. You should have no problems disposing me, my maid here, and Headmaster Joss when he returns from his lunch and laying the blame on Master Haithur. Even though the fallout from having a member of royalty dying is huge and could be damaging to the reputation the school, you’ll make it go away.”
“Who’s the member of royalty?”
“Why Synnove here of course. Wait? You didn’t know that before coming into this room? Never mind, just a slight miscalculation on your part. It’s not the first time you guys have silence a member of royalty when they got in your way. Now you’re wishing if your men had done a six block sweep instead of five. I give you my word, Ser Rayze. There are no other participants beside us.”
“…”
“Before you ask, she’s a princess from the Jazwin Kingdom. Seventh line from the throne after her father, Prince Nigel Ciro ascends.”
“Fifth line actually, Master, but who’s counting?”
“Sorry Synnove. Well, you heard the lady, Ser Rayze.”
“Why is she in a maid costume? And why is she calling you Master?”
“It’s because she is my maid. And because she is my maid.”
“…”
“And you’re still not giving out the signal for your men to come in here. See? This is why I like you more than Headmaster Joss. Even since you were a child, you have always been cool-headed. You’re more composed, more collected, more susceptible to my suggestions. There’s not much in this life that could faze you. Except for the time when your parents took your brothers and you to that travelling circus from the Shahjahadian Kingdom.”
“…”
“While your brothers are enthralled by the fire eaters and the snake charmers and knife jugglers and trapeze artists… all that time during that show… you couldn’t forget what you saw before you entered that big giant tent.”
“The elephant and the rope…”
“Yes, the elephant and the rope. You couldn’t comprehend it, couldn’t understand it. Even when you asked your mother the reason for it… even when your mother took you quietly to the side to explain it… you still couldn’t accept the answer. How could a magnificent creature still be unable to shake off such a flimsy bond… even after all those years have passed?”
“…”
“And that… That… is what blows your mind until today. It’s what made you cry in your bed when you returned home after seeing that circus show. It’s what keeps you awake sometimes at night while your late wife slept peacefully by your side. Not the lost potential of people who died too early. Not the topic of relativity, how time could flow differently for different people. But that.”
“…”
“Now that I’ve gotten you all warm, moist and ready, I will proceed to insert into you the message you’ve been waiting patiently all this time to hear. I must warn you first, Ser Rayze. This message could either be the greatest true story you have heard in your life, or the most outlandish lie ever told. And even though the message is long, even if it’s hard for you to take in, even if the truth is bitter for you to swallow, I ask that you reserve your judgment until you hear the end of the story before you finally decide to kill us.”
“…”
********************
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The boy told Ser Rayze about the events that will happen 30 years from now (give or take a few years). He didn't get into the specifics early in the story, sticking to the main points and only began giving out vivid details near the end.
That hundreds and hundreds of magical creatures made out of knives and nightmares began flooding out of the Khazun Mountain Range. And a single one of these 'Razors' could wipe out over a thousand men.
That a normal weapon could hardly damage the creatures and they needed high quality swords or special weapons produced by the Shahjahad Kingdom to even make a difference.
That the Eight remaining kingdoms (the Alvian Kingdom was already decimated at this point) barely managed to work together. Squabbling and petty arguments were common. The people up top had only learnt to set aside their differences at the very end, but by then it was already too late.
That it only took the Razors two years to completely wipe out the majority of humans in the Grandiel Continent from one end of the next. And what little humanity remains was forced to hole up in the Heingull Island located north of the Drumvell Kingdom.
The boy told the Elder from Ouroboros how humanity made their last stand on that island. How fifty thousand people, men and women, the young and the old, common folks and royalties, all gave their lives willingly to power the ritual that would send a lone warrior back in time in order to avert humanity from experiencing its last winter. How ten thousand soldiers, shattered armies from various broken nations and fallen kingdoms, marched out from the island, stood and fought together as brothers against the oncoming Razors on the frozen sea of Sarows, trying desperately to buy the priests and shamans enough time for the ritual to work.
The Elder from Ouroboros just sits there and listens to it all.
********************
“Well? It’s quite a revelation, isn’t it?”
“It’s a lot to take in. I’m still having trouble processing it.”
“I know, and I must admit, you’re facing it better than I expected, not like Headmaster Joss’ less-than-subdue response. Anyway, I’m so glad that that you’ve decided not to kill us.”
“What makes you so sure I won’t kill you after hearing your story?”
“It’s just the little things really.”
“Tell me.”
“Well, firstly, the fact that you didn’t call out the journal for being a fake even though it could save Master Haithur.”
“…”
“A retired general and former commander as smart as you must have seen his fair share of war dispatches. And in the business where a counterfeit message could turn the tide of battle, where the lives of thousands of men are depended on the right orders being sent and received, one who educates oneself on the knowledge of handwriting should recognize when something is written a year ago or just this morning.”
“…”
“Secondly, you used Master Haithur as a scout to probe an unknown enemy. You sacrificed him willingly, even though he is your protégé, even though he is your daughter’s best friend, even though he is the Leader of Ouroboros and you were the one who put him there.”
“…”
“Yes yes, I know about Ouroboros. Never mind about that. We’re talking about me now, and I’m too busy showing you how clever I really am.”
“And how’s it going for you? Being clever?”
*smiles “I’ll tell you tomorrow if I managed to live through today.”
“That decision is still in the air by the way.”
“Of course it is. Anyway, an army functions the same way as an organization. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. Master Haithur could probably see through my deception if only he had stood up and ask to see that journal in order to defend himself. And if the man couldn’t be bothered to save own life, why should you step in and do his job for him?”
“A pawn that is unable to think and fight on its own is useless, and I have no need for useless things.”
“Indeed. Anyway, the last reason why you won’t kill me, the last reason why you’re in this room with me right now, in person, having a face-to-face meeting, instead of sending one of your pawns for what could potentially be a trap, is because you recognize me for what I really am.”
“…”
“Those men in the Disciplinary Committee were filled with a sense of dread that they couldn’t explain it properly. But you... you’ve seen my kind before. You’ve observed me standing before kings in palaces, surrounded on all sides by hostile enemies. You've watched me walking into a war room, saw me approaching before the eve of a battle or witnessed me riding through a rain of arrows while clutching a note.”
“The bearer of bad news…”
“And there is one thing you must never do to someone like that, even if he’s an emissary declaring war, or bringing you ill news regarding your loved ones, or telling you there’s been a mixed up in your food order.”
“You must never kill the messenger.”
“Rightly so. Don’t hate the messenger, hate the message.”
“…”
“Anyway, our time here is almost over and I have said almost everything that needed to be said. Headmaster Joss will be back here soon and he will notice there something fishy going on, and I really don’t like to explain it to him.”
“…”
“While you’re still arranging your thoughts, Ser Rayze, I’m gonna do you a favor. I’ll permit you to ask me five questions using the powers you suspect I have. Why five questions, you ask? Because you’re going to waste four of them almost immediately.”
“Do you know where Master Haithur is heading?”
“Yes.”
“Will you tell me where he is?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he is mine to deal with and no one else.”
“Are you telling me you are willing to die for him?”
“No, I am telling you I’m willing to kill you and the ten men you’ve brought along with you for the pleasure of deciding Master Haithur’s fate myself.”
“…”
“You should have brought more men if you wanted to haggle with me for Master Haithur’s life.”
“…”
“If it’s any consolation, I will make sure Master Haithur wish he was captured by you instead of me. That man will face what he’s got coming, and then some more.”
“…I suddenly almost feel a great sense of pity for Master Haithur.”
“The operative word here being ‘almost’.” the boy grins back from the bed he’s lying on.
“I sincerely hope your eyesight returns soon.”
“How did you know?” the boy asks, startled.
“It's because you’ve been staring at the flower vase beside me for the last 10 minutes.” smiles Ser Rayze bitterly as he begins to rise from the chair he’s been sitting in for the past half an hour.
“…”
As the Elder from Ouroboros heads towards the door and puts his hand on the handle, he says something to the boy without turning to face him.
“As for my last question... Even though I know it will be pointless. Even though I know you will never answer it properly, I’m still going to ask it.”
“…”
“Who are you?”
The boy seems to ponder this question for a moment before finally answering.
“You know what we’re talking about earlier, about the elephant and the rope? Well I’m the guy who can see it, the rope I mean. Humans have lived for so long while being tied to something so insignificant, it has bound you to this earth, chaining you, like gravity. And only if you learn to break free...”
“…”
The elderly nobleman with the red hair could be seen shaking his head while he opens the door to leave the room.
“Like I’ve said…” the Elder from Ouroboros sighs. “A wasted question…” says the man again as he closes the door behind him.
********************
Author's note:
The fifty thousand souls to power the ritual was first mention in Chapter 5.
The name of the place where humanity made their last stand, the Heingull Island, is first mentioned in Chapter 15.
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Before I start with the usual credits, there's a small announcement I would like to make.
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Okay, technically we're number #39, but that doesn't look as good as 40 on the banner.
Q and A coming up next week, so if you have any questions, post them in the comments so I can read and dodge answer them.
Don't know who to dedicate this chapter to, since I can't find any new names, and those who do vote seems to be hiding themselves.
Leave a review if you wanna help me me reach the 30th place in the Best Rated category or a comment if you see any plot-holes, glaring grammar mistakes or just wanted to show your appreciation.