Chapter 859: Dark Times Are Approaching
Chapter 859: Dark Times Are Approaching
Chapter 859: Dark Times Are Approaching
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"You smell like Lily," Chloe commented as she snuggled close to Ethan.
"Is that a bad thing?" Ethan asked while patting her head.
"No," Chloe replied. "I already expected this when I heard that the two of you went out on a date yesterday."
The two stayed in each other's arms for a few moments before Chloe stood on tiptoe to kiss Ethan's lips for a second time before reluctantly pulling away.
"I need to talk to you about something important," Chloe said.
She then held Ethan's hand and led him toward the couch so that the two of them could sit together.
When both of them were properly seated, she revealed the book she was holding and handed it to Ethan.
The young man looked at the words on the cover, but he couldn't understand any of it.
However, just as he was about to ask what the book was about, the letters on the cover lit up one by one and transformed into a language Ethan could read and understand.
The Four Jewels of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
"You can read it?" Chloe asked with a smile.
"Yes," Ethan answered.
Chloe nodded. "I had a feeling you could do it, but I'm still surprised that you could understand the ancient text."
The young man raised his head to look at his cousin, and when he did, he saw a beautiful fox lady sitting beside him.
"Don't mind me," Chloe said as she casually brushed one of her tails. "Sometimes, I transform when I feel that I'm in a safe place."
She then waved her hand, and a moment later, the pages of the book flipped by themselves before coming to a complete stop.
Ethan turned back to the book and saw four illustrations, which made him focus his attention on the pages Chloe had wanted him to see.
Since he possessed Mimir's Wisdom, he was able to read the description of the four treasures of the Tuatha De Danann.
Four Cities, Four Teachers, Four Treasures.
"Four presents brought with them,
By the nobles of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
A sword, a stone, a cauldron of worth,
A spear for the death of noble champions."
Ethan looked at the treasures one by one, and his gaze lingered on the spear that looked very much like Areadbhair.
Wanting to check if the two of them were truly one and the same, Ethan summoned his flaming spear and dispersed its flames for a brief moment.
Chloe, who also wanted to ask Ethan if she could see the spear of legend, observed the spear in great detail before taking a deep sigh.
"It's indeed the Spear of Lugh," Chloe said softly. "Areadbhair. Ethan, you possess one of the treasures of the Tuatha De Danann."
Ethan already knew that the Tuatha De Danann was a mythical race that lived in the world thousands of years ago.
Some even said that the Firbolgs were their descendants, explaining why this race also wielded great powers just like them.
But after realizing the significance of this discovery, Ethan frowned. He received Areadbhair as a reward for helping the Dawnbreaker Academy overcome the threat of the Elder Dragon Eizenth, as well as the Wizard who tried to take advantage of the chaos.
Back then, the Headmaster of Dawnbreaker Academy, Marlton Everton, didn't recognize the spear, which Ethan had chosen from their treasury.
It was as if the spear just materialized out of nowhere, showing itself to Ethan so that the young man could pick it as his reward.
Since then, the Flaming Spear had played a major role in Ethan's battles, helping by making him nearly immune to fire-based spells.
"When you left the academy, I had a dream," Chloe said. "The dream was so vivid, and the voice talking to me in that dream was urging me to take action and find the whereabouts of the four treasures of the Tuatha De Danann.
"Because of the urgency of the voice, I couldn't just completely ignore it, so I asked the Headmaster for help. After listening to my story, Professor Rinehart asked Chessy and Koko to accompany me. We then headed to Westshire to consult the Elves and talk to some of the Firbolgs who lived with them.
"After that, we headed to the Kingdom of Wisteria, where Claimh Solais can be found. I then asked His Majesty if I could enter the Forbidden Section of the Royal Archives. Fortunately, the Headmaster has already informed them beforehand, so I was granted permission to enter their library for research."
Chloe paused for a bit before caressing the worn-out page of the book.
"Three of these treasures are now confirmed to be here in the Shire Continent," Chloe said. "I have Lia Fail, the Stone of Destiny. The Sword of Light, Claimh Solais, is standing tall in the Kingdom of Wisteria.
"The Spear of Lugh is in your possession, which leaves only the whereabouts of the Cauldron of the Dagda unknown. Ethan, we need to gather all four treasures as soon as possible so that we can prevent the second coming of Ragnarok."
"Ragnarok?" Ethan asked. "Are you talking about the story about the ultimate destruction of the gods in a battle against evil?"
"Yes," Chloe replied.
"But according to the Magical History, the Gods are already dead," Ethan stated.
"That's true." Chloe nodded. "The Gods are already dead. But Ethan, we can also interpret this in a different way."
Ethan suddenly had an enlightenment, allowing him to understand what Chloe was trying to
say.
"In the absence of the Gods, only those beings can be considered God-like," Ethan muttered before glancing at his cousin, who was looking back at him with a solemn gaze.
Seeing that Ethan understood what she was referring to, Chloe nodded her head.
"That's right," Chloe replied. "In the absence of Gods, only those who have power beyond that of a mortal can be considered Gods."
"The Progenitors," Ethan hissed. "Are you telling me that an all-out battle against Progenitors will herald the end of the world?"
Chloe nodded. "And for that, we need to gather the four treasures in one place."
The young lady then took out the Stone of Destiny and showed it to Ethan. "Right now, a special seal has been placed in this stone, blocking its powers," Chloe replied.
"Its past Guardian deemed that it would be too dangerous to let Lia Fail fall into the wrong hands, for it is able to identify the one True King who could turn the balance of this world
upside down.
"And for this seal to be undone, its current Guardian must either die or lose their purity."
Ethan's eyes widened in shock because the pieces were now falling into place. "Don't tell me..." Ethan looked at his cousin, who now had a bitter smile on her face.
"Yes, Ethan," Chloe replied. "I am the current Guardian of the Stone of Destiny. The moment I die or lose my innocence, the stone will regain its ability, and the One True King will be found. "But before that happens, we must find the Cauldron. Only if the King possesses the three other treasures will we be able to overcome the calamity that is destined to fall on our heads."
Ethan closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Chloe felt like Ethan was about to eat her whole.
"... Ethan, maybe if we gather the four treasures, you don't have to fear the Progenitors again," Chloe said before placing her hand over the young man's hand. "And then, we can..." Chloe wasn't able to finish whatever she was going to say next because Ethan pressed his lips over hers, giving her a long and sweet kiss.
"I understand," Ethan replied after their kiss ended. "Do you know where the Cauldron is
located?"
Chloe shook her head. "I brought some books with me from the Royal Library. I still haven't read them all, but they hold the information on where these treasures were kept hundreds of
years ago.
"But seeing that the other three's locations had not been in the places recorded in the written text, the possibility of the cauldron being in another place is very high."
Ethan shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Regardless of whether the cauldron still exists in its original place or not, we will only know once we look for it."
"You have a point." Chloe nodded. "Very well. I will translate the books I've brought back from the library and update you as soon as I can."
"Good," Ethan replied. "After the students have all finished their missions from the Mission
Hall, I will ask the Headmaster for his permission to search for the Cauldron. We will search
for it together."
"Yes." Chloe smiled. "We'll search for it together."
***
Somewhere in Midgard...
"Dark times are approaching," an enchanting lady wearing a black dress muttered while
looking over the horizon. "But that doesn't concern me."
The lady smiled as she caressed the Black Cauldron on top of her table.
All around her, dozens of naked young ladies, all chained to the wall, could be seen.
The enchanting lady then reached out to caress the face of the closest young lady within her
reach.
Her hand then slowly moved to touch her neck, and her collarbone, and even playfully groped
her right breast before her hand moved towards the golden jewel that was growing at the center of the young lady's chest.
All the ladies that were chained on the walls had the same jewel growing from their chests but
of different colors.
The enchanting lady giggled. Soon, the Origin Magic of the Witches whom she had captured would be extracted from their bodies, making them lose their powers permanently
She would then take these jewels and place them inside the Cauldron, allowing her to create a pill that would further strengthen her powers, as well as grant her eternal youth. "Soon, the chosen one will arrive. I can't wait to eat their Origin Magic," the enchanting lady
said as she kissed the jewel on the young lady's chest, wishing that she could pluck it and eat it
like candy. But she would wait, for it was still not ripe for the picking.
Also, she believed that those who sought the Cauldron would soon come looking for her, just
as written in the text of the Dagda.
When the world needed it the most, the people who would play a role in preventing the destruction of the world would seek out the Four Treasures.
The enchanting lady had always wanted to taste the Origin Magic of the so-called chosen
ones.
She didn't really care if they were men or women.
All that mattered to her was that she could gain their powers, allowing her to break through and become one of the Progenitors, who looked down on all the mortals in the world.