Unbeknownst to the Knight-Guardian, two cloaked figures watched them walk out of the basilica.
"Should we follow them?" whispered the smaller one.
"No. The prince is powerless, and even if he did gain his insignia, it'll be too late. Let's just stick to the plan." the crouched and spindly one.
"For treasure." whispered both.
A small black bird suddenly perched on the shoulders of the smaller one.
"What's this?!" the little one almost shouted. "Oh, it's just a cute little bird." the smaller one sighed then whispered, in a small voice.
The other one scoffs, "Cute? It's a devil, I say. Shoo! Shoo!". Waving their hands around, scaring the bird away, then patting down the smaller one's cloak for any left behind feathers or magic. "Have you heard of the Queen's birds? Colorful and vibrant things that she just flaunts around like the little shit she is? Those things are worth a million. A single one could fetch me one of them mansions the size of this basilica."
He continued, "That thing you call a cute little blackbird is just a mockery of what true birds are, and we are going to get the real ones". The spindly cloaked one smirked and chuckled darkly.
"But what if the visions the prophet had don't come true? What if the whole thing just doesn't happen?"
"Prophet Tzaphkel never had a wrong vision for all his weirdness, his prophetness is never wrong. And even if it didn't happen, the only thing we would've lost is a few days. I'd trade that in in-exchange for a chance to grab even a single Pravil Royal Treasure," the taller one said.
The blackbird perched atop one of the intricate designs of the basilica chirped as it listened to the pair's conversation. As the pair got up and moved, so did the bird. It looked to its replacement, a small dark finch-like bird. It chirped at the other bird, a faster and quieter variant, to follow and witness the cloaked pair.
The small black bird flew off into the cavernous gates and high ceiling hallways, leaving behind the cloaked strangers. The bird chirped and maneuvered around the ornate designs of the Opal Palace, slowly making its way into the Grand Aviary.
The Grand Aviary was as grand as its name suggested. Marble pillars shaped like trees with marble branches jutting out at every space, holding the ceiling aloft which was life-painted with the light blue skies of the mortal realm. The ground is filled with rare and divine flora, each with its own magical properties. 'To feed the insects the birds feed on', the bird's master often reasoned. Multiple birds of varying degrees of muted colors flew to and fro the aviary's open windows, eager to deliver news, prevent or make events happen, or witness a few more occurrences before the few days are up.
In the middle of the storm of birds sat the elegant lady of the Grand Aviary, Queen Gabrella, or more appropriately, Queen Mother Gabrella. Streaks of silver adorned her beautiful gray hair, she wore a dress of blues with accents of golds and whites, and a simple white bandage was placed atop her eyes, circling her head and joining together in the back of her head with a silver hair ornament.
Next to her was a Divine Avez, 'a true bird', the little bird scoffed, remembering what the cloaked person had said. This Divine Avez' was a huge bird of iridescent colored feathers, a golden crown-like feather pattern atop its head, and silver-etched leather gauntlets on its talons to protect the lady. The divine bird nodded its head and cawed towards the little blackbird.
"Oh Nepos, come. Are you satisfied? Did everything go as you witnessed?", the lady asked with her soft and sweet voice. Reaching out, she held out her dainty hands for the small blackbird, Nepos, to perch on.
Nepos nodded then hung its head, then softly cawed. A finger brushed across its body, a caress done by its master.
"Oh sweet child, don't be sad. It's not your fault, nor is it anyone else's." Her master extending her hand to the ornate marble perch on her table. "We may have predicted and tried to circumvent this, but the confines of destiny will always have a way around us." Nepos hopped off and rested on the bird stand.
She continued, "I just hope when this ends, your freedom will bring you happiness, as I wish for all of my subjects."
Nepos chirped, slowly puffing up and putting on a confident pose in front of its master, their life-giver and caretaker. 'It is advisable to show her strength', Nepos remembered the counsel of the more senior Divine Birds.
Looking around its body, Nepos plucked a few hidden feathers. It looked for the only golden ones remaining in its body that is slowly greying and growing muted, and brought it to the lady. The golden and vibrant feathers that once luxuriously coated Nepos now grow dark and muted. From one the most beautiful and rarest Divine Birds, now often mistaken for a common bird, Nepos hesitantly reached out and brought its few remaining treasures to its master.
The queen gasped, "Nepos! You should have kept those. There may still be a chance for it-", the lady stopped, spotting the determined look on the bird's face. Sighing, she took the feathers, opened a small silver box beside her, and put them in with the other still vibrant feathers.
"It breaks my heart for these timelines," said Nepos' master. Lifting one of the vibrant feathers, she spoke, "These feathers represent a future, as small as they may be. I hope we don't come to regret our actions in the aftermath", the lady said. "Are you sure you don't want to keep them, Nepos? You can still choose your future." Staring straight at the previously Divine Avez*,* Queen Gabrella said with concern, "These represent the branches in the fabric of time where you live, if you prefer these then I will let you go," she said, softly. Nepos shook its head.
"Augustus' timeline still seems the best path forward, and the most popular one, it seems," Nepos' master glanced toward the only remaining vibrant Divine Avez, Augustus.
The other bird seemed oblivious to their conversation and just spent its time resting. Maintaining continuous vivid visions and making the corrections for the best outcomes takes a toll on any being, magical avian or not. Add in continuously streaming its visions for all other birds, all the former Divine Avez making quick corrections for each branching that is happening in the timeline.
Nepos was afraid for Augustus, for it had expended more aether than the bird ever had, straining its body and soul to keep its magic going. It was taught Chrono magic by the King himself, with the support of Nepos' master, the Queen.
Augustus has been the oldest of the Divine Avez Nepos had known. If not for Augustus sharing his knowledge and lectures, the majority of the Avez would have not known their oracle abilities, nor would they become Divine Avez. Unlocking the ability that made their feathers change into vibrant colors based on the probability and energy from their visions changed the Avez species into Divine Avez.
Their abilities [Future Sight] and [Chromatic Down] were yet to be told to any being aside from the Royal Couple and the Major Gods. Yet even with all the help, their [Future Sight] cannot foresee anything beyond the oblivion present the day after tomorrow.
The older Divine Avez chirped and looked to the queen. "Ah, yes the prince's insignia," the queen clapped and the birds hurried their movements to vacate and leave the aviary leaving only the essential birds. This was one of the few defining moments of the timeline, a single mishap or change in the environment signaled a disastrous turn of events in the future. Augustus still rested, but stood a little bit straighter and held their chest out a bit more.
Sighing for the nth time, her master sat up straight and faced the door to the aviary.
A mark of a celestial, or any magical being that can condense their magical signature into an Insignia, was the change into deeper and denser magicules produced by their souls. Exposure to a God's direct domain may trigger this and suddenly increase the number of magicules in a person's body, thus increasing the chances of the soul creating denser magicules to counteract the amount of magic in a body with quality.
Prince Sandalphon's Insignia was never certain in any of their visions, it was always changing. If the theory of the Queen was right, the Insignia will be one of great power, one of encompassing strength. As numerous and wonderful as the number of possible insignias, their master feared it makes the chances of Augustus' timeline diverging from the best one high.
Nepos looked around, each Avez, each former Divine Avez, were clenching their perches and each hoping for the best outcome possible. Nepos noticed the small ticks the Queen makes when she is nervous, and it was not small. Nepos had witnessed the Sovereign Khamael and Queen Mother Gabrella's nightly escapades, the Royal Wedding, the birth of the first and second prince, and even the death of the Queen's father. Queen Gabrella had never been as emotional as she is now.
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The bird desperately wished for the best for all of them.
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Prince Sandalphon watched as Leon rechecked the prince's appearance, "I know the drill Leon, but it is my mother I'm visiting in her aviary not the Queen in the throne room."
"My prince, your mother is the Queen and there is no reason for you not to look your best. It would be a disservice to her for you to show up untidy. You know how-," the knight stopped, looked around, then continued. "Peculiar she is with keeping everything as intended."
"Fine," the prince relented as the Knight flattened a few strands of hair, adjusted his collar, and patted down his clothes for dust. "Have you finished? Are you satisfied yet?", the prince scoffed.
"I feel very much mocked, but yes, the prince's appearance-", the knight gestured with his hands, "is passable."
Prince Sands rolled his eyes, then nodded to the attendant standing beside the gate to the hallway leading to the Aviary.
'I've still haven't figured out why mother chose such a private location for her aviary,' the young prince thought.
The attendant led them through the gate and the long hallway leading up to the doors into the Grand Aviary. The hallway was filled with incredible paintings, each made by a different artist. The most beautiful ones were about golden skies with depictions of people dancing, or majestic cascading waterfalls, or one with the beautiful lady with a flowing blue dress dancing with a view of the surrounding hills.
Noticing the artist's name, 'Octavia Av, I should look for more of his paintings, maybe I could grab one for myself' he thought.
Yet as they went further in, the paintings slowly changed into darker and more morbid paintings. The first one the prince would never forget when he first went into the Aviary, was the incredibly vivid and realistic depiction of a disaster. A crying boy carrying a small limp child with one hand and the other dragging a still and seemingly lifeless body of a woman, presumably his mother, walking beside rubble and buried bodies. Nights upon nights of horrific dreams that felt like a lifetime ago were threatening to haunt him again later that night.
Traitors and Absolution By Nepos and Vitellio, the prince read. 'Artists to avoid then.'
As they continued down the hallway, the prince focused on the door. As much as the artists were skillful, their paintings were not for the faint of heart and the prince was of a faint of heart.
A small chuckled bloomed beside him as the knight Leon looked at the stiff posture and straightforward gaze of the prince. A quick glare at the knight had been appropriate he deemed, still trying to avert his gaze of the paintings.
The attendant paused right before the door to the aviary and was preparing to knock when a sweet melodic voice was heard from the inside.
"Please do come in."
As the attendant opened the humungous doors, the Prince and his Knight were greeted by caws of birds, the aroma of fresh and magical herbs, and the ever disturbing scene of a flock of Avez looking at them from every angle. Each avez had different sizes, and if he were not particularly good at noticing the differences, he would have guessed that these birds were all different species and did not originate from a singular bird, her mother's Insignia Augustus. Yet they are, they are all magical simulacrums of Augustus.
Augustus was the biggest bird he had ever seen, a wingspan capable of enveloping the queen and a beak as big as the prince's head. Iridescent feathers, golden-crowned, and accessorized with silver etched leather gauntlets, Augustus was as magnificent as the rumors said, or at least the rumors the prince has heard of. The prince remembered that the other birds used to be as vibrant as Augustus or any painting the artist Octavia had made, now they were only shadows of their past selves. As far as the prince knew, Augustus was the only named one in her mother's flock, and the only colorful one remaining.
Mother reasoned it as old age and lower magical density, but Prince Sandalphon did not believe her mother one bit. Her mother had managed the inner royal court, and even kept in check the demands and schemes of the noble faction for decades. She was by far the most powerful control-type Sorceress he had ever known. Without her magic, she wouldn't be as powerful as she would be today. He guessed the Avez' change in coloring would have had something to do with the birds' magic themselves. 'For subtle spying and reconnaissance?', he thought.
"Hello mother, a pleasant and wonderful day to you," the prince said, smiling and a little bit giddy.
Amused, his mother gestured for the seat beside her. Prince Sandalphon excitedly walked to and sat beside his mother, while his knight stood beside the door. Not too far to be unable to protect the Prince and the Queen, but not too near to hear their conversation.
"Would you like some tea Sands? It may help clear that headache of yours," she gestured to a teacup filled with a sweet-smelling tea.
Legs swinging under his seat, Prince Sands nodded and drank a sip of the tea.
"Now, what troubles your thoughts, my dear?", she half-whispered with a loving tone.
Relishing the sweet aroma and herby aftertaste, he asked, "Mother, you know the events that transpired at the Basilica? Why did I faint? The God's pressure was dreadful and chilling but I wasn't expecting to faint though. Do you know why?". Prince Sandalphon most likely knew the answer, but he needed it to come from someone he knew that knew.
Chuckling behind her raised hand, the queen tilted her head and said, "Seems to me you already know the answer, but yes, the God's gaze may have triggered your body to produce more magicules now. You are a lucky young man, that you are as you are. If you were not a celestial with Pravil blood flowing through your veins, the amount of aether the gods had gifted to you would have most likely killed you."
Prince Sands watched as his mother expertly and daintily grabbed a container for honey and dripped a few drops unto her tea. Queen Gabrella had been born blind, as did her whole family, but they were gifted with the ability to have servants for Insignias. Her father, the Duke of Raduriel, had Minotaurs.
The Minotaur called Ovid had been a great butler and caretaker for the Radukiel family until the Duke's untimely death. The Duke and Ovid oversaw the construction of various projects around Nirva. Including the Great Walls, the Library of Colossus, the Grand Canal, the Basilica, and the Grand Aviary to name a few. Ovid still kept serving under the Raduriel family, alongside his wife and kids.
Prince Sands still remembered fondly, the days where he spent running around and getting chased by Ovid. Being relegated to child-care would have been humiliating for any head butler, but Ovid, having kids of his own, had been fond of the princes. Treated them like they were his own children.
His mother had Augustus as her Insignia. Queen Gabrella had been ridiculed and belittled for her then small Insignia. Discovering that Augustus could learn any magic had been a great boon to her and her family, boosting the Raduriel family into the High Nobles.
Yet that happened almost a centur-
"Child, I am not that old, the rise of the Raduriel Family had been 85 years ago, not a century," the queen disdainfully stared at the young prince. Even without seeing her mother's eyes, the prince felt chastised.
"I- uh- I'm sorry mother." the young boy scratched his neck, wondering if his mother gained knew mind magics.
"No, I did not. However, your soul whispered what you were thinking," the queen said as she drank tea. "Judging a woman by her age, hmph," she harrumphed.
"I'm sorry mother, I'm still not accustomed to maintaining a steady flow of magicules," the prince excused. Feeling a little bit embarrassed by his display, he asked the queen, "May I obtain help with my new state? If I recall correctly, an insignia may help me?" The prince said slowly growing sheepish, asking his mother for help after calling her old was not his intended way of request.
The Queen still holding her tea, sat in silence for a few moments.
Then she chuckled, "Of course I would help you Sands, even though you did think of your mother as old and decrepit and small."
"I didn't think of you a decrepit and small at all, mother!" the prince argued, trying to clear his name of the accusations.
"Oh, so you did think of me as old then?" his mother questioned. Queen Gabrella signaled a few birds.
"Ah- I- But-", the prince muttered. His mother often teased him for his straightforward and soul-on-your-hands personality.
"My darling, the nobles will eat you alive if you keep getting flustered. Stop muttering to yourself and focus, drink your tea and stand up." His mother commanded.
Immediately, Prince Sands stood up and watched as a flurry of birds busied themselves around him. He closed his eyes. The gust of their flaps and the sound of their flight often disoriented Prince Sands, but he stood straight and tried to keep still as much as he can.
"Child, you're tipping over," his mother said before Prince Sandalphon suddenly tip over and fall to the ground.
A chuckle was heard from across the room. Glaring at the knight, the prince stood up and faced his mother.
He watched as a flock of birds prepared a small ceremony, various materials littered the table and a few diagrams were laid and placed here and there.
His mother stood up and slowly ambled towards the prince, "Okay the preparation is almost complete, do you prefer any color for your insignia then?"
"Just plain white, mother. I can just paint it afterward."
The woman just stared blankly at him, "Yes. I would love to see you paint your owl or whip or bottle, blue just like your brother did."
Prince recoiled as he remembered watching Herem paint his scepter blue then seeing it reject the magic paint and send it splattering across his brother's room and all over the both of them. It took approximately 4 months before the paint even started to wear off.
"Light green it is then," his mother suggested.
The prince nodded and agreed.
"I need you to stand straight, keep still and: Don't. Fall," his mother said.
A few brushes with his mother's hands as she made adjustments revealed his mother's nervousness. As nonchalant as she speaks of it, a son or daughter gaining an Insignia was a great accomplishment for any parent.
"Yes mother," he smiles softly.
"Your father would have liked to witness this but alas, we cannot let you show up to the Gala with that kind of soul-baring, and I believed he'll be stuck inside of the Gala until tomorrow evening," his mother said as she took a few materials from the table and scattered them equally throughout the giant hendecagram surrounding the prince.
"There. All done. All that's left is you channeling your magicules into the diagram."
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Queen Gabrella stood silently whilst her son closed his eyes and slowly channeled his soul unto the diagram formation. She caught herself wringing her hands. She stopped and stood a little bit closer to Augustus. Her hands felt cold and sticky, her knees were trembling as her son played out his destiny. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched a few feathers from Augustus suddenly turn black. Her vision swam as she looked at Augustus' feathers slowly lose a few more colors.
Queen Gabrella learned to use her soul's eye to look around her. She used her magic to learn how to view the world not with her eyes but with everything else. Yet all her visions swam around her, almost causing her to faint. A soft wing caught her back before she could fall and she steadily stood.