Godfrey frowned. The Chief Alchemist sounded like a defeated man as he spoke, sotis without emotion, sotis with so much of it.
"Our nobles were the best of the best, picked out of millions of elite knights, and out of these select few, Apollyon stood out as a champion. You see, she didn't bla the man for her parents' death because he was a genuinely terrified man seeking refuge. There were two problems there that day… Fear and weakness.
Her parents were weak. Had they been strong, they would have defended themselves, and the man would have been too. The second was fear. If he had been brave, he would have faced his death while fighting back."
The Alchemist lowered his hand, slowly resting it on the table. "And then she heard rumours of a coming king who shall rule as an emperor. A being of absolute justice, strength, and not an atom of weakness, so she fell into delusions of her own mind. We saw her quest to abolish weakness and fear as honourable; we saw it as sothing that could be refined, so we made her a champion. Back when our civilization thrived and the five kingdoms still existed, she was the champion of this Order, representing us before the kings and dealing with external matters."
"While the others dealt with dungeons and armies, she dealt with n. With her shield and sword, she fought against their shrewdness, their uncanny political wars against each other, and brutal cases that occurred to the lowest n. From champion, she beca judge; from judge, to a goddess who was almost worshipped. But within that woman, who had lived over a hundred years, was a child who wanted to erase the reality of n. We cower, we are weak sotis, we are vulnerable… That lesson, Apollyon did not learn."
The Chief Alchemist was quiet for a mont, as if deciding on his next words or adjusting to the weight of what was about to leave his lips.
"Then ca the Ruination, then ca the ti when the Sword of the Order fell, revealing our secrets and then, the gardener who trimd and made sure the tree was in shape suddenly lost his tool. When it happened, 'Order', a thing we had spent two centuries building, collapsed. It wasn't just the Order, but the entirety of Pathan reeled in shock and when there was no superior authority, when the Unknown King was no more, the diversity of n ca to light."
The Alchemist chuckled sadly. "You see, your world fears the Ruination, so they are prepared to fight it at all costs, with all they have. Enemies and allies stood together, but ours were different. We believed in our strength. We had a record of winning, of destroying even the greatest foes and growing stronger, and so we trusted that, even when divided, we could stand. The nations withdrew their support and left our n garrisoned at the frontiers to starve, and they were slaughtered."
"You see, it all ca back once more. That scene from more than two centuries back. So knights fled to cities, bringing with them the monsters on their heels. People died… in great numbers. And Apollyon saw that the problem was indeed the man she chose not to bla. He was both fearful and weak, sa for the nations, and so she took her n and stord two kingdoms."
The Chief Alchemist paused, nodding ever so gently. The pain of seeing it all crumble, their dream of saving their world.
"Apollyon decided to create a world where weakness and fear could no longer live, so she killed two kings and fought for their thrones. Hundreds of thousands died in that war, more lost faith in the Order. Apollyon's rule was cruel, and we knew each day she waited on the throne of dead kings, waiting for the Apostles."
"And that is the irony. I could see deep inside her. I saw her waiting for judgent. She knew the reward for her actions would be death, and fighting the Apostles was of no use, but we did nothing. In doing so, she continued her ways, with Abaddon by her side."
Godfrey could feel the Alchemist's eyes behind the shadow of that hood staring straight at him.
"We carry pain, Your Majesty. This pain that I feel, is too much for you to bear. Unfortunately, rest is not an option. Neither for you nor us."
Godfrey exhaled heavily.
"Why didn't you act? If you had acted, you would have ended it."
"Indeed. But to understand why we did not act, it will take a lot more depth. You will need to understand us. We are like n, but we are not n. We bear heavy burdens, even while sitting. You will co to understand that later, but I think this is all we can say concerning the matter."
Godfrey leaned forward. "I want to know. Tell ."
All the Alchemists looked at each other and nodded.
"When you return from this dungeon… alive. We shall tell you the rest. We shall also speak to you concerning Lant so you may understand him more. Dirge included." The Chief Alchemist spoke.
"For now, you only need to return alive. No Ruination dungeon is as it seems."
Godfrey was silent for a good mont, then rose to his feet.
"We are not going to run, Your Majesty." The Chief Alchemist had to say due to Godfrey's intense stare.
"Then I'll be on my way." Godfrey shut his eyes, and when he opened them, his eyes adjusted to the large bedroom.
He was on his bed, facing the ceiling. For a mont, Godfrey was stuck, stuck reliving the words of the Chief Alchemist.
One action after another, an Order greater than anything Earth had or could ever produce, fell. Those things looked natural, but they gave birth to more situations that continued the downward movent toward eventual ruin.
Now that glorious Order that several worlds feared was nothing more than ruins, scavenged by mutates, people who had tossed aside their humanity to beco beasts.
Godfrey blinked. There was one thought that stuck with him. Maybe, just maybe, no one could live hundreds of years without regrets. Their slates weren't clean; they were stained with years of experience… Good and bad. The bad outweighed the good most tis.
At this mont, Godfrey saw the trendous effort behind Abaddon's submission. That was a knight bearing the weight of his past, bearing the pain of his actions done in his bidding for vengeance, for his brothers and sisters.
The more he learned, the more Godfrey knew he had to be patient. More patient than he had ever been, but that was only just a wish.
He knew himself, and patience was a trait… One that is very hard to obtain.
There was a difference between making a decision and being able to carry it out.
Right then, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Godfrey asked with a raised eyebrow.
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