Galaxy's First Ruler

'God Binding Hand…'

Aldrich repeated the name many times in his mind. The only difference between him and Boudicca's calling out the Item's name was that he didn't capitalize the letters.

Aldrich wasn't an ordinary man. He was a scholar.

It didn't matter if it was a simple equation or a one-lined definition. Aldrich's mind had always hit the crux of the wording without caring for the fancy words. He knew that the main thing to focus on among these words wasn't the word God, or the word Binding.

Aldrich's entire attention was on the word Hand. And there was only one question in his mind.

'Whose Hand?'

Aldrich, like lighting a bulb, got to know in an instant if he were to figure this out, he would chance upon a path that had never trodden before. A hidden smile came upon his face, but he dared not let Boudicca see it.

Boudicca, not putting any importance on the effect these words would have on Aldrich, presented her theory.

"Can you also see the resemblance? Hmm! Maybe you can't. It's ok. You lack experience with this type of stuff. But the thing is, I couldn't take my mind off this familiarity. The God Binding Hand has many parts. There are four spikes that, when placed in formation, open a portal under the target. I have seen with my own eyes a rotten giant-like hand coming out of that portal and grabbing Eydis. Ahem! I mean General Eydis."

Aldrich took in all the long and short sentences and summarised them.

"So you think that this God Binding Hand had sent General Eydis to this place called Prison of Gods."

"… its GOD BINDING HAND! But, yes, all the facts and data points to it."

Aldrich nodded in approval.

"Fair enough!"

Facts and Data were all Aldrich believed and cared for. And with it, he had got the answer to the second question he had asked from Boudicca.

"So our destination is this Prison of Gods. Where none had gone before, and there is no path, or even a compass pointing at it?"

Boudicca's face became red with shame. In the last six months, the relentless research and sleepless nights had changed her a lot. Time and circumstances had made her lose the innocence she carried about her. But among a plethora of serious moments, she returned to her previous self now and then.

Turning away her face, skimming through bedroom furniture, she meekly spoke out.

"I… I know it sounds far-fetched…"

"Humph! Farfetched?! I am sorry, your highness, but you just sounded clueless. You want me to accompany you on a journey whose destination you don't even know how to reach. Tell me, how did it sound to you?"

"You… You can't talk to me like that. I am a Duchess."

Aldrich had Boudicca figured from head to toe by now. Even though she just threw the word Duchess at Aldrich, her tone lacked the pride behind this word.

'What a two-way Curse!'

Aldrich joggled his head, making Boudicca take a deep breath to calm down her anger.

"It's not like I don't have any clue whatsoever. Have you not heard about The Red Dragon's presence in the Death Separation many times within the last six months?"

Aldrich's mind shook at hearing this. Yes, he had read and heard about it. But what did he have to do with a King roaming here and there? According to Aldrich, maybe the Red Dragon had just got bored. Sometimes the weirdest questions had the simplest answers. But now, after hearing Boudicca's theory, it seemed plausible to him that there might be more to the King's presence than met the eye.

"So you have heard. Yes, didn't the House Venomous Rose members, your father, and Granduncle there during the King's last visit?"

Aldrich nodded his head. Trifon had indeed mentioned hearing the Dragon's roar. Aldrich still remembered his exact words were something like this.

'Ancestor, I was pretending to be a Recordless. Tch! I almost pissed myself trying to stand back up without losing my clone.'

Boudicca, gaining confidence, smiled and continued.

"I thought there is a way through the Death Separation, leading to the Prison of Gods. That's why the King kept going there back to back."

"Wait a minute! When even a King couldn't reach there, how am I supposed to help you?"

Aldrich had a lot of confidence in himself. But even he didn't believe that he could match the might of a Marquess, much less even a sneeze of King.

Boudicca, as if remembering something crucial, tapped her FIR and took out an incredibly archaic piece of paper. Aldrich could see her expression was like that of a teenager stealing magazines from a shop.

'She definitely stole it. Fuck!'

As Aldrich fancied Boudicca silently going into the library and stealing the paper, she unfolded it and pointed at it.

"Ahem! I found this in a corner of the library. If there is a place beyond the Death Separation, then we must cross the Sea of White Death first."

Even Aldrich knew something so widely known, so he immediately snapped.

"But no one has ever crossed it and reached the shore beyond."

Boudicca paused, but soon pointed at the paper again.

"Just look! It says that only those who are Blessed can sail through the black waters of the sea. And the only people who stand a chance of crossing it, are those who are favored by Darkness."

In her excited state, Boudicca seemed to even forget that the language on paper was completely archaic. And it couldn't be read by people other than the members of the Royal family. But Aldrich was unique, so was his Class- Generalist.

From what Boudicca had said, it took only seconds for Aldrich to analyze the language. But in the end, he still wasn't convinced.

"Why don't you just take it to King Alvis, then? I am sure he would be more than happy to help you find a Dreamer favored by Darkness."

Boudicca angrily snatched the paper out of Aldrich's hand and snapped.

"How can there be a Darkness favored when all Darklings have gone extinct? Only you are a bewildering case. It will take me forever to find another one. And, I think it's my Destiny to go on this journey and rescue General Eydis."

Sigh!

Aldrich facepalmed himself and let out a sigh.

"Are you sure it's 'Destiny'? Because to me, it sounds more like a forced plot to bring us together."