Elpis

Ever since the Head Priest took me in, a lot had changed. Over the past decade staying here I had been devoted to praying, studying magic and researching, as well as applying any guidance the Head Priest offered me, all thanks to that vision I had.

Once again, I was exploring the depths of the church’s library to find anything relating to ancient history. I had noticed that there weren't many books regarding the war era. The Head Priest claimed that it was because those days had been far too barbaric for anyone to bother recording anything – mostly word-of-mouth stories, and we know how creditable those can become over time.

Even if I tried questioning someone else, such as the sisters of the church, they all gave the same lame excuse: ‘People didn’t know how to write well.’ I didn’t really buy that excuse, but they refused to say anything else.

No matter how much I tried to accept it – maybe they were being truthful – a part of me kept telling me something wasn’t right. There was something more than those lame excuses and that pushing away from the topic. People of the past definitely knew things we don’t; but what could it be? Maybe it was connected to my vision, or at least might reveal more information about it. Not that I had a way to confirm this at the moment.

Walking through the narrow hallways over the last ten years, it was all the same: bookshelves filled with knowledge from present to past, compositions of magic and some odd grimoires that I had long mastered.

One book I read once said that the recorded number of known spells around the world was 1,908,213,431. But I’m not sure where that book was from, so the number could be far beyond that already. It really was astonishing how much there was… and yet I only knew so little.

How was I even supposed to progress from here? It was all starting to get overwhelming; I didn’t know what to do anymore. I felt like this place had done nothing but hold me back. Lack of any real ancient history. Spells only limiting me to doing my laundry without using my hands. What was I supposed to do with the fact that God had spoken to me? I felt like I was wasting my time here…

Even if I were to leave the town, the law of the Divine Kingdom stated that magic was not to be used for war – some group called the Clergy had decided that. Isn’t that stupid? The history literally said that there was a civil war that led to the creation of the Divine Kingdom, and I don’t believe they would have beaten the Royal Kingdom without using magic to help them. Why restrict magic to being anti-war?

Though I could understand that a holy gift like magic should be used for good rather than war and evil, I felt there was more to it. As much as I approved, sometimes magic would end up being used for war, and I felt the Clergy would certainly resort to using magic for their own benefit if it came to it. There was no other way the kingdom would still stand without that.

My personal thoughts on these matters were reasonable. A holy gift used for war was unacceptable by all means, but there being no grimoires with offensive magic – even if it was taboo – felt outlandish. What could I do about it? Practically nothing. I could only make these silly assumptions.

I grabbed a book off the shelf. I needed to read something otherwise I would waste the whole day making up conspiracy theories. Mindlessly I managed to pick up The Theory of Concept by Einstine. He had been a pretty intellectual person fifty years ago. Many admired his work in progressing magic through the use of the unknown space above us and furthering our understanding of Time. Many thought he would be able to create a grimoire that would take us out of our planet and enable time travel.

I wondered if it would be possible; so far no one had managed to find a way to use Time magic or any magic to reach the stars. Maybe I should try. Surely I’d be able to compete with one of the greatest minds of the century, haha.

"Little miss, are you in here?" the Head Priest's frail voice echoed through the library.

"I'm over here, I'm just reading," I replied as I poked my head through the rows of books.

"I have a lesson to teach you. Could you come outside to the garden, please?" he requested as he stepped out of the library.

"Sure thing!" I called as loud as I could to make sure he heard me.

Well, I supposed that was enough daydreaming and theorising – time to actually do something. I hoped it wasn't another flower spell; I had had one too many of those. I neatly placed the book back where it belonged and dusted myself before heading out of the library. Most of the sisters at the church weren't able to read, so they never came here, leaving a bit of a mess since they forgot this room existed.

As I walked down the narrow church hallway to where the garden was, I liked to touch the walls, run my fingers across them, feel the material, feel the mana within the walls. I read in one of Einstine's books that mana was everywhere. It was quite interesting to think that everything and everyone was created from mana.

Now that I thought about it, what was the true source of magic? We all knew that magic was based on mana, since the source of magic was the mana that existed everywhere, but did mana have a source? Or was mana the only source for magic? Or could there be multiple? Always the random thoughts at times like this – though I was curious to find out. Maybe I would achieve something like this. Although, if the greatest minds in history never discovered anything, then was there really anything more?

I had heard that the Royal Kingdom also had some mages, but there were so few books that mentioned them; the only notion was of Psevdians who lived there before the Great War. I supposed it made sense since they were detached from the god that gave us power to use grimoires to begin with. Royalis never believed in God like we do. Apparently because of that they used magic differently to us, but with no books I couldn’t really understand it. Maybe one day I would visit and find out for myself.

"What is it, Head Priest?" I asked as I finally reached the garden.

"The day is beautiful, isn't it?" he replied while staring into the sky.

"It certainly is, but what of it?"

"I have one final lesson for you, little miss," he said, still staring at the sky.

"What? Why? Why is it the final lesson?" I asked in shock.

"I have taught you everything I know. Sorry little miss, but an irrelevant priest like me doesn’t have access to the grand archives like the bishops in the capital or cathedrals do. But regardless, for the final lesson…"

Vrooom… BANG

Light flashed before my eyes. I wasn't even able to react – what was this? I slowly rotated my head in fear of what was behind me. From the corner of my eye I saw a hole in the wall. A hole that had never been there, a hole that wasn't there a moment ago. I knew these walls.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I screamed.

"This is your final lesson, little miss," the Head Priest replied.

"I don’t understand. What is this for? What does it do?"

"After this lesson, I want you to go to the capital. I know someone who can teach you more. In the Cathedral, Bishop Epistêmê will continue your journey in magic studies."

"So what do I need this spell for? What does it do?"

"To protect yourself. Though I am not your father, I have raised you in the Church. I want you to have a way to protect yourself in a worst-case scenario."

"Protect myself in what way, from what?"

"The journey to the capital is a long one; you don't know what you will walk into along the way."

"But aren’t we a civilised country? I thought the war was long over?"

"The war is long over. You won’t run into anything of that sort. There is more in the world that you don’t understand, little miss, but once you set out, you’ll learn."

"I don’t understand what you mean. What is out there that could apparently cause me harm?"

"You have been kept protected for a long time. Soon you will see the world for what it really is."

"What is it though? Tell me! If you're making these statements then I should at least know what you're referring to."

"Do I tell you what the book has to teach?"

"No, but what does that have to do-"

"Your journey will be your teacher. Once you set out, you will become a better person, but I want to teach you at least this to stay safe."

"Fine, but isn’t this kind of magic forbidden? I haven’t been able to find any grimoire about it and all the books state that it's taboo to use magic for offence."

"Who said anything about offence? This is merely to protect you. Never use it to cause harm, only to defend yourself."

"Does this not defeat the purpose of the rules?"

"Rules are always broken – take that as a bonus teaching from me. The world is not as structured as you think; rules exist, but so do rule-breakers. Without those going against them, there wouldn’t be a need for them in the first place. Remember that."

"Got it. I will drill this into my mind. So what is this spell that you want to teach me?"

"Lustra Borealis, a simple spell that was written maybe twenty or thirty years ago by a talented young elf – young for an elf, at least. He was travelling the main continent as his personal dream to explore all known lands. He rested here for a short while and we exchanged knowledge. Now that I think about it, you do resemble him, personality-wise at least."

"What do you mean by that? What is the point of this story?"

"That he too was exploring the world to understand it better. He was born in the Elven Islands, secluded away from what the rest of the world had to offer, but keen to find out about the land beyond the sea."

"I see. What was his name?"

"He was called Elariel Galanarthil. Maybe in a few years we will read books about him; he was quite the scholar, very smart and extremely ambitious."

"Wait, so people like that still exist?"

"Did you think the world stopped innovating after Einstine?"

"Well, sort of. I always brushed off the dream of being like him."

"Never brush away a dream. Chase it, and make it reality."

"I hope I can maybe meet this Elariel someday; he seems like an interesting person."

"He didn’t leave much other than that. It was his way of thanking me for letting him rest at the Church, but I wish to pass it on to you."

"I hope I can master this final spell."

←→

The sun had long set beyond the horizon and the night breeze rattled the trees around me. A refreshing feeling after a long, intensive day of training. This was the first time I had ever learned such a spell; my body ached and my legs could barely hold me up. Seeing the Head Priest's face when I accidentally blew up the wall had been rather funny – only to think about it now; at the time I had been terrified. We needed to thank whoever created the spells for repairing broken walls.

Apparently the spell wasn’t supposed to work the way I made it work, but that wasn’t really a major problem; I just needed to see if I could adapt the spell to myself, or so the Head Priest claimed. I might be able to figure it out over time, but in the town it was rather hard to use a spell that shouldn't normally be used. Maybe the journey out would give me more time to think and experiment on my own. After all, that was what I had been looking for, wasn’t I? Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted at that point.

If the Head Priest recommended I go study elsewhere, then I would follow his order. There wasn’t much else I could do. He also told me to go to Bypethenos first. He had studied there in his younger days when he was training to become a priest. Their Cathedral, though small, was apparently amazingly built. They definitely had a better library there. Now, with that in mind, maybe I would be able to get a better understanding of “the creation of magic”. I had heard there was a book about it, but no one had it here, nor was I sure who had actually written it. I could only remain hopeful.

Making my way through the once-bustling town square under the moonlight, the town was nothing but a graveyard. The eerie silence always creeped me out. I swiftly made my way along the path home. I rarely stayed out this late, but that day had been a rare occasion. I recalled the priest's words about the world not being how I imagined it – the rules and rule-breakers. Shivers ran down my spine the more I thought about it. Why would anyone want to break the law? Go against the order that keeps us safe and happy?

Rattle

Rattle

Whatever was making that sound, I didn’t like it.

Rattle

Rattle

Either the Priest had made me paranoid, or something bad was going to happen. I would prefer that I was paranoid.

Rattle

"Please God," I whispered to myself.

Rattle Squeak

It's just a rat… "haha… Sigh " it’s just a rat…

Rattle

There’s more? What is it now? More rats?

RATTLE

Uh oh…

RATTLE

"Is… anyone there?" I called, peeking around the corner.

"Oh, hello there," a young man replied as he dug through some boxes and barrels. "Wait a minute, I know you from somewhere…" he added.

"Do you? I don’t recognise you at all," I said while inspecting him.

"You’re the priestess girl, aren’t you?"

"I suppose you can call me that, yes."

"You probably wouldn’t remember me since it's been a long time, but when we were little kids, before you went to be part of the church, we occasionally played together."

"We did? Surely I’d recognise you then, would I not?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's been a long time; I probably look different to how I used to, but you – you kept your adorable look."

"WHAT?!" I replied, startled by the jumpscare compliment from this strange man. "What is your name?"

"Auxentios, Auxentios Brígach. You used to call me Auxxy when we were little."

"Auxentios… Brígach… such a unique last name. But you’re right – AUXXY!" I screamed.

"You remember?"

"Yes. I would never have recognised you otherwise, Auxxy; you're, like, tall and built and different."

"After you joined the church, I got inspired to become something worthwhile as well. I started training to become a City Guard. I am actually out patrolling right now."

"That’s amazing; I didn’t know I had such an impact on anyone by joining the Church. But wait, if you’re patrolling, why are you rummaging through those crates?"

"There was a rat that I wanted to get rid of. People sell food here; I didn’t want that pest sneaking into any food storage."

"Oh… that… does make some sense, I suppose."

"Well, uh, you haven’t happened to see any rats around, have you?"

"Actually, I did; it went off in that direction. I can’t help more than that."

"Ah… that sucks. I doubt I will find it at this point now."

"Probably… yeah… it’s long gone to say the least."

"Yeah, ah, oh well," he said as he scratched his head. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I’m going home."

"I could assume so, but why so late?"

"Well, I had my final lesson, and it dragged out for a while."

"Final lesson? What was it about?"

"Ah, just some magic spell that he wanted me to master. Nothing too interesting but kind of useful."

"Oh? What is it useful for?"

"You know, stuff."

"Uh huh. Sure. Anyway, do you want me to take you home? Never know who can creep up on you at night – best to stay safe."

"Sure, yes, that would be great, thank you."

"No problem, glad to help."

"So chivalrous of you."

"It’s my duty, Madam," he said as he bowed with his hand out, inviting mine.

"Hehe, we’ll thank you, my knight in shining armour," I giggled as I gave him my hand.

He held my hand as he guided me home down the moonlit road. That day had truly been amazing; so much had happened, so many beautiful memories made. Sleep was going to be soothing that night, that was for sure.

After a pleasing walk home, with security at hand, we finally reached my doorstep. I held his hand tight till the very end. I tried to look him in the eyes, but my face felt like it was burning red each time I tried.

"Thank you for this. I honestly feared that something was going to happen to me. You don’t know how relieved I felt when I found out you were someone I knew – it made me feel safe," I explained while holding his hand with both of mine. "I know this may seem weird for me to say, and very blunt, but I am truly thankful."

His free hand rose up to my head; he started patting me as if I were a cat. "It’s good to see you again, Roza. If you ever need me again to help, I’ll be there," he told me as he smiled. "I’ll see you around, rest well," he added, then freed his hand from mine and walked away.

"Goodnight, Auxxy," I replied as I watched him walk away.

I crept into my own house, tiptoeing through the building, sneaking around each corner. I dodged every squeaky floorboard, avoided any loose railing and used my clothes to silently twist the door handle to my room. I arrived at last. No sound made, no one finding out.

"Good morning, Miss Roza," Casilda stated in a solid, concrete tone.

"Casilda?!" I exclaimed, silently.

"How nice of you to come home," she said as she stood up from the chair at the back of my room.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep?" I tried to whisper as loudly as I could.

"You weren’t home for support; your parents were worried, so was I. Your parents, though worried, have to sleep and be ready for another day of work outside the house. I, however, have the privilege of working from home. I decided to comfort them by staying up to await your glamorous return, with a young handsome male at that, ignoring the fact that it's an ungodly hour."

"Casilda, it's not what it looks like."

"No, Miss Roza, it’s perfectly understandable, but you must understand the consequences that may arise from such deeds."

"No, you don’t understand, Casilda. I was not out late because of Auxxy."

"Auxxy? You already have a nickname for this young lad?"

"Casilda, you’re not listening. I was having my last lesson with the Head Priest; he won't be teaching me anymore."

"Oh. So who was that boy? And why was that your last lesson? What did you do?"

"He just walked me home. He's a guard that was on patrol. That’s all there was to that. The priest said that he had taught me everything he could, and that I was better off going to the capital to keep studying. There’s nothing else here for me."

"That is an amazing achievement. No one ever managed to learn everything from the Head Priest. Why the capital though? That's quite far away."

"I suppose, but that’s why I was out late. I tried all I could for the last lesson; he even told me not to come back unless I had something new to show him, since me being there was a waste of time."

"So what is your plan now?"

"The capital. What else can I do? There’s nothing for me to learn here."

"What about your parents, Miss Roza? I don’t see a reason they would let you travel alone so far; you’re their only child."

"I will have to try to convince them, or run away. I'm not really sure."

"Don’t worry, Miss Roza. I will support you and try to convince your parents. One thing to mention though – Auxxy? Really?"

"He was a friend from before I started going to Church. Please and thank you. I want to rest now," I replied as my face turned beetroot red. "Thank you for the help, Casilda."