Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
In Caleria's inn…
"Another war?" Caesar yelled in disbelief. Albert sighed. He had rented the entire second floor of the inn in order to make sure that no one overheard their discussion and now his idiot brother is yelling the secret out to the world. Realization that Caesar nearly reacted the same way Albert had didn't make the older brother feel any better either.
Their discussion lasted for nearly an hour as Albert didn't have to put much effort into explaining since Caesar caught on extremely fast. However, the older Silverberg felt a headache coming along with a slight burning on the back of his left palm. He brushed aside the discomfort, not wanting to give away the identity of the "unknown" Rune Bearer.
"You do realize that the Grasslands and Zexen might not agree with your plan, right?" Caesar asked, supporting his head with a hand as if he were bored. Of course, he wasn't disinterested at all, but he didn't want to look too eager.
"This is one of those rare occasions where I couldn't think of a backup plan," Albert responded. Caesar nearly sat up straight in surprise at his brother's out of character response. He expected a Plan B or at least a response that really didn't tell him anything, not an outright admittance that he couldn't come up with another plan. Albert, however, gave no notice of what he had said, only knowing that his mind burned furiously. He needed to end the discussion quickly so he could retreat into the solitary privacy of his room. The True Rune mercilessly lashed out at his mind, attempting to pull him out of his conscious state. For a second, Albert's vision went foggy, and he quickly fought back to regain control.
"Whether you convince the Firebringers or not, Harmonia will attack, under Lord Sasarai's leadership or another. In Harmonia, Lord Hikusaak's orders are absolute," he said irritably, making the younger brother jump. The pain tearing at his mind nearly became unbearable now, but Albert still fought against the True Rune's will, silently asking it for a few more seconds of control.
After a moment, Caesar sighed, "You give me no choice then. I'll go to Hugo and Chris tomorrow."
"I'm glad that it's settled. Now, I must excuse myself," Albert said quickly and nearly ran into his room. Caesar heard a soft thump behind the closed door a few moments later and cautiously knocked on the wooden door.
"Is everything all right?" he asked. Hearing nothing, he decided to let the matter go, not wanting to deal with Albert any more than he had to. Caesar retired into his own room to rest for the journey to the Grasslands tomorrow.
"He's getting weird," Caesar muttered to himself and then shrugged. "Oh well, I never understood him anyway. This is so complicated…"
--
Albert stumbled blindly to the sofa in his room as his vision darkened. He felt his muscles go limp and hoped that he had landed on the soft piece of furniture instead of the hard wooden floor. The soft fur that lightly tickled his nose suggested that he had landed on the large furry rug in front of the sofa. 'Good enough,' he thought groggily to himself.
Albert felt his body sink into the earth and then rise into the sky, merging with the air. He felt himself flying through the clouds, the bright rays of the sun shining down from above. He opened a weary eye and realized that the winds left him in the ruins where Luc had last been seen, the same location where he received the True Wind Rune. Upon further inspection, Albert realized that his body was ethereal as if he were a spirit. A light began to glow from under his left glove and he removed it, revealing the symbol of burden. The Silverberg looked up again and saw Luc, his body just as foggy as Albert's. The apparition exactly duplicated the Luc Albert had known. The same empty eyes burned into his, and the same apathy radiated from his form.
"The True Wind Rune is calling to you," Luc spoke, his voice sounding quite alive and solid despite his appearance. "It wants you to continue the mission it gave me."
"I will not destroy Harmonia," Albert responded. He wasn't particularly loyal to Harmonia, but if that nation were lost, he would have lost everything that he had obtained in his years as a strategist. Of course, he could have easily found a new post, but Harmonia was the most powerful and the oldest of all the nations in the present. It would mean many more years of hard work to build up another nation.
Luc gave a small laugh. "Actually, my actions were merely one of the many paths I could've taken to finish my task. Although, I suppose that once the task is complete Harmonia will be more or less gone."
"Then what was the objective?"
"To kill Hikusaak…" Luc answered in a strange foreboding voice. Albert knew that he was talking to a very accurate manifestation of the Rune's memory of Luc, but he had to admit that the True Wind Rune was doing a pretty messy job in transitioning from Luc's persona to that of its own. Apparently, the Rune Luc had an airy voice that echoed somewhat in the space around them while Luc's voice was the same as he had remembered. "Hikusaak is a threat to the balance created by the True Runes. He intends to lead a world of Order."
"Then why are you the only one who seems to be acquainted with that information?" Albert directed this question to the Rune. "Why don't the other Rune Bearers do something?"
The Rune Luc smiled sadly. "The Wind can reach almost every corner of this world. It hears the darkest secrets and knows the answers to the most mysterious," he said. "If Hikusaak manages to complete his 'perfect world,' then Wind will be held in the chains of silence, unable to roam free as it should. I've already shown Hugo this world, but I doubt that he understands. Luc understood, but took the wrong path. Would you be the one who will end this madness, and let Wind go free?"
"Why should I help you? With your wisdom, you should know that the fall of Hikusaak means the fall of Harmonia. What made you think that someone like me, who is so thoroughly connected to Harmonia, would accept your mission?" Albert responded angrily. After all, he never asked for this responsibility. Albert supposed that he could let his emotions out to the Rune. It wasn't like he could hide his thoughts from it anyway.
"Let Hikusaak carry out his plan and Harmonia will die alongside the world. Stop Hikusaak and the world will be safe while Harmonia, with proper leadership, may still be alive. You are now bound the True Wind Rune now, Albert Silverberg. This is payment in return for its powers."
"Did you tell Luc the same thing?" Albert asked him.
"He understood the situation and was unusually eager."
"Then why didn't you choose someone who would understand the situation?"
"You were closest to Luc. You did in fact understand the situation but was unsure of Luc's decision on how to carry it out. I now give you the power to go about it in your own way. This is your chance to change. With my help, after Hikusaak falls, you can become the new ruler of Harmonia." He added the last sentence as another initiative since "saving the world" didn't seem to attract Albert as much.
Albert sighed; the True Wind Rune had read him thoroughly enough. It had known all along that Albert hadn't been helping Luc just for the sake of betraying the magician after the tactician had advanced in rank. A small portion of Albert really did hope that Luc would be able to stop the world from falling into Order, but in the end, he wasn't willing to make the sacrifice. Albert smiled. "I guess I have no choice." He was faintly aware that his response to the True Wind Rune's request nearly mirrored that of his brother's agreeing with Albert's plan. "But I am not interested in ruling Harmonia, as you had assumed. I'm more of a behind the scenes kind of ruler."
The Rune Luc smiled. "Thank you, young Silverberg…" The scene disappeared, melting into whiteness, as a cold wooden floor along with an extra furry rug reemerged in Albert's vision as he opened his eyes.
Albert put a hand to his head; the headache had gone.
"Maybe I'll have to use Yuber after all…" he muttered.
Old Note: I should really be starting on my Biology AP homework… but I have to admit writing feels a lot more productive.
New Note: Wow, I've forgotten that the Biology homework was from last summer, not several months ago haha. We had quite a few packets… Anyway, thanks for reading!