Grayson’s eyes woke up to a magical scene. Everything that had been destroyed from last night reformed itself back to its initial state. The different Tales focusing on many genres made him the odd one out.

He gathered his gladius and armor, trying to seek out Sache. There were many questions plaguing his mind about this place. He looked around, only to be stopped by an old man, Steward.

“Calm down boy. Sache’s not here anymore. She left a long time ago.” Huffing down his pipe, he started noting down something on his notepad.

“Where’d she go? I need to make it up to her.” The scene yesterday was still something he needed to pay her back for.

“Hah… look kid, you have two options, leave and forget anything this ever happened or stay behind not knowing when she’ll ever come back. There’s no other option.” Scribbles on the notepad noted down Grayson’s guilty expression.

“As insane as it sounds, your kind is a dime a dozen. Even if you want to act heroic and all that, there’s no point.” Steward puffed out a thick circular cloud of smoke towards Grayson’s face. “Many people in your place tried. First, it comes along thinking you’re special, wanting to take the spotlight to protect some feeble girl. Next, it’s realizing that she didn’t even need your help in the first place, and you get saved in return. Feeling your pride get hurt, you want to try and make it up to her. Does that sound about right, kiddo?”

Grayson coughed. He waved his hand trying to dissipate the smoke assaulting his lungs.

“Not everyone needs your help. Not everyone wants your help. And definitely not everyone appreciates your ‘help.’ Just stay in your lane and ignore everything that happened.” Steward writes even more words in his notepad, ‘anxious, desperate, called out.’

Grayson clenched his fists. He didn’t like how his resolve was being looked down on like this.

“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t at least try?” Grayson raised his voice so loudly that it caught everyone’s attention. For a stranger yelling out like this, it was very likely to make out a scene.

“A smart one. Smarter than us.” Steward noted down, ‘confusion.’

Steward didn’t need to delay, “There’s only one person who can help Sache, and it’s the Miraculous Doctor. Unfortunately, he’s stuck in this place. Call it… a victim of circumstance. Now what else is everyone doing here if he’s the only person stuck here?”

It was noted down in Steward’s notepad, ‘understanding.’

Grayson’s will to rush out was suddenly doused out. He looked to the side, seeing numerous Tales living in their own self-created huts. They all lived quietly, peacefully, undisturbed.

“She’s a weird one, isn’t she? She travels all over the world, trying to find immortality. You would be hard-pressed to find her in the same spot twice… except for this place.” Steward ripped out his notepad, shoving it in Grayson’s chest. It wasn’t the same page he had been writing on but one that already had some other kind of content.

Grayson grabbed a hold of it, slightly uneasy. He turned the page and saw a poem. Despite the crude penmanship and the odd aesthetic of it all. He was reminded of Sache.

----------------------------------------

Forest of Suppressed Motion

Can you feel it? The waves of emotion that freeze me in place

I desire, I wonder, what would be of me if I stayed in this space

I’d be happy forevermore no more problems no more issues

But if I am sad and life is tragic, that’s no good because I’ll miss you

-o-

What if I was both? Happy and sad, the best feeling in the world

No? All right, I’ll keep steady and ready, I’ll keep my word

----------------------------------------

“I don’t get it.”

Steward wrote in his notepad, ‘liar.’

“To others, it is a sign of commitment and virtue but for you, that’s not how you interpret it, is it? You already know the answer in your heart.” Steward holds his hand that was bandaged.

He could’ve gotten it healed by the Miraculous Doctor but he refused. He wanted to feel a fraction.

Sache, at times like this, I really hate you. You always use something that speaks to someone else yet at the very same time speaks to you the most. You are very cruel.

“Can I stay here and wait for Sache’s return? I want to ask her something.” Grayson dropped everything. Even the grand adventure he had planned out this entire time ever since he was young seemed irrelevant to this one question.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“I have to warn you, you’re going to forget that question if she ever comes back here again. You’re going against what you should choose to become happy. Like the rest of us unfortunate fools.” Steward smacked Grayson’s head. This was just something he didn’t want someone to join.

“But you’re content, aren’t you? To see her story end.” Grayson knew. He understood what kind of choice he was given. To stay and ponder or to live out his life.

“I myself am not fond of tragedies. So no, I’m not content, happy, nor satisfied. I am miserable.” Steward reignited his pipe, huffing more in to dull out his senses.

“Not every story has a happy ending.” Grayson solidified his decision. “But it can always make one ponder.”

Grayson stayed behind. Instead of following his own lead, he decided to give up the wheel and see through someone else’s dream instead.

~~~

Sache rode a feisty steed. It rode off with such speed that she was having trouble staying balanced on top of it. “Woah! Down boy! Down! Lady Caroline, how do I make him stop?”

From within the fancy carriage, a lady dressed in pure black clothes whispered to her maid. Up until now, Sache has never seen Lady Caroline’s face. As to how she even managed to reach this point? Even Sache was confused.

“She elegantly said that your steed is only merely having fun. You should enjoy yourself as well, Sache.” The maid hollered from within.

“That’s- Easy- For- You- To- Say-” Sache kept bouncing up and down, cutting her off constantly. She was genuinely holding on for dear life.

Maybe if I let go and hit the ground, it might be less stressful for me. Sache had let go, letting her body jump off freely.

“Freedom!” Instead of a shriek, Sache welcomed the ground with a bright smile on her face. Too bad her steed noticed this and maneuvered in a way that kept Sache directly behind him.

“No! This is just unfair! I want to feel the ground beneath my feet again! Wah!” Sache cried tears of desperation.

Lady Caroline giggled once again. She had been enjoying Sache’s company ever since she saw him performing in the tavern. Passing by at that moment, she heard Sache’s voice and was enamored by it.

Her constant shenanigans and comedic reactions made her really like this young one. To be so innocently childish like this was a blessing in her eyes.

“We’re here.” A rough voice came out from the front. He stopped the horses and made a break. The ferocious steed Sache was riding also stopped as its time to have fun had come to an end.

“Ah, sweet ground, I will never badmouth you again!” Sache fell face first, hugging the ground. These past few hours had been the most scared she’d been in a very long while.

“Alas, this is as far as we can take you. Any further out is no longer safe.” The maid relayed Lady Caroline’s words. “Huh… Oh, I understand, Lady Caroline. Lady Caroline asks you as to what you’re trying to seek within these ruins?”

“I’ve got a little insider info that there’s a road to immortality within these ruins! I’m here to check it out if it’s real.” Sache rubbed her face clean from the dirt and grime on it. Her eyes reflected the sun’s glint, a bright orange glare.

“These ruins are really dangerous, Sache. Do you want some protection?” The maid knew what Lady Caroline wanted to ask before she could even say it. Understanding her lady’s mindset was a key ingredient in becoming an excellent maid.

“I’ll be fine, I’m tougher than I look! Take care on your way back, Lady Caroline, Maid Vicky, and Du- I mean Coachman Davis.” Sache looked forward to seeing just how real the road to immortality was. Despite traveling for such a long time, this had only been the fourth time she was exploring something that was related to immortality.

“I didn’t even tell her my name, how curious. Was I that obvious?” Davis turned back, asking his daughter from within the carriage.

“The Fool Who Dreams Of Immortality. If not for my own Tale, I wouldn’t have believed it. A Bard that wouldn’t speak of her own Tale towards others. She’s one of a kind for sure.” Lady Caroline rested her head on her hand.

“These ruins aren’t anything special. Most likely, she’s been deceived. I feel bad for her.” Davis mumbled out. Such a person was very likely to be taken advantage of.

Lady Caroline didn’t speak any further on it. She needed a lot of time to pry deeper into someone’s Tale. She managed to see Sache’s Inscribement yet felt no obligation to explain to her father.

“She’ll be fine. Let’s go back, Father.” Lady Caroline had fulfilled her curiosity as to who she was. The only thing bugging her was the fact that there was a Legend’s scent attached to her. To learn more about this Legend, she would need to exert more effort than it was worth it.

Of course, she didn’t tell this to her father either. An Epic would be terrifying enough, able to shake an empire’s very core, much less a kingdom. As for a Legend, it was something not even the entire continent would be able to deal with.

Sache excitedly entered these seemingly unimportant ruins. “Gaelhe said there was an Epic relating to immortality here. I hope I get one step closer to it today. Even if it’s half a step, no, a quarter of a step! Even if it’s a smidgen of a crumb, I’ll take it! I just want to confirm it with my very eyes first!”

With her backpack filled with an assortment of random items, her mind brimming with excitement and glee, she slowly opened the broken door to this stone ruin.

A dust cloud formed, filling Sache’s lungs. She violently coughed before looking right after the already raided scene before her. She didn’t despair, as the true secret still didn’t seem to have been unlocked after all.

This stone ruin was actually an ancient ritualistic altar. The carvings on the wall depict an interesting scene where people would be held on top of a slab of stone and sacrificed. It was in all intent and purposes, gruesome.

Despite knowing such a fact, Sache pushed on, wanting to see just how real immortality truly was.

Walking past empty shrines that had already eroded due to time and lacking hallways filled with shattered support beams and dusty floors. She saw the small segment of this ruin that no one had noticed before.

Walking deeper in, there was an altar of a man wearing numerous heads of his fallen victims. He had massive fangs depicting his desire and greed for more than what the world could offer him.

Right below this altar, there was a hidden switch to led to an underground area where the Epic regarding immortality was awaiting her. The terrifying imagery did not deter her determination.

Sache puffed her cheeks and tried to flip the switch. She placed both her hands on the lever and tried to pull, it had gotten stuck after so many years but after a lot of elbow grease, she managed to pull it off.

Another segment of the room opened up for her to traverse. Crimson torches lit up as they guided Sache downstairs.

“Endless Blood, the name sounds scary but I’m sure it can’t be that bad. Anything that relates to immortality is inherently good!” Sache firmly believed so. She walked in with a smile on her face, wanting to see just what kind of treat was awaiting her.