Elydes
Author: Drewells
Chapter 347 - Wayward Butler
Kai sat at the table in the reading room; his arm rested on the lacquered wood, drumming his fingers. The library wards kept every surface clean of dust, although the lack of markings suggested that few students came here.
The cozy space was tucked past the shelves of the mathematical section. Aside from the round table and four plush chairs, the room held only empty shelves and a low velvet divan below the window that let in the morning light.
His free day was usually spent scrambling to catch up on classes for the next week. Raelion gave no time to loaf around, not if he wanted to pass the year.
That was
. Since Rain told him about Valela’s research yesterday, his mind started churning with possibilities, unable to focus on his dry textbooks.
Due to the sound wards, Kai only realized someone’d arrived when the door opened.
Valela peeked inside, and her face lit with a relieved smile. “You’re here! Sorry, I’m late. I’ve used this library for months, and I didn’t know there was a reading room here. How did you find this place?”
“Just wandered around the least popular sections,” Kai said, reciprocating the expression. His chair rattled on the floorboards as he stood up. He considered walking around the table to her, but she’d already reached it. “Thanks for coming this early. I shouldn’t have set the time without giving you a chance to reply."
“Well, I’m glad. I did ask you to meet.” Her spatial bag made a low
as she put it down and took a seat. “It was nothing urgent, though. I’ve been looking through the journals you lent me and had a minor breakthrough. I must have been too excited when I told Rain. I know we agreed to stop poking around after what
, but I’ve been careful. I only take out the books in my room. No one else knows. No one new, at least. Lys found I’m working on something, but I made it appear boring enough to lose her interest…”
Her eyes gleamed excitedly as she continued speaking without pauses; Kai wondered if she had ever stopped investigating. Not that he could blame her.
They’d cut it too close with the Stygian Cult in Limgrell, especially with the crazy praetor. Luck and Aela’s hubris were the only reasons they escaped. It was all still there. Closing his eyes, he could feel the biting cold and dread running through the endless tunnels, hunted and surrounded. Every moment had been carved in his mind deeper than Mnemonic Master could.
They made it out alive; Niel and many others hadn’t.
It was part of what prompted him to enroll in Raelion. His skills and knowledge had been wholly inadequate.
That was a promise he intended to keep. He needed to get stronger.
. The journey to the academy and his classes kept him busy, but he hadn’t forgiven or forgotten the horrors—he couldn’t.
Noticing himself zoning out, Kai focused on the present. The cozy reading room, Valela’s worried reassurances, the smell of old paper… sandalwood and strawberries?
, that must be her. A new scent. He smiled at her. “It’s okay. Just be careful. We already have those journals. Studying them can’t be more dangerous than just having them. I doubt they’ll bother with us even if they knew.”
The journals were the reason he wanted to meet her so soon, despite their slightly differing goals. If he wasn’t willing to drop them, how could he ask it of her?
“Yeah, you’re right. If someone could get into Raelion, we’d certainly not be the targets,” Velala said. “Is there something you wanted to ask me?” She must have caught on to his thoughts as her forehead formed a cute crease. “I mostly rambled when I spoke with Rain. I don’t know how much he told you.”
“I… maybe,” Kai said, considering how to breach the topic. “Rain said you tracked a few repeating names and had some theories to discuss.”
He knew the one in the diary recovered from
, but he never suspected there would be more.
“Well… Honestly, they are more questions than theories.” Valela picked up her bag. Stretching both arms inside, she started piling weathered leather books on the table. “Half of them detail disturbing experiments of questionable value, except for making me lose sleep. I’m really glad those cul—”
“Wait.” Kai raised a palm to stop her, taking a black pearl speckled with gold from his ring. It was a privacy artifact Rain gifted him months ago. The workings behind foreign runes remained a mystery, but Kai trusted it more than anything he could get his hands on.
Layers of ward bubbled around them as he channeled his mana. With some fiddling, the enchantments covered the entire room, adding on top of those from the library. “Better to be safe,” he said.
“Yes…” Valela stared with wonder at the patterns of golden lines glimmering over the pearl. “I’d say you’re being paranoid, but you can never use too many wards. Huh… Where did you get that pearl? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The runes are quite—”
“It was a gift.” Kai quickly dropped the artifact in his pocket. The origins of the pearl were why he rarely used it in public. “You were saying? About the journals…?”
“Uh, yes…” She blinked. Realizing she was holding a dark leatherbound book, she added it to the growing stack. “The notes of the experiments I deciphered are mostly useless. They record the administrations and results with very graphic details, but not the rituals and alchemical solutions they injected their subjects with. They’re…” She winced in disgust. “I was never tempted to rip or burn a book before them. They’re revolting. I don’t think I can stomach reading more. Maybe we should just hand them over to the officials. A professional might find some clues. Or they’d at least serve to show the nature of their crimes."
“Maybe,” Kai said, noncommittally. “They must already know. We told them where the hideout was and there were other survivors in Limgrell.”
If the Republic wasn’t completely incompetent, they must have better intel than the journals he randomly picked up. His Favor might tip the scales for him, but good for
didn’t mean good for the country.
It wasn’t like he could anonymously mail them to a precinct. He'd rather not get involved with them again.
“Yes, you’re probably right,” Valela said without pressing the issue, continuing to take books from her bag, forming a second pile. “These are the personal journals. It varies, but they’re generally more interesting. They contain unsanctioned research, notes on the author’s status paths, and a
of swearing and delirious ramblings about salvation and the purity of…
. The word was capitalized. So perhaps a deity. I'm not entirely sure. They’re all encrypted with a different code. It’s like they didn’t trust their own companions. Some are easy to decipher, while some are beyond my current skills. With the time I can spare between classes, I’ll need months to fully decipher the parts I can.”
Despite her grim words, Kai could see a pleased smile peek through her facade. “I’m assuming you found a way around it?”
“I did.” She laced her fingers on the table, poised and collected. Only her eyes reflected her giddy triumph. “Proper nouns and names stand out in the texts. Most authors are terrible at encrypting them. And some didn’t even bother. I started underlining them. I wanted to look for sections worth deciphering, but then I noticed some patterns…”
Her cool front melted off as she explained her deductions, showing him the passages from a dozen different journals as she grew more animated.
Aside from the journal from
, Kai had barely found any time to skim the rest. He listened without interrupting and found himself engrossed in her theories, following her reasoning and adding some of his own.
An hour later, open journals and scribbled notes with relevant passages covered every spot on the table. He’d also learned two things.
First, he’d underestimated Valela’s ability to puzzle out mysteries when she worked with physical books. Watching her work was incredible. Analytical Focus and Voracious Reader must play a part, but he didn’t think it could be reduced to just her skills. Her mind wove connections so fast he could barely keep up. He enjoyed the spark in her eyes when she pieced something together, or the quick, confident way she laid out how it all fit.
And secondly, Kai learned he might have a bit of a hoarder problem. He hadn’t realized how many damn journals he’d salvaged from the cultists before seeing them together—all while running for his life.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Kai shook his head with a rueful smile, looking at the paper in his hands. It was a short list, containing the names Rain had told him, as well as a few more Valela had figured out in the meantime.
They’d number the personal journals for convenience, starting with the one recovered from
, recording any individual who appeared more than three times.
“Do you recognize any of them?” Valela asked, though she likely already knew the answer. He hadn’t guarded his reactions during their talk and caught her mouth hanging in silent question more than once.
“I recognize one…” Kai said, unsure why he felt so hesitant. “Elijah. He was my teacher.”
“Your… teacher?”
“One of them, yes.” Despite her calm tone, Kai could tell she was quivering with curiosity. The sight of it drew a smile to his face.
He never really talked about his time at the estate. It wasn’t a secret. He simply
. Not in any detail. Perhaps it was a little strange… Though who would believe him anyway?
“Hhrm,” Valela cleared her throat. Her face was the picture of understanding patience—her hands twitching to maintain the facade.
Wanting to end her torture, Kai collected his thoughts and began. “It was back in the archipelago. After we got relocated to Greenside. I was about six. My mom knew I had an affinity for mana skills and was looking for a tutor. Not that we could afford one, but we heard rumors of a witch living in the jungle…”
Once he broke the initial hurdle, the words came easily, describing the five years he spent at the estate. It felt like he spent a lifetime there, but he only took a few minutes to recount it in broad strokes.
“And the whole estate just…
?” Valela gaped like a child at the ending of a gripping tale.
“Yep, everything was gone when I woke up,” Kai said, lifting his hand and spinning the silver ring with his thumb. He had expected her to dissect his story or look skeptical, but she didn’t show a sliver of doubt. “Elijah was the one who gave me this. Then, they disappeared. Haven’t heard from them since.”
“I guess that explains a few things…” Valela bobbed her head, her lips soundlessly moving as she grasped the revelations. It took nearly a minute before she returned to her matter-of-fact persona. “I don’t mean to cut your sails, but are you certain the Elijah in the journals and your teacher are the same person? It’s not a common name, but I’ve heard it before.”
“Uh—Yes. I’m sure it’s him.” Kai pulled a book from underneath the pile spread on the table. “Or I’m sure the author’s talking about him in here.” He lifted the weathered journal from
. “He’s the only Elijah the deserting cultist could be searching for in the archipelago. And then his full name matches the others.”
How ironic he’d only learned Elijah’s full name after they parted.
Kai bit his cheek, using Mnemonic Mastery to preserve the man’s scowling mug.
“You’re right,” Valela said, setting the different entries side by side. “From what you’ve told me, he fits the description too well to be a coincidence.”
Elijah’s name appeared in three journals. The mentions were all years old and brief—only a couple dry lines compared to the pages of rantings other names commanded. It seemed the Stygian Cult had a pending order to find him, though none bothered to explain
.
Valela continued softly muttering to herself and shuffling papers. Her eyes darted over the pages. “It’s strange there is no mention of your other teachers if they traveled together, but there could be many reasons. It was years ago.” Finally looking up, she beamed excitedly. “I can’t believe we have an actual lead! Do you have any way to contact them?”
“I… No. I never found any leads. Or even a rumor.”
One day, they were simply
, just like a dream. Only their lessons and gifts to prove it had been real.
“Mhmm… I see.” Velala tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking at the journal, not seeming discouraged. “That’s fine. If they were at least fourth-circle mages, there must be many people who know them. What do you know about them? Any detail you remember. Like what kind of clothes they wore, the food they ate, or their accents. Even a place they mentioned, or an odd saying they used. Anything that stood out.”
Seeing her glimmering eyes, Kai almost felt cruel to crush her hopes. “I’ve already told you basically everything I know about them.” His throat clenched as he thought of more to say, but there really wasn’t much. “They rarely talked about themselves. And
about who they were or where they were from.”
“There must be something.” Valela looked stunned. “Even an insignificant detail can be a start.”
“Nothing I’m confident in pursuing.” Kai let out a heavy sigh. “I always kept an eye out because I was also curious, but they never slipped. Not that I noticed, anyway. They had different ways of speaking and accents. Dora cooked all kinds of food, and I rarely ate with the others. I might recognize some details if I saw them again, but I wouldn’t know what’s relevant. Or where to start looking.”
He had spent half his childhood at the estate, and yet knew so little of them. Elijah, Dora and Virya. Since the moment he first met Virya, it was a foregone conclusion she’d remain mysterious, but the other two were little better, half-empty glasses compared to a few drops.
They had known everything about him and he almost nothing about them. There had been reasons for it, of course. Important reasons. Knowledge could be dangerous—learning of Elijah’s connections with the Stygian Cult confirmed it. But still… each time he was reminded of the disparity, he… he…
The journals
his clue. The only lead he ever found. Perhaps it was stubbornness, but he wasn’t going to let it go till his hands bled and ripped.
Probably noticing his silence, Valela reached over the table. Her fingers just brushed his when a precarious stack of journals tipped off the edge. The three books fell off with a heavy
. Faster than a startled cat, she abruptly pulled back, diving below the table to retrieve them. It took several seconds before she stood back up with the recovered loot.
“Uh, sorry.” She carefully placed the journals down, tucked back a few wavy locks that fell in front of her face, and gracefully sat up. “I mean, I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you. But it’s fine. It happened years ago.” Kai said, putting on a shallow smile. “They never made it a mystery that they were going to leave.”
“
, I’d also be upset if Gelia, my master, one day just decided to disappear and never sent me another word. And she’s quite the distant mentor. It sounds like your teachers were important to you.”
“Yeah,” he said, his smile turning a bit more real. “I like to believe they did their best given the circumstances. Anyway, that’s not what we came here to discuss. I don’t have any clues to find Elijah, but I might get some ideas after we decipher the passages, or we can look into the other names…”
“Do you want to find him?” Valela stared straight at him, cutting off his rambles.
“I… Yes, I do. But it’s not really to learn more about the cultists,” he said truthfully. “If there is nothing useful in the journals, it should be my own project. I’ve already sidetracked your research enough.”
Valela held his gaze, then let out a sigh. “No.”
“No?”
“You’re trying to decide my priorities again, Kai,” she said with a calm and even tone. The ones she used to win arguments. “And, think about this rationally. While I enjoy researching the journals with you and I want to find something to stop the Stygian Cult, let’s be realistic. Our skills and resources are nothing compared to the Republic. What are the chances that we find something the investigators don’t already know?”
Kai scratched his brow. “I admit, probably not very high… But that doesn’t mean you should spend your time finding my wayward mentor.”
“No, that’s where you’re being silly too,” Valela said. “Even if you don’t know how to find him, your teacher remains our best lead by far. He's the only name we know for sure isn’t a cultist, the least dangerous to pursue, and the most likely to share information if we manage to track him down. Honestly, even if we identify other non-cultists, it’d feel too dangerous to look for anyone else from the journals. Your teacher,
, is our best bet for all our goals.”
Done with her speech, Valela sank into her chair and stubbornly stared at him, waiting for him to find a counterpoint.
“Okay, I agree with you.”
“I—You do?”
“Yes. Why are you surprised? Don’t you agree with your own point?” Kai asked with a chuckle. Having lost the argument, he could at least win the tease. “I think we should keep our options open regarding the journals. But for now, Elijah is indeed our best lead. Though that doesn’t change that I have no clue how to find him.”
“Mhmm… I could have an idea for that. Again, it only works because you know him personally, we know he’s not a cultist and have his full name and description,” she reiterated as if to take time. “Um, have you ever heard of the House of Echoes?”
“You mean the House that sells information?” Kai furrowed his brows.
Alongside the House of Enlightenment and the House of Mirrors, the House of Echoes was one of the most famous establishments on the mainland, though it was far more mysterious. He had never seen one of its branches in person.
“Yes,” Valela nodded. “, but their information networks stretch far beyond the Republic. They say you can buy any information from them as long as you have the money and credentials.” She bit her lip, uncomfortably adjusting in her seat. “I normally wouldn’t suggest this, but if you want to find your teacher, they’re worth a try.”
“No, that’s a great idea."
“That’s the issue. The House of Echoes doesn't publicly advertise their establishments. I heard there is a branch here at Raelion, but I don’t know where it is. I can try to ask Lys. She probably knows, or knows someone who does. Though she’ll want to know why we’re going there.”
“Is there no other way without asking Lys?” Kai asked. He’d really like to keep the nosy blond girl out of this affair. “They can’t be too well hidden, or they’ll never do any business.”
“I don’t know,” Valela said. “People say they’re easy to find if you know where to look. I only visited the branch in Higharbor when I was guided there. There are many sayings like ‘follow the echoes’ or ‘look where the shadows gather’. But they’re probably just nonsense.”
“Huh… I might know someone else to ask.”
The cozy space was tucked past the shelves of the mathematical section. Aside from the round table and four plush chairs, the room held only empty shelves and a low velvet divan below the window that let in the morning light.
His free day was usually spent scrambling to catch up on classes for the next week. Raelion gave no time to loaf around, not if he wanted to pass the year.
That was
. Since Rain told him about Valela’s research yesterday, his mind started churning with possibilities, unable to focus on his dry textbooks.
Due to the sound wards, Kai only realized someone’d arrived when the door opened.
Valela peeked inside, and her face lit with a relieved smile. “You’re here! Sorry, I’m late. I’ve used this library for months, and I didn’t know there was a reading room here. How did you find this place?”
“Just wandered around the least popular sections,” Kai said, reciprocating the expression. His chair rattled on the floorboards as he stood up. He considered walking around the table to her, but she’d already reached it. “Thanks for coming this early. I shouldn’t have set the time without giving you a chance to reply."
“Well, I’m glad. I did ask you to meet.” Her spatial bag made a low
as she put it down and took a seat. “It was nothing urgent, though. I’ve been looking through the journals you lent me and had a minor breakthrough. I must have been too excited when I told Rain. I know we agreed to stop poking around after what
, but I’ve been careful. I only take out the books in my room. No one else knows. No one new, at least. Lys found I’m working on something, but I made it appear boring enough to lose her interest…”
Her eyes gleamed excitedly as she continued speaking without pauses; Kai wondered if she had ever stopped investigating. Not that he could blame her.
They’d cut it too close with the Stygian Cult in Limgrell, especially with the crazy praetor. Luck and Aela’s hubris were the only reasons they escaped. It was all still there. Closing his eyes, he could feel the biting cold and dread running through the endless tunnels, hunted and surrounded. Every moment had been carved in his mind deeper than Mnemonic Master could.
They made it out alive; Niel and many others hadn’t.
It was part of what prompted him to enroll in Raelion. His skills and knowledge had been wholly inadequate.
That was a promise he intended to keep. He needed to get stronger.
. The journey to the academy and his classes kept him busy, but he hadn’t forgiven or forgotten the horrors—he couldn’t.
Noticing himself zoning out, Kai focused on the present. The cozy reading room, Valela’s worried reassurances, the smell of old paper… sandalwood and strawberries?
, that must be her. A new scent. He smiled at her. “It’s okay. Just be careful. We already have those journals. Studying them can’t be more dangerous than just having them. I doubt they’ll bother with us even if they knew.”
The journals were the reason he wanted to meet her so soon, despite their slightly differing goals. If he wasn’t willing to drop them, how could he ask it of her?
“Yeah, you’re right. If someone could get into Raelion, we’d certainly not be the targets,” Velala said. “Is there something you wanted to ask me?” She must have caught on to his thoughts as her forehead formed a cute crease. “I mostly rambled when I spoke with Rain. I don’t know how much he told you.”
“I… maybe,” Kai said, considering how to breach the topic. “Rain said you tracked a few repeating names and had some theories to discuss.”
He knew the one in the diary recovered from
, but he never suspected there would be more.
“Well… Honestly, they are more questions than theories.” Valela picked up her bag. Stretching both arms inside, she started piling weathered leather books on the table. “Half of them detail disturbing experiments of questionable value, except for making me lose sleep. I’m really glad those cul—”
“Wait.” Kai raised a palm to stop her, taking a black pearl speckled with gold from his ring. It was a privacy artifact Rain gifted him months ago. The workings behind foreign runes remained a mystery, but Kai trusted it more than anything he could get his hands on.
Layers of ward bubbled around them as he channeled his mana. With some fiddling, the enchantments covered the entire room, adding on top of those from the library. “Better to be safe,” he said.
“Yes…” Valela stared with wonder at the patterns of golden lines glimmering over the pearl. “I’d say you’re being paranoid, but you can never use too many wards. Huh… Where did you get that pearl? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The runes are quite—”
“It was a gift.” Kai quickly dropped the artifact in his pocket. The origins of the pearl were why he rarely used it in public. “You were saying? About the journals…?”
“Uh, yes…” She blinked. Realizing she was holding a dark leatherbound book, she added it to the growing stack. “The notes of the experiments I deciphered are mostly useless. They record the administrations and results with very graphic details, but not the rituals and alchemical solutions they injected their subjects with. They’re…” She winced in disgust. “I was never tempted to rip or burn a book before them. They’re revolting. I don’t think I can stomach reading more. Maybe we should just hand them over to the officials. A professional might find some clues. Or they’d at least serve to show the nature of their crimes."
“Maybe,” Kai said, noncommittally. “They must already know. We told them where the hideout was and there were other survivors in Limgrell.”
If the Republic wasn’t completely incompetent, they must have better intel than the journals he randomly picked up. His Favor might tip the scales for him, but good for
didn’t mean good for the country.
It wasn’t like he could anonymously mail them to a precinct. He'd rather not get involved with them again.
“Yes, you’re probably right,” Valela said without pressing the issue, continuing to take books from her bag, forming a second pile. “These are the personal journals. It varies, but they’re generally more interesting. They contain unsanctioned research, notes on the author’s status paths, and a
of swearing and delirious ramblings about salvation and the purity of…
. The word was capitalized. So perhaps a deity. I'm not entirely sure. They’re all encrypted with a different code. It’s like they didn’t trust their own companions. Some are easy to decipher, while some are beyond my current skills. With the time I can spare between classes, I’ll need months to fully decipher the parts I can.”
Despite her grim words, Kai could see a pleased smile peek through her facade. “I’m assuming you found a way around it?”
“I did.” She laced her fingers on the table, poised and collected. Only her eyes reflected her giddy triumph. “Proper nouns and names stand out in the texts. Most authors are terrible at encrypting them. And some didn’t even bother. I started underlining them. I wanted to look for sections worth deciphering, but then I noticed some patterns…”
Her cool front melted off as she explained her deductions, showing him the passages from a dozen different journals as she grew more animated.
Aside from the journal from
, Kai had barely found any time to skim the rest. He listened without interrupting and found himself engrossed in her theories, following her reasoning and adding some of his own.
An hour later, open journals and scribbled notes with relevant passages covered every spot on the table. He’d also learned two things.
First, he’d underestimated Valela’s ability to puzzle out mysteries when she worked with physical books. Watching her work was incredible. Analytical Focus and Voracious Reader must play a part, but he didn’t think it could be reduced to just her skills. Her mind wove connections so fast he could barely keep up. He enjoyed the spark in her eyes when she pieced something together, or the quick, confident way she laid out how it all fit.
And secondly, Kai learned he might have a bit of a hoarder problem. He hadn’t realized how many damn journals he’d salvaged from the cultists before seeing them together—all while running for his life.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Kai shook his head with a rueful smile, looking at the paper in his hands. It was a short list, containing the names Rain had told him, as well as a few more Valela had figured out in the meantime.
They’d number the personal journals for convenience, starting with the one recovered from
, recording any individual who appeared more than three times.
“Do you recognize any of them?” Valela asked, though she likely already knew the answer. He hadn’t guarded his reactions during their talk and caught her mouth hanging in silent question more than once.
“I recognize one…” Kai said, unsure why he felt so hesitant. “Elijah. He was my teacher.”
“Your… teacher?”
“One of them, yes.” Despite her calm tone, Kai could tell she was quivering with curiosity. The sight of it drew a smile to his face.
He never really talked about his time at the estate. It wasn’t a secret. He simply
. Not in any detail. Perhaps it was a little strange… Though who would believe him anyway?
“Hhrm,” Valela cleared her throat. Her face was the picture of understanding patience—her hands twitching to maintain the facade.
Wanting to end her torture, Kai collected his thoughts and began. “It was back in the archipelago. After we got relocated to Greenside. I was about six. My mom knew I had an affinity for mana skills and was looking for a tutor. Not that we could afford one, but we heard rumors of a witch living in the jungle…”
Once he broke the initial hurdle, the words came easily, describing the five years he spent at the estate. It felt like he spent a lifetime there, but he only took a few minutes to recount it in broad strokes.
“And the whole estate just…
?” Valela gaped like a child at the ending of a gripping tale.
“Yep, everything was gone when I woke up,” Kai said, lifting his hand and spinning the silver ring with his thumb. He had expected her to dissect his story or look skeptical, but she didn’t show a sliver of doubt. “Elijah was the one who gave me this. Then, they disappeared. Haven’t heard from them since.”
“I guess that explains a few things…” Valela bobbed her head, her lips soundlessly moving as she grasped the revelations. It took nearly a minute before she returned to her matter-of-fact persona. “I don’t mean to cut your sails, but are you certain the Elijah in the journals and your teacher are the same person? It’s not a common name, but I’ve heard it before.”
“Uh—Yes. I’m sure it’s him.” Kai pulled a book from underneath the pile spread on the table. “Or I’m sure the author’s talking about him in here.” He lifted the weathered journal from
. “He’s the only Elijah the deserting cultist could be searching for in the archipelago. And then his full name matches the others.”
How ironic he’d only learned Elijah’s full name after they parted.
Kai bit his cheek, using Mnemonic Mastery to preserve the man’s scowling mug.
“You’re right,” Valela said, setting the different entries side by side. “From what you’ve told me, he fits the description too well to be a coincidence.”
Elijah’s name appeared in three journals. The mentions were all years old and brief—only a couple dry lines compared to the pages of rantings other names commanded. It seemed the Stygian Cult had a pending order to find him, though none bothered to explain
.
Valela continued softly muttering to herself and shuffling papers. Her eyes darted over the pages. “It’s strange there is no mention of your other teachers if they traveled together, but there could be many reasons. It was years ago.” Finally looking up, she beamed excitedly. “I can’t believe we have an actual lead! Do you have any way to contact them?”
“I… No. I never found any leads. Or even a rumor.”
One day, they were simply
, just like a dream. Only their lessons and gifts to prove it had been real.
“Mhmm… I see.” Velala tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking at the journal, not seeming discouraged. “That’s fine. If they were at least fourth-circle mages, there must be many people who know them. What do you know about them? Any detail you remember. Like what kind of clothes they wore, the food they ate, or their accents. Even a place they mentioned, or an odd saying they used. Anything that stood out.”
Seeing her glimmering eyes, Kai almost felt cruel to crush her hopes. “I’ve already told you basically everything I know about them.” His throat clenched as he thought of more to say, but there really wasn’t much. “They rarely talked about themselves. And
about who they were or where they were from.”
“There must be something.” Valela looked stunned. “Even an insignificant detail can be a start.”
“Nothing I’m confident in pursuing.” Kai let out a heavy sigh. “I always kept an eye out because I was also curious, but they never slipped. Not that I noticed, anyway. They had different ways of speaking and accents. Dora cooked all kinds of food, and I rarely ate with the others. I might recognize some details if I saw them again, but I wouldn’t know what’s relevant. Or where to start looking.”
He had spent half his childhood at the estate, and yet knew so little of them. Elijah, Dora and Virya. Since the moment he first met Virya, it was a foregone conclusion she’d remain mysterious, but the other two were little better, half-empty glasses compared to a few drops.
They had known everything about him and he almost nothing about them. There had been reasons for it, of course. Important reasons. Knowledge could be dangerous—learning of Elijah’s connections with the Stygian Cult confirmed it. But still… each time he was reminded of the disparity, he… he…
The journals
his clue. The only lead he ever found. Perhaps it was stubbornness, but he wasn’t going to let it go till his hands bled and ripped.
Probably noticing his silence, Valela reached over the table. Her fingers just brushed his when a precarious stack of journals tipped off the edge. The three books fell off with a heavy
. Faster than a startled cat, she abruptly pulled back, diving below the table to retrieve them. It took several seconds before she stood back up with the recovered loot.
“Uh, sorry.” She carefully placed the journals down, tucked back a few wavy locks that fell in front of her face, and gracefully sat up. “I mean, I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you. But it’s fine. It happened years ago.” Kai said, putting on a shallow smile. “They never made it a mystery that they were going to leave.”
“
, I’d also be upset if Gelia, my master, one day just decided to disappear and never sent me another word. And she’s quite the distant mentor. It sounds like your teachers were important to you.”
“Yeah,” he said, his smile turning a bit more real. “I like to believe they did their best given the circumstances. Anyway, that’s not what we came here to discuss. I don’t have any clues to find Elijah, but I might get some ideas after we decipher the passages, or we can look into the other names…”
“Do you want to find him?” Valela stared straight at him, cutting off his rambles.
“I… Yes, I do. But it’s not really to learn more about the cultists,” he said truthfully. “If there is nothing useful in the journals, it should be my own project. I’ve already sidetracked your research enough.”
Valela held his gaze, then let out a sigh. “No.”
“No?”
“You’re trying to decide my priorities again, Kai,” she said with a calm and even tone. The ones she used to win arguments. “And, think about this rationally. While I enjoy researching the journals with you and I want to find something to stop the Stygian Cult, let’s be realistic. Our skills and resources are nothing compared to the Republic. What are the chances that we find something the investigators don’t already know?”
Kai scratched his brow. “I admit, probably not very high… But that doesn’t mean you should spend your time finding my wayward mentor.”
“No, that’s where you’re being silly too,” Valela said. “Even if you don’t know how to find him, your teacher remains our best lead by far. He's the only name we know for sure isn’t a cultist, the least dangerous to pursue, and the most likely to share information if we manage to track him down. Honestly, even if we identify other non-cultists, it’d feel too dangerous to look for anyone else from the journals. Your teacher,
, is our best bet for all our goals.”
Done with her speech, Valela sank into her chair and stubbornly stared at him, waiting for him to find a counterpoint.
“Okay, I agree with you.”
“I—You do?”
“Yes. Why are you surprised? Don’t you agree with your own point?” Kai asked with a chuckle. Having lost the argument, he could at least win the tease. “I think we should keep our options open regarding the journals. But for now, Elijah is indeed our best lead. Though that doesn’t change that I have no clue how to find him.”
“Mhmm… I could have an idea for that. Again, it only works because you know him personally, we know he’s not a cultist and have his full name and description,” she reiterated as if to take time. “Um, have you ever heard of the House of Echoes?”
“You mean the House that sells information?” Kai furrowed his brows.
Alongside the House of Enlightenment and the House of Mirrors, the House of Echoes was one of the most famous establishments on the mainland, though it was far more mysterious. He had never seen one of its branches in person.
“Yes,” Valela nodded. “, but their information networks stretch far beyond the Republic. They say you can buy any information from them as long as you have the money and credentials.” She bit her lip, uncomfortably adjusting in her seat. “I normally wouldn’t suggest this, but if you want to find your teacher, they’re worth a try.”
“No, that’s a great idea."
“That’s the issue. The House of Echoes doesn't publicly advertise their establishments. I heard there is a branch here at Raelion, but I don’t know where it is. I can try to ask Lys. She probably knows, or knows someone who does. Though she’ll want to know why we’re going there.”
“Is there no other way without asking Lys?” Kai asked. He’d really like to keep the nosy blond girl out of this affair. “They can’t be too well hidden, or they’ll never do any business.”
“I don’t know,” Valela said. “People say they’re easy to find if you know where to look. I only visited the branch in Higharbor when I was guided there. There are many sayings like ‘follow the echoes’ or ‘look where the shadows gather’. But they’re probably just nonsense.”
“Huh… I might know someone else to ask.”