The old writings were scattered on the table. Several notes completely messed up the information that Skyler had gathered until then. The priest's long fingers passed between the dark golden threads, while he refused to give up reading that pile of books almost falling apart.
He insisted on looking for something that made sense, to explain why the scythe of the Goddess was against Lucian's neck. Only that nothing seemed to match the vision he had before the prince's wedding.
Sighing loudly, the beta leaned against the chair and moved his shoulders trying to drive away fatigue.
"What a hell... This is getting annoying already", your attention has fallen on the third stack of books that talked about forbidden rituals "I didn't want to have to read about it..."
"Is there a problem, young Skyler?"
"High Priest!"
The priest stood up quickly, slightly embarrassed for not having heard his arrival, and bowed his head, making the old lord laugh.
"I see you're stuck studying again. Is something stealing your attention?"
"Yes... it's about that subject."
The eyes of the High Priest narrowed briefly. The old man raised his hand in a silent request that the other two priests who accompanied him leave them alone. After bowing respectfully, the door of the sacred library was closed.
Walking around the table and looking at the books, the High Priest took the opportunity to peek into Skyler's notes. The beta did not bother with that, after all sooner or later would have to update him on the situation of Lucian. Besides, the High Priest was not stupid enough to let himself be deceived by him.
"Oho... I see you are studying about soul trading. Is there any specific reason for daring to study the forbidden rituals?"
"The Saint asked me if there was a possibility that someone had touched his soul. I did not find anything that could answer the reason for the scythe of the Goddess to be against his neck, threatening his life being that he is a Saint, has the gift to see the future."
"I understand. It seems that the Saint is worried."
"It is worrisome, especially when no oracle answers such a question."
"I believe it was for this reason that you chose to call him the Saint" The High Priest turned to Skyler and crossed his hands in front of the body "What do you intend to do if you discover the truth, Skyler?"
The dark eyes of the beta stood up to the old lord, realizing that he was walking blindly.
Skyler was just searching for answers, but had not thought about what to do with that answer. Something would change if he found out the reason? Depending on what Skyler knew, he would need an intervention. Only that the person in question was the Eighth Imperial Prince, not an orphan commoner.
If he made any mistake, he would buy the wrath of the Imperial Family and the Grand Duchy.
Ha... politics was a bitch.
"Wouldn't the Saint decide what to do? I can do anything to keep him safe, of course."
"Skyler, Skyler", the old men sighed, approaching the men and stroking his right shoulder "We are tools that serve man and Goddess. We are those who serve as a bridge. You should not pull the responsibility of the Saint to yourself."
"What if someone messed with the soul of the Saint? What should we do?"
"This will depend on the motivations of those who did it. But it would also be wise to find out how he did, for as far as is known, it is necessary that someone with divine power conduct the ritual."
"For now no one who has such powers is known..."
"For now. But leave this matter aside for a few moments. His Majesty and the Consort have asked for a meeting with you."
Frowning, the priest stared at his superior who only shrugged. Why would the rulers talk to him? Could it be something related to Lucian? Very likely...
Or would it have caused problems with the court? That would be a headache.
Leaving the sacred library behind and following the path of anxiety to meet the rulers, Skyler tried to remain calm. He generally considered himself a guy so lazy that even anger would be unable to dominate him. Unfortunately since he met Lucian, and discovered about his divinatory gift, anxiety has embraced him as an old lover.
This frustrated all plans of Skyler to procrastinate his tasks and studies.
In the smaller chapel of the Goddess, Skyler found the couple praying on their knees, with five knights spread out to guard. When stopping at the door, the priest chose to wait until they finished their prayers while watching from a distance.
It was common to see them around the temple, always kneeling, praying and looking worried. Especially the Consort. Only that since the appointment of the prince as Saint they have become more assiduous.
Skyler's intuition bothered him with that.
A few minutes later, the Emperor stood up and turned around noticing the presence of the Priest. Skyler made a formal bow by bowing his head, and soon the huge figure of the ruling omega walked towards him, dismissing the guards.
"Priest Skyler, thank you for having some time in your activities. I hope we are not getting in the way."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. I am always available should you have anything I can help with."
Well... that was a lie. He'd love to avoid trouble just to sleep in the library, but it wouldn't be cool at all to say that to an Emperor, right?
The Consort soon joined them, and the guards were dismissed to watch the entrance of the chapel leaving the three alone. Skyler sat on the wooden bench, with the other two by his side. He noticed a box near the Consort, but avoided questioning it.
"We would like to know how Lucian is fulfilling his role of Saint. Since the hunting festival he has been avoiding our letters. And the Grand Duke said only that he has been busy with his duties."
"Actually, I have not received any correspondence from His Holiness regarding his visions. I can only assume that it has been fine for now."
"It seems that he has also not been fulfilling his duties with the temple..." Sighed Cassander.
"Indeed, His Highness has made it quite clear that he does not intend to do so. I do not blame him for that, why he would abandon the life of married to a Grand Duke to live as we priests live? People are not always ready to give up a comfortable life to live in humility."
"After spending years living in that palace, I guess you're right."
Skyler sighed in relief, glad they did not take his words as a negative criticism. Moreover, he was surprised that the rulers were concerned about the Eighth Prince. The rumors that Skyler has heard about it during the prince's wedding gave the impression that they did not get along.
But still the Emperor took Lucian to the altar. And now they seemed worried.
Perhaps their relationship was shaky, but they wanted forgiveness? Skyler could not say, and was not interested in the subject. As long as it does not affect the temple, he would not get involved in that matter.
"We came here to deliver some finds" said the Emperor suddenly.
Cassander carefully held an adorned medium-sized box, the same one that Skyler saw earlier. His fingers were delicate to open and show the velvety inside and a thin fabric that covered something. When he discovered such a tissue, Skyler widened his eyes as he recognized the first words of an ancient language.
"Wait a minute, that's..."
"We sent some soldiers on expeditions to ancient ruins, and this was found near a mural of the Goddess."
"I have not heard about such a discovery."
"I intend to talk with the High Priest about it very soon. The place has been closed and is being guarded to keep it preserved. I believe the temple wishes to carry out the studies."
"It's very likely..." Whispered thoughtful Skyler "Can I see?"
The Emperor just moved his hand giving him permission. The three approached the altar where the box was deposited. Skyler put on a pair of gloves and took a tweezer to flip the pages of the old document. The leaves were old and thick, but they seemed to crumble if he did not take due care.
Leaning slightly, he read the content with difficulty. The ink was worn and still written in an old language. It would take a long time to translate and interpret the texts, but Skyler has already managed to see one or another loose word to give you some context.
"Souls... souls?" Leaning more on the book, Skyler frowned "It seems to say something about souls... that interesting."
"My knights said they found paintings on the floor of the ruin where this book was found. Here is the drawing my rider made about the patterns."
When the Emperor handed over the piece of paper, Skyler felt his heart beat faster. It was not complete, but it was definitely a drawing that the Priest had already seen in some books. Especially in those that contained forbidden rituals.
A shiver went up his back.
What a coincidence!
"Haha... it seems that soon I will bring good news to His Highness..."
"Refers to the Eighth Prince?" Questioned the Emperor.
"That's right."
Skyler did not notice the exchange of glances between the Emperor and Cassander. It was too cracked in identifying the keywords of those old texts. When he turned a few pages, he found the same pattern of the drawing that the Emperor gave him, confirming the suspicions of the Priest.
"A ritual to bring someone dead back to life" Whispered Skyler while recognizing some pattern drawings "Ha... The ancient people really loved to play with people's fates."
"Have you ever heard if such rituals worked before?"
"Who knows? It is very easy to find old diaries where they describe such experiences, but there is no way to verify."
"And if someone claims that he has succeeded in doing such a ritual."
Skyler looked up at Cassander and the Emperor, wondering how serious they were about a matter that seemed more like a fairy tale.
"As I said, Your Majesties, talk is easy, difficult is to verify the veracity of information."
"But what if someone suggested something like that, Priest?"
Those two sustained the look of Skyler, they were so serious that it came to alert every tip of his instinct. The priest did not want to take seriously such nonsense. That is, yes there was divine power and supernatural powers, but it was something so scarce that society learned not to depend on such abilities.
They lived in a time when only one person had divine power. He himself. And yet there were no great things. Skyler could only read oracles that the Goddess herself sent from time to time. Before receiving the last oracle, it was hardly believed that such a thing existed, questioning whether they were nothing more than ancient myths.
Yes, Skyler kept a skeptical side despite his priesthood.
"Very well" The priest straightened to speak seriously "If someone claimed to have been successful in performing such a ritual, it would most likely be enough to consult an oracle of the Goddess myself to verify what was modified."
"And how could you know if a person's life changed and if someone dead was revived?"
"According to some ancient inscriptions, the Goddess will appear embraced to her soul. But I believe that this is just some kind of allegory, since they are ancient texts and hardly they are clear and objective."
The couple exchanged glances and then Rehael took a step forward, squeezing the priest's shoulder.
"In this case, we would like to have a long talk, Priest Skyler."