Fredzien Drlyc Owen
(Royal Keeper, the Master of Grimoire Keep and Premier Scribbler of Citadel of Knowledge)
Rassii is constantly haunted by thoughts of King Rim Xyxia. His intense gaze, like a piercing drill that seemed to bore a hole inside of her was enough to make her look away, but why? Something in her was drawn to him to contest his stare.
What have I done?
She wished she could slap herself or vanish into the depths of the earth. A deep sigh escaped her lips as Regret consumed her from within. She had unwittingly captured the attention of a formidable being she should have never entangled with.
"Ms. Rassii Vé Drusvenaire."
"Ah, huh?" She uttered mindlessly as she was pulled back to reality.
"Did you hear me?"
"Ah, yes, your sire..."
She was so lost in thought that she forgot she was in the office with the presence of The Royal Keeper, Fredzien Drlyc Owen, the 12 golden rings bearer, a good-looking man in his mid-thirties who wore a white and golden outfit that matches his golden earrings.
The Royal Keeper is one who holds the highest position, the same as the Warlords. Instead of a weapon, he carried the weighty responsibility of safeguarding the arcane records and knowledge of eight realms.
"Had your mind flown in somewhere else?" He said with a scrutinising gaze. He exudes a heavy and oppressive aura akin to the Lords that sends chills throughout her body.
"N-no." She denied it with embarrassment.
After the events of the Sacraflamus rite ceremony, she was summoned and taken to the Grimoire Keep, located within the Citadel of Knowledge.
Fredzien narrowed his eyes. "In this special case, you will remain an unrank bearer."
She nodded. "Yes, your Sire."
"Before we continue, I'd like to confirm a few things." Fredzien made a slight pause, like he was gathering his thoughts. His eyes flashed, then he stood. "Come, I will take you to the Aeos Athenaeum."
She suddenly felt nervous. Before she went with the Royal keeper, she had already been told by the Lord to conceal her true identity at all costs, as its revelation could lead to utter chaos within the academy. However, the way the Royal keeper gazed at her led her to surmise that he might have a faint inkling about who she truly was.
She walked behind him, keeping silent and trying to avoid his prying eyes. She watches him walk gracefully, befitting his title as the true master of this keep.
"This is the first time that a bearer, after awakening, only holds a single ring," he said without stopping or looking back at her.
The rumours that spread only spoke of her possessing a single ring that would etch her name into history-a new addition to her ever-growing list of odd accomplishments.
A first mortal that learned about the academy, a being from a lesser race that had been chosen to be a bearer, and now the only bearer who welds a single ring.
"There were so many remarkable stories that happened in the academy that filled the walls of the Aeos Athenaeum, and this one is so much more remarkable than the others that it deserves a slot for carving."
A Bearer that is able to weld a King's fire yet possesses a single ring-the Cadaverous Ring.
His words flooded her with more questions. She was afraid that she was somehow, unknowingly, giving him a hint of who she was. She knew what lay ahead if these people found out that she was just merely a mortal being.
They reach the end of the corridor, where there is only a solid wall. At first she was confused, but as the Royal Keeper said something in a grimoire tongue, the wall shattered like glass. It revealed a concealed circular door adorned with ancient markings.
Upon entering the door, they found themselves transported into an infinite space. The sudden shift unsettled her, causing her to stagger back while her vision blurred, and vertigo set in. She desperately pressed her temples, feeling as if her brain would burst from the overwhelming sensations.
On the verge of nausea, the Royal keeper intervened swiftly. With a mere flick of his fingers, the searing pain and dizziness began to subside, offering her much-needed relief.
"This is not the place to make a mess, Ms. Vé Drusvenaire," Fredzien stated calmly, devoid of any sympathy in his tone.
Confused and disoriented, she said with a gasp. "I... I'm sorry."
She looked up with teary eyes and saw millions or more of giant white slabs erected in rows in this infinite white space. And there were people who looked like scholars looking at her who wore the same outfit. But their rings varied in numbers and colors.
Their eyes flashed with curiosity and astonishment, indicating that they already knew the rumor about her.
"What is this place?"
"Welcome to the first chamber of Aeos Athenaeum."
"These are walls." Fredzien was referring to the white slabs. "It contains important knowledge across the realms. They were preserved in aeons of time. But the first chamber only contains public information."
The esoteric and utmost classified knowledge was carved and preserved in the two highest chambers, where the Royal Keeper and Kings could only set foot.
She stared at one of the scholars with golden hair tied into a ponytail, who once before were staring at them, now busy scribbling into the slabs with precise and swift motion while the other seemed to be just taking notes.
"They were Chisels. They scrabbled the remarkable information from outside on the wall." Fredzien continued explaining while they were walking between the slabs.
But one thing caught her attention. In the middle there was a golden slab, and it was bigger than the rest.
"Why does it look different from the rest?" She asked absently.
The Royal Keeper stopped just in front of the Golden Slab. "Have you known the tale of the Birth of the Eternals?"
"No..."
"It is common knowledge from any royalties who aspired to be a Bearer that undergoes selection. Yet, there were people just like you..." Fredzien places his hand on the slab, and the ancient scribbles glow. "This is the beginning of the creation. And what I'm going to tell you is not what it is written in your text book. It's not a secret, but it's a history that has been carved in the first chamber, and also written in the old testament of all historians across the domains— the Birth of Eternals."
Rassii remained silent while she listened.
"In the beginning, when the universe was but a canvas of endless possibilities, the Creator, an entity of absolute power, crafted the vast expanse with unfathomable mastery. From the Creator's boundless essence, life sprouted forth, and existence found its dance."
So, it was like Genesis. She thought.
"But the Creator desired more, and with a fragment taken from the core of his divine self, he sculpted eight greater beings. These beings were bestowed with the sacred duty to uphold the delicate balance of life and the myriad creations scattered across the vast plane of existence."
"This plane, teeming with countless worlds, came to be ruled and governed by the eight greater beings who ascended to become the Eternal Kings, guardians of the Eternal Realms."
"Amongst the eight equals, one shone brighter than the rest—the firstborn, born from the holiest light of the Creator. With power unmatched, he was named Supreme King, the bearer of twenty golden rings, and he reigned supreme over the Eternal Realms—the highest plane."
Supreme.... Supreme King Rim Xyxia Euryn... He is the Supreme King! She unwittingly took a step back, her hair bristling with terror as fear gradually crawled up her spine. I'm so dead...