Arrangement of Ink & Prayer

WHILE GOING through a thick tome she had picked from the bookshelf, Chisato was immersed in study. “Before I even open the Codex, I have to find that one case.”

Having been established at the beginning of God-King Dajayatan’s rule, the Elixirium recorded unique cases over the years. It serves as a reference and guide when diagnosing and treating a patient—even documenting the weather and location for complete accuracy. All apothecary sisters were required to study it, not necessarily memorize it, but summarize it in their own words.

Chisato skimmed through the thick tome of handwritten case summaries for her own reference. “It may not be the full scenario, but I do remember something along the lines of what Aisling may have,” she muttered, then paused to look at her white Bishop mark, stroking it gently. “This was also where I learned to help heal Sirius when he first came to me with his condition. I can’t let him down. Or Lucien. Not after everything they’ve done for me, our class, and our apothecary.”

After some moments of skimming through the cases she still kept bookmarked for healing her friends, Chisato found the one most similar to Aisling’s situation. “Okay, here it is. The Ixabal Binding… Quadcore Archprime.” She adjusted her seating and read, “‘Near the old jungle reaches, the case was first recorded by Sister Malin Tz’ayel, Registered Elixirist, on Seraday the fourth of Tocklune, 1782 AKD.’ So a little over 1,200 years ago.”

The abstract of the case described a young man from Ixabal Village, who was in his mid-twenties, a King’s Pawn-class individual, and was an ordinary farmer. He had woken up one morning unable to channel mana beyond a faint trickle, though all diagnostic rites found him physically sound. Over time, symptoms worsened to a dull pressure along the spine, small lapses in memory, and a strange sense of paranoia during attempts to cast.

“Hm, the lapse in memory sounds accurate,” she recalled. Reading on, Chisato tapped twice with her finger on the passage describing the cause of this blockage.

A rogue King’s Bishop-class channeler, whose name was omitted in the book, fell into doctrinal heresy. While in exile, he cursed a villager, rendering him incapable of channeling mana.

“Some thought this person was a phantom,” she muttered. “Others believed he simply went mad. A few believed that a soul feeder possessed him.” She continued skimming and learned that the procedure to undo the villager’s seal was difficult, even after executing the exile when he refused to speak. She closed the tome gently. “But the ritual worked, and the villager could channel mana like normal again.”

A knock rapped on the door before being pushed open.

“Peace and blessings to you, sister,” Henrietta greeted. “May I come in?”

“And upon you, blessings and peace, sister,” Chisato said, then answered, “You may,” and gestured to the chair for her to sit.

“Thank you,” she replied, taking a whiff of the air. “Ooh, something smells lovely. Is that dandelion tea?”

“I just brewed a batch.” She removed the kettle from the burner table beside the desk and offered her a steaming cup with one cube of sugar.

“It sounds like you had your work cut out for you earlier.” Henrietta sipped the cup and nodded in approval.

Chisato also took a sip from her cup. “Yeah, Sirius had a bigger blockage in his mana this time. It spread to his left knee, so I gave him an ointment for it.”

“I sensed his mana flow was back to normal, so good work.”

“How’s Lucien? I’ll need to check his arm and give him cream for it too.”

“He is well. Although I sensed a bit more stress in his left arm that will sting intermittently.”

She nodded. “I’m supposed to see him in the morning after our prayers.”

“I anticipate the congregation will last longer because Master Rysa is finally attending.”

“Oh, did Sister Charlotte send a memo? I haven’t received news of it yet.”

Henrietta shook her head. “She is consulting with her. We should definitely be getting something via crystal ball before dawn.”

“I see.”

Changing the topic, Henrietta playfully asked, “So what did you think of the little cutie with Sirius? I know you are looking into her case.”

Chisato explained the parallels she discovered from the Ixabal Binding. “I need to look at the Codex for more information. Wanna join?”

They descended into the lower chambers of the Clinical Ward.

Prayer chambers, concoction laboratories, storage units, exercise rooms, and several more areas were all located throughout the amber-lit halls and corridors.

They passed beneath the main hall and entered into the east wing. While the sitting room and guestrooms were above, their destination was located in the Research Ward. Chisato and Henrietta passed through the tall doors marked by a carved depiction of a quill and book.

Mana residue of a light blue hue traced it, and seemed to baptize those who entered in a light misty shroud.

The senior elixirists soon entered the archives of Rudbeckia Apothecary.

Old vellum and ink gently lingered in the air of this massive chamber of knowledge. Lanterns glowed in amber sconces, illuminating tall shelves packed with handwritten copies of historical records. These were also meticulously replicated from originals safeguarded in Throne’s Edge. Tables were arranged in a circle around a central lectern, where a diagram of the eight Clockwork Harmonies had been etched into the wood. There were also some open books laid on tables beside short stacks of them. Some elixirists working the overnight shift were sitting at them, diligently taking notes for future studies, or were refining their understanding of the texts. There was no shortage of what one could absorb here.

One of the stewardesses of the archives appeared from one of the aisles, her white veil and dress with red frills indicating her rank as a Registered Elixirist. “Peace and blessings to you, senior sisters,” the dark braided-haired woman greeted as a pair of lanterns shining with a soft amber light floated beside her. “Was there anything I could help you with?”

“And upon you, blessings and peace, Sister Zaynab,” Henrietta replied. “We are sorry to intrude, but this is concerning Brothers Lucien and Sirius. We are requesting access to the Codex.”

“Ah.” She closed her scarlet eyes, remarking, “I knew I sensed something familiar.” After opening them again she said, “Anyway, follow me.”

The elixirists continued toward the far wall, where an especially heavy book rested in a transparent casing.

Its off-white spine was reinforced with brass plating to help keep it together. The original afflictions were recorded in the first years following the era After King’s Descent, in addition to others that became common symptoms throughout Chesslandiya. It was continually updated with newer, more unique cases, which was now a rarity, but still served as the Elixirium’s primary reference.

“Here it is,” Zaynab announced, extending her right Bishop-marked hand towards the copied relic. “The Codex of Ailments & Ritual Resolutions.”

Henrietta glanced at the mechanical wall clock above it, its hands indicating close to midnight. “Let us get to it, then.”

The registered elixirist placed her right hand over the sigil lock, which glowed amber in response to her mastery over channeling earth magic.

The tome was enormous—as big as their torsos combined—as it hovered in front of them. Bound in deep burgundy leather, its corners riveted, and its pages edged with gold leaf that shimmered faintly white with mana residue. When Zaynab opened it, the parchment exhaled a dusty warmth.

“I bet if Sirius saw this, he would want to study it all night,” Henrietta remarked, sitting beside her at a long table. “And poor Lucien’s eyes would be fried from looking at all those words.”

She giggled. “It’s a lot to go through, so I don’t blame him.”

“Yeah, I could definitely see that,” Chisato added with a grin.

They began reading about the Ixabal Binding, each line a mix of medical detail and prayerful notation written in calligraphic script.

After some moments of learning and absorbing the information, Chisato recapped, “Okay, so the undoing of the seal required eight elixirists, each proficient at channeling one of the Clockwork Harmonies: Light, Dark, Fire, Ice, Air, Earth, Lightning, and Water. And all rites are supposed to be performed in a mana-dense ritual chamber.”

“Let us see.” Henrietta held up her right hand, and began listing, “You wield Earth, I wield Fire, and Master Rysa wields Ice. We can call on five more sisters if they know that Lucien and Sirius are involved.”

Zaynab pointed out, “I also wield Earth, but can proficiently channel Air if that’s what’s needed.”

Chisato nodded, adding. “And if Yulia’s willing to help, she wields Dark. But Directors Skylar and Clarisse can only wield fire and ice respectively.”

“Which leaves Light, Water, and Lightning,” Henrietta counted. “Hm, too bad the boys can’t be part of it. They would’ve fit the Light and Lightning Harmonies perfectly.”

Chisato placed a hand on her chin. “Well, they are proficient users, plus they possess a similar mana signature to Aisling’s. Why wouldn’t they suffice in this case?”

“Because an apothecary sister’s mana flow has a purity index much greater than the common person,” interjected a stern voice from the side.

They looked over to see a slightly taller, white-haired elixirist—Yulia—emerge from a nearby aisle.

Her pair of pale gray lanterns followed behind her, gently illuminating the white frills and veil, which contrasted her burgundy dress. This distinguished her as a Charge Elixirist. “There would be an imbalance of flow that would not synergize effectively,” she continued, approaching her colleagues. “And will only desecrate the sacred rites performed.”

“That is true,” Henrietta considered. “Under normal circumstances, the inclusion of those outside of the sisterhood—especially men—will skew the mana. Their soul responds to a more robust rhythm compared to a woman’s steady tempo. But Lucien and Sirius are different.”

Yulia’s sharp violet eyes flickered at their names, which softened her tone. “I-I see. Well, even so. I do not see how they would be different.” She crossed her arms, her left hand visibly showing a white Pawn symbol. “I do not like antagonizing them, but they are still outsiders. And even beyond that, they are anomalies, outliers…” She then curtsied. “Peace and blessings to you, senior sisters… I-I apologize for eavesdropping.”

Henrietta and Chisato curtsied back and responded accordingly.

“Don’t worry about it, Yulia,” Chisato replied. She then went on to clarify that the young men, even with their Forsaken-type statuses, were probable candidates to help with the ritual. “In short,” she finalized, adjusting her glasses, “my mana was used to purify theirs as best as it can get. Plus, Sister Henrietta is… involved with Lucien, as we know.” She had to rephrase for the sake of upholding consecrated standards.

Yulia’s fair face reddened slightly after that response. “A-At any rate, I would like to help in any way possible if you will allow me to. Putting a ritual like this together will take time and Master Rysa’s guidance, no less.”

Henrietta nodded. “Yes, we were just talking about recruiting you, Zaynab, and others. But that is only if Director Skyler allows you to.”

“She’s right,” Chisato replied. “As much as our apothecary owes them, our duties come first. And I personally know that Sirius and Lucien wouldn’t want to burden anyone with their problems. So that’s why I will work on putting the proposal together. Maybe have Master Rysa announce it after prayers tomorrow. That way it can be a natural integration, instead of an obstruction, to our duties.”

“That is what I was thinking too.”

“Indeed,” Yulia agreed.

“Sounds good to me,” Zaynab chimed in.

“Good.” Chisato directed, “While I work on the request, Henrietta, could you list what we’ll need for the ritual, please?” She then asked Yulia and Zaynab if they were still interested in helping if the ritual did happen.

“You have my support, of course,” Zaynab answered with a smile. “I made cookies and cupcakes the other day too. You said they were supposed to be passing through again, so I wanted to give some to them.”

“Yes, I already said I would,” Yulia confirmed. “Plus, Lucien promised he’d spar with me on his next visit. And Sirius and I were supposed to exchange our next book recommendation….” She then muttered under her breath, “This interaction will hopefully allow me to improve my social skills….”

For nearly an hour, Henrietta copied instructions, made annotations, and underlined anything that might aid this process. Zaynab cross-referenced her draft, confirming they were written word-for-word from the Codex.

Chisato was feeling the weight of the task settle over her.

But it was not fear, it was responsibility.

And after she signed her signature at the bottom of a sheet of parchment, she sat back in her chair, accomplished. “There,” she exhaled, handing Yulia the proposal to proofread. “This should be enough. What do you think?”

She nodded and showed the others, who also approved. “Straightforward and to the point. I like that,” she commented.

They each signed their names on it, and Chisato returned to her office to seal the proposal with a red wax melt. She took a hard look at it once more, her thumb gently passing over Sirius and Lucien’s names slowly. “I wished things didn’t have to be like this,” she mused, the wax cube melting in the spoon at her desk. “But even though they are, I’m happy I can give you all of my efforts, just like you did for me.” Chisato removed the spoon from over the candle and carefully poured the hot wax on the envelope, sealing the flap. She swiftly pressed a stamp upon it, which had the symbol of her ward—cupped hands with an orb floating above them. The young woman’s resolve was now sealed in ink and prayer.