Chapter 76: Cradle of the Makers

Chapter 76: Cradle of the Makers

Chapter 76

Cradle of the Makers

Sylas sat in the quiet room, his head perched over a thick tome alight by the nearby candlelight. Ever since returning to the castle and, once more, ensuring that the Prince was the man of the hour, he had busied himself with reading. Hed gotten remarkably good at the language and was more than confident in fluently parsing the numerous tomes in the library.

Though he didnt doubt Valen, Sylas still wanted to look for it all himself. After all, bias and prejudice were beasts difficult to slay. Furthermore, he suspected that Valen was quick to dismiss the folk tales and legends and mythswhereas Sylas himself was very, very interested in those. They were, after all, usually merely romanticized versions of realityplucking events and peoples from history and immortalizing them in the words of beauty and cruelty.

Another reason why he dove into work is that he had a good 'editor', so to say, in Iun. The young boy was more than equipped to be Sylas filter, and even if his knowledge of the human Kingdoms was severely limited, he still had some, which was more than nothing. Sylas even delayed inquiring about the Shard for the time being, as he wanted to naturally weave it into the conversation rather than just bringing it up.

He started from the most trusted sources according to the Prince, burning through countless historic tomesLands of Ethernia: From King Vulmin to King Berret, Men of Stone: History of the Royal Blood, Royal Lineage he'd gone through ten or so tomes in the past two weeks since his return but hadn't learned much past what he already knew.

Every history was quite finicky with the timelinemost of the dates that shared consensus across the board didn't begin until some six hundred years ago. All tomes, for a change, agreed on the starting point: Sapphire Queen. Supposedly, she was born bathed in the enriched, sapphire moonlight, affording her the Gift of the Starsshe led the charge with the army and expanded the Kingdom's borders to their current lines, ended several families and lineages vying for the crown, and exiled or executed all enemies of the crown.

There was also quite a distinction in the way her story was written versus a good chunk of those preceding hersthough it was still clearly romanticized and unified, it was also grounded. Nowhere did it say that she charged into an army of thousand and had slain them all herself. Though she was described as a brilliant general and tactician and even a warrior, nowhere did it claim that she could obliterate armies with a flick of a finger.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Furthermore, all her feats seemed more than feasiblecleaning up the Kingdom, launching border-expansion campaigns, rooting out anti-royalists all of those things seemed par for the course, really, compared to some of the earlier supposed Kings and Queens. In fact, Sylas found it quite comedic.

One of the Kings that was mentioned in at least a few tomes, which loosely agreed on things surrounding him, was King Byre. Though the accounts of his existence range anywhere from nine hundred years ago to just before Sapphire Queen herself, it was the accounts of his deeds that floored Sylas: supposedly, the man had the ability to mind control everyone. He went about the neighboring Kingdoms and charmed Princesses with his powers and fathered royal bastards in every single Palace.

Supposedly, the current Royal Lineages of the peninsula's Kingdoms all trace back to him which, in turn, affords Ethernia a claim to the boundless lands. Forgetting the sheer ridiculousness of the story, it was a clear point of propagandaa story used to stoke the masses into believing theirs is the grandest and greatest Kingdom. This wasnt the only one, however.

What convinced Sylas that a lot of these historians were just making it up as they went along were some of the earliest accounts of the Kingdoms history. Supposedly, the very first Kings and Queens following the Kingdoms founding had blades made out of starlight, and could fly effortlessly with the birds, and were so beautiful that grass and trees and flowers prostrated when they saw them.

Additionally, a few historians even implied they were angelic descenders, sent upon this world by the higher powers to guide humanity. Nowhere was this nonsense more pronounced than in the founding pair themselves: King Ether and Queen Naia.

What? Sylas quizzed.

This isnt a Shardnot the kind you humans have come to understand, Iun said. Shards are inanimate things brought to lifethis one is a dead thing. And dead things cannot be brought back to life. What they can, the boy added, curling up his fingers slightly as the tendrils of pure-silver smoke arose from his fingertips and latched themselves onto the Shard, cradling it like a mother holding her babe. Is alight the way.

The Shard suddenly trembled, alighting in the resplendent sapphire before it shot toward unsuspecting and still-awed Sylas. It broached past his sight and went directly through his skullbut it didnt hurt. In fact, rather than the expected pain, he instead experienced soft, warm embrace. It was as though his entire body was put into its most perfect state, all ailments defied.

Opening his eyes, he lifted his arms and saw the veins upon his forearm bulge, faintly shimmering in the blue hue. He glowed like a lantern in the dark for a moment before all the lights dimmed and he was but a human again.

what what happened? Sylas asked in wonder, glancing at Iun.

Your magic will nurture the heart, Iun said. And shall become your strength. You can listen, can you not, human? Thats how you hear me. Thats how you hear the world. As such, hear yourself.

After a moments pause, Sylas closed his eyes and focused on the teachings of the Heartseekertuning out all other sounds, he focused on his heartbeat. For a moment, it wasnt strangeperchance slightly accelerated than usual due to the experience, but that was it. However, he heard it, thenit was in-between the quickened beats, and it was weak and silent and almost unheard. Like a secondary heartbeat, fighting to live.

You have managed to charge the Shard of Everfrost!

Quest Completed!

Reward: Shard of Everfrosts true identity is Frosted Heart of the Thrall, the Deads apparition of Shards. All Thralls have a chance to coalesce their fading energy into a singular object; their inheritors, then, would consume the object and inherit the secrets, the knowledge, and even talents potentially. Though humans are unable to inherit the Heart, they can still be carefully consumedwith the assistance of an Undying. Consumed Heart offers protection from elements derived from the Hearts own element, and increased sensitivity toward other Hearts.

Beholder of the Heart was Utu, Thrall of the Frost who died 2883 years ago in the War of the Empires.

New Quest: Cradle of the Makers

Content: uncover Utus truth.

Reward: further information about the Heart.

oh, what the fuck