Dawn- An age of Darkness

Chapter 188 - Four Thousand Years Of Despair

"But that's so stupid. After all, you'd done!" I grinded my teeth in frustration. I was actually getting angry for someone else. It was a new feeling for me.

My friends were all looking at me like I'd gone mad or something.

Actually, I'd probably gone a bit mad at this point anyway.

"Why's he getting all heated up? What are they even talking about!?" Dick whispered vigorously.

I heard him but ignored him.

"Yes but that's how royalty are. The king recovered but he wasn't the same. He accused me of hiding the rest of the elixirs. When I told him I had only one he'd accused me of lying and ordered the execution of my family all but one. Of course, I was to be executed as well. I was kept in a cell for an entire week and when my time to be executed came, I was poisoned. I passed out." He looked down. I could understand his pain. 

Though the exact same thing didn't happen to me, my situation was similar as well. But perhaps I did come out luckier than him. After all, I was still alive. 

"When I came about, in front of me lay a guillotine and two heads, one of my mother and another of my sister. I cursed my fate and the king before his audience. I cursed the elves but they only laughed at me. The king's eyes were bright red like he was dead inside. He stood up and spoke two words, 'kill him.' The crowd roared and the guillotine rose above my head.  But before the guillotine fell, it broke down in pieces. I thought I was a goner but…

"One of my comrades came to my rescue and we barely escaped. But our escape wasn't complete and very short. We were struck by arrows. The whole amphitheater fell into chaos but all I could hear was the sneer of the crowd. My friend shielded me and took twenty arrows before he fell. I ran, I ran and I ran. Seven arrows had struck my back. An arrow had struck my abdomen. Healing magic wasn't enough. And being severely poisoned as I was, I couldn't…" He stopped, looked at Lianne, and spat: nothing came out. Did undead even have saliva?

"I was a goner. I knew I was going to die and I was all alone. With every step more and more of my life vanished and left me. With the last of my strength, I escaped into a great forest, this forest. And In the middle of this forest, I died: alone. For 3778 years I've been wondering since. This is my story. Are you still telling me to not hate those vermin?" He didn't curse the heavens, he didn't bang his hand on a tree, and he didn't even show any anger. All he did was ask a question, the question.

I was at a loss for words. I didn't have any means to satisfy his anger, his frustration and I certainly didn't have any means to console him. But I tried to be honest. "I will not. If it were me I'd never forgive them. However, wasn't your mother an elf as well? Wasn't your sister one? I believe hating the royalty isn't justice either. Hating the one who made you go through all this is. Hate him!" The person who did wrong to him deserved all his hate. But others who did no wrong didn't. At least that was my take on the matter. Perhaps I was too naïve and yet I couldn't bring myself to hate the innocent. But then again was anyone in this world innocent? 

Boriosa grinned and walked sideways. "At first I thought only of revenge but my strength had left me. I wandered aimlessly preying on visitors for five centuries and one day I suddenly gained conscience. I was weak and I couldn't go into the sun. Though I wasn't afraid of this body, it just felt sad. I was all alone, immortal and yet, it was sad…. Centuries passed before I could even cast a single spell. I could no longer cast holy, fire or even water spells. The only thing I could control was electricity." It was almost as if he pitied himself.

I really felt bad for the guy. "That reminds me, you were called mage of six clouds because you could use six elements?" And maybe that was why for the first time I tried to change the subject. I didn't want to hear more of his pain, as it was too painful for even me to bear with my conscience. 

"Yes. But I do not possess the affinity for all six elements. I could use spirit magic and so I could use all the spells. But now I've come to resent that title." He grabbed his chest in anguish.

Is that why I could use ice magic without having any affinity for it?

If the king was the root of all the trouble then maybe….

  "Lianne who was the king when your lineage was cursed?"

"I believe it was my grandfather… my father." Her speech faltered. She was speaking in the same elven tongue that the emperor had spoken when he saw me. Meaning she didn't want the other three to listen. 

"Father?" My eyes twitched. That very same blockheaded emperor I'd saved?

"No-NO!" Lianne waved her hands. "MY actual father. Jowy's father and mine are diff-" She sighed. "I'll explain everything later. Please."

I guess she didn't want to make a scene here in front of the others.

I sighed as well. I didn't have time for all this stuff. "What happened to him? That father, grandfather guy."

"We met him in the forest before Moire." Lianne looked down.

That goblin-like thingy?

I kind of understood the situation. Well, just kind of. A lot of things were just a mystery to me, but I guess I could have always asked her later. 

"Hey, Boriosa, would it feel better if I said the king ended up looking like a goblin?" And I made extra effort to sound as comical as possible. Maybe this way, he'd at least feel less terrible about his fate.

He chuckled. "I figured something like that could happen. That's why I tried to warn him. But he never listened."

I chuckled as well. It was weird.

"Can you explain things to me now? Why are you talking about my father that way? No matter how acquainted we are, that's just rude!" Lianne pleaded, her eyes wavering.

I guess she was right in her own way. 

"There was never a curse…" I explained everything to them. Now that I understood things, I could explain everything without an issue. 

And since Dick was done with the Undead, things weren't as urgent anymore. 

"What!!?" Lianne was shaken to her core. It was understandable. After all, she'd been living a false life all this time. She searched her whole life and yet, the answer was so simple. "Then father… uncle…. And all of us-"

"Are all something which you could have avoided if your father wasn't such an asshole!" Maybe I was the one being an asshole, but I couldn't help it. 

"Who would have thought royalty was so convoluted." Dick sighed. I agreed with him for once. The guy actually believed everything I said on spot. How much faith did he have in me?

"I don't believe this!" Lianne shouted.. Very reasonable.