'Kismet Deacon? Ah I see'

Elias wasn't totally unfamiliar with the word, so he wasn't as confused as Damien currently was at hearing the title.

The word 'Kismet' was an alternate method to writing out the word 'Fate' in various chronographical word documents, primarily the ones that wanted to keep their details as vague as possible.

Only someone who has sufficient knowledge in language to vocabulary structure alignment would be able to figure out the hidden meaning of the word, especially since the word itself could mean various things in multiple different languages.

Elias—who was an all-around vocabulary enthusiast—wasn't lost to the meaning, barely showing a contemplative expression rather than a bemused one.

He speculated that the abilities of a Kismet Deacon would be centered around some sort of fate manipulation or control but couldn't clearly come up with the specific ability set, especially since the information released to him was quite vague and unclear.

In the end, he simply nodded to Aamiya, feeling like the Echelon did fit her the best out of the designated five.

Her gaze sometimes looked like it was penetrating beyond the present, peering at some unforeseen future that only she could gleam.

This was also one of the reasons Elias had felt quite natural while getting close to her over the course of the week because he felt like she was someone like him—a person with secrets.

The old saying was as accurate as it could get; birds of a feather truly flocked together in crowds.

Elias and Damien thanked Aamiya for her trust, to which the latter simply smiled in silence.

The trio then collectively turned towards the figure trailing behind them, their gaze deep and expectant.

Ne'em slowly raised his head from whatever new novel he was currently reading, flinching under his group's heavy gaze.

He pretended not to understand why they were looking at him, throwing them a questioning glance.

The trio however seemed to be working as one, maintaining their heavy gaze and not flinching for a second.

Ne'em sighed heavily at the display, before pulling off his glasses and cleaning it with a clear white handkerchief.

"Ha... Do I really have to?"

His voice was tired and a little bit resigned.

"You don't really have to but... It is going to help to improve our team chemistry. Trust is important for every team, especially a team that is going to be responsible for each other's life and death in the future. This type of trust is basic and most warranted." Elias smiled leisurely, "I meant to take the first step in doing this but I couldn't believe that Damien actually beat me to it. Anyways it will help to better our relationship with each other, so there really isn't a problem no?"

Damien nodded in agreement, his mood sunny and warm.

"That is true. If I'm going to entrust my back to you, I'm going to have to trust you first. I grew up in the slums where trust is more essential than security when it comes to determining your survival."

He paused as if recalling some past experiences, before turning to face Elias, "Where we grew up, a loyal friend is worth more than ten midnight guards because when you are bleeding out in the alleys after getting robbed and beaten under the moonlight, a friend will come to your aid faster than the guards that see you as the scorn of society."

Damien's tone was normal, but carried a bit of underlying nostalgia, causing Elias to smile faintly.

Ne'em gazed at Damien's uncharacteristically serious demeanor, before sighing heavily.

"It's so rare to see you this serious. I prefer you when you are aloof and carefree, even with all your pestering."

Aamiya smiled gracefully, her tone gentle and pleasant.

"But he does have a point Ne'em. We all need who we can trust, especially after realizing just how many lurking dangers have been hidden beneath our eyes.

"I'm a practical businesswoman so I don't know how to make bad deals, so placing my trust in this group is a gamble that my gut tells me will have more profits than losses. Besides, why are you so skeptical about the whole thing, do you have some mysterious secret you are hiding? Surely it couldn't be worse than your fantasy novel obsession?"

Aamiya's tone was still gentle, carrying a hint of mischief that was easily detected by all parties present.

Elias simply remained composed, pretending like he hadn't noticed whereas Damien was side-eyeing Ne'em, anticipating how he would react.

Ne'em simply shrugged indifferently, placing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

"I just don't enjoy talking much okay? That's it."

Thinking for a bit, he resigned himself to his fate, cursing at the fact that he had been placed in a group with three people who seemed to have a way with words.

Why couldn't he have been put in a group of four reticent like himself? Now that would have been nice.

Thinking about the climax moment of the story he was currently reading he finally decided to indulge them, as the sooner that he did, the sooner they would leave him alone and stop pestering him.

"As an Apprentice from the History Department, my majors are related to the Echelon of Sapience, overseen by the Librarian at a Corner, the overseer of knowledge and keeper of the rite to wisdom." He turned his gaze back to his book, pushing back his mercury-silver locks as he spoke, "The change that comes with being an Apostle is related to an increase in general intelligence. To put it in simpler terms, I'm now much more smarter than I was before, which is honestly not a welcomed change, especially due to the fact that my race is already naturally intelligent. I would definitely have preferred something much more different than this."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He paused, feeling like what he said sounded a bit too arrogant.

He felt like apologizing but instead thought against it since what he said wasn't due to racial arrogance but just pure and hard facts.

After confirming that none of them were weirdly looking at him, he cleared his throat, before continuing In an impassive tone.

"As for the Apostolic Deacon rank of my Echelon, it's designated as Thought Deacon and is directly related to improving my analytical abilities, making them seem much more supernatural than it is superhuman. Those are basically the essentials, as we were promised that we would be thought more as we advance in years."

Elias nodded in acknowledgment, whispering a thank you under his breath which Ne'em lightly dismissed before getting back to his book.

Unfortunately, the gods weren't on his side today, as Damien wasn't yet satisfied and decided to pester him once more with teases which caused him to almost flair up.

Elias and Aamiya both spectated this scene, chuckling to each other as they made their way down the hall.

As they were about to make a turn Elias suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing in confusion

His abrupt stop brought the group to a halt, causing Ne'em to almost collide with Damien's back.

The group gazed at him with confusion, to which Elias shot them a questioning glance.

"Why... Does it feel like we are forgetting someone?"

Damien and Ne'em eyed Elias suspiciously, wandering what nonsense the latter was talking about. Only Aamiya had a fleeting look of complex emotions on her face, before reverting to her usual doll-like expression.

It took a moment for both Damien and Ne'em to register what Elias was talking about, with the latter coming to the realization much faster than Damien.

He rubbed the mercury-like crystal on his forehead, his gaze heavy.

"You... Seem to be right. There seems to be someone else we are forgetting. A... a girl maybe? Wait, Aamiya when did that person appear next to you?!"

A figure was slowly outlined in the conscious perception of Ne'em, appearing silently beside Aamiya as if always been there.

This sudden appearance caused Ne'em to shriek back slightly, an action he almost always did whenever he managed to pick up the presence of Yves.

Aamiya smiled bitterly, her gaze complicated. "Don't you remember her Ne'em? It's Yves, our last group member. This is like the fifteenth time we are going through this moment in just this week alone."

Ne'em narrowed his eyes, his expression a bit gloomy.

"Oh... You don't say? Hmm, Yves? Oh! Yves! Now I remember. Yes, yes the silent girl that's always beside you. Ah, I'm sorry, it's just hard to have any recollection of her at times. Like she is there but isn't at the same time."

Ne'em gazed at the young lady named Yves, but even after trying his best to discern what she looked like, he found he could not no matter how hard he tried.

Elias noticed this and put a hand on his shoulder, signaling for him to stop trying as it wouldn't make a difference.

Elias now had recollections of similar events happening, with both him, Ne'em and Damien having zero success in discerning the young lady's appearance.

It didn't seem to be an issue for Aamiya though, who seemed to be her friend, which was all the more peculiar.

The young lady hesitated a bit, before calmly speaking in a cold flowing voice.

"Echelon of Ruinition, operating under the umbrella of the Eternal Flame of War, or ‘The Besieging Torch' as 'He' is now known to the masses. Disciple abilities are related to raised affinity in weapon handling and utilization. Name of subsequent apostolic rank is Arms Deacon, having to do with weapon crafting and low-class flame affinity."

Yves talked in a fluid motion, making her seem like a cold and unemotional robot. She sounded much more indifferent than even Professor Windsor, which was no small feat, to say the least.

Seeing her easily reveal all of the asked-for information so easily caught everyone off guard, with even Aamiya squinting her eyes in confusion.

The young lady didn't pay any of it attention though, silently moving back into her place of silence and concealment.

After a brief moment of confusion, the group was pulled out of their reverie by Aamiya's awkward cough, continuing their journey to their departments as if what had just happened was all but an illusion.

The only difference was that they now had a faint recollection of a mysterious fifth member etched into their consciousness, a fifth member who was a Disciple of fire and war.

...

The academic day had come to an end and the soft evening breeze wafted through the sparsely populated hallways.

Elias was the only one headed towards the History Department main building at this time, as he had to report in for his usual weekday two-hour shift.

He moved silently towards the Dean's office, neither fast nor slow, murmuring to himself as if deep in thought.

His movement pattern was a bit sluggish, as if he was greatly fatigued but had to push himself to where he was going.

This mainly had to do with the intense body management classes he was just coming from, which was basically just an intense exercise session.

Sighing wistfully, Elias tried his best to drag his tired body to the concealed section of the Silent Archives, placating his mind with the possibility of rest once he went in.

The Silent Archives was what Elias had come to know the hidden archives of the academy, mainly due to word of mouth from his senior Sophia and other academy professors once they found out he was part-timing there.

It was quite the fitting name for the place in Elias's opinion, as the general atmosphere of its expansive halls radiated solemnity and calming silence.

Just being within it was enough to chase out any unnecessary thoughts of disturbance from his mind, allowing him to thoroughly focus on his designated tasks at hand.

The Silent Archives was a place that vastly encouraged studying with just its characteristic vibe alone, making Elias feel like its inner enchantments did more than just supply it with an endless source of light.

The entire place made Elias suspect that it was even a controlled type of Oddity, an assumption that seemed quite silly but not entirely baseless.

Anything was possible for someone like their founder, the Benign Philosopher, Noa El-Lah after all.

Elias turned into the main hallway of the hidden section but was then startled to see a group of people just coming out of the Silent Archives' concealed doorway.

This particular group of people was comprised of clergymen from each of the five orthodox religious churches, with garbs varying from the crimson red of the Ember Clerics, to the starlight blue of the Sightless Seers.

Their mere presence pulled the enclosed hallway into a solemn atmosphere, making it seem like numerous beacons of holy light were walking onto the lands of man.

Elias could just tell by a glance that this group wasn't novice Apostles, with the ether radiating from their bodies alone vastly surpassing that capable of an average Apostolic Deacon.

Elias quickly diverted his eyes, bowing his head in greeting while calmly walking past them.

The group responded to his respectful gesture with varying nods, with the nun at the front donning a veil suddenly bumping into him in the narrow walkway.

Elias quickly scurried to offer an apology, taking all the blame for the altercation, which the fate nun brushed off, lingering on him for a few seconds with a concealed meaningful gaze, before instructing him to be on his way.

Elias bowed once again, before moving towards the Silent Archive's barely opened doors.

Before he could take a step in, however, Lars' voice echoed out, sounding very exhausted, but vigilant.

"Look down at your arm."

His brother's sudden appearance caught Elias off guard, especially due to the fact that he had been absent all day, entirely preoccupied with his own personal research.

This caused Elias to instantly glance at his right hand, his eyes glinting, as he noticed something that wasn't present before.

There, at the front of his hand, was a faint purple rune symbol, its size and shape resembling a small ornamental lantern.

The runic tattoo-like lantern glowed slightly as if welcoming Elias's gaze with its own unique type of greeting.