A Forgotten Love

With furrowed brows and a look of confusion, I turned to the king and asked, "Tears? Why do they want tears?" The king let out a deep sigh before responding, "Legend has it that the tears of a mermaid, a descendant of my ancestors, can keep any mortal alive for hundreds of years. But this tear is not only responsible for giving life but also can heal all the bleach wounds found in a person's body at that moment and all the diseases that they carry. However, one can also gain a power that one has never known."

Hiroshi was quick to question, "Why doesn't he take the tears of any mermaid? There must be a reason why he came after your daughter so much." The king explained, "As I said, only the tears of people of my bloodline can do this, and the heart of a mermaid whose tears were taken from must be healthy and young, just like my daughter. Because she is young and her body is just growing, her tears are so pure, which means it has a higher chance of working."

I couldn't help but wonder why the king didn't use this powerful elixir himself. "Then why don't you use something like this, even though it's so powerful?" I asked. "It's not that easy," replied the king. "Tears need to be combined with the water on 'Muyan Mountain' then it can be drunk, otherwise it won't work."

Lezlie was intrigued and asked about any potential curses. The king's response was somber. "Unfortunately, it is, like every legend, it has a curse, the person who drinks water does not actually earn years from water but takes years from someone else." We were all taken aback by this revelation. "After you drink the water," the king continued, "you must tell the person that you will take the years from, 'With the power that tears give me, I want to take your years from you.' If that person allows it and gives permission, that person dies and their years of life pass to you. It is also a plus if that person is strong."

Suddenly, the gravity of the situation became clear to me. "So what happens if The Second Epic succeeds?" I asked. The king's response was bleak. "It would be a disaster both for the people of the second Kingdom and for us. If she succeeds, the Second Epic will live for a long time, and after she gets my daughter's tears, she will kill her immediately so that no one will ever use it again."

Hiroshi tried to offer a glimmer of hope. "I don't think they can attack unless they know the way to the mountain. But all this effort suggests they've found it." The king confirmed our fears. "Yes, unfortunately, they discovered the path to the mountain last month, and now there are probably a dozen of her men and elite soldiers out there."

"It is unlikely," Lezlie continued softly, "that any outsider could learn so much about such dangerous and important legends in general. Do you have any idea how The Second Epic found out about this?"

Lezlie's words hung in the air like a heavy mist, the weight of their implications heavy on all those present. The king's gaze remained fixed on the floor, lost in memories and regrets. It was clear that the legend of the tears and the curse that came with it was not a story he enjoyed telling.

The king sighed heavily, his voice barely above a whisper. "Only one person is responsible for this, and that person was the only one I trusted most in this life until he lost his heart to the Second Epic."

Lezlie's eyes widened in surprise and curiosity. "What do you mean? Is there a history between them?"

"There was," the king replied, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Before the Second Epic became an epic, she was talking to the man who was my best general and who I also considered my brother. My friend was pretty strong but naive. After a while, they both got closer to each other. Everything was going well for everyone until she contracted a very rare disease."

As the king spoke, the room grew still, the weight of his words seeming to fill the space. He recounted the story of his general's love for the woman who would become the Second Epic, and his desperate attempts to save her using the water that bestowed immortality. The king had warned him against it, but the general had seen no other choice. He had taken the water and completed the reunion, only to find that the woman had been changed by someone else's power. She had become a monster, spreading fear and destruction in her wake.

The king's voice broke as he spoke of the death of countless others at the hands of the Second Epic. The general had blamed himself for their deaths and had locked himself away in a cell, forever haunted by his guilt.

The story was a tragic one, filled with lost love and the corruption of power. It was clear that the king had carried the weight of these events with him for years, and that the arrival of the Second Epic and her desire for his daughter's tears had reawakened painful memories. The room was silent for a long moment as the weight of the story settled over them, a reminder of the dangers of seeking power at any cost.

After the King had finished his speech, Ryuu spoke up, breaking the silence. "I understand," he said, his voice firm and resolute.

"What I am about to say might sound foolish to you, Your Highness, but we want to help you. Our mission is to prevent those people from reaching the water of immortality, and if we help you, we may even discover our next destination. Please allow us to assist you."

The King eyed us skeptically. "And why do you want to help so much?"

Hiroshi calmly lit his cigar and explained, "Our goal is to rid the kingdoms of the epics. If the Second Epic reaches the water of immortality, it will only make our task more difficult."

The King mulled it over for a moment before speaking again. "And in return, you will ask that my daughter not marry the King's son?"

"Marry? What are you talking about?" Ryuu asked, puzzled.

The King informed them that we had made an offer, promising to prevent the Second Epic from reaching the water of immortality if his daughter would not marry the King's son.

At this revelation, Hiroshi and Ryuu exchanged a glance of confusion and turned to Lezlie and me for an explanation. "Why did you ask the King for such a thing?" they questioned.

After Lezlie and I looked at each other, I whispered to the others, "Things are a bit complicated but we'll explain everything later. Just trust us, it's not what it seems."

"Alright, we'll take your word for it," Ryuu replied. "But right now, we have to focus on the task at hand. As Hiroshi said, if the Second Epic obtains the water, it will be nearly impossible to defeat her."

Ryuu then turned back to the King and said, "We will go up the mountain and prevent them from taking the water. All we ask of you is a carriage and some provisions."

"Very well," the King acquiesced. "I will prepare a carriage and some provisions for you."

With that settled, the King summoned his soldiers and ordered them to prepare a carriage and provisions for the group. He warned them to be careful, as the Second Epic would be an even greater challenge than the first epic they had faced.

As the King left the room, we made our way to the carriage, which was soon ready and waiting for us. We climbed inside, and the carriage set off towards the mountain, our next destination looming before us. As crazy as it was to leave so early and without a plan, it was the only solid and necessary plan we had.