Chapter 10 - The King of Wooden Bark

<> The old man was pointing behind his feet. 

Roi was frozen in place by fear. With only the movement of his head, he looked back. The footprints were nothing but faint pieces of dirt, no more visible than the dust around. 

He glanced at the crazy old man. 

"He's screaming for this little? This entire temple is a pile of dust and dirt." He only left those words as thoughts. He didn't want to enrage him more. 

<> He answered, trying not to sound pissed. 

The old man passed a tanned hand over his eyes. 

<> He gestured to Roi to sit on the stone next to him. 

<> He said in a threatening tone. 

 <> Roi asked curiously. 

"They understood that I've told the truth? Derlom never mentioned it." He thought as he got closer to the stone and the book.

<> He asked, sitting down.

<> He looked at him, especially his face. That wrinkled gaze made him uncomfortable. <> 

<> He asked hopefully. 

They were the only ones, besides Greth, to be kind to him, and they were funny. 

<> Dolor's tone was neutral.

"How many?" He let his thoughts remain just thoughts.

<> He began to walk back and forth in front of him, looking at the dusty floor. 

"Finally, answers!" 

Dolor lingered for a moment, and Roi took that moment to look at the book next to him. It was an anonymous book made of leather and with strange, greenish pages. 

<> Dolor said, gesturing at the book with a wave of the hand. 

Roi didn't waste time and opened the book to the first pages. They were colored in a faded green, and the words in a dark black. 

Just like the incision outside, he didn't understand any of the words. Yet, he noticed that the words weren't, not even remotely, similar to the incision on the outside. The words in the book were soft and harmonious, while those on the outside were more sharp-edged.

The titles could be distinguished because they were written more carefully than the other words. There were at least two unknown words that probably meant 'Tales' or 'Tale' and 'Legend' or 'Legends'.

<> That word caught Roi's attention. 

<> he stopped for a moment, glancing at him. 

<> 

Dolor looked at one dark corner of the altar, where an old bag lay limp on the ground. He scratched the long bridge of his nose, where short, grey hairs were coming out.

<>

He got closer to the leather bag. This time, he walked as an old man, trembling as he got lower to take it. 

<>

"HE WANTS TO HIT ME?"

He got closer again to Roi with the bag in his hands. 

<> Roi replied quickly, massaging his warm left rib. "Except that some are quick to judge."

<> Dolor's lips turned upwards. <> With that, he emptied the bag. Sticks, wide pieces of bark, straw, rocks, dry, and green leaves fell to the floor.

"And he yelled at me before."

<> He brought his hands behind his back and stepped back, leaving room for his playground.

Roi stared at him, stunned, unsure of what to do. Dolor stared back with a smile that seemed to hide the solution. 

The Savior got to the floor and took a large, crooked, broken branch and a fistful of green leaves. He looked at them, hoping that the Sun God's soul would do something. He was Its Savior afterall. 

(<>) 

In that moment, Greth's warm voice echoed in his head. 

"It's called the Blessing of Fire. From Dolor's words, this Zelkrom had a bright soul, or Blessing of Fire. I think. So I can fire things with my will? Can I do it with my small soul? OF COURSE I CAN, it belonged to a G-O-D!"

Roi took the branch with both hands and tried to move the little soul inside him, from the ribs to the hands. He closed his eyes, believing it would help him. His hands closed as hard as his little strength allowed him. 

But nothing happened.

The little soul didn't seem to bend at his will. 

Not willing to give up, he began to take every single object and stare at it. He really had no clue how to start a damned fire. 

He crushed some dry leaves with a stone and used a stick to hit them. Then he hit the stick with a stone, breaking it. He continued trying for a few more tries, with straw and the broken stick, but he had really no clue what he was doing. 

"I give up."

He raised his head, looking at Dolor. To him, he probably seemed like a stupid child playing.

<> He said resignedly. 

Dolor walked to him and sat down with his knees on the ground. 

<> His voice was calm and reassuring, meant to teach and not to mock. <>

"WHAT?!" He stared at him in disbelief. 

<> He took the broken branch, a fistful of straw and dry leaves, and a bark. He placed the straw and leaves on the bark and he spun the base of the branch above them.

He blew on it from time to time. From it, a wisp of smoke emerged. 

Roi observed amazed. 

<> Dolor tone was dramatic and slow, helping Roi understand and think as he spoke. 

<> Roi interrupted him. 

<>

Derlom lingered, trying to find the exact words. 

<>

Roi forgot how to breathe. That legend carried more questions than answers. But one question was more important to him than the others.

<> He asked, starving for curiosity. 

Dolor stared him in the eyes. A long second passed, then another, and another one. 

<>

He lingered for an eternity. Roi came closer to him as if he were being pulled by an invisible force. 

<< Gordàlish >> 

Roi lost his ability to breathe. 

His body trembled as that word reached him. He felt as if the Sun God was there; he felt his authority over the world. 

His little soul was trembling and traveling non-stop throughout his whole body. He felt as his heart stopped beating for a moment. 

In a moment, his mind was flooded with meaning he could not possibly have known, based on knowledge he could not have had. 

Between all the meanings behind that name, one stood out above all others.

"The Absolute."