LUNA MONOLITH, QUDROTISH EMPIRE
Four days before the attack on Iolite
Guru Adrastos sat by his favorite leather chair, writing. The quill wrote on its own in thin air while he sank back onto the leather couch. The written words presented themselves in a dim yellow glow and moved into the pearl jewelry he hung around his neck. Pearls of wisdom, as he liked to call it. The elf wore a white royal tunic with brown laces around the cuffs, with long black pants. Elves were known for their immortality, but he had sleek white hair running down his neck, reaching his torso. His brows grew so much that he had to comb them to the side, almost touching his thick, white beard.
He was not in his office, however. In his private infirmary with a young boy in his twenties, who just got up groggily. The boy ruffled his dark brown hair, and his eyes were devilishly purple, scanning across the vacant room. As soon as he woke up, the boy noticed that he was in a white robe, decorated with arcane sigils of the God of Wisdom.
As soon as he noticed the boy getting up, the quill paused on its own. “Awake, are we? How do you feel?”
The human woke up feeling empty. A sense of loss washed over him.
“Do you remember who you are?” The elderly enquired.
The boy moved his mouth as if he was speaking for the first time. “Ian… My name is Ian.” He placed his hand over his head as if he could soothe the throbbing pain. The quill reawakened again as it started scribbling words in thin air.
“Do you know who I am?” the elderly asked, placing his hand on his chest.
“You are Adrastos, the champion of Hu’thoth,” Ian answered.
“Guru Adrastos,” the elderly corrected. “That’s good. Do you remember who I am to you?”
A sudden realization struck Ian. He doesn’t remember anything. Who his parents were? Did he have friends or siblings? How did he end up in an infirmary? Gazing at the nearby calendar, he could be about 22 years old.
“My employer?” Ian guessed.
“You have amnesia, Ian. It’s a rare condition where you lose your memories every few months. You were placed here in the Luna Monolith for proper care,” the Guru said. He was used to this conversation. The quill continually wrote, jotting down every one of Ian’s movements.
Ian noticed the moving pen in thin air. “And that is… magic?”
The pen stopped. Usually, the Guru’s eyes were a straight line, right under his thick brow, but this time, it enlarged slightly, seeing those beady irises. He chuckled slightly, “Yes, child. This is magic.”
“Can I use magic?” Ian asked innocently after a momentary pause.
“My, you should know this, Ian,” the old wizard laughed, “Humans can’t use magic. Oh dear, you may have lost more than I thought.”
A piece of pen and paper whizzed in front of Ian’s face. “Solve this. Let’s see to what extent of your memory is affected.”
Ian grabbed the paper, relieved that the throbbing headache was gone by now. “Do I need to? I don’t even know who I am other than my name.”
Before he knew it, the wizard vanished, leaving Ian in the vacant, empty room. Little blue sparks replaced where he sat, slowly dissipating with the air. Curiously, Ian placed his hand over, confirming that the wizard was truly gone. He muttered to himself. “Huh, so this is magic. A little different from what I know.”
Ian read the first question.
“Who was the general that led the army against the Devil of the storm, Farl’med in 525 B.D.? Describe the tactics of war used.”
Ian pondered for a while, but somehow the information came to him. He doesn’t remember how he got the information, but he knew. He just knew. It was a weird feeling. He felt like his memories were less forgotten, and more of being robbed of. Regardless, he wrote the answer.
“If a funnel was made of a thin sheet of circular metal with the diameter of an average oak tree, what is the rate of flow of water?”
Logic this time, Ian sighed. Somehow, he remembered the diameter of all trees and the calculus required to solve it. “This is weird,” he muttered.
He didn’t need to glance around the room to notice a slight vibration in the air. Unmistakably, a small creature was hiding in the corner of the room, watching him. Should he escape? No, too little information. He has no memory of where he was.
As soon as Ian finished the entire questionnaire, a cluster of blue sparks crackled softly, followed by the appearance of Guru Adrastos, materializing in thin air. “What timing, huh? I understand you need to rest, but the situation calls you for a small assignment.”
“The test…?”
The elderly picked up the stack of paper and gave a few quick reads. “You’re good to go. Perfect score.”
The door swung open as Ian walked out of the room. There was a library. “I guess I am obligated to let you know that you are maintaining the library of Luna Monolith. This is the Qudrotish empire branch.”
Ian silently thought for a while, and before he could open his mouth to speak, the elder elf interrupted him. “You must be thinking, why would I hire an amnesiac person?”
Ian clasps his mouth shut. This old man was reading his every move. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his habit, or because every time he lost his memory, Ian would ask the same set of questions. “It is not often people can retain all their knowledge after memory loss. I thought that this may be an interesting way to distinguish between memory and knowledge.”
“Despite losing your memories, you remember every detail of the books. Astonishing!” Guru Adrastos said. “It was almost as if you were a living knowledge pod!”
Ian was taken aback. “I’m not an automaton, right?” He checked his body again. It was undeniably made out of flesh, not cogs and screws.
Guru Adrastos said amusingly, “Of course not! It was because of you I was able to invent the knowledge pod, after all!” The knowledge pod was a device to transfer knowledge from one person to another without the need for communication.
Ian sighed in relief. If he were to be the first automaton to gain the consciousness of a living being, that would question his purpose in life. If he had any to begin with. Ian was in a library full of books, neatly indexed according to their genre, title, and target audience. Glancing through, he did somehow know most of the books in this library, its year of publication, and its contents.
“You would give me a place to stay, even if I was human?” Ian asked.
“I have known you for a long time, Ian. You’re a hidden treasure,” Guru Adrastos said.
“What I was before may be different from who I am now. I may be different,” Ian answered. “People who are amnesiac tend to develop a separate personality from their past selves.” When he had a question, there was an almost immediate answer.
“To truly understand oneself, one must journey deep within and explore the vastness of their inner world. Only by embracing the shadows and the light can one find the wisdom and clarity needed to navigate the challenges of life. What do you seek in the end?”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The end of what? Ian asked himself silently. What was this elf blabbing about? If Ian had periodic amnesia, there was no point in planning his future. Guru Adrastos was full of mysteries.
“We will have an audience with the Princess of Iolite.”
Ian turned his gaze from the books to the elderly elf, “Then, what’s my assignment, Guru Adrastos?” Ian felt a sense of nervousness creeping up from his abdomen, wanting to crush his heart. A Princess?
The elderly kept his smile up. “Well, we shall see.”
Guru Adrastos led him to a door, strangely almost invisible in the vast ocean of books. “Now mind your manners in front of the royalty.”
Ian gave a short gulp as he walked through the door.
Princess Lucia sat on a red velvet chair. She showed a calm demeanor but the pain in her hand showed no signs of subsiding. It seemed to intensify, becoming more excruciating than when she first arrived. With each passing moment, her breaths grew heavier, causing her to feel slightly dizzy. Cold sweat trickled down the back of her neck, making her shiver despite the warm temperature in the room.
Lucia’s thoughts were filled with immense pain, and she couldn’t endure the pain any longer. She heard a creaking sound. The door was opening, and she jolted from her seat, bracing herself.
A bearded old elf with white hair entered, surprisingly bringing a human boy with him. “Greetings princess, I take that you liked the tea?”
“Yes, very. It was earl grey, I presume?” The princess replied. She was unable to take a sip because she was focused on the pain.
The old elf chuckled, “Ian, have a seat.”
The boy took his seat beside the old man timidly. The princess noticed that he was glancing around the room as if he was in this room for the first time. As soon as she saw him, she couldn’t help but felt a tinge of discontent. But she couldn’t help but wonder, why was the boy, a human even, in this room?
“Guru Adrastos, what I am about to share with you is a little sensitive. Would you mind sending your servant away?”
He took a glance at the princess. “Ahh princess, I am afraid you are mistaken. He is my apprentice, not a servant.”
The princess was confused. No pointy ears, or any fur. “He is a human, am I right? A human is the apprentice of an elf?”
Ian also turned towards the old elf, “I am?” Guru Adrastos had the previous hour to fill him in, but no, he chose to mention it now.
If it wasn’t for Guru Adrastos, we could be sure that Lucia would have thrown herself off the chair by surprise. Instead, she got up and held her hand up. She decided to accept it as how it was. Cultural differences, perhaps.
“My name is Lucia Angelique Solace, second in line to the throne of Iolite. It is nothing less than an honor to meet the apprentice of the Champion of Hu’thoth.”
From his seat, he glanced up at the princess. He cannot help but hold his breath from her astounding beauty. After a brief moment, he noticed that the princess was waiting for something. He turned his glance over to Guru Adrastos.
“A handshake,” the elderly said, trying to hold in his chuckle.
Ian took a while to realize, “I’m Ian.” He held his hand to return the handshake.
“The pleasure is all mine, I guess,” the princess said hesitantly, trying not to lose her cool. The princess cleared her throat. She had her mind to ask Guru Adrastos about Ian later. For now, her curse comes first. She wanted to start speaking, but Guru Adrastos stopped her, holding his hand up.
“It’s alright, princess. I can grasp what you’re about to say,” Guru Adrastos started. “Unfortunately, there’s no right way to do this.”
Lucia’s heart sank. “What?!”
"Well, you see Princess," Guru Adrastos said. "When it comes to your predicament, the only thing that's right is that your right arm will burn first. And when it's all said and done, all that's left is...well, your left."
“So, what happens? I’ll only lose an arm?” Lucia asked frantically.
“Nope, your life.” Guru Adrastos chuckled.
Before Lucia could raise her voice, Guru Adrastos waved his hand as one of his pearls shined bright amethyst. A trinket appeared out of thin air. It was an oval-shaped, dark violet gemstone that shined like a diamond. The gemstone was encased in decorative golden metal and hung around a small silver chain.
“This is an artifact created by Ian here, that only absorbs the curse. But this does not slow down the spread of the curse. The curse spreads exponentially over time.”
Lucia’s eyes scanned Ian’s face, watching as he fixated his gaze on the artifact. He wasn’t hiding the confusion on his face, trying to make sense of the artifact.
Lucia couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration towards Ian’s uncertainty. The artifact created by this immature human, with a lifespan of no more than 50 years, was the solution to her curse. He doesn’t look any older than 30 years of age. He seemed unsure that doubts were all over her mind.
Guru Adrastos noticed her doubts as he placed the artifact on the table. “This is all you need, Princess,” he assured her. “With this artifact, you would be able to live for almost eternity. But there’s only one catch. There’s a limit to how much of the curse the artifact can absorb,” Guru Adrastos explained.
Lucia’s nervousness overtook her. “How many artifacts do I need per week? And can I develop this in Iolite?”
“Fortunately, this should be enough for your entire life.”
“What?” She could not believe her ears. Was she going to live or die? He was not cryptic, just confusing. Before she could interject, Ian and Guru Adrastos exchanged glances.
Ian got up, asking for the trinket, “Can I?”
Guru Adrastos smiled. “You invented this, after all. Go ahead.”
A sense of familiarity washed over Ian’s face as he felt the trinket on his fingertips. He knew that the decorative element could be twisted like a knob. There was a series of cog twisting, leading to a small click at the bottom of the trinket. The golden metal piece moved aside, revealing the bottom of the gemstone. “It activates by twisting this knob here. There’s a gap here at the bottom of the amulet that allows you to touch the gemstone directly,” Ian explained.
Princess Lucia’s right glove slipped off, revealing her hand scorched by the black flames. The flames rejoiced with the freedom it had made her heart race with fear. She had to trust this amulet. There was no other choice. She placed the violet gemstone on her palm, feeling the pain from the dark flames slowly being pulled into the gemstone.
As she watched, her eyes fixated on the gemstone. The flames crept into the stone while her hands purified, revealing the smooth, porcelain skin she once had. Lucia fought the urge to sigh with relief, maintaining her regal composure despite the surge of elation she felt.
Nothing was comparable to the relief she had when the amulet took away the constant pain. The pain vanished, along with its throbbing, aching torment that had plagued her.
“Once the gemstone turns completely black, then you pass it to a human, like this,” Ian demonstrated. He took the amulet off her hands. Lucia’s eyes lit up with signs of danger. Was he insane?
“Wait, don’t–”
Ian placed the trinket in his palm. The darker shade of the trinket faded almost immediately, entering Ian’s body, leaving only a gleaming bright gemstone. Princess Lucia sank back in her chair, relieved. Never in a million years would she ever think that a human was the cure to her curse.
“Princess, the Desires of Andromeda will never affect a human, but if another Creation touches it, the curse will be transferred to that person. If not handled well, more people will be cursed instead.”
Princess Lucia replied, “Very well.”
Guru Adrastos clapped his hands. “Nicely done, Ian. Now keep in mind that this device only temporarily stores the curse, but it doesn’t completely remove the curse itself. There are two ways this trinket would be ineffective."
“One, once you lose this trinket, you will need to make another one, or the curse would spread. Two, when the capacity of the trinket is full. When it turns pitch black, it can’t absorb any more curses. In that case, the trinket would be useless unless you have a human nearby to absorb the curse.”
Lucia took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts. “Thank you, Guru Adrastos.”
“For observation, would you mind staying in this monastery for a few days? I would be able to assist if there are any problems.”
Lucia was taken aback, finding it hard to accept the harsh reality. “No cure,” she repeated softly. She hid her disappointment behind a face of a smile. “Thank you, Guru Adrastos. I am very grateful for this.”
“Now, all this was Ian’s invention, not mine,” the old elf chuckled. “Ian, you may leave now. I’ll have a small talk with the princess. Your daily tasks are on the counter.”
Ian nodded slightly and made his way to the exit. The princess was slightly intrigued. There was no obligatory bow from this man, nor a sense of respect for the authority. But she’ll let it slide for now.
Guru Adrastos crossed his leg over. His smile dimmed slightly, but he still looks like a warm, old elf. “You can ask me anything, Princess Lucia.”
Princess Lucia gazed into his eyes. It was as if his eyes reflected the Abyss itself. It was dark and cold. His face, though hidden by the abundant layers of beard, had a sense of regret. She did not understand why.
“What’s wrong with Ian?”
“Ahh, please forgive Ian’s rudeness. He has amnesia, losing his memories now and then. You may treat him as a young child because he has even forgotten how to display emotions.”
“Amnesia... Since when?” She asked calmly.
“I took him in since he was seven, so it has been 15 years, I suppose,” Guru Adrastos said. “Poor boy, he can’t keep new memories, losing memories he made two to three months prior. Unfortunately, I have no clue on how to help him,”
Lucia’s keen eyes studied the Guru Adrastos’ facial expression. She noted the slight tremble in his voice, a sign of nervousness as if he was hiding something. It was clear to her that something was amiss. Her mother’s lessons on detecting lies were etched deep within her and she could sense that half-truths were being told. Lucia remained composed, her face portraying no other emotions as she continued to observe.