13th Aurum

More than thirty minutes had passed. Emilia sat quietly in front of Samuel and the other Arcanist. She seemed different. Polite and quiet.

'How I met this girl is a story worth hearing!' Samuel said. The other arcanist, Mr. Forlo Umbral, didn't seem much interested in Samuel's stories. Still, he put on a mask of curiosity to humor his old friend. Forlo was a man of the moment. He was a bit interested in the present state of Emilia rather than her past but that too was because he had a duty to fulfill. This interview was just a formality. Teachers and experts from the Academy visited the chosen students with their initiation letters. Every year more than ninety thousand students would sit for the admission test and only the top hundred would get selected.

'I was walking through Ludemborg. You see, I was brushing up on my basic knowledge that day. So I had the old book 'Five Arts' in my side bag. Lady Emilia here saw me reading it with utmost concentration and she felt like she just had to read it, at least that's what she told me afterward. So she ran by me, snatching the book from my bag.' Samuel stopped and sipped the lemon tea he was given by Julia.

'I thought that some goblin or hob or some other infernal demon had stolen my book. So I took out my trusty single barrel, imbued it with a Rothfuss mark and chased after it.' Samuel said.             

'Sounds like something you would do, Sam.' Forlo said trying to mock Samuel.

'But after I followed her here, I saw that she was hiding behind her mother.'

'And then he threatened to burn down my shop if I didn't compel my daughter to return him his dusty old book.' Julia said with spite. Deep inside she was a vindictive woman and she didn't forget how Samuel once tried to threaten her and her daughter. She also hated him because he supplied Emilia with books after that incident. She certainly didn't have enough spare money to waste on books and if this Samuel hadn't walked into their lives, things would be very different.             

'I still apologize for being so rude that day.' Samuel said. 'When I approached her mother with the single barrel, she suddenly came out of hiding and created white flames from the surface of her palm! Like out of nowhere!' He added.

'White flames?! Surely you jest.' Forlo said with suspicious eyes.

'Why would I? Emilia, show him.'

Emilia felt uneasy about this. She was more interested in Natural Philosophy at the moment and wasn't exactly thrilled about her white flames. She stretched her hand and thought of heat and fire. A white uneven ball of white flames appeared. It floated with grace above her palm.

Forlo wasn't interested in this job. He felt that it was demeaning towards the teachers, going from one student to another with letters, like some sort of dignified postman. But this, this brought a smile to his face.

'Extraordinary.' He whispered. 'I will be looking forward to seeing you in the Academy, Emilia.' He said with a happy face as he stood up.

'I acknowledge you and I pass onto you the letter of initiation.' He said with a formal voice and a formal body language.

'This is a great honor for me and my family.' Emilia replied, still trying hard to keep her composure.

'I think we should go now, Sam. It eludes me how you forgot to mention anything about the white flames. Yet you badgered me with your research into rats for two hours!' He said as he gave Samuel an annoyed look.

To which he replied with nothing but a weak smile.

Emilia felt as if a rock was moved from her chest. She was scared that she would say something that would annoy the interviewer. It was just a formality and cases where interviewers would expel a student were extremely rare. But even the slightest probability of losing her chance at something so big was too much for her to handle. She worked day and night for this and her long-held dream just became a reality.

'You amaze me.' Julia said to her.

'This was hard for me.' Emilia said as she let out a sigh of relief.

'You hid your true self quite well from that man. I'm sure you will do well in their world.' Her mother said with a disapproving voice.

It took her some time to realize what her mother had said. Then something snapped inside of her and she felt a tingling sensation in her heart.

'That's the worst thing you have said to me, mother.' Emilia said. She looked visibly upset as she stormed into her room, 

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14th Aurum

Nahaniel sat beside Boreal Blachard, his grandfather. Boreal was an old and fragile man. Nahaniel was feeding him soup.

'So you're going?' The old man asked with a shaky voice.

'I am. I've already received the letter. The man seemed to be in a hurry.' He said.

'I'm proud of you, boy. I wish I could live a little longer to see you succeed but in my dreams, I only see the Watchmaker. My time is ending. I can feel it.' He said with a grim voice.

Nahaniel put the half-empty bowl of soup on a cabinet beside the bed and then he helped Boreal lay down. As he tried to cover him with the blanket, Boreal's hand reached for his shirt. He grabbed Nahaniel and pulled him closer.

'Do not forget your promise.' He said and then he let him go. 'I want you to take my eyes.' He added.

'I will give you a proper burial. This is not up for debate, grandfather.' Nahaniel said with a stern face.

'Deep inside, you're still just a kid. You have to be stronger than that. Always remember that we've damned ourselves, only to fight a much greater evil.'

Nahaniel listened quietly and then he walked out of the room. He wasn't in a mood to listen to the lectures of a dying old man. Something much more interesting was waiting for him and when he closed the door to Boreal's room, the familiar world disappeared.

'Lucille. Born in filth with envious beauty. I saw her grow up in poverty and injustice. After her own blood violated her body, she cried out to the divine. And then ... she cried out to me. I listened and I gave her a blasphemous name. With it, she healed herself of both physical and unseen pain. Then she healed others. They named her the Queen of Harlots and she didn't mind. She and her sisters erected a shrine in my name and worshiped me with great care. Something vile disturbs her. Find her in the red district of Bordue and hear what she has to say.' A tranquil feminine voice spoke to him.

When the world became familiar again, Nahaniel saw his cat, Mr. Purapura, beneath him. 

'Something interesting is happening, Purapura.' He said looking at his cat.

The darkness of the night shrouded the city of Newton with mysterious coldness and fog. It had many bustling districts but Bordue was something entirely different. It became lively during the night. Powerful men and women came here to quench their various thirsts.  

Nahaniel wore a black linen coat over his shirt to fend off the cold of the night and he covered his face. He walked silently through the busy streets but nobody looked at him with suspicion as there were many who hid their face. Surely getting seen here would hurt their reputation.

'Boys and girls, even younger than you, warm the bed sheets of this place. Some because of curiosity and pleasure and some...' The voice in his head stopped abruptly. 

He walked until he reached his destination. The building where his vision was blurred.  He could see the world with his blasphemous name but there were places that were shrouded in darkness. The woman had sent him to many places before but all of them were different from this. They were places of pain and sorrow.  

It was a beautiful building made of bricks. There were many lit windows and its beautiful exterior design felt good to the eyes. There was a small garden in front of it and it looked like someone took care of it regularly. 

'Knock on the door.' A voice said in his head. This most ordinary request felt outlandish to Nahaniel. 

 A big, beefy man opened the door. He looked at Nahaniel for a moment. 

'This is not a place for a young boy. Go home to your mother's tits.' He said instantly. 

Someone opened a window on the upper floor. 

'Let him in, Goris.' She said with a sweet yet monotonous voice. 

'Yes, Miss Lucille.' The beefy man said. 'Come with me, boy.' The man added, letting him in. He followed the man to a room on the upper floor. 

'I don't know why but you're getting a chance to meet someone incredible. Speak respectfully to her or I will cut off your tongue and feed it to my dogs.' He said and something in his voice gave off that he had done just that many times before.

Nahaniel smirked. The man thought that he had power over him. But he could stomp him like an ant if he wanted to.

When he opened the door and walked inside, an intoxicating aroma tried to overwhelm him. It was a spacious room, filled with many handmade paintings and various flowering plants.

He realized what was meant by enviable beauty. Nature had blessed her with every sort of perfect body proportions a human being could want. Nobody in their right mind would say that she was not beautiful. 

'I prayed for a monster to get rid of a monster. I wasn't expecting a young boy.' She said. 

She was painting a landscape on a canvas. As he walked towards her he realized that the source of the unusual aroma in the room was that woman. He pulled down the cloth that hid his face. 

'What a pretty face...' She said. 

'What do you want?' He asked with a cold voice. 

Lucille's experience couldn't help her get a hold on this boy's nature. She could feel that the boy was touched by blasphemy. If the lady had sent him, he certainly was not a normal human being. 

'I like to travel, see the world.' She glanced over some of the paintings in her room. 'All these paintings are just memories.' She said as if she was hesitant about sharing her problem. 

'Something deranged is preying on innocent women all around the city.' She started. 

'Innocent women? You mean whores?' He said. Nahaniel could guess what she wanted. The Ripper. Newspapers were filled with stories about this 'man'. People were terrified. Yet they liked the riveting stories that the journalists conjured up with a passionate pen. The monster soon became a legend of the city. 

'I sense disrespect in your voice. Believe me, they chose this life out of necessity.' She said. 'I think you already know what I'm talking about. Our underworld contacts and the police, both have failed. But you, you come from the night mother herself. You must be special.' She said with prying eyes. 

'I will look into it.' 

'That was easy.' She said but she knew that he wouldn't do it for free.

'If you bring me his heart, I will make it worth your while. There is a shrine to her name here. I will let you draw power from it.' 

Nahaniel didn't reply and decided to leave. She had welcomed him in and the darkness that protected her home from his blasphemous names was not there anymore. 

'Wait.' She stopped him. 'Can I tempt you with a night that you will never forget?' She said with a vivacious tone. 

He looked back at her. 

'You don't look like a necrophiliac.' Nahaniel said as he disappeared from her sight. 

'Interesting boy.' Lucille whispered. She then bit into a strawberry and concentrated on her painting.