Destroying My Own Novel

“Kastihel World, such a big place for a sixteenth floor,” Agnez said as she stared at a medieval city that had already been covered in moss, roots, and trees.

“Where should we check first? There are five main buildings like a fortress or a castle here,” Rozan asked as he looked at a big castle with giant trees in the middle of the castle.

Jeanne had the Soul Catcher sword in her hand, and the spirits that wandered around the city looked at them with sorrowful expressions. None of them wanted to communicate with her, and that alone was enough to say that something bad had happened.

“The tower is right there, like the one from the Silian World,” Asmond said as he pointed at the tower in the distance behind the huge wall.

Agnez hummed in agreement, and then she turned around to look at Gerrard who had just come back from exploring the area with Nagy.

“What did you find?” Agnez asked.

“We can’t leave as you said, there’s an invisible barrier right on the walls. We are basically stuck in this place,” Nagy answered as she pointed at the wall behind them with a wooden and steel gate that led to the outside. “Also, there’s no demons anywhere either, no matter how hard we tried to find some,”

“What’s that in your hand?” Gunnar asked as he pointed at an old book in Gerrard’s left hand.

Gerrard gave it to Gunnar since he knew Gunnar had a loud voice and was fit to read it out loud.

“Let’s see,” Gunnar said as he opened the book, but he wasn’t careful enough and the papers fell to the ground.

“Muscle head,” Lillith said as she smirked and laughed dismissively.

Everyone gathered around Gunnar and looked at the book he was holding.

“The ministers heavily taxed the citizens again, and the construction began. It was five years of painful work and slavery for the workers, but in the end, the mighty Kingdom of Kastihel is born,” Gunnar said as he read the first page of the book. “We never thought it was possible, but in the end, we all live happily in this place with the walls to protect from enemies,”

“Medelha, what a beautiful castle with an Aon tree that lives vigorously and protects the people with its shade from the sun. Lord Delenise loves to rest under that tree, and he’s the lord that I serve forever in this life and the next,” Gunnar continued.

Gunnar turned the pages, but the writings were unreadable because the ink decayed over time. He turned more pages, but there were no writings on it, only blank pages, until something fell off from the book.

Jeanne grabbed it and looked at it. It was a portrait, or rather, a drawing of a flower with beautiful and blooming petals on top of the footstalk. She turned the portrait and there was writing on it.

“Benustrus, eight hundred twenty-four,” Jeanne said with her eyebrows raised.

“That could be the person who drew that flower, and the number might be the year?” Rozan asked with a confused look on his face.

“Maybe,” Jeanne replied as she put the drawing in the book. “There’s nothing else, Gunnar?” Jeanne asked.

“Nothing…” Gunnar answered as he shook his head and shrugged his mouth. “Wait, something is not right,” Gunnar said with his eyebrows furrowed and turning the page back.

“What’s wrong?” Jeanne asked as she took a peek at the book.

“The writings that I just read! It disappeared!” Gunnar answered as he showed the first few pages of the book to everyone. “Fuck, does anyone remember what I read?” Gunnar asked panickly.

“Medelha, Aon Tree, Lord Delenise. I think the person who wrote that diary is giving us hints, and the castle that matches with what that person described would be that one,” Lillith replied as she pointed at the castle that was covered in a giant tree.

“I guess that’s our cue to enter that castle. Let’s go,” Agnez said as she walked in the middle of the brick-layered road.

They were amazed and admired the Kastihel World because of how big the Kastihel Kingdom was. They teleported near a gate that seemed to be one of the two entrances. One thing they were confused about was that the World’s name was the same as the kingdom’s name, and wasn’t sure if the whole kingdom was the world itself.

The Medelha Castle was a mile away or 1,6 kilometers from where they were. The Medelha Castle itself was two times bigger than Colosseum, and that was enough to tell how ginormous the Aon Tree was. They were curious about how big the inside of the castle was and couldn’t wait to enter it.

“This Medelha Castle looks more like a mansion rather than a castle from the outside. You know, like the architecture of a parliament building,” Vincze said as he looked up at the big castle in front of them.

They were mesmerized and admired the castle, but then suddenly they heard a faint sound coming from inside the castle. It was the sound of a piano, and it was playing peaceful and yet sorrowful melodies.

The book suddenly fell off Gunnar’s right hand, and everyone looked at the book that got opened. Gunnar hummed as he furrowed his eyebrows and then grabbed the book.

“Wait, the writings that were unreadable are now readable,” Gunnar said as he picked up the book.

“Mariage D’Amor, the masterpiece that Lord Delenise loved to play when the rain showered the Kingdom. He was the only one who could play that music so perfectly, and we loved to sit down and listen to him play. Sometimes, we wished that the rain would never stop so we could listen to it forever,” Gunnar said as he read the book.

Gunnar turned the pages, and the rest of the writings were unreadable.

“That’s the only thing that I can read, the rest are still blurry,” Gunnar said as he looked at Jeanne and Agnez.

Something fell again from the book, and it was another drawing. Agnez took it and looked at the drawing, and it was still the same flower, but one of the petals fell onto the table. She flipped the drawing and looked at the writing on it.

“Benustrus, eight hundred twenty-six,” Agnez said as she flipped the drawing to look at the flower. “It’s two years later from the previous one, right?” Agnez asked Lillith.

Lillith nodded in agreement.

“Where did you get that book?” Agnez asked Gerrard.

“It was on a statue. The statue was holding the book, and we thought the book was a part of the statue but turned out it was a real book,” Gerrard answered.

“I bet the previous drawing is gone as well,” Agnez said as he looked at the book.

Gunnar turned the pages until the last page, and he couldn’t find the previous drawing.

“I knew it, I think we are lucky to possess that book with us. It’s the most important thing in this world,” Agnez said, and then stared at Mykel. He stared back as he smirked a bit with his arms crossed.

“Protect that book and keep it safe. I don’t want that book to disappear or go missing, and now it’s your job, Gunnar. Protect it with your life,” Agnez said as she stared at Gunnar with a serious expression.

“Got it,” Gunnar said as he nodded his head.

“Let’s enter the castle,” Agnez said as she looked at the giant wooden doors in front of her.

Agnez and Jeanne opened the doors, and the music started to get louder and clearer. It was indeed a beautiful masterpiece as the book said, and they were all listening to it as they looked at the massive hall in front of them.

The music suddenly stopped, and the peaceful atmosphere turned dark in a snap of a finger. Those who could sense the danger immediately grabbed their weapons and drew them.

The book fell again, and this time there was only a sentence on the page.

[You’re not welcome here. Leave, or you will pay the price for disturbing my place]

They all looked at it, and then the hall became so dark with not a single light that could enter the castle. Rozan then lit the hall with fireballs and sent them all around the hall.

“Time for some action, finally,” Sven said as he swung his scythe and rested on his right shoulder.