Chapter 350: 350. The Sword Marshal

Shield? Is that true? Dallion asked.

There was no response.

I’ll talk to him, Gen said from Dallion’s realm. You take care of your stuff.

Sure.

The shield guardian never hid that he had taken part in the war. Given the scale of the war, that was to be expected. However, he had never gone into any specific details. If anything, he had downplayed his involvement. It was now obvious that he knew a lot more than he claimed.

“The world was a different place back then,” the shield said out loud. Its strap extended, allowing it to slide off Dallion’s arm.

Moments later it changed form completely, transforming into a dryad in a military uniform Dallion hadn’t seen before. Crimson vines flowed down the left side of his shirt, continuing up to the belt from which hung a long wooden rapier. While the face was the same, there was almost no similarity to the companion shield that Dallion had grown to know.

“A marshal?” The Moon Cleric arched a brow. “No, not just any marshal. You were a sword marshal, weren’t you?”

Dallion saw shame form throughout the shield’s entire body.

“What’s a sword marshal?” Dallion asked.

“Remember when I said that there were many such swords? To ensure compliance, the high conclave entrusted each world to one of their capable army elites, just in case. Those who had the skills and experience were given the title sword marshal. They had tens of thousands under their command and carried with them a weapon that housed millions more.”

“Sword?”

“Vihrogon,” the sword dryad said. “My name was Vihrogon—he who banishes winds. And yes, I was a Sword Marshal. What is more, this might have been my sword.”

Emotions stirred throughout Dallion like a whirlwind. He felt astonished, betrayed, confused…

“Might have been?” he asked.

“The world guardians aren’t the only ones who considered we might be betrayed. The Star had done so before, so it was likely he could do it again. When the first signs appeared, I broke off of the main force.” The shield guardian looked down at the sea. Several colonies of cracklings were visible below, floating like small islands on the surface of the water. “A few of us gave up our command and rushed here, to the ruins of the old copyette capital. Fearing we might lose the war, we hid our swords among the ruins. What is one more artifact among so many? If we ended up being wrong, we could always return and reclaim them. If we were right, at least they had a chance to survive.”

I didn’t expect this, Nil said.

“It was you,” the Moon Cleric said. “I remember how majestic you seemed back in the day. Now you hide, pretending to be a companion shield of all things. How the mighty have fallen.”

“It wasn’t pretending,” the shield sighed. “When the time of banishment came, everyone had to face their past and make a choice. Some lost their minds, reverting to their primal form and living on as feral guardians. Others chose to forget, taking on an existence that would help them escape the memories of their past… and the desire they held.”

“Leaving us in our prisons…”

“It was better than the alternative. At least this way you had a chance.”

“Dallion,” the Cleric turned to him. “Are there any dryads in the world?”

Dallion shook his head.

“Then the chance was wasted,” the Cleric said. “It’s funny. I never expected to see any of you here, especially after all that time. I had always assumed that we’d die out long before anyone came, even if you did win the war. Even back then, the leaders of the great conclave were so focused on conquering the world that they didn’t think it through.”

“How can you share these things?” Dallion asked.

Thanks to his music skills, he was able to continuously observe the emotions that appeared and disappeared within the two. It was like watching bubbles in a pot of boiling water. One thing Dallion suspiciously didn’t see were lies, although there remained a lot of secrets as large as potatoes and located in the chest areas.

“Didn’t the Moons prevent that?”

“Not for those that walk the same path,” the Cleric replied. “A human empath dedicated to follow the path. I suppose if it were to happen, it would have been a human. Your kind was blessed to have less limitations, though even then, the Green Moon rarely shares his gifts. I can share anything I know, but sadly it isn’t much.”

Not much? Dallion couldn’t believe his good luck. Finally, there was someone who could talk to him without restrictions. No longer would he have to hear the “you’re not ready” speech or have vital information kept from him.

“For the most you know more than I do,” the dryad said. “Maybe you know even more than the Sword Marshal.”

“That’s hardly possible,” Dallion smirked.

“Sadly, it is,” the shield dryad said. “Memories are not meant to last that long.”

Dallion’s smile faded away.

“What do you mean?” he asked in the hope that his fears were wrong.

“You start forgetting details after a few millennia. Now imagine thousands of them. Only things core to our existence remain, though even they aren’t intact. I used to repeat my most cherished memories aloud, but that only lasted a few centuries. However, as new ones started to amass, everything merged. That’s why we wrote scrolls and kept them somewhere safe—so we never forget them.”

As a new realization came, it left a bitter aftertaste. The giant library that Dallion had stolen was just a record of events—it was the memories of the guardians, gathered for thousands of years. When things had started going downhill, they must have stopped and placed those they cherished away. Dallion would have done so, at least. What would one record if there was nothing left to record? No cities, no settlements, no survivors? The shield must have realized that from the start.

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“Are there any dryads in the realm?” the shield asked.

“Only now you’re curious?” The Moon Cleric frowned. “They died out a long time ago. First the wars, then the cracklings. A few sought shelter in the temples. Some even tried to escape. In the end, those that remained just got tired. That’s the price of being banished to a world realm—unlike us they remained free, but only within the confines of their lives.”

The shield remained silent, but the pain within him ballooned like an airbag during an accident. It must have been twice as difficult for him: coming to terms with a past he tried to escape, and realizing that all the things he’d done were in vain.

“There could be some in another sword realm, but I doubt it. They would have found a way to the real world if they were alive, and as the human said, there are no dryads there.”

“If there’s no one left, why is the Star so interested in this realm?” Dallion asked, breaking the tension. On the surface it was a jerk move, but the dryads could thank him later. “He was set on finding something. Could it be the means of escape?”

“The Star is still hunting?” The Cleric glanced at the shield.

“Sort of,” Dallion went on. “He’s planning something, but I’m not sure what. All I know is that it’ll happen soon—days in the real world.”

“There were some royals who stashed a few trinkets, but I doubt it would have the power to harm a Star.”

The small grain of hope within Dallion, shattered, replaced by helplessness. He had always told himself that it was a long shot, but because of Arthurows’ interest, he had convinced himself that there had to be something. Learning that there wasn’t rendered entering the realm pointless.

“That’s not true,” Vihrogon said. “There is something. But you don’t have the strength to get it.”

“What about you?” Dallion asked. “Can you get it?”

“No, not anymore. No banished can.”

Dallion fell silent again.

“What’s the item?” the Moon Cleric asked. “If there was anything of the sort, I would have known.”

“Like you knew about the Vermillion tears that were scattered about?” the shield snapped. “Only certain people knew, and those that did had the memory extracted from them, so the Star wouldn’t find it. It was supposed to be a foolproof plan,” the dryad laughed bitterly. “Apparently we were wrong.” He paused for a moment. “The Twicrown,” he added shortly after. “That’s what was hidden. It had the power to help you escape from this realm and defeat the Star.”

“The Twicrown? It’s just an ornament. There are dozens of them scattered among the ruins. Rulers have worn them for centuries.”

“Not the ones made here, one brought from outside and hidden away.”

“And you know where it’s hidden?” Dallion asked.

“Yes and no. All sword marshals who took part in this plan had their memories taken out in a temple of the Moons and given form. That was the only way to guarantee that the Star wouldn’t know.”

Some plan, Dallion grumbled mentally. Not only had everyone involved forgotten about it, but somehow the Star had also gotten wind, else he wouldn’t be so eager to enter the realm.

Taking a deep breath, Dallion recited the names of the Seven Moons. He had already gone down the emotional roller-coaster. He had learned too much, too fast. Back on Earth, he wouldn’t have even blinked. Due to his love of puzzles, he might have actually enjoyed it, but he didn’t risk anything there. Here, there was a lot more at stake, potentially his life, possibly a lot more.

“I know where to find them, though,” the shield said.

“The dryad scrolls,” Dallion whispered. “They are your memories.”

“No.” The dryad shook his head. “The scrolls are the world’s memory. The white scroll is mine.”

Didn’t see that coming, Gen said from within Dallion’s realm.

“The protector was intrigued that a human would have empathy, but her last sentence wasn’t directed towards you. It was directed towards me,” the shield went on. “Seeing her reminded me of a few things, but if I’m to remember the rest, I’ll have to defeat her and claim the scroll.”

Saying that, Vihrogon, reverted back to his shield state. As far as he was concerned, the conversation had ended. The Moon Cleric, though, didn’t share his opinion, and continued to ask Dallion about what the real world had become. Dallion answered as much as he knew, but all the time he kept thinking about the past. There was no doubt a lot that remained unknown about the dryads and their empire. However, the second most important event in their history had been revealed, making Dallion feel as if he knew them.

He could only imagine what they must have gone through to banish all their otherworlders within world realms and hide the keys. According to what the armadil shield had said, many—if not all—realms had hidden within them the means to escape, as well as hurt the Star. The big question was why didn’t they use that power against the Star to begin with?

The vine whale increased its speed. So far, the creature hadn’t said a thing, but the revelation had to be a shock for him as well.

“I’ll take my leave, now,” the Moon Cleric stood up. “Rain will fly you to the city.”

“He can fly that far in?”

“Rain can fly anywhere he chooses. It’s just not very safe. With your moonspark, though, I think you’ll manage to pull through.” He winked. “Take care, Dal. I’d wish you luck, but not to the sword marshal. Too much was done for me to do that.”

“I understand.” Dallion nodded. “Thanks for the talk.”

“I hope it helped. I’m just sad that I won’t be able to share any of this with the rest. Which is a pity, because there were some really good parts.”

Vines emerged from the back of the dryad as he spoke. Tiny leaves spring from them, glowing in the light of the Green Moon. Then, a blink of the eye later, he was gone.

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