The two n kept discussing their next move for a long ti, and it was decided that Arthur needed to obtain a dal to walk around Helios. Lyle told him that the only person who could help them was a fugitive nad Gray, who used to be a retired civil worker.
"Does that an we need to find him?"
"I need to arrest him to receive the promotion," said Lyle as he ruffled through his hair. "However, the thing is… he is a friend of mine and a part of the rebellion. He supplied most of us with dals, but I need to bring him in for the next part of our plan."
"Oh, then you know where he is?"
"…no," said Lyle with a sigh. "We had a falling out a few months ago because of sothing I did, which I don't regret, but Gray disapproved of it. He left the rebellion after that, and I have no idea where he is now."
"I need to hear the full story since I'm a part of this now."
"That is only natural," said Lyle as he pulled a chair and sat down. "The truth is, soone else knew about our plan, and he was the forr commander of the Holy Knights, Zonas Mantra."
"The grandfather that you arrested," added Arthur, to which Lyle nodded. "It seems this Gray did not approve of this arrest, did he?"
"He agreed with my grandfather, who wanted the rebellion to stop. Zonas was a friend of his uncle, and the fact that I arrested him made Gray distrust ."
"Was Zonas a part of the rebellion?"
"No, he was loyal to the emperor, almost too loyal. However, a year ago, the emperor issued a secret order. The rest of the empire did not know about it; almost no one did, except for . Zonas was supposed to visit Runera… and kill a certain person."
"What are the odds?" muttered Arthur with amusent, and Lyle shrugged in response. "Your grandfather was asked to kill during the Runes Apprentice Cup."
"Indeed, but he refused, believing the emperor was making a mistake. His decision to disobey the ruler was not taken lightly, and an arrest warrant was issued in his na. It was then that I thought this was a good chance to rebel, but Zonas refused, saying that the timing was wrong."
"Did you arrest Zonas to gain favor with the emperor and facilitate your plans?" asked Arthur, but Lyle shook his head with the sa apathetic expression.
"The arrest did make a captain, but the reason I did was not for that. Zonas was my grandfather, but he wanted to stop us from rebelling against the empire. I had to arrest him before that happened."
"He could have spilled the beans."
"Zonas could never give away his grandson," smiled Lyle, almost with pride. "Even as that grandson arrested him, Zonas refused to tell the truth about us. So in the end, he was imprisoned."
"How co you didn't rebel at that ti?"
"We were too lacking without Zonas, who was our hope to take down the empire. With him gone, we needed to recruit more people and gather more allies."
"You have quite a complicated situation here, Lyle, and you aren't necessarily the one in the right. However, it does not matter since I need to stop the executions myself."
"Is soone you know getting executed?"
"A friend," Arthur said as he looked out the window. "It's also my fault that she was arrested, just like your grandfather. You might act like a heartless man, but I know the real reason you wanted to stop the execution is to save him."
"If we can save them and overthrow the emperor, then it's best if we do," said Lyle while looking at the floor. "I will do my best to find Gray tomorrow."
"And I will tag along since I can probably find him faster than any tracker you have," said Arthur. "Before we proceed, I have a question. You said that your blessing makes your life short, so I know this rebellion isn't to obtain power or wealth. So why do you do it?"
"For revenge," said Lyle without skipping a beat, and then he left his chair and walked toward the window. "Tomorrow, we will visit Helios, the City of Warriors."
***
The view from atop the walls was breathtaking, as the city's ancient buildings made it seem like a painting. Arthur stood beside Lyle atop the walls of Helios. As he scanned the city, he realized there were four ancient pillars that were taller than anything else in the city.
"What are those?" asked Arthur, and Lyle knew his aning without specifying the questions.
"Those are the Origin Pillars. You can say that Ilios was built around these pillars, which are as old as the world itself. The legend is that the world's elents are derived from these four monunts."
"Origin Pillars," muttered Arthur the na as he stared at them. He could feel nothing from them, not even a whiff of mana. However, any onlooker can tell that these monunts weren't manmade. "Are they also special?"
"As far as we are concerned: no," said Lyle as he stepped over the edge. "They are just ancient heirlooms of the empire without any power left within them. Follow , and try to avoid being seen by anyone. The emperor has instilled fear into the citizens, so anything suspicious will be reported."
"Go, and I will be wherever you are," said Arthur as he waved his hand. Lyle looked at him with doubt over his shoulder before he nodded and turned into the wind.
Arthur was left alone, and he kept in mind the place Lyle was going to go and teleport there. As he was standing there, he felt unusual energy from behind. When he turned to see what it was, Arthur realized that a familiar presence had appeared in a faraway mountain range.
"This feeling…" muttered Arthur with a frown. "I had the sa feeling when I t the Seika of Light back in The City of Herbs, Herav. At that ti, the events' beginning led to Freda and Solomon."
Arthur almost felt nostalgic, and he almost had the urge to ditch Lyle and seek the presence which has just appeared. However, he knew that it was useless to do so. No reason made him desire eting a Seika La Vega or anyone that can hold the powers of creation.
Since the presence ca from a nearby mountain range, Arthur expected its carrier to visit Helios soon. So, he turned around and teleported to where Lyle was and appeared in a room. Lyle was sitting on the bed, waiting.
"Are we having a sleepover?" asked Arthur when he saw that Rain was also there, sitting on a different bed and looking away from him.
"Maybe later when we have the ti," said Lyle as he stood up. "Rain booked this room for a month, and you can use it in the anwhile. I have to return to the Light Chamber and see what I can find about Gray. In the anti, you and Rain will check the underground world and black market."
"That's fine by , but I should change how I look," said Arthur as he held his face, and it started changing into sothing else. "I never expected my plain features would be so recognizable."
"The drawbacks of fa," said Lyle before he turned toward Rain and hesitated to say sothing but decided against it. "Until we et again."
After Lyle left by turning into the wind, Arthur and Rain remained alone in the room. Finally, after a few minutes of silence and ensuring that Lyle was gone, Rain turned toward Arthur.
"Walk behind and don't talk to anyone. These people know , but they don't know you. As far as they care, you are a custor of mine. If you see a knight, then find the nearest hiding spot and teleport. Unfortunately, you don't have a dal, so you'll be arrested imdiately."
"Understood."
Rain stared at Arthur, nodding, and she huffed before standing and walking toward the door. Arthur followed her as he examined her clothes, which looked nothing like before. Now, she was wearing a revealing dress, and every man they walked past looked at her with lust.
Arthur realized that, true to her words, this world was her oyster. Everyone knew and greeted her, with more than a few n coming over to beg for a night. However, with a few words from the tanned, white-haired beauty, they all left satisfied despite being turned down.
"It seems you're popular," said Arthur as he followed after her through the deserted ally, away from the eyes of the crowds. Rain did not answer and led him down so stairs, which seed to lead underground.
Knock, knock!
Cling!
"Password?" asked a pair of eyes from behind the door Rain knocked, and she ran her finger across her lips in response. The small window closed, and the door was unlocked.
"Welco to The Dark World, dear guests," said the short man behind the door as he flung it open. Arthur followed after Rain as he watched the scene inside, a casino filled with people.
User Comments
0 comments from readers