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The Price of Knowledge
027. Consequences

027. Consequences

"You has tainted my body with your heretical witchcraft!" Screamed Arthur.

"I healed you!" Retorted Sirius.

"You call that healing? No wonder Gods took away you magic! You must be caught!"

"For what!?"

"For your betrayal of faith! Someone take him!"

Sirius looked around in search or help, but only met conflicted, scared and angry looks.

"What are you waiting?" The call of Arthur convinced some burly guard to make a step.

Suddenly, Sirius darted towards the western gates, as the most zealous of the villagers were determined to catch him. Sirius ran across the field towards a forest, angry shouts never giving him time to rest. He was running on a newly-paved road that went close to the World Tree, as he intended to hide in these places. As he entered the forest, he found the point on the road closest to the Tree and swerved to the right.

"There! He went into the forest!" Shouted someone from behind.

After a couple of minutes, Sirius was at the right place. He quickly ran past the hiding spot, where he took a rope, and went closer to the roots of the World Tree. With agility and precision he took out one end of the rope and threw the remaining part on the ground in a specific place between roots. The ground shone, revealing a hidden circle diagram. It gathered mana, and with a force pushed a stone column up, launching the rope towards the branch. After that the pillar receded back into the soil. Sirius prepared this diagram beforehand and used to gather more leaves, since up until last week they were just a source of power for him. Now it came in was his salvation from the lynching.

"He could not go far away! Search around the tree!" Sirius heard the voice of Arthur, making him turn around.

Using both ends of the rope he climbed up the Tree. As he reached the branch, he pulled himself up and began gathering the rope, so that no one would notice him up there. Just as he put the coil on a wide branch, not afraid to fall, he heard voices from below.

"Something here!"

"What is it?" An arrogant voice of a priest inquired.

"Some more foul rituals, Your Holiness!"

"He is too rebellious for a Null! He shall be punished for his perpetrations!"

"Stop right there, Priest Arthur." A familiar voice of Emissary made Sirius let out the breath he was holding.

"Who are you? Why are you stopping the justice?"

"I am the Inquisitor's Emissary from the Silver Order. And you should know what that means."

"The Silver... What does the Order do here? Still you can not just save that heretic..."

"Silence!" A powerful voice brought the quiet to the forest, as everyone watched. A woman in the Order's robe with a brilliant white mask stood on the bulging root of the World Tree and looked directly at the Priest Arthur, who sat on a horse below. He held his arm on his lap, unable to lift the heavy crystal, covering the wound.

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"Answer me!" The Emissary continued, now that everyone was listening. "Did Pupil Sirius heal your wound?"

"No! That corrupt crystal is not a cure! I cannot..."

"Silence. Are you in pain?"

"I... erm... No, I am not." The truth began dawning upon him.

"How did you get your wound?"

"I don't know! It must be that sinner's doings!"

"Is it true, Pupil Sirius?" She asked into the air. Seeing that Sirius is not answering, she reassured him. "You will not be punished if you are not guilty."

"It is his own doing, Silver Sister." Answered Sirius from the branch, making confused villagers look up the trunk.

"In what way..." Began Arthur.

"I said silence." Emissary's voice was filled with poorly contained annoyance, as she slowly said one word after the other. "How did Priest Arthur inflict this wound and how did you heal it?"

"I can't disclose the details, but Priest Arthur created his own spells and failed to control it, bringing the Mythos' punishment upon himself, for his carelessness." He let that sink in for a second. "For a cure I used the leaves from this very tree, mixed with his blood and infused with more energy to heal such a terrible wound."

"How did you know it would work?"

"I did not." Sincerely said Sirius, bringing judgemental remarks upon himself. "I only accidentally tested it on myself a couple of days ago, when I was scalded and injured by ceramic shards. I had metal dust get in my eyes and just this morning the same crystal you can see on his arm peeled off."

"That is truthful. I personally observed you getting hurt and I also saw how you by coincidence healed yourself with those leaves."

"But he used corrupt ritual in front of everyone!" Shouted Arthur.

"And you say all that after you tried shooting me? You arrogant fool! I had no time! If I hid in a house to no the infusion you would lose half your blood!" Shouted Sirius in anger from the branch.

"I cannot confirm that since I did not saw it myself. However, I can say that he was allowed to create rituals on his own by His Holiness Bishop of Ravenloft."

"What?... A Null like him?!" Shouted Arthur in disbelief.

"Yes. And you should have known about that if you read you debrief."

"I read it!"

"Lies!" Stated Emissary. As she took a deep breath, she unsheathed her sword. "For your misconduct as a priest of the Twin Gods church, for your insubordination as a junior member of the Silver Order, for dangerous application of self-made spells, and for the attempted murder of fellow believer you are immediately stripped of your dignity as a Priest and detained under my guard! If you resist I have the right to stop you using any means I deem necessary." After that she turned around and said into the air. "Pupil Sirius, I deem you not guilty. If anyone tries to punish you for your actions, report directly to me. Everyone, go back to the village!"