The Innkeeper

Usually it would take him less than a moment to go over this bit of information, but even with the coffee fueling him, his thoughts were a fair bit slower than normal. Although none of his dreams directly showed anything related to the Henali, he could distinctly remember the rain of fire falling down and destroying the Midnight Inn.

Although he was already wary of the Henali, considering their apparent power, he had tried to use his prestige to work around their requirements. It was a mix of both necessity and a bit of hope. After all, although he had no idea what the payment Daolords had to make to enter the Origin realm was, he was certain that he couldn't afford it. So one way or another, he had to avoid it.

As far as war efforts are concerned, he already had a way to save face since the Innkeeper himself would be spared from making an appearance. But he did not want to send anyone from his Inn off to war either. They were workers in a hospitality business, not soldiers. He had contemplated going himself, but he doubted they would be satisfied with the 'Innkeeper' only sending one worker.

Whatever he did, this matter had to be dealt with using extreme tact. Lex put the letter down, and turned his gaze back to Jotun. Although the man showed no expression on his face, Lex could guess what was on his mind. After all, his wife and brothers were no longer at the Inn. It could be coincidental, but Lex chose to believe that Jotun had sent them away on his own.

Although as the Innkeeper, he had been nothing but polite and cordial, he could not blame the man for fearing a less than proper reaction considering the forceful wording of the letter.

"Tell me Jotun, what kind of a relationship with the Henali do you have?" he asked, finally ending the silence.

Surprisingly, he did not answer the question immediately, and took some time to think back. At his cultivation level his memory was perfect, and he would not forget a single moment of his life regardless of how much time passed. But that did not make him immune to the emotions that came with looking so far back on his life.

Back then, he considered himself to be in the prime of his life, but now it seemed like he was only young and naive.

"My family has long been an influential one in the Origin realm, at least as far as humans are concerned. There are millions of races in the Origin realm, and cutting out a small piece of territory for your own race can be both very easy or very hard, all depending on where you are. The current Jotun galaxy is where my family was based, and the entire galaxy has long been under my family's control. It is a glorious history, but so many people do not know that… my family members who lived like kings in their own territory, were all refugees from another realm."

Lex did not show his surprise, but the news was truly unexpected, for more than one reason. It seemed moving between realms was not only limited to Daolord realm experts.

"They gave up everything to find safe haven in a new realm, but they could not give up their original family name. The name contained the very last vestiges of pride my family had. Unfortunately, that was a mistake. The enemies of my family traced us all the way to the Origin realm, and a bloody conflict broke out. It seemed like hell had fallen upon us, and no hope could be found. One by one, my family members died. One by one, my siblings fell. One by one my pride and arrogance as the genius of my family was crushed.

"When only a few of us were left, and it seemed like it would be our end, the Fuegan invaded. They ripped through space and entered the realm right in front of us. It was one of the larger invasions the entire Origin realm has ever seen. It was one of the rare instances where the Henali made a move themselves, and sent for their own tribesmen to eradicate the threat.

"The Henali don't usually make a move, for their powers are often too much for an immature realm to take. The fact that they did was a testament to the strength of the invasion. It was then that my brothers, one of my aunts, and I were discovered, fighting for our lives.

"The Henali saw my talent and struck a deal with me. I would forsake my family name, and they would cleanse my karma, making it seem to my family's enemies that my family had died once and for all. Furthermore, they would train me, and in exchange I would be their herald across the realm. Or at least, one of their heralds.

"Since then, I gave up my family name, and my brothers did likewise. We started our own families, and as I serve the Henali, my brothers support me. Like this, we have grown stronger and come far. My achievements cannot be separated from the Henali. It was my own efforts that brought me here, yes, but it was their resources that made it possible."

Jotun did not know how the Innkeeper would react to his story, but what he did not expect was that the Innkeeper would smile.

Lex was not insensitive to the difficulty his history was filled with, but his smile was for other reasons.

"Tell me, Jotun Marcus Sephore, which of you brothers have truly given up your name? I understand now your relationship with the Henali."

Jotun trembled and looked at the Innkeeper with surprise. It was true that he had told the Henali that he and his brothers had given up their names, and their karma had been washed. Yet deep in their hearts, they harbored other intentions. Yet their thoughts had been so hidden that they never spoke of it, even amongst themselves. It was to the extent that even their aunt did not know what they truly thought, and cut ties with them for giving up their names. Even the Henali had never suspected otherwise.

Yet the name that should have been wiped from the history of the Origin realm had been spoken so casually by the Innkeeper.

Yet the Innkeeper was no longer looking at the emperor. He reached for the Midnight letterhead, and pulled out the Innkeeper's pen.