Chapter 27:

Leia’s explanation of the sunstone powder made me realize that Annabel and Seb weren’t exaggerating – she really did sound like a genius. I didn’t understand all the concepts she spoke about, but it was clear that her approach to magic was unconventional and had led her to multiple ground-breaking discoveries.

Apparently, combining sunstone with granite enhanced the former’s lifespan significantly, and its powdered form was the only state in which this fusion was even possible. She called this type of hybrid combination Mineral Evolution.

Normally, minerals couldn’t be combined with anything as they were extremely sensitive and volatile. It made sense to me, considering I already knew they could explode under specific conditions.

She also mentioned that she’d experimented with various rocks before discovering that granite was the most suitable partner for sunstone, and she offered an intriguing hypothesis: “Can all minerals be combined with a rock to go through a Mineral Evolution? And if so, does each mineral require a unique type of rock?”

“Have you tested this hypothesis?” I asked, genuinely curious.

She shook her head and smiled. It was clear that talking about her area of interest transformed her into a completely different person. “Only a little.” She admitted. “I had to stop early on to focus on what I’m currently working on.”

“She was always so passionate about magic. It was contagious.” Annabel said, a smile spreading across her face. “Even now, I can’t help but get excited…and I’m not even alive anymore!”

Suddenly, we heard the front door open and Seb’s voice call out. “I’m home.”

I realized it was already evening – I’d spent the entire afternoon discussing magic with Leia.

Seb entered the kitchen and saw us sitting with cups of tea, empty plates with the remaining of the lunch Leia had prepared for us while she explained stuff to me inf front of us. He looked surprised at first, but then smiled. “Looks like you two are getting along.”

It was as if his comment suddenly made Leia conscious of our entire conversation. She became visibly anxious again, her eyes darting around the room.

“W-well, I’m going to put these in my lab.” She said, grabbing the suntraps. She quickly gathered them and headed upstairs.

“I’m so stupid.” Seb murmured after she left, covering his face with his hand.

“He’s always so harsh on himself.” Annabel commented softly before following Leia upstairs.

“Let’s check in on your friend.” Seb said abruptly and made his way toward the workshop.

I suddenly remembered I’d left the book on the floor and was afraid he might get mad. I should’ve put it back on the shelf, but it was too late now - he had already opened the door. The book was literally the first thing he noticed.

“Elbloom’s Herbal Compendium, huh?” he asked.

I nodded, bracing for the worst.

“Just don’t leave it on the floor next time.” He said gently, crouching to pick up the book.

I sighed in relief – he wasn’t upset. I still needed to get my hands on that turquoise ring of his, and getting “evicted” now would’ve set me back.

“I’m out of bookmarks. Do you remember which page you were on?” he asked.

His question surprised me, but of course, I remembered. “Page thirty-three.”

He glanced at the page to confirm, nodded, then closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf.

He approached Ren and activated his turquoise ring, moving his right hand slowly above her body. He continued the treatment for ten minutes without uttering a single word. Then he took the ring off and placed it in the drawer, just like he did yesterday. My heart raced with excitement - I could steal it tonight. But then I began to question the simplicity of it all…

Why would a supposedly renowned healer such as him leave the very mineral that his livelihood depended on in a simple drawer, an entire floor below where he slept? Could the ring itself be enchanted with runic magic? Maybe no one other than Sebastian Thornwood could even wield it.

I needed to learn more…

“Why do you leave the ring here overnight?” I asked casually.

He shrugged. “I won’t be needing it while I sleep, now would I?”

Not the answer I was looking for.

“Yeah, but – “ I started, trying a different approach, but he cut me off.

“What? Someone might steal it? There are no thieves in Lind.” He said dismissively.

Well...there were two now. And I needed that ring badly.

“When is Axel coming?” he asked, snapping me out of my scheming thoughts as he sat down on the chair behind the table.

That was a good question, and Annabel wasn’t here to shed any light on a possible answer.

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Supposedly, he’s still dealing with the aftermath of the white fire pillar he created.”

Seb chuckled. “He always had a flair for the grandiose, the bastard.”

He certainly looked the type. His entire attire and long hair made him seem like someone who was constantly trying to show off. Even his laid-back personality rubbed me the wrong way.

“Were you there when he did that?” Seb asked.

I nodded, seeing no reason to lie. “Hellspawns attacked us.”

“Makes sense.” Seb replied thoughtfully. “You only ever use holy fire against Hell dwellers. I just wonder if that scale was really necessary...”

So, that’s what white fire was? Holy magic?

From what I’d heard, holy magic was a type of magic unrelated to minerals. It was granted to someone through sheer devotion to a god. It was typically wielded by paladins, clerics, and priests. But Axel Bane was none of those...I doubted he even believed in or followed any gods.

Then could that mean Axel had a Heavenly Pact with a deity? And if so, which one?

Or maybe I was wrong again. I’d been wrong about so many things lately…

Seb sighed. “On an unrelated note, I spoke to the village’s mayor and told him you’re our guest. So feel free to roam the village while you’re here.”

I tensed up a bit. I didn’t plan to stay for long. “I don’t think I will.” I said. “I’d rather stay here with Ren.”

“She’s not going anywhere for the time being, you understand that, right?” he asked.

I remained silent and just nodded slowly.

He sighed again. “You’re still so young - why would you want to be cooped up here all day? Wouldn’t you rather meet new people around the village? Or just have a beer at the tavern?”

It was the complete opposite of what I wanted. “Not really. No.” I admitted.

Seb chuckled. “You’d rather just read a book, huh?”

I nodded. “It’s a lot more peaceful that way.”

Seb nodded thoughtfully. “I can relate. I was the same at your age. Never could stand socialising.”

“And now you enjoy it?”

He shook his head as he lifted one of the beakers from his table and carefully examined the liquid inside. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I do find it more...bearable nowadays.”

“Why changed?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going and stay on his good side.

“My life turned out the way it did because I decided to take a risk and step out of my comfort zone.” He explained.

“How so?”

“I was a student at Larina’s University of Magic. A promising one, if I do say so myself. I managed to earn the title of Master in my fourth year.” He paused, then clarified. “In case you’re not familiar, it usually takes seven years to reach the title of Master, and most students drop out earlier when they realize they won’t make it. You only need to complete four years at the academy to earn a diploma.”

I recalled what Annabel had said before. She mentioned the same things about Seb. It was reassuring to hear she likely wasn't lying.

“I could’ve stayed at the university,” he continued. “My professors were impressed enough to encourage and sponsor me for the title of Grandmaster. They believed I could become one of the youngest Grandmasters in the history of Morthryga, and the youngest professor at Larina as well, but…I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted.”

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“What did you want?”

“At the time, I didn’t know.” He admitted with a shrug. “I just knew for a fact that staying in the academy wasn’t it.”

“So you decided to join Axel’s party?” I asked, a bit surprised - it did seem like a huge leap.

“Not Axel’s specifically.” He corrected. “I wanted to challenge myself and use my healing talents in more practical settings. And what better way to do that than to become an adventurer?”

“If you were looking for more practical settings to use healing magic, you could’ve opened your own clinic or something like that.” I suggested. “Healers are always in high demand.”

“True.” He nodded. “But that would’ve been easy, and, as I said, I was looking to get out of my comfort zone. My father is a high-healer as well - he has his own clinic in Magelina. And my mother was a nurse. They raised me in a very specific way. And while I’m grateful for the many useful traits I developed thanks to them, I could see, in retrospect, the many negative characteristics I picked up, too. For example, I was terrible at making friends or speaking to women. I had plenty of acquaintances, but those relationships were purely professional. At first, I didn’t care, since the pursuit of knowledge was my top priority. But at one point, it suddenly hit me – I was going to die lonely and alone.”

He chuckled at his own words.

“So, becoming an adventurer was your way of challenging your own character, then?” I asked, following his line of thought.

“Precisely.” He agreed. “The adventuring world was the farthest thing from me, but I’d heard enough about it to know that it was the one profession that would force me to change if I wanted to succeed.”

I could understand his reasoning, even if I found it hard to relate. Why leave something you were good at and even risk it all by becoming an adventurer? A profession with a relatively high mortality rate.

“I joined one party at first, but after a few close calls with them, I realized they weren’t professional enough. So, I switched to other groups until I eventually met Axel, then Leia, and the rest is history, I guess.”

“Yet now you’re here, back full circle, serving as the Lind's healer. Why is that?” I asked.

He smiled at my observation, his tone thoughtful. “Well, I got married, and suddenly, every time we went on a quest, I felt like I had something to lose. Then Axel became a Champion, and our party naturally disbanded. When that happened, I figured we might as well retire and live a more peaceful life.”

“Pretty young age to retire...for an adventurer.” I commented

He shrugged with a faint smile. “Do adventurers ever really retire, though? An untimely death is usually their retirement. And I didn’t want that for myself or Leia.”

“Hey, Luca, can you do me a favor?” Annabel asked suddenly, and I realized she was standing right next to me. Luckily, Seb wasn’t focused on me and didn’t notice that I’d been startled.

It depended on the favor, but since I couldn’t ask her what she wanted without looking like an insane lunatic in front of Seb, I just nodded weakly. Worst case scenario – I’d ignore her request. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.

“Can you ask him about the old times, please?” she pleaded. “Being here, next to them, had brough back so many wonderful memories. Axel barely ever talks to me about the past, but maybe Seb would be willing. Please, Luca, I just want to reminisce a bit.”

I decided that it wouldn’t hurt and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Could you tell me about some of your journeys with Axel?” I asked, hoping the question wouldn’t make him snap the way he did whenever I mentioned Axel’s name.

Seb looked confused. “What do you really want to know?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just wondering how it was.”

Seb remained focused on the beakers on his table. “What’s there to say, really...It was mostly good. While it lasted.”

I sensed he didn’t want to talk about it and was ready to drop the subject, but Annabel’s pleading eyes urged me to try a different approach.

“Your party - can you tell me more about it?” I asked.

Seb took a deep breath. “Well, if there was something unique about Axel’s party that made it stand out to me, it was his single-minded focus on eradicating hellspawn. Considering Morthryga is the only kingdom in the world afflicted with demonic breaches, it sounded like a very heroic goal to strive for.”

My heart suddenly raced at his words. “Wait.” I stopped him, struggling to believe what I just heard. “Are you saying we’re the only kingdom in the world that experiences demonic breaches?”

He looked surprised by my reaction. “You didn’t know?”

I shook my head slowly, a chill running down my spine.

He sighed. “I thought everyone knew...But yes, in short – that’s right. After the last demonic war, five centuries ago, Sepharion, the legendary hero who defeated the Demon King, and, as everyone wanted to believe, destroyed Hell for good, erected magical barriers around each kingdom in the world. At the time, people were skeptical that Hell could be destroyed completely - and rightly so, as we can see today - so Sepharion offered the barriers as a primary line of defense, just in case Hell ever returned after he was gone.” Seb paused, watching my reaction. “The barriers held successfully…until twenty-five years ago, when Morthryga’s barrier fell, and hellspawn began to appear in our realm once again.”

I was stunned by his words. All this time, I’d thought demonic breaches were a global threat, but apparently, Morthryga was the only victim.

“Why did the barrier fell?” I asked, bewildered.

Seb shrugged. “No one really knows. The other barriers of the world still hold strong…”

My thoughts immediately turned to Vorlexia. If she’d been in Vedem for the past four hundred and twenty-five years - four hundred years before Morthryga’s barrier fell - then it meant she’d either found a way to bypass it, or perhaps she was the one who broke it in the first place…

“The breaches began appearing in Illen at first.” Annabel added to the conversation, unbeknownst to Seb. “But eventually, they spread throughout the rest of Morthryga as well.”

“You look a bit shaken by the revelation.” Seb observed, watching me closely.

“I guess so...” I muttered as the realization finally sunk in. It is what it is. It didn’t change much in the grand scheme of things.

“Let’s get your mind off it. I’ll tell you more about our party.” Seb offered, taking another deep breath. “We had six members most of the time. Some came and went, just as I did when I replaced their previous healer, but eventually we settled on a main six and journeyed together for four years until we disbanded. There was me and Leia.”

Annabel smiled warmly at his words, while I tried to listen and shake off the eerie feeling the earlier revelation had given me.

He continued. “Patrik was our front-liner. A massive guy, even without his colossal armor and war-hammer. He was the kind of man who’d make you start shitting bricks just by walking toward you, but once you got to know him, you’d realize he was the gentlest person around. The type who’d be afraid to step on ants, not wanting to hurt them. He’s somewhere in the Skandian kingdom these days. Supposedly, his mother was from there, so they offered him citizenship and the status of whatever their equivalent of a Champion is.”

Annabel chuckled. “Pat was such a gentle soul.”

To think another one of their companions was a Champion - even if for another kingdom - was surprising. Their party must have been extremely powerful in its prime.

“Then there was Valon, our assassin-rogue. He was the one we’d send to scout ahead or to drive a dagger into the enemy’s back. Light, extremely nimble on his feet, and as elusive as a shadow thanks to his onyx ring. I hear he’s running a crew of assassins in Larina these days.”

“Val was always…special.” Annabel said slowly, leaving me unsure if she was fond of him or not.

“So, he’s an assassin now?” I asked, taken aback.

Seb looked up at me. “Yes.”

I frowned. “Why, though? How do you go from hero to criminal?”

“Ah.” Seb sighed. “That was the thing about Valon. He never was a true hero. He was only in it for the thrill. It was Axel’s charisma and power that kept him in check most of the time. Once Axel became a Champion, Valon had no real reason to keep doing heroic deeds.”

I was shocked. He was a hero yet turned to professional murderer. And running a crew of assassins, no less…

“Then there was Axel, of course, whom you’re already acquainted with. Our charismatic leader. The number of times he convinced us to attempt the impossible was...well, impossible. Yet he always managed to pull everyone over the line and succeed. As much as I hate his guts these days, I can’t deny his leadership skills.”

His words made me think of Elandor. Suddenly, Axel didn’t seem so different from him - at least in terms of leadership. I shook my head, disgusted with myself for even making the comparison.

Annabel looked a bit saddened by his words, but a wry smile still crossed her face.

“And the most important member of our group was probably Annabel.” Seb continued. “She was our arcantor, similar to Leia. But while Leia’s magic is more...how should I put it? Reserved, I guess. Annabel’s magic used to blast our foes into orbit.” He laughed softly, seemingly recalling some fond memories.

Annabel’s face lit up, excited that he was talking about her, so I tried to prompt him to share more.

“So, she was like your main offensive option, I assume?”

“Yes.” Seb said, then seemed to get lost in thought, reminiscing. “Among Ann’s rings, she had a peridot one, the earth magic mineral. Whenever we faced large hordes, she would crush the ground beneath them and bury them alive. It was insane. And whoever survived would be burned down by Axel’s fire. Their combination was something else.”

I nodded - it all sounded much more interesting than I’d expected.

“You said Annabel was the most important one.” I noted. “Why’s that?”

Seb chuckled. “Well, she was sort of the glue that held us all together. Valon was ready to follow Axel blindly anywhere, but the rest of us had our disagreements with him every now and then.”

“And Annabel managed to bridge the divide?”

He nodded. “Yes. Their love was something out of a romance novel. It always seemed like she could understand what he felt without him even needing to say a word. Leia eventually changed everything for me, but back then, as a single twenty-something virgin, I was so jealous.”

Annabel looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she still smiled.

“Were they together from the start?” I asked.

Seb nodded. “Yes. They were childhood friends turned lovers. Both came from the same village - Daron it was called.”

“Was?”

“Sadly.” Seb said, his expression darkening. “Daron experienced the largest demonic breach ever recorded in Morthryga. Overnight, the entire village just ceased to exist. Axel and Annabel lost most of their friends and family members that day. And they were just kids.”

His words shook me a bit, and I quickly glanced at Annabel. It was clear that the memories of her home village were painful for her to bear. It also explained Axel’s seemingly deep hatred toward hellspawn.

“This is one of the things I never understood about Axel.” Seb said suddenly. “Annabel was so pure. So cheerful despite everything. While he was clearly powered by pure revenge, and it didn’t seem like he cared that he dragged her into it as well. I won’t speak for the rest of us - we knew what we were doing and what we signed up for - but Annabel? I’m sure she was just following her beloved. I doubt she was seeking revenge like he was. She probably just wanted to keep him safe.”

I glanced at Annabel. She covered her face with her hand as if she was about to cry, and I wondered if spirits could even shed tears.

“She followed him everywhere.” Seb concluded. “Until eventually, that damned sickness took her. My heart shattered when I found out she was gone.”

I was surprised by his words. Shadowsbane was a disease that usually took months – sometimes even years, like in my mother’s case – before it claimed its victim. “You didn’t know beforehand?”

“I wish I had.” Seb said bitterly, his voice rising with anger. “Axel never told us.”

“Why not?”

Seb shrugged, his face twisted in frustration. “He probably didn’t even see us as friends.” he said angrily. “He always acted like the world revolved around him. But we were Annabel’s friends! We deserved to know what she was going through.”

Now it all made sense - why he was so furious with Axel.

“No, Luca, tell him he’s wrong!” Annabel suddenly shouted, her voice desperate. “Axel just didn’t want them to suffer like he did while he watched me die slowly.”

I hesitated, trying to find the right words to convey her message. “Maybe he just didn’t want you to feel the pain he did.”

I couldn’t believe that I was actually defending Axel Bane.

“If that’s what he thought, then he’s a damn fool!” Seb shouted, his voice trembling with rage. “The two things weren’t connected, and not everything revolves around him. We wanted to be there for Ann - and for him, too.”

Annabel whimpered softly, and I was at a loss for what to say. In a way, I understood Seb’s feelings and could even agree with him.

I tried to salvage the situation. “If you could visit Annabel before she died, what would you tell her?”

My question made Annabel raise her head and look at Seb, her eyes wide with hope. Seb seemed caught off guard. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. She’s gone now. Let’s just forget about this conversation.”

He quickly left the room and shut the door behind him. “Good night.”

“I understand why he’s so angry at Axel.” I told Annabel.

She nodded. “I understand, too. But nothing Axel did was out of malice. He thought he was doing the right thing for them.”

After that, we remained silent for a while, and I eventually tried to sleep, realizing that taking the ring might be too dangerous if its protected by runic magic.

That night, I learned that spirits could cry.