Arcane Era-Chapter 94: Tales Completion

Theo couldn’t sleep.

His eyes were shut for a while, but after getting tired of pretending, he slowly pried them open and looked at the person beside him.

It was Liyah!

She was practically fast asleep, hogging the blanket to herself as she stayed in her little corner. Her petite body was motionless, and her face was gentle. The serene night contributed to her ethereal beauty, but Theo wasn’t really focused on that.

’I couldn’t reject her request, and even when I offered to sleep on the ground, she insisted I sleep on the bed next to her...’ He sighed. ’This is bothersome.’

He needed his rest, but the current situation made him too uncomfortable to relax.

In the end, he had no other choice but to pick up the only thing he could use to pass the time: the Divine Chronicles of Antiquity. It had been over a week since he started reading it, but he still wasn’t done with his first tale.

’Where did I stop again?’ Theo flipped the pages until he arrived at the precise moment he left off.

Endless Ambition had found the white lake called Milky Way and settled inside it, losing himself in the pleasure. Not only did he stay in the clear white and boundless cistern for over ten breaths of time, but he continued for twenty, thirty, fifty, a hundred...

... A thousand! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

By the time he remembered the words of the Sage, it was too late.

He had lost most of his desires, and he had none left that would propel him out of the white lake. The once-blazing emotions had now become smaller than a candlelight, doused by the endless waters around him... waiting to be snuffed out.

There was no longer anything to light his path, and Endless Ambition began to lose control as the tides of the lake grew stronger. Unable to gather any strength, he slowly began to drift in the lake... further away from the world he came from... now in complete darkness.

What did this mean?

One’s desires, no matter how overbearing and painful they may be, are oftentimes a source of strength and our strongest tether to life. Endless Ambition was famed as the strongest in the land because of his unmatched desires.

However, the moment he lost them, he became frail and weak.

The Old Sage called Nameless had no regard for his life and perished before his time because his desires were insufficient and the desires of others drove him to destruction.

In the end, life is like this.

Too much desire will bring ruin to yourself and those around you.

Too little desire will cause others with bigger desires to lead you to ruin.

No desires at all will lead you beyond the confines of life, taking you far away into darkness.

Let this story be a lesson... to desire something.

To live for it.

And to understand, that upon completion of that desire, there will be another that surfaces.

Even the Divine Ones could not escape it, the endless cycles of desires and ambition, and so we Mortals are bound by the same rules—to desire is to live.

So live and desire... until you die.

Now what about the family that Endless Ambition left behind? His wife, Renewal Flower, still remained blind as a result of her husband’s actions. The youngest daughter, whose name came to be known as Brilliant Star, was the closest to their father and missed him every day.

The two sons also wondered where their father went, but they had complicated dispositions.

The oldest, born with pale white skin and dark shadows as a robe, took the responsibility of providing for his family and protecting them from the darkness of the world. As for the one who glowed bright and glimmered like his father, possessing none of his desires, he took care of his mother and provided her warmth.

These were the early years of the ones who would become the greatest Divine Ones.

Grand Moon... and Great Sun.

But that is a story for another time.

************

Theo woke up from his sleep, his eyes fluttering wide open once he found himself drooling in his sleep. He rose, wiped the saliva from his lips, and hurriedly looked around him.

’She’s not here?’ He glanced to his side and found that Liyah had vanished.

His Divine Chronicles of Antiquity sat right next to him, and it had been helpful in leading him into sleep. However, not seeing Liyah made him wonder if his experience the previous night was all a dream.

Before he could process that, however, a loud knock echoed on his door.

"A-ah! Coming!" Theo could tell it was morning based on the light filtering into his room, its warmth permeating his skin. He jumped from his bed and rushed to the door, opening it after already noticing who was behind it.

It was Kaycee.

"Dude... I’ve been knocking on your door for a while now. How deep of a sleeper are you?" The tall boy sighed, staring at Theo in disbelief.

"Sorry... sorry. I just..." He noticed Kaycee raise an eyebrow in inquisition, but Theo quickly shook his head and decided not to go down that route. "Never mind. So, what’s up?"

"Miss Kamara wants us down in fifteen minutes... but that was ten minutes ago."

"Ah! So I only have five minutes left?!"

"Better hurry..." Kaycee chuckled, leaving Theo’s front door as the latter hurriedly shut it tight.

’I really overslept!’ Theo thought to himself in panic. ’I highly doubt Miss Kamara is going to take that as a valid excuse, though...’

He imagined her furious expression, and it caused him to shiver mildly.

’I should hurry!’

Theo went into the bathroom and tried his hardest to freshen up. He recognized that they were distinguished guests of the Sarvos Nation, and he had to appear appropriate enough for their status, but he simply didn’t have enough time to commit to it.

He indeed tried his best, but by the time he was done and made his way downstairs, ’polished’ was the last word on anyone’s mind when they looked at him.

His hair was rough, and his outfit was barely put-together.

He looked... haggard.

"I hope you don’t expect to come with me dressed like that." Kamara’s words echoed in the air the moment Theo appeared before her.

She was dressed in a simple peach gown, appearing like a fancy girl, with long stockings covering her dainty skin. She still had her water pouch with her, and her choker remained firmly in place. On one hand was a black glove, and her high-heels made her appear even taller than usual.

Her choice of outfit made her appear ten years younger, but her deep frown returned her age to its normal range.

Behind her were Kaycee, Arlet, and Liyah—all of whom had better outfits than him.

Kaycee wore a simple shirt and trousers. Both were baggy and striped, but they had a minimalist elegance to them. His sandals were also polished, and his long hair was neatly trimmed.

As for Arlet, he didn’t resort to his full-piece suit, but he had his waistcoat on, as well as a perfectly matching dark blue trouser to contrast his white shirt. His glasses sat elegantly on his handsome face, and his stoic expression granted even more grace to his overall looks. His polished shoe was even gleaming in the sun.

Liyah, on the other hand, had the flashiest attire.

Her colorful pink gown had a ribbon behind it, with clear white socks to cover her pale skin and loud red shoes. She had pearls on her wrist, a ladylike hat on her head, and all manner of jewelry that made her resemble a noble’s daughter. Of course, her whistle-shaped gem remained strapped around her neck like a necklace.

She was clearly well-prepared for this trip.

Compared to all of them, Theo had a rumpled short-sleeve shirt and trousers that didn’t even reach his ankle. He had no socks, and his shoes looked dull. His hair was rough, and water from the bathroom still dripped from his hair to his skin, even tainting his already ugly attire.

Anyone could see the reason their team leader was so dissatisfied.

"You’re a mess." Kamara went on to admonish. "This is unacceptable. Liyah, please follow him back and make the right choices for him."

"W-what? Me?!" Liyah was instantly flustered, alternating glances between Kamara and Theo.

Just based on her expression, Theo could tell that the previous night was no dream.

They had actually slept on the same bed.

’Well, I wouldn’t mind if she actually helps me out with a proper outfit. She’s good at this stuff anyway... so it should be fine. No, great!’

"Fine... I’ll do it myself." Kamara sighed, marching forward much to Theo’s chagrin.

"Eh?"

"Come on." She drew him by the collar and began to walk back upstairs. "You guys should remain in position. Don’t move an inch. I’ll be right back once I straighten this boy out."

Theo felt a shiver down his spine upon hearing that.

The last thing he wanted was to be alone with this crazy, bloodthirsty woman!