Lucia's Point of View

Farro Estate

My heart ached as I saw Arthur’s face contort in pain. Tears soon ran down his cheeks as his eyes filled with water. He practically quivered as I watched his eyes read line after line. His face twitched as he tried, and failed, to control his emotions. Arthur let out a breath of disbelief as he read the journal. Both Aydalia and Aien looked just as concerned as I did but also surprised.

Arthur flipped through the pages after he calmed down. His face would twitch every so often, and his eyes would flick to Alwin’s parents on occasion. Specifically, Aydalia. He read in silence as it took him only a few minutes to read through the entire journal. The speed at which he read was impressive, but when he finished, he just quietly returned the book to Aydalia.

“Thank you.” Arthur said softly. “I found the answers I was looking for and leads to others.” He gave a short bow before he portal away, leaving us all in stunned silence.

“What just happened?” Aien inquired.

Mrs. Farro opened the book and ran her hand down the pages. “He could read the beginning of it.” She whispered in disbelief. “How could he do that?”

I frowned as I looked to where he opened his portal and quickly slipped away. “Perhaps he really was a friend with one of your ancestors.” Both Elves looked at me. “I would keep this from Alwin and Ayda. Their relationship is not on solid ground yet. Give them time and then inform them of this development.” It was a suggestion, but both parents nodded in agreement.

“And the Priestesses? Will you tell them of this?” Aien inquired.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I answered. “No. Both are rather busy with other things right now. Perhaps I will bring it to their attention in time, but I do not think now is a good time.” Giving them a more uneasy glance as I crossed my arms made them look at each other. “Please refrain from mentioning this if one of them comes snooping.”

Another nod in agreement, but my eyes drifted back to where Arthur left. There was more to him than I knew. Something was going on behind the scenes, and Arthur had a clue to what it was. However, he was also a man searching for answers, so how much could he really know?

Elincia's Point of View

Above Helmsforth

Arthur had left the Farro home and portaled away. His magical signature, no matter how weak it came across, was now gone. My eyes narrowed as Lucia was still present with Aien and Aydalia. Each seemed to be fine and without injury. Was it just a talk, or did something else happen? Why the sudden interests in the Farro family?

My senses reached out and quickly felt him back in the outskirts. Homing in on him in his estate, I focused on what he might be doing. One of my spies informed me that he was in the Middle Rung, which is what caught my curiosity. At first, I thought he might be expanding his influence even more, but then he went to the Farro household.

His movements have been unpredictable at best, and it didn’t seem like that was going to change any time soon. Arceana held little trust for our Knight, but not without reason. I, on the other hand, trusted him more than I probably should have. Something about him was familiar, and yet, nothing was.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled to myself as Arthur left his home after a few minutes. “Where are you going?”

Arthur dashed into the Hollow Forest suddenly, and my eyes widened. Instantly, I teleported above the cursed forest and tried tracking him. His magical signature was gone in an instant from where he was. No doubt the work of his portals. In response, I used a spell to find out where he was. It took a few minutes, but I found him.

“The Old Capital?” My brows furrowed in confusion. “What in the world is he doing there?” A place forgotten to time.

It had fallen long ago, and even the Elves in this day and age barely remember it. Rumors, legends, and folktales kept it alive, but only as a memory. Not many knew about its actual whereabouts, which made me wonder just how our Knight knew exactly where it was.

With another teleportation, I was off.

Arthur's Point of View

The Old Capital

Aydan created that journal and handed it down to his descendants. A book that would find any living relatives and latch onto them due to a spell he cast on it. Each would leave their story inside and hand it to their children unless they were killed like Aydan was.

“Using fucking Russian to leave a message for me beyond the grave…” I muttered darkly as I moved through familiar hallways.

Since he was always so curious, Aydan had inquired how many languages there were where I was from. He took an interest in Russian since I knew a little bit due to the war. Alexandra mostly spoke in Russian, which meant you either learned or let her insult you constantly without your knowledge.

As such, he left a message for me. One that hurt more than it should have. Aydan was wise and definitely a Master of Magic. He earned his title that’s been handed down. The beginning was left for me in the hopes that I would find it knowing that I knew his descendants. Apparently, he created it after I told him that no one knew what happened to him.

Powerful and cautious he was. Figuring that he would die in the war, he made plans to leave little breadcrumb trails for me. His journal was one of them and other darker details of what happened to his line. Many were hunted down and traded off when Rudnurth came back into power. His wife made sure his children were safe without ever revealing herself or them. However, it was a familiar name that surprised me nonetheless.

Another was with him at the Heart of the Hollow Forest, but I still couldn’t bring myself to head there. The Guardians no doubt remained, and I had more than enough to deal with for the moment. Going to the heart would mean I would have to free them or leave them there. Given that I was unsure of what was best, waiting made the most sense, and was the perfect excuse to avoid it altogether.

“Where is it?”

That, in turn, led me here. Aydan’s old study. Moving through the room, which no longer looked how I remembered it, debris cluttered the area. However, on the far wall in the back right corner was what I was supposed to be looking for. Reaching out with my energy, I found the switch and moved to it. Activating it opened a hidden door that was oozing with his magic, which surprised me.

“What have you hidden here for me?” I asked nobody as I entered.