Karfice and Maria quietly settled into the front row of pews. They sat in perhaps the finest cathedral Maria had ever seen, a beautiful symbiosis of plant and stone, marble and stained glass highlights accentuating the space. It looked to be designed as if the gods themselves would come down to visit.
In front of them, lining the back of the cathedral, was a row of 14 stained glass portraits depicting the 14 gods. And above those, hovering just above Raligoth, Rovilith, and Reltair, were portraits of the three great divines which superseded even the gods, Adrieith, Loarch, and Terminus. The gods themselves, for the most part, were depicted as human entities in their portraits, surrounded by their particular brand of magic. Raligoth didn’t look anything like the head Trenton had, though, which was a little disappointing, even if Maria already knew it.
“Why are we here, again? I can’t imagine you’ve exactly found god in the last couple minutes” Maria muttered as people settled in around them, patiently waiting for the sermon to start.
“Research,” Karfice said, easily ignoring the sideyes of the people all around them. “Clearly the gods aren't very fond of us. Maybe learning a bit more about them could help.”
“Can you stay awake through the whole sermon?”
“I…can try?”
“I’ll give you the spark notes.”
Karfice grinned, “you’re too kind. But seriously, I will try to stay awake. This is important.”
A man rose to the podium, folding his hands over the wooden structure and setting a stern gaze upon the audience, bringing the room to silence, “At the dawn of time, before such a concept even existed, three divines grew from the great tree, each one unique in their own way. These divine beings were none other than Adrieith the Overseer, Loarch the Day Maker, and Terminus the Equalizer. Through their power, they formed the plane of life, creating the land upon which we walk, the water through which we live, the air with which we breathe. These gifts they gave to us without price, dedicating themselves to overseeing life and death; fate; and the threads of balance respectively as the 14 gods, their first children, created and cared for a new creation, mankind, the first mortal image of sentience. Through the gods, we have been given life to enjoy their splendors. Through the gods we have been given might, champions in the form of special chosen. Through the gods we have been given protection against the blight of monsters. But this-”
A woman next to Karfice glanced over at the boy, clearly uncomfortable with his face. But as she moved to shift away from him, she stopped, head snapping back towards him, her eyes darting to Maria intermittently. Maria hadn’t realized at first, mostly due to how long she’d been away from the castle, but she actually knew this woman. Endraie was her name. She was one of the old servants they had, but she left around the time Karfice-
Her high pitched screams pierced the air, bringing to a grinding halt the nice little sermon they’d been privy to. Without a moment to waste, she stumbled out of the pew, bursting through the door while screaming something along the lines of “monster” over and over again.
Maria rose to her feet, “I should go explain-”
“No,” Karfice said, tugging at Maria’s sleeve. “It’s my fault. I deserve this. And she wouldn't listen to your word or mine on the matter. Let her report to whoever she wants, and when she’s calmer you can find her again.”
“Are you-”
“Yes, now please sit. I’d like to finish listening to the sermon.”
Although many questions hung in the air, confusion readily spreading among the church audience, the pastor quickly refocused himself, continuing on with his speech as if nothing had even happened after a couple precious moments.
***
Trenton and Millie walked along a busy sky bridge spanning the length between the main building and an off-jutting tower, both delighting themselves with their simple ice cream cones. It had taken a little bit of finagling and a couple gold coins, but Trenton managed to convince the cafeteria staff to make them some ice cream, a treat that rather pleased the little water spirit.
They’d spent about an hour just walking around different buildings, talking to some of the students and teachers, enjoying the sights, and learning about the area. Apparently the Academy didn’t even exist before Era. It was something of his life's work, a collection of all of the world’s knowledge, both public and forbidden, as well as the only neutral territory in the world, a remarkable feat considering how recently some kingdoms (Verulik and Lagasia) have fought with each other.
As they’d wandered around, Trenton noticed lingering tensions in the air, Verulians and Lagasians eyeing each other with vitriol from across crowded hallways. It was impossible not to notice, especially since his presence only seemed to worsen the matter.
He’d been getting death glares the whole day, students forming small casts and aiming at him when they thought he wasn’t looking, small congregations stopping and trying to rattle him, but never an outright attack. Whether that was because of Trenton’s reputation, presence, or the child on his shoulders enjoying her ice cream, he couldn’t say.
Regardless, he was happy to go a day without incident. Of the days he’d spent in cities the last couple months, few were peaceful. In fact, the only one that actually came to mind as a “peaceful” night was the one night he spent with Kiva after they’d arrived in Avar, and even that joy was short-lived.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Trenton, Trenton! I wanna go see the mountains! Can I go see the mountains? They’re really close and I promise I won’t go far,” Millie pleaded, clasping her now icecream free hands together and bending over the top of his head to give him the world's most pitiable puppy eyes.
“Where do you want to go?” Trenton asked, eyeing the mountains not very far in the distance.
“The observatory! The one those nice men were talking about! Pretty please?” Millie pointed to the top of the tower they were headed to, a location they’d planned to visit once everyone was back together.
Trenton sighed, letting her gently down from his shoulders, “Holler if you need anything. I’ll be close by.”
She threw her arms into the air, proclaiming her elation and hugging Trenton’s leg before sprinting off towards the far tower. The bridge was rather large, Trenton situated approximately in the center towards the edge, so it was difficult to keep eyes on Millie between the legs of all the panicked students rushing about and the calmer students sitting along the edge of the bridge and looking out at the marvelous scenery. Despite this, however, Trenton was confident in Millie’s ability to keep herself safe if she was alone for just a couple minutes. She tended to be a slippery one. And the Academy was really well defend-
Plain daylight, like he were the most normal sight in the world, another student amidst the populace perhaps, the 3rd veil sat, feet dangling over the side of the bridge, gaze vacantly staring off towards the mountains. Trenton’s heart leapt into his throat, adrenaline pumping through his veins on sight. In an instant, the world's distractions, all the bustling students, all the noise, faded into the background, until it was just Trenton and a boy who wanted him dead.
Slowly, Three turned his head, placid blue “3” blocking any indication of possible emotion–intent. He patted the ground next to him, invitingly, almost like a friend calling their pal to lunch. Or at least, that’s what Trenton thought he saw. For some reason, the boy’s movements were almost impossible to track, like in that meer moment he was moving, he simply ceased to exist, an echo fading in the background.
What to do? What to do? No one else seemed to notice the imminent threat sitting among them, or maybe they just didn’t care. Or…maybe they didn’t know what the veil was. Everyone knew Trenton was being hunted by the Bloody, but maybe the veil’s involvement had been kept a secret, for whatever reason.
In any case, if Trenton made a big scene here, panic was sure to ensue, something he couldn’t afford. If he were to try getting Era, Yissle, or another one of the teachers' attention, he was sure to be cut down. And if he tried running…well, he’d never make it. But neither could he fight. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t feel 3’s presence, almost as if it didn’t exist at all, but there was no doubt he was far, far beyond Trenton’s capabilities. Combat wasn’t an answer.
Trenton loosened the tension in his muscles, steadying his breathing and sharpening his mind. He took a spot 2 feet or so away from 3, sitting at the edge of the bridge, looking out across the mountains. His mind raced for words, anything he could say to potentially control the situation, but he came up empty handed, choosing instead to sit in silence instead of risking saying something that could expedite his imminent death.
“...I’ve always found it interesting, in a way. All of these people, each with their own lives, loves, moments of despair and moments of joy, I could end it in a moment. If I so chose, not a single soul would leave these grounds alive. It makes me wonder why we were ever even given power in the first place. Give a man the tools to war, give a man free will, and he’ll exercise them without restraint. It’s the natural order, been in place as long as we’ve lived. I often wonder if our creators foresaw what we’ve become. A part of me thinks that if they did, they never would’ve let it come to this…but another part thinks they simply didn't care. It’s not like they ever did anything to stop the warring when they were around,” Three said, the annoyingly familiar monotone voice still finding purchase in Trenton’s muddled memory.
“What are you talking about?” Trenton asked.
“History. Not the kind they’d teach you here, of course. Real history, the kind only dead men remember…” He paused for a couple moments, expression impossible to read. “...did you know presence isn’t a natural force to mankind? I figure not, we’ve done quite well to keep that information concealed. When man was first created, he bore no presence, no magic, no aspect. Everyone was a commoner, intelligence and talent the only significant marker of one man’s superiority over another. But there was a woman, one of great ambition, who despised the system, denied the utopia created for her. In her passion, her folly, she unwittingly altered her body, creating a mockery of her creators’ strength to fight back against them, the very first aspect–aspect of emotion. And do you know what she got for her folly?”
“Death?”
“Exile, actually. I suppose they couldn’t bear to kill their beautiful creation. But that also meant her strength lived on, and the scales would be forever tipped if nothing was done. By this point, man had already been given presence, a simple means to stabilize your body in its substance, but now it wasn’t enough. So, the creator’s gave the first men magic, a tool designed specifically to fight, to kill, all except that first woman. Have you ever wondered why some in this world cannot cast magic? It’s because of her. They’re direct descendents of her bloodline.”
“I don’t understand. Why tell me this? What do you want?”
“Nothing. I just find it odd that someone would revolt against something that loved them unconditionally, fight against something that did neither them nor others harm. It’s almost like our curse, mankind's eternal folly…” He paused again, seemingly refocusing. “The Veil’s purpose has always been to hide the truths of our world, upkeep the delicate veil clouding mankind's eyes. That way, history won’t repeat itself. You can’t act on what you don’t know, afterall. But…” He looked down, appearing almost somber, “...there doesn’t seem much a point to it anymore.”
He looked over to Trenton, acknowledging the boy for the first time since he sat down. “The war is starting again, regardless of our attempts to stop it. And this time, it won’t end until one side is wiped from the face of the earth…for good,” Three took a deep breath, standing and looking down at Trenton. “Consider this a favor…and a warning. I don’t know who’ll come out on top, but…if you win, if you mean to continue this fight…I’ve a favor to ask of you.”
“What?”
“Whatever you do, just make sure it’s worth it…can you promise me that?”
Trenton stood, looking the boy in the eye, or as much in the eye as he could, “...I promise,” Trenton said, something about the boy’s phrase both parts calming, and irritatingly familiar, words he’s almost certainly heard before.
Silently, not even waiting for Trenton to blink, Three disappeared, his unspoken pleasure hanging in the air where he stood a moment ago, the world around Trenton continuing as if nothing had even happened.