The return to Eventide was hitch-free, taking away the last bit of apprehension Ulysses had concerning the Codex and the implications of taking it away from its birthplace.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he was greeted by the familiar structures within the Greater Hall of Scholastica.
"You did well, nephew. Your parents would be proud." Kallias said as he patted Ulysses on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Uncle," Ulysses said. "For making me a part of this. It reminded me of why I loved the life of an explorer. The discovery of new things, it truly is an amazing feeling." Find the newest release on nοvelfire.net
"I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now then, hand over the artifact, we must begin studies on it at once."
"Of course." Ulysses handed the Codex over with Kallias taking a moment to regard it before putting it away.
Then, recalling something, he remarked. "Ah yes, have you given it a name yet?"
Some of the scholars tried to protest only for Kallias to speak up, cutting them off.
"My nephew was the one who discovered the artifact. Not me, nor you lot. So he has the right to name it. Only if he decides not to name it would we then have the privilege to do so."
"You can take up an argument with the council, but until then, Ulysses shall be naming this item, with or without your approval."
Then, Kallias turned back to Ulysses who had a warm smile on his lips.
It felt good, being defended by family.
"So?... Got any names?"
"Actually, yes," Ulysses said. "I call it the Codex of Duality."
"A fine name indeed." Kallias praised. "I would be sure to remember it."
Then, he remarked, addressing his fellow TruthSeekers. "Now come, we have just concluded an exploration, and it’s only right that we get some well-deserved rest."
After giving his thanks to the mercenaries and Mystics that had come along, they all parted ways with Ulysses returning to his quarters, feeling much better than when he left.
It was in a dark space bereft of light.
Just as the space lacked everything, Alex felt the same way.
He felt incredibly empty, like he’d lost something very important to him.
What it was though, he couldn’t quite tell.
"Who am I?" He finally spoke up, echoing the first question in his heart.
Almost immediately, a soft, feminine voice responded. "Alexander Regulus."
Alex glanced towards the origin of the voice, quickly discovering the presence of a dark figure.
If not for its appearance which was forged out of pure darkness, it would have been easy for the entity to pass off as a woman as it approached Alex and knelt next to him.
Then, she reached out and caressed his hair before proceeding to pick his head up and place it on her lap.
"You are Alexander Regulus, son of Serafine Regulus and Bartholomew Grenfell. Brother to Douglas Regulus and Emily Regulus. Currently, you and your brother, Douglas, are the only surviving members of the Regulus family and unfortunately, Douglas is an invalid, leaving you as the only surviving, functional member of the Regulus household."
Taking a moment to ensure Alex was listening, Nyx continued. "You are on a quest to gather the Branches of the Absolute One to save the world from the apocalypse, but you aren’t alone, because you are accompanied by several capable and dependable individuals, all of whom believe in you and wish to see you succeed.
"That is who you are. Alexander Regulus, a man with a dream to save the world, and as for me, you may call me Nyx, and I am your guardian in this otherwise cruel and dangerous world."
By the time she was done, a beautiful smile blossomed on her face, which might have been incredible to look upon if it were not that she was still just a shadow.
Blinking repeatedly, Alex regarded Nyx before reaching out to place his right hand on her cheek.
Nyx leaned into his palm and for a moment, the two seemed almost like a couple.
Then, Alex spoke up and everything shattered.
"Lies." He said, causing Nyx’s expression to shift. "These are all lies."
"What do you mean, Alex?"
"I mean that everything you just said is a damn lie, Nyx. My name is not Alexander Regulus; it is Alexander Rey, and I am the son of Lucius and Jennifer Rey. I have four siblings: Dennis, Jamal, Samuel, and Theresa."
At this juncture, Nyx’s expression has taken a rather dramatic turn as she continued to stare at Alex who did not hold back despite his condition.
"Sure, I am on a quest to gather the Branches of the Absolute, but it’s not because I want to save the world, but because you agreed to send me home once I did so!"
Silence reigned for several seconds as the two maintained eye contact until finally, Nyx spoke up.
"So you conditioned your mind to never forget, but still, you speak like an automated machine, like you don’t truly believe what you just said. So what’s the point of holding on to what you don’t believe?"
"I choose to believe!" Alex shot back. "Even if you take away everything, I will never forget, never again."
The silence that followed was profound with none bothering to speak until Nyx finally dissipated, leaving without a word.
Neither Ana nor Elena expected it to happen as it did but they were thankful enough that Elena’s barrier had held true in the face of what happened.
It started off as a pillar of darkness shooting up from the center of the area supposedly stuck in a time loop.
From there, everything went crazy.
Time fractured, same with space, and reality began to twist, causing such damage that even now, the Tenets had still not managed to fix it.
Currently, in the area that once served as the city of Sklaviunt, there was nothing but a huge black wound from which endless clear water with dots of white light flowed out of, seemingly trying to fill up the space, though to no avail.
"The River of Time, yes." Ana breathed out, cutting Elena short while staring at the incredible sight.