Level Up Legacy

"You said that I was always the creator," muttered Arthur with newfound doubt as he squinted at the guardian. "You now tell me that my father made sure I was the creator? How can any human do that?"

"That is not something I dared nor demanded to know," said Jizo with a shake of his head. "Your father had his ways of doing things that no one could understand. How did he know which fissure to use in order to travel through time?"

"Are you saying that he had some knowledge that not even the Scholar Guardian had?" asked Arthur with confusion. Jizo shrugged without giving a reply, making Arthur frown. "He is nothing but a lunatic."

"Your father might be the smartest human I have ever met," the scholar said, stating the cold-hard truth. "He was calculating and decisive. Nothing was out of reach for him, not even the gods. If he wanted to achieve glory, there were better ways to do that."

"Then, what is his goal?"

"I am not one to tell," said the guardian with a shrug. "My views of him don't make him a better person. He is flawed, and so am I. We are not good people no matter how much we try to believe we are."

"Then what about the Holy Crown? What was the reason behind its creation?" asked Arthur as he tried to change the subject, since the guardian was beginning to upset him. Instead of answers, he was receiving questions.

"A foolish hope that the seven families would change. I designed the Holy Crown to ensure that the seven families remain weakened, but also choose a suitable candidate from among them to lead the rest. In the end, no one was worthy of the crown."

"I received the breaker insignia from the crown."

"As a tool designed to nurture souls, the crown is supposed to unleash potentials, hence the insignias. It does not give powers that do not exist, but it acts as a beacon to regulate the latent potential within souls."

"What about the legacy of kings?"

"The Holy Crown was our first attempt to change the world, me and Arthur both," said the guardian. "I still hope that someone from the seven families would be wise enough to deserve the crown."

"What if I take the crown myself?"

"You have the two strongest powers in the universe, so why crave more?" asked the guardian with confusion. "The crown is nothing but an accessory to a fraction of your powers."

"My father used the crown to throw my mother into a coma," said Arthur as he clenched his fist. "I could not interfere with it because the crown blocks my powers when I use them to cure her. I need to seek the crown."

"Under normal circumstances, your powers and mana are on a higher level than the crown," said the guardian with a frown as he pondered. "However, the sole difference should be the mana feeding it. Seref might have found a good source of mana for the crown, feeding it with endless mana."

"Are you saying that I can override the crown's authority as long as I have enough mana?"

"That could take a while, depending on the source that Seref managed to secure," said the guardian before nodding. "A better method would be to find the crown and sever its power source, or use it in order to change the power affecting your mother."

"And in order to find the crown, I must participate in the trial," assumed Arthur, to which the guardian nodded. "This is another matter that I would never forgive Seref for. You answered plenty of my questions, Jizo. I apologize for disturbing your work."

After he said that, Arthur left, leaving the guardian. As he watched him leave, the guardian seemed conflicted. Despite being just twenty years old, the departing young man carried the fate of millions.

As soon as Arthur walked through the portal, it closed and isolated the guardian again within the world of runes. After a sigh of regret, the guardian pulled up a hologram that showed Seref on the ground, still in his spiral of despair.

There were some things that the guardian hid from Arthur. Although he was the creator and inheritor of Ragnar, Jizo knew better than to reveal secrets that might change Arthur forever. As he watched the spirit console the man in his breakdown, he wondered if he has made the right choice.

Seref was not a good person, as many died because of him. The incident when he led an attack against Kera was one of many. He has caused far more atrocities than that one. However, the guardian had a soft spot for the intelligent man because he knew the real reason behind his actions.

Future foresight was not an ability that anyone could have, and those who did would only glimpse partial events in the future. However, Seref had a far more terrifying spirit on his side. Although the Bookkeeper did not have any fighting powers, it might be the most dangerous spirit in existence.

It had the power of stories.

As long as the bookkeeper wished for it, a storybook would appear about any person in the world. It would encompass their entire life and death, revealing knowledge about the past, present, and future. Seref used that power to avoid an ending he dreads. This made him a villain for those who did not know that ending, and especially his son.

As he gazed at the man trying to gather himself together, Jizo decided that he could no longer stand idle. He waved his hand to create a portal, connecting him to the campfire. Then, he stepped through the portal and appeared before the spirit and the collapsed man.

"What are you doing here, Scholar Guardian?" asked the terrifying bookkeeper as it looked at him. "Your appearance here is not a part of your story."

"I know that I am pushing past the boundaries of what is allowed, but Arthur came to see me just now," said the guardian as he turned his gaze toward the man on the ground. "He came to tell me how indifferent he is about his father."

As he heard the words, Seref calmed down. Then, he rose from the ground, pushing himself up with his bare hands. When the two stood face to face, Jizo felt nostalgic of their meetings in the past.

"Long time no see, old friend," said Seref with a smile as the pathetic man from earlier disappeared. "As the spirit said, you are not meant to be on my side anymore. What brings you here behind Arthur's back?"

"I told Arthur the truth about everything he asked, except one," said the guardian as he looked at Seref with unknown emotions. "I still honor the spiritual contract that we have, Seref. I would never reveal that truth to him."

"Are you here to state the obvious?" asked the spirit as it flipped through a certain book. Jizo noticed that it had his name on it. "Your end is fast approaching, guardian. Please stick to your role."

"Close your damn mouth," said Jizo while glaring at the spirit. "I will live as I please and die when I desire. No matter how important your stupid books are, I refuse to abide by a story."

"Stories can be changed, and all endings are endings," said the spirit as it closed the book. "In order to reach the ideal ending, we must play our role. Each one of us."

"What did you come here for, Jizo?" asked Seref with confusion as he raised his hand for the spirit to stop. As the guardian turned toward him again, the man he admired continued. "Are you hesitating about whether Arthur should know the truth or not?"

"I am."

"Kill your hesitations, then."

"I would not be able to tell him, even if I wanted," said the guardian with a sigh. "If I even imply that there is something you hide about your motives, then I would die before my throat produces the words."

"Then, are you here to convince me?" asked Seref again with an interested smile. "Nothing will change my resolve to keep going with this story. As long as I reach the ending, I don't care what happens to me."

"Then, what made you spiral just moments ago?" asked the guardian with a squint. "You reached your limits, Seref. If Arthur learns the truth after you are gone, it would hurt him far more than it hurts you now."

"The ending…"

"Forget the ending, damn it," said the guardian as he snapped. "Take a break from being the villain in this story. You scheme and scheme to achieve something that would yield no benefits to you."

"If we all look for benefits, the world will collapse," said Seref with the same confident smile that he gave Jizo thirty years ago. It was thirty years for the guardian, but it was far more for the time traveler. "You have chosen how to live, so let me do the same."