'Help… Anyone… Please!'
Sylvester abruptly sat up on his bed, his breathing heavy and his body drenched in sweat. The sunlight streaming in through the window illuminated the room brightly, while the birds chirped outside.
"That girl from my visions… The dreams are growing too frequent." He muttered and brushed his golden locks away from his face, taking a deep breath to calm down.
It had been three days since his return, and he had fully enjoyed his holiday, as he had planned at the beginning of his six-month leave. He had done nothing but sleep, stayed at home, cooked his own food, and played music while contemplating his next moves.
He simply wanted to recharge his social battery, as he felt tired of acting holy and blessed in front of the people. Coming up with hymns on the spot was difficult for him. But, he could only afford one day of rest, as he knew his adversaries were active while he wasted time.
"Chonky, let's go. I wish to meditate on Soul Tree and try to see a vision." Sylvester got up and dressed in his usual robes.
Miraj grumbled as he sat by the window. "How could you deceive me into taking a bath? I thought you said Mom needed me, but you trapped me in the bath!"
Sylvester chuckled and walked near Miraj to stroke his furry head. "Buddy, look how soft you are now. It's all thanks to the bath. Besides, don't you want to see Ashra, the Mythril snake?"
"Ashra? Let's go then!" Miraj leaped onto Sylvester's shoulder. "She must be missing us."
Sylvester felt the same way and set off quickly. He was the last one to awaken that morning, so he was the only one remaining in the house. After breakfast, he rushed out while greeting all the Happy Bright Mothers who now knew their "son" was staying with them.
He mounted his loyal horse, Frost, and rode to the port. From there, he took a private ferry and soon arrived at the Soul Peninsula. Since he had permanent permission to enter the location, he simply gave his palm prints to the guards and entered the main forest region.
"Ashra! Where are you, girl?"
Boom!
In a moment, loud booming sounds echoed, followed by the earth shaking as if an earthquake were imminent. Soon, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance, and from the dust emerged the colossal head of an excited snake. If one were not familiar with Ashra, they would be terrified, but for Sylvester, she looked as cute and harmless as a pup.
Her big eyes opened wide with excitement, and her mouth pressed into a big excited smile. She certainly missed him. That was clear.
"There's my girl!" Sylvester treated her like a child and allowed her to approach him. He was no longer afraid of her since his Knight Rank was high enough to avoid being crushed by her.
Bam!
Ashra slammed her massive snout into Sylvester's chest. In response, Sylvester was struck back so hard that his feet dug into the soil. Nonetheless, he continued to laugh and pat the excited serpent while his feet prevented him from being pushed back.
"Haha! Forgive me, dear. I could not come to see you sooner. I was far away for the past months." He apologized, knowing that she could understand human speech perfectly. Meanwhile, Miraj acted as Ashra's translator, interpreting her simple words.
"Maxy, she says it's fine. She was afraid that you forgot about her, so now she's very happy." Miraj conveyed Ashra's silent hisses.
Sylvester shook and hopped onto her head. Then, he patted her between the eyes. "How can I forget about our gigantic Snake Queen? Aren't we the best of friends?"
Upon being called her best friend, Ashra wriggled her lengthy tail in excitement, causing a storm of dust and grass. Then, she just closed her eyes and enjoyed Sylvester's words and pats.
'So strange that I get along with these dangerous beasts more than humans.' Sylvester pondered. 'Perhaps it's because these creatures are usually simple-minded. Good is good, and bad is bad for them. They don't scheme. You show them love, and they love you back, it's that simple.'
Sylvester spent a few hours playing hide and seek with Ashra. He was possibly one of the only visitors who could play with her and genuinely hide, as she was too overpowering for others. Although during their time, Sylvester discovered that the Pope and Aurora often also came to play with her.
"Ashra, now you rest here and talk with my invisible guardian angel. I need to go and meditate." He finally finished playing and got serious.
He climbed a few big branches and sat cross-legged on one of them. Wasting no time, he closed his eyes and attempted to clear his mind while assimilating the Solarium in the air into his body. He tried to repeat what he used to do before getting a vision.
Breath in… Breath out… Breath in…
He sat like a statue for an hour. Over time, three more hours passed, and it became hard to keep the mind clear as the doubts rose from the heart.
'Did she die? Why can't I see her in the visions anymore? The last time I saw her, she was Sold to the Desert Cannibals — But has it already happened? Or is it about to happen? I should alert all the Bright Mothers to be on the lookout.'
Having no success, he opened his eyes and climbed down the branches. He also tried to find more carvings done by the debaucherous Knight, but even with them, he had no luck.
"Where did Ashra and Chonky go?" He didn't find the two where he had left them.
So, he followed the giant marks on the ground. Soon, he arrived at the small shack where once lived the old man. Looking at it made Sylvester miss him. 'Grandpa Monk was too good for this world.'
"Chonky?" He found Miraj sitting between Ashra's head and Yogi, the bear companion of Grandpa Monk.
"Maxy! I was telling them about our adventures." Miraj chirped excitedly. "I showed them my shiny pebble collection as well."
'Only if the world could be as happy as you with just shiny pebbles, the world would have been a much better place, my friend.' Sylvester couldn't help but shake his head at the thought.
"Come now. We need to visit the Weapons factory and see our Bloodling destroyer," Sylvester called. "I will be back to meet you soon, Ashra."
The giant snake nodded her head and silently watched Sylvester and Miraj depart. Nonetheless, she continued conversing with Yogi. They seemed to have formed a good friendship, no matter how strange it seemed.
…
Sylvester took the ferry to Pope's Peninsula and rode his horse to the C9 Workshop, where they developed weapons. It was one of the departments under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Robert Maxim, who oversaw weapons manufacturing.
As always, Sylvester underwent numerous security checks before gaining entry to the colossal warehouse. Additional security personnel screened him as he made his way to meet Robert in a small cabin office in the warehouse.
Hushed whispers spread as he passed other clergymen. He had become too recognizable, and his distinctive golden hair and eyes were unmistakable.
"Your Grace, good afternoon."
"Bless me, Your Grace!"
Some men greeted him, while others remained silent. Understandably so, as they were all researchers or engineers, and their social skills were not their forte. Nevertheless, Sylvester smiled and waved as he passed by.
He eventually reached his destination. "I hope I am not disturbing you, Your Eminence."
Cardinal Robert rose to his feet and rushed to greet Sylvester. "Lord Bard! Welcome back!"
Sylvester thanked him and entered, closing the door behind him. He had learned by now that high-ranking clergymen who deeply respected or regarded him as a superior being never addressed him by his rank, which was lower than theirs. Instead, they called him Lord Bard. However, if they wished to convey that they saw him as someone lower than themselves, they called him Lord's Bard. The difference was small, but the meaning behind it was significant.
"Thank you, Cardinal. I wanted to inquire about the Solarium Light Beam, as the Bloodling menace has become too big of a problem."
Cardinal Robert quickly moved. "Of course, it has been sitting in the warehouse for the past two months. I was able to complete it relatively quickly after a few trials and tests. Currently, the beam is powerful enough to engulf a bull in its light, but at the same time, the device is small enough to be loaded onto a carriage. I will demonstrate how it works."
Sylvester asked the most critical question, "Do you think it can work on a Bloodling?"
The Cardinal shrugged and seemed confused in his response. "I'm not sure, Lord Bard. I tried to direct the beam at all the strongest metals I could find, and the beam melted them all away within a single, one-second strike. I don't have any stronger materials to test it on."
Sylvester stroked his smooth, painfully beardless chin as an idea came to his mind. "Perhaps I can be of assistance, Cardinal. I possess a small, fist-sized block of the most potent metal known to humankind—Skygem! I procured it from the nest of a Bloodling after slaying it."
"Are you certain, Lord Bard? Isn't it too valuable?"
Sylvester dismissed the concern with a shrug. "It's fine. Even if the beam only leaves a slight mark on the stone, I'll deem it a triumph."
"Understood."
They arrived at a vast warehouse where the machine stood at one end of the expansive area while the target table was positioned at the other. The contraption was enormous and comprised numerous shining lenses. It was indeed magnificent to behold, resembling a flower made of glass and lenses. However, the real enchantment lay beyond the glass, as they were adorned with runes.
"Lord Bard, please place the Skygem in that designated area."
Sylvester walked over to the target slowly, conversing with Miraj to pass the stone. Initially, Miraj objected, as he cherished his stones, but eventually, he gave up after receiving some assurances.
Sylvester placed the Skygem and returned to stand behind the machine. Operating it was straightforward; one needed only to place light crystals and solarium crystals together. Then, one had to remove the obstruction to allow light to reach the lenses.
"Close your eyes!" Cardinal advised. "Or you might become blind."
Sylvester complied and glanced downwards, even forcing Miraj to do the same.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Woosh!
Sylvester did not hear any sound, but he sensed the warmth in the air and the shift in the air's flow. He knew the beam had been discharged. He could perceive it as the Solarium in the air appeared to react to it.
However, the sensation lasted only three seconds, as the lenses were too weak for extended usage. But the hope was that even a few seconds would suffice against Bloodlings.
"Lord Bard! You can look now."
Sylvester did so and gazed at the target area. His jaw dropped as he observed the aftermath of the experiment.
He hurried to the target area and looked closely—specifically, the ground.
"What the! W-Where the hell is my Skygem?"
"Maxy! Pebble, where?"
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