บท 17: Opening the envelope
Waking up in fright, Ishmael was breathing heavily, the fear still present in his eyes. His chest heaved up and down, and a small hand touched his shoulder, which he quickly grabbed, prepared to strike with his fist. But then a familiar voice drifted into his ears, full of pain and fear.
"Josh, Josh, you're hurting me." Immediately recognizing the voice as Sarah's, Ishmael let go, and his eyes took in the familiar surroundings. He was still in his room in the manor. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his thoughts, but the fear still lingered, wondering if this was also not an illusion. Sarah held her left hand that Ishmael had almost yanked off. Fear and confusion lingered in her gaze.
"I believe it was a bad dream, Josh. You are okay now, you are safe." Sarah spoke, maintaining her distance. His eyes moved to her hand, and he noticed that it had already bruised. Guilt hit him hard, and he slowly apologized.
"Forgive me, Sarah. I did not mean to hurt you. I thought—" Sarah stopped him with a huge hug, catching him off guard. Her small body was shivering; she was crying.
"I'm sorry. I was just jealous of your bond with Augusta, and I let it affect our friendship. I'm so sorry for being cold and acting like a child. I thought—I thought I would never feel anything for anyone since my husband died, but here I am." She spoke in between sobs, her voice breaking.
Sadly, Ishmael's mind was far, far away, or else he would have been shocked by Sarah's sudden revelation. The door opened, and Simon stepped into the room only to find Sarah embracing his best friend. A smile appeared on his face. Sarah saw him, and she immediately let go. Noticing the bruise on Sarah's left hand, Simon raised his brow.
"It was an accident. He seemed to be having a bad dream when he woke up, and when I tried to tap his shoulder...well, you can see for yourself, but it was a mistake really." Sarah explained quickly. Simon nodded and moved to Ishmael's side. In his hands was a bowl with green herbs that had been crushed to a paste with a strong smell.
Ishmael looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, pal." Simon responded with a quiet nod and instructed him to consume the paste. Sarah left after a short while, leaving the two friends alone. Both of them were deep in thought. Eventually, sighing, Simon chuckled.
"It is time to get rid of the two. I will see to it that they shall not see tomorrow's sun." Seeing that Ishmael did not react, he turned his focus to Ishmael. "Are you alright, pal?" he asked with a slightly raised brow.
Ishmael turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, I think I just need a little rest, that's all." Understanding what his friend was implying, Simon quickly took the hint and left the room after making sure his friend was alright.
After Simon left, still feeling weak, Ishmael went to lock the door and closed all the curtains. After making sure that he was truly alone, he lifted his mattress and retrieved a sealed envelope. Setting the mattress back down, he sat on the bed and stared at the envelope for a short while, still thinking about whether to open the envelope or not. But after steeling his resolve, he opened the envelope and found a letter. [A letter? How great. I bet it contains information on where the key is hidden. I guess I have to pack my bags and get ready to leave.] He silently thought, taking out the neatly folded paper. Unfurling the paper with a calm pace, he had hit the mark. It was a letter, and it read:
Dear Unknown Heir,
If you are reading this, then it means that I have left the mortal plane. I wrote this letter not knowing who you are or what your interests are, but I believe you are a good person above all else. I am compelled to share my thoughts, hopes, and dreams with you since you will have already inherited the gifts I possess.
As I sit down to write, I'm filled with a mix of emotions—excitement, curiosity, and a hint of trepidation. I wonder what your story is, what are your passions, and how you will use the gifts that will soon be in your care.
I am trusting you with these three gifts: Eye of Past Reflection, Tongue of Creation, and Soul Weave. These three gifts, once mastered, can be synchronized to form what is called the Key of Life. With the Key of Life, you will be granted power akin to that of a god. Yes, a god. With that power, you can choose to eradicate the source of the blight and avoid our impending doom.
Use these gifts wisely and try to keep a low profile. Don't draw attention to yourself, or else you will attract trouble. Oh, and I almost forgot—you can search for other divine artifacts to increase your strength. I am writing this letter in Kingdom Zeraki, and I heard that the Finger of an Angel is buried deep within the Tomb of Tenzo. Sadly, I am almost out of time, and therefore I can't search for the Finger myself. Instead, I am leaving this information with you. If you happen to be in Zeraki, look for the Finger. Consuming it might grant you a new gift. I know you are curious about who I am, but I hope that you can get stronger first before you start digging out truths about me. But I will, of course, leave you a hint: Once you are strong enough, look for Hezo.
By meditating every day, you strengthen your spirit, and your essence increases. Sadly, the human body's potential can never increase unless you gain a divine gift that strengthens one's body. Meditating at midnight is the best, and it brings amazing effects since the spirit essence of the world is at its peak at midnight. Oh, and one more thing: pay attention to your dreams. Your dreams will no longer be just dreams, and at times you will have recurring nightmares. But I believe you will uncover the secrets of these dreams and nightmares. Stay vigilant and be wary of Queen Charlotte. I will be watching over you.
With love, hope, and anticipation,
Your predecessor
Ishmael stared at the letter for a while, and he felt like laughing because the letter revealed many things, but none of it made sense. He was now left with more questions than answers. Eye of Past Reflection, Tongue of Creation—these must be the real names of the two divine gifts he had: Vision of the Past being Eye of Past Reflection and Whisper of Life being Tongue of Creation. The third gift is named Soul Weave, but he had no idea what it meant or what it does. Sighing, he shook his head and decided to destroy the letter, since he would have no problem recalling it.
After burning the letter with a candle, he went to the balcony of his room and sat on the railing under the beautiful night sky. He now feared that the nightmare he just had would reoccur again, but somehow he was also quite interested in discovering the secrets of the cocooned.
"I guess I can't drink my way out of this one, huh?"
Under the veil of the night sky, two women stood by the river, seemingly waiting. It was Selena and Brianna.
"You also got the letter too?" Selena asked Brianna with a hint of suspicion. Whenever their master wanted things done, he would alert one of the two, not both of them at the same time.
"Yes, it said I should come here quickly. But why would master summon the both of us here at the same time?" Brianna answered, also hinting at her suspicion. Their master was strange, but he would never act in such a way, especially if he knew it could blow both of their covers. Now fear made its way into their hearts, and they quickly became alert, scanning their environment.
In their fear, a calm voice came from behind them. It was so close that they could even feel the warm breath of the source of the voice.
"Head Cook Selena and Head Maid Brianna, what are you doing here at this time?" Quickly turning around, they had recognized the voice. It belonged to the new coachman, Simon. But what was Simon doing here? His face was flushed, and it appeared as though he was drunk. The two were confused, but they did not dare let their guard down. Scrutinizing Simon, Selena spoke.
"Simon, please promise us you will not tell the lady or anyone else our secret. You see, me and Brianna have been in love for a very long time, and we sometimes come here to...you know." Her acting was good, almost believable. Simon chuckled and nodded.
"Oh, I see. That is why you two are always together, whispering in the corners of the manor, huh? Uh hic Ishmael was right, you two are gay." Simon spoke loudly, and the ladies believed that he was truly drunk, lowering their guard a bit. Brianna asked,
"Are you saying Ishmael thought we were gay?" She asked, now realizing that they had poisoned the poor man for nothing. But they could not see the hidden fury in Simon's eyes.
"Thinks, not thought. Thinks—he thinks you are gay." Simon's tone suddenly took a U-turn, and the two ladies had a foreboding that something bad was about to happen.
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