“Wait!” she exclaimed, while the boy was at the door.
“What’s the matter?” he asked still with his left hand on the doorknob.
“Come see,” she urged.
Gabriel closed the door behind him and approached the young woman, bending his head to better observe the point Selene pointed out to on the back of the cover.
“The symbol of the monastery of the Elders ... they have been transcribing knowledge coming from everywhere for centuries ... and with this?”
“But don’t you understand? They have written most of the books from Mirthya and everyone knows their all-encompassing knowledge: they could help us.”
“You want to ask the monks for help?”
“Exactly. Their monastery is above the mountains that border the groves to the north of Lezhen, it isn’t very far away. What do you think?”
“From what I remember, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the monks admitting travellers.”
“I don’t think it’s a popular destination. In any case, we will not spend months travelling and trying isn’t harmful, given the alternatives we have.”
“Um ... all right, you convinced me. At this point it is worthwhile trying, I don’t think they would leave us outside the monastery without a valid reason, and having support from them will certainly be decisive. I’m sure they can answer our questions. “
“Perfect, then. We will request a hearing from the monks. Tomorrow I will organize the departure, I don’t think your father won’t be able to do without you in the fields for a while, especially if it concerns his son.”
“I think so too,” Gabriel agreed, smiling, then he went back to the entrance and went out.
The door of the house closed with a thud and the house of the white sorceress fell into silence.
DIARY OF MEMORIES
E verything was undefined, until the features of a ceiling began to emerge from the darkness.
Viktor blinked several times, then turned around.
He was in a room furnished only with a wardrobe, a bedside table, a trunk against the wall and a bed on which he was lying.
He tried to get up slowly, feeling pain all over his body; he quickly scanned the room to focus on where he was.
He put his bare feet on a soft fur rug and only then did he notice that he was only wearing his underwear.
The room was warm and, although he was naked, he didn’t feel any discomfort and headed for the wardrobe: he felt a sense of relief when he saw that his old clothes were now clean.
He got dressed and started to look around for his boots, but he jumped at the unfamiliar voice behind him. “They’re under the bed,” he heard a voice say.
Viktor turned: Kanda stood with his back against a rudimentary wooden door.
The boy bent to look under the bed and pulled out his boots, slipping them on without ever looking away from the man who had kidnapped him.
“I thought I was dreaming.”
“If all this had been a dream, it would have been better for everyone,” replied the other, grinning slightly.
“Are you going to explain what’s happening? Where am I and above all, why am I here?” asked the young man, sitting on the bed.
“You’re safe. At the moment you are in the Den of the Star, in the mountains of Jerrall. They won’t find you here. As for the reason you’re here, well, I think I’ve already mentioned it.”
“Exactly, mentioned. But I would like more details, or perhaps I’m not allowed to ask?” Viktor became impatient.
“You won’t go very far in life if you turn to all those you meet on your way with a similar attitude, Viktor of Lezhen.”
“I won’t go very far anyway, since I don’t know why I’m here, far from my home, and no one wants to tell me why.”
Kanda took a few steps forward, thoughtful. “You’re right,” he replied, “I think I would have lost patience in your place if unfamiliar people had kidnapped me to take me away for no apparent reason, so I’ll explain everything to you.” He took a seat beside the young man and got ready to give an explanation.
“I hope so ...” replied the boy, trying to hide the profound sense of anguish that pervaded him.
“You already know the old legend of the Star of the Prophecy. Everything is true except for one thing: the years after which there is another chosen one, vary from case to case.
A sufficiently powerful choice can put Zergh in chains for a long time, like what happened last time. Your predecessor, in fact, sealed darkness for eight hundred years.
People ignore this danger because they consider it only an old story. This time the star chose you, Viktor. Your task will be to reach Arald’s den to retrieve it and fulfil your destiny, renewing the seal before it is too late and before Zergh can break free.”
Viktor had a vague expression on his face and it was still difficult to believe such a story. Yet, if it were the doing of a small band of maniacs, they wouldn’t have been able to plan everything in such a perfect way or destroy a city by themselves.
“If what you say is true, then a very powerful chosen one could renew the seal of Zergh for eternity.”
“It’s not that easy. Renewing the seal for eternity means that the chosen one has an equally eternal power and you will understand that this is impossible. For this reason we are studying so that we can find a way to keep Zergh in chains forever, but it is not easy.”
“Exactly, who are you studying with to do this?” asked Viktor with curiosity, but at the same time determined to understand more.
“Concerning the perennial imprisonment of Zergh? We’ll take care of it, Amir and the others. We are part of the Members of the Star who, from the dawn of time, supervise the path of the chosen one and follow him during his apprenticeship until he is ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“To challenge Arald: the sword is revealed to the worthy chosen one who has the necessary energy to achieve the aim.”
“How will I have to get prepared?” he mumbled, realizing that now the only alternative was to pretend to believe the interlocutor.
Viktor was seized with uncertainty when Kanda referred to the time of training: he had never been away from home for such a long time and the idea worried him not so much for himself, but for Selene, Trust, Gabriel and his father.
In one way or another, if he chose to stay in that place, he ought to tell his loved ones the conditions he was in.
“Things seem more serious than I thought: I don’t know if I am up to the task,” Viktor told himself disconsolately.
«If the Star has chosen you it is because he saw the necessary qualities in you. The same qualities that made you put your life at risk by jumping off a bridge. “
Viktor remembered the event and an intuition struck him. “But ... it was you, then!” he exclaimed.
“It was our job to check and make sure the right time had arrived to take you away.”
“If by the ‘right time’ you mean the moment when a monster was about to kill me, I sincerely hope you’re not waiting for the right time to do anything else,” Viktor said.
Kanda got up from the bed and headed for the door, then said, “Join us in the room down the hall as soon as you feel ready to meet the other members of the Star.”
The boy nodded.
“Ah, another thing,” he added. “This is for you. It is tradition that the last person chosen by the Star leaves something to his successor.”
Kanda put a hand on the back of the worn brick-coloured tunic and handed the chosen one an old, timeworn black diary.
“A diary?” Asked Viktor.
“Yeah. A gift from Xemnath.”
Kanda took his leave and then slowly closed the door, abandoning the room.
The name of Xemnath awakened in Viktor the memories of the dream that anguished him almost every night.
He sensed that it represented the moment when Xemnath had renewed the seal of Zergh, confining him in his cage of darkness with the blade where t
he powers of the seven had been harnessed. He had evidence of the existence of this individual. He wanted to read the diary as soon as possible, but he was aware of the fact that other people were waiting for him.
He put the old diary back inside the iron chest and closed the lock with the key he found inside, then put it in a hidden corner of the wardrobe.
It was the only thing he owned and was really interested in at the moment, he didn’t want to risk losing it.
“Only magic could have kept a hundred-year-old script intact,” he said as he left the room to follow Kanda’s steps.
Outside the room there was a quite low corridor and its walls culminated in an arched ceiling, beneath which there were lighted torches that radiated the passage in yellow and orange. Indigo reflections emerged from the filaments of a long carpet that adorned the tunnel when those beams of light struck it.
As he walked, Viktor noticed other doors that he sensed belonged to the lodgings of the other members of the Star; in front of him, a steel door marked the end of the corridor.
He came to the doorway and pushed it open, producing an unbearable noise from the rubbing of metal on the stone floor.
As the boy advanced into the new area, he found Kanda waiting for him in the centre of the round room, from which you could reach other corridors.
“Follow me,” said the member of the Star, in front of him to show the way.
“Where do all these corridors go?”
“The one you came from and the first one on the left after the door are passages leading to the rooms of the members of the Star, to Master Galaeth’s room and to the Circular Hall, where the most important meetings take place: you won’t participate for now, and even after the apprenticeship, when you become an actual member of the Star, some things will not be allowed. I didn’t decide it.”
“Actually, it’s not like I care so much at the moment. I prefer first to have a grasp on what is happening.”
The boy’s reply pleased Kanda, who made a sign of assent. They continued to advance for another few minutes along the narrow passages and paths dug in the mountains of Jerrall, where the Den of the Star was hidden.
“Now where are we going?” asked the chosen one, interrupting his silence.
“I will take you to the Master and to the others to introduce you: they will be able to explain in greater detail how your apprenticeship will take place. By the way, did you already take a look at Xemnath’s diary?”
“I was very tempted to read it, but I knew you were waiting for me and I preferred to postpone it: it’s in a safe place now. I think. Why are you asking me?”
“Curiosity. You know, when I gave it to you, you opened your eyes as if you had found the purpose of your life.”
“Are you serious? I didn’t even notice it!”
“So how come that expression?”
“Well, let’s say that hearing Xemnath’s name out of my dreams was ... weird.”
“Out of your dreams?”
“Yes ... in a way, I met him. He often appears to me in a dream. He speaks to Zergh shortly before unsheathing Arald and using it against him. I thought it reproduced the moment of the imposition of the seal on Zergh, but I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything. Do you know about any other chosen ones who have had these strange visions? “
“No, but it intrigues me.”
“Me too. Perhaps your Master will be able to give me answers.”
“Now he is also your Master.”
“Not until I become one of you.”
“When it happens, you will actually enter the group, but until then you will still be under the directives of Galaeth who you will train with and, therefore, it would be better if you considered him your Master right away.”
The member of the Star stopped in front of a wall and placed the palm of his hand on it and it lit up slightly.
The wall went inward and to one side, revealing some stone steps leading to Master Galaeth’s office.
When he entered, Kanda remained at the boy’s side who was staring at another dozen people all dressed in the same tunic, except one: a middle-aged man who, despite this, showed no sign of time. The latter wore a red tunic a bit lighter than the others did.
The room was square, with two marble columns in two corners and a domed ceiling, decorated with many frescoes of inestimable beauty.
A thin blue carpet covered the floor and there were many paintings and documents on the walls. In the centre of the room, there were two chairs and a desk covered with sheets and notes.
“Here we are,” Kanda said.
“After a three-day rest, you decided to wake up. I’m glad and I hope you enjoyed it. I am Galaeth, Master of the Organization. I know that Kanda has already told you something about it. I’ll introduce you to the other members of the Star, before we have the chance to speak alone about what will be.”
Viktor watched in enchantment as Galaeth spoke with such spontaneity and eloquence that he thought he could listen to him for hours.
The initial impact seemed positive and now the young man was curious to know what the next move would be.
After listening to the presentation of some of the people there, Viktor waited to speak alone with Galaeth, as there were still many questions and issues he intended to shed light on.
When the Master finally dismissed the members of the Star, Kanda and Amir also left, waving to Viktor.
“Sit down,” Galaeth said, taking a seat behind his desk and pointing to one of the two chairs in front of him.
“Thank you,” Viktor said, trying to look at ease.
“I think you have a lot of questions to ask,” Galaeth said.
“Actually, as far as I’m concerned, I already know what awaits me, more or less. Kanda succeeded in being very clear. My question has to do with Xemnath, the last chosen one. I have been dreaming of him continuously since I was in Lezhen, even though I knew nothing of this story. Have any of the other chosen ones ever had visions of their predecessors while they were sleeping or on other occasions? I asked Kanda the same question, but he didn’t know the answer.”
“And what exactly did you dream of?” asked the Master with a strange light in his eyes.
“Xemnath discusses with Zergh inside the ruins on top of a hill; after which he extracts Arald, the sword lights up and everything vanishes in a flash of white that dissolves leaving total darkness. I think it refers to the moment when Xemnath tries to confine Zergh to his prison.”
“All of this is interesting. I know of two precedents, but it has been a long time now. They lived in the same era and were able to share memories through dreams. I think they were brothers and their strong bond had allowed them to develop this ability. From this, all I can deduce is that perhaps you and Xemnath are more deeply bound, a strong bond that allows you to see a few moments of his life. Perhaps trying to read the diary that he left you will help you have access to other memories. By reasoning in this way we could also understand the reason for leaving a personal notebook, apparently useless, to those who should protect the destiny of existence.”
“Well, if so, it could also be useful for its content. Haven’t you read it?” Viktor asked, hoping that Galaeth could give him some anticipation.
“No, I cannot. The legacy chosen by an elected can only be guarded, but not scrutinized. The legacy of the previous chosen one can only be used by the new one: it is a rule that protects the chosen one and this rule has always existed.”
Viktor stared at him for a few moments. “I see. In that case, I think I’ll soon be reading the manuscript.”
“Before you go, could you show me your dream? I can scrutinize your mind with magic in a few moments.”
Believing that this would benefit the interlocutor’s trust, Viktor accepted.
At the exact moment he consented, he saw Galaeth’s eyes stare at him and the colour of his irises changed. He was shaken by a strong pang in his temples; his mind saw all the memories back from his arrival at the Star’s
Den until the voyage with Selene and Trust.
The feeling of having another person in his head intimidated him. The pain increased when Galaeth managed to find the memory of the dream and tried to get access to it. It was as if a conflicting force was fighting against Galaeth’s spell, preventing him from observing those memories.
Viktor put his hands to his temples, pressing his palms in pain, and at that moment he felt Galaeth withdraw from his mind and return to look at the present.
The chosen one was out of breath, but it was much better: the pain had disappeared as soon as Galaeth had interrupted the mental spell.
“It was not my intention to cause that discomfort, I suppose it’s your first time.”
“Don’t worry ... so? It seems to me that I felt someone trying to stop you from scrutinizing my memories.”
“Exactly, it’s like they’re protected from external readings. At this point I believe it is the work of Xemnath, he is trying to leave you messages others cannot have access to. It would be better if you found time to read his writings and understand something more; then you will report to me.”
“All right, I’ll do it tonight.”
“Don’t be up too late, we’ll meet tomorrow at dawn. We will begin your apprenticeship starting from theoretical notions.”
“I think I’ll need a long time to get used to this. It’s something bigger than me and I’m afraid I’m not the right person to fight a god. The whole question is not easy to accept. If it were not for my dreams, the name of Xemnath and the old diary you gave me, maybe I would have thought you were crazy criminals to such an extent as to believe that an old story is real.”
“You will have the chance to stop doubting and change your mind over time. You have not yet taken matters into your own hands, but at the moment you embody the hopes of all of Mirthya.”
Viktor hesitated before asking, “What happens if a chosen one does not finish his job?”
“In the event of failure, we will have to wait for the advent of a new appointment of the Prophetic Star, but it could take years and in this case there aren’t many chances of resisting. Make sure you don’t fail.”
Viktor Page 9
