Title {Endless Blood}
Name {Dva's Pool}
Reputation {4 Civilizations}
Honor {Neutral}
Gravitas {100}
Affiliation {None}
Blessings
Inscribement {Alone at the End}
[Any creature that stays within this pool will retain its youth for as long as they stay here. The only requirement is that all of their loved ones have died.]
{Additional Lock: }
Engravement {Potent Memories}
[Any creature that stays here for a predetermined amount of time will lose the memories of their loved ones. The memory will in turn strengthen the pool’s static property.]
[If enough of a memory with the person has been taken, it will recreate the beloved person. It will not have any attachment to anyone.]
Achievement {One Last Hope}
[Able to bring back a Tale up to the Endless Blood’s Tale.]
{Additional Lock: Bring back the dead a thousand times. 53/1000}
“This isn’t it. This is fake. This is not what I’m after…”
Sache stared into the pool. It held a moldy color that would’ve made anyone wary of it yet Sache kept looking at it. She sat down holding her knees, watching on as this pool taunted her with a fake possibility.
“If I… Maybe I don’t need to keep my promise if they come back.” Her small insignificant hand reached out, wanting to see just how close she was to her dream.
A little girl’s hand hovered over the pool, any inch closer and it would make contact.
She waited here, her thoughts and actions conflicting with one another.
The girl’s body wanted nothing more than to jump right in and experience what it felt like to achieve flawed immortality. She would be able to stay in there indefinitely, waiting as the world flowed outside, living in her own little world.
Yet the girl’s mind knew that this wasn’t it. This was nothing but an attempt to make her stop in her tracks. She would be leaving everyone behind to pursue something that wouldn’t give her a sense of fulfillment. She would be running away.
“Is it even that bad? I’ll live forever and I’ll be able to sing until the end time. After all, what else is keeping me here? No one’s waiting for me back home.” The girl had no more tears to cry. This was how she would escape this cruel world.
Her eyes glanced to the side. It was the child’s futile attempt to bring something back that wasn’t going to return. The pile of dust and fragmented strings beside her was the only thing that she could remind her of her past. And now it’s broken, she’s shackled even deeper than ever before.
Reaching out to the girl’s bag, she zipped it open slowly, lethargically. Taking out one bottle, she stared at it for a long time. Her closest companion welcomed her to ease her mind one last time.
“Bottoms up…” Sache opened the bottle and poured it out. She didn’t drink it, she poured it on the pile of sawdust beside her. It bloated as it consumed the alcohol.
The girl, still holding onto herself, still giving herself some sort of comfort kept pouring. It splattered all around. She kept going until, “Until the last drop.”
Sache sighed. This was one of the few moments she didn’t like exploring the world. The times when her past creeps up right behind her. She’s been running away for so long yet it always comes right back to haunt her.
“I hate this. Just leave me alone.” Sache closed her eyes and dug her head deeper into her arms. What loomed right behind her always finds a way to keep up.
She stayed like this for a long time. Long enough for the liquor to dry up.
“I’ve always been bad at making stories. But my lyre’s been with me for so long that… I think I can bring it back. This Endless Blood can bring back Tales, right? Even if I fail, there’s nothing else left for me to lose.”
“A small Tale, a Tale that no one else cares about but me. That’s all that… matters.”
A Tale needed a story.
“My lyre’s been gifted to me when I was young. It’s been through a lot of repairs but the carving on it never faded away. I think I can put that in.”
A Tale needed a lesson.
“Memories. I can use my memories. Many Tales give off many meanings but I don’t need it to be anything else than what I desire it to be. I just want it back.”
A Tale needed an audience.
“Me, myself, and I. The only person who’ll ever hear what I’ve written is me. Just like when I made my own Tale by myself, I’ll make this one specially made for me.”
A Tale needed a poem.
“Something that… I don’t know. Nothing ever comes up when I try. Everyone just has it so easy, able to think of a story on the spot. Tales needed many people’s interpretations to be fully made but not for this one. No one will care but me so I’m the only person who has to make it.”
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A Fool’s Wish
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Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
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She had made the pile of dust right behind her a simple Tale. A seemingly futile task but Sache cannot be disappointed any further. She was grasping at straws.
She had written it down on a piece of paper. This way she wouldn’t have trouble remembering this.
Title {Sache's Wish}
Name {Sache's Lyre}
Reputation {1 Listener}
Honor {Inherently Good}
Gravitas {101%}
Affiliation {Sache}
Blessing
Inscribement {Sache’s Dream}
Fulfill a fool's wish.
“I just want my lyre back. I don’t need anything else. This is too much.”
The little girl shook her head, this was not what she was after. Her words weren’t supposed to make this. She just wanted something that she kept to herself.
Title {A Fool’s Wish}
Name {A Fool’s Lyre}
Reputation {1 Listener}
Honor {Inherently Good}
Gravitas {101%}
Affiliation {None}
Blessings
Inscribement {A Fool’s Dream}
[Fulfill a fool’s wish.]
“A Tale that only matters to me.”
Sache crawled over to the pile of dust beside her and started pouring it over the pool. Her hands had calmed down. She dragged as much as she could but there were still a few bits that stuck to her hand.
There was no other way, she needed to dip her hands to get rid of these missing segments.
“Just… a quick dip. Yeah. Sache, you can do it. You won’t lose any important memories. Just… be quick.” Sache looked at her hands. She hesitated. “This is just like any other time you dip your hands. Quick and simple.”
The girl kneeled before the pool and… submerged her hands for the briefest of moments. As soon as she took it out, the bits of sawdust on her hands were no longer there.
“Cleaning my hands real quick.” Sache sighed. She took out a cloth and removed any excess liquid on her hands, getting rid of them. “Just like that, I lost nothing important. It’s just unfortunate that this Endless Blood isn’t the type of immortality I was looking for.”
Sache shook her head. “Stuck in a small pond for the rest of your life? No thanks, just how else am I going to spread the Tales I’ve been keeping in my back pocket? Just why did Gaelhe send me here? If I ever get the chance, I’ll ask him why Valde was so aggressive towards me.”
“Hmm? What’s that?” Sache noticed a small note on the floor. It had been weighed down by a small piece of rubble. She leaned over and read it.
“A Fool’s Wish? Woah, that’s so neat! Whoever wrote this must’ve been really talented. I want to… Huh?” Sache reached into her bag but something was off. She grasped empty air.
There was an empty bottle down on the floor.
“That’s weird. Did I ever have something there? Haha, I should really stop drinking. That’s not good for me.” Sache read this small note and hummed it. She was entertained and was curious as to when this would help someone out.
“This is definitely going into one of my top two favorites! This will help someone out.” Sache hummed the tune she had thought of when she read this Tale. “A Fool’s Wish, I wonder who it was made for? Such elegant words.”
Title {A Fool’s Wish}
Name {???’s Lyre}
Reputation {1 Listener}
Honor {Inherently Good}
Gravitas {100%}
Affiliation {None}
Blessings
Inscribement {A Fool’s Dream}
[Fulfill a fool’s wish.]
“This is barebones but I can tell the passion behind it. It’s cute. Reminds me of something.”
“I may have been insulted by that Valde guy but I at least gained this neat Tale. Ah! I can’t wait to spread it.” Sache was giddy. It’s been a while since she found something this interesting.
“There’s nothing else left for me here. The Endless Blood was cool but in my opinion, this ancient Tale was the biggest haul out here. I wonder when it was written. It’s so raw. I could never write something like this.” Sache held this poem close to her heart and stuffed it in her clothes. She felt like reading this every night.
Skipping outside, it was still day out.
“I guess I wasn’t in there for too long.” Sache was about to skip to the kingdom when she noticed a small camp outside. Her stomach grumbled.
“Hehe, maybe it’s time to ask what they’re here for.” Sache tiptoed trying to get closer to them. She perked her ears, wondering what they were conversing about.
“Did you hear, the same Epic that went to ours was spotted in another kingdom? Yeah, he was named something weird. He’s out there making some changes for the better. He’s a good guy.” The knight laughed, enjoying his morning breakfast.
“He’s a little weird but he’s helped us out a lot! Ancient technology and techniques we’ve forgotten were given to us for free! What else would he be but kind? A change for the better!” Another knight consumed the large piece of meat before him.
“Yeah, but I’m all for it! Cause-” Sache’s stomach grumbled which alerted the two soldiers.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” The knight took out his sword from its sheath, wary of this sudden noise. Although there weren’t supposed to be enemies here, dangers lurk everywhere. Being cautious never hurts.
“Ah! It’s just a wandering Bard! I didn’t mean to pry into your business!” Sache walked out from the bushes while raising her hands. She was helpless against a bladed weapon.
“Wait… what’s your name?” The other knight held his comrade’s sword down.
“It’s Sache.” Sache raised her hand even further, trying to not anger them.
“Ah, it’s Lady Sache. As the head of this group, Sebastian, we apologize to you. Carl, put your sword down or I’ll shove it down for you!” Sebastian smacked Carl, who was holding onto his sword. “Lady Caroline wanted to meet you after you finished exploring the area. If you would please follow us.”
“Am I in trouble?” Sache awkwardly smiled. For a person to follow up on her despite being complete strangers was surprisingly common for her. But for someone of noble status to do that, it was rare even for Sache.
“Oh, no! Heavens no! She just wanted to thank you for certain matters.” Carl knew his mistake so he tried to make up for it. If this ever reached Lady Caroline then he didn’t know just how badly it would affect his future.
“I guess that wouldn’t hurt. But uh… can we rest for a little while?” Sache’s stomach grumbled once again. It was very unladylike but it caused the pair to laugh. Who knew that the thing that created that dastardly noise was this little girl’s stomach?
“We still have a few leftovers but the chefs in…” Sebastian looked behind him then back forward. Sache was already stuffing her face with meat that was being roasted on top of the campfire.
“Hmm?” Sache couldn’t speak. Her mouth was fuller than the pool downstairs.
“Hahahahaha!” She made the both of them break character and laugh out loud. “Like Lady Caroline said, you’re a funny lad. Just tell us when you’re done. We’ll head off.”
Sache nodded her head and then proceeded to eat more.