The Eternal: A Boxed Set (World of Ga'em Book 6) Read online

  Well, that’s unfortunate, I thought. What does that mean for me, though?

  “The records of the past do not tell of what happened or where the Eternals went,” Raffyr said. “But what is certain is that they did indeed disappear.”

  I paused for a moment, taking in all this information. “And you think I’m one of these forgotten people.”

  “I know you are,” Raffyr said.

  The corner of my mouth twitched. “My Ga’em menu says I’m a Level 12 human with no special traits other than my amnesia,” I said. “How could I be an Eternal?”

  “The very essence of the Eternal is the fact that their existence lasts forever,” he said. “They are the only race that can possess the Resurrection ability, and since they were born along with the world—and by extension the Ga’em—their Ga’em record is different and thus cannot be read by the normal equipment we keep around us. It is quite likely this is also why your Ga’em menu displays information different from what you truly are.”

  Good point, I thought. That does make sense.

  “If that doesn’t seem like enough proof for you,” Viola said, “that stone you just shattered? It’s called a lightstone, a rare gem that shatters only in the hands of an Eternal.”

  I blinked. “Oh.”

  “You are an Eternal, Zoran, whether you believe it or not.”

  Great. I sighed. I’d answered one question about who I was, and now I’d unearthed a hundred others. Is this how things are going to be from now on? I wondered.

  I looked at the priest. “What does this mean? Me being an Eternal?”

  “It can mean many things,” he said. “But first and foremost, it defines the aura of power that you hold. The Eternals are extremely powerful beings. They are said to have held positions of great power and prestige.”

  Well, that can’t be right, because I’m pretty weak, I thought.

  “This is big news.” The old man grinned. “We must go to the Lumina Knights Head Council at once. I will set out and prepare things for the moment. I won’t be gone long.”

  Wait, what? I blinked.

  “I’ll keep watch in here,” Viola said.

  Keep watch? My eyebrows furrowed. Am I being held prisoner here or what?

  “I will depend on you, then, Viola,” Raffyr said, and with that he was off.

  I sat still. Just what did I get myself into? Sure, these two had given me a few answers to the questions I’d asked, but I was starting to doubt their intentions now. I sort of understood why Raffyr would want to go to the Lumina Knights Head Council, but that didn’t make me feel any better about the fact that I was actually going to be meeting them.

  “Exciting day, huh?” Viola smiled.

  “Yeah,” I mumbled. “You guessed I was an Eternal the moment you heard about my Ga’em record, didn’t you?”

  “Bingo!” she chuckled. “I’ve been studying Eternals with Raffyr for the longest time now, but I had no idea I’d actually meet one.”

  I scratched my chin. “So, you know how to tell if a person is an Eternal?” I asked. Did she just hide the fact that she knew?

  “Know is a strong word.” She smiled. “The only information on Eternals comes from documents thousands of years old. In fact, the documents don’t really mention the word Eternal specifically. You need to do a lot of interconnecting to even process what each piece of information means.”

  “So, you didn’t know how to tell if a person was an Eternal?” I blinked. What is she saying here?

  “I had a lead that a missing Ga’em menu and possession of a Resurrection ability were indicators of one being an Eternal, but I didn’t know for sure. Most of what I read from the documents, however, was about what kind of people the Eternal were and what magnitude of influence they had in this world.”

  Again with the power, I thought.

  “A lot of the scholars don’t think the Eternals ever existed, and most of the public don’t even know what an Eternal is. It’s all sad, really, considering the Kingdom of Aingard had its very own Eternal a few millennia ago.”

  I blinked. “Aingard had an Eternal?”

  She nodded. “The stories say he was a man that we all know as the Lord of the Light,” she said. “He was formerly the first Knight in both the Lumina Knights faction and the Alliance of Light. He was apparently credited with the creation of Aingard itself.”

  “And people just forgot about him?”

  “The people remember the Lord of the Light even today,” she said. “They just forgot that he was actually an Eternal. That piece of information was lost as the times changed.”

  “Ah.”

  “The Eternals are more like an urban myth here. Even the people who know the term find it amusing to actually consider the existence of such a race.”

  “Well, I guess that’s what happens when you go missing for…” I blinked. “How long did they go missing for again?”

  “I’m unsure of that statistic,” she said. “I would, however, like to point out that with you here, the Eternals are missing no more.”

  “Oh.” I jerked back. This was going to take some getting used to. “Wait, so does this mean I went missing as well?” A knot formed in my stomach.

  “It seems likely,” she said.

  Is that connected to why I woke up half-dead in that weird forest? I frowned. A part of me was excited, hopeful that I was on the right track to solving one of my foremost questions. But the rest of me felt like pursuing the track would only lead to greater complications, ones that I probably didn’t want.

  “Are you okay?” Viola tapped my shoulder.

  I snapped out of my daze. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m fine.”

  “Too much to take in?”

  “Kinda,” I said. “But I’ll get used to it.”

  “It’s okay to feel a little lost sometimes,” she said, a comforting smile on her face.

  “I know.” I smiled back.

  Maybe I can trust her, I thought, wondering if, in this whirlwind of confusion, I could depend on Viola to be a person to confide in.

  The door creaked open. “Hello again.” Raffyr entered.

  “You’re done already?” Viola asked. “That didn’t take long at all.”

  “Yes,” he chuckled. “The council is more than eager to meet this young man.”

  “That’s nice,” she laughed.

  Ugh, I thought. That doesn’t sound good. But I chuckled along with them anyway.

  “So, when do they want to meet him?” Viola asked.

  Raffyr pushed the door open. “Now, actually.”

  She blinked. “Wow, okay,” she said. “They’re really eager to meet him.”

  “The first Eternal anyone’s heard of in five thousand years and he just happens to make an appearance in the Lumina Knights’ faction,” he said. “You can see why the head council would be eager.”

  Because I’m a rare commodity, I thought, spelling out the unsaid words. The objectification didn’t make me feel good, but right now I wasn’t in a position to complain about it either.

  “Come along, Zoran,” Viola said. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

  I stood still for a moment and then followed her out. I wasn’t too keen on meeting this council, but I didn’t really have another choice. It felt like not agreeing would be akin to going against the Lumina Knights faction. That can’t be a good thing, I thought.

  A shuffle of footsteps came from behind me and I turned to see Frey walk out of the room.

  Completely forgot about that guy. I chuckled.

  We walked through the corridors once again, only this time I was even more clueless about where we were. I could tell for the most part that we were climbing up higher, but other than that, I had no idea at all.

  I sighed and took a step forward. An Eternal, huh? I thought.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have completed the quest:

  The Mysteries of the Self!

  You have obtained precious information f
rom Raffyr regarding your origins. Reward: The Mysteries of the Self II.

  Weird, I thought. Why did the quest complete only now?

  DING!

  Another prompt popped up.

  Congratulations! You have obtained a quest:

  The Mysteries of the Self II!

  Raffyr has given you answers about your origins, yet there are many questions that still need to be answered. You still need to learn more about the mysterious aura sensed by the Nymph Mother. Find someone to talk to and obtain more information. Rewards: Unknown.

  Ah, a chain quest. A large door emerged before us and I quickly closed the screen. Two guards stood on either side of the structure with their spears gripped tight.

  “Priest Raffyr,” they said in unison and slid the door open. A red-orange glow emerged from within the entrance, and we walked into it.

  The corridor had no windows, and thus no sunlight. Torches studded the walls, giving us the only glow we had. The stone surfaces beneath me were old, and cracks and tears marred a large part of them. An open entrance stood on the other side of the path, and we walked to it promptly. Voices echoed from beyond it, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying.

  A shriek of pain shot up my spine, but disappeared as fast as it had arrived. I pressed my knuckles against my back, easing the sensation even though I felt nothing anymore.

  I bit my lip. That was odd, I thought.

  A brighter, orange light shone from ahead and we exited the corridor. A circular room lay on the other side, now illuminated by bright torches of fire on the curved walls. Ten chairs sat around the center, arranged in a perfect circle, pointing inwards. Men and women dressed in white robes sat on them silently.

  I stepped forward and then retracted my footstep. This can’t be good, I thought.

  “It’ll be fine, Zoran,” Viola said, giving me a nudge.

  I nodded and took in a deep breath. I’ve come this far already, I thought. Might as well go all the way.

  “Raffyr.” One of the men spoke. “Have you brought him?”

  The old man tugged me and moved ahead. “Head Council of the Lumina Knights,” he said as he walked me to the center of the room. “I present to you the Eternal.”

  A round of murmuring went around at the very mention of my presence, and heads all turned in my direction.

  “Raffyr,” one of the women said, “I must say, I find it quite dubious that this young man is an Eternal as you claim.”

  “I agree,” another man joined in. “I do understand that the evidence points toward it, but in my view, his aura lacks the strength of an Eternal. I sense no power in his being.”

  Wow, thanks, I thought, but I knew inside that he was right. He was only voicing what had bothered me from the very start—that I was too weak to be an Eternal.

  “Council.” Viola joined us at the center. “I hope you are aware that I and Raffyr have been studying the Eternals for as long as we can remember. This boy shattered a lightstone that was placed into his palm. That, along with many such indicators, makes it certain that he is indeed an Eternal.”

  “She is right.” A different male voice spoke, with power in his tone. “I trust Raffyr and Viola’s judgment, even if I myself cannot completely trace the presence of power within this young one. However, I do have one question.” He paused, waiting a few seconds before he spoke again. “What is the young man’s Alignment?”

  Viola looked at me.

  I hesitated for a moment. “N-neutral,” I said, and murmuring filled the room once more. This definitely isn’t good. My shoulders tightened.

  “He is not part of the Alliance of Light,” one of the council members said.

  “Can we trust him?” another asked.

  I’m standing right here, I thought. A certain rage sparked within me. I was being judged without even being listened to. All that mattered to them was that I wasn’t part of the Alliance of Light.

  “Young one.” The powerful voice spoke again. “You must join the Alliance of Light.”

  A sharp pain shot through my mind, as though a needle had pierced it. They’re using you, kid. A voice spoke but disappeared as soon as it had come. I pressed my forehead, trying to ease the aching sensation that throbbed within.

  “Young one?” the voice said again.

  “I—” I said. My nervousness had vanished now. “I do not wish to join an Alignment and be part of the battle between the Alliances.”

  A loud crack sounded, of someone smashing his fist into his chair. “Choose wisely, child,” a raspy voice said. “If you are not with us, you are against us.”

  The pain in my head multiplied, and I dropped to the ground, clutching my forehead in desperation. Voices floated around me, some angry and some concerned, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  Foreign tones spoke in my head, ones that originate not from the room, but from within my mind. A chant echoed, the words familiar yet alien. A sole voice broke through, a familiar one, and spoke but a single word, one I knew it had spoken before.

  Chaos.

  A howl surged out from the walls, as if a ghoul had condensed from thin air. The light around the room flickered for a moment and then dulled, like the night had emerged into the room. Shadows crawled out from the surface, materializing as black shapes and swirling around like liquid darkness.

  “What the hell is going on?!” a council member yelled.

  The howl intensified, and a ghastly scream exploded through the air, sending shivers down my spine. Rivers of darkness burst into the room, cracking the walls and sending the men and women flying.

  “Imkar!” a voice yelled. A flash of bright light struck the air, like lightning had penetrated the room, and the darkness vanished at once. “The boy!” he said. “Capture him!”

  And that’s exactly when I knew it was time to run.

  My feet kicked hard, but my mind was still in a half-daze. I could see Viola and Frey move toward me, but their movements happened in slow motion compared to mine. Are they running with me or after me? I wondered, but I didn’t have the time to worry.

  I charged through the corridor and headed toward the closed door. My hands automatically slid my scimitars out, and the silver blades now glowed with a black, shadowy hue. I slashed at the wooden door and it burst apart, exploding into tiny pieces. The two guards standing outside sprawled onto the floor, the shattering door taking them by surprise.

  I surged ahead, running through the pathways as fast as I could.

  What the hell just happened? My feet flew over the floor.

  I’d heard that voice say Chaos, and everything had gone to hell right after. I hadn’t even done anything. I’ll probably get blamed for it, though, I thought.

  “Get him!” someone yelled, and I noticed a squadron of guards chasing after me.

  Definitely getting blamed for it, I thought, and I picked up the pace, climbing the first staircase I saw and racing onto the corridor above. Footsteps sounded close behind me, just as I reached the upper floor. I looked through the corridor I was on, at all the doors around me. I could hide in any of the rooms, but the men would find me easily if I did.

  A glint of light caught my eye, and I looked ahead, toward the open window at the end of the corridor. I rushed to it and looked outside, at all the towers that stood below me. And a few hundred yards away, I could see the stone-tiled ground of the Lumina HQ.

  Ah, I thought. Perfect.

  The men’s voices grew closer, but I wasn’t worried about them anymore. I took a few steps back and charged down the corridor. I made a quick leap onto the windowsill and pushed myself into the air. The stone walls in my vision disappeared, replaced by nothing but the sight of the clear sky.

  Okay, this idea sounded much better in my head. I looked down. Different towers rushed under me as I fell, but my running start had given me enough momentum to land clear of them.

  Land. I chuckled. Sure, let’s say I’m going to “land.”

  I pulled in my arms
and legs, streamlining my body and speeding up my dive. “Here we go!” I yelled, with the wind roaring in my ears, with the stone-studded ground rushing up to my face.

  And then, I died.

  ***

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Zoran,” a voice called out.

  Men and women stood frozen in front of me, like statues on pedestals, just forms of wood and stone. Was I supposed to know who they were? The whole scene felt familiar to me, as though it was something that I should know, something that was an integral part of who I was.

  My eyelids fluttered open. I searched for light within my vision, but all I found was darkness—an unsettling kind.

  Where am I? I sat up. Something gripped my foot tight, preventing any movement. I reached down and touched my ankle. Chains. I frowned. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and objects slowly appeared within my sights. A stone pillar stood before me, and the chains binding my foot were tethered to it.

  My mind brought up visions of what had happened with the council, of the voices and the darkness, of the words and the shadows, but I dismissed them all. Now was not the time to dwell on what had already happened.

  DING!

  A Ga’em prompt emerged, bathing me in dim light.

  You have been Resurrected. As a Resurrection penalty, you have lost 4000XP. You have also lost the weapon Forest Scimitars. Please be careful in the future.

  My heart thumped once and then stopped.

  “No no no no no.” I opened my Equipment Inventory menu—only to find that my Forest Scimitars were really gone.

  Dammit! I smacked my fist against the floor. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Resurrection ability was supposed to give me an XP penalty. That was it. I shouldn’t lose a weapon as well, especially one that was that good!

  I gritted my teeth. The Ga’em didn’t even tell me anything about having to lose my items. I opened my Stats screen, swiping over to the second one and tapping on my Resurrection ability.