Forgotten

In a room with a dark, strange character… the walls were made of iron and stone, and there was a bookshelf on the right side arranged horizontally.

And there was a large, tattered sofa in the corner of the room. The ceiling held a number of expensive chandeliers, though they were nearly destroyed. There was a table, its color black close to brown… at first glance it looked like a royal piece.

And in the back there was a chair with a long, broken, ruined back… yet it was fixed into the ground… Isaak was sitting in a tilted chair, his back reclined, one leg crossed over the other, his ten fingers interlaced together.

And there was a girl floating above the ground, her features unclear, standing near the bookshelf.

Isaak's eyes were closed and his face bore a suspicious, enigmatic smile… he spoke in a heavy, cryptic tone without moving his mouth:

"Mr. Azik Arakmand, what a sudden visit… you sit on the couch in an elegant manner, like a ghost lying in wait in silence."

Mr. Azik was sitting on the couch with one leg over the other, looking toward Isaak with eyes that emitted fire. Mr. Azik spoke in a dark, regal tone:

"Saint Isaak, it has been a long time since I came to this filthy place. How are the affairs of your village and Vowless."

Isaak chuckled lightly and spoke in a deep tone:

"You came here three times, and each time you never asked about the village or Vowless… leave the stalling. You came when you saw the black cloud above the square… is that right, Mr. Azik."

Mr. Azik closed his eyes and then opened them calmly, and spoke in a calm, regal tone:

"As always, you have an extremely sharp focus for knowing what stirs inside people… I have a question for you: has the Forgotten Beast awakened inside the body of the prince Vaitheless?"

Isaak opened one eye and spoke in a growling tone:

"And what is it to you, Mr. Azik?"

Mr. Azik laughed softly and spoke in a deep tone:

"You know it concerns me, and it concerns everyone in the other kingdoms… a disaster like this would topple even the First King."

Isaak placed his ten fingers on the table and spoke in a heavy tone:

"No. It's just a tamed dog inside the prince Vaitheless… so we need not fear it."

Mr. Azik spoke in a deep, questioning tone:

"And how do you explain his deadly attack toward Lady Malvina… he nearly cut off her head."

Isaak smiled a mysterious smile and spoke in a sly tone:

"When you raise a dog… what do you want from it? To protect you from any possible danger… so the Forgotten Beast did its duty to protect Vaitheless."

Suddenly… a colorless aura emerged, with no hue and no shadow, yet the air around him began to suffocate.

Mr. Azik sat with his hand on his cheek, one leg over the other, and his eyes gradually turned into total blackness… no white, no life… only a dark depth.

Then he said in a low voice, yet heavy as if carved from iron:

"Stopping the beast? I fought it while I could still see the light. But if it comes out again… I will extinguish everything, even the light."

A bloody cross appeared behind Isaak, exuding a heavy, terrifying aura. He placed two fingers on his chin and one finger on his cheek, wearing a wide, frightening smile. He spoke in a terrifying, heavy tone like a triple-arrow, without moving his mouth:

"You speak as if you were the only one who fought it… we all fought it, and we all lost… the only one who sealed it and broke its pride is an unknown entity, but most look to Emperor Zero as the one who did it."

Their auras were terrifying and immensely heavy… it was strange that the place did not shatter from their dreadful power. Mr. Azik spoke in a heavy, choking tone:

"Emperor Zero, the one without a name… it is a disgrace to compare him to any of us, but he is not here now. Will you guarantee everyone's safety from this Forgotten Beast, Saint Isaak?"

Saint Isaak's eye bled with a blood-red color born from the pulse of excitement; his heartbeat was noticeably accelerating. He spoke in an excited tone, laughing in a provocative manner:

"Mr. Azik, it's true that I am a saint… but when it comes to fighting I become someone else, and you know the forbidden epithet—especially when I go mad."

Mr. Azik laughed a heavy laugh as if issuing from another dimension, and spoke in an enigmatic tone:

"You haven't changed much, Saint Isaak. You took 'saint' as a brilliant cover, and you use it well."

Saint Isaak spoke in a heavy, sarcastic tone:

"A stage actor needs a strong heart, and a mind that understands how to memorize lines and stand before the audience without faltering… so I am like the actor, but I don't perform on the stage—I perform in reality."

The chandelier stopped moving due to the aura that surrounded the place. A smile appeared on Mr. Azik's face with a spectral white hue, and he spoke in a terrifying tone:

"How cunning you are; you study the matter and then dive into it without mistakes."

Both of them smiled mysterious smiles as if they had sunk into the conversation, and whenever they tried to step out, a single word appeared—making the dialogue grow even longer.

A slit in the air appeared in the shape of a needle, opening a dimension of black and red. From this dimension emerged a tall girl wearing a long red dress that revealed part of her abdomen and chest. Her features were unclear, and she held a scythe designed in the shape of an inverted cross.

The girl spoke in a calm tone, as if her voice moved smoothly only among those present:

"Mr. Azik, you have many tasks you must complete. The conversation with Saint Isaak will not end soon… because both of you love to talk about the past."

Their auras vanished when this mysterious girl appeared. Isaak spoke in a heavy tone as he placed his index finger and thumb on his chin:

"Everycrimson, I haven't seen you for a long time… your presence is always tied to Mr. Azik."

Everycrimson looked toward Saint Isaak with red eyes that lit up the place and spoke in a cold, beautiful tone:

"You may visit us, Saint. We are busy with some missions, and you know that. Especially after signs appeared of the Forgotten Beast's awakening."

Mr. Azik approached the black-and-red gate and entered it partially, speaking in a suffocating, regal tone:

"The boy—he doesn't die. But you can tame him."

Mr. Azik entered the gate as he finished his last line… Lady Everycrimson looked toward Saint Isaak and spoke in a cold tone:

"You must protect my son well; until another meeting, Saint…"

Lady Everycrimson entered the gate, and it closed quietly… the situation returned to normal. The person who was near the shelf whispered toward Isaak's ear in a delicate voice:

"I bet you have a plan through which you can control him."

Isaak looked toward her as he touched her cheek with his finger:

"Everything is planned, my dear."

———

On the other side… in a large room with a mirror and shelves filled with a precisely arranged collection of books… with a window through which moonlight streamed in, and six beds placed throughout.

This was the room of the Vowless group. Only four were present inside. Julianne spoke in a quiet and sad tone:

"I feel really sorry for Prince Vaitheless, and Lady Malvina."

Marceline had a pillow over her face and spoke in a cold, calm tone:

"I don't know what came over her, using that technique… It seems like she wanted to kill him because of her hatred toward his family."

"But what fault does Prince Vaitheless bear? He's just someone who lost everything because of the kings. He has nothing to do with it." Julianne sat up halfway and spoke in a suffocated tone, grief eating her from all sides.

"Holding a grudge against someone just because of their bloodline is petty… and we all noticed that Vaitheless wasn't using his full power. He was only training… and genuinely enjoying it." Caidus spoke in a calm tone while covering his body with the blanket.

Marceline removed the pillow from her face and looked toward Caidus, speaking in a sarcastic tone:

"Man, I almost forgot you were here… you barely speak."

Caidus didn't reply… Julianne spoke with a mocking tone and a funny expression:

"Looks like he's gone back into silent mode again, meow."

Both Julianne and Marceline laughed… then Julianne spoke in a soft tone as if she just remembered something:

"Right, I almost forgot… why has Vaitheless become a bit strange… even his aura has turned frightening, and what's the secret behind the black clouds?"

Marceline looked at her and placed her palm on her cheek, speaking in a questioning tone:

"I don't know… maybe he has a hidden power or something unknown. After all, he does come from a great lineage."

"You're right… it seems like Tawakizura and Lady Malvina aren't in the room…" Julianne spoke in a calm tone.

Marceline placed the pillow over her head again and spoke in a tired tone while yawning:

"Probably Lady Malvina is in her favorite spot, as for Tawakizura… no idea where he disappears to."

Eric spoke in a deep tone, reading one of the books with a candle next to him as a light source:

"Enough chatter, I'm trying to focus."

"Shut it, you half-mask." Julianne and Marceline both said at the same time with sarcastic tones.

———

And on the other side… Lady Malvina was sitting atop a mountain called Malwa, surrounded by trees and flowers that lifted the spirit and soothed the soul.

From that summit, one could see a beautiful, colossal gothic palace, with the moon directly above it…

Lady Malvina sat on the ground, body curled inward, hugging her arms as if leaning on herself. Her shoulders were slouched forward, and her head was bowed low, hidden by her long white hair. Her legs were pressed together, wrapped in the edges of her long coat.

Her features were sunken in silence, and her entire posture gave off a sense of deep defeat… she moved her beautiful lips and spoke in a sweet, broken tone:

"What brought you here, Tawakizura?"

Tawakizura gave a soft chuckle as he stepped forward with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the beauty of the moon. He spoke in a calm, deep voice:

"When the world tightens around you… this is always your place of retreat."

Lady Malvina smiled and spoke in a sad tone:

"There is no retreat in this wretched world… I'm just trying to escape reality and drown in impossible dreams."

"There's no such thing as impossible in this world… The word 'impossible' was invented by a failure and believed by others like him. So don't be one of them." Tawakizura replied with a steady and calm tone.

Then he added in the same tone, preparing to leave:

"It's better for you to apologize to him… judging a person based on their lineage is narrow thinking, my lady."

Tawakizura walked calmly and steadily into the trees… On the other side, Lady Malvina let out a long sigh and spoke in a soft, sorrowful tone:

"Apologize to him… I've only known him for half a day, yet… why do I feel this sadness for him?"