"I will head back to class first. I will inform the teacher, so do not worry about anything."
"I understand. Thank you, Millian."
"Hm, take care." Millian nodded.
With a bitter expression, Millian turned around and walked away. He took several glances at Julian, who was looking lost, before finally leaving the infirmary.
Ktang.
"Sigh."
Julian let out a long sigh.
"12th of the 3rd month. 1203 Dragon Year."
He thought he had misheard the knight from before. But it seemed that was not the case. It also explained why everything looked similar, but was also so different at the same time. When he was 11, it should have been the year 1303, not 1203.
'Esmeheldi would not make this kind of mistake.'
Esmeheldi, the Sage of Time, Space, and Fate, whom he knew would not be so careless as to mistake the date. His duty was to return to a point where lay the most potential to prevent the future of complete destruction.
It never specified returning to his past.
It was something that he could wrap his head around, but still surprising nonetheless. Looking at the small infirmary, he felt clueless as to how to feel about his current situation.
'More than a hundred years before my time... Why is this time period so important?'
It was troubling. He was sent there without even his agreement, nor even time to process what was going on. If it were the time period close to where he lived, he might be able to pinpoint several battles and wars that might have benefited the human had they won.
But, he truly had no idea how he should move forward now that he was thrown so far back in time.
Creak.
Julian opened the window to his side. He gazed upon the Royal City that had turned into a plain of flames and rubble. His information was so limited that he never once remembered learning about that kind of destruction happening in the city.
[Julian Swordshards]
Importance: None
Fate: 20
"At least I have this."
Looking at the card that was only visible to him, he felt a little eased. True, it was a troubling circumstance, but it was not without any sign of a way out. He had that floating text, or what Esmeheldi referred to as the Fate System, to help him.
The first thing he checked was the new line at the very bottom of the card. He knew it was not there the moment he was in the hallways.
Recalling the brief instruction from its owner, Julian focused his vision on the middle of the card.
Vhoom.
Immediately, the text merged and twisted and formed into what looked to be an orb of light. Gradually, the orb of light grew two giant eyeballs. Those eyes stared at Julian without any shred of emotion.
"Greetings. Are you the one who will be assisting me?"
[...]
"What should I refer to you as?"
[Everything.]
"Everything?"
[Yes, Mister Hauyne.]
No words or sounds were coming from the orb of light. There were just lines of text that glowed above its head.
"Tell me about upcoming events that I need to pay attention to."
[...]
"What's wrong?"
[...]
The two wide eyes only stared at Julian. No text was generated above its head.
"...What about Esmeheldi, did she inform you of anything?"
[...]
Julian began to ponder if the system was malfunctioning. He was told it would be provided with features to assist him in achieving their goals. He swiped his hand across the orb gently, making it ripple like disturbed water.
"Everything, tell me what you can assist me with."
[Acquiring items.]
"What kind of items?"
[Everything.]
"..."
It was Julian who kept quiet this time. He did not need to inquire further what the orb meant by 'everything.' He had seen multiple times its master snatching items out of the thin air. Some of them were even those that did not belong to their time period.
He could also pretty much guess that the currency or payment for any items acquired would be by those Fate.
"What else can you do?"
[...]
'That is all it can do?'
"...Fetch me writings containing information on the Royal City of Evernight Kingdom at the year 1203. Dragon calendar, of course."
Hearing the command, the orb of light vibrated lightly before a thin line appeared under its large eyes and stretched across the orb. That line that looked like a mouth then gurgled before spitting tens of cards.
[Alandale's Records] - 5000 Fate
[Blue Rose Academy's History Book: 1st Edition] - 500 Fate
[Royal Academy's History Book: 54th Edition] - 450 Fate
[Xideon Constellation's Final Notes: 1st Page] - 350 Fate
[Xideon Constellation's Diary: 6th Edition] - 300 Fate
[Millian Stoneboar's Diary: 3rd Book] - 400 Fate...
Exactly 45 cards floated before him. They range from academic texts to personal diaries and even notes. While there were certainly some cards that he believed would help him a lot, all of those were above his budget.
There was also one card that interested him more than the rest. It was the second least expensive card with such an ominous title that he could not help but let out a soft sigh.
[Julian Swordshards' Last Letter - 10 Fate]
He had some hesitancy, but in the end, he proceeded to purchase the letter.
Everything swallowed back all those cards, gargling them as complex formations began to form on its shiny forehead. After a while, Everything puked out a neatly folded paper.
The paper was pale yellow in color, with splashes of dark brown on some parts.
[Julian Swordshards' Last Letter]
'The final letter of an unfortunate, forgotten soul.'
Reading the description of the letter, Julian opened it with a soft sigh.
Mother, I can't do this anymore.
I had been trying my best to be strong.
I resisted everything like you wanted me to.
But I can't do this anymore, mother.
Those Moonwhispers are slowly approaching.
All of my classmates had become their victims, and only I remained.
The teachers had long abandoned us.
They were the first to run back into the city when things turned sour.
Mother, forgive me, but I know I cannot survive this.
I am sorry for not being able to provide you with a better life.
I am sorry for not being able to give you happiness.
I am sorry for not being able to pay back all your sacrifices.
I am sorry for being weak.
But please don't be sad.
I managed to stay as Julian all this time.
I am Julian as I am writing this.
I did not become one of them. It was thanks to you, my dear mother.
Mother, I love you. And please tell Sarah I love her.
I know it will be hard, but please stop Sarah from enrolling in the Academy.
Please keep her away from the streets.
Please take care, the two of you.
Julian stared at the letter that was clearly written in a rush. Especially reaching the final column, where it looked more like a scribble than writing. Caressing those brown stains on the papers, he could tell right away that it was dried, human blood.
It appeared that the original Julian was fated to die that very year. As for the exact time, the note did not mention any date. However, there was a line in that note that pointed out what kind of situation Julian was in.
'They were the first to run back into the city when things turned sour.'
As hard as it was for him to believe, the line implied that Julian and his classmates went out of the city. He felt concerned even just imagining children getting close to the city gate, let alone stepping out of it.
"Show me only those that talk about the 3rd Month."
Everything puked out the cards back, though one of them had grayed out. Some of the cards then moved forward, while most drifted back.
"4th Month."
"5th Month."
"6th Month."
Those cards stepped forward and back like they were in a choreographic dance. From what he got, most of the cards had records on the 4th, 5th, and 9th months of 1203. From there, he could tell there would be something significant happening in those months.
As for the final letter he had bought, it was from the 5th Month.
Swish.
The curtain around his bed was suddenly drawn open. Behind the curtain, a woman in her mid-forties warmly smiled at him.
"Student Julian, you may head back to your class now."