Chapter 179: Future Letter

The Between Realm did exist in the main story of the DLC but no quests required the hero to either go to realm itself or interact with beings from it. There are many relic tombs in the realm itself so it didn't exist for no reason.

Star Fantasy's DLC has a story rich with many tales and mysteries—whether tied to the main story or not—with the Between Realms being one of them. It's a realm of multiple worlds unfit for mortals to live in. The air is fire itself, setting one's stomach to flames with just one breath. The atmospheric pressure would crush humans in a heartbeat, breaking flesh from bone if one tries to resist.

Melis has a duty to protect her worlds so she never lets any being from that realm come to the Nine Realms. If they manage to slip by her defences then the Guards of the Nine—the guardians of the nine realm gates(Yorm included)—will stop them by any means necessary. The Offspring are the least of humanity's worries if any being from that realm is strong enough to come to their worlds.

Whether you're a King, an Emperor, a War Hero or a simple commoner—everyone's lives will be in danger. Nothing in the Between Realm would be friendly if they have to grow up and survive literal hell every day. Of course, the strong live satisfactory lives while trampling the weak.

Arnold—no, Liam will be the first player out of the millions who played the game, to meet an "Outer God".

◊◊◊◊

Arnold walked down the empty hallway. The hall felt longer, the air colder, his breath quicker, the palace darker.

What is this pressure, he thought to himself.

This isn't the pressure from a human or even a beast.

It was the pressure from a god.

The large double doors leading to the throne room opened up, further intensifying that pressure he felt from before.

"Thank you for joining us, Lord Arnold." He heard Siana's monotonous voice at the end of the red carpet that had a long row of knights on each side.

Arnold couldn't see any of their faces but he could feel their fear. His warrior instincts were screaming at him so much that he could count the steps of an ant colony. Sensing fear in the heart of a human is nothing to him.

The source of their fear was obvious.

He looked at Siana who was sitting on his throne with her back straightened. On her right stood a silent Sceptim and on the left a calm Caerwyn.

Rafaela was standing on Siana's left side right next to Caerwyn.

Caerwyn and Sceptim appeared unfazed to the immense pressure being emitted by the "esteemed personage" that they had been expecting.

All Arnold could see as he approached the throne was power and evil in the form of a black cloud of smoke. It was definitely just his imagination yet somehow it felt real.

"Ladiath" came into view when he stood in front of the throne.

"Your Excellency Grace, this is my dear friend, Arnold. He is the one who prepared the 'body' for you."

Arnold turned his head to look at this "Excellency"

Said person was a tall individual wearing a clean white suit that seemed to be crafted with only the finest materials that only the rich can buy. There was not a wrinkle in sight.

However, its face... was just a head with tentacles coiled into a swirl.

·        [Warning] Do not engage in combat with this being!

He could hear a bell go off in his head and a message appearing above the being's head along with a short description:

•    Level unknown

•    Threat Level – World Destroyer

"..."

Arnold stared at the being in silence.

'World Destroyer... a threat level only endgame Luke reached with the help of the holy sword...'

The system didn't even have to warn him since he could feel this... this thing's strength even from the other end of the palace.

The individual extended a hand. Surprisingly its hand was just like a human's—four fingers with a thumb.

"You may call me Ladiath. It's a pleasure to meet you, Arnold."

The pressure that Arnold had been feeling before vanished without a trace. He couldn't even sense Ladiath despite the fact that said person was standing right in front of him.

"Yes... Likewise..." Arnold shook its hand.

"Forgive my asking but why did you have to kill the one whose soul I desire?" Ladiath asked when the two separated.

"Kalda was… becoming troublesome, in a sense. Lord Arnold assisted me when I sought his help. I agreed with whatever method he used to stop her. While I lost many of my precious subordinates, I see her death as a victory nonetheless. Is that a bad thing, Your Excellency?" asked Siana. The concern was evident in her eyes despite her unchanging expression.

"I am merely curious. A soul remains a soul whether the person is dead or alive. Its properties are the same. So, what led you to your decision? The two of you shared an unshakable bond from what that woman told me the last time we spoke. I cannot fathom why you would break that."

Siana's eyebrows were about to form a frown but she closed her eyes and sighed softly before replying with the same monotonous voice.

"Kalda wanted to enslave me against my will. She bound me to an oath I can only escape from in death—a magical oath."

"An oath that can kill even a god. Interesting. Only her death could free you from the oath. That woman kept a lot of things from me. What a fiend." 

Ladiath turned to Arnold, "While the end result would've been the same upon my arrival, it is only fitting to reward all of you for your services. Some call me the god of fortune for my sincere generosity."

"…I feel that it's unnecessary to give me a reward… Lord Ladiath." Arnold's left eye twitched when he addressed the being with such courtesy. He's never called anyone "Lord" out of respect.

'What the hell can you give me anyway?'

He found it hard to believe that the worlds in the Between Realm had any artifacts or treasures.

"I am all-seeing, all-powerful and all-knowing. There is a lot that I know and much that I can obtain."

'He's reading my mind…. Better watch out what I'm thinking about.'

Ladiath didn't have a face but Arnold could somehow make out an eerie smirk on his face.

"Allow me to clear your doubts: Name anything that you want and I shall give it to you. Of course, it's limited to objects and peeking into your past. I am no genie so I do not grant wishes." Ladiath said with his arms spread open as if daring Arnold to give him a challenge.

"Am I correct to assume Lord Ladiath is familiar with the legends of the Dark Scrolls?"

"A masterpiece of an artifact spilt into three pieces that were created by the Timeline Gods—I am very familiar with them."

What it was isn't important at the moment. Arnold wants to know if he can get his hands on a particular object that's related to those scrolls.

"The future version of the scroll is the longest of the three. It's said to be unending even. You should know why."

"Indeed. Because the future is a never-ending abyss. It could be billions of years before space-time collapses and erases everything, thus destroying two of three timelines."

"Which is why the future holds the most value out of the three. It knows when people die, when the next rainy day will be, when the next divine champion will be born and when the divine realm falls."

"So you want the one that records the future? What you're talking about is an artifact that no gods have access to. The Timeline Gods will never allow their artifacts to be taken. It's impossible to obtain, I admit that. If you were trying to test the limits of my power then congratulations, you have succeeded."

Ladiath clapped his hands in a mocking manner.

"That's not it. I don't want the artifacts themselves but a piece of them that went missing. It's related to the Future Edition in the Dark Scroll Triad. Namely the missing page that a certain traveller stole thousands of years ago."

"—The Future Letter?" Siana asked in bafflement, taken aback that Arnold was asking about such an ancient artifact.

"So you know what it is?" Arnold turned to her.

"It's an artifact capable of communicating with any individual from the present, the past and the future… It gives one the power of omniscience. Not the visual kind, of course. Lord Arnold, you will become the Timeless Gods' enemy if you're caught."

Arnold knows that.

But.

'I can at least fill in the gaps of the main story by communicating with NPCs in the future or even myself.'

The artifact which looks like a normal page of finely-made paper is actually a communication device that was once part of a Dark Scroll. No one knew who the time traveller was who tried to steal the Dark Scroll.

The Scroll was now missing with only two still in the possession of their owners. The time traveller was caught by archangels and locked up for their crime only after the scroll disappeared.

Arnold knows which world the scroll ended up on, though he has no idea of the exact location. It's somewhere on the Diacree continent. The artifact was hidden by some mysterious tribe that once lived on the Empire's land. That was before the empire was founded, though. There's no telling where the tribe went after their land was taken by the first Emperor.  

Besides that, Arnold knows that only a few special individuals are capable of deciphering the scroll. It's an artifact that no normal human can use to see all of time.     

It's a mystery why the Timeline Gods haven't found the artifact yet. So much for being omniscient. They couldn't even interrogate the time traveller.

In any case, it's better for it to remain lost. An artifact like that doesn't belong in anyone's hands.

"—You will be able to communicate with anyone that has ever been born or that will ever be born. This kind of power brings drastic consequences to those who abuse it."

"I'm aware of the dangers."

He wasn't planning on changing anything. Besides, how can he change history or the future with just a piece of paper?

It's certainly possible to change things if he were to manipulate people through writing letters to them. For example:

·        If you do A then B will happen which can result in C

A is the action.

B is the happening.

C is the consequence.

This is how humans work. They do things which results in either a bad or good outcome.

If Arnold really did intend on changing the future or rewriting history then he'll become the enemy of the gods.

This is why he will only use the artifact for information. His own organization and the Adventurer Guild Alliance can fill in the blanks.

"Hmm… Very well." Ladiath agreed.

Something manifested out of thin air. No, there were two things—a single page that looked like it was ripped out of a book and a pen. The paper itself looked very high quality as if it came out of the bible of a pope. The quill pen didn't look like anything special at first glance.

"Use this pen and its precious ink to write your letters. The ink will only appear to the one who you're writing the letter to. You may already know this but the artifact can link itself to any piece of paper so use it wisely."

"Use it wisely" as in "Don't rewrite history or change the future".

The artifact is literally called the "Future Letter", an item that can travel through time.

Humans rely on books for their knowledge of the past. The same can be said for medical research or laws.

The [Future Letter] can erase and edit any piece of history. It doesn't even matter if the book you're trying to break into has some kind of Great Rune Seal or some other form of magic seal to dissuade entry. Arnold can even gain access to Freya York's personal Grimoire which has every single spell that was ever used by the Archmages.

Nothing is safe from this artifact's power. If Arnold could decipher the Dark Scroll then he could even use the Future Letter to break into those artifacts and relive the past and future.

Arnold grabbed the page. It felt soft, like silk but more firm and durable.

He looked at the quill pen. There was nothing interesting about it at first glance. Still, deciding who can see your handwriting will be useful. This prevents information from leaking. In written form at least. He can do nothing if information is leaked verbally.

Luckily there won't be evidence left to be leaked if he uses the quill pen.

"Those of you who wish for something must speak up," said Ladiath, "Otherwise we move on to business. I am in a good mood today. Be wise and speak up."

Ladiath glanced over the knights silently.

None of them spoke up.

"What about you?" he looked at Sceptim, "What do you wish for? As the one who played a vital role in the battle, I feel tempted to offer you a reward."

"…." Sceptim turned to Siana, "I believe I have everything I'll ever need right beside Lady Siana, Your Excellency. I appreciate your kindness but I do not wish for anything."

Siana smiled at Sceptim.

"Fret not. A warrior who fights for his mistress with nothing but the will to protect her is something many admire. Seeing as how no one is willing to come forward—"

"—Lord Ladiath, may I ask something of you?" Rafaela raised her hand.

"Oh? The servant of a Sky God disciple. You should know that your people and my people are enemies. You're forbidden from even speaking to me lest you incur your god's wrath."

The Sky God is a god from the divine realm while Ladiath comes from the Between Realm. The gods of both realms have a bloody history. Peace has never been established between them.

While the Sky God was definitely dead in the mortal realm, he could be watching his followers from the divine realm.

"I understand but I have some questions which I hope you can answer."

"Why would I do such a thing? You contributed nothing to the battle. My prerequisite for giving out rewards is that you should've fought that woman."

"I helped them contain Kalda's soul. If not for me then you would've been left with half or even less than half a soul. I'm sure a being such as you is very busy to run around looking for pieces of a soul."

"Hm, you make a compelling point. It would have been tiresome to assemble fragments of that woman's soul. I need it for something important and it has to be intact."

I wonder what this important thing is, thought Arnold. 

Is it some kind of ritual?

"Very well. You may ask." Ladiath said.

"If possible, can I ask my questions in private instead?"

"Certainly. Let's get this over with then. Come stand here." He pointed to a spot in front of him.

Rafaela nodded and approached him.

A dome of blinding light suddenly surrounded the two.

It wasn't even two seconds later that the dome vanished.

"—Well, are you satisfied now?" the two appeared again.

"…Yes, thank you very much."

Rafaela bowed her head. Her expression seemed troubled for some reason.

What just happened? Did Ladiath just create some sort of time dilation barrier to answer all her questions?

"Bring forth the soul that I desire!" Ladiath demanded regally.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Siana spoke loudly but not to the point of shouting, "Bring her body forward, Miss Tanaera!"

The double doors opened.

A single person walked down the red carpet as something was pulled next to her.

Kalda's body was being carried by some levitation platform.  

Arnold could see the dark circles under Tanaera's eyes. Her expression looked even worse than it did before he left her side.

Tanaera brought the body over to Ladiath. She bowed curtly before retreating backwards.

Arnold looked at Tanaera, "Are you okay?"

She nodded silently.

Arnold sighed.

Judging by the thick feeling of dread and miasma, she was involved with some dark magic ritual or she was dealing with supernatural spirits.

'Don't tell me Tanaera sealed all those vengeful spirits away?'

While necromancers and dark magic users have the ability to seal spirits and undead away, their abilities are lacking compared to classes like Cleric and Priest. It's a risky move sealing just one spirit, what not of tens or perhaps hundreds of them?

Arnold couldn't imagine how many people died in this palace alone. Who knows, Tanaera probably encountered the townsfolk as well. They died near the palace, after all.

Ladiath lifted the wet blanket.

"She has been preserved quite well. You did a splendid job. Rafaela, was it?"

"…Thank you, Your Excellency. I did what had to be done. Per Arnold's request."

"Now then—" Ladiath threw off the blanket completely before holding one of his hand above Kalda's naked body.

Within mere seconds hundreds of magic circles were cast upon each other with layered techniques.

Arnold could identify most of them but the incantations were so fast that he couldn't catch all of them.

In the next moment, a strange feeling came over Arnold. It felt like he was sucked somewhere even though nothing felt out of the ordinary.

"This may take a while," Ladiath looked up from his kneeling position, "Why don't we talk, Supreme Sorcerer Lufulur?"

"!"