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It was only due to my stubborn and persistent insistence that I spent the night alone. I had thought Nora would be relieved, not having to share the room, but she spent a good quarter of an hour arguing with me about it before the others came to separate us.
“If something happens again, I’ll just knock you out faster this time!” Nora declared as Tetora began to haul her away. “Why are you making a big deal about this?!”
I pointed dramatically at the door, swirling my cape for the proper effect. “Out!” Then I looked at Aleph. “And please take both swords with you. And the staff.”
I was getting to be over-encumbered with weaponry.
Aleph shook his head. “No. You need to be able to protect yourself and Holy Celestia itself.”
I eyed the pile of weapons hesitantly, worried about the damage I could do. “If it happens again—”
“It won’t.” He gestured to the translucent, sparkling veil that seemed to coat the walls. “You’ll be safe here, inside the ward.”
As soon as they left and Nora’s squealing protests faded, I quickly locked the door, ignored the pot of bitter tea waiting for me, and threw myself into the bed. As I lay on my back, I focused on telling different parts of my body, telling them that it would be okay to finally relax and let go of the day’s tension.
Nora’s okay… I relaxed my hands.
Relias is feeling better… I unclenched my jaw.
And tomorrow, we’re off to Chairo.
Everything stiffened up again.
Screw it! I’m going to imagine something nice… A day at the beach! Sun, sand… a decent breeze! And no one else around…
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“What the…” I mumbled in chagrin, looking around after realizing I was again in my insubstantial dream form. I had gotten it half-right. There certainly was sand and sun, but how could I have forgotten the ocean itself?!
A vast expanse of golden dunes stretched for miles in almost every direction. Just ahead, however, the world seemed to end abruptly, cut off by a cluster of dark, jagged rock towers that rose from the ground. Their sharp edges glinted menacingly in the bright sun like a set of bared teeth, defying everything else before them.
A lone figure, garbed in a simple cloth robe and a wide-brimmed straw hat, slowly made her way between the dunes toward the looming darkness. A powerful gust of hot wind threatened to snatch her hat away, prompting her to secure it with one hand while steadying herself with a walking staff in the other.
Why was she here? And more importantly, what did she have to say about all of this?!
“Hey! Wait for me!” I called out, sprinting with supernatural speed, unhindered by the sand that sprayed off the dunes and passed through my ghostly form. “We need to talk!”
Seemingly unable to hear me, the woman continued, pausing occasionally to brace herself against the sandy onslaught of wind. However, she stopped upon reaching two ominous paths that had been carved deeply into the basalt that lay ahead.
“Two ways forward, but only one will bear fruit,” she mused to herself for a moment as she rummaged through a small sack attached to her side. She pulled out a parchment and stared at it momentarily before powering up her shockingly white aura.
“Inveni entem sentientem!” she shouted before pausing again to awkwardly read the words written on the parchment, “Foreign... Key Constraint Violation Sentient Being ID 666 Error Not Found!”
To my surprise, the wind around her switched directions, tugging at her robe and guiding her toward the path on her right. Her hat tumbled into the darkness beyond, revealing a whipping wave of bright pink hair.
“Hey! Over here!” I cried, trying to touch her shoulder, but my hand just passed through her, and once again, she didn’t respond to me.
Instead, she dropped her staff, pinned it under her foot, cupped her hands, and shouted into the dark canyon, “I shall meet you anon, and I would appreciate it if you could reclaim my hat!” She glanced again at the parchment she had intertwined between her fingers. “Then perhaps we can talk to Euphridia about selecting you a better true name… Your current one with all the words and numbers is far too long and confusing.”
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Nora’s eyes glowed with an unearthly violet light as she held the door half open. “You have some nerve, waking me up in the middle of the night after kicking me out!”
“Um. It’s important?”
She glanced at Holy Celestia, which rested on my hip, judiciously peace-tied to its scabbard. “We’re not off to fight something, are we?”
“No. It’s about another dream I had, and I have to tell you about it before I forget!”
Her eyes dimmed as she frowned, suppressing a yawn. “Did you write it down in your new journal?”
Whoops. “Oh. No, I didn’t think of that. I just came to you first.”
Nora muttered some choice words under her breath, but she did let me in. After setting her candle on a small table, she gestured unceremoniously at a nearby chair. “Let’s talk about it, then.”
I sat and recounted my dream haphazardly and out of order, making it unnecessarily difficult for her to understand.
She rubbed at her face in defeat. “Start from the beginning.”
“I wanted to dream about the beach,” I confessed. “But I ended up in the wastelands, I think.” Then I told her about the woman and her parchment. “Key Constraint Violation!” I shouted at one point. “That was part of the error Clare sent us about demons!”
Nora blinked twice, suddenly more engaged. “You’re right!”
“Heh heh,” I murmured, mentally congratulating myself. “So then Raela lost her hat and—”
“Did she say her name was Raela?” Nora interjected.
I froze. “No… She never even acknowledged me…”
“But you’re sure it was her?”
“Yes,” I declared stubbornly.
“And not a different hero?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“She was going to talk to Euphridia about his name…” I argued without much conviction. “And her hair was… the pinkest of bubblegum pinks.”
Not… copper blonde, like mine. Completely different.
Except sometimes Nora called me pinky. But that was probably just to get a rise out of me…
“Rae,” Nora said in a frighteningly serious tone, interrupting my mental musings. “I want you to think carefully before you answer this question. Exactly when did you realize it was Raela?”
I furrowed my brow, absently holding my breath as I tried to recall my dream thoughts.
Why was she here? And more importantly, what did she have to say about all of this?!
“As soon as I saw her backside, before I even saw her hair or heard her speak,” I admitted quietly. “I wanted to get her attention and ask about what’s been happening…”
“Whatever you did, keep doing it,” Nora advised. “You just learned how to track a demon by its true name.”
“I did?”
Nora suppressed a sigh. “Inveni entem sentientem.”
I nodded dumbly. “Sounds like a spell… but…”
“It means to find a sentient being.”
“It does? Oh… and then she said that nonsense, and the wind changed, and she followed it!”
“She was obviously tracking whatever had been assigned that error message. It was probably… you know.”
Epiales. Or what would be later known as Epiales, the first demon king. Her killer.
“But…” I hedged. “Even if I can pull it off… I have to say its true name to do it! It’s a double-edged sword!” They’ll know where I am then, too!
Nora shook her head. “I’m not saying just to do it willy-nilly! But this is good stuff. Now shoo! Go back to your room, write everything down, and then get some sleep!”
“Yes, ma’am…”
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After doing what I was told for once, I slept through the night without further incident. The following day came too quickly, with Relias knocking politely but insistently at my door.
“It’s almost the seventh hour,” he called through the crack between the door and its frame. “Your presence in the sanctuary is required…”
“Mngh,” was my profound, insightful reply. Luckily, some thoughtful attendant, probably realizing I wasn’t the most organized in the morning, had laid out my ceremonial clothes in advance. In mere minutes, I was ready and, well, not exactly raring to go, but I was at least engaged in the world around me.
Coffee would have helped, but there was only tea.
“Feh,” I muttered, helping myself to a quick cup, not even giving the paltry sum of honey I had been allotted a chance to dissolve.
“A joyous morning to you, Dear One,” Relias greeted me warmly the moment I opened the door. “We are graced by a radiant dawn and the gentle caress of the sun, a divine indulgence to uplift our journey.”
“That’s nice,” I agreed absently, struggling to get all my weapons through the egress simultaneously. “Would you carry Holy Celestia for me?”
“I may not,” he declined, holding his hands behind him. “It has been entrusted in your care by King Saulus himself; I would not dare come between such a sacred agreement. However, I wish to lessen your burden. Perhaps I could carry your staff instead?”
“Oh... uh, yes, thank you,” I mumbled as I handed it to him. “I suppose I should have thought of that.”
“You are… still waking up,” he said with a forgiving smile. “But you are getting better at joining us before the morning departs.”
“So I was always a late riser, huh?”
“It is no sin for the hero to enjoy a moment of respite…” Relias coughed delicately, pausing once in the hallway. “But before we start this morning’s service, there is one minor matter I wish to discuss… concerning Father Irijah.”
“Oh no… What did, or did he not do this time?” I asked in exasperation.
Relias chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No, it is nothing so dire. I simply wished to inquire, Captain... would it be permissible for him to accompany us?” He cast a brief glance down the hallway before returning his attention to me. “Upon deep reflection, I discern that his recent conduct may stem more from a lack of skill rather than ill will. Nonetheless, considering his past transgressions against you, I deem it prudent to seek your counsel and approval on the matter.”
Fully awake now, I found myself somewhat awed at the question, which, as a first, signified that I was at least somewhat responsible for the Order’s operations. “He may join us…”
“Thank you, Captain,” Relias replied, stunning me even more with an elegant bow.
“You, of all people, don’t have to do that!” I objected in a fluster, almost dropping both swords.
He simply smiled on his way back up. “Yet you must become more comfortable with it.”
“But—”
“Let us proceed inside,” he said merrily, opening the door to the sanctuary for me.
Everyone else had already gathered, so we were fashionably late. King Saulus was in his wheeled chair, attended by Prince Mito, Reginald, and Duke Chadwick. Father Irijah, trembling and ashen-faced, stood awkwardly off the side of the altar, his eyes fixed on the floor before him.
I wonder how badly he had been chastised…
Had he even deserved it? If he hadn’t sensed any overwhelming animus attached to me after the demon fight, should he have been expected to mitigate it?
And how much of what happened was my fault for trying to do something dangerous that night?
I’ll try to go easy on him during the journey.
Aleph, Tetora, Vernie, and Nora sat in the second pew, all decked out in the Holy Order of Gold’s new outerwear to match my own. While I wanted to mingle with them, Relias made it clear he wanted me to stand up front with him while he offered his blessings for a successful journey. Thankfully, he kept his sermon somewhat short, focusing instead on imbuing Holy Celestia with divine power for all gathered to watch. I held out the shining silver blade, overwhelmed by the energy pulsing through it as he delivered his crescendoing benediction.
“It’s… like it’s alive,” I gasped aloud, startled by the difference between it and my first blessed blade.
Relias smiled once again, his bright eyes dancing merrily. “It’s merely responding to its owner’s aura.”
King Saulus coughed a few times, struggling to stand. “Hold it aloft! I wish to see it shine like it used to just one last time!”
I nodded and thrust Holy Celestia high into the air, causing the blade to erupt in a dazzling display of silver light. My gold aura joined it, infusing the entire sanctuary with a glittering brilliance that was almost painful to the eyes.
I have… er—am temporarily borrowing—the power!
I made a mental note to tell Nora about that one later.
“Hahaha!” King Saulus laughed coarsely after retaking his seat, clapping his hands in delight. “At least one of us made it out of retirement!”
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“How many soldiers are going with us?” I asked, startled by the prospect.
Aleph gestured to the crimson-colored platoon gathered outside the gates. “A little over two dozen,” he replied. “It would be disrespectful to His Highness to travel with fewer.”
I gave the gathered guards a serious, almost stern once-over, noting their shields bore Amantia’s royal coat of arms: a gold crown suspended above the hilt of a downward-facing sword, with Euphridia’s six-pointed star hanging aloft on the right. At the same time, a more miniature sun and moon balanced out the left. Their uniforms were richly decorated and impeccably clean, without a single loose thread in sight. Their polished blades gleamed, signifying the pride they carried in their duty.
“Your countenance is to be admired,” I eventually admitted for inspirational effect. “Thank you for joining us on this journey.”
“We live to serve the Chosen One!” they roared in unison.
Let’s keep it at that, then. No dying!
“Now, let us then proceed to the nearby stables, where we can retrieve our mounts—”
My words were cut by a terrifying, throaty roar that ended in an exaggerated whinny. A moment later, Aurum burst through the splintering back wall of his private wooden stable, kicking it a few extra times for good measure before he turned his sights on me. The angry stallion approached slowly, his ears flat against his head while he shook his mane in annoyance.
Earlier this morning I remembered something I had forgotten—but I didn’t think he’d be this enraged! Luckily, I brought a peace offering.
“That wasn’t very nice,” I chided softly as I folded my arms belligerently. “You can be mad at me, but that wasn’t my stable.”
Aurum paused, flicking his ears a few times as if he were considering my words.
“Captain, perhaps you should give your mount some space?” one of the soldiers asked, eyeing Aurum nervously. “Or even delay our departure until he can be adequately calmed?”
“He’s fine,” I replied quietly. “He’s just mad that I’ve been neglecting him. But this is all just show.” At that, Aurum pawed at the ground and snorted several times.
I held out my hand, revealing a precious fruit I had snuck out of the castle. “How many apples will this cost me?” Aurum's muscles relaxed as he eyed his weakness, his nostrils no longer flaring. “You can’t eat them all at once, though. We have a long ride ahead of us.”
Aurum rolled one liquid gold eye at me, snorted, and then trotted over to sniff the apple in my hand. He also demanded an immediate nuzzle and petting session as part of making amends, which I quickly conceded to.
“I'm sorry for not visiting you these past few days… but as you can see, I'm alright.”
He nickered softly and turned his intense gaze toward the soldiers as he chomped on the apple. His silent warning communicated louder than any words that they best not engage in any foolishness during our trip.
Best. Warhorse. Ever!
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