FATE :: YGGDRA

KINGDOM I: The Successor

Day 7, Month 8, Year 469 of the Fifth Age

Gilvaris Summer Palace, THE KINGDOM

Only recently entering twenty-two years of age, the illness that ravaged Lapis visibly robbed him of a luster that should have matched his sister Larimar's beautiful golden locks. Despite his almost normal look otherwise, his physical strength continued to wane, depriving him of the freedom to use even his own legs. Eventually, the ailment left him confined to a wheelchair, restricting the parts of the world this man could explore at his leisure. He found himself increasingly distant from a memory of running across a beautiful grassland, feeling all blissful and free just like his childhood many summers ago. It was an unexpected turn of fate of becoming the next conduit for the Prophecy that his prison ended up being not as bleak as he would have expected. It was more of a gilded cage, for a lack of better word.

Since he made a promise to Larimar to cherish his life, however, Lapis will do his best to at least appear resolute in the presence of others. And thus, it has been written.

Having woken up just before sunrise to start the day with a morning prayer, Lapis, now well-fed and dressed in fresh attire, emerged from his private chambers with Larimar faithfully pushing his wheelchair. There, a golden-haired and blue-irised middle-aged man, the same person as the one who accompanied their leisure stroll yesterday, was found standing with a calm air that he exuded.

"Safety and peace be with you, My Disciple, Sister Larimar. How are you feeling this morning?"

"On you as well, Master Roshe," Lapis replied gracefully, doing his best to match the courtly tone used by the man. "For us to be able to live to see another day, truly, it's a blessing from the Sibling Gods. I don't feel too much discomfort."

The man named Roshe raised his head and gazed approvingly at Lapis' response before asking another question, "Well then, what would be your plans for this day?"

"For starters, I would like to visit the library to do some studies on my own until noon, Master."

"I understand. Then, shall we?"

Lapis nodded, and Roshe offered himself to push the wheelchair so that Larimar could walk beside her brother. The place they were in was impressively vast, but almost to the point of excess that simply going to the library is quite a trip, as Lapis mused to himself. Even though the week prior to his first Prophecy would normally see a break from his training as managed by the agency to which Roshe also belonged, Lapis with his limited choice of activity chose to study independently. Like a silver lining among a dark cloud, the Summer Palace was also a place to compensate for his inability to move freely—a place where he could see the world through the information condensed in the quality tomes that were well within his reach.

"Is everyone doing alright, Master?" while waiting for their arrival at the library, Lapis raised his voice and asked Roshe.

"Oh. Yes, everyone else is still blessed with good health even today. As a matter of fact, other than the ongoing war and the preparation for the upcoming Prophecy, there is nothing else out of the ordinary happening as of late."

"Nothing out of the ordinary..." Larimar mused, "Even without His Eminence's presence, for everyone in THE KINGDOM to be able to operate normally is... how should I put it...?"

"These are already trying times out there. His Eminence wouldn't want any more disruptions in the lives of the Faithful. Of course, there are always complex issues at hand, but if you have been paying attention to my previous lectures, you should know the general reason why he implemented the current system of governance."

"Ah, worry not, My Master, I clearly remember the duties and responsibilities of the Hierarchs, including the three Agencies and six Wardenries under them," Lapis smiled lightly.