Myths Reawakened

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wayne twirled around. “I’ve got no clothes. Where am I gonna hide the stone tablet?”

“You can hide things even without clothes. That’s not a valid rebuttal.”

“Alright, alright. Now you’re just being unreasonable. Here, a rock. Hide it right now.” Wayne kicked a fist-sized rock to Kael.

Kael lowered his head wordlessly. He had only heard about that method of hiding things but never tried it himself; he would say no to a demonstration.

“Let’s go. Stop sitting on your ass. I’ll put on clothes, and you should find a car. Silent Hill isn’t a safe place to be when members of the Church of Death could come at any time. We should head out first.” Wayne lifted Mona and moved toward the dormitory.

Hissing in pain, Kael got to his feet, supporting himself by the tree. He complained, “Why didn’t you even ask about the reason I was down? About the dangerous battle I’ve fought to cover you and Mona?”

“As long as you’re alive, why would I ask? I just want a glass of steaming milk now.” Wayne walked away.

Half an hour later, they drove out of Silent Hill toward Eclipse Town with Town Mayor Wales stuffed in the trunk of the car. They headed to the mayor’s mansion rather than settling down in an inn. Kael had exhausted his mana, and Mona had lost consciousness from depleting her thoughts. In case the Church of Death had more minions in town, they chose to stay at the mayor’s place since the most dangerous place could be the safest, just like the shadow was darkest right under the light source.

The next morning, Wayne woke up refreshed after only four hours of sleep. As his life essence grew stronger, his need for sleep diminished. Judging by the trend, he would only need to sleep for an hour every day after he reached the Gold rank.

He retrieved the account book he had hidden under the crooked tree. Luckily, it was still there, and when he reached the inn he had stayed in when he first arrived, his car was there, too; the local gangs hadn’t stolen it.

The moment he returned to the mayor’s place, Mona eagerly welcomed him.

“You’re up already?” Wayne greeted in surprise, shutting the car door after him. He always went for his cheat whenever he encountered any difficulty, so he had never experienced thought exhaustion himself. However, according to the symptoms described in the theory books, it was supposed to be torturous and potentially lethal.

Mona had almost exhausted her thoughts twice in a short time, but she seemed rejuvenated after sleeping. Holy light magic had, well, done its magic.

I want it!

Mona strode up to him and grabbed his elbow with the excited look of a fan meeting her idol, worried that he would disappear if she let go. Lowering her voice, she said, “Bruce, you’re an angel who has descended to the human world, aren’t you?”

“Um, that...” Wayne struggled to respond. Whether he was Bruce was still undetermined, like the survival of Schrödinger’s cat. Before the box was opened, he couldn’t say anything, so he would deny everything Mona said.

But what did she mean by ‘an angel who’s descended to the human world’? He really would like her to explain. Given his flexible morals, even if he were an angel, he would’ve been one who had fallen to the human world. ‘Descend’ wasn’t quite the right word!

He looked at Mona like she was an idiot. “Firstly, I’m not Bruce. Secondly, I’m no angel. If you’re still confused, you should go back to sleep. You’re even sleep-talking while awake.”

“You can’t deny it. I saw.” Mona lowered her voice. “When you saved me, I saw your wings and the eye of judgment. You’re just like the angel in the Sacred Tome.”

“Really? That’s what your angels look like? Isn’t that too macabre?” Wayne blurted out. Then he coughed into his fist and said seriously, “I don’t know what you saw, Mona, but based on the condition you were in then, I suspected that you were seeing things. Listen, you’re just lonely. Go back and sleep. When you wake up, give one of your girl friends a chance and experiment. A few dates should stop you from imagining things.”

Mona ignored his nonsense and said solemnly, “Angels have been changing in appearance throughout history. They started out looking terrifying, and over time, they evolved into the gentle, friendly image they have now.”

She explained the reason behind the change: in the beginning, the way angels looked was defined by themselves, meaning they looked the way they actually were, their holiness inspiring a fearful awe.

Later, as the Church of Heavenly Father lost its influence and control over the Chosen Land, angels’ appearance became defined by the people. They imagined angels as the most holy and beautiful beings they could think of, thus leading to angels appearing as humans with wings.

“That isn’t hideous, but dignified. An angel is the first and most holy life form.”

Wayne didn’t have a comeback for that. He had had the honor of meeting an ancient god, and if someone asked what the first and most perfect life form in the world looked like, it would have to be that.

Lives evolved. Different faiths went down different paths of evolution. Wayne knew about the existence of elves, giants, great dragons, skeletons, angels, and demons...

The Church of Heavenly Father, being the most powerful religious faction in the past and the present, had to have encountered an ancient god. It would make sense for angels to use the likeness of the ancient gods as the most advanced evolutionary path in heaven.

Could angels not be dreadful? They didn’t have to look holy and elegant. That was only wishful thinking on the general public’s part.

“Admit it, Bruce,” Mona enunciated with a grip on Wayne’s wrist. “You are an angel!”

“I’m Wayne, not Bruce or an angel. You’ve got the wrong person.” Wayne shook his head. It was purely an accident that he looked like an angel, so she should stop wasting time.

Mona didn’t buy it. She knew what she saw. She implored him to admit the truth. His identity wasn’t a dirty secret.

Would an angel grope a clergywoman’s ass? A demon is more like it! You’re really imagining things!

Wayne gave up on convincing her. No matter what she said, it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t an angel. Windsor was ruled by law, or at least it should be, and according to the current legal system, false claims without clear evidence constitute slander.

He handed Mona the account book. “The mayor’s in the trunk. This is the evidence. Tell Kael to bring them back to Londan and take care of them.”

“I will see to it that he completes the mission.” Mona took the account book with the seriousness of a pilgrim.

Wayne rolled his eyes. Religion made one into a fool, and this woman had lost her marbles irreversibly. He turned away and walked to his car. When he noticed Mona tailing him, he said exasperatedly, “Heretic, I’m heading to Nature’s base in Cambrook County. As you can see, I’m an archdeacon of the Church of Nature. Were I an angel, I wouldn’t have joined them.”

“Don’t worry, sir. I won’t tell on you.” Mona nodded in understanding. Just like how Bruce had gone undercover at the lairs of the Thousand-Eyed Demon, he had to have infiltrated the Church of Nature in preparation for the holy war.

“Fine. Whatever makes you happy. And don’t sir me. Although we’re not close, we’re sort of friends. Just call me ‘boss’.”

Wayne shut the car door and refused to go with Mona. Stepping on the accelerator, he drove to Cambrook County to make an appearance.

Mona watched the car drive away. Although she would like to follow, she didn’t want to make her master angry. After some consideration, she decided to contact the Archbishop first. She had completed the mission. She found the angel!

Since she now equated Bruce with Wayne and Wayne with an angel, ‘master’ became the natural way to address such a holy being, no longer humiliating to her like it had been.

After driving out of Eclipse Town, Wayne retrieved his white dove from his dress hat. Once he made sure he wasn’t tailed, he took out a map and made a detour to Silent Hill.

“Time to check the loot!”

***

At noon, Wayne weaved through a rarely visited forest with the Book of Seals like a fugitive. The Book of Seals had been transported to the middle of nowhere by Julia, so it had been quite an ordeal to locate it and the four rings. Thankfully, he had been quick to retrieve them after throwing them into the portal, or he would’ve lost them.

He returned to his car and grabbed clean clothes from the trunk, putting them on to make himself presentable before reviewing his gains from the mission.

First, he had acquired the four rings that stored a great volume of elements. Gathered by the Headless Knight over the years, the total amount was enough to fill Palis three times over if released.

One third of the four elements had been depleted to break the seal of the obelisk, so now, there was only enough to barely fill Palis twice. Still, it was an unimaginable volume.

Although it couldn’t compare to the grey space of the Free Mage Alliance, it made the elemental space of the Lord of the Void pale in comparison. If Wayne had acquired the four rings while he was at the hexagram stage, he could’ve transcended his life essence without stealing the elemental space, and the Lord of the Void wouldn’t have died.

“Lord of the Void...” Wayne whispered, then he murmured the name of Sebastian and the Death Knight. A good man never forgot those who had helped him, so he should constantly think of the benefactors who sacrificed themselves for him.

His chest opened up by a crack, allowing him to cast the four rings inside. He agreed to split the spoils with the Book of Greed at a three-to-seven ratio, but this time, he wanted seventy percent. After he took back the antique silver coin, he would split the gains with the book fifty-fifty.

His life essence became greater after reaching the Silver rank, and since he planned to follow all five goddesses, he would need more than the elements the four rings could supply him. He needed the silver coin.

He looked at the Book of Seals. The four rings were only small bonuses, while the stone tablet of the obelisk was the real jackpot. He trusted the demons’ judgment. The stone tablet had to be a great treasure.

“Sebastian said that once the stone tablet left the Book of Seals, the owners of the other tablets would see me...”

He frowned. It made sense that when he gazed at the abyss, the abyss would be gazing at him. Just like how people had venomous creatures kill each other to produce the most deadly one[1], the stone tablets would inevitably go to one person.

He knew he was quite strong. Even without the Death Knight disguise or merging with the Book of Greed, he would still be able to rival a Gold-rank mage by pushing himself past his limits. Legendary mages, however, were out of his league. They had acquired a great wealth of knowledge, and he would likely get shut in a pitch-black space before he could even touch them.

Treasure belonged to those strong enough to keep it. If anyone else had found other stone tablets, they would at least be Legendary rank.

“I must not open the Book of Seals in Londan...”

Wayne gave himself a rule he had to abide by and carefully opened the Book of Seals. Five seconds after he touched the stone tablet with his fingertip, he closed the book.

He started his car and drove toward Cambrook County as quickly as possible, his expression twisted with joy and resignation.

He was glad because the moment he touched the stone tablet, he found his thoughts entering a world similar to the grey space. Amid rumbling thunder and storms, his homeless friends eagerly sought out someone to take them in.

The Book of Greed would like to volunteer itself, but five seconds later, just as the Book of Greed extended its tentacles, Wayne shut the door.

He was resigned because he had sensed another stone tablet, and it was quite close. If his senses hadn’t made a mistake, it would be in Londan.

He didn’t know who had the stone tablet, and the vague feeling made it seem like the stone tablet was still sealed. He was only able to locate it because it wasn’t put under a seal as effective as the Book of Seals, provided by the demons, and the leaked energy alerted him to the stone tablet’s presence.

He couldn’t narrow down its location further.

“Londan’s too big. How am I going to find it?” Wayne grumbled, but then he realized that he was getting ahead of himself again. Who said that he was the hunter? What if the holder of the stone tablet leaked their location purposefully to lure him in?

He weighed his options and concluded that as long as he never touched the stone tablet and maintained a low profile, the other tablet holder wouldn’t be able to find him; he would have the advantage.

It was an advantage he couldn’t actively utilize, however.

The Book of Greed was starving, urging Wayne to lift the seal for ten seconds, just ten seconds. Even if he wouldn’t do it for himself, he should do it for his homeless friends.

Wayne rolled his eyes, rejecting the temptation... temporarily. The Book of Greed was him. If he could control his desires, the Book of Greed would be called the Book of Generosity, and he would rather die than be generous.

He knew very well that the inner voice tempting him wasn’t the Book of Greed. He was the one craving the obelisk—craving the four elements and the thunderous storms. He might be able to resist the temptation once, but sooner or later, he would reach for it.

“I can’t open the Book of Seals in Londan. Then I’ll have to open it in Cambrook County—no, in Eclipse Town.”

Wayne drove while reviewing his strategy. First, he would have to conceal himself. Then, he would read books to gain knowledge. From now on, he would visit Cambrook County every week to check in, and every seven days, he would open the Book of Seals.

Although it was a little risky, he had made up his mind. No one would convince him otherwise. If he never opened the seal, wouldn’t he have acquired the stone tablet for nothing?

He might be able to accept that, but not the Death followers who had sacrificed themselves to give him the stone tablet. They would’ve rolled in their graves if they knew. Thus, he had to use the stone tablet somehow, for nothing if not their peaceful rest.

“And the stone tablet in Londan. If I can get my hands on it, I’ll be able to open the Book of Seals without worry...”

***

For a sovereign nation, Windsor’s intelligence agencies were often criticized, resulting in quite a lot of classic jokes. But truthfully, Windsor wasn’t all that bad, at least compared to other countries.

Silent Hill was a hundred kilometers from Londan, the capital of Windsor. A sudden earthquake had toppled a mountain, which immediately attracted the attention of many factions.

Outside the pure scholars, Windsor’s Ministry of Magic was the first to send people to investigate. It was the next afternoon after the earthquake. Wayne was already home, enjoying the black tea Veryl served him. Earlier, he had visited Cambrook County and borrowed ancient books at Saint Dominic’s Cathedral for Ottilia to win affection points from her.

The Ministry of Magic’s investigation yielded no result.

The leader of the investigation team was a Silver-rank mage. With his limited capability, he found nothing but the dead members of the Church of Death. Those were Kael’s handiwork. The detective had drafted a report and detailed what had happened, including the parts about the mayor, the Church of Death, and the stone tablet...

Since Kael hadn’t gone deep into the mining cave, what he knew was limited. The report said nothing about why the Church of Death was looking for the stone tablet or what the stone tablet was.

The Ministry of Magic was going to question Wayne first thing, but Auston intercepted them, taking on the responsibility himself. He stated that he would investigate personally and gave the department a satisfactory answer; they only had to wait.

But it was common knowledge that in the process of waiting, things often ended up forgotten.

Another faction in the know was the Church of Heavenly Father. Mona had told them everything. Wayne was Bruce, and Bruce was the angel they were looking for. When Archbishop Gunther heard the good news, he sat up from his rest and asked where the angel was with a smile. His illness recovered as soon as his spirit was lifted.

Compared to the revelation, he didn’t care about the stone tablet at all since it had nothing to do with demons. He would let the Free Mage Alliance and the Alliance of the Three Goddesses worry about it.

To make sure that Mona hadn’t misjudged, Gunther was eager to meet Wayne and confirm that he was one of the seven angels descending to the human world. That was a crucial matter to the entire Church of Heavenly Father. For that, the Pope was almost going bald.

“Archbishop, he’s unwilling to admit his identity,” Mona said resignedly.

“It doesn’t matter if he admits it. We only have to confirm for ourselves.” Gunther turned to the cross. “Ask him to come to the cathedral. I have a way to test him.”

1. This is the practice of gu, where venomous creatures are put into an enclosed container so that they will devour each other and supposedly concentrate their poison. It’s more often seen in southern China. Gu is also believed to have the ability to control people. ☜