Chapter 13: My Realm's Ratio
Kael's room was silent, broken only by the scratch of his pen as it raced across the paper. The sound echoed faintly off the wooden walls.
He muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on the black box.
"Yeah… it's confirmed. This number pattern… I finally managed to follow it, one by one."
On the box's surface, glowing digits appeared and shifted, five new numbers every second.
"When Volgran first touched it underground, I recognized it a little," Kael continued, his hand moving without pause. "But since then it's been moving further and further away, so I had to write it down, chasing it."
He paused, staring at the endless string of numbers filling his notes. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Finally… I've caught up. Even though it keeps going, I know what this number is now."
Kael lifted his gaze from the page to the box, his eyes glinting.
"No doubt. This number is in every living being, every design, every piece of architecture… even the landscapes of this world."
He exhaled, almost in awe.
"This… is the Golden Ratio."
"And if I flip this box… these random numbers aren't random at all," Kael whispered, turning it carefully in his hands. "The pattern here, it's not arranged yet. But if it can shift like a puzzle… then this puzzle must form…" His eyes widened, excitement sparking.
"A Golden Ratio spiral!"
He clenched his fist, resolved burning in his chest.
"I'll solve this tonight, just one night!"
But the moment Kael leaned forward to align the glowing sequence, the outline of the spiral flickered and began to fade away as no Might present.
"What? no! Ughh…" Kael groaned, tightening his grip on the box. "It needs Might to shine again…" He sank back into his chair with a sigh. "But everyone's already gone home. Who else could I even ask?"
For a long moment, Kael stared at the lifeless box. Then, with a heavy exhale, he pushed himself up.
"Hahhh… guess I have no choice but to ask her for help…"
He stood, tucking the black box under his arm, and opened the door of his room. Descending the creaking stairs, he headed down into the dim wooden house, toward the only person here who possessed Might.
Kael walked into the kitchen and found Elvareth already setting out dinner for him.
Their eyes met briefly, her eyes are calm and steady,
"Eat, Kael," she said simply.
"Oh, yeah… thanks, old elf," Kael muttered as he pulled out a wooden chair.
He frowned. Tch. How does she always know what I want?
Elvareth placed a steaming bowl of soup and a boiled potato in front of him. It was simple, but it was Kael's favorite meal since childhood. Living with Elvareth, a being of a different race, hadn't been so bad after all. Despite their differences, she had always been there for him, almost like a mother. Still, Kael often caught himself being harsher with her than he should.
As he ate, Kael set the black box on the table beside him.
"So," Elvareth asked, her eyes flicking to it, "what's with that strange box?"
"Huh? Oh, this." Kael tapped the box with his fingers. "I think I'm close to opening it. But… I'll need your help, old elf."
Thud!
"Ow!" Kael yelped, clutching his head where she'd smacked him.
"That's not how you ask someone for help, human!" Elvareth scolded.
"Okay, okay! I got it, Miss Elvarethhh…" Kael said, dragging her name out with a mix of annoyance and surrender.
She gave a small, satisfied nod. "Mm. That's a thousand times better."
"So… what exactly do you want me to help with?" Elvareth asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah, about that…" Kael hesitated, then slid the black box toward her. "I need you to touch this box."
Her eyes narrowed. "And where did you even find such a strange thing?"
Kael scratched his cheek. "Well… you told me to clean my room, right? I found it under my bed."
Elvareth frowned, her expression thoughtful. "That's odd. I've lived in this house for long, and I've never once seen that box."
"Don't think too hard about it, old elf," Kael said, brushing her concern aside. "Just help me out with this."
She sighed, exasperated but amused. "Alright, human. Patience…"
As Elvareth reached out, Kael quickly stopped her hand.
"Eits, wait. Before you touch it, use your Wind Might first. This box reacts to the last Might ability a person uses. You're a wind user, so form something, a gust or a swirl and then touch it."
"Like this?" Elvareth smirked, pointing her palm toward him.
"Wai—!"
SWOSHHH!
A sudden blast of wind sent Kael flying off his chair.
THUD!
"Ouch!" He groaned, rubbing his back. "Great job, old elf…"
Elvareth burst out laughing, covering her mouth. "Hahaha! You should've seen your face, human." She always liked teasing him—she knew being the last human wasn't easy, so sometimes making him laugh was her way of softening the weight he carried.
Kael shot her a glare, but his lips twitched at her laughter. "Yeah, yeah. Enough. Now, touch it."
Elvareth finally placed her hand on the black box.
Immediately, it pulsed with a green-blue glow, shimmering like a living flame.
"Whoa…" Elvareth whispered, stunned.
Kael leaned forward, eyes wide with excitement. "Yeahhhh… that's it!"
Kael immediately snatched up the glowing black box, its green-blue outline pulsing faintly in the dim light. He flipped it over and began twisting the puzzle pieces, left, right, up, down his hands moving quickly as the spiral shape started to form.
"Great… almost there!" he muttered, his eyes locked on the shifting pattern.
With one final turn, the last piece slid into place.
Clack!
The box made a sharp clicking sound.
"Yes!" Kael grinned. "It opened! Now… let's see what's really inside."
He carefully flipped it over. The box groaned like an ancient thing being disturbed after centuries.
Creccctt!
The lid gave way.
"Yeahhh….wait… what?" Kael froze. His excitement drained into confusion as he peered inside.
There, instead of treasure or something dazzling, lay a few old books stacked neatly, several jagged black metal shards that separated into four distinct parts and a worn handle.
He let out a long sigh. "Seriously… what is this supposed to be?"
Elvareth crossed her arms, smirking. "No need to panic, Kael. Why don't you take everything out first?"
Kael rolled his eyes, mocking her tone. "Yeah, yeah… maybe there's something really 'cool' hidden in here."
Kael flipped the box upside down.
Thud!
Thud, thud!
One by one, the contents tumbled out onto the floor. He crouched low, eyes widening as the items came into view.
There were five in total.
First, a solid handle and four, razor-sharp pieces of blackened metal with different lengths, as if meant to be forged together.
Next, a strange metal sphere curved bars intertwining to form its shell, with a brilliant crystal pulsing faintly inside.
Then, three old books, each labeled with a single letter across the cover: X, Y, and Z.
Beside them lay a folded piece of black cloth, tied neatly with a ribbon as though preserved for something important.
And finally… a cylindrical capsule of gleaming silver. It pulsed softly, glowing with a faint white light that shimmered through its surface.
Kael's breath caught in his throat. "What… are these things?"
"Wow… I didn't expect this much."
"See? I told you," Elvareth said with a small, satisfied smile.
"Yeah, you're right, Miss Elvareth…"
Kael's eyes roamed over the strange items scattered on the floor. "Hmm… these look pretty cool."
Elvareth, not fully understanding the significance of what lay before them, simply shook her head and turned back to cleaning the wooden dinner table. She knew better than to interrupt when Kael's mind was running wild.
Kael crouched down and picked up the silver cylinder. Its faint white glow pulsed softly in his hands.
"Looks like… something's inside," he muttered, giving it a light shake.
Tang!
Tang!
A hollow sound echoed from within.
"Hmm. Definitely something in there… but how do I open it?" He frowned, studying the capsule's smooth surface, then sighed. "Ahh, I'll figure it out later. For now, what about the other things?"
"Wah… this sphere looks interesting." Kael held it up, eyes wide. "The way the crystal just floats inside it's so cool! But… what does this thing even do? Will it explode? Release some weird energy?" He shook his head. "Yeah I can test it out tomorrow. What about the other item…"
He sighed. "Sighhh… only boring stuff left. Well, let's start with the less boring ones." His hand landed on the three books. "X, Y, and Z, huh? Fine. Let's open one."
The moment Kael flipped the cover, his excitement dimmed. Out of the thick spine easily five hundred pages but only a handful can be opened. The rest were sealed tight, impossible to turn.
"Tch… why does everything need to be locked?!" He growled under his breath and tried to wrench the pages apart. "Jurghhh! Hahhh, come onnn…" After a few seconds of straining, he dropped the book back onto the table with a thud. "Ugh. No use. Guess I'll just have to look at the few pages it will let me see."
Kael gasped, his eyes widening. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Even though only a handful of pages would open, it was enough, enough to tell him what these three books contained.
Blueprints.
Not just ordinary diagrams, but detailed sketches of inventions and technologies far beyond what he had ever imagined. The pages were covered with numbers more than words, the language of pure calculation, logic, and precision.
Hands trembling, Kael snatched the second book and then the third, flipping through them desperately. Just like the first, both were thick, hundreds of pages at least but only the opening sections allowed themselves to be turned. It wasn't as if they were glued shut. No… it felt more like his own hands simply weren't allowed to move further. Almost as if the books demanded something.
And on those precious few unlocked pages more blueprints. More impossible inventions.
Kael's breath grew shallow. "Who… who drew these?" He stared at the intricate sketches, running his fingers over the sharp lines and strange mechanisms. His mind raced. "H-how…? How could someone in this realm think like this?"
He clutched his head, pacing. "I never expected anyone else… anyone… to design something this advanced." Then, a sudden thought struck him. "Wait I can check the author! Whoever wrote this, their name has to be here!"
Heart pounding, Kael flipped to the very first page of each book. His eyes darted across the parchment.
Nothing.
"Argh!" He slammed the cover shut, frustration boiling over. "Of course there's no name! Why would there be one?!"
He exhaled sharply, calming himself as his eyes returned to the pages he could see. Despite his anger, his lips curved into a grin.
"The inventions in here are wild… insane! If this is just the beginning… then…" He pressed his hand on the blueprint as if trying to draw strength from it. "I have to try building this. Even if I can only start with these few pages…"
Kael turn his gaze as he saw the last item. The black clothes. He put down the book and touches the black cloth and try fo lift it up
"Huh… it's heavier than it looks," Kael muttered, running his fingers along the edge. "But the texture… it's not like wool, or silk, or even leather. What's this Material? It feels… weird I never touch something like this before"
Elvareth frowned and leaned closer, her sharp eyes narrowing. "That's no ordinary cloth. Don't put it on without knowing what it does."
Kael smirked. "What if it's a cape that makes me fly?"
The elf's ears twitched uneasily. She stepped back, her hand hovering over her bow. "No, human…
Kael tried wearing the cloth front, back, up, and down, but it didn't seem wearable. On his last attempt, he slung it over his back, noticing a pin-like clasp at one edge of the fabric.
"Wow… this looks like a cape! Like Aeronis!" Kael grinned. But since he was short, the cape dragged along the floor.
"Hey, don't wear that, Kael!" Elvareth's voice cut in.
"Huh? Why?"
"Maybe there's a curse or something," she warned.
"Ceh! You still believe in that?"
"Okay, Mister 'Not Believing.'"
"Look at me, Elvareth! I'm a Commander of the Realm Protectors!" Kael declared, standing tall in the oversized cape.
Elvareth looked at him with a faint smile. She knew how badly Kael wanted to become a Realm Protector—in fact, she had been the first person he'd told about his dream.
"I'm a Realm Protector! I'll protect all races from the Mishanter!" Kael proclaimed.
"Hahaha… Kael… You really want to become a Realm Protector, huh?"
"Yup! I will become one, Elvareth. Trust me!"
"Yeah… I know you will, Kael. I know…"
Kael took off the black cape and placed everything back into the box.
"Elvareth…" Kael's voice was steady this time, softer than his usual banter. "I really want to become a Realm Protector. I already asked Liraen—and even one of the Realm Protector commanders—to train me."
Elvareth blinked, surprised. "You… already asked them?"
Kael nodded, eyes determined. "Yeah…"
For a moment, Elvareth just stared at him. The boy who mocked her age, who wore a cape too long for his height, was now speaking with a fire she rarely saw in anyone. Slowly, her faint smile returned, softer this time.
"But all of this… it's up to you. Do you let me become a Realm Protector?" Kael's voice was sharp, almost desperate.
"Haaahh…" Elvareth sighed, stepping beside him.
"How many times must you ask me that, Kael, my son? I will always support you no matter what. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how many times you fall. I will always be here."
She wrapped her arms around him. Kael could be harsh, stubborn, and rebellious, but at the end of the day he was still just a boy—the only boy, the only human in this vast realm. If not her, who else would stand beside him? Who else would cheer him on?
"Thanks, Mom…" Kael whispered, hugging her back from where he sat on the wooden chair.
"Become a Realm Protector, Kael," Elvareth said, her voice steady with hope. "And if you truly decide to walk that path, then I ask only one thing of you…"
Kael lifted his head. "What is it?"
"Become the best of them," she said firmly. "Not just a protector. The best this realm has ever known."
Kael smirked faintly, loosening his embrace. "Yeah… don't ask me to do something that's already going to happen."
"Okay, human. Whatever you say," Elvareth replied, rolling her eyes as she returned to washing the dishes.
Kael picked up the strange black box, his resolve firming, and headed upstairs.
As Kael was about to go upstairs, Elvareth called after him.
"Oh, by the way when will you train with your friend, Kael?"
"Oh, yeah… I haven't decided yet. Maybe tomorrow. I'll use the backyard."
"Fine with me," Elvareth replied casually.
Kael entered his room, the black box heavy in his hands. He set it down on the desk, then let himself collapse onto his bed with a long sigh.
"What a long day…"
He reached for the small button beside his bed. With a soft whirr, the roof above slid open to reveal a canopy of glass, exposing the night sky. Fifteen moons bathed the land in shifting colors—silver, crimson, azure, emerald. A comet streaked past, leaving its glowing trail across the horizon.
Kael gazed upward, entranced. "Beautiful…" he whispered.
The box and its strange contents replayed in his mind the handle and sharp metal, the capsule, the sphere, the cape, the books. His eyelids grew heavy, but his thoughts lingered stubbornly.
Whoever created that box, whoever wrote those books… they were smarter than him. Proof? The spiral puzzle, the impossible numbers, the sketches that only opened to a chosen hand.
A spark of determination flickered in his chest.
One day… I'll figure it all out.
He yawned, pulling the blanket closer. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll ask Liraen for training…"
The stars glimmered through the glass as Kael drifted into sleep. His mind was restless, yet his heart was steady locked on the one goal that burned brighter than all the mysteries before him.
To become a Realm Protector.
End of chapter 13
Kael first step becoming realm protector is about to begin!
Stay safe reader!