Solif lahir dari pasangan bangsawan dari keluarga terpandang. Ia membangkitkan kekuatan sihirnya yang besar di usia yang lebih muda dari orang lain, menapaki jalan yang bisa dibilang mulus tanpa hambatan. Meski sesekali menghadapi konflik dan kemunduran, hidupnya secara umum berjalan sesuai keinginan, membuatnya tumbuh menjadi pemuda bangsawan yang cukup percaya diri dan sedikit angkuh.
Namun, sepuluh tahun lalu, saat menginjak usia empat puluh delapan, Solif menyadari ada sesuatu yang janggal dalam hidupnya. Kesadaran itu muncul saat ia melihat bekas luka di punggung tangan seorang kerabat jauh di sebuah acara keluarga—bekas luka yang persis sama dengan milik sahabat masa kecilnya yang sudah lama meninggal.
“Seorang teman?”
“Ya. Dia orang yang meninggal karena aku.”
Di masa remaja, saat semangat petualangannya sedang tinggi, Solif diam-diam meninggalkan kediaman keluarganya bersama seorang teman yang sudah tumbuh bersamanya seperti saudara. Tujuan mereka adalah mencari kekuatan sihir, mendapatkan pengalaman tempur nyata, dan menjelajahi dunia. Namun, saat berburu Binatang Ajaib yang mengancam sebuah desa, Solif muda menyadari lawan mereka terlalu kuat. Di saat kritis, temannya mengorbankan diri untuk menyelamatkan nyawa Solif. Peristiwa itu meninggalkan luka mendalam di hatinya. Setelah berhasil kembali ke keluarganya, Solif bersumpah tidak akan pernah pergi sembarangan lagi dan mengubur semangat petualangnya dalam-dalam.
Namun kemudian…
“Aku punya firasat, jadi aku menggali makam tempat keluargaku menguburkan jasad temanku. Tidak ada apa-apa di sana. Kerabat itu juga sempat menghilang dalam misi rahasia sejak aku berusia delapan sampai lima belas tahun, misi yang tidak diketahui siapa pun.”
Dari situ jelas bahwa kerabatnya telah menyamar sebagai anak kecil dan memainkan peran sebagai temannya yang berkorban. Ia kemungkinan menggunakan Artefak Sihir yang dibuat dengan cerdik untuk mengubah penampilannya. Menyadari bahwa peristiwa besar yang mengguncang kepribadiannya di masa kecil hanyalah rekayasa membuat Solif syok.
“Saat aku memeriksa catatan, Binatang Ajaib yang menyerangku ternyata adalah peliharaan keluargaku yang sengaja dilepaskan. Waktunya pun tepat saat aku mengalami kejadian itu.”
Setelah menyelidiki masa lalunya lebih jauh, ia menemukan bahwa ini bukan satu-satunya kasus. Sepupunya yang memiliki bakat sihir lebih hebat darinya—yang membuatnya iri dan terobsesi untuk melampauinya—pernah dikirim ke daerah terpencil, lalu menghilang dan dilupakan. Seorang pelayan yang ia cintai namun pergi karena alasan perbedaan status, ternyata memiliki latar belakang palsu dalam catatan resmi. Bahkan beberapa teman yang berbagi minat sejarah dengannya ternyata tidak pernah tertarik pada subjek itu sebelum bertemu dengannya.
“Kau paham, kan? Seluruh keluargaku membentuk diriku. Itulah kenapa aku kabur. Di sini, apa pun yang kutemui atau kupilih, itu bukan sesuatu yang diatur.”
Sejak kabur, ia mengubah kepribadian, gaya bicara, dan perilakunya demi menemukan jati diri yang asli. Selesai menjelaskan, Solif meneguk minuman keras dari botol yang entah dari mana ia keluarkan.
“Aku bahkan tidak bisa bermimpi minum seperti ini saat masih di keluarga.”
“Pernahkah kau berpikir kenapa mereka melakukan itu?”
“Entahlah. Melihat skala pengaturannya, kepala keluarga pasti terlibat, itu sudah pasti.”
Fakta bahwa Solif tidak menggunakan gelar kehormatan saat menyebut kepala keluarganya menunjukkan kebenciannya yang jelas. Sembari mendengarkan, Turan teringat kisah Suku Dewa Preah yang konon bertahan hidup dengan memindahkan jiwa mereka ke tubuh baru. Jika mereka berhasil bertahan hingga sekarang, mereka pasti menginginkan tubuh penyihir yang berbakat dan kuat. Dan pewaris keluarga besar tentu memenuhi kriteria tersebut.
'Salah satu hukum sihir, semakin masuk akal sesuatu, semakin sedikit kekuatan sihir yang dikonsumsi...'
Jika pemindahan jiwa digunakan, hukum itu mungkin tidak berlaku, tapi dari sudut pandang sihir, tentu lebih efisien menukar jiwa ke orang dengan kepribadian dan minat yang cocok. Perubahan kepribadian yang drastis tentu akan menjadi anomali yang mencolok.
Terlintas di benaknya bahwa Meisa mungkin berada dalam situasi serupa. Lagipula, ia memiliki bakat luar biasa dan status yang ideal sebagai wadah bagi dewa. Seperti kasus Solif, Meisa tidak pernah menyebutkan manipulasi eksternal, tapi mungkin ia hanya belum menyadarinya. Mungkin itu juga ada hubungannya dengan penolakannya untuk makan atau kebencian mendalam terhadap keluarganya...
Saat Turan melamun, Solif tiba-tiba melemparkan botol minumannya ke arahnya.
“Untuk apa itu?”
“Suasananya terlalu membosankan dengan pembicaraan serius ini. Minumlah. Kau bisa minum, kan?”
Turan menatap cairan cokelat gelap itu sejenak sebelum menyesapnya. Gelombang panas mengalir di tenggorokannya.
“Keras sekali.”
“Itu minuman suling dari sari tebu fermentasi. Spesialisasi terkenal dari Laut Selatan.”
Setelah itu, Solif mengalihkan pembicaraan ke kisah petualangannya. Turan meladeni, berbagi minuman, dan merespons sebelum menyelipkan pertanyaan.
“Apa kau pernah berpikir untuk kembali ke keluargamu?”
“Hmm? Kurasa tidak. Tapi mungkin jika aku sudah cukup kuat untuk menandingi kepala keluarga, aku akan kembali untuk mengacaukan segalanya.”
“Jangan pernah kembali. Bahkan, jika mungkin, pergilah sejauh mungkin dari jangkauan mereka. Ke suatu tempat jauh di barat.”
Solif berkedip, bingung dengan maksudnya, tapi Turan tidak bisa memberi petunjuk lebih jauh. Jika ia membeberkan teorinya, ia harus mengungkap terlalu banyak rahasia. Jika Solif tertangkap dan disiksa, percakapan mereka bisa sampai ke telinga dalang di balik semua ini. Jika mereka tahu ada yang menyadari keberadaan mereka, mereka tidak akan membiarkannya begitu saja.
*
Setelah berbincang sepanjang malam, Solif berpamitan dan pergi ke selatan. Turan diam-diam berharap Solif bisa tetap jauh dari pandangan keluarganya. Hanya menghabiskan satu hari bersama, pikiran tentang seseorang yang ia kenal mengalami pencurian jiwa—nasib yang lebih buruk dari kematian—sangatlah mengganggu.
Saat matahari terbit, Turan menangkap beberapa ikan untuk sarapan lalu terbang ke timur laut bersama Bije. Awalnya ia berencana naik perahu, tapi pengungkapan baru membuatnya mengubah rencana.
'Aku harus segera mengamankan Roh Api lalu menuju Arabion. Bahkan jika aku tidak bisa memastikan keberadaan dewa, setidaknya aku harus mencari tahu apakah ada kekuatan yang memanipulasi hidup Meisa...'
Berdasarkan permintaan Rida, Keluarga Lavitas kemungkinan tidak memiliki hubungan dengan Suku Dewa Preah. Jika dewa hidup ada di sana, mereka pasti sudah mengambil Elf Putih atau tidak akan membutuhkan mereka sejak awal. Keluarga Zahar dan keluarga besar lainnya sulit didekati karena kurangnya koneksi, tapi Arabion berbeda; ia memiliki tautan melalui Keluarga Berg dan Meisa, sehingga lebih mudah diselidiki. Ia juga telah menggunakan Artefak Peniru untuk menyamar sebagai seseorang dari Garis Darah Penguasa Penghalang, jadi ia akan lebih sedikit dicurigai.
Jika situasi buruk terjadi, ia bisa menggunakan Roh Api untuk melepaskan daya tembak besar dan melarikan diri. Untuk itu, ia perlu menimbun persediaan sendawa.
Sembari menyusun rencana, Turan mengusap wajahnya.
'Artefak sihir yang bisa mengubah penampilan akan berguna. Aku bertanya-tanya apakah ada cara untuk mendapatkannya.'
Karena kemampuan meniru banyak garis darah hampir tidak diketahui, menggabungkannya dengan penyamaran akan memungkinkannya mengambil puluhan identitas berbeda. Mungkin layak mencari harta karun seperti itu sebelum menuju Arabion. Tentu saja, barang seperti itu tidak bisa ditemukan begitu saja.
Sembari melamun, ia terbang selama beberapa jam. Berhenti di beberapa pulau untuk bertanya arah, ia akhirnya tiba di Pulau Parayan. Pulau yang dikenal sebagai sumber sendawa ini memiliki desa di atasnya. Turan turun ke ketinggian yang sesuai dan mendeteksi bau tajam khas sendawa dari dekat pusat pulau.
Setelah meminta Bije mendarat, Turan berjalan menuju sumber bau tersebut. Ia menemukan gua di dasar tebing besar yang dindingnya diperkuat balok kayu. Dari dalam, terdengar suara hantaman berulang kali.
'Apakah ini tempatnya?'
Karena tidak ada penjaga di pintu masuk, Turan langsung masuk. Di bawah cahaya obor yang redup, ia melihat para penambang yang tampak menyedihkan sedang memahat bijih putih dari dinding. Wajah mereka tirus, pakaian kotor, dan tubuh penuh memar. Lebih mengkhawatirkan lagi, kaki mereka dirantai.
'Menjadi penambang memang pekerjaan kotor, tapi ini berlebihan...'
Mereka semua tampak seperti budak. Melihat Turan berdiri di antara mereka, para penambang gemetar ketakutan.
“Kami sudah bekerja keras, Pengawas!”
“…Pengawas?”
Turan mengulangi kata itu dengan bingung. Para penambang menyadari pemuda di depan mereka tidak terlihat seperti pengawas yang biasa mereka temui.
“A-Apakah Anda tidak di sini untuk memeriksa pekerjaan kami…?”
“Aku hanya datang ke pulau ini untuk mencari sendawa. Apakah ada seseorang yang bertanggung jawab menjualnya di sini?”
“A-Apakah Anda datang sendirian?”
“Ya.”
Mendengar jawaban Turan, para penambang mundur dengan panik.
“Lari, sekarang! Aku tidak tahu bagaimana kau sampai di sini, tapi bawa aku bersamamu! Tolong!”
“Apakah kalian semua dibawa ke sini secara paksa?”
“Kami semua diculik! Bajingan-bajingan itu—”
Saat salah satu penambang berteriak, suara cambuk terdengar dari belakang. Para penambang langsung meringkuk di tanah.
“Kalian terlalu berisik! Apa gunanya obrolan ini? Aku bahkan tidak bisa buang air dengan tenang tanpa kalian—hmm?”
Pengawas yang memegang cambuk mengerutkan kening melihat Turan. Pulau Parayan sulit dijangkau karena arus laut, hanya mereka yang sengaja datang yang bisa sampai. Ia mendengar tidak ada kapal yang datang hari ini. Jadi siapa orang asing ini?
“Dan kau siapa?”
“Aku di sini untuk membeli sendawa.”
“Aku tidak diberitahu tentang pengunjung… Lebih penting lagi, jika kau di sini untuk sendawa, kenapa tidak bertanya di desa? Kau dari kru bajak laut mana?”
“Aku tidak berafiliasi dengan kru bajak laut mana pun. Tapi katakan, apakah kau mempekerjakan orang-orang yang diculik di tambang ini?”
Para penambang memucat, melirik pengawas dengan gugup. Pengawas itu menatap mereka dengan tajam, lalu memaksakan senyum canggung.
“Yah, pertama… bolehkah aku bertanya dari mana kau—”
“Jangan buat aku mengulanginya.”
Sikap Turan berubah dingin dan memerintah. Pengawas itu gemetar hebat.
“Y-Ya, itu benar.”
“Siapa yang menguasai daerah ini?”
“B-Bukan keluarga bangsawan, tapi Bajak Laut Corvinus!”
“Bajak Laut?”
“Ya! Kami melayani tuan bajak laut agung, Corvinus!”
Menurut penjelasan pengawas, Corvinus adalah anak haram seorang bangsawan yang menjadi penyihir bajak laut terkenal di Laut Selatan. Meski
Solif was born to a noble couple from a great house.
He awakened his powerful magic power at a younger age than others, walking what could be called a path paved with gold.
Though he occasionally faced conflicts and setbacks, his life generally went as he wished, making it more than sufficient for him to become a noble youth armed with a reasonable level of self-esteem and arrogance.
However, ten years ago, when he turned forty-eight, Solif realized for the first time that something was off about his life.
The realization came when, at a family event, he noticed a scar on the back of a distant relative’s hand, identical to the one his childhood friend, who had died long ago, had.
“A friend?”
“Yes. He was the one who died because of me.”
In his mid-teens, when his adventurous spirit was as strong as it is now, Solif secretly left his family estate with a friend who had grown up with him like a brother.
Their goal was to gain magic power on their own, gain real combat experience, and explore the world.
However, when they went to hunt a magical beast that was threatening a village, young Solif realized the opponent was far too powerful.
At the critical moment, his friend, who had run away with him, sacrificed himself to save Solif’s life. That event left a deep scar on his heart.
After somehow making it back to his family, Solif vowed never to recklessly leave the estate again and buried his adventurous spirit deep within himself.
But then…
“I had a hunch, so I went to dig up the grave where my family had supposedly buried my friend’s body. There was nothing there. That relative had also disappeared on a secret mission from when I was eight until I was fifteen, a mission that no one knew about.”
From the circumstances, it was clear that the relative had disguised himself as a child and played the role of his sacrificial friend.
He had likely used some kind of cleverly crafted magic artifact to alter his appearance.
The realization that the major event that had shaken his very personality in childhood had all been a fabrication left Solif in shock.
“When I checked the records, the magical beast that had attacked me turned out to be one that my family had raised before releasing. The timing of its release matched exactly when I experienced that incident.”
Upon investigating his past further, he discovered that this was not the only such case.
A cousin, of similar age, whose magical prowess had always been superior to Solif’s, making him both jealous and determined to surpass him through desperate training, had once been sent on an assignment to a rural area, only to go missing and be forgotten.
A maid he had loved deeply but who had left him, citing the burden of their status difference, turned out to have a completely fabricated background, including a false birthplace in official records.
Even several friends who had shared his passion for history turned out to have shown no interest in the subject before meeting him.
“You get the gist, right? My entire family was shaping me. That’s why I escaped. Here, no matter what I encounter or what I choose, it won’t be something orchestrated.”
Since escaping from his family, he had changed his personality, speech patterns, and mannerisms, all in an effort to find his true self.
Finishing his explanation, Solif took a swig directly from a bottle of liquor that he had produced at some point.
“I couldn’t even dream of drinking like this within the family.”
“Have you ever thought about why they did it?”
“I don’t know. Given the scale of what was set up, the family head must have been involved, that’s for sure.”
The fact that Solif did not use any honorifics when referring to his family’s head made his resentment clear.
As he listened, Turan recalled the stories of the Preah God Tribe, who were said to survive by transferring their souls into new bodies.
If they had managed to survive until now and continued switching bodies, they would naturally desire the bodies of talented and powerful wizards.
And the heir of a great house would more than meet those requirements.
'One of the laws of magic, the more plausible something is, the less magic power it consumes...'
If soul transference had been used, that law might not necessarily apply, but from a magical standpoint, it was certainly more efficient to swap souls into people with matching personalities and interests.
A sudden, drastic shift in personality would be an obvious anomaly, after all.
It occurred to him that Meisa might be in a similar situation.
After all, she was not only born with exceptional talent but also held a status that made her an ideal vessel for a god’s body.
Just like in Solif’s case, Meisa had never mentioned any external manipulation around her, but perhaps she had simply not realized it yet.
It might even have something to do with her refusal to eat or her deep hatred toward her family...
While Turan was lost in thought, Solif suddenly threw the bottle of liquor he had been drinking straight at him.
“What was that for?”
“Well, the mood was getting too dull with all this serious talk. Have a drink. You can drink, right?”
Turan looked down at the dark brown liquor for a moment before taking a sip.
A wave of heat flowed down his throat.
“It’s strong.”
“It’s a distilled alcohol made from fermented sugarcane juice. A famous specialty of the South Sea.”
After saying that, Solif, determined to lighten the mood, shifted the conversation back to his adventurous tales.
Turan played along, sharing drinks and responding in kind before slipping in a question.
“Do you ever think about going back to your family?”
“Hmm? I doubt it. But maybe if I get strong enough to match the family head, I’ll go back to turn everything upside down.”
“Never go back. In fact, if possible, get even farther away from their reach. Somewhere far west.”
Solif blinked, as if wondering what he meant, but Turan could not give any more clues.
If he were to present evidence for his theory, he would have to reveal far too many secrets.
And if Solif were ever captured in the future, subjected to torture, soul transference, or any other means of extracting information, their conversation could end up reaching those behind all of this.
If those people realized that someone was aware of their existence, there was no way they would just let it go.
*
After talking through the night, Solif bid farewell, saying they would meet again if the chance arose, and left for the south.
Turan silently wished that he could stay out of his family’s sight for as long as possible.
They had only spent a single day together, sparring and drinking, but the thought of someone he knew experiencing something as horrifying as soul theft, a fate worse than death, was deeply unsettling.
As the morning sun rose, Turan casually caught a few fish for breakfast and then took off with Bije, flying northeast.
Initially, he had planned to take a leisurely boat ride, but the new revelations had made him change course.
‘I need to secure the Spirit of Fire quickly and then head toward Arabion. Even if I can’t confirm whether a god exists, I should at least be able to find out if there really is a force manipulating Meisa’s life…’
Based on Rida’s request, the House Lavitas likely had little to no connection to the Preah God Tribe.
If a living god had been around all this time, they would have either already retrieved the White Elf or never needed them in the first place.
House Zahar and other great families were difficult to approach due to a lack of connections, but Arabion was different, he had links through House Berg and Meisa, making it comparatively easier to investigate.
He had also used the Mimic Relic to pose as someone from the Barrier Master Bloodline, so he would draw less suspicion.
If, by any chance, an unfortunate situation arose during his investigation, he could use the Spirit of Fire to unleash massive firepower and escape.
For that, he would need to stock up on a large supply of saltpeter this time.
As he pieced together his plan, Turan absentmindedly ran a hand over his face.
‘A magic artifact that can change my appearance would be useful. I wonder if there’s a way to get one.’
Since the existence of someone capable of mimicking multiple bloodline abilities was virtually unknown, combining that with a disguise would allow him to take on dozens of different identities.
It might be worth searching for such a treasure before heading to Arabion.
Of course, such an item was not something one could just find on demand.
Lost in thought, he flew for several hours.
Stopping at a few islands along the way, landing to ask for directions repeatedly, he eventually arrived at Parayan Island.
This island, known as a source of saltpeter, was a moderately sized landmass stretching several kilometers. From above, Turan could see that there was even a village on it.
Descending to a suitable altitude, he focused on his sense of smell and soon detected the peculiar, pungent odor unique to saltpeter coming from somewhere near the center of the island.
After asking Bije to land in an appropriate spot, Turan set off toward the source of the scent.
Pushing through dense foliage, he walked for a few minutes until he spotted a cave at the base of a massive cliff. Its walls and ceiling were reinforced with wooden beams.
From within, the sound of something being struck repeatedly echoed.
‘Is this the place?’
Since there was no one guarding the entrance to the mine, Turan walked straight inside.
Before long, illuminated by flickering torchlight, he saw miners chipping away at the rock, extracting white ore from the walls. Their complexions and clothing looked far from decent.
‘Being a miner isn’t exactly a clean job, but this seems excessive…’
The miners had gaunt faces, clothes soaked with grime, and bruises scattered across their bodies.
Even more concerning was that all of them had shackles on their legs.
Anyone could tell at a glance, they were practically slaves.
Noticing Turan suddenly standing among them, the miners flinched in terror and bowed their heads.
“We’ve been working hard, Supervisor!”
“…Supervisor?”
Turan echoed the word in confusion, making the miners’ expressions shift.
Now that they took a closer look, the young man before them looked and acted nothing like the overseers they were used to.
“A-Are you not here to inspect our work…?”
“I just came to this island looking to obtain saltpeter. Is there someone in charge of selling it here?”
“D-Did you come alone?”
“Yes. I’m by myself.”
At Turan’s response, the miners recoiled in alarm and cried out.
“Run away, now! I don’t know how you got here, but take me with you! Please!”
“Were you all brought here against your will?”
“All of us were kidnapped! Those bastards-”
Just as one of the miners shouted in anger, a sharp cracking sound rang out from behind them.
The moment they heard the lash of a whip, every single miner cowered and dropped to the ground.
“You’re too loud! What’s all this chatter about? I can’t even take a shit in peace without you lot- hmm?”
The overseer holding the whip frowned in confusion as he spotted Turan.
Parayan Island was difficult to reach due to the ocean currents surrounding it, only those who deliberately set their course here could arrive.
Because of that, the same people always visited, and there should not have been any unexpected guests.
He had heard that no ships had arrived today, which meant there should not be any visitors either. So who was this outsider?
“And who might you be?”
“I’m here to buy saltpeter.”
“I wasn’t informed of any visitors… No, more importantly, if you’re here for saltpeter, why come all the way here instead of inquiring in the village? Which pirate crew are you with?”
“I’m not affiliated with any pirate crew. But tell me, did you staff this mine with kidnapped people?”
At Turan’s question, the surrounding miners paled, stealing nervous glances at the overseer.
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