The constant drumming of rain pervaded the air surrounding Wintershire.
Far to the north, beyond the Dundarnel river, nearing the White Spire mountain range, was a series of settlements collectively known as The Reach. It was here that humanity’s constant desire to spread its sphere of influence slowly, gradually, stalled and petered out.
Amidst the evening clouds and late-Spring drizzle, Father Elias of the Wintershire abbey was returning from a meeting with the town mayor. In his right hand was a ledger containing several notes and records from the meeting which he held firmly to his chest, and in his left held a simple leather umbrella to protect from the rain. The walk from the town proper to the abbey itself was a short one and soon concluded.
“I appreciate your escort,” Elias nodded to the guardsman accompanying him, “Benevitas bless you.”
“Thank you, Father. Benevitas bless you.”
Elias gave the man a small bow and nod, before turning back to the face of the abbey, his companion already heading back down the short trail. As he walked towards the entrance arch, coming up to the large wooden doors, he noticed a small wicker basket placed off to the side. With a small smile and grimace, he lightly chuckled to himself.
‘Seems my night is still going to be busy.’
He quickly approached the basket, not wanting to waste time or risk the child taking a chill. It wasn’t often Wintershire’s abbey had children abandoned on their doorstep, but it wasn’t unheard of. Elias had seen much in his 20-odd years serving the town. A slight pain in his knee proved further evidence of the years’ toll as he bent down and picked up the basket. He wasn’t sure if the light pains were from the rain, or the day’s work.
While opening the door, there was a small rustle in the basket, basically confirming what Elias had expected the bundle of fabric to contain. He’d just noticed some sort of thick letter, or perhaps it would be more fair to call it a pouch, tucked in the basket when a lit candle and curious face rounded the hallway corner.
Sister Melody poked her head into the entryway, wearing her white and grey robes and holding a stained glass jar containing one of the votive candles they used for prayer. Her blue eyes lit up upon seeing Elias’ face.
“Welcome back Father! How did the meeting—” her words trailed off upon noticing what Elias was carrying.
Elias gave her a reassuring smile. It had been 14 years since Melody herself had been left on the abbey’s doorsteps.
“It seems our abbey’s family may grow yet again. Melody, please go fetch Prioress Anita and Chamberlain Geoffry.”
With a nod, the young woman hastily left, leaving Elias to proceed further into the abbey nave. He gently set down his umbrella and ledger on a nearby pew, focusing his attention on the wicker basket and bundle within. Briefly, he examined the thick letter. It was sealed with wax stamping, which was surprising given the situation. Those dropping off an orphaned child typically wouldn’t have the means for a seal, let alone such a nice wicker basket or bundling. The letter also had quite the heft to it, easily weighing a couple pounds, and the paper was exquisite.
Elias pushed the curiosity out of mind. The lighting in the nave wasn’t especially bright this time of day, and he’d already delayed examining the poor child. It was bundled quite well and the weather mild, but Anita or Geoffry would need to make sure it was in good health. A small wiggle in the basket was a good sign, though the lack of crying was a touch concerning.
Gently peeling back the blanket, Geoffry’s face blanched in surprise.
Two small, sharp yellow eyes greeted the abbot. Even in the meager lighting, they glowed as they met Elias’ own hazel hued ones. They bore into him, expressing curiosity and a number of unknown emotions. And yet, Elias found himself frozen in those small orbs. Memories flashed behind his eyes. He had seen and weathered much in his 52 years of life, which is why he remained rooted to the spot and a single word solemnly escaped his lips.
“Demon.”
Before he could ponder or process further, Elias heard footsteps from the adjacent cloister hallway. He quickly covered the child? The demon? Hiding those eyes while second guessing what he’d seen.
“Father Elias, you’ve returned.”
Snapping back to attention, Elias looked at Prioress Anita and Chamberlain Geoffry, trailed by Sister Melody. Elias looked at the elaborate letter he’d set to the side of the basket, before looking back at Anita. He quickly picked up the letter, thumbing the wax seal.
Geoffry shot Elias a muddled glance, “... Father? Are you quite alright?”
His voice was unsteady, “A moment, Geoffry.”
The seal peeled off the parchment, flipping open and revealing its contents. Elias fished three objects out—a single, folded letter; a teardrop shaped, brilliant-red gemstone set in a beautiful, silver pendant; and a large, rectangular bar, edges rounded, giving off a golden luster.
Elias’ thoughts were a whirlwind of emotion. Anita and Geoffry’s eyes both bulged slightly after Elias emptied the package’s contents, but theirs were merely filled with befuddlement and excitement. Elias looked nervously back at the basket. With a heavy tone, he forced himself to speak again.
“Geoffry, please prepare to have a meeting with full attendance tomorrow morning after breakfast. Anita, please come to my room. We must speak in private.”
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Darkness surrounded me, griping me tightly. There was a noise, which I realized soon after was the sound of rain. That endless sea of black was soon replaced by a more muted dimness. After being stretched and swirled around, something was now wrapping me warmly.
I was confused. So utterly lost and in disbelief that it bordered on numbness. I’m not sure how long that went on, though it didn’t feel like long. Soon after, I heard a set of voices. Something I couldn’t understand, but clearly two men speaking.
I found myself raising gently upwards, a gentle sway back and forth. Then, a creak, followed by a girl’s voice before something shuffled away.
Where am I?
My mind flashed back to my conversation with Nex. Had I more energy for nerves, my stomach would be flipping out right about now. I tried to move again, but found myself feeling drained and weak. Something felt off, everything larger than normal. It didn’t take long, but I came to the realization that I was likely smaller. If two men spoke then I was carried off so casually, it made a degree of sense.
I wanted to explore that train of thought further, but rustling immediately caught my attention. The fabric around me was forcibly shifted away from my face. I peered out into a dimly lit building, my eyes trying to adjust. What greeted me were tall, stone ceilings and an older gentleman. His eyes locked onto mine while I observed his features. His short, gray hair was slicked back; clear skin; clean-shaven face; and a charismatic demeanor that seemed to evoke relaxation.
Or at least, it did for a moment. After we locked eyes, the man seemed to visibly tense. While I felt like it should be slightly obvious that I was bundled up in whatever he carried me in, that was probably presumptuous of me. Or maybe he just disliked babies. At least, I was assuming I was a baby now—which was certainly a lot to unpack!—but his gaze felt a little odd. I wanted to speak up or make noise, but my throat and tongue did not seem to cooperate at all.
Before I could try communicating with the giant man, I heard another voice and he covered my face again. That abrupt ‘goodbye’ seemed a bit rude, but it left me to ponder the situation. Also, I may or may not have been low-key freaking out just a tad internally. I’d gone from a relaxing evening, to a fire, to dying, to getting swirled and mixed around, to apparently whatever this is. Not helping matters was the fact I could barely move and felt sluggish.
Voices started talking again, which only reinforced the fact I couldn’t understand what they were saying. This was frustrating, but I tried to lessen the blow by pointing out the positives. Namely, I wasn’t dead and things could certainly be worse. The man appeared to be ‘normal’ and not some crazy animal about to eat me or a scary-looking person about to do something awful. Plus there were others around, so that was likely a good sign as well. Probably.
Well, it wasn’t like I could do a lot about my situation right now, so I figured it best to wait and see what happened. If there was one thing I was good at, it was bottling up solutionless problems and ignoring the hell out of them. And that meant I got to spend longer bundled up in this blanket-thing and wondering if the last several hours were just an incredibly realistic dream.
Evidence was quickly mounting to the contrary, as was my gut feeling. I’d never had a dream this horrifying and realistic in my life.
After some more discussion, the giant-people saw fit to relocate me again. Slightly more light was coming through my wrappings, and I heard a few things being placed on a wooden desk of some sort. A scratching noise ensued similar to paper being fussed with. One of the women I’d heard earlier made what sounded like a choking noise, followed by some seemingly terse conversation. I felt uneasy.
Something reached for my blanket, uncovering my eyes. I blinked, then stared back at the man yet again. Curious. His face looked worried this time. There was a middle-aged woman beside him. She was well-covered, so I could only see her face, and I didn’t notice anything particular about her other than a few light wrinkles around her eyes and a fair complexion. When I looked at her, however, she appeared to freeze up and go white.
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That’s … not quite the reaction I wanted.
I tried to tilt my dumb baby head a little and partially succeeded, but even that was a struggle. Giant Lady picked me up, unwrapping the cloth around me. I tried to look around the room as I was man-handled, but didn’t see anything noteworthy. Giant Lady was wearing some sort of white robe. I let out a small shiver as they placed me back into a basket atop my blanket. I realized something during my head being lightly rolled around.
Why am I red?
Oh no. Ohhhh, fuck.
Well, that explains a few things. I mentally chuckled to myself nervously. My stubby little hands were an eye-catching shade of deep crimson. And I was in the room with two seemingly normal people who definitely weren’t red.
The two people who I was going to continue referring to as Giants for the sake of my sanity, despite the fact they were probably perfectly normal in height, kept talking in hushed whispers while I tried to avoid a panic attack. Very unsuccessfully. While I could likely blame it on lacking my medication, the more obvious culprit was everything that had happened in the past half a day catching up to me. My breath hitched in my throat, small gasps coming out. Giant Lady looked at me, scared or alarmed or both. For the second time in recent memory, I found tears springing to my eyes unbidden.
Why is this happening to me?
And so, I cried. Ugly little traitorous sobs escaped my now-tiny throat. My piled up frustrations broke their dam and unleashed themselves without my permission. Everything felt so unfair. I don’t see how this was what I wished for, Nex. Can’t you see how they’re looking at me? I feel like even more of a freak now.
Between my sobs, I felt a large set of hands pick me up. I couldn’t blink away the tears, but I saw Giant Man’s gray hair through blurry eyes.
My head was propped against his shoulder and my front pressed against his chest, two warm hands gently patting my back as he softly said something in my ear, repeating it several times as he lightly bounced me up and down. The disconcerting feeling of a giant person comforting me only made my situation seem all the more unbelievable. I saw through blurry eyes, Giant Lady just a short distance away trying to fuss over me.
It was at that point, I started crying for an entirely different reason. Gentle caresses and words continued to wash over me for a full minute before I got myself back under some resemblance of control. I tried to wipe my eyes, but my arms were difficult and partially pinned. I realized I’d made two small wet spots on the man’s shoulder, which started to make me feel humiliated and inconsiderate.
More words were had, as I was handed off the woman. She was admittedly much softer and stroked my back just as tenderly. My crying had died down to a few hics! and sniffles at this point. I felt her large hand gently cupping the back of my head. I didn’t know what to do. I was mentally exhausted, and my body felt about the same. Stress was slowly evaporating, being replaced by that empty, tired feeling.
I decided to bury my face in the woman’s shoulder. She continued to gently rock me while the two talked. I knew logically I should be alert and trying to figure out ways to understand or improve this situation, but I kept coming back to one thought, drowning my other ones out.
Ahh. I’m so tired.
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As the child calmed down and finally seemed to tucker itself out, Anita looked at her company.
“Elias! We can’t possibly have a demon stay in a House of Benevitas!” she whispered urgently, “It defies all common sense! E-Even if—”
Anita’s words trailed off, as both she and Elias looked at the two spare objects on the man’s desk. A solid gold bar sat next to a necklace, weighing in at least two pounds. While it wasn’t necessarily more money than the Prioress had ever seen before, it was a considerable sum. There were currently 27 nuns, 14 monks, and 4 children under the roof of this Chapter, and assuming that was as solid a bar of gold as it appeared, it would likely cover the abbey’s budget for a year.
If that wasn’t enough, there was something that somehow managed to complicate matters more than that considerable sum. Their eyes then looked to the letter that lay open on Elias’ desk. It read:
「 I am unable to ferry this child any further.
Her name shall be Diadora.
In a lost tongue it means Little Wanderer.
Payment, and a memento for when she’s of age.
I’ve already foreseen you’ll choose to raise her.
For this, Benevitas and I thank you.
We look forward to whatever may come.
May your journey's end befit thy deeds.
— Nex 」
Upon scanning the letter for a third time, Elias’ stomach dropped again at the end. Whenever he read the signature, a cold sweat broke out on his neck. It hurt to look at, and it felt like he was being watched. Had he been cursed? He put the swirling letters and feelings out of his mind. They would vanish as soon as he focused on something else, and he’d feel perfectly fine.
This was … a bit too much to consider after an already full day. Even for him.
And yet, that weariness wouldn’t relieve him of what needed to be done. With a heavy sigh and body, Elias slumped into a nearby chair to recoup and shook his head. This made no sense. Was it a test from Benevitas? If not, why would a demon leave their offspring on these sacred grounds? Why this letter? And surely if one had such funds available, they could do better than leaving their child among humans?
Elias briefly reflected on the wording. Was it even a demon who had left this child here? He’d never heard that name before, but it made him feel uneasy. And by what right did they have to speak on Lord Benevitas’ behalf? It trailed the line bordering on Blasphemy.
More importantly, what sort of demon was the child?
There were five classifications of demons, each corresponding to one of the Five Great Sins. Apathy, Wrath, Greed, Lust, and worst of all Pride. Of the Five, only Lust was barely tolerated and not marked for immediate extermination.
The Succubi and Incubi that had migrated to the Mortal Sphere from the Infernal Sphere were many things, but killers they were not. At least, not more than any other mortal. They seemed to view human-like races as something between pets, a renewable magic source, and slightly lesser beings.
They often worked in larger cities at brothels under close supervision and ironclad contracts. As impossible as any of this all was, that would almost surely have to be the parentage. Perhaps one had slipped its binding clauses a town or two over and wound up all the way out here? If so, that was another problem entirely and would need to be investigated with haste. An unbound demon was intolerable.
Still, that left the matter of this little one right in front of him. Elias closed his eyes and sighed again, forcing his next words out carefully.
“As babes, we are born without sin. It is through life we accumulate it. Only by Benevitas’ embrace may we purify our souls and seek salvation. At least for now, this child is still innocent.”
“Abbot!” Anita whined quietly, “I hardly think the Scripture was referring to such a situation! There will be an uproar! What are we to do?”
“What else can we do? We’ll prepare a crib for the night and convene tomorrow to discuss matters going forward. I fear I’ve several letters to write in the interim. I must consult others and make a report.”
The Prioress looked at the sleeping, red-skinned child on her shoulder and let out a very undignified whine for a woman her age. Mixed within was the abject horror that she was coddling a demon, weighed against the unacceptable thought of throwing a baby across the room and shrieking the entire way back out into the main hall.
Obviously, she couldn’t do the latter, regardless of the circumstances, so it made the situation all the more uncomfortable.
“Benevitas give me strength. I fear my heart cannot handle this,” she muttered.
“You say that like my old heart can!” Elias chuckled. This only granted him an exasperated look from the Prioress. As the light laughter died down, Anita looked down at the baby in her arms. Her face became grim.
“Even with an explanation, the others will not fully accept this. Let alone the town folk.”
“Aye. But we’ll have to try.”
Elias stretched as he got up.
“I’ll go fetch Sister Siobhan and bring her up to speed. Let’s hope she’s willing to wet nurse this child as well.”
With a small bow, Elias left Anita alone. She cast pleading eyes at him before he left the room, but he simply gave her a small grin, pointed at the sleeping child, and made a Shh! motion. The Prioress wanted to smack her beloved Abbot very dearly right now, but she was forced to bottle up those actions lest she wake the demon.
Speaking of, how dare he leave her alone with a demon! This whole evening was ridiculous. What if this was some sort of demon trick?!
With slightly jittery nerves, she could only pray and curse silently. Surely she could handle one tiny, little demon baby?
Hurry back, Gods damn you!
Thankfully, despite Anita’s fears, the child on her shoulder did not wake nor stir nor harm her in any way. Elias returned shortly with Sister Siobhan in tow. The two of them were carrying a wooden crib filled with some light bedding.
Upon Siobhan seeing Anita, she nodded lightly, “Prioress. Is this… the…”
Siobhan was only 23 and much less worldly when compared against her two elders. She couldn’t help but pale upon seeing the small demon Anita was carrying. Elias was the one to interrupt the awkward pause.
“Yes, this is the child.”
Elias quickly caught Siobhan up to speed with what had occurred, their plans, and what needed to happen tomorrow, before speaking again.
“She can stay in my room for the night. I’m a light sleeper, so I’ll keep watch in case anything happens. May as well throw up a small Ward or two just to be safe…”
The two women looked at Elias gratefully. Siobhan was already extremely apprehensive, not to mention she was half worried that the Abbot was going to ask her to take care of the child tonight. She hadn’t had time to make arrangements or mentally prepare herself for that yet.
As they were setting up the crib and getting ready to wrap the baby up, Siobhan was gazing at the newborn. Elias noticed her eyes lingering.
“Something wrong, Sister?”
“N-No! Just…” she spoke with a jolt, “Just thinking she’s a bit cute. I’ve only seen a demon once. I didn’t expect her to look so, erm, peaceful?”
Elias thought about the one time Siobhan was referring to and winced. Comparing a lesser Wrath demon to the child would doubtless be an immense contrast. Best not to think back on that particular exorcism right now though.
As the Prioress lay the child within the crib, Siobhan looked uncertainly at Anita. After a few more words, the two women left Elias alone with the sleeping child. He sat down and prepared to go over the notes from earlier this evening, periodically glancing over to make sure she was still sound asleep. The dim candlelight shone over his desk, slowly burning down. He wasn’t able to work nearly as efficiently tonight.
Before Elias went to bed, he cast a small Ward on both himself and the room. With his mind awhirl, Abbot Elias finally turned in for the night. As he drifted off to sleep, he could only ponder today’s events and what would come next.
‘Little Wanderer, hm? I suppose that may be fitting.’
His nerves finally calmed and slumber soon took him.