"God is good. God is forgiving. God is evil. God is cruel. God is nothing. God is everything. Beware God. For God is unending. Yet embrace God. For God is unending. God is dead. But wasn't God dead all along? We humans have disgraced our makers. Repent for our master's death. God is no more. We shall inherit God's misfortunes. In that sense, aren't we now God?"
-Esoterics of the White Church, by High Priest Angelo the Unending
The dinner and morning after felt strangely awkward, not just to Igo and Daniel, but to the servants as well, who had secretly witnessed the whole ordeal yesterday. As usual, breakfast was the same porridge that Daniel, in a way, has come to like. The usual talkative atmosphere at breakfast was replaced by the clattering of spoons against bowls and the movement of servants around the house with the floorboards of the house creaking with every step. Any attempt at conversation during breakfast was somehow stopped by an awkward pressure, limiting it to a few passing words here and there. Until it was time to head off to the Academy once more.
"See you later, Daniel!" remarked Igo, waving as Daniel passed through the door.
"Yeah!" stated Daniel, but just as he was about to close the door, a thought came across his mind, "Actually, just wait a second or two..."
Daniel sat all the things he was carrying on the ground, where he quickly leaned in with a slight bow, exclaiming, "I promise not to be a little shit!"
Coming from the calm and usually collected Daniel, anyone who saw it and his language would be questioning whether the person in front of him was even who he said he was. But Igo knew who he got that phrasing from, after all, that kind of language and phrasing could only come from one person he knew.
"You might not want to be shouting those types of things, Daniel, but I shall uphold you on your promise" stated Igo, that same soft look in his face and eyes.
"Thank you!" Daniel shouted again, repeating his bow, before picking up his things, and saying goodbye once more to his home. Today was the first time Daniel had actually experienced a full day at the Academy, for the first one was interrupted by the use of Nyn's art and the other replaced by a tiring day of training. Most of the day was the same sort of subject matter he had experienced on the first day, the basics of arts and how to use them. First, the day before yesterday's lesson was continued today, taking up most of the day, only allowing them to get to the actual lesson for the day at noon. Despite this, the first part of the day was surprisingly useful for Daniel and Nyn who had both been learning the subject matter for the first time. Parts of Arts such as how the awakening process works and something as simple as the origin of arts were as confusing as advanced art theory such as Node Transmogrification or FAE, Forceful Art Elicitation. Yet it was even more difficult for Daniel, after all he had no basis of what an Art is or feels like to use, making it practically impossible to imagine what these things could do. Despite this, the next lesson was something all of the porcelains could understand; simple history. Major events over both the histories of the Guild and Alandriel itself were covered. From the forming of the White Church, who believed that in the absence of gods we should try to become more like a god ourselves, to the impact the guild member Cameron Coy had when he translated the Redcap language, allowing the average guild member to decipher commands and basic phrases in the battlefield. And before anyone realised, the day at the Academy had finished, everyone ready to go home. But when Daniel began to walk out of the Guild complex, a familiar white-haired boy was waiting for him.
"Sorry... about yesterday, I had to visit my father and his office is in the Guild complex and well, " apologised Sun, visibly nervous, "I didn't go home until it was quite late."
"Don't worry about it too much," said Daniel, coming up behind Sun and patting his back to Sun's shock, "The past is the past and the present is the present. Let's live in the present, remember the past, but do not allow it to dictate our future. Something I remember my father saying. Let's just walk home, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I have to show you where I live so we can wait for each other in the morning before the Academy starts. That means you'll be showing me to your place sometime too," Daniel finished, smirking.
"Sounds good. Sounds very good." agreed Sun, matching Daniel's grin, with a slightly dark glare in his eyes. A glare devoid of animosity or hatred. Rather one of pure gluttony.
* * *
"Sorry we haven't been able to meet up in a while, but I thought we should meet up today to discuss something important," a voice said, penetrating the dark room from the door, a man standing in the doorway, looking back.
"It's alright Igo; I wouldn't have been able to attend these last couple days anyway, since I had been recovering after that unofficial match with Ender," another voice boomed, with a slight hint of sentimentality, and from behind the man who spoke prior.
"Let's get some light," the voice from the door spoke, who pulled on a small switch, igniting a gas lamp on a bedside cabinet. The room was small and cosy, a single bed taking up a large half of the bedroom, with a set of straw chairs and an oak cabinet taking up the opposite half. A tiny set of steps led to the door the men stood in, with a cracking wooden-beamed ceiling barely tall enough to fit someone of average height. And with the yellow light illuminating the room, casting dancing shadows across the walls, the men in the doorway could be made out clearly, and rather than just two, there were in fact four.
In front, stood a heavily built and clearly older man, not too short or too tall, with a greying head of hair, and uneven stubble across his face. The other man who spoke was far more young looking and handsome, only a head shorter than the man in front, a defined jaw and face with a redish-brown mane of hair covering a large part of his face, leading into a set of stubbly sideburns. The men behind were standing side-by-side, the one on the left with black hair flowing down the sides of his face and deep rich blue eyes and an extremely young appearance, being only slightly shorter than the red-haired man with the other, a brown haired and mature individual as well as being the tallest among them, scanning the room with an emotionless expression on his face.
"Okay, everyone make themselves comfortable, this might be a long one," the man in front, Igo, explained, taking his seat on the bottom end of the bed.
"Couldn't you at least give us a pillow, Igo?" the handsome man complained, pointing at the straw chair nearest to the door.
"Don't go on complaining now, Avo, after all this place is supposed to be abandoned." the expressionless one retorted.
"I told you, Gullivan, it's Avos!" the handsome man shouted, "Only my Ma' gets to call me that."
"What was the story again?" the black haired man said, jokingly, "Came out of the womb as green as a-"
"Oh shut up, Lucan!" screamed Avos, embarrassed and flushed, "Would you like to tell me about the time you shat yourself everywhere in the orphanage and got it on the other orphans!"
"That was a funny one now you mention it..."
"God dammit... anyway what did you call us for, Igo." Avos cursed, frustrated, before steeling himself and looking at Igo, concerned. By now, everyone was sitting down, looking at Igo with the same look of worry. Not only had Igo never called a meeting like this, but he had never looked so serious about anything in his life.
"It's about... Daniel."
"The boy? How's he doing, has something happened to him?" queried Gulliver, showing an out-of-place speck of emotion; anxiety.
"No... not really. He's doing fine, but..."
"But?" interrupted Avos, especially unnerved by Igo's hesitation.
"He's made a friend."
And with that, the entire room burst into laughter and sighs; all except Igo.
"What on Alium was that all about, Igo! You made us all worried!" laughed Lucan, patting Igo on the back, from where he was situated on the other end of the bed.
"Yeah, you had us good!"
"Igo, is that really all? You wouldn't act so seriously for something like that, right?" questioned Gulliver, confused and almost frustrated at his 'friends' reactions.
"I mean, it's a pretty big thing for someone like him to make a friend, why not talk about it or even celebrate it!?" argued Avos, an ear-to-ear smile across his face.
"The friend is Ellis' son."
And with that, the entire room sank into a deep silence, a blank stare on all of the friends' faces.
"How do you know that?" asked Lucan, solemnly.
"When Daniel came back home, he was waving to someone. So, of course, I looked back to them. That white hair is unmistakable. The white hair of Diana, the late wife of The Inquisitor"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Igo," stated Lucan, staring directly at him with a look of dread, "You need to stop it. Stop this... 'friendship' if you could even call it that. Igo, if he finds out Daniel is connected to you, then he'll think he's connected to me. And you'll know what happens next."
"I know, I know... it's just-"
"There are no 'justs' when talking about this, Igo. I agree with Lucan. The sooner the relationship ends, the safer it is for Daniel," agreed Gulliver, resting his eyes upon the dusty floor.
"What do you think, Avos?"
"Unlike you guys, I haven't had any experience with Ellis and I definitely don't want to have one based on what you say about him. However, Lucan and Gulliver are right with this one. If this man is as dangerous as he is made out to be, Daniel will be a lamb to the slaughter."
"I-I'll try. I never said I wouldn't but... he ain't-"
"This isn't a matter of trying, Igo." a dead, yet almighty voice rang out from the mortal frame of a seemingly young man standing up from the bed he was sitting on. When Lucan got angry, especially when concerning him, he often slipped into what is referred to as his 'true' state. The man born in the ruthless night of the Voidlands rather than the boy Igo had raised himself, or the façade he put on daily. This man wore the face of death itself, and exhumed an aura of wrath so palpable, it felt like you were being choked to death, "For his sake, you must do it, Igo."
"Now, now, calm down Lucan," Avos tried to defuse the situation, struggling not to choke on the suffocating atmosphere, "You don't want to make a scene here, right?"
"Sorry," admitted Lucan, sitting back down on the bed and slipping back into his 'regular' state just as easily as he had slipped into the other, "I acted... immaturely and... too hastily."
"Its alright Lucan, if anything I was only denying what I had to do," apologised Igo, with a soft look on his face as he gazed back at Lucan, unshaken, "I know what I have to do. I'll do it tomorrow after he comes back from the Academy. It's just... I don't want to make Daniel lose his first real friendship. He never had any friends of any kind, only bullies and tormentors. Even if the friendship is fake, he'll never forgive me for ruining their relationship. But I know what I have to do. Even if it means he'll... hate me for it,"
And with a hard expression on his face, Igo muttered, "I have to stop it."
* * *
"Daniel," Nyn whispered, right up next to the ear of a sleeping form on a lecture hall table, "Daniel, get up already, Lanyon's asking something!"
"...Wah!" exclaimed Daniel, dramatically getting up from his sleep and being met with the glares of the entire class including his teacher, "Uhhh... S-sir, it seems I can't remember the question you ask-"
"At least make up a better excuse next time, Daniel, " muttered Lanyon, disappointed, the class now staring at Daniel is anticipation, "See me after class please," he uttered the finishing blow, breaking the class into muffled snickers, "Now, for someone more fitting to answer the question... Mr. Harris would you like to name the rankings for the top ten Platinum ranked Guild Members, please."
"Yessir!" shouted Connor Harris, standing up straight, before querying, "Sir, should I enclose the known names of the Guild Members and codenames if possible, sir?"
When Connor was in front of a teacher or senior figure he often did this. Awfully formal and concise, contrasting with his usual happy-go-lucky attitude towards things. One could only imagine how you would feel seeing the boy who playfully teased a noble the other day or two ago act like a stone-faced soldier in front of his commander today.
"Yes, yes, just get over with it."
"Yessir! Ranked 1 is The Inquisitor, real name Ellis Hang who is still active today. Ranked 2 is The Rogue, real name Lucan Duskwalker, and has been inactive for over two decades. Ranked 3 is The Longshot, real name Gulliver Harris who is still active today but is considering retirement. Ranked 4 is The Brawn, real name Avos Ashbeck who is still active today. Ranked 5 is The Vileblood, real name Ender-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get that you know them. Sit back down, Connor," Lanyon said nonchalantly, obviously bored at the length of his answer, "Tomorrow I expect the top ten Platinum ranked Guild Members to be memorised. If you're wondering why you're doing this, since this, on the surface, has nothing to do with training, it can help you figure out who's in charge and who you want to listen to and or not disrespect in the future. Thank you, class dismissed."
As usual with the end of the day, the shuffling of porcelains gossiping and chatting, gathering their things and going into the corridor filled the entire complex. And in one of those classrooms, a lecture hall to be exact, sat an annoyed Daniel Raigeki, wishing that he would just disappear. When the hubbub of the end of day was finally over, Lanyon finally spoke a word.
"You need to pay more attention in class, Daniel," said Lanyon, earnestly, "I'm now speaking off-record. As your teacher, I implore you, please listen in class, especially so in your case. Because your... Well, you know what, you cannot catch on about certain things as easily as your peers and can't always participate in certain things. You need to concentrate as hard as you can, as tiring as it may be, so you can get a head start. Do you seriously want to go into the Guild, sit at Bronze rank for the rest of your life?"
"...no, not really."
"Let me tell you something, Daniel," Lanyon said, approaching where Daniel was and sat on the chair next to him, "When you're artless, things are especially hard. You find no matter how hard you try compared to your fellow Guild Members, you're always left behind in rank promotions and forgotten. So you need to make yourself stand out. That way you have a chance to even be promoted. You could be a tactician or recon exp-"
"How would you know?!" shouted Daniel, dismayed, "You're not like me at all; you're successful, you became a teacher for Class 1s, a spot reserved only for the best, I bet you've never had to look back as you climbed the ranks! Never looked back on all the people left behind. All the people were treated as trash. All the people who are treated as nothing, simply because they are normal, unlike the abnormal people with arts! How would you even be able to comprehend how-"
"Because I'm like you Daniel," interrupted Lanyon, with a soft expression on his face almost identical to Igo's, "I'm... artless,"
It was strange going from such a tense atmosphere to such an embarrassed and confused one with only a few words. After all, an artless like him being successful? How would that be even possible? Daniel's been taught from the very start of his life up until now that an artless has no future in the Guild? So how could this man, someone who he felt like could have killed him when he first met him in that corridor, be someone like him. To Daniel, it didn't make sense. It was absolutely impossible, improbable! And so there was only one other option that could explain this. He was lying.
"I learned what I told you the hard way. The only reason I was chosen as a teacher here was because I was an excellent tactician that rivals the highest ranks, but in reality, they were probably looking for a quick substitute of a teacher who stopped doing it, someone who wouldn't cause too much scandal, and someone that could easily be brushed under the rug if necessary. I know exactly what you're going through, Daniel. So please-"
"It doesn't matter," Daniel cut-in, standing up from his chair and gathering his things, refusing the truth in front of him, "Stop trying to lie just to make me feel better. I'm... just going to go," and Daniel was going to go; before Lanyon could break out of his surprise, Daniel was at the door.
"W-wait, Daniel!" but it was too late for Lanyon to shout. Daniel was already out of the door, walking down the now empty corridor back to the first floor, "Come back here this instant, Daniel! Now! Please... Dammit..."
Lanyon didn't bother chasing, since nothing he could say now would get him back here. He couldn't even finish what he was about to say; after all, it would all go in one ear and out of the other, before Daniel 'departed' again. All Lanyon could hope now is that Daniel wouldn't hate Igo for what would happen now.
"Hey, Daniel!" a white haired boy called out, waving excitedly.
"I thought you were going to be gone by now, Sun!" said Daniel, rushing up to where he was, a smile plastered across his entire face, his previous annoyance at his teacher washing away, "You don't usually wait, after all."
"Today's different, that's why," beamed Sun, smirking.
"Why's that?"
"Well, I asked my father about it yesterday, and he said you could come over to my house! What better chance for not only for you to know where my house is for the morning walk to the Academy, but you could stay for dinner too!"
"Really?! Thank you, Sun!" gushed Daniel, hugging Sun, before retracting and saying, "But I think I'll have to notify my uncle first."
"Don't worry about it. It won't be for long and you can always explain it to him. I'm sure he'll understand." Sun bounced back, maintaining an unwavering grin.
"Fair enough. Let's go then!" laughed Daniel, as if he was in a trance, which could be said about both of them in reality. As the pair descended down the normal path back home, Sun guided Daniel to another path. The road to the noble's district. A maze of towering homes and mansions, lined up against the skyline, blocking the view of the clouds themselves. It was a majestic spectacle to behold, for the countryside boy, Daniel. Until they reached a single mansion, bigger than them all combined, dwarfing the size of the two boys. Daniel was frozen. But Sun simply walked in, a man or servant behind the door letting him in without even needing a second look to check if it was in fact Sun. It was mesmerising.
"Are you coming or not, then?" Sun said, a softer expression on his face, and that same dark glare in his eyes, unnoticeable to the artless porcelain. As Daniel stumbled in, he realised even the entrance was lavished with embroideries and tapestries, gold pillars and grand archways. Sun led the blind boy to the end of the corridor where a single man stepped out from one of the many branching pathways. A man unlike he had ever seen. So tall, Daniel couldn't even see his face while he was looking up admiring the architecture, and a man exuding such an omniscient presence, it felt like being in front of a God.
"You've brought him, son" a humongous voice declared, seemingly coming from the man who stepped into the hallway.
"Yes, Inquisitor" Sun stated, transforming from his previous happy demeanour, to a dead emotionless voice as he turned to face a tall man standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Scan him." the giant voice commanded.
"Huh?"
"Information Art: Scan"
Daniel was confused. After all, Sun turned around suddenly and chanted an art at him. The second the chant was issued, an intolerable pain shot throughout each and every nerve tendril of his body. It felt as if every single minute detail of information was being sucked out of him, forcibly, and with it came a pain he had never experienced. Nothing like the beatings Daniel had experienced in his hometown, but a painless pain. A pain so intense it felt nothing like pain. Until he fell. Daniel dropped to the carpeted floor, convulsing and frothing at the mouth. And the familiar tensing of pain welcomed Daniel with open arms.
And then, it stopped. Daniel couldn't see, smell, feel, hear or even think. Daniel couldn't process any information at all. But that could be attributed to the fact that all of the information Daniel had ever received or is receiving was being ripped out of his body. Or, another possibility, was that Daniel was unconscious. Both were true. And the naïve boy, fooled by his best friend, lay seizing on the floor, his dear uncle wondering what was taking him so long to get home.