Matt returned to old Felipe’s underground library in his poor attempt to get his mind distracted. He drowned himself in books and knowledge. Even the financial books weren’t spared.
This world has regressed so much it has become barbaric. A young girl has to fend for herself in this magically terrifying world against people and monsters alike. Now, an old man Matt thought amiable is actually experimenting on people to resurrect life. Note, to resurrect life and not just reanimate the dead. This is beyond necromancy.
Reading the lines ‘Souls are originally eternal however emotions wear them down,’ Matt realized how old Felipe managed to achieve the lifelike resurrection of Telicia. Matt doesn’t know who Telicia really is to Felipe. Rather than a granddaughter as Felipe claimed, maybe she’s actually her daughter, Matt can’t tell.
But if Felipe will take steps like this for Telicia, it can only mean that he loves her so much he can forsake the life of just anyone. With this line of thought, it is certain that this place is dangerous.
However, Matt’s DANGER SENSE is not acting as such prompting him to stay. If old Felipe is really a bad man, Matt would see to that.
Holding a book written in the Rhunsk tongue, ‘Levels of Magic’, Matt dives into studying once more.
Apparently, from 1st tier to 4th tier, is Human Mage which replaced the Apprentice rank to the Elite rank that Trimystery initially had. Then from the 5th tier onwards are High Mage, Archmage, Great Archmage, Master Archmage, and lastly Supreme OverArchmage.
"Fascinating," Beyond that is the Demi-god realm. "The Faceless Believer is a Demi-god. How about old Felipe?" Matt entertained the thought.
Suddenly, Felipe called to him from the trapdoor. “Matt, let’s eat. I only eat fruits and the like so I don’t have anything proper to offer since you woke up. But then I remember, my chicken coop has eggs!”
“Okay, I am coming.” Matt alertly answered back.
At a humble table for three, food was served. Telicia and Felipe were already seated by the table and were only waiting for Matt. Matt with a thought, checked if the food is safe or not through his DANGER SENSE. ‘It seems safe enough for me.’
Matt sat without issue, he doesn’t know whether old Felipe prays, so he just waited. 'Maybe he is actually religious as the bibles in his library implied.' But old Felipe just remained silent awkwardly alternating his eyes to Matt and the food consisting of bread and some eggs.
This caused Matt to feel nervous. “Why aren’t you digging in? You waiting for someone to pray?”
At his joking inquiry, old Felipe raucously laughed. “Hahahahaha! As if, the 13 Empyrean Gods can all fuck themselves!”
Matt can sense a wave of strange anger rising from Felipe. “Why?” Matt asked cautiously.
Felipe taking hold of his emotions, glumly said a piece of his story. “They abandoned me. I am a believer yet they discarded me. They aren’t gods, they are predators feeding on the faith of humankind. They are that. If only there are other gods I can pray to… Hahaha… Do you know what I was waiting for you to do? Why I was looking back and forth between the food and you?”
Matt gazes at old Felipe’s eyes, there were mourning and a sense of helplessness. “What is it?” Matt asks, subtly heightening his awareness and stretching his mentality.
With a reluctant voice, Felipe revealed his thoughts. “I was hoping you could tell me your secret… Are you a heretic?”
Confounded he was, Matt’s frowning says it all. Felipe quickly catching on, explained. “Did you confront an Empyrean God? The curse you were afflicted with is an original spell of Imperfect Oddity, the foolish clown… He is the most sadistic bastard of the Empyrean Pantheon.”
“…”
So, that was it. Matt thought that he’s been caught. So he should be honest about it. Since Matt is planning to be clear about it, it would be perfect if Felipe comes clean out of it. As such, Matt decided to poke the hornet’s nest. “I’ll tell you my secret if you tell me yours. I saw the stitches under Telicia’s clothes, and also your secret stash of dead women.”
Old Felipe breathed in and out. Matt tensed his nerves ready for casting magic any second now.
On contrary of Matt’s expectations, Felipe decided to fold. “I am a heretic. I worked for the Inquisition, a holy order consisting of the best from the 13 pantheons. I originally served the Imperfect Oddity, a dangerously easy god to please… I hope that’s enough. I don’t want to revisit old wounds.”
Matt contemplated on Felipe’s words using LIE DETECTION. Though there are ways to evade its effects through magical means, it’s infinitely better than nothing. “It is fine, but you have to explain what a heretic is…”
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At Matt’s request, old Felipe expounded on the existence of heretics. “Heretics are people branded to have turned against the Empyrean gods. To be called one is so much worse than facing death. Your families will be removed on the map, your soul trapped in eternal damnation, and vilest of all— you’ll be reshaped into something else…”
“…”
Old Felipe took Matt’s silence as a sign to continue speaking, so he did.
“I notice that you are disapproving of my research findings especially given the weird looks you are directing at me. I am old, not senile. I can see if you are thinking of me as a madman, but I am telling you just like what I claimed on my papers… Souls can be used in logical magic because I have seen it. The Imperfect Oddity showed me… Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me.”
Felipe looked above him and stared deeply at the nipa ceiling. Turbid air escaped his mouth with a regretful sigh. “Telicia is a very special person to me. I will do anything to allow her to live again. Even if I have to kill innocent women.”
A long silence ensued. “…” Matt's silence was because he thought, ‘Can he do the same for Len?’ and if he does, can he live with it knowing that he killed innocent people.
And the answer is… yes. He will do it.
“So, what is your story?” Old Felipe brought the conversation back on track.
Matt looked at Telicia who was curiously watching. Somehow, Matt felt that there is emotion in her eyes. “I was protecting people I truly care about. But… the Faceless Believer got in the way. I managed to save my people, sending them through a magic array set with random coordinates. After that…”
Cutting Matt’s words are Felipes’s excited voice. “After that… you fought him, did you? And you managed to survive…” Shock and elation, old Felipe’s emotions are agitated to their core.
“Yes, I managed…” Matt said in a small voice. He then took the first bite of the food using his fork to stab at the bread. He silently ate not keen on satisfying Felipe’s curiosity.
The three ate silently including Telicia who Matt thought was a variation of undead. Perhaps, Telicia has really come back to life. Though the vitality that Matt can feel from her is but a smidgen compared to an average human body, Matt believes that not all hope is lost for Telicia.
Matt caressed Telicia’s hand and softly said. “Thank you for the food,” Subtly, Matt saw Telicia smile.
The moon claimed the night. Matt lay on the bed casually. From the door, Matt saw Felipe coming with a pillow in his hand. “What are you doing here?” Matt asked.
“I can’t sleep with my granddaughter, can’t I? She’s sleeping in my bed.”
“Fine,” Matt reluctantly accepted the smelly old man to his space. “No groping.” He jested.
The two shared the bed and silently closed their eyes. But it looks like they won’t be sleeping anytime soon as old Felipe wants to pass time for idle chatter.
“Hey, Matt… How old are you? Don’t you think you can marry my granddaughter?”
“Shut up, old man. You can’t make me spill my past. I’ve already talked my piece.”
Silence once more pervaded the stuffy room, two men sharing one bed. Felipe then brings up Matt marrying his granddaughter.
“Hey, can you at least consider it? Please, marry my granddaughter. She’s damn beautiful, okay?”
“No, I already have someone who is 100 times prettier than her.”
“Hah, you are boasting. Well, looks like I am losing the deal. Then, take her as your second wife.” Felipe insisted.
“…”
Matt was stunned. Come to think of it, looks like this current world approves of monogamy. Old Felipe who felt that he found his chance pushed on as if he were advertising merchandise.
“Come on, it’s a good deal. Her shape is in the right places, just ignore the stitches. In fact, they are actually aesthetically pleasing, right?”
“Shut up, foolish child. You are getting annoying.”
“???”
Matt opened his eyes, feeling a bit disoriented by Felipe’s unusual pushiness.
“You can tell me what is happening. You can trust me. Though I didn’t graduate from any detective courses, I am proud to say I was mentored by a detective, so I can tell… She is not your granddaughter, isn’t she? My wild guess is that she’s your wife.”
Matt felt the lying old bag of bones in the bed flinch, so he continued.
“I know when a guy is smitten in love. It’s because I’ve been there. I’ll endure eternity if that’s what it takes for me to reunite with my special someone, and I believe it’s the same for you. Your old wounds must’ve scarred you greatly. Who wouldn’t? But still, you persevered. If you grow old enough, you’ll understand how love can be like medicine to you…”
Felipe stuttered in cold silence unsure of what to say. Slowly, tears began pouring from his eyes.
“M-m-medicine? To me, it is becoming poison. My love got twisted, and I’ve made Telicia into a monster. The women carcasses you saw? They were spare parts for Telicia to use if she ever start rotting again. Every day, her life span is getting shorter. Watching her silently suffer like that is a great pain to me, so I can only imagine Telicia’s pain… I was selfish… I became a heretic in pursuit of resurrecting her to life… Before I knew it, I got old, and Telicia remained forever youthful through sacrilegious means. Even if I manage to resurrect her, we can’t be together, because, by that time, I’ll be already dead. Becoming an undead isn’t an option either as my soul has been long pawned to Imperfect Oddity. I- I— I can’t be with her.”
Felipe sat on the bed, wiping his tears off. Matt similarly sat, calmly rubbing Felipe’s back.
“Matt, do you know what a Mage Instinct is? Or the supernatural dream theory? I’ve been having them lately. These things only happen if someone important to you is in danger. I think this is the end of the line for me… Matt, can you bring Telicia with you? Protect her despite her short fragile life? Please, you are all I got… I have nothing to give you, and yes, I am a stranger, but please… I beg you…”
Matt felt a painful pang in his heart as he watches Felipe start to break down. Felipe’s eyes have become bloody red because of crying. It is a painful sight.
“Why is it the end for you? We can run together…” Matt tried to convince Felipe.
But old Felipe is adamant. “We can’t. As I said, my soul has long been pawned to Imperfect Oddity. I’ll only be a burden to you. The inquisitors I saw in my dreams are different from what I remember. They are cruel to the core, and possess inhuman gifts.”
Still, Matt has proven himself to be the more adamant of the two. “I’ll take my chances.” He asserted.
Overnight, Matt and Felipe packed their things. Matt’s cursed right hand has been fixed and is now perfectly attached to where it should be. Though still uncomfortable, Matt believes that he can manage.
Matt, Felipe, and Telicia immediately started their journey at the first light of dawn.
Summer Dawn, Day 1, Year 715