Chapter 20: Discussion
"Dove, may I ask you some things relating to the contract we made last night? There are some things that I'm quite curious about," The Forgotten One said in an inquisitive tone.
"Of course. What's on your mind," Calista asked while leaning her body slightly forward since she was interested in what The Forgotten One was about to say.
"You stated that you desire to restore peace between humankind and the divine. You seemed quite determined to do so by the way you were talking that day," The Forgotten One said.
"So, I was just wondering if you had any plans, ideas, or thoughts on how you would accomplish that. After all, it is my obligation to assist you in such an endeavor, given that you're the one who won the bet,' he said while gazing at her as he waited for her response.
Calista let out a sigh before admitting in a soft voice, "You know, to be honest. I foolishly thought that I could somehow convince some of the gods and goddesses to change their minds. "I figured that some of them would be open to some form of reason."
"But given how enraged the wind goddess was and how she asked you if you were aware of what humanity had done. I'm assuming she was referring to Kalias's murder; she seemed to have a pretty fixed mindset," Calista said as she briefly looked at the ground before looking back up at him.
Calista then took a slight pause before saying, "And you claimed when I first met you that the gods and goddesses were infuriated because a human took the life of one of their own. They were in no mood for reason."
"So, trying to change their minds is completely out of the question. And as I mentioned to you a little bit ago, the nightmare that I experienced during the night was no ordinary one. There was no denying that Kalias was having me relive everything that took place during his final moments," Calista admitted.
"Hmm, I'm honestly curious how something like that would even be possible. Are you and Kalias connected in some way? Also, since it was as if you were there. Did you get a glimpse of who exactly put an end to Kalias?" he asked with curiosity lacing his tone.
Calista paused for a moment since she wasn't sure how she should answer him.
She thought to herself; it always made me wonder if this kind side of The Forgotten One that he tends to show at times is nothing more than a result of the contract. Or maybe I'm just overthinking things. I wonder how he would respond if he knew that I didn't have much longer to live.
Would he still be as willing to help me? Or just think I'm insane? Plus, I did promise Kalias that I would keep what he had done for me a secret. I still can't tell if The Forgotten One can be entirely trusted or not. I need to get to know him a bit more before I make any rash decisions, Calista continued to think to herself.
Calista then smiled before deciding to tell him a partial amount of the truth. "I'm well acquainted with Kalias since I've known him since I was very young. We've developed a close friendship over the years. So that must be the reason why he was able to show me exactly what happened to him in the form of a nightmare."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense. So, onto the individual or individuals who carried out Kalias's murder, who were they?" the Forgotten One asked again since he was curious to find out who had been responsible for the murder of the god of peace.
Calista let out a sigh before admitting, "Yes, I saw clearly who was responsible for Kalias's death."
"It's just that I wasn't prepared to see him standing there. I didn't expect to discover that my dear friend that I've known over the years was capable of such a savage act," she said with sadness in her voice while she started to choke up slightly.
Seeing her reaction caused him to wrap his arms around her in a tight and warm embrace to comfort her before asking, "Was he the cause of why you were running in the rain late that night while a storm was brewing? Were you trying to run away from him?"
She then let out another small sigh before slightly nodding her head before contradictorily saying," It's a little complicated."
"That complicated, huh? However, I really am interested in hearing all of the details. So I'm here to lend you an ear if you'd like to talk about it," he said reassuringly.
"We've known each other practically our entire lives; he was always kind, his heart was never in the wrong place. He always cared deeply for me and his little brother," Calista said.
"But lately, he's been acting strangely. Something died within him when his father was assassinated. However, based on what I witnessed yesterday, it's like he's become a completely different person that I'm unable to recognize," Calista admitted.
"Once, I heard that he imprisoned his younger brother named Tristan and was also responsible for the death of a family friend; I knew something wasn't right," Calista said.
"Even though it's a reality that's hard to swallow, I've come to accept it after the nightmare validated everything that I feared wasn't true. So, as suggested by Tristan, I ran to go find Cassian and convince the divine to try and put a stop to him and be on the side of humanity," Calista said with sincerity.
"So let me guess. You mentioned that the best friend that you've gotten to know over the years locked up his younger brother. That must mean that he holds a significant degree of power and influence. Is he, by chance, a ruler of a nearby kingdom," The Forgotten One asked curiously.
"You're right. My best friend is the king of the kingdom I ran away from, known as Ralayna. He goes by the name Silas. But now that I'm aware of what he's done, I have a hard time accepting it even though I know it's true. I'm going to have to take a stand against his rule and somehow find a way that he can be overthrown," Calista said firmly.
"After what he's done. I have a bad feeling that he's not going to be stopping there. I'm uncertain about Kalias as well since Silas was accusing him of being the culprit behind his father's murder," she said with uncertainty.
"Do you believe that what Silas accused Kalias of is true?" The Forgotten One asked her curiously.
"You know, I'm not even sure of anything anymore," Calista said, her eyes drooping from sadness.
"Also, you keep bringing up someone named Cassian. Is he your lover? It's kind of hard for me to hear you speaking of another man's name," The Forgotten one said teasingly while chuckling. He did his best to try to lighten the mood.
This caused her to let a burst of laughter escape her lips. "Cassian, my lover?! Pfft, now I'm starting to think that the tables have turned. Now you're the jealous one. He's just one of Prince Tristan's most loyal and trusted guards, whom I've eventually come to call my friend."
"That's good to know. Now I know that I still have a chance to win over your heart," he said teasingly.
He paused briefly before saying in a more serious tone, "On a more serious note. I actually have a foolproof way for you to figure out what the best course of action is to restore peace to this world."
"The god of knowledge known as Nolan has the answer to every question in existence. Therefore, the best option would be to go to him for advice. So, all you have to do is ask him how you can bring humanity and the divine beings back together before an all-out war occurs," the Forgotten One said seriously.
"I was actually considering the same idea. However, the issue is that Nolan is an impossible god to find. I've only heard of him from myths, and barely anyone has had a chance to encounter him. The castle he's said to reside in is said to be invisible and is constantly changing location," Calista admitted with a slight bit of disappointment in her tone.
"The reason for that is because Nolan doesn't want to be found, which is why, just with the snap of his fingers. He can go anywhere in the world that he pleases. They say that those who are actually able to find him will be rewarded with an answer to whatever question they desire," she said.
"Oh, it won't be difficult to find him since I have something that he wants that no one else has," The Forgotten One bragged before pulling what appeared to be an eye made out of glass from his pocket.
He paused for a moment to create suspense before asking, "Can you guess what this is, Dove?" The Forgotten One said as he held the tiny glass sphere between his index finger and thumb.
"It looks as though it's simply a glass eye. How's that going to help us?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"Ah, but it's not just any glass eye. It belongs to the god of knowledge," he said while a sly smile touched his face.
He then held it up to the light, causing it to sparkle and reveal an assortment of colors before a small beam of white light shot out from it, leading to something.
"What? How did you even come across something as special as that?!" she exclaimed with her mouth wide open.
"Let's just say that I simply came across it," he said while shrugging his shoulders.
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