[LSB] Chapter 145: Questions (2)

[…I brought the daemons to Earth.]

Julian stood in front of the door to his old forge, his hand frozen on the knob. He already knew what Erin would say next; he already heard this part of the recording before, but it still made him feel some type of… way.

That lingering unease began to fade, however, as Femty’s voice softly echoed in his mind.

[Master Julian, should I continue the recording?]

“Yes,” he replied, finally turning the knob and stepping inside the forge.

And what awaited him there was a forge so cold it felt like it hadn’t been lit for years, And to think it hasn’t even been a year since he last planted his feet here… but it just felt empty. But time, he realized, wasn’t measured in days or months—it was measured in… change. And everything had changed.

He walked to the wall, running his fingers over it until they found the shallow crevices left by the daggers he had once thrown during a fit of grief. His fingers settled there for a moment, tracing the scars he had left behind.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

He was a different man now. He had gained so much—and lost even more.

“Hmm.”

He let out a low hum, and the recording resumed as he drifted away from the wall.

[You saw Erin’s memories. The daemons invaded Artemia, and the Shadow Blacksmith offered his life to forge the bubble that has protected Artemia for more than ten thousand years now—and how the role passed down to Erin… along with its burdens. The thing that the daemons are after.]

The frustration in Erin’s voice was heavy enough to seep out from the speakers, but was soon replaced by Julian’s voice.

[The Black Box?]

[Yes. The Black Box. Of course you’d know about it—you’ve seen it in her memories.]

[But according to those visions, Erin stayed far from you. From her descendants. So how do you know about it?]

[Because I sought her out. After my children died… and their children died… I began to realize I was different. I retraced Erin’s steps and found her grave beneath the city of Aetolos—what you know now and what the locals call Calydion. Her coffin held a message. It wasn’t meant for me, but for you—her successor.]

[Did you take the Black Box that was buried with her?]

[It was already gone. But you must understand, Julian—this Black Box… it’s the seed that birthed Artemia. It shaped the land and every soul who walks it. Even now, we all carry a trace of it within us.]

Her voice trembled slightly, not with fear, but anger. Or… perhaps guilt.

[That was what the daemons smelled in me… and in your mother.]

[My mother…]

[Yes. They found her.]

[The daemon wave.]

[Yes. But, please—don’t blame anyone but the daemons, Julian. They were willing to fight a god to claim the Black Box. We were, are, simply in their way. But the gods… they mustn’t interfere.]

[Artemis interferes a lot.]

[Not at the physical level. She created the Guidance, and the Guidance created the Master of Shadows, and the Master of Shadows, in turn, created you, the Shadow Blacksmith. Layers upon layers, to do what She can not.]

[Hmm.]

[I know how much you do not want to be involved in any of this, but you are. And I am truly sorry, Master Winters. This burden is yours—and the only thing I can do to ease it is to offer you everything that is rightfully yours. Please… take them.]

[I don’t want—]

[Stop it, you self-seeking child!]

Julian’s entire forge shook as Erin’s voice thundered from the speakers—so sudden and loud that he winced, his head ducking low as the vibrations punched into his ears.

[You should be angry! T… Thou shouldst burn with wrath! The daemons hath taken all from thee—thy father, thy mother—and still they press onward. They shall not cease, not ‘til this world is laid bare. How many souls must perish ere thou awaken to the truth? Thy purpose surpasseth thyself!]

For a second, Julian could almost feel Erin breathing over him through the speakers, her presence pressing down on her. If not for Victoria’s voice cutting in, the scolding might have continued unchecked.

[Master Erin! Please, calm yourself.]

Well, it didn’t completely work.

[I am calm! But Julian… you may feel it’s unfair that your agency is being taken from you. That you haven’t been given a choice.] 

Her voice trembled now, returning to her usual tone, but didn’t lose its intensity. 

[But this is not about choice anymore. You don’t even need to run down the path that’s been laid out for you—you can crawl, stroll, limp your way there if you must. But you must move forward. Because if you don’t… then it is we who will lose our agency. We who will have no choice left. Because we will be dead.]

Her voice began to soften, but the weight of her words only grew heavier. Julian could remember, in that moment, how she approached him—how she gently held his shoulders, whispering in a voice that softly caressed his ears.

[I’ve… come to love humanity, Master Julian. I know history remembers the worst of you, but I’ve seen more. I’ve lived among you. For a quarter of your history, I watched. Yes—humans can be violent, selfish, short-sighted. But those are the faults of individuals, not of the whole. As a people, humanity shows something else: resilience, creativity… and most of all, compassion. Again and again, despite the cruelty, you’ve built systems of care. Of justice. Of empathy. You impose rules upon yourselves not because you must, but because you fear what the universe would become without them.]

Her voice thinned, nearly lost in the silence of the forge.

[You met species unlike your own—and instead of conquering them, you learned to live beside them. Yes, there is arrogance, always… but still, compassion wins. But the daemons… they are different, Master Julian. They do not share this sentiment. They are far beyond humanity—technologically, structurally. You’ve seen it yourself. While humans were still unlocking the skies, they were already moving between stars.]

[Hmm.]

[Pl—]

There was silence after that, and Erin stopped herself from talking.

How could she not? She had just spilled her heart, her grief, her fears, her faith, and Julian responded only with a quiet hum.

The only sound that followed was soft breathing from the speaker. Then, finally, Julian’s voice emerged again, low… distant… but it gave Erin hope.

[I’ll do it along the way,] he said. [I need to find a way back to Silvie—even if it’s just to say goodbye properly. The daemons will be involved no matter what, won’t they? Because of the portal?]

[That… yes. Ha… yes, Master Julian. Thank you. Thank you.]

The sound of Erin’s quiet sobs filtered through the speakers. Subtle… but enough.

[Erin, I have one more question for today. Ellie mentioned that Silvie and Juliet were seen on Earth?]

[Yes. I was going to bring that up—a DCC satellite picked up a portal signature above Sky Net. We managed to intercept and secure the footage before their analysts could review it. It was Ellie and Juliet… along with your clone’s body.]

[And they went back through the portal?]

[Yes. They were arguing about something, but we didn’t have time to fully decode the audio. Victoria pulled the feed before it could get into the DCC’s system, but it’s not hard to guess what they were discussing.]

[You have a theory?]

[MEGAN—no… Silvie, likely created the portal. Just as I was granted a Unique class by Artemis, I believe she was, too. After all, we are both your creations, Master Julian—the Shadow Blacksmith’s. It would stand to reason.]

[Hmm…]

[She may have the ability to create portals, but… she doesn’t know how to close them yet? That’s what I suspect. And from what we could infer from the footage, they realized the danger of leaving the portal open. If Silvie stayed, the connection would’ve remained—and the Order of Artemia, or worse, could pass through. Returning to Artemia was the wiser choice. I don’t think either world is ready for that kind of encounter yet. And then there’s the matter of the daemons… if they found out—well, I don’t want to imagine what could happen. But of course, all of this is just speculation, Master Julian.]

[The daemons… they are the problem, aren’t they?]

[Yes. Everything begins and ends with them. The questions I can’t answer—they can. Your path leads to them.]

[Hmm.]

[You don’t need to worry too much, Master Julian. Lady Ellie is already coordinating with your friends in Artemia to search for Silvie and your apprentice. That jester, Cyrus, has contacted us—he says the Order has left Dodona. The so-called Shield Saint… she likely has answers too. But right now, she’s too dangerous to approach. We don’t yet know what she’s planning.]

[…Hmm.]

[You must be tired, Master Julian. We’ll take our leave for now. If you have more questions, I’ll answer them when you’re ready.]

[End of recording.]

The forge was silent once more as the final vibrations from the speakers faded, and Julian found himself standing before his anvil. His fingertips traced across its surface, pausing on each subtle dent as he tried to remember what made them.

[Would you like to listen to it again, Master Julian?]

“No. That’s alright, thank you.” He exhaled slowly, lifting his hand from the anvil. Then, he tapped his cane against the floor several times, sending gentle ripples of vibration through the forge.

He tilted his head, focusing—trying to sense if anything had been hidden. Objects tucked into walls, embedded in the foundation, or sealed behind anything. But even as he tapped his cane again, there was nothing—his parents did not leave anything for him.

“Did you find anything in the blueprint?” He asked, and Femty quickly responded.

[No, Master Julian. There are no discrepancies between the current structure and the archived blueprints. No hidden compartments, no secret rooms.]

“Hmm.” He let out a long, heavy sigh. He did one final tap of his cane, this time turning on his heel before the vibrations had even finished echoing, and stepped out of the forge.

“What about you two? Anything that might have originally come from Artemia?”

[I’m afraid not,] Exhalia whispered gently. [But do not be disheartened, Shadow Blacksmith. I believe your birth parents cared little for your origin—they only saw you as their son.]

The Avatar of Searadyn also offered Julian some words, short though they may be.

[She is right, Master.]

“Hmm… Thank you,” Julian murmured, running his fingers along the walls as he made his way through the apartment. He didn’t bother exploring the rest—he had already sent a full ripple through it, and nothing felt out of place. It was just a house now. A memory, hollowed out by time.

“Femty, bring the car to the rooftop. We’re heading to our next destination.”

[Are you sure, Master Julian? With your status, you could skip all of the unnecessary and even some of the necessary procedures.]

“It’s fine,” Julian said as he closed the door behind him. “I’d rather go through the proper channels.”

[Understood. Preparing now—next stop: the Exterminator Association.]

***

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

Let's go. Book 3 prologue done. Our regular release of 4 times a week will be returning soon.