【Legend of Lineage】Episode 28: The Gray Ghost and the Forbidden Myth (Chapter 9)
Chapter 9: The Boundary of Time and the Cathedral of Atonement
Episode 28: The Gray Ghost and the Forbidden Myth
【Summary of Previous Episodes】
Artorius defeated the evil god Luminaris Shadow and brought dawn to Exaltia. He chose to set down his crown and return to the sky as a "knight" alongside his companions.
However, while the world rejoiced in victory, the "protective barriers for the people" that his uncle Will had placed across the land began to lose their luster upon his death. Witnessing the fragments of the twisted love his uncle left behind fading away, Artorius set out once again to find the informant Bartolo in search of true salvation and atonement.
【Character and Terminology Guide】
For first-time readers or those wishing to review the overview, please see the [Introduction] below.
【BGM Playback】
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1. An Unshakeable Sense of Unease—The Silver Cage
The royal capital of Exaltia was overflowing with a dazzling, vibrant sense of rebirth.
The castle, which had once been transformed into the cocoon of an evil god and emitted dark, sinister magic, had regained its original silver luster. From every corner of the city, the sounds of stone being chiseled and the spirited voices of craftsmen rushing to rebuild echoed incessantly. The markets were lined with colorful fruits and fabrics, and the people were celebrating the "victory" that had finally ended the long, dark night.
However, the state of mind of Artorius, standing on the balcony of the castle that served as the symbol of that reconstruction, showed no signs of clearing, much like the deep fog of a winter morning.
For someone who had chosen to set down his crown and live as a knight, this peace should have been a treasure beyond compare. Yet, whenever he closed his eyes during a moment of silence, the final, gentle gaze of his uncle Will—who had dissolved into darkness at the underground altar of the decisive battle, unredeemed and alone—would return with painful clarity.
“You are... my pride...”
Those words were the only true form of love left behind by his uncle, who had been freed from his shackles. But at the same time, they were cruel proof that his uncle had borne all his sins alone and vanished into the "boundary of darkness" ruled by eternal nothingness.
(Was I able to save him? No, should I have saved him? Or was that disappearance the only salvation for him...)
Questions without answers piled up within Artorius. The sky over the royal capital was too blue and clear. And it was infinitely vast. That only served to highlight, in an unbearable way, the depth of the abyss where he had left his uncle behind.
Furthermore, it was not just personal sentiment that was making him anxious. There were disturbing reports arriving from the mages dispatched to various regions. Although the evil god had been sealed, "dark sediment" still remained in the distortions of the world, and the protective barriers that Will had once placed at key points in the kingdom were rapidly losing their power, as if resonating with his disappearance.
At this rate, even the final legacy that his uncle had sacrificed his body and stained his soul to protect would return to merciless ash. Artorius gripped the hilt of the "Sword of Light" at his waist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
2. Port Anchor, Bartolo's Advice
A few days later, the party visited Port Anchor, a harbor town swirling with the scent of salt and the clamor of rough-and-tumble folk.
The vitality of this city, a hub for maritime trade essential to reconstruction, was more raw and rugged than that of the royal capital. The tavern at its center, 'The Dockside House,' was overflowing from midday with sailors seeking information and ale to wet their whistles. As Elise spread an old map across the table and Sieg calculated the next supply route, a man crept up behind Artorius without a sound.
"Hey, hey, if you stare at the sea with such a difficult look on your face, you'll make the sea breeze damp, kid."
It was Bartolo who appeared, flashing a daring grin while toying with a well-worn notebook. He sat down heavily across from Artorius and tossed a piece of aged parchment onto the wooden table without a care.
"Bartolo... I came to see you."
"Oh, wanting to see me isn't exactly a peaceful sentiment. Well, it means we're thinking the same thing. Alright, take a look at this first. The number of monsters has certainly decreased, but the world hasn't become completely 'clean' yet. ...In fact, it seems like deep-rooted pus is starting to squirm in places you can't see."
What Bartolo pointed to was an entry in his notebook titled [Recovery of the Sealed Forbidden Books]. Written there were fragments of a forbidden myth that would never remain in the official history of Exaltia. It was the existence of 'Forbidden Books'—ancient texts describing the arts to temporarily suppress the roots of evil gods and monsters, and to summon souls trapped in the gaps between dimensions back to the living world.
"I haven't gathered much information on this yet, but... it seems that even when the power of an evil god is sealed, it tries to connect to the living world using the soul of the person who became its vessel as a medium. To completely sever that causality and pull out the trapped soul, the only way is to directly interfere with the 'Boundary of Darkness' where the core of the evil god sinks. ...And that forbidden art is written in a 'Forbidden Book' sleeping in some cathedral. How about it? Does that ring a bell?"
"Can I... pull my uncle's soul out of the darkness?"
A quiet but certain fire of obsession ignited in Artorius's eyes.
"Yeah, it's just a rumor, mind you. But it might just be a signpost for you to go and retrieve that 'lost item' you've been carrying around all this time, don't you think?"
Believing in the uncertain but singular hope brought by Bartolo, the party solidified their resolve to head toward the place where the Forbidden Book was said to sleep—the first clue to reaching the 'Boundary of Darkness' where Will's soul wandered. It was not a continuation of the battle that should have ended, but the beginning of a journey of 'mourning' that those left behind had to fulfill.
3. The 'Red Shadow' Standing in the City of Ash
Having finished conveying the information, Bartolo stood up and headed toward the exit of the room. However, just as he put his hand on the heavy wooden door, he stopped as if he had suddenly remembered something and looked back at Artorius over his shoulder. His gaze held a faint melancholy, different from his usual teasing light.
"Oh, by the way, kid... about that masked girl."
At those words, Artorius's consciousness focused sharply. Silva, the female swordsman who had served as the rearguard to send the party underground during the decisive battle in the royal capital, and who had disappeared since then. Sieg asked back without a moment's hesitation.
"Silva? What about her? Do you know where she is?"
"Rumor has it she's alone in that 'City of Ash,' the ruins of Ashbury, being blown by the wind. That place is still a dead city, untouched by the hands of reconstruction. The ash that piles up in that city steals even the warmth of a living person. I feel like if you leave her be, even that girl will end up becoming a gray ghost."
Bartolo stared at the dazzling blue sky outside the window with a somewhat distant look in his eyes, and added in a low but heavy tone.
"...Well, I don't intend to chase after that dangerous girl. But wouldn't it be good to meet her once? The 'lost item' of your journey might still be dropped there. If you don't settle the past, the footsteps of your new journey will become heavy."
With those final words, Bartolo disappeared into the hustle and bustle.
Artorius stared at the note left in his hand, quietly and intensely.
Ashbury. It was the place where Artorius once lost his sense of self as Helios, and where everything began. For Silva, it was also a place of despair, where he lost the companions he was meant to protect and chose to live a life of solitude behind a mask.
“...Elise, Zeke. Let’s go. First, we head to Ashbury.”
Artorius’s voice carried the same unwavering core of a king that had once inspired his companions in the capital of despair.
“We will go to retrieve Silva, and then we will find the ‘Forbidden Book.’ Before the last light left behind by my uncle fades, there is a duty we must fulfill... it must be there. This time, I will not leave anyone behind.”
“The Forbidden Book, huh... It must be Solas. There is a mountain of information regarding the spirits of light there.”
Zeke said, closing his eyes.
The party left the red-stained port of Port Anchor behind and, quietly but firmly, began their journey toward the city of ash where their companion awaited.
▶Read Episode 29: “The End of the Silver Mask, A Single Will Blooming in the Ash”
▶Click here for the Prologue
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