CHAPTER 21
Aren ran through a gap between two buildings, assuming that was where the two cloaked men had gone.
They left a trail of visible Infracta, which helped Aren lead to them.
Despite not truly understanding how he was able to see the small traces of Infracta, he chose to go along with it, as it has been helping him.
But, it hadn't seemed as abundant as he'd heard. If Infracta was the true source of the Quantum Verge, then how could it be such a little amount?
It would be possible that the cloaked men interfered with it, or they were just using a completely different branch of Infracta.
'Only if I had my Aberration…'
Aren had mastered his First Shade and was already in progress to move on to the next. Hence, if he still controlled his Aberration, he would be able to move quickly and fight stronger.
Due to Infracta tangling with his Aberration, he had lost all his abilities.
After quite a while of running, following the small trace of Infracta, he came out of the gap and into the light again.
What stood in front of him was an even larger crowd, watching a performance on a big stage.
'Oh.. Great.'
Aren clicked his tongue in annoyance. What a bothersome bunch those cloaked men appeared to be.
Instead of running through the crowd and endlessly searching for two men that didn't want to be recognized, he closed his eyes in an attempt to discover the flow of Infracta.
'I need to feel it. I must embrace it, to get its full potential!'
Aren's body felt to tinge as a cold embrace started to wrap around his body, almost as if an actual person was wrapping their cold arms around him.
Aren was nothing more than surprised, but he chose to accept it and let it flow.
His heart pounded loudly for a moment, so much that he heard it in his ears.
When he opened his eyes, he saw an extraordinary scene. The castle that had its tip pointed downwards was practically leaking the Infracta like it was the source itself.
The Infracta were made in purplish, blueish curved lines that emerged downwards.
The curved lines all essentially returned to the tip of the castle's structure, but where they emerged was toward the entire town of Vanagir.
These lines reached a house, building, or factory in Vanagir, seemingly powering them with Infracta.
'I see. No wonder it's the greatest source in the Verge. However, they still seem pretty off. They aren't the same as the trails I saw from the cloaked men.'
But, for Aren, that was nothing more than good luck. Now, he could distinguish easily between 'normal' Infracta, and the Equinox's Church Infracta.
He came up with the idea to call the Infracta in Vanagir 'normal', while the one coming from Equinox was 'abnormal'. It only made sense.
Scrapping off the pointless thoughts for now, he quickly noticed straight, dark blue lines emerging from between the crowd.
They stood out, since the normal Infracta had been colored with a mix of purple and blue.
In the same way, he was going to push through the crowds to reach them. But, as he had already tried that method, he knew it was going to fail.
Pushing the people would cause chaos, anger, and a lot of unneeded frustration for Aren because he knew they were going to escape.
His eyes moved unnaturally to find the best solution possible.
As he was looking for a way, the dark lines between the audience were moving fast.
Aren sighed loudly, 'There is only one way. I can't waste my time again, they'll get away.' '
He slipped his hands from his cloak, then precisely spun his chains. While still rather new to fighting with his chains, he wasn't entirely bad at it.
With his years of experience in the Primal World, outside of Helmond, and with the chains, he was able to match a high-level chain wielder — if there was one.
Continuing, he threw the chain and let it grab onto a metal plate nearby. He did the same with his left, anchoring another chain to a nearby plate of metal.
As he held both chains in his hands, he took a few steps backwards, enveloping himself in the darkness of the gap again.
He continued to head backwards as the chains extended themselves like they were rubber.
'Caelum Leonis is truly a special place.'
Aren had expected the chain to be abnormal from the moment he picked it up from Caelum. It had even stayed with him after losing his life.
Not that he knew how, but as long as it was helping him, it didn't matter much.
Aren narrowed his eyes, making sure of his surroundings before launching off.
He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come.
In a method that defied the laws of the universe, he let go of the chains, which could hardly be considered metallic anymore.
He was launched off into the air with the wind blowing all over the large audience.
At the same moment he had launched off, a group of people had begun their performance on stage.
Aren was far from done. He spun around, his gaze falling on the dark blue lines that snaked across the stage.
With a fierce determination surfacing within him, he clenched his fist and released his chain, sending it soaring toward the man of Equinox. The air crackled with tension as it flew through the space.
Sounds of gasps and mutters were heard all across the audience, as they all pointed to Aren.
'I can't hesitate now. If this doesn't work, I'll never be able to find Faye!'
The chain extended itself, or rather by Aren, as it got closer to the cloaked men and made its shape seem like a circle.
The metallic circle only affected the cloaked men, leaving everyone else unscathed.
As Aren still soared above, he clenched both hands holding the source of the chains, then gripped it with all his strength and sent both men flying in the air.
Still not done, he pushed his chains in a way to make the men fall right onto the stage.
As things unfolded, his movement in the air slowed down when he grabbed hold of the two men. Together, they flew through the air until they crashed down onto the stage with a loud thud.
The dust quickly encircled them, showing no visibility to the now chaotic audience at all.
Aren was breathing heavily, his tiredness catching up to him.
He pulled his hand with the chain backwards to his face, letting its embrace grip tightly onto the cloaked men.
With his feet anchored firmly to their bodies, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, chilling whisper that sent shivers down spines.
"Reveal to me… Equinox."
CHAPTER 22
Still unreeling from the madness he unleashed earlier, Aren wasn't fit for a full fight.
Hence, keeping the Equinox men locked in their positions using his chains would only be his best choice… or worst.
As Aren ordered them to reveal Equinox, the chains of his started vanishing, turning into small particles of dark blue.
His eyes widened, uncertainty surfacing within him.
In the same moment, the men of Equinox were vanishing just the same, and following them was the entire surrounding.
Aren felt reality breaking apart, something he hadn't experienced before, even during his time at Caelum Leonis.
"What is happening?!"
The fluently colored buildings vanished, tearing themselves apart.
Silence hung like sound hadn't existed. Not a murmur, not even the echo of the chaos he caused.
In the depths of a dark, empty void, he found himself utterly alone, surrounded by an endless expanse of shadows that stretched infinitely in every direction.
And in that solitude, he could hear the faint echo of his own heartbeat, a reminder of his existence in an otherwise forsaken realm.
And even he, his body was torn apart into particles. Though there was no pain, yet Aren could still feel it.
His vision darkened, eventually finding himself losing his own consciousness. Due to that, he was unable to perceive, move, or do anything.
As much as he had tried forcing the slightest move out of his limbs, nothing would work. His mind would stop operating, and his body would evaporate.
Aren squinted his eyes in disappointment. Then, in an obscure manner, his eyes and head vanished the same like the rest of his body.
And just like that, there was nothing but the emptiness of the dark.
***
Amidst the darkness and silence, a voice was heard.
"... ∎∎∎∎!"
The words of a young woman didn't quite register, though he felt a deep resonance from them.
His eyes slightly opened. In front of him, a young lady with brown hair and restless eyes.
"Epsilon?" he asked, his voice full of unease.
She stared at him for a few moments, gathering her thoughts deeply.
"Yes, we have a lot of work to do. This is no time to be sleeping."
He abruptly stood up from his seat, knocking several ink-filled papers off the table onto the floor.
'I felt like I just had a really horrible dream.'
He sighed, straightening his round glasses, covering the eyes of a man of knowledge.
'As the wisest sages say, don't forget, and don't remember.'
Epsilon Germain started moving towards the brown door, then looked back at the looming uncertainty of his.
"Today, we have around four people who think they've found a contradiction to our New World Order. I would've gone by myself, but I need the person who laid the foundation of it to come along."
He nodded, a slight frown appearing on his face.
As he gathered many papers from the desk, he responded to her,
"It isn't like I was the only one working on it. The entire project was funded by the Dragon's Household. If I hadn't been recognized with the Sovereign Horns, I would've been worth as much as a speck of dust."
Epsilon giggled under her breath, "That's quite a big if."
Epsilon then left the room and headed to the large stage outside the building.
The Polymath was still preparing in the room, as he went through papers and books alike to find the one thing he was looking for the most.
While in the process of doing that, he came to see a book called "The World In Between."
"Hm… It must be one of those fairy tales of the Euphor."
Continuing, he came across many different books that described the situation of his world.
Volumes detailed every corner of his existence — his birthplace, his power, even his thoughts.
'It is only fair I get to have them, as well!'
He pulled out one specific book, written by his favorite author. At some point, he had lost count of how many times he'd read it.
"The gift from one of the Silent Keepers in the Gold Division. I should be treasuring this even more!"
His eyes lit up with pure excitement, recalling the thoughts of meeting one of the Silent Keepers from Gold, who were said to be one of the most mysterious in their case.
"Ah, no. I'm getting distracted."
But, as he continued looking through the numerous books and papers, he came to find that the one he wanted wasn't there.
"What a shame. But it'll be fine. I'm sure someone from the Council of Resonance has a copy."
As he was about to leave the room, he glimpsed a title of another book. It weirdly sent shivers down his spine.
"Aren Veyr, the All-Devouring Nothingness"
His eyes twitched intensely as he felt the same resonance as before.
He blinked, only to see the difference in the title.
"Titan of Euphoria."
The Polymath raised a hand over his forehead, calming himself down before facing off with other mathematicians who wanted to prove him wrong.
'I have no time for this.'
He walked out of the door, then after a few minutes of walking, he reached a large, stone gate with shining marble.
He looked at the two Dawnbringer Legions guarding the door, nodding his head in respect.
In a moment, their armored bodies turned at the same moment, making way for him.
On each side of the gate was a gap inscribed in the shape of a sword. Seemingly, it was used to serve as 'keys', which only the Dawnbringers possessed.
'These Dawnbringers really are the backbone that keeps us safe. Unfortunate, however, their leader is one I cannot meet with.'
Not because of history or blood relations, but rather because the Ephors were constantly preoccupied with various matters.
None of them had time, really, for anything. That was the case especially for him.
But, at the same time, he was one of the most unrecognized among the Five Ephors.
'I strived to reach where I am now for years, but I still am the lowest in the grand scheme of all things.'
The Dawnbringers unleashed their swords, then quietly put them on top of the gaps, fitting perfectly.
The gate creaked, dust falling over its top. Slowly, it opened.
Light quickly entered the room, but not normal light.
The Light of Equinox, the sky of endless nights. The Ephor of the Holy Scripture was the one who proposed this idea, mostly known as,
"Aurora Borealis."
It was colored blue and purple, mainly green. Though it was a beautiful sight, anyone could get bored with it after a week or two.
'Truly, what a waste of Infracta.'
Or, they just had too much of it to begin with. Even then, it was still laughable.
There was a roundtable set outside, amidst the snow and below the Aurora Borealis. Seeing the number of people waiting for the Polymath, he took a deep breath before advancing.
'The New World Order has already been installed. I've gone through it over five hundred times, there are no contradictions whatsoever…'
He continued, letting his thoughts convince him of something he couldn't remember creating.
CHAPTER 23
After a few minutes of walking down the black staircase, he reached the Roundtable Hold.
There were plenty of people, mostly Acolytes of Peace from the Gold Division of the Priestess of Solemnity.
The Priestess of Solemnity, also regarded as 'Selene', was not someone one could speak of openly. She had a mind that no other person could possess, one that rivaled even the Supreme Archon who ruled Equinox.
Hence, she was brought forth another name, bestowed upon her by Infracta itself, 'Unrivaled Under Borealis'.
Not only that, her Division was one closely associated with the Polymath's Council of Resonance.
Her Division's efficiency in preserving Equinox's order was a matter of personal respect for him.
Simultaneously, the people stood in respect for the Polymath, as his presence was not one to ignore.
He pulled his seat, then sat down and put his papers on the stone table. A candle lit brightly in the center, giving the area an odd but familiar feeling.
As he sat down, the rest also followed in order.
An Acolyte of Peace approached, dressed in a white thobe adorned with golden inscriptions that flowed gracefully in the wind. With both hands clasped behind his back, he spoke,
"His Excellency, Ephor of the Council of Resonance, ∎∎∎∎."
'What?' He wondered. The sound was unclear, but he had assumed it was the wind.
The Acolyte continued, "First Contender from the Sentinels of His Excellency Varaxas' Division. You may begin."
The Acolyte moved aside, making way for the Sentinel. The footsteps of the man resounded, carrying an indescribable weight.
His clothes bore a Sentinel insignia, a remnant of the war slaves once bound to Varaxas' Division.
Sentinels were thought to be the guards maintaining Equinox's daily activities and security. While not as vital as the Dawnbringers who belonged to the same division, their role was definitely not completely worthless either.
However, the one thing that had distinguished them the most was their lack of dignity and shame. They were brought to war, enslaved, and killed others, so it was only normal that they perceived the world differently.
The Sentinel looked deeply into the Ephor's eyes, then struck his chest with his right arm, his fist directly over his heart.
"Your Excellency, I came today not to find contradictions in your and Ms. Epsilon's New World Order, but I've come to ask an important matter on behalf of everyone in the Legion."
The Ephor put his elbow on the table, then let his chin rest on his thumb.
"Which is?" He asked.
The Sentinel nodded, "We aren't ones to back down from a battle, or a war. However, recently, the amount of supplies has dramatically decreased. I ask that the Council help us with the battle against the opposers, as they have grown in numbers and power."
The silence lingered, as the tension soared above the skies. A mere Sentinel, asking an Ephor for help? How ridiculous that is.
No one spoke, and no one was brave enough to even breathe.
The Polymath looked at the Sentinel with an unamused face, his eyes carrying zero emotion.
"Execute him."
The eyes of everyone widened, almost simultaneously. At the same time, the Sentinel, a past war slave, his heart dropped.
Two Acolytes grabbed the man, quickly, they brought him down to the floor, capturing him with zero effort.
Truly, it wasn't as if the Sentinel had any right to fight back when in front of him was an Ephor.
Epsilon, who was sitting next to the Polymath, slightly leaned.
"Are you sure of this?" A frown on her face, she whispered.
"Don't get too comfortable and involve yourself in my work, Epsilon."
Her frown only widened, left with no choice but to accept this cruel outcome.
"Next." He ordered.
The Acolyte of Peace dressed in white stepped up once more, announcing the next person.
"A renowned mathematician in the East, the Dominion of the Dragon's Household. Leonhard Geuss."
The Acolyte slowly stepped back, making way once more.
The Polymath's brow raised, interested in the upcoming of the renowned 'Father of Frequency'.
He also served under the Dragon's Household, which meant he was in a closer position to the Polymath, as the Polymath himself is under the Dragon's Household, then Equinox.
Leonhard bowed; his respect for the Polymath spoke volumes just by the way he'd handled his body.
Straightening his back, he adjusted his glasses and put on a serious expression.
"I've been waiting to see you in person — since the First Upbringing, Your Excellency."
The Polymath smiled, "Have you also come to ask for help?"
Leonhard's lips curled up, responding to him with only his expressions.
"No… I would like to stay alive."
Leonhard carefully considered his next choice of words, for it could determine whether he lived or died.
"I would like to ask a question. Putting aside all of Your Excellency's outstanding work, I… was more interested in learning more of your background than the published work—"
The lips of the Polymath dropped, his face shaping to be unpredictable.
"What are you trying to say?" he interrupted.
Leonhard cleared his throat. "It isn't often that anyone can talk to an Ephor… I've always wondered, what is your name?"
The Polymath's eyes widened, hearing something he would've never expected, even with his brilliant mind.
Uncertainty brewing in his mind, he felt the need to look at his hands.
The fancy hat he wore slightly leaned, eventually falling downwards. His body shook like it was one with the wind, and unease erupted around the Roundtable.
"Your Excellency?" Leonhard asked, an unsettling smile on his face.
The Polymath's mind spiraled in endless thoughts, as he felt invisible chains pushing his body backwards, into a tenebrous abyss.
He radiated a presence that could be felt across all of Equinox, perhaps reaching even the far, very far vicinities of Amorium and the Household!
'My… name?'
Members of the Roundtable Hold and others from the Ephors' divisions sprinted back, terrified of the monstrosity that could be unleashed upon them.
Epsilon, the one appointed as the consul to the Polymath, was the only person who remained.
Hurriedly, she held his back, worry on her face.
"What's wrong?! How… You've never failed to answer a question!"
His thoughts continued as countless memories of another being flooded his mind,
As he looked into his shaking, but vanishing hands, he remembered but one thing.
'Aberration…'
CHAPTER 24
The Roundtable shattered like a mirror breaking apart. The fabric of reality folded inward, turning soundless. He reached for what remained, only to see it vanish into particles, just like every other time.
A muffled sound echoed, calling out thousands of names, but none belonged to him.
'Aberration? What could this mean?'
Blurring, his vision eventually turned off, disabling him from seeing.
Annoyed at the rather peculiar situation, he sighed. He put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes amidst the deep end facing him.
'My mind is being toyed with… Who dares use such underhanded trickery against me! Leonhard will not get away, not with that daring question of his.'
At the same moment, he felt a surge of anger, and a sound of a bell resounded, forcing him to open his eyes again despite the ache in his head.
In front of him lay a torn, abandoned village that extended as far as he'd seen.
However, what surprised The Polymath was that it was located beneath a massive layer of cracked stones.
'Hm…'
For him, he'd never seen such a place before, even in Amorium, where structures and buildings were made of pure Infracta, tampering with the essence itself.
'Not that anyone knows about Amorium, besides me.'
His role as an Ephor allowed him the opportunity to learn about Amoria and its whereabouts. Not that he particularly cared, but it was because Amoria — or Amorium — was blocked from the real world by an invisible barrier.
However, that wasn't his main focus. Firstly, he should learn more about the large village.
Strangely, it had light as if there was a sun illuminating the area; however, there was no such thing, as it was located under a cave.
'One that has been explored, as it seems.'
He leaned down, then put his hands on a rock next to him. Slowly, he rubbed his fingers over it as if wiping the dust.
He moved his hands back, only to see the stone being outlined by a blue-ish color. At an agonizingly slow pace, it started being turned into particles.
Its fragile remnants slowly faded into nothingness, carried by the wind. It flew over the village, revealing a handprint below where the rock was situated.
The Polymath used one of his 'tricks' of Infractum.
Using Frequency, a branch of Infracta, he noticed old handprints and footprints leading inside the village.
As usual, he was the only one in on this method, as he had invented it.
The handprint seemed to be unfamiliar to The Polymath. Not of a human, and not even of a creature.
"How unusual. Could it be the leftovers of a Quantum Creature?"
His eyes slightly widened as he was inspecting the handprint.
"Quantum Creature? I don't recall… learning such a term." His voice uncertain, he muttered.
Lost in a daze, whispers sounded through his ears, almost as if calling for him.
He squinted his eyes before taking the first steps into the unknown. The Polymath showed no signs of fear, only because he was used to facing the unknown.
He adjusted his black glove and stood.
"Creeping up on others is never a good idea."
Behind him, the whispers only loudened.
When The Polymath turned, he saw nothing but an empty abyss, as the whispers had also stopped.
He clicked his tongue, then proceeded to venture into the mysterious village.
The village exuded an unsettling yet striking silence. Old moss. — almost ancient — blanketed the ground, and countless cobwebs hung in eerie abundance.
"How filthy."
As he walked along the rotten stone street, he saw one of the doors open inside a building.
It was practically destroyed, left with nothing but a ruined sight.
He stopped on his feet. A sense of annoyance grew within him.
Not at the current situation, not at Leonhard, but at himself.
"I'm being too hasty. This is unlike me. I haven't even found out the history, location, and source of this place."
"It feels as if I'm being driven to something completely different. 'I' wasn't looking for information about this village, in fact, 'I' was… never here."
His body shivered for but a moment, unlikely for an Ephor.
"How would that make any sense? What am 'I' even saying!"
He shook his head, using the best of his techniques to put aside the thoughts tampering with his mind.
The Polymath wanted to first find out about how the village came to be, and the perfect place was none other than this ruined building that stood in front of him amidst the looming silence.
As he stepped inside, the wood creaked. The bugs scattered, finding a place to hide.
Hanging in the center of the room was a lit-up lantern, giving light to the inside of the house.
The Polymath went deeper into the building. It was nothing special; however, on a certain table, there was a book, ink, and a quill.
"Interesting."
It caught his attention only due to its giving off a weird sense of familiarity, and it also smelled good.
He took the book with little to no hesitation.
Slowly, he inspected it. The book had no title, only what seemed to be an insignia embedded on the top of the book.
It resembled a star, one that shone brightly in the past, but now holds no light.
He rubbed his palm over the face of the book, wiping the dust off it.
After doing so, he opened the book to further see its contents. At first, he expected it to be another language, but to his surprise, it was written in the same language he spoke.
Regardless of the language, he'd still be able to understand it, due to his Ancient Relic, the Grandmaster of Knowledge.
"Diary of an Unspoken King," he read out, the first paper of the old book.
He continued, reading the writing carefully.
"Certainly, whoever wrote this had a lot to say… and a lot of ink," he laughed under his breath, seeing the papers were filled to the brim.
However, that smile ceased to exist after he read the first part.
"I told them. I warned them of the consequences of gazing at HIM, beyond that monstrous gate! No one listened, no one even cared to listen!" he read the beginning of the book.
The Polymath furrowed his brows, seeing that the writing, 'HIM', was highlighted differently.
He looked further into the book only to see the same line repeated over and over.
"No one listened. No one listened…"
He turned the page, seeing the same thing being written over and over. Until he eventually found something different.
"They… they crossed the boundary. I can't be bothered anymore. I hope it all rots. I hope they all rot. I hope their so bright Divinity rots."
The rest of the papers in the book were all filled with hatred against the villagers whom he tried to warn.
'Divinity… that is above me, even as an Ephor. What could they have done?'
After scrolling through the pages, he was at a loss for words. Finally, in the last paper, blood covered half the page.
"4922 AE, the end of Caelum Leonis."
The Polymath's body shivered, his eyes widened.
He continued to read, making up the missing parts covered by blood using his own intellect.
"Their curiosity killed them. Their 'devotion' led to the ultimate demise of our race. I write as I watch. HIS gaze had set upon our land, and HIS gaze alone brought…"
The Polymath came to a halt in reading. He threw the book across the room as his breath grew heavy.
"No, no, no! This is Forbidden Knowledge!"
He quickly ran outside, a trail of fire made from Infracta following his footsteps.
The blaze erupted, engulfing the house with a fire that illuminated the entire cave.
"My mind is breaking apart. My body feels as if it's being torn inside out. I… I."
His body surged with immense nausea and pain, from every side, every spot; he felt nothing but pain.
He let out a loud groan as he fell to his knees, fighting back the consequences of learning Forbidden Knowledge.
"Great… Great Sages and Blessed… Mother." He slightly called out, a prayer from his hometown.
"Purify the evil… lurking within. Topple all injustice and end all who seek to fight the…"
The taste of iron rushed up his neck, jolting out of his mouth abruptly,
"The Equilibrium!"
Having said that, a bright, dark blue liquid fell onto him from above like a divine object, bringing peace to his eternal heart.
The blue liquid struck his torn body, then enveloped him. It ran through his insides, purifying every corner.
He had used the ancient blood of the Supreme Archon of Equinox.
Slowly, but surely, he started recovering from the grave cost of delving into Forbidden Knowledge.
CHAPTER 25
As The Polymath regained his breath, he stood back on his feet, unwavering. Behind him was none other than the house containing forbidden knowledge.
'The blood of the Blessed Mother saved me this time, but I cannot rely on such a divine object.'
To obtain the ancient blood of the Blessed Mother, or otherwise known as the Supreme Archon, is by no means easy.
Polymath's role as an Ephor granted him that Authority, and that same Authority is what distinguishes them from normal beings and earns the right to call themselves Ephors, acting as pillars of Equinox.
'Though I'd hate to recall the memories of the forbidden knowledge, the history of this place is… fascinating.'
While others would deem it sad, cruel, or even madness, he found interest. And a will to learn. That was the role of the Ephor of the Council of Resonance.
He was not one specialized in battle, but no one would surpass him in intellect and strategy.
'I can't help but wonder, who is 'HE'? According to the diary, HE cast his gaze upon this city, Caelum Leonis. If a mere gaze could cause such ruins, could it be a… Paragon?
'Impossible. A Paragon would never gaze upon a stained world like ours. Unless those people here had found a way of catching the attention of transcendent beings… They must've possessed technology that surpassed what Equinox had even dreamed of.'
Lost in his thoughts, he lingered for a few more moments, his fingers rubbing his chin, as the blazing house behind illuminated the area.
He closed his eyes, reminiscing about the sound of the beautiful flame and thinking deeply about the matter.
In between that sound, a faint noise was heard. It was the noise of jewelry, a sound so close yet so far.
Quickly, he regained his senses and opened his eyes.
"You seem lost, renowned scholar." A womanly voice was heard behind the Polymath.
He quickly turned, his black robe with gray-green highlights blowing in the air.
At the same moment he'd done that, he saw nothing but the flames of the house.
In but a mere moment, her voice resounded again.
"You seem lost, ∎∎∎∎." she whispered into his ear from behind, managing to get past his guard twice.
He slightly turned around, only to see shining black eyes mixed with a deep red.
'A child?'
Her appearance was not particularly that of a child, but her height and body structure spoke otherwise.
The Polymath huffed, "Who are you?"
"Who am I… you should ask that to yourself, or selves," she answered, grinning.
The Polymath stared at her, a frown appearing on his face.
"You speak and act in riddles, and your appearance shows nothing but trickery. You are a waste of time."
Having said that, he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, without sparing the woman an actual conversation.
She had already seen through his problems of being mixed with another soul, his mind fusing with an 'anomaly', as he called it.
That was indeed the only thing that had caught his attention. However, she seemed not to be the type to cooperate. It would only waste his time.
"The Fifth Branch, the Ephor of the Council, the First Sage of Aidonis. All these titles and names, but you can't know your true name. Hence, my arrival."
The Polymath looked at her quietly.
"Hence, your arrival?"
She nodded, a sleek smile still covering her face.
"My purpose is to remind you of your name, as clearly, you've strayed off your path, Polymath. I am Ivory."
"I see my path better than anyone, Ivory."
Her eyes widened, as her face showed a small hint of sorrow or regret. The Polymath couldn't distinguish.
Silence hung over the air once more, only as he turned and continued walking.
She followed, as she felt the sudden need to.
"How did you end up here?" she asked.
The Polymath stayed quiet for a few moments, recalling the weird upbringing of his to this location.
"I don't know. All I remember is that a daring scientist asked me, 'Who are you?' After he asked that, the world seemed to shatter, and I was brought to this village."
She shook her head in refusal, "No, it wasn't shattered. Your consciousness was brought upon here."
"You can tell?"
She giggled, "No. But I've probably spent too much time thinking about human emotions."
'What an odd response.'
After walking quietly for a bit more, an odd structure came into sight behind the numerous houses.
A round, shining orb was placed at the center of a massive building that towered above the village.
"Now, what is that?" he asked.
Ivory squinted her eyes until she saw what The Polymath was referring to.
"Ah… It's nothing of importance."
He stayed silent for a bit, then finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Interesting. I'd love to investigate it."
"...No. Your duty is to remember your name," reminded Ivory, holding The Polymath's cold hand from continuing forward.
"How else am I supposed to do that, without understanding the unknown in front of me?"
She clicked her tongue, "Your own curiosity will kill you."
He opened his mouth to talk, but chose to close it. Those words echoed in his head, as they were told to him by a significant person in his past.
Ivory continued, "Some things are better left unknown."
"...Fine, show me the way."
Ivory let go of his hand, then nodded.
***
They walked towards where The Polymath first came from, and after a few minutes of walking, The Polymath noticed odd apparitions.
'Huh? Those are people. Is it another hallucination?'
Ivory looked at him, her face serious. "Ignore them. This is just to toy with your brain."
"You won't believe this! The Expedition Party found a way out of the forest, and they even brought back another Divine Scroll. We've been blessed!" A delighted apparition, with a blurry appearance, spoke loudly.
'Tch… How abruptious. I would have imprisoned him if it were in Equinox.'
"Another Divine Scroll? No one can stop us now!" Another apparition responded, joy in their voice.
The apparitions shimmered against the backdrop, their forms defined by a hauntingly beautiful, fading blue glow.
They continued to walk; meanwhile, Ivory's head was facing the ground like she was refusing what she was seeing.
The voices and whispers of the people continued as they rejoiced, finding more of the Divine Scrolls, and another thing that had stuck with The Polymath.
"Praise the Gray King."
'The Gray King… Could it be connected to the diary of an Unspoken King, and 'HIM'?'
As he pondered that thought, he started hearing the distant cries of a child.
A certain blue liquid, seemingly blood in the form of memories, reached his foot, causing him to halt.
Despite that, Ivory continued. "Ignore… them…" she muttered to herself.
The cries became louder as more apparitions appeared, bathed in a shining red.
"Why? We entrusted everything, we devoted and sacrificed everything!" A sorrowful apparition cried.
The Polymath's eyes narrowed as he continued walking.
Another apparition spoke, "We've crossed the Century Boundary, now we pay the price for our sin."
The apparition would appear, then oddly disappear after they finished talking.
'Almost as if… somebody set it up.'
Ivory continued heading forward, ignoring both the apparitions and The Polymath's halt.
Another apparition appeared, next to The Polymath.
The Polymath gazed at the apparition, while the apparition gazed above, acceptance in their eyes unlike the many other apparitions.
"Death Titan..." The apparition whispered.
The Polymath diverted his gaze, similar to the apparition.
After doing that, it felt as if the world itself came to a stop. The wind stopped blowing, the oceans ceased to flow, and the sky burst with countless stars.
The Polymath's left eyeball exploded, Ephor blood splattering everywhere on the stony ground.
Quickly, without even a second thought, he dropped to the floor, his palm on his gravely injured eye.
"This is… more forbidden knowledge! How… How could I be so… dumb?!" His voice resonated with the apparitions in pain.
As he looked up, he saw that Ivory had come to a halt as well.
Slowly, her body disintegrated along with the other apparitions.
With more things to worry about, The Polymath didn't exactly give it much thought.
Precisely where Ivory was standing, a round creature resembling a worm erupted out of the earth and swallowed everything in its way.
Similarly, a second white worm emerged, swallowing the first worm. Even more disturbingly, a third one emerged with the same procedure.
At the end of the much obscure scene, a beast growled from behind and struck through the worms, resulting in filthy purple blood splattering over The Polymath and Ivory.
Luckily, The Polymath had activated a small but effective wall of Infracta that took the blow.
The white beast growled once more, pushing the soulless corpses out of the way.
He looked at Ivory, seeing she had lost her consciousness.
The Polymath dropped her onto the floor, enveloping her in a safe Frequency barrier.
"I commend your spirit, beast, but alas, this is where you'll meet your demise." He said, his left eye closed as red blood rolled down his cheek.
After a dark-blue halo emerged behind his head, reality began to break apart once more.
He closed his fist, then, The Polymath accepted this outcome.
CHAPTER 26
As reality broke apart, The Polymath's consciousness faded away like one with the wind. However, his memories were still intact.
The Polymath looked down at his disintegrating body, hovering in a black void.
Then, he had just sighed as his body completely vanished.
Finally, after a long time of unknown suffering, Aren felt his own consciousness return to him, and his senses slowly came back.
'My head… hurts.'
He opened his right eye at first, while his left eye felt a bit numb for a reason he didn't exactly remember, though he was still able to open it.
'Where am I? Did the cloaked weirdos escape? That reminds me… I haven't got a clue about finding Faye at all!'
He felt as if his entire brain had somewhat refreshed, like he had been sleeping for whole centuries, but he also hoped that wasn't the case.
Not only refreshed, but filled with memories that weren't his.
Forbidden knowledge, blue light, apparitions, Grey King, Diary of an Unspoken King, Caelum Leonis… the memories quickly fell on Aren, blurry yet weirdly clear.
'That's right… What even is Forbidden Knowledge, and who was HE? I think I had been in Caelum Leonis with Faye before… but I would've never thought it met an end like that.'
'Regardless, even though I have a long way to reach Faye, I know more about Equinox and their Ephors now, but no one mentioned her or 'Lady of the Heavens'.'
"Still, it's better than knowing nothing. I learned that the hard way."
Aren sat, leaning on a wall behind, under the bright sky of the Quantum Verge as he collected his thoughts.
He inspected the area and saw in front of him a man on a rock, at the edge of the cliff, seemingly of Aren's age.
The man sitting on the rock slightly looked back, his eye glowed like a burning flame. Even more so, his horns were sleek and curved, colored uniquely.
Aren narrowed his eyes, 'Horns? How creepy.'
His hair had hot-pink highlights, and he wore clothes of a noble, clearly not somebody from Vanagir.
'Could it be…'
He got up from the rock, then headed towards Aren.
Similarly, Aren also stood up and was ready to face him. His black cloak dropped, and he balled his fists.
'I've seen bigger dragons!'
The man opened his mouth, raising his palm forward. "I'm not here to fight."
Aren gazed at him, unable to believe him.
"Were you the one who took me here?" Aren questioned.
"I saved you. You were going to be another puppet of the Deeps Association."
'Deeps Association? I think the old man was a part of this organization, if I remember correctly.'
Aren raised his brow, slowly putting his hands backwards.
"What do you mean?"
He let out a small breath, "I am Soryn Anulvegis. I'm currently the head of the Fourth Branch of the Household. Though my reputation tends to… precede me, I still think we could cooperate, and I will tell you more."
'Fourth Branch… His horns prove that he's not lying, so I have no reason to refuse."
Aren nodded after making sure of his decision. Of course, he wasn't going to trust the Fourth Branch so quickly, but he had to begin somewhere.
"Good." Soryn smiled, then continued, "I'm a persecuted criminal."
The wind blew, and suffocating silence hung between the two.
'I don't know how he expects me to react. Clearly, he's not joking, but it's not as if I'm any different.'
Aren sighed, "I don't care how messed up or noble you are. All I ask is three things if you want to cooperate. First, why do you want to work with me? We're practically strangers. And secondly, I'll say it again, were you the one who took me from Vanagir, and do you work with the cloaked men from the Equinox Church?"
Soryn took a few moments to respond, thinking about his questions deeply.
"Because you are a Descender. You aren't from here; your Quantum Essence is tangled and… unique. And, we both have things we want from each other, no? Don't you want to learn more about Equinox?"
'The core of all beings in the Quantum Verge… At least, Descender sounds cool.'
"I do," Aren responded.
Soryn continued, "And, I am the one who saved the Descender from the Deeps Association. Claude and Bihemth work under me. You made a mess. They cleaned it. That's all you'll need to know… for now."
"Oh, so I made a mess? Your men killed somebody!"
Soryn nodded, obviously aware of that. "He was a part of the Deeps, and he was a very ruined person, perhaps even his Essence is painted black due to his corruption."
'Tch… I should've known not to trust that old man. He may have even lied about Faye!'
"Descender, we have common enemies, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we work together, we would be acknowledged even by the Sacred City of Constance, then, even… pardoned," added Soryn.
Aren stayed quiet, recollecting his thoughts. Then, after concluding, he opened his mouth to speak.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind rushed past him and struck the wall he was leaning against, causing rocks and dust to explode around them.
"It seems they've caught up with us," Soryn said, unamused.
The strikes continued, shaking the earth itself, and more dust settled around Aren. He could see that they were firing metal balls from Vanagir, positioned under the cliff, towards his location. Although their aim was not very precise—most of their shots missed—their power made up for the lack of accuracy.
'I can see that, you half-witted horned kid!'
As the shots finally came to a halt, the sound of numerous footsteps running along the cliff was heard, a deafening sound.
The shouts of the soldiers only increased as Aren and Soryn were ready to battle.
'I didn't get the chance to ask him about those weird hallucinations I saw, but it might have been just a dream… Not now! I'll focus on that later.'
The chains fell from Aren's sleeves and hit the floor as he firmly grasped them with both hands, beginning to spin them.
Soryn raised a brow, surprised by Aren's choice of weapons.