Chapter 143: Chapter 143 - The Fall of Barthus ( Part 2 )
Inside the Greymane Castle.
The servants had already carried away all the fallen stones.
The former soldiers worked along with the villagers to clear the debris of the Tempest Armor’s destruction. The castle which once served as a symbol of oppression had slowly begun to take on a new shape.
Hope.
Jennie quietly observed from one of the castle’s balconies.
Beneath her, children were playing as they chased each other around the castle grounds.
They would never do that a day before.
Snow casually sat next to her.
"I can’t believe they volunteered to clean the castle."
Jennie smiled.
"Sometimes people build something more than just structures."
"They rebuild themselves."
Roxy joined them carrying three mugs of tea.
She looked different.
Much happier than before but the pain was still visible.
It probably would remain so forever.
But she didn’t carry that burden with her anymore.
She gave Jennie a mug.
"You are thinking too much again."
Jennie received it with a soft laugh.
"Was it that obvious?"
"You always gaze at the horizon when you are thinking."
Snow smelt the tea.
"Honey?"
"No."
"... Then I am disappointed."
Roxy rolled her eyes.
"You always say the same thing."
"And it works every time."
"For some time, the trio enjoyed the peaceful morning.
No monsters.
No battles.
Just the sound of mountain winds blowing through the castle walls.
Jennie closed her eyes.
"Peace..."
She appreciated such moments because she knew they never lasted.
Seemingly in response to her...
A warm sensation ran through her waist.
She instantly opened her eyes.
Excalibur.
The sword lying quietly next to her started to emit a dim golden glow under its sheath.
Jennie frowned.
"Excalibur?"
The Divine Sword answered.
"... Something is calling me."
Snow instantly got serious.
"What’s wrong?"
Jennie placed one of her hands gently on the sword.
"It’s reacting."
Roxy looked surprised.
"To what?"
"I don’t know."
The glow slowly became brighter.
It was gentle.
It felt...
Gentle.
As if Excalibur had made a discovery.
The sword’s glow was directed towards the castle floor.
More specifically...
The lowest level of the castle.
Jennie stood up.
"I think we need to go investigating."
Snow grinned.
"I knew that this castle was hiding something."
Roxy sighed dramatically.
"Can we visit one ancient ruin without anything trying to kill us?"
Snow thought for a bit.
"... Probably not."
"I guess."
Soon Captain Ron joined them.
When Jennie told him about the divine sword’s reaction, his expression changed.
"There is..."
He hesitated.
"... an old legend."
"What kind of legend?"
Ron looked towards the mountain beyond the castle.
"When this castle was built..."
"The workers discovered ruins beneath the foundations of this castle."
"But no one could open them."
"They eventually sealed the entrance."
"Where?"
Ron took them through the castle.
Through abandoned storerooms.
Through the abandoned corridors.
Through a spiral staircase that led underground.
The air became cooler.
Everything was covered in dust.
Spiderwebs covered the ancient stone walls.
They obviously hadn’t entered this place in decades.
Finally...
They reached a huge stone door.
Unlike the rest of the castle...
It was much older.
Ancient runes covered its surface.
Many of them had faded away with time.
In the middle...
A circular hole was waiting silently.
Suddenly, Excalibur glowed brightly.
The runes answered.
Glowing gold light spread across the door.
A deep rumbling noise echoed in the tunnel.
Slowly...
The massive stone door opened by itself.
Snow gazed.
"... Convenient."
Roxy nervously laughed.
"I was expecting something more complex."
Jennie smiled.
"I think Excalibur solved it."
Beyond the entrance was a huge underground sanctuary.
The ceiling disappeared somewhere above into darkness.
Crystal formations illuminated the chamber with a soft blue light.
Ancient pillars surrounded a huge circular hall.
Though it was ancient...
The sanctuary was in perfect condition.
Not even a crack in the polished stone floor.
Even dust wasn’t anywhere in this place.
It felt...
Sacred.
Snow automatically lowered his head.
"... This place..."
"Feels ancient than kingdoms."
Jennie silently nodded.
She felt it too.
Every step reverberated through the chamber.
Not a single trace of hostility or malice.
Only dignity.
As if this sanctuary was patiently waiting for somebody’s return.
Suddenly Roxy gasped.
"Jennie..."
"Look."
The walls.
The entire walls of the sanctuary were covered with huge carvings of stones.
Beautiful.
Detailed.
Every carving showed a magnificent sword.
There were seven of them.
Jennie slowly approached the nearest one.
Excalibur.
Its distinct cross-shaped guard had been carved with amazing precision.
Next to it...
A Leviathan.
Its elegant wavy blade carved in the sea of carved water.
Along...
A sword surrounded by a storm.
Tempest.
Lightning was swirling around the blade.
The clouds bent around its edge.
Jennie’s heartbeat increased.
"So..."
"It really existed here."
She walked further.
The fourth sculpture.
A radiant golden sword that shined like the sun.
Aurelia.
The Blade of Light.
The fifth...
A black sword vanishing into the shadows.
Eclipse.
The Blade of Shadows.
The sixth...
A red greatsword engulfed by fire.
Gram.
The Blade of Wrath.
Jennie stopped in front of the last mural.
Unlike the others...
It rose above all of them.
An elegant white sword enveloped by branches stretching up to the heavens.
Genesis.
The Blade of Creation.
Its roots connected all other six swords.
As if all seven swords originated from it.
Snow quietly looked at them.
"They aren’t just weapons..."
"They are a family to the War God Tree ."
The Excalibur’s voice echoed softly.
"Once..."
"... we were one."
Jennie placed her hand on the sword’s mural.
"So this sanctuary remembers."
"Yes."
In the middle of the sanctuary there was a magnificent stone altar.
Unlike the murals...
It was absolutely empty.
Seven grooves had been carved in it.
One for each Divine Sword.
But...
There were no swords left.
Only silence.
Jennie slowly approached the altar.
Excalibur’s golden glow became even brighter.
Leviathan started to glow with a calm blue light.
Two swords responded to each other.
Sanctuary answered.
Soft glowing gold runes appeared on the floor.
The murals started to shimmer.
Ancient voices whispered in the chamber.
Not words.
Memories.
Memories of a long-forgotten era.
Jennie felt a strange feeling in her heart.
As if she was standing here before...
Before she had become Leonis.
Before the Great Demon War.
She reached out and gently touched the empty altar.
Suddenly...
A brilliant light shot upwards from the center of the altar.
The sanctuary shook.
Hidden mechanisms activated beneath the ancient floor.
Excalibur spoke. Its usually calm voice was full of surprise.
"... Impossible."
Jennie looked at the glowing altar.
"What is it?"
After a pause, Excalibur answered.
"This is not just a sanctuary."
"... It is a sanctuary built by the first bearers of the Seven Divine Swords."
As the light spread across the walls, another hidden mural slowly emerged from beneath hundreds of years of enchanted stone.
It didn’t show any sword.
It showed a tree that had branches that stretched up to the heavens.
And below that tree were seven figures...
Holding each one of the Divine Swords.
The old sanctuary was silent once more.
Except for the dim glow coming from the crystal pillars, everything was covered in shadows.
Jennie was frozen before the recently revealed fresco.
Seven figures.
Seven Divine Swords.
And then, behind all of them...
The huge divine tree whose branches almost touched the sky.
Its trunk extended further outside of the fresco itself, because even ancient artists couldn’t capture its size in full.
Roxy stepped closer.
"It’s beautiful..."
Snow nodded.
"It feels..."
He was searching for the proper word.
"...alive."
Jennie lightly traced the outlines of the giant tree with her fingers.
"Alas Ramus..."
Roxy turned to her.
"You have heard of it?"
Jennie smiled.
"Only some pieces of information."
Excalibur answered this time.
"Not some pieces."
"Memories."
The Divine Sword sounded unexpectedly melancholic.
"The War God Tree..."
"...our origin."
Jennie closed her eyes.
"So it’s true."
"All seven swords originate from the same place."
"Yes."
"We were once separate branches of one divine being."
Jennie’s words reverberated in the sanctuary.
Even Snow kept unusually silent this time.
The group moved further into the chamber.
Unlike the previous room, this part didn’t contain any frescoes.
Instead...
Ancient columns surrounded the round platform that stood on a few steps higher.
The atmosphere here was different.
Slightly holy.
In the center stood one stone pedestal.
Unlike others...
It was completely empty.
Without any weapon on top.
Without any crystal.
Nothing.
However, the stone was glowing with the emerald runes.
Jennie felt how Excalibur instantly warmed up at her waist.
Leviathan responded to it as well.
These two Divine Swords were humming softly, like greeting the long-lost friend.
Snow whispered,
"Something once stood here."
Jennie nodded.
"I can feel the mana residue."
This mana wasn’t regular.
It had a fresh, pure smell.
It reminded of standing at the mountain’s peak before the thunderstorm.
Of the rain and the wind and the lightning.
Roxy carefully wiped the layers of the dust off the pedestal.
More runes appeared.
"These runes are written in the Ancient Divine Script."
Jennie looked at the inscription.
Though she never formally studied this language...
Because of the Goddess Miasa’s blessing she could read it.
She started speaking quietly.
"When the sky forgets its silence..."
"The storm shall choose not the strongest hand..."
"...but the soul that is unable to kneel."
The last lines were inscribed deeply into the stone.
Like they wanted to survive forever.
Jennie’s voice sounded softer now.
"The Blade of Storms..."
She took a pause.
It seemed like the whole sanctuary held its breath.
And then she said the last words.
"...has already chosen its master."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Roxy looked around.
"What does it mean?"
Snow frowned.
"The pedestal is empty."
"So..."
"The sword is gone."
Jennie’s eyes darkened.
"No."
"It’s been missing for quite some time."
Suddenly...
The golden light flashed brightly inside of Excalibur.
The whole sanctuary reacted.
Ancient runes spread across the floor like rays of sunlight.
Leviathan was shining with the sapphire light.
For a moment...
Jennie heard the voices.
Not from the present, but from the past.
Laughter.
Clashes of training swords.
The wind blowing across the endless plain.
Young voice could be heard faintly.
"Catch me if you can!"
Another voice responded with the laughter.
"You will fall if you run into the storm."
And then...
Everything was gone.
Jennie blinked.
The memories vanished like mist.
"...What was it?"
Excalibur remained silent.
For several minutes...
The Divine Sword didn’t say anything.
And then...
Excalibur spoke with a whisper-like voice.
"...Tempest."
Jennie looked at the empty pedestal.
"What about Tempest?"
After another pause.
Then...
Excalibur replied.
"Tempest has awoken."
Jennie’s words echoed in the chamber.
Snow’s ears immediately stood up.
"What?"
Roxy looked at Jennie.
"Awakened?"
Jennie’s expression turned serious.
"You’re sure?"
"Yes."
"There is no doubt."
"The resonance is unmistakable."
Jennie slowly looked at the empty pedestal.
"So..."
"The armor was not the source of the magic."
"No."
"It only borrowed the power of the Sword."
"The Divine Sword..."
"...itself left long ago."
Chill went through the sanctuary.
Snow whispered.
"Could it still be somewhere near?"
Excalibur answered him instantly.
"No."
"It is far away."
"But..."
"It is awake."
Jennie’s thoughts worked fast.
Every Divine Sword possessed its own will.
They didn’t simply wait until somebody will find them.
They chose.
Like Excalibur chose Leonis.
Or Leviathan chose Jennie in her test under the water.
Tempest...
Has chosen too.
Jennie slowly repeated the inscription.
"The Blade of Storms has already chosen its master..."
Her silver eyes opened wider a little.
"It doesn’t wait for us."
Roxy finally understood what she meant.
"You mean..."
Jennie nodded.
"Somebody already owns the Tempest."
Silence.
The realization settled down in the chamber.
For the first time since the beginning of their journey...
Jennie was not the only one who sought the Divine Swords.
Somebody in the world...
Was already chosen as their bearer.
Snow crossed his arms.
"Friend or foe?"
Jennie smiled.
"I don’t know."
"But if Tempest chose them..."
"They aren’t ordinary."
Roxy thoughtfully looked at Jennie.
"Do you think they seek other Divine Swords too?"
"Perhaps."
"Or maybe..."
"They aren’t even aware about what they possess."
Excalibur spoke again.
"Each Divine Sword forms its owner in a different way."
"Tempest cherishes the freedom above all."
Its chosen owner won’t stay in place for long."
Jennie softly laughed.
"So..."
"We will meet someday."
"Definitely."
Before they left the sanctuary, Jennie put her hand on the empty pedestal.
"I hope..."
She whispered.
"...that your chosen master is the protector of people."
Gentle breeze suddenly blew through the underground sanctuary.
Impossible.
There were no windows.
No openings anywhere.
But the breeze wrapped around Jennie once, then flew towards the exit.
Snow looked around.
"Did you feel that?"
Roxy nodded slowly.
"It somehow felt..."
"...like farewell."
Excalibur stayed silent.
But in this silence...
Jennie heard the agreement.
The Sword of Storms heard her words.
And somewhere far beyond the western mountains, where the sky was filled with clouds...
Some lone traveler with the rusty sword stopped for a moment.
Emerald light sparkled on its blade.
The traveler looked into the distant horizon not understanding why he has stopped.
Then the breeze started blowing once more, bringing the promise that two bearers of the Divine Swords were already moving to the same destination.
