Kings Game

Chapter 22 - History

Roran paused, considering Sarah's words. "You said they removed themselves from the cycle, so it's not that they're indestructible or everyoung, they're unkillable altogether."

"Correct. Even if you ripped out one of their hearts, they wouldn't die. It would hurt horribly and probably make it difficult for them to move around, but they wouldn't die."

"How is that possible?"

"Like I said, focus markings. With enough energy, focus markings can rewrite reality. The Kings just twisted it so they could be immortal. It's less impressive than you think. Immortality is a misnomer at best. Nothing lasts forever. In a few millennia, the mountains themselves will die and the Kings will fade away into nothing more than a bad memory."

"A millennia is a long time."

Sarah shrugged. "Yes and no. It sounds like a long time, but anything past a lifetime really doesn't matter. After you die, time loses its meaning and a few years is no different than a few thousand."

Roran blinked at her, trying to process her words. After a few moments he gave up and moved the conversation forward.

"How did the Kings create the focus markings that made them immortal?"

"They didn't, they stole them. Far to the south was a kingdom built by sages, philosophers, and alchemists. They spent centuries refining focus markings and searching for eternal life. By combining many lifetimes of research and study, they developed the basic markings needed for immortality. However, once they realized how much energy was needed to fuel the focus markings, they wrote it off as impractical and moved on. The Kings stole the designs and made them work with the help of their crowns."

"What happened to the kingdom in the south? Is it still there?"

"No, the Kings sent their armies to loot and destroy it shortly after they rose to power. They didn't want to risk others gaining the same power they held. A few descendents are sprinkled around the world, each of them carrying remnants of the kingdom's former glory, but the height of knowledge and power that the kingdom once held is gone forever."

"That's awful."

Sarah shrugged. "It's all part of the ebb and flow. Worse things have happened before, and worse things are yet to come. That's why I try not to worry about things beyond my lifetime, there's nothing you can do about them. Empires rose and fell long before either of us were born, more will rise and fall after we die. The only thing we can do is focus on what is right in front of us."

"Karyn said something similar," said Roran. He racked his brain, trying to recall her words. "Focus on being happy, spend time with people that make you smile and get away from those who don't. That way, when people die, you don't have any regrets."

"Karyn is a smart girl. She's also borrowing wisdom from the dead and the ephemeral, but I won't hold it against her."

"You really don't like fortune tellers, do you?"

Sarah shrugged. "Fortune tellers are like painters, whereas I'm an architect. They make pretty statements full of emotion and feeling, I capture the truth and present facts."

Roran cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Okay fine, I'm not a fan of fortune tellers. They encroach on my territory too much and make me feel self conscious."

Roran laughed. "Karyn would be appalled if she ever made you feel self conscious. She's one of the sweetest people I know. You'd like her."

"She's lovely, I just have a different view of the world than her. Any other historical questions I can answer for you?"