Gordon doesn’t know what was worst, the fact that he as of right now was the official lord of his own village so all people he meets on the street bow down to him that made him really uncomfortable, or as the Baron that ruled this village he actually has a special right to take any girls he like as his concubine but Sharon was married in the same day he became Baron that if she wasn’t he could ask her hand in married to her parents. Of course he won't force her to marry him if she doesn’t want to but it was within his right to offer her a lot of money and big house if she was willing to marry him.

Money and power, he has it all now yet somehow he doesn’t fell happy, not sad or depression just doesn’t happy like there are some hole in his heart that he doesn’t know how to fill it. Maybe it was because the dead of his mother but he has accepted it that she was gone, that she would never come back, that he has to live with guilty because no matter what Mr. Sully said his mother was dead because of him, he was alright with it.

Well, actually he doesn’t feels alright at all about it, but what could he do. She was dead, no matter what he thought or did wouldn’t change that fact.

Gordon sigh to himself, he felt tired, the kind that won’t go away even if he sleep for days or eat a lot of food. For today he felt like staying in home, in his old house. Even when Mr. Sully and Mr. Antam insisted that he stayed in their house because he was a Baron now, Lord of this village. But he just can’t see himself as a Lord, no matter how many times they said or he said it to himself. It just too sudden, not one month ago he was just a village guy, one that doesn’t even know what to do next or what he should do to win a girl heart.

When he sit on the ground in front of his house, he sees someone coming, an old man with white hair and a dirty wool trouser, white shirt and a knee long black coat. The old man walk slow but with confident and he walk straight to where Gordon sat, his coming here bringing smile to Gordon face.

“Good morning old John, never think I would see you coming here.”

The old man grinning then sat on Gordon right. He takes a deep breath then took a bottle of whiskey from his coat, drink it long at deep then give a hearty satisfied sigh. Gordon content to let the old man do whatever he likes, he would speak when he want to.

It was an open secret that two men that understand each other doesn’t need to talk to convey what they mean, just sit together like what they did here give Gordon peace and feeling that the old man understand his pain. They stayed like that until noon when sun was on top of their head and its light no longer comfortable to their skin. Gordon stand up then go inside followed by the old man, they sat on the dining table and looking at each other.

“How are you old John, I am sorry for not coming to your house after come back from the forest, there were many things happen that distracting me.”

Old john studied Gordon face then he smile. “I believe you Gord.”

Gordon chuckled when he heard his old nickname, Old John was the only person that still called him that, even his mother had stooped called him that after his father dead.

“Good then, thanks for your understanding.” Gordon wants to ask many things to old john but he doesn’t know where to begin so he just sits there, looking at the desk in front of him.

“You want to ask something, just say it.”

Gordon considering what he should ask the old man. He doesn’t know what old man John background was just that old john know many things. He considered to ask about his new position as a Baron, what should he do or what he shouldn’t do but He suddenly remembered that there were more urgent matter that need to be address first.

“Do you know about the Autumn Court?”

“What of it.”

“So you do know something about it.”

“Maybe.”

Seeing old john odd mood and his cryptic way of speaking, Gordon realizes that he would have to wring the answer from the old man mouth, but it was hard to speak about it, not because it was traumatic event to him but more like it felt like a secret ceremonies, some event that shouldn’t be talked so lightly or commonly with other people. But he set aside his reluctant feeling because it was important for him to get an answer.

“I….had meet with one of them, in the Malakit Forest when I lost, he told me that his name was Loksum and his title was the prince of undying bark, he accuse me of stolen his sacred fruits, it were fruits that I eat before he appeared and then charge me with a duty to steal the Spring Crown or he will punish me with more harsh punishment.”

“I see.”

Gordon keep looking at the old man, hoping that he would speak more.

“So…can you tell me what should I do? All this stealing stuff has been bothering me for weeks.”

“Is that all? Because if it is then your end is set, you can’t steal the Spring Crown if you are a mere mortal.”

Gordon avoided old man eyes, of course it was not but he hopes to get as much as information without giving much, because he wasn’t comfortable to give all information about his power.

“If you are uncomfortable to speak about it with me then don’t, but I can’t give you a good advice if I don’t know all the information.”

“I know…it just” Gordon sigh, he has known old man John since he was a little child, even his mother know him since she was a little child. So he should trust him, after all he hasn’t anyone else to speak about it.

“The prince, Loksum. He gave me something that I don’t know what was it then he declare me as Baron of the Howling Dust, it really memorable process, the sky darkening, tornado everywhere, like the end has come then I pass out. I woke up in some kind of clearing with the power to control wind and dust.”

The old man’s face looks several years older after he heard Gordon story that made Gordon worried that maybe there were no solution to his problem that it was worse than what he thought.

“So…can you said something, your expression really make me worries.”

The old man take a deep breath then looked outside the window. His face looked sad and his lips trembling.

“It really is a destiny that they would get you too.”

Get me too?

“I......used to work as a leather worker, it was my dad job but someday there was a war and they conscript all able body to fight the war, it was a terrible war just like any other.”

The old man take a deep breath then sigh, his memories when he was young seems really hard on his mind.

“I got stabbed in the stomach, I thought I would die soon but I was wrong, even until the war stooped that day I still alive buried under dead bodies, and it was horrible. Pain and hunger made me desperate, I called anyone that might heard me or anything that willing to end my suffering. At that point I would be thankful to anyone, who would be willing to stab me in the chest or beheaded me, anything to end my suffering.”

Wow…that is really horrible.

Gordon never knew that the old man ever fought in war. He always thought that the old man was used to be bard or story teller because he sometimes sang and he likes to tell story.

“In the peak of my desperate, I heard someone coming, he had a light step, one second I heard it still far away then suddenly he stands near my buried body. I didn’t know what he did but all bodies on top of me step aside one by one by themselves, until it was clear that I could see my would be savior. He was a slender man with golden hair wearing leather cloth that patterned with wind swirls and leaves, he said his name was Ember the prince of the Golden Blooms, he offered to me a way out for a price.”

Gordon pretty sure he had met with someone like that before.

“His golden hair, was it a knee length?”

“Yes.”

Shit, it must be him, the guy who I met on the screaming trees.

“I am sure I had met your guy, I thought he was a King or something like that because he wearing some kind of crown made of tree branches and dry leaves.”

“That is him, it has been so long since the last time we met but the guy you met is him.”

“Ohh…but you said it before that his title was a prince right?”

Old man John looked at Gordon eyes, looking for something.

“Do you believe in gods?”

“well, yeah..kind of.”

His mother used to tell story about gods, he personally thought they were mostly an asshole. But he keeps his opinion to himself because his mother had said that they could read mind, he doesn’t want to end up burning in stake or cursed over some opinion, better to blend and life in peace.

“Ember is a god, a lesser one but still god.”

“You are joking right?” Gordon giving the old man hard staring, it was one thing to tell story about gods but to claim that he had met a gods. That was ridiculous.

“No…what I told you is real.”

The old man looks restless after he said that, he keeps looking around him like he expecting that something will jump on him from the shadow.

“Why are you looks scared, what happen?”

“Gods was a dangerous being, talking about them was the equivalent as you invite them.”

“But people talk about gods everyday right? Like in the temple of Pohan.”

“Yes, but it is different.”

Gordon could see that the old man tried hard to calm himself; it still strange to him that the old man would be so scared just talking about them when he had cursed them many times in his mind. If they could read mind from far away he would became dust many times over.

“So…can you give me tips about this Spring Crown, where I could find it?”

The old man doesn’t answer his question instead he just looking at his eyes still looking for something that he doesn’t even know about.

“Could you please stop doing that, you has been looking at my eyes for a while and honestly it started to make me feel uncomfortable, if you has a question for me just ask okay, I would try to answer it as best as I can.”

The old man grunted after hearing what he said then nod his head.

“Do you ever come to a place where the sky was black and there were dead trees that screaming likes some human scream?”

Shit, of all things he could ask he ask that one.

Gordon doesn’t know if it was safe to tell the old man about the screaming trees. It was because the old man scared behavior after spoken about them that unnerved him. But he really did need of the information and by his own story the old man has said that he had made a contract with one of them just like him.

“Yes, and I met him in there, the one you call Ember.”

The old man breath shuddered and he put his hands together to hide his trembling hands.

“What’s wrong? Why are your hands trembling like that?”

But the old man ignoring him, he just looked at the table while muttering something that Gordon can’t hear clearly. It really strange to see him like that because the old man was the bravest person Gordon ever knew. He sometimes joins the hunters if there was some beast or monster that needs special care.

Whatever it is, it must be something big to make the old man so scared.

“The name of that place is The Hall of Ascension.” The old man suddenly said. “It is a very special place.”

“I thought so; there are a lot weird dead trees that screaming in my head there so I am sure it is a special place though the name Hall of Ascension is pretty cool.”

The old man standing from his chair then brings it to Gordon side.

“Look at me son.”

Gordon a little surprised with the old man sudden move, whatever he tell him would be something that very important.

“That place is special because like its name suggested it is the place for their kind to ascend.”

“Ascend to where?”

“Godhood.”

A shiver runs though Gordon’s spine, he tried to process what the old man just said. “I don’t understand, what do you mean by godhood?”

“That place is where they ascend to become god; it is very important thing Gord, because no one should be able to enter it if they are not deemed worthy.”

“Worthy to become god?”

Gordon mind spinning, when he thought about the implication of what the old man just said.

“Yes, I am sure you understand the implication that you can enter that place.”

“But, I am just a guy, a normal guy, why would I deem worthy to become god? What happing here old man?”

He doesn’t want to enter whatever this ascension was, he had heard enough stories about cruelty and horror when gods fought for supremacy, and he would dead a thousand horrible dead if he faces them head on or worst, they would take his soul and tortured him for eternity just like what Loksum planned to do to him.

Shit, shit.

He starts to panic, he had difficulty breathing, cold sweat all over his body. He has to go, he has to run away.

“Hold you self Gord, we will think it together, i would never abandon you son, I promise” The old man words calm him a little, but he couldn’t help himself but to think that his life was over, whatever waiting him over there was horror and suffering. Suddenly he felt so small and helpless, all his glory felt like dust in the wind. Even after he had money and power, he still looking at his future with worries and uncertainty.