It was dark and I was floating. Or at least, as far as I could tell, I was. There was a sense of weightlessness which was somewhat unnerving. The darkness surrounding me was deep, as though light could never and had never existed here, and the silence in itself was deafening. Where in Sol’s name am I?

It’s been some time, my comrade.

Oh, it’s him. The creepy disembodied voice once again made an appearance. It was at this point I realised I must be asleep, and this fellow was likely speaking through my dreams. Ignoring that, comrade? Since when were we so-called comrades?

You accepted my offer. You accepted power. You accepted an obligation to fulfil.

Thinking back, there was some sort of condition attached to that somewhat underwhelming power-up. He was going on about how the world was unfair or some such nonsense. To be honest, the fellow came across as a bit of a pessimist; if you don’t like the world just look at it all from a different angle! Do what you love! Be it burning heretics or other Sol-approved activities!

We work together now. We’ll make the world happier.

Yes, yes. I suppose that I can’t go back on my deal with the mister happy over here. So what could the point of this meeting be I wonder? You told me the heroes would take me where I need to go, and then they go and get abducted, so here I am following them.

Fate is an interesting construct. The fate of the heroes leads you to your own, and to mine.

This fellow doesn’t know how to speak simply. Speaking of which, what are you? This was a question which had been in the back of my mind for a while now. After all, I’d never heard of a creature like this fellow, even with all the reading I did back in the church archives.

I am me. I am old. I am weak. I am trapped.

Sorry for not making the question clearer. What species are you? This fellow just loved to ramble. His way of speaking was becoming rather irritating, but all I can do is wait it out…

Species? Not a species… I am the desire for a better world. Faith is what makes gods. Desire is what makes… Devils?

I felt some surprise at his claim to be a devil. The term wasn’t unfamiliar, but neither was it a subject that had much information on. The most the church archives had ever stated about devils were that they were a type of pagan god, but were thought to have died out long before our time. It was clear, however that this fellow was different from Serenity. Serenity was a spirit that embodied the night; basically the aggregation of tons of natural magical energy shaped by human desire and imagination, resulting in consciousness. Like the devil, the desires of humans influenced her shape… but unlike this so-called devil, she represented the origin of her natural magical energy as opposed to the desires of humans.

If I had to say what the difference between the two was, I’d say this devil was the construct of far stronger desires… And he didn’t give off the feeling of natural magical energy, but something a bit different. Well, it doesn’t really matter… What’s the reason for the chat, Mr. Happy?

You must feel it. The growing attraction to another chalice. Your destination holds another opportunity to increase your power. Power is needed for our goal.

The academy had a chalice? It was true that I had felt that strange attraction growing over the past few days… But, did that really need a visit from Mr. Happy?

It is sealed. It is hidden. It is a secret. You must not take rash actions. You must infiltrate this facility. You must gain their trust. You must gain their knowledge.

… It would appear, that the stay would be longer than an in and out rescue mission then… Oh well, what can you do? Alright Happy, I’ll go and get that chalice for a happier world or whatever…

Good…

Thank Sol for Silk. I probably won’t have many opportunities to burn heretics over the next who knows how long. She and her scars will have to substitute… With that I left the darkness and returned to my pleasant dreams where the smell of burning flesh calmed my nerves.

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I could feel someone’s gaze upon my face. It was morning, and I had just been roused from my sleep by the light which had trickled in from the window. Initially, I felt refreshed and in all honesty, I don’t think it would be inaccurate to say that that was one of the most pleasant and resting sleeps I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. However, that feeling was quickly washed away by an unnervingly intense stare.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I could feel the small body still in my arms, her soft, smooth skin a pleasure to touch. I let my eyes open, and was met by the source of the unnerving gaze. Surprisingly enough, it was my companion here. Silk’s large, grey eyes were deadest on my face, refusing to break eye contact as she normally would. Her lips began to tremble as she forced her muscles into action, producing her… unique smile.

It would seem she’s grown somewhat more confident. Is for better or worse? It doesn’t matter; seeing the little former heretic do her best to greet me with a smile… It was surprisingly pleasant. Seeing those silver wires tighten as her muscles strained, in addition to the slight pain in her eyes as those same wires dug further into her face as her lips trembled to hold their position. It was stunning.

“Good morning.” I said, producing a heart-felt smile of my own. Her gaze remained on my face, to the point where it became unnerving. Unwrapping my arms from around her, I withdrew from the bed and began to prepare for the day. As I went about my business, Silk simply wrapped her grey cloak around herself to cover her nakedness, and sat cross legged on the bed, staring at me. Okay, it was starting to get somewhat creepy. Thinking back, this may be revenge for how often I took the time to admire her appearance.

Alright! Today what I need to do is: get some directions to this national academy, buy some supplies and perhaps purchase some steeds for the journey.

I recommend you also purchase some undergarments for your new companion.

Oh, Serenity? Are you sure she isn’t perfectly comfortable like that? She hasn’t voiced any complaints… I received a sharp peck and immediately consented so as to avoid any further damage. One of these days she is going to take a chunk out of my ear.

The rest of the day went by surprisingly quickly. Time flies when you’re having fun! From what I learned in a small conversation with the fellow at the clothing store, the national academy is located in the capital, Lun (just as creative as the capital of Sol being Sol). To get there I just had to head south along the main roads, or we could hitch a ride with a caravan if they required some defensive measures.

A number of undergarments were also purchased for Silk. Of course, I ended up buying clothing of finer quality so that the rough fibres wouldn’t get caught on the wires in her skin. It ended up being a rather hefty sum, but she seemed pleased enough to receive them. And of course we purchased some supplies from a general shop.

We were at present walking towards the city gates, where the stables were said to be kept and where mercenaries were hired. Silk had already had the opportunity to change into her undergarments and was walking by my side with an ever so slight spring in her step.

It’s good to see that she’s gotten a new lease on life. In my opinion, it must be the fact that she’s turned away from the self-destructive path of a heretic and seen the light. All around us were heretic after heretic, some of them openly wearing half-moon pendants or some other pagan god nonsense. Seeing all of them walking free and happy made me feel quite nauseous.

After tolerating the crowds of heretics, we had found our way to the stables and were confronted with a standard-looking building, in front of which was a large signpost, with numerous leaflets attached.

I walked up to the board and began to read through the different leaflets; most of them were job requests to escort caravans to different cities, and coincidentally there was even one travelling towards the capital. Of course, there were conditions attached, like having to prove your combat ability against their already hired guards, but such matters were simple. It also provided a good opportunity to see Silk’s method of fighting. It was a fascinating style, and our previous clash wasn’t enough to see how strong she really was, not that I expect the caravan guards to pose any threat whatsoever.

Normally people would hire adventurers or mercenaries directly through their respective guilds, so the way that some people advertised escorting jobs like this, was a bit peculiar and unreliable, I would have thought. These wacky heretics. My internal ramblings were interrupted by a small gasp, which had an oddly sensual aspect to it.

I looked over in surprise at my hooded companion who seemed to be letting out strange noises every now and then. How peculiar. It was at this point that I realised at some point my hand had entered her robed and I had begun to trace my fingers along her artistic body. Oh dear, this seems to becoming an unconscious habit.

Realising that the surrounding people had begun to send disdainful gaze in my direction I swiftly withdrew my hand. One especially disdainful gaze originated from the little bird perched on my shoulder. For Sol's sake… it looks like I’ll have to control myself a bit better from now on. But it isn’t entirely my fault: no one voiced any complaints, and if I had sent a few heretics to Sol more recently, I wouldn’t have the need to calm down that urge.

Ignoring what had just happened, and that oddly intense gaze of Silk's, I hastened forwards to arrange a ride…