"Freed me?" I questioned.
I stared at Daz a few feet away. He was to his side when he had witnessed my episode, or perhaps it was a mental breakdown—in any case, I had at last expressed something that had been eating me alive for a very long time. It was no wonder that even after retrieving my memories, I still felt a sort of suppression from within. Something that did not enable me to talk about my past before meeting Belle.
Facing me completely now, he answered, "Yes. While I held you down, I noticed a strange aura emanating from your mouth. It was faint… So faint that not even a Sensory type or Primal type user could have noticed it. And it was just under your tongue."—he said as he faced up and opened his own mouth, sticking out his tongue and pointing just underneath it—"The seal cast on you was Forbidden Speech magic… a dark art that renders the user incapable of casting incantations, talking about or saying certain things, or in worse cases—inhibits them to speak at all for as long as the seal is branded on the user. It's Forbidden because the spell does not wear off, and its strong enough to withstand even that prison I put you in—Tartarus Cell… but not strong enough." He closed his eyes and smiled arrogantly like I was supposed to be impressed. "Whoever put the seal on you didn't want you talking about the Sins… at all."
When I thought back to the time Belle and I died, I now had a strange awareness of that moment.
I hope… I come back… and when I do… I'll come after you like you did… us.
Thinking back. I could not even utter the name of our murderer. But now, it was as clear as day… I'll make you feel her pain—Pride.
"So how were you able to trace it?" I uttered. "And more importantly, how did I have a seal on me in the first place? I've been told that my very being rejects magic."
"Me? I did not trace it. My magic told me it was there, so I acted upon it."
"There you go again with your hippie bullshit," I said, brushing him off.
"I'll get you to understand the concept one day…"—he replied, sticking out a tongue and shrugging all the while—"and as for you, I am fully aware of how your Tantra works. If you had known that the seal was on you, you would have definitely been able to break the seal without me. But since you cannot sense mana, you hadn't the faintest clue. The seal must have been placed on you before you left—or was placed on you before you were old enough to speak. Either way, you couldn't have known. The seal was so old that not even Tartarus Cell could break it fully. Seems it's been on you so long that it infused with your own Tantra. You might have noticed signs of it when you tried to think of certain things, and it would not allow you to utter the thought."
It was no wonder. My abilities weren't unstoppable after all. If one were to catch me off guard or if I thought the magic wasn't a threat, I could allow the magic to affect me. Like when Code switches places with me or when Belle had placed a thread on me during our fight with Syemore so as to not be affected by Time magic. And then times when it had caught me off guard, like when the Six Arms abducted us after the Kingdom Guilds Meeting, Henza's bonding ring, and then the Pain magic of the previous Arcane King… and now this seal. Perhaps I knew it was there and didn't see it as a threat, or perhaps I wasn't aware it was there in the first place.
Regardless, there was only one question in my mind now, "So what… did my answer satisfy you, or are we still fighting?" I asked Daz again. My glare met his as if he were my opponent once more.
He looked at me with utter bewilderment. Almost confused as to why I would ask that of all questions, "I'm afraid I've got a cluster of meetings set out for the day. I wish I could, but I simply do not have the time."
"What are you talking about!?" I asked in a rage. Irritated that he was treating this so casually—like he wasn't just trying to kill me a moment ago.
"Look, if you want to continue sparring, perhaps inquire to Sirus and we could set some time aside for that. I am a busy man, and you are technically not my pupil; however, you did show a lot of promise today, so I could—if you're willing to wait—set aside some time to spar with you again in the next… I don't know… six months? That would be the soonest I could get you in, so it's not all too long…"
I fumed, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK OLD MAN!? YOU WERE JUST TRYING TO KILL ME A SECOND AGO, AND NOW YOU'RE CALLING ALL THIS 'SPARRING'?? SPARRING!?!? WAS THAT ALL THIS WAS?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way… I could try to push our spar sooner but I'm afraid it would only be by a few days, I have to go back to Tartarus and check on things, but if you so insist, I could cut the trip short just for you,"—he sighed like it was a burden—"it's rare I take on personal requests…"
"THIS IS NOT A FUCKING REQUEST!!! WE WERE JUST FIGHTING TO THE DEATH! I DIDN'T MANAGE TO HIT YOU ONCE, BUT KEEPER, DO YOU HAVE FUCKING DEMENTIA, YOU IDIOT KING!?"
We continued our back-and-forth for a good while… eventually, I gave up. I knew he was messing around, but to be so casual around me after all of that… It had seemed he was the type who treated the truth like he treated his friends. A trait I knew well from Asura. They really were close after all.
Daz had used a spell to send us back on a rising platform that took us all the way up, back to his office where we had fallen from. On our way, he had told me the room was as old as the castle. It was used for training and to test new magic items. The place itself was imbued with a spell to maintain its upkeep, which explained why the walls were reforming after each strike. Everything there, as well as in his office, was imbued with magic so when he cast a 'spell' to initiate something—like the platform we were on or even the chair's that appeared at his desk—it was all just him using his Nullifying magic to disengage the spells that were already on them, like the one that kept the floor down or the chairs invisible. And because of that, it appeared he could do many things with his magic, when in reality it was all as simple as him turning on and off a light switch.
He told me he had only used this place once before, when he had officially become the Arcane King, and that he and Asura had sparred one last time to see if he was worthy of that title. The second time was with me on this day.
As we arrived back up to his office, the floor of stone morphed back to the red carpet that we had stood on earlier. Daz, in turn, had strode to his desk in the near distance of this magnificent room. "Well, now that I know you are not the Valley's enemy, shall we start over? I'll tell you anything you need to know."
I followed him and sat in my spot at his golden table once more. Now that I could talk freely, I could ask unhindered questions. Questions about my past, how much he knew. Where my siblings were, and what they were up to. However…
"Apologies in advance. I'm afraid the only person here who knows more than I is you." He said with a still pause. "So if you're planning on asking me of your origins, or where might the others Sins would be, then I can't answer those questions. Because I simply do not know. I hold theories. You hold facts. So consider this an exchange rather than a questioning booth."
"Figures," I said. "So what do you know?"
"I know this… While I was away, I was at Tartarus, keeping your brother, Wrath, company. We had fought, but unfortunately, I was not able to kill him, thus his attendance there."
I sat with quiet surprise. The Arcane King of the Valley could not kill Wrath?
"But you had said in our battle that you were going to kill me? Could you have?"
Again, a still pause. Then a swift reply, "No."
"Why not?"
"Because Sins cannot be killed so easily. If one were met with death, they would only spawn again, but in a new form—though they usually are distinguishable by their unique features. Hence, why I didn't put two and two together when Wrath had said 'his brother was confirmed in the Valley'—and it was you of all people. I had thought it was just an ironic name…"
What he said was interesting just now. If one of us were met with death, we would just spawn again. "My case was a bit different, unfortunately… or maybe it was fortunate. Seems it took them long to find me. I didn't even know I was 'hiding'."
I proceeded to tell Daz what had happened in my past with Belle, and he noted it down. Afterward, he gave me a brief history lesson.
"The Child of the Sins are the sins of the Keeper. In the beginning, a single man wanted to rid himself of all sin. So, he created a Forbidden spell that allowed him to do so. He had become omnipotent and devoid of darkness. When he came back to the world, he became its god—thus, becoming the Keeper we all know. Myths were told that his Children—the Sins—were born from different families and clans with distinct features: gray hair, slightly tan skin, and maroon eyes that glow crimson in the night. It was considered a bad omen when a Sin was born. These children were usually collected by the Keeper's followers once they were ten years old—if they lasted that long that is… but once collected, they are trained and then pitted against each other. And the last one standing becomes the new Keeper, and the cycle continues. That is how the Keeper lives forever."
I scoffed at that story.
"This is only myth after all…" he reassured, "No one has ever seen the Keeper, and it's not exactly an anomaly when a child is born with gray hair and maroon eyes—let alone tan skin. These are features anyone can have. I thought it was all coincidence, but I've recently started to believe this story. Your confession of your origins helped solidify this theory as well."
It was the first I had ever heard of this story, but there was just one missing piece to it, so I decided to share.
"If it helps… I once had gray hair, maroon eyes, and tan skin. It's only of memory, but it's mine nonetheless."
"I see. Then it may not just be myth after all."
"Maybe," I added. "Thing is, When Belle and I died, it wasn't from this world."
The silence after those words were thicker than if there had been a wall between us. I could tell Daz was intrigued immensely by what I had just said.
"Really?"
I nodded. I didn't know how I was so sure of this key detail, but I just was. It didn't even seem like a big deal to me. It was almost like it was the norm even though it sure as hell wasn't.
"Then that explains everything. It's no wonder it was merely myth in our world… because it could quite literally be from any other world in this timeline. How astounding."
I had a bored look on my face. He looked just like Asura when he sees a rare magic ability.
"If this story is true that would make me not only a Child of the Sins, this makes me the child of the Keeper. And quite frankly, I find that very hard to believe."
"You find it hard to believe? The one from another world?"
"Keeper—if I can say that name in vain… I'm going to walk out if you make it seem like I transmigrated here. I already have a member who reads too many webtoons. The last thing I want is to be a walking rip-off of an unoriginal story."
"Ouch,"—he was bobbed his head back self-effacingly—"Fine. We shall talk about this another day you are more willing."
"You'll be waiting a long time."
"You truly are Asura's pupil."
I inhaled and breathed out deeply, proceeding to leave, but then Daz spoke to the quiet, "Have you ever heard of the Apostles?"
I froze in place from my get up, and then shook my head in place.
"They are a group of eleven members who swear by the Keeper's teachings and devote their lives to making them come to fruition. They are an extremist group that will go to great lengths to see it come to be. Even the murder of masses."
Stillness filled the air as he spoke of them. It felt almost uncomfortable as we did. Like they were watching. Like they had known.
"And to make matters worse, they're all incredibly powerful. A single member has the power to level a whole Kingdom on their own… and since we're on the topic of Sins—your brother, Pride, is among that group."
I made fists on the arms of my chair and it groaned.
Daz sensed my anger, "I understand how you feel. But before you go running off to find him, you must know who you are dealing with…" a stern glare. It was as if he was also telling me to calm down at the same time. I listened.
"Your brother, Pride, is The Shepherd of the Apostles. It is his moniker as the group's stand-in leader, but he did not start the group. The one they call The King is their true leader. But unlike the others, he has yet to make his appearance…" His glare was unwavering; he wanted me to listen to every word. "Next, your brother, Wrath, is assumed to be the leader of another group called the Riot Gang. They consist of ten Head Officers, each of whom leads their own group—like the Nightbanes that attacked your home yesterday; their leader, Drakthor is one of those ten, but, thanks to you, he's now apprehended and out of commission. Together they form a much larger group than the Apostles. Both are dangerous, and we have reason to believe that the two parties are now conspiring with each other against the Great Alliance."
The mature side of me started to kick in at this time, and I had begun to calm down to digest everything he said. What Daz was telling me in this moment was crucial and highly sensitive information.
"Odd that they would be working with each other if we were all trying to kill each other off, as the story goes…"
"Good point. Apparently they're trying to do something different in this world."
"And what of the other Sins? Do you know if any others are in this world as well? Wrath and Pride are the big ones, but the others are an issue, too, if left unattended."
He softened his glare and closed his eyes for but a moment. A moment enough for him to let out a sigh, "Just like Asura… you both share that trait—know thy enemy."
I merely stared back and didn't reply. To which Daz closed his eyes and continued, "The other Sins don't seem to be in either the Riot Gang or the Apostles ranks. Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, and Envy—their whereabouts at this time are unknown. However…"—his eyes opened again—"Yesterday, Envy was just outside Valley Kingdom walls."
I slammed my fist on the table, trembling it. "What the fuck. And you're just now telling me this? Where is he? What did you do with him?"
Daz was silent at my outburst for a few short seconds. Seconds felt like hours in comparison as I awaited his reply.
Then at last, he said, "I let him go."
"YOU WHAT?" I shouted, standing from my seat at last. The chair I was sitting in fell backward, and Daz stayed unbothered as he remained in his seat across from me.
"I let him go—"
"I heard that part. Tell me why." I commanded.
At this time, Daz raised his finger, and my chair, which had fallen, sat right up as it was. Afterward, he merely tilted his finger down, and I sat aggressively as if I had been forced.
When I tried to stand back up, it was as if the chair—or rather, a force was keeping me bound there…
"How are you—"
"Remember when I said I can use Tantra, too?" he said flatly, but I felt as though each word had physical weight to it. "This is called Capitulation A.K.A. 'King's Tantra'. Mine's not as powerful, but for you right now, this is enough."
This is enough? Not as powerful? I can't even force myself to stand… This is another form of Tantra?
"As I was saying… I let him go because I struck a deal with him. Leave and never come back, or join Tartarus with Wrath."
"Why did you let him go?" I asked, calmer from my seat. Daz still felt my rage. "And how do you know he won't go back on your deal without you knowing?"
"Oh, I will know. And when I find out. I will be there before you know it. Also," he said with stern quiet. "I also have a Kingdom to protect. Had he refused and chosen to be hostile, I, without a shadow of a doubt, would have fought and apprehended him. However, doing so would mean I would need to go back to Tartarus to keep both him and Wrath at bay—sending me away from the Valley once more…"
I calmed even more, still glowering from where I had been forced to sit. I couldn't deny his actions because, quite frankly, I would have done the same.
"I have a duty to the Valley to keep it and its people safe. Especially after that Blue Phoenix incident, which I, regrettably, was not here for. I was already lucky the Valley still stands when I came back; I could not live with myself if I had chosen to act on emotion and take in another Sin, leaving my Kingdom once more to other threats… and then there was the potential risk of you." He said lastly, and I understood completely. "I'm sorry for what you all had to endure while I was away. I regret not being here when the Valley needed me the most"—he stood and bowed—"You have my thanks."
It was only in that moment he at last released me from his Tantra. I raised my wrists off the seat, which had been bound, and nodded to him in acknowledgement. I then sat upright to speak, but Daz beat me to it.
"You are right to act this way. Had I known you were truly an ally, I would have just apprehended Envy right then and there—figure out how to get him to Tartarus later. I should have had more trust in Asura… I should have had more trust in my Knights… I should have had more trust in you."
Again, I said nothing.
He concluded, "I suppose I am doing a poor job of being the Valley's Arcane King." He said with a gentle smile. One I couldn't be mad at. "Which is why I want you to be one of my select mages."
I blinked. Unsure of what he meant, "You want me to be what?"
"A select mage. Like Ryo, Zeno, Snow, Rex, and even your JoAnne."
"You've got to be fucking joking."
He laughed, and I gave him a dissatisfied look—much like how Code did when he looked at me and the crew most times.
"Speaking of…" I changed the topic, "Where is Jo?"
"Now you ask?" Daz scoffed.
Snapping his fingers, the large double doors far behind me began to open.
On the other side, a cool breeze entered as if there had been a blizzard just outside from the large room we were in. When the doors opened fully, the entire hall was shrouded in ice, and multiple mages that had flocked from other parts of the castle were decorated atop the icy floors like ice statues.
In the middle of where the door had opened, Jo was peacefully sleeping on the ground, curled in a fetal position with her thick, green dragon tail wrapped around herself.
"She's fine, as you can see," Daz said. "Though, I wish I could say the same for my escort mages and hallway…"
"Keeper…"—I face-palmed—"Sorry about that… But to be fair, you did act first. So, this, Idiot King, is on you."