Chapter 4: Bibo (4)

The book, emboldened by Ariel’s presence, piped up energetically.

[Oh! It’s Rel, it’s Rel! Hey! Get out!]

“This thing is insane.”

And then, with a swift flick, it was thrown. Of course, it didn’t just land somewhere randomly; it was magically returned precisely to its original spot and bound with a sealing spell, immobilizing it completely. The restrained book screamed.

[Aaah! You evil human!]

“Stay like that for a day. Who do you think you’re cursing at?”

[You curse all the time!]

“If you’re so aggrieved, try to get stronger than me.”

[Wow, you’re a real tyrant!]

“You’re just realizing that?”

[Rel! Help me!]

“She’s weaker than me, so she can’t help you.”

Karma scoffed, casting a mocking glance at the book, and turned her attention to Ariel, whose gaze was still fixed on the book that Karma had thrown. Though Ariel’s face appeared impassive, her thoughts were clear in her eyes. Karma watched her intently.

Karma’s gaze was as intense as her immense power. Even with just a steady stare, Ariel felt the prickling sensation on her cheek as if being pierced by needles.

Unable to ignore it any longer, and with a few things to say, Ariel turned her head and opened her mouth.

“Karma, that book…”

“What are you even doing here?”

Ariel’s words—about not treating the book so roughly—were abruptly cut off by Karma’s sharp voice. Ariel didn’t even have time to get irritated by it.

“You’re always obsessing over your younger sibling, yet you forgot that his funeral rites start today?”

“What?”

Ariel froze at Karma’s following words, her face gradually going blank. Watching her, Karma clenched her teeth in frustration.

“Where’s your head at? Weren’t you the one who begged me to fill in for you because of this?”

“Oh.”

Realizing, Ariel flinched, gasping slightly, then quickly spun around.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll go.”

Ariel hurriedly dashed out, her weak body staggering slightly. Behind her, she could hear Karma clicking her tongue. “No, Rel! Don’t go!” the book’s cry, nearly a wail, followed.

But Ariel had no time to respond to its pleas. Time was pressing.

She made her way to a desk, rummaged through drawers to pull out paper and pen. Normally, she relied on borrowing the book’s text, but for the first time in ages, she was drawing a magical circle on paper, activating it with incantations in a simple, conventional way to perform a teleportation spell.

Her destination was the airport, where she planned to board a flight to Zenith.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Zenith: a city bearing the moniker ‘Divine Judgment.’

It was a floating city, closer to the heavens than any other place inhabited by humankind across the continent. Zenith held only holy energy, hence the name ‘Divine Judgment.’

This place, devoid of any magic even in its natural elements, was peculiar; magic simply didn’t work there. Even the greatest of wizards could only reach Zenith by dedicated airship.

Zenith housed eight temples devoted to the gods, as well as the Grand Pantheon, which encompassed them all. There was also the cemetery reserved for those deemed ‘worthy.’ The fallen from the campaign against the Giants were among those considered worthy, and would be interred here.

Today was the day of the joint funeral ceremony in Zenith.

Ariel sat in her seat on the airship, unable to avoid thinking about her younger sibling’s death once more.

“Oh…”

Tears, which she thought had long since dried up, began to well up again. Leaning her head against the seatback, she tilted her head upward, covering her face with both hands. The sensation of tears sliding down her cheeks and touching her palms was painfully vivid, almost like a wound.

Ariel covered her face, her expression contorted.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Zenith was, in a word, bright and holy. The ground and vegetation, steeped in holy energy, were golden rather than green, and the nine temples, including the Grand Pantheon, gleamed in pristine white.

Unlike the frigid cities below, Zenith was warm and filled with a comforting air—a contrast too jarring for the grieving families.

As the people disembarked, a radiant, golden-haired priest awaited them. His soft voice was surprisingly loud, each word strikingly clear.

“Here is a list of the deceased along with the location of their graves. If you wish to collect the remains, please let me know; they have not been placed in the graves for those who desire to take them. I’ll be here, so feel free to come whenever.”

With that, the mourners dispersed to their destinations.

Ariel sat, legs tucked under her, beside her sibling’s grave. She had prepared much, but in the end, she’d forgotten it all and brought nothing.

The time an outsider could stay in Zenith was three days per year, specifically during the memorial period for the deceased. Leaving before this time meant they wouldn’t be able to return until the same date the following year. Such was tradition. Ariel, therefore, would be unable to leave anything for her sibling’s grave until the same time next year.

Tears rolled down her cheeks again. She felt sorry, and it was all so meaningless.

All she could do was sit by the grave, unmoving. When others went to eat or sleep, she remained, sitting alone.

Having abstained from food long ago, she was accustomed to it, and as the weather wasn’t cold, sleeping beside the grave was fine. Though her body was battered, the blessing of magic made her sturdier than ordinary humans, and she’d endure a few more days without trouble.

A day passed. A sun tinged with gold began to rise slowly from below, casting a dim light.

The sunlight beat gently against her closed eyelids. Ariel wrinkled her brow faintly and opened her eyes. She didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, but dawn was breaking.

No one had come for her sibling. There was no sign of any presence, nor a single flower at the grave.

‘Is that to be expected?’

They had been so absorbed in survival that they barely had time to exchange emotions with others. Aynkel, who enlisted in the army at the early age of nineteen, hadn’t had friends.

Their parents had passed when Ariel was eight, and Aynkel was three, killed by monsters that attacked their village. The two had become orphans far too young to recognize even the difference between friend and foe. Their parents, notable though they were as wizards, hadn’t been particularly wealthy. Government assistance barely kept Ariel and her brother from starving.

They’d scraped by. And then Ariel discovered she had the rare gift of communicating with books. With it, a glimmer of stability entered their lives, enough to support her brother until he could start working himself.

But had it weighed on him, being supported by a sister only five years older? The moment he came of age, Aynkel, not wanting to burden her further, enlisted as soon as he could.

Ariel understood why he’d chosen such a dangerous job, knowing he wanted to become independent quickly.

Did he have to pick a life-threatening occupation? She could have held out a bit longer for his sake.

That thought crossed her mind, but she knew her reassurance wouldn’t lessen his burden. And pitying his situation, she refrained from holding him back.

Why hadn’t she tried harder? If she’d insisted, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

The thought saddened her again, but it was too late. The past couldn’t be undone, making the sorrow even heavier. Her swollen eyes welled with tears once more. They dropped, falling into her hands. She felt the dull ache under her eyes.

“Oh…”

She lifted her weary, sluggish body. Starving and sleeping uncomfortably were bearable, but the pain in her eyes was hard to endure. She wanted to wash herself with cold water and headed to the Grand Temple.

It was still early, so the Pantheon’s bathroom was empty. Ariel quickly washed and returned to Aynkel’s grave. Walking naturally, her steps came to an abrupt halt near the grave.

Someone was standing there who shouldn’t have been.

His silvery hair, catching the first rays of dawn in a faint auburn hue, was the first thing she noticed.

A man with a tall, slender frame, unhidden even by his tattered clothes, stood before the grave holding a bouquet of white roses—Aynkel’s favorite.

Ariel recognized him immediately, though she’d never seen him before.

It was Jin Kreutz, the foremost wizard of Dantera, the ‘White Mage,’ the ‘Wandering Eye’—titles of renown. He was also one of the five elders representing Dantera’s wizards.

Ariel could hardly believe her eyes.

‘Why is Jin Kreutz here?’

Nothing about this made sense.

Could he have had a connection with Aynkel? Unlikely. If Aynkel had known such a remarkable person, even if he had kept it a secret, Ariel would have noticed somehow, through his letters, through his emotions.

Ariel wanted to ask him herself but couldn’t make herself move forward. She simply stood still, watching as he bent down, placing the bouquet delicately on the grave. After a long gaze, he squatted down, murmuring softly.

“Elias…”

Though his voice was faint, Ariel could make out her family name. She couldn’t hear anything else, as his words dispersed too softly into the air.

He murmured a few more unintelligible words, then rose.

And then, Ariel, still rooted to her spot, locked eyes with him. Though some distance remained between them, it was clear that they were looking at each other.

His military uniform, beneath a ragged cloak, was covered in dust as if he’d just returned from a massacre. Yet his silver-white hair, pristine without a trace of dirt, and his face remained impeccably clean. His golden eyes shone as brilliantly as the lands of Zenith.

The encounter lasted only a brief moment. Within a few seconds, Jin hastily averted his gaze from her, as if momentarily taken aback. Without hesitation, he turned his back on her and began walking away.

As he turned, Ariel noticed his lips move slightly. She couldn’t hear the words, but sensed, somehow, that they were meant for her.

They were strangers meeting for the first time. And yet—

‘What did he say?’

Ariel’s eyes widened. Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of confusion and unanswered questions, she forgot her sadness, if only for that fleeting moment.