‘Trulliad recently suggested that I should learn how to draw. I think he did this to help me take my mind away from my ‘problems’. So I did. As my steward, he got the accountant to approve a payment for an art teacher. I asked if it were possible to learn how to draw buildings, she said yes. She thinks that I am a natural at drawing architecture, but I need more teaching. That she will mould me into a brilliant artist.’ - Excerpt from Isten Blodyn’s diary, January 1263.

———

It took several hours for Toran to read through Posea’s Allegory from beginning to end, making notes on important details. By the end of it, he was confused. He wasn’t sure what to believe, though he had an idea of what the allegory’s message was suggesting. If it turned out to be true, it was horrifying.

‘It seems as if the allegory has five major topics that it wishes to inform its reader of. They consist of: Animals mutating into beasts. Men transforming into monsters. New idols being worshiped by cultists. Whole villages developing a form of insanity. The sky, once blue, turning red. They each appear successively in this order. Once it reaches the end of the cycle, it begins anew at the start and continues from there.’ Toran summarised in his notes.

‘There is a certain ambiguity to this allegory that is troubling me,’ Toran continued to write. ‘As with all allegories, it has a message to instil into its readers. Though to what extent it this should be taken as literal, or fiction, is blurred. I am more inclined to believe that this is symbolic of a threat, or problem, long lost. Though the scope for interpretations is too capacious to be certain.’

Gillian and William, the main characters of the first story, were the protagonists of the whole allegory. The topics that Toran summarised were events that these two characters went through, which the narrator spoke of from an omniscient viewpoint.

They stumbled through one tragedy after another, with each story and theme progressively becoming worse. For instance, for the theme of animals mutating into beasts, initially, it was a cat turning into a tiger.

However, by the end of the book, the animals became more impressive, while the transformations became more horrifying. One case was where a colony of spiders mutated into giant arachnids with the ability to shape shift. The allegory ended with the tale of these shapeshifting spiders.

It starts with Gillian and William meeting a settlement of humans on their way to a location not mentioned, which were led by a dragon tamer. They were informed that the settlement was on a pilgrimage to a divine tree, and the couple journeyed with them for a time.

However, once the couple left, the narration continued passed their absence, focusing on the pilgrims. It was revealed, once they left, that the settlement were the worshipers of a supposed lost idol which waited at the divine tree.

Yet, before they could get there, the pilgrims were successively killed by the giant arachnids. With each one they killed; the spider would shapeshift themselves into the dead until all had died. In their stead, the spiders continued their journey to the tree, but the narration stopped after informing the reader of this.

‘At some level, this allegory must be taken literally, but where does that end? All of these issues aren’t discordant with religious messaging as they are typical symbols used to deter their followers from paganism…’ Toran rhythmically tapped his pen against the book in contemplation.

‘Though it doesn’t seem right for it to be a religious work as despite the negative portrayals of mankind, they aren’t punished in the typical Church fashion… Let’s try a more literal interpretation, as utterly fantastical as it may be.’

‘My first thought would be on what could possibly initiate all these changes at once? It suggests that this happened within the lifespan of Gillian and William. So, these changes took place in 60-70 years of time...’

‘Alongside the progressive worsening of events, there is a stark change in tone within the allegory. In the beginning, the descriptions are fairly warm and optimistic, though by the end of each piece, it is usually dark and brutal.’

‘There are a few reasons for why the mood could change. The first is almost self-explanatory. A life in which they lived, where you watch everyone around you die is depressing. A resulting change in tone should be expected.’ Toran wrote in his notes.

‘However, the narrator isn’t neutral as is suggested. The change in tone seeps into their writing as well, not just the characters of Gillian and William. It makes me wonder about the biases of the writer. Whether it was solely a transcription of an oral tale or story. For the possibility of it being an oral historical account, it is something I am more sceptical of than believing.’ With that conclusion, he stopped writing and closed his notes.

He looked up from his book and saw a woman dressed in floral blue mantua pass by. He trained his eyes on her closely, watching her disappear into the next aisle of bookshelves.

Toran’s fingers brushed past the pages of the book absentmindedly, and the gentle sound of page’s turning whirred in the silent library. His mind was still contemplating the allegory as he had yet to come to a conclusion on it. It would require a great deal more research and thought on the topic. He put it aside for now.

Before he left, he took the casing of the fake ‘Reckoning of Time’ off, retrieving another book from his waistcoat pocket. As he was putting the ‘Reckoning of Time’ casing onto the replacement, something slipped out and fell onto the wooden floorboards.

It was a piece of folded paper, and it bounced against the ground before settling. He bent down to pick it up, setting the two books down on his table.

He unfolded the paper and saw that one side had tear marks indicating it had been torn from a book. Toran read the page and was shocked at its contents. It was titled, ‘An Account of the Magister, Posea Sidras’.

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The page was written in an archaic Reinheithian script, which was the foundation to both the Cymorthian and Delish languages. Toran had previously studied it and could understand it.

It was a historical account that detailed the experiences of Posea Sidras, the same man that had written the allegory he had just finished. It made two incredible statements.

“This horrific cataclysm that we face was brought about by humans…” Toran whispered aloud the account with a trembling voice. His hands had turned clammy due to his sudden fear.

“To betray one’s kind, and to side with the enemy against brother in arms is a travesty that is nigh inconceivable. For the self-serving, they are unrepentant. We punish them and their followers. However, they return with the help of their inhuman leaders we call devils. To summon a fiend, they cry, is their goal. From Wahnsinn they hail, raiding chaos, our home.”

“Taking arms to oppose them, humans strive to ascend the human state. An organised front must occur, or else we will die at the hands of these cultists and their fiend. Selcohpos, the Oracle, has divined the name of that fiend. We call it Hostilis.”

After that final statement, the writing ends. It doesn’t explain what happens next, as if it were a historical cliff-hanger.

However, if this was a true historical account, what did it mean for the Posea’s Allegory that he had just read? It couldn’t be real, could it? He had recognised that it wanted to be taken literally, though it sounded too fictitious for it to be real. Maybe this was the reason why it was outlawed in most countries for centuries…

He sat staring at the page, reading it over and over. If this was the truth of what the allegory was alluding to, then Toran could roughly guess what happened afterwards considering that there weren’t any remnants left of what Posea Sidras had described. That humans fought back the onslaught of these cultists and won.

He folded the paper and placed it into the book with a sigh. He stood from the table and left the library after placing the new ‘Reckoning of Time’ where he had previously found it, taking Posea’s Allegory with him.

He would think of this issue later, though it agitated him. He did not have enough information and he wanted more, but he couldn’t get it. He could only control the present, and he chose to deal with preparing for the final exam.

———

Toran stood before a sign with an image of a sword and shield that marked the entrance to an armoury shop. It was on the College campus, so he didn’t have to walk far. The shop had huge glass windows to let customers see what weapons they had to offer. Rows of channeler’s weapons created by Orbis’s great artisans decorated the tables.

Instead of returning to his dormitories, he had one last place to visit, which was the armoury. The letter informed him of the final exam, and Toran did not want to be ill-prepared. After all, no one was to leave it until it was complete, meaning he had to prepare as best as he could beforehand.

With Posea’s Allegory in pocket, Toran opened the door to the shop. Inside, a man with a powdered white wig and stock necktie sat at a table in anticipation to begin service.

Slightly bloated. Greasy, that handkerchief is used rather frequently. A facade of wealth. His golden pocket watch is scratched and dull, and his rings need polishing. It draws attention away from his right hip, though. That’s where his Channeler’s weapon is.

“Welcome! I am Robert Harley of the Hollow Sword Blade Company, welcome to my store. How can I help you?” The man greeted Toran with a prepared speech.

He’s constructed himself as a wealthy salesman it seems. From first sight, he seems like one. A decent attempt.

"Good afternoon, Robert. I will have a look around first. If I need your assistance, I will ask for it shortly.” Toran responded with a level nod.

He took off and began looking through the armoury’s stock of weapons. Robert Harley seemed to have not heard Toran’s reply, instead choosing to follow him around the shop. He’s readying sales pitches on the tip of his tongue. That won’t be fun…

Toran stopped before a staff and picked it up, testing its weight with a swing. “What is this staff made from?”

“I’m glad you asked! It is called Demon’s glare. The staff is of impeccable quality as it made from blisterwood, only found within the far reaches of southern Praeteritum. If you think that was the best part of the staff, the orb is of more merit. It is made from a crystalised eye of a demon frog.” Robert Harley ranted.

I’d be surprised if he bought it himself from anywhere near Praeteritum. More likely that he bought it from someone else, probably from the Frontier’s Fort Royal.

Toran nodded, then placed it back down. “That is good quality. However, it doesn’t suit what I am looking for. Is there anything of even higher quality that I can look at?”

“Of course, follow me.” Robert Harley led Toran to another part of the shop.

“This is a new design. It is spectacular, isn’t it?” He asked Toran, picking up an intricately designed metallic weapon.

“What is it?” Toran queried.

“It is called a carbine pistol. It has been newly invented by Joshua Gladdis with support from our company.” Robert Harley responded with pride.

I’ve heard of weapons like these. They’re not particularly reliable…

“I can’t buy that I’m afraid. I need something of higher quality and sturdiness, particularly for strenuous use. I have seen that new inventions often aren’t the most stable, and I can’t afford that at the moment. If it were any other time, I might buy it.” Toran politely rejected.

“That is a shame, indeed.” Robert Harley shook his head. “I do have something that might interest you, then.”

Toran was led to another part of the shop which was filled with several glass boxes that had runic symbols engraved on it. Inside were weapons of sublime quality, crafted by the hands of master artisans.

Robert Harley waved his hand before the glass containers. “Are any of these to your liking?”

Is his Channeler’s weapon a carbine pistol? It sure looked like it when he moved… These weapons are very good, though.

One weapon caught Toran’s eye. It was a staff that was made from an ancient wood, which vines curled around. The orb was the colour of hellfire, and ornate black patterns exploded within.

“Can I try out that weapon there?” Toran asked, pointing towards the staff.

“Of course.” Robert Harley gave a smile like a Cheshire cat. Avarice glinted within his green eyes.

How strange… They do say greed is a green-eyed monster. Ironic.

Toran picked the staff up and the vines tickled his hand. They created a stable grip as they curled around his wrist from a thought. He swung it to test the weight, it was perfectly balanced. It felt good.

Next, he inserted his Malevolent energy inside it, trying its channelling speed. Cadmium red energy that he imagined looked like glittering elfin wisps poured into the staff rapidly. It was suited for channelling spells quickly. That also felt good.

“Do you have anywhere I can test a spell?” Toran inquired.

“Yes! Come this way, please.” Robert Harley led Toran behind the counter into a side room. Toran felt an ethereal presence as soon as they entered. He turned towards Robert who gave him a smile, refusing to answer his silent question.

“Poison.” Toran whispered a chant.

He channelled the spell through the weapon causing a faint purple mist to ooze out of the staff. He controlled it to weave through the air, forming the shapes of corporeal arrows, darts, and even into a sword. It hovered in place for a minute before dispersing harmlessly into the air.

He nodded in satisfaction at the ease he was able to channel his Malevolency. Furthermore, this was one of the weaker spells he knew, a formless spell. For it to be amplified by this much stated the quality of the weapon.

“I’ll buy it.” Toran announced.

“Brilliant! Follow me to the front of the shop, please.” Robert Harley grinned in response.