Age of Heroes

His heart is at peace and calm. It is fill with contentment on his current life and happy at his fortune.

He decided to bury the past….and the fact that Helia chooses him...…is one that he can be happy about but if she did not choose him what will he do? 

Will he banish her? His heart is not strong enough to do that. To his enemies yes. He could even exterminate all of their families. 

There is no reason to let a seed of future problem to grow. Nip it in the bud; pull it from the root. But to the people he knew and love? 

To the people he has owed so much towards? Could he do such a heartless thing? He can't. Even if his wife ran to the embrace of Kyle the most he can do is divorce her. 

Even if Kyle betrays him and covet his wife...could he kill his own friend? Arial does not have many friend especially since he became lord, which means his heart need to be kept safely in a safe, far and impervious from people malevolent intentions. 

It is because of this reason he is more appreciative of the friendship he has and Kyle motive is actually simpler though more sinister then the other lords motive. 

Gold is a common motive. 

Feeling of superiority is also some of the objective of the noble lords. But love? Love is one motive Arial is most afraid of. 

He knew love and there is this one trait about love that made Arial scared. Unpredictability. 

And it is for this reason Kyle motive, the emotion that governs his behaviour is one thing that makes Arial could not believe him completely. 

But Arial also understand one thing. 

The fact that Kyle did not pursue his wife again…means he has a guilty conscience. And Silas also has reported to him that since their last meeting in the gardens there is no suspicious night meeting. 

Whether Kyle has decided to calm himself or Helia has spoken her decision Arial doesn't know. But clashing with his friend and wife is not a scenario he likes to imagine.

And that is what he fears he has to do. Arial is brave in many things but in the matter of the hearts he is naïve and a…. coward if he has to admit it himself. 

Even when his heart yearns for Velamina, it was Velamina that tore away his pretence and broke down his defences. 

Even with Helia it is the same. Then he silently admitted…. even more so…with Helia. All of the matter in love is always initiated by the other party and not him. 

In love, he is passive, waiting. 

One act of cowardice or naivety he still possesses. And it is not like he doesn't realize this fact; in fact, he realizes it and detested that part about himself. 

While his bravery in battle is commendable, formidable even, his heart in love is a fragile one…. for love requires the surrender of self, and Arial has live with secrets since the day he was born and secrets has its price.

And he remembers of course how his relationships with Helia started. It was not him that initiates this. It was not him that begins this relationship.

It was Helia that confesses to him first. It was she that has the courage to make her love known. 

In his other life, in a life of great war, women are scarce and marriage is not really a thing…not when the whole human continent is at war. 

Thinking about it, he did not have any relationship with any woman in his past life. Thinking about it, his life is not so interesting the first time around. 

Thinking about it, he has lost many things, regretted many things and lost sights of many things. 

And this time around, he wanted to gain many things, to regret nothing, to see all of the sights he missed, to take time and look, truly look. And maybe something will change or maybe it won't. 

Either way he will know when he reaches that part, when he has done all he could, when every effort has been expended to…live fully.

His thoughts were broken when the bush in the surrounding make a sound and that perk Arial ears. Arial sense the figures of the beast. 

Arial already know the type of beast that hides in such bushes so he readies his bow. 

Arial quickly pull his bow string and release his arrow as the arrow rips through the air and pierce right through the boar abdomen and the boar is dead with one strike, splurging blood like a fountain from the attack. 

'Hmm' he said. 

This is not what he intends to hunt. He heard from the people of the castle that there is a white stag of old spotted near his castle. It created quite an uproar in the castle.

It is because of that reason Arial is so eager going hunting in the forest encouraged by his sister and wife. 

Though it was his sister that is so enthusiastic with the hunt. She wanted to see the famed white stag.

The white stag of legend. 

It was said the white stag of legend is the divine form that the Lady of the Lake took to guide Levitia during his distress running from his pursuer and it was the Lady of the Lake that give him Lightbreaker, and at the end of his life, he throws it back to the lake. 

From what history or hearsay, both of those stories interchangeably form a coherent story that when Levitia throw the blade to the lake, a woman hand reaches out from the lake and took the sword. 

From what the story and myth describes her, she looks beautiful but there is coldness and silent anger in her and she reputedly rarely smiles. 

Taking the blade and looking at the last moment of Levitia life she has been alleged to have said The Age of Man is beginning and the Age of Gods is nearing its dusk. 

'I bear witness of the fall of a great hero today' and saying this words, she returns back to the cold dark lake. 

It is said Emperor Alexander sent many of his greatest warrior to retrieve the blade from the lake but no one could ever found the blade in the bottom of the lake. 

Even though many eyewitnesses said that they saw it with their own eyes that Levitia throws his blade into the lake. 

It is said those that could catch a white stag is given great luck by the Gods if you catch it and then release it as it is regarded as the divine form of the Lady of the lake.

'I guess I have to keep searching' he thought to himself

Arial is also curious of why such ancient things can be spotted but surely nobody would dare lie to him if this is an elaborate joke.

Then from behind Arial could sense movement. Someone in horseback. From the trees emerged a shadow. 

'Arial.' 

'Kyle' Arial said looking at the man with a quite complicated expression. He still remembers…still know, still deliberating on what to do with him. 

There is a wall between him and Kyle now, an invisible barrier so impenetrable that Arial surely felt that Kyle could sense it…. this distance between them two right now.

After he return he did not visit Kyle or the Lethe family as he usually does, though he did meet Lisa and West for some tea.

Kyle then proceeds to the reason why he came into the forest, to relay news of grave importance.

'Arial, there is some news you should have been told. I came here as a bearer of bad news. Bearer of evil news.' Kyle said looking at Arial with a conflicted look. 

It is clear he doesn't know how to break this story to Arial other than being honest on the events that has transpired. 

Kyle has been asked by the council to break the news to Arial because all of his council is afraid of how their lord will react if they heard the news from him.

'What news?' Arial inquired.