Chapter 22
22 . Page of Fate – Prologue
At the beginning of the world, it was a void in which nothing existed . The sky was dense with a gray fog and the earth was a desolate and barren land . Rivers and oceans were black with rot, preventing them from supporting life .
There existed only a single being, and he spent countless eons within that kind of an empty world, thirsting for something more in the face of his solitude and loneliness . His regret was unending . The world was vast, and that vastness belied its emptiness . He felt devoid of hope at the thought of having to live an eternity alone on this world .
Eventually, he couldn’t bear the loneliness any longer, and decided to create new life . The moment he dipped his feet into the rotten waters, clean rivers and oceans sprouted forth . As soon as he touched the earth, grass and trees sprouted in an unbelievable abundance . He wet the barren earth with the freshly formed water to knead out mud .
With this mud, he created small mud dolls with great dedication, using his breath to grant them each souls . Once he touched the mud dolls’ heads with his finger, they gained sentience . When he touched their chests, emotions blossomed in their hearts . The mud dolls were given life and divided into humans and demi-humans . In turn, they worshipped him as both the father and mother who given them life, naming their God ‘Arrtark’ .
Arrtark treasured them more than anything . He created bountiful fruits and beasts so they could thrive, he adorned them with clothes, and he raised them and taught them how to survive in the world .
Arrtark loved them all equally, but that blind equality brought about great misfortune . The humans and demi-humans treated each other well, but as time passed, their relationship began to sour . Humans, with their intellect, formed something they called ‘civilization’, leading to the construction of vast towns and cities where the humans lived together . Meanwhile, the dexterous and powerful members of the demi-humans remained in their forests and lived by their own rules, maintaining the individual freedom they had always enjoyed . As the physical distance between the races grew, so did their bonds to one another . Over time, humans formed kingdoms, ruled by figures known as kings, who the people of the kingdom served . The demi-humans also saw advancement, as they began to gather together with those that looked similar to them, forming tribes .
They looked different, lived differently, and had different cultures . It was inevitable that a chiasm would form between the races . As time continued to pass like this, those that took issue with these differences started having ‘wars’ between one another .
Humans used their unity to subjugate the demi-humans, forcing them into submission time and time again . They borrowed Arrtark’s name and formed a religion based on their own image of God . Using their twisted faith as justification, they declared the demi-humans to be demons and made them out to be evil beings . As the wars continued, countless members of the demi-humans were killed, their forests and plains burned away along with the lives that had once inhabited them . Humanity’s thirst only grew as their greed could not be satisfied . And so, humanity continued to sink further into depravity and decadence . The ‘demons’ resented the humans that had taken so much from them, and they also began to resent Arrtark, whom the humans worshipped .
The world grew more chaotic with each passing day and Arrtark felt overwhelming sadness as he watched so much of what he loved being destroyed . He came to believe that it might have been wiser to have not created anything at all if it meant he wouldn’t have to feel such pain . He wished for someone to appear who could take the reins and regain control over the world . He desired for the children he loved to live in peace . And so, unable to bring himself to interfere directly, he brought about his own end in order to bury fragments of himself within the world . If it was awakened by someone, that being would inherit Arrtark’s will and would become the ‘Tuner’ who would restore the balance of this world . Yes, the judge with the power to destroy and recreate the world .
Within the Demon Kingdom, there was an orc by the name of Karakul—one of the 12 apostles of the kingdom . His steel-like muscles resembled armor and bulged across his imposing 2 meter-tall frame, which exceeded the height of even an ogre . He was ranked 4th in terms of authority within the kingdom . With a single word, every orc would heed his call, and with a single gesture, he could raze any one of the humans’ major cities . His ability to move an army independently, even without the order of the Demon Lord, made the other apostles wary of him . In reality, the orcs didn’t follow the Demon Lord, but Karakul . Many said that if Karakul were to revolt, the tenuous balance of power between the many tribes would instantly crumble . However, despite possessing the type of freedom that all other demons coveted, Karakul seemed to obey the Demon Lord . It was truly a strange thing, causing the other demons to helplessly shake their heads when they saw Karakul being ordered around by a mere ‘female’, with neither authority nor power .
“Looks like the Demon Lord wants to maintain her position by selling her body . ”
“A noble race of mountain goats? Hah! That’s nothing but an ancient tale . ”
“Well, the position was done for otherwise . ”
“It’s more like Karakul wants to use the Demon Lord’s position to bolster his own authority . ”
All manners of rumors were circulated, but they were of no importance to Karakul . He only followed his master’s orders . Yes, his master . Not the ‘Demon Lord’, but the orders of another existence .
Karakul wrapped himself with a thick cloth and covered his face with a hood . The worn out attire made him look like a human priest, when one ignored his massive size .
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He was headed toward Lania, the former capital of the Holy Kingdom that had fallen 30 years ago . When he arrived, the rotten zombies in front of the gates turned their heads toward him, sensing his presence .
The zombies let out a scream-like growl, but even as they twitched their heads, they moved aside . They didn’t view him as an ‘enemy’ .
Karakul continued moving toward the palace at the center of the capital .
The walls were worn and crumbling and the crosses adorned with the corpses of priests remained within the palace courtyard . This place that had been neglected for dozens of years had already lost all of its previous beauty and grandeur, left to become the dilapidated husk it now was . Within this now shabby palace sat a single figure upon a worn-out throne, radiating a unique and stifling aura . With his entire body covered in pitch-black armor, his presence could only be described as eerie . One who was once a Hero, one who was once a priest, one who had once fallen into despair, and now the one who led an army of the dead . Once Thoma, now Arrtark, he was the master of the army that had toppled Lania .
Karakul gazed upon this figure and knelt down in reverence, lowering his head . He vowed his loyalty not to the Demon King, but to the figure sitting before his very eyes .
“It has been a while, my master . ”
Arrtark did not speak, but Karakul did not seem to mind, holding out the object he had been commanded to retrieve . It was a single scrap lambskin . Upon it, there were countless letters scribbled, forming a seal . Arrtark tilted his head, inviting an explanation, which Karakul immediately provided .
“It is the identity of a human candidate you’ve been seeking . ”
One of the zombies that had been lingering around the throne room moved closer to Karakul, retrieving the document and bringing it to Arrtark . The zombie proceeded before the throne, where it knelt down while offering the lambskin to Arrtark with its head lowered . As Arrtark took the lambskin and began reading it over himself, Karakul quietly continued .
“It is the identity of a young lord within a fallen territory in the frontiers . His name is Tom, 22 years of age . He had joined the Hero’s Allied Forces as an apprentice Holy Knight, and I have confirmed he was killed in action . Also, his territory was razed by wild demons, and both his land and the people living there have been burnt away . It is now an all but abandoned territory that is so deep in the countryside, even if he were to return, no one would recognize or know him . He was a mere apprentice, but since he was given the title of Holy Knight, I deem that his treatment within the Holy Kingdom and the other kingdoms was good . ”
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[Tom…?]
Arrtark spoke the name slowly . Karakul looked surprised by the cracking and weighty voice that reverberated throughout the throne room, but he tried his best to keep his expression neutral .
“That is the human’s name . If it does not please you, I’ll look for another identity . ”
[No, it is fine . ] Arrtark rose from his seat . [Rather, I am pleased with the name . It’s similar to the name I had in the past . I like its simplicity . I’ll use it well . Now, where is that bastard hiding at…?]
The orc lowered his head again to speak .
“Are you referring to Pharmacist Kelvin? He is…”
Karakul spoke of everything he knew . Arrtark simply listened to all that he had to say .
[Good . It is good information . ]
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Arrtark moved from the throne .
“A companion…”
[Not needed . ]
“… I understand . ”
Karakul watched as Arrtark left the throne room, speaking quietly just before his master had left .
“Are you not curious how Her Highness and Ellin are faring?”
Arrtark paused . He tilted his head and turned his golden gaze toward Karakul .
[I’ll hear of it later . ]
He actually wanted to hear what Karakul had to say right away, but this was not the right time . Plus, he knew that they would be well taken care of by Karakul . They were two of the few he still cared for, the current Demon Lord, Lily Golt—formerly known as Ellie—as well as the Doppelganger Ellin .
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