TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 9: The Story of Arthur Leywin

ARTHUR LEYWIN

'It's been almost 10 minutes, Arthur. Are you sure she didn't just climb out of her window and leave?' Regis says.

I'm pretty sure she didn't do that. I would have heard it, though I'm trying not to enhance my hearing with aether so as to not hear anything she's doing in there.

'How very commendable of you, princess, but what if she never comes out?' he asks.

She'll come out.

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After a few more minutes, a few footsteps approach the cream-colored door. It creaks slightly as the woman behind it steps into the doorway and stares at me. Her ruby eyes are bloodshot from crying as the minimal makeup she wears runs down her cheeks.

"Grey, I'm here to ask about the rest," she says, staring holes through me with empathetic eyes.

"Alright, Caera. Now it's time for the story of Arthur Leywin," I reply, a smirk forming on my face as I take a seat. I sent Cecilia into the guest bathroom so that Caera and I would have a bit of privacy.

Caera pulls up a chair so that she's seated a few feet in front of me and rests her hands on her lap.

"It starts in a town known as Ashber, in the north of the Kingdom of Sapin," I start. "I was born there with my doting mother and father being there every step of the way. My mother's name is Alice. My father's name was Reynolds."

Caera's eyes begin to tear up a bit at the mention of "was."

"I didn't stay there very long because I, with my previous experience on Earth, had insight on how to develop a mana core the Dicathian way. I awoke at 3," I say.

Her eyes stare into mine with disbelief. I watch as she mouths 'What the fuck?' to herself. The tears that started to form have already begun to dry before I continue.

"My father began to train me, but I quickly exceeded his skill level. My parents opted to find me a tutor, but I recommended we just move to Xyrus City.

"Everything was great until a few days after my 4th birthday that passed during the journey. We were attacked by bandits. They tried to take the women and me, but we were guarded by my dad's old adventuring party, the Twin Horns. They fended off the attackers for the most part, but my dad got hurt. He told me to run away with my mother, and protect the baby inside of her.

"Not wishing to let my father down, I took my mother's hand and ran away as fast as I could, but a conjurer on a hill cast a spell at us. I couldn't save both my mother and myself, so I chose to save my mother and the child she had in her. The spell sent me off of a cliff, but not before I took that conjurer bastard with me.

"I awoke on the floor of a forest; I somehow survived the fall. I was subsequently called out to by a mysterious voice that beckoned me to find it. When I did, I was met with what I thought was a demon. In actuality, it was Sylvia Indrath, a dragon and the daughter of Kezess Indrath, the current Lord of all of Epheotus. She was disguised as a Vritra to not draw attention to herself while hiding in that cavern.

"Sylvia taught me a lot. She taught me how to use a technique called Mana Rotation that allowed me to absorb mana while moving. She even warned me of how dangerous my vengeful ways could be. Unbeknownst to me, she was dying. Slowly killing herself so that she could open a portal to send me back to my family. Just before the portal fully formed, a Vritra appeared, calling out to Sylvia and even referring to her as 'Lady.' That Vritra was Cadell. Sylvia used aether to stop time for a moment and imbue her own unique beast will within me, before handing me a rainbow egg and a dragon feather. She then pushed me through the portal and relegated herself to the fate of dying at Cadell's hands. I still consider her my grandmother."