"Sir Leon," He responded, correcting Sara. "I'm still a commander in the army. I deserve some level of respect."
"A name is a name," She shot back, rolling her eyes.
"Have mercy on your father, Sara." The second figure said. I didn't recognize him, he was older, middle-aged, maybe. He had dark brown hair with a fine three-piece suit on and a pocket watch in the—well—pocket of his waistcoat. Raftle glanced past Sara's shoulder, I could see the moment he recognized me from the way his eyes lit up.
"Is that Dean's boy?" He asked, making his way out from behind the circulation desk.
"Dean?... Dean Alcroft? The sword saint?" Sara asked dumbfounded, her jaw going slack. Her eyes darted back and forth from Raftle and me. I guess we never talked family. To think both our parents were on that council. Raftle met us in the middle of the lobby.
"Canaan, Right?" He asked as he inspected me like an exhibit in a museum. "Interested in becoming a scholar, are you?"
"Something like that, sir," I responded. I looked up at Cal, who was standing at attention, saluting. Raftle's eyes flicked towards Cal.
"Hello, Sir, it's Officer Calen." He said stiffly. Raftle's eyebrow rose.
"…At ease. What are you doing here?"
"I've been watching over the young lord while he researches the magic arts."
Young lord? I guess we're both moving up in the world. Cal could definitely use some help when it comes to encountering authorities or higher-ups.
"Magic?" Raftle mused, rubbing at his chin. "You hear that, Anders?"
The other man stepped out from behind Raftle. There was something off about him that made my skin crawl. Couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Dean's son a fan of the magic arts?" The man started to grin and quickly covered his mouth with a balled fist, letting out a dry cough.
"Canaan, I would like you to meet an old friend, Anders Clave. A noble from Whiteren." He extended his hand. I took it. Whiteren, I think that's the country to the east. Although city-state may be a better way to describe it.
"Nice to meet you," I said, searching his eyes.
"Likewise, young man. Such inquisitive eyes, appropriate for a young scholar." He responded. My gaze went to the door one last time as Sara closed and locked it.
"Curious about what's down there?" Raftle asked. I shook my head yes. Anders reached into his pocket while the pair shared a look.
"Can I assume you haven't manifested an affinity yet?" Anders asked.
"Your assumption would be correct," I responded.
"Well then, what's down there won't exactly help you, at least not yet." He kneeled so he was at eye level with me. "Are you a believer, Canaan?" He paused, but not long enough for me to respond. "Ah, you're young, you'll have time to figure that out later down the line. Have you considered looking into the Noveá religion in your studies of the magic arts?"
"Anders!" Raftle snapped, a hint of a warning in his voice.
"Settle down, Leon. I just want to help the boy in his pursuit of knowledge." He waved away Raftle's words. Then removed a small golden coin from his pocket with a tree engraved onto its surface. "Let me leave you with this, then, at the very least." He took my hand and placed the coin in it. I noticed his hand tremor before the coin started to emit a soft, yellowish white light, it started to glow brighter. My hand felt like I plunged it into a bucket of warm water. Anders' lips twitched into a grin. Raftle's eyes narrowed with suspicion, and Cal leaned over my shoulder to get a better view.
"What is this?" Raftle protested. Anders stayed focused on the coin.
"If I wanted to take down a god, I would seek out their oldest followers…or guardians." He rose from his kneeling position. I clamped down on my emotions, trying to suppress my surprise and appear less caught off guard. How'd he know? What is this coin?
The golden light darkened, shifting to a teal. Sweat started to bead my forehead while I tried to discern exactly what was happening and what everyone was thinking. Everyone seemed as curious as me, aside from Leon. My hand recoiled, and the coin fell to the ground.
"What is that thing? And…Take down a god?" I asked, putting my confusion on full display. Raftle placed a hand on Anders' shoulder.
"Enough. Canaan, it was good to see you. Do give Marin my best." He quickly adjusted the papers and scrolls under his arm and made his way out. "Officer, as you were."
"Sir!" Cal responded.
"Good to meet you, young man. Hopefully, our paths will cross again. Vis' blessing be with you," He patted my shoulder as he walked passed. "And keep the coin."
"…Dude…" Cal started. "That coin was totally just glowing." He said in an excited whisper from the corner of his mouth, still in a salute.
"Cal… they're gone, bud, you can rest," I said, patting his back. I scooped the coin up with my sleeve and put it in my pocket. I guess I have a special talent for attracting strange artifacts. We made our way over to Sara at her desk.
"What was that about?" She asked.
"Well—" I started.
"Never mind that. You're thee shadow sword's son? Like the war hero? Dean Alcroft"
"I guess, but what about your father?"
"Cane seems to be painfully unaware of who his father actually is and what he's done for this country. The same thing happened when I met him." Cal added. We should get Adonis here and start a fan club. I wonder how he's doing, and Rein.
"Maybe he just didn't like to talk about his past, and I inherited that." They both paused and looked at me with eyebrows cocked.
"Your father basically won us the war against the Grishans single-handedly. At nineteen years old, he was so powerful he was regarded as a natural disaster. Not to mention conquering a realm and felling a deity," Sara said, her excitement building with each word. "Mine's not that exciting. Really, more of a disappointment."
"Really? I think your father is a great man." Cal said with a thoughtful expression. I rubbed my palm against my forehead, shaking my head. Sara finally turned to face Cal, her amber eyes sharpened into a glare, and her jaw clenched as she crossed her arms.
"Oh, is that so? Please, Calen, tell me more about how great my father is, with your wealth of experience, freezing upon just a glimpse of the man." She ground out from between her gritted teeth. Cal swallowed hard, raised his hands in defense, and shrank behind them.
"No, no…that's I-I didn't mean it like that," His eyes flicked back and forth between the two of us. "Cane, help me," He pleaded. I fished for the coin in my pocket with my eyes closed, pretending not to hear him.
"Anyways…" Sara started, turning her attention back to me. "As I was saying, we did get some more books. You guys are in luck, Aleara is busy preparing for the prince's alignment ceremony tomorrow. So they haven't come to pick anything up yet." I looked up at Cal, who was nervously scratching at the back of his head.
"That's great! Do you guys have anything on the Noveá religion?" Might as well look into it while I'm here. Based on Raftle's reaction, there's got to be something I'm missing from that angle.
"We have a whole section dedicated to the religion, historical texts, as well as books on the more propaganda-filled side of the religion. Want to head there first?"
"Please," I responded. "Also, are the deities from the trials the same as the gods from the Noveá religion? I'm curious why no one is after Dean for killing one."
"Yes and no. The deities from the realms are commonly referred to as pillars in the religion, and what they hold up is the one true god. That's kind of the imagery of it all, in practice, there are nine paths that practitioners follow."
She led us through the archway and into the main hall of the library. A carpeted pathway stretched to the back of the room, flanked by rows of wooden bookshelves placed in even intervals. The walls were also covered by bookshelves. A spiralling staircase to the back left of the room led to the second floor.
"They aren't restricted to one pathway, though. It's just a little more work, as it's common for a temple or church to be dedicated to only one path. As for why they don't go after your Dad, I'm not entirely sure, but I do believe that it has something to do with him being a war hero."
"That's a lot. Do you practice the noveá religion? You seemed to know quite a bit," I asked.
"I don't…anymore. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, Cane. There's a lot for you to discover." She gestured at the rows of books in front of us. A bracelet slipped out of her sleeve with a crescent moon-shaped pendant hanging from it. "Well, here you are. Cal…don't touch anything." He startled, slightly offended. She quickly spun on her heel and headed back to the front.
"Well, well. Cal, I've never seen you so quiet," I said, chuckling.
"Quiet!" He shot back, tilting his chin towards the ceiling and turning away from me. "We're in a library." The irony of yelling at someone to be quiet.
We split up and searched through the books, occasionally calling one another's attention to one random fact or another. I sat cross-legged on the floor and ran my hand along the bottom shelf when a book caught my eye. "The nine paths and the divine truth." Very discreet title, I thought to myself. I leafed through it for a couple of minutes. "A Novean mark is bestowed upon those who die to themselves in the name of a chosen pathos." The page had some images. Some of the symbols I recognized, like the ones from Headmaster Armand's head, others I had no clue. I guess this is how she got those. I also found that the markings, sometimes called stigma, also represent rank and are supposed to channel some sort of power. I might be interpreting it wrong, though.
Sara was right, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It looks like they have their own mythological figures as well. I read a few stories, but the amount of information is overwhelming. I haven't found anything that links the religion to magic or guardians yet, though. What could Ander's have wanted, pointing me in this direction?
"Hey, Cane," Cal said, peaking over a bookshelf.
"Yeah?" I responded, still glued to the page.
"This book is talking about something called the great unification. It kind of sounds like either the end or the beginning of the world."
"Well, what does the book say?"
"Hard to sum it up, but something about signs and then humanity returning to what it once was."
"Just hand it over."
"No, I'm not done yet." He retorted. "It also mentions the dominie or the first servants of god." My eyes snapped open
"Ok, hand it over," I said, standing to my feet.
"Sorry, Cane. I'm still not done, and it looks like the section that talks about them has been torn out."
Of course.
"Something's arrived for you, Calen," Sara said from the room's entrance, her voice echoing through the room. I stared up at Cal with an eyebrow raised. He didn't meet my gaze and maintained an emotionless expression. He placed the book on a shelf and headed for Sara.
"Do you know what it is?" I asked, following close behind him. His shoulders bobbed as he continued. What's gotten into him all of a sudden? Although he has been acting a little strange today not sure if what happened earlier is connected.
We reached Sara's desk, she pointed a finger at an object wrapped in a beige cloth, no longer than two feet, and it was kind of thin.
"A courier dropped it off not too long ago," She said, poking at the cloth.
"U-uh yeah, thanks, Sara," Cal said, picking it up.
"I know tomorrow is a special day for Adonis, so I didn't want you to feel too left out, and I know what it's like…" He paused, quickly glancing at Sara, then his gaze fell to his hand. He scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah. Here." He unceremoniously ripped the covering off, revealing a sheathed short sword. Although it would be the perfect size for…
"Wait, Cal. This is for me!?" I took the sword and slowly freed it from the sheath. It wasn't anything too special, but the weight and balance are pretty solid. I gave it a few swings.
"Easy there now," Cal said, beaming with pride. "And like I was saying earlier. Seeing your friends at their alignment—"
"Thank you, Cal." I said sincerely, cutting him off.
"Yeah, don't mention it." He said, looking somewhat uncomfortable, like he didn't know what to do with my gratitude. I noticed Sara smiling at Cal from the corner of my eye. He turned to look at her, still trying to figure out what to do with himself, and her head snapped in the other direction. Her smile quickly turned into a disapproving frown. "No swords drawn in the library, Cane, please." She said, fixing her glasses.