[On this day, the moons will unite, and under the purple glow, the seas will calm. As the pillars ignite, the circle will illuminate, purging every stain of evil in the surroundings. Brought by the light, the one true bearer of the right to rule absolutely over every corner of the Kingdom will, at last, set foot again on the lands that rightfully belong to them.]
"To rule absolutely..."
After a click of his tongue, blood drips from his lips, and clenching his fists, the king crushes the pages of the book in his hands. New writings and clear, clean pages; at a superficial glance, it's impossible to perceive its true age. Despite appearing new and recently written, the book in his hands dates back centuries, or rather millennia, to a time when this kingdom prospered like no other and would never prosper again.
"To be absolute, you need absolute power... but..., damn...! How dare... a mere bird...! None of those bastards fulfill this role! They are not capable! None of them! They are nothing but useless!"
A new snap echoes, and with the burning hatred in his eyes, his fist moves, throwing the book against the wall near one of the torches illuminating the room. His trembling fingers open, allowing the pages that remained trapped to escape.
"And if this scripture is truly incorrect, then... damn...!"
The disgust in his eyes and his foot over the page beside him. Grinding his teeth, the king forced his foot, creating a hole in the floor below, but the pages remained intact.
"All of them are! All! So all of this was useless! ...Damn...!"
He walks away, treading through the endless and empty corridor, containing nothing but doors. With the creaking of gates and trembling walls, the floor moves as if it has a mind of its own, correcting every flaw in its construction. The book rises, levitating to the small altar at the center of the room, waiting for the pages that were torn from it.
The papers unfold, smoothing every crease along their length and, in perfect order and position, placing themselves on the open book. A faint golden glow takes effect, causing the pages to rejoin the rest of the book, becoming one perfect entity once again.
Before the gates close completely along with the book and the torches extinguish, its glow spread once more throughout the place, illuminating the pages and the words written on them.
[The mind is a door, and your will is the key. Before the body, to wield great power, the control of your own mind and will is all that must be sought and desired. Without concern for hunger, needs like seeing, hearing, or even feeling by touch, the act of leaving your body behind, seeking first to find the door in your own mind and the will to open it, is the key to, above all, truly freeing oneself in the end.]
***************
"Hey, where's Aiden?"
Throwing the dark planks on the ground, Clovis stretched his body. Standing still but intensely training his mind feels natural and beneficial to him. However, doing the same action repeatedly, going back and forth from the forest with various planks in his arms, brings nothing but growing tedium.
"It's been a while since I last saw him."
"Aiden...?"
Riley looked around briefly before throwing the planks next to the pile.
"He should be with Silvia, shouldn't he?"
"I don't think so."
With his fingers, Carlos pushes the nails into the wood, gradually proceeding with the reconstruction of yet another destroyed house. So far, ten have been completed.
"She's over on the other side, with Ethan and the princess, but I don't remember seeing him head in that direction."
"Really? So, there was an option not to participate in this?"
Sitting by the purple river flowing in the opposite direction, Carlos sighed briefly as he moved his hand to interrupt the water's flow.
"You... you're not serious, are you?"
Placing the last nail for the side formation, Clovis looked at him for a moment. However, moving his hand as he stood up, Carlos sighed deeply as the waters beside him parted.
"Of course not. What kind of monster do you think I am? It was just a joke. A person would have to be very foolish to do something like that in this situation."
"Hey, was that a jab at me?"
"And you still doubt it?"
The planks fall on top of the pile, settling over the others, while Aiden descends to the ground.
"What happened? Did the light reach the shadow where you were?"
"I wasn't wasting time, I just..."
Lifting the structure that would become the roof of the construction made by Clovis with Riley, Aiden couldn't, at any moment, wipe the small smile from his face.
"Haha... I just had something else to do..."
"I bet it was something really important since you just left and left us here."
"It's funny that you're the one saying that to me..., I haven't seen you move a single nail so far."
"I've done much more than you; half of what's been rebuilt here, I did it..."
While nailing the roof to the sides, Clovis couldn't help but smile and shake his head in denial at Carlos's words.
"Not even you believe that..."
"I don't know, I think he does..."
Pushing the nail with his finger, Riley noticed he had misplaced it. Clicking his tongue, he began to remove the nail again for the third consecutive time.
"...It must be one of the consequences of being locked in a room for so long, hallucinations he thinks are real."
"You guys... you should be on my side. I'm not the one who ran off and left you here alone."
"Okay, fine, it's my fault, okay? But... I think you'll really like what I went to do..."
Narrowing his eyes, just like Riley and even Clovis, Carlos observed Aiden for a moment. Something none of them understood was certainly his constant insistence on keeping his small smile hidden, or rather, he at least tried to make it so.
"Hmm..."
Observing that smile, it was instinctive; for some reason, Riley felt his body hair stand on end and a weak flicker of lightning extend through his limbs.
'I hope it's not what I'm thinking... No... he wouldn't do that..., would he...? Oh, damn, of course he would...'
***************
"Thank you for stepping out of your way to come help us, sir and... princess..."
His eyes scanned the surroundings, observing all those in front of him and the houses they had just built together. Then, with a brief nod, Ethan left with Scarlet walking beside him, trying to stay as close as possible without being pushed away. Silvia, on the other hand, probably because she doesn't have as high a status as the two, didn't receive such a ceremonious thanks as everyone bowing in front of her, but rather several handshakes followed by bright smiles. Something she personally prefers, certainly.
"Everyone is going to rest and eat something now, but... you won't do that, right?"
"...Maybe after finishing the next affected area."
"You said something similar moments ago, something about... after we finish the next house...?"
"..."
Scarlet smiled at Ethan's silent response and, with almost imperceptible steps, continued to gradually approach him.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I don't want to force you to do this."
"And you say that after making me stay locked up as a sort of punishment?"
"Hm... they're different things... you were mistreating people, and I don't remember telling you to lock yourself up."
"You said I should disappear from your sight for a while, so..."
Taking one last step to the side, Scarlet stopped approaching. Her heart sped up slightly, and as the earthen bridge extended beneath her feet, a small smile appeared on her face.
"So that's how you interpreted it...?"
"Is there any other way to interpret it? ...Well, anyway, I'll go too... It wouldn't be right for me to do nothing with the kingdom in this state..."
For a brief moment, Ethan saw Scarlet's gaze momentarily shift towards the castle and quickly return.
"However, despite understanding how you feel, rushing won't lead to anything. Even if you don't feel physical fatigue, look around; everyone's minds are far from truly well, so... don't try to fix everything immediately. After all, it's not just the broken houses; they're far from being the biggest problem. And also..."
Clasping her hands and playing with her fingers, Scarlet felt her face heat up as her heart raced.
'If the reconstruction finishes too quickly, when will we be able to be alone, just the two of us, again...?'
Allowing his gaze to wander around, Ethan slowed his steps, and keeping Scarlet's words in mind, he found himself hearing the hidden sobs that, no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the source. Then, changing the direction of his steps, at this moment, the path towards the castle seemed the most correct to follow.
"Maybe you're right... it seems like I'm trying to rush things too much."
***************
Well, the author here.
So, I've had some problems, mainly with studying and with this very work. Specifically, with the power system. I wanted to change it a bit or add other elements that, in fact, should already be part of the story, but honestly, I hadn't thought about how to implement them yet.
As I said before, again, the posting frequency of chapters will change and after all this time I have decided, it will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a possible chapter on the weekend, which could be either Saturday or Sunday. There will be no set posting time either. I will be studying even more from now on, so chapters will be posted whenever I have time to write, hence this.
I'm almost falling asleep while writing this hahaha, so if there's anything missing, I'll check and correct it tomorrow.
Sorry for the two-week delay, I think, and thank you for reading, if anyone's still around.