"I have no memory of him" Freya looked down after hearing those words. She cannot understand why every people seemed to forget Zilong when he deserves to be remembered.
"I don't know that man but if you are willing to come with me, I will show you something strange." Freya immediately faced Queen Aurora. "I have a feeling that this is the answer to you dilemma."
"Strange? What is it?
"I'll show you."
Aurora starts to walk along with Freya and Tigreal. She revealed a high spiral stairway that will lead them to the top-most part of the castle. The two just followed Aurora with high hopes that coming to this castle won't be a waste of time.
"Pretty scary, isn't it?" Aurora said. Freya remained emotionless until they reached to top-most part. It was a secluded yet magical area of the castle. They can sense a tremendous magic power that this place conceals.
Tigreal stood straight, as if he is preparing for what danger they may face. Freya quickly noticed his behavior. "Let your guard down Tigreal, we're not in any danger." Freya whispered.
"Are you ready for this Goddess?" Freya nodded.
Aurora begins to concentrate. She freed herself from bothering thoughts.
"I hope I can help and repay to her goodness." she whispered.
"Rage on hurricane, reveal thee.
For the one whom you waited to seek
Stands before me."
After Aurora chanted the spell, lots of fireflies fluttered around them revealing a magical passage that withholds a bright light.
"I wish I can be of help, Freya." They walk closer to the light that is blinding from afar. However, it slowly began to lose its luster as they take each step forward.
The passage closed by itself, Freya's still in awe and waited for Aurora's explanation
"You did a great job here, Your Majesty." Tigreal said while looking around in the place.
"Tigreal, I can sense my magic power." she said but no one heard her.
"Actually, I'm moved too." The queen said. They did not notice that Freya is now walking towards the bright light, assessing why it possesses her magic.
"Freya--" Aurora was about to tell something but she remained silent when she starts to notice that Freya's eyes are fixated on the giant ice crystal.
"Impossible" Freya begins to lean closer to it as if she was being drawn closer by its power. Afraid of what might happen to Freya, Aurora became nervous. Tigreal wanted to watch and follow Freya but the shining light hurt their eyes, as if it's going to blind them.
"Goddess DON'T---" Aurora ordered. And moments later, they cannot see Freya anymore because the light starts to fill the whole place as it shines brighter.
An invisible energy wave was released followed by a loud fizz and thud. Aurora cannot believe when the light slowly loses its luster and Tigreal was stunned for a second. They saw how Freya touched the giant crystal and turned it into a magical orb, revealing a person inside. Tigreal starts rubbing his eyes and offered his free hand to help the queen get back on her two feet. And when Aurora did, she can't believe that Freya stills stands while her right hand caresses the magical orb.
All of them cannot believe the sorcery they witnessed. They look at each other's eyes, waiting for someone who will be willing to explain what happened.
"W-who's that man?" Aurora asked Freya who is still staring at the orb. "Is that the man you've been looking for?"
She slowly turned to face Aurora and Tigreal. With tears in her eyes, she nodded to confirm that the thing in the crystal is Zilong's body. Freya wiped her tears and took a step forward.
"You still don't know him?" She asked the two of them but they gave Freya a negative look that says 'we don't know him'. Freya turned her back and started to stare at the orb again.
"Should we leave her alone for now?" Tigreal asked the queen.
"I hope we can but let's not bother her for now." Aurora replied.
"It's hard to help someone when you are unsure of what she needs." Tigreal weakly uttered. Aurora understood what he wants to point out. Because like her, Tigreal doesn't know who's the man she's seeking.
Or more like…. he had forgotten him.
Both of them remained silent as they waited for what will happen next. Then, out of nowhere, Freya walked toward their direction and seated in the cold flooring. "What exactly happened Queen Aurora?" she said in a weak voice. "Why I can sense my magic in that crystal? " Freya wondered.
"I don't even know but you are the one who unraveled the truth."
"The truth?" Freya asked and looked intently in Aurora's eyes. Having no other choice, Aurora rested her case and decided to tell them everything she knew.
"Almost a year passed when the Great Dragon had sent his disciples here in my castle and they asked me for one favor; to seal this crystal with magic and conceal it in a place where it could not be seen by the naked eye" Tigreal and Freya listened closely, not wanting to miss any detail. Freya analyzed every word she hears, hoping to find answers on how this phenomenon could happen.
"We sensed the same tremendous magic power you felt earlier from the crystal, something unfathomable and cannot be calculated or converted into numbers. Afraid of what danger it could bring to the Land of Dawn, I created a secret passage where we could store the crystal which is only a size of a pendant back then. We managed to seal it with the help of light magic and the disciples' enchantments, and that explains the blinding light that didn't even hurt Freya's eyes. What made me more curious is, it ceased as you walk towards the crystal." She sighed "And I bet that makes you the right seeker, Freya."
"Why me?" Aurora cannot answer the question because she can't explain it also.
"My aim is to perceive if this will eventually burst out into a new disaster, so I tried to get in here to know what magic it possesses. The blinding light that guards it forbids me. I didn't even know that the crystal is increasing in size, until you…came." She paused for a little while. Tigreal gently placed his hand on his forehead.
"I patiently waited for you from the moment I heard that you are seeking something. Does this place haunt you with memories?"
"Y-yes and I promised him not to come back in this place without him. Also, I thought he's not in this place way back then."
"Well, the crystal is not with me before and it is too impossible when you seek for a body that is concealed in the form of crystal. Anyway, is it because your life was once threatened in the outskirts of my castle?"
"I think so… it's just. Well, it happened again earlier" Freya giggled.
"That was Bane's fault, that undead ruler of seven seas." Aurora said with sarcastic voice trying to imitate Franco. "My ice guards are bit aggressive too."
"Well, I think I didn't come here without him at all." Freya uttered with a smile in her face. "I just want to see his body, even he's.... lifeless." Silence prevailed again among the three of them for a little while. Until Tigreal noticed some minimal movements coming from Zilong's body.
"I think he's still alive." Freya quickly shifted her gaze to Tigreal as he starts to speak again. "What if that orb preserves his body so his soul can still have a vessel the moment it returns?" Freya carefully thought of his words.
What if?
"There are lots of rituals to bring something that was lost except for life but if life was taken by an incantation then an antidote can undo the spell." Aurora walked towards the orb and observe what kind of orb it is. She analyzed its appearance and the magic power it withholds.
"A spirit ball? Freya, you do have a spirit wheel, don't you?" Freya remembered the scroll that Pharsa gave her. She showed it to Aurora but before Tigreal and Aurora tell her what to do, the scroll flies in the air as it unrolled itself revealing an imprinted symbol in the middle part.
"A soul scroll, that's right! Goddess quick, I have seen someone in Moniyan Empire done this. You need to hold it high enough with a very minimal distance to an orb and if we succeed, the moon runes will be translated."
Freya followed Tigreal's instruction and after a couple of seconds she saw the symbol arranged themselves into phrases and it says:
"The solstice's ending will be triggered by the beginning" those phrases made her confuse. It seems like she's dealing with riddles again but she can't think of an answer unlike how quickly she solve Pharsa's riddle.
"That's it? Lacks information." Tigreal complained
"I have a feeling that there is a possibility that this man you spoke off can still be saved. And maybe the answer we've been looking for is with the one who made the scroll." Aurora shared her speculation and Freya became more eager to find out if this is going to work.
"Tigreal, do you know who---"
"King Estes." Tigreal immediately answered. "The Moon God" he added.
"Do you think he can decipher this?" Freya asked.
"Of course, that's his own alphabet. I'm sure he studied his abc's."
She stared once again to Zilong as her memories with him started to flood her mind again, making her more anxious to find if she can bring back what she lost.
"Freya" Aurora called out for her so she shifted her gaze and faced Aurora. "Like you Tigreal, I may not remember this man. But Freya had done many things for this Land and if it is true that he was once my trusted warrior, I wish I could repay him as I help you."
Aurora said with a smile and Freya rushed to her and hugged her. Aurora felt awkward but warm at the same time. She never experienced to be hugged for a long time because all she did is to shut people out of her world.
- E N D O F C H A P T E R F O U R -