Two Sequence-3 demigods guarded the main gate… A worthy match for the «
As for him: when he had first found that the main gate of the «Giant King's Court» was guarded by two «Silver Knights», he had likewise been most shaken; but the chain of events that followed had reduced this to something quite ordinary, no longer able to stir his feelings.
«…Going by what Mr. 'World' had shared, we worked round to a more concealed path that led to the rear of the 'Giant King's Court'… The creatures we met on the way were mainly resentful spirits, against whom the 'Darkless Cross' acted as a counter…
«After reaching the 'Decayed Forest' I tried a little exploration and discovered that an evil spirit, formed by the union of the residual will of the
They were each greatly intrigued by what secret might lie hidden within the «Decayed Forest», eager to know just what affair of the Ancient God known as the Giant King had been such that it could not be allowed to come to the knowledge of his queen and children.
Recalling what he had then seen, «Sun» Derrick paused a moment before he spoke:
«After we had purified that evil spirit, we came before the mausoleum of the Giant King's parents. A stone stele stood there, declaring the identity of the tomb's masters; the tomb and the coffin had long since been opened by who knows whom, displaying the bones within — and those were, those were two human skeletons…»
Human skeletons? Within the tomb of the Giant King's parents lie buried human skeletons? Godfather and godmother? No, in those days there were no religions yet… As a demigod versed in many a stranger study, «Hermit»
Hard upon this came back to her certain words the Queen had mentioned — questions which Emperor Roselle had in his lifetime uttered now as in revelation, now as if to himself:
Why are giants, elves and vampires called in ancient texts and in historical records «humanoid» or «human-like» creatures?
Why are humans not called giant-like, elf-like, vampire-like creatures?
Could it be that the origin of every humanoid creature is the human? That giants, elves and vampires are mutations brought on by extraordinary characteristics, which could then be inherited? «Hermit» Cattleya's emotions instantly settled, and she set to thinking seriously of the possible reasons.
In that moment she felt sure that, once she returned to the real world, her potion would surely undergo a certain degree of digestion.
For the Sequence 4 of the «Mystery Pryer» pathway is called «Mystical Scholar» — and as for the progenitor of giants, and the origin of humanoid creatures, that is, without doubt, a most valuable piece of knowledge of mystery, one which a demigod in the ordinary way could never come to know!
The Giant King's parents were human? Surely a forgery… «Hanged Man» Alger at once suspected that someone had tampered with the scene.
Yet thinking further: it was not enough to take away the genuine bones and bring in human corpses — one would also need to prepare a suitable coffin and so contrive the tomb that its scale did not appear to belong to giants; and such forgery would have no practical purpose, would have no great effect upon reality. Alger then felt that no one would do so dull a thing.
Anyone who could enter the «Giant King's Court», suppress so mighty an evil spirit and approach those two tombs would, at the very least, be a saint — long past the age of practical jokes!
Could it then be true… that the progenitors of all humanoid creatures were human? Does that include elves? Having already at Tarot Club beheld so many things deeply astounding to himself, and having undergone, upon that primitive island and through what the murals depicted, a collapse of faith, «Hanged Man» Alger at this moment felt no excessively violent emotion; he could not help raising a hand and stroking his deep-blue hair.
Does Mr. «Hanged Man» see in this matter something of himself? The Giant King's parents were after all human… By this reckoning, the larger part of the creation myths now in circulation must be false, must be made up by later men, though some metaphor may yet be hidden in them… Mr. «Moon» seems somewhat unable to bear it… Mr. «World» appears to have known long since… «Justice» Audrey, aided by such psychological skills and techniques as «Pacification», was the first to bring herself under control and, by instinct, to observe the others' reactions.
At this moment «Moon» Emlyn was the one least at peace; his mind was full of «impossible», «this is impossible».
If the progenitor of the giants was human — what then of the vampires? Are we naught but monsters arisen through mutation of an extraordinary characteristic? Impossible — we were made by the hand of our Ancestor; She holds the authorities of «Life» and «Creation», and is in no wise the like of those savage deities — the Giant King, the Elf King — who know nothing save battle! As his thoughts surged and fell, Emlyn felt, unaccountably, his own pride begin to crack.
His instinct, his reason, his very brain all told him that «Sun» Derrick had no motive to lie in this matter, and the possibility of any other entity having forged the scene was extremely low. He thereupon, half-unwittingly, struck the giants and elves from the ranks of «humanoid creatures», casting them as branches of mankind.
«Star» Leonard, «Magician» Forsi and «Judgement» Xio, on the other hand, were quick to accept the possibility implied by «Sun» Derrick's words: to them, whether the progenitor of giants was a giant, a human, or even a curly-haired baboon, was in truth of no great consequence — at most it might attest that not a few extraordinary creatures spring from the concentration of extraordinary characteristics within ordinary organisms, which carries little weight in the practical world.
«Sun» Derrick steadied himself a moment and, amid that strange hush, went on:
«After leaving the 'Decayed Forest', we passed through the 'Desolate Tunnel' and entered the interior of the 'Giant King's Court'…
«…Along the way lingered the powers of 'Fallenness' and 'Mystery'; one had to respond correctly in order to pass…
«…Within that palace there were murals harbouring the power of the 'Cycle of Fate'; we were thereby influenced, becoming people present at a certain gathering, and acted out a very short process again and again — the process being the founding of the 'Rose of Redemption'…»
Speaking thus far, Derrick looked once around and saw that every member had, for the moment, escaped the prior mood and shown a very great interest in the organisation known as the «Rose of Redemption».
They all knew it to be an exceedingly secretive and exceedingly ancient organisation, one that followed and put faith in the «