Chapter 8: Unexpected Meetings in Unexpected Place

I tiptoed my way through halls, avoiding all lantern lights from passing clergymen. I felt like a spy in an epic novel, I had read one recently with Lilia after lessons; it was interesting. As I approached the front gate, I noticed one of the rooms was open, a fireplace illuminated from the gap in the door. I sneak a look, just to find two people inside talking loudly.

“So how did the meeting with the Pope go, is Arias still under invasion from the demon army?”

“Nine hells, we are fighting a losing battle, we have met up with His Highness, Davis Herschel the Second, and things over in the capital just aren’t going well.”

I recognized the voices, it belonged to Uriel and Archbishop Arthur. I pressed my ear on the door lightly, trying not to push it.

“We need to rush the ceremony,” Arthur said hastily, he sounded exasperated.

“We can’t, the little lady is still at least a month off from being ready, what is the rush,” Uriel asked with concern.

“There had been only three brands confirmed across the realms, with Durandal in our possession, we have power to tip the Solomon Court in our favor,” Arthur said excitedly, his face twisted.

“What makes you think you have ownership of it, Little Armiger is the bearer, and she’s only a child, the youngest in recorded history,” Uriel exclaimed, showing concern for me. This side of her I missed compared to her demonic academic session. Solomon Court, another subject I do not recognize, wasn't mentioned by Gabriel nor Uriel in any of my lessons.

“Seriously, what happened to you Arthur, you weren’t like this in your prime, why are you suddenly so obsessed with licking the boots of those old coots in the Solomon Court,” Uriel asked earnestly.

The archbishop said nothing, he had a pitiful look on his face, it was red as the fireplace he sat next to. I noticed there were a couple of bottles, I could smell alcohol all the way from the door. I recognized the scent because my father would often sneak a drink late at night behind my back, I always scolded him for it.

“You had enough drinks for the evening, if any normal person walks in here and finds their Holy Archbishop hitting the bottles, they would question their faith in the church and themselves,” Uriel said sarcastically.

“Leave me be,” Arthur said as he drank another cup of alcohol.

“What happened to Elise wasn’t your fault, there wasn’t anything you could’ve done at the time, you were only a low clergy, you must come to terms with that tragedy,” Uriel comforted. Elise, an unfamiliar name, I wondered to myself who that could be.

“Over nine hells it is, had the Solomon Court taken action, His Highness Herschel would have sent an army to the village to fight off the fiends,” Arthur yelled, clearly he was drunk.

“Elise she… she passed in my arms, I was too late, those bloody fiends, damned the demon lords, I will get vengeance for my fiance,” Arthur declared, his voice gone hoarse from excessive yelling and the alcohol burning his throat.

I realized I was listening to something personal, so I decided to vacate my ears from the door and continued down the hall towards the front gate. I paced my steps quietly, I felt eyes locked to the back of my neck, I turned to look but all I saw were the hall shadows and the moon light shining through the window. Ignoring the thought, I hastened my steps and stepped beyond the gate and out into town.

Even though most people had gone to sleep, the market street was still bustling with people. With the holy sword strapped to my back, I wandered in solitude through the market street. The men at bars drinking their night away, the women were yelling things that a child ear of mine should not dare to hear. They wore clothes that barely covered anything to attract the men, it looked inappropriate and unladylike to wear so little garments. I shuffled through the streets quickly to completely avoid the sight. I felt eyes locking me but they just mostly ignored a lone child wandering the street, they must’ve thought I was a homeless child wandering the street like a beggar. I had seen those at my age in ragged clothing, begging for merchants of any spare change, when I had traveled to the Basilicom. It was a pitiful sight, I thought of Lilia, she could have been like one of those children; abandoned.

I walked by another stall, there was a young girl that must be a year or younger than I. She was crying, apparently throwing a tantrum over the food they had asked for wasn’t what they wanted. The father reassured her, trying to calm her down by getting another dish but she was unrelenting. I giggled to myself, to think I was once like that with my father. I must have been illogical and unreasonable as well. I had pictured the daughter-father duo in that stall as if I were them. A feeling of envy washed over me, I felt a feeling of sadness come up on my chest. I shook my head out of the melancholy feeling and pressed on towards my destination.

I came upon a shop, on the worn out sign carried a name I was all too familiar with. It caught my eye when I had passed through it months prior. Then as confirmation Cecelia had brought in a knife with an insignia I recognized when I helped her with preparing lunch. I had asked where she had gotten the utensil and she only said briefly it was located in the market section of the city. The lights in the shop were still on, it made me wonder who could still be working at this hour late after midnight. Not that it was a bad thing, because it was my sole reason for sneaking out in the first place. I took a deep breath, then exhaled to calm my nerves before knocking on the door. No response, I lightly pushed the frame, it gave way before it led me inside the shop.

“Pardon me,” I said softly before entering Garland Workshop.

Greeting my nose was the smell of metal and sulfur, a smell I was well too familiar with, it was nostalgic in a way. I looked around in the shop, it had all the essentials, weapons and armors, as well as pots and cooking wares. Though the layout was different, it felt very similar to Alfred shop back in Albus. I closed the door behind me, triggering a bell from the top of the door. A tall man with a grey beard through a curtain. He had a dirtied tank top and covered in oil sludges, he was likely working in the back of the shop. He spotted me, he had a scary look in his eye, it felt similar to Alfred.

“Are you lost or something, little girl, where’re ya parents, don’t tell me you’re a beggar,” the bearded man said annoyingly.

“U-Umm, are you, Mr. Garland?” I asked softly, rubbing my hand together because of the outside cold.

“Why, I am, who are you, little miss,” the bearded man retorted with a question.

I picked the words in my mind carefully, before softly letting out my voice with a simple question.

“Does the name Alfred Garland mean anything to you,” I asked sincerely, while also pretending to look at the store wares to avoid eye contact.

“Why yes, he’s my brother, his shop all the way in Albus though, that's a hundred miles from here, how you come across that name, little miss,” the bearded man's expression softened at the mention of Alfred.

“This is going to be a bit complicated, but I know Mr. Alfred four months back, do you have a moment to hear me out,” I asked politely, holding tightly to the straps carrying the sword on my back. The white bearded blacksmith nodded, then he invited me to the back of the shop where he welcomed me onto a dining table with some teas and sweets at the ready. They really were brothers I giggled at the thought.

I chronologically went over the events that had happened in the last four months, the blacksmith crossed his arm and closed his eyes as he listened to my story. He hung on every word I said, and didn’t say a single thing until I had finished. At the end of it all, he finally spoke.

“I see, you had a shaky ride last few months, for a young child, such absurd responsibilities you bear,” the man said apologetically.

I said nothing, my hands were politely on my lap, I hadn’t taken a single sweets from the table he offered. The air hung in silence for a few minutes, before the man stood up and walked over to his counter at the register to grab a pen and paper.

“You should write to them, I’ll see to it my brother gets it, and hopefully, get it to this Marty of yours,” the bearded man offered.

My eyes widened at the suggestion, so much so my tears began to flood my eyes. It made me glad, I finally had a connection where I could tell Marty I was safe and doing well.

“Thank you!” I exclaimed joyfully, with tears in my eyes.

I wrote a simple letter, telling Marty where I was at, my daily life, and my plans going forward. I reread the letter contents several times to make sure I was satisfied before handing the paper to the blacksmith. He stored the letter into an envelope, and made a whistle at the window. A white owl suddenly perched on the window frame, the bearded man stored the envelope in its backpack strap on its body before releasing it into the air.

“Is that an owl courier, it’s my first time seeing one,” I asked softly.

“Indeed, it will reach my brother in a couple of days, hopefully I will get a response then,” the bearded man replied.

“Thank you so much, Mister Garland, I am really grateful you listened to my story, and please don’t tell anyone what I am, the ceremony is supposedly soon and it’s where I’ll make my debut then,” I requested.

“It was nothing, a customer of my brother is a customer of mine, also, it will get confusing if you call me Garland, call me by my name, Albert,” the blacksmith laughed.

Their names and even their laugh sounded the same. I recalled a saying from one of Uriel's lessons; the apples really don't fall far from the tree.

“You two really are brothers,” I said under my breath, realizing I had said my thoughts outloud again.

Albert heard my comment and grabbed his stomach in laughter, I shy away and buried my face in my hair out of embarrassment.

“Thank you again, Mister Albert, I will come again some time soon,” I said as I approached the front door.

“Don’t sweat it, little miss… uh…” Albert paused, realizing he didn’t know how to address me.

“Hainé,” I giggled, Albert looked pleased then gave me a thumbs up on my way out. I couldn’t wait to receive the letter from Alfred and Marty.

Outside of the shop, I found light creeping up on the horizon. I didn't know how much time had passed while I was in Garland Workshop. Dawn was approaching, I began marching my way back towards the Holy Basilicom.

I ran through the market street, the unkempt men and women I had seen drinking earlier had long vacated the bars. I see all the shopkeepers were cleaning and closing up their stalls to rest. Suddenly, I hit something soft head on, and fell backward on my bottom.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going, are you okay little girl,” a gentle voice called out to me. I rubbed my nose and looked up, it was a man offering his hand to pick me up from the ground.

“No, the fault was mine, I shouldn’t have been distracted by the shops,” I countered with my own apologies.

The man smiled, he was tall, he had red hair with white streaks of highlights going all around his head. It looked as if he dyed the hair considering the patterns in the hair were inconsistent and unnatural. He had golden eyes, like that of a cat. His attire looked formal, a suit that was almost exclusively worn by the nobility. However what struck me was not his attire nor his red hair, it was his face. He was breathtakingly handsome, almost like a prince from a fairytale. No matter man or woman, one look at him would instantly make their heart skip a beat. Blood rushed to my cheeks, he was uncomfortably close as he picked me up from the ground. I pushed him aside then ran past him. However I felt something pull me back, the man had grabbed onto the sword I had wrapped in cloth. Suddenly a shock jolted my entire body, the blade in my back started vibrating. I turned to the man, he looked at his hand as if he was injured. Then my eyes were drawn to the side of his hip. On his side was a red handle, it looked similar to that of a sword but it was weirdly shaped, not like a traditional longsword. But it was glowing red, almost like a ruby. I took one look at the man before darting away down the street.

“Wait!”

The red headed man’s voice can be heard yelling and faded out in the distance. In my mind, dawn was approaching, and all I thought of was that I needed to go back to the Basilicom right away before the clergymen finished their patrol.

I reached the Basilicom, peered inside, and tiptoed my way into the gate. I walked by the door I had eavesdropped earlier, I saw Archbishop Arthur completely lying on the table. One would think this man wouldn’t be an archbishop at all if he was drinking. I also found Uriel sleeping with her face down on the couch nearby. I could assume they both had been drinking all night. Confirming both were asleep, I stepped forward into the hall and made my way to my room.

When I got back to my room, I found Lilia completely thrashed the blanket I had covered her hours earlier. Never in my mind would I expect her to be an unruly sleeper, she was snoring all over the place, it wasn’t very Sister-like at all. Tonight has been nothing but new discoveries. I removed my coat and set down Durandal against the wall, and threw myself next to Lilia on the bed. I closed my eyes, recounting the events tonight. As I drifted into sleep, the red headed man suddenly appeared in my mind. His pretty face was unforgettable, but rather than that, something about him was disturbingly familiar, almost as if I had seen his face somewhere before. The train of thoughts spiral in my mind before carrying my eyelid to close into slumber.

“That girl, it can’t be,” the red headed man exclaimed, feeling the tingling sensation in his left hand. His right hand rested on the sword handle strapped to his hip, it was no longer glowing.

“You were not who I expected to see in this city,” another voice called out.

The figure walked out from a nearby shop, dressed in an embroidered white robe, his hand adjusting the spectacles on his nose.

“Gabriel, if you are here,” the red headed man paused, realizing magic circles conjured in the air were all surrounding him. They all had spear-like tips pointing straight at the man.

“If you are here, then does that mean the otherworldly hero is here too,” Gabriel asked solemnly.

“First you pinned me, then you stole my words, you haven’t changed one bit,” the red headed man mocked, putting his boot forward.

“Not another step, answer me first,” Gabriel threatened, his eyes were cold, he was serious.

The man let out a sigh, before lifting his hand up and shook his head.

“He’s not here, not in this city at least, but he is nearby,” the handsome man explained, looking onto the path where the white hair girl was last seen.

“That little girl, she’s one isn’t she,” the unknown man turned toward Gabriel, shooting a look of contempt.

“You all are heartless,” the man said coldly.

“That’s ironically grand coming from you, Luke, that’s what you go by these days right? What's an exiled man like you doing in Aether Citadel,” Gabriel interrogated, the onlookers nearby all evacuated from the premises. All the shops had quickly closed their doors so as to not get caught up in the tension between the two men in the middle of the street.

“That was millennia ago, who else is here in the city, Uriel? Azazel? Or Micha—,” before Luke could finish, a spear grazed his cheeks, ruining his pretty face.

“You aren’t worthy to speak of his Grace,” Gabriel said coldly, voice brimming with hostility.

“Scary, speaking like a true lapdog,” Luke joked, adjusting the collar on his suit. The air in the surrounding suddenly felt warm. Gabriel adjusted his glasses, he found sweat on his brows, realized what was happening, and jumped backward on elevated ground several feet from Luke. Within an instant, the area surrounding Luke blew up like a volcano, devouring all the magic circles that had surrounded him. The flames slowly settled, Gabriel couldn’t believe what he saw before his eyes.

“It cannot be, that’s a brand? How?! You were banished!” the archbishop exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the ruby blade on Luke's right hand.

“How indeed, I was punished, my wings clipped, and exiled, then by some twisted humor, this blade found its way to me, what could He and the Gods be thinking,” Luke said under his breath. He made a pained expression, recalling memories that ought to be buried.

“Let me ask one thing, what is the humble vagrant hero doing in this city, or rather, in this realm,” Gabriel asked contentiously. On the surface that question might be directed towards Luke. But Luke knew it was not just himself Gabriel was referring to.

“That’s none of your concern, but there’s something we want to make sure, once we take care of it, we’ll be out of your hair,” Luke said, clearly hiding something.

“I’ll say this though, that girl you’re in charge of, we… I wasn’t aware she existed till now,” Luke sheathed the ruby blade.

“Make sure you guard her well, you know better than anyone else what dangers awaits in her future,” Luke said with a concerned look, then turned to walk away from the archbishop.

“If Uriel is here, give her my regards,” Luke said nonchalantly, and waved his hand in the air.

Gabriel held his tongue, clearly wanting to say something to the man named Luke but he ceased the thought. As the red headed man faded into the town, Gabriel focused squarely on the man's back, a scene evoked a memory he remembered all too well. Gabriel gazed fixed on the spot where Luke had charred everything surrounding him. He closed his eyes, recalling the days where he had gazed on the same posterior for the longest of times before Luke burned it all down and fell.

On the outskirts of the city, outside its wall were two traveling adventures. They sat by a fire they had set up, preparing food by roasting a rabbit they had caught. One of the adventurers was tending to a horse, brushing it down and feeding it after a long journey.

“What is taking Luke so long, he better not complain if we start eating without him,” the older tanned man said.

“Probably got distracted by girls while he’s in there,” the armored adventurer said drowsily, adjusting the sides of the rabbit meat by the fire.

“Why didn’t you go with him,” the blonde man asked, now walking over to the fire.

“Too much attention, and I’m lazy,” the adventurer yawned to himself.

“Y’know Yato, I know you for only a year, do you do anything but sleep, you’re like a cat,” the man asked, blowing on the piece of hare meat he picked up from the fire.

“This journey been tiring Bee, it’s been more than six months, we started in southern Invidia, traveled over Ymirra desert on foot because we didn’t have any horse, then crossed the great canyon in Valefore where we almost got blown into the abyss,” the man named Yato continue listing all his complaints before his breath.

“I wanna go to bed, this world sucks, I wanna go back home and watch movies,” Yato complained, propped backward to stretch his legs, almost tumbling over.

“There you go again with your weird lingo, I guess the rumor about you being an otherworldly hero really is true, you aren’t from this continent,” the tanned man named Bee sighed.

“Not like I have any choice, one day I was abroad, then I suddenly got dropped here the next moment, it was all a blank, that was four years ago, I was only twelve I’ll have you know,” Yato paused, took a bite of the meat before talking with his mouth full.

“Like what does anyone want a twelve year old for, those old sage farts in the capital had no idea what they were doing,” Yato complained.

“Never thought anyone would ever insult a Solomon Court Mage, you really aren’t from this world,” Bee shook his head.

“And?” Bee said reluctantly.

“And what?” Yato replied.

“You said you’re looking for someone, you told us you weren’t alone when you first arrived here,” Bee nudged the armored adventurer arm.

Yato stayed his tongue, thinking about what to say. He had known Bee for half a year, and Luke even longer. There was a history he hadn't shared with Bee, not that he didn’t trust him, but rather a memory way too painful for him to relive.

“I heard from Luke, she’s someone important to you, isn’t she?” Bee stated earnestly.

“That guy, I swear I’m going to grill him like this rabbit,” Yato ruffled his hair in annoyance.

“What was that about grilling me, you know I’m immune to fire aspects,” a new face appeared through the bushes.

“Luke! About time, sorry we started without you,” Bee said he offered him a cup of wine.

“What’s up with your face, did you chase after a girl and she tried to stab you,” Yato said with a mouthful, he really ought to learn some manners.

“You have half of it right, it’s just a graze, my healing spells will mend it after supper,” Luke chugged down half a cup of wine, he let out a noise that was unbecoming of a man with his ladykiller face.

“You should know better, maybe I should have gone instead,” Bee said condescendingly.

“And taking half a day performing in the streets, we’re tight on silvers, but we’re not beggars,” Luke replied sharply, downing another cup of wine. Then he turned to the armored young man.

“Yato, they have been found, the third brand,” the red-haired man paused, gauging on Yato 's expression.

“I see,” Yato said in short.

“We should prepare for the worst case scenario, I got a bad feeling in the days ahead,” Bee said, reading the sky of its weather, dark clouds were coming in.

“She’s a young girl, she’s in my… acquaintances’ care for now,” Luke said as he brushed his arm, making an uncomfortable expression, it wasn’t like him.

“At any rate, there’s someone I want to meet in town, let’s set up camp tonight and it’ll be my turn to lead,” Yato commanded, as he walked to the carriage and unloading camping gear.

“Who? Isn’t this your first time in Aether Citadel,” Luke asked.

“Knowing his wide range of connections, wouldn’t surprise me if he knows someone in the city,”

“Patience my friends, you’ll see,” Yato smirked, looking forward to surprising his fellow adventurers.