Inverted Deck

Inverted Deck (Chapter 31)

Chapter 31

"Charta, this world we inhabit, has many lands, and has known many wars throughout its history. One of the last wars to occur happened 20 years ago I believe, between The Kingdom of Cor and The Kingdom of Ligonem, or what was then known as The Empire of Raisukihen, it was us, versus an entire Kingdom of Dragonlites, a monstrous race of human-dragon hybrids. That battle was one of, if not the hardest battles both me and your mother have fought in our lives." My father begins.

"Wait, Mother fought in the war as well!?" I ask.

"Indeed she did, before and right after she gave birth to you in fact, coming from a noble clan, the Lavrenti's, she personally enlisted in the war against Raisukihen, for her own personal reasons. Her power and position became so known on the battle, she was given the moniker "Daburath: the Dragon Slayer." My father chuckles. "Oh how long ago that was. Well to make a long story short, me, your mother, and my brigade of Cor soldiers were one of the last fronts alive against Raisukihen. A lot of my men died that day." My father drops his head. "We were outmatched and outnumbered, I was down to half of my men, with your mother injured from the effects of the battle and we were cornered by the Dragonlite army, the situation was dire... and in that dire situation... I made a risky decision that costed me everything. Finn, do you know what happens when one is fully overcome with Miasma?" My father asks.

His words instantly remind me of what Voncent said at the end of our fight more than month ago.

"You turn into a hateful right?" I respond.

"Correct, you turn into a hateful, a monster full of rage and darkness whose lost their complete sense of self. The Shroud Scale yearns and is fed from Miasma. So what do you think happens when we fully are Shrouded with the Shroud Scale for too long?" My father asks.

"We... become hateful ourselves?"

My father nods his head yes.

"Usually Atleast. I've seen it happen. Brothers, Sisters, uncles, overcome with tainted Aether and Miasma, so much so that the Shroud Scale consumed them. That is why the Shroud Scale is so dangerous, as powerful as it may be... at the end of the day it is still but a parasite."

"Sisters... is that how aunt Pa'Lita..." I ask reluctantly.

"Your Aunt Pa'Lita... my sister, she was well aware of the Fate of the Atlas, and those that bore the Shroud Scale, that is the very reason she became scientist and Aetherologist, so that she could cure our shrouded fate from occurring, but...."

My father pauses, the long silence drives a wedge through my chest as I feel his pain from behind the Runebarrier.

"...but her own Miasma and devouring power caught up to her before she could finish her work, before she could finish-!"

"-Coalescent Fang?" I interject.

My fathers face brightens up.

"Yes, the last relic she created, so... your mother bestowed it upon you I see."

I nod.

"Well I hope you use it well, now knowing the lore behind it."

"I will. I promise." I say quickly before thinking. "But father, how come it didn't go to you, before me?"

"Because... I... I was already passed the point of no return..."

"Wh-what... do you mean?" I ask.

My father sighs.

"This might be hard for you to hear but... okay. Back at the battle against Raisukihen, the decision I made, to save everyone... I didn't hold back the Shroud Scale anymore, I had it fully Shroud me, slowly but surely consuming both my Miasna and my body. I became... a... a-!"