Chapter 29 - A Tale of 2 Stones (3)
"Father, that's... "asked Nerun, as he suddenly felt a deep pain in his heart come over him out of nowhere. He had never seen that stone before, but for some strange reason that he could not explain, he knew that this stone was very important to him. It was as if the whole meaning of his insignificant life could be explained by that stone. These thoughts flooded Nerun's mind, though they quickly disappeared as if they had never occurred. For a moment he thought he was hallucinating, but he noticed that he had tears in his eyes without knowing why.
Maikal saw Nerun's reaction and was somewhat surprised. Although Nerun was a newborn when he had to be separated from his parents, the conditions under which he came into Maikal's hands were nothing short of miraculous and special. It is possible that there were subconscious memories that had been etched in the recesses of his mind due to the powerful spell used by his parents to send him to Maikal since even with his vast experience, he still did not recognise all the symbols of the magic circle that surrounded Nerun when he found him. He did some research on his own and was able to find out something of an ancient spell, only known deep within the Temple that can be likened to Nerun's appearance, the Ancestral Spell of RAKNA-EON, but there was only a brief mention of it, and the characteristics and circumstances surrounding it were totally unknown.
Eventually, Nerun calmed down and for the first time in his short life dared to ask a question that perhaps every orphaned child has wanted to ask at least once in their life. "Father Maikal, do you know who my parents are? Was I abandoned? I... don't get me wrong, you are all my family and I love you. But I need to know. I need to know," Nerun said in a low voice as he poured his heart out. Maya ran over and hugged Nerun. They were all orphans, and although most of them pretended to be brave and didn't talk about this taboo subject, they had all had questions about their parents at one time or another.
Maikal stared at Nerun, and instead of his usual jesting and mocking tone, he looked at him tenderly and said, "You said it well. We are your family. Never forget, no matter where you are, this will always be your home. As for your question, I think you have a right to know a few things. In a few days, you will be 6 years old, and you can consider this as your gift in advance. This stone is all that remains of what your parents left for you. Your parents died shortly after your birth, however, I can assure you of one thing. And that is that they loved you very much and entrusted you to me to protect and care for you."
Nerun was teary-eyed, trying not to burst into tears. " Dad and mum are dead... But they loved me," Nerun said with difficulty, his voice cracking. Although he knew it was one of the possibilities, deep in his heart he wanted them to be alive. Taking the stone from Maikal's hands, he cupped it in his hands. He felt only a slight warmth radiating from the stone. Finally, Nerun gave in to his sadness and hugging Maya, he began to cry to get it off his chest.
Maikal fixed his gaze on the stone in Nerun's hands but did not notice any fluctuation or change in it. For years he had been analysing the stone, but found nothing abnormal about it, except that it radiated a slight amount of heat naturally, regardless of the outside temperature, keeping this temperature constant. It was apparently not useful in meditation or anything else in particular. But this stone and the blanket wrapped around it were all that was with Nerun when he appeared that day in the Woods in front of him and Elijah. He finally decided to return the stone to Nerun, partly because it was his parents' legacy, partly because he thought perhaps the stone would react to Nerun, but it seems he overthought it. Nevertheless, Maikal knew that the stone was important, and it was their final gift to Nerun, even if he himself didn't know its use.
Nerun eventually settled down a little and looking at Maikal again, asked, "How did they die?"
Maikal this time said succinctly and sternly, "We're not sure yet. I'm not going to lie to you, your parents' death was not of natural causes. But even if you knew some of it, it wouldn't do you any good. You're too weak to do anything about it. I will only tell you one thing, and I will say it only once so I want you to listen carefully. Only if you are strong enough, will you be entitled to the whole truth, and will be able to do something about what happened to your parents. Before that, don't even mention it, let alone discuss it with anyone else."
Nerun lowered his head, but he was clenching his hands and shaking non-stop. A clear goal formed in his young heart. Before, he wanted to become strong just for the sake of becoming strong, just to earn money for his family at the orphanage and be able to take charge of his own destiny. Now, not only did this goal become stronger, but he also wanted to know the truth about what happened to his parents. He would be sure to confront those responsible for taking away his parents' love. After all, the greatest treasure a child can have is the love of his family. For the first time in his life, Nerun felt hatred. Hatred against those unseen enemies who took his parents away. Hatred against his own weakness. Those who took this away from Nerun from the moment of his birth would be the recipients of all his anger.
After a while, Nerun once again sobered his thoughts. Even though he wanted to scream, raising his eyes, he saw the gazes of Maya, Elijah and Maikal. They were all waiting for him with clear concern and affection for him on their faces. At this moment, that hatred for his enemies, transformed into love. Deep love for this orphanage and for his "father" and siblings. Great love for his parents because before they died they made sure to send Nerun to people who really cared about him, even if they themselves could not be there.
"Thank you!" said Nerun.
Maya was the first to reply "You silly boy. Why do you thank us as if we were strangers? We will always be there for you when you need us."
Many years later, Nerun would look back on his time at the orphanage and wonder what would have become of him if he had not grown up here with "his family". Perhaps, had he not died as a child, he would have indulged in spite, hatred and depravity, and in his anger, he would have unleashed calamity on this world so that it would disappear along with the pain in his heart. Causes and consequences. What is certain is that the love of Maikal, Elijah, Maya and the rest of his brothers and sisters allowed Nerun to escape this particular fate. Perhaps it is someone else who must suffer this fate of rancour and anger instead of Nerun. The Balance of EON may seem capricious to some.
When Nerun listened to Maya, his heart was soothed and he felt joy. Somehow he felt that his spirit was free and his mind was clear. He did not let himself be dominated by anger and hatred for what he did not have and had lost but focused instead on what he had been blessed with. While he did not yet know what had happened to his parents, he had a clear goal to pursue. Finally, he asked Maikal, "Can I at least know their names?"
"Yes. But your parents' names should be kept to yourself and not shared with anyone. At least for a while. You must promise me." When he saw that Nerun nodded, Maikal smiled and said, "Your parents' names were Armand and Lilina."
"Armand and Lilina... Armand and Lilina... Armand and Lilina..." Nerun repeated the name softly as if it were a mantra. These names were burned into his heart and soul and he made another promise to himself. No matter what, in the future, he would make sure that he would not have to hide the name of his parents, but that in the future he would say it loudly and proudly. Maybe EON would listen to his prayers and allow his parents to see how he would grow up. He would make his parents proud from beyond the grave.
After they had made their plans, they all parted ways. They decided that they would leave for the border two days later, using this time to stockpile certain supplies and arrange everything before the journey. Nerun went to his room and did not come out for the rest of the day. Elijah was worried about Nerun's state of mind, but Maikal stopped him from going to comfort him. Although Nerun was still a child, he was mature enough to understand many things and in case something happened to them at the border, there were certain things Nerun should know. So he decided to give him the stone and tell him something of his past. If Nerun could not recover in time, then it would be better for him to stay at home. Another day passed and Nerun only left his room to look for food. The other children were a little worried but did not know what to do to cheer Nerun up.
That night, Elijah took the opportunity to use some of the dilution created by the drop of Millennial Stone Milk to finally break through to a level 30 Qi Praetorian.
At last, the morning they were all due to leave, Elijah and Maikal left the orphanage early, along with Sylvester. Just as they had walked through the door, they suddenly heard an animated shout:
"WAIT FOR ME!"
They saw Nerun running towards them with his usual smile on his face, as well as his clear, deep and serene gaze. Somehow his Qi looked a little more reserved. Although he had reached level 8 only a short time ago, it seemed that he would soon reach level 9. They knew that Nerun would need a little more time to digest everything they had told him, but looking at him, they noticed that Nerun was still the same mischievous and playful child he had always been. Nerun caught up with them and began to quarrel with Sylvester, who was complaining about having to get up early, to the laughter of Elijah and Maikal.
They made their way to the border between Ansem and Rhodnius, and Nerun instinctively touched the stone hanging from the necklace on his chest. That constant warmth emanating from the stone made him feel that it was the warmth of his parent's love and that with the stone, despite their absence, his parents were watching and protecting him. 'Dad, mum, wait for me. In the future, I will make it so that when my deeds are mentioned, you will be able to hear them even in the afterlife, and the whole world will know that Armand and Lilina had a son who brought honour and glory to their name'.
...
The 6 Major Territories occupy the largest amount of space on the entire continent. They are The Ancestral Kingdom of Ansem, The Indomitable Prairie of Rhodnius, The Great Desert of Avi-Cena, The Plutocratic Oligarchy of Lutzomya, The Frozen Archipelago of Brindisia and last but not least, The Eternal Theocracy of Mainal. There are many other kingdoms, tribes, clans and sects in the space between the MajorTerritories, but their small size and lesser martial and magical strength make them inferior to, and often dependent on, the Major Territories.
The entire world is made up of a large massive continent of billions of square kilometres in the approximate shape of a C, with the upper portion being twice as thick as the lower portion. There is a large ocean surrounding the continent and extending into the interior of the continent. Ansem is located in the southeastern portion of the continent, on the lower slope of the C, ending in a peninsula, where the capital, Eonia, is located. To the north of Ansem is a fairly large stretch of land between the ocean and the Kingdom, the Barbarian Lands. Ansem is a mighty Kingdom, several million square kilometres in size, with fertile land and many natural resources. However, in size, it is the second smallest of the Great Territories. To its west it borders multiple kingdoms, cities and sects, and most importantly, the Indomitable Prairie of Rhodnius.
Rhodnius, which stretches across most of the southern part of the Continent down to the lower corner of the C, is a massive and chaotic Territory, composed of distinctly powerful Tribes of Warriors and Beastmen, descendants of Magical Beasts and humans. The presence of Adepts in Rhodnius is even rarer than in Ansem, and of all the major Territories it has the smallest number of Adepts. This does not make it a weak Territory however, on the contrary, all citizens of Rhodnius are hardy by nature and it has been home to the most powerful Warriors on the entire continent for generations. Rhodnius is a mostly arid territory full of rocky mountains and hurricane-force winds, which makes agriculture markedly difficult to accomplish, and the resources it possesses are limited for the sheer amount of population it has. As a result, the Warriors of Rhodnius are constantly at war in search of resources, their main opponent being the Kingdom of Ansem. Border cities between the two territories frequently change hands and are constantly being destroyed and repaired, creating a lot of conflict, chaos and violence. Many orphans come from these constant clashes. This continuous state of war has led to significant hostility between the two Major Territories.