The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 377: The Old One (2)

Chapter 377: The Old One (2)

Hex flipped through his mother’s diary. Instead of reading it carefully, he browsed the content, trying to discover whether it discussed certain topics he was interested in. Topics regarding the End.

His mood had improved greatly during the breakfast, especially because Old Man Perl never mentioned the Sand Burial Monarch’s crystal.

With Medina nowhere near, he decided to check her diary out first. She had also spent some time with the Dawnbringers and serving the Divine Lord, who was one of the main characters of this war.

The first part of the Diary discussed her life in Wrixia as an outcast. A cursory glance into the content revealed a little how much she studied, looking up all kinds of ancient and outdated practices. She seemed especially fascinated with the Deities and the Origin stories.

’She lived in Age without Deities, as a Cursed person. Yet, she sought their power.’ Her notes revealed she worked hard to gain entrance into some libraries that held a lot of information about the Deities. Hex made a mental note to search for these libraries. He remembered being told that Wrixia’s main library holding most of the information was at the core.

Although he wished to read everything in detail, time was of essence. In a little while the group would leave the Inn. Sterling wanted to show Hex around and also introduce many of the competitors they would have to go up against.

Suddenly, after going through more than half of the pages, he caught a sentence that made him halt.

...today I failed again. Despite achieving first place in the Dryad papers, I am still denied access to the special section of the library. I am certain the Origin of the World is explained there. In one of those Tomes. I just know it. But they refuse to grant me access, saying only the High Elders can permit access to someone. But getting an audience with a normal Elder isn’t possible for me, let alone a High Elder.

’That is disturbing to know,’ Hex mused. He had believed he could access all the information easily. In retrospect, it made sense. Having all the information accessible to everyone would bring more chaos than anything else.

...I finally met an Elder today. But she stared at me like I was less than dirt in the place, dirtying her. Turns out, she only humored me, so she could build a bond with Sister. Sister is trying her best. But I think she isn’t able to do much for me either.

...Today I met a man. He seems nice. And handsome. He came from the outside. It seems like he also came looking for ancient knowledge. He said that the librarians told him about me and my interest.

Hex wondered whether it was the Divine Lord or someone else who arrived. She didn’t mention ’him’ by name.

...Today I met him again. Guess what? He knows so much more about the world and its origin than I expected. I don’t know if everything he is telling me is true or not, but he seems convinced. He tells it in a way it almost feels like he witnessed everything.

...I-I am not sure. The things he told me today seem so...fascinating...and blasphemous. He told me about Wrixia’s birth. And about our Lord’s little brother. I never heard about our Lord having parents. Didn’t he exist since the beginning? And a little brother? I asked if it was another tree. He laughed. I don’t think it was funny to be honest. Isn’t it normal for siblings to be of the same kind? Or...maybe not. Father does say Sister and I couldn’t be further apart.

The mention of a little brother shocked Hex a lot. Who was the little brother? Another Taboo existence?

...I learned more about Wrixia’s Little brother today. How he is fighting for justice. For equality. To abolish the Blessing way of living. I wonder...would that help? Would our lives have been better if Sister and I were just sisters. No Blessing to distinguish us. No Curses to lose father’s face and break his dreams.

...today I learned that I could serve the Little brother. His name is Orosol, the one sun that shines more than gold. Or, as he calls him, the Divine Lord.

Hex stared blankly at the page.

..........

"Orosol? You...mean the Divine Lord?" Althea stared in shock at the humanoid-shaped bark. Even in her most distant memories she had no mention of the Divine Lord being connected to the Old One.

Haha. That is a name he came up with by himself. Mother named him Orosol, the one who shines brighter than the sun, as a way to connect him more to her than to father. Father hated it. But as he got to name me, he couldn’t protest. I did hear that he even changed the meaning behind his name a little.

"Mother? Who is your mother?" Althea asked, confused. She always believed that the Old One was a creation of her father, the Godking. And even if not, He would have been at most something created after the Godking.

The Origin is mentioned in the Scroll of the First Age. I believed you knew about it, seeing that the High Temple is the only place with a written record of it.

"No, I haven’t been through all the information the High Temple has." Althea wondered how many people had access to it. She would not be denied access. But felt a little insulting that her followers knew more than she did. "I always thought the Divine Lord came into existence because of Father."

That was one of his incarnations. Even the Godking didn’t know his truth. He learned about the Orosol too late.

"He managed to fool even the Godking?" Althea couldn’t hide her shock anymore. "Isn’t the Godking the creator of everything and everyone?"

The Godking created the world and populated it. That is true. But where did he come from? And what did he use to create it all?

"He was born out of Chaos." Althea said, repeating something she heard her father tell himself. The Godking wouldn’t have lied about it, would he?

True. But the Chaos didn’t exist before. The Chaos came when father and mother fought and perished, destroying nihility itself.