“Prince Zaverick with the Demon Stone and the goblin assassins coming after me. It is all making sense!” Professor Hanoi was speaking rapidly as he fumbled around his cluttered office.

“Does that make sense to you?” Zel whispered.

Elora shook her head.

Nameless stood still and listened with the hope of hearing information regarding the Gifted One. Karl remained outside in the cart. The Ooraki was ecstatic to find that his enchanting tools, the cart, and the book gifted by Goodewin were unmolested. Karl was studying the book, oblivious to his surroundings.

Back in Hanoi’s office, the professor had cleared a cluttered table with a clattering of books cascading to the floor. He unrolled several charts onto the cleared surface. They were maps and a diagram of the stars. Tapping his chin, the professor ran around his office looking up book titles. With a yelp of joy, he added a tome to the desk along with the maps. The oversized book kicked dust as he opened it.

Nameless, Zel and Elora stood silent as they observed the professor skim through the tome and then study the charts and maps before him. This went on for nearly thirty minutes, with the professor mumbling to himself as he flipped pages, marked off charts, and circled the map. Hanoi would dig through his office to get more charts and repeat the process. He was a flurry of movement.

“There!” He finally exclaimed.

The others moved closer. Karl remained in the cart outside, engrossed in the enchanter book.

“What are we looking at?” Nameless asked.

“These are astrological charts over the past hundreds of years. Most of them vary slightly, which is natural, as the stars are moving in the heavens. But, if you look closely, you can spot a similar alignment that happens nearly every century. The planets and moons form a line, you see there?” Hanoi said, pointing.

They nodded, though Nameless was not sure if he saw the pattern. Elora and Zel seemed confident and leaned closer with interest.

“That date! The time in which the alignment occurs is on the Spring Equinox!” Elora exclaimed.

Hanoi nodded with a wide smile. “Precisely! Excellent observation.”

Zel shuddered and added, “that historically has been the time of inquisitions.”

Nameless glanced at the necromancer. “Inquisitions?” He asked.

The former templar’s memory was hazy, but he recalled the Church of the Blue Flame mentioning that a great evil arises once a century. A Dark Lord of some manner. Nameless’s head tilted as he remembered when he was known as Impetitus Caseo the Third that he once led such a campaign against the Witch Queen. He couldn’t bring up the rest of the details, and he stopped digging when his head began to hurt.

“The history of necromancers are filled with persecution, and they are hunted like wild animals during the Spring Equinox. It is falsely believed that our powers are limited during that time. Hah! To think the alignment of stars and the sun would impact the power of death,” Zel scoffed.

“She is correct,” Hanoi said.

“Excuse me?” Zel responded.

“Oh, I apologize. I thought you were a lady.”

“I do not care for such designations!” Zel scoffed.

“Back to the matter at hand. Tell us what this Spring Equinox means?” Nameless growled.

“It’s the Centenary Spring Equinox,” Hanoi corrected.

Nameless’s growl rumbled from within his great helm.

Hanoi continued, “and it was not always associated with great evil. The history books showed that it was also the coronation of a high priest or priestess. I have a fascinating theory!”

The professor was holding up a finger and taking a deep breath. Excitement sparkled in his eyes like a twinkling comet. Elora rubbed her hands, and Zel leaned forward in anticipation. Nameless crossed his thick armored arms.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Hanoi looked around before leaning in and quietly asking, “are any of you religious?”

Zel scoffed and pointed to themself. “I am a necromancer. Your question is absurd.”

Elora nodded in agreement.

“My patience is wearing thin,” Nameless growled.

Hanoi cleared his throat. “Right, I suspect that the gods did not create our world. Rather they were powerful mystical invaders from beyond our cosmos. Their purpose is unclear, but I believe this planet was initially a nexus realm. A cosmic crossroads that the gods had stolen.”

“That is fascinating,” Elora said, her eyes wide.

“What does this have to do with the Gifted One?”

Hanoi nodded and replied, “this planet had a guardian spirit that managed the Nexus. The machines the Goblins turned on in the Wasteland. When the gods discovered this world they saw potential and schemed to steal it. That was probably the first crusade against a Dark One. The first Dark One was the guardian spirit. The gods imbued their followers and made them into Adventurers.”

“The Favored,” Nameless said with a nod.

“Exactly!” Hanoi exclaimed.

“But why does Nameless’s armor say he needs to save the Gifted One?” Elora asked.

Hanoi’s jaw dropped.

“Is he alright?” Zel asked.

“Professor?” Elora waved a hand in front of his face.

Hanoi pointed at Nameless and asked, “where did you come from?”

“Believe me, you do not want to hear that boring tale,” Zel muttered.

“You were not made at the Academy?” Hanoi said.

Nameless grumbled and recounted his arrival from the Mage’s Tower.

“He is also the spirit of a famous templar,” Zel added.

“You are a servant of the gods? They wish to reclaim this world by using the Gifted One to take control of the Nexus!” Hanoi exclaimed.

“That was what I tried to tell him! I do not believe he is alone in trying to find the Gifted One. They are either killed or consumed,” Zel said.

“You knew about the Gifted One?” The professor asked.

“Of course, I’m a highly educated practitioner of the arts,” Zel said with a hand to their chest.

“Massster is very wissse,” Ghoul One hissed.

“Is that…” Hanoi asked as he looked at the creature covered in a hood as if seeing them for the first time. He was interrupted.

“Do you know where we can find the Gifted One?” Nameless asked.

“I have a guess,” Hanoi said, but his eyes continued to dart toward Ghoul One.

“Tell us,” demanded Nameless.

Hanoi cleared his throat. “Right, it appears that the Dark One, or Gifted One, whichever you prefer, has a pattern of showing up as well. It is a simple mathematical calculation to ascertain where the next one will appear.”

They waited patiently as Hanoi scribbled on a chalkboard with tomes of history books scattered around the table and floors. Elora and Zel knelt to meditate while Nameless and Ghoul One stood tirelessly. Karl had come in when Hanoi finished and pointed to a location on the map.

“There!” The professor exclaimed.

“The River Plains,” Elora said quietly.

“Within the Imperium,” Nameless observed.

Hanoi shook his head. “The River Plains seceded decades ago.”

“They now are controlled by a tentative truce between city states, self proclaimed lords, and pirates,” Elora said.

Nameless nodded and replied, “at least it is east of here. Away from Zaverick’s army,”

“That, or we are heading in the same direction as Zaverick,” Karl added.

“You think he is searching for the Gifted One?” Elora asked.

“Clearly, the Goblins and Snel were working for him,” Karl said.

“I think he had an inside accomplice at Sinora,” Elora observed with a nod.

Zel scoffed, “the goblins are from the Order of Shaymus.”

The others turned to look at the necromancer with blank stares.

“What?” They asked.

“Please explain,” Nameless said and rubbed the front of his great helm.

“Do any of you know any history? Professor? So sad!” Zel cried.

“It does sound familiar, but I primarily study the stars,” Hanoi said in his defense.

“They are an order of assassins that wish to prevent the return of the Favored. They started with a Goblin Tribe but are now composed of any race. Including humans,” Zel said in a bored tone.

“I suspected as much,” Hanoi said.

“Don’t lie!” Zel exclaimed.

Karl patted Nameless on the back. “You have your work cut out for you. You are contending with a prince with a Demon Army and a secret order of Assassins.”

“Will you help me?” The knight asked.

Karl shuffled his boots and, after a moment, replied, “aye, I will. You saved my life, and it is the least I can do to return the favor.”

Elora cheered and hugged the Ooraki.

“Multiple times,” Nameless corrected and shook Karl’s hand.

“Finally! When do we depart?” Zel said, holding the professor’s map.