Chapter 119: Solis
Whis stared at him momentarily and turned its gaze towards Elizabeth.
It was as if asking permission from its owner.
"Go on. I want to know about it, too." Elizabeth said with a nod. In truth, besides getting this artifact from her family library, she knew little about its origin.
'Whenever I ask, Whis always diverted that topic. But I'm sure that it has some relation to my family.'
Whis glanced around the hall, its tiny mouse form flickering faintly in the ambient glow of the throne room. Its beady eyes shimmered with fragments of forgotten memories as though Raven's question had stirred something deep within. The mouse hesitated before speaking.
"The Ruler's Throne and I have some connection… No. I, Levinthar, Solis, and others are also connected to this Ruler's Throne."
"Solis and others? Who are they? Other Arcane fragments? Can you tell me more about them?" Raven asked with a frown.
"Solis is Solis…" The mouse named Whis blinked its eyes and dropped its ears.
"I don't know. My memories are all messed up. But we were once a part of this Throne. Something terrible happened long ago, but I don't remember anything. After that bad incident, I went into a long slumber. By the time I woke up, I was in Elizabeth's Family mansion library."
"Then, how did you know Levinthar?" Raven asked as he turned his gaze towards the electric snake.
"I don't know. I just knew it was him as soon as I saw him. I also remembered this Ruler's Throne only now after seeing it." Whis answered.
'Haa, this is getting nowhere.'
"Can you talk more about yourself? What are you?"
We…" Whis began, its voice unusually solemn, "...we are legendary artifacts created by someone-" It showed a confused look and added.
"Strange, why can't I remember my owner?"
'A memory restriction spell? Or Magic contract?' What surprised Raven was Whis's words.
'Legendary artifacts? Not arcane fragments? Does that mean Whis and other Arcane fragments have gone through countless years or even millenniums to become fragments?' He had countless questions but no answers.
'Maybe I can get answers from the owl.'
Raven's gaze sharpened. "Do you know anything about this place? Or the Magical Compass?"
Whis pondered for a moment and answered.
"As far as I can tell, this Throne Room is a part of us. It should have a consciousness, too. Moreover, the Ruler's Throne is more like a boss to us."
"Why did it choose me?" Raven asked the following question.
"I have no idea about it. But if the Ruler's Throne chose you as its next master, you are worthy." As it spoke, it turned its gaze toward Elizabeth.
"It's the same as I choose Eli."
"Why did you choose Teacher Elizabeth as your master?" Raven asked.
"I didn't choose her as my master. She is more like a carrier for me."
The boy, who had been silent until now, finally spoke in a foreign language.
His voice was raspy, as though unused to speaking. "Why am I here? Where is this place?"
At the same time, he looked at the snake coiled around his neck and only touched it curiously before getting shocked a little.
But the strange thing was that his eyes were not filled with fear. He looked around at the surroundings and the electric snake like an observer.
Meanwhile, a puzzled look appeared on Raven's and Elizabeth's faces.
"What language is that?" Raven furrowed.
"It does not belong to any mainland language family," Elizabeth said, as she knew more about the mainland and the Ivory Island languages.
"He is asking why he is here." Thankfully, Levinthar acted as a translator.
"You understand?" Raven asked.
Levinthar slithered its tongue out and spoke with a nod.
"I've been with his family for over a millennium. So, of course, I understand. But what language are you guys speaking? And why do I understand it clearly?"
"We are back to square one, huh?" Raven realized that the electric serpent was more like a clueless man.
'The only good thing is it understands our words.' He took a deep breath and then asked.
"What are your abilities? What can you do?"
"I don't think it's appropriate to ask such a question-" Before it could finish its words, a strange invisible power came from the Throne and entered the snake's consciousness.
"But I'll tell you. We, arcane fragments, aren't as powerful as you think. Although we can use powerful abilities according to the elements we possess, we lack a soul to hold the elemental energy. That's why we choose a carrier to live on. Or else we end up entering a hibernate state for a long time. I possess four lightning abilities: Thunderstorm, Voltquake, Thunder's Judgement, and Lightning Step. But once I cast a spell like Thunderstorm, I need over a decade to regain the lost elemental energies. On the other hand, Lightning Step relies on the user's strength and agility and can be used multiple times per day."
'Wow! The Throne can force the artifact to answer. Moreover, it seems like the snake didn't even realize it.' Raven's Eyes widened.
"The more powerful the ability, the more time it needs, huh?" He nodded in understanding and asked further.
"But how do you gather lightning elemental energies?"
'Unlike other elements, lightning elements aren't available in the atmosphere, right?'
"There are storms and lightning in Ancaria every night, so gathering lightning elements is not hard," Levinthar answered.
"Ancaria? Where is this place?" Elizabeth felt Levinthar and the young boy weren't from Ivory Island or the mainland.
"Aren't you guys from Evernight Citadel and Ashfall? Now that I think about it, you are speaking a different language, too." As if the electric serpent had realized something important, it covered its eyes with brille for a moment before opening it and asking.
"Are you all from beyond the Nightmare Sea?"
A silence appeared in the throne hall.
"A different continent?" Elizabeth muttered in shock.
"It is possible." Raven nodded and was about to ask another question but felt a sharp headache.
'What happened? Is it due to using the Ruler's Throne for a long time?'
"Let's get to know each other's situation slowly over time. What is that boy's name?" Raven decided to end the meeting quickly.
"Nova. But he is still a mortal boy and does not know the current situation. Moreover, this is the first time he sees me in my true form." Levinthar spoke.
"Oh? Does that mean there are wizards in the Ancaria? Can you tell us more about this place?"
"Wizards? What are they? No, we have immortal beings called Warlords. And Ancaria is one of the three cities in the Nyxara Realm."
'Warlords? Not Warlocks?' Although Raven wanted to know more, he decided to end the meeting.
"Let's end the meeting here. I'm planning on hosting the next meeting this coming Sunday. Seven days from now on."
"Seven days? Today is the new moon… Do you mean the moon reaches the Waning Crescent phase?"
"It seems people of Ancaria are following the Lunar Calendar." Elizabeth pondered for a moment and continued.
"Today is a new moon in our place, too. So, he isn't from a different world."
'Teacher Elizabeth knew of different worlds?' Raven felt the mainland continent might already be involved in interplanetary travels.
"Yes. And let's call Noah a 'Whisperer' from now on. From now on, it's better to call each other using aliases than our real ones."
Saying so, Raven leaned on the iron throne and waved his hand.
"Let's end the meeting right away."
As soon as he spoke, a suction force appeared out of nowhere, pulling Elizabeth's and others' consciousness out of the throne room.
"Haa, this is a lot more complicated than I had expected. Moreover, a new continent, huh?" Raven felt his head more painful and quietly left the Ruler's Throne room.
"Zera, I have a lot to tell," He told her about how he ended up meeting Elizabeth and even mentioned the young boy from an unknown continent.
[Nyxara realm, huh? Why do I feel that name somewhat familiar?] Zera pondered for a moment and added.
[Warlords, huh? During the next meeting, get more information about how strong they are and what type of power they use.]
"What do you think about this Ruler's Throne? I don't think it has any impressive ability other than connecting other arcane fragments." Raven said with a frown.
[No. I think this Ruler's Throne is more like a Divine Throne. The more you strengthen it, the more advantage you will have.]
"Divine Throne? What is it?" Raven raised his eyebrows.
[Hmm, how should I explain it… Divine Throne is created by combining divinities of similar elemental divinity. It's an entirely different pathway called 'Divine Pathway' and always relies on faith power. When a person reaches the demigod level, he can create a 'Divine Throne' in his sea of consciousness and manifest it into a 'Divine Realm.' It's more like building a new world with the power of divinity. And within that world, the person will become omnipotent and omniscient. Maybe Merlin created this artifact by mimicking the Divine Throne. And these fragments might act as divinities.]
"There is such a thing? But even with two fragments, the Ruler's Throne looks more like a small gathering room."
[I have a theory. Elizabeth and the boy named Noah are more like champions of a God than God himself. So even if the champion is strong, the God with low divine power and divinity is nothing more than a mere weakling if he walks out of the divine realm.] Zera answered.
'So, I need to gather some fragments for myself?' Raven asked.
[Yes. First, you need a helper to capture the Owl and let it sign a contract with you.] Zera said.
'A helper?' He instantly thought of Judith but soon dismissed that idea.
Although she never showed hostility, Raven decided to be more cautious.
[Hmm, I have no choice then. For the next few days, I will try to drain all of the Time elemental energy from the fragment and weaken it. After that, you can sign a contract with ease.]
'That's a better idea.' Raven also nodded in agreement.
After that, he lay on the bed and decided to rest.
He rested for a whole day in the Inn and left the Capital City.
…
January 12th, Year 1422, Rune Era.
Raven returned to the Holmes Mansion in Giaris City on January 12th around 4 p.m. and was greeted by Jacob, Selene, Emauel, and others.
"Did something happen while I was away?" Raven asked as he walked into the main hall.
"Nothing major happened, My Lord," Emanuel responded while carrying a file.
Raven nodded and turned his gaze towards Jacob.
"Did you deliver the letter I gave you, Mr. Jacob?"
"Yes, My Lord. Lady Judith also told us to wait in the Crown's Tavern for a week and gave something to deliver to you as a present." Jacob said as he took a wooden box from the spatial ring and gave it to him.
Raven opened the box and noticed six potions arranged in order.
'High-rank affinity potions!' He quietly stored them in his inventory and spoke.
"Thanks for the help. You guys can go and focus yourself on training from now on." He dismissed them and went to his bedroom on the third floor.
Once he walked into his bedroom, he locked the door from inside and took out a magic contract paper from the inventory.
He also took a pen and ink bottle and started writing the terms and conditions.
"Let the Owl out," Raven said coldly.
As soon as he spoke, a burst of white came out of his body, soon turning into the appearance of an owl with crystalline feathers and unique eyes.
"Y-You will pay for this-!" Before the Owl could finish its words, Raven extended his right hand and grabbed the Owl before clutching its neck.
"If you don't sign the contract, I'll just destroy you with a snap."
"Humph! Try it!" The Owl gave him a sharp glare and made an angry hoot.
"I know you won't die, but Zera said you will enter into a sleep state if I destroy your form. She also said that unless a person comes and marks his spirit imprint on you, you won't wake up,"
As soon as Raven spoke, the Owl froze in shock.
Meanwhile, Raven made a smirk and continued.
"After I destroy your form, I'll seal the fragment in an iron box and drop you in deep sea or into an abandoned well before burying it with sand."
"You are going to hell-!" Before the Owl could finish its words, Raven tightened his grip.
"W-Wait! I'll sign the contract and allow you to imprint on me." The Owl got panicked and spoke in a fluster.
"Good," Raven nodded while taking a monocle from the inventory and ordering.
"What is your true name?"
At the same time, he put it on his left eye and looked at the Owl.
…
[Name: Solis, the Timekeeper Owl
Rank: Arcane Fragment
Description: Solis is an ancient owl-shaped artifact forged during the Agith Era, a forgotten age buried in time's abyss. As one of the 12 Arcane Fragments created by Paragon Merlin, it holds immense power over time and foresight.
Abilities (Seer-Type):
Foresight- Solis can grant its wielder a vision of a person's or object's future up to one day ahead by analyzing the available information. The clarity of the vision depends on the wielder's intelligence and connection with Solis. (Cooldown: 1/day) The Words of Eternity—When enough details are recorded, Solis allows the wielder to enter a state of timeless enlightenment, enabling them to write a prophecy about the distant future. The accuracy of the prophecy depends on the depth of the recorded knowledge. (Cooldown: 1/month) Time Stop- Solis's most fearsome power allows the wielder to freeze time for 30 seconds, rendering the entire world motionless except for the wielder. (Cooldown: 1/year) Regressor's Sight (The Echo of Future Selves)- By channeling Solis's power, the wielder can peer into their future up to 10 years ahead, instantly acquiring all the knowledge, experiences, and insights they would have gained. However, Solis can't activate this spell without the approval of the Ruler's Throne. (Cooldown: 1/century)
Bonding and Limitations
Tied to Ruler's Throne: While Solis can function independently, it reaches its full potential only under the wielder of the Ruler's Throne artifact.Strain on the Mind: Excessive use of its abilities, especially Regressor's Sight, can lead to overwhelming mental exhaustion, memory instability, or even personality shifts.Cannot Change Destiny easily: Solis reveals time's flow but does not alter destiny. Even if one sees the future, avoiding it requires skill, wisdom, and immense luck.]
…
[What the heck? Regressor's Sight? That spell is unique to God of Time, though. But now that I think about it, this Wizard named Merlin was a Paragon when he was alive. Hmm, this is a formidable spell. But the cooldown time is too long.] Zera said solemnly.
Meanwhile, Raven made a wound on his forefinger and let it drop on the corner of the contract paper.
"Solis, it's your turn."
"I don't have blood." Solis blinked its eyes and acted innocent.
"Put your damn spirit imprint," Raven spoke coldly and urged.
Meanwhile, Solis released its faint spirit power and let it move toward the contract paper.
When the spirit power touched, a strange owl-like pattern appeared on the contract and shone golden.
A moment later, the contract paper became pure light and scattered like never before.
On the other hand, the Owl started transparently and soon appeared like an amulet with a crystalline gem embedded in its center.
"I-Imprint quick!" A panicking voice came from the amulet.
Raven quietly picked up the amulet, sent his spirit power, and probed it.
A few seconds later, he found a minute array circle behind the crystalline gem, sent his spirit power into it, and imprinted it.
Raven instantly felt a strange connection with the artifact and the presence of a consciousness deep within.
'The consciousness is on the verge of disappearing.' Raven closed his eyes, channeled the 'Time elemental power' stored in the two Elemental Circlets, and sent it to the amulet.
As the time elemental power entered the amulet, the consciousness started to recover slowly.
"How much time power is needed to cast the 'Foresight' skill?" Raven asked after channeling all the time-elemental power stored in the elemental circles.
"I needed to recharge around 100 more times like this," Solis answered.
'Oh? On average, it takes 5 minutes to recharge the elemental circles. So, I need to recharge the artifact for eight to nine hours to cast the 'Foresight' skill, huh?'
"What about the Words of Eternity skill?" Raven inquired.
Solis went silent for a moment and answered.
"Around 10,000 times. But if you have time elemental crystal of rank-1 or Rank-2, I can cast it instantly."
The corner of Raven's lips twitched.
'Time elemental crystal? I don't think I can get anywhere here.'
"What about the Time Stop and Regressor's Sight?"
"100,000 times for Time Stop skill and 10M times for Regressor's Sight skill."
"10 million times?" Raven's mind calculated at an incredible speed.
"Foresight skill needs 8hr 20mins to recharge, the Words of Eternity skill needs 34days 17hrs to recharge, the Time Stop skill needs 347 days 5 hours to recharge, and the Regressor's Sight skill needs 95years and 2 months. And I must focus on recharging without sleeping or doing other work to activate this skill."
"Is there a way to speed up this process?" Raven couldn't help but ask.
"You can. If you rank up and create a Rank-2 elemental circle, the speed will be twenty times faster. Or you can find a time elemental crystal and let me directly absorb the time elemental energies to cast the spell." Solis answered.
'Haa, so I can only use two skills now, huh? Even the Word of Eternity skill needs 2 months of my time.' He sighed deeply and wore it on his neck.
"For now, I will only use the first skill." Saying so, he took out the black compass and placed it in his hand.
A second later, a suction force appeared out of nowhere, pulling Raven's and Solis's consciousnesses into it.
…