The Choice
Akasa had assumed the tree had grown from the ground up. He was completely mistaken.
The back of the tree stretched toward a steep slope, its trunk extending far down into the depths below. Moreover, the trunk was so massive and imposing that Akasa thought if one were to hollow it out, it would be half the size of the houses where the commoners used to live. Had it not been for its location, it would have been considered the largest tree in the entire forest.
“Whoa, it’s huge, isn’t it?”
[Go down.]
“Is there something in this tree?”
[You’ll know once you go down.]
Though he was skeptical, Akasa did as he was told. Urnil was a god and a good companion, but he was also a reliable guide.
As he approached the base of the roots, the tree felt even more immense. Akasa reached out to touch the root system. The reddish-yellow wood felt firm with vitality. At that moment, the bracelet flared with a sudden, brilliant light. Startled, Akasa pulled his hand away, and Urnil spoke.
[As I thought.]
“What is it?”
[This tree. It harbors Essence.]
“What?”
[And a significant amount at that. Just from that brief contact, I obtained an amount of Essence similar to what we gathered last night. And yet, there is still plenty left.]
Akasa looked up at the giant tree in astonishment. Then, he tilted his head.
“I don’t see the light of the Essence, though.”
[It’s a bit different from stones. In trees, Essence flows along the inner grain. That is why it grows larger and more massive than ordinary trees. Sometimes, the quality improves significantly as the Essence concentrates, too.]
“Then, I could have just passed by without noticing the Essence.”
[Well, that is true. But that is not the important part right now. More than that, look around. What do you think?]
Akasa guessed what Urnil meant by the question.
“Even with this terrain, the ground is dry. Actually, it’s a bit moist just outside.”
[That means it’s a tree that absorbs moisture well. Thanks to the Essence, it seems to have grown this much in a place like this even without much water. The space under the roots is quite spacious, too. The surroundings are well-hidden. This is more than enough to use as a shelter.]
“Are we going to stay here?”
[If there is nowhere else.]
“Then I should bring the torch here.”
[Let’s look around a bit more before that. We need to see if there’s anything that can serve as food.]
“Okay.”
The exploration continued. Akasa found a stream not far away. There was also a creek formed by water pooling in a hollow, and thanks to that, there were quite a few fish, some of which were as large as Akasa’s calf.
[There is water, and there is meat. I see quite a few trees that bear edible fruit, too. There are no particular signs of human presence recently. It’s perfect for a base.]
“Have you decided on the place with that tree?”
[Yes. Let’s move immediately.]
“Ah, yes. But wait a moment.”
[Why?]
“The fruit looks delicious...”
Akasa had lived a life of plenty. He wasn’t particularly gluttonous, but he was at an age where he needed to eat well, and he was currently in a situation of scarcity.
[Pick them quickly and let’s go. It’s better to get away from that spot earlier.]
Akasa nodded at Urnil’s concerned words. The Sun’s Ferryman had said he had fought the Exile. Urnil hadn’t found signs of a fight yet, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to frequently travel back and forth to an already exposed area.
“I think so, too.”
Asdin—no, Akasa—picked the fruit, stuffed a handful into his mouth, and held the rest in his hands, munching away as he retraced his steps. Since Urnil said he remembered the entire path, he took a slightly roundabout way to explore as he went.
And, thanks to that, Akasa finally discovered them.
Corpses. Piles of flesh without a single intact part were lying there.
Akasa vomited not only the fruit in his mouth but everything he had swallowed until then.
“Ugh, blegh!”
After retching for a long time with his back turned, Akasa looked back at the corpses, his eyes welling up with tears. Even though he was just a young boy, he could tell that they hadn’t simply died.
The space where the corpses lay. Pale Essence was overflowing in that area.
The lingering, pale Essence of the dead is saturated with malice and decay.
[These are the ones the Ferryman dealt with.]
“Urnil. Let’s go, please.”
Akasa said, shuddering. He couldn’t think of a way to refuse Urnil’s suggestion to get closer to absorb the Essence. So, he just pleaded pitifully, wanting only to leave this place as soon as possible.
Akasa recalled the blood stained on the blade of the oar the Ferryman had carried. As a prince, he had always been loved and protected by many. But this was the first time Akasa had witnessed how merciless the backlash of that protection could be when directed at an opponent.
Having caught a glimpse of the corpses, Akasa turned his eyes away again. The sight was that gruesome. Skulls were crushed, or abdomens had burst open and scattered. It was common for joints to be broken one by one. The cleanest corpse had its chest caved inward, and as a result, it had died while spewing blood from its seven orifices.
In the warm daytime temperature, the corpses were already showing signs of decay. Flies were swarming, and strange carnivorous birds appeared, circling in the air.
It was a horrific sight. Urnil, who had been observing the situation from within the bracelet with eyes whose existence was uncertain, spoke.
[For the kind of weapon used, the traces are surprisingly clean.]
“It’s too, too cruel. To kill people like this.”
[You could have ended up like that, Akasa. It was a good thing the Sun’s Ferryman dealt with them.]
“But maybe there was no need to kill them.”
[That is the talk of someone who doesn’t know the world, Akasa. Think of your own situation right now. You came all the way here to escape those who want to kill you in your homeland. When the pursuer sent by your uncle comes to catch you, are you going to ask him not to kill you cruelly?]
“That is...”
[Remember well. You are no longer a prince receiving protection. You are just a boy who is walking the world on his own two feet, serving only me. Do not pity your enemies. Even if you do, never show it on the outside. Not until you become strong enough to worry about your enemies. Until then, you will die.]
It was the word of a god. Akasa shut his mouth tight and nodded slowly with a gloomy face.
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
The mood, which had felt like it could fly just a moment ago, plummeted into the abyss.
The sound of flies buzzing grew distant behind him.
Returning to the spot where they had stayed, Akasa revived the embers and transferred the fire to the torch. Carrying the torch that was burning well within minutes, Akasa began to walk back toward the terrain he had noted earlier. He hadn’t remembered the path perfectly, but Urnil guided him with keen observation, so no mishap of getting lost occurred.
[Dig around here. Then it will be warm even under the roots.]
“Yes.”
Following Urnil’s advice, he dug a small pit in front of the giant tree and made a bonfire, just as the Ferryman had done. Crude as it was, building a new base was completed more easily than expected. At least Urnil didn’t make Akasa do heavy labor just to survive. He had other thoughts in mind.
“What?”
Akasa said to the bracelet with a surprised face.
[Shall I say it again?]
“Ah, no. I heard you, but... I, that, I mean, really...”
He was so flustered that he couldn’t find the words, his mouth gaping until he finally managed to finish the sentence.
“You want me to become a practitioner?”
[Why? Do you think you can’t?]
“Well, I didn’t have any talent.”
[You died once and came back to life because of me. In that process, your body underwent some changes. The eye to see Essence is very rare. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen who were capable of that. There were some in the old Cellabris, though. Usually, those who were talented in handling Essence were like that. Do you understand what I mean?]
Akasa shook his head, unable to understand. Urnil’s soft laughter spread through Akasa’s head.
[You have talent. You.]
Akasa looked down at his hands at those words. He was someone who couldn’t even distinguish the direction of a breeze flowing into his hands, let alone Essence. Yet, a god was telling him that he had talent in handling Essence.
[Actually, I was planning to tell you much later. Finding a shelter is one thing, but there are one or two things to teach you about survival besides that. But luckily, we found a good place to survive, and thanks to the Ferryman’s arrangements, there is plenty of Essence to use. I’m telling you now because I thought we could start right away with these conditions.]
“Urnil...”
Akasa looked down at the bracelet as if he couldn’t find the words. Urnil continued in a serious tone.
[It will be difficult at first because you are mastering a sense you have never used before, but training is ultimately about how persistently and sincerely you devote your time. As it happens, the greatest asset you have is time. You can’t show yourself to the world right now anyway.]
“I am so lacking... will I be able to do well?”
[Of course you can. To survive, you must become strong, Akasa. If you hate violence, make it so that violence dare not approach you. I will help you do that.]
It was a god’s declaration that he would fully assist in a boy’s growth and survival. At that moment, Akasa wore a pleasant smile he hadn’t shown even once during the past few days.
At the very least, there was one being in the world who would definitely be on his side.
There are times when familiar landscapes feel strange. The dual-natured desert night sometimes makes one feel that way, but Ondalan Peanus had felt that way particularly strongly lately.
“Hoo.”
Ondalan, who had been out on the third-floor terrace, couldn’t overcome his stifling heart and sighed. And he inhaled the cool desert night air as much as his stifled heart allowed.
He had just come out after putting his mother to sleep, who had cried until she was exhausted. Ondalan thought about how things had ended up like this.
‘It’s because the prince ran away. But what sin could that young one have committed?’
His mother, who had rejoiced, saying he was a young and clever prince—it might be truly disrespectful to say—used to say that his uncle Erdil would be buried alive and the prince would inherit the throne.
But because of that prince, his father was imprisoned.
To his mother, the prince had now become an unwelcome existence.
Feeling utterly distressed, Ondalan looked at the stars embroidering the desert sky. Like the sun and moon that always set and rise without change, the stars following with immortal inertia looked quite romantic.
“Am I too sentimental?”
A subject’s loyalty to the king is correct. But if that is because of pity for a displaced king, his loyalty must be inertial. Should he not maintain that?
‘To me, he is just someone who imprisoned my father and abandoned the duties of the royal family.’
The words his younger brother had said pierced his lungs like a blade named memory. No, Ondalan, muttering that it was because he had inhaled too much cold air, turned his steps, wrapping up the worries that would not end easily.
“Ondalan Peanus.”
The desert wind whispered in the voice of the wind. A voice so low that it made him think so held his steps.
‘That cannot be.’
Ondalan looked down. The family mansion. Someone wearing an outfit that was somewhat ambiguous to be called a soldier was looking up at him from the lower part of the balcony, which could be seen as a secluded part of the building.