7. This World
After the test, some people dressed in white entered through a door that Name hadn't noticed, and took the wounded outside immediately.
An hour later Name had decided to walk around the mansion alone.
The rooms were on the upper floor, below was the great room, on the right the corridor towards the arena, the library and the classroom. (The hole in the ground was gone)
On the left, on the other hand, there was another room, more furnished, with another fireplace, sofas, armchairs and carpets, then the glass door to the outside.
The mansion seemed to be located on top of a mountain, only snow and fog below.
She didn't even have the strength to speak.
She was sure that punch hadn't hit Aldien. Something else had hit him, and it came from her.
Aldien.
Only one person had knocked out six, including Kein, who despite not having been a serious injury, would have had to rest for the rest of the day.
"You're funny."
It was the first time that Name had felt so angry.
She bit her lip helplessly, watching the snow fall outside.
He had hurt so many people, in such a cruel way.
"This world is like this".
I know.
I know.
I know.
This world.
She had only been there for a day and she still didn't quite understand where she was.
Fera was sleeping, she had used her magic too much, and ended up having a fever.
She had to find the answers for herself.
Library.
Strange. She remembered books, she remembered bookcases, but no title, no cover, no color. Nothing.
She could also read, but she didn't remember any alphabet, no writing, it was just implanted in her.
She opened the large old wooden door, with "Library" on the gold plate beside it.
There was no one inside, there was no one even around the mansion, they were all resting.
The three-format teams now even shared the same room.
When Name had come out of hers, Fera, with a fever, was throwing a pillow at Kein, who had passed out, yelling to get him out of there.
In fact, there were many rooms upstairs, all without nameplates.
The library didn't move her much, it had three rows, plus those on either side, of tall wooden bookcases.
The ceiling was very high, the opposite wall was totally glass, hexagonal, dirty and full of dust.
Everything in there was dirty, even the chairs.
No one had been in there for a while, Name wondered if it was a place she shouldn't have entered.
Deorum. World. History.
She needed to find some book that understood those terms, but she had no idea where to start.
They were all books of different colors, with no titles or symbols to distinguish them.
Name looked up, the bookcases were at least two meters high.
I ... I'll never make it alone.
«Oh, are you interested in botany?»
A voice startled her, knocking her into one of the bookcases.
A series of books fell, one fell on her head.
As she massaged it she turned to the unknown voice.
At the door jamb stood a boy, almost as tall as her, with orange-brown hair and brown eyes.
He had freckles and was slightly flushed in his cheeks, his hair was pulled back with a pin on his forehead.
He recognized him: Sky, he was on Aldien's team.
«Oh... uhm...» Name looked around, confused.
Meanwhile Sky approached.
«I'm Sky, you're Name, right?»
Name nodded, shaking his hand, more than a squeeze it seemed an attempt to sprain, up and down, up and down.
He really has a strong grip.
Name only now noticed the peculiarity of his eyes: the pupil was not black, but blue.
«I love books, isn't it wonderful to escape from reality and go to another world?» the boy laughed.
«I also love the smell of paper.»
He looked innocent.
A bit like a puppy.
«Do you need help?» he asked energetically, picking up the fallen books and putting them back.
«Um ... About Deorum ... I'd like information about Deorum.»
Sky laughed.
«That's difficult, there are entire volumes on the outside world, mostly politics. Nothing special. The world of is a little ...
«Oh! Wait up!» Sky ran out of the library, leaving Name there.
Once she arranged all the books, the boy returned in a hurry.
He had a small book in his hand.
«There it is. When I was chosen to enter Deorum I was rearranging my library. By mistake, I had this in my hand.»
Sky passed her the book, it was quite old, red and with a golden symbol on the cover.
A circle surrounded by 12 drops. In the center of the drops was a circle and inside the circle were 4 other smaller ones, plus a four-pointed star.
«It's a book I have since I was a child. Ignore my writing.» he left the book in her hand and ran back out of the library.
«Wait!»
Just in time, Sky turned around.
«Thank you.» Nome was so grateful, he had been as kind as Fera had been.
«You're really good.»
Sky stared at nothing for a moment, surprised.
Then he smiled at her, blushing.
«We must always help those who have names as weird as ours!»
For the first time, Name giggled.
-
Quietly, Name sat down in front of the large window and began to read the book.
It didn't take long to realize that it was a children's picture book.
A long, long time ago, mankind didn't have any power.
Humans were lazy, sad, lonely, abandoned.
The faded drawing depicted five black figures with blue tears.
Then the gods appeared, bringing salvation to all. The gods. They brought the magic, pulled it out of the ground: the twelve powers.
The image on the next page depicted the five silhouettes, now white, wrapped in color, smiles and light.
Name decided to skip a few pages.
Twelve powers. Ok.
Nome only remembered now that Fera had listed them all for her.
Water, fire, wind, earth, wood, metal, rock, psyche, energy, ice, light and dark.
So she owned one?
If she had known what kind of magic she had, she would have found what realm she was born in!
Yet that white-lit fist of hers did not match any of the illustrations.
Ah!
One of the last pages which illustrated the map of Deorum: it was the symbol of the cover.
Twelve kingdoms outside.
A circle and shortly after another circle within it. The 0.
So I'm here.
They were after three more circles, one smaller than the other. They were referred to as "major circles".
Those with a thinner stroke were the "minor circles", there were 10 for each of the three major circles.
The entrances were 24, but two two had been crossed out with a pen: 22 entrances.
Skipping to the last page, Name read the ink-stained words.
From that moment, the world of Deorum was accessible to men. Only the most worthy who were chosen: only one day of the year, during that day, the gods would choose the people who were candidates to become a God.
Challenges, tests, cities, societies were established in the world.
All for the conquest of the power of a God.
Name closed the book.
«So you enter here to become a God.» she said thoughtlessly.
Did I come here for this too? Was I chosen by the gods for this?
Fera too?
Do they all want to become a God?
Name sighed sadly.
«Not exactly.»
«Wah!» Name, startled, fell forward.
Unfortunately he recognized the voice: Aldien's.
He didn't help her up, but sat down comfortably, taking the book off the ground.
«I know this one.» looking at the book, even if he was sitting with one elbow propped up, he still seemed intimidating.
Name shivered at the memory of how he had knocked down everyone, even hurting Fera.
«I forgot you have no memory, what do you want to know about Deorum?»
Why is he talking to me?
Name stood up uncertainly, keeping an eye on Aldien.
What did he have in mind?
Would he really answer her questions?
Is it worth trying?
«In truth, there is no one in this world who doesn't want to enter Deorum. It's an honor to be chosen by the gods for a challenge. Everyone prepares for the solstice of the two seasons. Even children arm themselves, in the possibility that they are chosen.»
He paused, staring out.
«Who wouldn't want to be a God? Or who would not want to enter the world of Deorum?... Only you.»
Name wasn't ready for such a serious conversation, she thought he would attack her.
«Is there no way to get out of here?»
Name already knew the answer.
«No. Not really.»
Then silence fell.
Name summed it up.
I have to find my memories.
I know where I am.
But where should I go?
In Name a light bulb went on in an instant.
«Where is Auset?» Name remembered that place only at that moment.
Her dream, her dreams, she was already forgetting them, like distant images dissolving.
Aldien looked at her, his black eyes seemed to have no reflection, no light.
«Here.» Aldien handed her the book, pointing to the map of Deorum.
The second major circle.
«Ausar, Auset and Heru. They're the ancient names of the three major circles.»
Name was filled with joy.
A place. A clue.
Well. It was wide, very wide, very far.
But it was something.
The second circle. I'll have to get there but ...
But a doubt soon instilled itself in her.
«How do you know?»
Aldien stared at her before giggling in her face.
«I only know everything about this place, you can ask when you want.» having said this he got up, walking away and leaving the library.
Aldien had been almost kind, but Name still found him terrifying.
Especially for the fact that he had sent Miki to kill her: she would never forget that.
Name stayed there for a while, reread the book and the little notes written in pen.
Only when she was about to leave it, she read two sentences on the front cover, written by different pens.
Is everyone happy in the world of Deorum?
It was written by the black pen in the book, but in blue there was the answer.
Yes.
-
The sunset was an exceptional sight, especially from up there, too bad Name couldn't see it.
They had dined earlier and Mr. Xulio had only come in to tell them to go to sleep before sunset.
"The lesson will be at six," he had said this and repeated that he had no time.
Shortly after, she tried to give the book back to Sky, but he told her to keep it.
«I've been trying to get rid of it for some time. It will be more useful to you than to me.»
For some reason Name didn't believe him.
In her room, Aldien had greeted her with a largely false smile, so Name got scared and ran away with the book.
Now she was in her room trying to catch a glimpse of the sunset from the window.
Fera was still k.o. and Kein had woken up shortly after dinner, going back to sleep soon after.
Name wanted to talk to Fera: to talk about her dreams, her doubts, that strange white glimmer, Sky's kindness and Aldien's arrogance.
But she couldn't, at least luckily the fever was gone.
I'll have to read more books on wooden magic. Is it always so tiring?
Besides, Kein was a big question mark.
He looked normal, a little grumpy and gruff, outside, but Name had seen him kill two people.
Two innocents.
He didn't seem as lowly as Aldien, yet something in him told her to stay away.
Name was fine with that, Fera was kind, Sky too.
There weren't just bad people there.
Her pajama was one-colored, of the same light blue, with the two blue stripes and the same word "winter".
She didn't even notice how tired she was until she got into bed and sank into a long sleep.
-
This time she immediately found herself in front of the bowl.
She still had no reflection.
She didn't even understand why, did it not reflect anything because she was without memory?
Name waited, in that body staring at the ground, for the lady who was about to appear.
She wanted to hear her bells, but she didn't hear a sound.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Many minutes passed, but nothing.
No, wait.
Name was stuck in that position, seeing nothing but her hands, the bowl and the dark rocky ground.
But it was all different.
The rock was not well lit, the bowl was a little smaller and more yellow, not gold.
This isn't the same dream.
She began to tremble, if in the dream she could not control her body, in this feint she could wriggle slightly.
«Found her.»
It was a male voice.
Echoes of slow footsteps.
It was getting closer.
«You shouldn't be here. You cannot.»
The bowl, in an instant, was overturned by a kick.
Now she wasn't looking at anything.
She felt a slight pressure on the back of her neck.
He was stroking her hair.
«Your destiny is another.»
And with that he smashed her head to the ground.