The squad reached Nolos at night. And they went to their headquarters. Elna wrote a report of the mission and sent it to General Ednita. Then the four of them head to Felmer's home. And then they sat in the living room.
"Finally…got rid of them," Elna said as she sat on the sofa.
"Yes…" Melfer continued.
"Next time I see them…" Felmer paused.
"I know what you will do. I will be with you." Elna spoke.
"Well…Forget them," Irnik said and relaxed on the sofa.
Soon, Emilia walked into the living room and sat with them.
"What happened?" She asked as she sat beside Elna.
On Emilia's question, Elna told her everything they complained about. Emilia smiled and laughed.
"They are enemies afterall…" Emilia commented and smiled.
"Still, mother. There is something known as shame…Which they clearly lacked." Felmer replied.
Emilia nodded, and then she remembered, "He gave you a book, right? Let's see what it's about."
Felmer heard her and then went to his room to get the book.
"I will get it…"
Shortly, he came back with the book and sat in his place. He placed the book on the table and opened it. From the colour of the paper, it felt very old. Like a century old.
"That's…An ancient book." Melfer commented upon seeing it.
Felmer opened it with extreme care. And tried to read its contents. But he couldn't read it.
"What the heck is this language?" Felmer asked in confusion.
"This seems to be…" Emilia seemed to understand.
"If my guess is correct…" Elna had some hunches as well.
"It's ancient Algerim…" Emilia recognised.
"But that language has been extinct for 300 years." Elna was shocked.
"This means the book is that old," Emilia answered.
"But the cover had the Cerfisian mountain emblem." Felmer objected.
"And the title clearly says 'The Hidden History of Cerfis'," Elna replied while looking at the cover.
"Wait…How you two know an extinct language?" Melfer asked with a weird face.
"My mother taught me. The Roser family has many speakers of this language." Emilia replied.
"I studied it as a part of my research at the university," Elna gave her reason.
The three men stared at them. They felt illiterate and dumb.
'Damn,' Felmer thought, 'I should have studied as well.'
"This means that you can read the book, right?" Irnik asked.
"Well, I can…" Emilia said.
"Won't it have the history we have heard? How Lord Emayla got the power, and after the peace, the Great War occurred, and…We know what happened next…" Melfer said before Emilia began reading.
"Yes…You are right, son…" Emilia said as she turned the pages.
"Well, of course, why would he give something useful?" Felmer sat back and sighed.
The three men sighed and looked here and there. There was nothing useful until the ladies found something.
"There is something that I have never heard…" Emilia said, her eyes fixed on the book.
"What does it say?" Felmer asked, now attentive.
"Let me see…" Emilia read, trying to translate. "It says the following: After the death of Lord Emayla, his five most trusted nobles took the five gems from the Badge of Ascension, and the badge was broken into four pieces. The gems and the badge were hidden by them. The secret remained until the mad king approached with his armies and took away the five gems. But not the badge. He couldn't find the badge. His men toppled villages, dug out fields, and massacred souls, but it was all in vain. The king and his men gave up."
"That's…Interesting…" Felmer cut off Emilia.
"Don't interrupt me!" Emilia fired back.
"Sorry…" Felmer replied, scared of his mother's anger.
"Now, the badge…" Emilia continued. "Is hidden and awaits the worthy. A man from Gorbin, who was destined by Emayla's vision to hold tremendous power and guide the five skies to victory and dominance over the king." Emilia stopped.
Everyone in the room was shocked and amazed at the same time. Felmer was captivated by the fact of the existence of such a thing.
"The worthy may rise, the vanquished may fall." Emilia read, looking at the edge of the page.
Then she turned a page, and a paper fell. The paper fell and slid near Felmer's foot. He picked it up and looked at it.
"Again Algerim…" Felmer said and handed the paper to her mother.
Emilia and Elna stared at the paper and thought.
"It is some kind of poem…" Emilia commented.
"Yeah…" Elna stared at the poem.
"What is a poem doing here?" Irnik asked.
"What if a clue to the badge…" Melfer said with a confused face. "The author may try to lead the reader. There is no author, right?"
"How do you…" Felmer stopped in his words.
"Yes, there is no author…" Elna confirmed his claim.
"What is the poem?" Irnik again asked.
"Where stone learned breath before men spoke,
Beneath the shadow that never moves.
Seek not the peak, nor the root below,
The scar between remembers the oath." Emilia translated the poem.
Now, all of them looked puzzled and began to stare at the paper
"Well…It's getting late. All of you should rest. I will decipher it and tell you tomorrow morning."
They nodded and went to rest. Felmer didn't know, but he felt something surge inside him.
'The worthy may rise, the vanquished may fall.' The words resonated in his mind.
Only tomorrow will the meaning be told. They had to be patient.