Chapter 9: The Promised Day

Beyond the window outside, the sky had been covered in a blanket of dark clouds, the sun was nowhere in sight. Rains coming down flooded the entire garden, the library had to be closed due to a certain accident. Days before, while in magic lessons, I mistakenly amplified a spell Uriel had me practice, and shot a ball of ice through the roof of the library. Causing a gaping hole where water was now free to drown the entire selection of books and flowers. Uriel gave me an earful of lectures for nearly an hour after. Gabriel however, while proctoring looked like he was in another realm. Whenever Uriel asked him for advice, he just stood there dazed, and it would take several calls towards him to snap into his senses. There was one thing that stood out, the tips of his robe looked like it was seared and charred, for an archbishop who carried himself with dignity, he sure was careless to burn his attire somehow.

However, I was no different, after the eventful night at the Garland Workshop, all I could think about was the owl courier Mister Albert had sent out. I was looking forward to hearing from Marty and Mister Alfred. That might have been why I was so distracted when attending Uriel’s classes.

“Lady Hainé, you have been summoned to the courtroom.”

I turned to face the voice, it belonged to Cecelia, who now stood at the doorway waiting for me.

“D-did I do something wrong? Don’t tell me I broke something else other than the roof,” I stuttered, my face turned blue and twisted in fear.

“Your face is funny, Lady Hainé,” Lilia teased innocently. I held tightly onto the small maid's hand, shuddering at the thought of whatever punishment awaits me in the courtroom.

We journeyed to the court room, I grabbed ahold of Lilia’s arm, holding on tightly. The only thing that rang in my mind was the library incident. As the door opened, I spotted the familiar faces, Archbishop Arthur, Archbishop Gabriel, and Uriel. They all lined up their gaze locked down at my small stature.

“I-if this about the library, I promise I’ll be a good girl, and help with repairs,” I cried frantically, tears coming out from my eyes.

“Library? Repair? What is she talking about,” Arthur turned to ask Uriel, who was holding to her stomach, cackling at my misery. Gabriel on the other hand just shook his head, and gave only a small response.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Arthur had a confused look to him, but he moved on and started addressing a matter which he originally called me for..

“Young Haine, your ceremony of accession has been decided, within one week time, you will be debuting your presence to the realm at Edel Cathedral,” the archbishop declared, handing a scroll to a Sister which she passed on to me. There were two things that went through my mind. First being he pronounced my name wrong, I wondered why neither Uriel or Gabriel had corrected him. I made a pouting face at Gabriel, reading my thoughts on my face, all he did was adjusting his glasses and made a gesture to say move on.

Secondly, Edel Cathedral, that was a name of the church that was attacked by the fiends six months prior. The memories there were unpleasant, with one being my father's disappearance. I felt sick to my stomach thinking of the fiends, I had nearly died from the incident by a demon. Suddenly, a deep feeling within me stirred.

Again, I’m being strewn along with no way to refuse. There wasn’t even a word of consent if I was okay with how things were, I was made to do their biddings without a choice of my own.

The thoughts suddenly came out of nowhere, almost felt as if they weren’t my own. All because I recalled the events of that night. I pushed it aside and accepted the scroll. I bowed to the Archbishops, seeing my reaction, he looked fulfilled and marched out of the room.

“I’m sorry, little Armiger, I wasn’t able to convince him to extend till the Spring Harvest,” Uriel approached looking disheartened.

“It’s okay, not like I was in any position to refuse anyway,” I shook my head, it did not make Uriel's expression any lighter. Outside of lecture, Uriel had grown fond of me. Beyond the instructor facade, she was a very caring woman towards children.

“My request will be granted, right?” I nudged Uriel with my finger.

“I swear I’ll grant it,” Uriel replied, her statement made me feel at ease.

“I’ll do all I can to make sure nothing goes wrong, think of it this way, since Edel Cathedral is in Albus, this is your chance to visit home,” Gabriel said as he came next to Uriel's side. I nodded at the suggestion, he was right, the church was located near my old home, I had wondered if the cabin I lived in was still there, granted, it had burned down last I laid eyes on it.

Suddenly, Gabriel gently took me by the hand and dropped his knee so his eye met evenly with mine.

“I’m sorry, I never apologized back then, for taking you away,” Gabriel said apologetically.

“Gabriel, your grace, you don’t have to lower your head for me,” I shook my head. I knew he didn’t have a choice either, he had his duty to fulfill. Though I do not exactly understand the roles of an Armiger, I just know all these efforts must mean something.

Just then, a voice shrieked out behind me, it was Lilia with her hands covering her face, her ears glowing bright red.

“His grace, Gabriel is proposing to Lady Hainé, this was not something I expected today, once in a lifetime,” the little girl screamed.

“Of course not you brat, who in the heavens interpret an apology as a proposal, and where did you even learn that,” Uriel sighed, then flicked the little maid on the forehead. Lilia groaned in pain and simply replied.

“I learnt it from a romantic book I found in your studies.”

Uriel's face now also turned red, and started pulling at the little girl's face, in which she apologized nonstop due to her nosiness.

I giggled at the current scene, it wasn’t all that bad coming to this city. I had hopes, once the ceremony had passed, I would see Marty again. At least now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, then I would be able to go home.

I returned to my room, the dark clouds were still covering the sky. The rains were heavy as strong wings furiously blew the curtains wildly in my room. I approached to close the window, spotted Archbishop Arthur from the elevated room, he was going into town, I had wondered where he was heading in the dreary weather.

“Lady Hainé, you have a delivery,” Lilia ran into the room waving an envelope. The little maid handed the letter to me, it was addressed formally to me and was written in very neat cursive. I was in awe that Mister Albert had such beautiful handwriting. I lifted the seal off the back, and took out a rough piece of paper.

To Hainé,

I am glad to hear you are well, my shop is the same as ever, I was not aware you had reached out to my brother Albert in Aether Citadel. I guess the world really is small. I hope he treated you sweet when you visited him. Anyhow, the timing of this letter was truly unfortunate. Martha had stopped by months ago when you were taken away by the archbishop. She truly gave me an earful as to why I didn’t stop you. Believe me, I tried, and she interrogated me for the next two hours, my shop schedule was shambles. Poor Charles had fallen asleep in the midst of it all. You aren’t even her child yet she was willing to go to heaven and earth just to find you. She never stopped asking around town about your whereabouts. When I received your letter, Martha had already left Albus. Even though I don't know where she might be, I'll be sure to give her your letter when she returns.

To Albert,

You better treat little Hainé well or I’ll roast you to the family next Harvest.

Signed

Alfred Garland

I couldn’t stop smiling as my eyes followed every sentence. I was glad he was the same even though six months had passed. What worried me was Marty was not in Albus, I was looking forward to her part in the letter. I checked the envelope to see if there were any additional notes, alas my hope was diminished as the cover was empty. I tucked Alfred’s letter neatly into a cabinet where my clothes were, and walked over to the window. I hope that I’ll be able to see Marty while I’m at Edel Cathedral.

“You look so happy while reading that letter, milady,” Lilia said innocently.

“Well, it was from someone I know, I would love to introduce them to you one of these days,” I replied with a glee.

“I see, maybe on our adventure after the ceremony!”

The little maid bounced on my bed, then hopped over to me. Her eyes glittering with expectations.

“So about that thing, I asked Mistress Uriel for permission,” Lilia paused, then decided to present me with a slip of paper.

“We can go shopping in town!”

My eyes widened at the suggestion. I had thought I was going to be trapped here in the sanctuary until the day of the ceremony but Lilia had gone one step beyond.

“Really? How did you manage to convince her?” I was skeptical, Uriel was a strict woman, it was no easy task convincing the teacher to ease up.

“It wasn’t particularly difficult, I told her I would go with you to venture some pastry in town, then her face lit up,” Lilia explained, then took out a couple of elegantly decorated papers.

“She handed me these coupons, and said to bring her some souvenir, that was her condition, oh and be back before curfew.”

Lilia put the coupons onto my hand, on it written Stella Bakery, I didn’t recognize that shop name. I never took Uriel to have a sweet tooth, the thought of her enjoying sweets was a bit cute.

“Okay, let’s go out and explore and be back before dusk,” I declared.

We both cheered in tandemly, I never felt this excited before, to have the freedom to explore the city for once. It made me feel bad for sneaking out that one night, but I will thoroughly take advantage of this occasion.

We walked through town, it was still daytime even though the clouds made it seemed like darkness would settle soon. Lilia dragged me along by the hand, looking through every shop that caught her eyes. At the clothing store, many cute clothes were on display. The shopkeeper was kind enough to let us try on a couple of them. We walked by a performing troupe, a large muscular man was seen dancing among the crowds. He was very attractive, his movements were that of a seasoned dancer. Never thought I would witness a man dancing in a way that was eye catching. Lilia's eyes glowed in delight, I had to hold her back from joining or we would be separated and lost in the crowds.

We navigated through the street, slithering through the crowds like snakes. Before long we stopped before a shop where its sign matched the coupon in my hand. On the window were numerous pastries, it made both our mouths watered. We opened the door and our jaws dropped to the floor.

“So this is Stella Bakery, it feels like an art gallery,” I critiqued, admiring the golden lights reflecting off all the metal wares. Cookies, muffins, flan, and other sweets surrounded us. If I was a bit bigger, I might be able to stuff all of them in my stomach.

“Lady Hainé! They even have cakes, they look so beautifully decorated,” Lilia beckoned to me.

An older woman spotted us, and walked around the counter to greet us.

“My, what cute customers you both are, anything I can help you girls with,” the woman asked.

“Umm… Your shop here is so cute! Must be amazing to eat stuff like this everyday,” Lilia commented, her mouth drooling at the cake.

“Such adorable compliments from you, say, are you both from the church, judging from your attires,” she pointed out, then brought a tray from the counter, it had small cookies. She offered us a sample to try. I felt the creaminess and sweetness dancing on my tongue, it had been so long since I had something this good. Lilia was already asking for seconds, I held back as there were more I wanted to try.

“Yes, we were recommended to this place, some take out was requested,” I said after chewing, then handed her the coupons Uriel had given us.

“My, these are special coupons I had given to Uriel, are you dears her students,” she exclaimed, examining the tickets closely.

“Yes, you know my teacher?”

“She’s one of my regulars, but recently she hasn’t stopped by, she must be swamped with church obligations,” she paused then let out an audible gasp.

“My apologies, silly me, my name is Mary Stella, just Mary is fine,” the woman introduced herself.

“My name is Hainé.”

“Lilia is I, pleased to meet you!”

Both of us announced our names, Mary giggled as she found us cute. We went on to discuss our favorite snacks and pastries. She talked about how Uriel alone funded this shop. It was only popular because of a single woman. I had wondered how much of a sweet glutton Uriel must be.

“She requested some pastries, but we aren’t aware what she likes,” I asked Mary for any recommendations.

“My, it’s quite easy, she loves the rainbow fountain chocolate cake right here,” Mary brought out a uniquely decorated cake. I had thought to myself that name was a mouthful, just like its appearance. Lilia looked like she was about to pass out upon glazing her eyes on the pastries.

“So much goodness, I have seen the Goddess, milady,” Lilia fainted dramatically.

I laughed to myself, Mary stuffed the cake in a box before handing it to me.

“Umm… as for payment,” I said softly.

“No need, just serving the upcoming Armiger is enough of an honor,” Mary lowered her head to me.

“H-how you know?”

I got flustered at the sudden politeness.

“It wasn’t hard figuring out from the way your cute attendant kept calling you,” Mary smiled.

Lilia was in her own world looking at the cake through the box.

“We’re sharing this with Mistress Uriel once we get back, right Lady Hainé?” Lilia asked, completely ignoring the conversation I’m having with Mary. I simply nodded and waved back.

“For a child like you to bear such weight, I hope my pastries are enough to alleviate some of it,” Mary patted my head. I didn’t understand what she meant by weight.

“I’m okay, and your foods is delicious, I promise to stop by again,” I held her hand, and the woman giggled delightfully.

We packed the thing Uriel had asked for then started heading back to the Basilicom. I waved goodbye to the shopkeeper, and the lady gave me a bow before closing the door to her shop.

“Everything was so good, hopefully we have more chances like this to visit again,” Lilia hoped.

I had the same thought, but today was likely an exception, with the ceremony in a few days we would be incredibly busy.

“It would be lovely to eat her cookies again,” I said, Lilia nodded. I grabbed onto her hand and we walked back toward the sanctuary.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a familiar attire, it belonged to someone from the church. As I turned, the crowds had covered my sight.

“What’s wrong milady,” Lilia asked me. I shook my head at her question, firmly holding onto the little maid's hand.

“It’s nothing, might’ve been my imagination, let’s go home.”

Archbishop Arthur arrived at a large building hidden deep within the heart of the citadel. For man of his holiness, he was walking through a part of the city that was anything but holy. Beggars filled the alley, the stench was foul mixed with littered garbage and human feces. Any priest of the church would be disgusted by the sight and flee at the smell. However, to Arthur, this was a sight of his younger years.

The people in the alley noticed his presence, they all lowered their heads in unison, as if he had ventured through this area numerous times before.

“What brings you to the Black Light District, your holy grace,” a woman called to Arthur. She was pretty, she wore a dress that revealed her cleavage, it tightly hugged her figure, showing all the curves clearly meant to attract the opposite sex for certain services.

“I’m here for a tract, supposedly it was music, the hermit of yours has what I want,” Arthur spoke in code. The woman's face brightened then turned neutral as she turned to walk away without saying a word. Arthur followed her closely behind. Often archbishops were accompanied by guardians, but today Arthur was traveling alone.

Arthur arrived at a small house, the door opened by the pretty woman as she motioned him to enter. The stairs sloped downward, he followed the paths and came upon another door, this time it was bolted to the wall with no obvious handles. Blood stained around the wall, this was where all the curious would meet their demise should their nose proved they were trespassing. To Arthur, he knew the code, and the key was already in his hand. He conjured a spell, a circle appeared on his palm showing a shape that did not belong in Eristella. The metallic door reacted with the corresponding shape and slid rightward, revealing the contents inside to be a library. The pretty woman was nowhere to be found now, she vanished like she was never there by his side. Arthur chuckled audibly that even the people here were on guard against him.

He continued deep into the shelves, lines of books stood tall in every direction. Here anyone can find records that were outlawed by the surface world. Tomes of forbidden magic, record of illegal trades, money trails, politics corruption, even the church’s dark secret were recorded in this very Umbra Atheneum. There were only a few dozen known of its existence, and even less than a handful were built around the realms. Arthur had a hand in building it before he became Archbishop.

He came to a dead end, it was a circular room with a singular desk sat in the center. Mountains of books stacked high against the curved wall. The quietness was eerie, no one was around, just Arthur stood alone near the desk.

“I am here, Bell, where is the tome I requested,” Arthur yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. Moments gone by with not a single sound, then flopped on the desk was a book, the leather cover had been burned with no legible words. However, its content for the most part was undamaged.

Arthur flipped through the pages, it was a record containing the history of war in the past two decades. The archbishop silently skimmed through the pages, looking for two particular keywords: Eristella and Armiger. His hand stopped, he traced his finger along the scriptures, scanning every individual word on the single page. It was a recording of the war almost two decades ago in Arias. It showed the aftermath, where the fiends were pushed back behind the border line. The leading champion at the time was a woman Armiger named Charlotte Caelum, carrying a Sapphire brand.

“Sapphire? Not silver?” Arthur whispered, continuing reading.

The Armiger staying at the Basilicom was a silver bearer, a very young girl chosen by the Gods. The thought of it repulses Arthur, in a way a young child was chosen to be deities plaything, forced to fight in a war that she understands very little. But to him, deep within his heart was envy, how could a man of his faith devoted his entire life to serving the Gods was not chosen yet a girl from heavens knows where gets selected to be the brand bearer. Had he been an Armiger, he could have had greater influence over the Solomon Court. He could have saved his hometown, he could have saved his fiancé.

Arthur hand stopped, his mouth agape at what he was reading, eyes fixed on a single inscription that shouldn’t even be read by civilians let alone by those involved with the church.

The brand went missing, it was found hours later, witnesses claimed they saw a sapphire brand held by a demon with crimson hair.

“Preposterous, how could a demon be able to hold a holy brand with no rejection,” Arthur muttered.

This revelation could shake the balance of power across the realms. If there was a Demon Lord out there who could wield the power of a brand. Then humanity was doomed to lose the war.

The library was still as ice, many things going through the archbishop's mind. He pictured the brand in the demon’s hand as his own. Then a terrifying idea came to him, he flipped through the pages again, searching for an answer he knew he wasn’t going to get. If a filthy demon was able to wield a brand after an Armiger dies, then someone as Arthur was more than worthy of bearing the brand. It didn’t matter if the blade rejected him, so long as he framed that he possessed the brand, the influences he had would be immense.

“Why would the blade reject me, I’m worthy, right Elise? I served the Gods the last thirty years, and I will continue to do so until my dying breath,” Arthur cackled to himself. The idea had taken root and sprouted uncontrollably like weeds.

“The appointed promised day, I will be its new bearer, a new Armiger.”