Bertan`s quest - Michelle Tarynne (best beach reads of all time txt) 📗

really have to go now," he started to get a little impatient with the prolonged introductions, "Lead the way into the Tunnels, Ashte."
"Are we in any hurry?" Ashe was genuinely taken aback with Genes' hard tone and impatience.
"We'd better be." Genes did not relax. His words were clipped to the point of a stutter.
"Why?"
"It's more prudent at this certain time, Ashte," the Unnamed spoke with tension. The frowning, and apparently disobedient in general young male was clearly unaccustomed of taking any notice of time. Hurry was more of a foreign word in its meaning to him (as to most of the Swords) than an idea of an endless light of the day, in this place of the never-ending night.
"All righty," Ashte finally huffed, giving everyone dirty looks. "We can set out now, but you still have a lot of explaining to do, Genes." He pointed his gloved finger at Genes, paused for a short while to let it all sink in, and unexpectedly headed downwards. He was nearing the darkness of the valley's deep crack that housed several tunnel entrances into the Mountain. "Does anyone know which entrance we should pick?" He asked while they were sliding through the gravel to get near the entrance.
"The smallest one, as it's depicted on the map," the Unnamed answered, "You need your masks on, to filter out some of the pollutants that will be present within the corridors." Everyone stopped half step and quickly fastened their masks and covered their heads with hoods.
"It was the original aim of those masks. Not to hide our faces, but to breathe in less dirt," he explained with a snort, "I'm not sure when it became a fashion and position statement."
They did listen to him, for he was much older and bigger than the rest of them combined. The Unnamed was shrouded in a mystery, secrets and knowledge everyone craved to learn.
"You do realize, you won't be able to squeeze through some of those cracks. Especially on the inside. There is one tunnel that allows crawling through only." Ashte seemed genuinely concerned with the older generation Sword’ help and assistance in their adventure. He obviously didn't like the idea of separating with the Unnamed, for his skills and experience could prove priceless. They all realized that without him, the risks they decided to take were beyond their knowledge and practice. Going in there, just the six of them, carrying a shrouded body, seemed like a sacrifice, not a fun venture.
"That is most likely the tunnel you have to take." The Unnamed nodded when they resumed walking. "I can't accompany you, but I will help you as far as possible… I'm not sure I should enter this Mountain though," he added reluctantly in a strained voice.
"What? Why?" Genes was panicking.
"The eyes are watching us, whether you want it or not. Especially now, that the New King is still in the process of seating himself into the position. He seems pretty jumpy and irrational," the Unnamed explained patiently. "No one should notice this place as a fact of any special significance to me."
"You think they might follow us?" Evan asked, clearly not stressed by any possible outcome.
"That, or they might try and block that entryway to trap you inside." Unnamed said quickly.
Genes looked like he was thinking intensely while the others slowly walked into the Mountain through the smallest opening. The Unnamed handed them the shrouded body of Bertan, he was carrying carefully in his arms all this way.
There was a moment of silence and stillness when his hands refused to leave her body, even when the young disciples held it already. Reluctance blocked his ability to move and breathe. They waited for the time of his silent goodbye to end. When he finally came back into his senses, he turned Genes and gave him the tiny scrap of paper with the painting of their most treasured map.
"I'm not sure why, but I will miss you… Despite what you have done." Genes swallowed unwanted tears.
"Our deeds are what make us, and our destiny to welcome," Unnamed said unmoved.
"She had not done, what you think she had," Genes whispered to share her last secret.
"What and who are you talking about?" The Unnamed frowned, not understanding that cryptic message at first.
Genes walked up to him. "Bertan, she did not kill your Mother. I think you should know that." He refused to look into the cruel eyes of his nemesis.
"How can you know that?" The Unnamed tightened visibly. His jaw became so tensed the tendons started to peek out through his skin.
"She told me," the young man answered simply.
"Women say many things," the Sword male scoffed tightly. He didn’t want to grant Bertan that last sin absolution. Not for the thing, it was so easy to let her die for.
"But why would she lie to me all this time?" Genes challenged him silently and bowed in a final goodbye before he disappeared into the crack to follow his new company. 11

The Unnamed stared at the mountain's entrance crack for a long time. He was thinking about his future and his past, though he wished for the voices in his head to finally leave him. It was not the time for guilt, not yet.
He turned around to see the Royal City of Naam in its full glory. The first Sword Troops were already pouring into the city from the outer Sword territories. He climbed even higher, fluid in his moves like smoke and water in between of the cracks in the ground. Not far into the climb, he noticed Ash, standing still on a viewing platform among the solitary stones. After some consideration, he walked up to face him. It was the only time and place to have a conversation unheard by a wrong set of ears.
"Ash?" he asked when he got close enough to be heard.
"Unnamed?" Ash mimicked the question and tone without sparing his opponent a glance.
"What exactly do you know of my Mother's death?" The Unnamed decided to ask the one question that burned at his core with the strength of the Core’s white-fire.
"Are you sure you want to have that conversation now?" Ash asked in return, "You seem to be so happy, set in your own views and ideas."
"I'm only happy when my views and ideas are based on truth," The Unnamed admitted reluctantly.
"Had you not had this conversation with Bertan?" Ash couldn't hide his surprise.
"Apparently, she did not trust me enough for that," he sighed with unease.
"Considering what you have done to her, it was a good assumption on her side. You should be the last person she should have ever trusted. Unnamed betrayer." There was no accusation in Ash' tone, but this cold statement hurt the Unnamed more that Ash would have imagined.
"I… ah… I actually do have a name now," he sighed deeply, grimacing at the memory of his Naming.
"How come?" There weren't many things that Ash wasn't aware of, but it appeared to be one of them.
"Bertan had freed me of my status and ordered me to go to the King for a Naming," the Unnamed confessed, "I followed that order immediately and went to the King directly afterward and demanded a hearing. He only looked at me once, without a question. He just looked right through me and Name me Sil then. I was about to leave his room when he mentioned I was to leave my Line House soon after the New King takes his residence, and I was free to decide which house suits me best… And then he died, right in front of my eyes." the Unnamed finished somberly.
"Prove it!" Ash interrupted him unceremoniously, bringing his invisible blade up to the Unnamed' throat. "Show the seal, or I'll take your head."
The Unnamed slowly took glove off his right hand and lifted the sleeve to reveal the Old King's seal that was burned deep into the still raw flesh.
Ash eased his blade and looked up to the skies to whisper. "So this is how the Fates want to play."
"What do you know, Ash?" The Unknown asked again, though this time, he was unable to hide the torment of his voice.
"I can't share my knowledge until you join me, Sil of no Line. "Ash extended his arm in an invitation gesture, "I freely offer you a place in my Line House as my brother in arms. Do you accept that offer?"
"I'll follow my Fates with you and your Line," the Unnamed said without a hesitation, accepting Ash' offer, suddenly filled with a strange emotion swelling in his core. Finding a new home was a rare occurrence among their kind.
Ash covered the Old King's seal that was burned into the Unnamed 'skin with a Yanna fruit, the one ingredient of the Tharo Juice that was under the Second Line's care. The raw flesh healed almost in an instant, leaving only a faint blue scar hidden within the skin.

At first, an unsettling moment of silence seemed to separate the two giant Swords even more. The Unnamed no more, carrying the name Sil closed his eyes, looking into his own core and sought answers, not to questions, but to emotions that seemed to drown his senses ever since she had given him that last gaze, full of the acceptance and understanding.
"Why do you trust me now?" He asked at a loss. Suddenly, his old reasoning felt more unnatural than leaving his face bare, for everyone to see.
"I think, it's because I can feel that your awakening almost nears." Ash looked straight ahead, at the fiery river that drifted through the city to sink down under the surface again.
"Awakening? What sort of awakening are you talking about?" Great was his surprise with the word Ash decided to choose. It was so close to describing the feelings he was still hesitant to name.
"Awakening from the Madness everyone here seems to wear with pride while forgetting that this Madness is not and has never been our natural state of mind. It came as a price once. The price we still pay to live." He still refused to look at his newfound brother.
"All of us? Is it really all of us?"
"You will see that once you are fully awakened. It pains me dearly, though, how painful it will be for you." Ash's voice dipped even lower with the sadness his core carried, "It shouldn't pain me that much, though.”
"Why?"
"You had sacrificed her in your Madness, betrayed her trust. Her! Once you are fully aware, that knowledge and the memory of it will kill you from the inside so often, you will wish for it to come back again and grace you with the familiar bliss of feeling nothing at all."
The Unnamed of the name Sil nodded in acceptance, for the words he heard, rang a truth to his core, "I can feel your own sadness and fury over this sacrifice, Ash," he said quietly, thankful for the darkness and the lack of an eye contact, afraid to see any of the pain and truth he could hear.
"The only reason you still breathe is because I'm waiting for your core to swell up with the pain so deep that your only reprieve will be vengeance. You will live, breathe and crave revenge so much that you