SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

Chapter 28 Power of A Thousand Words

~JAPETH'S POV~

Back when Japeth first lost Aric—when Aric was first banished from Arbed House—no words Japeth said could've made Aric stay. No words Japeth said to Rhian in the infirmary could've made Rhian see reason and convince him not to banish Aric from Arbed House.

But that was back before Japeth had the ability to change fate, to write anything and make it come true. He had unlimited power at his fingertips. He could wish for anything he wanted. But there was only one thing he wanted in that moment. The one thing he wished for from the start.

This time, words would be enough. But it wasn't the power of a thousand words that would bring Aric back. No. Aric would return thanks to the power of words, but it'd only be a few words that would bring him back to life.

It felt like an eternity that Japeth's flesh burned and sizzled from the magical fire and he was trapped in a space in his mind where all he could grasp onto was the thought of Aric. The thought of seeing him again. The thought of holding him, of hearing his voice.

But then, the flames snuffed out all at once and Japeth collapsed to the floor. He picked himself up and found that he was no longer in the church. Instead, he was standing in a familiar stone chamber whose bookshelves were full of fairytale storybooks.

Except it was eerily quiet. Gone was the familiar sound of scratches from the Storian, busy at work.

When Japeth's gaze found the back of the room where the white stone altar laid, he saw that the Storian wasn't magically floating in the air as it always did. Instead, the once legendary pen was lying upon the floor, no longer full of life, its work done.

Japeth nudged the pen with his foot, half expecting the Storian to suddenly burst to life and rise up. But the Storian didn't move, the engravings in its dulled steel faded. Japeth looked at the open storybook on the table and took a step forward. There was a sickening crunch as the Storian snapped beneath the weight of his boot, and the sound echoed in the chamber, ringing in Japeth's ears.

The Storian had never written The End in The Tale of the Lion and the Snake at all. The last page it left off on was a painting of Japeth and Sophie standing in the church in Ginnymill. In the painting, Japeth was holding the last ring in his hand as he lowered the torch just before the ring was burnt to a crisp. There was only one line the Storian wrote in its elegant, unbroken script; And thus, man became pen.

There was nothing after that. Japeth was left to write the ending to his own story now, to write his happily ever after once and for all.

"Japeth."

By now, Japeth had become used to NotRafal sneaking up on him at the most unexpected times. But still, part of him was startled to hear it. He turned to see the former School Master leaning against the open windowsill, his icy blue gaze unreadable.

"Or should I say...your majesty," NotRafal said.

"Have you come to congratulate me on passing your stupid test?" Japeth snorted, but his voice wasn't too sarcastic. Instead, his voice trembled in the beginnings of excitement. "Or...are you the storian's last desperate plea, a trick?"

NotRafal turned his cold face towards the white stone altar where Japeth stood. There was a a look of resignation on his smooth face as if he was unaccepting of the Storian's fateful end. He'd protected the Storian for centuries thousands of years before and after he tried to control it. Perhaps part of NotRafal was saddened that the pen he'd once been entrusted to protect was now no more.

"Perhaps a congratulations is in order, my son," NotRafal mused. Then, he smiled at Japeth like a father would smile at his son for doing something great.