Chronicles of Galadria I_The Other World

by David Gay-Perret

  As he reflected on all of these things, he left the two farmers, who accompanied him as far as the doorway that led out of their home and onto the streets of Shinozuka. Glaide felt no displeasure at once again seeing the village that already seemed so familiar, and after saying goodbye to the man and woman, he headed back to find his friends.

  After finally managing to return to the inn – not without asking at least a dozen people for directions – he learned that his friends had left to find him, so he decided to try to follow their tracks. After questioning five different passers-by, he found himself before two small shops that stood side by side. The one sold clothing, while the other sold... weapons! Of course, with that deep pacifism that so characterized him, he headed – without the slightest hesitation – for the weapon shop.

  Before crossing the threshold, he shot a glance through the window, where a veritable arsenal could be seen: swords, bows, crossbows, shurikens, lances, kunais... All of the merchandise had edges and points sharper than anything he had ever seen – besides his own blade – and they had been finely worked. However, the adolescent found them rather impersonal. They had no soul. His own thoughts surprised him, but he had to admit that his own sword meant more to him. If he lost it, he would be saddened much more than would be necessary for any mere object made of steel. She was like a fifth companion on their journey!

  On that thought, he decided to enter. The interior of the shop was like something out of a dream: weapons as far as the eye could see, on shelves, and all within easy reach. He could touch them, take them in his hands!

  The shopkeeper, from behind his counter, called to him, saying, “Good morning, young man! Can I help you with something? Are you looking for a weapon in particular?”

  “Umm, well, no, I’m just looking.”

  “Alright, then in that case, would you like to try out one of my wares?”

  Without really believing what was happening, Glaide watched the merchant approach him, take up a lance, and hold it out to him.

  “Here, try this for me! Very well balanced, with a blade of tempered steel. It’s not made for a cavalry charge, but it’s of excellent quality for a fight that’s one-on-one.” While the young man tried – for the very first time – to manipulate a lance, the man continued to extol the merits of his product. Finally, the merchant prompted him to try another weapon. He wielded a crossbow, knives, and then a halberd. He had the impression that he’d tried everything in the shop, while in reality, he’d hardly seen anything yet!

  However he noticed small round cavities about the size of his palm on every guard and handle he was handling. He chose to say nothing, though, as his conversation with the farmers a few minutes earlier had taught him how easily he could betray himself. The adolescent finished by setting a two-handed sword on the shelf and giving voice to a remark that had long since been on the tip of his tongue. He’d come to appreciate the scope of the merchant’s knowledge, and he didn’t hesitate to say, “Your weapons are beautiful and sharp, but I’m surprised not to see a katana...”

  His observation seemed to cause a strange reaction in the other man; a shadow of sadness and regret dropped over his face, one that couldn’t have anything to do with simply having an item out of stock. “I seem to be decidedly good at asking questions,” Glaide sarcastically thought to himself. The merchant began to speak.

  “You see, those weapons belong to the Ancient Times, and consequently, we cannot forge them at all. They are weapons of powerful magic, and we don’t know how to make them. It is said that there is a temple where such weapons are still made... but I cannot tell you where.”

  “Oh, it doesn’t matter. Thank you all the same!” And with that, Glaide left the shop. He could hardly feel surprise at this peculiar event, his mind was so saturated with new information. “Yes,” he thought, “I need to clear my head. Where are the others?” He continued on his way, until he found himself before the second shop, and it was just then that three clients left the shop. They didn’t see the young man, and he had to jump to the side to avoid being run over. The three strangers immediately apologized. The group was made up of a boy and two girls of about the same age as him...

  “What on earth?” exclaimed Glaide. He’d just recognized his friends, now dressed in the local style.

  “What’s with you?” wondered Emily aloud. “Don’t you like our new outfits?” She wore pants made of brown leather and a loose-fitting vest in some black material. Her arms were bare, and she had purchased a golden band to wear on her upper arm. Jeremy, in turn, now wore a heavy jacket made of light brown leather that would protect him somewhat from strikes of the sword, but still allowed him a good range of motion. The jacket left his forearms uncovered. He had opted for some type of pants in the color of blood. “Almost like shorts,” thought Glaide, not without a smile. Gwenn wore pants made of thick, black fabric. She had a belt of the same color of leather, and a sort of red t-shirt under a leather vest that wasn’t quite as thick as Jeremy’s.

  “But those are our savings that you’ve spent!”

  “Stop, stop, we’re not ruined as far as I can tell,” Jeremy said joyously.

  “And am I to know the reason for this sudden desire to change,” asked Glaide, rather cynically.

  “Certainly,” responded Gwenn. “You left, and we didn’t care to wait for you indefinitely. So, we finally decided to tour the area and, completely by accident, we arrived before this shop. And after all, we’re not exactly inconspicuous, dressed in jeans. At least now we look a bit more local! Plus, it’s fun. It’s like a real-life role-playing game! You ought to do the same.”

  “Yes, I suppose it’s true, but there are more important things. I’ve spoken with a number of people here, and it is absolutely imperative that we go to the library that the king spoke of. We have much to learn.”

  Though he didn’t admit it, Glaide would have loved to wear those clothes. On the other hand, though, the ones he was wearing reminded him of his own world. Despite how little importance he attached to that, he was still happy to wear them as souvenirs. “I’ll change soon enough,” he said.

  At this, the four friends agreed to present themselves at the library. They suddenly noted that it was past midday, however, and their stomachs grumbled as though they were starved. They decided accordingly to stop first at the inn and eat. An hour later, they again took up the path towards the Tower of Dawn. Glaide decided in the end not to tell his friends all that he had learned; he could explain everything tomorrow. At the moment, he needed to unwind a little.

  Along the way, they passed numerous boutiques and merchants of all sorts, so that in the end, they decided to put off their visit to the king until the next day. After trying out the specialties of the four corners of the Known Lands, and having watched jugglers, acrobats, and other street performers, they decide to return to the inn. Then, once dinner was finished, they went to bed, in a state of joyfulness and comfort.

  Chapter 18

  THE four friends headed toward the Tower of Dawn the next morning. After asking for directions yet again to find their way, and while listening to Glaide’s summary of everything he learned, they reached their destination and found – much to their surprise – the same two guards who had met them on their last visit. They greeted them with a brief nod, giving them permission to pass.

  Upon reaching the throne room, the teens were astonished not to find the king. A much older man met them. They explained to him who they were seeking, and the individual informed them that the sovereign was at his morning training session. Nonetheless, he agreed to take them to him. He approached one of the numerous red tapestries, which he lifted up, revealing a massive door made of black wood with imposing iron hinges. It opened without a sound, and they all entered a room paneled in light wood, with tatami – traditional Japanese mats made of straw.

  The king was practicing maneuvers with a sword, completely alone. Sunlight filtered in through doorways covered in rice paper. The room was filled with
an almost palpable serenity and freshness. With a look, the four teens agreed on one thing: this room wasn’t part of the tower, and the system for reaching it appeared to be much like that used for the garden plots. The stranger announced the visitors, and the monarch paused his training immediately to come over and greet them.

  “Hello, my friends! How are you?”

  “Very good, and you?” asked Emily in turn.

  “I’m doing well, thanks. What can I do for you?”

  “We would like to consult the books in your library, if that would be possible,” replied the young woman.

  “It’s always open to you. Are you looking for something in particular?”

  “We’d like to find some information on this world at large, plus more specifically on magic,” explained Gwenn.

  “Ah, magic! A truly mysterious phenomenon, even for our greatest sorcerers. You should know straight away, that learning about this world will take much more than a single day!”

  “We have plenty of time,” exclaimed Jeremy joyously.

  “Zorick!” called the king.

  Their guide stepped forward. “Yes, your majesty?”

  “Conduct our friends to the Great Library of Knowledge, answer all of their questions, and bring them whatever they wish to eat at lunchtime.”

  “With pleasure, sir,” responded Zorick with a warm smile. “Follow me, please.”

  Before they did, the king interrupted to say, “Actually, you should know that we’ve arranged to take care of the cost of your lodging and meals. Everything has been arranged with the innkeeper.” The young people thanked him, then left the room as he returned to his training.

  Knowing that their return to the throne room occurred thanks to some sort of teleportation, the young people paid attention to see if they felt something as they moved through the doorway. However, to their surprise, even with such concentration, they had the impression that they had done nothing more or less than to take an ordinary step.

  The man called Zorick led them past a new wall hanging. Like the others, it was red and embroidered with a gold katana. Glaide wondered what that might signify, but didn’t dwell on his thoughts, instead following Zorick, who was already passing through the new doorway.

  Thus the four friends discovered the Great Library of Knowledge. Contrary to what the name might cause one to assume, the room itself somehow didn’t seem particularly big, as it was crowded with a multitude of shelves filled with books. There were books of all colors, of all sizes. The young people, all great readers, felt lost in the middle of all of this knowledge. Ladders allowed access to works placed on the highest shelves.

  The floor was covered in a number of dark-colored rugs, and the bookshelves formed walls within the room. “This place looks an awful lot like a labyrinth,” thought Glaide with amusement. The group advanced a little and sidestepped an old man occupied with reading. He was seated in a chair, his book resting on a small table. The table was situated in a sort of alcove formed by the furniture in the far left corner of the room.

  From there, a staircase led up to another floor. It was a spiral staircase, made up of not more than twenty steps, which the young people and their guide climbed so that they could continue their tour. They were led into a mezzanine that offered an unobstructed view of the lower floor. From this position, it all appeared even more impressive. On this floor, they found another small table for one, along with a chair. It was framed in by two more bookshelves, while even more shelves were placed against the wall. Furthermore, there was a door made of wood built in between two shelves and guarded by two soldiers. The door appeared extremely heavy, and immediately awakened the curiosity of the group. With emphasis, Zorick declared that it protected the famous Book of Eternal Twilight.

  “Famous, so they say,” murmured Glaide to the great satisfaction of his friends. However, the man didn’t seem to notice that his declaration had so little effect on them. He took on a grave air, and announced the presence of a second object: the eoren of light. The four friends took the time to think back over their recently-acquired knowledge of these artifacts, even if their knowledge of their properties remained obscure. The man added simply that this type of eoren only existed in this single example, and Glaide promised himself that he would find out more information on the topic.

  Though the young people couldn’t begin to conceive of the importance of the two aforementioned objects, their curiosity was piqued, to the point that Zorick noticed, and offered to show them the Book of Eternal Twilight. He added that, not knowing much about the properties of the eoren of light, he preferred not to take a risk there, and actually, none of them really opposed that decision.

  Seeing the man approach, the guards moved to the sides. He moved to insert a key in the keyhole and undid the latch. “The simplest of methods for opening a door,” thought Glaide. “Though, seeing the importance the two objects seem to have, I would be surprised if all of that was really as simple as it appeared...” The door didn’t creak even the tiniest bit; it was perfectly oiled, a testament to a daily and meticulous maintenance.

  The entryway revealed a dark, circular room, made up of bare, grey stones. It seemed to be an actual part of the massive edifice. In its center stood a pedestal upon which lay a closed book. It was gently lit by a light that seemed to come from the ceiling, though no opening was visible. A bit to the side was the famous eoren; about a yard in diameter, it gave off a gloomy half-light. Glaide couldn’t take his gaze from the object; at its interior, he could see eddies and swirls, just as he had when he contemplated the eoren in the field. But then, he had had water before him, and at this moment he found himself in the presence of light. The young man forced himself to shake his head and detach his gaze from the strange artifact. He knew that he could not obtain any information about it for now.

  Zorick advanced rapidly, took the book under his arm, and left. The guards left the door slightly ajar. The man approached the four friends, who formed a circle around him. He held the text flat in his hands, so that he could show them the cover made of brown leather.

  To be truthful, there was nothing impressive about the book itself. In the place of the title, the book was decorated with majestic symbols. They seemed to gleam despite their years, and the book, all in all, appeared new. Jeremy and Glaide glanced at each other, because at that moment the same idea came to each of them, and a glance was enough to show their agreement on one point: the Book of Eternal Twilight was certainly the book that the Guardian had spoken of when they first took hold of their weapons. It was this book that had informed him of the presence of maggs on Earth.

  “This writing that we can see there,” said Glaide, pointing to the symbols, “is that elven writing?”

  “Exactly,” responded Zorick. “The elves lived here when this book was created. The runes you see below are, however, the work of warrior dwarves.” The dwarfish runes were smaller, and less serpentine. They also seemed less complex, as if they wanted to express something clearly, without diverging from the point. Zorick spoke again.

  “This book was made by these two peoples at the request of a human monarch. If I’m not mistaken, it was the elves who instilled magic into this volume, and the dwarves who conceived of the design for the pages and the cover, so that they would not disintegrate over time. Men live lives much shorter than those of an elf or a dwarf, and one of their great dreads remains destiny; are we the masters of our actions, or are we only pawns?

  This book contains the destiny of men. Yet, even though it remains perfectly reliable, not all of the humans of Galadria can find writing in it that concerns them. The question of destiny remains in place, because some seem to have one, while others do not.

  “Whatever the case, this book has averted many problems in the past, and we guard it carefully, as you can see. One must show great prudence when dealing with it, as it is a perfectly neutral volume of magic; were it to fall into the hands of our enemy, it would in the same way inform him on the future o
f his demons, just as it informs us on the future of our warriors. It’s unnecessary to explain what a catastrophe that would bring about.”

  “You say that this book can give information on just about anyone, but it can’t be more than eight hundred pages. How could it contain all of that?” asked Gwenn, intrigued.

  “Very good question,” responded Zorick with a mischievous smile. “Watch carefully.” He attempted to open the book to about three quarters of the way through, but much to the surprise of the teens, it simply seemed to be impossible. He worked hard for a moment, attempting to separate the pages, until the four friends cracked into laughter at the funny situation. But the man interrupted them, declaring, “You see, this book cannot be opened like a simple volume of text. It chooses for itself in the hands of who, when, and to what page it will open.”

  “Incredible,” whispered Jeremy, in complete admiration. “So that means these eight hundred pages tell the story of only one man at a time: whoever holds it in their hands...”

  “Exactly. Would you all like to hold it? They’ve told me about you: you’re from a distant land, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this book reveal some secrets about you!” With a smile, he offered the object to Emily.

  The young woman took it in her hands extremely carefully, as if it could fall into dust at any moment, then held it in front of herself. The book trembled slightly, then slowly began to open, all by itself. The four friends all leaned in, trying to see, while Zorick watched them, an indulgent smile on his lips. But surprise gave way to disappointment – the book gradually opened... to a blank page. There wasn’t even the tiniest trace of writing – not the smallest mark. Once the volume had opened all the way, the teens didn’t even try to hide their disappointment.