Moving Forward

Now that she was back in the hallway, she came to realize her mistake. She bit her lip and looked down the staircase, about to descend. Maybe she should asked where their rooms were. But she wouldn’t need to; she heard a familiar voice nearby.

“I’ve told you already, I haaate that robe!”

“It’s standard issue, what do you want me to do?”

Percival’s and Velvet’s voices were nearby, her ears twitched in delight. She moved forward, put a hand on the handle to their room, knocked briefly and opened without delay.

“Hey, Velvet! Percival! I was just going t-“ she froze.

Right there on the bed, Percival was sitting upright, his robe already half undone. Velvet sat astride him, her dress bunched around her waist, her corset loosened enough to show the shift beneath. Her pointed hat was on the floor, abandoned and forgotten. One of her hands worked on his robe, the other looped around his neck while one of his hands was on the small of her back and the other propping him up. Their lips were locked in a deep, passionate kiss. Up until the moment Mira entered the room. A strand of saliva connected their mouths, then it snapped. Just like their heads snapped in her direction.

Heat flooded Mira’s face and she turned the color of freshly plucked tomatoes. Then she took a step back. Then another. Their faces matched hers. She put one hand on the edge of the door, and stepped outside.

“P-pardon… I’ll see myself out…” she squeaked with low voice.

 The door clicked into place and she walked away, face red as a beet.

“I told you to lock the door you buffoon!”

“ACK!”

Mira heard a thud, possibly a thrown pillow. Then she sped up her steps, eyes wide and descended the stairs. Rhys turned his face to look at her right away, smile and everything.

“Ah, Mira! Did you find them? Where are they?”

“…Busy…” she muttered, her mouth barely moving. The redness of her face persisted even as she sat back down in her spot.

“What do you mean?”

“Busy…!” she repeated, more insistent this time.

She fidgeteed with her hair, avoiding eye contact. Rhys eyed her flustered, reddened face, then chortled and scratched the back of his head.

“Oh… That kind of busy!” he said, but the crack of his voice betrayed his own nervousness. “Yes, Velvet and Percival uh… Maybe I should have told you?”

“They are a couple?”

“Not quite, no.”

“…Oh.” Mira connected the dots.

So this was a regular thing for them then. She bit her lip and took a steadying breath. She saw something she wasn’t meant to nor wanted to.

“I shouldn’t have entered after only one knock…”

“Learning is a virtue, young woman.”

Percival said, standing before the table. His robes were orderly again and his demeanor had shifted. But his hair was disheveled. Velvet on the other hand, didn’t appear so calm and collected; she was standing behind him, arms crossed and pouting visibly.

“Oh uh… Sorry about that!” Mira squeaked out.

 Percival waved his hand dismissively while Velvet walked over to Mira and let herself fall right next to her on the bench. The impact made Mira jump up with a squeak.

“Gods forbid a woman enjoooy herself…” she said and draped one arm over the backrest, with the other she produced her pipe again and lit it up.

“How are you feeling, little maaaage?” Velvet asked.

Feeling very glad about the shift in topic, Mira straightened again. The flush faded from her face as she watched Velvet.

“I’m still feeling a little sluggish, if I’m being hone- ACK!” she squeaked. Velvet whacked her with the pipe again.

“Of course you do. Running around, casting spells all day. Acting like a nooovice… Magical fatigue ain’t a trifling matter, girl. You oughtaaa know that.” She said and took a drag from her pipe. Again she offered it to Mira afterwards.

And against her better judgement, she let her curiosity get the better of her. She made a drag but couldn’t finish it. Immediately she started coughing and wheezing out pink smoke and particles.

“Ahhh… My bad, I guess. Still, you shouldn’t be casting your big speeeells for a few days. You might kill yourseeelf…” she said, scarlet eyes fixed on Mira.

“Yes, sorry… We were just out of options.”

“Mhhh, maybe…” Velvet drawled.

“I’ve been told you used your remaining Flameweed potions on us?”

“You weren’t the only ooones… The church needed a lot of it too. I’ve burnt through my supplies the last few days. It earns me a few more coins too.”

“And something else, it would seem.” Rhys said,

He quickly averted his eyes with a chuckle. Mira joined in with a sheepish giggle and Velvet narrowed her eyes at Rhys.

“I’ll feed you a Buuurst potion next, boy.” She drawled.

Mira lowered her hands and curled them to fists over her kneecaps.

“…Thanks, you two. For saving us.” Mira said, to both of them.

Percival only waved his hand dismissively, while Velvet gave her a sly smirk that showed a hint of tooth.

“Finally sooome gratitude. I was thinking I’d never hear it.”

“Do you want me to repeat it?” Mira asked.

“I could hear it any day!” Velvet replied with a wide grin.

Mira turned her head to Percival again, who angled his head slightly in question.“Thank you too. And sorry f-“

“You can stop apologizing, Mira. I am a priest and it is my job to tend to the wounded.”

He said and pulled a chair up from a nearby table, then set it down to join their table.

He is a priest, yes. But still. She thought.

Something came to mind again, a question that was burning in her mind. It was something that Zev in his religious zealotry told her. And in an attempt to sway her to his side.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, speak away.” Percival said, sitting down.

Mira gulped and nervousness gripped her. Maybe this was insensitive to ask, maybe it was heresy or an insult. But she couldn’t keep it bottled up. Her curiosity burned too hot to ignore.

“Zev, the cultist we’ve slain.” She started. “He said that the Dawnmother tore her own twin asunder. Is that… Correct?”

Percival cocked his head and laced his hands together, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

“It is, yes.”

Mira’s mouth was agape. What Zev said was true then. The Dawnmother had killed her own sibling. Her thoughts were already spiraling, but Percival’s voice broke her out of it.

“We call this event the Great Fracture. It was a war centuries ago. The Dawnmother and the Night Witch shaped our world together and gave their blessings upon it. Both had their own followers.” He paused, as if choosing his next words carefully.

“But the Night Witch grew restless. What they had built together, she wanted for herself. She raised an army of her followers, the first Covenant in a sense. And then she struck against her sister’s faithful. The war that followed nearly unmade what they had created together.”

“I… I see.” Mira said, taking a moment to process this information. “And the Dawnmother fought back, I assume?”

“She did, yes. At the climax of the war, the sisters clashed directly. And in the end, The Dawnmother tore her own twin asunder. That brought an end to the Great Fracture.” Percival straightened, his dark-ringed eyes looking past her and out of the window.

“And ever since that time, the Dawnmother hasn’t been seen. Some argue she was overwhelmed with grief, others say she fell into a deep slumber. Her fate remains a mystery. But without her, clerics could not invoke their miracles, her blessings would disappear and your magic would cease existing, for she upholds the magical weave that threads through this world.”

Mira went silent. She laced her fingers together.

“So… When Zev said that the Dawnmother killed her twin, he wasn’t lying.”

“But he left out the rest. That is what the Covenant does. They carry a small fragment of truth and sharpen it into a blade. Vastella started the war and Lady Asteyris ended it. And our world has paid the price for it ever since.”

Mira brushed a strand of her lavender hair aside, raising her head again. It was a whole lot for her to take in. And even then, she felt like she had only scratched the surface of what was common knowledge to everyone around.

So Vastella is an evil goddess? Is it really that simple? She thought and looked out of the window.

I guess some things can be black and white. And now our world is without their divine overseers…

“Does that satisfy your curiosity?” Percival asked.

“It does, yes. Thanks for telling me.”

“You needn’t thank me. Speaking for the clergy is my life’s calling.” He said and cleared his throat.

“And while we are at it. We have something else to speak about, don’t we?”

Mira tried to recall their past conversations, bringing a curled finger to her chin. He had no questions during their interrogations. But there was something, when she was brought into the church for healing.

“The Dragon Egg?”

“Most precisely.” Percival said and pulled the chair closer. “You said that your ship was transporting it here, yes?”

“That’s right, yes. We learned that from the logbooks.”

“Are there any hints about its whereabouts?”

“No… The ship was broken in half. We figured the Red Feathers might have it.”

“That complicates it. Of course, nothing here can be easy.” He sighed and pressed a hand to his face, rubbing his temple.

“This Dragon Egg, I guess it’s important?”

“Incredibly so.” Percival said and pulled his hand down. “A Dragon is a divine protector, granted by Lady Asteyris. And if your people meant to bring an egg here, that means the hatchling was meant to watch over Laotaan.”

“That explains the sudden Covenant attack as well.” Albert chimed in. “They were trying to look for something that isn’t here. Common sense doesn’t mesh well with these cultists.”

“Naturally… We haven’t heard word from the Order either.” Percival said with a sigh.Albert then turned his attention back to Mira again.

“All that aside, what are your plans now, Mira?”

And now that she was asked that, Mira realized that her original goal had been forgotten in the skirmish. She remembered it clearly now. The night before the Covenant attacked, she was preparing to leave Laotaan. All of her plans had taken a backseat when Zev revealed himself. But now that the threat was vanquished, she could pick up the thread that had fallen. She clenched a hand to a fist and nodded.

“…I still want to regain my memories.” She said and looked down at her hand. “I’ve only had a small glimpse of who I was and where I came from. But it’s not the whole picture. It’s possible that I’ll find something in Hullbreak. If more of my people were shipwrecked, they might have washed up there.”

Albert folded his hands on the table and made eye contact.

“Hullbreak is a dangerous place. Are you sure you want to go there?”

Mira’s gaze broke away from him and she fidgeted with her armlet. He caught her there. She had made the mistake of not taking their advice before. Hullbreak was dangerous. And she couldn’t walk into it unprepared. Nonetheless…

“I don’t have many other choices. That’s where I must go.”

“It won’t be too dangerous.” Rhys said and raised his head with a smirk, holding a hand before his face, sparkles appearing beside it. “Because what man lets a woman charge straight into danger all alone? His own teacher nonetheless? No! You are not going alone. I’ll be coming with you!”

Mira was genuinely taken aback by this, her mouth wide agape and her eyes having widened. She raised both her arms and shook her hands before herself.

“B-but it’s dangerous, you said it yourself!”

“I don’t think I stuttered, milady~ I am coming with you!” Rhys insisted.

Mira bit down on her lip and slumped her shoulders, smiling weakly.

“There is no convincing you otherwise, right?”

“There is not!”

And even if she was against him joining on going to such a dangerous place, she was grateful not to go alone. Maybe it would bring her joy to travel with a friend. And before she knew it, she found herself looking forward to it.

“May I ask a favor of you then?” Percival interjected. “If your path leads you to Hullbreak, could you keep your eyes and ears open for the Dragon Egg’s whereabouts? I know it’s a lot and I don’t ask you to bring it back. But any information would be worth its weight in gold.”

“I gueeeess if you’re already there, you might as well? Hit two birds with one stoooone…” Velvet drawled, nibbling at her pipe.

“If you find elven survivors, they might trust you more than an outsider. I don’t want to burden you more, but it would be a great help to us.” Albert chimed in.

Rhys opened his mouth, but Mira was already brightly smiling.

“I can try~!” she chirped.

Velvet was right, she was already going there. There was no harm in keeping her eyes open. Her primary goal wouldn’t change because of it. And not only that. She had saved Rhys, helped in safeguarding this town but the debt she felt had run much deeper. And it wasn’t just the debt; she found herself simply wanting to help these people she had come to like.

“Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. But I’d like to implore you to recover first. Stay a few days here before you depart.” Percival said and made space once a barmaid brought two trays.

“Two times Honey-glazed Cockatrice ribs, yes?”

“Yes, that would be here.” Albert said.

The woman nodded and put the food down, one for Rhys and one for Mira. The spare ribs rested on a bed of green leaves, their red-brown surface perfectly coated with a shining glaze of honey. They were roasted to perfection and Mira felt her mouth water at the sight. And not only her. Both Velvet and Percival seemed to eye them with the same hunger.

“Yo, giiirl… Two times more for me and the buffoon who can’t lock doooors!” Velvet said.

“Will you stop reminding me of that?” Percival sighed.

The day went by fast, the sun raced across the horizon. Everyone stayed well into the late evening, sharing drink and stories with one another. Their jovial time stood in stark contrast to the horrors they had endured just a few days prior. Such continued interaction proved exhausting to Mira. But with that exhaustion came a newfound, profound happiness that eclipsed her worries for the day. She had arrived alone, without memories and with none she could recall. And now, for the first time since she had come here, she felt truly surrounded by friends. And she was enjoying every single moment of it, well until everyone would retire to their rooms.