Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 1024: Final Gift

First Great Elder Morthern could be seen walking down the hall. Right from the moment he left Asher’s room, he and his siblings, nephews, and nieces had gone to work, tightening security, checking the vault to make sure nothing wasn’t missing, clearing things with the Knights, and handling the commoners who were camped outside their Estate gate.

At this moment, he was walking back towards the Wargrave Library, his natural habitat, where he stayed and drowned himself in novels. But at this moment, Morthern wasn’t looking forward to any books of any sort, be they romance or action fantasy.

At this moment, his heart was in turmoil. As for why? He couldn’t avenge his elder brother, Nazak.

Azaron wasn’t the only one torn apart by Nazak’s death. If there was anyone who felt it more than anyone, it was Morthern, the Librarian.

He was Nazak’s brother; he had spent more time with the man than Azaron. So, how could Azaron’s pain even compare to the pain he carried in his heart?

Getting to the Library, he pushed open the double doors and stepped inside. But for some reason, it seemed different, as though he was entering the Library after not entering it for a couple of decades.

He walked in, then headed to the section where his own shelves of books were, ones that weren’t the Wargraves’ but his personal collection. Upon getting there, Morthern’s hand rose as he stepped into the aisle, his fingers brushing past the spines of various books as he walked.

’Nazak...’ he thought to himself in silent pain.

What no one knew was that Nazak had been the one who suggested that he, Morthern, become a Librarian.

Nazak’s logic had been simple at the time. Since his junior brother’s ability was linked to reading books, and even his soul-bound weapon was a book too, wasn’t he the perfect Librarian?

Of course, Morthern had rejected the idea at first, and their own Father hadn’t agreed to the idea. After all, how could a Wargrave be stuck in a Library?

Then came the day they had fought for the position of Primarch, and Nazak had won. When their Father stepped down and Nazak was crowned the Duke, his very first order was for Morthern to become a Librarian.

Morthern smiled for a moment, a tear flowing down his left eye as the memories came rushing back. Nazak had even taken it a bit further. The Wargrave Library was used to keep records of history, but Nazak had carved out a portion of that Library and converted it into his junior brother’s personal book and novel collection.

Morthern ran his hand through the shelves, his head rising upwards as the shelf in front of him towered over him, even though he, Morthern, was over eight feet tall.

The shelves were spotless, as Morthern cleaned them every single day with his hands and rags, not through Astra energy or any of the abilities that filled his Soul-bound book.

His hand moved on its own as he took out a book and opened it. It was the very first book Nazak had bought for him when they were little, after he, Morthern, had gone through his awakening at the time. It was the book he had gotten for his sixteenth birthday from the man, and it was a pornography book.

Morthern was speechless at the time after he read the synopsis of the book, and when he confronted Nazak about buying such a book, Nazak simply explained that their Father, Great Elders, and Elders were simply buying too many action and fantasy novels that were filled with nothing but action and battle.

That if he, Morthern, read any of these porn books, he might acquire the sexual abilities of the male characters within.

A smile appeared on Morthern’s lips as he remembered Nazak’s exact words. He had been speechless at the time, he truly had, but Nazak was simply too convincing, and he had given in to his brother’s advice, and he had indeed acquired an ability from one of the characters in it, a sexual one at that.

After that day, he never limited himself to reading only action books.

Truly, Nazak had a ”unique” way of thinking.

But Nazak hadn’t stopped there; he took it a bit further. Why read only novels? Why not mangas?

And with that, every year, Nazak bought Morthern various types of books, even after they stepped into Crownstar Life Rank, where people simply stopped caring about birthdays. Nazak never stopped buying books of various genres.

Morthern closed the book he was holding and slid it back into its position. Although it was given to him over three centuries ago, as it was the first book Nazak had gifted him, the book remained in pristine condition. Morthern lowered himself to the floor, his back leaning against the shelf.

He sat there like a drunk man lost in thought as he stared into space.

’I still haven’t avenged you, Nazak,’ he spoke, his words directed to his dead brother as though he could see the man’s soul.

’I had the opportunity... but I just couldn’t risk everyone’s lives. Forgive me and Azaron,’ he spoke again in his mind, as guilt consumed his heart.

Morthern had been in search of novels, manga, anything fictional really, where a character possessed the ability to locate anyone, their enemies, or anything of the sort. With this ability, he could find the Sinvairas’ base and kill them one by one.

It was the reason he possessed the Planetary Map ability, but alas, even the ability hadn’t displayed what he wanted.

Morthern raised a hand, his Astra energy stirring as one of the books within the shelves moved out, floating downwards and landing in his palm. It wasn’t a published novel or manga or anything of the sort, but it was Morthern’s most cherished item; even his soul-bound book came second to this very book in his hand.

With trembling hands, Morthern opened the cover, and on it, one could see the ink used to draw various images within the book. Anyone who had a functioning brain cell would immediately know that whoever drew the images within this book could never draw, even if it was to save their own life.

Morthern flipped through the pages, his eyes taking in each detail as though it was the first time he had seen the book. Through each page, only two boys could be seen, each page depicting either them talking, laughing together, or battling something together.

The book basically depicted the lives of just two boys and no one else.

This was the final birthday gift Nazak had given Morthern a hundred and twenty years ago, the year the man had died. As for what the book was, it was a manga that Nazak had drawn with his own two hands. Although he was terrible at drawing, he did the best he could.

It was a manga of just him and his junior brother, Morthern.

After receiving this book and following Nazak’s death, Morthern couldn’t help but suspect that Nazak knew of his own death before it came. If the man didn’t know, why would he have drawn such a book and given it to him? Nazak, who had never drawn a day in his life.

Although Morthern knew it could be a coincidence and nothing more, still...

Tears poured from his two eyes, rolling down his cheeks as they dropped onto the pages ever so slowly. And with that, Morthern sat within the Library, consumed by grief and thoughts of revenge.

Although Nazak had been dead for a hundred and twenty years, the pain never left Morthern, his memories of his brother never faded, his love for his brother never faded.

Nazak, despite his madness, was a loving Father, a loving Husband, a loving Son, a loving Sibling.

Silence consumed the Library as one could only hear the occasional sound of Morthern’s tears meeting the pages of Nazak’s final gift as the man cried his soul out in heartache, mourning the brother the world had taken from him.