Chapter 26 Guardians of the universe
"One hundred coins is too much for this," Lyriel argued. "Sell it to me for twenty."
The vendor laughed at her boldness. "This isn’t fruit, Lyriel. It’s a mirror—a very big mirror. A hundred coins or nothing."
"I know another vendor who sells this for ten coins. I’ll go to him," she said, turning to leave. But the vendor grabbed her arm.
"That one is probably selling a fake," he warned, laughing nervously. "No one sells a mirror this size for ten coins. That’s absurd."
"I’d rather buy a fake than pay one hundred coins for this," she retorted. "How do I know this isn’t fake either?"
The vendor’s eyes widened in disapproval. "No, Lyriel. This isn’t fake. Take a good look at it… okay, fine, I’ll sell it to you for fifty coins." But Lyriel wouldn’t listen. She folded her arms, frowning deeply but smiling within. If he could lower it so drastically, it only meant the mirror was worth far less than one hundred coins.
She slipped her hands into her pocket and counted some coins, placing them on the table to the man’s surprise.
"This is not up to fift," he noted.
"This is twenty-five coins, and only what I can afford,"
The vendor sighed. "Make it thirty, I can’t sell for less"
Lyriel stared at him for a moment and smiled in victory. Finally, she saw honesty in his eyes. She took out five extra coins from her pocket and dropped them on the table. But now came the next problem—the mirror was very large. How would she carry it home?
The vendor seemed to read her mind and chuckled. "Don’t worry. I’ll call my boy to help."
Lyriel sighed in relief and waited as he called "FABIAN!!" but no one appeared. After a few more calls, a young boy came running toward them. He appeared closer in age to her than Eli, who was undoubtedly older.
"You called, Father?" Fabian panted.
The vendor gave him instructions, and Fabian lifted the mirror. Lyriel’s eyes widened at how carelessly he handled it. Any glass could break if treated like that, and if it did, his father would have to refund her money.
As they walked back, the boy continued to annoy her. He was playful, clumsy, and entirely unserious. At one point, he nearly tripped over a stone, talking nonstop. Lyriel’s heart sank, she had already concluded that 30 coins had been wasted… 10 of which weren’t even hers. But the boy laughed hysterically—it was just another one of his lame pranks. She wondered why a male could have such bad and annoying habits.
"I never pegged you as a quiet girl. You haven’t said a word since we left my father’s stall," he said finally.
Lyriel stopped and turned to face him. "That’s because you’ve done nothing but annoy me ever since!" she yelled. Even the passersby looked at them, curious about the commotion.
Fabian pouted dramatically, clutching his chest. "Ouch! That hurts, my love."
Lyriel exhaled sharply in anger and walked faster. The boy reminded her of Farren, and now she was beginning to hate him for real.
When they entered the forest leading to Eli’s cottage, Fabian suddenly fell silent. Lyriel welcomed the quiet—it allowed her to catch her own breath. But she was also curious. Was he scared of the forest?
"Why are you suddenly quiet?" she asked, walking ahead on the narrow path. He didn’t respond immediately, and she thought he had finally gone dumb.
"This forest has a very long… dark history," he finally replied. Lyriel noticed the seriousness in his tone, perhaps he had something important to tell her.
"What history?" She slowed her pace, wanting to hear the whole story, as Eli’s cottage was just a few steps away.
"Have you ever wondered why this kingdom was named Malakh,"
Lyriel furrowed her brow in confusion. "Malakh? Is that what this kingdom is called… kingdom? I thought this was just a small village."
Fabian chuckled, clearing up the confusion. "Listen closely. This village lies on the outskirts of the kingdom— one of the greatest in the world. And we are Malakhians, the king’s subjects.”
Her brow furrowed. How come no one had told her this? She had been living in a kingdom without knowing its name or history. Thank God the young man was finally in his right mind, She would use this moment to learn as much as she could.
"So what is the story behind the name Malakh?" she asked.
"A thousand years ago, beings of light called angels, or Malakh, descended on a mountain. They were corrupted by darkness and built a fortress. They destroyed humans with their powers, turning them into demons. Their goal was to rule the world and enslave us."
Lyriel listened carefully but couldn’t suppress a chuckle when he finished. Was he still playing a prank?
"Why are you laughing?" Fabian asked, frowning. "I took a great risk to tell you what no one else would, and all you do is laugh?"
"I’m sorry, Fabian, but it’s hard to believe," she admitted. “Angels? I know them well. They are guardians of the universe—powerful and terrifying. They could never descend so low as to be consumed by darkness.”
"Look at that mountain. It can be seen from every corner of the kingdom." He set the mirror down gently and pointed west. Lyriel followed his gaze. The mountain was the source of the mysterious bell she had often heard.
"On this mountain lies a very large temple dedicated to our God, Elyon. But it was on this same mountain that His angels had descended," Fabian said, gazing at the mountain, lost in thoughts. "Somewhere within this large forest lies the fortress the angels built. One villager claimed to have found it, but no one was brave enough to follow him...He went missing after a few days and was later found floating in the river not far from here, completely drained of blood. That place is called the fortress of demons, where humans transformed into evil creatures drain the life force from every living person or animal they encounter.”
"Has anyone ever seen or encountered this creatures?" Lyriel asked, completely intrigued by his story.
"No one that I know," he replied. "But there was a popular song the villagers used to sing, until the High Priest of the Temple banned it and decreed that anyone caught singing those lyrics would be killed on the spot."
"Why is that?" Lyriel asked, but he only shrugged.
"I don’t know. But no one dared to go against his decree—not even the king himself. Although the song had disturbing lyrics, and I never liked it from the start. No one knew who wrote it or where it originated from, yet it became popular overnight."
"What do the lyrics say?" Lyriel asked.
"I’m sorry, Lyriel, but I can’t tell you the exact lyrics. It is forbidden."
Lyriel suddenly grabbed his arm, startling him, and stared firmly into his eyes. "You must tell me, Fabian. I’m curious. Besides…" she glanced around, lowering her voice, "no one is here. It’s just you and me."