Chapter 649: The Book
The invasion of Kera, a small city in the Yalveran Union that span three kingdoms, was more significant than the city itself. Scientists and those who awakened epiphanies have warned about the other world for a while, and this proves their words. Therefore, the whole world was monitoring the situation in Kera.
A new species emerged from the gates, called the Skywalkers, with an organized army and a leader. This was the greatest fear of humankind: for the monsters to be united. Although this species was intelligent, humans learned it was an enemy as long as it came from the other side.
From the heaven-mountains of Shon to the great deserts of Sourna, the citizens all sat with their families to watch what the world called the Greatest Calamity.
Emma was sitting in her room while monitoring the situation. Kera was a special place for her because it was where she met her friend, Arthur. Also, it was her eighteenth birthday, the day her father allowed her to take the runic exam.
As she watched the TV transmit the horrors and destruction of Kera, her stomach churned in anxiety as if she was next. This feeling was shared by the whole world, each imagining that their city would be next.
"There is… no hope for them," muttered Emma, hugging her pillow, her blonde hair spreading over it and covering her face. The calamity known as Amelio looked terrifying and almost omnipotent. "How can we win against him?"
Before the army arrived, the guilds in the city had to defend it. This was the written agreement between the kingdom and the guilds. However, in a small place such as Kera, the guilds did not build their headquarters there, leaving only a handful of elites that could fight against the city.
Therefore, the guildsmen were the first to defend against the calamity and rushed to stop the monsters and evacuate the citizens. Emma witnessed the faces of people abandoning their homes to survive and the corpses of those who failed.
"The guildsmen cannot do it," Emma shook her head while being helpless. The brave guildsmen died one after the other or simply fled when faced with someone who could not be harmed. "Is he truly a G.o.d?"
Amelio did not look like it. Instead, he looked like a human who had lived in the wild all his life. His clothes were tattered and dusted, but beneath them were muscles that seemed to encompa.s.s the world.
After one guild after the other perished, Amelio was the only one standing in the middle of the city. His serpent and soldiers were unharmed, too, looking like the undefeatable army. However, they did not march or leave their position as if they were waiting.
"Is there a reason for their actions?" frowned Emma before raising her hand. A book began to materialize above it, with a giant crystal on its hardcover. Then, it fell into her hands.
This was her ability and the curse that she had to endure. Emma both loved and hated it, but it was one thing for sure: useful. Unfortunately, this made it coveted by the world and brought her misery.
"All-Knowing Book, please answer my question," muttered Emma while staring at the crystal. A significant portion of her mana got sucked into the book, and the crystal lit up. "Why is Kera being invaded?"
Emma had to be careful about her questions, especially regarding people. She did not ask about Amelio"s goal or the army because each person can have different reasons to fight. A question so limitless can send her into a coma, and a question with a vague response would waste her chance.
Then, the book opened to reveal the answer within its pages. The words began to be written as Emma read them, making her eyes turn round. It was both vague and shocking because she understood half of it.
"The Invasion of Kera, 2049. Fallen G.o.d Amelio and two armies crossed the gates leading to Earth and invaded the city of Kera. Countless victims fell at their hands, all for the sake of luring one person: the creator."
This was the end of her answer, and the book slammed in her face after she finished reading. Then, a blue flame emerged from the crystal and burned the book to ashes, making it impossible to be used again for now.
"…it is that name again…" muttered Emma with a frown. "The creator… he keeps being the answer to many of my questions. Just who is he?"
Her All-Knowing Book had a blind spot, and that was the creator. Therefore, that person was the sole ent.i.ty she could not ask about, or the question exceeded her authorized rank.
Her book was all-knowing indeed, but Emma had to grow stronger before she could get the answer to specific questions. One of those questions was the whereabouts of her friend, Arthur Silvera.
"…the creator," muttered Emma again, pondering the situation deeply. His name, location, ident.i.ty, and anything regarding him were labeled "unknown." It was the only time that her book labeled someone this way, making this man clouded in mystery.
"It is also this man that has tormented the royals so greatly."
As Emma understood it, this was the sword hanging above the head of every member of the seven families in the world. Emma was asked to find him for years, and it was her life goal to hand him over to the royal family in return for both her freedom and what they had stolen away.
"I need to go there…" jumped Emma from her bed as she realized that this was the only chance she had to meet the creator and the target of her deal. Even if she simply tells the royal family, it would still be a step closer to her freedom. "I can be free."
Suddenly, she remembered Alexie Linan standing atop the railing and talking to the seers. She remembered his promise to take them down, and her heart fluttered. If this can end well, then she might be able to see him.
However, she was currently in the royal palace, imprisoned due to her recent actions regarding Alexie Linan. It was counted as both unfaithful and suspicious for her to a.s.sociate with him, making the king imprison her until further notice.
"I need to find a way out."
Their contract stated that Emma had to find them the creator for the Yalen Family to hold their other end of the deal. If she guided them to him, it might not be enough to force the spiritual contract to dissolve.
"I need to find a way to…" Emma turned away from the screen as she looked toward the window. However, the newscaster suddenly mentioned a change in the battlefield.
"Fallen G.o.d, Amelio has suddenly disappeared!" shouted the newscaster, and true to his words, Amelio was gone. Emma turned toward the screen with a frown, wondering what suddenly changed.
The minutes ticked by, but there were no signs of Amelio. The drones covered the battlefield, combing the city for him, but he was gone. Then, however, an incredible explosion came from the sky, making the cameras face that way.
Emma watched as two figures crashed to the ground, surrounded by a group of soldiers suddenly appearing out of thin air. Then, she saw him, enraged while talking to Amelio.
"Alexie…?" her heart throbbed in her chest, almost leaping out. Emma was confused, and her body trembled as she stared at the dark miasma covering him. It was the first time that she saw him enraged.
"Our sources say that this person is none other than Alexie Linan," the newscaster confirmed. "Is the genius who challenged the world also going to challenge its enemy?"
"What are you doing there?" her head began to spin, making Emma almost fall backward. "You are supposed to be… in Runera…."
Emma was relieved because the Yalen Family couldn"t harm him as long he was there. However, Alexie seemed to be running toward danger regardless of her efforts. Nothing explained him being there, no matter how she tried to make sense of it.
It was sudden, but Alexie disappeared and buried Amelio in the ground. The mighty G.o.d from earlier was buried deep in the ground by the enraged Alexie, but that was not the end.
A single punch was all it took for Alexie to soar into the sky, making her flinch. Tears gathered in her eyes as she watched him dive back down again, unwilling to run away.
"Please… run… what is the reason you keep fighting?" muttered Emma as her tears fell watching the Fallen G.o.d strike her friend, and the footage showed his body being broken before it changed. This time, Alexie did not come rushing again, but he did manage to hurt Amelio.
Emma fell to her knees while watching the screen without blinking. It was all so sudden, from the moment he appeared to the moment that he was struck with the strongest attack the world has seen. From start to end, she couldn"t understand why.