It was the following morning, and all seemed well in Regerth, except for Igrette, who had had little to no sleep the night before. The dream, or rather, nightmare, as the wizard put it, had weighed heavily on his mind since he awoke. He sat on his bed for almost an hour, pondering what his dream meant and why the Dark Lord chose to visit him instead of the others. After all, there was nothing special about him or what he did for a living. No Dark Ruler, or any other avytes, for that matter, would be interested in a cobbler's son, as he had little value compared to the son of a nobleman.
"Enough Igrette!" He said sternly to himself. "Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and wondering what the Dark Lord's motives are. Why don't you find Gollagim and ask him who and what Lord Xinoblack might be and why he visited you? Yes, I will do exactly that."
Igrette rose from his bed and hurriedly ran out of his bed chamber as he went to find the white-haired wizard. "I don't know why I even bother to look for Gollagim here when it's no secret that he wouldn't spend the night in any of the chambers because of Gregory's dislike for him," he muttered. "But where could he...Oh, I think I know where he could be at this hour."
Igrette then exited the large, aureate-coloured entrance of the main castle and ran to the riverbank where he was certain the wizard was waiting for him, which he was upon Igrette's arrival at the river.
"I was. I was looking for you," Igrette said breathlessly. "And t-thank heavens I found—" he raised one hand to the air while placing the other on his chest. "I was..."
The wizard stood from his place by the riverbank and rushed to Igrette's side, placing his hand comfortingly on Igrette's shoulder and said: "You need to breathe first, Igrette. Whatever you have to tell me can wait."
"It w-will only take a m-moment before I-I," Igrette said, inhaling and exhaling softly and more controllably.
"Take your time, Igrette." The wizard encouraged.
For a few seconds, the wizard stood by Igrette's side as he slowly regained his ability to speak. "I wish to ask you...what could the Dark Lord possibly want from me?" He asked, feeling a little nervous to inquire about Lord Xinoblack and his soldiers.
"I am afraid I don't know the answer to your question, Igrette, but what I do know is that whatever He's after is far, far too powerful and shouldn't fall into his hands—" said the wizard gravely as he walked to the shaggy tree. "—and if it does..."
Igrette was not far behind the wizard when he asked curiously: "Then what will happen?"
"Then, my dear, Igrette, it will mean the end of our beloved aron," said the wizard with a heavy heart as he plopped onto the grass. "We will all live according to His rules."
Igrette gasped, stunned by the suddenness of the wizard's words. "S-Surely He can't force us to be His s-slaves."
"Oh, but He can and He will." The wizard verified.
"Ardydüs," cried Igrette. "How can any avytes, be it good or evil, subject others to a world of torture?"
"Well, you see, Igrette, back then, things, especially certain avytes and washers, were rather––different," echoed the wizard.
Igrette had a confused look in his eyes as he plopped down on the grass next to the wizard and asked: "Different? How so?"
"What I meant to say was, Lord Xinoblack wasn't always as wicked as He was after the—" the wizard stopped short, somehow weighing his every word as he opened his mouth and added: "—After they sought Him out and turned Him into the ruthless avytes He is now."
Igrette blinked innocently. "And who are they of whom you speak?"
"His soldiers," said the wizard. "They knew of the struggles He and His family had faced, and I suppose they saw something in Him that would one day make an exceptional leader since He was the first avytes to bravely challenge them by going to Solyion, which, to this day, was their home."
"Pardon my curiosity, but were they looking for Him before or after He went to Solyion?" Igrette pressed.
The wizard shook his head. "How else would they know of His struggles if He only went to Solyion afterwards?" The wizard spat, a little too sarcastically for Igrette's liking. "As I mentioned earlier, they knew beforehand of His struggles, and therefore, they allowed Him into Solyion without touching a hair on His head, as they would normally do with a passers-by."
"Aren't you cheery this morning?" Igrette murmured.
"I heard that," said the wizard, narrowing his eyes at Igrette. "Now, where was I...? Ah, yes, Lord Xinoblack's soldiers who allowed Him to enter freely through the gates of Solyion..."
Igrette shrugged his shoulders stiltedly. "So...the Dark Lord and His soldiers? How did He come to know of the creatures in Solyion?"
"To tell you His story, I have to go back to where it all began, which was how He and His wife struggled for the first few months of their lives with their newborn babe..." the wizard began.
"H-He has an offspring?" Igrette interrupted, his eyes filled with genuine surprise.
"Yes, He does, Igrette," said the wizard. "Now, as I said before you cheerfully interrupted me, they've been struggling, both financially and mentally, ever since the arrival of their son, which, you can imagine, has taken a toll on them. According to Lord Xinoblack, it was mostly He and the farm animals that He cared for on His property, who suffered the most."
The wizard momentarily paused again before adding: "He felt there was no need to continue with the life they were leading and believed that no avytes should ever go through such hardships. He also believed that He was meant for something greater and deserved all the riches in the aron."
Igrette dipped his head to his hands as he tried to hide the saddened look in his eyes. "How awful...I am a little terrified to find out where this story is going."
"As you should be," the wizard sighed sharply. "Lord Xinoblack spent days thinking about how to save Himself and His family from poverty. By the time He sold most of His farm animals, He and His wife were already estranged, and at one point, she wanted to leave Him and take her son with her, but she couldn't because she loved Him and hoped that He would overcome His bitterness and lust for wealth. But little did she know of the danger that laid ahead—"
Igrette gasped sharply. "Did He do away with His wife and son?"
"Will you ever let me finish the story without interrupting me, Igrette?" The wizard asked in annoyance.
"I sincerely apologise for my untimely and d-distasteful behaviour," Igrette apologized rather awkwardly. "I promise you it will not happen again."
The wizard nodded attentively and said. "After Lord Xinoblack thought long and hard, He went to Solyion to offer them His soul and eternal loyalty in exchange for gold, and when they gave Him what He so desired, it never once occurred to Him to ask them what they wanted in return. He lived happily with His wife and son for a few months, and all their problems seemed to be a thing of the past. There was no longer a need for Him to work because the coins came and came and came until..."
"Until they put an end to the Dark Lord's life...?" Igrette was tempted to ask the wizard but did not, as he had sworn to his promise not to interrupt the wizard when he spoke.
The wizard cocked his head to the side as this particular part of the story was always the hardest for him to share with anyone. "Until one day when they summoned Him to Solyion and as payment for His wealth, they demanded that He behead His wife and son and drink their blood while they watched."
"H-How heartless..."
"It is true, and no avytes should ever be faced with such a choice," the wizard slowly swung his head toward Igrette, his eyes filled with sorrow. "But He refused to do what they asked of Him, and with what little pride He had left, He ran to His house as fast as His feet could carry Him, and as soon as He reached His doorway, He told His wife to pack her and their son's belongings and run as far as she could with the babe."
"Please don't tell me they followed Him to His abode..."
"She couldn't even dare set foot out of the door because those vile creatures were swirling around their home," the wizard choked out. "The poor woman also realised that the man who stood before her was no longer her spouse but a stranger who, without weighing all His options, chose the easy way out and sold His soul for some gold coins. In her heart, her lover died the day He set foot in Solyion and made an agreement with the Adyens."
For a few seconds, the two avytes sat in sheer silence, both struggling to come to terms with the woman and her newborn babe's painful story. "As she stood there cradling her son in her arms, she couldn't fathom the event unfolding before her eyes. T-Those creatures set her house on fire, and as any mother in her position would do, she handed the babe to his father, and whispered, "Take him far away." And as if she knew her time was near, she felt something cold and sharp piercing through her chest," the wizard closed his eyes tightly. "My son, were her last words before she succumbed to her wound."
A lone tear rolled down Igrette's cheek as he asked: "And the babe? Whatever happened to him?"
"I haven't the slightest idea, Igrette. However, Lord Xinoblack is believed to have escaped with his son to a nearby village where they lived comfortably for a few months. But after a month or so, word reached the Dark Lord's ears that peculiar creatures were on the prowl for a man of His description. And so, He wasted no time and fled somewhere where no one knew Him, and although He did not want to, He left His son with the villagers who took them in."