Soren leaned back—his lips visibly frowning. “Master?”
Tazzith nodded, “Indeed. Just as you have obtained a fragment of a forgotten rune, that ‘person’ too had the authority of one. And His share of that fragment is certainly larger than the one under your rule. Guntharion served under Him as His most trusted aide.”
Soren rubbed his chin, “Who… is this person exactly?”
Tazzith grinned eerily as the cold silence of the Faerie Court enveloped them both. He answered explicitly:
“The king of Avalon.”
Soren’s eyes widened. This was an answer he did not expect in the slightest.
“This king… I assume he was powerful? No wait, should I call him a He instead?”
Tazzith chuckled. “Out of all the Empyreans, He was the closest to ascending to godhood. However, the truth regarding the fall of His empire is something not even I know… I assume the Beast of Knowledge might have a clue, however.”
Soren was about to speak when Tazzith interrupted, “Ah and don’t even bother trying to ask that damned Dragon King. His demands are more outrageous than mine! If you value your freedom and life, consider searching for the truth yourself!”
There was a hint of panic and madness within His voice that made Soren curious. Soren decided not to push the subject.
His lips twitched. “So from what you’re telling me, this Gunth—Guntharion is someone from the First Age of Fantasia? How the hell is that possible—he’s older than you by an entire era!”
It completely spooked Soren. Even though he was already used to most outlandish things by now, this was still something he couldn’t fully wrap his mind around. The old man he had been bashing as an irresponsible deadbeat alcoholic turned out to be a god-like being that even this ancient demon before him was afraid of.
Heck, just before he left the shack today, he considered beating that old man on the head with a book to make him apologize to Cassia for abandoning her! An ant had unknowingly desired to scold an ancient unknown entity like one did to a child!..
Fate, O’ Fate… How I wish to bash your skull in!
Sensing his mood, Tazzith grinned. “Oho, that look on your face is very rare. You’re usually way more composed and arrogant. Interesting~”
“Shut up,” Soren rubbed his temples.
The time frames of each Age of Fantasia wasn’t widely understood. This was because they were canonized by the churches, and each church had their own ideas in regards to when certain historical events took place. Even with the standardized Vyak calendar, agreements between the numerous orthodox factions were rarely seen.
Because of this, some estimated each age to last a thousand to five thousand years, while others had wilder theories. If Soren were to trust the Demon of Knowledge before him, that would place the Second Age of Fantasia around ten thousand years ago. Since they were currently in the Fourth Age, that would essentially mean that each Age was around the ranges of two to four thousand years long. But then again, Ages themselves weren’t decided by years, but by events.
The great Yasini’s Demise denoted the end of the Third Age, for example. As for the previous ones, Soren wasn’t entirely sure of the history. Most of it was widely available information but his time was currently tied up in trying to make a breakthrough with his magecraft.
Even so, the matters regarding Guntharion’s existence intrigued him. Now that he knew what he knew, Cassia’s mysterious circumstances didn’t seem all that mysterious anymore. After all, the three Old Gods she mentioned seemed to have ties to the Avalon Empire. There was no reason to believe Guntharion wouldn’t help one of the descendents of His ancient home.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
However, that still didn’t explain the circumstances behind Cassia’s Soul Weapon. After all, her method of obtaining it was different from his. She was a Holy Phantasm, which meant that a god had to have bestowed it upon her. Figments of the Serpent seemed to have a very clear connection to the Serpent of Untruths…
“Say,” Soren glanced back at Tazzith’s fleeting shadowy figure. “What exactly caused the fall of the Avalon Empire? And what happened to the Old Gods?”
Tazzith stayed silent for a moment then shrugged. “They all just vanished.”
“What?”
“You heard me—poof! Vanished into thin air. No one knows what happened. Only a few tribes that were scattered across the continent remained. Every other citizen, noble, serf, peasant, king… Even their gods. They all disappeared.”
Cassia’s faint steps reverberated across the darkened corridors. To anyone else, she would have given off the presence of an esteemed magus—one who holds themselves up with dignity and wisdom.
On the inside however…
Gods, did I just cry in front of my own student?!
A part of her wanted to disappear—maybe find a hidden chamber within the dungeon and lock herself away forever.
What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!?..
Even now, she wasn’t sure why she had told him that story. Although she trusted him deeply, her past was something she had always buried deep within her soul. To many in the empire, Cassia was a heretic—a believer of an unorthodox god. Even those who were ‘God-less’ like Soren were seen more favorably in the eyes of the church.
The fear and anxiety that came with living such a miserable life made it second nature for her to hide behind countless masks. To others, Cassia was a believer of the Beast of Knowledge—just like most Drakar were.
And yet, even this secret… She hid nothing before him. Looking back on it, Cassia felt extremely foolish. But even as she thought this, she didn’t feel scared nor did she regret her decision. In actuality, she felt relieved… As if a mountain had been lifted off her shoulders.
She felt… free…
Why was that?
Of all the members in Star Fate Guild, Soren was the one she knew the least. His background as someone from another world was intriguing, but also dubious. Even though everyone treated him the same, they all could feel a strange aura of isolation around him—as if his presence itself was an anomaly in this world.
By all logic, she should have refused his request. And yet, aside from the mistress who had warned her never to share her past with anyone, Soren was now the second person to know…
Then, it hit her.
She halted in her tracks as silence loomed over the cobblestone corridor.
Cassia finally understood why she was comfortable enough to tell Soren.
It was because… He reminded her of her sister.
“Elara,” she whispered. Her lips curled up as an image of the wonderful woman appeared in her mind. Her cascading crimson hair, her reliable smile that exuded confidence and her eyes that hid countless burdens… Even after decades, that figure remained seared into her memory.
Cassia glanced down as her smile widened. “I see… So that’s why.” It all made sense to her now.
The truth was, she was lonely…
She had assumed that with enough power, she could exact revenge on those who massacred her family—that she could finally allow herself to move on…
But deep down, Cassia knew that that was not what her heart demanded. What she truly desired was her family to return… A desire that was beyond pointless. The dead cannot return, after all.
A tear rolled down her cheek which she swiftly wiped away.
Let’s head for the lab… I’ll warn that bastard to never reveal this to anyone tomorrow!
She hastened her pace until she noticed someone familiar leaning against the wall—Candice. The woman had just returned from her shift at the library. The dark spots under her eyes told countless tales regarding her work ethic.
She flashed a smile at the frantic child moving toward her. “Cassia, you finished checking in on Soren? How was he?”
Her face flushed red. “Y-yeah… He’s fine. Yeah…”
Candice knit her brows. “Did something happen?”
Cassia flinched, “N-nothing! What about you, what are you doing right now?”
“I was waiting for you,” she said with a smile. Candice felt like the little girl was hiding something but decided not to press her. “We have guests to honor today… Though, they are uninvited.”
Hearing this, Cassia tilted her head. “Guests?” She didn’t expect that answer. The mistress and the rest were still a week away from arriving back in the citadel.
Candice nodded. “Yes, the Silver Moon Valkyrie and her platoon of knights.”
He or She, the person I am mentioning is either a deity or someone near that level of power. Tazzith is also referenced in that way because of his status as a Sovereign.