A new night in the trip, a new stop in the way of the couple. Grimm and Erin stopped in a titanic ruins, big enough to even dwarf the giantess.
"This will be a good place to spend the night as well as to practice the WorldDiver tomorrow" Grimm dictated, walking between the gigantic stone walls.
"What was this place before? It doesnt seem to have a village architecture... and I have never heard of titanic settlements in Iiion" Erin ran her hands over the stone, noting the roughness of the stone and at the same time the softness and freshness of the moss that over the years had become one with the rocks, turning the ruins of a greenish gray color with a certain charm
"It has always been said that Iiion brought mercenaries from all over the world for his army, so we can assume that this must be some kind of camp for the mercenary titans. Although to go back to them we should look back almost a thousand years, to the time when Iiion and the rest of the founding gods liberated these lands from the abyss..."
Grimm raised a hand, snapping his fingers and covering everything with firefly lights. "Dont the old titans make you feel small? These ruins must measure at least 50 meters or more, and who knows if the buildings were not taller!
All humanity descends from them, and although we lived a short period of time together... they vanished, only leaving their homes and camps behind. Not even the current titans have a genetic relationship with them... beyond a similarity in the physical aspect according to how the legends describe them"
Erin followed her teacher through the ruins to a nook covered by stone walls, something that Erin assumes would be the remains of some kind of wardrobe. "The titans were consumed by the plague of metallic blood, right?" Erin asked, watching as Grimm nodded. A strong feeling of defeat seized her when she saw that neither such great and powerful beings were safe.
"The abyss of Hes, the MotherNight of Apodemus, the plague of the metallic blood of Arucas... why are these lands always attacked by such terrible evils? What have we done to them?"
"You shouldnt think like that, Erin." Grimm sat on one of the corners, making a large cloth appear that covered almost the entire "cave". "Although some past times were terribly hard... we can always impose ourselves and win the battle against Hes, against Arucas, against Mitolo... only Apodemus and Bió survived.
Now, a new world awaits the new gods and heroes, still young and inexperienced. Every so often, Paradiso and Inferno live a dark age... but for every dark age we face, dozens of bright decades we receive"
Clenching her fists, Erin created a large firefly in the center of the cave, illuminating it with a soft orange light. "That ... is a great reflection, teacher"
"Thank you, but I cant and must not attribute myself the merit, because I heard it from an old companion of fatigue, Malus the somber"
"The god Malus?..." Erin shook her head, sitting next to Grimm. "I have three questions that you will answer openly, right?" Grimm nodded with his eyes closed, huddled against the wall. "Well, there goes the first ... how old are you, teacher?"
"In order for you to answer by yourself, my birth coincided with the centennial anniversary of the founding of Vontalba"
"So you're three hundred thirty-seven years old? As? I know there are few heroes who have broken the age barrier, earning eternity like gods... but I've never heard of any hero with the name of Grimm "
"I will assume that everything goes in the same question to do you a favor, dear apprentice" Grimm laughed to himself while the giantess realized she had already asked three questions. "You havent heard of any hero with the name of Grimm because there isnt. I am Grimm, the black shadow of Paradiso, the one who exchanged his heart with the shadow of the demon Razzir"
"That will be my second question... why would you do something like that? The demonic gods are known to be moneylenders, always expecting something in return for their favors"
"I needed more time without losing my human will, and Razzir needed a human heart powerful enough. We both found ourselves in desperate situations, and we both knew that we needed a fair deal with the other. The rest was as you imagine... Razzir managed to save his beloved... and I gained time to cleanse my sins"
Erin pressed both hands to the ground, feeling the melancholy in the words of her teacher. "And you could not have tried a ritual to become a god?"
"To become a god, you must pay a price: Your human will in exchange for divine clarity... and I couldnt risk my will... because I knew that if I did my sins would consume me"
Intoning the voice, Erin began to recite an oath that Grimm remembered distant and distant, more sung by the giantess took a new interesting tinge.
"A god must not think himself superior, nor be cruel or evil, because divine clarity is a gift from his former brothers.
A god must always remember who he is and who he was, his oath always present as a symbol of his transition.
A god must not have will, because it is the will of humanity that must always guide him.
A god is not immortal, and his eternity must always connected to the hearts of their loved ones.
And so, when a god fulfills his mission, his life must end so that with his family he can rest"
"My grandmother always made us say the same oath in the cathedral of Phromecia... although I never understood what they refer to with divine clarity" Erin shrugged, looking for her canteen to drink a well-deserved drink of water.
"They say that divine clarity is... as if your brain and your heart worked faster while everything around you moves slower... some gods say that even their senses and muscles work at triple the speed and power, which would explain some feats. To be completely honest, I've never known if it's a fair price to pay for losing your will to improve, to grow... maybe that's why it's always the heroes who end up imposing themselves on the gods"
The couple remained silent, reflecting... or so he wanted Grimm believed that it was happening, because the giantess soon began to breathe softly, falling into sleep. "Erin! Erin!" Pushing her with one arm, Grimm managed to get her out of the dream world. "You have a question and you still owe me your story! Also, we havent dined! What are you doing sleeping so soon?"
The giantess yawned as she leaned back, placing her head on her teacher's legs. "It bothers you? And please, if for some reason you know how much my head weighs... dont say it, I'm still suffering from when you said my weight out loud"
"You weigh a little, but nothing that cant stand"
The giantess laughed as she snuggled, enjoying the residual heat of the day and the cool wind of the night.
"My story... it's long, master. If I have to start somewhere, it has to be by my name" Grimm nodded, resting a hand on the giantess's hair. "My name is Myerina Vegner... I am the heir to Vontalba's throne-"
"What?" Grimm said instantly, his reaction was within what Erin expected. "I havent been to Vontalba for a long time, but as far as I know, the heir queen and the king are humans, not giants... and none have giant ancestors"
"Let me explain, please" Erin said with a sigh, her gaze lost on the stone wall in front of them.
"Do you know the foundation of Vontalba? 455 years ago, the lands of Sartiols were inhabited by cruel and bloodthirsty giants, who dominated their neighbors and took who they saw as slaves... humans, elves, centaurs, dwarves, other giants...
Vontalba is a kingdom surrounded by gigantic mountains, steep and lashed by constant rain, with only a plain serving as an entrance... A natural fortress that the Marvioni giants as they called themselves took full advantage. They lived in the highlands of the valley, on the blue stone plains while the useless slaves and the wounded were thrown into the lower swamp, naked and unarmed.
My ancestor, Dragos Vegner, was a prisoner of war, captured after a brutal attack of the Marvioni to a neighboring kingdom... Dragos was brutally wounded, with one of his legs torn off by the Marvioni, who once finished having fun they threw him to the swamp waiting for it to become flesh for insects... but that wasnt his destiny.
Lanceria, one of the only two giants who had survived the swamp, found him in time and rescued him, healing his wounds in the small community that she and the rest of the slaves had formed near the edge of the cliff that separated the plains from the swamp.
Lanceria, that according to the slaves was thrown for being bastard daughter of one of the leaders of assault of the Marvioni, and Dragos began to spend more and more time together, while the old general slowly recovered from his wounds. Many months passed before Dragos regained his strength, although he could never use them again to fight. Leaning on a branch smoothed as a crutch, the former general began to teach the other slaves everything he could, from ways to get clean water to basic first aid.
Years passed without the situation of the slaves improving, surviving thanks to the hunting tactics of Dragos while Lanceria was dedicated to collect and try to save all those thrown by the Marvioni. The friendship between the giantess and the general did not stop increasing, Lanceria becoming the eyes and hands of Dragos when they were far from the villa.
The duo ended up being elected as leaders by the other slaves. And as Lanceria refused to become some kind of leader, preferring to be more useful in the wild thanks to its size and strength, Dragos just took over the position for both; swearing to his companions that they would manage to leave the swamp and recover their lives... a dream that gave them strength to continue, although Dragos knew that without weapons to break the door that separated the swamp and to fight the Marvioni would be left alone in just that, a dream.
Until the Marvioni made their biggest mistake.
In a burst of euphoria for their last conquest, the Marvioni launched hundreds of people into the swamp without bothering to disarm them... and without knowing that Dragos and the rest of the slaves had built a town far from their eyes.
In a one-night operation, Lanceria and the other slaves managed to save almost all the soldiers and their weapons, taking them back to the village to heal their wounds. Dragos recognized the armor of the soldiers, recognizing them as the army of one of the enemy kingdoms of his old home.
In the same way, one of the soldiers recognized Dragos. The soldier stood up and introduced herself as Ash Hunter, the princess of the house Hunter and the last defender of her kingdom. Ash and his men recovered quickly, still blessed by their god slain by the Marvioni.
An opportunity like this was unique, and Dragos knew that they would take advantage of it. Thrown to the ground on his knees, Dragos begged Ash and his men to lend them their strength to take revenge against the Marvioni Lanceria and the rest of the slaves explained the situation... and Ash and his men understood that maintaining the quarrels for two kingdoms that no longer existed didnt help at all.
Kneeling his knees, Ash's soldiers swore allegiance to Dragos, becoming his sword to pierce the darkness. Dragos, turned into a shadow of his old self, took Ash's hands, vowing to direct them all to a bright future.And with the oath, the planning of the assault began.
Setting fire to different parts of the swamp, Dragos managed to force the Marvioni to open the doors of the only exit from the swamp to investigate, encountering Ash and his men in a fast and bloody ambush.
The plan began, Lanceria and his brother raised great torches that served as a reclamation for the other slaves who lived with the Marvioni. A single night, a brutal and bloody march to which tens of thousands of slaves joined them.
The Marvioni fought as hard as they could, but while Ash's men fought against, Lanceria's slaves sneaked into the shadows, killing all the giants in their wake.
When the last of the Marvioni was defeated, Lanceria threw his torch at the flag of the Marvioni, marking the end of the battle. All celebrated their victory with the sunrise, at which time Ash and Lanceria decided to name Dragos as the king-conqueror of the Marvioni.
Dragos refused at the beginning, but after quite insisting he decided to take the position again, naming his kingdom as Vontalba, a syllable for the surname of Lanceria, one for the kingdom of Dragos and one for the kingdom of Ash.
Dragos raised his new flag, shouting to his people that no other conquering giant could wrest their new freedo.
The moment in which Ash decided to marry with Dragos was also the moment in which Lanceria took the position of symbol and guardian of the kingdom, position that was transmitted to its descendants, who swore to protect to the blood of Dragos, first king of Vontalba-"
"I've always admired the legend of Vontalba's foundation... But what does that have to do with you?" Grimm asked as Erin expected.
"I was going to-"
"Going? You were trying sneak a history lesson to avoid talking about you"
"It can... but it's relevant. Well ... my mother is Queen Hirari Vegner, the fifth heiress of Dragos and my father is-"
"The king consort is the son of Gaspar Spada, the former regent of Vontalba, leader of the armies of dawn and chief advisor to the previous king, Julius Vegner... and none of them are giants, Erin"
"Let me tell it, damn it! Well... you know how my grandfather died, right?"
"Now you want me to intervene? You dont clarify, Erin" The giantess hit the ground, nipping at Grimm's mockery. "Julius died when Hirari was 6 years old, fighting in battle against the King of Nothing... Gaspar assumed the regency of Vontalba until the princess was old enough to govern"
"Right. The defense against the hollow army of the King of Nothing was bloody and claimed too many innocent lives like my grandfather's... and much that survived did so with permanent damage. Bella, the giantess guardian of my grandfather, suffered serious damage... while her husband died in battle with my grandfather.
Bella, who had fought a thousand and one battles with my grandparents for Vontalba... lost both legs, leaving her whole body from navel downwards destroyed... and not only lost her legs and her beloved... she also lost her biggest dream... being a mother. Bella was transferred to the palace, where mom and dad did everything they could to make her happy.
Even though she tried to pretend, everyone knew that Bella's smile had died in that battle. 21 years ago, Bella began to get worse and worse... Mama and Papa brought all the doctors and priests they found... but they all ended up coming to the same conclusion... Bella's time was over. She kept saying that nothing happened... but when worse and worse she got on, except she could hide her pain... not being able to mother was her burden, her biggest dream was at the same time the bullet that would accompany her to death.
And then, when my grandfather asked my mom and dad to stop... my grandmother says that the two looked at each other, the same idea sprouting from their heads... the greatest idea of r03;r03;their lives.
They changed the purpose of their search, my father launched on a desperate trip to Phromecia, one when he managed to find her.
Days before Bella gave the last breath, Papa arrived with a shaman. The four met in Bella's room... and the shaman told them about her innovative technique-"
"Wait a fucking second! Are you talking... of a legatee birth?!" Grimm said out loud, so surprised that the giantess could not contain her laughter.
"Using a key stone and through a ritual, Bella's life energy would become a legatee residue, which the shaman would insert into one of my mother's ovaries... and with my father's seed, would result in a legatee baby, the combination of three wills.
I am Myerina Vegner Gaspar, the daughter of Hirari Vegner, Rogan Gaspar and Bella Vontalba... their three souls gave birth to me, thus fulfilling Bella's dream"
"That... makes you a legatee huma/giantess? A part of you is giant, and two parts are human... that explains your talent for magic... "Grimm began to see clearly who was the giantess in front of him... and to plan how to take advantage of this unusual origin.
"I've never had a difficult life, I suppose it's because people not only see in me an heiress of my grandparents Julius and Gaspar... but also in the heiress of the Vontalba champion. My parents and my grandparents have always loved me with madness, guiding me to be the future queen but never losing sight of the fact that I was just a girl... a very big one, but a girl after all.
I have two brothers, 13-year-old twins, Emma and Gabriel, and before you ask them they are only human... I love them too much... not a day goes by when I do not think of them" Grimm remained silent, letting Erin take comfort in his memories.
"If you love your family so much... and they love you so much... what were you doing in Hyalgan, almost half a continent away?"
"It all started a year and a half ago..." Erin's voice became much more somber and discouraged. "When we received the visit of Father Gurian, the leader of the holy church of Memoris"
"Dont fuck with me... Gurian? Who in their right mind receives a fanatic with too much self-esteem like him?!"
Erin could notice the hatred in Grimm's words, one too personal. "There are many Memoris churches in Vontalba... and my mother thought it would be a good idea to accept his request to come and bless them..." Every word made Erin more and more tense. "When we received him in the royal palace... Gurian confused me for a soldier... and that I was wearing a dress and my royal diadem! My parents tried to explain to him that I was their daughter, the princess... and Gurian went into a rage, calling us heretics for forgetting the words of Dragos"
"No giants will ever rule over us..." Grimm said sighing angrily.
"He kept saying we were monsters for forgetting our founder... and he threatened to take away the Memoris churches and accuse us of an impure kingdom before the assembly.... My mother didnt give up, preparing our lawyers and advisors for a legal fight against the holy church..." The giantess stopped, taking breath to continue.
"My gramp-... my grandfather... took the crown and used his power as an ex-regent and leader of the armies to disinherit me... He decided ... that it was more important to maintain our image and avoid a war against the holy church and all the kingdoms that they will support it before me... And that all the world in our kingdom and among our allies supported me! They were willing to fight for me! In the end... I didnt want to turn my grandfather into a monster... or provoke a war just for me... so I made the decision that I still believe was the right one"
"Seriously? Run away from home? That you think is the right idea?"
The giantess nodded without saying anything. "First, I havent run away from home as if I were ten years old... I've left home until I have a solution to the problem-"
"And have you found that solution?" Grimm sounded more and more serious each time, something that didnt help Erin.
"Not now... but if I never found her, my brothers can take the throne... I trust them. And so my grandfather could keep his pride ... he has fought a lot for Vontalba to be remembered as a villain... It's painful, but if I can protect them all by simply disappearing from the equation, I'll do it until my end"
"Erin, you're a complete idiot"
"You dont need to call me that either-"
"But I'm glad you are." Erin turned around, looking directly at her confused teacher. "Do you know why I need an apprentice?" Erin denied silently, not wanting to interrupt. "I myself fell into darkness... always fleeing from my sins without ever being able to face them... I begin to fear that I will never see my light again... and therefore, before the end that I deserve, before they devour me...
I want to be able to transmit to someone everything I learned... to know that there is someone I havent failed, someone who will be able to use my knowledge to change his life" Grimm's words were even more full of pain than before, and although Erin did not I could see changes in the expression on his face, it was easy to notice the weight they carried. "Do you believe in Hona?" Erin nodded quickly.
"They say that all our hearts were born there, and at the end of our days they return home. According to tradition, magic is born from the heart because these are always connected to Hona, for no matter in which conditions they die or if you are a human, a demon, a hero or a god... a heart always find the way to Hona...
Well that seems like a great idiocy!" Grimm raised his voice and his hands, waving his head angrily. "Are you telling me that monsters like Apodemus or Gurian will end up finding peace? That is not fair to their victims! If we all end up in Hona, it means that everyone will earn eternal rest regardless of their crimes! Is it that nobody has thought twice?"
"I dont think everyone in the world finds the same thing in Hona... maybe in that place there is a smaller and darker place for bad people!" Erin tried to do her bit, and judging from Grimm's eyes, it had been Fairly acceptable. "Teacher ... I dont understand what this has to do with what I'm an idiot... I'm not going to lie to you, I've been lost for a while"
"Well, I've got a history lesson in the middle of your biography!" The two looked at each other for a few seconds before they started laughing. "We are not the best explaining ourselves, right?"
"My grandmother has always told me that I am very little concrete, that since I have a so big head, everything goes a long way before I am able to express it with words"
"You dont seem so stubborn... oh wait... big head because of giantess... then you should tell your grandmother that I share your opinion" The giantess inflo chubby annoying, something that only managed to cause more laughter. "If I'm honest, there are many friends who have complained about the unnecessary length of my explanations... especially I remember an old scaly friend who almost throws off a cliff"
"Scaly friend? A salam- do you know what? Knowing how violent it is is enough for me"
"You dont even imagine it! I'm surprised that today I still consider myself a friend... But back to the subject, you're an idiot for believing that disappear fix something. Your problem is Gurian, right?"
The giantess nodded, not wanting to remember the guilty face of all her problems. "Well then you must face him under the rules of Phromecia, and for that you must become not only a better spellcaster, you should also become a better warrior.
Before you say anything, it doesnt matter how big and strong you are thanks to be a giantess... your punch this morning has only caused damage thanks to enhance it with your blue flame spell"
"In my defense, I've only been able to train as a swordsman with my grandfather and his apprentice." Erin raised an arm, squeezing and pulling muscle. "Since I was 6 years old I was stronger and almost taller than most soldiers and nobody dared to teach me self defense"
Grimm remained silent, hands folded and index fingers spread over his mouth. "I remenber that your grandfather Julius was a master of unarmed combat... although of course, I'm not saying it's genetic - Wait, swordswoman? And where is your sword? You are a princess, arent you? You shouldnt have a sword forged especially for you?"
Erin frowned. "I left EMOTL with my brothers... I promised them I would go back to look for her once I knew how to solve everything"
"EMOTL..." The giantess's cheeks reddened as she curled up as much as she could. "Dont laugh, please" The giantess begged, eyes closed, not daring to look at her teacher. "Eternal memories of the light..." Erin opened her eyes, seeing how Grimm was on the verge of crying. "Aggg! I knew you were going to laugh! I was 10 years old when they gave it to me! I was very hooked on Iskar's the Skywalker novels!"
"And you called your sword like Iskar's famous spell? Oh god... I am sure that if I tell her about that I will be able to laugh for years and years..."
"You just... say... if you told her..." The giantess jumped up, kneeling in front of Grimm. "Do you know Iskar? Iskar the Skywalker? The heiress of the blue bell? The carrier of Melodia, the legendary sword of Amun!?" Grimm nodded confused, watching as Erin began to tremble.
"OHMYGODNESS! PLEASEINEEDTOKNOWHER! IHAVETOKNOWLADYISKARINPERSON, IAMHERFANNUMBERONE,IHAVE ALLHERBOOKS,COMICS,BIOGRAPHIES,CRYSTAL-FILMS... EVERYTHING!! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!"
"5 minutes ago we were suffering from the pain of knowing that your grandfather preferred to avoid a conflict that you... and in the same conversation you just lost your mind for a hero to the point of almost drowning supplicating me"
"Iskar has always been my example to follow... since mom read me her first biography with 6 years before going to sleep, I've always wanted to become a hero like her! Someone that when people they know they're safe... a beacon of hope in the darkness" Grimm opened his mouth, although Erin was faster than him. "I know that that last sentence is taken from her story of the blue bell... but it's something that means a lot to me!"
The teacher shrugged, looking toward the ruins. "It's been quite a night, we've been talking for almost an hour and a half..." At the moment of both reconnect with the world, two roars filled the makeshift cave. "And I see that we're both hungry..."
"Should I go out and try to hunt something?" Erin asked, preparing to get up.
"No need ... since you've opened up to me, today I'll spoil you a little... but dont get used to it" Grimm snapped his fingers, making a large black portal appear on the wall. The teacher approached the portal, putting an arm inside. "Should... should... bingo" Erin remained motionless with her eyes wide open, while Grimm pulled out a huge tray with a bird cooked in the oven on top... except that the food has no color whatsoever.
"That's…"
"Our dinner. Before leaving on a trip I always prepare 50 complete meals, I took them away from the time and store them for nights when I cant hunt "With a stomp, a portal appeared on the floor in the middle of the cloth, dropping a dining room table. Erin watched silently as Grimm left the bird on the table, snapping his fingers to reveal portals on the table, of which fell covered, glasses, plates and even a bottle of wine and another of some kind of juice. (Without color, Erin couldnt guess what it was)
Raising his right hand, everything on the table began to glow and be surrounded by small glyphs of watches while Grimm began to recite."That what was robbed of time, gave nuovo senti il r03;r03;passo eterno di esso" The glyphs vanished, while Erin began to smell the bird as if it were freshly made, a smell that made her mouth water.
"Awesome…"
"Not so much, it's just a simple Stop spell combined with a permanent adjective and a conditional. Then the other is simply an anti-stasis spell focused on inanimate objects" The expression Grimm saw on Erin's face was similar to that of a cow watching a Branese locomotive pass by. "You'rent supposed to be a princess? I have not used any words that you should not know... "
"I know all the words! It's just ... how do you manage to think such a complex spell and pronounce it in such a short time?"
"Practice, apprentice; and dont despair, there will be time for you to learn all these things. For now, let's have dinner and let's give this day finished. I have cutlery size XL but I do not have any dishes... does it bother you to use the tray?"
Erin denied as she sat on the floor, her mouth half-opened by the good smell of dinner.