《Calamity Star》 Chapter 1: An Idiot and a Fool The Abyssal mountains exist in the land dubbed as ¡°The Rage Continent.¡± Within the mountains lies a cave, where a boy at the age of 13 mirrors a skeleton in front of him, both of them sitting with their legs crossed facing each other. The skeletons bones are in pristine condition, not a single one missing and all of them glowing with a smooth white light. The boy stares at the two black holes that are the skeletons eyes and strains his own as he doesn¡¯t dare to blink. Eventually the boy fails and his eyes close against his will. He laughs and then begins to talk joyfully at the Skeleton. ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t think I could ever beat you Mr.Skeleton! You¡¯re pretty good at this.¡± The boy sitting in front of the skeleton does not know his past, he only remembers two things. The first is his name, ¡°Solus¡±. The second is a phrase. ¡°The soulflame is the lifeblood of calamity.¡± He had only awoken an hour ago, and had tried to converse with the skeleton putting off the white glow immediately after he saw it. Seeing that the skeleton wouldn¡¯t respond to anything he was saying, Solus challenged it to a staring contest and said that if he won the skeleton would have to respond. Currently the skeleton in front of him has won a staggering 20 times and had lost not a single time. Solus, realizing that he would probably never beat the master of staring contests in front of him, thought he should probably explore the cave that he was in. He stands up, and begins to walk away from the skeleton, but quickly realizes that the only source of light in the cave is the skeleton that he was just challenging. Solus ponders for a moment, and rubs the back of his head. ¡°Uh oh. I really need a light. I could ask Mr.Skeleton to borrow one one of his bones¡­ But he probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate that. But if I don¡¯t have something to light the way then how I am gonna see? Uh... ¡° Solus¡¯s problem is suddenly answered, a small green flame forms in front of him. Solus jumps back in fright as the flame forms. It puts off a small green glow that lights up the cave around him. Hesitantly he puts his hand out towards the flame, and the flame responds by moving over his palm. ¡°Wow! Now I can see without Mr.Skeletons help. But, where¡¯d this thing come from? It¡¯s green and looks like fire. Maybe¡­ Maybe it¡¯s the soul flame! Normal fire doesn¡¯t float around, and it definitely doesn¡¯t just form out of thin air! I think? Well whatever it is, I¡¯m glad to have it!¡± Solus begins to trek through the cave, the small flame above his palm lighting the path in front of him. Eventually he hears a crunch beneath his feet, and he looks down to see what it was. Underneath his feet lies a countless amount of bones from varying creatures. Solus¡¯s face fills with shock and he begins to look around more carefully. He realizes the bones are not only beneath him, but also on the walls and even the ceiling of the cave. ¡°These things aren¡¯t like Mr.Skeleton. His bones were a lot different than these ones. I should be careful around here, lots of bones in one place can¡¯t be a good sign.¡± Solus carefully navigates around the bones, making sure not to step on any of them. He gets away from them, and continues his journey through the cave. Soon after he gets away from the bone pile, he spots a light in the distance. He runs towards it in excitement, and when he does get to the source of the light, he begins to fall. The source of the light was an opening on the side of the mountain the cave was in, one that did not offer any footing for Solus. ¡°NO NO NO!¡± Solus yells out as he falls to his impending doom, but luck would have it that below the opening was a valley with a lush canopy that slightly breaks his fall. He braced his body as he fell and broke through several branches and one particularly unlucky birds nest. The flame that was formerly above his palm also silently floated down, following him down through the hole in the canopy his body made. ¡°Ow¡­¡± Solus lays down on the ground covered by lush greenery. He looks up at the sky and notices the little flame float down and arrive next to him. Small beams of light break through the canopy above him, and light the area around him. Solus finally gets up, though his entire body slightly aches. He looks at the tree¡¯s and the greenery around him, and then he looks at the flame and worry fills his face. ¡°Um. Mr.SoulFlame, you¡¯re not gonna set this place on fire are you? It looks very flammable.¡± The flame doesn¡¯t move for a moment after Solus¡¯s words, and then quickly slams itself into Solus¡¯s chest. His heart then begins to glow a green glow that can be seen through his chest. He looks down and notices the glow. His jaw drops and he immediately pats his own chest as if to make sure nothing is wrong. After a few moments he calms down and convinces himself that the soulflame probably wouldn¡¯t hurt him. Unbeknownst to him, the green glow slowly begins to spread out from his heart. Solus takes a deep breath and tries to climb one of the tree¡¯s around him to get a better look at the area he¡¯s in. He struggles for a while and the green glow begins to spread throughout his chest. Eventually his chest looks as if there are green lines covering it, all converging on the heart in his chest. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Solus does not notice the new development though, as his mind was completely devoted to figuring out how to beat the challenge of the tree in front of him. Hours pass and eventually he does manage to get to the top, above the canopy. He discovers that the area he¡¯s in is a valley surrounded by two giant mountains. He looks up, scanning for the cave entrance he fell out of. He barely manages to make it out, and it surprised at how high up the mountain it is. ¡°Woah, I survived a fall that long!? That doesn¡¯t seem possible... I must be really lucky.¡± He continues to examine the valley he¡¯s in, seeing that the mountains and the valley continue for miles and miles. He spots an opening in the canopy in the extreme distance, and decides that his next destination should be it. The plan in his mind immediately loses any importance it had to him as he notices a small ruby bird flying in the sky. His face fills with amazement, and the bird turns towards his direction. ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Huh? Hey, hey!¡± In an act of disgruntled rage the ruby bird whose nest was previously destroyed by Solus¡¯s fall dives into his body and knocks him off the tree. The birds body is extremely heavy and hard, and it lets out a small ¡°Chirp!¡± and immediately flies away after hitting Solus. ¡°Not again!¡± Solus hits the ground with a loud thud and once again his body begins to ache all over in pain. He doesn¡¯t get up right away and instead closes his eyes, waiting for the pain to go away. While waiting, his mind slips away and his body lies silently on the ground.. As he lies on the tough ground, the green lines that once only covered his chest spreads to the rest of his body. The green lines on his body begin to pulsate with time, and then a green flame covers his entire body. Pain explodes throughout his body covered by the flame. He jolts awake, but he¡¯s unable to move and the only sight in his eyes is the flame burning him from the inside out. Words begin to recite themselves in his mind, and he tries his best to focus only on them to alleviate the pain from the flames. ¡°Burn away the impurities with the flames of the soul. Before the mind gives away, carve away the heart and form a calamity core!¡± The words begin to fade away and the flames explode into a frenzy, beginning to devour Solus. The flames leave nothing untouched, and they all begin to move up his body towards his heart, burning everything in their way. His body, feeling, everything he was burned away leaving only his heart, his mind was but a simple shadow of someone who once existed, and yet in that shadow one thought still remained. ¡°Form the calamity core!¡± The flames writhe like snakes and begin to wrap around the heart of Solus, but it doesn¡¯t burn. The flames all begin to condense over and over again over the heart, forming a small round core that pulsates a green glow. Muscle, bone, flesh, and sinew all begin to spread out from the core, reconstructing Solus¡¯s body. Quickly the body reconstructs, and it looks just the same as it did before. The only difference was that instead of a heart in his chest, Solus now had a mysterious core. The moment his body fully reconstructs, Solus regains his ability to move and think. He immediately takes a deep breath, and lets out a deep sigh. He moves every part of his body, making sure that none of it was any different from before and actually finds out that it feels a bit lighter than it did before. He smiles a bit, somehow already recovering from the experience from just before. ¡°Good things happen after bad things! Hopefully a lot of good things¡­¡± Far away from the rage continent Solus is currently on, a man stands in the air looking down at a small token in his hand On the token is a flame decorated in green thread.. ¡°One of the seeds on that cursed place already formed a calamity core? Incredible. I wonder which one it was... ¡° The man ponders for a moment and then shrugs. He begins to walk through the air, acting as if it was solid ground. To the east of the Abyssal Mountains lies a prosperous chain of islands known as the Arcana chain. The island closest to the Rage Continent bears the name Emperor. On the island, in a small house lies a boy the same age as Solus. He sits at a table and looks at an old man with lifeless eyes. The old man sits opposite of him, and looks at him with a forced smile and begins to talk in a smooth voice tinged with anger. ¡°Now now, Arc. We have high hopes for you. Your mothers compatibility with the Arcana was insanely high. It must be the same for you! So then why would someone with as much talent as you choose to focus on the Fool?¡± Arc doesn¡¯t respond immediately, he seems to mull over something in his mind and he speaks with a monotone voice. ¡°It¡¯s my choice to make. I don¡¯t need to explain it.¡± The mans face twists with anger, and raises his hand to slap the boy but feels a terrifying pressure encompass his body. He lowers his hand and sighs. ¡°Fine, boy. I will report that you refuse to change your mind to the higher ups. You were supposed to be a shining star but¡­ following the Fool you¡¯ll be nothing.¡± The man gets up from the table and leaves the house. Arc closes his eyes and listens to the footsteps fade away. He gets up and begins to tidy up his house silently. His eyes showing zero care for anything he¡¯s doing. A knock at the door interrupts his mindless chores and he walks over to it. He opens the door and his body seemingly fills with life. The previous lifeless eyes were now filled with an emotion, albeit a negative one. He furrows his brow and a frown covers his face. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you, Alexander.¡± On the other end of the door is a lanky man wearing garish clothes. His name is Alexander and he has dedicated his life to the Emperor Arcana. Alexander smiles laxly and walks in to the house. He looks down at Arc and tries to ruffle his hair, but Arc quickly dodges out of the way. ¡°What are you here for? You¡¯re not gonna ask me to change my mind now too, are you? Because if you are, I¡¯ll tell you my answer now. No¡± Alexander laughs and walks through the house as if he owns the place. He takes a seat at the table Arc and the old man were previously at, and Arc takes a seat opposite of him. The man rubs his chin and ponders for a moment and begins to talk. ¡°Your mother has been gone for about 2 years now, correct?¡± Arc nods slightly, not sure where this conversation would lead to. ¡°Bacchus was going to strike you, luckily I noticed and stopped him. The fact that he was going to though is a problem. It surely means that the influence your mother had is all but gone. I have no objection to you going to study the Fool, but if you do, I fear that people will try to make things hard for you. They expect a lot of you, and in their eyes you choosing to study the Fool is no better than spitting in their face. If you came with me to study the Emperor, I could ensure your safety.¡± Alexander looks at Arc with a curious smile, not knowing what his answer would be. ¡°...My mother''s influence.¡± Arc mutters for a moment, bits of doubt appearing in his mind. ¡°If the influence my mother had is really gone, that¡¯s good!¡± The doubt invading him was quickly dispelled, being replaced by a fervent dream. ¡°Instead of being someone who succeeds because of a lack of adversity, I will succeed despite it! My path is one that leads me to the very peak, I will not allow it to end prematurely just because it does not conform to men who have grown old in complacency.¡± Alexander looks at him seriously for a moment, and then his mouth quivers and a laugh bellows out from him. He claps his hands in applause and the table shakes below him. ¡°Good! Well spoken. Live by those words and you¡¯ll become someone who¡¯ll rock the world over!¡± Alexander rummages in his baggy clothes, and fishes out a small token and tosses it over to Arc. Arc catches it and looks at it, examining the design with a puzzled face. On its surface lies a design that depicts a crown with a sword piercing it. ¡°But just in case, if anyone above your level tries to give you a hard time, I¡¯ve prepared this little token for you..¡± Arc nods with a serious look, and Alexander gets up from the table and his smile is replaced by a somber look. He studies Arc¡¯s face intensely, and gives him some parting words. ¡°For your mother''s sake, please stay safe.¡± Alexander leaves the small house and Arc sits at the table alone. He stares at the token in his hand and places it onto the table. The light in his eyes carry a hint of fanaticism. On this day he makes a vow in his heart, one that he would not forget until he died. ¡°I will train until my body breaks, I will not allow myself to fall until I save my mother. She may have disappeared, but that does not mean she is dead. I am certain that she is alive!¡± On this day, Solus and Arc both begin to claim their destiny. Solus through reforming his body, and Arc through forming his iron resolve. Chapter 2: A Fools voyage Claiming one¡¯s destiny is not a simple task, Solus and Arc will both face countless trials and tribulations as they tread down the path that awaits them. A few days after Arc had his talk with Alexander, Bacchus knocks on the door to his house. Bacchus looks at the door he¡¯s knocking on in annoyance, and several thoughts cross his mind. Thoughts about how to stop Arc from following the Fool Arcana. But those thoughts quickly leave his head, replaced by a tired look on his face. ¡°This boy¡­ He hasn¡¯t had the guidance of a parent in 2 years. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be this hard on him. I¡¯m sure once he truly understands the error of his choice then he¡¯ll beg to change to a more suitable Arcana. Hmph, and I¡¯m sure the elders would agree to a request as long as I put a good word in. I¡¯ll give the boy some kind words of advice when he comes out, after all as caretaker of the younger generation it is my duty to lead kids onto the right path.¡± He laughs in self satisfaction, and he again knocks on the door waiting for Arc to come out. Some more time passes and Arc still doesn¡¯t come out of the house, and so he knocks again, and again, and again. His face begins to fill with anger, and he knocks on the door once more with enough power to almost break it. ¡°Hey! Are you Lord Bacchus?¡± Bacchus turns around to the voice he just heard, and sees a young man walking towards him. ¡°Yes, I am. What is it boy?¡± The young man fishes a note out of his pocket and hands it to Bacchus. ¡°Arc said to give you this.¡± The note reads a very simple message. ¡°I left for the Fool island yesterday.¡± From, Arc. Bacchus stares at the note for a moment with a blank look on his face. He neatly folds it and puts it into his robe, all the while not making a noise or making any particular expression. Only one thought enters his mind. ¡°That boy isn¡¯t deserving of my advice.¡± While this was going on, Arc leans on the railing of deck on the boat that¡¯s taking him to the Fool island. He closes his eyes and listens to the sound of the waves hitting the ship. He mentally prepares himself for his arrival at the Fool island and the tribulations that awaited him. His concentration is broken by the voice of the ship captain, Waite. Waite was a man who had traversed the oceans around the Rage Continent for many years, and the countless experiences and journeys he had voyaged on were all reflected in his eyes. They were eyes that could read a man he had only just met, ones that bored into the very depth of one''s soul. If one were to describe him to another person, they would surely begin with his eyes. Apart from his eyes, Waite was like any other time worn sailor. He had nothing truly special about his looks, he was an average man through and through. His brown hair had grown long and was tied back so it would not get in the way of his face, and stubble wrapped around his chin. His voice was not a loud one, but it contained a heavy weight behind it that demanded attention from any who heard it. His presence overwhelms those around him, and anyone who meets him can instinctively tell that he is someone great. The difference between his plain looks and his domineering presence had earned him a nickname from the people of the Rage Continent. ¡°The Slumbering Beast¡±. What was such a man doing transporting a single child to the Fool Island? The answer was simple, because he thought it would be interesting.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He was not a man of intense conviction or desires, he simply reacted to the world around him. He followed what interested him, and his crew would follow blindly behind him. But Waite did respect those who had convictions unlike himself, he respected those who have a dream. Arc was one such person who he respected. Waite had docked and was having a drink at a bar when Arc had come up to him and asked him to take him the Fool Island. Normally, Waite would ignore such a request and continue on his merry way without a second thought, but Arcs eyes had garnered his attention. His eyes were filled with an unrelenting dream, his body carried confidence that was undeserved and strange coming from a young boy heading to the Fool Island, the worst of the worst of the Arcana Chain. This intrigued Waite, and so he decided to take Arc to the Fool Island. And now he intended to chat with him, he wanted to understand why the boy had chosen to go here and what drove him forwards. ¡°Young lad Arc! I¡¯ve seen you¡¯ve grown accustomed to the waters already? Have you ever been sailing before?¡± Arc slowly opens his eyes and looks over to the man that called out to him. Every single sense in his body told him, this man was his superior in every way. The aura Waite put off, the experience behind his eyes were all terrifying to an extent that Arc had never felt before. ¡°Not that I remember, no. But if I couldn¡¯t get used to a little water, then how am I gonna get anywhere in life?¡± Waite smiles in response to his answer and fires back a response immediately. ¡°Good answer! You have a good head for someone going to the Fool Island. Which brings a question, why would you ever go there? You seem like someone with talent, you could learn anywhere else, so why there?¡± Waite cut immediately to the chase. This was always how he acted when he was interested in something, and now was no different. Arc takes a moment to respond to the question, a bit of surprise flashing in his eyes. ¡°Why? I¡¯ve been asked that a lot lately. I haven¡¯t answered anyone who¡¯s asked yet. But for some reason I feel¡­compelled to give you an honest answer. So I will, I¡¯ll tell you what makes the Fool so enticing to me.¡± Stepping back from the deck he was leaning on, Arc turns fully towards Waite and looks at him in the eyes. ¡°Most people believe that the Major Arcana is the path the Fool stepped down. His encounters, the people he met, his own beliefs were all inscribed onto each of the 21 Major Arcana. That is a common belief everyone on the Arcana chain shares. But, that is about the only thing the entire Arcana shares as a belief. The 21 Major Arcana all have differing beliefs as to what the proper Arcana is. They believe that you should focus on a single aspect of the path, not the whole thing. That¡¯s where the Fool Island differs. They believe the Fool walked the right path, and try to emulate him. But, the problem is that the benefits someone gets by following the Fool is minimal compared to what the other Arcana have to offer. And that¡¯s why they¡¯re the weakest.¡± Waite shows an intent interest into what Arc is saying, but interrupts him before he can continue on. ¡°I get it, that all makes sense. But what about you? Why are you going to the Fool if it doesn¡¯t offer as much as the other Arcana?¡± Arc clenches his fists and speaks resolutely, every word he speaks carrying an invisible weight that crushes down on those who hear them. ¡°The Fool Arcana is the beginning and the end, it¡¯s not a part of the 21 Major Arcana. That¡¯s all it is, not a path to follow or a goal to reach. Anyone who thinks it¡¯s anything more is deserving of the name The Fool. Emulating a man who¡¯s long dead? What¡¯s the point in that, you¡¯ll just end up the same as him! But those idiots who follow one aspect of the path are no better. Taking one aspect to the extreme sounds alright in practice, but the fact that they¡¯re using the Fool¡¯s own experiences as their foundation is just asking for themselves to be limited.¡± Arc takes a deep breath, never having told anyone these thoughts of his before, he got excited and lost control of himself for a moment. ¡°But¡­ saying there¡¯s nothing to take away from the Fool is wrong as well. I don¡¯t want his experiences or the path that he walked down, but what I am interested in is the concept of the Arcana themselves. And once I grab onto that concept, I will create my own path to walk down. Sadly, the only way to begin that process is by going to the Fool Island.¡± Waite looks on in amazement at the boy in front of him, the words he spoke had lit a flame in him. ¡°Good, Yeah! Yeah! Follow that dream of yours. If you can actually pull it off, you¡¯ll shock the entire Rage Continent!¡± A huge grin comes across Waites face, and Arc smiles back at him. By finally vocalizing his thoughts, he had again reaffirmed his resolve. In the back of his head however, he knows that in reality the one who had planted this idea in his head was his mother. She had taught him constantly about the Arcana Chain since he was young, and she was quite vocal about her interpretations and beliefs. The rest of the trip to the Fool Island went uneventfully, and Arc had finally departed and began his first step towards his pursuit of strength. Waite watched the boy as he walked away and made an off hand comment towards one of his crew. ¡°With a dream as crazy as that, and such a heavy resolve it¡¯s possible that boy might come for the title. The strongest in the rage continent!¡± The sailor he said it to looked a bit shocked, but was long used to Waite and his absurdities. He spoke back with a tired voice. ¡°Really? You think he¡¯ll be able to challenge you one day? That¡¯s a pretty hefty guess.¡° Waite laughs at his response, but then a defeated look covers his face. ¡°You can¡¯t call me that anymore¡­ Not since that monster showed up.¡± The sailors sighs and rubs the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, that thing is on another level. But I kind of have to thank it. If it didn¡¯t show up those 10 years ago, this place would have already been destroyed by war. Maybe I¡¯ll go give it a thank you basket next time I¡¯m near where it¡¯s holed up. Uh¡­ actually where was that again?¡± The sailors ask with a nervous laugh, clearly not actually wanting to visit but wanting to avoid the place. Waite laughs a bit, and responds to the sailor with a somber tone. ¡°How could you even forget something like that? That monster is in the number one most dangerous place on the Rage Continent. The Abyssal Mountains.¡± Chapter 3: A Shining Star During the time Waite talked to the sailor, Arc had already arrived at the initiation building for those who come to the Fool Island. The Fool Island is the birthplace and the resting place of the Fool. It is shaped like a crescent and even though it is looked down upon by all the other Arcana Chain, it still carries a hefty influence within the forces of the Rage Continent. The influence they carry is not because of any supreme strength they posses themselves, but because of a skill that the top members of the Fool Island possess. They are able to see the potential of those who had not yet begun their path towards strength. For those who were coming to study The Fool, the service was freely given when they first arrive at the island. But for those who do not stay at The Fool, the price is fairly steep. Arc stands in the initiation building hall, where several other people of varying sizes, physiques and ages surrounded him. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were here to only have their potentials checked or join the Fool Island but he did not care either way. He silently thought to himself as he looked around him. ¡°The people here all have varying dreams and ambitions, but to me those aren¡¯t even a stone on my path. My goal is to leave this island and even this continent and ascend to something greater.¡± A young female attendant walks out into the hall, her presence drawing all eyes of the people gathered. She has a permanent smile plastered across her face, and her voice carries a soothing tone. ¡°Thank you for your patience, everyone. We will now make our way to the potential examination.¡± Leading the way, the attendant beckons everyone to follow her to where they would begin the potential examination. Arc¡¯s eyes narrow for a moment, but he too follows her. As he follows her Arc remarks silently to himself about the examination. ¡°The potential examination, what a joke.¡± Words that his mother once told him echo in his mind. ¡°Arc, Honey. In the future, when you take the potential examination don¡¯t bother caring about the results, all you need to do is pass. It¡¯s just a joke, these old idiots don¡¯t know anything about what really makes someone a shining star. You¡¯re destined for greatness as long as you put all your effort in, no matter what they tell you. I assure you, you¡¯ll be amazing as long as you remember my words.¡± Arc smiles to himself remembering the words his mother told him, but then that smile turns to a frown as he thinks about the past two years without her. The group Arc was walking with enters the examination hall, a small old man sits in the middle of an altar at the end of the hall. Candles line the floor, leaving only a small path towards the old man. The attendant that was leading the group calls out a name, and a burly man about the age of 30 answers her. She tells him to head to to the elder through the path between the candles and he complies. He walks slowly through the candles, and as he does they spontaneously light themselves with a weak flame. The man looks around in confusion, but he continues walking forwards without stopping. He eventually arrives in front of the old man sitting cross legged on the altar, and the old man looks him up and down. He begins to speak with a disgusted tone. ¡°Lighting all the candles is the requirement for permission to become a member of the fool island. But the flame that lit them was so meager. You are permitted to join if you wish, but your position will be at the very bottom.¡± Gulping, the burly man barely manages to choke out a reply. ¡°I would like to join.¡± The old man sighs and tells the man in front of him to head back through the path and wait outside the hall for the examinations to end.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Members of the crowd murmur as the man passes back by them, but his ears had already gone deaf to the world around him. Tears run down his face in joy as he softly murmurs to himself. ¡°I made it¡­ I actually made it¡­¡± Surprise fills Arc¡¯s mind as he watches the man walk past. ¡°The Fool Island is the bottom of the bottom, and yet he¡¯s still so happy to be apart of it. Is this how short sighted people can be, or is this just the last hope for a man whose destiny was already written?¡± The attendant calls the next couple men up, all who illicit around the same response from the candles as the first. Not a single one refuses the request to join, and they all join the man outside. She calls the next person up, one who is a young man only at the age of 17. As she calls him forwards, a laugh bellows out. ¡°HaHaHa! You¡¯re done with the prologue already? It seems that it¡¯s time for the main character to take the stage. With this first step, the world will change!¡±¡± The attendant almost loses her cool for the first time, her face nearly changing from the normal smile to a look of shock. She manages to keep it cool, and just beckons the young man forwards. Arc is also taken aback, but unlike the attendant he can¡¯t hide the shock on his face. Arc was confident of himself, he carried himself proudly and did not consider himself to be below any other man. But he would never say so outloud and so brazenly. To see someone who did was a shock to his system. It had taken him by complete surprise. ¡°Being so brazen like that, maybe I should try it sometime.¡±. Taking his first steps out into the path between the candles, the young man carries a wide smile filled with anticipation. His destiny would be decided today. Life was not easy for him, he had gone through many trials just to get to the Fool island. His family was poor, he would go many days without eating and those around him would look down on him. To combat this, he adapted the confident personality he has today. He did not know what awaited him as he moved forwards, but in the depths of his mind he had no doubts that he would succeed in lighting the candles. He had to! He would not go back to the life of starving on the street. ¡°I¡¯ll shock the whole world! I¡¯ll go from a bug on the ground to a dragon in the skies!¡± And so, the world responded to his desire. On his first step, the candles flared with flames that threatened to consume the path he was walking on from both sides. But he would not stop his path forwards, sensing his resolve to move forwards the flames parted and allowed him through. Every person gathered in the room had a look of shock on their face as they saw the spectacle in front of them, even the attendants smile broke as her mouth gaped open. The old man at the other end of the room had a look of ecstacy across his face as he watched on. The flames died down as the boy got closer and closer to the old man, and finally they completely burn out as he arrives directly in front of him. Changing his tone from the previous encounters, the old man addresses the boy gently with a polite voice. ¡°What¡¯s your name boy?¡± The boy answers straightforwardly with a happy shout. ¡°My name is Arthur sir!¡± ¡°I see. Arthur, please take a seat behind me. After the potential examination is finished, we¡¯ll talk about your place in the Fool Island. That is¡­ if you want to stay here. If you would, I Savvas promise to personally teach you.¡± A sigh flows out of Savvas¡¯s mouth as he finishes talking and he remarks something silently to himself. ¡°If he wants to leave and go to somewhere with better prospects, there¡¯s nothing we can do. We can only watch as he leaves.¡± Savvas¡¯s thoughts are quickly interrupted as Arthur responds to his previous statement. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll stay at the Fool Island! You were kind enough to let me get my potential checked, so staying here will be my repayment!¡± In response to this he can only let out a hearty laugh. His fear of Arthur leaving being dissuaded puts him into an extremely good mood, and he begins to continue the potential examination as Arthur sits behind him. Many people go before Arc, all managing to illicit some sort of reaction to the candles and being accepted into the Fool Island, none of them ever began to approach the state Arthur managed to coax out of the candles however. Finally, the attendant calls out Arc¡¯s name. As she does, Savvas¡¯s attention is drawn away from Arthur sitting behind him towards Arc. ¡°So this is her boy. If he¡¯s anything like her I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll cause humongous waves in the entire Arcana chain. But why would he come to the Fool Island of all places? He must have had offers from every other island. Hmm¡­ oh! He must be here to show off his potential, so that the other islands offer him greater rewards for joining them. Hmph. Such a domineering idea, like mother like son I suppose.¡± Reaching a point that was entirely not true, Savvas¡¯s opinion of Arc slowly fell before the examination even began. He shot Arc a nasty look that the attendant and Arc both noticed. The attendant was confused, knowing that the old man was normally quite a mellow person. Arc immediately assumed that his mother must have offended the man at some point, which was also not true. Brushing off the nasty look, Arc stands in front of the examination path and takes a deep breath before stepping forwards. ¡°Potential has no meaning, my mother told me that. And yet, after seeing the response from before, those exploding flames were so enthralling. Even if it¡¯s meaningless, how can I not put weight upon what I saw with my own eyes. But, my mother was no liar. If she said this examination was meaningless then it¡¯s meaningless. No matter how meager the flame I light, I will not let it affect my mind!¡± Preparing to take the first step, Arc¡¯s mind hardened and prepared for the worst result he had in his mind. The size of the flame did not matter, the result of the test did not matter. All that mattered was that starting today he would join the Fool Island. Taking the first step, Arc sets off onto the examination path. And for the first time during the potential examination, the rows of candles that surrounded the path that would decide one¡¯s destiny did not light with a flame. Arc¡¯s iron resolve and steadfast personality was met with nothing. Not a ember, or even an attempted spark. Chapter 4: Chains that intrude upon fate This world is one of unforgiving truths. Power is not something someone can easily attain. They must fight tooth and nail for it, no matter the consequences, no matter the cost. And even then, they are not guaranteed to succeed. So what drives people? Why do they unforgivingly punish themselves just for the distant hope of rising among their peers and gaining strength and fame? Is it a distant goal that they wish to reach? Is it a faint dream that they once had? It could be, and it couldn¡¯t. Of the countless souls scattered clamoring for more, they all have their own varying reasons for what they do and don¡¯t, whether they know it or not. And in front of these reasons and dreams, that chance of failure seems all too insignificant. However, that chance of failure will never disappear, it will simply wait and tread silently in the face of these aspirations. And one day, it will strike. In this world, that is an absolute. Once that failure arrives, it threatens to consume everything in its path. Everything that drove someone forward will crumble, becoming nothing more than a lost thought throughout the passage of time. Now, Arc was facing that very possibility. Panicked thoughts run throughout his mind as he looks at the unlit candles. ¡°NO! If I don¡¯t light a candle they won¡¯t even accept me. If that happens, I won¡¯t be able to find my mother, I won¡¯t be able to do anything! I know the results don¡¯t matter, all I have do is light a flame, the tiniest one will do! That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for.¡± And so he takes another step forwards, and the candles continue to simply be. Savvas looks on surprised. Although he did not like Arc due to his prior false deductions, he was still expecting him to call on a impressive reaction. But what was happening was completely betraying his expectations. Arc was the worst of the examinee¡¯s he had seen. Arc had frozen, he did not know what to do. If above the candles a flame didn¡¯t form, then everything he needed to attain was in jeopardy. Sitting behind the old man, Arthur saw Arc¡¯s pathetic state and frowned. He opened his mouth, and yelled at him, every word coming out of his mouth drenched in disgust. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you just standing there, can¡¯t you see that¡¯s not gonna do anything? People with actual talent are still waiting. You clearly don¡¯t have what it takes to be here, get lost!¡± To Arthur, talent was everything. His own talent was the only thing that could free him from his live of poverty. But, he could still forgive those without talent.. However, those who stood still in front of adversity, that was absolutely something he could not forgive. His parents could do nothing, they just sat around as they watched themselves and their children starve. That was what formed this deep seeded hatred. To him, Arc was a clear example of everything that he despised. Savvas laughs at this quite loudly, and then also shouts out his own insults at Arc. ¡°Yes! The boy¡¯s quite right. You¡¯re clearly not cut out for this. But, I¡¯ll give you a bone. If you turn around now and leave here, I¡¯ll get you a boat to the Emperor Island so that you can hide under Alexander¡¯s influence for the rest of your life.¡± An offer that was enticing, a life of luxury at the Emperor Island. If Arc heard what the old man had said, maybe he would have been enticed in his darkest moment. But he couldn¡¯t, the world around him and already turned to black. He was simply standing in a void, time seemed infinite as his own thoughts ran rampant. ¡°Am I gonna be cut short? Just like that? This isn¡¯t about skill or hard work, it¡¯s just a game, a whim of the heavens. Even though it¡¯s just that, it still controls everything about my future. That¡¯s¡­ Insane!¡± Slowly, his body moves forwards on the path towards the old man and Arthur. The old man scoffs loudly, but also speaks in a hushed tone that not even Arthur can hear. ¡°It won¡¯t work kid. The flames haven¡¯t lit, there¡¯s no chance for you. Fate isn¡¯t kind enough to change its answer. What¡¯s done, is done.¡± 10 steps.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 7 steps. Arc now stands 5 steps away from the end of the path, the end of his journey which hadn¡¯t even begun. His body moves sluggishly, his movements carry a heavy weight of seemingly broken resolve. His face carries nothing, just a blank look that can¡¯t even see the world around it. The attendant that had called on Arc keeps the same face as always, but she thinks silently to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t blame him. For someone so young to be told that they have no future is a very heavy burden to bear. If I was in his situation back when I took the test, I might drag it out just like he is, just putting off that final moment of despair. How truly awful it must be¡­¡± It was now the third step from the end, and Arc¡¯s mind once again sprang to life. ¡°Three steps, that¡¯s all it takes to get to the end. When I reach there, it¡¯ll truly be the end. No candles will light and I¡¯ll never be able to complete what I set out to do. Being here at the Fool Island is imperative for what I have to do, and if I can¡¯t make it then... this is gonna be the end¡± Lifting his foot takes all his might, and he begins the next step forwards. But after lifting it for a moment, he sets it back down to where it once was. His body that was previously weighted down in everyone¡¯s eyes seems to spring to life, as if that weight had been completely lifted. His face filled with new life fills with a smirk that the old man finds repulsive. He narrows his eyes, and is about to yell at Arc. But before he can Arc directly addresses him. ¡°Examiner, as long as I¡¯m on this path and these candles are lit by a flame, am I allowed into the Fool Island?¡± The old man rolls his eyes in response to the question, and with a heavy sigh he answers Arc¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, that is how the test works. It¡¯s a sacred test we¡¯ve been using for generations. As long as those candles light I won¡¯t argue with the result, that is the way this test works. But, don¡¯t even bother trying to light all these candles with normal methods. It won¡¯t work, they¡¯re all tuned to the potential of those who walk onto it. For you, there¡¯s no hope. Give up.¡± Arc nods his head as he listens to the explanation, and then he simply sits down where he stands. He fishes something out of his pocket, and starts flipping it like a coin. The rest of the examinees that were present looked on confused, and Arthur looked furious. For the first time, the attendant has a major change in her change in her facial expression. Shock filled her face, and the rest of the attendees also looked on confused. And one even lets out a shocked yell. ¡°That¡¯s an option!?¡± Savvas grits his teeth and spits out a question towards Arc. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, boy!?¡± Arc responds simply, the smirk still covering his face. ¡°I¡¯m taking a break. I need to think of a way to light these candles. If you don¡¯t like it, feel free to step on this path and forcibly remove me. Though if someone like you stepped on this path¡­ I¡¯m sure these candles would light with flame¡± Veins on Savvas¡¯s face begin to bulge in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t kill you where you stand! You¡¯re¡­.¡± Anger was quickly replaced with horror as he saw what exactly it was that Arc was flipping in the air. It was a token, with a crown piercing a sword engraved onto it. ¡°That¡¯s an emperor token! Did Alexander..? He actually gave you something like that!?¡± His inner thoughts begin to fill with turmoil as his eyes follow the emperor token in the air. ¡°If he uses that thing, everyone here will die. I wouldn¡¯t be able to save Arthur let alone myself. This might be getting out of control. No, no that¡¯s not true. Everything is fine. Even if I can¡¯t personally intervene, there¡¯s no way he can light those candles. His fate¡¯s undeniable. I just need to wait him out. He clearly wants to join the Fool Island, so he wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to kill everyone here just because he fails the test. All he¡¯s doing is using that token as a barrier so that I wouldn¡¯t dare attack him. Hmph, clever. But no matter how clever you are, talent is talent. You won¡¯t be able to make up for your lack of it.¡± Savvas quickly calms down, but the newfound is once again blown away. His face fills with shock and once again horror. What caused this reaction was Arc of course, he had stopped flipping the emperor token in the air and was now letting it rest in his hand. That simple action caused a great change. The space around Arc began to tremble with invisible vibrations, and Arc could feel a great power welling up inside him. Alexanders voice begins to speak inside Arc¡¯s head. ¡°This emperor token carries a portion of my power. I made it especially for you. It¡¯s purpose is to save you in case you¡¯re in any trouble, but you can only use it three times. Using it is pretty simple, just hold it in your hand and imagine something. The token should respond, and if it doesn¡¯t¡­ well, don¡¯t worry about that. As long you¡¯re on the rage continent, this token will be able to at least injure anyone you¡¯re up against.¡± Arc takes note of this, he flips the token in the air once more, seemingly ending the tremors that vibrated the space around him.This calms the old man down a bit, as he believes everything is back to normal. However, if he were to know what Arc was planning he would certainly be fuming with rage. ¡°I can¡¯t light the candles by myself, that seems to be fact. If my destiny is to fail here, then all I can do is¡­.¡± In the eyes of Arc, time begins to slow down as the emperor token flips through the air. ¡°Intrude upon someone else''s!¡± Arc jumps up incredibly quickly from his stationary position on the ground and grabs the token in the palm of his hand. It glows with a golden light, and numerous chains shoot out of it all heading towards one person, Arthur! Arthur''s face lights with surprise as he watches the chains shooting towards him. They surround him in an instant, covering all of his body except his face. ¡°HUH!?¡± Yelling out with surprise Arthur is lifted off the ground, and the chains all start retracting towards the token, the token that lies in Arcs hand. Watching the chains, Savvas can only grit his teeth knowing that if he interferes then everyone in the room could be in danger. With a thud, Arthur lands in front of Arc. The moment his body touches the path they were both on, flames explode out over the candles that lined the path on both sides. Arthur tries to scream several obscenities at Arc, but his mouth too gets sealed by the chains on his body. Arc looked at the flames and took the final 3 steps the path had left for him. He walked up to the old man, the token still in his hands and the chains still flowing out of it and wrapping around Arthur. With a deep breath, Arc utters 4 words. ¡°I lit the candles.¡± Chapter 5: The Fool Calls For Recognition The prevailing mood in the room was that of shock, as nobody had expected the scene in front of them to occur. However, shock was not the only thing people had felt after witnessing the spectacle. Some felt contempt, believing that Arc had only gotten through because of his connections, some were given hope that no matter what happened for them it was possible for them to turn it around. And finally, there was one person who felt true admiration, enough to shout out in praise. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it! Take life by the horns young man!¡± The rest of the examinees all looked at him as if he was an idiot. They all had the same thought in mind, that the examiner would make life harder for those who openly supported Arc. Arc stands in front of Savvas with a confident guise, but in reality his body aches in pain from the backlash of using the Emperor token. However that pain is minimal compared to the mental pain he was going through. ¡°I allowed myself to sink into despair. Even if it wasn¡¯t for long, I was still ready to give up! That¡¯s unforgivable. I got caught up in the mood of this place, the allure of the potential examination. I need to be more careful from now on.¡± Savvas takes a deep breath, and at the same time glances at Arthur still on the ground tied up in golden chains. He opens his mouth, but words don¡¯t immediately fill the air. Instead he looks as if he¡¯s pondering on what to exactly say. ¡°I¡­ Welcome you to the Fool Island. I assume you¡¯re joining?¡± He strikes a hopeful glance with a sad smile, hoping that he answers no. Those hopes are quickly crushed. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t waste one of my three uses of my Emperor Token on this if I wasn¡¯t planning on joining.¡± Arcs wording was quite deliberate. Pointing out his Emperor Token had multiple charges was a thinly veiled threat towards the old man. He was blatantly telling him that he could still kill everyone in the room, and the old man picked up on it. Pushing a large amount of air out through his nostrils, Savvas continues to speak. ¡°Great. Although the way you lit the flame was quite unorthodox, you did make the candles light. That grants you a membership rite for the Fool Island. Please go outside and wait like everyone else.¡± He quickly ended the conversation and directed Arc away back on the path he came from. The candles surrounding it are still lit with flame as Arthur is still tied up on the ground. As he walks back through the path, Arc looks down at Arthur and apologizes to him. He had not heard Arthur¡¯s insults before, and he truly bared him no ill will. Unbeknownst to Arc, this apology does not go over well with Arthur. Passing by the examinee¡¯s, he receives several differing reactions. Angry looks from some, looks of praise from others and one even offers a bout of encouragement. The attendant had returned to her normal stoic self, but there are varying conflicting emotions running through her head. The moment Arc leaves the room, the chains wrapping around Arthur and the ones covering his mouth all fade away.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Outside the room 10 people sit awaiting their official acceptance into the Fool Island. Arc finds his own spot to sit and quietly closes his eyes, also awaitng his acceptance so that he can finally put in place the plan his mother set out for him. ¡°Arc, this is very important so you must listen closely. The Fool Island has an important fragment of the Arcana hidden inside the depths of it. When you become a member there, you¡¯ll be guided to it. You must become a member there!¡± Inside the room, Arthur fumes with rage as he takes his place behind Savvas. Savvas apologizes profusely and Arthur accepts his apology, but does have some confusion about the whole thing. He questions the old man on it, wanting to know more on why what happened just did. ¡°I¡¯m confused, why didn¡¯t you kill him like you said? I¡¯ve heard stories about the kind of power people can get from here, and you seem like you¡¯ve been here a while, so you should have power, right? If my assumptions are true, I just don¡¯t get it, why didn¡¯t you kill him?¡± Savvas responds with detail, knowing that the more Arthur learns now the better. ¡°He had an Emperor Token. They¡¯re crystallizations of power created by those who study the Emperor Arcana. Even though I am not weak, against something like that I would¡­ no, anyone here on the Fool Island would suffer a quick death. It¡¯s something I can¡¯t trifle with.¡± Arthur looks quite surprised by what was said, and quickly fires another question. ¡°It¡¯s that strong? Why would he have that, he was just a talentless nobody wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that simple. He himself is nothing, but his backing is quite something. His mother brought quite a bit of change to the Arcana Chain when she arrived, and although she isn¡¯t here anymore people still support the boy quite heavily. Originally people thought that he¡¯d be like his mother, and bring great changes. However now that the potential examination has shown what his future will be like, it¡¯s possible that those backers will fade away. If that happens, and he runs out of charges on that Emperor Token then I will strike him down. Savvas¡¯s face is filled with a fierce expression and killing intent oozes out of his body. Arthur nods in agreement with his decision, also bearing quite a grudge against Arc after the humiliation he was put through. The rest of the examination then once again began and was carried out with no more especially exciting incidents. People passed the exam, some people even failed but those who did could not cause a flame to light in any way, so they could only lower their heads and accept their own lack of talent. Arc nearly nodded off as the examination continued on but willed himself awake, and after the examination was over, Savvas, the attendant, and Arthur stepped out together. Arthur shot Arc a harsh glare which Arc took notice of and reluctantly accepted, understanding that he too would probably be angry in this situation. The attendant begins to address the entire group. ¡°All those of you who have passed and been accepted into the Fool Island will now move on to the acceptance of the Fools knowledge. I sincerely congratulate all of you on making it to this step.¡± All those gathered get up, preparing themselves for what lies ahead. Arc in particular has a solemn look on his face, readying himself for what will happen. All though he¡¯s not sure what exactly will happen, he does remember that his mother told him that he must be the last person to retrieve the Fools knowledge. Savvas begins to lead the group forwards, Arc including. Arc makes sure to be the very last person in the group, following what his mother said. As the group heads forwards, a storm begins to form around the Fool Island. It is not physical, but one of sudden tension. Not everyone can feel the rising tension however, only those who had reached a certain strength. There was not a single person on the Fool Island that was capable of feeling it. The storm of dread grows larger and larger, spreading throughout the Arcana chain, all the islands were affected by the same intense feeling. On the Emperor island Alexander sits on a golden throne, his eyes cloudy and not truly seeing anything. He speaks to himself quietly. ¡°Was I wrong in letting him go there? Can he push through the fate that his mother set out for him¡­ I don¡¯t know. His words held so much conviction, so I allowed him to go even though I know what¡¯s awaiting him. I¡¯m afraid however, even he doesn¡¯t know what will happen.¡± Even Waite the sailor was affected. He instinctively looks towards the Fool Island he had recently set sail from. ¡°Something big is about to happen.¡± The storm then spread to the entirety of the Rage continent. The strongest of the various forces on the continent all felt it, their reactions all different. Two individuals set off in the direction of the Fool Island, both thinking the same thing. Even the Abyssal mountains were affected. The feeling the storm carried dived into the deepest depths of the mountain, and a voice that the Rage continent hadn¡¯t heard for 10 long years spoke in response. It was a quiet declaration, but one that all those who had felt the storm on the rage continent had heard. ¡°Do not interfere.¡± No one was sure who it was directed towards, but they all felt the same kind of fear they had ten years ago. And so the strongest of the Rage continent were all stopped by three words. That is the power this voice holds. Chapter 6: Debts left behind On the ground of the rage continent, every few miles a person seems to pop into existence for a few moments, and then disappears shortly after. This person is the first one that headed in the direction of the Fool Island. He wears black clothes that are intertwined with golden stripes. He looks to be in his thirties and normally carries a look of confidence, however right now his face is dripping with sweat. ¡°ARGHHH. That monster woke up!?¡± He looks behind himself for a moment and thinks about turning back, however that just causes his body to shudder in fear and he again disappears and then reappears closer to his destination, the Fool Island. ¡°I¡¯ll take the risk and hope that thing wasn¡¯t talking to me. If she comes back and finds out I didn¡¯t do what I was supposed too¡­¡± More sweat pours out of his face and he continues his journey, quickening his pace. Eventually he reaches his destination on the coast of the Rage continent. Sitting in the sand that lines the coast of the Rage continent is a woman wearing a blue robe. The man in black blinks away before she can see him, quickly wipes the sweat off his face, fixes his hair and then arrives back to the coast. He clears his throat and calls out to her. ¡°Miss Rei of the Mind¡¯s Eye, what a pleasure to see you here.¡± The woman known as Rei stands up as she hears his voice, and her mouth turns into a frown as she realizes who exactly had arrived here. ¡°Void thief, I assume you¡¯re here to help me?¡± The man smiles and walks up next to her, though keeping on constant vigilance. ¡°Yes I believe I am, though I¡¯m not exactly sure what I¡¯m helping you with. All I know is that we¡¯re helping her kid with something. Care to explain with what?¡± Rei looks out to the waters surrounding the Rage continent and her brows furrow. She speaks hesitantly, not completely trusting the man next to her. ¡°I need you to open up spacial voids from here to twenty two different locations.¡± The mans face drops the moment he hears the words coming out of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Do you know how much it takes out of me to make individual rifts and now you want me to make twenty three different ones? No, no deal.¡± Getting ready to leave the man starts to walk back, but is stopped by the next words that come out of Rei¡¯s mouth. ¡°Are you sure you can refuse? From what I know, she¡¯s coming back in less than two years.¡± Comically the man spins back while standing in place and the sweat that he had wiped away once again appears on his face. ¡°You¡¯re serious, she really is?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rei nods in agreement, however what she¡¯s saying is completely a lie. She had no idea when Arc¡¯s mother would return, but she was sure enough that the fear the man had for the woman would lead to him assisting her. He runs his hand through his hair quickly and mutters something to himself. He then walks back next to Rei and sighs in defeat. ¡°So where do you want these rifts? The more info the better.¡± Rei closes her eyes and speaks without looking at the Void Thief. ¡°Open a single rift in front of me. That rift will lead to and from the multiple zones of inheritances from the Fool on the Arcana chain. Then¡­ I need you to protect me.¡± Scoffing the Void Thief sarcastically replies to her. ¡°Protect you? What for, you¡¯re plenty capable of protecting yourself.¡± Reis eyes slightly gloss over and her voice shakes a bit as she talks. ¡°I will be sending my consciousness through the rift to those multiple locations. At those locations I will take the fragments of the fools memory at each location and send them each to the Fool Island. After her child has received the inheritance from those fragments, I will return them to their rightful spots. During that time I will be defenseless.¡± The Void Thief¡¯s eyes go wide. ¡°That¡¯s- are you serious? You won¡¯t just be defenseless after you do that, you¡¯re probably gonna die! I get that the Mind¡¯s Eye specialize in stuff like this, but that¡¯s still unbelievably dangerous! Why are you risking your life for this?¡± Craning her head up to the sky, Rei speaks solemnly. ¡°Because like you I have a debt to pay. And, more than that I am scared. If I don¡¯t deliver on what she expected out of me, my death will be an inevitability. Although I am risking my life and it is possible I will die, I will gladly take that possibility if it means I could live without worry in the future.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to say that but actually risking your life is... ¡° The void thiefs voice trails off, not knowing what to say. He shakes his head disapprovingly, however he lifts his hand at points it forwards, his palm facing out towards the ocean. ¡°I won¡¯t judge you, because you¡¯re making a choice that I wouldn¡¯t be able to. I can just run away from any problems I have. The only reason I¡¯m here to repay my debt is because I don¡¯t want to leave this place, because just like you I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m afraid of the world outside, the place where that monster came from.¡± Rei looks at the void thief with surprise and she attempts to say something, but is stopped by the void thief who simply shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word. I¡¯m not important to you at the moment, just focus on the task ahead of you. Your life and death trial is about to begin, Miss Rei. I hope you come out the other end alive and well.¡± In front of the void thief¡¯s outstretched hand, a black ball forms from thin air. The ball is about the same size as a small dog, and it silently floats above the area the void thief had pointed at with his palm. The void thief takes a deep breath and begins to recite a phrase out loud. ¡°From this point, a path begins to form. Forming entrances into unseen ancient places, allowing their treasures to be stolen by the greatest thief under heaven. This technique has been passed through the annals of time and has been received by me. By the name of this technique, I order space to open up and find a place for this path to end. This is ¡°Void¡±. The black ball spikes for a moment, its size and shape fluctuating wildly but managing to return to its original form. The void thief¡¯s knees buckle and he pushes out a hand onto the ground to catch himself. His breathing is quick and out of rhythm. ¡°Miss Rei you¡­ you have three hours until this rift closes. Carry out your task and while you do I will protect you.¡± Rei nods her head, immediately taking action not wasting any time. She closes her eyes and a blue mist seems to exit her body and flies into the black ball in front of the two. Her body slumps over as the wisp leaves, now seeming as if holds no life. Catching his breath and standing up, the Void thief stands guard around Rei¡¯s now unmoving body. Although he is quite fatigued he still makes sure to absolutely be vigilant. He scans the coast of the continent looking for anyone hiding in the waters, but his attention is instantly pulled over to a few feet away on the treeline that lies before the coast. The outline of a body appears in his eyes, and he puts his hands up in a combat stance with a fierce look on his face. The outline he saw walks out of the treeline and reveals a bulky man wearing a mask that has a bulls face inscribed onto it. Horns pierce out of the mask reaching towards the sky. The man has his hands raised as he walks out of the treeline, and he speaks in a low gruffly voice that matches well with his appearance. ¡°Hold on. There¡¯s a person of interest here and I¡¯d like to make a deal with you, one that I¡¯m sure you would very heavily consider.¡± A response is yelled back immediately. ¡°How about I make a deal with you, you leave and you won¡¯t die.¡± A gruff laugh can be heard underneath the mask. ¡°Well then, I don¡¯t really want to die so...¡± The man¡¯s previously raised hands fall down at a lightning quick pace, he plants a quickly forming fist into the sand in front of him. The sand then explodes out without warning, forming a barrier of obscurity that blocks the void thief from seeing through it. He takes a deep breath and begins to ready himself for the battle that would surely come. ¡°Making a deal with death, aren¡¯t you the bold one!¡± Chapter 7: The Minds Eye ¡°I want to create!¡± A wish uttered out by a legend. ¡°The world will bend to my will!¡± A command shouted out by an emperor. ¡°I just want her to come back.¡± A cry yelled out by a desperate man. Three different phrases, all having only one thing in common. The thing they share is that all three of them were said by those who came from the Rage Continent. Ancient figures who carved the foundations that the Rage Continent of today still abided by. Countless tales surround these three phrases, but the truth was long forgotten to all but few on the Rage Continent. The current of time threatens to wash away all that was, but there are always those who will remember the path that lead them to where they are now. On the current day of the Rage Continent, a man sits in a small cabin tracing the spine of a book with his finger. A child sits in front of him, looking upwardly expectantly towards the man. Clearing his throat, the man begins to talk of a story surrounding the first phrase. ¡°I want to create. A phrase you¡¯ve heard very much in your childhood and will surely continue to hear, but do you know where that came from?¡± The boy shakes his head back and forth vigorously and the man continues to talk. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a god who said it or an ancient beast, it was a simple boy. The boy had a loving family, but alas he was cursed by an illness when he was young and went blind. His family grieved, but they continued to care for him and treat him well as a family should. But the boy was like any of his age, he had an insatiable curiosity. But the boy couldn¡¯t explore, he couldn¡¯t see the outside world and touch upon its mysteries like all those around him. His heart was filled with boredom, he had nothing he could do.¡± The man opens his book revealing a set of empty pages, and a pen appears in his right hand, already dipped in ink. He continues to speak as he pushes the pen onto the paper. ¡°So since he couldn¡¯t see the world around him, the boy instead imagined wondrous creatures and soon a world began to form inside his head. All of his time had been taken up by these wondrous ideas he had. But the boy could not write, and he didn¡¯t have the ability to explain the wonders that he saw to the people in his life. His world was contained to his own mind, and that saddened him.¡± The man removes his pen from the book and turns it to the boy, showing him several images of creatures in a world unknown to man. The boy looks amazed to see the wondrous things, and the man smiled and continued his story.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°As the boys world grew larger and larger, his desire to show people the wonders grew and grew just the same. The people around him simply smiled as he tried to explain it to them, but they could never truly know what he saw. It wasn¡¯t until one fateful day, when the boy heard a passing voice in his head.¡± The man once again clears his throat, and tries to make his voice sound small and weak for the voice he was about to imitate. ¡°I¡­ want...to...be...real.¡± The man quickly switched back to the voice he used for normally telling the story, wanting to get to the next part of the story as soon as possible. ¡°Hearing the voice the boy could only cry. He only now realized that just like how he wanted to show the world that he envisioned to people, the world itself wanted to be shown. It had moved past something that was just a thought. Realizing this, the boy could only do one thing. He asked the world for something, the same world that had taken away his sight. The man paused for a moment and turned to the boy again. ¡°Do you know what he said?¡± The boy shakes his head again, and the man smiled preparing to continue the story. ¡°The boy clasped his hands together in prayer for the first time in his life. He was not old enough to create a grandiose speech, so his words were simple. ¡°Just like you... ¡° His words flew out into emptiness, there was no-one. But that was ok, because it wasn¡¯t anyone in particular he was addressing but the world itself. And then he said those fateful four words. ¡°I want to create!¡± And, the world listened. The creations that he had envisioned all came into reality, they were real, physical! The land around him changed as well, pillars of stone began to float in the air, water began to flow up instead of down, it was truly a miracle.¡± The boys eyes glisten and he shouts out. ¡°That¡¯s just like where we live!¡± Laughing the man ruffles the boys hair and nods his head. ¡°Correct! The boy from this story was the founder of the Mind¡¯s Eye, the group that I¡¯m a part of.¡± The boy smiles wildy, amazed at the story the man told him. He starts to ask another question but notices that the man¡¯s smile had disappeared from his face completely. The boy quickly leaves the room, recognizing the face that man had made many times before. The man pulls out a red crystal the size of a pebble from his clothing, and from it a gruff voice can be heard. ¡°I¡¯m at the designated spot, but there¡¯s a complication. If it was anyone else here I¡¯d be confident but¡­¡± The man¡¯s right eyebrow arches up, and he tells the voice on the other end to report the complication. ¡°It¡¯s the Void Thief.¡± Air flows out of the man¡¯s nose and a vein on his head slightly begins to bulge in anger, but his response to the man is spoken with a completely calm tone. ¡°Try to reason with him, if he doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll cooperate then you need to immediately obscure his vision. His techniques can only hit you if he knows where you are. Don¡¯t worry about killing him, you need to focus on the main target. Kill Rei, and after you do that I give you permission to leave immediately.¡± For a few moments, the red crystal remains silent. The voice on the other end then once again begins to speak. ¡°I can do that but I¡¯d really appreciate if I could get some reinforcements, he¡¯s not an easy foe to deal with.¡± ¡°That would be impossible. I¡¯m under pressing matters myself, and can not get into contact with the others at the moment. You have to do this alone.¡± A blatant lie, both men know that the words he had spoken were not true. However, only response to that lie would be allowed by the man. ¡°Understood.¡± The crystals red coloring quickly fades into black, and the man puts it back into his clothing. His gaze shifts until it is facing the direction of the Abyssal Mountains. He begins to think aloud, a hint of pity in his voice. ¡°I would hate to be in the place you are now. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t even hear the words that monster said. Don¡¯t interfere¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s talking about whatever Rei¡¯s doing. But why does he care? Just what kind of connection could she have with it?¡± The mans face wills with resolve, and his voice rises to a boom. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you¡¯re connected to! I won¡¯t allow you to rise and devour me, rather you¡¯ll become the one who¡¯s devoured.¡± Working in the shadows, the man continues to plot against Rei. And at the same time, his pawn confronts the Void Thief. Chapter 8: Fear The cloud of sand blocking the Void Thief¡¯s sight continues to hang heavy in the air. Oddly, the cloud which should have lasted only a few moments continues to pester, not showing any signs of returning to the ground. Suddenly, an object blares out through the cloud at an extreme speed, heading directly for Rei¡¯s still body. The object shoots past the Void Thief, but his body doesn¡¯t move in the slightest, he still stares at the cloud of sand. The object gets closer and closer to Rei¡¯s body, but at the very last moment it disappears completely. There was no forewarning to the objects disappearance, it happened in an instant. Next, a black ball appears above the Void Thief¡¯s hand, and from the ball a small stone falls into his hand. His eyes narrow and he speaks loudly into his surroundings. ¡°This cloud of sand isn¡¯t gonna fall anytime soon, is it? So you¡¯re probably from the Mind¡¯s Eye¡­¡± From behind the cloud of sand, and behind the man''s mask, his mouth curls into a smile. The Void Thief had believed exactly what he wanted him to believe, or so he thought until the Void Thief continued to talk. ¡°That¡¯s what you wanted me to think, right? Keeping the sand up like this and shooting this rock at intense speed, those are certainly things a member of the Mind¡¯s Eye could do, but you made a mistake.¡± The man responds with a pompous attitude. ¡°It¡¯s hard to make a mistake when you¡¯re not covering anything up, I am from the Mind''s Eye, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± ¡°Oh? Then why aren¡¯t you attacking Miss Rei with your will? I can¡¯t do anything about that. I have countermeasures for myself, but when it comes to other people I can¡¯t do a damn thing. And I think you know that. But it¡¯s not like you can do anything about it, after all will is something only the Mind¡¯s Eye is proficient in. I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re from, but it¡¯s not the Mind¡¯s Eye.¡± ¡°Believe what you want to believe, the end result won¡¯t change.¡± The Void Thief prepares himself for another attack from the cloud of sand, but suddenly his attention is drawn away. He sensed something, and it scared him. His eyes shoot to the rift still floating in front of Rei. But to his surprise, it had grown significantly. It was about the size of the average person, and it was still getting better slowly eating away at the space around it. From within the rift, an almighty pressure forms. It spreads out from it, covering everything and everyone around it. The cloud of sand falls to the ground, not daring to stand in the presence of Him. The man in the mask watches in shock, but he doesn¡¯t move. Rei¡¯s body devoid of any shred of consciousness winces as it feels the oncoming pressure. The waves of the waters cease to be. Everything comes to an extreme still, except the Void Thief. His body begins to shake as if he was in a blizzard with no clothes on, he clenches his teeth to stop himself from screaming, he shakes his head back and forth, refusing to believe what was happening was real. His mind was in disarray. ¡°This can¡¯t be real! It¡¯s impossible! There¡¯s no way!¡± Filled his thoughts over and over. But what was in front of him was without a doubt real. The man in the mask managed to take his eyes off the rift and relocate them to the Void Thief. The man who he wasn¡¯t sure he could fight one on one, or even with reinforcements. The man who had seen through him had been reduced to a frightened child. ¡°How?¡± Was his first thought. How has one of the most dangerous men on the Rage Continent been reduced to this? And then his thoughts had moved onto another. ¡°Who?¡± And that was when he realized. The realization he had was short lived, because the moment the thought entered his head, the head was gone from his body. The now headless body falls to the ground, hitting the sand with a big thud. The sand begins to move, circling around the body and creating a vortex that drags it down away from the world''s view.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. From the rift, a leg clad in black cloth steps out. ¡°You¡¯ve grown over the past ten years. It¡¯s impressive.¡± The powerful voice that silenced the Rage Continent echoes out once more. It is accompanied by the figure that now completely exits out of the rift. The figures completely clad in a black robe covering any of it¡¯s true form, though it¡¯s body is in the same shape of a human. The figure turns, looking at Rei on the ground. ¡°She would work well.¡± ¡°What?¡± The Void Thief¡¯s promise to Rei echoed in his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡± His body continues to shake, but his eyes fill with daring. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten stronger over the past ten years, even if I can¡¯t kill it, I can take her body and run! I¡¯ll make another rift to return her consciousness through. I won¡¯t allow him to take her!¡± He prepares his escape, and is about to execute it when the figure turns to him. There¡¯s a slight pause, until it speaks. ¡°If you try to kill me, you¡¯ll die. You¡¯re thinking right now, thinking if this is just a tactic by me to scare you from making a move. But allow me to inform you, it¡¯s not. The words I said now were indisputable fact.¡± The figure walks forwards, in the direction of the Void Thief. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you, you serve a purpose as of now. That¡¯s why I gave you the warning I did. But still you¡¯re considering escaping because you want to protect this girl, and I understand that. Allow me to dissuade your fear, she won¡¯t die. I¡¯m going to take her, yes. That¡¯s not something you can do anything about.¡± The figure stops in front of the Void Thief and lifts his cloaked hand. He brings it to the cheek of the Void Thief¡¯s face. ¡°The purpose, that¡¯s what you want to know right? I need her to teach someone for me.¡± The Void Thief clenches his teeth and shakes, but doesn¡¯t dare make a move. ¡°But, let¡¯s be honest here. If everything I said just now was a lie, it wouldn¡¯t matter. I never had to talk to you in the first place. And the reason for that is very simple, you would have never carried out that plan you thought of. If I didn¡¯t start talking, you would have found a different excuse. ¡°There might be more like the man in the mask around. Maybe he didn¡¯t come alone. I can reason with him.¡± And do you know why?¡± His body trembles, he doesn¡¯t want to hear the words it¡¯s about to say. But there was no way to stop himself from hearing it. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of me.¡± Any daring, any resistance the Void Thief had was killed by those words. The figure continues to talk, while moving his hand away from the Void Thief¡¯s face. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be, I¡¯m on your side. Though while you may be repaying a debt, I am simply carrying out a promise. But that shouldn¡¯t matter, the end result is that I won¡¯t harm you. I¡¯m your ally.¡± A chuckle escapes from the figures covered mouth. The Void Thief continues to shake, but through clenched teeth he manages to choke out a few words. ¡°An ally? You won¡¯t even show your face or tell me your name, what kind of ally is that?¡± ¡°Wise words from a man known as the ¡°Void Thief¡±. But, you bring up a fair point. If we want to be true allies, I suppose I¡¯ll make a concession. After all, I do want to be your ally in the future as well. You are a useful person, Void Thief.¡± Void Thief¡¯s eyes go wide at the prospect of getting information about the monster in front of him. ¡°So you¡¯ll tell me your name and show me your face?¡± Another chuckle echoes out. ¡°No, you don¡¯t deserve to hear my name. But my face, yes that is something I can show you. Are you ready? You¡¯ll be the third person on this continent who¡¯s seen it.¡± The cloaked hands move up to the cowl of the robe, and with a swift motion, the hood falls back. Void Thief¡¯s eyes dilate the moment he witnesses the hood fall. ¡°What¡­?¡± His face is simply a skull. There is no skin, no muscle, it is simply bone. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve seen it now. I trust this means we are now true allies?¡± The skulls mouth moves as it talks as a normal man''s would. ¡°I¡­ How?¡± The cowl is quickly pulled back up over the skull. ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern. What is your concern is the title I¡¯m about to give you. Although I won¡¯t give you name, I still do need to have something you can address me by, if we¡¯re going to be allies.¡± The Void Thief still hasn¡¯t recovered from what he just saw, and only nods in response. ¡°You can travel through space unheeded, and yet my face is a surprise to you? You¡¯d be quite terrified if you saw the rest of me I suppose. Back to the matter at hand, what you shall call me. I¡¯m not opposed to continue being simply called ¡°monster¡± as everyone here has grown accustomed to, but that¡¯s not personal enough for an alliance is it? Hmm¡­¡± He begins to pace, thinking while walking around the area. ¡°A name isn¡¯t enough, I need something greater.¡± The figure raises it¡¯s cloaked hand to the sky, the cover falling away and showing a simple skeletal hand. The hand grasps towards the sun, and the skeletal fingers close into a fist. ¡°A demon, that¡¯s what I am. I¡¯m above something as simple as a monster! This continent has only seen one demon before me. He came to this continent in rebellion against the world¡¯s will and sought to create a land that was free of it. My goal is not the same as his, but I shall take up his title! Void Thief, you shall witness the moment the second demon is born. Spread this name far and wide, My predecessor¡¯s name was Rage and mine shall be Fear¡±! For the first time since Fear had shown up, the waves in the waters moved. The announcement of himself as a demon stirred something. The Void Thief¡¯s mouth became dry, and in the pit of stomach he felt extreme unease. But still, he forced himself to repeat the name aloud. ¡°Fear.¡± He repeated it again, ¡°Fear.¡± and again ¡°Fear¡±. For the second time in the long history of the Rage Continent a demon was born, and its name was Fear. Chapter 9: A Star is Born The Fool Island¡¯s ritual was about to begin. Savvas had lead the group through a large stretch of winding stairs, leading down into the depths of the island. Several times they met guards who all acted in a robotic, stiff way. ¡°None of those people seemed like people. They were all so¡­ lifeless.¡± Arc took note as he followed along. They had eventually come down a final stretch of stairs, and walked into a room with nothing but an altar. The altar was ramshackle, several holes and scars run across it. Savvas smiles as he looks at the Altar, but the rest of the people here have less of a positive reaction. Arthur frowns, a sentiment which is replicated by most everyone in the room. All except the attendant who has a nostalgic look on her face, and Arc who doesn¡¯t have any particular look on his face. The attendant makes a motion to Savvas and he nods knowingly. ¡°All you gathered here will become a part of the Fool Island.¡± The words slip out of his mouth fluently, as if he¡¯s said the same thing thousands of times before. ¡°And for that to happen, you must receive the knowledge that the Fool has left behind.¡± His grin grows larger. ¡°We will go about this in an orderly fashion, those of you who elicited the strongest reaction of their own merit¡± He eyes Arc. ¡°Will be the ones going first. And then the ones with weaker reactions, all the way until we get to the weakest reaction, or in our very special case, no reaction at all.¡± He laughs as he finishes, and all Arc does in reply is roll his eyes. Savvas beckons for the first person to step forward, and Arthur responds. Savvas simply tells him to walk forward and to step up to the altar. ¡°This is it, I¡¯m gonna become a star!¡± Unlike before he doesn¡¯t yell out his confident belief, but instead whispers it under his breath. Arthur walks to the altar, and stops when he arrives in front of it. The temperature in his body begins to drop, and a man''s voice begins to speak in his head. ¡°A child favored by the will of the world. Another who wishes to step on the path that I did. Let me ask you, are you willing to make the same mistakes I did?¡± Arthur grits his teeth and mutters a response. ¡°No, I¡¯ll make my own mistakes!¡± He says the words with confidence. From the altar a stream of yellow energy flows out, and begins to surround Arthur. ¡°A generic response, but the intentions behind it are good. But ultimately, you must understand that walking down this path means you are going to be a part of me.¡± The yellow energy forms a cocoon around Arthur, and his mind is overwhelmed by an influx of new knowledge. ¡°The first step to following my path is to establish a beginning. After this, your body will change. Energy will flow through your veins and you shall grow stronger. You¡¯ll undergo a metamorphosis on every level. After the metamorphosis is finished gather that energy in your body and focus it into a single point and form the first Arcana I founded, The Magician. Now, become me.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The yellow cocoon surrounding Arthur disperes, and Arthur steps out of it. His skin is clear, smooth as the day he was born. His eyes carry a faint yellow glow, and his face is filled with a new extreme confidence that eclipses his previous one. He lifts his arm up towards the sky, and points his index finger upwards. ¡°And just like that, a star is born!¡± An intense declaration loudly echoes across the silent room. Savvas laughs and claps, cheering the boy on. Arthur returns next to him with a confident stride. He looks over to Arc and laughs. ¡°You can¡¯t rely on me this time, you talentless hack.¡± Arc¡¯s opinion of Arthur had suddenly fallen to an all time low, he bore him no ill will before but the unabashed attack on him had left a sour taste in his mouth. Time passed, and more and more people went through similar experiences Arthur had. The phenomenon they caused were not as vibrant, the energy was a bit thinner for each person down the line that went, and eventually the energy stopped forming a cocoon altogether. The energy rushed into their bodies, but the after effects weren¡¯t like Arthurs. They still received a positive result, but it wasn¡¯t as glamorous. And not a single person since Arthur had a glow in their eyes. And finally, It was Arc¡¯s turn to go. Arc didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment, his trust in his mothers plan for him was unwavering. He stepped to the altar, and just like Arthur he felt his temperature drop and a voice appeared in his head, however his was that of a woman¡¯s. Within the altar, a black ball had formed long ago. Not a single person in the room had realized it, and even Arc was unaware. Rei¡¯s voice spoke out into his mind. ¡°I must make this quick, I believe you already know that your mother had accomodations set for you, and I am part of that. I don¡¯t know what you know, so I¡¯ll make my explanation quick. This altar isn¡¯t singular, on each of the islands in the Arcana Chain one exists just like this one. In each lies a different aspect of the Fool¡¯s memory, and they are now all connected to this altar on the Fool Island. You are about to receive the combined inheritance of all of them at the same time. I will ask once, are you sure you want this?¡± There was no hesitation in Arc¡¯s reply. ¡°Of course I do! You didn¡¯t have to tell me there was a risk of death, I knew it from the start! After this point, any choice or decision I make will carry that same weight. I won¡¯t let something as simple as cowardice stop me.¡± Rei response was simple. ¡°I understand. I wish you luck.¡± Instantly, Arc buckled to his knees. A man''s somber voice rings out in his head. ¡°I believe we are connected. You and I.¡± Arc had never heard the voice before, but he resonated with it. It felt like meeting a relative you hadn¡¯t seen for years, although you may not recognize their appearance there is still an unspoken connection that you can feel. ¡°Before we start our conversation, I believe you should leave.¡± Rei was perfectly aware that he was talking about her, however she refused to leave. I need to take back the fragments once you¡¯re done, I can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°Unnecessary. I will take care of it once we are done. You don¡¯t have much more time, these rifts will close soon. I can return the fragments to their rightful place without the use of them, do not worry.¡± The voice was persuasive, even with the few words it had said. Rei felt that it was telling the truth. And so she withdrew what the voice called her ¡°will¡± back through the spatial rift, and back towards her body. Savvas, Arthur, and all the others gathered all wondered what Arc was doing, no energy seemed to come from the Altar, and yet he was still kneeling there as if he was under extreme pressure. Savvas thought that nothing would happen after the results he had seen at the potential examination, but he could do nothing until Arc had said he was done himself. That was another law the Fool Island had to abide by. The voice had waited to confirm Rei¡¯s departure before it had begun to speak again. ¡°She put her life on the line for this task. To do what she did took no small amount of confidence. If you ever meet her in the future, do not forget what she has done for you, Arc.¡± The voice spoke his name with familiarity, but Arc had other concerns on his mind. He was in awe, and there was only a single thing he could ask the voice. ¡°Are you..?¡± He couldn¡¯t ask what he was about to, in his mind it was inconceivable. If it was a fragment he could accept it, but the voice that was talking to him wasn¡¯t that, instinctually he knew. ¡°Yes, I am not a left behind will. You aren¡¯t talking to a dead man, or a long lost memory. I am who you call The Fool, and I am still alive.¡± Chapter 10: A Fools Reasoning Arc¡¯s astonishment could be seen by everyone in the room, his eyes went large and his mouth stood open agape. Savvas arched one of his eyebrows, running the idea in his head that Arc was only putting on a show for everyone. ¡°He likes to make a scene with whatever he does. What an arrogant boy.¡± The reason for Arc¡¯s astonishment was simple, The Fool¡¯s legend originates over ten thousand years ago. To hear that a person from that long ago was still alive was a shock to Arc. There are legends of course, of ways to obtain immortality or prolonged lifespans on the Rage continent. But that is what they were, simply legends. Arc had never believed in them, not for a second. A person¡¯s first impression when they are told something truly absurd is to refute it. The impossible is simply that, the impossible. But Arc wouldn¡¯t dare. The voice in his head, The Fool had resonated with him simply too deeply. He accepted the impossible. The Fool was still alive. ¡°Ok, you¡¯re the Fool. But just simply talking to you doesn¡¯t do anything for me. What I¡¯m after is power, plain and simple and if you can¡¯t give that to me then I don¡¯t care who you are, you¡¯re useless.¡± On the outside, Arc once again grits his teeth. His astonished look is no more, and his body tenses as it deals with the wave of pressure bearing down on him. ¡°Power? That¡¯s something I can give you, but to receive it there is a cost. You will become a part of-¡± ¡°I refuse!¡± Arc¡¯s words were instant, and not just in his own head either. The words echoed out into the room, everyone hearing it. The Fool scoffs at this response, and the confidence behind it. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the first person who has said that to me? Gathering all the Arcana is not the only way to receive my grace, you are not the first who will see me and you will certainly not be the last. You¡¯re flowing with confidence, every ounce of your spirit believes any choice you make will be the right one, you¡¯re vying for power with all your being, and yet you¡¯re nothing special. Do you have any idea the future that awaits you? Pain and suffering don¡¯t even compare to what you¡¯ll go through, men with greater foundations than you have wanted to tread their own path, and yet they failed before they even started. Do you know why that is?¡± The pressure in the room had changed, the Fool¡¯s previous simple demeanor had switched. Although no one else in the room was capable of hearing his words, they were all a part of him, and through that connection they could feel that something was wrong. Arc was taken aback, he hadn¡¯t expected the Fool to explode with such anger from his Refusal. This was a legendary figure that he had heard about since he was a child and to be personally reprimanded by him dealt quite a blow to Arc¡¯s mind; however, such a blow was not enough to shatter Arc¡¯s resolve. ¡°Of course I know why those people failed. It¡¯s because they weren¡¯t me.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Fool immediately scoffs in response, but Arc continues to talk. ¡°People stronger than me have died, people who have greater ambitions as well I¡¯m sure. Kings amongst men have fallen, but there¡¯s no point in comparing them to me. They are them, and I am me. I won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°And what gives you the confidence to say that? You¡¯re weak, anyone in this room could kill you if you didn¡¯t have that token containing an emperor¡¯s might. What makes you so confident that you won¡¯t die?¡± The Fool¡¯s voice was still filled with ridicule, but he was curious. Where did the boy in front of him gain such confidence? Was it simply hubris? The Fool kept these questions in his head as he waited for Arc to speak once more. ¡°I¡¯m at the bottom.¡± The Fools mind stayed firm. ¡°My mother has left me, my standing in the Arcana chain will basically be null when they find out my results from the potential examination. I have no one to rely on, even Alexander who gave me this token won¡¯t be able to stop the oppression I¡¯ll face from those who never agreed with my mother.¡± The Fool stayed silent. ¡°There are hundreds of thousands just like me. But unlike others, I have a chance to rise. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t die. It would simply be too standard! I won¡¯t die because that tale has been told a thousand times! How many people who have never seen hope have died in the dirt without ever being offered a chance to obtain it!? I can see it- It¡¯s in front of my eyes right now. But it has to be me- I have to be the one! I will say it again, I will never become a part of you!¡± The Fools voice carried regret in it as he spoke. ¡°It¡¯s pointless. Your words are persuading, but even if I were to impart the essence of the arcana to you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to take it. The pain would drive you to the brink of madness and then further.¡± He was still a boy at the end of the day, his mind was firm and he carried clear ideals that not many others at his age could match. But no matter what, a boy was still a boy. That is what the Fool believes. ¡°Then let me die trying.¡± After these words entered his mind, Arc grabbed onto the emperor token in his possession and yelled out with his voice. ¡°I make a pact using a charge of this emperor token!¡± Savvas, Arthur and all others gathered here looked on at the boy like he was crazy. They could not begin to fathom for a moment what the words he would say next. ¡°If I do not receive what I seek now, may my life be forfeit!¡± In response to this, the token glows with a golden light and a humanoid shape takes form behind Arc. Its body is illuminated in a golden light and both of its hands are lifted above its head, gripping a golden sword. The sword looms over Arcs body. Confused looks are now the norm in the room, not a single person understands what Arc is doing. There are a few that take a guess however, one being the attendant who lightly talks under her breath. ¡°He¡¯s pushing himself voluntarily to drag out any hidden potential in his body¡­¡± Savvas hears her words and for the first time he begins to look at Arc in a different light. ¡°All of this just for the sake of obtaining even a meager amount of power. I¡¯m sure even with the people who opposed his mother he could live his life simply with that token of his. What could drive a person to such desperation?¡± Once again the Fool speaks. ¡°Foolish. As long as I refuse to give you the Arcana your death is certain. What a waste.¡± A sigh breaks through the Fools lips. ¡°But you won¡¯t refuse. You want to see me succeed as much as I do. You¡¯re tired of watching people throw away their lives pointlessly. You¡¯ve seen it countless times, and that¡¯s why you force the people here to become a part of you. You believe you¡¯re the only one who can succeed.¡± The fools voice resounds in Arcs head. ¡°My path has been long, there are countless examples of those who have failed. I¡¯ve lost hope. No one I knew reached the heights I did. Some abandoned their beliefs, some were slain before they could rise, and some rotted away believing in a dream that was impossible. Watching another person make that mistake would be too much, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it. But maybe¡­ maybe there is a part of me that wants to believe. Believe that someone can forge their own path with the Arcana I created like I did.¡± Arc does not respond to the Fool. He simply awaits for his decision. ¡°I will pass it to you. The essence of the Arcana, the ability to create your own path.¡± Arc¡¯s body shudders with joy, and a smile spreads across his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Fool does not respond.