Chapter 1137 A Golden Star
Chapter 1137 A Golden Star
As Julia walked toward the tower, the guildmaster appeared before her. He rushed to obstruct her way and prevent her from going in, but she was not in the mood for discussion.
"Please step aside, uncle," said Julia as she waved her hand in a rush. "Another wasted moment and he could be in trouble!"
"And what are you going to do?" asked her uncle, prompting her to freeze in place. "I have witnessed his strength, and there might not be someone in our world who could match him. Even if there was an opponent that he could not handle, how would you be able to save him?"
"I will think of that when I get there," said Julia with hesitation, but her uncle stood there without moving. "I can't just lose him, uncle. If something happens to him, my life would no longer matter."
"How could you care this much toward a man you met just a few months ago?" asked Asura with genuine confusion. "Are you in love with him?"
"Is that the only plausible reason to care about someone else?" said Julia with a blank face. "In this entire world, I have not met someone as kind as him. He is my remaining true family."
As he heard the direct attack on his status to her, Asura stood there without any word. A dark aura rose from his missing arm, but he clutched it hard to restrain it. Julia walked past him, heading toward the Red Tower.
In that moment and beneath the night sky, a brilliant light exploded above them. Julia and Asura raised their heads toward the sky, confused, as they witnessed a golden star shine in the distance. The world shook as the star loomed in the sky, shining brighter than any other.
"That light…" muttered Julia as her eyes reflected the golden glow. Her red eyes stared with amazement and recognition as a laugh escaped her mouth. "It belongs to Arthur!"
Atop a giant tree in Ilios, a young man sat inside what seemed to be a shrine made of nature. Water flowed beneath it while branches created a ceiling for it. From the gaps between the branches, the young man looked at the golden glow in the sky.
"What is that glow, Oren?" asked a child beside him, horns on its forehead and big green eyes staring at the sky. Forty leaves covered his horns, signifying his remaining years.
"Mana of creation," said Oren as his green eyes stared at the sky. "There is one person I know that could use that mana. He is the same person I keep telling you about, Reynor."
"Your brother?" asked the Child of Nature with surprise. "His mana is warm and uplifting. I want to meet him one day."
"The last we heard is that he was fighting in Runera, so what is this?" muttered Oren with confusion as he stared at the sky. It was at that moment a small winged creature flew toward the shrine where they sat, crying in a high-pitched voice.
"Reynor! Reynor!" shouted the winged spirit as she flew from between the branches. "The darkness stopped spreading! The trees are no longer dying!"
"What?" asked the horned child with confusion before branches grew from the ground to carry him, rising from the ground. "What happened to cause this?"
"Nothing changed!" said the winged spirit with tears of joy. "Nameless is retreating for some reason!"
"The entire world changed," muttered Oren, drawing their attention. His eyes were still fixated on the golden glow in the sky. "The star of creation has appeared, making Nameless retreat. I need to leave now."
"What?! You are leaving?!" cried the winged spirit as she flew toward the rising man, hugging his curly brown hair tightly. "Please don't leave, Oren! The forest needs you!"
"I don't want to leave you either, but I must," said Oren as he stroked the spirit's head with his finger. "You will be fine now that Nameless is retreating. My usefulness here will end too once Nameless is no longer attacking the forest."
"We will never forget the debt, Oren," said Reynor as he raised his head to meet Oren's eyes. Then, offered a handshake. "We had nothing to offer but wisdom about the universe, but you remained even after obtaining it. For that, we are grateful."
"Don't act so formal, Reynor," said Oren as he grabbed the offered hand, realizing that Reynor has never touched him until this moment. "We will always be friends."
"Friends, huh?" said the spirit with a smile. "Where will you be going now?"
"I want to meet with some people in the Yalveran Union, but then I will head toward Sourna. I want to find out more about the truth I uncovered here."
"May nature always be with you," said the child. Oren nodded in gratitude and turned to carry his bag, which contained all of his clothes and belongings.
According to the children, the use of artifacts was forbidden within the forest. The winged creature cried as she watched Oren getting ready for departure. Before he jumped down from the tree, he looked at the golden star one last time. Then, a voice echoed from the star throughout the universe. It was the voice of his brother.
***
Inside the kingdom of Yalen, one of the three in the Yalveran Union, flyers were distributed by the knights. As soon as someone saw the flyer, they cried out with shock and confusion. However, they were quickly silenced by the knights, who made sure no one voiced objection about the news.
One of the flyers drifted in the wind and fell into the hands of a street wanderer who cloaked himself well in the shadows. Inside the flyer was an announcement from the Yalen King himself, regarding the Agard Family.
Agard was a renowned name throughout the kingdom, and they were loved by the lower classes. The runic family made sure to distribute artifacts for the farmers of the kingdom, lowering the prices of food in the entire union.
For that reason, they were loved throughout the kingdom. As for the announcement, it belonged to that famous family. The cloaked shadow read the announcement as his eyes widened.
"Emma Agard and her family are being executed for treason?" muttered the shadow before it rushed through the alley, blending into the shadows. "There is no more time left, Miss Emma!"
The man turned into a shadow before jumping from one darkness to the other. Before long, he infiltrated the palace in the middle of Yalenia, to a tower that acted as a prison cell for a woman.
Emma was staring at the ceiling before she saw the flames flicker, making her rise. The shadow beside the cabinet rose to form a man, but Emma was not surprised to see the phenomenon. In fact, she was elated.
"You are back, Marvi!" called out Emma as she jumped from her bed. "I almost died of boredom. Where have you been? Did you bring me any new books?"
"Miss Emma, there is something more important," said Marvi as he lowered his hood, revealing his pale face and messy hair. "An announcement has been distributed throughout the kingdom. It regards your family."
Marvi showed her the flyer, which Emma took with confusion. As she read the details, she laughed and rose from her bed before igniting the flyer using the candle. Marvi stared at her with confusion, failing to see why she would be so calm.
"The Yalen King wants to lure out the outsider," said Emma with a smile. "If what you told me was right, then Arthur would never come to rescue me even if he sees this announcement."
"Miss Emma, that's not what I meant," said Marvi with a concerned look on his face. "I came here because I saw how close you were to my master when he assumed the identity of Alexie Linan. That doesn't mean the current Arthur Silvera is not one who cares about you."
"If he cared, he would have visited me," said Emma with a helpless sigh as she fell to the bed. "I am nothing but a memory to him now."
"Are you feeling this way because of what the book told you?" asked Marvi as he advanced forward and knelt on the ground. "Master never knew about how you felt toward him. Before he changed, I could sense that his heart cherished you."
"The book never lies, Marvi," said Emma as she covered her eyes. "I asked him plain and clear who the person that Arthur loved. You told me about the ruins in Runera, so I wanted to know. The answer contained no hesitation. He loves Diana Freya."
"The previous Arthur Silvera loved you," said Marvi without any hesitation. "If we find out what changed him, we might be able to bring back the old him. But there is a more important matter now: your safety."
"I already told my father and grandfather that if something like this happens, they should just flee," said Emma as she rose from the bed. "I can't fight them anymore, Marvi."
"I will fight them for you," said Marvi. "I have an army of shadows beneath me. Let me take you somewhere safe. You didn't want to run because of the safety of your family, so what is stopping you now?"
Emma was quiet before she jumped from the bed and walked toward the window. As she pulled away the curtains, she revealed the night sky. "I don't have anything to fight for anymore. I have no reason to escape, because they will just catch me again."
"You feel this way because of heartbreak," said Marvi as he turned toward her. "There are infinite possibilities in life, as many as the stars in the cosmos."
Emma stared at the sky and bit her lip. The things that she has endured all of her life seemed to be worthless. As she wondered if she would ever be loved instead of tortured or used, a golden star shone in the distance.