The erosion of mind

The next day, we headed to the famous diamond teras. It looked absolutely gorgeous. The Building was massive and entirely made out of diamond. The garden was filled with flower shaped diamonds and you would think that they were once real flowers that were turned into diamonds.

Then we headed to the Chator. There we saw two combatants fighting each other. They were using the pillars for their advantage with each turn and once the other combatant admitted defeat, the fight was over. No unnecessary bloodshed.

After the pillar arena, we went to the place where all the dragon lord statues were held. The statues were massive and to go see each statue up close, you would need to walk quite a way to get there. We decided to listen to the guide who was telling stories about the dragon lords.

Apparently the dragon lord Fafnir is believed to be made by using dwarf blood as an ingredient. Fafnir would steal the treasure from kingdoms far and wide, until he met his end while trying to steal the dragon lord Bahamut's treasure. They fought and the victor was Bahamut as he didn't care for the destruction of his treasures in battle, while Fafnir tried to preserve them. It is said that Fafnir might have won if he didn't try to preserve the treasures. Fafnir was believed to be the strongest of all the dragon lords.

During the battle with Fafnir, Bahamut lost most of his powers. Dragon lord Bahamut was once called the magical serpent of the deep. He is the first sea dragon. He spent most of his time studying the arcane magic of this world. It is said that Bahamut spent a lot of time in the first layer ocean in the realm of Hou. There he gained a lot of magical abilities and artifacts. He met his end by being eaten by Stoor. It is unknown why Stoor did it, but it is theorized that Bahamut angered him somehow. It is commonly believed that Bahamut still exists in the sea of ignorance.

Kur was one of the most secretive dragons. He spends his time trying to catch the souls that are on their way to the afterlife. He got a lot of hate on him when he took the soul of a departed dragon champion. Dragon champion is a humanoid being who has the blessing of a dragon lord. This champion was on her way to get all of the existing dragon lords' blessings to become dragon hero until she met her end in the trap set by Kur. The dragon champion got most of the blessings of the dragon lords and Kur was one of the last ones to get. When Kur took her soul the dragon lords Bahamut, Akhekh, Quetzalcoatl and Lóng set their fangs on Kur and slayed him. It is said that Kur's soul still wanders the realms, scheming his return.

Stoor's statue was probably the most massive one. It easily took the fourth of the entire statue area. He didn't seem to have any wings or legs and it is believed that he is progenitor to earth dragons. He is the only dragon lord that can't fly. It is believed that Stoor was once blessed by the god Mors. It is said that once Stoor passes by, the pestilence will follow. That is if he decides to not eat anything. He is known to eat anyone who dares to oppose him, be it his own kin or any other. On top of eating Bahamut, Stoor also ate the body of Fafnir and parts of Kur. Apparently dragon lords don't need to eat to survive, just their offspring. He has strong poison in his fangs that is said to be able to kill a god or a demon prince. Stoor is known to do some questionable things at times, but he is generally known to mind his own business.

Tiamat is apparently the mother of the most common type of dragon. She is known to have strong connections to some demons and dragon folk. She is said to have told Fafnir about Bahamut's treasures and Stoor about their fight. Her flame is rumored to be the strongest of all the dragons.

Lóng is a guardian deity to some parts of Arutos. He is known to be wise and kind to those who treat others kindly. And to those who treat others wrong are said to incur his wrath. Like Ryū, he is a dragon with no wings that can still fly through the power of his magic.

Ryū is guardian to the ocean in the Isle of Dia and its surrounding islands. She is twin sister to Lóng. Her elemental prowess with water is known to be one of the best in the world. She is said to read into people's minds to judge their truthfulness and heart.

Quetzalcoatl is said to be blessed by the god Cantio and thanks to that he is well versed in all of the elements, especially the fire and wind. His powers are said to grow stronger by the sun's presence. In Arutos, some cultures offer him living sacrifices to appease him. He is someone that is known to be easily angered.

Akhekh is said to be blessed by the god Iter. In some cultures in Hiék, she is a guardian deity who will guide you home when you are lost. Her powers are said to grow with the presence of the moon. In the blood moon she is said to have given birth to her young or that she has slain a great evil. She is the only known dragonlord who has visited the Isle of Aeternus, during which she met with some of the gods.

It is said that some of the dragon lords have existed even before gods or that they walked the world at the same time as them. Generally dragons are thought to be smart creatures who can understand languages spoken by mortals but dragon lords are beyond that and can even speak languages long forgotten. Speaking to a dragon is considered lucky since dragons tend to be aggressive towards humanoid races. Speaking to a dragon lord is considered less lucky, since they usually are friendly if you are friendly to them.

Then the sun was starting to settle so we headed to a park that was filled with many beautiful trees. They were in all kinds of colors like pink, blue, white and red. Not all in together but slowly fading to each different color. We walked to a spot with white trees around us as we stopped.

- This is the place.

- I see.

There was no need for words as we both knew what this place was. The place where Aktor's family member died. There was a moment of silence.

- She would have liked you. I think. Though she was more tuned with her emotions than I never could. If you would have met her before she died and if you would have fallen in love with her, I would have probably accepted that.

- What was she like?

- She kind of was a free spirit. Did what she wanted, but never beyond the way of hurting others. She always tried to help her family and guide them toward a brighter future. If only she didn't exert herself too much, she might still live. Though she would slap me for thinking that and still be happy about it.

- Sounds like a fun company.

- She was.

Another moment of silence.

- Her mind couldn't handle the erosion. That's why she died. She just couldn't do things that she was able to do before each day and then she just stoped breathing. We tried everything we could, but it was of no use.

- Sounds terrible.

- Thankfully her mind's erosion didn't change who she was. Unlike many others.

- So erosion of mind changes who we are?

- Not everyone. It is just your mind naturally getting older. Look at the pope, he was able to leave racism out of politics before, but now he is doing this as his final wish.

- I still think we should just wait it out.

- He will just hire some bandits to kill him if we don't do something. We should just hide him somewhere as you said. But we still have to make double sure he is not found. We need to go to a lady I know. She should have an item in her shop that will suit our needs.

- What are we going to buy?

- An item that can change one's appearance with illusion magic.

- I see. Wait, so we are going with my plan now?!

- You only just realized it? We are going with your plan. Now give me a second.

He kneels.

- May your final wish reach all of us little one.

A moment of silence and then he stands up.

- Let's go. We have no time to waste.

- Got it.

We start walking out of the spot and Aktor stops for a second look for a moment. Then we head to the shop Aktor mentioned.

- Will she still have her shop open at this hour? It's getting late, you know.

- This is the time she usually opens her special inventory.

- So, wait. Are we going to do something illegal?

- You have a problem with that?

- No. Just checking.

We head into some shady looking pub.

- I'm honestly surprised there is something this shady in a city like this.

- Every place has its shady parts. Oi! Is Margarete in!?

The bartender says.

- Who's asking?

- Vån.

- She's in the back.

- Thanks.

We get through some drunken crowd and get to the back. We see a woman doing some business with some guy.

- Like I told you, it's 120 lux, as promised.

- I ain't going to pay you that much for a defective product!

- It ain't defective! It just looks a bit damaged.

- Keep the crappy thing. I ain't going to pay shit!

- It was a custom order, so you have to pay at least 30 lux for the trouble.

- I ain't paying shit!

The guy starts to leave and Aktor gets in his way.

- Move it, you bloke!

- The lady said that you need to pay for her troubles. So won't a good man pay for it?

Aktor looks a bit intimidating.

- B-but the thing is broken.

- Doesn't matter. You ordered it so you are going to pay for it.

- B-but...

- But what?

-... Fine! I buy the bloody thing! Here, 120 lux as promised! Now let me go!

The lady says.

- Happy doing business with you.

The guy now leaves with his item.

- You haven't changed a bit, have you been an old friend?

- I'm just doing my thing and customers get what they ask for. Because it doesn't look like a brand new one, doesn't mean they are defective.

- While I do agree with you, you could have given him some discount.

- I already took 20 lux off from the original price. What more does he want?

- There are guys like that in the wild so don't worry about it.

- Now, what brings you to my humble shop? Didn't think I would see you here.

- Got a big job coming up and I need an item for that.

- Then do tell, what item are you looking for?

- I'm looking for an item that can change one's appearance. Do you have any in stock?

- Let me take a look.

She goes searching for the item.

- Aah! Here it is.

- You found one?

- No. Not yet. I just found an item for the customer who is coming later this week. I was so worried that I couldn't find it in time.

She continues searching.

- Now here it is! A small ring that can make you look like a completely different person.

- Thanks, how much will it cost?

- Around 400 lux.

- How about 350 lux?

- 380 lux.

- 370 lux.

- 375 lux and it's a deal.

- Got it here you go.

She hands Aktor the ring the same time as Aktor hands her the lux.

- Now then we'll be off.

- Glad to do business with you!

We head out of the pub.

- So will we be going to find our target?

- Let's first get some rest. I'm sure he is sleeping as we speak.

We head towards an inn and get some sleep. The next day we are going around searching for our target. We asked some of the priests and came to a conclusion that he is likely at the orphanage. So we headed towards the orphanage.

There we saw many children playing happily with each other. We asked them about our target location and they led the way. Inside we saw the priest we were looking for. He was praying on his knees. Aktor interrupts him.

- Hey, are you John Carton?

- Yes, it is my name. Why do you ask?

- We have been hired to kill you.

- I see. Then why are you telling me this?

- Just to make sure we got the right guy.

- But how does that have to do with me knowing what you want to do?

- If we want you dead, we can do it at any time. We are here to make sure you won't be killed. My friend can tell you.

I start talking.

- Right, here is what we are going to do. You are going to announce that you are leaving on a pilgrimage. Then when people see you off, you will wear this ring and do what you normally do but as a different person. And when the pope dies, you can come back as yourself.

- What is this ring for? And while I can tell that the pope is trying to get rid of me, I still don't understand why I should trust you.

- As my friend just said. We could just kill you now and be done with. Maybe we are going to make it look like an accident when you travel. All that you will lose is that you die either in the church or out in the wild.

- You make it sound so simple. But strangely I feel like I can trust you. Perhaps it is a sign of the five.

- Great, now you take this and go do your thing in the main church.

- Right. I will come back in my false identity when I get out of the city. Then, when the current pope is dead, I will come back as myself. I guess I need to act in low profile when I'm in hiding.

- That's right. Good luck.

- Thank you both for not killing me. I will now be off.

The priest says goodbye to the children and leaves the orphanage with us.

We discuss what we will do and we come to a conclusion that we need to sever one of his fingers after he informs other high priests. We need to do so because we have to prove to the pope that we have killed him.

A while passes as we summon other high priests to the meeting hall. We wait and see all the high priests gather and one of them is a woman. John starts talking.

- I gathered you all today to inform you all that I'm going to a pilgrimage in all the corners of the Isle of Aeternus. That will take some time, so if I miss something important, don't mind my absence.

The woman high priest speaks.

- Why all of a sudden?

- I simply feel that I must get closer to the five gods. To achieve that, I must make a pilgrimage.

Another high priest speaks.

- Who are you going to make do your duties?

- I've taken care of my duties. There isn't going to be anything that can't be done by other high priests. I feel that I must do this so that my closeness with the five is stronger.

The room is silent. Then the pope states his opinion.

- I personally don't think it is necessary to do this. But if the lowly you wish to do so, feel free to do so. But I have one exception.

- What is it?

- You must take Aktor Vån and Nor with you as your guards.

- That's...

- Is there a problem?

- No, your holiness. No there is not.

- Then it is settled. Your duties fall to other high priests and they are to be done evenly. Do I hear any objections?

The room is silent.

- Then this meeting is over. You all may go.

We start walking with John and discuss what comes next.

- So does that mean we have to disappear also?

- Only you have to disappear from the area. I can manage to stay hidden in here. You go and make sure that the visits of John are recorded in the holy places.

- How am I going to convince them to do that?

- You must find a way to do it yourself. Don't worry. You only need to do a couple of them since we are going to pretend that John dies by cutting one of his fingers.

- How will I know when I don't need to go to the holy place?

- You can call Lex every time you are going to make your visit known. I will inform Lex about this matter and when I'm done with the finger thing.

- I see. Oh, perhaps I can pretend to be John in disguise.

John ads.

- Then you will need this.

He hands me something.

- It's my own personal ring. Every high priest has one when they are elected.

- Are you sure?

- It's the only way I can think of right now.

- Then thanks. I will make sure not to lose it.

- You better or my position will be gone when I return.

Aktor ads.

- Now we are all set. John and I are going to get some horses and you are going to summon your ransu.

We go to the stables and get John and Aktor horses. I summon my ransu and we are off the city by walking the longest bridge I've ever seen. It was made by a blue transparent magic that was coming from the start and the end of the bridge. At the end of the bridge we were on the mainland of Isle of Aeternus. Then we traveled for a while until the guards couldn't see us. There we parted ways as I was heading to the holy site and Aktor and John were heading back to the Atlas