-The Gaian Temple-

Caelum, Vaelen, and Declan made their way through the vibrant town the Inquisition comprised. Much akin to Western Ventoria, the Inquisition, too, was made of medieval-like buildings, with vendors scattered across the entire area. At one corner, next to an open gate leading further into the town, Alex stood cooking up various different foods.

Having caught Declan’s attention, he joyfully waved at the group, prompting the three of them to take their stances in front of his little traversable shop. Vaelen was visibly disinterested in the encounter, as opposed to Caelum, who stood by with a closed smile, watching Declan engage in a friendly conversation with Alex.

“Good day!” he began. “What may it be?”

“A pesco for me! The other two aren’t feeling famished right now.”

“Comin’ right up!”

As Alex began assembling the Pesco, he threw a few glances towards the two brothers, asking them with a curious tone,

“Are you lot the new students here?”

“We are, yes,” Declan confirmed. “We just had the ceremony and are awaiting the upcoming ritual. Are you familiar here? You don’t seem like a Sequencer to me.”

“A little, yes. I wasn’t born with Sequencer characteristics, but I own a small food business in the heart of Ventoria. Been servin’ food for close to twenty-five years now.” Alex responded. “I was requested to standby here with my team for a period of time in exchange for a fair bargain. Lucky for you, Pescos are in my field of expertise!”

“Well, I can’t wait to try it out, then!”

After a short giggle, Alex glanced at Caelum, who nervously looked back.

“What’s your name, fella?”

“Caelum, sir.”

“Caelum? Interesting…” he murmured, finishing up the Pesco. “You look awfully similar to someone who loved buying my Pescos.”

“Do you know his name?” Caelum asked, already knowing what he was going to respond with.

“Emon Moreau! A very handsome but well-reserved fella, I must say…”

“Right…” Caelum smiled. “I often get told this by people who knew him… He is our father.”

“Oh? Like, the three of you?”

“No,” Declan responded. “He’s their father. I don’t have parents.”

Vaelen, his gaze wandering off the conversation with crossed arms, was pulled back into the bubble as Alex called out to him.

“What’s your name, boy?”

“Ah, it’s Vaelen…”

“I see, I see!” Alex exclaimed, handing out the Pesco to Declan, who immediately began indulging himself.

“Let me tell you; he was a very quiet man. Never enjoyed talking for a long period of time. The only times I saw him was whenever he would come by the store for some food. I would always try to have a nice talk with the guy, but he would never let me breach his gates!”

The two brothers remained silent in response as Alex continued.

“But, I am assuming you both know about his background, no?”

“No?” Caelum responded. “What background? Do you know anything?”

“Well,” Alex sighed. “His background in relations to the Luria Assembly. Lots of things about him were revealed after his alleged passing. I always knew him as the well-loved teacher at the University, but I never thought he’d be amongst the elites of this world! Surely the two of you must have been adopted into an esteemed family, no?”

“…Esteemed family…” Caelum murmured. Right before he could answer Alex’s query, two other young gentlemen approached them from Vaelen’s side. One was dressed noticeably more “formerly” than the other. A tall, pale-skinned young man with short and curly blond hair. He was draped in a form-fitting dark gray waistcoat that matched well with the gray, wide brimmed hat he wore.

Next to him, a shorter, slender gentleman. Dressed in a loose white blouse that contrasted nicely with his short trimmed white coloured hair. He wore a pair of loose, brown-hued medieval pants with no shoes, just his bare feet touching the stoney surface.

The taller individual waved joyfully towards them with closed eyes and a wide smile, causing the three to turn towards them, with Declan still munching on his Pesco.

“Good day!”

“Greetings!” Declan said with a full mouth, confidently stepping in front of Vaelen. “You must be the person from the second group… Pale Fangs, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed!” the gentleman responded. “The name’s Qlint. Qlint Marshew. It is nice to meet you all.”

“Declan. Likewise,” he said, shaking his hand as he looked at the shorter individual. “And you are?”

With a short, firm, and emotionless tone, the young man responded,

“Bartholomew.”

Whilst keeping his smile, Declan couldn’t help but let his face slightly contort into a nervous frown, with both Caelum and Vaelen silently listening along behind him.

“Greetings… Is it fine if we keep it to Barth?”

Bartholomew didn’t respond. He remained silent, aimlessly staring forwards, as Qlint took the initiative once more.

“He doesn’t talk much, excuse him.”

He then turned his head towards the two brothers, and asked kindly,

“Besides, what about the other two?”

“I’m Caelum, and this is Vaelen.”

“Caelum and Vaelen…” he squinted his eyes. “Are you brothers of each other?”

“We are,” Vaelen responded, nodding. “How could you tell?”

“How could I tell? Well, how could I not tell?” Qlint responded, causing Alex to smile nervously, turning back to his deeds.

“The Cowright Family just had their third-ever foreign individual take control over one of their greatest aspects. Knowing the brothers of Helvega Jinton isn’t that hard.”

“Right,” Vaelen began. “I am assuming the both of you stem from the same family, as well?”

“Oh, come on, speak more proudly!” Qlint jested. “We are blood allies! Well, perhaps you wouldn’t immediately recognize the gravity of this very encounter. It may be our first time meeting each other, but it is a honour.”

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“Likewise. May we have a great time shared together,” Vaelen responded.

Qlint, together with Bartholomew, walked past them towards the open gate. Qlint then took a stop, looking at the three over his shoulder.

“We will see you all at the academy soon. Take care for now.”

“Well, let us head back,” Declan said, tossing three coins rounding up to five Quills on the counter. “Thank you for the Pescos!”

“All well!” Alex waved. “Good luck on your journeys!”

As the three walked off, Alex contemplatively stared at the coins in his palms, reminiscing about Emon’s face close to two decades ago. The short but friendly conversation they shared stuck with him deeply after he learned about his supposed passing.

Emon’s sons, huh?

He turned his head towards the group; Declan walking in the middle, stretching his arms over Vaelen and Caelum as they slowly faded away into the distance. His face turned neutral, feeling as if he should have said a lot more to them despite having only known Emon on a surface-level.

“Hm…”

***

[Several minutes later]

The three were now traversing the main bridge leading towards their abode. The moment felt particularly tranquil, as none of them were speaking, with only the distant chirping of birds breaking the silence. Caelum’s eyes seemed less illuminative than usual, which Vaelen noticed, compelling him to ask,

“Are you well, Caelum?”

“Hm?” he stammered awake. “I am, yeah. Why do you ask?”

“You just seem a little sedated right now. It’s unlike you.”

“Come on,” he smiled with closed lips. “You’ve always seen me like this. It’s not as if I am running on full energy twenty-four-seven, right?”

“He just needs to have some good food,” Declan yawned. “I don’t know what we’ll be having, but let’s hope it’ll be filling.”

***

Back within the abode, Lunar stood before the now opened front door with crossed arms, smiling as the three stepped inside.

“Right on time, boys.”

Geneve, sitting on the couch with her arms stretching along the back support, added with a loud tone.

“Did y’all have some fun?”

“We survived. The Inquisition doesn’t seem that different from the usual city,” Declan responded. “Has the chef arrived?”

“She did,” Geneve said, standing up while groaning. “We were just waiting for you lot before we can eat.”

“Where’s the dining room?” Caelum asked, as Lunar closed his eyes and walked off towards the other end of the living room, a large, open threshold leading towards the other quarters of the building.

“Follow me. It’s surprisingly hard to find.”

They all followed Lunar’s trail until the dinner room materialized before their sights. It was a spacious room with wooden walls on which a number of ornately-carved light bulbs hung upon. The large wooden table in the midst was flanked by a beautiful lady, presumably in her thirties. She was dressed in a white suit that contrasted sharply against her tanned complexion and long, curly dark brown hair. She bore a magnificent smile the moment her eyes were met with the assembled group as she placed the final plate on the table.

“Ah, has the group finally reunited?”

Her beauty was understandably noticeable, however, Declan seemed to have been the most entranced by her appearance. His mouth was slightly left ajar as he watched her approaching them.

“Hello! I am Kasey Hungman. I will be the chef serving you your foods for the duration of the Inquisition.”

Declan took a confident step forward, and stretched his hand out. As Kasey received his greeting, he properly introduced himself, forcing his voice to sound deeper.

“I’m Declan, nice to meet you.”

Whilst Lunar smilingly shook his head, Kasey’s eyes were seemingly just as fond of Declan as he was of her, seemingly acknowledging Declan’s handsome features.

“Declan… Likewise!” she said, turning towards the two brothers. “And you two must be Caelum and Vaelen, correct?”

“Indeed we are,” Caelum said, nodding with a smile.

Following this, Kasey turned towards the table comprising their dinner, stretching out her right arm towards it.

“Well, take a seat! I’ve prepared you all some succulent goat skewers marinated in a blend of exotic spices. Additionally, please enjoy some grilled flatbread, and golden rice with yoghurt sauce!”

“Mesmerizing…” Declan muttered while the others were taking their seats, standing right next to Kasey, to whom he turned his head to. “You made this all by yourself?”

“Yep!” she chuckled. “Has your Master already inclined you about the storage rooms? I was able to make all of this from the currently stored ingredients. If you want me to make something unique to your liking, just leave a note behind.”

“Surely, surely!” Declan responded. “Why don’t you join us for dinner? You didn’t make all of this just for us, right?”

“Well…” she smiled nervously, as Declan gently tapped her left shoulder, causing her to look up to him in delight.

“No need to stumble. You made this, so you should be able to enjoy it yourself, too. I’ll get you a plate and a glass.”

Lunar, seated at the head of the table, looked at Declan with his head slightly tilted to the left.

“Do you know where the kitchen is?”

“Ah, right…” Declan laughed nervously as Kasey responded,

“It’s okay, I’ll accompany him, if you all don’t mind.”

“Totally,” Geneve said. “There’s enough space for you to join.”

Kasey then led Declan back into the path he and the others came from, their mingled conversations slowly fading away in the background.

Lunar, left with the other three, watched Caelum not partaking in the meal. His voice turned worrying, as he asked him if he was feeling well. Caelum reciprocated with the same response he threw at Vaelen earlier, prompting Lunar to squint his eyes, continuing,

“If necessary, get some sleep before we begin the ritual. That’ll help you get out of your hazy state of mind.”

“Maybe I do need some sleep after this, yeah…”

Declan then walked inside the dining room alongside Kasey, holding her plate and its utilities, whilst Kasey held her glass.

“The plate’s been secured!”

The proceeding evening seemed quite ardent. Kasey appeared to blend well with the students, sharing introductory and miscellaneous conversations, and even Caelum, who appeared tired, was able to let out a few hearty laughs alongside his brother. Their first evening at the Gaian temple went as placid as one could imagine.

***

[Several hours later]

After Vash’s appearance, the group was led into a special section within the academy. A far-stretching corridor that was dimly lit by ornate light bulbs hanging onto the walls. The five of them were lined up, each standing in front of their own respective closed door. Vash stood at the very end of the corridor with his arms crossed, waiting for his students to marinate their mind into the current occurrence before speaking with a proper, and calming tone,

“You may open your doors.”

Caelum quickly turned his head to the right, exchanging a prompt nod with Vaelen before he opened his door that led towards a spacious, mystical room that was encumbered in a vanilla-like smell emitting from various candles. In the middle of the surface, a large golden eye was painted, its pupil heading upward, pointing towards a second figure standing at the very end of the chamber.

An old man, presumably in his fifties, draped in a long, ancient, dark green robe. He held a weathered-looking book in his right hand as he greeted Caelum with a calm demeanour.

“Good evening, young man. Are you prepared for the ritual?”

“Yes,” Caelum nodded. “I am.”

“Perfect. Please take a seat with folded legs on the symbol you see on the ground.”

After Caelum followed suit, the man continued, stepping towards him.

“Now, close your eyes, and put yourself into a deep concentration. Attempt to step inside your own mind as you hear my recitations, and surrender yourself to your soul…”

A few moments of struggle passed, and it seemed that Caelum finally stepped foot into the realm of introspection. The religious and melodic recitations of the man walking in circles around him seemed to slowly fade into silence as Caelum’s mind was taken into a different world.

He was now a formless entity, his once human body now an amorphous frame. The world around him was nothing but utter and complete darkness. The concept of thought or procession seemed to not exist within this realm, which resulted in Caelum aimlessly taking slow steps forwards, until a large, towering iron gate suddenly formed right before him.

The gate’s facade was engraved with an intricate carving depicting a young woman in a loose robe holding a formless child in her arms with closed eyes, portrayed in a renaissance, dramatic style.

Caelum’s hand began to move on its own, gravitating itself towards the gate as if it called for him as an ominous, diabolical surge of atmosphere washed over his entire body. Foreign to Caelum’s knowledge, the carving of the young woman came to life, and her eyes opened, staring deeply into Caelum’s soul as her eyes widened the closer his hand got to the gate, silently luring him to open the gate, as if it would unleash a legion of demonic spirits onto the physical world.

The man, outside this realm, continued his chants, yet he too could feel an ominous aura emanating from within Caelum. It was at this moment when he felt confounded since a student would have had their Grimoires already realized. Nevertheless, he continued, intensifying his tone, as Caelum, within this mysterious realm, finally placed his hand on the cold surface of the gate.

The woman’s eyes remained widened, non-verbally telling him to push the gate open. Without thinking, Caelum mindlessly followed her command, causing the gate to gradually open…

…The man who was once vocal in his recitations abruptly ceased.

Shocked, he widened his eyes and trembled as a loud thud echoed through the chamber.

Caelum had collapsed right before his feet.