When Levi knocked on the door to Seth’s room in the morning, he received no response. After waiting a minute or two, he knocked again with the same result. Finally, he opened the connecting door to find Seth still dead to the world, which was unusual at this time of the morning.
Levi looked around the room and noticed the rectangular object made of Loss essence his son had called a ‘laptop’ poking out of the sheets next to Seth. Taking care to avoid touching a couple other Loss items that had spilled from the backpack, Levi walked over and looked down at his son, who chose that moment to mutter something that sounded like ‘iron’ in his sleep.
While Seth had become fairly responsible about rising with the sun since hitting puberty, as a child he had reliably slept in. Back then, Lola had taken to waking him up with a nursery rhyme her own mother had sung to her. Levi had only sung it himself a few times, but he knew the words well.
“Ohhhh, you better wake up ‘cause it's a beautiful day, the birds are singing, sun is shining, butterflies are butterflying! You better wake up ‘cause it’s a beautiful day,” Levi sat down on the edge of the bed, “and I want to spend it all with youuuu!”
The song was a bit off key, but it did the trick. Seth shifted and cracked his eyelids slightly as Levi gently nudged him on the shoulder. From the Virtue concentrated around Seth’s eyes, Levi could tell that they would be bloodshot with dark circles if not for the constant healing. Priests didn’t need quite as much sleep, and could slowly heal most of the symptoms of tiredness, but waking up after too little sleep still felt awful.
“Good morning son, did you have some trouble getting to sleep last night?” Levi asked wryly.
“I may have lost track of time,” Seth said groggily, fishing through his blanket and pulling out an oblong object made of Loss essence.
“I would have let you sleep in, but you agreed to meet Priest John,” Levi replied, getting up and returning to the connecting door. “Don’t make any commitments today and you can sleep late tomorrow, at least until I finish my meeting, and we head out.”
Seth nodded slowly and seemed to be making progress peeling himself out of bed, so Levi closed the door to give him privacy.
____________________________________________
As Seth made his bed and pulled out a fresh yellow robe, he began pulling the Virtue essence that usually projected out from his body back in. Once it had receded into a relatively thin shell around him, his body was filled with a slight gooey warmth. The sharp sensation in his eyes and the headache that felt like his brain was pressed against a brick began to ebb away.
He hadn’t meant to stay up so late, but when he’d finally found Landon’s video games on the laptop, he fell down a rabbit hole of fighting suicidal shrubs until dangerously close to dawn. Seth had also figured out how the ‘mouse’ that Landon always lamented not being able to use in the jungle worked, which made the game much easier to play.
Once Seth had gotten ready enough and hoisted on the cumbersome backpack, he joined Levi on the first floor where breakfast had been laid out. This temple didn’t seem to raise hedgehogs unfortunately, but there were some simple yet tasty fish and potato pasties available as well as a weak beer.
“So, do you want me to go with you?” Levi asked as Seth ate quickly. “No pressure either way, I’m just available if you want me to be.”
Seth waited to swallow before replying, “I think I should meet with him by myself. I need to get comfortable being on my own if I’m going to have to leave Lith in the next few seasons.”
Levi nodded and continued reading over a broadside he got from the library. From what Seth could see, it appeared to be a summary of current events in the area.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Seth asked a moment later.
“I ate when the acolyte first brought the food more than an hour ago.” Levi replied, jerking his head toward some empty baskets on a shelf. “I also finished all of the pine hashbrowns. That’s the downside to sleeping in!”
Seth scowled as his dad chuckled.
After his meal Seth strode across the grounds to the main temple and entered through a side door opposite the one that led to the Orb desk. Priest John was waiting for him in the sanctuary with four acolytes of varying ages.
“Top of the morning to you!” John said resoundingly, making the acolytes sitting on the pews near him wince. “Are you ready for a fine morning of learning?”
Seth just nodded. Then, realizing that might be rude, replied, “I am. Thank you again for offering to teach me.”
“It’s my pleasure!” John boomed. “Now, you seem to have your projection toned down quite a bit. Trying to get in some extra healing after a long night?”
The man laughed good naturedly. “Well, sadly, you’ll need to push that Virtue back out in order to learn this properly.”
The lesson was delayed a bit as Seth struggled with the prerequisite, the technique to align an area to Virtue. His dad had taught him after he was heightened, but Seth had only done it once weeks ago. Once he reacquainted himself with pulling Virtue directly from the connection inside his soul and pushing it out with the intent of impressing it on the area, John began explaining how to shift the focus.
The difference was theoretically minimal, as all you had to do was consciously include people in your alignment. The mindset was essentially objectification, but didn’t truly require such a philosophy. However, all of Seth’s attempts failed. Priest John allowed him to keep iterating on his perspective for a few minutes.
“Good job!” John broke in, earning a look from Seth that was a step below a glare. “Ah, don’t give me that, you really are doing well! It’s just impossible for you to succeed. I think you’re getting closer, for what it’s worth.”
“What do you mean it's impossible for…” Seth trailed off as he recalled an important detail John had mentioned the night before. “Oh yeah, this technique takes two people.”
“Precisely!” John said, patting Seth on the shoulder. “Or rather, we take two people to use this technique. I believe the Bishop lacks such limitations.”
“So, Priests can’t do it alone, but once you’re a Bishop you understand Virtue well enough to do it yourself?” Seth guessed.
“Well, no. But yes. But still no.” John replied unhelpfully. “No, it isn’t a matter of understanding, but yes Bishops do understand Virtue better; it’s how they advance to that station. That greater understanding takes the degree of Virtue they can use to the next level, above even a Priest.”
“So…it’s a matter of power?” Seth said, struggling to follow the logic.
“Yes, but not really.” John said annoyingly, and Seth groaned. “The Bishop avoids the issue with superior quality essence. While many problems can be ‘solved’ by overpowering them, that often skirts the finer details. When you align an area, your essence is telling that area to accept your perspective, right?”
Seth nodded reluctantly.
“Well, what about a person?” John said rhetorically. “Is it just as easy to convince a person, or their body, to agree with you?”
“I assume it isn’t, since you put it that way.” Seth replied.
“Exactly!” John exclaimed. “Thus, you need more than one person to give their opinion. The beneficiary’s soul will eventually disagree, of course, but that takes a day or two.”
With this revelation delivered, John joined Seth in attempting to align part of the sanctuary along with the acolytes. To Seth’s mild frustration it worked immediately, and now that the acolytes were aligned, Seth could practice reapplying the alignment himself.
After having a late lunch with Priest John and the four acolytes (during which Seth could barely get a word in edgewise), Levi arrived so they could head to their appointment. As they walked, Seth briefly recounted his instruction from Priest John and vented some irritation.
“...and that’s why I was so glad to see you in the dining room,” Seth finished. “I couldn’t find a polite way to leave.”
“I’m glad the timing was convenient,” Levi said mildly. “I spent the afternoon in the temple library, if you were curious.”
“Oh, sorry,” Seth said sheepishly. “I should have asked about your day too. Did you…like the library?”
“Why yes, thank you for asking,” Levi replied with a smile. “Unsurprisingly, it’s laid out like every church library, or Virtue one anyway. I did look up a few things to kill time, and you might be interested in what I found.”
“Ooo nice, what’d you learn?” Seth asked, leaning forward.
“Well, I found records about the technique to align a person. Original records,” Levi said dramatically, and Seth raised his eyebrows. “Ahem, copies of original records, to be clear. But they mention when the technique was figured out a few centuries ago, or, more specifically, when the technique started working.”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Started working?” Seth asked, following his dad’s lead.
“Yes, before that people just couldn’t be affected by alignment,” Levi said. “I thought it was strange, but there weren’t any other mentions of the change. At some point, an approach that had never worked just suddenly did. It’s like the soul got worse at enforcing itself on the body somehow.”
“That is interesting,” Seth mused. “I’d imagine the church looked into it at the time though, and I doubt there’s much more we can figure out.”
“Oh, I’m sure everyone was looking into it!” Levi said with a laugh. “But it is still an interesting historical footnote that I hadn’t encountered before. My other piece of information is just a fun fact; the Complex Orb of Explication here at the temple is just over four hundred years old. It’s been used thousands, maybe millions of times! I just thought that was neat.”
Seth nodded in agreement as they reached the door on the side of the main temple that led to the Orb desk. A different acolyte sat at the desk and, after confirming their identities, sent them through another door and down a long, winding staircase.
At the bottom, they entered a surprisingly small, unadorned room. The walls and floor were seamless stone covered in intricate inscriptions, at least some of which were wards using Virtue that Seth had a passing familiarity with. To their left and right were two tired priests sitting in fairly nice looking gray leather chairs, and on the opposite wall was an alcove with a translucent white quartz orb full of swirling gray and tan patterns behind glass.
“Good evening, you must be Levi and Seth,” the frail priest on the right said after a moment, heaving himself out of his chair. “Are you familiar with Orbs of Explication?”
Levi and Seth shook their heads. The old man looked at them critically for a moment before sighing.
“I suppose that means you don’t have any preconceptions about how this will work, at least,” he said tiredly. “I am Healer Ignatius, Senior Priest of the First Temple of Virtue in Estroma. I will explain how to use the Sublime Complex Orb of Explication properly, and clarify any confusion that may arise from its results.”
“Thank you.” Levi began. “I am Healer…”
“I know who you are, just come over here and listen.” Ignatius said, cutting Levi off.
Taken aback, Levi and Seth exchanged a look then joined the man in front of the alcove.
“When I remove the glass, whichever of you is first will gently place their hand on the Orb,” Ignatius explained. “After a moment, a pane of Explication essence will appear one foot in front of your chest, facing you at a forty five degree angle. It will contain your background information, relative physical and mental capabilities, and a full description of your birthright and other abilities. The rest of us will be able to see this pane, but it will be illegible unless you specifically wish for us to be able to understand it. I recommend that you do so for clarity’s sake, but you may keep any or all information private should you wish. Do you have any immediate questions?”
“No.” Levi replied. Seth had several, but didn’t say anything.
“Then who will be Explicated first?” Ignatius asked, as he drew his finger across the glass covering the alcove in a complicated pattern.
“I will, so that Seth knows what to expect,” Levi said, and Seth nodded.
“Very well,” Ignatius said, withdrawing his finger from the glass with no apparent change. “Place a hand on the Orb now. Gently.”
Levi looked between the old priest and the glass for a moment before hesitantly reaching out, his hand passing through seamlessly. He waved his hand back and forth through the glass for a moment, then carefully set his palm on the Orb. After a few seconds a tan rectangular pane appeared just the way Ignatius had described. It appeared blank to Seth, but Levi’s eyebrow rose nearly to his hairline before creasing with confusion.
“You must allow us to read it if you want me to answer any questions.” Ignatius said indifferently.
Levi stared motionless at the pane for a few seconds, then suddenly Seth saw text appear. He craned his neck to read it.
> Name: Levi Son of Rowan
>
> Lifespan: Forty three of One hundred twenty
>
> Home: Lith on Daiteka
>
> Affiliation: Church of Virtue
>
> Next of Kin: Seth Son of Levi
>
> Birthright: Cloth/Quill
>
> Dexterity* — Sixty
>
> Endurance — Fifty two
>
> Intellect — Sixty one
>
> Memory* — Eighty seven
>
> Perception — Forty six
>
> Recovery* — Ninety nine
>
> Strength — Forty three
>
> Child of Virtue: The gift of a priest who follows in their parent’s footsteps, gaining a tolerance for Virtue essence and the ability to use it.
>
> Basic: Gain an understanding of the well being of creatures and how to help them.
>
> Source: Birthright (Rowan Son of Pete), Child of the Cloth
>
> Modifies: Recovery
>
> Child of the Quill: The children of scribes often gain this limited improvement to manual dexterity and penmanship.
>
> Source: Birthright (Amelia Daughter of Patricia)
>
> Modifies: Dexterity
>
> Bibliophilia: Those who love to read for reading’s sake often gain this limited enhancement to memory.
>
> Source: Experience
>
> Modifies: Memory
Seth wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but this wasn’t it. His eyes skimmed back and forth over the pane, catching on different details each time. Affiliation? Next of Kin? Lifespan?!
“Would you like to ask a specific question, or should I go ahead and address some common concerns and misunderstandings?” Ignatius asked, and Levi mutely gestured for him to go ahead. “Very well. The first section is quite self explanatory. The second section shows your physical and mental capabilities as a percentile compared to every other person that this Orb has ever Explicated. We are careful to prevent the number of Virtue clergymen Explicated from being unrepresentative of the normal population, so your recovery is naturally quite high. The asterisks indicate that an aspect is affected by one of your abilities, as also indicated by the ‘Modifies’ section of the abilities themselves. Only the aspect most altered is indicated. In the third section, the first two entries are your birthright. Birthright abilities have a very specific naming convention; low level abilities are always ‘Child of the…’ while Basic level or above abilities are ‘Child of…’ with the low level version listed as a source. Other abilities tend to be less specific in format with some exceptions. Do you have any other questions?”
“Uh, just one,” Levi said uncertainly. “How does it determine my lifespan?”
“I believe it gives that figure based on your soul, Vital essence, Animal essence, Water essence, and some other minor factors,” Ignatius answered. “That calculation becomes more accurate the closer to death you are. At this point in your life, it rounds to the decade. It can’t account for someone murdering you in the street next week of course, this is just based on the current state of your body.”
Levi stepped away from the Orb, his expression unreadable. The old priest gestured impatiently for Seth to approach. He first glanced at Levi for a moment, then resolutely stepped forward and extended a hand. As he placed it on the Orb, he felt the stone begin to tremble. A tan pane much larger than his dad’s flickered in front of his chest and Ignatius’ attention suddenly became laser-focused.
“That’s too much,” he snapped urgently. “Take your…”
Before he could finish, Seth felt pressure building in his ears as the Orb began vibrating so fast that he could feel it through his whole body. As the vibration suddenly stopped, Seth heard a distinct, painfully loud *SNAP* that staggered him. He watched as fractures began to race along the surface of the Orb, Seth hurriedly looked down at himself, but he didn’t seem to be wearing anything new.
‘What keeps causing that???’ He thought unsteadily. To his surprise, a tan pane appeared in front of him, though he was no longer touching the rapidly crumbling Orb.
> Origin of Genes: Otherworldly knowledge of genetic traits establishes the understanding and use of Gene essence.
>
> Basic: Gain up to (One) trait of up to (Basic) level by slaying a non sapient creature. Gain up to (One) trait of up to (Basic) level by murdering a sapient creature. Gain up to (One) trait of up to (Basic) level by destroying an imbued object. Traits gained in this way cannot exceed the level of the original trait, and traits can no longer be developed via natural means.
>
> (Non Sapient Creature Trait Zero of One)
>
> (Sapient Creature Trait One of One) Landon Clarke’s Possessions: Manifest the last possessions of Landon Clarke at the time of his death in a quasi corporal state. Essence imbued properties cannot be reproduced, but non imbued items work as well as Landon Clarke expected them to.
>
> (Imbued Object Trait One of One) Quartz Explication: Trait not intended for organic use. Receive a detailed description of a creature or object’s innate properties.
>
> Basic: Learn the relative quality of the basic properties of the subject. Accuracy depends on this trait’s level of exposure (sublime).
>
> Complex: Comprehensively collate descriptions and relative qualities and add sources.
‘Oh.’ He thought. ‘Oh no.’ Then the pain arrived, like hairline fractures shooting through his body and mind. Seth collapsed, unconscious and bleeding profusely.