"My lady, a messenger from Queen Nebula has come. He says he must meet with Lord Dante; it is a matter of import." "Bring him to the council chamber; Dante and I shall await him there." "At once, my lady."
Dante was resting upon the grass of the groves in the palace's main courtyard. His thoughts were of naught but vengeance; he believed that vengeance was the only way to soothe his grieving heart. As these thoughts held sway over his mind, Anahita came to him. Her sweet scent brought Dante back to the world of the living. "There is an important matter, Dante, that needs special attention." "What manner of matter?" "A messenger from the Star of Stars has come; he says he carries an important message." "A message from Nebula? I had not expected it. I thought she had imprisoned herself in her castle. Let us go and see what important matter has arisen." Dante rose from his place and, accompanied by Anahita, headed toward the council chamber.
"My lord Dante, Queen Anahita, this humble servant has brought an important message from the Queen of the Stars. My lady has requested the formation of an alliance, an alliance against the traitor king."
Dante was filled with wrath upon hearing Zilop's name. His only goal was the slaughter of that traitor. "The four horsemen shall also aid us in this matter." Nebula's messenger spoke these words and awaited Dante and Anahita's reply. Both of them were thinking of vengeance, and this was the best opportunity for them. Anahita fixed her gaze upon Dante; anger and rage were clear upon his face. She turned to the messenger and spoke thus: "Tell the Star of Stars that we shall aid her in this important matter. I wish to know what truly happened to our lord." The messenger bowed his head in obeisance and made his way to the Star Castle.
In a place nigh to the castle of Saulith, a man in a black robe was wandering. No one was aware of his presence, for they were unable to see him. He passed through the walls of the heavenly castle and entered within. No guard sensed his presence. He began to wander through the castle. It seemed he had no specific purpose in entering; he had no interest in gold or jewels, nor in causing mischief. Saulith became aware of this man's presence. He was resting upon the royal throne. He felt no danger from the black-robed man. On the contrary, he had a familiar feeling from him. He whispered beneath his breath: "Why dost thou enter my castle and wander like a thief? Come to the royal chamber; thy presence in this manner troubles me."
The man heard the whisper and headed toward the room. He saw a great door before his eyes. A door adorned with a stone as white as the clouds. He opened the door and entered into Saulith's presence.
Saulith, Son of Light, was the king of the mortal world. Among the Firstborn, after his elder brother, the true King of the Dead, he was the most powerful. He was a wise king with a peaceful temperament. The thing that must be noted is that the duties of this kingship were a little different. In truth, he was the protector of the world of men. The Father, at the beginning of his creation, gave him but one duty: to protect the world of men from outside threats. "O Saulith, Son of Light, thou shalt not interfere in the affairs of mortals; thy only duty is to protect them from external dangers."
The black-robed man stood before Saulith and began to speak: "I thank thee for inviting me to thy presence, brother. Thou hast a most beautiful castle, far from the fires of war in the world of men."
Saulith replied: "Welcome to my castle, my sinful brother. I suppose the throne of hell is not comfortable for thee at all, is it not?" The man who stood before the Son of Light was none other than the King of Hell, Satan.
"My throne has been occupied by our younger brother for a long time. Lucifer has become infatuated and smitten with it. In truth, the reason for my coming here is not unrelated to Lucifer." "What is the matter? Has anything special happened?" "In truth, I have had a dark feeling for some time, as if chaos and darkness are spreading everywhere." "And that is why thou hast come here?" "Yes, I feel no peace anywhere but in my own land. There is also another reason." "What reason?" "I implore thee to tell me what happened on that night when Hermes set foot in this land, what drove him to madness?" "That is a difficult request, but if thou art eager to know what happened that night, thou must gather all thy wits, not a word of these events must leak out."
Saulith began to tell him what happened on that fateful night…
After galloping for several hours, Aristo finally reached his settlement. He quickly took Maera to the physician to be treated. The girl was at death's door. The physician told Aristo to go and get special medicines. Aristo listened to his command and set out to get the medicine. The physician, whose name was Victoria, took the clothes off Maera's body. The girl's body was so frail that the veins beneath her pale skin could be easily seen. Victoria first began to clean Maera with lukewarm water; at the same time, she poured cool water down her throat. After cleaning her body, she put a clean garment on her and prepared a hearty meal for her. Maera still had no strength to speak, and with great difficulty, she opened her eyes. She could not see her surroundings clearly; she only saw a halo of light. She was so weak that she could not even use her power of thought. As the meal was prepared, Aristo also arrived with the medicine. Victoria told him to give the food to Maera so that she could prepare the medicine. Both of them set to work. Maera with great pain lifted her head and brought the spoon of food to her mouth. With every mouthful that went down her throat, life returned to her soul. She finished the meal, and now it was time for the medicine. Victoria poured the medicine down her throat with a wooden spoon. A medicine more bitter than poison and more effective than any physician. After taking the medicine, the girl fell into a deep sleep. Aristo and Victoria also came out of the room so that Maera could rest comfortably. "Everything happened so fast that I did not have time to ask thee who thou hadst brought with thee." "I apologize for putting thee in trouble; besides thee, I know no other physician who is so skilled. I thank thee from the bottom of my heart." "Enough with the flattery. Now what will thou do? With this foreigner thou hast brought, dost thou still mean to go on thy journey?" "I know that it is not right, in good conscience, to leave her here alone. I shall postpone my journey. This human has nowhere to go; whenever I see that she can live here alone, I shall leave this place." "Thou stubborn boy. Is that tomb so important to thee?" "That tomb is all that I have."
Lucian was spending peaceful days in the Star Castle. This peace was before a great storm that would swallow all.
Lucian's days passed peacefully within the castle, but within his heart and mind, a contradiction was slowly devouring his very being. He was happy that he had survived, but this joy would completely vanish with thoughts of his past life. He knew not whether to mourn for his dear ones or to be thankful that he still breathed. Life without his family was worse than death for him. He was wandering in the depths of the darkest dungeon of his mind, a place where light chose not to shine. A few times, the thought of taking his own life crossed his mind, but the contradiction within him no longer allowed him to do so. His instinct told him to live, but his soul was too weary to go on. And of course, the whisper within his head that constantly whispered in his ear: "Thou must live until the promised day arrives; this is thy destiny." Hearing this phrase each time made him think that he was but a pawn of fate and had no will of his own. He knew not, but this destiny that had brought him here was his own will to live. Somewhere in the depths of his being, in that same dark dungeon, there was a small boy who wanted to live. The boy, unlike Lucian, had come to terms with that pain and sorrow that burned his soul and had accepted it. The boy wanted him to live; in this way, the memory of his loved ones would not fade. These contradictory thoughts and feelings made him ask this question every day: "Why did I survive? Do I truly want to live? What is this whisper inside my head that I hear every day? Is it a person? Or merely an illusion?"
What was the true desire of that human whose being was crushed? And more importantly, why did that whisper want him to live?
End of Chapter 04