After the meeting with the nobles and commanders, armies again marched toward Helios. This time, it was to show their support instead of sieging the city. Helios opened its gates to the knights, who were cheered for by the crowd.
Journalists earned their bread by covering this news, which shocked the world. It has been a little over a month since Helios had its tragic war, where an estimated fifty thousand victims fell, so their enthusiasm for a new one seemed bizarre.
"No one likes war, but the fields are dying, and no merchant is visiting our empire. I used to sell linen I obtained from merchants, but my shop closed because of the decision against us. This war might be the last hope for Ilios."
This comment was left by one shop owner who was found cheering among the crowd. The young journalist was confused by the mindset and hurried to suggest an alternative view of the war.
pαпdα`noνɐ1`сoМ "Would these problems not be solved if Ascent sought amends with Runera?" asked the journalist. The man pondered for a bit before shaking his head.
"A natural decision for a non-Iliosian. Before I opened this shop, I trained as a warrior under my father. He taught me that a warrior could have his back broken but never bent. Arthur Silvera saved us from death, and if he wants our help, I will take a sword and go with him."
Similar comments were left by the citizens of Helios, who welcomed the armies with a heartwarming attitude. The journalist could not write anything other than this comment in his newspaper.
"These comments might reflect the true nature of the Land of Warriors. Although their pride has downsides, they will never forget a debt once owned. Until this moment, Arthur Silvera is seen as a savior."
Once this news spread to the rest of the world, it stood in amazement. Ilios had nothing at the moment: nothing. Their farmlands were dying, and the world had cut off their trade. Even a fool would realize that Ilios was on the brink of collapse, but their morale was far from low.
Thus, news agencies entered the empire to find the reason behind their headstrong attitude. Soon, the articles these agencies wrote shocked the world. If one did not check what they were reading, their first thought was that this was a fairytale.
The new empress exempted all people from their taxes and provided them with services like water and electricity for free. The reason was announced to be the hard times Ilios was experiencing. Even more, the empire distributed food in the public squares daily for those who could not eat for themselves. Thus, for the Iliosians, this period of hardship has turned into a vacation.
As for the source of these resources, the answer was a no-brainer. Empress Ai was using the Imperial Treasury to save its people from famine, unheard of in recent decades. This treasury was kept for the sole purpose of emergencies and diplomatic relations.
Although such news was harmless on the surface, it brought a significant storm among the citizens who starved in their peaceful nations. Seeing the leap in the Iliosian quality of life made them realize they lived in poverty and considered themselves lucky.
Once again, the indirect actions of Ascent created chaos in the world. The first time was when Arthur Silvera appeared and revealed the hidden powers in the world, letting the population realize how corrupted they were.
The number of applications that Ascent received reshot through the roof. However, for safety reasons, Ascent accepted none after its Guild Master declared war. Thus, the countdown began to what the people labeled the Battle of Runes.
***
Arthur was sitting inside his room when this news arrived. It made him smile to realize that his little actions changed the world. However, he knew an entire society of awakeners was hidden deep beneath the surface.
He was alone in his room because of the letters he had received this morning. One was from an old friend Arthur did not want to interact with because of the new wrathful parasite, Eragon. Ellen wrote him a letter expressing her concern over what she had heard in the news.
Although Arthur knew that the circumstances forced Ellen, he could not forget what he had been through. That petite girl, now a woman, was one of his first friends alongside Oriole. However, it did not change that his blood boiled when he remembered where she had sent him.
On the other hand, his powers were the catalyst needed to create a hybrid. It might have been a coincidence that Ellen was the one to fall for it because of Tyrin, but Arthur could not help but feel bitter.
Her letter was brief and concise, as befitting of her persona. However, Arthur could feel the worry in her words, but he could not relate to them.
"It is because I spent a long time without interacting with her?" muttered Arthur before considering another possibility. "Or is it that I don't care because of the erosion?"
The erosion is what Arthur called his fading feelings the stronger he became. If Eragon gave him rage, then the creator gave him apathy. The combination made him wonder whether he would be unable to feel anything but wrath one day.
Arthur placed down the letter and opened the next one. This one was from someone he did not expect since he had forgotten about their existence. It was Amelia, the girl he once met in his academy and later met in Jerano.
In her letter, the old acquaintance mentioned how she always wondered why she grew stronger. After witnessing his feats, she believed he kept his promise to make her more powerful.
"Oh, it seems that her father has recruited her into his guild as a Jerano student," read Arthur with surprise before a smile crept to his face. Although he did not care about Amelia, he was glad to see her gratitude for his help. "She even mentioned the shares she would give me. I guess it was an unnecessary investment on my part?"
Arthur placed down the letter with a smile. After a quick search, he found that her father was the guild master of an A-ranked guild. Although it was somewhat known in the Yalen Capital, Arthur did not think much of it. Ascent has not reached the B-rank yet because wars hindered its growth. Arthur did not find any meaning in ranks since he did not fall into them. Then, he picked up the third letter.
This one surprised him because it was from Oren. Arthur wondered why his brother did not call him, but the first line in the letter answered that question.
"I still find it hard to talk to you in person."
Arthur could not help but smile. He then read the adventures of his brothers, even mentioning the forest spirits who took him in as a hero. Then, he learned about their sacred tree before heading toward the Yalveran Union to meet Marvi.
Not even Ruki knew the location of that Shadow Warrior, but it seemed that he had been in the Yalveran Union looking for clues about how to eradicate the curse Arthur had. Reading the misconception of his brother, Arthur wondered what to do.
"Eragon is not a curse I have... but the opposite," Arthur sighed. However, he was happy to see his brother well and go on adventures. He even met Selena, his girlfriend, and was currently residing with her family.
The letter ended with a mention of the war against Runera. Oren expressed his concern and confusion but said he believed Arthur had the reason to start such a thing. Ultimately, he said he would come over if Arthur wrote for him.
Arthur had no such intentions.
"Your brother, Oren Silvera."
The signature at the end of the letter made Arthur pause. His heart started aching once he realized the two people he could call family were not with him. Inevitable loneliness crept into his heart.
This brought Arthur to the last letter. It was the only one with no stamp, date, or address. It appeared among the others, which had been delivered by an underground company that used teleportation devices to deliver packages and letters.
As soon as Arthur read the first line, he rose. It was the one letter he had been waiting for all this time. He might not have expected this person to reach out to him in such a manner, but he finally did.
"I heard that Paradise is filled with four-leaf clovers."
Paradise was the name of the city Arthur found in Alka, and the four-leaf clover was the mask Oriole used after joining Ascent. This first line reveals the identity of the person who sent the letter.
"And yet I cannot see lady luck blessing this union. If only a hero could see our struggles and take the sword of freedom out of its sheath."
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