Capítulo 22: Prahu, A New Start

Adaceus flipped through the pages in a flurry of movements, with his entire focus with zealous fervor on the tome in his iron clutches, now that the marble had somehow miraculously translated the contents of it, and he took this opportunity to intently read the passages on it, absorbing the new found knowledge within.

It riveted him in doing this, the knowledge of this world, at least a part of it? It was a delight, something to bridge the gap of his ignorance of this world.

It was filled with a plethora of knowledge, each line and passage all unknown and unique to Adaceus, and it was a tome of magic-a limited subject but he didn't mind-and they were all of the nature of death, that he was very sure of.

All of the pages contained the workings of this worlds magic, and explained in excruciating detail about its machinations and inner workings and theories that pertained to it-intricate, this books maker was-but the most predominant of this knowledge was some branch of this worlds magic, necromancy, it was called.

From what he could tell, it was a unorthodox practice, and not many people took to researching it to a high level of mastery. Adaceus continued to read, but something struck him as quite strange. It was strangely wicked, words like 'Forbidden', or 'Dangerous', and the like, written throughout on the text.

Could it be? He thought.

Adaceus dropped his face down on the pages, his bone nose almost touching the paper, and felt around the pages. A shocking realization came to him.

The book he was holding, the knowledge he had, was taboo in this world, forbidden, because of the powerful branch of magic called necromancy. It baffled him the way his power, his authority was used, and it was for the purpose of producing wicked powers. All of it filled to the brim, with his energy used as catalyst for evil, the root of it even.

This appalled him to a large degree, why was his powers used for malicious purposes? He observed with unyielding concentration, trying to find an answer, reading for what seemed like ages and forgoing the thought of sleep entirely as his eyes read the book. Engraving every sentence or paragraph presented to him fervently until it was memorized completely as if it was second nature.

He tried to find an answer, but the book didn't have any.

And this went on for the whole night, until the sun shone above the trees.

# # # # #

Slowly blinking awake, Hainan eyes met the tall trees that loomed over him. The sun rose, and penetrated the leaves to shine on his face. He felt his eyes irritate at the sun shining on his eye, and he rose to rub them. A couple of moments of light rubbing, his sight returned to him. Glancing around, he first met the fire in the middle, reduced to nothing but gray ash. Around, the others still slept, and upon turning huis head, he saw a sight that made him flinch.

Sitting in a hunched pose with his legs crossed and a book in his hands, was Adaceus, his masked face still pressed on the tome. He doddered all around, his body moving lazily from left to side, his head dangling from his shoulders and almost fell, before he balanced himself up, lifting another page from the book.

"Adaceus? Are you alright?" Hainan, with worry, said.

Adaceus suddenly shook up, twisting his head about before his sights were fixed on Hainan, who recoiled, startled.

"O-oh~", he drunkenly said, "What is it..... Mr. Hainan?"

Settled, Hainan asked, "A-are you alright? Something seems wrong about you."

"Uhh~ Nothins' wrong, jus readin," he replied, yawning a long one at the end.

"Are you sure? You seem exhausted, I mean, really exhausted, did you get any sleep?"

Yawning again, he answered, "I haven't slept, I stayed guard all night."

"WHAT!? You've been awake all night!!?" Hainan screamed.

"Yes, I took it upon myself to volunteer to be the night watch, nothing happened and you don't need to worry," replied Adaceus, looking at his tome once again.

"And... you're not bothered at all?"

"No," Adaceus coolly replied, and Hainan pressed no further.

"We should wait for the others to wake up."

"Okay."

Sitting around in silence, minutes pass without a word shared with each other, and Hainan sat there restless, before slowly the people on the circle of logs woke up. Adaceus closed his book with a loud thud, standing up and latching the tome to the fabric on his waist, standing up and stretching his back and arms, where he waited in silence, sat on a log.

A soldier was the first to awaken, rubbing his eyes, where saw Hainan, who was wide awake and standing.

"Mr. Hainan!" He said, hitting his partner hard to wake him up, and stood with his back straightened, "We-Were sorry for taking long to wake up, please forgive us!" And he gave a salute. The other quickly woke up as well, wiping the drool form his face, standing up, and hurried to salute.

Looking at them, he gave them a sympathetic gaze, saying, "It's fine, men, you worked hard yesterday, you needed that rest," he replied, and the men's postures calmed.

In the corner of Hainan's sight, he could see Adaceus, walking with the girls and letting them inside the carriage, they had waken up at some point and he helped escort them inside, and it seemed that sir Zovrech also got in as well.

"Anyway, men, prepare your horse and yourself, were going to continue our journey so prepare to the best of your abilities."

Both nodded their heads, and went toward the direction their horse was tied to, where they begun their preparation.

Hainan and Adaceus, together, went toward the front of the carriage.

"Are you sure your up for this? I can handle it if it suits you."

"Do not worry, Mr. Hainan, I need something to do take up my mind."

"Understood... then."

Adaceus got on first, settling himself and taking hold of the reigns, and his movements were clear. He was sluggish and slow, hunching his body down and almost forced his body to move for him, it was evident that he was tired, and Hainan looked to him in worry.

Meanwhile, Adaceus, exhausted from a night of reading, felt not only sleepiness, but furious anger. His passionate search for and answer, he was left in wanting, and it angered him and left his mood in distaste.

There was nothing on the book about how my power went to be used in this way, nothing. All of it was filled with nothing but spell work and magic, useful though it may be, I still need answers.

As the sun warm rays collided, he raised the reigns and started the horses to a trotter.

All of morning was spent on traversing the trail, the dull monotony of it all as the dirt ground passed behind them in a calm speed. All of it was spent in silence, with no words spoken between Adaceus and Hainan, before Hainan said something in a sort of excited tone, barely containing a smile as his eyes focus forward.

"Here! Just right here, Adaceus, were close!" Hainan said, barely containing his excitement as his eyes sparkled forward and a squeal in his voice.

"Lord Hainan is right!" The one in front excitedly said, "It is!" The other followed

Adaceus, though still disgruntled, calmly hastened the pace of the horses to a run with a whap of the reigns, the guards followed their pace.

The trail suddenly raised high, like a small hill, and they made a slight ascent before turning landing on the top, where a large, ruined arch sat in front of them. The material it was composed of was some sort of stone brick, loosely stacked up on each other to form an archway, though its top part was wasted and missing. A myriad of growth grew over all around, bushes of pink and yellow flora and vines and moss, all with a vibrant green.

"Is this it, Mr. Hainan?"

"Close, just a little more and we'll reach it." Hainan said, turning to Adaceus. "Adaceus, are you ready to see Prahu?"

And a nod to Hainan was given.

Reaching the aged arch, passing through the rubble and remnants, Adaceus gazed upon a figure beyond that emerging from the front, looming over them.

"There it is." Hainan pointed at the figure. At the rising of the sun the titanic figure was finally seen, Passing the arch and escaping the forest unto a clearing of lively green grass, they were graced with the massive presence. They were walls, large and tall enough to compete with the trees forest behind them, and curved spread an innumerable distance; pillars of support designed their surfaces, they were watchtowers, with roofs pointed with golden tips and the red flags laden the tops, all built across the distance.

There was aged, light overgrowth coating its outer surface that rose to the top, painting it with a an assortment of greens, filling the cracks. Two banners were placed at each side, red colored threads consisted its body and crested within was a strange design. If he had to make sense of it, it looked like a beast, holding in its mouth a blade with a crown dangling at its tip, and the material that made it shone brilliantly under the sun.

He glanced beyond the walls, looking at the vast buildings that met his eyes. Towering constructs all built with peculiar materials, and strange parts jutted out. Cylindrical rods that went in and out of each other, spread to buildings here and there like veins to colossal beast's, and was a mystery to him on what purpose they served.

A tower caught his eye billowing out smoke that disappeared in the wind, and there were multiple of these buildings. At the forefront of his vision, a building that eclipsed all others that shined with white and vermillion, the grand castle that was magnificent in its dimension and surpassed all others with its grandeur. This, city was none he had ever seen before, and he had seen all sorts of kingdoms built and rise in the past, even prosperous and developed ones, but none of them reached the caliber of what he saw today, right before his eyes was yet another mystery of this world.

Magnificent, Adaceus thought, glancing at this empire in newfound awe.

"Adaceus, welcome to city of Prahu."