Day 16 of Month 5 - Caleta, Grand Cathedral, Wyviera Docks



A fleet of Wyvieras were on standby waiting to ferry the congregation of knights and trainees gathering in formation within the docks. Seven knights with seven pre-graduate classes in tow. Since the mission called for speed, all of the knights and trainees were not in the standard Pristine Knight armor, instead they were donning their military gala uniforms to allow better movement. There was a mix of excitement and anxiety swirling around the trainees as they properly formed up behind their designated platoon leader. Each class had fifty students, which was a blessing since Squad Eight actually needed more bodies to cover more ground for their survey mission.

For the trainees, there was no time to be awestruck, despite having one of the more prominent squads in all of the knighthood leading them on a mission. Sure, it was a survey mission, and they are not likely going to witness any combat situation, but being led by Squad Eight was a gift none of them expected to experience so early in their knight careers. Opportunities like these for the trainees may never come again, so for now, they will absorb what they can, learn what they can, and emulate what they can.

For the members of Squad Eight staring at the trainees forming up before them, they could see fidgeting, worried looks and anxious breathing from a small portion of the trainees across all classes. They could also see confidence, calmness and readiness from a few trainees among the classes before them. There were not many that had the look, but Squad Eight felt relieved that there were some trainees that showed promise.

As soon as the trainees were properly formed up with their leaders, a large cart containing several supply boxes pulled up to them. Natalia, Squad Eight's resident supply officer took to the front.

"Squad leaders, to me!" she ordered, prompting the designated squad leaders of each class groupings to come forward and line up in front of her. "As the mission brief stated, we are going to be dealing with a potential outbreak. We must take necessary precautions. These boxes contain field masks, medicine satchels, resistance and magic booster pills, upgraded Judgment Swords, modified Faith Necklaces and the soon to be standard issue Hope Bangles pair - courtesy of Knight Hyuga." she explained, showcasing each of the box contents to the squad leaders.

The trainees could not hide their excitement at seeing the actual gear that would be issued to them upon graduation. Most of them had the look of kids waiting to get their hands on new toys. "We cannot have you deploy out in the field with just steel swords, so you can cast them aside as soon as you receive your provisions." Nat continued.

She then turned to the squad leaders before her, "Take a box and equally distribute your provisions to your squads." she commanded and turned back to the rest of the trainees. "Remember, all of you are not supposed to receive the Faith Necklaces, Hope Bangles and most especially the Judgment Swords until graduation. However, we are making an exception and officially issuing all of you your gear now. Take care of them." she explained and then turned to The Dreamer. "Knight Hyuga here will explain the new functions of your three staple gear, starting with the sword, necklace and bangles."

"Ehem..." Hyuga cleared his throat before stepping forward to speak. Just before he could open his mouth, he noticed his Vice Captain looking at him and mouthing "Keep it brief." much to his distaste but time is of the essence so he will.

"The refined Judgement Swords are now engraved with Powered Regalia Quartz. Aside from the more fashionable look, the new Judgement Sword now has the ability to store magic, fire off the said stored magic and hold enchantments far more efficiently and significantly longer than it previously could." He lectured while unsheathing one of the swords to show the trainees. "These new swords have been adorned with three smaller Powered Regalia Quartz, and one large quartz, thereby allowing you to store three minor arcana magic up to the intensity level of five and one major magic up to the intensity level of eight - possibly nine." he continued.

"Nine!?" an audible yelp of surprise coming from the trainees. Magic had always been graded through intensity levels one through ten, with the strongest spells ranking at higher intensities. Not everyone has the ability to harness magics of up to that caliber except for those with higher affinity or extensive knowledge and training in the arts. The truly gifted ones are usually the only people capable of dishing out level 10 magic or higher, and there's only a handful of them around.

Hyuga smirked at the reaction of his audience - another testament to his genius for designing, calibrating and putting his research into practical application with these new swords. "Now for the new Faith Necklaces, just wearing it now grants you a passive protection two levels stronger than your standard Prayer magic. The good thing about it too is that you can now double up your Prayer intensity by casting the same magic on yourself, and your Faith Necklace will amplify it automatically. It also has the ability to store up to two protective or healing magics."

He then plucked a pair of Hope Bangles from an open munitions box beside Natalia. "Now the Hope Bangles, these are essentially offensive magic amplifiers. Unfortunately, it does not react to the protective or healing arts but it is exceptionally compatible with combat magics. Wearing these while you cast combat magic effectively multiplies the speed and force output of your combat spells without the drawback of requiring more from your magic reserves." he continued his explanation. "Ohh, and do not practice magic when you have these on." he warned. "That is all."

Upon receiving and equipping their newly acquired gear, the knights and trainees were ready to move out. A few minutes later, the fleet of Wyvieras simultaneously launched from the docks and headed outward to their respective destinations.


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Gless - Xedia, Hyuga's Hometown


On the outskirts of town, Hyuga's platoon Wyviera landed safely, a squad of trainees and lone knight disembarking shortly after the bay doors opened. With quick huddle with the squad leaders under his command, and a brief examination of their map, Hyuga directed the other four squads towards the neighboring villages and towns near Xedia, watching as their transport powered up and took off to its plotted course.

"Alright. Listen up, the first order of business is to meet with the town mayor. After meeting the mayor at the town hall, we are to inquire about the Sweating Sickness with the townsfolk, check on the people that will report positive hits to our query. We will then rendezvous at the town clergy and finally make a stop at the local pharmacies to check supply levels."

The trainees tensed, listening intently to every word coming out of Hyuga's mouth. "If any of you have family here in Xedia, you are cleared to check in on them post-haste." The Dreamer continued. "We will work in pairs, so that's four two-man teams checking around town. Divide yourselves into pairs, whoever is left will come with me."

"Yes sir!" the trainees saluted and paired up. Hyuga was left with the short, meek-looking, yellow-orange haired, freckled and spectacled girl on his makeshift squad. She looked like someone who was barely out of her teens. "You're with me then." he spoke to her and then turned to the rest of the trainees. "Let's move." he ordered and began walking to the direction of Xedia, with the town hall set as their destination.

They were moving in standard pairs formation with Hyuga at the lead. Their formation gave ample space apart from each pair on foot while maintaining a solid defensive perimeter for their entire squad. Hyuga chanced a quick glance at the young trainee slightly lagging behind him as they walked.

"Hey.. what's your name?" he asked her softly, head glancing to the side while continuing to walk forward.

Startled at the sudden query and noticing that the speaker had his neck contorted a bit to speak to her, the girl jogged quicker to Hyuga's side and maintained pace with him. "They call me Mimi, sir."

"Mimi? Is that supposed to be a short for anything?" he added.

"Mimosa, sir."

Hyuga looked at the girl and smirked. Mimosa huh? He can see why with the yellowish orange hair. "Are you nervous? You've been twiddling your thumbs since our flight here."

"I.... I actually am.." she admitted openly. "It's my first field skirmish." she supplied, unsure if it will be of any help to the knight.

"It's pretty normal." Hyuga responded almost immediately. "To be nervous that is." Hyuga continued, dusting his gala sleeve as they walked. "To this day, even I still get nervous during missions." he mentioned with honesty. "You reminded me of myself back in the day when I first joined the knights." he smirked. "When I told you to pair up, you were the only one who didn't move. Not popular in your class I take it?"

"I'm.. shy.. clumsy.. and not really good at the physical aspects of knighthood!" Mimi responded in earnest. "That's why I'm always the last to find a group or pair during activities in my class." she sulked.

"There's more to knighthood than just the physical aspects." Hyuga lectured. "I'm sure you're good at something. What are you good at?" he asked with genuine interest.

"I guess... academics and... magic?"

"Academics and magic huh?" an amused Hyuga mumbled to himself. "You and I are more alike than you think then." he continued chatting. "It's reassuring to know I have someone in this squad who is academically inclined. "I..." Hyuga trailed off and corrected himself. "We could sure use your help."

It didn't take too long for Hyuga's team to reach the gates of Xedia, to which they were warmly welcomed at the sight of The Dreamer coming to town. Shortly after, they were escorted to the town hall for an audience with the mayor, to whom they will coordinate their survey efforts with.


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Gless - Danaon, Alfrei's Hometown


As discussed pre-deployment, Alfrei had already directed the rest of his platoon to neighboring towns and villages near the proximity of Danaon. Him and his team, also as discussed pre-deployment, had split up into four pairs and had consulted the town mayor regarding their survey mission. They were now in the process of making townsfolk inquiries which allowed Alfrei to make a detour towards the Altieri household.

With his knight trainee partner, Jin, in tow, Alfrei pushed open the gates to the Altieri manor. "Feel free to come in." he urged the trainee knight who seemed to be awestruck at simply being in the house of the Vice Captain of Squad Eight.

Jin was beginning to wonder what he had done in his lifetime to deserve such an honor. He stepped inside the large household, which was old century victorian themed, but was in very mint condition. Compared to his flat at Caleta, (which was about the size of the Altieri living room) this was next level. His admiration and musing was interrupted by a melodic voice that came from above the spiraling staircase that led to the second floor of the house.

"Alfrei!" the voice greeted in excitement.

Jin's eyes glided towards the figure coming down the stairs in a mild hurry. She was a very beautiful young woman, probably the same age as him with blonde, wavy hair spanning down the length to her shoulders, neatly arranged with a headband that had a rose ornament. She wore a crimson dress with intricate patterns of flowers. Her green eyes and fair skin was accentuated by her dress and her smile was the ultimate cherry on top. Jin could feel his jaw dropping as the young woman rushed past him and into the open arms of Vice Captain Alfrei.

Lights! She smelled so nice too!

"Welcome back!" The young woman greeted warmly, arms wrapping tightly around Alfrei. "What brings you here?" she had asked.

Alfrei gently escaped from his sister's embrace and pointed up and down towards his gala uniform. "Business I'm afraid."

"Ohh.." she responded, the chirpiness in her tone diminishing by two notes down.

"I'm here with my partner for this mission," Alfrei gestured towards where Jin was standing dumbfounded.

The young woman turned to the direction of Alfrei's hand gesture and gasped at the realization that she had just walked past a guest of the house. "Oh my goodness.. where are my manners!" she composed herself and approached Jin, did an elegant curtsy, and offered a warm smile. "Welcome to the Altieri household...?"

He just died.. twice! First at the curtsy and then at the smile.

"J-J-Jin.. milady.." he stuttered his name and the formality out as he supplied the answer to her query.

"Ah! Welcome Sir Jin. Please, make yourself at home. I will get you some refreshments." she compelled the young trainee to sit at the overly large and ridiculously comfortable living room couch. Once she was sure their guest was seated, the young woman hurried over to where Jin guessed the kitchen would be. He then turned in his seat to look at the other man in the room.

"You have a very lovely wife Vice Captain." he sheepishly commented, still trying to shake the feeling of shyness rubbing his bones.

Alfrei instantly laughed at the mention of the word wife. "You got it wrong Jin. Her name is Alexa, my sister." he corrected the trainee. "She's beautiful isn't she?" he suddenly asked Jin.

Caught off-guard, the young trainee knight awkwardly responded in affirmation.

"Y-yes.. very.." before he could finish his response though, an overwhelming tension descended upon his shoulders. The Vice Captain who was very pleasant a moment ago now had a very different glare in his eyes, darker and one step short of being murderous trained at him. "Don't. Get. Any. Ideas." he warned the young trainee then instantly relaxed at the sound of happy footsteps making their way back to the living room.

"Lexi, is mom and dad home?" he asked his sister, who responded with a nod of her head directed upstairs.

Jin, who was now having a hard time telling if he's paralyzed in fear could only grab the offered glass of what tasted like peach iced tea and downed the drink in one go.

"Oh my... do you want another?" Alexa asked in surprise after watching the trainee knight make a big glass of drink disappear. However, her query fell on deaf ears.

"What...was...that?" the young trainee thought to himself, recalling the pressure he felt from the eyes of Vice Captain Alfrei. Now he was unsure of what he had just gotten himself into. Was he in trouble?


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Caleta - Grand Cathedral


Joaquim, Vlad, Nat, Georg and Fiona all had similar setups to how their platoons had been deployed across other main townships of Gless such as Valthe, Solfonn, Gielo - towns that were reconstructed and rehabilitated after getting wrecked a while back - as well as Rosetta and Rockdale along with their respective neighboring villages and smaller towns.

A huge thanks to the Pristine Knight Academy trainees and the authorization to use Wyvieras for traveling, Squad Eight had successfully completed their survey of Gless in just six hours. Now the entire squad had holed themselves up inside their quarters exchanging notes and findings regarding their mission, scribbling and compiling important bits and pieces of information they had managed to uncover about the plague for their Captain's perusal once he gets back.

"I must say.." Georg started, stretching his legs out from under him as he did, "this is by far the easiest, most peaceful mission we have ever been subjected to. No combat, no drama, no fuss." he chuckled. "I could do with more missions like this." he finally ended.

After a moment's thought, an audible sigh of agreement escaped the lips of the other members of the squad, undoubtedly everyone making a quick mental tally of all the missions they have actively participated at during their squad tenure, with the exception of their Vice Captain of course. "Don't get used to it though, this is probably going to be the last of this kind of mission for us." he chimed in. "Still, I feel like it was a very productive sortie. We managed to gather intel and teach a small part of the knighthood's future along the way. Two birds, one stone. It's a win-win." everybody agreed at the mention of win-win.

Fiona, who was tasked with compiling and sorting their findings shuffled a neatly written summary complete with supporting documents in hand. "All in all, there's only about two hundred cases that matched plague criteria across the towns and villages of Gless. It's alarming but not as grave in comparison to how bad it is now at Lindela." she summarized, eyes coming over to Vlad who everyone in the squad knew resided at Lindela. "I'm so thankful the Captain found a way to move your family here to Caleta with temporary housing." she reached out and squeezed the hand of the other.

Vlad visibly deflated at the thought, a long sigh of relief following shortly after. Their Captain had made arrangements for his family to temporarily stay at Rosetta under the wings of the Rosenwulf name, free to work alongside their smithing business. It was something he would forever be grateful for. However, it bothered him still that many of the people at the island he called home had not been so blessed to have such good fortune as he did. Part of him felt bad, yet a larger part of him felt relieved that his family was safe.

Fiona then turned the pages of her summary and a grim look had fallen on her features. "What's really concerning is that almost everywhere we went and surveyed, medical supplies are either just enough, or about to run out." she recounted, flipping page after page of the same findings from various clergy houses and pharmacies. "They said they joined in on the effort to send their surplus over to Lindela to help, but have been having difficulty replenishing their stocks after..." she trailed off.

"Very likely due to the multiple hits on our critical facilities at various districts in Lindela." Hyuga picked up and surmised. "It's hard not to think that the real goal of that attack was to cripple our ability to recover." he continued, putting more thought into the matter. "It's all too convenient if you think about it."

"We've been sucked into a battle of attrition." Joaquim added, hands clasped before his chin as he sat by the table. "There's a bigger scheme at play from a tactical standpoint, and we've already taken one too many blows."

The air inside the quarters became heavy at the insight of one of their veteran knights. It's like the standard tactic for taking down a fortress. You box the defenders in, cut off their supplies, starve them out and attack at their weakest. Light knows that they are weakening.. more so than they would like to believe.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Natalia wondered out loud, not really looking to hear any answer.

"What we can." Alfrei responded with a resolute tone. "We do what we can do when we can." he reiterated. "For now, setting up quarantine for the two hundred confirmed cases, assigning a clerical regiment and keeping contact at a minimum while the patients are studied and treated is the best thing we can do for now." the man leveled a solemn look at their coffee table. "We should be worrying about the people at Lindela, how we can help them and what we can do to ease the shortage of medical supplies here at Gless. Light knows I would die first before I let this bastion of Light crumble to a plague."

"At least we know that the processing facilities scattered across Lindela are going to be operational again soon. Captain Lance really did a wonderful job ensuring they take highest priority in reconstruction at District Five, setting an example for other Knight Commanders to follow. As for the rest of the general repairs, it's only a matter of time now, maybe a week or two at the most and Lindela will be able to stand on its feet again." Fiona recounted the efforts poured into rebuilding the other island.

"Yeah, at least we have that to be thankful for." Natalia commented off hand. "It's also worth noting that once the facilities are up, we can also start pulling back manpower from reconstruction, bolster defenses and even send aid to Palaugrim."

"Our comrades at Palaugrim are doing an exceptional job at forcing a deadlock with the uprising happening there. It's almost a miracle that we've received so few reports about major casualties or outposts falling. Captain and Master Lethe really did a great job motivating our Knight Commanders there." Alfrei added.

"The real issue right now is this plague." Hyuga redirected. "I can imagine Captain and Master Lethe doing the best they can from their respective positions, with the consideration of an even deeper level of concern..." he paused choosing to be careful with his next words and ensuring the privacy wards in their quarters are working before continuing to speak. "God of Sin reviving.." he stopped.

"Those two are stretched thin.. so thin that there's a very real possibility of them breaking." Georg added. "It takes real courage to keep moving forward under these... conditions." he waved his arms around to emphasize everything that has gone wrong lately. "The High Council very likely noticed that too and had been more cooperative of late, which makes it easier for every knight to operate. Now more than ever..." Georg sighed, "unity is very important. We need to do our part and more if we ever hope to ease the burdens of our leaders."

"And with that said, we're going to put off breaks and extend active duty hours to help more, and not neglect our training altogether." Alfrei steeled his resolve, accompanied by a unanimous agreement from the rest.


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Grand Cathedral - The Sanctuary, Cleric Head Office


It was a very different energy inside the usually solemn clerical structure. The air is electrified, there's movement from top to bottom of the entire structure, busybodies the lot of them - full fledged clerics, senior, junior, down to the freshmen clerics all had tasks ahead of them. It would actually be like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to find a single clerical body taking a break.

Up top at Head Cleric Heidi's office, two souls were buried in paperwork. The older woman glanced at the desk right across hers which housed Cora who was just in the process of grabbing another pile of clerical reports to study and document. They have been at it since the attack on Lindela and none of them ever seemed to have caught a decent break. An appreciative smile curved Heidi's lips at the sight of the younger cleric hard at work. When she's not deployed out in the field doing tests and clerical work, she's here taking a stab at half of Heidi's workload, not to mention she'd taken it upon herself to be the representative of The Sanctuary before the council, all in consideration of Head Cleric Heidi's age.

The smile however, instantly faded upon seeing Cora's face. She had bags forming under her eyes, her breathing interval was ragged, and her hair looked like she'd been working outdoors on a windy day. If that was not any indication of the young cleric's fatigue, she had also been routinely casting Wake, Fortitude, Revitalize and Recover on herself. The only good thing she noticed the cleric doing to herself was that she was staying hydrated.

"Cora, dear..." Heidi softly called out. "Maybe you should take a break. I can manage the paperwork for a while." she offered kindly.

"Thanks Lady Heidi, but I'm fine." Cora quickly rejected. "There's so much going on right now I feel like if I take a break, we'll fall into a pit." she added while continuing to sift through more reports, writing down notes and observations, then back again to the reports.

"Well.. I do know that we will fall into a pit faster if you, a pivotal part of the clerical force goes down with illness." Heidi's tone sounded more of a reprimand.

"I.." Cora stopped and deflated. Hard to argue with a solid logic like that.

"Go." Heidi commanded. "Get some air, eat good food, spend time with your friends.. Lights! Sleep as well while you're at it! It would do you good to take your mind off things for a little while." she helpfully suggested options.

"It's not like The Sanctuary will stop working if you take a break Cora. Have a little faith in us. Go take your break, you deserve it."


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Having been shooed out of The Sanctuary, Cora -now with fixed hair- wandered the halls of the Grand Cathedral on her way out. The air in the Grand Cathedral too was tense, just like in The Sanctuary. The lights have been regularly kept on even through the nights and there were bodies moving around the clock too. The last time they had a major crisis on their hands like this was back during the first war. Cora reminisced the painful memories of those times. Here she is again, with a full blown plague on her hands and a revived God of Sin to worry about. At least back then, they only had the God of Sin and his forces to deal with. She sighed and shook the thoughts away.

"Cora..?" a familiar voice called out to her.

The voice belonged to her friend Alona who was just now racing up the cathedral steps heading towards her. "My goodness! I haven't seen much of you around lately. When did you get back from Lindela?" the redhead inquired.

After exchanging friendly hugs with each other, Cora smiled, "I got back earlier today. It's good to see you Alona, how are things on your side?"

"Cora, first off, you look like you could use a real break." she commented after quickly assessing the state of her friend's wellness. "My new sword squadron has been deployed in rotation across various borders of Lindela for defense and I got stuck stationed here with Silver for as long as this whole debacle started. We're the last line of defense, or so Gil said." she quickly summarized. "You?" she queried back.

"Ohhh.. just a plague outbreak on my hands, lots of wounded and sick, an absence of a plague cure and a shortage of deployable clerics..." the younger cleric began, "..if we're not healing, we're writing, documenting, researching, reporting, meeting and all the other ings you can think of.." she then let out a heavy sigh. "Part of me wishes I could pull back some clerics from Palaugrim but.." she trailed off, amused she even thought that as an option despite knowing there was a different combat theater happening there.

A sheepish grin was all Alona could muster to return. Her friend clearly had it rough and consolation was in rather short supply lately. "You know what?" the redhead perked up. "I know just what you need!" she then pulled the hand of the younger cleric and dragged the other with her.

"Silver managed to get his hands on some good ingredients. He's making pot stew and will bring it to my squad quarters."


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Grand Cathedral, Training Grounds



Memories came rushing back to the male Seraph as he continued to practice the almost forgotten sword style that they once used for drills back when they were still in Squad Seven. Makashi, a prominent style that now falls in the category of the Old Ways. The Seraph pondered as he tried to keep grace and balance, attempting to synchronize his motions with his training partner for the drill. Aside from Ingram's obsession with this style, Guilford also recalled doing this sword kata every morning when he was newly appointed to the Seraph position. It helped calm the soul, and it was complex enough to grant a good workout. When did he stop? More importantly, why did he stop?

Glancing at his training partner who was just now erratically swinging and flowing, Guilford found himself slowing down, speeding up and then slowing down again to try and match pace. He was not relying on her visible movements to synchronize but more on her breathing, hyperfocusing on the sound of her breath beneath the swooshing of her swords as they continued the kata. It was an advanced prediction technique that was commonly used in a sword duel, but even then he struggled to perfectly match her flow.

More power. Adequate. Needs more practice. Lacking coordination.

These were the things he had stopped hearing years ago. It was a welcomed feeling to be receiving guidance once more if he was being more honest with himself.

"You must match her pace."

Being the more proficient swordsman out of the two. He was able to get himself reacquainted with Makashi quicker and he was able to adjust and deliver the right amount of speed and force for his own flow. However, since coordination is the theme, and working in unison to become second nature to them as the goal, he was being scrutinized for not being able to keep sync. Lights it was hard! Master Jung demanded more power from Lethe, who obviously had the smaller frame, making his task all about reducing the power of his swings and tweaking the speed of execution to match what she can dish out. It was borderline frustrating but seeing Lethe work hard kept his frustration at bay. He knew she needed to improve her swordplay.

Jin, Chi, and Ten. These loosely translate to Strength, Speed and Balance and were the three foundational principles his sword arts categorically stem from, with Chi and Ten as the mother principles Guilford personally follows. Makashi incorporates all three. That was why if you can execute a Makashi Kata back during academy days, you get recognition and popularity.

As opposed to Makashi, Musou roge ken-fu -Guilford's primary sword style- is a very straightforward and honest style that focuses more on speed, balance and versatility. The forms and arts of his style revolve around quickly dispatching enemies with swift and powerful lethal strikes using speed as the medium to deliver power rather than the raw strength from the body of the wielder. This is the very reason why when he fights out on the field, he's almost always moving around in bursts of speed. It was a sword style meant to deal with larger foes considering what they had been fighting on the regular. His other styles also stem from two principles, Jin and Chi as well as Jin and Ten.

After hours of continued drills, Master Jung introduced two knights from the First War for them to duel. Leona and Diana. Guilford had seen these two in action several times during the First War, they were often dubbed the Sun and Moon duo. Together they were good, real good. Alone? Not so much. If there was ever a pair of knights at the pinnacle of coordination, it was these two. The male Seraph could feel Lethe's excitement as she mentioned something about their return to active duty, something he too was feeling grateful about.

On one side, a tank and a caster/bruiser. On the other, a caster/fighter and an off-tank/damage dealer. It wasn't the most favorable match-ups for either side but...

"Steel and Magic are allowed." Master Jung set the rules. "Our Seraphs can only use the Makashi style and their magic."

Trust Master Jung to even the odds toward the other team's favor. Well, it wouldn't be much of a training or spar if he and Lethe could simply overwhelm them with just the gap in their prowess now. If they were allowed to fight in their usual style, as Seraphs they would fold those two neatly, it doesn't matter if they pair up or not.

"Lethe, what do you say we skip our magic and just stick to our steel?" he asked the female Seraph as he swung his sword around before settling into the Makashi combat stance. "Give ourselves a little handicap?" he chuckled. "I feel like we'll improve faster that way." he added.

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[[ Day 17 of Month -5: District 15 Quarantine Wards, Lindela ]]

After retreating into the break room, Leon pulled his mask down below his chin with a grateful exhale. He shook his head vigorously to enjoy the sensation of his face moving without cloth on it. It was definitely safer to use masks when out in the open with the patients but they did get a bit constraining. Plus it was a bit hard to communicate with the volunteers with his mouth covered, though at least he didn’t have to keep a pleasant look on his face. Definitely pros and cons. Still massaging his face, the blond walked over to the refreshments table, fixed himself a cup of tea, and liberally dumped sugar into it. A sip had his face contorting at the taste but he forced himself to keep drinking. He mostly just wanted caffeine and sugar right now, which the beverage provided, but it was an odd mix of bitter and sweet.

Cradling the cup in his hands, he took a spare seat and stared at the painting at the wall, letting himself fall into a light daze. He idly rubbed at his arm as if soothing himself before awareness flooded back; hazel eyes looked at his subconscious movements. Even now, something was disturbing him. Taking another deep breath, he relaxed into a light meditation, accepting each thought as it came to him, examining it, and then placing it aside.
Worry about Roland – not something he could control – set aside.
Worry about whether an archway had been missed – not something he could control – set aside.
Worry about Lindela’s reconstruction – he was helping now by working at this clinic – set aside.
Pressure from all the parents looking for him to guidance – one of his responsibilities as a member of a Pristine Knight; would he have changed his path because of this? No, then learn to handle it – set aside for now but find a way to relieve the pressure later.
Sorrow at seeing all the sick patients – he was helping them by working at this clinic – set aside.
Even after going through all his pressing concerns, he could still feel unease. He briefly touched on some lesser apprehensions but none seemed that important nor were they dissolving his trepidation.The blond took another deep breath. Alright then, what did this sensation remind him of? It was a lot fainter, but it reminded him of..

Palaugrim?!

Eyebrows furrowed at the thought, trying to understand why he was suddenly thinking of the third island. Was it the ambient disquiet, understandable after the attack on Lindela and the destruction of Luciano? No! It was something even older, it was more like.. Hazel eyes snapped open, focused on something beyond the painting opposite him, “The Liberation campaign?” He murmured, testing it. Closer, the feeling was like a blander version of Palaugrim before that, when Sin was still commonplace among the common folk. Why.. Sin?

He jumped to his feet at a sudden spike of Malice/Sin, adrenaline pumping in anticipation of combat, when there was a sudden shriek from outside the break room. Dropping his cup on the nearest flat surface, he ran to the door. The general room was in uproar, the awake patients struggling to see what was going on. There was a huddle of clamoring parents and he strode over, just barely remembering that running would not help calm things down. (Oh, the random crowd management skills he’d had to pick up as part of Squad Lethe…)

“Excuse me.” He spoke firmly even as his hands manhandled the crowd to the side, opening a path for himself to the center. A panicked volunteer was holding a slumping Cleric Jenna. The recent graduate had a pale face dotted with sweat and her eyes were closed. “She-she was treating Darran and had just stood up and then she fell over!” Someone garbled out as all eyes turned to the blonde-haired Knight, who for some reason just closed his eyes with a grim frown.

Leon reached out with his senses, checking first this room–which had an odd, barely-noticeable layer of Sin–then the block around them, and then as far as he could go. No active feeling of Sin, no Sinners, nothing abnormal to explain the sudden spike he had felt.

“Excuse me. Excuse me, what’s going on? Please step aside.” A stern voice broke through the crowd as a gray-haired cleric joined the crowd. The crowd parted as they spotted her healer’s garb. Sharp eyes swept in the scene of the grim faced Knight, the worried passerbys, and the fainted Jenna. “Jenna must have accidentally overworked herself.” Seika proclaimed authoritatively, “Knight, pick her up and bring her to the fourth floor so she can rest a bit. Lily,” she spotted a longtime volunteer at the clinic, “go to the first ward and ask Cleric Sabah to come here and take over whatever Cleric Jenna had been working on. Alright, there’s nothing to look at here. Everyone settle down and get back to what you were doing.” The confident instructions calmed the floor and the crowd dispersed with tremulous smiles, though some still shot looks over.

Leon accepted the unconscious cleric and turned to follow the older cleric, eyebrows still deeply furrowed. The trio met curious gazes and a concerned-looking Valiar on the second floor. “Cleric Valiar, come join us on the fourth floor when you’re done here.” Seika ordered with a penetrating gaze at her colleague.

On the fourth floor, Seika examined the unconscious brunette, frowning at the sweat she wiped off the younger woman’s brow. “Do you know what happened?” Leon’s recap had the elderly cleric frowning even more. “She just collapsed?” Seika ran a diagnostic spell over the patient but tsk-ed in irritation at the results. “She looks fine but with this much sweat..” The cleric ran another spell and her face deepened into a scowl. “Looks like a coma.” she concluded grimly as she stepped away from the bed, turning to look at both Leon and the newly-arrived Valiar.

“A second adult falling comatose because of the Sweating sickness…” Valiar summarized with a heavy frown.

“I think we need Captain.” Leon spoke up, “I sensed something unusual right before Cleric Jenna collapsed.”

Both clerics turned to look at the young man before Seika turned her gaze to Valiar, clearly letting him decide: she wasn’t a member of Seraph Lethe’s team. The black-haired man sighed explosively and ran a hand through his hair before nodding in assent. “Alright,” he agreed, “if you think it best.”



Unexpected tapping had a red-haired head lifting up; dazed purple eyes looked around him in confusion, brain reluctantly leaving the grasps of the report he was reading and refocusing on the din around him. After completing the special project for Master Lethe, Omi had reported back to Supervisor Whitmore and was assigned to the Sanctuary, joining the ranks of Scribes reading, compiling, researching, and delivering status updates related to the ongoing epidemic. His stint under the Seraph had apparently boosted his status enough that Supervisor Whitmore had assigned him to join the ranks directly helping Head Cleric Heidi. Still, he was on the low end of this prestigious totem pole so he was the one reading and summarizing the various reports coming in for the Head Clerk.

A coo had his eyes looking upwards, only to see a pigeon landing on his desk. The gray bird ruffled its wings and stuck out a foot imperiously for Omi to take the note. Once delivered, it hopped to the side, clearly waiting for something. The scribe eyed it curiously but followed the clear prompt. Opening the note, he quirked an eyebrow at the message: Omi, please get Captain Lethe and tell her to come to District 15’s clinic as soon as possible: second ward, fourth floor. –Leon Seeing the familiar name had the redhead standing up.

“I have a message from Squad Ten for Master Lethe,” he explained to his supervisor with a wave of the note as he left the room towards Squad Ten’s squad quarters. He passed by two chatting Knights on the way, his ear catching their conversation: “Well, I guess they deserve their titles. My arm is sore from taking Seraph Guilford’s attacks!” The auburn haired woman laughed, golden armor clanking as she shook out her arm. “But they really underestimated us by not using magic huh? It would have been more interesting if Seraph Lethe had pulled out all her blades.”

Unexpectedly hearing mention of the person he was looking for, Omi spun towards the speakers. “Excuse me! Did you just see Seraph Lethe?” Both Knights paused, brown and lilac colored gazes turning to him. “I have an urgent message from her Squad to deliver.”

The white-haired woman spoke up, voice low, “We just sparred her and Master Guilford in the training grounds. She may still be there, Master Jung wanted to review a few things with the two of them.”

With a hasty thanks, the redheaded scribe turned towards the training grounds instead. Hopefully he could catch them before she left.



An antsy Omi dithered outside the training room door: he didn’t want to disturb the Seraphs but Leon’s missive had said as soon as possible. But that also didn’t mean immediately or was it just him being too Scribey in tracking the nuances of the words? His dilemma was solved by the door opening to reveal both Seraphs.

“Omi, hello.” Lethe greeted the familiar scribe who was unexpectedly blocking the doorway. The redhead looked more surprised than her, clearly caught off guard. “Mas-Master Lethe! Master Guilford!” A shake of his head seemed to regain his senses and he handed a paper to her as he explained, “Knight Leon asked me to deliver this to you and for you to go to District Fifteen’s clinic as soon as possible.”

“District Fifteen?” She murmured in confusion, accepting the note and trying to remember why it sounded familiar. “Er..” Omi hesitated, “I believe that may be where Knight Valiar is working?” He seemed to have heard YunQiao and Leon mentioning it when they were still on the project together. “Oh, that’s right.” The Seraph’s voice turned sharp as she realized the severity of the situation: two of her Knights were asking her to come down to the clinic: “Then I’ll be leaving first, Gil.”

Guilford frowned both at the news and his companion’s sudden gravity. “I’ll come along as well, Lethe. Sounds like it could be serious.”

With a brisk nod at Omi, the two strode off towards Gless’s Wyervia port.



When the two Seraphs entered the designated office, a wan Grisia was already sitting there waiting. The blonde mustered a flat smile for the two entrants as he motioned for the white-haired woman to take a seat beside him. “Lethe,” he said softly as he took her hand in his, “Roland has fallen into a coma.” He felt the Seraph’s hand tighten in surprise and he squeezed it back consolingly, “Valiar says it’s the Sweating Sickness but this is a new development.” He gently patted her hand to forestall any response from the silver-haired woman. “But there’s something else to discuss as well, though I don’t know what. Leon requested it.”

The former cleric turned his attention to Guilford but the other man simply waved a hand, leaning against the wall by Lethe. The blue-haired Seraph placed a hand on her shoulder as if to ground her. He couldn’t quite remember who Roland was but it clearly meant something to the other Seraph.

The room fell quiet as the three waited for whatever the “something else” was. Eventually, quorum was met when three others–Leon, Valiar, and another cleric–entered the room, though all showed a look of surprise when they saw both Seraphs before regaining their professionalism. “Privacy runes please?” The eldest Knight requested, resuming his speaking once he saw Lethe complete the task.

“To recap the situation. Our first patient is Roland:a former Pristine Knight who is now a civilian blacksmith. He had been coughing intermittently the last month or so. Yesterday afternoon, he went for a nap and has since not regained consciousness. He was brought to the clinic last night around 8PM, heavily sweating, at which time I verified that he appears to have the Sweating Sickness. He also appears to be in a coma given he still has not awoken, even after we’ve tried to wake him a few times.

“Our second patient is Cleric Jenna, a recently graduated cleric. She has been working at this clinic for the past nine months without issue and was assisting with the patients below. She was coughing a bit the past few days but otherwise had shown no symptoms. About two hours ago, she collapsed after healing a patient and is currently in a coma. She is now also sweating profusely, leading us to believe she also has the Sweating Sickness.

“We have notified The Sanctuary about Roland’s case. We have not yet informed them about Cleric Jenna given how recent it is and Leon’s request that we call you first, Lethe.”

Leon stepped forward to continue the report, “This morning I was assigned by Vice Captain Adair to assist at the clinic. I was in the breakroom when I noticed a faint aura of Sin.” Everyone’s attention focused on the unexpected development, “It is rather faint but it feels pervasive, similar to Palaugrim before the Liberation Campaign. Furthermore, I felt a spike of malice or Sin, as if it was flaring, right before the commotion about the cleric fainting, leading me to hypothesize the two may be related.

“I have been reflecting since then and I know this is less convincing, but about a month ago, you may recall that I asked Lady Cora to diagnose two knights for me, Captain. I had also felt something at that time, honestly a bit similar to what I felt when Jenna first collapsed, though this time was much more intense. At that time, Lady Cora did not identify anything and I also did not find anything when I scanned them with my holy magic so I did not report it. However, having heard that Roland was fine until last night and hearing Cleric Jenna also seemed fine.. I’m very suspicious as to whether the two are linked.”

“Give me a moment.” Lethe ordered, extracting her hand from Grisia’s grasp and turning her head towards Guilford, an unspoken request that he remove his hand so she could concentrate. She closed her eyes and sensed the area around her while the others in the room, sans Leon, also did the same.

“There does seem to be something,” Squad Eight’s leader affirmed. Now that it was pointed out, he could feel a keenness in the air that had him on edge.

“Mm.. I can see what you mean.” the Seraph agreed as she opened her eyes, “It is very faint but a low hum of Sin does seem present here.” Grisia nodded in agreement while the two clerics remained silent; they hadn’t felt anything of note, though that seemed expected given even Lady Cora hadn’t noticed anything. “Alright, what are we thinking?” Lethe prompted, “Ideas?”

“Check the patients again” both clerics spoke in unison even as Leon offered, “Check other locations.” There was a silence as the three looked at each other, as if deciding who should speak first.

“Neither Valiar nor I can sense this ‘aura of Sin’ you are mentioning; it would be good if any of you checked the patients again to see if you can feel it in them.” The unknown cleric spoke, apparently the most confident of the lot.

“I can do so,” Leon consented, “but I did not find anything last time. It’s more of a general atmosphere, though it spiked when Cleric Jenna collapsed.” An uncertain look passed his face, “We can’t.. Really recreate that situation, can we?”

“Clerics treating the Sweating Sickness who suddenly collapse? Yeah, it’d be a bit hard to pin down to before the collapse.” Valiar concurred as Lethe interjected, “Clerics who were actively using healing magic. But that doesn’t explain Roland.” Seeing the uncertainty on the others’ face, she waved a hand, “We’ll revisit the idea of trying to find a similar situation later. More ideas?”

Guilford watched the proceedings silently, intrigued in how his fellow Seraph pushed her team to think through the situation. He didn’t doubt she could have also thought up all these ideas–he had also deduced them–but it was certainly a different approach. A slightly longer one, though, he noted with an eye on the clock. It would have been more efficient if she or he had just listed all the tasks.

As the conversation died down, he finally chipped in. “Both patients were coughing before their collapses, right? That seems to be the only early symptom of the Sweating Sickness. Let’s have the scribes comb through the reports and see if there is anyone meeting these criteria. They can also take all your statements and see if there are other common variables.”

“Agreed with Gil.” Lethe stood to her feet, “Also, no one has scanned the patients using Light’s Blessing, yet? We’ll do that as well as we also sense for Sin. Grisia and Valiar with me; Leon, Madam Cleric, with Guilford please. I’ll visit Roland first then Cleric Jenna; vice versa for you. There’s no reason all six of us need to sit in the room at the same time, watching each other examine. Valiar and Madam Cleric, I’ll trouble you two to document what procedures each team took.” Seeing no disagreement, she led them out the door.



It was an hour later and everyone else had dispersed to their duties: the two clerics back to their patients; Leon off to visit the other clinics; and Guilford presumably back to the Cathedral. As for herself, the white-haired Seraph found herself sitting in Roland’s room, looking at her friend sadly. The additional examinations had not been particularly successful besides to show that both patients had lower holy magic reserves than normal. She would soon need to leave herself but she had wanted a moment with her friend and Grisia had been kind enough to slip away to give her some solitude.

“You need to get better soon.” She told him, “There’s this new type of Judgment that Knight Hyuga designed: it embeds Regalia Quartzes into the blade to help store magic. I think they’d be good improvements for the team, but of course it’ll be trickier to include it into my Luna and Adair’s weapon sets. Plus I’d feel more comfortable if you were the one to embed the Regalia Quartz.”

Roland kept sleeping, only the sound of his even breathing keeping her company. Lethe lifted the washcloth and gently wiped the blacksmith’s face. Her hand lingered and almost unconsciously, she pushed her holy magic into him with a silent cure. It didn’t seem to do anything and she pulled away with a wry smile. It had been ridiculous to think it would change anything but it was probably her need to do something for her friend that compelled the action more than reason. Placing the cloth back into its basin of water, she pressed her lips to his forehead in a chaste kiss before standing up.

“I’ll come back when I have a chance. See if I can find any more information about those new Judgements so you can start thinking on how to integrate them into Squad Ten’s swords.” She said lightly, “May the Divine Light watch over you and deliver you back to us soon.” With one last look at the comatose man, she turned around and exited the room.

_________________

Day 19 of Month 5 - Gless, Grand Cathedral


Guilford quietly sat at his desk, eyes fixated on the now unfolded document containing details of the Third Rite of Ascension just beside an untouched sandwich and drink that was supposedly his dinner. The cathedral bells tolled five times, signifying that it was five o'clock in the morning. He had stayed another night in his office going over reports and following through with several council summons right after he got back a day and a half ago.

He had read the report of his squad from their mission and it was a great burden off his shoulders that they had already handled the matter accordingly, securing quarantine wards for the sick in Gless and limiting contact with the plague afflicted. There were also requests from the squad to extend their operating hours as well as freedom to act independently within the rules of the knighthood, one that he had granted without much thought, hence the reason they were not here today. Everyone wanted to help and do more. He will not be the one to deny them the chance to do so.

For the more pressing concerns, he had also read reports from Palaugrim's strongholds. They were able to keep the enemy forces at bay -much to his relief- however, they were also fighting a battle of attrition now. Skirmishes are breaking out here and there with the enemy forces testing their defenses while attempting to whittle down their forces in the process. For the first time since the attacks on Palaugrim began, a request for aid has been sent from not one but two Palaugrimian strongholds: Kaiser Outpost, held by Knight Commander Sigfried, and the city of Sharen, held by Knight Commander Krista.

According to the report, Sigfried was wounded in battle fighting what appeared to be one of the commanding officers of Tethel's forces. While he is out of any immediate danger, with him wounded, the ability of Kaiser Outpost to stay standing is in peril. Had it not been for the timely intervention of neighboring Knight Commander Heinrich, Kaiser Outpost would have fallen in a matter of days. The request for aid came from Knight Commander Heinrich himself, telling the immaculate that he too is fearing for Hiribah's safety and expressed difficulty in having to coordinate the defense of a city and outpost.

The city of Sharen on the other hand had experienced successive attacks from the enemy forces. With the city being situated near center of the island, it offers high strategic value for the invading forces. Should it fall, the enemy will have an advantageous staging ground to conquer Palaugrim from within. Knight Commander Krista had expressed that her forces were beginning to succumb to fatigue due to continuous fighting and that there had been a significant slowdown in the rotations for fresh troops.

Guilford didn't need to reference previous reports to put two and two together. The knight rotations got bogged down right after Lindela got attacked and it never got back on track due to the rebuilding effort they had to endeavor. The knighthood had it rough. These were dangerous times and Joaquim was right regarding them fighting a battle of attrition against the forces of Sin. Much to the male Seraph's displeasure, it pained him to admit that the enemy currently has the upper hand. They needed to start turning the tides, else they risk losing everything they had fought for these last ten years.

Once again, his eyes flicked to the lone document sitting neatly on his desk surface. Moving the untouched food and drink aside, The blue-haired Seraph mindlessly began tracing the runes of entry, expertly copied from the beginning part of the rite as transcribed by Councilor Margarette. The knighthood needed more power. They needed more strength and this was the only item they have on hand that could potentially fill that power gap. If he could just succeed in undertaking the third rite, he too would be able to do more...

Shaking the thoughts of helplessness away, Guilford was shocked when he realized that he had actually completed the Rune of Entry. Remnants of his magic power allowed the rune to glow as it floated in the air before him. New thoughts flooded his mind. This time, they were the words of High Councilor Margarette: "Should you be deemed unworthy, it will take your life in an instant."

Guilford felt his chest tighten and his heart throb. This was not a feeling he usually felt but he knew what it was all the same. It was fear, he was afraid. Duty and his desire to live warred within his very soul. Was he ready? Or more importantly, was he worthy of the power?

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained..." he mumbled to himself as he sharply inhaled a breath and stuck his right hand into the rune, activating it in the process.

Guilford felt his consciousness streaming, slipping like he was suddenly swept off his feet and pulled into a gaping hole. He tried opening his eyes but everything was so blindingly white that there was nothing else he could see. It felt like he was being pulled for minutes on end until he instantly felt the sensation vanish. Now there was nothing. He felt like he was suspended in mid-air, with nothing to hold on to and nothing to step on to. His thoughts were abruptly disturbed when an ominous feeling descended upon him. It was very different from Sin but intimidating all the same.

Unable to keep his eyes closed while under this oppressive feeling, Guilford slowly opened his eyes only to feel a sudden wave of light hitting him dead on and blasting him back. All of a sudden, he was in his office again, and his right hand was still placed upon the rune of entry he created. The only difference was that the magic that swirled around the rune had become extremely volatile and unstable. Guilford immediately knew what follows next...

"Lights...!" he couldn't finish the thought and braced himself for impact, reflexively coating himself with the strongest level of Providence he could muster.

Shortly after, a loud explosion blasted all the glass away and burned the curtains from every window of Squad Eight's quarters, all four of them. The blast of power was loud enough to echo across the entirety of the Grand Cathedral and its nearby grounds.

Inside the quarters a pained and smoking Guilford stood there, two arms crossed before his face and his entire body stiffened and hardened into a defensive stance. His tunic-or what was left of it-had been seared away by the power that channeled its way out of the rune. He was breathing heavily as his Providence spell fizzled out into thin air. It took all of his magic reserves to keep his Providence up and even more to stand a chance at sustaining it throughout the blast of power. He dug deep, the deepest he probably ever had through his magic reserves and had it not been for his defensive spell, he would probably be dead. Councilor Margarette was not kidding about this rite taking the life of one who was unworthy of the power.

He coughed twice, surprised that his mouth was suddenly assaulted by a slightly salty, rusty tasting liquid. Wiping his mouth with the back of his right hand, he had just confirmed that he indeed coughed up some of his lifeblood. While he had been able to protect his head, his body took the full brunt of the blast. An impact that powerful was bound to ensure that there were internal injuries. Easing from his defensive stance, Guilford limped his way around his desk, plucking the remnants of his seared tunic off of his body as he made his way to the couch.

The Seraph had never felt power from the Light like that before. He could not find the right words to describe it but if he were to really think about it, the power that had just blasted him back felt much more... pure. Guilford was convinced now more than ever that they would need that power moving forward.

"Master Guilford!!!"

The first responders were the Cathedral Knights that had violently kicked down his squad quarters door, weapons drawn and expressions fierce, each of them ready to jump into a fight. Inside, they saw their half naked and lightly bloodied male Seraph resting on his couch. One of them were about to ask what happened when the male Seraph beat them to the punch.

Guilford eyed his new guests and instantly remembered Cathedral protocol in case something happens inside. Cathedral knights were to be dispatched to the aid of the Seraphs and there were always four squads on standby with two squads allocated to each Seraph.

"Put your swords away Captain and call off the other squads heading to Master Lethe's quarters. Everything is fine. It's just a misfire of a new magic I'm trying to learn."

"Misfire? Are you sure Master Guilford? It's not an enemy attack?" the wary squad captain queried, eyes suspiciously darting around the confines of Squad Eight's quarters.

"Yes." he coughed again, wiping more blood away with the back of his other hand. "Sorry to make you worry. Also, please get me a cleric." he requested right after realizing he couldn't channel healing on his own. "I also need carpenters to fix the windows and the door. I'll cover the expenses."

Perplexed but relieved their charge was somewhat alright, the squad captain could do nothing else but abide by the requests made. "Yes. Right away Master Guilford."


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 19 of Month 5 - Tethel


Contrary to what many believed, Tethel is a beautiful island. People who lived in the other three islands told one too many tales about how Sin infested the land was and that it was just as desolate as the Barrens. They got one part right, of Tethel being sin infested, but was gravely mistaken on all other make-believe tales they had of the island. In reality, the island was lush, bountiful, fertile and resource rich. Tethel was also the only island that had the largest water body out of the four islands. It had a central lake brimming with aquatic life, one of the wonders of Tethel.

Opposed to the general belief that there lies no structural advancement here in Tethel, the towns, villages and cities were just as sophisticated as those of Lindela. The island even has majestic structures that rivals the beauty of the Grand Cathedral in Gless. One such structure was the overly large palace right at the center of Tethel's lake. This palace housed the central power and resident ruler of the island, Centienne, her loyal subjects, and her army.

There was much to see and much to explore around the island. The people who lived here were not much different from the people living in the other islands. They lived as a society, they worked together, till the lands together, raise livestock together, build and expand their kingdom together too. They were a crafty and self sufficient people. While there's no concrete laws to follow, there were only a few that mattered. Live to your desires but do not anger Centienne. Exercise your freedom but remember to always keep the island beautiful. Do your part to make sure Tethel prospers one way or the other. Benders of Centienne's Order will have the consequence of dealing with her Black Knight... and nobody wanted to deal with Centienne's Black Knight.

More into the interesting oddities of Tethel, there were Sinners among the people. To the people who believe in the Light, seeing a docile Sinner would probably be one of the greatest mysteries of their lifetime. In Tethel however, this was just another day in the life. The four legged creatures can be seen roaming the streets here and there, interacting and transacting with the people. Although for the most part, they were being treated like work horses pulling carriages, transporting cargo carts, hauling product and produce from one town to the next. The luckier, stronger Sinners were given the honor of joining Centienne's army. Those who were not so fortunate were left to fend for themselves, which resulted to them working under masters across various towns and cities.

The good thing about employing Sinners was that they did not need payment in the form of traunz currency. They were strong, hardy, fast and they do not need to eat as often. One big meal of meat is enough to keep them going for days. This was a fact that Sinner Masters love about their workforce. There was money to be made in logistics around the island and these Sinners were their meal ticket.

With an amused look, the God of Sin donning regular Tethel fashion that belonged to the lower class, continued to walk amongst the townsfolk of the first town he arrived at after making the trip to the island. The town was still quiet since it was the break of dawn but it was rich in malice and Sin that he felt refreshed just strolling through its streets. There were brawls going on in some alleys, stealing, and heated arguments exchanging the darkest, most disparaging curses known to man. There's prostitution too, particularly by the tavern where people frequented. Some of its patrons walked out of the establishment in drunken stupor so early into what he felt would be a fine day.

The sun was about to rise and the town streets were just now starting to get busy. Oh what joy! His blackened heart skipped a beat as he turned his head to the left and saw what he could only assume as the owner of another establishment, beat upon a younger kid for slacking off.

His admiration for Tethel came to an abrupt stop as he suddenly felt his body hair stand on ends. For some reason, he felt a disturbance in the calm but malicious stirring of his magic. Standing still in the middle of the street, the grin that played on his lips had vanished. The God of Sin lifted his head and stared towards the direction of Gless. The feeling was gone just as abruptly as it came. It was all too familiar, the feeling of power that could rival his own. The grin crept back unto his lips, a defiant look burning in his eyes as he clenched both fists by his side.

"Come at me if you dare." eyes trained in the far away distance, he challenged nobody in particular.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gless - Grand Cathedral, The Sanctuary


The Cathedral bells tolled six times signifying the sixth hour of the day. The old wooden doors to one of The Sanctuary's private wards gently creaked open, revealing the head cleric who quietly made her way inside. Soon as their eyes met, Heidi gave a nod of acknowledgment to the younger cleric working by the bedside, nursing the most unexpected patient they now have so early in the day. The younger cleric returned the nod and quietly resumed her work. Heidi approached bedside and did a quick examination of their unconscious patient on her own.

"I see he's stabilized now." She finally commented, eyes turning back to the younger cleric. "I wonder what kind of magic he was trying to learn that would cause such a terrible misfire?" the older cleric mused, mostly to herself.

Cora briefly paused her work to look at the older cleric upon hearing her inquiry. "I've known Gil a long time. While he preferred the arts of the sword, he's still a cut above many in terms of the arcane arts, to the level of being able to wield elemental magic. He's not the type to misfire his spells, new or old." the young cleric recounted her memories of the male Seraph and resumed her work.

"Hmm..." Lady Heidi muttered with an amused look in her eyes.

"He's overworked, he's skipping meals and is losing sleep." the young cleric continued while expertly kneading her healing magic to the minor external injuries Guilford received from the earlier blast. "It's mind boggling that he can still function the way he does amidst all this." Cora huffed in distaste. "If he's doing this, it makes me wonder how our Lady Seraph is faring." she added, a touch curious to the female Seraph's health condition. "We should order a physical for her." she suggested to the head cleric. "I want to check on her myself."

"It would have to be mandatory, with council approval so she cannot escape." she immediately agreed. "Which I happen to have secured prior to coming here." she flashed a grin at Cora then turned her head towards the door. She had waylaid a scribe on her way here claiming there was a task for him. This was it. "Omi, I need you to deliver another message to Master Lethe."

At the call of his name, the redhead scribe entered the ward and received a note from Lady Heidi, adorned with the seals of all members of the High Council. With a bow of his head, the scribe chanced a look at the bedridden Seraph and silently mumbled a prayer before stepping out of the room. "May the Light heal you and bring you back safe."

Having the room back to themselves again, Cora moved to the other side of the bed to continue healing her patient. "It's disheartening to see our Seraphs suffering like this." she began. "They have so much on their shoulders I feel like we're not really able to help ease their burdens." a touch of sadness evident in her tone.

"We need to be better." Lady Heidi spoke softly. "This is why we need to concentrate our efforts to help Master Lethe and Knight Leon with their research into this plague." she continued.

A heavy sigh escaped Cora's lips. This plague was a reminder of her failure as a cleric. The recent reports and notes from Squad Ten's Leon made mention that this plague could very likely be connected to Sin. She didn't notice, not by a long shot. "So much for being one of the brightest..." she chastised herself.

"Cora!" Lady Heidi was taken aback. "Do not blame yourself. Our sensory skills are honed towards medical affliction. If this plague was Sin-based, then it is very likely that it was done so with the intent of escaping detection."

Cora's mind wandered to one of her friends, the finest she ever knew in the arts of detection. "If only Akira was here, he could have helped..." the younger cleric wishfully thought.

"But he is not, and he will not be here for some time. So for now, all we have is ourselves." was the response of the older cleric.

"You're right Lady Heidi, I'm sorry.. I just want to be able to do more." Cora deflated.

"Play to your strengths Cora. You're an excellent cleric through and through." Lady Heidi encouraged the younger one.

With another heavy sigh, Cora took a breath to begin the situation report that Heidi came for as well. "I've sent all my findings regarding the parameters they mentioned in the report. So far we have managed to isolate some of the cases that matched their criteria and I have already made arrangements to segregate such cases in all of the quarantine wards at Lindela." said the younger cleric as she thought about next steps against the plague. "We also have matching cases of clerics falling into a coma after treating the afflicted, another one in their criteria. Apparently, the commonality in these cases was that healing magic was administered which leads me to believe that this plague is drawn to the Power of Light. This is my current working hypothesis but I need more concrete evidence." she continued. "However, I do not wish to subject any more of our clerical forces to a coma."

"Do we have a way to counter it yet?" Lady Heidi asked.

"No." Cora immediately responded with the truth. "The only good thing that we have going on right now is that our processing facilities for medical raw materials are working again. The band-aid solution I came up with was to resort to classical treatment for confirmed Sweating Sickness patients."

"That's a sound decision." Lady Heidi agreed. "We cannot afford to lose more able bodied clerics to a coma as you said. We're spread thin as it is." she stated. "Then again, if we ordered a stop to the use of healing magic for treating plague afflicted patients, how will you confirm your working theory that the plague is drawn to the power of Light?" the older cleric queried.

"I'll do it myself." Cora responded with resolve. "I will treat one of the confirmed cases that matched Master Lethe and Knight Leon's parameters with my magic. If I fall into a coma, then we know for sure that the Sin in the plague does latch on to the power of Light. It will be up to everyone else in the Sanctuary to find a countermeasure."

"Preposterous! We cannot risk you Cora! I will not allow this!" Lady Heidi retorted.

With a resigned but iron-willed look in her eyes, Cora turned to the older cleric with a forlorn smile. "It has to be done."

_________________

[[Day 18 of Month –5 :: Lindela ]]

“So I’ve visited the clinics in the neighboring districts and I’ve felt the ‘aura of Sin’ in all of them so far. Out on the streets, I can’t feel any Sin but I do feel uneasy, if that makes sense.” The blonde Knight frowned as he tried to think of a good explanation. “Maybe.. Like if there are one hundred white cups and one has a dot of black paint on it: it’s sort of noticeable but mostly not? But then the clinics are where all the cups with black paint are gathering so it’s more prominent.” He paused and tried to decide if the analogy made sense, “But a sinner would be half black cup, a demon pure black, etc. So right now we’re still at a few black dots, but compared to before the attack, there were no dots at all…” He looked at his audience to gauge their reactions, racking his brain for another example if possible.

“That.. sort of makes sense.” Seraphim swayed her head in a sort-of gesture while Adair nodded more firmly.

“But when we diagnose any of the patients, we can’t actually ‘see’ this black dot. We just vaguely feel it, Sin, is there?” The blue-armored Knight clarified, getting affirmative nods from Valiar, Lethe, and Grisia. Unexpectedly, the District Fifteen clinic had become an impromptu Squad Ten meeting. With so much of the team based in or working around Lindela and with Roland ill, everyone had gathered here during their dinner breaks and bumped into each other, leaving only Cricket and YunQiao missing. As Adair was about to continue speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by Deimos straightening from where he’d been leaning against the wall. The pale blond was looking out the window beside him, eyebrows heavily furrowed.

“Valiar,” Squad Ten’s rear guard suddenly asked, “Why is Marielle running over?”

“What?!” The dark-haired cleric jumped to his feet and came to the window, followed by the rest of the squad. Indeed, his wife was running towards the clinic with a blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. “Marielle!” He shouted out the window, catching her (and half the street’s) attention.

“Valiar!” When the blonde woman looked up, fear was clear on her face.

“I got her.” Seraphim declared even as she sprinted out of the office and towards Roland’s room where a balcony was, Deimos silent behind her. Everyone else spilled into the hallway as the two Knights hopped to the ground, picked up Marielle and her bundle, and carried both of them back through Roland’s room.

“Marielle?!”

“Annabelle’s sick! Really, really–” The blonde could barely finish her words as tears broke out, finally feeling safe in her husband’s–and her adopted family’s–presence.

Seraphim unwrapped the blankets in her arm to reveal a red-faced, gasping Annabelle. Her blonde hair was sweat soaked and the girl gasped and coughed with every breath, as if barely getting enough air.

“Into a spare bed immediately.” Lethe ordered even as Grisia commanded, “The room right here is empty.” The former advocate pushed open the room next to Roland’s and stepped in first, hurrying to the bed to pull the covers back. The others followed in, Valiar passing his wife to Lethe so he could diagnose his daughter. The room was quiet as holy magic illuminated the room except for Marielle’s muted sobs.

“Sweating sickness,” the cleric confirmed grimly, one hand scrubbing over his exhausted face. “And my healing is not doing much.” As much as he wanted to pour all his healing magic into his daughter, he was already low on reserves and he could tell it wasn’t accomplishing much. Plus with their conclusions just yesterday about how clerics were collapsing after healing… As a father, he was more than willing to risk a coma for his daughter; as a husband, he wasn’t sure if his wife would forgive him if he left her to both a comatose him and an ill child; and as a knight, he knew the best option would be to stop now and figure out a better treatment plan.

“Not doing much?” Seraphim spoke up in confusion, “as in it can’t be cured or what?”

“It can be cured, but it requires an excessive amount of healing magic right now. And truthfully, even ‘can be cured’ is iffy. She will get better, she has in the past when I healed her, but she may not stay better. She’s been getting sick on and off repeatedly this past month; either she’s abnormally unhealthy this month or it’s the same sickness going dormant when healed and then flaring up again at a later point.” Valiar explained frustratedly, though his hand was gentle as he brushed his daughter’s head. Beside him, Leon handed him a wash basin and a cloth so he could start wiping Annabelle down.

“But if we leave her like this..” Lethe asked cautiously even as a stronger cough wracked the girl’s body; when it finally ended, Annabelle weakly gasped for breath, clearly struggling.

The cleric pressed his lips together but said nothing. Lethe watched grimly at one of her closest friends soothing his daughter, feeling the trembling woman in her arms.



The white haired woman looked down, remembering how Marielle had welcomed her into that first dinner with an excited hug before immediately apologizing for her forwardness. (Lethe had not minded.) She remembered how that dinner had seemed to be the first crack in the ice for her squad and how subsequent dinners had shifted the team ambiance from rigid civility into camaraderie. She remembered how stiff she had felt the first time Marielle had placed the baby Annabelle in her arms and how tiny green eyes had looked up at her and “ah!”-ed.

“Valiar, let me heal Annabelle.” She spoke up with a gentle smile, her arms tightening around Marielle in a brief hug before dropping away. “You just said it requires an extensive amount of healing magic, right? Not that cure wouldn’t work.” She walked up to the bedside, ignoring Valiar’s shocked face.

“Captain..” The conflict on her cleric’s face had her smile widening even as she tapped on his shoulder. “Out of the way, Valiar.” The black haired man mutely stood up but hesitated again, looking around the room uncertainly. Although fellow worried gazes looked back at him, none stepped forward to stop the proceedings. He looked at Leon and Grisia, the only two who knew the full extent of what was going on and the speculations about how the plague was targeting people with holy magic. The former looked grim while the latter was impassive; neither spoke up. Turning his attention back to his Captain, he could see the tranquility on her face. She had clearly already made up her mind. Another wet gasp had him looking at his suffering daughter and he moved aside with a mix of fear and gratitude.

Lethe sat down in the vacated chair and extracted Annabelle’s hand from the blankets. The fingers were curled up unnaturally, probably related to her lack of air. “Valiar, will you monitor and let me know when Annabelle has been cured?” Given the delicate situation, she would rather a professional oversee the progress. Her request seemed to break his trance and the cleric nodded his head, turning again to the others. “Deimos, can you bring a chair over for me? Leon, come watch as well. The rest of you,” his gaze paused on his teary wife but he could see the hope welling up in her, “can you move a bit further back so your auras are less prominent?” He saw as Adair looked his way, suspicion growing in the younger man at the unusual request, but ignored it. Instead, he looked at Leon intently, knowing the other man had understood his unspoken order by the firm nod his squadmate gave him and also knowing his Vice Captain had not missed their interaction.

When all were seated as requested, Lethe saw Valiar’s nod to start and she called on her holy magic, directing the healing magic into her hand and then into Annabelle. The young patient started to glow yellow, a symptom of how much holy magic was being poured into her. Slowly, the wet gasps and coughs quieted and then stopped, the red hue on her face fading back into a healthy pallor. How much time had passed, Lethe had no idea. How much magic had she used, she was also unclear. Certainly more than in any other time she’d used Cure before. She could actually feel a bit of strain, but that was more due to how much she’d spent earlier in the day when training with Master Jung and Gil. This time, Master Jung had insisted she use her magic as well, given their unity training had to include Gil knowing when and how she preferred to use her magic. Despite feeling her reserves scraping low, she continued to pour her magic into Annabelle. Eventually, she felt a hand on her arm and she stopped, letting her magic settle back into her. Blue eyes blinked her daze away and she could finally see the young girl she considered family: the little blonde was sleeping peacefully on the bed with no trace of cough, plague, or even sweat. Joyfully, she leant over and placed a kiss on Annabelle’s brow.

As she leaned back, Lethe minutely curled her toes and shook her legs, trying to make sure they hadn’t fallen asleep while she’d been healing. She knew what Valiar and Leon were concerned about; if she showed any sign of weakness now, the two would bundle her up into bed for observation and she really didn’t want that extra fuss. Confident she felt okay, the Seraph stood up smoothly and turned to the others.

Catching Marielle’s careful gaze, she felt another smile lift her lips. “Come here, Marielle,” she offered as she moved away to free her chair for the blonde. The woman rushed up, saw how healthy her daughter looked, and grabbed the startled Seraph into a bone-crushing hug. Releasing Lethe, Marielle immediately sat down beside Annabelle and picked up her child’s hand.

Stepping away from the relieved parents, Lethe gestured for the rest of the room to clear out and give the family some privacy.

[[Day 19 of Month –5 :: Tethel ]]

Blue eyes snapped open and then narrowed; pink lips lifted into a mirthless smile. Languidly, the woman lifted herself up from her bed, idly noting she was alone. Verlassen must have gone out to train early. Running a hand through messy blue locks, Centienne flipped the mass onto her back as she climbed out of bed and walked towards the window. It wasn’t even sunrise yet and someone was already causing a fuss. How rude.

Flinging open the pane, she looked in the direction of Gless. Something had happened. Something powerful had been released from that sanctimonious island. Glacial blue eyes continued to stare but even after a few minutes, she could feel nothing else. Some sort of one time event then. She’d have to ask her dear husband for his thoughts later; for it to come from Gless and be felt all the way here? Undoubtedly related to that “Divine Light” of theirs and her husband had a unique history that might shed more knowledge. With one last lingering sneer, the queen of Tethel turned her back to the dawning light.

[[Day 19 of Month –5 :: The Grand Cathedral, Gless ]]

“Good morning Master Lethe! Good morning Knight Cricket!” A chorus of greetings welcomed each step they took towards the Cathedral. In front, Lethe was enthusiastically responding to the greetings, polite as always. From a step behind, Cricket took another sip from his to-go latte, brown eyes pausing on the paper cup gripped in his Captain’s hands. Ahh, the miraculous power of Captain’s triple shot and the main reason he was shadowing the woman. Adair had definitely wanted someone else by her for when she inevitably crashed.

The purple haired man felt grim as he remembered everything that had prompted Captain to seek assistance from the caffeine monstrosity: the escalating plague, Lindela’s reconstruction, the ongoing civil war in Palaugrim, Roland’s coma, and then Annabelle’s situation. Though Lethe hadn’t said anything, he had seen how exhausted Captain had looked last night after that healing session. Why did it feel like for every positive development, something even more negative appeared? And then on top of all that, there was whatever had happened this morning. At that reminder, Cricket turned his attention back to the Grand Cathedral building, trying to see if anything looked unusual. Everyone seemed normal enough and there had not been any sudden missives demanding the squad’s or captain’s presence, so it must not have been too bad. But still, what had been that sudden blast of Light’s Blessing? He took another long sip of coffee, waiting patiently as Lethe chatted with two of the passing Knights.

As he was idly surveilling the area, he noticed a redhead lingering by the hallway. There was a letter gripped in the younger man’s hands and fervid purple eyes stared at the white-haired Seraph; it seemed like only manners was keeping the scribe from accosting his Captain. Hmm, a fan of some sort? Didn’t most of them grow out of this level of hero worship by now?

“Alright Captain, let’s go see what’s waiting for us in our squad quarters.” Cricket interjected politely as he placed a hand on Lethe’s shoulder and nudged her away from the duo she’d been speaking with. “Please excuse us,” he added to the two. Towards everyone else who looked like they wanted to speak to the white Seraph, he showed them all a courteous smile and nodded in acknowledgment, even as he subtly pushed the younger woman down the hall. Hopefully he could pass this last scribe without incident.

“Scribe Omi!” Lethe enthused from beside him, halting beside the redhead he’d been hoping to bypass. At least he was wrong about the man being a fan. “May the Divine Light illuminate your path. How are you today?”

“I’m good, thank you Master Lethe. May the Divine Light bless you and keep you safe.” Omi replied courteously, his fervor mellowing as he finally saw the completion of his task. Lady Heidi had given him the note more than two hours ago now and he was feeling anxious over how long it was taking him. “Lady Heidi has a missive for you.” He held out the seal-laden envelope just to see her outstretched hands were already clutching a paper cup. He looked at her as she beamed back politely, clearly waiting for him to give her the letter.

“Why don’t I take that from you, Captain?” Cricket offered with an amused twitch of the lips, hand reaching out to take the triple shot from her. He shook it experimentally to see how much was left: about a quarter. Looked like she’d be needing the rest of it. Hands now free, Lethe accepted the letter and flipped it over. One, two, three.. She counted six seals and wondered who–oh, all of the High Council. But for some reason they had all stamped the letter separately instead of the collective seal. With a shake of her head, she tried to focus: letter with the entire High Council’s seals, oh this was probably not good news.

“Thank you, Scribe Omi.” She hoped she didn’t sound as despondent as she felt at the idea of another incident that needed handling. Oh, and she still needed to figure out why there had been the blast of Light’s Blessing earlier today. “May the Divine Light bless you and keep you safe,” The familiar words gave her a modicum of comfort. With a wave at the now familiar scribe, she turned towards her team’s squad quarters.

“Do you want to finish the rest of this?” Lethe looked up at the unexpected voice and saw Cricket walking beside her, slightly crumpled to go cup on offer. Oh right, she had come here with Cricket after running him into–she rubbed her head with a sigh at the reminder of Annabelle. And of course Roland was still comatose. At least the reconstruction of Lindela was going well enough that Cricket was no longer needed on courier duty. And Adair had mentioned he was no longer needed at headquarters so the entire squad could be recalled for the next task. She took a seat at her desk and automatically pulled the first report from the stack of waiting files. An urgent request for aid from Sharen. Surprising, given Knight Commander Krista was a very capable leader and adept in Light’s Blessing as well. However, the city was too important to let it fall. Were there any spare troops? Well, given Lindela’s reconstruction was finally stabilizing, they could relocate some of the knights.

“Captain.” A stern voice broke through her musings and she looked up to see Cricket in front of her. When had he arrived? The crossdresser stared at her seriously, gaze flickering over her face in concern.

“Yes, Cricket?” The white-haired woman finally asked when the silence dragged on. Although worry clouded the purple-haired man’s face, he still pushed a steaming cup towards her. Oddly enough, it was only one third full. “Here, you better finish this. I reheated it for you.” She took a sip and the familiar taste of coffee slid over her tongue. “Oh, thank you.”

“Also, you should probably take a look at the letter that Scribe brought over.” Her squadmate nodded at the corner of her desk and she turned, surprised to see a letter with six seals on it. “Thank you for the reminder.”

The note inside was brief: she was being ordered to a physical at the Sanctuary. Hmm, another thing for her to do list. Maybe she’d have some time before her training with Gil and Master Jung tomorrow. The Seraph placed the memo aside and pulled the topmost report in the stack.

“You’re not going, Captain?”

“I’ll stop by when I have a chance,” she dismissed, gaze not even leaving the letter she was opening, something from Kaiser Outpost.

“Well, it says immediately.” Blue eyes looked up to meet solemn brown ones. Her dodge tank didn’t even have a smile on his face, rare even given the circumstances. He looked as somber as when they’d first learned Lindela was being attacked. “Captain, I think you should go.”

The two stared at each other for a few more seconds before Lethe finally acquiesced with an explosive sigh. A resigned smile played on her lips as she took a reluctant look at the stack of memorandums awaiting her attention but then stepped away from the desk. “I assume you’re accompanying me?”

“Of course, Captain” Her squadmate replied with a more genuine smile,“who else would hold your cup for you?”

“I will,” she said in exasperation, sticking her tongue out at him in annoyance. “Unless you’re planning to steal it from me?” She immediately retracted her tongue as she opened the door, face smoothing into a calm facade.

“Get between you and your triple shot? Do I look stupid?” Cricket bantered back, cheer returning now that he’d gotten his way. “... Thank the Light YunQiao and Seraphim aren’t here to answer that.” He groaned at Lethe’s laugh; he must have been away from Squad Ten too long if he was setting himself up to be dissed like that. Well, hopefully they could all get together soon, even if both Roland’s condition and Annabelle’s potential relapse hung over them like a pall.



Cora was just leaving Gil’s room when felt an upswell of excitement from the main room. Although she’d healed all the major injuries earlier, she still wanted to check up on her friend. A glance at the clock found the hands pointing towards half past eight; he’d been resting for nearly three hours now. Given he still hadn’t woken, she was hopeful he’d get another sleep cycle in, though 4.5 hours wasn’t exactly a healthy amount either. Maybe if the place stayed calm enough, he’d even get six or eight hours in.

She looked back at the main room even as she walked back towards her office, curious what had caused the furor, and spotted a pair of Knights. One had a back length braid and Cora gave a mental thumbs up at these women who could maintain such long hair; short hair was really so much easier. The other had short silver hair and she startled as she realized it was the White Seraph. So Lady Heidi’s coercion had worked. The petite brunette altered her course to intercept with the two newcomers. “Master Lethe,” she called out as she got closer, drawing the pair’s attention to her. “And this is..?” Perhaps Knight Leon, to give an in person update on their reports? But she seemed to recall that Knight Leon was a man.

“My squadmate, Knight Cricket.” The other woman replied, sharing a bemused look with the purple-haired woman who smirked in reply. Cora wondered briefly what the glance had been about but didn’t comment. Instead, she turned to gesture towards her office. “Please come this way. Have you been well?” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Cora wished she could stuff them back in. Of course it was just polite talk, but why about such a dumb topic? Has she been well?! With everything going on, how could the female Seraph have been well? If things had been going well, she wouldn’t have wanted to check on the other woman!

“Well enough, thanks to the Divine Light’s guidance,” was the unsurprising reply she received. “and yourself?”

“Oh.. busy, but well enough given everything.” Cora responded awkwardly, grateful they were nearing her office and thus the end of this conversation. An unexpectedly low voice spoke up, “How long will this take?” Turning, she realized Knight Cricket had been following them till now.

“Probably no more than an hour?”

The purple-haired raised an eyebrow at the estimate but nodded her head. “Alright, then I’ll be off to the training grounds for now. See if I remember how to swing a sword after all that running around,” the purple haired woman laughed as she waved, “I’ll pick you up when you’re done, Captain?”

Cora watched in fascination as the female Seraph shot her squadmate a scornful look but still waved back obediently. “See you then, Cricket.” Was.. was that a sulky tone? It somehow did not live up to the polished visage of the White Seraph but it made her feel more human. Just in time, the cleric hid her interest behind a mask of professionalism and waved the other woman into her office. Closing the door, her mask settled into the true professionalism of a cleric. “Thank you for your time, Master Lethe. Given the ongoing circumstances…”


The Cathedral bells were tolling two in the afternoon when Cricket wandered back to the Sanctuary. It turned out that Captain had crashed earlier than he’d expected; when he’d come by at nine thirty to pick her up, Cleric Cora had explained that Lethe was napping in one of the private rooms. The short brunette had frowned when she’d heard exactly how much coffee the Seraph had consumed and muttered under her breath about stubborn Knights and keeping information from their clerics.

Truthfully, the purple-haired Knight was surprised that Lethe hadn’t returned to the squad quarters yet, but he hadn’t seen either her or evidence of her when he’d stopped by at both noon and just now. As for himself, he’d kept himself busy with training and then snooping through the squad’s mail for anything interesting. (He’d definitely raised an eyebrow at seeing a letter from Team Prissy’s Vice Captain to Adair and made a mental note to tell the younger man about it.)

Knocking on the only door he recognized, he let himself in at the call to enter. “Hey, Cleric,” He just realized he didn’t actually know her name, “Can I ask what room Captain Lethe is in?” The brunette looked at him in confusion before seeming to recognize him.

“She hasn’t left yet?” Cricket shook his head in response and then stepped back when the woman stood up, eyebrows furrowed. “She didn’t seem that sleep deprived when I examined her,” the cleric muttered as she walked past, “especially if that drink has as much caffeine as you mentioned…”

Without a word, the purple haired man followed the cleric to a closed door. A flash of holy magic and there was the click of a lock unlocking. Huh, he hadn’t known they had such measures in the Sanctuary. Perhaps to keep random people from wandering into private wards? He wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the special treatments his Captain got as a Seraph.

The room inside was dim with the afternoon light muted by a set of curtains. “There are blackout curtains too, but given it’s only a nap, it’s better to wake to some natural light” The cleric explained offhandedly, having noticed his look at the drapery, as she walked over to the bed. Indeed, as expected, Captain was still in the bed. However, as he stared at the lax face, Cricket couldn’t explain the sudden punch of unease.

“Master Lethe?” The cleric called out softly before nudging the sleeping woman. When there was no reply, she reached out to place a hand on the Seraph’s forehead. The flash of confusion didn’t escape Cricket’s notice and immediately dread pooled in his stomach. “Master Lethe?”

After a few minutes, wide hazel eyes turned towards him. “She.. seems to be in a coma?”

_________________

Day 19 of Month 5: Gless, Grand Cathedral.



The Grand Cathedral bells tolled four in the afternoon. What was supposed to be a busy but calm day turned frantic within the grounds of this holy place, at least for the people of notable positions in the Immaculate. The central cause of this buzz revolved around the The Sanctuary where private wards were situated, specifically the recovery wards that housed the two leaders of the Pristine Knights. Upon learning of the news that Master Lethe and Master Guilford are both out of commission, the High Council were forced to conclude their ongoing activities in a rush and put a halt on other matters lined up for them at the latter half of the day to check on the two. It was an unprecedented and delicate situation that absolutely required their utmost and unwavering attention.

Cornelius, Mihai, Laith, Aurel, Livius and Margarette all stood within Master Lethe's private ward, alongside Head Cleric Heidi, Cleric Cora, Knight Cricket and for reasons unknown to him yet, Scribe Omi. Thankfully, the private ward was large enough to hold a small gathering of bodies inside. All of these high profile individuals of the immaculate wore grim looks on their faces, like someone just walked over their grave as they stared at the sleeping White Seraph. Nobody said a word yet, like they were still attempting to come to terms with the fact that Master Lethe, their PR Queen, their beacon of Light, one of the two key members of the Knighthood's strength had succumbed to the Sweating Sickness.

To the lesser prominent figures in the room, a different war waged in their minds.

A heavy sigh sounded like a loud scream inside the deathly silent room. It came from Councilor Cornelius, leader of the High Council, paired with his right hand coming to pinch the top of his nose bridge right between his eyes. After a few seconds of contemplation, the old councilor straightened himself up and took a breath, readying himself to speak. "You." he called out, looking back at the redhead scribe standing at a respectful distance behind everyone. "The discussions that will follow next, you shall not speak of outside this room." he instructed the scribe with a tone rich in authority. "Begin documenting." was his final instruction for the scribe.

The call for him easily scrambled the thoughts running through his mind. Omi listened attentively to the instructions meted out by the old councilor. Top secret? Check. Document everything? Check. He could do those with ease. As he was preparing himself to scribe, taking out a roll of paper and pen, the earlier thoughts came rushing back. In all the years he spent scribing for the Immaculate, this is by far the closest he's ever been to the 'action'. It's not everyday that a lowly scribe such as himself gets exposed to matters of high urgency.

Omi tried to hide his amusement at the thought that he was probably the only scribe in the employ of the Immaculate to have been fortunate (unfortunate maybe?) enough to be in the thick of successive high profile situations in such a short span of time. If he came out of these situations with a medal, he would undoubtedly be the most decorated scribe out of all of them. Many of his peers would probably envy him and beg him to regale them of his adventures. He laughed internally at the thought. A Scribe's adventures? Nobody would probably want to hear them after all.

It was an achievement in its own right to have been given the opportunity to witness events like these, grim or joy-filled. He had no gift with the sword, little aptitude with the arcane, but with the pen and paper? Omi considered himself unparalleled. He would fulfill his duty as a Scribe and not let anyone relying on his skill down.

"We are sure she's been afflicted with the plague?" the old councilor turned to ask the younger cleric.

With a solemn look on her face, the younger cleric proceeded to wipe the beads of sweat forming on the White Seraphs forehead and neck. To her knowledge, the White Seraph always presented herself with dignity. As a fellow lady, Cora would do Master Lethe the honor of maintaining that dignity by not letting these people see her disheveled and struggling. "I'm afraid so councilor. All indications point to that conclusion." Cora responded promptly.

The young cleric grilled Lethe's knight of pertinent plague related questions prior to sending word to the high council and them coming to the room. Lethe's worried cross-dressing knight supplied answers to the best of his ability and recollection. One answer Cora deemed important was that Lethe had healed someone during her stay at Lindela. With what they currently know about the plague, and with the existing count of clerics falling into a coma, it was all but confirmed that the White Seraph also contracted the disease. She didn't need to heal any of the afflicted now with the confirmation to her queries sleeping right next to her.

"Where is Vice Captain Adair and the rest of your squad?" This time, it was Laith's turn to ask some questions. He had shot a look at Cricket who was standing at the opposite corner of the room, expecting an immediate answer. He had always favored Squad Ten for PR campaigns and thus, has a certain familiarity and affinity with the members.

Unseen though it may be, Cricket fidgeted on the spot, twiddling his fingers behind his back. Restlessness was closing in as he stood on attention, tempered by the placid look on his face. He was not particularly fond of following decorum especially in front of these old pencil pushers but he would not want to disgrace their squad's image. However, indecision was at the cusp of claiming him as he thought about what their squad and Vice Captain are dealing with over at Lindela. Considering what might possibly follow next -a recall of their squad due to circumstances- a small part of him did not want to put their squad members between a rock and a hard place. Roland was in a coma too, Annabelle just recovered, Valiar is exhausted, Leon was busy digging into the this plague.

"Vice Captain Adair and..." he trailed off, wanting to choose his words carefully. "...the rest of the other members of Squad Ten are currently indisposed, dealing with the plague situation at Lindela under our Captain's orders." he was secretly hoping that Councilor Laith would not ask him to pass along the message that could potentially crush the remaining morale of their squad. Light knows this plague had already taken a lot.

"This is getting out of hand!" Aurel, one of the more feisty councilors chimed in. "Where are we with finding a cure?" his inquiry was directed at the older cleric in the room among them.

Cricket deflated at the timely redirection of the conversation however, he could still feel the gaze of Councilor Laith trained on his person. That man probably has more to say but for now, he was relieved to be out of the spotlight.

"It's not looking good if I'm being honest." Lady Heidi began, her brows furling into disappointment as she spoke. "We are just now coming to understand the nature of this plague. We are lacking vital information to even begin thinking about curatives." she sighed. "To counter this plague, we need to understand its behaviors and test its reaction to various healing methods. Considering the aggressiveness of this plague, we cannot afford to be careless."

"It cannot be helped then." Councilor Margarette said with a resigned tone. "We will halt half of the Magic Research Division projects and allocate half of our research staff to assist looking into this plague." she offered the older cleric. "However, we will need patients to study." she added.

Cora stood up from Lethe's bedside and turned to the councilors. "Vice Captain Alfrei and the rest of Squad Eight had rounded up two hundred confirmed cases of Sweating Sickness here in Gless a couple days back. The patients are currently being quarantined at a camp near Caleta." she helpfully supplied the information.

"Did they now?" Councilor Margarette mused in response. "That is going to be convenient. It's settled then. I will deploy half of my researchers to that camp and have them assist at finding a cure alongside our clerical body."

"I am grateful for your assistance Councilor Margarette." Lady Heidi bowed her head slightly in thanks.

The leader of the High Council looked around the room, making a mental tally of the people who are currently present. "Does anyone here know where the other members of Squad Eight are?" Cornelius asked nobody in particular.

Upon sensing the odd silence and the baffled looks on the faces of the people in the room, Omi slightly raised his hand, unsure if he was allowed to even speak. A scribe buddy of his had the chance of glancing through the most recent exchanged correspondence between members of Squad Eight that he had been tasked to compile. Though Omi personally preferred hanging around Squad Ten, said buddy of his was actually a fan of Squad Eight and was fond of keeping track of their movements. Unwanted as it may be, Omi had become privy to the knowledge thanks to his buddy chatting with him casually about it during their break.

Due to the stillness inside the room, several pairs of eyes instantly noticed the small movement from the scribe and turned their attention to him, followed by the rest of the people. It made him feel very uneasy having suddenly become the focal point of attention-from distiguished people no less! But they needed to know what he knows.

"Well? Out with it." Cornelius prompted the scribe.

"O-oh, apologies Councilor.." his voice cracked, "Apparently, Master Guilford officially approved individual requests from the members of Squad Eight to act independently under extended active duty hours to help chip away at the issues we're currently facing on various fronts." Omi did not want to feel presumptuous by saying we since he did not have an active hand at dealing with the said issues but he was a part of the immaculate too right? He can say as much right?

Dismissing the thoughts upon realizing he has yet to answer the query, Omi continued. "Recent deployment records show that Knights Fiona and Georg are on their way by Wyviera to Kaiser Outpost in Palaugrim. Knights Hyuga and Vlad are at Lindela assisting with the plague effort, and Vice Captain Alfrei and Natalia are also on their way by Wyviera to the city of Sharen. Knight Joaquim is the only member of Squad Eight here at Gless and has been notified of Master Guilford's condition. He's been last seen heading back to the Grand Cathedral coming from Rosetta."

"What of Master Guilford?" Mihai made mention as soon as the other conversation quieted down. "I understand he was the cause of the explosion within the cathedral early this morning." gray eyes looked to Cora for answers.

At the breaking of the news, the purple haired knight and redhead scribe's brows furrowed exactly at the same time. Cricket managed to piece a mini puzzle in his head together at the knowledge. Back then, whenever their Captain gets in a situation that required bed rest, the Captain of Team Prissy was always among the first non-squad member to come in and check on her. So his absence now was related to what happened earlier? Cricket made a mental note and focused on listening for more information. He assumed the young cleric would respond so he turned his gaze towards the brunette along with the other pairs of eyes inside the room.

"He's in the room across this one." Cora pointed to the direction of the other private ward.

At the knowledge of Master Guilford's whereabouts, the people within Master Lethe's room filed out one by one, led by the young cleric and headed towards where the male Seraph was resting. Unlocking the security ward to Guilford's recovery room, Cora allowed the group to come inside.

"As you can see," She began, "I have managed to stabilize him earlier today so he is out of any immediate danger." the young cleric continued her response. "However, it was evident that Master Guilford was overworked and extremely fatigued. I had thought that he would be awake by now but he has yet to even twitch in his sleep so I checked in on him again to do a tertiary scan." Cora's tone dropped several notes towards the end of her sentence.

"And?" Councilor Livius verbally prodded the young cleric upon noticing an extended pause in her response.

Shaking her head back to the moment, Cora took a deep breath before continuing. "Physically, he's fine. I have managed to treat all of the internal injuries he sustained as well as external ones. However..." she trailed off again, unsure if she should bring up more dire news and yet, these people need to know. "His magic reserves are not recovering normally. It is dangerously low and adding to that, in a state of flux causing it to be extremely slow at recovering." she sighed at the memory of the results of her scan. "He could be out for days... maybe weeks. It all depends on his fortitude now."

An audible concert of sighs filled the room upon learning of the male Seraph's condition.

"First responder reports said he was trying to learn new magic that misfired." Cornelius recalled the short missive he had received from the auxiliary squads that got to Guilford first. "Margarette, what kind of magic, that if misfired, could cause this to happen?" he asked the other councilor.

"If it's standard offensive magic, none. The most you'll get from misfired spells of this nature would be scrapes and a bruised ego." she folded her arms and continued, "If it is advanced offensive magic, destruction of your surroundings, more scrapes and on very very rare occasions, a high possibility of losing a limb or two..." she paused at the thought and did a mental tally of cases where limbs were lost, they were extremely few. "For defensive and curative magics of standard and advanced natures, none. Spells of this nature will fizzle out harmlessly." Now that she had gone over most of her knowledge in the arcane, dread began creeping up on the councilor. "Unless..." she trailed off.

"Unless what?" Livius prodded the other councilor this time.

"Rites or Rituals on the other hand can easily cause this. It would appear he was not actually practicing magic. He was doing a ritual." she recalled the Third Rite of Ascension and the transcribed copy she had provided the two Seraphs. "The Third Rite to be precise." Councilor Margarette concluded, face pale at the realization of what the male Seraph was up to. With him being in this state, it was clear he failed to ascend but a miracle that he was still breathing.

"I'm calling for an emergency Council Meeting. We shall finish our discussion at the Council Chambers. We need representatives for Squad Ten and Eight. Send word to those concerned, including the heads of our other divisions and Seraph candidates." Cornelius shook his head as he adjourned the impromptu gathering.

A Council Meeting? Him? Cricket immediately frowned at the idea of him representing their squad in front of the High Council. This was not a job for him. Despite his earlier reservations about a squad recall, the situation actually called for real leaders, and there are only a few in their squad that can fill the shoes of their Captain. He would be calling for Adair or YunQiao. Adair would be best, he thought to himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 19 of Month 5 - Tethel


After traveling the island for hours, passing through various towns and villages, the God of Sin finally arrived at the borders of Tethel's palace. Standing at the edge of the last town before the road to the queen's palace, he stared at the towering structure in the distance that glistened in the afternoon sun. A frown curved his features as he irked at how the palace looked. It was not his style to be glamorous. The journey here was uneventful yet illuminating. To him, whoever led this island of Sin had actually come the closest to realizing what he wanted for the world. It is unfortunate that they were only able to achieve it at a small scale and seemed satisfied with where they are. Now that he's here, it would have to change.

Closing his eyes as he breathed in Tethel's air, the God of Sin concentrated on his inner strength. Just a few hours on this island had helped him recover more of his dark energy than when he was at the Barrens. Though still taxing on the body, he can now feel lesser strain maintaining his human form as well. Continuing to assess himself further, the God of Sin surmised that he now has enough strength to access more than just a handful of his advanced spells. He was more than pleased.

Opening his eyes once more, he smirked at the conclusion of his self scan. The strength he had before coming here was adequate enough to level the island. Now that he's a tad bit stronger than that, his confidence in himself grew exponentially. Red eyes mildly glowed as he scanned the area before him. A scoff escaped his lips at the revelation of a stronger sensory rune spell that enclosed the entire palace grounds. The whole island itself was riddled with sensory spells, towns and villages alike. He found it amusing but those ones he effortlessly bypassed just by casting a lid on his magic reserves and consciously subduing the traces of his spiritual essence.

Whoever resided at the palace wanted to know who was coming for them from afar. It would have been amusing to see how they would react if he triggered one of the sensory spells but decided otherwise. He wanted to visit when they are most unprepared and so he would remain concealed. The coming dark of night would be an accepted assistance.

For now, he'll stay in town until dark and see what it has to offer. The tavern looked more inviting than the other establishments he had passed by, only because of the fistfights that frequently happened in front of it. Finding himself an open table al fresco, the God of Sin sat alone and gazed at the brawling men tumbling around the front of the establishment. Long minutes passed and he was starting to enjoy himself when a gruff voice spoke to him rather unpleasantly.

This large burly man was the owner of the establishment. He had a scowl on his face and was in the process of drying his hands with a towel conveniently attached to his belt when he spoke. "Happy hour is coming. If you're not buying, leave. I need my tables free."

The God of Sin let out a minute chuckle. Had this man known who or what he was, perhaps that tone would be entirely different. Then again, attention was not what he wanted. Sliding a hand inside one of his pockets, he pulled out a coin with a value enough for food and drink and slid it gently towards the towering barkeep who was pleasantly surprised that despite being dressed the way he was, the man actually had money.

"I will have the best meal and finest drink my money can afford."

It's not as if he cannot eat normal human food. He just did not prefer it. However, he wanted to keep attention drawn away from him so he would pretend to be like them while waiting for nightfall.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 19 of Month 5: Palaugrim, The City of Sharen


It was already dusk when Five Wyvieras aligned in formation on the clearing just outside the city of Sharen as they prepared to land. Four of the flying vehicles were cargo Wyvieras, these were significantly larger than the lead unit. Once the vehicles have landed, Knight Commander Krista and her Vice Captain made their approach towards the lead unit. Her usually calm demeanor was now replaced by an expression of relief. With bated breath, she awaited for the passengers of the lead unit as the doors slowly hissed open.

Alfrei and Natalia disembarked from the vehicle and as soon as she saw them, Krista and her Vice Captain walked up to greet them. "Vice Captain Alfrei, Knight Natalia, Light bless you both and keep you safe." Krista started with a simple prayer, "Welcome to Sharen." the two greeted warmly and gestured for the newly arrived to walk with them towards the direction of the city. "Travel was not too rough I hope?" Krista aimed to spark small talk.

It was true she requested for aid but she never expected members of a Seraph Squad to be the ones sent. It was not as if she was not thankful, it was just unexpected. This was however, exactly why she felt relief the moment they arrived. To the eyes of many and to their many accomplishments in the field, these two were highly distinguished knights and very capable of making things happen even on their own. However, these knights cannot be ordered around. They took their orders directly from their Seraph Captains. Them being here could mean one of two things: one; they are taking over command, two; they have a separate mission.

"Thank you Knight Commander Krista, may the Light bless you and guide your path." he greeted back. Not a moment too soon, Alfrei stretched his arms and cracked his neck lightly. What was supposed to be just a couple hours flight took nearly half a day. Frowning, he glanced back at the cargo wyvieras they flew together with. They were slow, really slow. It was something for Hyuga to look into when they have time. Turning his head back towards the city's knight commander, he began walking towards the city of Sharen, matching Krista's pace considerately. "Well enough, all things considered." he finally answered the small talk. "We could have gotten here sooner but I didn't think our cargo wyvieras were incredibly slow."

Krista chuckled lightly, hand coming up to cover her lips as she did. "Well, you're here and that's what matters."

"And I come bearing gifts." Alfrei continued seamlessly, one hand moving back to point towards their cargo. "Aside from fresh troops, we also have new Pristine Knight equipment for your regiment here."

"New gear?" Krista's vice captain cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong with our current ones?" he followed up.

"An upgrade." Natalia responded. "We're long overdue for an upgrade and this time, test results from the experimental gear were finally deemed useable in combat. That is why we immediately began mass producing upgraded Pristine Knight gear."

"Knight Commander Krista, please gather your supply officers. Once we get to town, we will begin briefing them about the new equipment and we will help with the distribution." Alfrei went through a short mental checklist of things to do while inside the city. "We will also assist in coordinating the rotations of fresh troops to your active deployment."

Knight Commander Krista glanced at the younger Vice Captain of Squad Eight with a puzzled expression. "You're not here to take command? Or a separate mission?"

Alfrei smiled and returned the confused look with a confident one. "You are an excellent Knight Commander. We would be remiss to relieve you of command. Please deploy us as you see fit. We will be working as a detached unit of two, Knight Natalia and I." he explained helpfully. "Our mission is the defense of Sharen."

A relieved sigh escaped Krista's pink lips. This man may be young, but he was already becoming a seasoned leader. He probably already knew that a change in command will not be beneficial for exhausted men. He had a keen intuition, probably something he picked up from his captain.

Somewhere deep down, the waning light of hope inside her felt rejuvenated just by having these two with her. Having a detached unit of highly capable knights to command around the battlefield has its merits. She can use them for guerilla tactics on smaller enemy forces, or strike under cover at larger forces while she provided distraction. New possibilities opened up for her which could turn the tides of battle from them being on the defensive, to them mounting a proper counteroffensive.

"Then let us make haste. Time is of the essence." Krista said with a smile of confidence playing on her lips.

_________________

[Day 19 of Month –5, Grand Cathedral, Gless]]

Three grim knights walked the halls of the Grand Cathedral. It sounded like the beginnings of one of his jokes–one that Captain would no doubt groan at–but it wasn’t. It was actually very much the opposite of a joke. Pale yellow eyes slid towards the blue-armored man at the front; though the youngest, Adair carried the heaviest burden of them. Well, he’d always carried the heavier burden of the squad as the Vice Captain, but Deimos could tell the other man was especially stressed at the moment given the deep furrows in his eyebrows.

“So that’s why he wanted Leon monitoring the healing.” Deimos paused when Adair suddenly came to a stop and spoke out of nowhere. Amber eyebrows smoothed out at the realization, annoyance now replacing the previous deep concentration. Green eyes flickered as if they were connecting dots only the younger man could see before sliding towards the third member of their trio. “Cricket, fetch the newest reports on the plague, especially any that Valiar or Leon filed in the past few days. If there’s nothing of note in them, go to them directly and ask. I want to see them after the meeting.”

The purple-haired Knight nodded in response but Deimos could still see the flash of relief in his squad mate’s eyes. So Cricket didn’t have to attend this meeting. Deimos turned his attention forward and the three resumed walking towards the Council meeting room, lips twitching in irritation. But why did he have to attend then? Oh right, because Captain thought–Contrition had him looking around, making sure there were no threats approaching them from behind. Even if he didn’t want to be attending this meeting, he’d still do his duty. As Captain was wont to say, the Divine Light would never ask more of them than they could bear.


Impassive green eyes watched the squabble in front of him, the words flowing in one ear and out the other. While the topic–both Seraphs unconscious–was undoubtedly important, the way these Councilors were handling it was… Adair felt the urge to slam his hands on the table but settled for tapping his fingers on his arm instead. (Also, Lethe would probably give him an offended look before turning disappointed when she found out, and that was not worth it.) Once again he was reminded why his brother had left the Immaculate.

“We must recall troops from Palaugrim to fortify Lindela and Gless!”

“Are you joking? That will just be informing everyone that there’s something wrong with the Seraphs.”

“Well, there is something wrong with them! They’re both unconscious!”

“Yes, and if we don’t want panic, we’ll be able to hide this fact! Isn’t that why they” A finger jabbed towards him and the other Seraph candidates standing blankly in front of the Council table. “Are here?”

A sarcastic voice broke the discussion: “Yes, and let us focus on that? We need to reassign Guilford’s and Lethe’s responsibilities.” The Councilor–Adair couldn’t quite recall his name–scrutinied them before continuing, “Let’s have.. Vice Captain Adair take over Lethe’s responsibilities and… Vice Captain Joaquim can take over Guilford’s. They’re both experienced members of their squads; the others can assist.”

It was so painfully obvious the Councilor had no idea who any of them were except himself. Truthfully thinking, Adair was surprised the Councilor even remembered Team Prissy’s Knight’s name and he was not encouraged by how the other councilors were nodding in approval, even as Councilor Laith fixed a distrustful eye on them. Head Councilor Cornelius was also looking uncertain as he looked to the named Knights and then back at his own papers. From here, Adair couldn’t be certain what was on the papers but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was a list of the Seraph candidates.

“Right! Now that that’s been dec–”

“Excuse me, honorable Councilors.” Squad Ten’s Vice Captain spoke up with a step forward, just barely suppressing his long suffering sigh. Of course none of the other Seraph candidates had spoken up: the two Crests were probably happy they’d had nothing foisted on them and while Romauld looked concerned, he was clearly a bit overwhelmed by the Council–probably also questioning how these six men and woman were the leaders of the Immaculate. “While Knight Joaquim and I are.. honored by your confidence in us, I believe a more detailed breakdown of responsibilities would be better. Unfortunately, Knight Joaquim and I are not as experienced as Masters Guilford and Lethe; given there are six of us candidates, it may be better if we all took on some of the burden. Knight Lance is currently stationed on Lindela?”

The orange-haired man nodded, finally contributing to the discussion, “District Commander of District Five.”

“Then District Commander Lance can be in charge of Lindela’s operations with–” Green eyes looked to the Knights beside him before continuing, “Knight Deimos to assist. Knight Romauld can manage security of the Grand Cathedral and take the lead on Palaugrim’s operations,” He recalled the other man was currently stationed in Gless,“with the assistance of Knight Joaquim, who will also take over Master Guilford’s in progress items and management of Squad Eight, as Vice Captain Alfrei appears absent. Knight Alona and I will manage operations of the Grand Cathedral and Gless, manage communications between the islands, take over Captain Lethe’s in progress items, and assist in any other matters that come up.”

“It would be better if Lance and I worked together,” A sharp voice interjected. The only female Seraph Candidate stepped forward, turning to look at him, “Lance and I are familiar with each other’s habits so there would be more synergy.”

“That may be true,” Adair conceded with a nod, masking his irritation. It wasn’t like he wanted to give up Deimos and take this just-returned swordswoman instead, “but both of you are new to the Immaculate. Yes–” he cut off the redhead’s forming protest, “you both fought in the First War, but it’s been ten years and the Immaculate’s framework has changed significantly. I assume neither of you know the correct form to assign troop deployments? Or the form to request usage of more than two Wyervias? Which department head will assist with armor requests as opposed to provisions?”

Though her face reddened in either anger or embarrassment, Adair neither knew nor cared, the protester remained silent. He glanced at his squadmate and the grey-haired man answered, “Form 1046, Form 982, Department Head Mircea, Supervisor Esme.”

Turning his attention back to the table in front, he prompted, “Councilors, your thoughts?” though he doubted they could accomplish much better given their prior arrangements.

“Yes, let’s go with these arrangements,” Head Councilor Cornelius agreed, his eyes twinkling at the show of leadership by the younger man. It was good to see that even though Gil and Lethe were out of commission, there were other bright stars able to step forward. “Now, onto the next topic…”

Joaquim heaved a sigh as they finally left the Council meeting, feeling the beginnings of a headache. Wow, it was hard to believe Captain Guilford usually had to deal with this. And now he had to go look over whatever paperwork was in the squad quarters. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if it could relieve the pressure in his head.

“Knight Joaquim,” he looked up at the icy tone, nodding his head in greeting as Knight Adair stepped up next to him, noting the other man was herding him towards a private alcove.

“Yes, Vice Captain Adair? You did well in the Council meeting with the assignments,” he bowed a head amiably.

“About that,” the younger man replied testily, prompting the older Knight to settle into his stance; it was clear his congeniality was not shared at this moment, “Why wasn’t your Vice Captain present?”

“The squad has temporarily split up to assist various issues; Alfrei is currently on Palaugrim.” His lone black eye caught the irritation flash through Adair’s gaze, “While it’s unfortunate given Captain Guilford’s condition, this was actioned before this situation.”

Knight Adair seemed to be thinking of something before he turned his attention and gaze straight towards the Squad Eight Knight: “I’ll be frank.” The younger man spoke icily, “I have no intention of becoming a Seraph.” Joaquim felt a tremor of surprise, “As you’re the other Seraph Candidate who’s been on a Seraph squad, step up more. And get more of your team to take responsibility.” With a tsk of clear disapproval, the Vice Captain of Squad Ten strode away.

Joaquim watched the other man’s retreating back, feeling surprised and slightly offended. Who would have thought that Knight Adair had no interest in being a Seraph. The blue-armored Knight was nearly as famous as the two Seraphs and as the Vice Captain of a Seraph squad, he was an obvious successor. And that uncalled for dig at the rest of the team… The older man tamped down on his irritation, coaching himself to patience. As a father, he’d learned that sometimes children spoke out of crankiness rather than true distaste. While Knight Adair was not a child, he was still younger and this was clearly a stressful time for everyone. He’d just let this instance go and see how things happened in the future. The brunet heaved a sigh, his headache spiking, as he walked towards his squad’s quarters. At least his family was safe in Rosetta right now.



[[Day 21 of Month –5, Grand Cathedral, Gless]]

“Pulse is normal. Temperature is normal. Magic reserves remain low.” Omi scribbled down the results of Cleric Cora’s examination as she spoke aloud. “Sweating remains elevated. No signs of Sin or other infection. Recommended a change of sheets and continued monitoring.” Ever since he’d been called in to scribe the impromptu Council meeting 2 days ago, it seemed both Cleric Cora and Head Cleric Heidi freely utilized his services as a notetaker. Truthfully speaking, it wasn’t his preferred occupation but–purple eyes flashed towards the silent patient on the bed–at least it was especially helpful at the moment. Any second he could save the two clerics meant another second they could spend figuring out a solution to this plague.

The petite brunette wiped the White Seraph’s brow one more time before standing up. She nodded at him in farewell before leaving. It was on him to finish writing the notes, clean up the documentation, and then arrange a nurse to handle the recommendations. Looking over all the notes, he started filling in the patient records. While not a cleric, his specialty as a Scribe was to identify data trends.

Actually… A mirthless smile played on the redhead’s lips as he looked over the familiar chart. These things hadn’t changed much in the past five years. There’d been a time where he was very familiar with these charts, albeit not for such a prestigious patient. Purple eyes glanced towards the white-haired woman and, almost subconsciously, holy magic gathered in his eyes. The sudden appearance of a body made of white light had him jerking his head away, vision returning to normal. He blinked rapidly as if to remove the afterimages. With a groan, he covered his eyes with a trembling hand, forcing himself to take deep, calming breaths.

Composure returned, Omi removed his hand and gave a brisk shake of his head. Never mind that, had he finished documenting everything? He looked over Lethe’s chart and confirmed all of today’s notes were transcribed. Next he just had to arrange a nurse to change the bedsheets and then he’d be back to summarizing the recent reports.

_________________

Day 22 of Month 5 - Grand Cathedral. The Sanctuary


The cathedral bells tolled six in the morning. Cora finished her rounds at the lower floors of The Sanctuary earlier in the morning and had made her way to the recovery wards of their VIPs (Very Important Patients). She had already made sure Master Lethe was as comfortable as she can and was, at this time, wrapping up the scan of her dear friend. She frowned at the results as they were pretty much the same as yesterday, the day before and even the day before that. With a heavy sigh, she excused herself from Guilford's bedside and headed towards the table by the window. She had picked a fresh handful of flowers from their garden earlier before making her way here to replace the ones that had already begun wilting.

A cool morning breeze blew inside the room when purple eyes slowly blinked open. Given his last memories before passing out, his first instinct was to check his condition, noting that he felt no pain anywhere. The male Seraph quietly sat up and turned his gaze to the right, where a familiar figure was busy making flower arrangements. The room too was familiar, which helped Guilford identify his own whereabouts.

Cora tensed at the sensation of an intense gaze coming from behind her. For a moment, she had lost awareness arranging the flowers on the vase that she hadn't noticed the sound of sheets crumpling under movement. Still, this intense gaze was all too familiar and she felt her heart skip a beat or two knowing that her friend had finally woken up.

"It's about time you know." she stated, not looking back while continuing to arrange the flowers on the vase.

"How long was I out?" the male Seraph asked.

"Three days. I honestly thought you were going to be out for more." Cora turned to look at her friend, surprised to see that he had a sullen look on his face. "Are you feeling okay?" she immediately asked out of concern, rushing over to his bedside to check on him.

"I feel fine Cora, thanks." he immediately consoled the concerned cleric, realizing the look he had on his face might have stirred some panic. "It's more of me dreading the fact that I had left my half of the work on Lethe's shoulders for three days." he sighed, already thinking of a way to make it up to his Seraph partner.

"About that..." it was her turn to wear a sullen look. "There's something you should know." She stood up and got Guilford's fresh set of clothing, courtesy of Corwin who had stopped by yesterday. "Get yourself a bath, and breakfast. When you're ready, follow me."


________________________________


Purple eyes looked at Lethe in disbelief, a mix of emotions welling up inside him the longer he looked. Cora had briefed him in detail of the entire situation that unfolded following the event of him falling unconscious. He had also been told that at this time, there was nothing else they could do for her now until a cure is found. The younger cleric noticed her friend's hands curling into fists and tensing until his knuckles turned white. Lifting her gaze up to his face, Cora sighed at the pained purple eyes burning with a mix of emotions. He hadn't said a word the entire time they were here but it was evident that a certain resolve was forming inside of him. She knew that look.

"Gil, I can't stop you from doing your duties, but a word of caution if I may." Cora forcefully pulled the man's attention to her with words. "You may be physically fine, but your magic reserves have not fully recovered. You can work, but I strongly advise against going out on the field, especially for combat."

There was only a nod in response then soon after, the man turned around and excused himself from the room.

"Oh Lights above, please keep him safe..." the young cleric softly spoke a prayer.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Purposeful strides guided the male Seraph around the Grand Cathedral as he made his way to the Council Chambers. Greetings were promptly returned as well as blessings until he found himself right before the High Council Chambers. With a strong push using his hands, he pried the large council doors open, much to the surprise of the people inside. Cora probably didn't have much time to send word in advance that he had woken up or probably left it to him to make his presence felt. Either way, he could see relief befalling the features of the councilors who laid eyes on him in surprise.

"Master Guilford! You're awa--"

"Councilors, I apologize for my abruptness but please give me a full situational report regarding matters of the knighthood." he chanced a look of apology at Councilor Aurel that he unintentionally cut off. He just had no time for pleasantries.

Calming himself down, Cornelius squinted as he examined the male Seraph thoroughly. While he is happy to see him up and about, judging from the look he had in his eyes, it would appear he already knows. "I assume you know of Master Lethe?" he had to make sure.

"Yes."

The short response instantly confirmed what he felt earlier as the Seraph walked in. He absolutely meant business today.

"Very well. Let us begin."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Squad Eight's Quarters


The cathedral bells tolled nine in the morning. Joaquim stopped at the sound of the bells and stretched his weary arm around from penning a mountain of paperwork. He finds himself less and less amused at the seemingly endless supply of reports that were coming in. So this is Seraph work, he thought to himself, chancing a look at the now repaired windows of their quarters. He immediately thought about the reason why their windows needed repairs in the first place. A solemn look befell his features as he opened the top drawer of his Captain's desk. Inside it revealed the lone piece of paper that remained untouched since his Captain fell unconscious. He shook his head at the thought of the dangers one ritual poses and dreaded the fact that their Captain had to take a chance. This too was part of Seraph work... he grudgingly shook his head sideways.

"I have no intention of becoming a Seraph."

The words of the young Vice Captain of Squad Ten made their way into his thoughts again, making him scoff at the remark. Just a few days into the temporary role and Joaquim already came to fully understand the weight the title comes with. By the light it was not for the faint-hearted! He had an inkling to what it would be like since he was so used to seeing his Captain working, but now that he was the one on the seat, it was far, far more daunting than he thought it would be. It was like he was just opened up to a world he didn't know existed. This is what managing the knighthood, three islands and their problems, along with a war effort was like.

Step up more and get his squad to take more responsibility. That's what Adair had said. The old knight chuckled sarcastically. Now that he thought about it, those words sounded more like that young Vice Captain wanting to push the said responsibility to someone else and run away entirely. With this much pressure on their shoulders? Who wouldn't?! So much for telling someone about taking more responsibility. That man could really use some of his own words. Did Adair really think that him, an old knight nearing the twilight of his years, actually wanted to be a Seraph? Probably just like him, Adair too was named a successor by their Captain against his protests. That was the exact reason why a part of him understands the man.

Yet, what was that too about getting Squad Eight to take more responsibility? Did squad ten actually think squad eight was just on vacation and loves walking around dawdling Pristine Knight armor? As far as he knows, his team never really took shots against other squads and their work in the knighthood. Lights! Hyuga even made a very large contribution recently by helping speed up the upgrade of Pristine Knight gear for Light's sake!

The old knight glanced at three unopened reports he had separated that came from members of Squad Eight deployed out in the field. His team was out there, risking their necks just like the rest of the knights fighting the good fight. How is that not taking more responsibility? He had promised to temper his emotions numerous times but truly, every time these thoughts crosses his mind, his frustrations grew. Even in dire times like these, chastising the work of others in lieu of what he could only assume to be personal reasons was deeply uncalled for. Adair may have claimed not wanting to become a Seraph but that does not exclude him from taking more responsibility himself - he's still in the knighthood!

Everyone in the knighthood should be stepping up and taking more responsibility.

"Am I interrupting something?"

By the Light! A startled Joaquim nearly fell off his seat at the sound of the familiar voice. Immediately, Joaquim thought about how he failed to notice his Captain walk in on him. Usually, the man had such a commanding presence about him that it could be felt from afar. This time, he barely felt anything.

"Captain, I'm glad to see you awake! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Guilford walked further into their quarters and examined the newly repaired windows and fresh drapes. It was to his liking. "Returning to active duty." he told the one-eyed knight as he walked over to his desk. "I've been cleared by Cora herself to resume my duties."

Realizing the man probably wanted his desk and seat back, Joaqium excused himself from the seat and moved around the desk, taking his place on one of the chairs in front. A lingering silence descended upon the two while the Male Seraph rummaged around his desk to bring everything back to the way he was used to working.

"It's rare to see your feathers ruffled." he commented after glancing at the look Joaquim's face was wearing. "Did the paperwork grapple you to submission?" he joked.

"No.. it's.. something else." he struggled to get the words out.

"I have time." Guilford motioned a hand at the stacks of papers he had reorganized atop his desk. The act garnered an amused chuckle from the older knight. Truly, these two were something else to be able to say they have time while dealing with all of that. He on the other hand only felt pressed for time dealing with all the paperwork.

Personal bias aside and more logic and reasoning into the mix, Joaquim also made a realization after the recent events. Not a single soul out of the Seraph Candidates ever truly wanted the position. Alona, Romauld-Lights! Even Lance did not want it. Perhaps none of them could ever see themselves doing better or just as good as these two. Perhaps to some, taking on the title meant acknowledging the passing of their predecessor, which nobody really wanted. Perhaps the bar for the title of Seraph had been set so high that it felt almost impossible to attain.

Regardless, his Captain had not spoken a word since and if he knew better, the Captain was just waiting for him to speak. With a deep breath, Joaquim began telling the Seraph his thoughts, to which the man listened intently whilst expertly reading through, signing, and shuffling the paperwork before him.

Forty-five minutes elapsed and Joaquim finally came to the end of his tale.

"Sorry you had to go through that, Joaquim." Guilford exhaled and neatly stacked another report he had finished going through.

"I just can't believe there's a notion out there that our squad is not taking enough responsibility."

"I am sure that is not what he truly meant." Guilford looked at the old knight before him. "Having taken up the mantle for a few days, I assume you came to understand the pressure of this title?" he asked.

The older knight nodded quietly in response.

"It's the same for him. It was sudden. There was no preparation involved. There's more than just a handful of problems out there to deal with. Suddenly being told to fulfill Seraph duties because Lethe and I were out of action would come as every bit as distressing for any of the candidates we named." Guilford calmly explained his point of view. "That and someone close to him..." Guilford recalled a very brief chat with Lethe regarding the former Pristine Knight they checked on at Lindela before parting ways. "... had fallen ill. Now his Captain is out of action."

Joaquim's eyes widened a little bit at the news of Adair's personal struggles. Now he knew, and now he understood a whole lot more.

"If anything-and I don't know if he would ever admit to it-I see it as Vice Captain Adair's silent cry for help. He's just... really bad at asking for it." he looked at Joaquim, an air of compassion in his eyes as he did. "Give the Vice Captain a little break. Now more than ever, he could surely use one."

Hearing a different point of view had softened his stance far more than it was when he first heard the words. The one-eyed knight could not help but be amazed at his Captain. Despite learning about the smack talk concerning his very own squad, he found a different angle to try and understand where the other was coming from.

"Besides, you all know your truth." Guilford continued, this time holding the report that came from his Vice Captain. "There's not a single soul here that can deny your achievements in the field." he waved the report and slid it in front of Joaquim for him to see, a smile gently curving his lips.

"Alfrei and Natalia successfully helped Knight Commander Krista secure Sharen and push the enemy forces back."

Another report was moved for Joaquim to see. "Fiona and Georg, although the battle was harder fought, also managed to help Knight Commander Sigfried and Heinrich secure Kaiser Outpost."

With a sigh, the old knight deflated in his seat. "It's so good to know they are okay." he smiled at the knowledge his team members in Palaugrim are all safe. A sense of joy enveloped the older knight more so upon learning that their team had managed to chip away at something. A small victory, but a victory all the same.

Guilford rose from his seat and walked towards one of the windows, arms folding behind his back. "You know, it was the same for us too, Lethe and myself." he began, recalling the time they ascended to become the two leaders of the Pristine Knights. "Neither of us wanted the title. Neither of us thought we could fill the shoes of our predecessors."

"Yet here you are both." Joaquim added.

"We answered the call." Guilford gazed at the far distance, mind reminiscing the moment. "We didn't want it, but we knew the people needed it." he turned to look at his squad mate. "I believe that when the time comes, and it will come, knights will rise to the occasion and answer the same call we did regardless of what they say or think now."

The words of his Captain was full of hope, so full of hope that it was almost contagious. Step up more, on this point that man was right. He would have to apologize to Bianca later but right now, he was making a choice on his own.

"Captain.." he softly spoke. "Please teach me the ways of becoming a Seraph."

"I'd be glad to, and we'll have plenty of time for that. However, for now I need to go see Scout Leader Hayato. We have a squad of knights in the barrens that has not checked in yet." he sighed at the lack of news from his former Captain. "For your Seraph education, I am tasking you to go into the old archives and read about Knight Raphaella of Squad One for starters."

Now that was a name he hadn't heard in a long while. Knight Raphaella of Squad One, In today's ranks, she would be the equivalent of a Seraph back in the day. Joaquim can't say his interest was not piqued. There was very little information circulating about that knight.

With his new orders received, Joaquim excused himself from their squad quarters leaving the male Seraph on his own.

With nobody else in the room, Guilford raised his right hand and tried channeling his magic only for him to see it sputtering and fizzling out into thin air. Something was wrong with him, of that he was well aware.

There's only one person he can ask and get some answers, though he would need to find her first.

The cathedral bells tolled ten in the morning when Guilford too made his way out of his squad quarters. He handed two pieces of paper to the next scribe he came across with. One to be communicated within the Cathedral, and the other to Vice Captain Adair and Knight Deimos. The other paper contained revised orders now that he was back in active duty. The new orders dictated that Squad Ten's Seraph candidates Adair and Deimos continue to take point but should focus more on the tasks that were normally on Lethe's shoulders. They were also granted the assistance of Alona, Lance and Romauld. As for the task division, he would leave it to their discretion. They were also being granted Seraph Authority, which will allow them to stamp their own seals for any issue that required Seraph Approval.

Having them fill in for two pairs of shoes might have been too much to ask out of the blue so he would lighten their load by taking back just his regular half of the workload, but sharpen their leadership and decision making by giving them the authority of a Seraph and full discretion on issues that normally fell on Lethe's shoulders.

Though he preferred to take on all of the burden, he also wanted to train these candidates and have them learn to work together in fulfilling the tasks of a Seraph. He nearly died after all-Lethe's in a coma. These candidates should start getting used to how things are at the pinnacle of knight command for the reality of him and Lethe dying is very, very real.

His letter to Lethe's Seraph nominees contained a short message.




____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Cathedral, Scout Division


"Master Guilford! Such a wonderful sight to see you up and about." greeted the older Scout Division Head as the Seraph walked into his office. "Tea?" he also offered, while seamlessly (and quietly) moving towards his private tea set behind his desk.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you." the younger Seraph accepted the hospitality showed as he took a seat on one of the chairs before the Scout Division Head's desk.

It only took a couple minutes before the older man had tea prepared for his guest, to which the Seraph enjoyed the aroma first before taking a small sip, delighted at how flavorful the expertly prepared tea was. The older man allowed the Seraph to enjoy his tea a bit more before asking the question.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Setting his nearly empty tea cup down, Guilford sported a more serious look. "Master Hayato, have you heard any news from Akira?"

"Hmmm..." Hayato contemplated quitely, refusing to answer the question outright but instead asking one of his own. "How much do you really know of their operation?"

"It was a Council operation so I only know what I've been told and what was passed on through official channels." the Seraph immediately responded.

"I figured as much." the older scout pulled his hand away after refilling Guilford's cup with tea, a movement the Seraph barely noticed happening. With a wave of his left hand, privacy wards activated inside the room. It was a telltale sign that what they were about to discuss was not for everyone's ears.

"The real target of this operation is Eve." the old scout began filling his own cup with tea in the process. "This mission was not meant to confront the God of Sin at his weakened state, which was the council's initial goal. The end game of this mission is to put down Eve for good and once again destroy the other half of the God of Sin's power... permanently."

"I've been informed that Abel was to lead a squad of Knights to fight a newly resurrected God of Sin using a--"

"La Gamme." Hayato interrupted. "The council asked your former captain for the ultimate sacrifice and gave him seven souls to help him succeed."

"That is..."

"Ridiculous I know." Hayato completed the Seraph's thought. "We fought in the first war. We know the terror the God of Sin poses. Sending in a lone squad, even under the leadership of the Lightbringer, armed with one of the ultimate spells known to man... well, we both know it's just not enough."

Surprised at how much Hayato knows, Guilford couldn't help but think that there's a lot more things this man knows that even he or Lethe are unaware of. More importantly however, there was truth in the words of the old scout. "But you said Eve was the target. Who changed the mission parameters?"

"Abel." Hayato immediately answered, sipping his tea right after. "Your former captain is a vengeful man. More so than you would believe. That man is bound to the past, unable to break the chains of time until the score is settled." the old scout sighed. "He changed the mission parameters against the council orders he received."

Nigel and Yves Linser the Seraph thought to himself. "Well that's a first. I didn't think he had it in him to go against Council Orders. How does he plan to do it?"

It took some time and a lot of contemplation before Hayato put down his cup of tea as quietly as ever. "Master Guilford..." he trailed off, hesitating for a moment if he should continue but almost immediately decided it was best to just let the Seraph know. "There are forces in the shadows also fighting the darkness just like the knighthood."

"What..?" a confused look distorted Guilford's features.

"I think it's time you came to know more about your old captain." Hayato paused, picking up his tea cup, "The d'Arques name is of noble lineage. This is no secret." Hayato once again began sipping his tea. "They were one of the few noble names that had a lot of wealth and power." he curled one hand into a fist and began counting as he enumerated nobility, "Lovells, Rosenwulfs, Auberells, Lockharts, Sinclairs... these noble names pale in comparison to the influence of the d'Arques."

Guilford listened intently, sipping his tea alongside Hayato who was storytelling. This was news to him. He never thought the day would come that he would get to know more about the Lightbringer.

"Have you ever wondered what happened to their noble house after the final battle?"

"You mean the downfall? I've heard the stories yes."

"Mere stories." Hayato refilled his cup. "Nigel d'Arques was slated to be the next head of the d'Arques name. His death under the leadership of his cousin was most unfortunate, but a price had to be paid. A life for a life, such is the way of the d'Arques name." Hayato offered more tea to his guest which was politely declined. "Abel was unanimously tasked to be the debt collector, to which the house pledged and devoted all of its influence to help him get what they were owed."

"What do you mean?" the Seraph asked, sinking deeper into curiosity.

"Wealth and power such as what the d'Arques possessed do not simply vanish without a trace." Hayato's eyes locked with purple ones. "Harbingers of Light, they call themselves. A highly trained force commanded by your old captain, dedicated to the eradication of Eve from this world." he tore his gaze away and relaxed in his seat.

"With the confirmation that the God of Sin had left the Barrens for Tethel, they have begun to move."

Surprised at the facts and revelations laid out before him, the male Seraph did not know what to make of it yet. He was about to ask the question he had earlier when Hayato beat him to the punch.

"Your friend in the Barrens is fine. So are the knights sent with Abel. You need not worry about them."

_________________

[Day 22 of Month -5 :: Outside Caletta, Gless]]

Omi hurried through the research building, head down so as to not attract attention. Truthfully, everyone was so busy they probably wouldn’t have noticed him anyways. Some were creating medicine, some were examining experiments, and a few had passed out on what looked like experimental results or reference books. The air was charged with apprehension: more people were falling into comas even as some Sweating Sickness patients had succumbed to death. The abrupt, deadly development had supercharged the research and quarantine building, injecting urgency into the situation.

A strangled shout of frustration had his eyes involuntarily looking up. A frazzled researcher was staring at a fizzling concoction, hands scrunched in their hair. Purple gaze sweeping over the desk, Omi winced at the sight of both Valerian and Kava on the table. Oh, that.. Would have been a very bad combination. The researcher may have actually been lucky their mix got fizzles if it meant they didn’t use those two herbs together. Catching sight of kola nuts on the table, the redhead felt both bewildered and a bit concerned. What in the world had that researcher been trying to achieve?

Unconsciously, his eyes glowed white as holy magic activated his vision. In the fizzling mix, he could see the active components of caffeine and what looked like alcohol perhaps? There also seemed to be—-



He wrenched his head away, heaving for breath. Purple eyes looked around him in confusion before remembering where he was: the quarantine and research building for the Sweating Sickness. His hands tightened around the papers in his arms, not hearing as they crinkled in protest. This.. this was Gless. And.. he was a Scribe. He was a nineteen year old Scribe. Not.. Another shake of his head seemed to dislodge the memory. Right, he was delivering these reports from Head Cleric Heidi to the lead researcher here. Crunching the papers once more, he continued scurrying towards the head office.


[Day 22 of Month -5 :: Grand Cathedral, Gless]]

Green eyes rolled in irritation as a hand threw the note he’d just received onto the table in front of him. Adair leaned back in his chair, fingers pressing against his forehead as if it could stave off the burgeoning headache.

“Everything.. Okay-ish?” Seraphim called out cautiously, looking up from the papers she was arranging. A huff of annoyance was her only answer so she reached a hand out for the discarded missive. When there was no objection, she lifted and read the scrap of paper: “Do not hesitate to ask me for guidance or assistance. I look forward to working with both of you.” One pink eyebrow raised in surprise at the unexpected words before glancing at the sender: Master Guilford? “That’s.. Uh… nice of him?” She asked awkwardly, turning violet eyes in the direction of her Vice Captain.

“If he could take care of his own squad, that’d be a lot more helpful.” The amber-haired man replied acerbically. “Like if any of them could think beyond just how to hit things, that would be helpful. Some decision making? Some leadership perhaps?”

Seraphim keened uncertainly, hands see-sawing as if weighing a scale. “I mean, those new inventions by Knight Hyuga were pretty helpful.. And that orange haired guy is a District Commander now, yeah?”

“That orange haired guy is not from Master Guilford’s tutelage.”

“... I mean, most of us can only hit things too…”

Adair turned a fierce green gaze towards his squadmate. “We can work on that.”

“No thank you.” The older woman immediately demurred, “Hitting things is great to me.”

Adair rolled his eyes again, heaving a deep sigh: “Valiar can lead a clinic if needed. Deimos… could probably lead a battlefield squad if someone interprets for him. Leon is growing into understanding the flow of a battlefield; he’ll be a tactician if not a commander in the future. And YunQiao..” He made a thoughtful sound, “He’s smart and competent enough that he could lead a squad, if we gave him more opportunities..” He trailed off, clearly contemplating the idea. Yes, their resident mage certainly had the capability to be a Squad Leader and he probably actually had the inclination to be one, if Lethe ever disbanded their squad. He’d have to mention it to Captain so they could find more opportunities for the younger man.

“And Cricket could lead a woman’s revolt and I… could hit things. Hard.” Seraphim added helpfully with a perky grin before immediately cowering when her Vice Captain’s glare returned to her. “I mean..” She clarified frantically, “I could.. I could.. I could interpret for Deimos!”

A sense of disbelief emanated from the area to her right and she looked over in surprise, “Deimos! When did you get here?!”

Yellow eyes looked at her scornfully before the rear guard placed a stack of mission reports on the table. Catching sight of his name, he picked up the forgotten note and read the helpful offer from Master Guilford. His head tilted to the side thoughtfully before seeming to think of something.

“Deimos, do not go test your Knock Knock jokes on him.” Adair cut in even as he sat back up, ignoring Seraphim’s baffled look in the background. Catching sight of the blond man’s deadpan look, Squad Ten’s Vice Captain just shook his head firmly. “How are things going in Lindela? That’s good. And the medical supplies? As expected.” Pausing the conversation, he turned to look at their third squad member, asking sarcastically “Weren’t you going to interpret for Deimos?”

“... I can only hit things. I’m the weak link in our squad.” Seraphim sobbed in defeat, hiding her head back into the reports. Okay, so she could read as well.. Yay.


Romauld strode through the Grand Cathedral, feeling a spring in his step. Master Guilford had finally awoken today and was apparently back in action. It was great news for the Immaculate! As for himself, he could also feel some of his tension dissolve knowing Master Guilford was present again. At the same time, just a little bit, he regretted no longer being in charge of the Grand Cathedral’s security. It had been a daunting task and while a bit similar to running Rasova, it had also been very different. Turned out that even as a Seraph Candidate, he was not the final authority on security decisions here, unlike Rasova which had been run entirely on military command.

Oh, politics and common courtesies. Just a few days here and he was already appreciating how Master Lethe and Master Guilford had shielded the Knighthood from much of it. At least back in Palaugrim, while there was some jostling among the Commanders, he’d always felt firmly backed by the Cathedral. Here though.. It wasn’t a viper’s pit or anything but it definitely required a delicate touch. It gave him greater appreciation for how composed Vice Captain Adair always was. Definitely a skill he would have to pick up for the future. A determined smile settled on his lips. Yes, there was still a lot to learn before he could become a Seraph, but he believed in himself. One day, he would stand side by side with Masters Guilford and Lethe.


[[Day 23 of Month -5 :: Grand Cathedral, Gless]]

The corridor was quiet as Omi and Cora walked towards Master Lethe’s private ward. The brunette in front was busy looking at his summary of the newest reports from the research lab and Omi was reminiscing. Now that holy magic was mostly off limits as a solution to the plague, everyone had regressed to pharmacology as the possible cure. Being surrounded by so many painfully familiar terms and concoctions was unsettling to him. He’d become a Scribe to get away from all of this and now he was back in the midst of it: once Cleric Cora and Head Cleric Heidi had realized he (mostly) understood the research logs from the Gless quarantine lab, he’d been reassigned to reading and summarizing the papers.

He spared a bemused thought for his previous fantasy of his peers envying him and wanting to hear of his adventures. Instead, he had a feeling he’d instead be getting a joint letter of grievance from his peers for making their lives harder if the exploitive gleam in Head Cleric Heidi’s eyes at his new assignment was any portent. It seemed the Sanctuary had mostly been using Scribes for processing paperwork, having never realized many were also trained in summarization, research, and data analysis.

The reminder of what exactly he was working on had the small smile on his lips fleeing. Of course the plague was terrible news and he appreciated being able to help. In fact, there had been a time when he’d wanted to be a cleric and heal people. But now, it just kept bringing up unpleasant memories he’d thought he had come to peace with. The sound of a door closing brought him out of his reverie. Looking forward, he saw a familiar Knight standing in front of Master Lethe’s room, one hand still on the doorknob and a solemn look on his face.

“Knight Leon,” Omi greeted, seeing that Cleric Cora had also returned to the present. “Are you here to visit Master Lethe?”

The blond man mustered a smile and nodded, “Hey Omi. Yeah, just came to see how Captain was doing. Looks like she’s getting a good rest,” He forced a laugh and continued, “Bet she’ll wake up and be mortified when she realizes how many meetings she missed.” The smile settled into something more natural as he seemed to reminisce about something.

“O-oh? Will she?” Omi asked awkwardly, unsure what to say. Ah, then again, she had looked pretty embarrassed that one time he caught her and Master Guilford napping on the couch.

“Yeah,” Leon agreed with a chuckle, “My first squad meeting, I wanted to make a good impression so I tried to show up thirty minutes early. Seraphim and Captain’s faces when they walked in ten minutes later… I spent the entire meeting thinking Seraphim hated me with how she was staring at me. Turns out Captain likes to be the first to a meeting if she’s hosting; apparently she and a previous squad member had gotten into an accidental war about who would show up first and Captain had literally camped out in the squad room the night before just so she’d be there first…” It had apparently been prompted when the other squad member had shown up more than four hours early, thus Captain’s extreme response. At that point, Valiar and Seraphim had instituted the unofficial, Captain-doesn’t-know rule of no one was allowed to show up to a squad meeting more than ten minutes early.

Omi laughed at the anecdote, hearing Cleric Cora giggle as well. It was funny to think of the composed White Seraph acting in such a childish manner.

“Anyways, I won’t keep either of you. Looks like you’re here to check on Captain?” The blond Knight asked, stepping away so he was no longer blocking the door. “Any news?”

The happy mood subsided and Cleric Cora shook her head regretfully. Omi caught the sad look on the Knight’s face before Leon nodded and waved a hand in goodbye, turning to walk away. The duo solemnly entered the ward and started the routine checkup.

“We’ll beat this.” Omi looked up at the sudden words, seeing a determined Cleric Cora. Hazel eyes looked down on the silent patient as the petite woman vowed, “We’ll figure out a medication and cure Master Lethe and everyone else.”


The blue-armored Knight crossed his arms and looked out the window. Below, he could see people gathering for evening prayer. Another day had passed with little progress to show for it. While the shrunken stack of paperwork may disagree with his assessment, Adair found the only two things he cared about hadn’t changed: Roland. Lethe.

Grisia had sent him an update on his adopted older brother. The brunet was still unconscious in the District 5 Quarantine ward but at least the symptoms were neither getting better nor worse. Given the newest developments, Adair could only take that as a good thing. He could tell his older brother was also tentatively pacified by the situation, if the complaints about having to constantly turn Roland over were any indication. Lesus and Grisia were taking turns manning the shop while the other stayed with the comatose blacksmith, also helping around in the clinic when possible.

As for Lethe… No news seemed to be the only good news these days. He frowned as he recalled the circumstances leading up to the present. He didn’t blame the older woman for her choice. Annabelle had been so sick and with Marielle’s sobbing and Valiar’s defeated slump on the shoulders… His hand clenched into a fist at the memory. No, after six years together, he was clear how Captain saw the Marcus family as her own. Even he felt the same, though they were more like close extended family to him rather than his immediate family, to which only his brothers and Captain were members of. No, he didn’t blame her nor would he have stopped her, though he was not happy about it or the secrecy around it. The fact a cleric had collapsed after healing the Sweating Sickness was not something Valiar or Leon should have tried to hide from him.

The first songs from the chorus drifted up to his ears and he unclenched his fist. He had grown up around both hymns and the Divine Light, his brothers having all previously been members of the Immaculate, but he didn’t find himself particularly devoted to the religion. If there was a Divine Light, it didn’t seem particularly caring about the world given it let Sin run around. And if there was no Divine Light, the world would still be in the current situation so thinking further on the topic seemed a bit pointless. But Grisia and Lethe were both devoted to the Divine Light, and that was enough for him. And he supposed it wasn’t all bad: the Divine Light had given them the ability to cure injuries and disease, absolved Seraphim, and brought all of Squad Ten together. He guessed it was a good enough reason to stay on as a Pristine Knight.

But to be a Seraph? He turned back to the table and all its paperwork with a silent scoff. No way.


[[Day 24 of Month -5 :: The Sanctuary, Grand Cathedral, Gless]]

Omi opened the room cautiously, purple gaze sweeping over the room in case someone else was there. Finding it empty, he walked into the room, dipping an awkward nod at the sleeping patient. He felt a bit bad intruding on Master Lethe’s private ward but it was one of the calmer areas for him to work. Averting his gaze, he scurried over to the table by the window where a bouquet of flowers sat. He carefully moved the vase to the edge and put down the reports and reference books he’d brought.

In his defense, Cleric Cora had said it wouldn’t hurt to check up on Master Lethe more often, just in case she showed a symptom that was missed during their checkups. The cleric just probably hadn’t quite meant for it to become his impromptu study room. The redhead heaved a reproachful sigh at the thought but the guilt wasn’t enough for him to actually leave. The tranquility in the room was too tempting, especially given what exactly he was reading. His gaze dropped down to the dog-eared Prescriber’s Guide to Common and Unusual Herbs he’d exhumed from the bottom of his book chest and then flickered away. If it hadn’t been such an expensive manuscript, he would have long thrown it away. But money had been tight after they’d moved to Gless and he hadn’t been able to find a good resale price given its torn cover. Instead, it had lived four lonely years willfully forgotten until the current epidemic made him pull it back out. With a swallow of his throat, Omi placed it in the corner of the table where he wouldn’t see it right away and then covered it with some extra papers. Out of sight, sort of out of mind.

Taking a seat, he arranged his pens, highlighters, and sticky notes within easy reach and then flipped open the most recent reports from the clinics in Lindela. First he’d catch up on the newest development; then he’d read through the latest research results; and last he’d start compiling the list of prospective medicinal substitutes.

It was an hour or so later, when he’d just opened up the Prescriber’s Guide, that Omi stood up from his seat and took a quick lap around the room.
“Hah! What’s this?” A boot kicked the book, sending it skidding along the ground. “Pres-pres.. Guide to Common Herbs? Hah! You really do think you’ll be a cleric don’t you?”
Stopping in front of the window, he jiggled a leg anxiously before forcing himself to stop. What had the Advocate recommended? Make a fist, loosen it, tighten it, and continue until his tension had all melted away. His hands convulsed through the motions as he looked out the window, trying to calm down. Not finding the peace he wanted, he turned around and stared into the room.

Inevitably, though he tried not to look in that direction, his wandering gaze settled on the only other occupant of the room. Master Lethe was as quiet as ever, her face peaceful. It made him think of Leon’s comment yesterday: hopefully she was getting a good rest. It was odd to think of her and Master Guilford as, well, humans. Obviously they weren’t Sinners or anything, but they had always been heroes, larger than life: untouchable. He had been only nine when they had defeated the God of Sin; the first time he’d ever heard their names, they had already been sanctified. And so, they’d never felt reachable to him. Until recently, that is. Who would have thought Master Lethe was so particular about being on time? A small smile lifted his lips at the memory of Leon’s story. Or that Master Guilford could wander the Cathedral with bedhead? That memory prompted a laugh as did his recollection of how apprehensive he’d felt when he woke them up. In retrospect, it had been funny to see how embarrassed and surprised the two had been when he’d woken them up.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how many famous people he knew–Knight Leon, Knight YunQiao, Knight Commander Romauld, Head Cleric Heidi, and even Cleric Cora–and how all were just humans like him. He’d seen all of them frustrated, happy, determined, sometimes even joking. They were certainly more skilled and more talented than him but it no longer felt like they were on pedestals. They were just all fellow humans trying their best in these circumstances.

His gaze wandered to the closed book from his past–
Two hands shoved him from behind, forcing him into the corner. Trembling, he turned around to see he had been surrounded. Further back, impassive classmates watched the spectacle but none stepped forward to help him. Some even just resumed their previous conversations or activities, as if he was completely invisible.
–and then back to the sleeping woman. Master Lethe had only been nineteen when she’d defeated the God of Sin, Master Guilford eighteen. He was now the same age as one and older than the other. At this age, they had already been struggling to do their best while he…

Omi swallowed heavily, trying to force the lump in his throat down. He could also struggle to do his best. With a shaky breath, he gathered his holy magic into his eyes.

The familiar white body snapped into focus and he felt his nails dig into his palm, reflexively trying to escape. No, he would be better than that. Fist still clenched in anxiety, he took hesitant steps forward until he was by the bed. He could see dots of purple and black flowing through the body, shrouding the entire form like a veil. Red eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Purple was typically disease or illness, which would make sense given it was a plague. But what was the black color? His mind sped through all the reports he’d read, trying to think of anything. The sweating? But that seemed to be a symptom more than anything else. Related to why the clerics were falling into comas? Maybe. Wait! Hadn’t there been a message from District Fifteen? That was the one Master Lethe’s cleric worked at. Something about.. The plague possibly being connected to Sin?

Like a puzzle piece falling into place, an idea blossomed in his mind. It was a bad idea. He knew it was a bad idea. And yet, he really wanted to know. It might somehow injure Master Lethe and so the responsible thing would be to call Cleric Cora and have her test it. Except then he’d have to explain his vision and his glowy eyes and he didn’t even know if it would work and it could just waste her time and… He gathered holy magic in his right finger and slowly extended his hand. In an unconscious mimicry of when he woke Master Lethe up in her squad chambers, he poked the sleeping woman.

Though he wasn’t especially trained in healing magic, it wasn’t hard to push his magic in the woman’s direction. In his vision, he saw the yellow glow of holy magic as it extended from his finger and then entered the other body, forming a channel. Like water on hot oil, the black spots surged towards the yellow light, grabbing onto it and devouring it, following the pathway towards– With a scream, Omi jerked away and cut off the connection though his holy magic still glowed on his hand. In his vision, he could see–THOSE BLACK SPOTS HAD FOLLOWED HIM!!! Incomprehensible sounds of horror streamed from his mouth as he shook his hand furiously, as if he could fling the black spots off his magic. It wasn’t working! Oh Light! What was this? What was this?! What could work? Absolve? Banish? What? He didn’t know any of these spells! They weren’t standard curriculum for Scribes! Face in a rictus of terror, he just gathered his holy magic and tried to pummel the black spots into oblivion. He really wasn’t sure what in the Light he was doing but eventually the black spots all vanished.

He slumped to the ground in boneless relief, still trying to recover from the shock and dread he’d just experienced. What had been that? Was this what Knights went through every time they went into battle? Ugh, he was so glad he’d never even tried to be a Knight. Omi lifted his hands to cradle his head but then immediately shoved his right hand far away. No way, too scary to bring that close even if he couldn’t see the black spots anymore. Oh Light grant him fortitude.

He knew it had been a bad idea. But even as he chastised himself, a chuckle escaped his mouth. Definitely bad idea. Glowing eyes turned back towards the placid figure on the bed who seemed undisturbed by his shouting and panic attack. But at least now he seemed to know the missing piece. They would need to figure out a way to target the black spots, probably Sin, to properly cure this plague.

Even as he sat on the ground, body too boneless with fear or adrenaline from his experiment, Omi couldn’t wipe the triumphant smile burgeoning on his face.

You’ll definitely become an amazing cleric!

_________________

Day 22 of Month 5 - Scout Division, Hayato's Office


"I dare say that's not the only reason you came to see me Master Guilford?" Hayato clasped both hands together before him, preparing to talk about the real reason the blue Seraph made a house call.

A short sigh escaped Guilford's lips. This old scout was legendary. He had many accomplishments during the time of the first war, primarily centered around gathering intel on enemy forces, covertly destroying critical enemy encampments, and tracking and eliminating high value targets. Had it not been for him and the rest of his division, the casualties of the first war would have been far more than it actually was. That was this man's image to the public and the general knighthood.

However, to those in higher positions of command, that is not the only thing this man was known for. Hayato Akiyama, though not official, was also considered a member of the High Council, or more accurately, he's what the Immaculate called a shadow councilor. Issues that are beyond the capability of the High Council and the Seraphs to resolve are shoved to his plate for appropriate handling. Though there are not many of those issues, one such issue was the revival of the God of Sin. Such was the other side of the Scout Division.

"I'm looking for someone." the male Seraph finally broke the ice.

Curiosity lined the old scout's features but he did not appear to be surprised. "You mean them right? The last community of the Pure?"

Once more, Guilford felt like an underdog before this man. "You're very intuitive, Master Hayato."

"It comes with the age and trade." the old man dismissed the praise nonchalantly. "Does it have something to do with that little ritual of yours?"

Guilford's eyes widened at the question. Just how much does he actually know?

"Come now, don't be so surprised. I have eyes and ears in the most uncanny places." Hayato smiled. "It comes with the trade." He emphasized the nature of his work once again.

"Do you know where I can find them?" Guilford cut to the chase.

The older man sighed and shifted in his seat. For this one, he did not have an answer. "Unfortunately Master Guilford, I do not."

"That figures." Guilford mimicked the sigh. "If they had access to teleportation spells, they can be in seclusion anywhere."

"Ever since Akira made a report about these individuals, we have been interested." Hayato began, pulling the Seraph's attention back to him once more. "While it is unfortunate that we failed to glean any useful information from the one you captured, we still took measures to learn as much as we can." Hayato grinned. "After all, we can't let another power keep doing as they please, especially if it gets in the way of the Immaculate right?"

"I'm listening."

"Ever since the incident with your knight, I've tasked Akira to investigate."

"So that's why Akira had been particularly keen on being around Fiona."

"That's one, and I think the boy genuinely likes your knight." Hayato chuckled at youth. "They've shared many conversations and Akira was able to piece together a brief history of how your knight got here." he waved his hands around. "Apparently, it was with the help of her aide, a woman going by the name of Nuala. Oh, and your knight does not know how to get back too, which is convenient all things considered."

Guilford shook his head slightly. "Which means our lead is this Nuala person?"

"Yes, so we monitored her for a time but..." Hayato cupped his chin in thought. "At first, she blended in well with the people of Caleta. She would meet with your knight regularly but she does not stay long at your knight's place. However, it would seem there's more to her than we were led to believe initially."

"What happened?" the male Seraph curiously asked. It was not everyday that he gets to hear about the details of work by the Scout Division. After all, any of their reports that made it to his and Lethe's desks only included vital information.

"It would seem that for an aide to nobility, she too is a master of our trade." the old scout sighed in defeat. "We were made early, and our intentions even earlier. Monitoring her since then had been... extremely difficult."

"Is she still here?"

"No." Hayato shook his head in unison with his response. "About a week before Lindela was attacked, she parted ways with her charge." the old scout then pulled open a drawer of his desk and grabbed what looked like a sketch. "She did leave her something though." he continued. "Akira couldn't take it so he drew it for me. There's words we couldn't understand inscribed on the item." he pointed out the part of the item in the sketch where the inscription was.

Vara anima nara. Esfera ruta pera.

Guilford stared at the inscription in futility. He did not understand it at all but he knew someone who might. That person was the one who translated the third rite for them after all. "Can I take this?" Guilford pointed at the sketch.

"By all means. If it helps you find answers, please do." Hayato nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Master Hayato. It had been most... enlightening."

"I am glad to be of service Master Guilford." The old scout smiled. "May the Light guide you on your path."

"Light bless you and keep you safe." the Seraph responded and headed out of Hayato's office.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Cathedral, Magic Research Division


Guilford anxiously tapped his right foot on the ground while seated at the waiting lounge just outside Councilor Margarette's office. The research division was busier than usual considering Councilor Margarette just re-allocated half their manpower to find a cure for the plague.

The plague.

A tsk of displeasure managed to find its way out of his lips at the thought of what this plague had taken from them. He wanted to get mad at Lethe for being careless but he could not find fault at what she did for him to even be close to getting angry. She was doing her duty and such risks came with their convictions. Sad and painful it may be, this is what they signed up for.

The image of her lying down in a coma flashed in his mind. He did not want to see her that way. A large part of him wanted to contribute to finding a cure, but somewhere deep down, he knew for himself that it was not the right thing for him to do now.

Considering his own careless behavior, the Third Rite of Ascension nearly killed him. If in an alternate reality, Lethe was the one who decided to take on the rite early, their situation right now could be very different. She could have....

Guilford shook the thoughts away almost reflexively. He can't be thinking like this. Thus it made sense for him to get to the bottom of the Third Rite and learn as much as he can for when the time comes that he and Lethe take on the ritual, they would have better chances of surviving... or at least one of them would.

"Master Guilford, Councilor Margarette is ready for you now." Margarette's aide called.

"Thank you." he bowed in response and rose to his feet, making his way back to the councilor's office.

________________________________________

"Master Guilford, it's so nice of you to come visit this old lady." Margarette greeted the Seraph who was making his way towards her desk and finding himself a seat in front of her. "Even nicer to see you walking around again." she added as soon as the Seraph was seated.

"Thank you Councilor, and sorry for the trouble."

"No matter. You're awake and alive. That's all that matters." She stressed some of her words. "How can I help you?"

"Vara anima nara. Esfera ruta pera." he recited the inscription clearly for the councilor. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Should it?" the councilor asked with a puzzled look. "What's this about?"

"I'm investigating something." he took the sketch that he got from Hayato out and placed it on the table.

Margarette looked at the sketch and examined it for a moment. "An Artifact?"

"I... don't know. Is that what it is?"

Councilor Margarette eyed the Seraph suspiciously. Artifacts, items of legend that are said to hold an incredible amount of power. Not many believe in their existence since there's almost no records of such items. However, they are very real. The Immaculate happens to have an artifact or two in their possession. They may not be usable now given their current degraded state but they still emanate strong magic. Caliburn, which was the model of the Judgment swords and Angelique, the model of their Faith necklaces. The sketch of a necklace she's looking at resembled the intricate design and artistry that transcends normal jewelry like the Angelique.

Well he did say he was investigating, "It looks like an artifact. Why are you looking into this item?"

"I'm not particularly chasing the item Councilor. I know where it is." Guilford skirted around the question. "I'm looking for clues to find the people who made it. I just need the inscription translated."

At the knowledge that the Seraph was more interested in the words than the item itself, Margarette looked at the inscription again and mouthed off the words quietly. "Hold on... these words are familiar..." she gasped after recognizing a few words. Almost immediately, the councilor spun her seat around and rummaged through the drawers of a file cabinet behind her, grabbing a few rolls of paper and spreading them wide open on the table.

Guilford looked on intently as each roll of paper was laid out. It would seem these were the very same records she used to translate the third rite.

"Seek... Soul... Home... Path..." she mumbled the decoded words as she continued working. A few minutes later and she had scribbled down the translated version for Guilford.

"Seek the soul's home. Let the path be known." Guilford quietly pieced the puzzle in his head together. Nuala had given Fiona an item that would allow her to come back home if she wanted to, which meant he could use the item to find the last community of the Pure.

"Thank you Councilor, you've been a great help."

Guilford was about to leave when the councilor suddenly spoke. "This is language of the Pure, Master Guilford." she had a stern look on her face as she locked gazes with the male Seraph who was just about to stand up. "What you're doing... is this related to the Third Rite of Ascension?" she asked openly.

"It is." was his short response.

An audible sigh of frustration escaped the councilors lips. "You're still going to go through with it? The very same rite that nearly killed you?"

"I am."

The councilor looked like she wanted to pull all her hair out. "You know the council is debating about stopping you and Master Lethe from doing this ritual. A decision can't be made due to the gravity of our situation with the God of Sin walking around."

"That is precisely why." Guilford sat back down and looked at the councilor in the eyes. "The power I've been privileged to get a taste of when I tried the ritual, it was something I never experienced before. It's so strong that it's frightening. Stronger than being able to simply tap into the Divine Realm. If we could tame that power, even just one of us, we will stand a chance against the God of Sin. We could turn the tables. Of that, I am sure of."

Unable to fathom the male Seraphs words, Margarette shook her head. "What if you two can't tame it? What then?"

"I'm looking into this so that I can make sure both of us can, or in the worst case, one of us." Guilford concluded his thoughts with a sigh. He really did not want to think about him-especially Lethe-dying because of this stupid ritual. "If you'll excuse me Councilor, I need to prepare heading out to Palaugrim."

Margarette was in the process of absorbing Guilford's words that she hadn't noticed the man leave her office. Only at the sound of the doors closing that his last words registered in her head.

"Palaugrim... with Master Lethe unconscious... uuuugghhh!!" she plopped her forehead down to her desk as if sapped of all her vigor. These Seraphs definitely don't want to make their lives in the council any easier.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Caleta - Guilford's Home (Night)


The sound of roaring flames and metal striking metal resounded loudly within the privacy protected smithy. It had been a while since he last held a smithing hammer in his hands but now was as good a time as any to reforge his sword. Masterfully striking and shaping the red hot alloy, Guilford recalled how Light's Requiem protested against being a conduit of power from the Divine Realm. With the power from the Third Rite in mind, he knew that the current sword couldn't take it and would shatter on the first attempt to drive that power into it. He needed to refine the alloy-make it more magic tolerant-if it were to ever stand a chance at harnessing such power safely.

Mithril should do the trick. the Seraph thought to himself as he continued striking, shaping and tempering the red hot alloy until it started looking like a blade.

"I see you're going traditional tonight." Corwin spoke as he made his way towards the Seraph with a tray of food and refreshment in hand. Normally, when the Seraph forges weapons, he employs the use of magics to make it more convenient. However, tonight the Seraph was making full use of the forge, traditionally heating and cooling the makings of a fine blade.

"Forging with Mithril requires a delicate touch. I can't let any magic affect its base state as I work on it." he responded. "Otherwise it will imbue the sword with properties I wouldn't want." although it was true that Mithril ore required bare and traditional metalwork, it was a great way to hide not being able to use his magic.

"I understand you're headed off to Palaugrim?" the old butler inquired, watching Guilford begin sharpening the newly forged sword.

"Yes, I am." Guilford answered truthfully. "Don't worry Corwin, half my squad is already there."

"But they are on a mission of their own yes? And you have your own if I am understanding what you said earlier correctly."

"Yes, that's true."

"Then, wouldn't it be wise to take knights with you? It is Palaugrim we're talking about after all."

Guilford quietly thought for a moment at the mention of bringing knights with him. Given the history between them and the people he's looking for, combat is a distinct possibility. Just bringing any knight along would mean little in what could potentially be hostile territory. If he were to bring knights with him, it has to be only a few to not give off an aggressive stance to their would be unannounced visit, but at the same time, said knights need to be competent enough to hold their own. That and he only has his swordsmanship to rely on.

He couldn't recall his squad in the middle of their own missions, and Joaquim is currently studying the foundations of being a Seraph. That endeavor is not to be taken lightly. He has plenty of reading to do and many leadership concepts to understand. At the same time, he couldn't risk bringing Alona and Silver with him granted they are the closest in terms of battle aptitude to Seraphs, they would be better placed here in his absence. Lance is a Knight Commander now and Cora is dealing with the plague.

The only real option would be a few knights from Squad Ten.

However, with Lethe in her current state, perhaps none of them would want to leave the island until things shape for the better. Unfortunately, time was of the essence for this mission. If what Master Hayato said was true about the Harbingers of Light making a move soon, and with the God of Sin in Tethel, that cursed being was probably brewing something... and that something was coming for them. It also pays to take note that should the Harbingers of Light attack Eve, the God of Sin in Tethel would definitely make a move. Which is why he needed this Third Rite mystery solved before things escalate any further. It was a race against time.

"I'll ask Squad Ten for help, Corwin."

"Well then, that settles it. Please make sure to rest up early when you finish. It's a long trip to Palaugrim."

With a nod to the old butler's reminders, Guilford continued sharpening his far from finished blade.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 23 of Month 5 - Palaugrim, Sharen

One knight stood at the top of the main city gate watching knight regiments move in and out of the city. The defense of Sharen was a success and all that is left now is to reclaim territory they had to give up and fortify those locations. Alfrei sighed at the reminder of the last few days they were here. Tethelite forces were so much harder to deal with since they have training and are well-versed in the use of armaments. It's a good thing that majority of their forces comprised of familiar foe in the forms of Sinners and Pure Sinners. There were occasional Reapers in the mix but Knight Commander Krista seem to have an effective way of dealing with them, which was a definite load off his shoulders.

Operating as a detached unit of two, he and Natalia were mostly guerilla fighting smaller but stronger key forces during the entire operation. Had he not been capable of Light's Wrath, it would have been a troublesome endeavor. It was right of him to split up the squad and pair up with Divine Light capable knights. It's a good thing too they brought upgraded Pristine Knight gear. That was definitely a turning point of this whole attack against the city.

"You're looking grim. What's on your mind?" Natalia spoke as she approached her Vice Captain and handed him a bottle of water.

"Did you know that the Captain fell unconscious the day after we shipped out to Palaugrim?" he asked rhetorically. Of course she wouldn't know.

"What?!" Natalia gasped in response. "Let's head back!" she added in panic.

"No need. He's fine now and is in active duty again per Joaquim." Alfrei clenched his fists. It had felt like he let his Captain down by not being there.

"Oh... okay." the female blonde knight calmed down.

"Besides, we need to head to Bastille and other places to distribute the new shipment of gear as well as help out in their matters of defense." he thought out loud. "Our work here is far from done."

Natalia looked at her Vice Captain with squinted eyes. Back then he would probably order a hasty recall and dive in head first to Gless at the news. Now he was shaping up to be less and less dependent on their Captain and was making sound decisions on or off the field. It was not quite there yet, but she was reminded of how they were once led by their former Vice Captain.

"Hey... we did good right?" she asked the man.

Turning to face his fellow squad member, Alfrei had a slightly confused look. "What do you mean? Of course we did."

"Yeah... back then we needed the Captain or Brynhild. But now..." she trailed off, gaze coming to stop at the moving knights below them, a solemn smile playing on her lips. "Now we can make things like this happen on our own." she then looked back to her Vice Captain, "We've grown a lot haven't we?"

Alfrei simply smiled in return and turned his gaze back to the moving knights. "Yeah, yeah we did." he recalled a moment of his first year in Squad Eight where he got smacked in the head by Brynhild for falling out of formation during a sinner subjugation mission.

Now that he thought more about it, their Captain and former Vice Captain normally gave them orders, but they never really gave them instructions on how to complete the order. It was always this is what needs to happen and the thinking part of how to make it happen falls solely on their shoulders. Unconventional sure, but it trained them how to think for themselves out in the field towards achieving a goal.

He questioned it at first, thinking there's merit to a group collaboration effort where everyone gets to discuss the matter. However, Brynhild explained to him that their Captain's pointed approach allows their squad to act more swiftly and that speed was very crucial to a battle oriented squad. The quicker they can deploy, the more lives they can save. She couldn't be more right.

"Vice Captain Alfrei," A call for him came from a distance. It was Knight Commander Krista's Vice Captain, "The next shipment of Pristine Knight gear slated for Bastille will be arriving soon."

"I got it, thanks." He responded and watched the man turn around. When the other man left, he then looked at his female companion. "Ready to head out?" he asked Natalia.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 24 of Month 5 - Caleta, Guilford's Home (Night)

The man had just finished putting the final touches on his new sword scabbard. He had made the blade just a few centimeters longer than it was originally to give him more reach, and had definitely succeeded in incorporating Mithril to the sword. Now his Light's Requiem is more attuned to the arcane. Unlike Nirvana which had a darker blue blade, Light's Requiem had a more teal color to the blade, all thanks to the amount of Mithril he had to forge into it. Theoretically, the sword should have no problems getting exposed to high intensity magics now. Clipping and fastening the Rosenwulf insignia to the pommel of his sword-a wolf biting on a rose-was the last step. It was finally ready.

"Alright. Time to head to the Grand Cathedral."


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 24 of Month 5 - Caleta, Market Street (Night)

A cloaked figure roamed the night streets of Caleta's market. Establishments were preparing to call it a day and the people that once crowded the streets have started to thin. The cloaked figure continued walking the streets, his destination clear in his mind. It was the uninviting tea shop by the corner of Bristol street along 16th Main. He was still a long way by foot so it was inevitable that he would come across Pristine Knight patrols that would stop him at first sight, to which he calmly responds by parting his cloak to reveal a turtle crest on his left pauldron and he would be on his way.

There was a time where he had to swerve off the street to find cover in the darkness upon hearing a familiar heavy but agile trotting of a horse coming his way. He'd recognize the sound that steed makes anywhere. It took a moment but the black horse passed him by with the rider kept unaware of his presence. A pained expression lined his features at the sight of Thunder trotting away with his friend. Shaking his head back to his task, Silver slipped out of the darkness and continued walking.

Half an hour later and he finally arrived at his destination. Instead of entering the tea shop, he made sure to look left and right before slipping into one of the back alleys behind the establishment. Reaching the alley intersection, the cloaked figure pulled his hood down and rested his back on the wall, the shadow of night claiming his figure from visibility.

"The commander sends his regards. You've done really well." a voice came from the other side of the alley intersection.

"It's not easy getting what you asked for." Silver retorted, dismissing the praise altogether. "A shipment of new swords slated for distribution will be missed and knights will go poking around looking for it."

The cloaked figure at the other side huffed in response. "I trust you took care of it?"

"Of course. They will be poking around for a while and very likely give up looking. There's no paper trail and the ones involved in transporting the shipment have been... cleansed of their recollection."

"Exemplary." the other figure praised. "And what of the clerical body? Will they be a problem?"

Silver's brow twitched at the doubt cast on him. "They are busy with the plague." he responded curtly. "Also, you underestimate me. Should they examine the people involved with the missing shipment, they won't find anything. It's untraceable."

"Your family heritage magic is truly remarkable. No wonder the commander took a shine to you. I can only imagine how nice it must be, having the ability to make people forget things."

"Tch!" he scoffed sharply. It's not as if he enjoys making people forget. If anything, he didn't want to have to use his cursed gift of being able to seal people's memories if he could help it.

The d'Arques, a noble house where talent for the arcane ran abundant. That richness in arcane talent was the sole reason that brought the house to power. How unfortunate for him to have been tangled up with that name-and to be blessed by their apparent aptitude for unorthodox magic. The one time he had willingly used his gift was to make a certain noble line forget about him during his early teenage years. Being an illegitimate son of a d'Arques that he was, he had no penny to his name and no honor in his existence born from Sin. From that day on, he discarded the name and chose to live an aimless life, fated to be forgotten in the annals of history.

However, fate had other plans for him.

During his aimless wandering, he found himself in the trade city of Yezak where he met the Le Roux family of traders. On a whim, he had saved the family from a Sinner running rampant using his gift. The family, in thanks for his selfless act, took him in and raised him as their own and taught him the ways of caravan trading. A year later, on his fourteenth birthday, the trade city of Yezak was destroyed by the forces of the God of Sin led by Eve. He was one of the few survivors.

This was the catalyst that drove Silver to join the Pristine Knights where he would once again cross paths with a person who carried the name he despised the most.

"The commander wants to requisition more supplies. Can you handle it?"

The voice brought Silver back to the present. "Why? The shipment I secured should be enough."

"Well, the Immaculate has monopoly over Regalia Quartz-those things are hard to come by. That and the torch as been lit."

Silver's eyes sharpened at the last words. The Harbingers of Light will make a move soon.

A rustle from the rooftops had Silver's eyes shooting upwards, catching a glimpse of a figure hastily making a retreat.

"That's a scout." he calmly warned the other. "Get going, I'll take care of it."

With a mighty bound off the ground, Silver jumped to the rooftop in time to see the scout making their escape. He may be a bulky person, but he was fast enough to keep up with Akira. It didn't take long for him to grab the scout by their left shoulder, spin him around mid-air and immediately put a hand on their head as they quietly landed on one of the roofs they were playing chase at.

"I'm sorry brother." was the words he muttered before sealing the scout's memories of this part of their night. "I can't afford to be found out yet, not until that thing ceases to breathe this world's air." In his mind, if the Light does not want to do anything about the mess it made, then they will.

One demon at a time...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Cathedral, late at night

Trust Thunder to ride like the wind. It took him just a few minutes to get to the center of Caleta where the Grand Cathedral was with the help of his faithful steed. With an approving neigh, the black horse allowed its master to dismount and like routine, walked on its own to the stables. With a thankful wave to his steed, the Blue Seraph walked into the cathedral, exchanging late night greetings with passersby and busybodies still awake inside the building.

As he walked the halls of the Grand Cathedral on his way to Squad Ten's quarters, the sight of the Council Chambers made him recall the heated argument he had earlier with the High Council. None of them wanted him to embark on this journey to Palaugrim especially after learning the purpose of this mission. It was only when he pointed out and reminded that the Seraph Candidates actually held the fort just fine during the few days both he and Lethe were out of action did the Councilors mellowed down (just a little). He also had to stress the fact that there's more capable knights in service of the Light than the council would want to acknowledge.

In the end he still got his way, despite the ire he drew from the High Council. Now to finalize the preparations, Guilford knocked on the doors of Squad Ten's quarters.

The door creaked open revealing the pink-haired lady of the squad. He was greeted by an "Oh... you." which was sharply corrected by a voice coming from Lethe's desk saying "Mind your manners Seraphim."

The "Sorry Master Guilford, please come in." came out almost immediately as the Blue Seraph courteously walked inside. He stood respectfully by the door and indicated he had no intention of staying long by a wave of a hand and a smile to Knight Leon who offered him a seat.

The air inside the quarters was thick and heavy, almost visible given how this squad was still captain-less. It would be rude and inconsiderate of him to ask them how they were all doing. Guilford did a quick headcount and noted that only their resident cleric was missing. With a short breath, he spoke first since it seemed like none of them wanted to ask why he was here.

"Stay strong. She will pull through."

His words elicited subtle reactions from the knights in the room. Others looked away, some looked down, and a few closed their eyes. One green pair however, locked gazes with the Seraph and asked, "Can we help you, Master Guilford?" using a cold tone.

He liked being direct and on point so he would answer in kind. "A priority mission to Palaugrim. I'm sorry to have to ask this during such times but I need to borrow two of your knights, Adair."

A barely visible twitch of the eyebrow did not escape Guilford's notice. The man probably had questions like why ask them when he had four members of his squad already at Palaugrim? "My mission is different from what my squad is doing at Palaugrim. I can't just recall them for this." he added.

This time, a barely audible sigh escaped the Vice Captain's lips, like he was trying hard to repress something within himself. Adair wanted to keep his squad close in case Lethe wakes up but at the same time, they have to be ready for action. Much to his distaste, this Seraph just had to bring them a mission at the worst time. The Vice Captain decided it was best to just send this man away before he says something he'll probably not regret later.

"What is the nature of this mission?" he asked for information.

"A search mission. I am looking for the last community of the Pure. I cannot say anything more than that, I'm sorry."

Closed eyes and turned gazes redirected themselves to the moment as the dialogue between Guilford and Adair continued. The last community of the Pure? What was that? Their Captain had not briefed them of anything like this and their Vice Captain seemed none the wiser too. If that was the case, they were pretty sure that they have been made privy to Seraph and Council level information.

"Tch." the Vice Captain irked quietly. A part of him wanted to hear a reason he could contest and turn down but given what the Seraph just said, this mission had to be important. "With the exception of myself, everyone present here can be deployed. Do you have a preference on who you want to bring?" his tone icy as ever to which the Seraph paid little mind.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to bring YunQiao and Leon with me."

Upon hearing his name, the young knight who had been comfortably lounging on the couch closed his eyes just as soon as he met the green ones that landed on him. With a short huff of breath, he simply said "I'll go."

Green hues then turned to the far end corner of the quarters where the blonde knight took post, seemingly shaken that his name was called too. Whether it was the pressure of Guilford's nomination or the stare of his Vice Captain, the blonde sensor knight struggled but mustered the words out too. "I-I'll go too."

With the matter settled, Adair turned his gaze back to the Seraph by their doorstep. "Will there be anything else?"

"You've been most helpful." he lightly bowed his head in acknowledgment and turned to the knights he named for the journey. "Thank you for your help. Please meet me at the Wyviera port tomorrow first light. Make sure to pack well and be geared for combat."

Having secured the help he needed, Guilford bade farewell to the rest of Squad Ten and left the room, closing the doors quietly as he did. Inside, Cricket and Seraphim had conveniently made themselves comfortable around Leon. In a hushed tone, the purple-haired knight whispered to the blonde to which Leon blushed at the end of it. "I-I c-can't do that!" the blonde said.

"You can and you will." the pink-haired knight cracked her fists. "We can't rely on the other stick of this squad to do it so it's on you. Got it?" she authoritatively commanded but the fervor in her tone immediately vanished upon feeling a dagger-like gaze descend upon her when she mentioned the other stick of the squad.

Sighing in defeat, the blonde knight conceded to their whims and was about to head out with YunQiao to prepare when Adair's voice echoed inside the room once more. "Report to me immediately if anything is amiss."

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Day 25 of Month 5: Caleta, Wyviera Port


Guilford had just finished speaking with the pilot regarding their destination and handed over the approval form to the dockmaster. He was prepped well but light. The plan was to stock up on towns or villages they pass by should their journey call for a trip around the island. After loading his pack to their airborne transport, Guilford's gaze was drawn to the port entrance where two knights he commissioned for this journey made their way towards him.

He had gone over their prowess reports of course and had identified their strengths and weaknesses. YunQiao was an adept caster that required protection from other squad members for him to be highly effective in the field. However, he is also very adept at creating casting opportunities on his own. Leon on the other hand resembled more of a well-rounded knight with no distinct combat specialties save for his high sensory gift. His stats were higher than an average knight and that gift of his would be very useful for this mission.

They had finished loading their packs to the transport when Guilford called for their attention. "Listen you two, there's no real nice way to say this but I can't use my magic now. For some reason, my magic reserves are not recovering."

Leon paused for a second, cupping his chin as he realized something. So that's why his presence was so weak! YunQiao however, remained calm and collected. His realization was different from Leon. With this Seraph unable to use his magic, it meant they were his bodyguards, which also meant they would be taking the front. He could have picked Seraphim or Deimos which are better suited for the job but why him and Leon? This trip is starting to become a nightmare and it hasn't even begun yet! The caster knight sighed internally.

"But don't worry, I do not plan to go through the active fronts we have at Palaugrim. That and I am still pretty good with the sword. Should the need arise, I can still hold my own in a fight." he said while tapping the hilt of his newly forged blade, one that Leon noted was different from the last one he remembered way back.

A sigh of relief came from the two upon hearing his words. It would be really bad if this Seraph died on their watch. It's still concerning but at the same time, quite reassuring to hear that he can still fight with just his sword. "Where are we headed first?" YunQiao asked.

"To Hiribah. We need to find one of my knights, Fiona, since I need something from her for this journey."

Nodding at the knowledge of their first destination, the three boarded the flying contraption and began their flight to Palaugrim.

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