Chapter 11: Withering Shadows
Charles looked up at the dark sky, then at those three ominous-looking red moons, and walked towards El Street.
After a few minutes of walking, he reached 45 El Street, entered the lawn, and soon walked into his house. At that moment, he saw an unfamiliar guest in the reception room and furrowed his brows. From Charles's memories, he knew that his mother rarely invites guests during the evening time, but a new guest's sudden appearance startled him a little.
'A woman? Is she the hired guard?' He thought to himself as he walked in and then looked at the woman's face, sitting on the ornate sofa.
She had monolid hazel eyes, barely visible eyebrows, a duchess nose, fair skin, wiry blonde hair, and an upper lip with sharp philtrum. She looked around 25 years old and wore a V-neck white shirt and tight black skirt.
The blonde-haired woman turned her head as she heard his footsteps and peeked at the visitor in curiosity.
Charles also gazed at her and raised his left thin eyebrow.
Before he could ask any question, a slightly wrinkled lady with deep-blue hair stuck her head out from the kitchen room and asked with a smile.
"Charles, how is the day?"
"It's good." He responded with a nod and then looked at the blonde-haired woman in confusion.
"She is my colleague, Saron White. Due to her family circumstances, she will be staying with us from now on." Eve said with the same smile on her face and then went inside the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Charles greeted Saron with a nod and cast [Inspect] skill on her.
[Inspect skill has been cast...]
[Wisdom Check...]
[Inspect Failed!]
...
'A mystic?'
Charles wasn't surprised by this. He had expected such an outcome and silently went to the second floor through the spiral staircase. After that, he moved towards his bedroom, opened the wooden door before entering, and locked it from inside.
'Another problem, huh. What is Saron's background? Eve didn't even tell me whether she hired a guard or just invited a normal guest. It seems Eve is planning on keeping her son in the dark. But it's a bad choice.' Charles shook his head, picked up a white towel from the nearby wardrobe, and went towards the bathroom. On Earth, he would always switch on the water heater and boil the water before taking a shower. Unfortunately, that kind of luxury wasn't there for him here anymore.
'Although I could use the magic stove to boil the water, Eve and this new guest might get suspicious of my activity.'
Shaking his head, he opened the bathroom door, walked in, and started undressing.
After 20 minutes of a long bath, he exited the shower room while covering his lower body with a towel, moved towards the wardrobe, and wore a black nightgown.
"Charles, come to the dining hall. It's dinner time." A loud sound came from downstairs.
Meanwhile, Charles combed his hair, wore a pair of wooden slippers, walked out of his bedroom, and went downstairs.
At that moment, Eve and Saron were seated in the dining hall and seemed to be waiting for him.
He walked on the smooth floor, entered the dining hall, sat on the opposite chair, and placed the napkin on his lap.
He then shifted his gaze towards the front and saw dishes like meatloaves, mashed potatoes, fried chickens, roasted chicken, crab cakes, and three cups of potato soups on the dining table.
While he was staring at the dishes, Eve stood up from her seat, picked a rice bowl, and started serving the food one by one.
After serving, she went back to her seat and then clapped her hand together to pray.
Charles and Saron also followed her action and then recited a short chant.
They then picked the fork and spoon and started eating.
Charles precisely cut the roasted chicken into four small pieces and put one in his mouth. After that, he looked at Eve, smiled a little, and added.
"Congratulations on your Rank Up, mom."
Eve's eyes widened as she heard her son's comment and soon asked.
"How did you know?" Her voice contained shock and curiousness.
"I guessed." Charles lied without even flinching and then turned his gaze towards Saron. He then looked into Saron's hazel eyes and asked.
"She is a mystic, isn't she?"
Both Eve and Saron stopped their hand movements and looked at each other in confusion.
A second later, a look of realization dawned on Eve's face.
She then skilfully stabbed the fork on a fried chicken piece, put it in her mouth, and then curled her lips upward.
She then chewed the fried chicken, tasted the juicy flesh mixed with oil and salt, and muttered while clicking her tongue.
"Tsk, I forget about your inheritance gift. You used [Inspect] skill on us, didn't you?"
Charles nodded his head, turned his face solemnly, and probed further.
"Why is she here? I want the real answer." His tone and his face were dead serious.
"Should I feel happy? Or should I feel sad that you have changed completely?" Eve placed the fork on her plate and smiled bitterly.
She then closed her deep blue eyes for a second and then spoke,
"She is the guard I hired to protect you, Charles. Although I have the power to see through one's fate, I'm nothing but a powerless mother." Eve opened her eyes and then added while glancing at Saron,
"She is the Priestess of the Wisdom Church, and I employed her to protect us for the next three months."
'Priestess...It is the corresponding Job of the 'Clerk' Class. She must be a Rank 2 Mystic from the Wisdom Church.' Charles nodded his head in enlightenment.
Just as he was about to ask another question, Saron suddenly turned her gaze towards the opened window and frowned.
Charles and Eve also noticed her odd behavior and followed her gaze.
At that moment, Charles's [Dark Vision] skill activated on its own and let him look into the dark yard.
A blurry humanoid shadow appeared in his sight.
The humanoid shadow seemed to be writing something on the compound wall and soon turned towards their direction as it sensed his gaze.
The black shadow began to distort a second later and then disappeared from Charles's sight.
'What was that?!' Charles was stunned by this scene and then turned his gaze towards Saron.
"I sensed a presence nearby," She muttered with a frown and stood up from her seat. Then, she used the nearby water bowl, washed her hands, and wiped the wet hands using a handkerchief.
Charles and Eve also stood up from their seats, followed her action, and then the trio went out of their house.
At that moment, Charles also took out a fire torch placed at the entrance, lit it using a matchstick, and proceeded to walk in the front.
Within a few seconds, the trio entered the grassy yard, arrived in front of the opposite compound wall, and soon showed a puzzled expression on their faces.
Meanwhile, two words appeared on the compound wall.
Charles extended his right hand, moved the fire torch closer towards the wall, and soon widened his eyes.
Two words familiar yet unfamiliar words appeared in front of his eyes.
It looked more like a name.
He hurriedly searched Charles's memories and soon found the answer.
It was in Laka Language!
It was an old language that had dated back to the First Arcane Age.
'Laka is one of the classical languages surviving till today. Laka inscriptions from First Arcane Era have been found in many places, and the language is believed to be more than 9,000 years old. This 'Laka language' is currently the official language of 2 Kingdoms: Herath and Moon Kingdom. Moreover, the Laka language is also recognized as a minority language in the Northern Ember Kingdom and parts of Arc Kingdom.' He shuffled through the information, then shifted his attention towards the compound wall and started to read.
"Holem's Crown? What does that mean?" Charles asked out loud.
Eve and Saron looked at each other as they heard his question and shook their heads in unison.
As Charles was about to sigh in disappointment, Eve suddenly remembered something and spoke.
"Wait. Let's see if my [Fate Reveal] skill can give some clue about this."
Saying so, she took a step forward, arrived in front of the wall, touched the word 'Crown,' and closed her eyes. She then made some strange hand gestures and spoke,
"Reveal."
A second later, webs of dark strings appeared in her mind and showed a gigantic spider-like net structure. They were interlinked and seemed unbreakable. Even though it was new power to her, Eve knew that these mysterious strings were fate strings.
Although it was hard to break one's fate string, it wasn't an impossible task for a Rank-2 [Prognosticator] class mystic like her.
But instead of breaking any string, she carefully looked at them, searched for an anomaly, and soon focused on a particular string.
The next instant, that single string twisted into a void-like glass and revealed a reddish-gem embedded crown in her mind.
The next instant, she opened her eyes and said in confusion.
"I saw a red-gem embedded Crown. And, that's it."
'Crown? I also saw something similar on the Amber Bank's door. Are they related?' Charles furrowed his brows in suspicion.
Meanwhile, Saron looked at Eve and asked.
"A high-ranked artifact?"
"Possible. We should send the report to the higher-ups of Wisdom Church and ask them about the 'Holem's Crown.'" Eve suggested.
"Don't." Charles hurriedly stopped them and added.
"The other party wants us to do the same thing. If we search for clues about the 'Holem's Crown,' it will be like we are dancing on the other party's palm."
In truth, he wanted to find more about this world before getting tangled himself in any scheme.
"Indeed, you are right." Eve looked at him in surprise and nodded.
"It might not be serious. Although the 'Intruder' appears suspicious, he seems to be providing us with some clues. A few weeks ago, someone leaked information about you guys to your family and almost killed both of you. So, what if this 'Intruder' is trying to help you guys?" Saron interjected.
'Possible.' Charles narrowed his eyes and then fell into deep thoughts.
'But why didn't he come to meet us directly? Is he afraid of the other party? Or, the one who drew these words is the 'real Informer'? If so, what is his aim?' Multiple thoughts appeared in his head, but no answers.
He heaved a heavy sigh and spoke,
"I still don't agree with your suggestion. We should lay low for a while and then see what happens next."
'Meanwhile, I will also find a way to increase my strength.' He muttered inwardly. In truth, he had no trust in any outside force at all.
The trio discussed the mysterious intruder's intention for a while and then went inside.
They then continued their dinner and went to their rooms. Once Charles entered his bedroom, he locked the door from inside and lay on the soft bed.
After staring at the white ceiling for a few minutes, he closed his eyes and then fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, a whispering sound echoed in his bedroom and caused his closed eyes to twitch.
At that moment, the heavy wind howled from the outside and caused the opened window to shutter. Not only his room window but even the nearby house door and windows also started shuttering violently.
Simultaneously, strange purple lightning flashed in the dark sky, illuminated the city from time to time, and seemed to be searching for someone.
As the shuttering noise continuously echoed inside Charles's bedroom, he also returned to a half-conscious state and tried to open his eyes.
Unfortunately, he couldn't!
Just as he was startled by the strangeness, an eerie voice echoed in the surrounding air and soon entered his ear.
It was a whisper of an old man!
Goosebumps appeared all over his body!
'Whisper? Who is it?'
He got shocked by this strange condition and even felt fear.
He could think clearly but couldn't move a muscle.
He also tried to wake up many times but felt some invisible power shackled his body!
Just as he was about to shout in his head, an eerie whisper echoed in his right side ear.
"I'm the Crown!"
It was the same old man's voice!
'Magic?' He tried to ask questions but ended up failing miserably.
"Find me." The whisper came from his left side and soon went silent this time.
In the meantime, Charles lay on the bed for another five minutes motionlessly and soon regained control over his body. At that moment, the howling wind also subdued gradually, causing the shuttering noise to go down.
He sat up with a tensed face and glanced at the surroundings warily.
'What the hell was that?! Is it even possible for an artifact to control humans like a puppet?!' Charles was beyond shocked by this incident and began to think deeply.
'That Holem's Crown seems to be looking for me. But why does it have to be me? Is it even possible for an artifact to gain intelligence? I need more information.' He took a deep breath, calmed down the pounding heart, and frowned.
'I will go to the Fourth Section tomorrow and search for more information about artifacts.' He nodded his head and lay on the bed once again.
…
The next day,
Charles woke up earlier than usual and walked out of 45 El Street after having breakfast. The last night's incident made him realize that he was not a ferocious hunter but a slaughterhouse lamb!
Unlike yesterday, another person accompanied him, causing him to grunt in dissatisfaction.
Yesterday, Eve made some arrangements in his daily schedule and made Saron his bodyguard.
Although Charles attempted to oppose her decision, his attempt went futile as usual.
'Mothers are always hard to handle.' Alas, he liked this new life a little.
He walked past many shops and houses and soon reached Olive Street.
At that moment, the Library was filled with many peoples and looked more like a market street.
Charles didn't even look at those people, moved past the study tables, and went to the fourth floor through a spiral staircase.
Meanwhile, Saron stayed in the reception hall and waited for Charles's return like a bodyguard.
On the other hand, Charles reached the fourth floor, arrived at the gloomy section, and searched for books with information about artifacts.
He first chose a book called 'Ranked Artifacts' and started reading.
Ranked Artifacts were divided into four types.
The first type was Rank-1 artifacts or 'Common Artifacts.' These 'Common Artifacts' were usually found in common markets, and some of them were used regularly. The magic candles, magic stoves, enchanted glasses, and pocket watches would come under this section.
The second type was Rank-2 Artifacts or 'Uncommon Artifacts.' These 'Uncommon Artifacts' were hard to find, and only wealthy people like merchants and mystics could afford them.
'The communication ring would come under this section.' He nodded in enlightenment.
The third type was Rank 3 artifacts or 'Rare Artifacts.' As the name suggests, these artifacts were hard to find among ordinary citizens.
The fourth type was Rank 4 artifacts or 'Extraordinary Artifacts.' Extraordinary Artifacts were powerful artifacts and would be found only in the Kingdom's treasury or some Nobles' treasure.
Charles read the book patiently for two hours and closed it.
'Hmm, there is no mentioning of any intelligent artifact in this book.' He shook his head and started reading other artifact books.
After staying there for the next few hours, Charles went downstairs and returned to El Street with Saron.
…
Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye.
During those two weeks, Charles read hundreds of books about artifacts and finally discovered a clue about intelligent artifacts.
Although he didn't get much information about those living artifacts, he learned a little.
Mages and Mystics called those living artifacts as 'Intellectual Artifacts.' On the other hand, the Lawful Churches called them 'Series Artifacts' and divided them based on the artifacts' strengths.
Only the Thirteen Lawful Churches and other Four Chaotic Churches possessed those items and kept them in much secretive. That's all he learned about those 'Intellectual artifacts.'
He also learned about the Churches' secretive organizations and then thought of joining one of them.
Today, he didn't go to the Library; instead, he locked himself inside his bedroom and started writing something on white paper using a golden quill pen.
The golden quill pen was the only gift Charles got from his grandparents.
He sat on a wooden chair and looked at the white paper with a frown.
'Among the bunch of lawful organizations in Edhen World, only Withering Shadows and Silver Servants have branch offices here. Withering Shadows belongs to Life Church, while Silver Servants belongs to Amber Church. Silver Servants Organization is not a good option because I already 'offended' the Goddess of Wealth. It leaves me with one option, and that is Life Church's Withering Shadows.' Although many neutral and good organizations were there in Edhen World, each organization placed some strict rules to become a permanent member. As for joining any Evil or chaotic organization? Charles didn't have any plan on this.
But he also had another option, though. It was to join the Explorers Organization and become an Explorer.
Alas, it was not suitable for his current class.
'I need to learn some important Historian Class skills if I want to work as an Explorer.' He shook his head in disappointment.
'Although I don't like that Life Church Bishop, I don't think others would also be the same.' Muttering inwardly, he put down the quill and the paper and stood up from the chair.
He then changed his clothes into formal ones and walked out of his house.