"In a fit of fury I killed seven of the knightsguard. I broke into the throne room and confronted him, sealing it shut. The King scuttled like a little child as he saw me approach, I was going to murder him as well. I caught him by the neck and sealed his body into stone, keeping only his head open. I don't recall many of the details, anger clouds one's mind. But I recall a few pillars being broken, ones I had never touched, apparently because of the intense alchemy I was using.

"Then I saw the King's face, pleading and begging for mercy, reduced to a pathetic state. It reminded me of the orphanage illustration in the fable. It wasn't only the people that were lost. It was also the King. 

"In that one moment realisation hit me. He was never the material of a King, he had just taken the throne because his lineage was such. I pitied the man. He had more than he could chew, and it was not he that had stuffed, it was forced into his mouth. He could barely hope to maintain it and he knew the fact. It was probably out of sheer fear for his power that he had taken such a step. He was a prisoner of his own destiny. A stone prison was but meaningless.

"I broke the stone and left the throne room, City Centre and the kingdom, took refuge in Greenseed.

"I chose a life of greater knowledge instead, I decided then, that would be my purpose. They wrapped the whole thing up, calling it 'my exile' making up some reason I care not recall. I knew the King would never send anyone after me. For he knew I could easily battle even with Greenlits around while his men cannot, so even if he sent a whole platoon, I could easily clear it up. But truth to tell you I think he understood I did no longer mean to reveal it, and more than that he was guilty of the genocide. He is not evil, he is just like a little animal, weak and afraid, resorting to desperate measures..."

Then Priest Ferdinand chose to interrupt, "But Sir could you not have altered the very flow of power for your betterment had you killed the King then?"

Sir Triston paused to look out of a window before he answered, "That would have created political turbulences, that would have created chaos rather than help me accomplish my goal of spreading the truth. So many possibilities would have arisen, not even the advisor, Roderick with all his foresight, could have predicted all the events. And the best possible scenario wasn't bright either. I could have managed to take the City Centre under my control, but the whole State was still the King's house, I would be surrounded by enemies. And then the assumption that the three remaining houses of the nobles who only crave and lust power would support me?

"Further more, even if I overthrew the King and his house, the commoners would never believe me. I gave up the idea of enlightening the masses for I knew they would not contradict an age old belief even if presented with proof.

"Belief once firm held cannot be broken with such, any proof provided, any contradiction presented, only moves to further strengthen that now false belief.

"Truth be told the faces of my dead disciples grieved me more than I had or still have words to express. No longer did I care about the King or the power I had or even spreading alchemy to the masses. It was all rendered meaningless for me in that one instant. I decided to choose a life of serenity where I could consume knowledge in its purest form. A world of seclusion, yet freedom. Freedom that provided me the opportunities to glance at the raw truth. I can read texts of ages past and have gained the ability to create new ones.

"Here I can see everything and all of it remains wondrous for it is not adulterated by the single distorted sense of purpose most men seem to posses and treasure.

"I regularly visit down to Artinopolis to restock supplies and such, I have some contacts and old friends there that still wish me well. It was in one such visit that the rumours about The White God reached my ears, and then I started frequenting Artinopolis more than I had before. I came to know of your Order and how they had crushed Rhugh, rumours say 'with barely a scratch'. You had then vanished apparently. When I spotted some of the exiles, known faces, in Artinopolis, it wasn't too difficult to figure out they had joined the Order and the Order was itself here, under hiding. A thought I had long abandoned, crossed my mind. I realised that an Order with powerful roots such as this would eventually be able to reveal the secret behind alchemy, and unveil the conspiracy for it had one thing that could shake even a three hundred year old belief.

"You have the faith of the people.

"I had suspected some to pay me a visit, just as you had done so with Sir Florent and his exiles. And no, I didn't know for sure you would come. I would have paid you a visit myself, but I wasn't so sure of the plan I had. But seeing your determination, crossing the forest no one dares cross, to meet this one old man, changed my mind. I myself felt confident that you had the ability to do it."

Astonishment was the least of the emotions Wilbur felt this throughout Sir Triston's account. In fact he no longer tried to recall how the last few hours starting with the Greenlits, had passed. It was as if he had opened the doors to an entirely different dimension. In just the first hour of meeting Sir Triston he had learned one of the darkest secrets of the Empire, he wondered how much this man had to offer. He felt like a child in front of Sir Triston; rather they were mere shadows while he was the sun. He felt immense gratitude towards the White God that he got to meet an influential man such as him.

Sir Triston crossed his gloved fingers and completed his account, "So all I request in return for providing you abode is this, spread the truth about alchemy when time is right."