Katachi looked at the old lady, stroking the young girl's head with her coarse, wrinkled hands that suggested a life of unforgiving labor.
R : "... What's that in your hand?"
He turned left to see Roberia talking to one of the elders holding a couple of bamboo books.
"These?... They are stories for the children back home."
His voice was tired and rather slow, but it spoke with a suppressed joy.
"I'm sure the children would be happy to listen to these stories when we get back."
The elder stared out at the scenery outside for a while, likely to enjoy his last sights of this foreign land.
"... Care for a story, to pass the time?"
R : "Sure."
K : (A story, huh... I've never been read a story by anyone except Mother Rin before...)
"Okay then, young girl... Hmm..."
The elder unwrapped one of the bamboo books slightly and raised the book to his face. His eyesight had clearly deteriorated along with his body.
"... Have you heard of Byrh, the Warlock of Wind?"
He seemed interested at the sight of one of his bamboo books' titles.
R : (Who's this... This... 'Beer'?) "No, I've never heard of him."
K : (Byrh? "The Man who sought the Eternal Wind", huh... I've read it before.)
*Cozy's Notes : Yes, Byrh's name is pronounced Beer. Just remember to exhale and drag a bit at the end of the name.*
"Alright then. I suppose I should start from the top."
The elder took a small sip of his canteen, and opened the bamboo book further.
"Let's see... 'Byrh once stumbled upon a strange wall of mist, whom was guarded by an unknown creature. He tried to gain passage, only to be led in circles and back to his original starting point. 'State your name, such that I may pay my duly respects to you,' Byrh uttered, and the guardian of the mist leapt forth - A mysterious tiger. It slowly encircled Byrh, and spoke with leering eyes, 'It is rare for a human to be this humble, though I suppose it is customary for trespassing into my land.' Byrh knew that the situation was-"
K : "Wait, you're starting from chapter 3?"
Katachi's interruption broke Roberia from her daze, and she looked at Katachi with inquiring eyes.
R : "Chapter three?"
"What? Chapter three?"
K : "Yes, that's a re-writing of the third chapter of ' The Man who sought the Eternal Wind ', isn't it?"
"But... The book's name is 'Legends of Byrh, Warlock of Wind', not 'The Man who sought the Eternal Wind'."
K : (A different book?... Wait... 'The Man who sought the Eternal Wind' is written by Johann Remons, an Auseri traveler. Then... Who made this book?) "May I see that for a moment?"
*** ***
D : (... Where... Am I?)
A thick canvas used for sheltering against the rain was above his head. The soft cackling of flames could be heard somewhere, and there's a musty smell draped over the area.
Deku did not expect to open his eyes to see a sight like this.Though, to be fair, anyone would be as confused as he was.
Where was he now? Deku struggled to get up, his body aching and remembering the battles - Both within the dream, and against the strange Sorceror-class foreigner.
D : (My arm... My leg... They're healed? But... How? Had that been a dream, too?)
He could get up normally.
Was that a miracle, or was that simply an illusion? Deku didn't know anymore.
Though, to fight against someone using such an amazing form of magic, a spell with the potential to become flawless and perfect...
That set Deku's heart beating once more. Deku desired to fight against an opponent like so once more, should the chance present itself.
He got up, and crawled out of the place he was in, to see a few men dressed as Auseri soldiers surrounding a campfire.
"Wow."
"The gods grace him, he's still alive!"
"It's my win! Give me that bun, Naesen!"
They seemed pretty surprised that Deku was up and about.
"How do you feel, kid?" One of the soldiers got up and greeted him with a wee smile on his face.
D : "What... What happened?"
"Well, there was this large gust of trash and stuff around here, so we checked it out. You were there on the ground, all battered up and fainted and weak-looking like you were about to die. So our General patched you up, and ordered to let you rest in our caravan."
That made sense up to the part where the General patched him up.
In the first place, that should not have been possible.
Though magic that debilitates the opponent can be undone, the stranger's wrath was more... Physical in nature. Deku could remember the scene of death so closely in his head - His muscles contracted in an uncomfortable, unnatural fashion, and it forced out the bones in his right arm before being fragmented into shards and driven into his left leg.
It was not an elegant form of magic at all - It was a lot more robust, and severe. It was magic made not with the purpose to understand image power, but magic crafted with the intent to main and kill the opponent.
Was it possible that the whole battle was an illusion in itself? It was so unreal, so amazing... And yet, it would explain Yvolki's strength, while discrediting the soldier's words at the same time.
It could be possible that the wounds were all fake, and the General simply dispelled the illusion. In that case, being the only one who could see through that, the General offered a helping hand. There was no way that could have been anything but an illusion, after all - Healing magic does not work so wondrously that it can retrieve the shards of his bones etched within his muscles and flesh.
That sensation... It was so real, though. It was hard to think of it as a mere illusion.
Deku got up, and looked at the soldier in the eye.
D : "This... This General, can I meet him?"
"Ho-ho, sure. General Lubhera is in the caravan with the emblem. I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you."
The soldier pointed towards one of the caravans up ahead, in particular one with a green canvas and a emblem resembling a sundial.
D : (!! The часовые... What are they doing all the way up here?)
Deku's gut churned a bit upon seeing that emblem. The часовые... They represent one of the most potent forces of Auser, known for having quality soldiers that can each equal thousands of men.
Rumor has it that their squad is supposedly one of the strongest in the world, so powerful that there lives none to tell their leader's appearance, let alone his tale.
A sense of foreboding warned Deku of the threat of approaching that caravan. But, the questions in his head drew him towards that danger, despite being fully conscious of that danger. He couldn't help but be drawn towards the man who had saved his life, who had dispelled the illusion in his head.
He lifted the cloth draped over, to see three men sitting around a small table with a map spread across its top. Their uniforms didn't differ from the others too much, spare for the bands found on their ampulets.
D : (... Uh oh. I think I just intruded their... Strategic meeting or something.)
"Comrade Deku, is it? Come in. Don't be shy."
D : "!!!" (He... He knows my name? But... I haven't even said my name yet. Did I say it in my sleep or something? No, no, no, I can't be that narcissistic... Am I?)
Deku felt a cold shiver down his spine. This man, seated in the middle, had a rather aged look on him which suggested his age. His tone was strict, disciplined and decisive, which seemed more than anything else an exuberant demonstration of his superiority. His hair was short and neat, and a good number of hair was beginning to turn grey.
D : "You are... General Lubhera?"
L : "Yes. We are discussing on the most optimal course to take, so listening in could be good for you. Join us."
Deku silently followed the man's instructions, and entered the caravan.
L : "So, you were saying, Comrade Tchevit?"
T : "The scouts have reported that there's a hut near the road connecting Rulid and Mielfeud. A pair of young siblings live there, and they don't seem to be very social. We should take camp beside them the next night, and move on north-west towards Western Anik."
L : "Do the children have any parents or guardians?"
T : "None to speak of. There's been no reports of the like from the scouts."
L : "That's more than enough. We can set up camp next to them, ask if they've seen the traitor and move along."
"Agreed."
The men were deeply engrossed in their discussion.
D : (They're taking this so seriously... It feels kind of awkward standing here and listening in.)
L : "So, that's the route we're going to take. Assuming that he travels on horseback, he should be around this region."
The aged man moved his finger across a part of the map, somewhere around the south of Western Anik. Even from where Deku is, that was a large amount of land to cover - And from how they mentioned 'traitor' before, it's likely that they had to find a single person inside the dangerous jungle bustling with wild, rampant growth.
L : "So, how should we go about it? Run me over your plan, Comrade Jevleich."
J : "I say we start our sweep from the center region, and push it towards Eastern Anik. We should be thorough and leave no stone unturned. If we can force him into Eastern Anik, tracking him becomes much easier."
L : "That's sound and well. What of you, Tchevit?"
T : "I propose that we set up a detection magic, either from Axia or from Sharyu Zuku, at the central region of Western Anik first. There's the possibility that the traitor's got himself caught in a trap of sorts, and locating him by magic should be relatively easier."
L : "That could work too. Right then, how much rations do we have left?"
J : "About enough for 13 weeks, General."
L : "Hmm... We should consider the possibility that our rations may be lost to the wilds when we are within Western Anik. Don't trust our numbers - Taking comfort and security in that is the one mistake we can not afford to make."
The General reached toward his chest pocket and took out a piece of charcoal, and drew on the map small markings that indicated their path.
L : "We'll go with Jevleich's plan - Flush him out towards Anik. If it fails, we can set up the detection magic along the border segregating Western and Eastern Anik, which is safer in comparison. He wouldn't be able to go far if we're hounding him down, and even if we did miss him, there's no guarantee that his Words of Power will save him."
It was a well-strategized approach towards the situation; Deku wouldn't be able to refute that even if he wanted to. But he couldn't believe his ears upon the mention of 'Words of Power'.
D : "You're hunting a traitor with a Word of Power?"
L : "Yes, Comrade Deku. You dispatch a Scholar to capture another Scholar. It is logical, is it not?"
That could only mean that a Scholar was among these soldiers. If it were a mere mention of their abilities, the часовые holds great promise by themselves - Adding a Scholar into their ranks is bound to make them that much stronger.
D : "Yes, but... What if his precedence level exceeds your Scholar's?"
L : "That's not possible."
General Lubhera spoke with such certainty and confidence that Deku can't help but be appalled by that response. This man, whoever he is, must have great faith in the Scholar on his team.
D : (... Unless... Unless he knows exactly how powerful his own Scholar is.) "What do you mean, not possible?"
L : "I can't disclose that. I'm sorry."
D : (... It must be important enough to affect Auser's force as a whole for him to be this secretive about it.) "Maybe just a hint? You don't have to tell me directly, but at least leave me to my delusions, please?"
The man gave a deep, hearty laugh.
L : "Very well. Solve this riddle, and pray you find the answer."
Lubhera stole glances at the men seated next to him, and closed his eyes.
L : "... What is the one flaw of all that which exists?"
*** ***
K : "A-ha. This should explain it."
Katachi had unwrapped the entire scroll, and found the name of the author at the very end of the scroll.
K : "This book is written by the Yeargh brothers. It's written right here."
*Cozy's Notes : YEARGH-
Seriously, that's the limit of my imaginative capacity currently. I am a bit dry on the imaginative names bank.*
He pointed at the Findeli text at the bottom left corner of the scroll, showing it to Roberia and the elder in plain sight.
R : (How am I supposed to know that? I can't read. Maybe I'll just play along?) "Huh. So it does."
"Is there some sort of significance in knowing the author of the book?"
K : "Well, in part. The Yeargh brothers are Findeli as well, I believe. They re-write many of the books from across the lands for the young children in our country. But, their books require the confirmation of Minister Lein's advisory cabinet, so most of them hold censorship."
Katachi brushed his fingers across the bamboo scroll.
K : (It's missing about 8 chapters. I suppose it's only natural, but why did they remove the chapter about Byrh's first story? It's the factual account that started it all. Not having that is akin to denying the very reason Byrh started his journey. Maybe it has some symbolic meaning behind it?...)
R : "Censorship, huh?" (That's the problem with books, I always say. They censor this, they conceal that. What is a flimsy parchment of information going to achieve that my throat can't?)
"Oh dear... If I had known that this was filtered, I wouldn't have bought this at all."
K : (设定! Set destination of 'The Man who sought the Eternal Wind' from the church in Mielfeud - My left hand!) "It's a pity. But the desperation to fill their stomachs is a scary thing to behold."
Katachi pressed his left elbow against his knee, and placed his right knuckle against his thigh. The position was all set - He simply waited for the book to form in his left hand.
And lo, and behold - It did.
K : "Here's a copy of 'The Man who sought the Eternal Wind' in my hand. Feel free to use it and compare both versions."
With both hands, he held it at the elder carefully, treating the scroll with great delicacy.
R : (What the- How did he do that?!) "!"
"Oh! Th- Thank you!"
The elder's poor eyesight had been confirmed with his ignorance over the book's almost-instantaneous appearance. He received the scroll with both hands, and unwrapped the scroll, reading it carefully.
K : "You can keep that if you'd like. Consider it a... Gift, if you would."
"Thank you, young man. Thank you very much. This is bound to be helpful."
R : (I don't really consent to charity, since every man ought to earn the share he deserves, but... I gotta hold back. If he believes that it's the right thing to do, I can only turn a blind eye to it, I guess.)
Roberia bit her lip at Katachi's actions.
R : (So help me, if he behaves like that when we're in Rugnud... I pray for his safety.)
*** ***
D : (The one flaw of all that which exists...)
Deku thought about the question for a short while. He remembers the answer to that - The problem is, what is the hint this general is giving him?
'That which exist shall one day cease to exist.' This phrase had been cited in many, many different stories; In the story of Kafki, the Serpentress, 'And yet, for the ravenous serpent, the end is but a new beginning, which will too lead to its own end.' the story of Diehl and Urdythari, 'That all things that start all have their own ends.', it has appeared in history since times long past.
*Cozy's Notes : Because 'time immemorial' hasn't existed yet in 1570.*
So, everything that starts must have an end. Everything that is able to 'start' must also be able to 'end'. Every pile of ashes is preceded by a flame, every motion is accompanied by rest, and every legend in existence will, eventually, meet their demise.
D : (So... The Scholar's Word of Power has an ability to counter everything?... Then, how does he have that much confidence in a soldier that powerful?...)
It didn't add up. If the Scholar on their team was truly that powerful, betraying them is a matter too simple. A leader would surely exempt a soldier like so without question, with the individual's potential to destroy their teamwork.
So the only other possibility, is that the Scholar in question is either someone incredibly faithful...
D : "... I understand."
... or the General himself.
Lubhera himself is the Scholar in question.
That is but the only explanation for that confidence, that assurance. After all, the act of betraying oneself is most foolish. There's no better person to trust than the person with the most control over the Scholar - Himself.
D : (... I can't say it. No, that's not it... I feel like the moment I say it, I will be killed. I don't dare to answer it.)
There was a very clear reason why Lubhera had chosen not to 'disclose' his Word's actual ability. He could allow rumors about his ability to spread, about how their team is claimed to be comprised of the best soldiers. He could allow the men who are not his enemies to live, and propagate word of their prowess.
But he could not afford to let the identity of his Word of Power be known - And he would want to keep it concealed for as long as possible. It's also likely that it is very, very powerful, and yet his Word is accompanied by a glaring, crippling weakness; In which case, the riddle from before may be a big lie altogether to conceal the true identity of his Word further, fabricated to produce the illusion of invincibility.
Whatever it is, it was a tell-tale sign that death would only ensue should Deku answer-... No, he would likely die from the mere act of attempting it. Even the smallest information like judging his facial expressions during the response is information valuable enough for him to be silenced.
D : (I can't be careless with my words. In fact, it's best if I break away from this subject altogether. I've barely survived a scrape-in with Death, and I don't think I'd want another this soon.) "So... You guys are headed for the path between Rulid and Mielfeud?"
L : "Yes. Comrade Tchevit mentioned that moments ago, did he not?"
D : "Good-... Good to know. I'm headed for Bellpot, so can I travel with you guys for the time being?"
It could be a critical chance to learn of Lubhera's Word of Power. But it could also be a bear in hibernation, about to be rudely awakened. Was it smart? Deku didn't even know anymore.
L : "Bellpot, is it?... Hah. How wonderful. Would it happen to be the Sage Raufid Magus Academy?"
D : "!!" (He knows!?... I guess I am sort-of dressed like a magus, don't I? It's little wonder he would think so.) "Yes."
The General looked at him, and flashed a smile.
L : "Don't worry. You'll be there in the snap of my fingers."
And with a snap, Deku's vision blurred.
*** ***
*Cozy's Notes : Here's a bonus for the people who are reading this on the blog - The term Lubhera used was '無時瞬移'. It can be called 'broken Chinese' for most people, but keep in mind that the time period affects not only English words, but Chinese words as well. (That's why all the Chinese is in Traditional Chinese, not Simplified Chinese form.) Sentences that got right to the point were commonly used in ancient China.
I didn't want to spoil it this soon, but well, it's for people who have been faithful. And it's also a way of saying "I'm not making it up when I say that I do have a concept for the strongest WoP." Because there have been people who doubted its existence (to which I say, SHAME UPON YOU, NON-BELIEVER) Thus, the need for this. (Also, it was fun seeing people guess the same old boring things over and over again, always believing that the effect the word induces is more important than the versatility of the word, which also inadvertently opens up more possibilities for the word to counter those previous words with very specific meanings.)
Also, as a way of apology for not updating last month. Interesting trivia to note, the people from ancient China spoke in a very assertive, direct way - Instead of "Have you made a plan to cross the river?" They omit a lot of things and cut to the chase. "
*** ***
It felt as if his entire world had been sucked away, and everything before his eyes seemed to bend and stretch in a strange way, like how fine tea poured into a cup spun and stirred itself within.
He couldn't help but blink - But by the time his eyes opened once more, he was back.
A familiar teacher with a gorilla-like physique, Mister Yorn, walked down the far corridor to his left. The instant recognition of the hallway he stood within. The overlapping of two different places in such a short span of time - Deku had been in a lush forest, at the campsite of the часовые just seconds ago. To suddenly appear here, at the time when the sun had merely begun disappearing behind the horizon...
Was this an illusion? Deku couldn't help but think of his room, to ascertain if everything is alright. To his surprise, the redirectional magic in the halls controlled his body for him.
It felt too real for it to be anything else. Deku had really been transported back to the Sage Raufid Magus Academy.
D : (... Wait, if this is reality, then he didn't dispel the illusions. I had really fought against that foreign monster who had used that Sorceror-class spell?...)
Deku scratched his head as he continued walking down the hallway he was so familiar with.
D : (... If Lubhera had this ability to move me this quickly, why has he not used it more often for things like catching that 'traitor'? Does it have specific requirements, like being unable to displace himself? Or perhaps this 'traitor' has a Word of Power that can limit this ability's usefulness?...)
Asking any more questions wasn't going to help. And having them answered will only lead to even more questions. It was a vicious cycle, one that Deku wanted to break away from if possible.
D : (Guess it's best if I just forgot all about it-)
B : "Deku? Is that you?"
From behind him, Deku heard a familiar voice - The sound of the principal who had returned from the grave visit.
D : "Yes."
B : "Good. Could you care to explain why three quarters of my library has been utterly ripped apart and destroyed?"
D : "..." (I figured as much...)
This wasn't going to be easy explaining everything from the top.
