14 — Sunnaria's Church

The tiled floor of the church was perfectly symmetrical and ordinate, with ornate oak benches above it. Marble pillars stretch out all the way to the ceiling, leading to the beautiful stained glass art. It shows Sunnaria, wearing a loose-fitting white dress. At least she's not almost naked again. Several featureless humans surround her, kneeling while holding their hands together in a prayer. She looks majestic, her hair and dress flowing around like she's bearing a heavy breeze with a soft smile.

Following the marble pillars to the back of the church, a few nuns and a priest are conversing behind the wooden pulpit podium. They have worried expressions on their faces.

"Ugh, I really hate churches." Lorelai grumbles.

"Come on, Lorelai. Keep your chin up!" Anneliese comments, a smile on her face. She twirls around excitedly. "Wow, I haven't been in this place in ages! It's so beautiful now."

"We'll be out of here quick. I just need the blessing of one of the priests." Joezand says. "I do wonder what they're whispering about there, though."

The three of them walk towards the church personnel, the Priest being the first one to see them.

"P-Prince Joezand!" The young priest kneels, and the nuns follow suit. "To what do I owe the honour?"

Oh, that's right.

He's like a big-shot prince. He's so disrespected inside of his home that he forgets that the people actually admire him.
"Rise." Joezand says. "I've merely come to accept Sunnaria's blessing."

"Oh, that's... That'd be an issue." The priest replies. "You see, I'm not actually the lead priest. I'm just in training."

"I was about to say." Anneliese says. "You look way too young to be the head of a church."

"Where is he, then?" Joezand asks. "I need that blessing as quickly as possible." His eyes glance at the ring on his index finger quickly, before looking back at the priest.

"Priest Halifax is... currently ill." The young priest replies. "He has been ill for a while now. He can barely eat or drink, and he's unable to leave his bed. If you want to, I could be the one to grant Sunnaria's blessing to you."

"Can't we just visit him?" Lorelai suggests. "The Prince deserves the best treatment, don't you think?"

"Unfortunately, It's quite contagious." The priest replies. "One of the nuns actually caught his sickness and passed away because of it. That's why we were discussing precautions for how we would feed him."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Joezand says.

"Do not worry. She's with Sunnaria now." The priest says. "We have a small graveyard for the faithful on the back. It's the greatest point of spiritual connection to Sunnaria on the capital."

"Well, that's... good for her." Joezand replies. "Alright, let's try it then."

The priest leads Joezand to a sturdy dark brown confessional. They get on each side of it, and Joezand notices that the cozy space has a small lattice that allows him to peek into the other side.

"This." He puts the ring in front of the lattice. "Can you bless this specifically?"

"A ring?" The priest asks. "W-Well, I never blessed an object before, but..." He says, removing the lattice. "I can try."

Joezand puts his hand through the hole, and watches as the priest puts his own atop his finger. A soft light emits from the priest's palm.

"Oh, that's right. You guys use magic." Joezand says.

"Y-Yeah, of course." The priest replies. "This is divine magic."

"No, it's just... I never really see magic users in the palace, so I kind of forget about it from time to time."

"Well, it's not all that complicated. There are only three kinds of magic. The hard part is learning how to use them." The priest says. "Divine magic specifically is incredibly difficult. I'd say humanic magic is the easiest. Demonic magic is a bit hard too, and generally frowned upon."

"And what's the difference between them?"

"Well, anything can be any kind of magic, it just depends how you're using it." The priest starts. "Divine magic is, just like the gods, creating something from nothing. But since we aren't gods, our creations can't last all that long. Creating a ray of light is the perfect example, it shows up out of nowhere and is gone not that long after." The priest keeps emitting the soft light from his palm. "It's what I'm doing now, for example."

"I... see. What about the other two?"

"They aren't really my jurisdiction, but humanic magic is transformative. Think of turning a water stream into ice shards or hot steam. They're just changing the way something is, instead of creating something new. That's the reason it's the easiest form of magic."

"That makes sense. What about demonic magic?"

"This one is about consuming. Using things as fuel." The priest explains. "Fire magic is a great example, as it consumes wood or cloth plus the air around it to generate more flames. Of course, it can be used for good too. Like using up the nutrients on the ground to grow a tree. But..." The priest removes his hand from Joezand's. "The people understandably are really resistant to use anything related to demons. Even if it is for a good cause."

"I see. So those are the three types of magic, huh?" Joezand looks at his ring. It feels slightly different, although the glow isn't there. 'Hey, Sunnaria.' He thinks, but gets no answer.

"Yeah, but don't fall into stereotypes." The priest says. "Thunder could be divine magic if it's quick to come and go like in nature, while it could be demonic if it's consuming something to generate some sparks. It's more about how it's made than how it looks." The priest gets up. "Your ring should be blessed now. I'm sorry that we couldn't get Priest Halifax here..."

"Oh, that's fine." Joezand says, although he can't hide the disappointment in his voice. He really thought this would work.

"Do you need anything else?" The priest says. "Something weighing heavily on your mind, Prince Joezand? This is still a confessional, after all."

"Uhm..."

Yes, there is. Of course there is.

That whole situation with Cecilia... He still doesn't know how to feel about that.

Now that Sunnaria's gone, he really could use someone to talk to.

"No, thank you." Joezand replies.

But he can't risk it.

Who's to say this priest won't use this information to discredit the royal family? Except for his own family, everyone in this world hates incest, from what Lorelai told him. It's better not to risk it.

"I see." The priest says. "But if you need something, don't hesitate to come visit, alright?"

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind." Joezand says. "By the way, could I visit the graveyard? To pay respects for the nun who passed away."

"Of course, Prince Joezand! Right this way!" The priest says. "I'll only humbly ask you to go in there alone. You're granted special access for being royalty, but your servants..."

"No problem." Joezand says, getting out of the confessional and following the priest. He sees Lorelai and Anneliese talking on one of the benches, but motions for them to wait as the priest leads him to the back door.

The door opens, and it leads to a nice little garden. Joezand steps ahead, while the priest leaves to give the prince some privacy. It's... quite a beautiful view. Bright, pink flowers are scattered throughout, with bright green blades of grass interleaving them. The wooden markings along the field don't make the place intimidating. In fact, it feels... peaceful. Like this would be the perfect place for someone to rest. He walks around, looking at the wood above each grave, getting to one that seemed to be in completely pristine condition, not a single speck of dust above it. Since the wood's newer, this must be the one. He kneels in front of the grave, putting some of the flowers he picked up from the same garden above it—

Huh.

He starts to see... energy. Some purplish aura slowly emanating from the grave. It was unlike the soft light that the priest conjured. It felt... different. It as going up, as it seemed to try to get away...

Only to change its course. The purple energy lunges at him, as he tries to step back, but it's way faster than him. All of it gets absorbed...

Into the ring.

Which starts to glow again. That same blue light emanating from the gemstone, now brighter than he ever saw it. Sounds start to fill his brain.

'Jo----- -inally! I've be-- ------ -- ---ch you. Th- --ng, it need- - ---ady supp-- -- ---ls. I'll try t- ---cus on the comb-- -----ion. I'll have to be a--- --- - ----e. I'm trying to m--- ---- ----- ---- ---'

"Sunnaria?" Joezand says out loud, looking directly into the ring. "I-I've been—" He stops himself before thinking again. 'I've been waiting for you! What happened!?"

'Can't t--- ----t it now. Focus on w------ --- ---- --w. A-- -- -o Kivul!'

'What? I can't understand you! What about Kivul?'

'---- --- -- --- ----'

'Sunnaria? Sunnaria?!'

He can't hear her anymore.

He looks at the ring, and he sees that the glow is bright. Brighter than before. He also feels way less tired than he was feeling after a week of training. He feels... fine. Full of energy, even.

"It came back." He says.

Somehow, the ring charged back up. And it seems that Sunnaria chose to forego the communication function in favour of the combat one. Which means...

"She really trusts me, huh?" Joezand murmurs. "Then I better not let her down. I need to win that duel."

He goes back into the church, a determined look on his face. Lorelai and Anneliese go to him.

"So, how was it? Do you feel better now, kid?" Lorelai says. "You sure look like it! Like a completely different man."

"I do, actually." He replies. "So much better."

"Hey, Lorelai..." Anneliese says. "Can I watch you guys training next time? I-I'll bring some refreshing drinks! A-and some snacks!"

"Fine. So long as you're not distracting." Lorelai replies and Anneliese puts on a big grin. Lorelai lowers her voice and starts to whisper to Joezand. "By the way, I'm sorry. I tried pleading with Emperor Thaddius, but he was really adamant about not giving any extensions and—"

"Don't worry about it." Joezand smirks to her. "I won't need it. Let's go train."

"Wanting to train on your off day, huh? What's gotten into you?" Lorelai says, smirking back. "Alright, big shot. Let's go to the training grounds right now."