The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a brilliant light upon Smarag's back. The Glintstone Dragon's shadow raced across the earth, leaping over lakes and hills.
Raya Lucaria stood tall against the horizon, draped in a pale lavender veil—the Great Barrier that shielded the Academy. Within the forest of towers, lit windows sparkled like scattered stars; clearly, many were still pulling all-nighters for experiments and theses.
Raven remembered the first time he had seen Raya Lucaria. Back then, the Academy buildings looked like sleeping prehistoric giants, alien and terrifying. Now, returning from his travels, he felt only a sense of belonging. No matter how grand or magnificent the Royal Capital of Leyndell was, it could not compare to even a fraction of this place.
The Glintstone Dragon folded its wings and dived through the Great Barrier without triggering any alarms. Its talons landed heavily on the small plaza before the Grand Library. With a low growl signaling the completion of its task, the dragon beat its wings and took flight once more.
"I'm taking Rya to see the Full Moon Queen," Sellen said. "What about you?"
"Is she in the Grand Library?" Raven asked with a start, his voice laced with unease. "She didn't... she didn't lock herself away again after I left, did she?"
"She did. After you departed, the Queen remained in a half-dreaming state, rarely seeing outsiders. The Academy's affairs have been taken over by the Debate Commission—alright, I'm joking." Seeing Raven wordlessly head toward the Grand Library with a grim expression, Sellen realized she had pushed the prank too far. She quickly grabbed his arm. "The Queen has simply been researching new sorceries lately."
"I see." Raven relaxed, loosening his collar, though his spirit form had no need for breath.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to mess with you." Sellen looked at him, seeming as though she wanted to say more, but in the end, she simply looked down and took Rya's hand, heading toward the lift leading to the Grand Library.
Raven followed like a wisp of smoke.
The main doors of the Grand Library were wide open. The Pumpkin Head soldier on guard was leaning against the wall, fast asleep and snoring like thunder. Sellen led Rya through the gates. Sensing visitors, the artificial maiden apprentices rose from the floor, humming an ethereal tune as they lifted their candelabras to light the way.
"Relax, Rya," Sellen said softly, feeling the girl's grip tighten. She glanced back, but Raven's spirit body was nowhere to be seen.
With an almost imperceptible sigh, Sellen quickened her pace.
Raven leaned against the doorframe, watching from afar as Sellen and Rennala spoke by candlelight. His mother sat at a desk piled high with scrolls and volumes, still wearing the crescent crown that symbolized her royal authority. The candlelight illuminated her profile; her radiant face was exactly as it had been when they parted.
He saw Rennala stand up, walk around the desk, and bend down to place a hand on Rya's head. Fragments of conversation drifted over, but they were drowned out by the Pumpkin Head's snoring, making it impossible to hear clearly. He tried his best to catch the tone of his mother's voice during the pauses in the snoring, like picking up shells and starfish washed onto the beach in the intervals between crashing waves, losing all track of time.
"Who goes there?" Rennala's voice suddenly sharpened.
She looked toward the entrance of the Grand Library, but it was empty.
"An illusion?" Rennala murmured. She noticed that the candles had melted into piles of wax; an apprentice girl was already replacing them with fresh ones. "It is late. Sellen, you may go and rest. Rya shall stay with me tonight."
Sellen bowed and exited the Grand Library. On the edge of the terrace, she found Raven leaning against the railing. The glow of his spirit form was even dimmer than before.
"What are you doing here?" Sellen walked to his side and leaned her staff against the railing.
"Waiting for sunrise."
Sellen tapped her fingers against the railing, remaining silent for a long time.
"Perhaps it's just my imagination," she finally said, "but you're acting as if this is the last time you'll ever see home. Is this expedition that dangerous?"
"It's just the subjugation of a sealed ancient god. Given the strength of the expeditionary force, it shouldn't be difficult."
"You'll come back, right?"
"Of course." Raven offered a smile, his gaze drifting past the towers and high walls, across the rolling hills and the lake that lay like a mirror under the moonlight. "I will definitely return from the depths. Without a doubt."
Hearing this answer, Sellen seemed to set her mind at ease. "It's still a long time until dawn. Let me show you around the Academy."
"I shouldn't be seen."
"Your features are already quite blurred; no one will recognize you." Sellen firmly pulled Raven away from the railing. "Come on."
Just then, a glintstone meteor flew toward them from a distance. It was half-dim, wobbling in flight, and lost its momentum half a meter from the terrace. Sellen had to lean halfway over the railing to catch it before it fell.
Where is it?
"Come... here." A weak voice drifted from within the glintstone before it turned to dust and fell silent.
"That was...?"
"Master Lusat—Master Lusat has been ill." Sellen paused. "I don't know why he's looking for me. My apologies, I must go to him."
"I'm coming with you."
Sellen went down the lift and ran through the labyrinthine corridors and streets of Raya Lucaria.
Raven had assumed Master Lusat's residence would be in the heart of the mage district, perhaps one of the most magnificent towers. To his surprise, Sellen headed further and further into the outskirts, where the buildings on either side were nothing but low civilian dwellings.
She stopped before a modest wooden house and knocked loudly. There was a commotion in the chicken coop next to the door, and a moorhen squeezed out, flapping its wings and crowing angrily.
Raven glanced at the doorplate and noticed the small mountain of gifts and letters piled by the door. Only then did he confirm that this was indeed Master Lusat's home.
Wooden buildings were rare in Raya Lucaria. Even the poorest citizens desired homes built of stone, which required no maintenance and outlasted a human lifespan. In their eyes, true possession meant owning something that lasted longer than oneself.
"Go away!" a gravelly voice shouted from inside the hut.
"It's Sellen. You asked for me."
The house went silent. Raven could hear the sound of labored breathing. The previous sentence seemed to have exhausted Lusat's energy; a long while passed before he replied, "Come in. The door isn't locked."
Sellen pushed the door open. The interior was pitch black, with only a few dull red embers remaining in the fireplace. In the corner of the inner room, someone was curled up on a bed wrapped in blankets, every breath appearing to be a struggle against death itself.
"No one is looking after you!" Sellen said, her voice rising in anger.
"I sent them away."
Sellen lit a Starlight spell and looked around the room in silence. She picked up a few logs and tossed them into the fireplace, poking at them with the tongs, but the fire refused to catch.
She took a step back and raised her staff, but she couldn't think of a single spell to solve the problem. Generations of geniuses had devoted themselves to sorcery, creating countless powerful spells capable of shattering boulders and crushing armies, yet there was no spell designed for something as trivial as starting a fire.
Raven picked up the tongs. He crouched by the hearth, skillfully arranging the wood and blowing into the embers. Moments later, the flames flickered to life. The slightly damp wood hissed and crackled as the fire licked at it.
Under Sellen's surprised gaze, Raven stood up. Back in Dominula, he had asked the mercenaries how to build a fire. Rudy, the Albinauric, was also an expert in this; during their journey to Volcano Manor, Raven had learned many practical wilderness survival skills from him.
"Ah... you've started the fire. Thank you," Lusat said.
His face was still dark and rugged, but it was now etched with deep wrinkles. His hair was sparse and white, and his artificial eye reflected the firelight without a hint of spirit. "The old you couldn't have done such a thing. Sellen, I am gratified that you—"
"If I hadn't come, you would have died here all alone!" Sellen interrupted. "You shouldn't have driven away the people visiting you. No, you shouldn't even be living here!"
"Yes, I will die," the old man whispered. "Not tonight, but tomorrow morning."
Sellen gritted her teeth and walked to the bedside, attempting to help the old man up. "I'm taking you to the mage tower right now. The best healers will be at your service."
"Healers cannot help me, you know that. After the battle with Astel, the precarious balance within my body has completely collapsed." The old man raised a hand and gently brushed Sellen's glintstone crown; it was all the strength he had left. "Hmm... a design I haven't seen before. Have you opened a new classroom? I'm not surprised, though you may have taken this step too quickly."
"Death can't catch you if you don't want it to! Even I can reject death, let alone you, who have traveled so far on the path of the Primeval Current. Where is your Primal Glintstone? If you just change bodies—"
"I threw it away," the old man chuckled.
"What?" Sellen was stunned.
"To reject death is to reject life. All things have two sides. Life gains meaning because of death, just as light would lose its meaning if there were no darkness in the world, and beauty could not be defined without the ugly.
"Life changes and disappears, like a single wave in the ocean. Sellen, would you freeze the sea and stop the tides just to preserve a single wave? Would you sacrifice the passion of the soul for the immortality of the flesh?
"Yes, when we gaze into the glintstone in the dead of night, we all hear a voice: Deny life, and you can forever refuse both birth and death! The younger generations of the glintstone schools hear it and follow that voice like lambs. But I cannot hear it, Sellen. I refuse to listen."
Stars of Ruin
Legendary sorcery of the primeval glintstone sorcerer, Lusat.
Fires twelve dark shooting stars that pursue the target. This sorcery can be cast while in motion. Charging enhances potency.
When Lusat glimpsed into the primeval current, he saw the moment a great star cluster was destroyed—and upon that sight, his very being collapsed.
Lusat began to cough. Sellen stopped trying to pull him from the bed and let him lie back down. She stood up, filled a kettle with water, and placed it on the fire. She searched through the cabinets but found only a few pieces of hard bread.
Holding the bread, Sellen frowned. Outside, the chicken coop erupted in another flurry of noise. Raven's spirit form walked back inside, closing the door with his foot to keep the angry moorhen out, and handed two eggs to Sellen.
"Thank you." Sellen took the eggs, stared at them for a long moment, then handed them back to Raven.
Raven lifted the lid of the kettle and dropped the eggs into the water, giving Sellen a helpless shrug.
I only know how to do this, he mouthed.
Amidst the bubbling sound of the boiling water, Lusat drifted into a light sleep. His breathing was erratic, sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, broken by occasional incoherent mumbling.
When the water had cooled slightly, Sellen soaked the bread until it was soft. She peeled the eggs, helped the old man up, and fed him, followed by some warm water.
The old man ate only a little, but he seemed to regain some strength. "Help me up. I cannot die inside a house."
"Where do you want to go?"
"Liurnia of the Lakes. Find a place by the shore. Under a tree by the lake."
Sellen nodded silently, helped Lusat to his feet, and draped a heavy coat over his shoulders.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(192 Chapter - Ongoing)
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