Otherworldly - A Shadowed Awakening

Fall of Autumn, Week 5, Day 7

After breakfast, we headed into town—the lot of us. Juniper, Sylvie, Sir Neil, Dame Arella, Klein, and Arlen. Gristle had claimed he wanted to join, but he had other duties, and Sir Limrick had frowned and said, 'I wish. I'm still settling in and have to lead the Dusk services in the barracks.'

Does that mean that there is a church on the estate grounds? Was that the hallowed ground Frill had mentioned? Or was she talking about Twilight? I hummed to myself, thinking, as the carriage trundled down the brick road leading into Fellan proper.

>Likely Twilight, the ancestor who built it a millennia ago had a ridiculously overpowered crafting [Class], or so I heard, and used all of their Divinity to link them,< Eunora said. >So it was probably them.<

I nodded, watching the woods slowly thin out as we approached the wall surrounding the city. The road gradually filled with other carriages, but the line didn't slow us—instead, the other vehicles parted, and we slid to the front. Pushing straight through the gates, the storied buildings of Fellan passed by.

As we approached the church at the center of Fellan, I disembarked. I was in shorts and stockings, so hopping out was a simple affair—no flowing skirts to impede me, or knights insisting I take their hand. Sir Neil was standing there with his arms out, with an oddly hopeful look.

I walked right by him, though. That was none of my business.

Behind me, Sylvie and Juniper climbed out of the carriage.

"My Lady," Juniper whispered, hurriedly rushing to catch up with me, "you should wait for us to leave first. What if there was someone unpleasant waiting for you? It's my job to get rid of them first!"

I wrinkled my nose, looking from Juniper to Sylvie—who had a smug expression. That was likely as close to pride the silver-haired woman ever got.

"Next time, June, okay?"

"Please, my Lady, we're in public," Juniper whined lightly, and I laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the steps with me.

"Okay, okay, I'll calm down."

"Don't forget about after Sermon." Juniper dutifully started reminding me.

I released her arm once we began intermingling with the crowd. "High Priestess Ophelia would like a word with me, and then we will meet Madame Griselda outside for her to escort us to the etiquette event."

"Exactly!"

Smiling over my shoulder, I looked at Juniper —a far cry from the hireling I'd met a mere week ago. "Thank you, Juniper. You're doing great."

Juniper gave a toothy grin in response before Sylvie shot her a look, and she dropped her expression and nodded gently. The glint was still in her eye, though, and I was thrilled at that. The bags had lessened over the past day or so, and Juniper was more lively.

We settled into the front pew after dodging most welcomes and settled in for the day's sermon. Like last week, Effy was leading it. Unlike the week before, the hymns were a more somber tone. When I used [Mana Sense], the lights were all shades of blue, from deep royal to baby blue, from sapphire to sea foam. The words were as unintelligible as always, in a language older than the Queendom.

When the music stopped, Effy began her tale. It was a tale of Druigr and one of his many attempts at ascension. How, upon fighting a Mongrolima, he had finally passed another threshold—and put the beast into a slumber, deep and eternal. It reminded me of what he was said to have done to Primus, and it was a vivid parallel. To put down another God just as he put down a beast.

I listened casually, but my eyes drifted from shadow to shadow, logging every location Noir, Haze, and Shade jumped to. Where they fit in the most, how they altered its shape, I tracked it all.

Effy ended her story with a simple statement, "Pray for your mind, to be ever sound and ever full of grace. Pray for your heart, to be as loyal and dedicated as Druigr. Pray for your Skills, to carry you through the Dark. And, should you feel so inclined, help donate to some of Druigr's works in town."

Then the priests came out with their collection baskets. I watched as the others slowly gave a prayer and a small tithe. Before the basket reached me, Juniper slid me a coin pouch. I took it as I looked at Effy giving her announcement.

"The Winter festival nears! We have successfully funded all that was needed, and the celebration will begin on First Day. Prepare for the rough Winter ahead, but be ready to be merry together. For we have survived yet another Season by the Gods' grace!"

Taking the collection basket, I straightened my back. Under my breath, I began my prayer.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"May the world turn, untouched by fate. May the world live and breathe and die as it will. May the day we meet still not come, Morloch."

As the basket began to emanate a red and black glow, the area around me went silent. I pulled out a single gold coin from the coin pouch and dropped it in. It was a long moment before chatter began around our pew, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying.

Instead, I was focused on the sad smile playing at Effy's face.

Effy, in her warmth, told me exactly two things during our meeting.

One: to meet so many Divines so young was unheard of. To have them simply come at my call was even more odd.

Two: every Day of Sermon, she would be happy to take half an hour and help me learn about and control my Divinity. To be able to see my attribute was already unique enough, but to have met the First Threshold meant my aura was more defined than a majority of the population. And I would need to know what that meant.

So, I had yet another item on my schedule.

That was how I found myself standing outside an empty church, with only the knights, maids, and Madame Griselda waiting by the over-large door.

She was in a dark purple outfit, much the same darkness as the knight's leathers, but in a more luxurious fabric. It had the look of crushed velvet and was emblazoned with flat designs of suns. It was a declaration, one she had told me about in advance.

It meant she was not here as herself. She was in attendance as a servant of the Dawn. Everything she said or did would be affiliated with the house in an official capacity.

"We are headed to the Opal Stag," Madame Griselda said simply. "While there, you will dine with Viscount Horus and two of his sons, Ydo and Edwin. You should have met Edwin prior, he is in both your Academy class and the Tower courses. Ydo is the eldest. Your test is to maintain cordiality."

I blinked.

"Cordiality?" I asked, skepticism leaking into my voice. That sounded simple. And Madame Griselda was a woman of complexities.

The smile she gave me was sharp enough to cut.

"You'll understand shortly. Now, only I will be in the room, observing as a sort of chaperone. Your maids and knights will be outside, as will the Horus' attendant. Of which they only ever bring the one. His name is Henry, and he will not speak to you. Do not speak to him either."

I nodded as we settled back into the carriage. The runes that kept the cabin warm were defrosting my chilled skin, but I found myself missing the cold. I flicked my wrist and flexed my mana, shifting my bangles to be more chain-like and my nails to lengthen slightly and become sharper.

"You will pick a visual prior to the luncheon, my Lady. This grows more complicated should they ask about your Skills. You do not have the skill to evade such questions."

I sighed, settling my nails back into a small layer over my natural nail bed and the bracelets back into simple, thin bangles. "All right."

It had done what I wanted, anyway, which was to fill me with the chill of my mana.

It was several more minutes of instructions and discussion before we arrived outside of a single-story building—odd in the town. Most were two-, three-, or even four-story buildings. Its base was wide, and its roof domed with glass panes and metal designs lining it. I nodded.

"The glassworks in town is Skilled, just as Effy said," I commented. Beside me, Madame Griselda hummed in affirmation.

"Yes, well, they are the only one—so I would hope the experience does not go to waste when we give it to them."

I tried to remember the name Effy had said and snapped my fingers. "Twern! His name is Micah Twern!"

"That is correct, my Lady."

As we left the carriage and made our way inside, Dame Arella, Sir Neil, and the squires took stations outside the entrance. Only Sylvie and Juniper followed us in.

I had been told that it would be the case, but I was still comforted by the knowledge that my spirits were tucked safely in my shadow.

Quietly, I took in the decor of the restaurant. As the name would imply, it was both rustic and opulent. The wooden floorboards were a warm chestnut and the panel walls were stained a slightly darker tone. Upon the walls hung game trophies of different stags, some with crystal antlers and others made up of metal, bone, and, on a single occasion, roses in the most vivid pink. The tables we passed were a quarter full, but when I tried to focus on their faces, I simply saw glittering light.

Neat. Privacy runes, probably.

The Opal Stag gave off the exact atmosphere I had expected from a place nobles would choose for an official outing. Exorbitance, luxury, opulence, whatever you choose to call a waste of money. But, it wasn't my money, not yet, so it really didn't matter to me how it was spent, so long as I got what I needed.

Maybe one day I would be so outraged by the very notion of a class system in a world with actual [Classes] that I would do something about it. As it was, I had barely gotten back to actually living.

Madame Griselda called over the host, a neatly dressed man with a vibrant green tie and a goatee. He bowed lightly to the party as a whole and a bit deeper when he saw Madame Griselda. When his eyes landed on me, he performed a large sweeping bow—but his stance never faltered. It was all one smooth motion.

I waited a moment, two, then I glanced at Madame Griselda, who had arched an eyebrow at me. I nodded, and she said the words I had wanted to say immediately.

"Rise, good sir, please." The smile on Madame Griselda's face was far from warm as the man rose from his bow, but he hardly seemed to care.

"Welcome, Light of Dawn, to the Opal Stag. Consider our staff as your own for the duration of your patronage." His voice was deep and smooth, as if water running through a river, and his expression was pleased.

Once again, I glanced at Madame Griselda. This was a lesson, like everything else she told me to do, and if I was to be graded, to be evaluated for my worth, I may as well take advantage of her tutelage. When she nodded to me, I looked back at the man.

"Thank you. I will keep your words in mind."

It was odd, the words more like a script than anything genuine, but that was what Madame Griselda had said. 'It is awkward, the noble etiquette, until it is rehearsed. Then it can be tilted, bent, re-forged to a blade of tongues.'

Silently, I agreed with her.

"The Viscount and young Lords are already waiting."

I plastered on a thin smile, and Madame Griselda was the one who answered.

"Wonderful, show us the way."