Chapter 304: Journey Through Darkness
Spring arrived as it always did, bringing new life and lush growth to the land.
At the beginning of this year, Levi received a letter signed by Denethor.
"I have fallen in love with a gentle, beautiful woman."
An unexpected revelation.
Levi set down the letter, looking again at the signature.
It was Denethor indeed.
He continued reading.
In this letter, Denethor truly poured out his feelings. He wrote copious amounts of heartfelt words, primarily about the time he spent with this woman, their shared experiences, and how they fell in love, and so on.
This actually surprised Levi quite a bit. This fellow, who normally kept his face as hard as iron, could write something like this?
This truly confirmed the saying: love brings about tremendous change in people.
However, these were secondary matters. The letter's main content conveyed that Denethor was soon to marry his beloved, Finduilas, daughter of Prince Adrahil of Dol Amroth.
He hoped to see Levi on this joyful day, sharing happiness with his rather carefree and enigmatic uncle.
"Well then."
Facing this stubborn youth—or rather, now he should be called a stubborn middle-aged man—toward Denethor's genuine emotions and invitation, Levi didn't intend to dampen his spirits.
Though time really was... fast.
It always felt like the last time they met, Denethor was still that youth barely reaching his waist height. Earnest, always frowning like a little adult.
But he wasn't anymore.
In 2976, Gondor, the White City.
A grand wedding was held at the highest level.
Denethor groomed his hair, donning a black formal suit with white sleeve edges, checking himself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction.
When he stepped out the door, Finduilas came to meet him, dressed in a white gown, her black hair lustrous and beautiful. Her eyes were bright and spirited, her figure taller than that of a typical woman, standing there quite well-matched with the even taller Denethor.
Both their eyes held deep affection.
Musicians played romantic melodies. The two exchanged rings under the gaze of countless witnesses, pledging eternal commitment.
Amidst applause like waves, Denethor stood straight, while Finduilas, at his left, linked her arm through his, the two walking together across the flowers, passing batch after batch of relatives and guests.
During this brief journey, Denethor looked left and right, finally finding the figure he anticipated.
Levi stood in a quite prominent position, nodding at him with a smile, gently applauding.
Standing there alongside was Denethor's father, Ecthelion, plus numerous high-ranking Gondorians.
Denethor returned with a smile.
He turned, unconsciously touching the iron sword ever-present at his waist even at such an occasion, his expression proud and solemn.
The grand ceremony concluded with the newlyweds' kiss.
When the wedding ended and the evening feast arrived, after dealing with relatives' congratulations, Denethor walked alone to the window, swirling the wine in his goblet, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?"
Finduilas embraced him from behind.
Denethor gently held her hand, finally revealing some of his true feelings.
"I simply feel, perhaps I still haven't gained approval. Maybe I'm not as excellent as I thought myself."
"Why do you say that?" Finduilas looked at him, somewhat worried.
Denethor simply shook his head, saying nothing more.
This topic was quickly set aside.
Sensing the warmth behind him, he sighed, "This happiness is too fleeting. If only it could last forever."
"I will always be by your side," Finduilas said gently beside him.
Neither continued speaking, simply enjoying this brief peace.
Yes, perhaps happiness is always fleeting and unstable. But when it's present, one must cherish it.
Some people lived in happy, bright lives. Others walked alone in darkness.
Yes, truly in darkness.
Within the pitch-black depths of Moria, Gandalf caused the gem atop his staff to glow, illuminating the path ahead.
Most times, wizards didn't do meaningless things.
Including this time, forsaking both the Isengard Pass and the Highway—easier routes—choosing instead to traverse Moria was not him recklessly seeking hardship out of idleness.
People said that the great war decades past had completely cleared out Moria's evil creatures. However, Gandalf always felt this claim wasn't very reliable.
So he chose to personally investigate Moria.
"How does one go from here..."
Walking through this vast, dark maze, Gandalf gradually became somewhat confused.
Moria's structure was truly too complex. Even without evil creatures active, the place's intricate terrain posed a massive threat in itself.
Not everyone could be like Levi, simply picking a direction and hard-digging his way out.
Some roads simply couldn't be avoided.
Within this vast, pitch-black maze, perhaps due to the surrounding environment's excessive silence, or perhaps some psychological factor at play, Gandalf felt deeply uneasy at heart.
As if being stared at by countless eyes.
"Hmm?"
Just as Gandalf stood contemplating before a fork in the road, a light attracted his attention.
That was... fire?
Could something be present?
Gandalf tensed.
He extinguished the light atop his staff, silently hurrying toward the light, slowly peeking around the corner.
There he saw a burning campfire with a marking beside it.
"Levi."
Seeing this emblem, or rather this name, Gandalf suddenly laughed, all nervous feelings cast aside.
He recognized this type of campfire—one of Levi's creations, just like the initial campfire at North Riverfold, burning with neither vigorous nor weak flames even without fuel.
Unless someone deliberately extinguished it.
Confirming the surroundings were indeed safe, Gandalf sat down beside the campfire, pulling out his water skin, taking a swig while tilting his head back, then wrapping his robes, resting here briefly in the slight warmth the campfire provided.
The campfire occasionally made soft crackling sounds, lulling one to sleep.
However, Gandalf seemed unaffected. He merely closed his eyes briefly, resting a short while, before rising to continue his journey.
Before departing, he also left his own personal emblem beside Levi's carved mark—the letter 'G,' his name's initial written in Tengwar script.
This served two purposes: to indicate that he had passed through, and to provide hints for possible later travelers, telling them that this location was indeed safe, certified by both the Northern Legend and the Grey Wizard.
The subsequent journey proceeded smoothly.
This expedition traversing Moria encountered no obstacles whatsoever. Especially since many locations bore Levi's campfires and markings, making Gandalf feel somewhat bored.
No difficulties encountered, no dangers faced, entirely uneventful, lacking any sense of adventure or thrill.
"Oh."
When Gandalf emerged from Moria's western gate, he shook his head, feeling thoroughly unimpressed.
Better to look at Water City in the distance.
Having selected his next destination, Gandalf raised his head, gazing across the vast land toward the enormous city with only its edges faintly visible at the horizon's end. Humming a tune, he simply walked forward along the ancient roads built by elves thousands of years ago.