“You are late.”

“Yeah…I am sorry about that but Mr. Sully won’t let me go before I finish his walking lesson, likes i can’t walk by myself, and trust me he is more enthusiast about me become a Baron than even myself.”

Gordon felt that he had to give some explanation to the old John because their meeting this time was very important and dangerous too. They need to locate where was the Crown of Spring as of right now and made a plan about how to take it without anyone dead or their soul captured. Of course it actually him who would does all the dangerous jobs, and the old John here was just some emotional support.

“So can you tell why would I, need to come here before you reveal the secret of the Crown of Spring? because you were in my house yesterday and you didn’t tell me anything about it.”

The old John just snorted hearing his question then strolling in his house looking for something.

“Your lack of culture really bothers me Gord.”

He doesn’t understand what the old John’s words mean, what the correlation between his question and his lack of culture. But that was the old John, he sometimes spoke some weird word.

“This Gord is what make you different that me.” The old John said with pride while holding a bottle of liquor.

“What is that? And what it has to do with me? Come one old john can we speak now.” Gordon had tried to be patient with him but he has no time anymore because Mr. Sully want them to go to Torun city the day after tomorrow to visit his office and made his position official.

“Come…come” the old John gestured to Gordon to follow him, they sat on the chairs in front of the fireplace with a small desk between them.

Glup…glup

The old John drinks his bottle like someone that hasn’t drink for days.

“Ahh…..this is a good stuff.” The old John said while looking fondly at the bottle in his hand, making Gordon wonder how good actually that drink was.

“Drink it.”

Gordon take the bottle then drink it like the old John drink it before and spurt it immediately, he cough hard and want to vomit.

What the fuck is this? He doesn’t know what inside the bottle, but it was the most horrible drink he ever has in his entire life. It even worse that a bottle of beer that he drink with Lukas years ago. The old John takes the bottle from his hand.

“This is special liquor from the capital city named Gruis, I had saved this years for special occasion like this.” Then he frown at Gordon “and you just waste it spurting it likes that.”

Gordon just give him a sheepish smile, he really not expecting that whatever was that taste like a thousand years goat’s piss.

“You are a Baron now so I will tell you an important lesson; listen carefully Gord that no man talks about the end of the world or about gods without drinking strong beer that just uncultured, do you do understand?”

Gordon doesn’t care at all about this cultured thing, he just wanted to talk about his problem but since the old John looked serious he just nodded his head.

“So…can we talk about these gods? Or we have to wait for another day? But i really hope you can tell me now because I have to go to Torun city soon.”

Old john just sighed and looked at Gordon. “What do you want to know?”

“Where is the spring palace?”

“It isn’t in this world”

His heart sinks when he heard that. How he would do this if it wasn’t in this world.

“But lucky you or not, I don’t know which is more correct.” He takes out a piece of paper from under the desk and gives it to Gordon. In it were several words with number in front of it.

“What is it?” Gordon still confused why old John gives him a piece of paper, he need a good advice not a piece of paper.

“That are list things that you need to do.”

Gordon felt unsure about what old John said but he believes that this old man has something that could help him so he tried to read the words in the paper.

“Number one, train you power until you can smell what people feel.” He looked at old John face demanding an answer.

“It is training, boy.” Old John said impatient. “First step is training your power until you have full control of it; second step is to visit the hall of ascension, third step is stole that crown of yours.”

Oh..

“But, it said I have to train my power until I can smell what people feel, which is confusing me.”

“That is the Autumn power, it is an ancient power that have domain over soul and mind, so I thought if you could smell people feeling that means you are has control over it.”

“That is not made any sense at all; I still don’t understand what you mean with smell people feeling John, The last time I know, a feeling doesn’t smell.”

“Trust me son, when Ember give me power to do his bidding I could smell fear in the air, I could smell sad and many other emotion, i even able to read mind and tore someone’s soul then taste it.”

Gordon takes a big gulp. “What…what do you mean you taste it, did you…did you eat a soul?”

“That is a story for another time, what I mean is that what I wrote in those paper is possible to do and I urgent you to do it as fast as possible.” Old John said while scratching his neck and looking the other way.

He could see that old John really uncomfortable telling that stories so he let it go, but he didn’t expect that he was capable doing something like that. He wanted to know this old man history, it must be amazing, and after all this was done he would ask him to tell it.

“Yeah…yeah of course.” Gordon said that but inside he wasn’t sure that it was possible, flying above the clouds, sure. But smelling fear, he thought that just some form of expression.

“Actually I have other things to ask you, it is about when Loksum cursed me; he said that if I don’t succeed stolen the Crown of Spring my humanity will diminish every year, can you give me some explanation what he mean?”

“This creature loved their word, twisting it and used it to hurt and destroy others for their amusement.” Old John sighed. “The power of Autumn isn’t mean for mortal so every times you used it you have to paid the price which is your humanity, it means the more you used it the more you became less human.”

“Then why he said that words to me, is he trying to trick me?”

Old John shook his head. “Their kind cannot lie, that why they likes to twisting words, walk between the exact words and the spirit of the words, it is in their blood.”

“It still doesn’t explain why he said that to me.”

“I think he just stated that fact to rush you so you would desperate and a desperate person is easy to manipulate.”

“…….”

“That is made sense, so what is actually his goal? I mean if he wants that Crown isn’t it better for him to give me a good advice instead of making a plot to make me desperate? After all my success is his success, right?”

Old John doesn’t answer his question instead he stay quiet, he looked thinking hard about something.

“John……John…are you alright?”

“Yes, I am fine.” Old John takes a deep breath then leaned back in his chair. “I am also wondering what actually his goal.”

Gordon more inclined to believe that Loksum just want his soul, but why would he make such elaborate lies if he could snatch his soul easily. So maybe he has another goal to achieve, like the crown of spring.

“Why would Loksum want the Crown of Spring, is he want to become King?”

“Obviously.”

“And what do you mean in your second suggestion?”

Old John sat up straight, a little smile in the corner of his mounth. “The Hall of Ascension is the oldest and the most sacred place in Autumn court, its place where the King raise, the immortal gone and it also the heart of the Autumn, only those who has been invited by the King able to enter that place for it was where the gods born and everything begin.”

“Yeah…that is cool, so why I should enter it after I master my power”

“because that where is all began, first you must understand that enmity between autumn court and spring court is as old as the court themselves.”

“Yeah..”

“They are opposite like fire and water, if there is water the fire has to go and if there is fire the water has to go, their enmity isn’t about some fighting over land or pride or anything that usually a reason for human to wage a war, their reason is simply as it is like fire and water, the can’t cease their war just like fire can’t cease it contradiction with water.”

“That a little bit confusing.”

“The only one thing you must know is that the hall of ascension of autumn court connected to the hall of ascension of spring court, do you understand?”

“Ah….i see, it is my way to the spring court”

“Yes, but you can’t just go over there when you want it, their war was on equal ground, so since you are a baron you can challenge one of their baron to a duel, and that times you can ask them to do it in their court, that is how you would be able to enter the spring court.”

“And the duel, do I have to do it?”

“That the easiest way son, you will have a chance if you win.”

“And if I lose?”

“Well, I don’t know…maybe they will eat your soul or thrown you in jail, I don’t know I never do it before.”

“Oh..” Gordon tried to calm his trembling body; of course it will involve eating soul or eternity imprisonment, why would he expect otherwise.

They fell silent after the big revelation. Gordon’s throat felt dry and itchy so he takes the horrible drink in the desk and drink it, hot liquid fall down his throat washing the itchy away. It taste worse than goat’s piss but he can’t help himself and take another swing, maybe he would pass out after drinking this thing so he can forget all this mess for a while. Then he looked at the old John in front of him wondering whether what he just said was accurate or just his speculation after all he said it himself that he never done it before so how he know about all of this. A seed of doubt appear in Gordon heart, what if old John actually working for them, he said that he used to do their bidding, maybe the reason why he refuse to tell him this yesterday was because he need to made elaborate lies first, he need to prepare his plot to do what? What exactly his angle in this, why would he help me, what if it was all trap.

Gordon shook his head to clear his mind. It doesn’t matter whether old John has ulterior motive to help him or not because he was the only help Gordon has, or maybe he should find the guy named Greta, compare their advice trying to find another angle to finish his job.

But first he needs to understand his power, like it or not, old John’s plan was Gordon only plan right now. Old john has said that Autumn has a domain over soul and mind so how does he able to control wind and dust?

“You said that Autumn domain is over soul and mind so how does I able to control wind?”

“That because your title, its Howling dust right?”

Gordon nodded.

“If you are concentrating on yourself then calling out your title you must feel some kind of kinship with it right?”

Gordon nodded again.

“That is because Loksum doesn’t give you that title, it is the autumn itself that give the title, each one of title in the autumn court is given by the autumn itself, tailored according to the soul where that title is bestowed.”

Glup…Glup…Glup

Old John takes a deep swing of his horrible drink. It worries Gordon that maybe the old man would pass out before finish his explanation.

“Don’t worry, I had drunk it for years…, and it would need a dozen of fine bottles like this to make me out.”

Somehow old John’s rebuttal made Gordon annoyed, it was a serious matter and this drunken old man treat it like a tavern talk.

“Just like I said before, the Autumn has dominion over soul and mind, and your title is the mark that autumn left in your soul, it bring out your potential which manifest as your ability to control wind.”

“Okay, but how does my power growing so fast? Not even a week after my awakening and I already able to beat an Archmage.”

“Because it is not your power son, it is the autumn power, the moment you get your title your power is already on par with other baron in the autumn court, what you need is to learn how to use it.”

Gordon felt down a little after hearing that he never actually awaken and if he doesn’t have his title anymore he would became an average guy again, struggle to find a job and his place in this world. And the notion to live his life as an average guy was frightening him. There was no way he would be able to live his life like before after he felt the intoxication feeling when autumn run through his body, freedom on the tips of his finger, there was no way he could life without it. So he strengthens his resolve to do this, he would try this and succeed or died trying.

“Hmm…that is a nice expression you have there, I can see you have make your resolve, good….because you will need a lot of it.”

“Yeah…I think so.” Of course it wasn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to find another way. After this he would use all his resources to find that man, Greta.

“How old actually you are, John?”

“Old enough to be your grandpa, why do you ask?”

“And you have been wandering around right? You must know a lot of people.”

Old John giving him annoyed look. “Stop wasting my time, what is your point?”

“Do you perhaps know someone named Greta? Maybe he is as old as you.”

Old John snorted when he heard Gordon’s question. “Why are you asking?”

“Well…, when the last time I was in the Hall of Ascension a guy that maybe your old buddy Ember said that I have to find a man named Greta because he could help me.”

“Mmmm….damn you Ember.” Old John mutters to himself.

“What? Did you say something?”

“Mmmmmm..fucking Ember has to involving me in his plot, damn immortal.” Old John still mutters to himself.

“What?”

Gordon felt lost right know, old John seems to know something about the guy but he keep muttering to himself.

“It’s me.”

“You what? I don’t understand.”

“It’s me damn it, the guy that you looking for is me, Greta was my name.”

“Oh……”

“……….”