“You felt it too, right?”

Aria didn’t answer Yuki’s question, but her silence was enough for him.

“It’s still here, you know. It’s quiet now, but I can feel it. It’s lingering inside me. I don’t know what it wants, if it wants anything at all.”

“Yuki…”

“For a moment there I felt it. The unbearable weight of sorrow and anguish. It came from...him. From Ezekiel. It almost drove me mad. Why? Why sorrow?”

“I don’t know Yuki. I felt it as well. I can’t explain it. The more I think about it, the more questions I have. But Yuki, I can tell you one thing. He is not a good man. Don’t be seduced by these feelings into pitying him. He murdered my whole family. He killed his soulmate. He has done things that are unforgivable. There are no redeeming qualities about him.”

“...You're right. But what about this...thing I have inside me. It’s a part of him. I don’t know what...”

“We will deal with that as soon as we find a way. For now, the only thing we can do is keep moving forward.”

The two remained silent until Joseph came back from surveilling the area. They were waiting for him inside a checkpoint, similar to the one Yuki originally woke up in when he first arrived to this world.

“The path ahead seems clear. We should arrive at the Reina river shortly. A day, maybe two.” They’ve been travelling for a few days already. Not much has been said about what transpired in the village. Joseph knew something was off, but decided not to pry.

“Your weapon Yuki.” he started. “It seems to be effective against those things Ezekiel is sending after us. We should build our strategy around that.”

Yuki unsheathed his weapon and took a good look at it. “What do we know about this weapon?”

“Not much.” Said Aria. “Back in Orfurt, Adam said that we can learn more about it when we arrive to Eliphia, but that we shouldn’t show the weapon to anyone except the ones we completely trust. Do you know anything else, Joseph?”

“...No. At least nothing I can say for sure. But I know a person who we can trust in Eliphia. That person might know more about the weapon.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“And who might that be?”

“...Fayelin Aoris.”

“F-fayelin Aoris?? You mean the high priestess of the Temple of the Light? H-how would you know her?”

“I can’t tell you that right now.”

“Joseph, I don’t think we should keep secrets from each other. At this point, we are all in this together. Just tell us what is the connection between you and the High priestess?” Aria pushed the issue.

Joseph didn’t respond and an uneasy silence ensued. Yuki ended it with a question.

“Who is this High priestess anyway? A religious leader? Why is she so important?

“Fayelin Aoris is not only a religious leader. She is one of the most important people in the whole of Eliphia. The Cult of the Light is the oldest and most widespread religion in Alodia. And Fayelin sits on top of it. She is a very influential and powerful woman. Though, despite her power and influence, she is famous for her wise and kind personality. But that is not important now. My point is that this woman is not easy to meet. And Joseph here is saying that he knows her. How do you know her Joseph? Who are you?”

Yuki shot a curious look at Joseph.

Joseph sighed. “I trained under her. She was my teacher.”

“Br-r-d, excuse me? Aria stuttered. “Your story is losing credibility with each moment. Only a handful of people are chosen to train under her. And by her, no less. These individuals are usually exceptionally talented and, more importantly, from royal families. Even that is not enough sometimes. I wanted to be chosen to train under her as I fitted all the requirements, but the invitation was never sent.” Aria sounded a bit flustered.

“How exactly did you become her student?”

“Before I tell you, I have a question as well.” Joseph looked at Yuki. “Since we are talking about not keeping secrets, is there something you two want to share with me?”

Yuki looked at Aria unsure how to react. “Go on, tell him. No point in hiding it anyway.” So Yuki told Joseph about the darkness and everything that came with it.

“It is as I suspected. But Teacher might know what to do about that as well.” Joseph was looking in the distance, thinking about what Yuki just told him. “We really should hurry, let’s not waste time...”

“Not so fast, mister. You still haven’t told us your story. How did you come to be a student of Fayelin’s?”

“...All right.” Joseph agreed but didn’t continue. Instead he was looking into the distance as if weighing his next words.

“So?” Aria was impatient. “Were wasting time like this.”

“I guess there is no way around it. I am Joseph Cloudgiven, the eldest son of Darian Cloudgiven the Third, King of Aris.”

“Wh-wha…” Yuki’s bewildered face perfectly conveyed his confused feelings. “Darian’s son?”

“H-his eldest son? B-but I heard his eldest son was dead.” Aria couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Yes, that is the story that goes around. And that story was the only way for me to actually keep my life. Come, let’s move, I can tell you my story as we go along.”