CHAPTER 7: UNCHARTED
Outskirts of Gourmand City, a castle loomed like a jagged fang on the horizon, its silhouette devouring the moonlight. The chill of the night clung to the stone walls, the distant hoot of an owl echoing through the dark.
In the inner courtyard, on the training ground, Theal panted heavily under the cold breath of the night sky. His sweat steamed faintly in the torchlight, every inhale sharp against the crisp air.
From the shadow of the keep's door, a woman emerged. Her triangular-shaped face caught the firelight, framed by red-rimmed glasses that gleamed like molten copper. Her pointed chin, small nose, and bold brows were sharpened further by lips painted a deep, commanding red. Her platinum blonde, voluminous curls—shoulder length—were swept dramatically to one side, catching the faint breeze.
"Theal, it's time for your lesson."
Theal straightened his body. "As you command, Dame Elira."
Elira smiled in amusement, her lips curling with quiet mischief. "You don't have to be so formal. You aren't in the Capital anymore—you can just call me Elira."
Theal remained silent, offering only a curt nod.
"I heard you have quite a story," she continued, her voice slow and deliberate. "Mind sharing the details with me over a drink?"
Theal shook his head. "I don't drink."
Elia chuckled softly, her laughter ringing lightly across the empty courtyard. "A man of few words. I like that. Go and wait for me in my office—I have to fetch a few books from the library."
Theal nodded once.
Inside the library, the air was thick and heavy with neglect. Dust swirled in the moonlight streaming through a cracked window.
"Cough, cough, cough—this is… why does the Captain not hire a maid to clean this castle? Cough." Elira waved her hand in front of her face as she pulled a book free from the shelf.
Her eyes scanned the titles, lingering in thought. "I never imagined the son of a famous villainess could be so dull… let me find something that will light up his mood."
She selected three identical brown-covered books, their spines worn and creased with age, and carried them back to her office.
"Let's get on to business," she said, setting the books down with a dull thump. "These are the Books of Origin. They hold information about the spirits anchored to Pantheons in our physical plane."
Theal raised his hand. "Does it include evil spirits?"
Elira cleared her throat. "No. Evil spirits are not anchored to any plane."
Theal nodded lightly.
"The spirit I am going to teach you about is the Eidolon Spirit, contracted to our God—the First Acme, Santis Grelon—and anchored by the Eidolon Pantheon blessing the Acme's followers and bestowing his servants."
Theal raised his hand again. "If the Pantheon is anchored by the Eidolon Spirit, why do we worship the Acme? The Shurur and Tarturus Empires worship their spirits, not Acme's."
Elira's chest rose and fell with a deep sigh. "The Eidolon Spirit is contracted under Acme Santis Grelon and serves the Pantheon as an anchor—unlike the Shurur and Tarturus Empires, whose spirits are not contracted to their Acme."
Theal's brow creased. "So they are evil spirits?"
Elira hesitated, measuring her words carefully. "…By law, yes. Spirits that are not contracted are considered evil spirits."
"So the Shurur and Tarturus Empires are evil?"
Her gaze drifted for a moment. "From our perspective, they are. Their Acmes are called Fallen Acmes—they became Gods with the help of an evil spirit."
Theal nodded in understanding as Elira flipped to the next page.
"The Eidolon Spirit is the spirit of concrete concepts it is a consciousness fragment of our creator Luca like all the other orthodox Spirits. Through the Pantheons, they can bestow Stillness abilities to the Acmes servants."
"Do I have a choice in which Stillness ability I want?" Theal pressed.
Elira thought for a moment, then nodded. "Your consciousness already knows what you have the best affinity to."
Theal frowned. "What if I don't like it? Is there a way to change it?"
She shook her head. "Your consciousness knows you better than you."
"Why do the major noble houses have fixed Stillness abilities? House Gullet's bloodline uses Ice Stillness."
Elira chuckled softly. "That's a blessing the Eidolon Spirit reserves for the Acme's followers the seven major noble houses, and it is carried on through the bloodline."
She closed the book and handed it to Theal. "Now, I will just do a demonstration and tell you the general knowledge about Stillness."
Theal nodded.
Elira's hands moved to the hem of her top, and with no hesitation, she removed it. Her left arm deformed before his eyes, skin twisting and warping until it morphed into a sharp, curved, pointed appendage—its surface glistening like blackened steel. The blade-like form extended further, humming faintly in the cold air.
She touched its tip to the stone wall, and the surface hissed and sagged—melting as though eaten away.
"The concrete concept Stillness ability bestowed upon me is called Claw. When your consciousness absorbs the bestowed stillness ability, it starts to produce hue that can help you strengthen your body and mind. That hue has a property. There are twenty known types of natural hue properties—mine is Corrosion."
"What is your status?" Theal asked.
"I am a Status Eight, Octality."
Theal's face lit up. "You are in the Ancestral Echelon—you are strong."
Elira chuckled. "Yes. I am just two breakthroughs away from being at the pinnacle of the physical plane—catching up to the Captain, becoming a Status Five Quintessence in the Apocalyptic Echelon."
"How do you prepare for a breakthrough?"
She froze in thought. "To break through, one needs to expand their consciousness to fit all the hue capacity required for the status they are advancing into."
Theal tilted his head, confused.
"You will be a Status Ten, Cecinity, in the Primal Echelon. Your consciousness capacity will be one hundred nits of hue. A Status Nine, Novemity, in the Primal Echelon has a consciousness capacity of five hundred nits of hue. To advance, you need to take in all five hundred nits of hue into your one-hundred-capacity consciousness—at once without shattering your consciousness."
"What happens when it shatters?"
Elira's tone darkened. "Then your consciousness will be fragmented turning still… and be used as a totem crux to create totems."
Theal drew in a heavy breath as Elira pulled her top back on. "I have a mission to complete. This is the end of the lesson. Read the books—when the Captain returns from Mournmound, he will take you to the Pantheon for your bestowment and then you will challenge one of us to become a knight of the Blood Hounds."
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A sailboat drifted with the wind. The moonlight rippled across the water, silver streaks dancing over the creaking deck. Siah lay on his back, staring at the sprawling tapestry of stars above.
Asha approached quietly, her bare feet whispering against the wood, before laying down beside him whispering in his ear. "Is this your first time leaving Gourmand?"
Siah ignored her, his gaze locked on the infinite sky, thoughts pressing heavily against his mind. "That bastard Theal made sure to corner me in the city… to prevent me from leaving with any of my belongings, Siah grumbled inwardly."
Asha's eyes lingered on him, a faint smile curling her lips. "Theal tells me you have a violent nature."
Siah scoffed. "Tsk. Foolish wench—how do you think I was able to acquire mysterious abilities from an evil spirit?"
Asha chuckled softly. "Why didn't you join the academy with Theal?"
Siah's frown deepened. "The people from the Capital only offered one spot to Gourmand on their bursary… and made us fight over it like dogs."
Asha leapt onto the gunwale, balancing with casual grace. "Hahaha—so Theal beat you up and took it?"
Siah's eyes softened under the starlight. "Theal was still timid back then. I beat all the kids in Gourmand… and gave it to him, so he could escape Gourmand and our cursed life."
Asha slipped off her top, her eyes glinting. "You thought you could take all the hatred onto yourself."
Siah's laugh was cold, bitter. "That bastard still came back to Gourmand."
Her smile widened as she reached down a hand to him from the gunwale. "I'm glad you aren't as dull as him. Come—our ride is at the bottom."
Siah's expression tightened. "How can I go down there? I can't swim."
"Just hold your breath," Asha said with a soft chuckle. "I will do all the work."