“The duo has returned! Let the trumpets be blown, and the sky dispersed!” Declan, standing in the living room alongside the other two exclaimed. I happily strolled inside, with Vaelen following my trail, responding with a bright tone.

“Hehe, that speech would make for a great entrance!”

“You would often enter places with thrilling energy,” Declan chuckled. “It appears that energy of yours has wavered slightly within you. You seem a lot calmer than usual.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you brick house,” I jested, patting his shoulder as Lunar smiled along. “I was just a little scared about my circumstances.”

“Caelum? Scared? Seriously?!” Declan laughed. “Is this real life? I can’t believe it!”

Lunar then chimed in with a closed smile, crossing his arms.

“Well, noticing your entire skin tone suddenly changing after waking up isn’t exactly something you could ever dream of anticipating.”

“I know, but Caelum is a strong guy!” Declan responded, as Vaelen took a seat on the couch with a deep sigh. “I knew something like this could never manage to tear him down.”

“Exactly,” I nodded confidently. “That’s why I don’t mind it. Hell, it may even go back to normal as time goes—or the more mastery I have over my Grimoire.”

“Ah, right,” Geneve chimed in from behind Declan. “How’d it go? Vash told us he’d lecture you thoroughly without many practical elements.”

“Practical elements?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“He basically showed us how it looked when his Grimoire merged with an Infinite Arcana card. Did he do the same with you?”

“Ah, no, he didn’t. All he did was show me the cards and explain what they meant and etc. I kind of understood that everything he did was just telling me about x and y without demonstrating examples since we were short on time after all…”

“So does that mean you know what kind of user you are?”

“Yep!” I smiled. “I’m a Smuldra user. I learned that Vaelen is a Medunta user. What about you guys?”

“Aye, a fellow Smuldra!” Declan exclaimed. He then stretched his right palm out in the air, and an ancient-looking axe with an intricately-wooden handle materialized right in his grip.

“I’ve given my axe a name. What do you think of Soulsliver? Sounds pretty cool, huh?”

We looked at his Soulsliver with an honest impression. It was the kind of Grimoire that would only fit a tall, well-built young fellow like Declan. Additionally, there was something peculiar about the axe’s blade; Every time Declan would motion his axe, the blade would glimmer, as if a stripe of magical light streaked over the smooth surface. A different kind of light than the artificial ones in the living room.

“That sounds great,” I responded. “What are your abilities?”

“Well…” he began. “Since we’re practically new Sequencers, my base ability allows me to create after images prior to striking an enemy. In other words, I’m able to create after images of myself that will also attack the enemy. See it as a double-attack caused by a single attack.”

He then shrugged with a wide smile.

“It sounds quite underwhelming at first, but with the right Infinite Arcana cards and my own physical capabilities, it’s bound to become a burdening experience for anyone who dares to cross my path!”

It appeared that the others were given additional details regarding their Hexery. Not that it caused me to feel envious, but I did feel like I missed out on some important information. Which was strange given Vash’s lecture did take a little while. Nevertheless, after Declan’s anecdote, I asked Geneve what her abilities were.

As if obeying my command, she kept her arms crossed as a very unique-looking Grimoire faded into existence right beside her. It was a pristine white-coloured staff with golden streaks curling around the long, slender handle—

—At its apex, an orb of radiant red hovered, suspended in mid-air by an unseen force. Encircling this luminescent sphere where four pale hands, each carved with intricate detail, their fingers outstretched in a perpetual motion of guardianship over the sphere. Two on the top and bottom, and two on both sides.

“I’ve given my staff the name Illumina,” she began. “It’s very similar to a Smuldra user who controls fire elementals. But as an Eden user, I am able to influence any sort of targets using my soul pressure. Which, in my case, has the characteristics of fire. Both Exodus and Manipulation wise.”

Vaelen then chimed in. He raised from his seat and reached out his hand towards us in explanation.

“Apparently, Geneve has one of the more unique cases when it comes to Hexery. She already has a base mastery over four different Sequencer characteristics.

To put it into perspective: There are a total of six different Sequencer levels. One is where we all start, and six is designated for those who are acknowledged as Deities amongst men. Depending on your Sequencer level, you have control over different kinds of abilities.

Geneve is the only person between us who has control over four different abilities.”

“What? How?” I asked, visibly confused.

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“I fail to understand either,” Geneve shrugged. “However, at any rate, my ‘base’ Sequencer ability is a simple one. It allows me to use Manipulation to heal targets by using Exodus. My second ‘base’ ability allows me to bind targets and temporarily immobilize them and control their movements.

My third ‘base’ ability makes me able to use a healing blaze capable of healing multiple targets, as well as exchange my soul pressure to boost their soul pressure. It is essentially the advanced version of my first ‘base’ ability.

And finally, my fourth one is essentially similar to an Enhancer card whilst being a Manipulation type of ability. By using the binding mechanisms of my second ability, I can manipulate the effects of the binds in order to either enhance my targets, or control their movement.”

“In other words,” Declan chimed in. “She’s able to make use of us even if we’ve reached our limits!”

“Her talent is quite significant,” Vaelen responded calmly, crossing his arms. “But that does not mean it comes without costs. As an Eden user, she is practically forced to exchange great amounts of her soul pressure in order to make her abilities work adequately.”

That did sound logical.

It’d be safe to assume that an Eden user naturally consumes a lot more soul pressure than other Hex users. That alone would seem like something quite tough to wrap one’s mind around. However, since she was born to be an Eden user, as well as considering how composed she appeared… despite having mastered four different abilities already, it didn’t seem like a big deal to her.

“On the flip side, though,” Vaelen continued. “She’s our ally, so we can be rest assured that the Inquisition won’t go as hard as we’ve envisioned.”

“Indeed,” I nodded. “What about you, Vaelen? What are your abilities?”

As Geneve and Declan de-summoned their Grimoires, Vaelen showcased his beautiful golden katana once more.

“I only have one, just like Declan. Lunar and Geneve are the only ones who possess multiple base abilities.”

His sword then floated in front of him, rotating slowly as he began to explain.

“I’ve named my Grimoire ‘The Golden Hawk’. My base ability, which I named ‘Heart’s Chain Will’, lets me use Manipulation to siphon the soul pressure of my targets, and either convert it to healing, physical and magical enhancement, or use my own soul pressure to temporarily ‘copy’ one ability of my target.”

“What?!” I exclaimed. “That’s insane! Does that mean your copied ability will be stronger than your target’s?”

“Not exactly. You slightly misunderstood,” Vaelen responded. “My Heart’s Chain Will is fundamentally dependent on my own, original soul pressure. This means that my own soul pressure is also dependent on the amount of soul pressure, in other words ‘power’ the ability of my target has.

Additionally, I can not choose what ability I want to copy. So it really is a gamble-like ability. In other words, if I’m lucky and manage to copy a powerful ability, not only is it temporary, but if the ability is strong enough, my soul pressure gets drained significantly faster than usual.

On the other side, if I copy a weak, or inferior ability, I would have to siphon their soul pressure again to strengthen the copied ability. Which means I would have to strike them once more, since that’s the only way I’m able to use Heart’s Chain Will.”

“I see… So it isn’t as one sided as I thought.”

“Not really, no. Compared to Lunar’s ability, mine is a lot more… restricted.”

“Life is unfair,” Lunar jested, finally chiming in. From behind the couch where Vaelen sat, he stretched his right palm in the air. As soon as he did so, a dark, blood red with black coloured slash appeared right above his palm, as if he opened a small gate towards another dimension.

He then reached far into the dimensional incision and pulled a rather strange looking sword out of it.

It was an inverted sword completely made of cleanly-polished silver that glimmered gracefully in the illumination. The blade was facing downwards, whilst Lunar held its grip from above, like a dagger. Yet it was as large, if not slightly larger than Vaelen’s katana.

“I have named my sword ‘The Unholy Blade’. I understood most about its capabilities. It basically goes as follows:

This sword is able to grow twelve different blades. Right now, it only has one blade that faces Southwards. My ‘South’ blade allows me to seize control over the fate of my target as soon as I land any sort of strike on them. I’ve called it ‘Requiem’.

This is not limited to direct strikes with my Unholy Blade. I am also able to cast slashes of crimson red and black onto my targets that will also allow me to use Requiem. This is what Vaelen was referring to, because he has to physically make contact with his targets in order to use Heart’s Chain Will, while I can do either that, or use my Unholy Slashes.”

Controlling the fate of a target… as a base Sequencer ability?!

I was at a loss for words. And when I regained composure, I could only wonder what my abilities were.

“All of this really make me wonder what my own abilities are…”

“Why not explore your abilities, then?” Lunar asked, de-summoning his Unholy Blade.

“But he’s supposed to rest,” Vaelen protested, prompting Lunar to retort.

“I’m sure Vash hadn’t explained his abilities yet, since he was forced to rush things. Knowing what your abilities are will obviously be essential in the upcoming days. This will be a lot easier than you may think. If I was in your position, it would take a lot more time to find out what my abilities are—

—because I am a Unique user, just like Vaelen. This means we are not bound to established forms of second conjurations. Our Sequencer abilities are unique to ourselves. However, in your case, we’re able to look up what your abilities are by summoning a ‘Portrait of All’.

Since you’re a Smuldra user with a bow, chances are you have different characteristics than Declan, or any other Smuldra user who fights with a close ranged weapon. This is referred to as the Third Conjuration. Has Vash told you about this?”

“Yes, he did,” I nodded. “I understood that it narrows down to the differences between the second conjuration, whilst fundamentally still being bound to the same ‘root’, that being the Holy Spirit associated with our second conjurations.”

“Exactly,” Lunar responded. “So all we need to figure out is what your abilities are based on your second conjuration. To do this, we’ll need a Portrait of All. It is an ungraded artifact that is very akin to a sort of magic ball. It tells you anything you need to know, as long as it is something you may know.”

“Where do we find one?” I asked, as Lunar walked towards the staircase.

“Let’s head to my room. We’ll be able to perform an invocation rite there.”

“Good luck!” Declan added. “I’ll be helping Kasey with preparing lunch as soon as she arrives.”

Vaelen then sighed, scratching his scalp.

“…As long as you don’t overdo it, Caelum.”

“I’ll be fine, Vae! No worries!”

Vaelen then wordlessly passed Lunar as he ascended the staircase.

“I’m going to try and get some sleep. Good luck.”

Both Lunar and I followed his trail upstairs. Declan went to the kitchen, leaving Geneve behind in the living room. She stared at Vaelen’s departing even after he passed the second level, seemingly aimlessly staring at the staircase contemplatively.