The crowd was stunned by Dyon’s words…
However, were his deductions really refutable? The movements of the Sigebryht family hadn’t made any sense.
Why would Zaltarish do something like burn down an orphanage and fill it with feces knowing the fact that Grand Elder Cormyth was not an unconditional supporter? It was clear to everyone that the fact Cormyth supported a member of the Grimbold family in inheriting the headmaster position of Mathilde Academy, that he was not all in on the Sigebryht family.
And… if you dismiss it as an act of pure rage instead of one of strategy, then why would he only kill a poor old nanny? Wouldn’t it hurt Dyon more if all of the kids died as well?
Then there was Aeson, why was his death necessary? Not only was the timing odd because it put Dyon directly into the line of questioning… Aeson’s death, no matter how callused it may sound, meant practically nothing.
If the Sigebryht family had a trump card to deal with someone as powerful as Grand Elder Deryth, why would they be worried about an orphaned boy?
Then there was the attack on the princess. What Dyon said was perfect. Sinaht Sigebryht hitched his argument onto the idea that the Acacia family wasn’t fit to rule in the first place. That not only did they not have the best interests of the kingdom in mind, but that even if they did, they had no power to act on those wishes properly…
Why? Because headmaster Acacia was nothing but a figure head. Ri Acacia was a little-known genius who rarely appeared. And Alex Acacia was an interim leader of a flimsy alliance… an alliance that had clearly already turned on her before Dyon began speaking.
If the Sigebryht family felt threatened enough to take action against the princess… wouldn’t that then undermine all of their ideals? Wouldn’t the Sigebryht family seem weak then? For not only using underhanded means, but to actually attack who amounted to nothing more than a teenage girl?
And that was not to even mention Primrose and her role in all of this.
To top it all off… The Eostre family really would be in the best position after all of these things played out…
As a family that had sacrificed so much by becoming pseudo True Empaths, they ironically had the empathy of much of the kingdom. If the Acacia and Sigebryht family both fell from grace… they would be the most likely to succeed the throne.
And yet… there was another major point that made all of this come together… as pseudo True Empaths, which family could possibly be better at finding candidates to be tested for the True Empath constitution… and yet, in the thousands of years since King Acacia rules, not a single one had been found… why was that?
Was it really that the True Empath constitution had once again disappeared?… Or was it that the Eostre family was never searching to begin with?
As everyone slowly thought of these things through, Dyon quietly waited for the exact response he knew was coming. After all, hadn’t he already predicted everything up until now?
And sure enough… it came.
“Where’s your proof? I won’t have you, an outsider, slander my family.
In addition, you’re clearly not a man of character, so why should anyone believe in your word? Because you say so? Did you ‘say so’ to my daughter to sway her feelings? Did you care about her thoughts when you showed up here parading around another woman? Did you even give her a glance of apology?
Or, is it somehow also true in your mind that she’s involved? That the girl who wished for nothing more than your safety is somehow an accomplice to this quote-unquote ‘horrible Eostre family’. Is my daughter guilty as well?
And let’s say you don’t think Jade is involved, you’re clearly still punishing her for actions you THINK her family has taken. You have an inability to separate the actions of a little girl from the alleged sins of her family… which makes you the same hypocrite you called the members of the Aedre family.
It seems you don’t realize that words mean nothing. Facts can be manipulated, and opinions can be swayed. In the less than 10 minutes you’ve been here, the supposed alliance members of the Princess have switched sides on no less than 3 separate occasions.
To make things worse. You began your long-winded nonsense by making Sinaht Sigebryht look bad, before reversing it to make us look bad. Since you’re so good at manipulating the facts… again, tell me, why should anyone believe you?”
Wyn Eostre was calm and exuded the air of an elder. It was as though in light of the slandering of his family, he had left his role as angered father, and instead began to act as the true head of his clan.
His resoluteness, calmness, and overall air tight logic made some nod in appreciation. Maybe it was centuries too early for Dyon to be playing with these multi-century old elders…
Dyon smiled, however, there seemed to be an unconcealed killing intent within… a killing intent that made the eyes of the elders sharpen and Ri look at Dyon’s side profile with worry.
‘did he give up and decide to use force?… did he lose control of his emotions?… he’s still too young…’
Thoughts like this permeated throughout the crowd as Head Eostre looked at Dyon unperturbed.
But… despite the thoughts of everyone else… Dyon’s next words only added fuel to the fire.
“if I came here today, I of course have proof.
When I act, I don’t do so without thought.
When I love, it’s not up to you or anyone else to question it.
When I want to kill, no matter how long it will take, I will make it happen.
I still remember the tears of those children. I still remember the mutilated corpse of Ms. Everdeen. I still remember feeling that it was all my fault and still feeling that way to this day. I still remember you killing my woman’s close brother. I still remember you attempting to kill her close sister.
So, let me tell you very clearly. Your flowery words mean nothing in the face of mine.”
———————————————————————————————————————————-
Because I know you guys might not have been prepared for such a complicated plot when you started reading, at the end of the coming chapters, I’ll add references to what foreshadowing points Dyon mentions 😊
(1 – the talks about the sacrifices of the Eostre family for the sake of the kingdom were all explained by Elder Flyleaf during ‘walk (1-3)’
(2 – also remember how just recently in ‘what?! (2)’, dyon spent a lot of the chapter making Sinaht look guilty, before telling him he was accusing the Sigebryht of anything. So, Wyn uses this as an example for why facts can be easily manipulated, especially by Dyon.
Silence.
Tears started falling uncontrollably from Jade’s eyes as she gripped her dress at her knees… her small body trembled as she tried her best to remain silent.
Yet, Dyon’s eyes contained no pity and no regret at the words he had just spoken.
Suddenly Celine stood violently.
Her manifestation bloomed, a halo of blinding light hovering above her head. However, the most striking feature of the halo were the small wings on either side of it.
Celine’s golden hair and eyes shone more profusely as she pointed a finger at Dyon, too angered to speak.
Dyon turned a cold gaze towards her, “if you have anything to say, say it. And be sure you won’t regret it after I’m done. See that you don’t implicate the Ingram family in my rage.”
Ri quietly held onto Dyon’s hand. She could feel his anger… and she trusted that he wouldn’t display such emotions for no reason…
This was different than it had been back then all those weeks ago… then, it was a choice… but now, Dyon seemed to have little control over his words. Anyone who spoke against him would be his enemy.
Still, Ri had made the decision to stand by his side, so her thoughts were singular in nature, ‘I support you…’
Celine’s brows furrowed, but her momentum was stopped by Jade’s words…
“You didn’t force me to do all of those thing… b-but you accepted it anyway… regardless of whether you wanted to continue the relationship between us or not… regardless of how you feel about my family… is there really a need to treat me this way?…” Jade sobbed, tears streaming down her purple-blue eyes as her silver hair trembled along with her body.
Suddenly Dyon’s killing intent disappeared as he seemed to realize he lost control of his emotions.
He looked off into the sky, coincidentally landing on the full blue moon.
“you know,” he spoke softly, “elder Flyleaf once told me something very interesting…”
Elder Flyleaf was, of course, within the crowd. He had watched nervously as Dyon seemed to antagonize everyone as he spoke… yet Dyon felt he was to blame for the destruction of the orphanage… wasn’t then antagonizing more people the wrong way to go?
But, the more Dyon continued to speak… the more people listened… and the more people listened… the more it seemed like his words couldn’t be wrong…
“he said that the Eostre family is much like their manifestation… wanting to be as bright as the sun, but only able to reflect its light…”
Dyon seemed to hold the crowd in endless with his every word… Even Celine had lost her will to fight and sat down… but, that didn’t mean her eyes weren’t still simmering with rage.
“You all probably know this… but the Acacia Academy 5th floor library is fairly exclusive…”
Everyone nodded. The Acacia Academy, much like other academies, had their upper floors barred by level of talent.
When Dyon had first wondered around, he hadn’t noticed, but there was indeed a faint pressure on his soul. This had happened just after he left the Elder Flyleaf’s lecture.
To everyone else, this pressure was something they couldn’t reach… many could never surpass this hurdle. However, it wasn’t unheard of that a genius could do so. Which was exactly why it wasn’t such big news that Dyon had done it…
That being said… that library was still an oddity… it was a place where the Acacia family younger generation had left the last vestiges of the ancient kingdom.
It wasn’t anything special… actually, it was a prophecy everyone in attendance knew about… the prophecy that explained why True Empaths were crowned as the monarchs of the Elvin Kingdom… the prophecy that stated the love bond between their savior and their monarch.
“I bet you all are wondering why I bring this up?… well, that library is the place I met Jade.”
Everyone turned questioning glances towards Jade… when had she become enough of a genius to climb those steps?…
Dyon shook his head, “don’t be ridiculous, you think I would hinge my thoughts on something so flimsy? Jade spent her entire life being underestimated by you people, is it really up to her whether you see her genius or not?”
Everyone was stunned by Dyon’s words. Where was he taking this? It seemed like every time he’d steer them down one direction, he’d completely switch his flow…
“I only mention this to show you that not everything is as it seems… Especially when it comes to the disappearance of your king.”
Ri’s hand suddenly tightened against Dyon’s causing Dyon to squeeze back for her reassurance.
However, when Dyon spoke these words, even the grand elders felt themselves stiffen.
‘does he know…’ the grand elders were shaken beyond belief.
The disappearance of the king had been a weight on the souls of the whole kingdom. Would today be the day they finally found out?
Through all the years of speculation and theories… the only thing they could link the king’s disappearance with was the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect…
In reality, the Celestial Deer Sect was destroyed thousands of years before the king disappeared… but, something tangible had changed on the date that happened…
The king, once understanding amiable became more and more irritable. His personality shifted, and he began to appear less and less in public… until finally, he stopped appearing at all.
And the one thing everyone knew… was that it started with the disappearance of their long-time ally… The Celestial Deer Sect.
Dyon chuckled, “I bet you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up…”
Dyon’s essence blood began to rage within him as he stimulated his master’s essence.
BOOM!
A majestic deer appeared behind Dyon, covered in a clear and pure white coat with swirls of gold… she looked down lovingly at Dyon.
Everyone remained stunned at the sight…
And then… Dyon’s voice rang out.
“It’s because of the last disciple of the Celestial Deer Sect.”
—————————————————————————————————————————–
(1 – you’ll find out later why Dyon seems to go from being ridiculously angry with Jade, to kind, to indifferent. He’s still conflicted with himself on how he should treat her… trust me, it will all be explained. And as a sorry for all of this pseudo info dump, this saga is going to end with a bang! 😊
(2 – Remember in chapter 79, the crowd of students were astonished that Dyon was walking up the stairs so easily. It’s just that Dyon was too lost in his thoughts to really pay attention
(3 – the fact people were surprised that Jade made it up the stairs as well shows that a) it’s suspicious Jade kept her genius a secret and b) that not everything about Jade seems to be as it seems. But, this was only a single point of suspicion, and not the only reason Dyon suspects the Eostre family.
**remember… there’s a reason Dyon only ever saw Jade in the library… it’s because only he, Jade and Ri were strong enough geniuses to climb those steps.
(4 – That library, for those who make it in, does have books about the past of the Elvin Kingdom. Books that make mention of the prophecy and why only True Empaths are crowned. After learning this prophecy, Dyon begins thinking about everything differently
(5 – part of what he began to think about differently was the king’s disappearance. Since he found out that the True Empath monarchy system was forced, and not out of immediate benefit, this meant that the True Empaths must have had issues… issues he linked together next chapter… but, of course, these reasons link with one of the specialties of the Celestial Deer Sect: Celestial Will.
The crowd felt like going home… how many reveals like this could they take.
Yet, some felt completely differently… the grand elders started laughing… imagine that… the most esteemed members of their kingdom laughing like children.
Elder Deryth smiled faintly, “there’s no doubt left in my mind… the prophecy is about this child.”
Grand Elder Deryth’s words seemed to place a blanket of pressure on the Eostre family… if Deryth was right, then wouldn’t Dyon’s words have an extra layer of credibility?
Ri suddenly flicked Dyon’s forehead, “how many things like this do you want to keep from me?! You couldn’t have let me know before?! How many other things are you hiding?!”
Dyon smiled down as the adorably pouting Ri and pinched her nose lovingly, “After today, there’ll be nothing left to hide, right?”
Ri suddenly noticed that they were the center of attention and pulled back, blushing.
Alex who stood to the side smiled at this, ‘I’m glad you’ve found such a nice relationship…’
Wyn Eostre though, only narrowed his eyes… his face darkening even further.
He wanted to speak but Dyon began again first.
“You must be wondering if the secret of the Celestial Deer Sect gives me inside information on the inner workings of the alliance and why your king disappeared… however, it doesn’t.
That being said… after this story… I’m sure many of you will find little reason to doubt me…”
Dyon’s gaze turned serious as he scanned the crowd.
“Grand Elders, if I show you how the tome was used to cleanse the True Empaths of old, will you do me the honor of telling everyone the reason behind the alliance with the Celestial Deer Sect?”
Grand Elder Deryth looked into Dyon’s eyes calmly, as if he had expected this, ‘it seems the words in the sky, the tome, the prophecy… everything has to do with him…’
“you can really do that?” Grand Elder Cormyth’s eyes sparkled with hope.
Dyon smiled, nodding in affirmation.
After a few moments, Grand Elder Deryth nodded, “I think it’s about time everyone knew…”
Everyone was exhausted, they hadn’t had a second of rest since this began, and now the grand elders were going to reveal a secret they had held from the beginning of their tenure?
Grand Elder Deryth took a deep breath, “the path of the True Empath hasn’t always been easy…
Imagine being privy to the emotions of everyone around you. To know their lies, their truths. To know what they really think of you behind a fake smile… to know that maybe your loved ones don’t place you in high regard…
But, what if this was scaled up? What if you could feel the emotions of everyone in a war-torn country? To feel every heartbreak at the loss of a family member… to feel the depression of a kingdom that’s hit a wall of decline… and to know that with every passing day, there’s nothing you could do to help them all…”
The eyes of the crowd glistened.
“That’s the level a True Empath powerful enough to be our monarch reaches… a level where with every passing day… they lose their minds more and more.”
Dyon smiled, “and what’s better at cleansing the mind than Celestial Will? With the help of the alliance, the monarchs of the Elvin Kingdom could rule for longer and die of old age rather than insanity…
However, you must be wondering… since the Elves weren’t always in this universe, how did they cleanse their True Empaths before?” Dyon’s ring flashed, a tome appearing in his hand, “the answer is with this tome.”
“that’s?!”
“mhm,” Dyon nodded faintly, staring at the tome absentmindedly, “this tome used to fulfill the job of not only identifying True Empaths… but also the job of cleansing their souls, it’s just that that secondary function was lost to you all with the transition between universes.”
Dyon smiled to himself. This is exactly what he meant when he told Ri he had figured all of this out by luck… if it wasn’t for him connecting the cleansing of the demon generals with the awakening of this book, how could he ever make this connection in such a short period of time? However, Dyon didn’t feel the need to mention such things. Right now, only the most important facts were needed.
Zaltarish who had been silent all of this time suddenly trembled, looking down at his hands, “then that means… the words in the sky were never mine…”
As soon as Zaltarish finished speaking, the sudden realization hit everyone.
If it had been Zaltarish who destroyed the shell of the tome, wouldn’t he be the one in possession of the tome?… the fact Dyon had it… only meant one thing…
Sinaht bitterly chuckled to himself, ‘it seems nothing was up to me from the beginning…’
How was this fair? His array alchemy talent was unmatched. He had an innate aurora. And now his manifestation was powerful enough to destroy a stone monument that had stood since the ancient times of the Elvin Kingdom? Bullshit!
Dyon only faintly chuckled, looking off into the sky, “you must all think the words in the sky signify the destruction of the tome… however, you couldn’t be more wrong… the words in the sky signify the sealing technique used to hold the real tome… it was only that my manifestation was a trigger for releasing it… but…”
Dyon waved his hand towards the words in the distance… and under the astounded gazes of everyone, they began to shift and condense, moving towards them with blazing speed.
Suddenly, when the words were just in range, Dyon clenched his fists.
BOOM!
There, before everyone, the stone tablet fell in the middle of the square, raising into the sky hundreds of meters. And the names that had been erased… were back.
Dyon smiled faintly, “why would I ever destroy the one foolproof piece of evidence I have for the deeds of the Eostre family?”
Everyone held their breaths as they watched Dyon look towards the princess.
“I think it’s time…” he said faintly, pausing his words.
The Princess smiled a radiant smile, slowly taking her silver mask off.
Mistress Aedre shook violently watching this scene. Her listless eyes began to glow as tears fell endlessly down her cheeks.
“Right Primrose?”
There stood Primrose Aedre, smiling radiantly… and what seemed to hit people even harder was the fact if you paid attention to the expressions of Ri and Uncle Acacia… they were not surprised in the least.
Dyon laughed, “what? You all thought I’d really berate a mother who truly lost her child? She just needed to be taught a little lesson…” –> <img src=’https://st.moonquill.com/avatar/129′ alt=”…” class=”avatar-img rounded-circle border border-4 border-body”> <h6 class=”header-pretitle”> Author’s Note </h6> <h1 class=”header-title”> Awespec </h1> <h3 class=”header-subtitle text-white”>(1 – Deryth believes that Dyon is the child in the prophecy because he doesn’t find it to be a coincidence that such a talented boy just happened to be the last disciple of an ally the elves used to rely on so much (2 – as you can see… the True Empath has issues with their emotions over extended periods of time… I wonder what other character has ever expressed not liking the ability to read the emotions of others… hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (*cough chapter 126 cough*) (3 – just to explain what Dyon meant by the tome shell… The tome itself is a very very very special magical treasure… so special in fact that even the ancient elves couldn’t unlock it. It wasn’t until Dyon that it found a person with a suitable demeanor and manifestation for it to bind itself to. (4 – however, the energy used to seal the tome away from prying eyes never dispersed… well, it’s more accurate to say that it was in the process of dispersing, but it would have taken centuries. All that said, the energy of the seal is technically under Dyon’s ownership because it was tied with his manifestation’s name from that night onwards… which means if Dyon wished it, which he did, he could change it back to its stone form. **now, the way he’s going to use that stone form to prove the Eostre family is guilty is something you’ll have to wait and see 😉 or, you can go to chapter 84…. Where it may or may not talk about how you can link the aura of the words on the tome to specific families… I know, I know. Praise be to me, the foreshadowing king *wink wink* ***but where is Dyon going to get this aura to prove the Eostre family guilty? Now you’ll really have to wait and see 😉 (5 – ahhh, everything is getting too wild. Primrose is the princess? Wait, Primrose can’t be the princess? Then who’s the princess? Is she dead? Is she gone? If she is, why did Dyon make Primrose dress as the princess? AAGGGHHHHHH ** I promise the campaign and world tournament arcs will be just straight up epic battles…. This is getting to be too much for even me… and I wrote it :’( *sobs quietly in the corner with Jade and the forgotten Kymil and Darcassan*</h3>