Chapter 112: News of Serie
"No," Rhodes's answer was not what Norne had been expecting. He slowly shook his head. "Now... is not the time."
"Why?" Norne didn't understand. "Miss Serie..."
"I know," he cut him off. "I know she's been looking for me, carrying Athos to every corner of the world. And it is because I know that I must be patient now." He held up his hand, and in the moonlight, the black lines seemed even more pronounced. "It is because I know that I cannot go to her now."
He looked at Norne, his eyes filled with a cold, almost cruel, calm. "The taint in my soul has not yet been eradicated. It is only being temporarily suppressed by the power of faith in the 'Light of Ersten'. With Serie's personality, if she were to find out, she would surely try all sorts of things to help me. I don't want to drag her into this. This power... it's too dangerous. A single misstep..."
He trailed off, but Norne understood. He was afraid the taint would consume her as well.
"So, for now, let's just leave it at that. Don't tell her until I have suppressed this taint completely."
Norne was at a loss for words. He understood his friend's concerns. It wasn't that he was avoiding her, but that he was afraid of hurting her. It seemed their relationship was even deeper than he had imagined.
He nodded. "I understand. I'll keep an eye on her, make sure she's safe. As for your... situation..."
"Let's keep it a secret for now," Rhodes said. "Just... let the god-slaying hero be dead."
"Is that really okay?" Norne's heart ached for him. Rhodes could have had so much more honor, so much more acclaim, but he had just turned it all away. He couldn't understand it.
But what he didn't know was that for Rhodes, to get rid of the divine corrosion and to fully accept his authority over life was the most important thing. Only then could he finally let go of the feelings he had suppressed for so long. Only then could he walk with the elven miss, through the long years.
"It's fine. I have more important things to do."
"Alright. In that case, why don't you stay in the Kingdom of Ersten for a while? It will be easier for you to use the 'Light of Ersten' to suppress the taint," Norne suggested. He so desperately wanted to catch up with his old friend. It would break his heart if he were to leave right away.
"Yes. It seems I will have to trouble you."
"There is no need for such words between us."
In the Kingdom of Ersten, in a secret, unknown basement.
Even Norne didn't know why the craftsmen had built it. They had just told him that as a nobleman, he would surely have a use for it, and had given him a strange, knowing smile. He had never thought he would actually need it. Could those craftsmen have had the power of foresight?
But for now, it had become Rhodes's private sanctuary. To avoid tainting others, he had not set foot outside of it for a year. And to make it easier for him to use the 'Light of Ersten', Norne had even had the shrine's magic circle moved down to the basement.
The sword was now unsheathed, hovering silently in the center of the magic circle. Rhodes sat beside it, basking in the millions of tiny points of light that emanated from its blade. It was the purest form of faith, and it was helping him to suppress the taint within him.
Compared to a year ago, his complexion was much better. And the black lines on his body, under the constant pressure of the faith, could no longer spread.
Norne pushed open the door and entered quietly, so as not to disturb him. He came here often, just to talk to him, to keep him company. And in return, Rhodes would help him with the affairs of the state. He would casually throw out ideas for policies that Norne had never even heard of, policies that were making the kingdom better every day. It made Norne wonder where he had learned so much.
Seeing that Rhodes was still in a meditative state, Norne just stood to the side, watching his old friend struggle with the poison in his soul. If only Eirik were here, he thought. What a happy occasion that would be. But he knew that was impossible.
After a long time, Rhodes finally opened his eyes, and they were clear and bright, without a hint of fatigue.
"How do you feel?" Norne asked.
He looked down and felt the state of his own body. After a year of hard work, the taint within him was finally suppressed. It would be a long time before it could trouble him again. And his fusion with his new body was also going smoothly. He could now move freely, no longer the stiff, awkward movements he had made when he had first seen Norne.
"Much better. The power of faith in the 'Light of Ersten' is more effective than I imagined. At least I don't have to worry about the taint spreading to others anymore," he said, and looked at the hovering holy sword with a hint of gratitude.
A relieved smile spread across Norne's face, the wrinkles around his eyes softening. "That's good to hear. If you need anything else, just ask."
"I will."
"By the way, the messengers from the west returned yesterday. They told me that the locals had heard of a massive and pure surge of spatial magic in the vicinity of the Red Dragon Canyon a few months ago. It sounds like something Miss Serie would do. And according to the locals, she has already left the area and is continuing west."
"West..." Rhodes murmured. "Could she be heading to the Godfall Land?"
"It's possible. But the black mud there has not yet dissipated. I'm worried..." Norne trailed off. The magical storm of the Godfall Land was gone, but it had been replaced by an even more terrifying miasma of divine black mud. And though it was said that it would not last as long as the storm had, that it would dissipate in a thousand years or so, they were both worried that Serie would not wait that long, that she would try to force her way in.
"It's too dangerous. That black mud... if it even touches you, you will be corrupted. Even I don't dare to go near it." He had left Org there decades ago, and had tried to retrieve it, but had always been stopped by the black mud.
"Yes," Norne nodded, a hint of worry in his voice. "I'm just afraid she'll try to force her way in."
Rhodes was silent.
He closed his eyes again, but Norne could see that the calm he had just achieved had been broken.
(End of chapter)
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