Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

52. The Failure of a God.

A/N 

Hey Crew, 

Wattpad glitched when I posted the last chapter so i'm going to unpublish and republish it and throw this one on as a bonus. 

Your welcome haha.

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Cal laughed. "Nope, you're just the first candidate, you have to earn it. that being said, I am grooming you for greatness, and you can always choose your own path." Then he looked down at the book solemnly. "People have put too much stock into my decisions. I never wanted people to feel like they were worthless unless I placed them somewhere. You and Naomi will be groomed to have an opportunity to choose in the new Kingdom of Calphian. Be the guildmaster, or choose a new path. I may be a god in some people's eyes, but I don't have to be your god." He picked up the book on the table and handed it to Yvette. "Is it busywork, or the tools you need to walk on your own two feet. A hammer or a sword, a tool is what you make of it. You can build or destroy a house with a hammer, but what will you do with the sword of knowledge, Yvette?"

"All this time. Have you really been...?" Yvette slowly took the book.

"Let's just say, that I always had more faith in you than you have. You can always go back to being a café girl, but something tells me that if given the right tools you won't settle for something so servile." Cal smiled since he couldn't wink.

"That's kind of funny coming from you, MASTER." Yvette chided playfully.

"Maybe, but did I answer your question?" Cal ruffled Yvette's raven hair.

"What about Naomi's new class?"

"In time, but let's just say that her strengths may not lie in the traditional adventurer class system like I had originally intended. Hence the class creation system I'm testing out."

"Class creation?" Yvette asked.

"Yes, as we've discussed before, the magic system has changed over the last couple centuries. Do you really think that's the only thing that has changed? How many other new classes may be available? How many new features have been added? We have so much left to learn and explore. It's hard to admit but everything I know about this world seems to be outdated and overrated." Cal's shoulders sagged, and he gazed blankly at the wall before turning back to her. "Can I be honest with you?"

Yvette nodded worriedly.

"I'm woefully unprepared and underqualified. Guildmaster, king, or god. I'm much better suited to beating down all in my way with brute force, or hiding behind a figurehead shaping the nation. I have to carve out my place in this world with only expectations heaped on me and several nations of people to let down. That and I have to raise a girl damaged by my faults and hold together a marriage with a woman I barely know anymore. Now, I'm being told I'm a god on top of all that. One wrong step and... well Ophelia's already informed me of how bad I AM going to fail everyone." Cal met Yvette's eyes with a gaze full of vulnerability that she never thought he'd show. "In more futures than I care to count I fail you and everyone."

Cal stood up and walked over to fall on his bed. He touched the spot where Shayley would have slept tonight. "In some of them, even Shayley ends up hating me. Can you imagine the pressure? After 250 years it only takes me three months to completely screw it up."

Cal sat up. "Yvette, who do you think I am? Because from what I've been able to gather: I am a god that children are sacrificed for. I am the absentee creator of a city that left it to rot. I am the good-for-nothing that left behind the woman he loved. I am the one who cursed the Segaro sea and cut off an entire nation. Soon I'll be the man that lets down everyone. From A to Z I've been a failure, I am a failure, and I'm going to be a failure. So why? Why do I still feel so motivated? Why does it excite me? Why are impossible odds my favorite? Do I just love being a failure?"

Cal stood up and put his hand on Yvette's shoulders. "You know what, never mind. Just because your master is a failure doesn't mean you have to be too." He placed a hand on the thick volume in her hands. "Take this sword and strive to be better than I ever could. Yvette, Forget about me, who do you want to be?"

Yvette held the book close to her chest. "Master, why do you always speak in riddles?" She sighed. "I know you told me to forget it but I'm going to answer you anyway." She gathered up her papers. "You are only a failure when you stop trying, and from the sounds of it, you are a long way from stopping. That makes you a long way from being a failure in my book. And getting excited in the face of challenge makes you sound more like an adventurer than any of us. You chase the impossible despite everyone even yourself telling you that you are a failure. You sound more like a dreamer to me. As for me, I just want to reach my potential." She smiled and walked to the door.

"So for now I'm going to prove my faith in you and train to become the best Guildmaster I can be. I am going to surpass your expectations. Watch me, I'm going to be an even better guildmaster than you, not that it'll be hard considering how useless you are." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

*

Yvette left with a smile on her face. It was nice to see a new side of her master, he really did have more confidence in her than she could have ever guessed. Who would have known that the great and mighty Calloway Calphius would have so many doubts? Guildmaster Evie, huh? She had a long way to go, but with that much power behind her even Alea couldn't ignore her.

On her way back to her room she began thinking of ways to improve the guild. It was still budding, so there was a lot of work to be done and a scarcity of resources. There had to be a ton of ways to make it more efficient. But if she wanted to be truly useful she had to master the sword Cal had given her. That meant she needed to get through this book.

And now she had a new well of motivation to put into her work.

*

Meanwhile Cal stared at his ceiling. He really needed to keep his mouth shut. This was why he needed that cuddle, because otherwise he talked anyone's ear off that showed up.

He picked up the griffon and met its eyes. "I should have just talked to you. Maybe if named you I'd be more inclined to chat. Now what should I call you? Any ideas?"

Cal narrowed his eyes, "...You're no help. How about Hifumi? Since you're from this orientally based land it seems only fitting you have a Japanese name."

The Griffon cawed happily.

"Hifumi it is. Welcome to the family little one. Get used to cuddles, we are a touchy feely bunch, well I am." Cal hugged his new familiar. It was a bitter sweet feeling. He thought of his other familiars especially Fenrir. He had been asleep all this time, hopefully he didn't hate him. He wished he also had a chance to talk to Shayley, it would do him a world of good to be able to see her especially after the day he just had. He also missed Ophelia. He had grown really attached to his daughter.