The well-earned summer break that I had been looking forward to had just been replaced with a 4-hour trip with Devina in a carriage. I was supposed to spend time with Aylin and our club, but I do think that this trip could be another story to be added to our collection of fairytales. An Aeon that had been captured and used by humans for war. It sounds impossible when you imagine what Aeons are capable of. It also makes you think about how depraved we humans are as a species.
I had to make some last-minute excuse and leave Aylin for a day or two. She didn't seem too bothered by me leaving and said that it was a good opportunity for her to write more stories with Fiviana while I was gone.
The sound of fabric being stretched could be heard coming from next to me. Devina was pulling on her dress and stockings and ripping the sewn stitches apart.
She looked up at me and complained that the Academy tried too hard to make her look presentable. She pointed at her hips and complained about her corset suffocating her and that she didn't need to look so modest.
But the first destination for our trip was the Fivindus estate. We were greeted by Etros at the gate, and Devina and he shook hands as if they were old business partners.
They were chatting while I was just following behind them. When we got to the head office, Devina sat down and made herself comfortable.
Straight to the point, Devina asked if Etros had been notified about the situation in Wien and the involvement of several Fivindus members.
The drawer opened and Etros took out one of his cigars and began smoking.
"Yes, I know."
Devina pressed on, asking if he had gotten the report from Eirlys, and he once again reassured her that he was well aware of everything going on in Wien.
She warned him that further involvement or action from the Fivindus family would result in the Academy taking action against the Fivindus family and that they should allow the Academy to handle this dispute from now on.
Etros puffed a few rings of smoke before replying that the Fivindus family wouldn't be taking further action.
Three letters were thrown onto the table with classified stamps all over them.
"These are from the Academy's espionage agency."
Etros opened them one by one and pictures of his children fell out of the letters with full documentation of their actions and crimes.
He carefully read through all of them before putting down the papers.
"Give my regards and gratitude to the Academy, Head Principal."
"As if those freaks need thanks," Devina chuckled.
He then turned towards me.
"My daughter Selina threw away her status as a Fivindus the moment she decided to fight for the Umstürzlers. So these are the words of a father and not a figure of authority: thank you for saving her that day."
I lifted my gaze and saw Devina smirking in the corner and Etros reaching out his hand. Shaking his hand felt a bit awkward, but the sincerity was real. Devina then hurriedly ushered me out of the room and slammed the door.
There in the hallway, like a fox outside a rabbit hole, she stood in her black frilly dress. Her hands behind her back and that smile she would always wear while looking at something that piqued her interest. She waved at me and gestured for me to follow her.
As we walked down those red carpets of the Fivindus estate, she asked me if I missed her already.
"We are on business. The Head Principal had to discuss something with the Fivindus clan."
"Booo... politics," Lilith said, whistling.
She then asked me if the Academy would investigate Wien and the legality of the war there. I wasn't so sure about the details myself, so I answered that we were only getting back members of the Academy.
Lilith joked about not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Academy's wrath. That those guys will pursue you until you give up. In one way or another, the Academy is its own entity in the country. It almost has its own autonomy to the point that the Royal Family can't order them around.
Devina then opened the door and looked at us, asking if I was ready to go. She then looked at Lilith and her eyes narrowed.
"Is that the Emanator of Nihility, Lilith Yunestra I see?"
"Quite indeed, good evening, Head Principal."
"Alright, Vivshi, shall we depart?"
She walked past us and patted Lilith on the shoulder before grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the estate.
The grass grew greener and more vibrant as the Fivindus estate grew smaller. Devina was scrolling through a few papers and I happened to glance over and see the names of a few senior students who were in the city of Wien during the war.
"So, Devina? What did you discuss with Etros about?"
"Mostly about staying out of our path and cutting ties with the Royal Family and siding with the Academy instead."
"Why would a prominent family just give away their position?"
"Well, that's exactly what Etros asked me, and he rejected my proposal."
"So why would he even accept that?"
Devina's cheek blossomed with a yellow flower that spread its roots down her cheek and into her clavicle.
"This is the Aeon of Serenity. An Aeon that is the culmination of all knowledge in the universe. The world, you can say... is a big canvas, and the materia is the so-called paint. The chaos that happens every day are the strokes. Like how I'm crawling onto your lap now."
Devina put her hand onto my shoulder and dragged her body onto my lap before tapping my forehead gently with a glowing yellow finger.
She drew a small circle with a few letters onto my head.
"The universe is just a big painting. Each pigment of color is information that the Aeon of Dexterity can read. Depending on how the painting is painted, it can allow me to view any event that has happened or will happen."
She pulled herself back and suddenly my body felt light as a feather, and the bright orange sun that was shining through the carriage window was now a pitch-black void.
I looked at my hand and saw that my skin was grey and transparent. Then I lifted my gaze and what met me was the canvas Devina had told me about.
Thousands... no... billions of shining dots of all different colors. From stars shining like ocean waves to stars red as blood. It was endless, a world that I could have never imagined existed. Then I felt a tingle on my shoulder. I spun around and realized I was completely levitating in empty space and saw Devina curled up with her arms around her legs, smiling at me.
"Quite the spectacle, am I right? I was completely overwhelmed the first time I saw this as well."
She then stretched out and glass panels spawned at her feet. She approached me with her hands behind her back, looking out into the cosmos.
"What you are seeing are the endless possibilities the universe has painted out for you. Everything that you have done, are doing, and will do is written here in the stars."
Her small hands reached out and grabbed ahold of mine and we sprang from the glass panel, flying into the cosmos.
"We can fly for light-years yet not find a single cul-de-sac. Constantly, the universe is writing a new line of destiny for you. So whatever you may think is impossible, the universe might be writing out a new fate for you that makes it completely possible."
I stared out into one of the many stars containing endless possibilities and Devina asked me if I wanted to view my destiny.
"Though it creates kind of a paradox knowing your destiny, but paths are constantly being written so it might change your fate for the better or worse knowing. You still wanna?" Devina said, giggling.
I picked out a pretty decent star and Devina asked me one more time to reassure herself that I wanted it. I nodded and said that it probably wouldn't be too dangerous.
A glass panel spawned under us, letting us stand. And then the flower of Dexterity on her cheek spread its roots down her body and into the cosmos. The vines and roots spread themselves exponentially faster and covered the entire universe in the leylines of wisdom.
"The problem with having so much information is that the human brain is limited to around 2.5 petabytes of storage, which is only 2.5 billion decently long novels. But the Universe offers a number so grand that human brains can't even fathom it."
"If the materials exist, there is nothing you can't do."
Those were the words of the host of the Aeon of Dexterity as she unfurled the petals of Dexterity. The capitulum of sun-like petals sprouted and covered the ocean of stars that paled in comparison.
With the giant flower, Devina told me to grab onto her hand tightly. A sudden force propelled us towards the stars.
"To select what you wanna see, you gotta cut it out from the canvas and string it out to see it in a continuous image!" Devina yelled out as we were traveling at high speeds.
She swiped her hand and a glint of pink appeared. She then stretched the beam of light and threw it out into the dark void. I looked up and saw Aylin, but it was Aylin with much shorter hair and a face that was much more mature. She crossed her arms before saying something to me, who was sitting on the front porch staring out into the spring fields.
Devina and I continued watching as Aylin disappeared inside. A few moments later, Aylin was holding a small baby wrapped in a thin blanket. She was saying something before handing me the child that I cradled gently in my arms.
"Seems like in the future you will settle down with her and have a family," Devina said, smirking at me.
"Well, aren't ya a family man?" she said teasingly.
"That's my child? With Aylin?"
I continued watching the sky before the image suddenly dimmed and became the endless black skies again.
Devina then booped my forehead and suddenly we were back in the carriage almost as if nothing had happened.
"So now you know how the Aeon of Dexterity works, you should be able to trust me when I say that the Fivindus family shouldn't side with the Royal Family. Of course, centuries of loyalty to the crown don't simply vanish overnight. But if nothing is done... it's gonna be a bloodbath."
"The war."
The carriage then came to a screeching halt as the horses were stopped by a squadron inspecting legal entry.
Devina poked her head through the window and flashed her Academy insignia and title as Head Principal, and the guards immediately backed off and allowed us entry.
"Jeez, even these guys are scared of the Academy. What have you guys even done to get such a reputation?"
Kwooooo chooo coo...
"Whistling isn't gonna distract me, you know?"
We finally stopped at the south gate of Wien after a few more hours of traveling. There were artillery holes all over the place that had yet to be patched. The walls of Wien were covered in holes and cracks. The north gate was probably completely destroyed from Selina's cannon fire. Devina thanked the driver and we were asked for identification again by the guards. She once again showed the Academy's insignia and the guards gave each other a worried look before going to their superior for help.
The gates were slowly raised and we were finally in the city of Wien. The streets were empty and the windows boarded up as if people weren't even living in the city anymore.
"Well, doesn't this place look dead? I remember it being a bit more vibrant the last time I visited."