CHAPTER 90: STORY OF OLD

Soren studied the dangling skeleton with curious eyes. The mere fact that He knew Yasini personally made his emotions flare up. He was currently conversing with a being that spoke directly to a god… Or at least, gazed upon Her visage personally.

“So is that why I am here then? To learn about your story?” His voice hid layers of trepidation.

If Hurion could shrug, His next words would be the closest to one:

“Why in the name of Yarian would I know? However, there is indeed an invisible driving force behind this… Most likely fate. Have you messed with the three orbits, creature?”

Knew it… Hurion’s words only confirmed his suspicions. Fate had driven him to this remote section of the Beyond… It had jeopardized his goal and almost cost him his life—even driving him mad…

Frowning, he asked:

“What does fate want from me?! Why must it control me in this way?!”

Hurion stayed silent for a few moments. “Creature, that is not a question any being could answer. For not even the gods could escape fate.”

His eyes widened in shock. Although Soren knew that an abstract idea like fate was not something any mortal could go up against, hearing that even the gods couldn’t resist its encroachment made him feel… hollow. A part of him was clinging to any semblance of hope that there might be a way to avoid being controlled.

Seeing his reaction, Hurion couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh you truly are a Foolish One! How pitiful… The rule of the elves… And even the fall of us spirit wolves… Ah… How ironic indeed. Every age this world has seen always strives for the same end… To escape fate, only to realize you had never left its grasp at all…”

Soren couldn’t help but be irritated by His tone. “Why do you keep calling me foolish? Is it really foolish to want your life to be solely in your own grasp? To be free?”

The corpse swung freely in the wind—mimicking His mood. “It is indeed a foolish endeavor, creature. I for one know personally—for I too challenged fate. Nay, even the remnants of this hold are nothing more than a reminder of such failures.”

Him too?.. It was starting to spook him. Did fate drag him here just to teach him a lesson? To show him what his fate would be—as ironic as it was to say—if he dared to try and challenge his invisible shackles?

But the wording of Hurion’s answer also struck him as odd. “What do you mean that this place itself is a reminder?.. You mentioned something about an old story too...”

Soren could have sworn that the skeleton grinned eerily as it answered:

“The Crimson Eye, creature. It is a prison of a million long forgotten sins… Sins that could never be washed away—that could never be forgiven… And the one who committed them did it in defiance of fate.”

Hurion’s voice trailed off for a bit before continuing. “Why else do you think this world’s Celestial Fate had frozen in place? The remnants of that deed lay here, Foolish One… And yet, it is ironic indeed… for even that dreadful event had been fated to happen all along… Oh what a wonderful joke! Fate truly has its way with humor!” His laughter was an odd mixture of despair and madness—Soren couldn’t help but be infected by it.

“That does sound pretty funny. To think that it was fated for fate to be frozen…” It was so funny, it was dreadful. The fact that even the very action of trying to escape fate was ordained itself… He tied this with the story the mistress had told him. Even she tried to escape her fate of following in the footsteps of her ancestors, and yet… Sienna eventually returned to her sacred duty as a Witch of Star Fate… Her attempts themselves were already ordained for her from the very beginning…

And yet, what he was hearing sounded even more terrifying. All around him lay the ruins of some unspeakable act that was committed more than a millennium ago. And that sin was so powerful and influential, a spirit was born from its existence—the Crimson Eye.

Abstract Runes represent abstract ideas and they gain their influence from Astral Anima—the energy of the collective subconscious. The ideas, thoughts and emotions of everyone in this world all pool together to influence what exists in the Beyond. And this extends further to spirits as well—which are the embodiment of such ideas. For example, the collective belief in a certain symbol, will give birth to a spirit that represents that symbol within the Beyond if given enough time… In fact, most fragments of Abstract Runes become roaming spirits themselves.

So for a spirit like the Crimson Eye to exist means that at some point in time, the horrific sin that was committed was so grave or despicable, that enough people’s belief or trauma resulted in its birth… And that trauma and belief must have been colossal… cataclysmic even.

Soren didn’t know much about the rankings of spirits when compared to Phantasms, but he doubted even the Saints from Yadria could take it on…

“Who the hell is it? Who committed this sin you speak of?” Soren stared daggers at the hanging corpse. Hurion stayed silent for a bit before answering.

“I don’t know.”

“What?” He couldn’t help but tilt his head. “How can you not know? You were there during Yasini’s Demise, weren’t you?!” Soren doubted Hurion knew that the events that took place at the end of the Third Age of Fantasia were called the same thing as ‘Yasini’s Demise,’ but He should have been able to tell what he meant by now.

The dangling skeletal corpse stayed silent for a while, swinging left to right from a mysterious blowing breeze. Soren decided to wait patiently for his answer.

“My memories of that event have been erased by that vile thing outside the castle.”

Soren digested his words instantly. The Spirit Void Cloud?! The memory of the tendrils of darkness returned to him—a shiver ran down his spine. The Castle of Devastation was surrounded by the Dark Forest on one side, while the Fae Sword Field lay on the other, so it would definitely make sense if Hurion had some sort of altercation with it. Even the Crimson Eye seems to have a vendetta against the formless void creature made of the Nameless Mist…

Still, the idea of battling against that… thing terrified him. He had witnessed hundreds of powerful spirits try and escape their grasp, only to have their existence erased… Soren only managed to survive because his weakness had made him partially invisible to the tendrils. If his anima was a bit more pronounced, he doubted that his disguises would have lasted long at all. Mesmerism could become a powerful affinity, but he was still nothing more than an apprentice.

The sheer fact that Hurion fought against that thing and managed to survive in his current state proved just how powerful He was… This did also bring up a big question. Was Hurion the one who transcribed the messages into the Memory Trees? Was the Dark Forest his creation? The timeline wouldn't really match but he decided to ask anyway.

“So you don’t remember anything from the final battle? Are you the one who created the forest of Memory Trees outside the castle? And what exactly happened to Yasini and Yadr—”

“Silence creature!” His voice roared across the ruined castle, vibrating on every part of its cobbled surface. Soren flinched and gave him an apologetic bow:

“That was indeed disrespectful of me. Apologies.” Those questions were far too personal. Soren had been lulled into a false sense of security, but Hurion was still a supreme existence that shouldn’t be looked down upon. Just because He was being friendly, didn't mean he’s allowed to say anything.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Don’t get me wrong—It isn’t that I want to hide this from you but more so because you are weak… Your mind won’t survive if it knew the truth—at least not yet.” His voice bellowed once again—this time, calmer. “As for the Slumbering One and the Holy Flower Maiden… Both are gone.”

The word sent shivers down his spine. The Flower Maiden is dead? What?! Then… Who exactly is Myrin and the elves praying to?

Before he could ask any more, Hurion changed the topic. “Enough of this, creature. You should know better than most that staying here any longer will be a detriment to your soul. Leave while you still can.”

What He was saying was right. Although Hurion was suppressing the Crimson Eye, Soren wasn’t safe at all being this close to it. It may have not noticed his puny existence yet, but once it does… He doubted Hurion would be able to fully stop it.

He frowned. “I know… But I can’t leave. The vow I made so that I could astral project hasn’t been completed yet.”

“And what vow is that?”

“Achieving a connection to the Records of Enigma.”

Hurion chuckled. “A creature like you is an aspiring magi?”

Soren’s frown deepened. “Yeah? So what. And why do you keep calling me creature—I have a name you know!”

“Because you aren’t human.” His retort came fairly quickly—Soren was startled.

A maddening smile took over his face. “So you knew.”

“Of course I knew, creature. Who else but you can speak their thoughts aloud within the Beyond?”

Huh? Soren faintly remembered the words Cassia told him before his spiritual departure. The second rule he must not break:

“Never try to cast magecraft or even utter anything in the Beyond. All words will be interpreted in material runes unseen to you, so even the most mundane of words can have adverse effects.”

Have I not been talking to myself this entire time? I even had full conversations with my own Soul Weapon! His emotions flared… He had been violating one of the few rules you must not violate without even noticing it… The seed of madness that was growing within him made it impossible to keep himself in check all the time…

But before he could panic, he thought about it some more—confusion set in.

If he was breaking the second rule Cassia told him this whole time, why did nothing happen? Why did none of his words create any ripples within the Beyond?

“The reason is a fairly simple one, creature.” Hurion said as if reading his thoughts. “Your representation within the Beyond is fictional. You are not real. So the effect of your spoken word means nothing… Although, that is not fully true either since your Soul Weapon still influences the Beyond regardless.”

Soren frowned. “So then how can you talk?”

“Who said I am talking, foolish one? Have you gone mad? How can a skeletal corpse talk?”

Soren’s mouth twitched. True… He’s been out of it since waking up just a few minutes ago… But then Soren remembered his earlier conversation with Hurion… Didn’t this sly bastard say that he was a ‘dead man talking’ himself?! How dare he fool me!

Unaware of his thoughts, Hurion continued, “I am simply projecting my thoughts to you directly. You can feel free to praise me for that one. It’s a trick I learned from a certain bastard…”

Soren ignored his comments and glanced down at the ruined cobblestone floor—frowning. “Still, that doesn’t change the nature of my goal. If I don’t form a connection to the Records of Enigma, then my Soul will continue to wander the unfounded plane for all eternity…”

Soren was tired… He knew how much further he had to go to even reach his goal. There was the Fae Sword Field, or possibly the Idea Vortex… He shuddered to think about how he would navigate such a treacherous place…

Would he survive another month or two in the Beyond the way he currently was?

He doubted it.

Heck, even if he did survive, his mind would certainly not.

And it seemed, Hurion agreed.

“The Records of Enigma… Do you really need it?”

Soren lifted his brow. “What… do you mean?”

“The Records of Enigma is necessary for runology, but that isn’t an absolute rule. Especially for a creature like you.”

“I still don’t follow…” As ironic as it was to say, Soren hated people who spoke in riddles. Myrin also had a similar habit.

Hurion sighed. “It seems you still haven’t realized it… The potential of your Soul Weapon.” Before Soren could ask, He continued:

“The Records of Enigma is a Mystery of the Transcendent Grade. Simply put, it's powered by an Abstract Rune core fragment… One that is fairly similar to your own. In theory, you don’t need the Records of Enigma to do runological studies. Your Soul Weapon can act as a conduit on its own!”

What?! Soren swiftly glanced down at his enigmatic grimoire. The ancient book stayed still as its owner admired it with clearer eyes. Now that I think about it, he’s right… Even the names match—The Records and The Records of Enigma…

He wondered if maybe the tablet was powered by a fragment of his rune… Hurion mentioned it was similar, but that didn’t really prove anything—there could be a number of other runes that hold some dominion over information gathering.

Still, If he was able to acquire it, would it strengthen his Soul Weapon?

As his mind raced with these delusions, something fell from the skies and landed squarely on his forehead. He flinched in pain. “What the hell?!”

“Take it,” Hurion said. “No need to say thank you.”

Frowning, he glanced down at the object in his hand. It was a dark stone with countless shimmering runes etched into its surface. The runes were shifting endlessly, flowing from one glyph to the next. He had no time to even process the script as it continued to change…

“What… is this?”

“A fragment,” Hurion said nonchalantly. “A fragment of the Records of Enigma. It’s quite a rare thing, you know? I won it in a bet against a friend of mine.”

Soren’s eyes widened. “I… Why are you giving this to me?” If there was one core belief Soren stood by, it was this one—there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world… Or any world for the sake of brevity. Did Hurion want something from him?

As if reading his thoughts, He answered, “It’s useless to a corpse like me. With this, your vow is complete, isn’t it? Absorb that fragment into your Soul Weapon before you dissipate from this place.”

But how…

Soren was certain that Hurion was implying that he should try using [Record] on an inanimate object. Which was certainly a thing that could be theorized… He had thought about it once before as well—if his book can [Record] information, could it also [Record] physical things as well? Yes, it can chronicle the information about the objects but he never figured out a way to actually store the object itself inside the book…

He eventually dismissed it as an impossibility. It was too outlandish of an idea to begin with.

But now that Hurion was bringing it up again…

Suddenly, he got an idea. Flipping the book over, Soren stared at the front cover. The leather-back tome was certainly an enigma. It felt ancient in his hands—the leather itself was torn in many places and the earthly aroma it gave off reminded him of his grandparent’s attic. And yet, it felt very powerful. In fact, that sense of power only grew as he added more to its pages… That was certainly the case now more than ever—[Eyes of the Fairy] had been at work constantly for the entirety of his journey, after all.

But now, his attention was drawn to something else. At the center of the book cover was a small, circular indentation that appeared to be a socket of some kind. The gilded lines woven into the leather all intertwined and spread out from it.

Ever since he had obtained his Soul Weapon, Soren had never figured out its purpose. Touching it, placing objects on it and even trying to focus his thoughts in order to issue a command didn’t work. At some point, he started to ignore its presence…

But now, things might be different. At least, a part of him for some reason thought so…

Soren placed the strange stone of shifting runes above the odd indentation. With his thoughts, he focused on commanding his soul weapon to absorb the enigmatic rock.

In fact, he had tried a similar experiment before, but nothing happened. Soren was expecting a similar result this time, however, he hoped that Hurion’s words might have hinted at a certain change… After all, Soul Weapons gain the influence of anima by first influencing the Beyond… And he has most certainly fulfilled that requirement. His abilities had been working non-stop for the past two months.

Much to his shock, he was not disappointed. His experiment worked this time!

His eyes filled with awe as he witnessed the mysterious stone of runes slowly disintegrate into small golden butterflies, all of them swimming directly into his Soul Weapon. This was beyond his wildest expectations. He glanced up excitedly at the hanging skeleton, but Hurion continued to gaze at him indifferently.

“Your idea worked!”

The familiar voice echoed in his ear. “Your time here ends now. Farewell, creature.”

Soren glanced down and watched as his body turned translucent. He was returning back to the material world—the vow has been fulfilled. Glancing back up at Hurion, he hurried to say his goodbyes, but then, the skeleton said something strange:

“Two things. First, give my regards to that bastard Tazzith—I am sure he misses me. Second, beware of the Whispering Dream. I had met that fool before you showed up. Fate is once again playing its role…

“Farewell, Soren Andersen. Creature of the Other Side.”