The Seal

CHISATO INSTRUCTED Aisling to remove her kurta, her eyes noting its familiarity. She then proceeded with the preliminary checks, and after a brief examination, concluded that Aisling was in good physical condition. But when she pressed her fingers along her spine, she discovered an anomaly, its nature baffling her. “Interesting.” She adjusted her glasses.

“What’d you find?” Sirius asked while his back was towards them.

Chisato permitted him to turn around after Aisling clothed herself again. “It’s like you said earlier, something’s physically preventing her from channeling mana, yet it flows through her body like normal.”

“Any idea of what it is?”

She asked Aisling if she felt any mental or physical fatigue, to which she denied.

“All I know is that I can’t remember anything from before,” she added. “Not even my own name until I saw its inscription, or why I was sleeping in that coffin.”

She tapped her pen on the blank notebook page. “This is definitely beyond the realm of my expertise,” she admitted, removing her glasses and sitting back in her chair. “But I was able to identify a seal.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows. “A seal? From where?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. But I do know that whatever or whoever placed it has capabilities to challenge the almighty mana.”

“To challenge the almighty powers…” he muttered off to the side. “What makes you think that?”

“A seal on the soul isn’t the same as the blockage you had. Those are natural. A seal isn’t. And even rarer is a seal with such… potency, that it overrides the host’s natural mana flow.”

Sirius stroked his beard, quickly thinking, Would that explain…? “Is there anything we can do?”

Chisato rubbed her temples. “The most obvious solution is to have whatever it was that sealed her powers undo their work.”

“But we don’t know what did it in the first place.” Or do we?

“Right.” Chisato placed a hand on her chin. “If we break it down into fundamentals, a seal can only exist if mana is directed to do so. In other words, an external factor had access to manipulating her mana, and chose to restrict it to the host.”

Sirius nodded. “That confirms the sealing process, which means it could also be undone.”

Chisato took a deep breath, and glanced at Aisling, then into Sirius’s eyes. Uncertainty stirred within her, but she was determined to push through her limitations to help him. “It should be, yes. All seals have a method to undo them, no matter the type. The question is, how can we unseal this one?”

They were both thinking it over for some quiet moments, but came up with nothing. Why a seal was placed on Aisling was something they deduced as being correlated to why she was entombed under the mountain.

Aisling stared absentmindedly at the steaming teapot on Chisato’s desk. But she absorbed what she could comprehend, based on her little knowledge of mana. “I wonder if the seal is linked to my memory loss,” she piped up.

Sirius stroked his beard, then glanced at Chisato.

“At this point…” she replied, then paused. “I wouldn’t put anything past it. My thinking is that your memory loss is the result of the seal, not its cause.”

“I thought so too, but they could still be linked.”

Chisato put on her glasses. “Let’s wrap things up for the night. I’ll do some research into it later and let you know in the morning.”

Sirius looked at her with soft eyes. “I really appreciate everything you do, Chisa. Just, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Sirius, remember, it’s because of you I have this time. And I’ve committed myself to using it to help you whenever you need it.”

Her mind had been made up for a long time.

“Okay,” he exhaled. “It sounds like we’ll be boarding here for a while. So just do what you can.”

She promised and proceeded to see Aisling and Sirius to the door. While hugging him goodbye for the night, she mentioned, “I believe Sister Henrietta is still on duty. But if you see her, do you think you could let her know about this?”

On the way back, Aisling tapped Sirius’s arm and whispered, “Okay, so Henrietta isn’t her sister either, right?”

He chuckled, then reminded her, “Right. Just a title and term of endearment for this organization.”

* * *

While Sirius was receiving treatment, Lucien soon finished in his dorm’s washroom and emerged to see Henrietta.

She was patiently sitting at the round table with two bowls of hot soup in front of her. When she caught a glimpse of him, she greeted, “Hungry, darling?” She slowly made her way towards him.

Lucien raised his eyebrows, taking her hand as she led him to the table “Oh wow, it smells good. Did you make it?”

She shrugged. “Just something quick I whipped up. I cannot have you going to bed on an empty stomach.”

He smiled, his eyes glittering at the homemade soup, something he hadn’t the luxury to enjoy for a long time. “What about Sirius and Aisling?”

“I brought them their bowls already. I am currently taking my break, so I wanted to share this moment with you.” Henrietta positioned herself in front of him, gazing up into his eyes before closing them. She felt the softness of his lips on hers.

Lucien melted into her embrace, burying his head into her neck, muffling, “I missed you so much, Henrietta.” He softly kissed it repeatedly.

“Long nights have I gone without your touch, Lucien,” she replied, stroking his silky hair. “But while we are within these walls, we must refrain from consummating our bond.”

He straightened up, pulling her close to him by the waist. Then used his left hand to draw her right to his lips to kiss it. “I wouldn’t dare to put you in that position and have you desecrate your oath, milady.” He continued to kiss her arm all the way to her neck.

Her eyes fluttered when his words tickled her ear, her body going limp in his firm and gentle hold of her.

A slow and steady dance did they perform, tuning out the sounds of the clock and hearth, only to replace them with the sounds of their hearts beating as one.

Suddenly, a red glow appeared from each of their left ring fingers and connected them along a string of mana. The Red Twine of Destiny bound lovers together—their souls intertwined—and occasionally appearing if their love is strong enough.

Their swaying slowed after some time, then stilled. Lucien kept Henrietta close for a lingering breath.

She let out a quiet laugh against his chest. “You are like the ginseng tea we brew—I can feel my energy replenishing.”

He murmured, “And your love is as strong as the shield you gifted to me. Untainted, pure, and eternal.”

“As was the armor you gifted me. Protected, warm, and constructed with care.”

“Oh, how I feel your presence beside me, a quiet warmth where none else can be.”

Henrietta looked up at him, her chin resting on his sternum. “Oh, darling. You have been writing poetry recently?”

Lucien grinned sheepishly. “Maybe. Maybe I’ve also got some lines I wrote that I’d like to share with you.”

“Oh?” She delicately fondled his ear, pressing her body closer to his as she whispered, “Then I would very much like to revel in what you have composed… but alas, I must return to work soon. So let us dine, my love. A few more hours have I, until we can return to one another’s embrace.”

Lucien pulled Henrietta’s chair out for her to sit first. When he tasted the soup, it seeped into his body, warmth easing any tension he had in his muscles. “Almighty One! Your cooking is divine, Henrietta.”

She giggled. “Oh stop, it is just something quick I put together. But I made sure to add extra love to yours.”

He could feel his eyes swell with tears that were short of falling. “It’s that cozy and homey feeling that can’t be found in the field…” he murmured. “I’ve missed it so much—I’ve missed you so much, milady. Thank you for the food.”

Her eyes softened and she placed her left hand over his right. There was a silver ring adorning her fourth finger. “I am with you now, darling,” she muttered. “And we shall never be apart after tonight.”

They soon finished their food and made their way to the door, kissing and hugging one another tightly.

“I shall return soon, my love,” she whispered.

“Do your best tonight,” he replied, tightening his hold before slowly letting go.

They kissed once more, and as they were about to part for the last time, they saw Aisling and Sirius approaching.

“Ah. How did it go?” Henrietta asked.

“Pretty good,” Sirius answered. “Same outcome as usual.”

“Oh, right,” Lucien recalled. “You went to see Chisa? Is she well?”

He nodded. “She said she’ll check your arm tomorrow. But while we have you here, Henrietta, do you have a moment?”

She tilted her head in wonder. “Sure, sweetie, what is it?”

Sirius explained the nuances of Chisato agreeing to research more on the seal that was hindering Aisling’s mana from being manifested.

Henrietta glanced at the Pawn, and placed a hand on her chin. “I see. I sensed something was off with her mana—I thought it was just the memory loss. But a seal would make more sense.”
“Know of it?”

“I cannot say it is something that I am versed in, but it is certainly something that we can look into for you.”

Aisling frowned, her hands fidgeting. “I’m sorry for the trouble, everyone…” she spoke up. “I know you all have a lot going on right now.”

Henrietta approached her with a friendly smile and placed an assuring hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry, cutie. It is the apothecary’s mission to aid those in need.”

“You have our deepest thanks,” Sirius acknowledged, lowering his head.

She placed her marked hand on his shoulder, recalling, “Do not forget it was also because of you and Lucien; you both saved us in the past.”

He met her warm gaze.

“This is the least we can do to repay your service.” Henrietta let the gratitude between them linger for a heartbeat before turning toward the corridor. “When I am making my rounds, I shall pay Sister Chisato a visit to see if there is anything I can help with.”

“Me too,” volunteered Lucien. “I’d like to contribute somehow.”

She shook her head, placing a hand on his bicep. “Do not fret for tonight, darling. Get your rest, and we shall regroup tomorrow morning, okay?” He reluctantly nodded, and the senior elixirist dismissed herself to see about her duties.

Lucien watched until she descended the stairs, a longing gaze in his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and focused on Aisling. “I don’t suppose you were able to recall anything either, were you?” he asked.

She shook her head again. “No. But Sister said she’d look into it more. I trust she’ll find something by morning.”

He stroked his beard, with Sirius answering exactly what he was pondering. “So, while we wait for New Warryn to open its gates, we could look into this.”

Lucien nodded. “I had a feeling,” he replied, lowering his shoulders. “This way her condition is carefully looked into within a controlled environment.”

“Right. And who better to look into it than an apothecary sister? Chisa and Henrietta especially.”

“Don’t forget Master Rysa,” Lucien pointed out. “Her knowledge will definitely prove invaluable.”

After Aisling and Sirius returned to their room, the former gasped, “Oh, right.”

“What’s up?” he replied, removing his slippers.

She turned to face him, asking, “Which side do you prefer to sleep on?”

His heart jumped into his throat, as he quickly answered, “Closest to the door.”

“Okay, that’s fine,” she replied, making her way to the opposite side. “What made you decide that?”

He scratched his head, bashfully looking away. “Just… instinct, I suppose. It’s customary.”

“I see.” Aisling crawled into bed and tunneled beneath the sheets like a mole until her head appeared from the other side where Sirius sat. “Wow, this is a big bed.”

“It’s meant for two after all, so the space is pretty even,” he replied, adjusting her veil, which pulled back during her exploration.

“This definitely beats the coffin.” Aisling then rolled in the blankets until they encased her like a cocoon on the opposite edge of the bed. “Oh no, I’m stuck.” As she tried wriggling herself free, she rolled onto the ground, the padding from the encasing breaking her landing.

Sirius chuckled. “What are you doing, Aisling?”

“Er, I don’t know,” she replied with a calm panic. “Please help me, Sirius.”

He helped her back onto the bed and carefully unwrapped her. “Still not sure how you managed that.”

“I’m probably just catching my next burst of energy.” Aisling smiled sheepishly, glancing to the side.

He straightened her veil again. “I guess we’ll have to brew a stronger batch of chamomile tea next time.”

She giggled. “Probably!”

“There,” Sirius finalized, freeing her completely from the blanket cocoon.

“Ah, much better.” Aisling stretched out her arms to the side, and then above her head. “Thanks, Sirius. And sorry for the trouble.”

“No worries. Now make yourself comfortable, I’m gonna put out the light.” After laying beside one another, Sirius extended his left hand to lower the bright glow from the enchanted rocks within the lanterns.

She gasped, “Wow, that’s so cool. I hope I can learn that one day.”

“You will,” he remarked, settling beneath the sheets. “Goodnight, Aisling,”

“Okay. Goodnight, Sirius.” She lay stiffly on her back, hands folded atop her stomach. Sleep didn’t come immediately to her, so she whispered, “Hey, Sirius, are you awake?”

No answer.

The Bishop had already fallen into a deep slumber, his body finally relaxed since the treatment.

“Ah,” she sighed. “Then, maybe tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Sirius.”