CHAPTER 43: HISTORY

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

The sound of the crickets chirping outside the window was louder than ever due to the silence of the night.

Asher say there with the diary still in his hands. The names he had seen were shocking and baffling, he had not expected to see the name Jardel or Xoraxys.

What’s going on here? I don’t understand, why’s this name popping up here? He asked himself this question numerous times as his eyes were hooked on the last two words of that very page.

Leonard Jardel, who was he? From what I’ve read it seems like he was a king but why would someone from the Jardel family be here? His mind raced through every plausible explanation but couldn’t find one that would give a reasonable explanation as to why this name appeared in another world.

It would be better if I read further.

Asher turned to the next page of the diary to somehow try to unravel the mystery as to why a Jardel was here.

March 18th

I completed the ritual to ascend to the white stage of my pathway and have basically become an angel. The ritual was not one to be scoffed at as it was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life, even harder than the rituals to ascend to the yellow and silver stages.

The war at this point in time is seemingly nearing it’s final Chapter, the demon’s number is receding with each passing day. I see victory ahead of us and I’m sure I can bring about that victory with the powers I have newly acquired.

But still, I keep on hearing the voice in my head telling me ’go further, free me’ I choose not to pay heed to it for now as the war is in it’s most important stage and I need to be as focused as possible on it.

"The war. What was it about?" Asher asked himself. "Why would demons wage war with humans? Xoraxys could have easily eliminated the entire planet if he wanted to so why the war?"

I have regrets though, I have seen what other pathways are capable of at lower stages but I have never met anyone who has been able to reach the white stage. My advisers tell me that I am the first human since the creation of the world to reach the white stage.

"What? He was the first to reach the white stage?" Asher snapped but calmed himself down as the thought of Wilson coming back to see him still in here didn’t please him.

March 19th

I went to the Church Of Stars, the holy place built to worship the god of stars so that I could learn more about history. Most of the building had been destroyed but most of the books were still intact.

I picked up one of the books which was covered in ashes and had accumulated dust. I opened it and from what I read it taught ancient history.

The Age Of Essence also shown here as the Primordial Dawn. In the beginning there was only essence, the raw fabric of all that would ever be. It existed for timeless eternities until it began to coalesce from this convergence came the first being known as the Oldest One.

The Oldest One was neither kind nor cruel but was the manifestation of pure essence. From his thoughts came the first sparks, fragments of himself that are now referred to as gods.

Asher caught his breath for a moment. He turned the pages and saw that the revelation or the story of the ages lasted for about ten pages.

Phew.

Asher sighed. He turned his attention back to the pages and continued reading.

A billion years down the line came the second age, The Age of Creation.

The Oldest One chose to sunder itself, it’s body became the celestial foundations and the planets, it’s right eye became the sun, it’s left becoming the moon.

The gods then created the angels and demigods, beings to serve them and do their bidding.

The first races were then created, the humans and the demons. These races were tasked to live in harmony and protect the planet in which they live on.

"What? Humans and demons lived together?" Asher asked a rather rhetorical question as he shifted his attention to the next page of the diary.

The Third age came about hundreds of thousands of years later, known as the Age Of Separation. The demons and humans clashed all the time and waged wars with one another that threatened to lead to the utter annihilation of the planet.

The gods unwilling to watch as their most perfect creations were destroyed created a utopia for the demons and moved them there, this was all I could find on the third age, it was the shortest out of all but the most shocking one was the fourth age.

"What happened in the fourth age?" The questions kept piling up but Asher kept on reading nonetheless.

The fourth age known as the Age Of Ascenders began. The first known Ascenders came into history forming four empires namely the Sparrow Empire, the Saul Empire, the Hermes Empire and the Dantes Empire.

At this point, I realised that my advisers might have lied or they might have not known as the rulers of each of the four empires were at the White stage already of their respective pathways.

But then four whole pages were torn out which threw me off guard so I could not find out which pathways they each associated with.

The revelation that four whole pages of the book were torn out was taken in well by Asher. It was a world where surprising things happened so he had made up his mind to not be surprised by petty things such as this.

But what pathways could those Emperors have ascended? It was rather interesting and intriguing question.

Asher closed up the diary and put it back in the chest.

Creak!

He closed it and walked up the stairs. As soon as he got out he felt a cold air in the corridor, he looked around and could see faint threads. He followed them with utmost caution so as to avoid basically any mishaps.

He saw someone standing close to a window at the far end of the corridor. The person turned to face him.

Asher couldn’t see his face as he was wearing a mask, he held a small chest in his hand and then waved at Asher as he jumped out of the window.

What was that? What am I doing here? I was supposed to be in my room so why am I standing here? Asher asked himself. He shook his head for a moment and then walked to his door, he put the key into the keyhole and opened the lock then he walked in.

He took off his apron, then his sleeved shirt, he lay down on his back, he stared at the ceiling recalling all he had read from Leonard Jardel’s diary.

The four empires and their emperors all being at the white stage. Then Leonard Jardel reaching the white stage but continuously hears a voice in his head which he is able to fight off for a while.

The diary revealed a lot of things to him which he has never expected he would find out so soon.

Maybe he’ll take us to the Lightseekers tomorrow. Asher thought. The organisation Wilson was a part of was called The Lightseekers and now that he and Anna had become Ascender maybe Wilson would want to introduce them to the others.

It would give me an opportunity to learn more about all this. Asher turned and lay on his side and then drifted off to sleep.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Asher slowly opened up his eyes, the knocks were getting louder and harder on the door of his room.

"Who could it be this early?" He got up from his bed and walked to the door, when he opened it he saw Anna standing in front of him.

"Wilson wants to speak with us." She walked away as soon as she delivered the message.

He walked back in and grabbed his sleeved shirt, he put it on and buttoned it before walking outside to the bar.

He saw Wilson wearing a serious and grim expression on his face and wondered what it was about. He look towards Anna who didn’t even want to look him in the eye, he walked up to them and say down.

"Something’s been stolen." Wilson started.

Asher’s face revealed shock, his eyes flickered and he began to perspire.

"Stolen? How?" He asked.

"I don’t know how. But from the way it was carried out, it was done by an Ascender." Wilson replied.

"How do you know that?" Anna asked.

"This sort of job can only be carried out by an ascender of a specific pathway. The Thief Of Truth pathway." Wilson explained.

"W-what was stolen?" Asher asked.

At this question, both sets of eyes turned to him in somewhat disappointment.

"It was the orange stage potions for all nine pathways."