Page 61 of Knights of Past

“…Eternal flame.”

25

CHOSEN ONE CHOICES

AMELIA

‘Aristeas in which you seek, find the Raven behind the door and we will speak…’

Iwoke with a start the moment I thought I heard the voice, and the name Aristeas was one that lingered in my mind. Now where had I heard of that name before?

“The Book!” I shouted before scrambling up from my bed and frantically looking for my bags. I also noticed that Lucius wasn’t here, but I gathered he had been the one to carry me to bed. I hated to admit it, but that made this easier as I didn’t have to suddenly explain my manic actions after waking up hearing that name.

“Voila, here it is!” I said the moment I found my oversized handbag that I had thankfully stuffed the book I had been reading on the plane into.

“Amissa regna et lapsus Urbes,” I read out loud the title of the book, which was Latin for Lost Realms and Fallen Cities. I quickly started scrolling through the old pages until seeing that name, one I thought I had recognized.

“It just has his name but nothing else…” I let my verbalized words trail off before I was standing and stuffing my feet back into the converse Lucius had obviously taken off me, having no time to add the socks because I needed to get to the family library before Lucius came back. Of course, to find me missing would no doubt send him into a bit of a panic, so I quickly scribbled down a note.

One that literally said,

‘Don’t worry, I couldn’t sleep and decided to go find a book.

Love you, handsome, x’

After this Islipped out and made my way to the library, pausing the second I heard the voice again, knowing this time that it hadn’t just been in my dreams after all.

‘Aristeas in which you seek, find the Raven behind the door and we will speak…’ The moment I felt the voice calling for me, I knew that it would only lead me to answers. Of course, the last time I had been foolish enough to let a voice lead me anywhere, it had led me down into my father's prison. But this voice wasn't panicked or asking for my help. No, it was calm and almost soothing, and the moment it started to lead me into the library I knew my instincts had been right. I would finally find my answers to the biggest question of all.

How to gain access into the Realm of Hyperborea.

Hyperborea was more Greek mythology than anything else, as all research led to it being half myth and half real. In fact, most of it seemed just like any other story as there was very little evidence to support it ever having existed. Of course, after my very physical experience with the Wraith Master, I know knew differently. For starters, the stories of how Hyperborea crumbled away into ruin were all told of being by a Volcanic eruption. A natural disaster, swallowing up its inhabitants and immortalizing their bodies just like it had at Pompeii.

But very few Supernaturals knew of the truth. That the beginning of the end started with a King driven mad by greed and jealously. The Realm that had been ruled by two brothers, a divided land that had only known peace before madness overtook one of their Kings.

King Theron wanted to be the only ruler and was planning to overthrow his brother’s crown. But there was also another reason for this, as it was clear after their first meeting that King Phalaris, Theron’s brother, had fallen in love with his wife. The jewel of the land, for it was said that she was the most beautiful woman in all the realm.

One now facing a life locked away as jealous rage filled her husband, becoming the first step taken toward starting a war. Which then ended with him making a deal with some Elemental version of the Devil, selling not only his own soul as payment, but also that of the entirety of his army.

And so, the Wraiths were reborn.

However, despite winning the war, especially seeing as after all Theron’s men had all been killed, they simply rose once more and fought the winning side, only this time, they could not be beaten. Which meant that due to the curse, and now having no living ruler, one that would crush all who tried to claim the throne, the Hyperborean people were left to perish. This meant that with no living souls left in the Realm, the gateway closed and crumbled, feeling no life source to keep it open.

Of course, this had been the only information I had learned from endless hours spent studying lost realms. That the power of a gate depended on the life source behind it and seeing as the Wraiths were technically dead, then it seemed impossible. Of course, the Wraith Master had been the only one with the power to cast these lost souls out to different realms. But I learned far too late that this was only for a short time. Meaning that day in King Auberon’s office, we had only needed to continue fighting them for a time and eventually they would have disappeared, for their time was limited.

But now I was the new Wraith Master, so I could do the same, having now being burdened with the same curse. What I couldn’t do as a living person, was get there and set them free…Or could I?

I mean, this was the first time I had heard even a whisper or a hint that there might be something, so maybe the key had been in Afterlife all this time?

Once inside the library, I was thankful that I found it empty. However as soon as I closed the door behind me, I cried out in surprise as a book suddenly flew off one of the shelves and landed on the floor.

“Well, that’s no coincidence,” I muttered before walking over to it and reading the title aloud.

“Greek Poets? Oh my Gods, Greek Poets! Aristeas! That’s where I know that name from,” I shouted, only to gasp again as the book suddenly opened and the pages started turning so fast, it was like the book was possessed!

It finally stopped seconds later, now landing on the exact page I needed, making me look around the room in a wary way as if I half expected to find someone there watching me. But then when no eyes were found spying on me from the ornately carved spiral staircases, I focused back on the page before bending over to retrieve the book.

I then walked over to one of the high wing-backed leather chairs and started to read what it said about Aristeas. It told the tale of him being a legendary Greek Poet dating back from the 7thcentury BC. A legend clearly not known to many as its only evidence seemed to be written in the Suda. The Suda was an ancient encyclopaedic text, written in Greek. Within this encyclopaedia was written knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world, previously attributed to an author called Soudas, and held within it roughly thirty thousand entries. One of which was clearly, the story of Aristeas.

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