As Charlemagne's forces arrived at the battlefield, they found their army eradicated by the Sarcaens.
In a fit of rage at Roland's death and the disintegration of his army, Charlemagne dominated his foes.
Roland's legacy remained.
And so did the secret of his sword, Durendal.
***
As the storm of knowledge settled in my brain, I felt something I had never felt before open up. A cool sensation rushed through my head, and the stars floating in the abyss suddenly connected.
Lines formed between them, creating various shapes.
"A Legend…"
An involuntary smile blossomed on my face, my massive teeth revealing themselves to the world. With all of the world's joy resting at my fingertips, I let out a powerful roar that matched the power I'd just witnessed.
Power danced at my fingertips, the power that had been absorbed from the "Legend" of Roland, the one up in those stars.
I'd achieved it.
I wasn't certain how, or why, or what the vision about Roland had been about, but when I felt it flow within me, I couldn't care less. Although, I somewhat understood the source of my power now.
I'd seen the vision of a star.
A Star that possessed a Legend, one that I'd 'borrowed' or rather stolen to create power through Arcana.
At the thought of repeating such a process, I couldn't help but let a smile slip through. I couldn't believe it. I had the ability to use 'Stars' themselves to create power… but there had to be a catch…
I was wary, but there was no need to fret as of now.
Staring at my glowing fists and my sword, that had suddenly gained legendary power beyond what it previously possessed, I suddenly had a wild thought. It wasn't as pronounced, but what if I…
Without a second thought, I held my sword up high, Arcana oozing from the tip.
Whoosh!
Bam!
As a nearby boulder exploded into pieces, I let out a small laugh.
The explosion was louder than I expected.
***
As morning arose, I quickly got off my bed and got dressed. It was a good day. Stepping onto my balcony, I stared at the destruction I'd caused yesterday with a toothy smile, admiring my work.
The clouds were starting to disperse as the soft rays of sunlight peeked through, falling upon my azure eyes.
Today was the day Aiden and I would clash.
I was thirsting for the battle, as I couldn't wait to test out my new abilities. Although the power had completely vanished, I could still feel remnants of Roland's Legend floating within my body that I could harness.
However, I felt a lot weaker.
Perhaps it was because of the lack of stars in the sky.
As I stepped out into the courtyard, the servants and maid hurriedly bowed. They could only stare at the shattered boulder–which used to be used as decoration for the courtyard–in awe and shock.
Greeting them, I exited the mansion.
"Hey, Ryan," Ian greeted me, waving. But he was not alone. Beside him was a certain boy I thought I'd seen before.
"Hey, Ryan."
"Hey…"
"Samuel."
"Samuel!" I exclaimed. "You're the guy who first met me with Ian and Isabelle."
"So you remember Isabelle but not me?"
He looked at me sheepishly before letting out a light laugh.
"Right, I wanted to talk to you about something, Ryan. Could we talk in private for a second?" Samuel asked, hinting at Ian. The latter nodded before backing away, while the former pulled me aside.
I wasn't certain what this was about, but I didn't have high hopes, especially considering how suspiciously he'd looked at me when I announced I was an amnesiac back at the infirmary a few days ago.
While Ian and Isabelle digested the news somewhat properly, Samuel was nervous.
"What happened?" I asked, putting my hands into my pockets as I smiled lightly.
"Are you sure you don't remember a single thing, Ryan…?" Samuel asked, his expression turning darker than ever. His back was facing Ian, so neither could teen hear him nor see his expression.
Samuel's eyes turned to slits, his gaze locked upon me. "Don't fucking play with me."
"I don't remember a thing," I replied flat out, replying with an unwavering gaze. It was clear to me that Samuel and the previous Ryan had something going on.
Samuel grabbed his temples, his expression degrading into one of stress and nervousness. As he paced back and forth, he kept taking glimpses of me, as if hoping for some miracle through which I would suddenly remember everything.
"It's… It's fine… Meet me at the Yorklink Cafe this evening, okay? Come alone."
"What?"
"Do as I fucking say, Ryan."
At this point, Samuel was sweating. His eyes displayed pure terror, while his body continued to shake uncontrollably.
"Okay, I'll come."
With those words, I managed to send him away.
As I reunited with Ian, he asked me what happened, and I spilled everything. Frankly, Samuel was quite annoying, and I wasn't going to help him hide a secret that meant nothing to me.
"So he told you to meet him alone? That can't be good."
Ian displayed concern at Samuel's behavior, and I agreed with him.
Samuel's intentions clearly weren't pure, and I would be risking my life going up to him without any information of who he is and who he holds contact with. Frankly, I was weak. I couldn't put up a fight against a person who knows how to utilize Arcana.
Again, Rutley was an exception. He was an idiot.
Then again, If I didn't go, I would never be able to dig deeper. It would always gnaw at my mind, and perhaps Samuel would try some trick that could hinder my progress. It was a predicament… but something I knew how to solve.
As Ian and I walked toward Stallard Hope, we talked a bit about our classes and the people in them.
When I told him about what happened with Rutley, he'd been completely shocked, as he believed I was incredibly weak.