Chapter 119
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It is true that it is hard to believe the words of a person who have betrayed you. But someone was ready to believe everything about Elazar, even if he was so against ‘her’ when she was still Eirian.
[How I wish I had a chance to talk to Elazar before he disappeared!] Sebastian wrote to Dorin when they got back to the dorms one day. [If I only knew he was my ancestor, I would have asked him hundreds of questions about being a silver tongue!]
“Question is, would he have answered your questions truthfully?” Johan said after reading his slate.
“I myself had no idea who he really was...” Dorin answered in a whisper.
In truth, he was still finding it hard to believe, and felt a little hurt that Eirian had been hiding it from him.
Okay, maybe not just a little hurt, in fact, he was more hurt about the fact that Eirian hid his real identity, rather than the fact that he’s been erasing his memories to suit his selfish needs.
“Wow, Sebastian, so you were related to the Ravantes,?” Patrice asked.
He had been more vocal with them ever since the accident happened.
Being acquainted with Mordecai helped as well, since the elder medic have been hanging out with him whenever their group gets together.
[Ah, yes, I am from a small branch family.] Sebastian replied.
“Oh, that’s why you’re so good with charms as well!” said Patrice with a smile as he placed a platter of sausages on the table for Dog.
The large animal stood on his hind legs to solemnly eat his food.
“Tell me if you want to have some more!” Patrice stroke the white ridge of fur between Dog’s ears that ran down its spine.
“Hmm, Dog has really taken a liking to you,” Dorin noted.
“Really?” Patrice said with a lovely smile. “I really like animals, and I’m glad they like me a lot as well!”
[Yes, it’s a common character of life mages]
“Oh, Prof. Althea told me the same thing, she even introduced me to Prof. Wolfsbane from the Cryptozoology department.”
“Wolfsbane? Wasn’t he that guy who came with Lord Ombra before?” Johan asked absentmindedly as he made some snacks for Dagon and himself.”
“Yes, he has this charm on animals,” replied Dorin. “If Eirian is the kind that can manipulate people, he’s the type that can talk to animals and magical beings.”
[That’s it!] Sebastain suddenly slammed his slate on the low table where they sat around in the living room.
“What’s it?” Dorin asked, surprised.
[Elazar’s nephew!] read the words in his slate in big capital letters. [I just realized who he is!]
Meanwhile, let us turn back time to a couple of weeks before.
On that fateful evening when Elazar Ravante was discovered to be living as Dorin’s childhood best friend, Eirian Marie.
It was a typical night at the Dark Forest that evening.
The stars were out early since the days were starting to get shorter as October arrived. Damien Wolfsbane was in his cave, carving an image of an elk on a piece of black wood to pass the time, when something suddenly fell on his back.
Or rather, someone.
“Damien~” cried a whiny voice near his ear. “Dorin hates me now! He refused to come with me and decided to stay with his schoolmates instead!”
Damien Wolfsbane gave a deep sigh.
“What is it this time, Uncle Zar?” he asked Elazar Ravante who is currently crying on his nape.
“Weren’t you listening?” Elazar replied with a sniff. “Dorin doesn’t need me anymore! He’d much rather stay with his useless friends than travel the world with me!” he sniffed some more. “He said he can’t trust me! Can you believe that? My little Dorin said he can’t trust me!”
“And what have you done to lose his trust?”
Elazar went silent.
Damien turned to face his uncle and saw the pout on his beautiful face, his long, silver hair glistening from the light of the lamp he had by his feet.
“All I did was remove a little incident from their memories... nothing they would have missed...” Elazar mumbled.
“In short, you tried to manipulate Dorin and his friends?”
“It was all for his own good!”
Elazar let Damian go and sat down on the cave floor next to him. His fluid hair fell like a cascading waterfall down his bare shoulders.
“Uncle, I already told you, Dorin likes his freedom, and you should just let him enjoy himself. He would only move farther away from you if you keep chaining him to your side.”
“Hmph, I gave you your freedom, and look what that brought you,” Elazar frowned at Damien. “You chose to leave the Ravante estates to our useless relatives just so you could live like a savage in this cave?!”
“That is because I chose to live with my brethren in nature, rather than suffocate in the cities with the rest of the mortals who destroy our lands.”
“Huh... enough with the hermit logic, why don’t you just come travel with me instead?” he asked his nephew. “It’s literally been centuries since we last traveled the continents, I heard there are lots of new things to see now, there’s even a newly excavated ruin in the Afran kingdom, we might finally be able to find what we’ve been searching for there.”
“You’re still searching for that?” Damien asked Elazar. “Is that the reason why you haven’t visited me for that last 50 years?”
“Aw, is my little Damien sulking?” Elazar gave him a big smile. “I’ve simply been busy with some stuff, then Dorin came along and I had to play mommy all over again! You know how it is with kids.” He placed an arm around the much bigger Damien and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s a good thing that you inherited the silver mage’s longevity, though you didn’t have a silver tongue. Besides, your ability to communicate with animals and magical beings is second to none. You know how much I’m proud of you!”
Damien gave another sigh as his uncle kept kissing his cheek.
“You know very well that playing with fate and destiny would only cause trouble, uncle. You should just let things be.”
“How could I? You know it’s been ages since gold and silver were born in the same century. And as ancient scripture dictates, the union would open the gates to paradise!”
“And how much of it have you found?” Damien asked him. “How far have you gone in finding the entry to paradise?”
Elazar smiled at his nephew.
“There’s only one key left,” he told him. “My final gift for Dorin. And I will take him back as soon as I find it. Then, we can all go back to paradise together.”
*
And so, life goes on in the Royal Aubrianne Imperial University, while in its shadows, the lowered voices whisper in the dark.
“The old Ravante have finally shown himself,” said a mouth with a thousand voices. “The door to paradise will soon appear.”
“Not if it is forcefully opened,” said a calm voice.
“You tell your uncle that!” sneered a thunderous voice full of foreboding. “Tell him that his pact with us is no more!”
“He is sorry and is most humbled by his wrong doings,” replied Damien Wolfsbane to Lord Ombra who represents the line of the dragons. “He is currently traveling to reflect on his terrible behavior.”
“And what of the golden child?” asked the thousand voices.
“He is learning,” replied a raspy voice from the darkness. “He learns well.”
“Good, then, yet what of our loss?” asked the thousand voices. “We still haven’t found the heir we once lost. Evidence shows that the silver witch is also to blame!”
“I’m afraid I have no knowledge of that,” Damien replied calmly. “I have asked my brethren about him, yet none of them have seen your missing son.”
“Perhaps he’s lost for good?” Lord Ombra’s gravely voice said ominously.
“Bite your tongue, dragon, lest I turn it to a belt around my waist!”
“Want to give it a try?” the dragon Lord’s voice rumbled.
“Please be silent.”
The two calmed down with Damien’s request.
“What is important is the balance. With the Golden child and the Silver tongue in training, they can soon be able to keep this kingdom from tilting on its scale,” said the raspy voice. “The emperor is vigilant. He is paranoid, and fear makes a man do foolish things. We must teach the new generation of the truths before the end draws near.”
“We leave him to you then, head oracle,” said the thousand voices. “I am still busy looking for my heir, I refuse to mourn his lost yet again.”
“I understand, Lord Morel,” said Damien’s calm voice. “my brethren and I shall keep our eyes and ears peeled as well.”
“Then we shall meet again when it is needed,” rumbled Lord Ombra’s voice, followed by a gust of wind as he left the clearing they occupied.
“You all know how to contact me,” Lord Morel said in a thousand voices.
“I as well,” replied Damien who looked at the head oracle, Pan Phineas.
“`Till we meet again, Damien. May I suggest you teach Sebastian the song of Phases?”
“If he wishes to,” Damien replied with a curt bow. “Until we meet again.”
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- This is the end of Phasma Phase 2 to 4 -
We shall meet again in Phasma Phase 5