“It's just as you said...” said Elaine, with a look that grew grimmer and grimmer - “The Blueheaven lineage no longer exists, it has fallen...”
Ron’s mind raced as he grappled with the inconceivable revelation. [How is this possible?] he wondered, his thoughts a tempest of disbelief and confusion. The Blueheaven family, renowned for their power and influence, now lay in ruins—a stark contrast to their former glory.
The girl’s words echoed in his mind, a puzzle with missing pieces. Why hadn’t such earth-shattering news spread like wildfire? The gravity of the situation demanded global attention, yet silence prevailed. Ron’s skepticism wavered as he witnessed Elaine’s fate and the Darksold family’s ruthless pursuit of her. Slowly, shock gave way to reluctant belief.
[If this is indeed the case...there are two plausible explanations...] - His mind raced through the possibilities - [Either the other two families conspired to dismantle the Blueheaven lineage, concealing their actions from the world. Or.... an external faction beyond Lorein holds the strings.]
Erwin, though oblivious to the conversation’s details, sensed its gravity. The solemn expressions of the interlocutors spoke volumes—Elaine’s revelation was no mere gossip; it was a dire truth that threatened the very fabric of their existence.
“How could this happen?” asked Ron to Elaine, with a look that, although it had not changed much from before, seemed to have become much more serious
"..Well, It all happened a month ago, although for some time now, things had become particularly dangerous in Lorien... You see, as you well know, the Kingdom of Lorien is ruled by three families: the Blueheaven, which is the main house that deals with relations with the other kingdoms; the Darksold, who control the military power and related missions, and the Greenold, who manage the kingdom's treasures and economy and have Galadon as their patriarch. they have ruled over Lorien since ancient times, dividing power equally, although the final word always belonged to the Blueheaven for the decsion making. Things have always worked like this, and even in the great magical war that occurred millennia of years ago, the three families had not betrayed each other, since basically, we are all related. But things changed radically when, five years ago, Umarth became the patriarch of the Darksold family..."
" Umarth...." Ron whispered, starting to touch his beard;
"Do you know him, Mr. Ron?" said the girl, who heard Ron utter that name under his breath.
" Uh...no, not at all" the middle-aged man denied, however giving the impression to Elaine, and especially to Erwin, that Ron knew who Umarth was, judgind by his reaction.
Neither of them, however, tried to "pressure" him, knowing full well that Ron would never reveal anything, not even under torture.
"Okay... as I was saying, things were going great, until Umarth took over from his late father, Aegnor Darksold, as Patriarch of their family. But even before then, a lot of strange things happened..."
"Strange things? What do you mean?" Erwin asked, curious as to what the infamous Umarth had done that was so terrible;
"Well... Aegnor, despite his advanced age, was a man full of vigor and energy, and thanks to his mana, he managed to have the physical appearance of a fifty-year-old, although in reality he was more than 120. But one day, suddenly, Aegnor fell seriously ill, and within a few hours, he died, without even the best healers in the kingdom being able to save him..."
" Are you perhaps implying that..."
"That's right, in all likelihood, Aegnor was murdered by Umarth." replied Elaine with disgust, rubbing her arm delicately; for a moment, there was a deafening silence in the room; Ron seemed calm and impassive, although in reality he felt a certain sense of disgust for Umarth, even though he didn't know him personally.
And Erwin? Well, Erwin at that moment felt boundless hatred for Umarth; he, who had lost his own father, would have done anything to get him back, and without a doubt, he would never have been able to make such an extreme gesture, no matter the situation. At that moment, he thought what kind of monster this Umarth could be to carry out such crazy and reckless actions.
"Damn worm..." Erwin hissed softly, clenching his fists tightly;
"Unfortunately, it was not possible to perform an autopsy on Aegnor's body to determine the reason for his death, but I am certain that his death was not of natural causes..."
"And what makes you think that?" Ron asked, intrigued by the way the girl spoke, with words full of conviction.
"You see, the truth is, Umarth was never meant to be the new Patriarch of the Darksold. The primary reason being that there were 25 siblings ahead of him in line, both brothers and sisters, based on age and merit. As the youngest of Aegnor's children, his chances of becoming Patriarch were always slim, especially given the strained relationships with his father and siblings. However, everything began to shift gradually as Aegnor's children mysteriously vanished, leaving behind vague letters of apology, expressing that they would never return to Lorien."
"In the end, before Aegnor's death, 4 brothers remained, including Umarth, and it is when their father died that his plan really began to come to life: in fact, when the will of Aegnor was read, it was not Umarth who was elected to be head of the family, but Rok, the eldest son of Aegnor. However, Umarth did something unexpected: using the ancient rules of the Darksold, he leveraged an ancient custom of their family: in fact, if the successor of the family was not recognized as such by at least 3 direct descendants of the households, Those who did not support the new patriarch would face him in a fight to the death; This tradition had been forgotten over time, not only because of Aegnor's longevity, but also because they were the same members of the family to decide the future Patriarch in secret, wanting to avoid unnecessary deaths... But unfortunately, with the systematic disappearance of the remaining children, among whom there were potential successors to the role of head of the family, Aegnor found himself forced to nominate in his will Rok as Patriarch."
"So Umarth pointed precisely to this tradition, refusing his brother's investiture; but the crazy thing was that between the 4 remaining Darksold, there was a lot of bad blood, and in fact, they really hated each other. For this reason, Umarth's refusal did not other than created a domino effect involving the remaining brothers, who refused Rok's investiture.The four brothers would therefore challenge each other, with the role of Patriarch at stake; at the time, no one believed that Umarth could win, and they had every reason to think so: first of all, Umarth had never been as strong as the 3 brothers and for years, he was considered "the weakest one". Furthermore , although the three brothers hated each other, they hated Umarth much more, and it was obvious that they would attack Umarth first."
"The events surrounding Aegnor’s death on that fateful evening were nothing short of incredible, macabre, and terrifying. The three brothers gravely underestimated Umarth, who, unlike their complacency, had meticulously prepared for the impending war. With loyal henchmen at his side, Umarth poisoned not only their food but also their chambers and clothing.
"Remarkably, the brothers did not succumb immediately. Umarth ensured that they would appear in pitiable conditions during the battle, allowing him to execute them before the eyes of both households—the very eyes of my father and Galadon. Even before the clash, he openly confessed to poisoning them, citing tradition as a flimsy justification for this heinous act."
"Despite their desperate attempts at self-defense, the brothers met a brutal end at Umarth’s hands. In a gruesome display witnessed by my father and Galadon, Umarth dismembered their lifeless bodies and callously cast them to the wild beasts of the forest…"
"Of course, in a normal situation, my father would have intervened before things could deteriorate further, but the Darksold were tied to their ancient traditions, and there was also a law that prevented families from intervening in other families' affairs. My father and Galadon respected these laws, and as much of a monster as Umarth turned out to be, there was absolutely nothing they could do."
"... This Umarth is brutal!!" Erwin exclaimed, shocked and disgusted at the same time by such a story; Erwin at that moment, could not conceive how such an evil being could exist, given that in Hakvill, apart from a few skirmishes, they were all good people; However, the fact of hearing a story as macabre as it was dark made him wonder if, around Earthland, there were people worse than Umarth...
"And after he became the new Patriarch? What happened?" asked Ron, although, upon hearing the story, he had half an idea of the consequences of such events."
"…I was just about to continue the story. Everything I told you happened five years ago, and the moment that monster became the new Patriarch, things started to change dramatically in Lorien. That bastard, wielding military power solely for himself, made decisions without consulting my father or Galadon. His choice? To escalate raids on the dangerous and treacherous dungeons. He justified this by claiming that the kingdom needed recognition throughout Earthland. But in truth, there was a double aim: to eliminate the weak soldiers and train the strong ones.
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"The consequences were horrifying. During their brutal training, many soldiers were left seriously injured, and some even lost their lives. Families were torn apart, left without fathers, mothers, or both. The once noble cause of defending our land had turned into a nightmare. And as the blood spilled and the cries echoed, we wondered: how could one man’s thirst for power wreak such havoc?
"Some of those who survived these suicide missions retreated, their minds shattered by the trauma. But others, resilient and hardened, embraced Umarth’s twisted ideology. They followed that monster blindly, believing his methods would forge them into formidable warriors. Umarth took it further, personally training exceptionally talented boys. He threw them into dungeons with staggeringly high death rates or beat them mercilessly, all in the name of “fortification.” In return, he brainwashed them with money and food, convincing them that his cruelty was the path to strength.
"My father and Galadon remained passive, their hands tied by the law. Umarth’s unchecked authority allowed him to do as he pleased, and any dissenting words fell on deaf ears. Instead of bridging the gap, their attempts to reason with him only widened the rift between the three households."
"The situation then became critical when the population also began to follow his words; I don't know when it began, but at a certain point, Umarth also became interested in politics, sending out his propaganda to the population.
"His message was only one: that is, the Elves were the "Supreme" race, that they were in top of the food chain and that, as Elves, it was up to them to expand their territory, taking reference what happened between the three great kingdoms of Earthland;It was a crazy, senseless and dangerous message, and yet, for some strange reason, his message began to spread among the population like a damned plague; and if at the beginning, his words were taken as those of a madman, after a while his words were at the center of numerous debates, creating numerous doubts in the population, and starting to dramatically increase the number of his followers around the Kingdom."
"At first, my father believed that his words were the result of his inexperience and youth, and that he was not serious when he shouted in front of the people that he wanted to expand our kingdom; but he soon realized that Umarth was damn serious about this, and had to use all his knowledge to ensure that "his" army, once dedicated to protecting the country and protecting the weakest, could invade the kingdom of Mykotos or the kingdom of the dwarves; In fact, with some help, he created some new laws, which denied the three main houses the possibility of invading any kingdom... This obviously didn't please Umarth, making the situation even worse, but at least, my father was able to stop an imminent war."
"Because of all this, although my father and Galadon had tried several times to make him reason by holding extraordinary meetings just for him, they both realized that the only way to stop him was---"
" ...to kill Umarth. It's what a man with a minimum of intelligence would do...it makes sense..." Ron said with such a cold expression; Elaine, watching that cold glaze, had the impression of being in front of Umarth, scaring her a little bit.
But then, she remembered why she was now there, and did not give it too much thought, although still the disquiet didn't disappear completely.
"Exactly..." - said the girl, trying to remain lucid and not be scared by Ron's expression - "That's exactly what my father and Galadon thought. And he wasn't the only one, since the eleder of our kingdom had the exact same feelings toward Umarth..."
"...There's one thing I don't understand though" said Erwin, looking with a confused look at Elaine, who looked at the boy curious to know what his question was;
"Why did your father and the Patriarch of the Greenold family hesitate to act, acting only when the situation became catastrophic? From what I understand, your family is the most important in Lorien right? So what stopped your father to get rid of that monster?"
"It's a good question...." - the girl remarked, taken aback by Erwin’s unexpected astuteness. - "You see, beyond the three prominent families, there exists a fourth entity of equal significance within the kingdom of Lorien—the Drikus, shrouded in secrecy. When the great families emerged, so too did the necessity for a balancing force. Thus, the Drikus were conceived, their purpose to uphold the laws governing both the citizens of Lorien and the esteemed families, while impartially maintaining the traditions and delivering justice to all transgressors.
"To cement their authority and ensure adherence from all members of the three houses across generations, a permanent magical bond was forged using the blood of the three patriarchs, combined with that of the Drikus patriarch. This bond not only shielded the Drikus from any aggression by the great families but also endowed them with the power to enforce the laws decreed by the four families. Any attempt to breach this bond or harm a Drikus would result in immediate death or execution of the violator. However, this same bond mandated the Drikus to operate from the shadows, intervening only to ensure legal compliance.
"Now, do you grasp why my father was hesitant—or rather, powerless—to act? Despite the moral repugnance and brutality of Umarth’s actions, they did not transgress the law. Hence, my father was rendered incapable of intervening, unable to take any risks..."
[...Crazy!] Ron and Erwin thought in unison as soon as they heard about the Drikus and the crazy magical bond that was imposed on the families.
Certainly, let me enhance that passage for you:
"Despite the constraints imposed by the stubborn magical bond, my father’s resolve wavered as he witnessed the insidious “virus” Umarth had unleashed upon the populace. Its potency grew, its tendrils entwining hearts and minds, threatening to plunge Lorien into irreversible chaos. Fear gnawed at my father—a fear that this contagion might reach a point of no return.
"In the shadows, he orchestrated clandestine meetings with Galadon, the Patriarch of the Greenold. Together, they conspired, their whispered conversations echoing defiance against fate. Their goal? To find a way to eliminate Umarth before being blocked by the Drikus or before the bond would kill them, to sever the malevolent roots that threatened to strangle our kingdom"
"But...this meant that once Umarth was killed, your father and Galadon would necessarily have to face the judgment of the Drikus..."
"Exactly: in fact, my father and the Patriarch of the Greenold were ready to do anything to "eradicate" Umarth and his dangerous belief that was infecting the elves... they were even ready to sacrifice their lives for the kingdom.
"For this reason, besides my father and Galadon, the only ones who knew of the plan besides the two patriarchs, were the wise men of both families and the successors of their respective families to the role of Patriarch. The plan was simple: it was foolhardy to attack Umarth head-on, given that in number and strength the Darksold house was superior to the Blueheaven and Greenold combined; therefore, they decided to create a fake secret meeting away from the kingdom and away from the prying eyes of the Drikus, thus forcing Umarth to come alone, since he was a very suspicious person. It seemed like a stupid plan, but Umarth certainly never expected such move from my father and Galadon, given that they were known to have a soft heart..."
"Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and everything was now ready for the day Umarth would die, but unfortunately, not only had my father miscalculated the type of person Umarth was, but he hadn't taken into account the fact that there could be a spy among us..."
" Rudolf, right?" Erwin said with wide eyes, Finally understanding the reason for such similarity between the elf and Elaine.
"Exactly. Rudolf, in addition to being my brother, was supposed to become the patriarch of our family, and my father had the utmost trust in him; but unfortunately, my father didn't know that Rudolf was rotten to the core... so rotten that he share the same ideals of conquest of Umarth; So rotten that he even betrays his entire family..."
As Elaine uttered the name Rudolf, a tumult of emotions danced in her eyes—a silent ballet of suffering, fear, hatred, and sadness. It was a poignant display, raw and unfiltered, that did not escape Ron and Erwin’s notice. Despite her words dripping with animosity, the blood bond they shared spoke a different truth. It whispered of a connection that, although frayed and tenuous, still held a faint pulse of affection. It was clear to them both that Elaine, in the depths of her conflicted heart, harbored a sliver of feeling for her brother—a feeling that, though minimal, refused to be extinguished entirely.
" ...Rudolf, along with other vile traitors working with Umarth, revealed in full detail the plan set up by my father. So, on that fateful day, Umarth showed up at the meeting anyway."
" Wait a second! Did he really show up?!" Erwin exclaimed, surprised by what the girl said;
"Exactly... In fact, in those 5 years Umarth had not been idle... Without any of us knowing, that bastard trained hard, becoming so strong that he erased the old and pathetic itself from the past, who had even been forced to poison his brothers in order to survive; and so, that day, it was not Umarth who had a bad surprise, but rather my father and Galadon, who were humiliated. In the meantime, however, Umarth was already 10 steps ahead of all of us, and while he was taking "care" of my father and Galadon, his men, fully armed to the teeth and thirsty for blood, attacked the two families, setting the castle on fire, killing each member of the two households and their collaborators, but capturing the direct descendents of both families;Umarth took the two patriarchs with him in front of their families, giving the order to Rudolf to kill every member of the Blueheaven and Greenold household in front of the shocked eyes of my father and Galadon; Rudolf, like the best of the dogs, He cold-bloodedly decapitated the GreenOld and his own blood, enjoying all of it with a sinister smile..."
"And after my father and Galadon witnessed their deaths, were ultimately executed by Umarth, all under the eyes of the Drikus themselves, who somehow ended up being manipulated by Umarth himself into believing that all members of both houses were involved in this "coup d'etat", and the Drikus were therefore forced to condemn both houses with the maximum penalty,that is death, while giving Umarth the possibility of choosing the way in which the "rebel" houses would be "eliminated" from history...." concluded Elaine, with bitter tears streaming down her face;
" ...It's terrible. I'm sorry for what you had to go through..." said Ron, gently placing his hand on Elaine's shoulder, who didn't stop crying;
"For some strange reason, that bastard Umarth spared me and I managed to escape... but frankly speaking, at that moment I wanted to die with them!" the girl said angrily, forcefully wiping away her tears, as if she wanted to erase that weak side that he was showing to the two of her in front of her.
" ...Now what is your goal?" he asked with teary-eyed and sad-looking Erwin, who could understand a little the pain the girl felt, since he too, had lost someone really important.
" Hide... I don't want to have anything to do with such a monster...." the girl said, looking away from Erwin.
"I understand..." - said Ron, although at that moment he had doubts about the answer given by the girl - "I hope you can succeed in your aim... We will give you all the help we can." the man concluded, smiling slightly at the girl, who smiled for the first time that evening, thus returning the gesture;
"Thank you...thank you..."
END OF CHAPTER 8 – History of a lost house.