Everyone’s befuddlement was palpable. Silence slipped into the atmosphere, marinating everyone inside of it for several moments before Geneve broke it.

“It’s… only one Grimoire…”

“…R- right,” Caelum stammered. “Yes, it is…”

Vaelen squinted his eyes slightly, staring at the silver bow in Caelum’s hands as Lunar added,

“I see. It seems that Vash may have been right, after all.”

“I’m still a little doubtful,” Geneve said. “But, this may be an extremely improbable case of experiencing side effects from summoning your Grimoire. This is definitely something that has been studied before, so I think that blood test will bring us some more answers.”

“Do you agree, Vaelen?” Lunar asked, jolting him awake. He hesitantly replied,

“…Yes.”

His words prompted Declan to feel incensed. He grasped his left shoulder and shook it with an impressive force, making Vaelen’s entire upper body swing along in the motion. “Your brother’s doing all fine now, and he really doesn’t possess a second Grimoire! What’s with the low gaze?”

Vaelen slowly raised his head and momentarily exchanged glances with his brother in a poignant moment before shaking his head, responding,

“No… you’re right. I’m glad, Caelum.”

As he sported a faux closed smile, Caelum concurred with closed lips. Declan, his entire left arm now wrapped around Vaelen’s shoulders, turned his head to the right, where Lunar stood.

“Sooo, what do we do next, Lunar?”

“…We’ll simply wait. Geneve has a point, Vaelen. Caelum should undergo a blood test, just to make sure there isn’t anything serious going on. However, my mind is a little stuck at the words of the Ritual Master.”

“Ah, right!” Declan exclaimed, abruptly relieving Vaelen from his embrace. “Caelum, have you recollected your memories about the Ritual?”

“Ehm… …not really, no,” he murmured, scratching his scalp. Geneve, her head lowered and eyes squinted, talked in a manner as if she was talking to herself.

“For what reason would the RM be lying about something like this…”

“He may have been hallucinating, or the sort,” Declan responded. “Maybe it really was just this single Grimoire you summoned, and the other one may have just been an illusory object. Those chambers seemed magical enough to convince me that abstract and unnatural things have a possibility of happening.”

“From my understanding,” Lunar said, wrapping his left arm over his abdomen, fingers of his right hand contemplatively supporting his chin. “Caelum shouldn’t have known how to properly master the summoning of his Grimoire, since he missed the first day of training. If this wasn’t the case and he already knew his ways, he could have easily manipulated the flow of his soul pressure, and manage to summon just one Grimoire—

—That is also where the difference lies in mastery and intuition. People with little to no knowledge may be able to freely summon their Grimoires, but those who are able to manipulate their soul pressure, which is acquired by training, are able to do so in more advanced ways, like summoning their Grimoires rather instantly than requiring several moments of introspection.”

“Regardless, let’s set this clear,” Geneve said firmly. “Next time you meet with Vash, you’ll tell him that you’re okay with being blood tested. Alright?”

“…Sure.”

“Starting to feel hungry now, Caelum?” Declan asked with a smile.

“A little, yes.”

“Then come with me! Kasey made sure to save your share of today’s dinner.”

Vaelen then stepped past the group towards the adjacent staircase, a shadow fallen over his eyes as he spoke with a solemn tone,

“I think I’m going to get some sleep. See you all later.”

“Sure! Sleep well!” Declan waved, as Caelum, alongside Lunar and Geneve, wordlessly watched his departing figure. It appeared that Caelum was the only one who felt worryful, but Vaelen disengaging from socialization was nothing new to him. There were moments when Declan would visit their abodes to spend some friendly time with them; Vaelen would often, if not, always find some sort of excuse to flee the social grasp.

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Despite his exceptionally handsome appearance and chances to gain a large entourage, Vaelen was as introverted as a house cat. While this was something Caelum understood, Lunar and Geneve, in particular, thought otherwise. They considered the latter, perhaps he was still conflicted about Caelum’s circumstances while being a very religious person.

***

[One month ago: The Church of Urdall]

It was during a Sunday when Vaelen, by himself, attended a Mass alongside fellow church members. He was dressed in an all-black ulster coat that blended seamlessly with his long and curly black hair—

—After the Mass reached its crescendo, he found himself standing in front of a member of Urdall’s Creed on a wooden platform. An elderly man draped in an ancient, layered dark purple robe, with a holy mitre where a dark purple, swirling symbol was engraved in the middle; the symbol of Urdall.

He was holding Vaelens right hand with both hands, his eyes filled with appreciation and awe, as he spoke in a tone audible enough from the cluster of voices from the people in the background.

“You pristine young child… May the God of Creation bestow ‘His’ blessings onto you, Vaelen.”

“Thank you, teacher…” Vaelen said, smiling.

“…I tell you this many times, young man. Your orthodox nature truly makes you one of a kind. A bright future awaits you; A future that many will see, both good and bad people. I can only hope that your illumination will shine bright enough to bring your younger brother back on his rightful path…”

Vaelen gulped nervously before responding, his eyes aimlessly lowered.

“…I hope so too.”

***

Back in the present, an hour had gone by since the occasion. Inside the sunset-lit room, Vaelen hung his head whilst sitting on the edge of his bed, his laps supporting his arms. It was obvious that something was lingering in his mind. This was a side of him that his brother only rarely saw, mainly because he consciously averted the possibility of Caelum seeing him in such a seemingly wrecked state.

Moments passed, until eventually, a few knocks on the adjacent door reverberated throughout the chamber. Right before Vaelen could voice out his question, the one standing behind the other side of the door had already spoken out loud.

“It’s me, Lunar. Mind if I step inside?”

“…I don’t mind.”

Lunar gently swung the door open, and stepped inside, his arms crossed behind his back, gaze held forward on the large window in front of Vaelen.

“I can understand if you weren’t able to shut off after an eventful day. But, it seems like you extricated yourself from difficult situations.”

“What is it, Lunar?” he said with an unwelcoming tone, remaining in his crestfallen position.

“…What did you think about Caelum?”

“…”

“I don’t see your face, but I can already tell that you’re on two minds,” Lunar said, a closed smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You’ve always been the religious type of guy, no? Always making sure you stay on the right track, following the teachings of your uppers, staying consistent with your daily prayers…”

“And you’re not?”

“Well… I know that we’ve found ourselves within the Gaian Temple, the first acolyte of Urdall’s Church, but I can assure you that I am one of many who attend the Inquisition without the intention of becoming a part of the Creed, or the Church.”

“Yeah, right,” Vaelen sighed. “I can’t really imagine you being that religious, no.”

“Call it intrigue, if you will,” Lunar chuckled. “Anyway, we’re getting a little off track here. Once more, all of us always saw you as the ‘righteous’, ‘greater than earth’ type of person. I never really noticed any flaws in your demeanour as well as your appearance—

—I mean, it goes without saying that you must have a good number of maidens wanting to invite you to their abodes. And yet, you’re still here, living alongside your family. The Jinton Family’s name is a remarkable one. Mingle that with your potential, and after you finish your Inquisition, you’re bound to be met with success.”

Vaelen could not utter a single word. It seemed as if his words caused him to feel even more defeated than he already was. Yet, Lunar mercilessly continued.

“Yet, you’re still here. I can not see your face, Vaelen, but I do discern your heart and mind.”

He then turned back to the door, his arms still crossed behind his back.

“There are times when we need to depend on our minds, but our hearts will always be the right answer at the right times. That is what keeps us balanced, and prevents us from being torn apart.”

After sounding his words, he slowly pulled the door open, and looked at Vaelen’s back over his shoulder for the last time.

“Have a good night, Vaelen.”

After closing the door behind him, he made his way to the back garden of the abode. It was a magnificently beautiful place; a medium-high cliff-side grass field with a large wooden bench in the middle. He stood on the stone platform leading inside and smiled the moment Geneve, who sat on the bench, her gaze fixated on the mountainous view, spoke to him.

“And? How did it go?”

“His mouth was shut yet did he tell me more than a thousand words,” Lunar responded, sighing as he stepped towards her. “He knows what he wants, there’s no doubt in that.”

“You’re such a hunter, Lunar. You won’t even let the poor young man relieve his mind for the night,” Geneve chuckled.

“I only hunt things that intrigue me. And this, Geneve, is the most interesting occasion I’ve ever had the honour to witness.”

And with a firm final step, both he and Geneve silently beheld the beautiful view, as the wind gently flew past their figures. After taking a deep breath through his nose, Lunar slowly raised his head, and said with a proud, but calm tone,

“...And I mean that wholeheartedly..”