The King's Game - Blackbarrow Arc (Part 1)

Chapter 9: Isamaya's Trust & The Meeting

"Do you really believe he can be trusted? Nobody truly knows if he is the Gods' messenger."

"Don't worry, he is the Gods' messenger for sure; I could feel it. Once he learns the truth behind his so called Gods, he will be more than willing to join our cause."

"But what if he doesn't learn about their true nature? Or what if he doesn't care and continues to support them."

"You trust me don't you Isamaya?"

"You know I do, I would not be a worthy successor to the steel throne if I didn't believe and trust you. You have been protecting Silverdrift for thousands of krosts without rest."

"Good then trust me on this as well. Aside from you, no mortal knows about the Fallen. The only way he could have known about the innkeeper is if the Gods showed him a vision. That is proof enough that he has the Gods backing to a certain degree."

"But what will we do about the texts you told me to speak about? They clearly do not exist."

"For me to conjure simple texts about the Fallen is no hassle at all, in fact it is already done and in your personal library. You know what to do when he returns with the proof."

"Yes, I will see that it is done, oh great Niarajuel."

In Isamaya's private library, Jacob sat and conducted his research. He read scroll after scroll, trying to connect the dots so that he himself could better understand more about the Fallen. He was well into his research when a young female entered the library carrying a tray of food.

"Grand duchess Isamaya has commanded me to tend to your every need. The guards have told me that you have yet to leave this room, so I brought some food for you. Should you need to rest I will escort you to your room in the palace. Do not worry about your belongings, they were all taken from the inn and placed in your room in the palace." The young female said as she placed the tray of food on the desk next to Jacob.

"You have my thanks. I doubt I will be going to sleep anytime soon, so do not worry about me and get some rest yourself." Jacob said with a smile, before he turned back to the scroll he was reading.

"As you wish." The young female said, then she made her way out of the room.

Jacob came across an interesting passage that described a creature called the Dark Lord and how he came to be.

The Dark Lord is the greatest threat and mistake ever made by those with higher powers. It is said that millenniums ago one of the Goddess fell in love with one of the Demon King's sons, but she knew they would never be allowed to meet. The Demon King's son was said to be the greatest warrior ever, his power at a young age rivalled that of even the Demon King himself. Once he had come of age, to prove his power to his father, he single-handedly decimated the centaurian race with his bare hands and without using any of his powers.

A chance meeting between the Goddess and the Demon King's son led to the two falling in love with each other. Their relationship was soon discovered and they both ran from their homes to the mortal realm. The Gods sent many warriors after them, but the Demon King's son proved to be too strong. It was only once they had a child, that the Gods were able to kill the Goddess and the Demon King's son. The Gods and Demon King themselves do not know how the two became so weak, it was only when they discovered a child hidden under the bed that they realised why.

The Spawn of the Goddess and Demon King's son was so powerful that any angel that got close was corrupted in an instant. The Gods were at a loss and had no choice but to ask the Demon King for his help. The Demon King knew any higher power that approached the child would be corrupted. The only option left was for the Demon King and the Gods to merge their power and seal the child away. Over the krosts the child's energy leaked through the seal, allowing a mortal version of the child to be born, with a linked mind to the original.

The Gods and Demon King could do nothing, but strengthen the seal every hundred krosts, in hope that nobody would be able to break the seal and let loose the most powerful creature to ever exist. That creature was known as the Dark Lord, ruler of the Fallen.

His followers all bear the same mark as a symbol of their loyalty to the Dark Lord. It is the symbol of the seal* used to seal the Dark Lord away.

*Refer to fig15

Jacob looked through the scrolls for the illustration of the symbol. If he could just find that then he would have all the evidence he needed so convince Isamaya to trust him. Eventually he came across the scroll he needed, it was by far the most worn scroll. Jacob thought that just by touching the scroll it would turn to dust, yet miraculously the scroll remained intact.

"Finally I have what I need!", Jacob exclaimed, "I need to inform Isamaya at once."

As Jacob stood up he felt a wave of exhaustion consume his remaining energy. He steadied himself by holding onto the desk for support, but it just wasn't enough. Jacob fell to the ground and entered a deep slumber, where even the Gods' visions could not reach him.

A dim candle lit the room, and Jacob could make out a female voice humming what sounded like a lullaby. Slowly raising his body, Jacob looked next to him and saw the young female that brought him food.

"I see you have awakened. I will get you some water, and you must be famished so I will bring you some food as well. Just lay back and relax, I will be right back." The young female said as she scurried out of the room.

"To think I was out for a whole vrot. Did I really burn myself out that much? It matters not, I have everything I need to convince Isamaya."

Jacob had barely finished his train of thought, when the young female entered the room carrying a tray of food. The aroma made Jacob realise just how hungry he was, and he dug right into the food. The young female sat down, gave Jacob a polite smile and begun to hum once again. Once Jacob finished his meal, he asked the young female to leave the room so he could bathe himself, there was no way he could meet Isamaya without washing first. Complying to his wishes, Jacob was left alone to bathe.

"I need to see Isamaya at once, I found the evidence I needed yesterday before I passed out." Jacob said to the young female as he made his way to collect the scroll.

"You seem to be mistaken sir; you collapsed three vrots ago."

"Three vrots ago?", Jacob exclaimed, "No no no, that can't be right. Why did nobody wake me?"

"We were ordered not to disrupt your rest. The grand duchess said you need the rest after all the work you did without food or rest."

"I suppose she does have a valid point; my sleep was so deep not even the Gods could enter it. Anyway I need to see Isamaya right this instant, before it's too late."

"She is already waiting for you, I told the guards to notify her once you woke up. The scrolls you need are also in her possession, so we can head straight to the throne room."

Jacob was led by the young female to the throne room, where once again the steel throne shaped like an anvil was empty. Jacob was about to ask where Isamaya was when, just like their first meeting, she emerged from behind the throne. This time she did not look to the ceiling, nor did she take a seat on the throne.

"Come to me, I wish to show you something."

"That can wait, I need to warn you about the innkeeper."

"That will happen in time, this is something you need to be shown."

Jacob, unable to argue any further, made his way to Isamaya. She took him to the edge of the cliff, behind the steel throne, where they both gazed into the abyss that was the meeting.

"This is something that cannot be explained to you without it taking too much time. You were left to sleep, only because she ordered it. It is time for you to go see her, she will explain the rest to you. I believe you have already met, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock for you."

"I do not understand what you are talking about Isamaya, who has the power to give you commands aside from Cona-"

Jacob's sentence was cut short as he felt Isamaya shove him. He was completely caught off guard, and by the time he realised what was happening it was far too late. Jacob plunged head first into the meeting; where he was met with nothing but an intense heat and darkness."