It was the year Anno Nov’Elsfaan 312, the thirtieth of November. Friday, to be precise. But more importantly, it was one of those days; those rare occasions when somehow everything seemed to be just perfect in the bustling town of Quintus.
The weather was cheerfully sunny yet uncharacteristically cool for the season, especially considering how close the town was to the equator. The wide blue skies were only dotted with fluffy white clouds, and even the slight breeze felt pleasant as it ran past the festive ornaments adorning the town’s streets. It was an army of little figurines in the likeness of fairies hanging from every window- and roof-beam, from the simple mud-walled houses on the outskirts to the old concrete buildings around the town square.
Under those ornaments the streets were awash in the muffled songs of choirs. One would have expected that they would be drowned out by the constant background noise characteristic of a thriving town, and normally they would have been right. Not on this day though. The solemn hymns, reminiscent of old Latin, yet subtly different, could be heard even in the backstreets thanks to the rowing groups of chanters. They were from many walks of life; priests from frontier villages on pilgrimage, local workers on their day off, even eager children who cared nothing for the religious aspects of the day and only wished to take part in the festivities. Most of them wore long black robes with wide-brimmed rectangular hats to keep the scorching desert sun at bay, though not all of them. While it was tradition for one to dress for the occasion, no one enforced the dress code so long as the chanter participated with all their heart.
There were many seasonal vendors swarming about and peddling their wares to the countless pilgrims, as was expected for Quintus. It might not have been the most prosperous town in the Order’s jurisdiction, but it was still one of the hubs of the so-called Trans-African Trade Route, though barely anyone used the old name of the continent anymore. Now the land was either
However, as vital as Quintus was for uninterrupted trade, it was not the reason why it was the most important settlement in the area, if not on the entire continent. From a bird’s eye view the townscape was dominated by the central square and the large, rectangular building at its north end. It was the provincial Cathedral, the center of life both in the religious and secular sense. It was a church and a government building rolled into one and housed in an ancient romanesque building. It was plain but imposing in its own way, like a mountain that weathered countless generations and planned to do so for ages to come.
The masses on the cathedral’s courtyard were like an army of finely chiseled statues, their reverent gazes fixed upon the ceremonial podium on the only balcony on the building’s face. The subjects of the Order from all over the land gathered together on this special occasion, thousands upon thousands of families momentarily leaving their ordinary lives behind to participate in the festivities of this day.
However, not everyone in the town was there to celebrate. In fact there were at least two strange, formally dressed travelers wandering the merry streets with decidedly awkward looks on their faces.
Woman: "Ah… I think we took a wrong turn somewhere…"
Man: "Yeah. I guess it was around the salted-fish stand…"
The two of them rounded another corner and they stopped, completely stumped. They both had light skin, though their faces betrayed their Asian ancestry, which was fairly rare around this part of the world. The man was dressed in a black suit over a white shirt that seemed to glow in the sunlight while the woman was wearing a thick white dress adorned with countless frills and she held a large white parasol in one hand while the other was loosely entwined around her partner’s arm.
Suddenly the woman’s eyes opened wide as a sharp whistle reached their ears.
Woman: "Ah… Was that the steam-train?"
Seeing her dejected expression, her partner hurriedly attempted to console her.
Man: "Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was just an exotic bird that learned to mimic train whistles. Because evolution."
Woman: "That’s right!" The woman giggled and hugged the man. "You are so clever, you know?"
Man: "I know."
Woman: "I know you know."
Man: "I know you know I know."
Woman: "I know you know I know you…"
The two of them would have probably continued on while being completely oblivious to their surroundings if not for the sudden honking coming from their left. They both twitched and automatically stepped back.
A second later there was a loud whirring noise and a large truck passed through the crossroad, its twin exhausts puffing white smoke and steam in regular intervals.
Man: "Wow! Look, look! A steam-lorry!"
Woman: "Are you sure? It looked more like a steam-truck to me."
Man: "Maybe it was a steam-wagon then?"
Woman: "That must be it!"
The two of them stared at the lumbering vehicle as it made its way down the street while continually honking at the much slower carts and coaches around. Even in the center of a province, steam-driven cars were a rarity, most preferring to stick to animal-drawn carriages. Even after perfecting the technology for three centuries, steam-cars were nowhere as fast or reliable as the combustion-engine cars of old.
They stared down the street for a while before they started wandering again, pointing at ornaments, people or anything that caught their interest. They would have probably done so for hours if not for another sharp whistle coming from the distance. This time the woman in white looked really down.
Woman: "Aw… That was the train for sure. What do we do now?"
The man in black raised his fist to his chin in a theatrical motion and nodded to himself.
Man: "We should ask someone when the next train is leaving!"
Woman: "That’s a great idea! You are no longer just smart, you are a genius!"
Man: "Aaaaw, you flatterer!"
The two held hands and looked each other in the eye longingly before the woman cocked her head to the side.
Woman: "But wait… There is no one to ask here."
They separated and looked around the empty street. While the main roads around the cathedral might have been bustling with life and lined with food- and souvenir-stands, the side-streets were hauntingly empty, and they stumbled upon one such place.
Man: "That’s a problem."
Woman: "Isn’t it?"
Man: "Yes it is."
They both crossed their arms and rested their chins on one hand in a classic thinking position, though it only lasted for a few seconds before the woman straightened herself with a revelatory finger extended.
Woman: "I know!"
Man: "You know?"
Woman: "I do!" She grinned so wide her lips threatened to run off the sides of her face as she pointed at the direction of the source of the hymns mingling in the noises of the town. "Let’s follow the song."
Man: "That’s a wonderful idea!"
Woman: "I know!"
Man: "I know you know!"
After a few minutes of further excited banter the two headed down the streets, following only their ears, and soon they found themselves standing on the edge of the cathedral’s courtyard.
Man: "Look! So this is where all the people were…!"
Woman: "Wow! You know, this seems to be some kind of festival."
Man: "Ah, now that you mention it, there was something about a holiday in the abbot’s letter!"
Woman: "Oh, you are right! We were supposed to get to the abbey before that!"
Man & Woman: "…"
With absentminded eyes, the two quietly gazed at each other as if waiting for a cue. Maybe they were. Nevertheless, the lady of the duo slowly raised her fist and dropped it into her own open palm with an expression like she just made a great discovery.
Woman: "Ah, so it was this holiday!"
Her partner followed her theatrical performance with equally exaggerated gestures.
Man: "Oh noes! Does that mean that we are late?"
The woman nodded twice.
Man: "Aww. What a pity. We are going to get scolded."
She nodded again, this time with a sad twist in her mouth, an expression that somehow didn’t reach her eyes.
Man: "Wait! Maybe if we run really, really fast, we can turn back time and arrive yesterday! You know, because of quantum!"
Seeing her partner’s sparkling eyes, the woman almost jumped into his lap with a beaming expression.
Woman: "Ah, you are right! You are so clever!" She giggled mirthfully as she opened her arms to engulf her partner in a bear-hug.
?????: "Shhh!" A tall, tanned man from their left turned to the two, his beady eyes barely visible under his bushy and deeply furrowed brows. He wore baggy clothes yet even through those it was easy to see he had a physique that dwarfed the man in the suit. He glanced around uncomfortably before he leaned closer and spoke to them in a forceful whisper. "Please stay silent. The Yearly Oration is about to begin."
Woman: "Oration?"
Finally noticing the pair’s obviously foreign appearance the large man took a step towards them as he let out a small sigh and began whispering in an even more subdued voice, as if to avoid disturbing anyone else around them.
Large Man: "You are not from around here, I take it? Listen, this is the annual Anniversary mass. We are here to celebrate the anniversary of the descent of Nov’Elsfaan. Our cardinal is just about to begin his annual speech."
Man: "Ah, I see. Thanks."
Woman: "Thank you~!"
The huge man gave the two a small nod accompanied by a surprisingly honest smile, not something one would have expected from his rough appearance.
Large Man: "You are welcome. Please stay quiet until the end of the Oration and have a merry Anniversary."
Reassured by their (maybe a bit overly enthusiastic) nods, the man turned away from the two and focused his gaze onto the podium on a small balcony of the cathedral. The two reflexively followed his gaze. Just as they laid their eyes upon the pedestal the already quiet crowd became completely silent.
Man: "Ah, is that the cardinal?"
A surprisingly young-looking man dressed in richly ornamented robes walked out onto the stand above the crowd with measured steps. He stopped in front of the white rails at the edge and extended his hands into the air as he spoke up with a deep, majestic voice.
Cardinal: "Welcome my brothers and sisters."
Even though the man didn’t seem to shout, his voice rang out with a strong echo, completely filling the air around the silent mass. He might have seemed to be only in his early thirties, yet the Cardinal’s presence and tone of voice commanded respect with ease.
Cardinal: "We have gathered together on this most esteemed of days to celebrate. To celebrate the day, when He, whose name we shall only speak with quiet reverence, the almighty and benign Nov’Elsfaan, descended upon our world to baptize us with his limitless wisdom. We all have to remember that fateful day, and never forget its significance, as it was the day when our world was truly born from the womb of ignorance in which our ancestors lived and toiled their sad lives. We shall praise His name, and we shall praise the First Prophet of Nov’Elsfaan."
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To his words, the whole crowd spoke up in unison, as if they were waiting for this all along.
Crowd: "Praised be the almighty Nov’Elsfaan and his First Prophet!"
The sheer power of the roaring voices made the couple dizzy for a moment as they were looking around in mild confusion. Finally, as the thunderous praise calmed down, the man on the pulpit raised his hands again and continued his speech with renewed vigor.
Cardinal: "On this glorious day we shall remember that very moment, and carve it into our very soul, so that its significance would never be tarnished by the iron fangs of time." Following these words, the man cleared his throat and raised his hands over the crowd one last time before beginning his tale. "Exactly three hundred and twelve years ago, Nov’Elsfaan descended upon our ancestors. However, his arrival was just the last, magnificent keystone of the arch of events leading up to his advent. His coming wasn’t heralded by choirs of angels, but by the screams of war!"
Woman: "Oh, he’s going to talk about the Reckoning War?"
Man: "Reckoning War, huh? What does that even mean?"
Woman: "I reckon it had something to do with a reckoning."
The man chuckled and shook his head.
Man: "I get it, but what does that really mean?"
Woman: "I don’t really know, but it sounds kind of cool…"
Meanwhile…
Cardinal: "… when the First Prophet waged his righteous battle against the army of his shadowy foes on the side of his loyal winged servants…"
Man: "Winged servants?"
Woman: "He’s talking about the fairies."
Man: "Ahh, right…"
Large Man: "Please be silent already!"
The man at their side hissed at them and the couple shrunk back in front of his scorn.
Man & Woman: "Sooooowwwwy…"
Cardinal: "… to punish those who wronged him, and he struck them down with divine vengeance. The battle shook the earth and raged for seven days and seven nights without a moment of silence. Finally, on the daybreak of the last day, as the First Prophet was meditating alone in his quarters, his enemies struck at him using their weak, cowardly ways of deceit and assassination, and ambushed him in his tranquility with tools of silent death… But the First, protected by the grace of Nov’Elsfaan himself, defeated them with divine wrath…"
The cardinal paused, presumably for dramatic effect.
Cardinal: "… And thus the next morning, fueled by righteous anger and divine fury…"
Man: "Wow, he likes to use those big words, huh?"
Cardinal: "… entered the battlefield himself in his holy garment, leading his mystic forces with his very own hands. With the battle raging on, he pushed his enemies back on every front, and by His holy guidance, he unleashed the Divine Beast upon his foes!"
Man: "Wait, don’t tell me…! I’ve got this! Its name was… the Glawrklarw!"
Woman: "Close! It was actually called The Gwlarkhvl."
Man: "Ah, really…! You are so clever!"
Woman: "Awww… You flatterer...!"
Large Man: "Grrrr…"
This time the man’s furious visage was enough to silence the two, though judging by the previous instances, it didn’t seem to work for long.
Cardinal: "… and so the Divine Beast, whose name cannot be spoken, decimated the First’s foes with celestial fury and an unrelenting lust for their accursed blood… and thus, finally, the leader of his foes showed his face on the battlefield, challenging the First to a duel, wielding a profane weapon of twisted ideals in his blasphemous hands! Their long battle began not with blows, but with words of wisdom, with the First attempting to convince the man to stop his madness, but for no avail. However, as their final confrontation was nigh, their deadly battle was interrupted a miracle!"
Man: "Ah, this is the good part!"
Cardinal: "Before they could even lay a single strike on each other, the almighty Nov’Elsfaan descended from the very heavens to deliver his infinite wisdom to the two in a celestial litany… His holy words swept through the world, spreading his divine benevolence amongst all of us, and thus bringing forth a new era!"
Man: "And then he flew away on a chariot of flaming unicorns."
Woman: "Flaming undead unicorns."
Man: "Yes, that’s what I wanted to say. Thanks for-"
Large Man: "SHUT UP ALREADY!!!"
Finally, the man beside them reached his breaking point and lashed out at the two, his voice echoing through the shocked square. For a few moments the entire crowd was looking for the source of the interruption, and only after mere seconds, the man was surrounded by scorning gazes from all possible directions. In his fury, it took him a few seconds to realize that everyone had their gazes nailed at him, and his anger immediately turned into embarrassment, which itself soon gave its place to fright as he noticed the group of armed men parting the crowd and heading his way.
Large Man: "T-This is a misunderstanding! I was talking to the…!"
Even before the men could get close to him, he was already trying his best to writhe out of the situation, but…
Large Man: "H-Huh? Hey! Where did you…?!"
… the two travelers were nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was no one at his side, as the people formed a circle around him, making his apprehension even easier. And as such…
~~~
Cardinal: "That was fairly unexpected…"
The cardinal had just returned to his workroom after the speech and was right in the middle of peeling himself out of his ceremonial outfit when someone knocked on his door.
Cardinal: "Just a moment."
He quickly got out of the ornate clothes and threw them over onto a nearby chair. It was a decidedly non-regal act, but he was too tired to care about appearances. The servants would later put them away properly anyway, so there was no point for him to trouble himself. Not to mention, it was his office, more or less the only place on this planet where he wasn’t forced to put up airs as a cardinal of the Order. He dared anyone to tell him not to be sloppy in his final haven. At last, after quickly straightening his everyday garments, he spoke to the men standing at his doorstep.
Cardinal: "Come in."
After a second of silence, the thick wooden door swiftly opened with a loud creak as two templars, members of the Order’s peacekeeping force, entered the room with a frightened man between them.
Large Man: "…?"
The tall, muscular man seemed both surprised and confused as he looked around in the cardinal’s study. It was a relatively puritan room with only a desk, a chair and a few bookcases. Not a single carpet or painting on the bare walls. His attention, however, was soon torn from the plain room and was focused on the cardinal himself, replacing his surprise with fear. Even without the ceremonial clothes, the man still felt imposing enough to make him shudder. At long last the cardinal cleared his throat and spoke up with a surprisingly laid-back expression.
Cardinal: "So, you were the trouble-maker? How surprising…"
Large Man: "Y-Your Eminency! It’s a terrible misunderstanding!"
Cardinal: "Yes, I’m sure it is."
He might not have intended to mock the man, but as his reaction shown, his words still managed to instill the fear of Nov’Elsfaan in him.
Large Man: "I-I didn’t…! I wouldn’t dare to raise my voice against Your Eminency! I was only trying to talk some sense into two disrespectful travelers! I swear in the name of Nov’Elsfaan, I’m innocent!"
Cardinal: "Travelers, you say?"
For a moment a faint smile appeared on the cardinal’s face, but it was hard for the man to decide if he should be relieved or scared by such an ambiguous reaction.
Cardinal: "Please continue."
Large Man: "Y-Yes!"
The man quickly cleared his throat before continuing, and while his voice got firmer, his hands never stopped fidgeting.
Large Man: "There were two of them, a man and a woman. They looked foreign and were dressed in these strange, antique clothes and… and…"
He paused while grasping for air before gulping loudly. The cardinal circled his wrist to indicate he should continue.
Large Man: "… they kept talking during the ceremony and they were talking about all sorts of crazy things! Blasphemous things, like that Nov’Elsfaan was riding on flaming unicorns, and… and—"
Cardinal: "Flaming unicorns, you say…?"
Large Man: "N-N-No! It wasn’t me! They said it! It was them, not me!"
Cardinal: "I understand…"
Even though the man was way too nervous to notice it, the cardinal seemed to be quite amused by his words.
Cardinal: "Just one last question: Could you describe those travelers for me in detail?"
Large Man: "Yes! Most certainly!"
Cardinal: "… Then please do so."
Large Man: "Ah, yes! As I said, man and a woman. I think they were married, or at least a couple. The man was wearing a black outfit, old formal-wear and the like, and the woman was in a white dress with a long skirt. She had one of those things too, those portable shades with a wire frame and a handle."
Cardinal: "They are called parasols."
Large Man: "Yes! Of course Your Eminency would know the word! It is rare, so it should be easy to find them if you look for one! They were about the same height, about a head shorter than me… No, maybe the man was a little taller than the woman…? And… Oh, yes, now I remember! They were talking about going to an abbey!"
Cardinal: "To an abbey, you say?" The cardinal paused and rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I see, that actually makes sense."
Seeing the man’s slightly confused expression the Cardinal forcefully cleared his throat and walked over to him.
Cardinal: "Don’t concern yourself with those two. I have a very good idea know who they are and they will be dealt with accordingly. For the time being we should decide on your punishment."
Large Man: "Punishment? B-But, I didn’t do…!"
The cardinal raised his open palm to silence the man.
Cardinal: "I am inclined to believe you, but this is a necessity. You have disturbed the Annual Oration. While it is not a crime, it is a misdemeanor that requires punishment, don’t you agree?"
Seeing the man’s frightened and somewhat confused expression, the cardinal shrugged his shoulder in resignation.
Cardinal: "All right, I decided on your punishment." The man tensed up like a piano-wire, but the prelate only waved his hand dismissively. "After the celebrations are done, we are going to be in need of strong people to take down the decorations and clean up the square. You are going to help out, free of charge, and we will forget about this embarrassing intermezzo."
For a few short moments the man, expecting nothing less than public caning, stared at the prelate with utter bafflement, then almost fell on his knees in his show of gratitude.
Large Man: "Yes! Thank you Your Eminency! I will do my best, I swear!"
Cardinal: "Please do."
As such the man was led out by the silent templars, all the while grinning like a child who just avoided being grounded for a mischief. The cardinal, on the other hand, let out a huge sigh and sat down in front of his desk the moment the others left.
Cardinal: "(Was I a bit too lenient…?)" He pondered as he absentmindedly straightened the hems of his robes. "(I suppose it’s pointless to think about that now…)"
With a tired expression, he reached into the drawer and pulled out a couple of manila folders. After paging through them he picked out one in particular and opened in up in one hand. His eyes quickly glanced over the contents written on the pages within, and just as he reached the end he immediately closed it and put it away with the rest of the documents.
For a few moments he seemed to stare absentmindedly at the opposing wall, but that was only on the surface. His mind was working overtime, inlaying the information he just received into the bigger picture. The appearance of the two mercenaries was something outside of the Plan, or at least an unexpected deviation. Sure, it wasn’t an issue big enough that would have warranted him to make a move, but they should not have been there. Not yet. Not until the Soketsu’s part is done.
Cardinal: "Hm…?"
Thinking about him, the cardinal reached into another drawer and pulled out another bundle of papers, copies of the mission briefing he gave to the Soketsu a few days ago. If everything went smoothly, he should have arrived at his destination already… and why wouldn’t he?
That man was the vanguard of the Rovers, the most powerful representatives of the Order. They were agents well-versed in the arts of combat and subterfuge, able to project the force of the Order more effectively (and if needed, more subtly) than small armies. Each one of those men and women were irreplaceable war-assets, but the Soketsu himself was a god of war among his peers, and stubborn enough to follow through with any mission no matter how strange or pointless it might have looked. He was a good subordinate, one who would fulfill his role without questions. He will be sorely missed.
Still, he absentmindedly skimmed through the contents of the documents one last time before stashing them away. Afterwards he let out a small yet heavy breath. This far everything proceeded in accordance with the Plan, but not having the Soketsu around was still a little unnerving.
Not to mention, just the other day he was forced to send his strongest ally, his personal bodyguard, to the other end of the world for a task as well. Not having those two to depend on made him feel almost naked. After all, those two were his only reliable subordinates to whom he could entrust tasks too risky or questionable for the templars. Without them he could only depend on the Golden Oracle’s predictions and the Plan…
Cardinal: "Hah…!"
However, the sharp groan leaving his lips wasn’t caused by the absence of those two. No, it was something entirely different. He could be sure that they were going to play their part, but lately there have been so many unexpected deviations from her predictions that he couldn’t help but worry. To be frank, it wasn’t the notion of the deviations that had him troubled; those happened from time to time. No, it was the fact that all of them were seemingly insignificant yet strangely coinciding.
Like just then. The mercenary couple shouldn’t have been here yet. In fact, they shouldn’t have been anywhere near this region for at least three more weeks, yet they were, and heading towards an abbey. He had a really good idea which abbey as well. Normally something like this should have been completely inconsequential; they weren’t even a real factor in the Plan, but he couldn’t help but feel that there was something more to this than what met the eye. The pieces were already on the table, he just had to assemble them…
Once again he raised his eyes upon the plain wall in front of him as his pondering mind retreated into its own depts. An unexpected weapons-research team with a young scientific advisor that hasn’t produced anything of importance. A huge amount of resources collected for classified projects that haven’t been used for years. The Abbots’ Council almost tripling the number of military personnel stationed in the central provinces seemingly without a cause or without consequence. Two high-caliber mercenaries heading to the Sextus Aquilonis Abbey, the center of said military and research expenditure.
Are these things connected? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t see them otherwise, but… they neither went directly against the Plan, nor did it mention taking actions against them.
But why? The only reason he could think was that they were considered completely trivial from the perspective of the Plan... but then what was this nagging feeling, this haunting tension he felt hanging in the air?
At last he raised a hand to gently rub his eyes as he let out yet another tired breath.
Cardinal: "I’m thinking too hard about this." He surmised flatly before he abruptly stretched himself and loosened his shoulders while expelling all those troubling thoughts from his mind. There was no point worrying too hard about these things after all. If they didn’t matter for the Plan, they shouldn’t matter to him either.
That was the number one rule he learned along the long years of being a cardinal of the Order. So what if those two were here too soon? They were of no importance and they would eventually leave .
Cardinal: "(Still, I should consult our Oracle, just to be on the safe side…)"
Just as if they were waiting for him to reach the end of his train of thought, the door slowly opened with a group of servants on the other side.
Servant 1: "Your Eminence, it’s almost time."
Cardinal: "Oh…"
The three young male servants entered the room without any reserve, carrying a set of differently colored garments than the one he was wearing during his oration. Naturally, this was for another occasion.
Cardinal: "How many of them do we have this year?"
Servant 3: "More than three hundred."
The oldest of the three answered while skillfully helping the cardinal into his new ornamental robes, a pale blue outfit with golden and silver embroidery around the neck and the hems. It was the traditional priestly garb worn during overseeing a wedding, though this particular attire was naturally more lavish than the average.
Cardinal: "Three hundred couples? Wasn’t there less than two hundred of them yesterday?"
Servant 3: "It’s the usual. A lot of them only applied today."
The Anniversary was one of the three times of a year when the church of the Order allowed mass-weddings, courtesy of the holy day. Because of the festivities already surrounding the occasion and the presence of the cardinal, the event was always popular among the more religious couples. The prelate smiled wryly as he imagined the throng of would-be-newlyweds swarming the cathedral grounds.
Cardinal: "I see. It’s good that they are eager, but can we even fit that many people into the main hall at once?"
Servant 2: "Don’t worry Your Eminence; the staff is going to deal with that."
Cardinal: "True. It’s reassuring to have competent subordinates."
Servant 1: "You humble us, Your Eminence."
Cardinal: "Well then…"
The cardinal looked into the big mirror in the corner of the study, checking his garbs one last time, then turned to the door. He lightly shook his head, as if to shake all his previous troubling thoughts away, and left the room at once. This was a day of celebration after all, the day when people were supposed to forget about their toils and pains, and he intended to follow their example.