Alone in the Dark

Translated Myths

Eric sat in the study that had been assigned to him as the library on Alliance was being built. It was late into the night and he was still reading slowly through the old tome in front of him. His eyes ached and his head throbbed as he strained his abilities to read and translate the ancient language into Aupanan in the flickering light of the candle.

It was one of the oldest books saved from Cleandria, with pages so aged that the spine cracked each time he opened it, no matter how carefully he tried to handle the book. It smelled of dust and smoke and held a quiet aura of pain, containing a history of the region that spanned several hundred years into the past.

The language used was something close to current Cleandrian, and perhaps it had originally started out as Sellexun, or maybe it was the language Sellexu and Cleandrian had both formed out of. But even as the base language to two that were in use today, it took a cipher to translate.

Every so often he found words adopted by his own language hidden within the tome, speaking to a joint history between all three nations. A few older Cleandrians had spoken or read this language, though most of them were now missing after the destruction of that tiny nation.

The discovery of the language had been a marvel to him when he had first come across it a few years before, and he had painstakingly taught himself what he could, out of sheer curiosity. He never would have guessed that this book existed, as it had not been read in centuries. He never would have guessed that he would find a use for the ancient language scrolled on useless ledgers hidden amongst boxes of books saved from near disaster.

Not that he blamed anyone. The book didn't initially appear to carry any interesting information and had probably been seen as a collector's novelty and set aside for more important tasks. It mostly contained records of the ancient people in this land, though where they had originally come from was lost in some other history that he did not have access to.

They had been there, settled for several centuries by the time the ancient tome had been written, with various forms of government sprouting in different city states, engaging both in war and in peace. When the book had begun, it merely spoke of daily life and various notable individuals who were in power or seeking to be in power. Reading through the lives and notable possessions or achievements, he recognized the early histories of Aupana and Sellexu taking shape, as well as a select few notable families.

Eric jumped up and grinned, looking down at the pages he had written, reviewing them to ensure he was not mistaken. Shuffling the paper, Eric nodded to himself. He had found something more. He quickly closed the old book and set it aside, then grabbed his papers and hurried out of his room. Barely taking note of the darkness that had fallen, Eric jogged down the hall towards his mother's rooms. Once there, he knocked quickly on the door as he bounced on his toes, grinning as he burst with everything he needed to share.
It was only when she opened her door, glaring at him sleepily, that he realized that he had been working well into the early morning again.

With a slightly chagrined smile, he ducked his head. "Mother."

"Eric, is all well?" Elana sighed and rubbed her eyes. She knew his expression, and though she was perturbed at the early wake up, his enthusiasm brought a slight smile to her lips.

Eric nodded and held up the paper with a wide grin. "I wanted to tell someone, you were the first person I thought of."

"Alright. As long as the world isn't burning down." She grumbled and stepped aside, opening the door for him to come in.

Eric strode in and sat down on one chair, watching her move around the room as she locked the door, stoked the fire, and then lit a couple lamps to brighten the room to mimic daylight hours. He bounced impatiently, but knew better than to push his mother's patience until she was awake enough to listen to him.