“Incorrectly?” Alex asked. “What do you mean by that? I remember you saying that divinity works by channelling a god's power through a gate in the soul. That means it could be channelled out in the same way, couldn’t it?”

“It is possible,” Merzhin said. “But I do not think that the way you are going about this is going to work. You are treating divinity too much like mana. They are different. Divinity comes from faith. Faith is not bound by circuitry or machines; it is faith, and is far more intangible. It does not require magic circuits or spell arrays, or alchemy or machines or formulae. All it requires is belief, and I do not think a machine could control it.”

Alex frowned. “With respect, Merzhin, people once looked at mana in the same way. If you go back far enough, then the only way people became wizards and sorcerers was by making contracts with otherworldly, magical beings. People didn't think there was a science to it in those early days, but there was. We know the science very well now. I bet you divinity is the same: life enforcement has been studied a lot, for example.”

Merzhin raised an eyebrow. “I know very little about life enforcement, but I did some reading on the art after our encounter with the First Apostle. I know there is a lot of theory to it: how divinity mingles with lifeforce, flowing through meridians and pathways in the body and soul. But I ask you this: what is the basic thing you need to become a wizard?”

“Mana,” Alex said. “A mana pool.”

“Alright, and what stops people from being able to practise life enforcement? Everyone has a life force, so shouldn’t everyone be capable of the art?” Merzhin asked.

“They might be,” Alex said a little defensively. “My blood magic process mimics the first step of life enforcement: that's how it made Hart and me stronger.”

“And tell me, are you and Hart able to continue down the path of life enforcement?” Merzhin asked.

“I don't know,” Alex said. “I've never grown any stronger when I've been doing meditation, and I can't feel my own life force in the same way that Theresa can.”

“Neither can Hart,” Merzhin said.

It suddenly struck Alex that Merzhin had stopped referring to Hart and the other Heroes by their titles alone.

He wondered what that meant.

“Hart has tried learning the art from Grimloch but could advance no further,” Merzhin said.

“Well. That's alright, there's lots of different paths to power,” Alex said.

“But what stops one from being able to practise it, even after your process has transformed them?” Merzhin asked. “What specifically? What makes one incompatible?”

Alex shrugged. “I don't know.”

“Precisely. We also do not know why some members of a faith can become a priest who wields miracles, yet some are never able to do so.” Merzhin said somberly. “There are some within the clergy who study for decades, and never manage to channel a single ounce of divinity through their soul. Their faith is no shallower and their dedication no weaker than those around them who can call upon miracles. And we still have no idea why that is.”

“We will one day,” Alex insisted.

“But when will that day be?” Merzhin asked. “Divinity is a force that actively avoids understanding. Faith is power, and faith exists completely independently from knowledge. Sometimes, knowledge is the enemy of faith: after all, the faith of a child is often purest of all.”

“Knowledge didn't weaken you, Merzhin,” the General said to him. “You learned all about Uldar’s revolting deeds, yet you can still work miracles. Tobias Jay stopped being a follower of Uldar, even in private from what I understand, and has lost none of his powers.”

Merzhin’s eyes turned sombre through his mask. “Another mystery. Are you aware of the tale of Former Father Gerard?”

“No,” Alex admitted.

The Saint took a deep breath, like a preacher standing before his flock. “It is a tale not usually told to those outside the clergy, so it is not well known. It is said that Gerard was once a dedicated priest to Uldar, praying incessantly, preaching of his deeds and doing his works. He conducted himself with utter dedication. His faith was insurmountable…until one day—after a great tragedy—his faith was shattered. And yet he still continued to be able to work miracles. He cursed Uldar’s name with every breath that he took, and screamed at how he had been forsaken…but yet his power did not diminish at all. Counter this with the story of Simon of Sin. Simon was a priest as well, one who lived much later than Gerard. He grew weary of the burdens of priesthood, and began performing his duties out of obligation, not any true dedication to Uldar. Over time, his ability to work miracles faded and he left the clergy behind. There have been many philosophers within the church who have suggested theories as to why one kept their power, yet the other didn’t. But the point is, it is still a mystery.”

“Right…” Alex mused. “So you're saying that divinity and faith aren't tangible enough to be easily channelled through a machine. I don’t buy that; I think one day we'll understand it.”

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“As I said, it defies understanding,” Merzhin said softly, his voice a mix of reverence and…something else. Disdain, perhaps? “To understand it, how long will that take? Would we be able to understand how to channel faith so we can finish the Ravener when the time comes?”

Alex paused.

He thought about that for a time. In a way, Merzhin had a point: a lot of the books on divinity that he’d read to translate Uldar’s notes were—for lack of a better word—‘hazy’. There were lots of theories, but few solid facts about how divinity worked. Even Kelda’s notes were vague and somewhat mysterious: there were a massive amount of notes on how divinity interacted with the soul, but only theories on how divinity itself could be channelled.

“Let's say you're right…” Alex said. “What would you suggest instead?”

“Faith should be met by faith,” Merzhin said. “Uldar laid down purpose and order for the Ravener. That must be countered by similar purpose and order. An interdiction would suffice.”

“An interdiction…” Alex thought about the First Apostle’s power. Gabrian had used interdictions to stop mana from being channelled at Uldar’s Rise. The Third Apostle had also used an interdiction to stop him from channelling his power, which the young archwizard had eventually overcome. “So, could an interdiction be used to stop the Ravener from thriving on fear? Something like ‘The Ravener shall no longer be able to channel the power of fear’?”

“Probably not. I don’t think that would work,” Merzhin said. “Uldar crafted the Ravener himself—the Ravener is one of his mightiest servants—I don’t think I or anyone else could order it not to take in fear. I think the command must come from the opposite direction. Something like ‘Thameland’s fear shall no longer touch the Ravener.’ or ‘Thameland shall forevermore sever its connection with the Ravener’. Thameland is Uldar’s divine realm in the material world; an interdiction could cause it to cut all connection with the Ravener and stop fear from being channelled into it.”

“Right…” Alex considered what the Saint had said, growing excited. “That’s…jeez, I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of that. We’ve been so busy trying to solve problems by using the methods we know best, that it never occurred to anyone to try the simplest solution. An interdiction.”

“I am glad you see it now,” Merzhin said, with relief in his voice.

Alex thought about the Saint’s words. He shook his head. The young wizard had been thinking too much like a modern mage. Like an alchemist.

In part, the Ravener was crafted with magic that predated most modern theories of wizardry, along with divinity. It made sense that the solution was more arcane, and not as easy as simply being able to ‘alchemy the problem away’.

Kelda’s machine for removing the Mark had some esoteric components to its power as well.

“Honestly, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't see it earlier,” Alex said. “I'm supposed to be the guy who pulls together different disciplines in order to solve problems. Instead, we kept trying to use one discipline to solve a problem it wasn’t suited for. This is great!”

Merzhin looked at him with sad eyes. “I'm glad you think so. But I would like you to keep this between u—”

As he spoke, the door opened.

“Ah, early as always,” Baelin said, leading Professor Jules and Isolde into the room.

“Good morning, Mr. Roth,” Professor Jules said. She looked at the Saint of Uldar…Alex noticed a hint of hostility in her eyes. “We meet again, St. Merzhin.”

“Oh, er, a pleasure to meet you again as well,” Merzhin said, shaking her hand.

“Merzhin, nice to see you again,” Isolde called, already crossing the room to set up her station.

“Yes,” the Saint said flatly.

Then he turned to Baelin, craning his neck to look up at the goatman wizard.

The chancellor was staring down at him, his expression completely unreadable, even to Alex as his eyes bore into the Saint.

He suddenly grinned, extending his hand to Merzhin. “So you are the famous Saint of Thameland? It is good to finally meet you.”

“Er, um, yes.” Merzhin’s gloved hand shook Baelin’s. “Er, good to meet you as well...sir. Alex was just filling me in on your work, and I'll be glad to help today however I can.”

“Indeed,” Baelin looked at him thoughtfully.

“Everyone!” Alex called, once the introductions were made. “I've got news! Merzhin here is absolutely brilliant!”

“Erm, Alex.” The Saint held up a hand. “Perhaps we—”

But the General of Thameland was much too excited about the Saint’s solution—and more than a little ashamed that he hadn’t thought of it himself—to hold back.

“We might’ve been going about trying to counter the Ravener’s power over fear and its connection to Thameland all wrong.” The young archwizard continued. “Let me tell you what Merzhin said.”

And so Alex did just that.

He spoke of Merzhin’s ideas on their plan to counter the Ravener’s fear, as well as the Saint’s idea about using an interdiction.

“Right, right,” Alex caught himself when he’d finished explaining. “I'm probably stealing a bit of Merzhin’s thunder here, so maybe he should tell you more about his idea. I mean, even if our original plan could work, it's not the most simple solution. Merzhin’s is sort of brilliant—”

He paused.

The Saint was looking away from the others, one hand clasped over his other wrist and his feet pointing toward each other. His shoulders had slumped and his eyes were squinting, as though he was either in great pain…or anticipating some.

“What's wrong?” Alex asked.

“Nothing,” Merzhin said. “You're right, though, I should explain myself.”

“Of course, go ahead, Merzhin,” Isolde said.

“This is a fascinating idea,” Professor Jules encouraged him to keep going.

Merzhin went on to explain some of what he knew of divinity and why their solution might not be as efficient, or as simple as his.

Isolde and Professor Jules nodded along, just as Alex had…but the young archwizard had begun to feel uneasy. Something felt off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something too easy about what Merzhin was saying.

Something that—combined with the Saint’s obvious discomfort—the small Hero might have been purposefully omitting.

It was obvious that he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy.

While Isolde and Professor Jules nodded along with Merzhin’s explanation, Baelin watched him with the stillness of a statue. He hardly moved. He hardly breathed. His eyes never left Merzhin’s masked face.

When the Saint finished, the ancient wizard was the first to speak.

“Young man, it would seem that your plan is well thought out. Very well thought out,” Baelin said. “As though you have been considering this option for a while: an interdiction, you say?”

“Well, I have been giving it some thought—” Merzhin began.

“And you have not shared all of those thoughts with us, have you?” Baelin asked.

“I-I have,” Merzhin stuttered. His body language screamed; lie.

“Really? Then tell me this.” Baelin clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward. “How do you plan to power such an interdiction? One strong enough to cover the entire kingdom?”

Alex froze.

That’s what had been bothering him!