Camiare: An Isekai

Chapter 23: The Ruins of Farnur

"When the-"

"I know what it says!" I shouted.
"I . . . . I'm sorry, Elder Luidong, I did not mean to offend you by raising my voice."
I had already heard the Evangiac Prophecy one times too many, and I did not need to hear it again.

Elder Luidong threw back his head and laughed. A deep, hearty, yet somehow light laugh. It did not make any sense.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. So that is the way you will do this. I think you will learn an important lesson this way. It will definetly be interesting."
"How old are you again, Lufis?"

"I turned seven a couple of weeks ago." I replied.

"Ah . . . I remeber now. I recall several weeks ago talking to Crinitus about a special birthday cake he was making."

For my seventh birthday, Crinitus had baked me a chocolate cake, and then made me decorate it. The fun memory calmed my mood.

"Seven years old.... that gives you roughly about three years before it all starts?"

"....Yes."

"Another important question, Lufis. What tier are you?"

"Tier 2." I said in reply.

"That explains why you were holding back earlier with your xetral. While your xetral control is very good for your age, the amount of xetral you used was pitiful. I am sure you know that by using xetral in controlled amounts over and over again, the effort is rewards you with XP which can raise your tier. This is surely what your friend did."

"Lufis, tell me. You are scared to advance to tier 3 and learn your deviant, aren't you?"

I was silent for a moment. Elder Luidong saw right through me. And just after only interacting with me briefly.

"Your right. I really do not want to advance the Evangiac Prophecy any farther than I have too."

Elder Luidong shook his head.
"No Lufis, you must reach tier 3. It is not that you do not want to fullfill, or "advance" as you say, the Evangiac Prophecy. Rather, inside, you still are hoping that you are not the one described in the Evangiac Prophecy. You fear that if you unlock the deviants described in the prophecy, there will be no going back. Am I wrong?"

I hung my head, not knowing what to say.

Luidong sighed. "I can see by your silence that I must have been on the mark."

He patted me on the head. "Sit down, and listen. I have a story that might just help you. It is called The Ruins of Farnur."

Reclining, I sat down on the soft moss and turned my attention to Elder Luidong as he began his story.

"Roland Lantideniz. The very name itself seems to embody his heroic deeds. However, Roland was not always the perfect hero as the legends suggest. Before he ever underwent training with the great swordmast Herbold or the famous Wilton Gress, Roland brashly tried to fight the demons with a party of fellow victims. Everyone in the party were in a similar situation to Roland, all survivors of demon pillages. They spent weeks tracking down a third class Jeknal demon, with the help of a Nekohito named Evolym, who had exceptional tracking skills. The members of the party were Flexni, a short man who was skilled with an axe, Lium, a younger man who quickly befriended Roland, Suvia, a skilled knive user who harbored a deep sense of revenge, and Evolym, whose parents had been killed by Jeknal demons and been found by Roland. In fact, during the months together, Roland and Evolym fell in love.

After months of travelling the continent, the party of five finally cornered the demon at the Farnur Ruins. Farnur had once been a proud human stonghold, a castle which had been a symbol of power. That is till the demons came. Ruined stone buildings that had once been the mighty Farnur Castle littered the area. Catching sight of the demon among the ruins, Roland ignored the reasonings and warnings of his friends and his lover and charged the demon head on. Following the demon deeper to the ruins, Roland eventually caught up to it in what had once been the interior courtyard, which had been the place for public celebrations. And executions. Drawing its blade, the Jeknal demon rushed at Roland.

Thoughts of revenge filled Roland's thoughts and mind as he clashed blow after blow with the Jeknal demon. Sensing his anger, the demon goaded him on, taughting him, mocking him. It laughed at him saying, "Why do all humans think that they can defeat us demons? Every time they seem so shocked as they lay dying in my shadow. And you think you will be different? No human has scratched me in centuries, not even the humans of the village you held so dear!" However, Roland was a natural fighter, and as the fight continued, so did his skill. Each strike and blow accelerated Roland past his limits, raising him higher and higher. Blow after blow, the demon toyed with him, keeping him alive. Finally, the Jeknal demon decided the fight had been going on long enough. Raising its sword arm, the demon slashed downwards, focusing nixetral into its blade in a devasting attack. Sensing the danger, Roland coated his blade with his remaining xetral and managed to guide the nixetral blade down the length of his sword into the ground. Swinging with all his might, Roland swung his sword and managed to cut off the demon's right horn. In a fit of rage, the demon abandoned its sword and coated its fist in nixtrel and attacked with renewed vigor. It was a fatal mistake. Dodging the enraged fists, Roland proceded to pull the demon's own sword from the earth. Enraged even further that a mere human dare touch its blade, the Jeknal demon rushed toward Roland, who stepped forward to accept the challenge. Swinging the swords, Roland rushed the demon, who raised its nixetral arms to protect itself from the two blade, only to realize it had made a horrible miscalculation. Roland had fainted, swinging only with his own blade which shattered at the force of the blow against the nixetrel, and stabbing with the Jeknal's sword into the demon's chest. Bursting into orange flames, Roland stood triumphantly as he watched the nixetrel consume the demon into oblivion.

Battered and wounded, Roland limped his way back to his comrades. As he made his way back to where he had last seen them, Roland tripped over a body. It was Suvia. Breaking into a run, Roland reached another body, this time Flexni. Dread pounded in his chest, trying to break out. While fighting the Jeknal demon, the party had been attacked by the demon's compatriots, who lazily left after killing the party, fully expecting the other Jeknal demon to meet up with them after defeating Roland. Following a trail of blood, Roland encountered the dead body of his good friend Lium, who had died trying to protect Evolym. Fighting back the hot tears that were mixing with the dirt and blood on his checks, Roland pushed onwards. On the stairs of the abandoned watchtower which Lium had died infront of, Roland found the bloody body of Evolym, dead. In utter despair, Roland cried and cried, holding the dead body of Evolym, the woman he loved. After giving them a proper burial, Roland vowed in Evolym's name never to fight just on revenge."

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I addressed Elder Luidong. "What was the point of telling me this? To tell me not to fight for revenge as it will lead to my own ruin?"

"In some sense, yes, but that was not the main reason I told you this story. It is important that you understand that Roland was not perfect. In midst of suffering, Roland sought revenge, which was a natural choice. But he rushed in unprepared, and payed dearly for it. If you continue to not advance to tier 3, I fear something similar will happen to you. Please understand, Lufis, I do not wish to scare you. I rather wish to warn you of where the path you are currently on leads. You must get stronger. Do not try and avoid the inevitable."

"Your right... I had never though about it like that. I will have to deal with the prophecy after I reach tier 3. And worry about it only then."

Luidong smiled, placing his worn hand on my shoulder. "I am glad you understood at least some of what I was trying to convey to you. On that note, follow me."

Walking deeper into Moss Cavern, I couldn't help but admire the feel of the moss beneath my feet. Luidong had instructed me to remove my shoes before we started to head deeper into the cavern. Sun jade, a type of rock crystal that natural shines its own light, lined the walls, lighting the cavern. After a minute of walking, Luidong stopped as the moss gave way to a underground lake, which sparkled with the light of the sun jade. In the middle of the lake was a moss island.

Luidong turned to face me. "Shall we start your training?"