163 - A Good Morning

Vittoria leaned against a rock ledge, observing the cloud-covered ravine in the distance. It was nearly sunset here, and she should be enjoying the view. Instead, she was wondering how Arielle was faring.

She should be at Lord Wesley’s mansion by now and should have spent at least an hour there. Maybe even had breakfast with them. The dean and Vittoria had imparted as many conversational etiquette rules as they could, but things like that still didn’t come naturally to Arielle. They might never come naturally to her, and there was always the chance Ari would say or do the wrong thing, or she might get flustered enough to blurt out something to make people suspicious.

Subtlety and subterfuge weren't her forte, and they might never be. At least Elric was there to smooth things over, but Vittoria just didn’t know if that would be enough. Which was why Arielle needed to be as strong as possible before anyone caught on.

She heard the crunch of grass behind her, but didn't move. She smiled instead, though she could feel the annoyance oozing into the atmosphere.

“You came.”

“Only to tell you to get lost and never come back.” The last crunch told her that Catriona was now standing in place, likely with her arms crossed and annoyance on that angular, pretty face of hers.

Vittoria finally turned around to witness the disgruntled woman wearing a habit.

“You could have sent the message by not showing up,” Vittoria said, shrugging. “Yet here you are.”

“What do you want, Vittoria? Another so-called healing potion?”

“No. Something a little more complicated than that," she said. “I want to talk about the primordials.”

Catriona frowned and cocked her head. She seemed to be waiting for the punch line, and when it didn’t come, she asked, “You’re serious?”

“Pretty serious.”

“Why?"

"Would you believe pure curiosity?"

"Not even slightly," Cat said flatly, displeasure stamping on her expression. “Is this about your new spiritual friend again?”

“Yes and no."

"Of course." Cat rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath. “They must be pretty special to have you considering the value of religion.”

"They're not a love interest if that's what you're wondering."

Cat’s eyes flared open, her head snapping up. “That wasn’t what I–”

Vittoria laughed, and Catriona's eyes narrowed.

“Look,” Vittoria said. “I know that you believe the Primordials are all there to protect us, and that something went wrong in the old earth to interrupt that, but they're still all ultimately good for us and yada yada yada.”

Cat’s lip quirked. "Not quite, but I suppose that's the closest you'll let yourself get to enlightenment.”

"Enlightenment. Right. So, you and your ilk think they left their guardians and disciples to protect us against the creatures of other realms. The Lifetree protects us with healing, Truthsinger with insight and knowledge, Stonechild by establishing boundaries, and Flamerider protects us with force. What would you say that the Unmaker protects us with?”

Cat considered Vittoria quietly before she ran her head over her hair, which was braided down her back. “The Unmaker is an Undoer. He rids the world of the worst of the mistakes we make, and those made by the other primordials too."

Vittoria said, "So if one of his disciples was–for argument's sake–haunting someone, would you say that's because it views the person as a mistake?"

"Perhaps."

Vittoria frowned. That didn’t seem right, despite Arielle being a statistical abnormality at the very least. Vittoria had never met anyone with Ari's powers before, but Ari claimed that many more, including Cornelius Draco, had been taken by the Drift. So did that mean they were abnormalities too?

Or was it simpler than that?

Did the primordial feel threatened by Arielle’s potential, and did it want to get rid of her as a result? Then why wasn't it doing so? Why was it playing this game? Or did it not have the power to do so?

"Could also be more complicated than that," Catriona said. "In general theology, we learn of the Unmaker and the great paradox. It’s like void. Void exists, despite it being the antithesis of existence. You cannot rid the world of it because it does not exist, and because it does not exist, it cannot cease to exist, and that is why it constantly exists. So in other words, things trapped in the void are on this infinite loop, and that is why they stop existing yet remain existing."

Vittoria blinked at her, trying to piece together what she was trying to say. "So what you're telling me is that the Unmaker doesn't exist, but also very much exists?"

"I'm not telling you that at all. He's not my discipline; I'm simply stating a theological and philosophical perspective."

"And how does that help me?"

"I never said my goal was to help you."

Touche. "Have you ever heard of the Vacu curse? What is the theological basis for that?”

“It's superstition. There’s no such thing as the Vacu curse."

"What do you make of the rumors that a lot of Vacu dominants meet unfortunate fates? A lot of them die or go missing or simply go mad."

"And yet there are some that are still alive, well, and sane." Catriona sighed. "You, of all people, Vittoria, know that people often use such superstition to justify their own inadequacies or fear. Vacu is a hard essence to use, and typically the only ones who persevere with it are those who are exceedingly arrogant and have something to prove, or those who display some other pathology that makes them obsessed enough to overcome such a challenge. That same type of pathology makes them seek similar risk-taking behaviour, which can explain why they meet such unfortunate fates at a higher rate."

That was a fair assessment. It was also what Vittoria had thought too, until she had met Arielle and heard of all the craziness with the Drift. But with this new truth...it just felt like there was something she was missing.

A lot she was missing, actually, but she doubted Catriona would know any more than she'd already said, even if Vittoria did tell her what she had discussed with Arielle.

"So you came all the way here to ask me about a Primordial that I'm not associated with?"

"Yes," Vittoria said. "I thought you would best know."

"You could have visited any library or academy of theology and found out at least that and more."

"Yes, but then I wouldn't have an excuse to talk to you."

Cat went silent. There was a pregnant pause before she turned on her heel, about to walk away.

“Ennis would have loved this place.”

They both froze, the sound of Catriona’s brother’s name making everything still.

“How dare you mention him?” she hissed, her fingers clenching.

Vittoria had not meant to. She had gotten caught up in the conversation, in memories of standing in a place very much like this one, with Catriona and Ennis.

Ennis was an unusual man. He'd had his cores suppressed in the tail end of his academy years, yet refused to let that define him. He'd grown his physical skill, became an excellent marksman, joined a company called the Band of Bastards, and served under Vittoria in the war, usually as her most stubborn yet determined soldier.

He was always full of smiles, always with a joke, even when punished or bruised and bloodied from battle. One of his front teeth got knocked out in the Ambush of Yella, and he never got it fixed because he thought it gave him charm. He was larger than life.

But then one day he was gone.

Not physically.

His body was still there, but the poison had seeped through it, and his heart had stopped beating hours ago.

He'd only left a single sentence: I couldn't take it anymore.

Vittoria had always heard that having a suppression as an adult was torture. And until then, Vittoria hadn't really questioned it. Until that moment, staring at his unmoving body, then listening to Catriona scream over her brother and try potion after potion to revive him, she had just accepted it as a fact of life.

Suddenly, it was like a glass shattered in her mind.

Maybe it hit so hard because there had been no warning. Sure, he sometimes rubbed his chest and winced. Sometimes his entire face would fall and give a hint of the pain within. He drank too much occasionally, but he never let it interfere with his work.

He always shook off pain as temporary discomfort. He never gave them a reason to worry about him.

Until he took his own life.

It was pointless.

He'd failed the academy in his third year by a few points, but according to Cat, he hadn’t been a terrible mage. Just an easily distracted student attending an institution that did not appreciate his learning methods. He was not the sit-down and memorize type. He was the type to figure out the spell in the middle of a duel. Some professors understood that, but most didn’t. For that, he'd been dropped from the program. For that, he’d had his cores suppressed.

It was not a good reason.

He would have been an adequate adept. With time and some more instruction, he would have made it and, more importantly, he would have lived if the academies did not give themselves informal quotas, kicking out anyone who didn't meet them. If they didn't ultimately control who did and did not get their cores suppressed, at least for those without the proper connections.

But it was the establishment creating the false sense of competition. Greedy masters and archmages wanted more control and higher mana quotas. The power-hungry High Ascendant was afraid that too many powerful ascendants would be able to overthrow him.

And of course those in power had come up with a bunch of other reasons for this. Too many mages would use up the limited essences they had, they said. They were already threatened by a shortage of Massa; they didn’t want to run the risk of everything running out completely.

And if they simply left the mage unsuppressed, well, they would suffer a worse fate. Their cores would atrophy without frequent magic use, and that was even more torturous, so much so that they often sought illegal means to end their pain.

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There was also more about how non-mages who had active cores negatively impacted the system and its running, but still. Vittoria thought there had to be some other way, but the elders didn't consider it. They didn’t want to face the fates they relegated so many others to.

But most of them didn't know what Vittoria knew. That her mother had worked tirelessly for decades on a trade deal with the elves. She had finally succeeded. They said they would be willing to supply Earth with more essences in return for a few minerals that they wanted. They had even offered to show Earthlings how to produce more essences with time.

But the High Ascendant had refused to meet with the elves, claiming that the elves were deceptive about their intentions and would double-cross them eventually.

Very little explanation given on why he thought that. There were attempts made to negotiate, but slowly but surely, the talks had fallen apart.

Vittoria had told her mother to challenge the High Ascendant's decision and reveal what he'd done in front of the council.

She'd refused.

"It's not that simple," she had said. "There are things we must consider."

"What?" Vittoria had asked.

The Queen shook her head.

"Patience," she'd said. "We must be patient."

And that was her mantra for the next couple of decades, even as Vittoria reminded her of how many people were dying while they were all stuck being ‘patient’. The council spoke about other ways to mitigate the risks. Reducing the amount of first-year applicants. Ensuring that no one after second year would get kicked out, thanks to the risk of a painful suppression. Some had argued for lower mana limits to allow for more mages, but that was nearly unanimously shot down. Vittoria herself had tried to talk to several people on the council about the elves’ deal, but it had fallen on deaf ears. They sympathized, but ultimately they all thought this was how things needed to be, because they were terrified to face the one in charge and lose their standing too.

Cowards, all of them.

Like her mother.

Like Vittoria herself had been, when she'd allowed herself to be blind to the suffering of others.

Even after, she’d let it go on for as long as she could. Until she’d exploded.

The council meeting when she'd yelled at everyone and stormed out hadn't been triggered by the stupid questions they were asking her about her mission.

There had been an anger long brewing, and the question was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

It was interesting how one little chip could bring everything crashing down. Ennis wasn't the first person she'd lost. She was nearly three hundred years old at that point and had lost countless before and after him. But that death, not during a battle or after a capture, but during a calm, quiet night where everything had seemed normal…that death was the one that truly rocked the foundation of her world.

The worst part was that the only person she could talk about it with, Catriona, absolutely refused to talk about Ennis. Almost everyone else who knew him was already dead.

“I'm sorry," Vittoria said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Cat's face squeezed into several emotions, ranging from fury to disgust, before finally settling on exhaustion.

“Why are you here, Vittoria?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

She had no solid plan for coming here, and everything she thought she knew was now shaky.

She'd thought she knew what Arielle needed, and she'd had a plan for it, one she was convinced Ari would eventually agree to.

Now she wasn't so sure she wanted her to.

It was all so easy back when she barely knew the girl, when she only saw her genius and her potential.

But living with Arielle, it became increasingly obvious why Elric was so defensive of her.

She was extremely powerful, yet so vulnerable at the same time. She was naive in a lot of ways, brave, protective, and didn't fear dying. She did not have as much self-preservation as she should have. It would be difficult for her to play the political games she needed to play for her role.

Arielle was not the perfect candidate for what Vittoria wanted after all.

Nevertheless, things couldn’t stay the same. They simply couldn't.

“One more thing,” she said. She snapped her fingers, and a bird appeared from nowhere. Its wing extended and warped until it wrapped around Catriona's wrist.

Then the bird disappeared, leaving behind a band.

Catriona jerked when she saw it and glared at Vittoria.

“I have to go to the demonic realm and hunt down a demon lord,” Vittoria said. “I have someone staying at my home, but I don't want them staying alone for too long, just in case."

“Who are they?”

“A former maid of the demonic sect. She's technically Lady Ishta's older sister, but since she doesn't have any magical cores, she faced a lot of abuse and was treated even worse than a mere servant.” Vittoria explained as briefly as possible who Inara was, and how she'd come to stay with her, with some embellishments along the way. “She’s very scared and very skittish around new people. You'll have to be gentle with her, and perhaps help her find herself again."

The silence between them was the only hint of the sheer audacity of Vittoria’s request.

Catriona looked like she almost couldn’t believe it. The woman who had shattered her heart and abandoned her–well, they had abandoned each other, but really Vittoria had done it first–not to mention the several years of pain and anguish she’d put her through, was now asking her to give up her life for her again.

“Are you crazy?” The words weren’t uttered in anger. It sounded like genuine incredulity.

“No?" Vittoria responded in the same tone.

“You expect me to abandon my post, my sisters, give up everything I’ve worked for for six decades…to come babysit for you?”

“Not for me.”

“What for then?”

“I told you. For Inara. You're the only one I can think of who might be able to help her. She’s traumatized and needs a gentle touch and a good mind healer."

“I’m not a mind healer.”

"But you have some training. Not to mention, you’re a naturally empathetic person, so I expect that you will do better than any mind healer I know."

"Forget it, Vittoria."

"I know I'm asking a lot–"

"Of course you are! You always ask a lot."

"You don't have to abandon your post." Vittoria nodded at the band. "The bird. Along with teleportation, it can impersonate you for a short time as long as you don't have to talk to anyone or do anything strenuous."

"Oh, I suppose I can just hide out in my room when we have overnight mass, like we do tonight."

"Oh." Vittoria frowned. "Well...is it possible to take a short sabbatical?"

"I cannot believe you," Catriona hissed. "I can't believe you would ask me to do this after everything."

"I know. And I truly wish I didn't have to."

"Yet you're going to do it anyway."

"Yes. Because no matter what happened between us, you’re the only one I can trust.”

Catriona’s mouth closed, and she struggled, looking caught between vitriol and sadness.

Watching her struggle, Vittoria immediately regretted the request, but she didn't take it back. She still didn't think leaving Inara alone was a good idea.

However, she didn't want Catriona giving up the life she had built either. She had initially assumed it would be a simple act of taking a break or slipping away from the convent for a short time. Vittoria herself had done it enough times back in her academy days. She didn't think that it would mean Catriona leaving her life behind.

"Actually," she said. “Don’t feel pressured. Inara should be safe for a few hours at least. If I’m back within a few hours, then that band should disappear, and all should be well. However, if I’m gone longer than that, then…well, that’s up to you, isn’t it?”

Catriona’s eyes spat venom. “I truly, truly hate you sometimes; you know that, right?”

Vittoria smiled before she disappeared again. “Yeah. I know."

***

Arielle’s room, like most other rooms in this obscene palace, was big and golden, with a platform bed and quilted sheets, spirit lanterns, pink accents, and a balcony overlooking the lake.

She was the only guest in this wing, and as the guest of honor, she was told the entire wing would be hers for the short stay, and she could tell the staff anything she wanted.

That was a lot of pressure, especially as she couldn't think of anything she wanted right now, but she simply nodded and waited for Edward and Montfort to leave.

Then she waited for a few more minutes and set back out towards the lake.

The scent of freshly cut grass accompanied her as she followed the pained buzzing. She saw various manalings on the way, but they were more concentrated in the distance, and she figured she should start there at the center of the mess.

She reached the shore and spotted the waterfalls off a cliff, shielded by some foliage. There were manalings there too, so the waste pipes likely passed through that point.

“Hello,” she greeted them as she sat in a clearing. “I’m Arielle Blacksoil, and I’m a friend."

They didn't seem to understand her. They were in too much pain. So Arielle didn't waste any time.

She inhaled and closed her eyes, drawing all the manalings together, stretching her consciousness as far as it would go. She had gotten better at this, her connection stronger due to having done it so many times at this point. Also due to the practice she'd had with Vittoria.

It didn't take her any time at all to connect to the orbs and start drawing them closer, and it didn't take her much effort to use Elric's spell to replace the broken bits of each manaling either, until she had unblemished orbs floating around the compound, happy again.

Several of them came over to greet her then, and she smiled and let them bounce on the tip of her finger.

"You're welcome," she said in response to their silent thanks. Then she sat there for a few more minutes by the edge of the rumbling lake, enjoying the silence and the waves, the crashing falls, the shift of the clouds, the scent of the water.

She closed her eyes against the slight breeze and felt a sense of accomplishment. Breakfast had gone well, she thought, and she had not only passed her first test, but she had also healed the manalings.

It was a good morning.

However, her satisfaction didn't last long.

She knew eventually, the spirit orbs would get hurt again, and they would be cleaved. It wasn't as simple as breaking whatever tool they used to cleave the manalings and leaving it at that. They would eventually discover and fix the tool, and even if they didn't, the manalings would continue to build up and cause problems.

As long as spells continued to be cast imperfectly, manalings would be created.

Unless she could somehow develop a technology to fix it.

But how would she even do such a thing? She knew nothing about magitech, especially since they would only start getting into those topics in the third year. And even if she did, how would she be able to mass-market it without raising suspicion? Through Professor Valeria?

She sighed.

A feeling of hopelessness weighed down on her, but she shook it off. Better to focus on what she could do rather than what she couldn't.

Maybe she could help by surveilling all the spells in the mansion. After all, there was surprisingly a lot of manalings for a home that was only occupied by three or so mages, one of them at a Master Tier who should have better control of spells.

This level of damage, despite weekly maintenance cleaving, could mean that perhaps there was some spell that had been planted that was producing an unusual amount of waste.

Maybe more than one spell.

If she walked around enough, she might find it, or some redundancies that she could fix.

Boosted by her new goal, she nodded, got up, and started to follow the trail of manalings back to the estate.

All the buildings were covered in a security spell, not unlike the one at the academy. A lot of concentric rings, but they used more Massa, rather than Luxa, to strengthen the barrier. It made sense, as they were a Massa-dominant family. Nevertheless, the spells were also different in ways she couldn't entirely articulate.

However, after she watched the spell form for some time, she decided there was no breaking mechanism within it that would create manalings.

So she continued to walk.

The guards watched her, but none of them stopped her. She greeted them with a brief nod, as she carried on, evaluating the network of spells covering each building and each door. Still no breaking mechanism there.

At the second building, Ari wondered if she should maybe try going inside. It wasn't her wing, so she didn't know if she had permission.

However, the spell that she needed to fix might be within one of the mansions.

As she wondered what to do, she stopped in front of a statue.

There was a conglomerate of spells around it, more protective spells than any statue should have.

The spells were not targeted outward, to either animate the statue or cause it to attack intruders.

No, the target was to protect the statue itself.

Why?

"What are you doing?"

Arielle turned around and saw Wulfric approaching her from inside the second building.

"Just standing here," Arielle responded.

"Why?"

"No particular reason."

Wulfric raised an eyebrow.

"I saw you walking around," he said. "You seem like you're looking for something."

Arielle shook her head. "No. No, I wasn't."

Arielle didn't look to the sky, but she didn't know if her lie sounded convincing, especially since Wulfric's eyes narrowed and he leaned in.

"We have demon detectors. Several of them."

"Good." Was he telling her this so she would feel safer walking around?

His face squeezed. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I didn't mean to imply that you were consorting with demons on our property. I know that’s just a stupid rumor. I was just making a dumb joke."

"Oh. Is that what you were implying?"

He stared at her and then snorted.

"What?"

"Nothing. Did you need someone to show you around?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Are you sure?" He jabbed his thumb toward the second building. "Because if you wanted to go in, I could escort you."

She did want to go in. But she also didn't want him to notice what she was doing.

But there was no way for him to know. And she might not be able to access all the buildings on her own.

"Okay," she said.

And maybe she could find a way to ask him questions about the statue on the way in.