Sera and Cabrin followed behind the old man in tense silence. Administrator Seer, old as he was, led them through a dizzying path down corridors, through chambers, out of buildings, and into others with a surprising pace for such an aged man. They passed auditoriums where professors lectured students, cut through libraries where students and scholars studied, and passed forums where people gathered to discuss various topics of the past. The buildings that formed the College grounds and the chambers within were a labyrinth, and as rude and mysterious as their host was, Sera couldn’t help but marvel at the ease at which he navigated it.
After what felt like a mile long trek in and out of buildings, up and down stairway after stairway, Sera was relieved when the administrator finally came to a stop. They had descended a long stairway and stood at the end of a short dark tunnel before a nondescript doorway where two armed men stood guard.
“Open the door.” He commanded.
The guards stiffened at his order as the administrator approached them with Sera and Cabrin in tow. “But Sir, this place is off limits to visitors.”
“I’ve been visiting this chamber since before you were born. I know the regulations, I helped write them.” The old man said tersely. “Do as I say.”
As the guards unlocked the door, using two keys turned in unison, the administrator led Sera and Cabrin inside. Once inside, the door closed behind them as Sera gasped at the beauty of the chamber.
Like many of the buildings they had been hurriedly led through, the chamber was of a circular shape with a massive domed skylight set in the ceiling above. The stairs they had been led through had brought them deep underground but the chamber glowed with sunlight which filtered through the water of a small lake that was situated above them. Passing fish cast shadows on the floor along with the ghostly waves of light which played across the floor at the center of which stood a raised box with a tapestry emblazoned with the star of Icos upon it. The old man impatiently ushered the two of them closer to the box and Sera’s breath escaped her as he pulled back the tapestry draped over it.
It was a glass casket containing the body of a woman, somehow perfectly preserved within it. Silvery golden hair framed a face that was stoic and serene. The woman within was perhaps about twenty or thirty, but despite the difference in age, there was no mistaking it, the face that Sera was staring at was her own.
“Do you know where we are?” The old man whispered.
“Ancestor Gods.” Cabrin’s awed voice escaped him in reverence. “We’re in the Tomb of Celeste.”
“For generations, my predecessors and I have maintained the secrecy of this tomb.” The old man explained. “The legends tell of its existence but we alone have known of its location and kept it safe from the outside world. For over a thousand years, we have waited for the promised resurrection and in all that time, those doors have never been opened from within because as you can see, our lady Celeste remains here in her slumber.
“So tell me,” He went on, poking his finger into Sera’s chest. “Tell me why you, a young girl from some backwater town, south of nowhere, have come to wear the same face as that of our lady?”
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Sera hesitated as the old man stared at her with his cold, scrutinizing stare before answering him.
“I think…” She paused as Cabrin cleared his throat. “I mean…I am…the reincarnation of Celeste.”
“Oh? A most profound claim.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “But can you prove it?”
Sera nodded, a gesture that seemed to draw some interest from the man. It was something that had become second nature to her by this point. Whereas before it took concentration, now it came as easily as breathing. Taking a step back so as to not accidentally harm the administrator, Sera drew her short sword from whatever magical realm it was that she had access to.
She stood awkwardly with her blade in hand, unsure of what to do with it after presenting the feat to the unbelieving man. She felt ridiculous, holding it out like that, but he asked for proof, not a show.
The administrator stood, unimpressed. “Cheap tricks are not enough to impress me, girl.”
“Cheap tricks?” Cabrin shouted. “This girl displays magic and you call it a cheap trick?”
“There have been many who claim to possess magic. Do you think you’re the first?” The man asked. “Sleight of hand, ancient artifacts producing flame, wires and pulleys, I’ve seen it all. Now, I am a very busy man and you have wasted enough of my time. Guards!”
Sounds echoed through the chamber as the guards on the other side of the door unlocked it before entering. With a flick of her hand, Sera sent them sprawling backward as the doors shut back against them. Administrator Seer and Cabrin were both knocked back to the ground as repulsion radiated from Sera, the chamber echoed loudly as the shockwaves reverberated off of the walls and circles of light danced upon the floor as the water rippled above them.
“Do you think I am here to try and fool you?” Sera screamed, suddenly enraged at his dismissal of them. “I have forfeited the life I had to come here! I have left behind my family, my home! I have lost so much that I hold close to my heart, to come here!”
Tears filled her eyes as she spoke as visions of Akane flashed through her mind. “I don’t know exactly what it is that I am meant to do or how I am to do it, but you people surely have some idea. My friend died to see to it that I came here and by the ancestor gods, I will not let her have died in vain. You will not turn me away.”
The man trembled, his eyes suddenly wide with shock and wonder as Sera collapsed to the ground in tears. He glanced once at Cabrin who slowly stood before casting him an angry glare.
“Ancestor’s grace.” He whispered before making his way toward Sera as she silently wept. Sera looked up at Administrator Seer as he laid a hand upon her shoulder. He helped her back to his feet as she wiped her face.
“My dear girl.” He began, his voice had lost its judging edge as he spoke. “For so long, I and my predecessors have poured over the ancient texts concerning the last moments of Celeste. Though your claim contradicts those accounts, your display of power is surely that of our lady. Forgive me for doubting you, it is clear to me now that the body in that casket was once your own. Forgive me, Lady Celeste.”