The Monarch Forest was composed of a species of tall trees that were at least a hundred meters in height and nearly ten meters in diameter.

From the ground, they looked like giants that belittled all other kinds of lifeforms.

Edwin has been in the forest for several hours already. Trudging through the snow that painted the ground white. He expected that it would only take a few hours to reach the inner region from the outer region, but he underestimated the size of the Monarch Forest.

"Good thing my rations would last me for a few more days, but then, I don't know longer would it take me to enter the inner region. I might need to hunt for food after I consumed my current supply of them..", Edwin muttered then inwardly cursed his shallow knowledge and said, 'So that's why magicians always read books.'

He previously knew from Anna when she said that particular sentence about magicians needed to read books. As for why he believed what the girl said unlike James, Allen already told him that Anna was really a magician.

In addition, during his training for one month, he wasn't just trained by Allen on how to use internal energy, he was also taught by Anna a few spells, nevertheless, those kinds of spells doesn't take up 'mental s.p.a.ce' of magicians. However, they weren't that useful and couldn't be exploited for attacking nor defending.

He kept treading amidst the tall trees until the sun was about to set. Seeing the sun was about to disappear from the horizon, Edwin immediately explored for a nearby shelter and discovered an opening on the ground, which was actually a cave. The boy didn't hesitate to enter it as there seemed to be no other refuge in the vicinity.

When he entered the cave, the first thing he noticed was the thick spider webs on the walls. Edwin unsheated the both of his daggers from his belt and backed off a bit. He could go out of the cave and easily escape from danger, but if he did so, he would be vulnerable to the other dangers outside.

Who knew what kind of monster might be travelling in the forest when it's dark.

Now, it was either he would get out and find another place to rest into or whatever kind of a threat inside the cave would get killed. Nevertheless, it was the latter for the boy.

Edwin pursed his dry lips and raised his awareness on the surroundings, waiting for any attacks coming towards him.

But the situation he was expecting never happened.

After waiting for a while, Edwin took out a tiny bottle of potion from his satchel and threw it to the darkness. Afterwards, the pill weakly exploded and released some sort of light, which illuminated the cave.

From his place, Edwin realized that there were only a few spiderwebs on the walls of the cave. He chuckled at himself for being worried at nothing.

But his laughs paused when he spotted an entrance to a separate chamber at the end of the cave.

Seeing the entrance, Edwin cautiously approached it while there was still light coming from the potion. When he reached the entrance, he peeked inside the chamber, and was surprised that the chamber wasn't even that dark as he was expecting.

On the ceiling of the chamber, there was some sort of magical stone that was lighting up the whole s.p.a.ce.

Edwin checked around from the entrance and noticed that there was no giant spider or any kind of arachnid anywhere. Still, he picked up a pebble and threw it inside the chamber to check for traps, but there wasn't even one.

"No traps?" Edwin was confused by the absolute safeness and continued, "I guess I'm only being paranoid." He only inwardly mocked himself for being too expectant.

He then stepped into the chamber and further inspected what was inside it.

The chamber wasn't that big nor too small for its kind, it could only be compared to three or four times as big as a room in a common inn. In its middle, there was a large stone round table with numerous papers and other kinds of objects placed on it.

The boy approached it but didn't dare touch anything and saw that it was there was a map of the eastern region, but it was a lot different than the regular map such as there was no Eastern Horizon City; nor even East Gate City, which was the regional capital of the said region. Though the Alchem Town was present at the southwest direction from the Monarch Forest.

There were also books and some parchments on top of the round table, but the most eye-catching of all was a golden protractor. He approached the protractor and was about to get hold of it when he accidentally tripped on a stone.

Luckily, he was able to hold on to the table and didn't completely stumble to the ground.

As soon as his hand touched the table, blue glowing veins appeared and it was as if the table started pulsating. Edwin was frightened by the sight and immediately jumped away from it. After he did so, the whole chamber shook violently for a moment.

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Then bookshelves, a makes.h.i.+ft weapons armory, a smaller rectangular table made out of fine wood, a pedestal engraved with some sort of patterns and a book on top of it were brought up from underground.

Not just that, a translucent barrier materialized from where he came from. Edwin tried to bash himself out through the barrier, but a repulsion kicked him back to the ground.

Edwin stood up and stabilized his footing, checking around him, he beheld the new furniture that came up.

The bookshelves didn't have any book on them, the weapons were already rusty, while the book's cover on top of the pedestal was covered with dust and normal spiderwebs.

"I knew this place wasn't that simple as it seemed.", Edwin sighed for being too relaxed.

Now, he wanted to immediately get out off of here, but his only exit was blocked by some sort of magic.

Seeing that there wasn't any alternate route out, he had no more choice but to thoroughly inspect the book on top of the pedestial, which was the only thing left interesting.

The corners of the pedestal were dimly lit by colored gems, which looked like they're almost out of power.

Edwin removed the spiderweb and blew the dust away from the cover, then opened the introductory page.

"I can't understand what is written." He remarked as he caught sight off the non-understandable language on it.

When he planted his sight on it for a few more seconds, the words on the cover suddenly changed to the normal language he knew. The said occurrence surprised Edwin, but he didn't waste more time and immediately read the cover.

"The Mortal Plane's Codex" He touched the page of the book, hoping for it to have another reaction.

However, seeing that nothing happened after he made contact with it, he tried to open the other pages of the book, but failed to do so.

He didn't give up and even used one of his daggers to make a page budge, but as soon as he inserted some force to the improvised leverage, the dagger splitted to two pieces.

"Whoa." Edwin blinked several times without making any change on his face. Allen told him that those daggers he chose were tougher than normal weapons. He didn't doubt what Allen told him, making him conclude that the book was indeed magical.

He threw across the room the remaining dagger piece he was holding, "Maybe... I shouldn't have tried budging the book."

"Ugh, I shouldn't have entered this chamber in the first place!" He screamed and hit his forehead with his palm.

However, he didn't give up and tried to open any page of it until he successfully turned to a page near the back of the book.

He saw that the inscriptions on the book were written in an unrecognizable language, but just like what happened earlier, it changed into the modern known language.

Edwin then read the book...

[The Wraith ~

Just after I have taken care of the arrogance of those dragons. I have sensed that the eighth incarnation of the Wraith has remembered all of its incarnations.

After so, most of the barbarian clans on the nomadic lands has united and attacked the southern region of the Trigurniburg Kingdom. I have also sensed movements from the h.e.l.l Plane, the devil king, Erchian, is probably planning to interfere; but the higher-ups of the Retollian Church, along with the Retollian Holy Alliance would have most likely sensed it too and won't let an interference occur from the forces of the h.e.l.l Plane.

In spite of the innumerable chaos occurring all over the world in a short time, my time has also come, for me to face the Wraith and oversee the balance of the Mortal Plane, just like my predecessors.

~ ~ ~

I have succeeded in killing the incarnation of the Wraith. Its soul was driven away again to the depths of the world, but my soul is now dispersing and my body is deteriorating at an extremely speedy phase after I was. .h.i.t by some kind of an attack by it.

Even me with my power, even my predecessors except for the first, also died this way. I was too stupid to think the illusion was really her!

Is this the fate of the Celestials?

I have left everything. I don't even know what happened to my hometown. I don't recognize anybody there anymore.

Where did my children go? Where were they? I promised to go back to them. How long has it been? I can't recall the number of years I have spent without them.

I think they are already old or dead by now~ I'm only still alive because of the extension of my lifespan. Maybe I should not have accepted this responsibility, but then, I would have died that day.

I am stuck in the paradox of life and death. Since that day, I knew my life was only borrowed from the start. I even knew the greatest secret of the world and kept it for myself.

I should have spread that secret, then everything would undergo eternal chaos and all will end, but I still hesitated, because my children are too weak to take care of themselves.

In the end, I don't blame anybody. My fate has always been tied with taking care of the world.

~ Steven, the eighth Celestial]