Chapter 1214: Heavy Burden
Edward sat at the edge of the chamber, his gaze fixed on Berger, who was cautiously disarming the traps and other defense mechanisms.
The knowledge that he had just been made privy to turned his world upside down. Until a few minutes ago, he had been living in ignorance, oblivious to the fact that his home world was under extraplanar threat.
More importantly, he had unknowingly come in touch with this secret more than two decades ago, when he was still a mere Mana Foundation Magus.
After a long time, he turned to Blackie, who was comfortably lying on the ground beside him, and asked:
"So you’re telling me... one of the portals is right underneath Hannes City, and me, Lisa, and Adam had almost visited that place while we were still kids?"
Blackie’s ears fluttered ever so slightly. He opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the elderly gnome. Then, he answered in an even voice:
"That vampire I killed back then, he was similar to the feathered serpent we fought earlier. Both were drawn by the abundant mana emanating from the portal."
Edward didn’t know how to even react. To think that everything was connected was simply astounding to him. He gulped involuntarily, then asked again:
"And what about Headmistress Godfrey? You’re telling me she’s always been in cahoots with the Cult?"
Blackie heaved a long, heavy sigh. "Indeed," he began. "Believe it or not, she sent you three to die all those years ago. Berger has confirmed this through her memories. Her intention was clear."
Edward didn’t know how to feel about that. It would be an understatement to say that he was affected by it. He felt utterly betrayed and heartbroken. Helene Godfrey was a respected individual in Moon City, loved and admired by all its residents, especially the students of Clover Academy.
But in the end, it turned out that it was all a facade. Edward learned that Helene’s motive, from the very beginning, was to find promising young candidates from the Southern Federation and secretly raise them as Cultists.
Anger bubbled inside his heart, his palms clenching into fists. "How dare she..." he spat through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, he thought of something, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Does Adam know about this?"
Blackie turned to him, looked him in the eye, and solemnly said:
"Eddie, it was Adam who found out about Helene’s betrayal. He was also the one to uncover the truth about the portal underneath Hannes City.
"Subsequently, after studying that portal and conducting thorough research, he learned that there were five other portals just like it around the world. Adam was the one who put this all into motion."
Edward lowered his head, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "I see," he murmured. "I’m not surprised. It’s just like him to carry all the weight on his shoulders..."
He paused for a moment, then asked again, "When did he learn about all of this? I mean, how did he even uncover this conspiracy to begin with?"
"I’m not certain," Blackie said, shaking his head.
"But something changed after the Blackshore Incident. He must have learned something during that battle. Instead of returning to Ravenfell at the time, he set off on a journey to the Southern Federation. And that’s when he learned about all of this—Helene’s betrayal, the portal under Hannes City, everything..."
Edward’s heart churned with tumultuous waves. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Adam must have gone through. The weight of all that knowledge must have crushed him. Yet, he never once bothered anyone else with it.
He couldn’t help but wonder... if he were in Adam’s shoes, could he bear such a heavy burden all by himself?
"How does Old Man Berger know about all of this then?" Edward asked, his voice low. "If I recall correctly, he should have been in seclusion around the time the Blackshore Incident happened."
"Adam never disclosed this to Berger to begin with," said Blackie, his gaze still fixed on the gnome. "He never got the chance."
The wolf paused for a moment, then continued:
"I suppose Adam must have realized that a great calamity was about to strike, or perhaps... he must have had a feeling that great misfortune was about to befall him. So he went against his distrusting nature and divulged those secrets to his grand master, Gerald Acadia."
Edward still couldn’t quite believe that the gnome’s mentor had been none other than the former emperor of Acadia. That fact alone made Adam’s arcane lineage quite remarkable.
Blackie added after a brief pause, "The former headmaster of Saratoga was also in on this. Together, the three of them came up with a plan to foil the Cult’s schemes. But from what I know... the entire plan was Adam’s idea. That is why this clandestine operation of ours is named after him."
"Operation Constantine..." Edward murmured.
"In hindsight, it was a fortunate thing that Adam disclosed his plans to Gerald Acadia and Marcus Blackwood. Considering what happened to him during the Battle of Ravenfell, I don’t know how things would have unfolded if he hadn’t divulged his plans."
"So what exactly is the plan?" Edward couldn’t help but ask. "We know that there are six portals on Tron, and that they connect to the Nine Hells of Inferno. How are we going to destroy them and prevent the devils from invading our world?"
Blackie remained silent for a few moments, his dark eyes flashing with a peculiar light. He then turned to the blue-eyed youth and asked a question of his own:
"Who said anything about destroying the portals?"
Edward’s eyes narrowed, a deep frown appearing on his face. "Wh-what do you mean? Aren’t we going to destroy this portal? I mean, isn’t that why we’re here? How else are we supposed to thwart the Cult’s plans?"
Blackie deeply looked at the youth, then simply said, "You’ll know in due time."
But it was impossible for Edward to suppress his curiosity. "But—"
However, Blackie interrupted him, his voice stern, "You should focus on more important matters for now."
Edward protested. "What could possibly be more important than saving our world?!"
Blackie sighed, then lay back down. "Look around you, Eddie. Look where we are. Don’t you think this is a golden opportunity for you to practice mindfulness and get stronger?"
Edward opened his mouth to protest, but a moment later, he swallowed his words. He exhaled a helpless sigh, then murmured, "Fine..."
He then closed his eyes and started practicing mindfulness.