The Bookkeeper-Chapter 53: Book of Ashes 2

Though the God Beast battle ended without casualties or damage, it sparked doubt among Raiden’s subordinates about their destiny.

The day following the battle arrived with an early morning tension. As they assembled in the living room, every pair of eyes fixed on Raiden, silently demanding the truth he’d yet to share.

"What exactly is the book of ashes? What does it do?" Freya’s gaze locked onto Raiden as she spoke.

Raiden found no answer within himself, and a search through his recovered memories came up empty. Yet based on what he’d observed the book accomplish, he had some ideas about its nature, even as his own questions remained.

But Raiden’s expression gave him away—he knew nothing helpful. Still, they needed to understand what was worth dying for. In the heavy silence that settled over them, Leo finally spoke.

"I don’t really know what it could do exactly, but I know a few things that might be helpful."

Everyone’s attention turned to Leo, Raiden included. Maybe some of his lingering questions would finally be answered.

"Many years ago, the Devourer emerged from chaos as a godkiller, and naturally, the gods feared what it could do."

The room went quiet as they hung on every word. "But being chaos itself, the Devourer couldn’t be killed outright. Its actual death would have thrown all of creation out of balance." fгeewebnovёl.com

He pressed on. "So they divided it among four books—Heart, Flesh, Mind, and Voice of the Devourer."

"Bring all four together, and the Devourer would be reborn—unstoppable as before."

Disbelief flickered across Raiden’s face as he shook his head. He needed to know more, but before he could press Leo for details, Levi interrupted. "We all know that much, but what exactly is within the books?"

Leo drew a deep breath. "Growing up, my father told me the books contained horrifying stories—that opening one would curse me with endless nightmares." A bitter smile crossed his face. "Same story every child heard... They made sure we’d be too terrified to ever seek them out."

A knowing smirk crossed Raiden’s face. The same old pattern—adults spinning terrifying tales to keep children from pursuing whatever they considered forbidden or dangerous. Yet behind every fabricated warning, there was usually some fragment of reality.

"How long has this story been told?"

Leo’s eyebrow arched. "No one ever told you?"

Raiden offered a simple shrug.

"From what I know, it’s been passed down since the books were first given to the kingdoms—centuries back."

Raiden’s smirk deepened. Anything passed down for centuries carried weight. But stories bringing back the Devourer—how did that work? Were there stories in the other two missing books? Had those tales been told already?

The questions churned endlessly, but at least he could now offer the others some understanding of the book’s nature.

Clearing his throat, he seized the moment. "Aside from Leo, Ash, and Levi, the rest of you haven’t seen how we keep the book, right?"

"We keep the book locked in a chest, bound with heavy chains, and there have to be enchanted wards around the storage area. Without them, the book’s energy alone would be enough to kill us."

He adjusted his position. "I think the book holds dark energy of some sort, and as you read further, that energy grows denser with each page."

Uncertain expressions crossed every face as they looked at Raiden. "But to confront those atrocities and remain human, you’d need immense power—enough that the book’s dark energy couldn’t touch you."

"So you’re telling me whoever locked that book away was that powerful?" Raiden’s face grew troubled as he looked toward Soul and Speed. He couldn’t rid himself of the disturbing realization that Speed was the twin of Soul, who appeared to be just twelve years old.

Yet he forced a smile and nodded firmly at Soul. He understood that Soul had suffered greatly, and that wasn’t something he should treat lightly. The uncomfortable feeling remained, though.

"So the book is nothing more than concentrated dark energy?" Freya asked, her expression troubled.

Raiden offered a confident nod and smile. He was lying, though. That wasn’t what he’d pieced together from the evidence. The book probably did hold stories, exactly as the old tales claimed, and when those stories were shared, they poisoned listeners’ hearts with chaos and bloodlust—nurturing the Devourer’s heart through that corruption. But he wasn’t about to tell them that. He wanted them to fear the book, not understand it.

"What’s the connection to the Devourer’s heart then?" Levi questioned, raising an eyebrow.

After a heavy sigh, Raiden lifted Ash from where she’d been lying across his lap and settled her on the sofa. Rising, he walked to the left wall, grabbed one of the fake books, and showed it to the others, gesturing at the heart illustration and false bloodstains on the cover.

"I don’t think the Devourer is real. It’s metaphorical. Anyone with fear in their heart would likely have it ripped apart by the overwhelming drain of the book’s dark energy." He returned the book to its place on the shelf.

"Maybe the survivors gain strength comparable to gods themselves." He returned to his chair. "Just a theory, though."

Their faces betrayed their skepticism; clearly, none of them bought his explanation. But it was the most reasonable theory they had, and they would have to settle for it.

Silence fell over the room as everyone retreated into their own thoughts, but Raiden couldn’t let it drag on. More questions about the Book of Ashes would inevitably follow.

His attention shifted to Freya. "What makes you so gifted with mana, Freya? I’ve never witnessed anything quite like it."

Freya studied him briefly, obviously sifting through her mind for any remnants that might have survived her amnesia. Finally, she gave up with a shrug. "I don’t know... it all feels instinctive, like skills I’ve honed for years." The words came out in Noorian.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "Perhaps I trained intensively with mana before the amnesia hit."

"Well, I’d attribute it to her mentor," Levi said in Noorian, shrugging. "If memory serves, she trained under our kingdom’s Duke, and that man was legendary."

Freya looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean ’was’?"

"He vanished ten years ago," Levi explained. "Most people think he starved to death out there—he was so devoted to finding resources for the kingdom that he wouldn’t give up, even when it killed him."

The rest of the group looked at each other in confusion, lost without understanding the language. One by one, they stood and quietly left the room, leaving just Ash, Raiden, Freya, and Levi.

Freya shook her head in denial after hearing Levi’s explanation. "No, he’s not dead."

"Look, I understand it’s painful to think about losing your mentor, but after all this time, he has to be dead."

"No, not that," Freya said, shaking her head again. She exhaled slowly. "I don’t know how I know this, but he’s not dead. I’m certain beyond any doubt."

Raiden looked from one to the other. The fate of Freya’s mentor held little interest for him, and he had no patience for emotional exchanges. Their current circumstances demanded attention to more urgent concerns.

The assassins had unleashed the God Beast precisely to make them reveal their full capabilities, counting on its near-infinite regeneration.

With that plan having backfired, another attack was inevitable, and the enemy now knew their capabilities. Raiden needed to learn his allies’ limits too.

"You were right, Levi," he said, breaking into their conversation. "We need someone to spy on the assassins."

This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com