LIGHTNOVELONLINE LXXXVI. The Lake
Setting Rotavitea down softly against one of the sturdy, old trees that surrounded the lake, Zephyr walks towards the water.
Zephyr: "Be strong. Be true. Be the best man you can be. Become what I was too weak to become... And don't ever forget the tale I used to tell you, for it is so much more palpable than you can know."
As he hears Zephyr utter these words, Virno's eyes widen as he recalls the one who wrote them.
Zephyr: Do you remember the tale he used to tell you...? The one in which the sword was enveloped in chains and thrown into the deepest lake in the country, to never be found again... Yet, like all tales, this one isn't wholly accurate. It is not mere chains that keeps the sword out of reach...
Looking over the water's edge, Zephyr stares at the reflection in the water. As he sees Virno's face, the young man's hold over his body returns. Now back to the real world, he removes the blindfold from his eyes and looks around to find the area oddly familiar.
Virno: This lake... Those woods... I have seen them all before. You showed them to me in dreams.
Virno begins treading across the water.
Zephyr: Your footsteps follow his. This is the place that marked the first of your father's last days... The turning point after which everything began to crumble.
As he moves closer to the lake's center, he starts sinking lower and lower.
Virno: No. This isn't how he did it, is it...?
Zephyr: Not quite. Look inside your pockets...
Searching his pockets, Virno finds countless fragments of scrap that Zephyr had salvaged previously. Still, he was unsure of what their purpose was.
Zephyr: Your father was an impressive researcher. More than just an explorer, he sought out any writings, any knowledge from times of old he could obtain. While most of the sword's potential wielders stumble upon it by mere happenstance... Charles found it because he knew exactly where to look.
Virno: But he never told me where to look...
Then, Virno felt a warmth near his eyes. Sigils had begun to inscribe themselves upon his skin once more.
Zephyr: Not to worry... You don't need to know. You already have access to something that will reveal all -- put the blindfold back on, Virno.
Taking the blindfold that was hanging from his neck and placing it over his eyes, he could see nothing but a black void. It seemed just like any ordinary blindfold.
Zephyr: Though the blindfold itself isn't the answer... It will lead you to it. Take one of the pieces of metal in your pocket, and hold it up to your eyes.
Virno does as Zephyr instructed, though he could see nothing still.
Zephyr: Now, command the power... But don't let your body channel it for long. Instead, make it flow into the object you hold. Direct its current from where it rests and straight into it.
Drawing deep focus, Virno concentrates on the area around his eyes, where the glowing sigils had appeared. He imagines a line that traces a path down his neck, across his arm and through his hand, all the way to the piece of scrap he held. As he does, the sigils begin mimicking the movement he envisioned, using his skin as a mere conduit to reach their final destination. When they make their way closer to his hand entering his field of vision, Virno is able to see their movement magical sigils, despite having his eyes completely covered.
Zephyr: Your eyes are merely one of the many ways to experience the world. Now, even when they are of no use, you can see through another lens. With enough practice, the wind itself will tell you all you need to know... But for now, simply let go of that piece.
As Virno lets go, he sees the glowing sigils floating in midair, presumably permeating the surface of the metal. They seemed to be patiently waiting... Awaiting some sort of command.
Zephyr: By now, you should know what to do... Correct?
Removing the blindfold from his eyes, Virno opens them to confirm his suspicions. The imbued scrap hovered in front of him, with his sigils having been transferred to it.
Virno: Ventus, tibi praecipio...
It begins vibrating as he utters those words.
Virno: ... Show mine eyes that which is seen by none.
The intensity of the vibration intensifies.
Virno: Fact ut impero!
As he finishes the incantation, the metal shoots into the lake like a bullet, embedding itself onto its surface with a loud clang, as if it had hit something solid... Despite this, there seemed to be nothing in contact with it that could have caused such a sound upon impact.
Zephyr: The power of wind knows the path by heart... Comes as no surprise, given the times it has been released by those who came before you.
Virno grabs another piece of scrap, repeating the process. Not too far from the first piece, the second hits another solid surface, remaining embedded there.
Zephyr: That's it...
Successive attempts resulted in the creation of a path of scrap that led straight into the center of the lake. Upon firing one more piece of scrap Virno is caught by surprise, for it did not fly into the water but instead shot several feet into the air, despite still producing a similar clang upon impact as the pieces before it. After it came to a full stop, the magic concealing the truth before Virno's eyes began to vanish, as stone by stone a path of invisible rocks was revealed, where the scrap metal was actually embedded. The path unfolds in front of him, terminating in the last piece which turned out to strike no mere rock, but instead a strangely familiar ruined structure.
Virno: The entrance...
Zephyr: Indeed. At last, you have arrived...
Virno looks behind him, in the direction leading back to the forest.
Zephyr: Thinking of running away...?
Virno began to feel his eyes getting warmer, as the glowing hue returns and the control over his own body subsides.
Virno: Nghn-no... I'm just taking it all in...
The glow fades, as his control returns.
Zephyr: Taking it all in? Taking what in...?
Virno: Everything...! Everything.
Tears begin welling up in his eyes, as he looks at an unconscious Rotavitea, resting underneath a tree. Behind the ruins the sun rose, slowly painting the scenary in hues of gold.
Zephyr: You humans... I struggle to understand you.
Virno: If I was locked away for as long as you have, I guess I would, too...
As tears ran down his face, Virno thought of all he had lost in the process of reaching the sword's resting place. His family, friends, limbs... But now everything could change. The obelisk had shown him first-hand what those who came before him could achieve with the sword's power. If such strength could truly be his to wield, nothing could stand in his way. The anticipation of this moment struck something in him.
Virno: Greed... Can I still fail...? Can I still... Die?
Zephyr did not reply at first.
Virno: Or is the power as good as mine...?
Zephyr: What does it matter to you at this point, von Virtus? Not long before you sought to terminate your very life only to deny me of my wishes.
Clenching his fists, Virno grits his teeth as his tears drop into the ground below.
Virno: That was before I saw them, those who came before... Before I saw what they could do with it. I must seize it. So, please tell me...
Zephyr: ... This will not be the end.
After hearing his words, a haunting ear-to-ear grin permeated Virno's face.
Virno: G-good... Good...!
Tears streaming down his face, he enters the ruins...