{Sunday, 14th March, 1114}
Savoda Village, Santoria Kingdom.
Nozna's eyes snapped open.
His room was dimly lit, the bright morning light filtered through the narrow slits from the window shutters.
Nozna rubbed his eyes, then lay still for a few seconds, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Ugh there's Sunday worship today. He silently grumbled.
Nozna sat up and stretched his stiff limbs.
Despite it being mid-March, the morning carried an unusual biting chill.
Being situated in the southernmost part of the kingdom, the Savoda village usually experienced warm mornings almost all year round.
Nozna suddenly felt alarmed. I haven't even studied the sheets Kha- captain had given yet!
Nozna pushed his window panels open as he pondered. I'll just guess during his test, surely he won't expect me to study everything by the morning.
Wait…I forgot to tell captain about Sunday worship today! I can't meet with him in the morning…
Nozna started to panic.
He quickly got ready and grabbed some bread from the kitchen. He aggressively tore into the bread as he headed for the front door.
He had considered skipping Sunday worship, however, having already skipped Saturday school, the other adults may become suspicious of Nozna.
I should probably attend worship today.
I'll just tell captain… He won't make me skip worship just like he made me skip school right?...
Nozna was just about to leave through the front door when his father's voice boomed from his room. "Where are you going so early boy?"
Nozna shouted back. "To Mawisa Inn, I'll be quick da."
…
Arriving in front of the Mawisa inn, Nozna pushed the set of doors open and stepped inside. The warm heat from the lit hearth washed over him, chasing the morning chillness away.
"He was right! You would come." A bright and cheery voice greeted him. "Oh right, morning Nozna!"
"Good morning aunt Mawisa…" Nozna was slightly stunned. He slowly asked, "What do you mean?"
In the far side of the inn, a middle-aged lady stood behind a counter. Her jet-black hair was short and only reached the bottom of her ears. She was wearing a sleeveless linen tunic underneath a dark green apron.
The corner of her mouth lifted as she answered Nozna. "One of my customers left a letter for you."
A letter? Could it be captain? Nozna felt his panic from earlier seem to calm down.
Nozna walked over to the counter and took the small leather pouch from Mawisa's hand.
Inside the pouch was a neatly folded paper.
"Uh… thank you auntie."
"No worries. The man already checked out with his partner." Mawisa replied with her usual beaming smile. "But I am curious, why did that man leave a letter for you?"
Nozna was stiffened. What should I say? He couldn't expose the World of Arcans to just anybody.
At that moment, he remembered what Khamat had said to him the day before.
"As far as the village is concerned, you will have received a university offer from the two travellers scouting talent. You, Nozna, will join them in Bolman City to begin your studies."
Nozna cleared his throat, "Ah! Well… I hadn't planned on telling anyone yet but those two men are scouts from a university in Bolman city. I am supposed to be joining them soon."
Mawisa stood there motionless for a moment, blinking.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up "What? Nozna, that's amazing! Congratulations!"
Nozna was a bit taken aback. "T- Thank you."
"What's the name of the university?"
Nozna froze.
"I'm not sure yet…" Nozna tried to sound casual about it.
They didn't tell me!
Mawisa leaned over the counter with her elbows. "Hmm… are you sure you can trust them Nozna?"
"I trust them." Nozna answered right away.
Please don't ask anymore questions!
"I mean, why would those scouts choose someone from our village? I don't think any of us would qualify for university?"
"S- Sorry, I'm not sure. Uh, my father is waiting for me, I better get back soon."
Mawisa laughed. "It's alright, I'm just worried for you. You should tell the rest of the village soon!"
"I will! Bye auntie!" Nozna blurted and quickly left the inn.
Once outside, he let out a huge breath as the cold breeze enveloped him.
That was close!
On his way back to his hut, Nozna unfolded the piece of paper. His footsteps suddenly halted as his eyes widened.
It's all in Aranese! I barely learnt the characters yesterday… What is Kha- captain thinking?
The only word Nozna recognised was 'You'.
Ugh, I need to look at my notes. I should do it as soon as I get back, it may be important…
Nozna glanced at the letter again.
It's only a few words…
Nozna quickly returned to his hut and briefly greeted his father in the kitchen before entering his own room.
Nozna picked up the stack of sheets on his desks and rummaged through them. He quickly found the sheet he needed and placed it next to Khamat's letter.
Nozna slowly compared the two, his sapphire eyes dotting back and forth.
You have worship.
It's alright.
Meet after.
Forest.
Nozna let out a heavy breath.
So he knew about the worship… Did he only know this morning? From auntie Mawisa? Otherwise he would have not told me to meet him this morning.
He stood up and called out to his father. "Da, I'm done!"
The wooden door behind Jack and Nozna closed with a soft thud.
In the distance, the nameless forest loomed like a sea of shadows that spread from one direction to another. The silhouette of the Prodsign Mountains stood behind the southern expanse of the forest.
As the pair walked towards the village, Jack spoke.
"Boy, you're leaving in two weeks?"
Nozna nodded.
"Heh, how do we explain that to the village?"
Nozna repeated the excuse Khamat had previously suggested – the one he had given Mawisa.
Hearing this, Jack let out a short grunt. "Heh, university…"
Silence followed as the atmosphere quickly turned awkward.
Nozna shifted uncomfortably. He tried to break the silence. "I started my training."
Jack turned his head slightly and looked at his son.
"Today, I'm supposed to start my combat training. I've already begun learning Aranese."
Jack smirked. "Heh, in a few weeks, you can probably call yourself a warrior."
Nozna grinned. "I'll be the only warrior to make my enemies angry and physically stronger."
They both chuckled, the earlier tension had dissolved with ease. They continued to exchange a few sarcastic remarks and jokes between each other.
Whilst Jack had not fully come to terms with his son's decision and sudden change, he couldn't show his depressed side to his son all the time.
He needed to be a good father. He needed to be there for his son.
Underneath his smiles and laughters, pain and sorrow gnawed at his heart.
The pair shortly arrived at the village square.
The usual market stalls were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the square was filled with gathering villagers.
Nozna glanced around the square, scanning every person. There were currently around half of the village's population, but he didn't see any of his friends. No Embar, No Raven, No Dave. But a second scan highlighted familiar faces – his aunties and uncles that he was familiar with.
Not everyone attended Sunday worship every week, and it was not obligatory to do so. The usual attendance would be around one-hundred to two-hundred villagers. However, there had been worships where the entire village, approximately three-hundred villagers, had attended.
At the far end of the square stood the Voria Chapel. It was the tallest building in the village, standing at almost two stories high. The chapel's steep roof was lined with dark slated tiles.
Above the entrance was the symbol of Order carved into the stone walls: Four pillars and a scale within a circle.
In front of the chapel was a raised wooden platform. Standing atop was a tall man in a white robe that gently swayed with the wind. His almond-brown hair reached his shoulders, and his eyes, warm and king, scanned the crowd with quiet familiarity. A soft but calming smile rested on his face, as if it had always belonged there. This was the only priest of Savoda village: Durmwin Stansed.
Seeing his majestic figure, Nozna remembered what Khamat had said.
"In the world of Arcans… Most priests are also Arcans."
Nozna's sapphire eyes gazed at the priest. He had decided to observe the priest.
All of a sudden, a sharp clang echoed across the square, followed by another, and then another. The numerous murmurs and idle chatter of conversations turned quiet, leaving only the ringing of the bell in the village square.
The eight rings signified eight in the morning.
The worship was about to begin.
…
Later that day.
Nozna found himself walking alone in the Nameless forest, following an uneven trail.
Around him stood thick trees that were twice his height. Dense webs of branches and vines protruded from different moss-covered trunks in a chaotic mess.
The biting cold from the morning had seemed to mellow out.
Above, the dense canopy of the forest formed a large blanket that covered most of the sunlight leaving an army of shadows sprawling between roots and the floor. Only a small fragment of light managed to piece through and reach the forest floor.
After the worship, he had spoken to uncle Benil and found out that his friends were hungover – that was their reason for missing the worship.
Nozna had not even been surprised. Of course, uncle Benil was livid.
His own father had decided to spend his Sunday with his friends. Nozna had agreed to meet with him in the tavern later.
Walking a bit more, he finally spotted two familiar figures ahead, waiting by the edge of a clearing.
Khamat and Tomir.
"Captain." Nozna said as he approached the clearing.
Khamat gave a calm nod. "You received my letter."
"Yes, I, uh… forgot to tell you about Sunday worship, so I–
"At ease," Khamat interrupted, "It's all sorted now."
Nozna shifted his weight uneasily. "Also, earlier… Mawisa asked me for the name of the university, but I didn't know what to say. I told her that I didn't know yet."
"I see…" Khamat paused for a few seconds before giving him an answer. "Nozna, the 'university' you will be 'attending' is called Bolman university."
Nozna stared blankly at Khamat.
"Bolman… University?" he repeated flatly, struggling to keep the disbelief out of his voice.
That sounds so obvious and fake! Bolman University from Bolman city!
"It is a real university." Khamat said, as his emerald green eyes stared at Nozna. "In fact, it is one of the best academic institutes in the kingdom."
"One of the best?" Nozna gasped. He desperately tried to keep a straight face but failed to hide his amazement.
"Bolman city is known as the city of scholars. It is one of the two cities in the Santoria Kingdom where Knowledge is worshipped more than Order. The other is Old Tealan."
Nozna furrowed his brow. It was a well known fact that the Order was the main religion in the Santoria Kingdom.
Khamat noticed Nozna's confusion. "I suppose you didn't have time to study the information I wrote for you."
Nozna lowered his head.
"Whilst both the holy cathedrals of the Church of Order and Church of knowledge are situated in the capital city Victoria, the holy cathedral of the Church of Knowledge used to be in Old Tealan before its relocation. You could say the holy cathedrals are the headquarters of the churches. That explains why Old Tealan has more Knowledge believers than Order."
Khamat continued his explanation. "As for Bolman city, about two hundred years ago, the third prince fell in love with a professor during his diplomatic visit in Bolman city. He renounced – which means to let go or abandon something – his royal status and converted to the Church of Knowledge to marry his lover. Despite their disapproval, the royal family still cherished the third prince and began funding academic pursuits and institutions. Scholars flocked to the city, and eventually, the believers of Knowledge started to outnumber the Order religion."
Nozna slowly digested the information. He found the story behind Bolman's city incredible.
"The village will soon know of your 'university offer'." Khamat added. "As travellers, it would be suspicious if Tomir and I stay any longer at the village, so we will be residing in the forest. For training, you can meet us every morning."
"Alright."
Nozna hesitated. "Uh captain, I have two things I want to let you know."
Khamat's expression remained still and unchanged. "Go ahead."
"First… I told my father about the world of Arcans…" Nozna clenched his jaws, "He wants to meet you…"
"No problem, I'll meet him tonight." Khamat nodded. "What's the second thing?"
"I think I may have discovered one of my Arcan abilities."
Khamat's gaze immediately sharpened. "Please explain."
Under the intense gaze, Nozna's shoulders tensed. "I seem to have the power to… make people angry. Also… their physical and mental strength seems to increase as well." Nozna quickly added. "My powers doesn't seem like it's from the Emotion Spectra, I have already checked."
"I see…" Khamat thought for a bit. "How did you find out?"
Nozna gulped. "My father told me that during my nightmares… during my transformations, he would have those feelings."
Khamat's eyes shifted away from Nozna as he mumbled, "induce anger… Mental and physical strength boost to others…"
Turning his gaze back to Nozna, Khamat announced.
"When you master control over your Essence, we can verify this. First, let's improve your combat capabilities."
"Captain, should I not master Essence control first? What if I accidentally use my Arcan powers?"
"There's no rush." Khamat answered calmly. "When becoming an Arcan, one has to learn to feel Essence and then to control it. These are two separate steps. Feeling Essence familiarises you with Essence, and thus, even though you don't know how to control it, you will not use it accidentally."
Nozna frowned, "I don't understand."
Khamat gave him a faint smile. "Many of us in the World of Arcans do not fully understand it either, but we assume it is because after learning how to feel Essence, you are now conscious, aware of the Essence."
"When you eventually master Essence control, you will be able to will your Essence to carry out your Arcan powers. You will also find out how much Essence you possess."
"Where is the Essence stored in our bodies?" Nozna questioned. "I can feel a warm sensation but it seems to be all over my body."
"No one knows how or where it's stored. Some speculate… some think that the Essence is stored in our souls, but it has never been proven so."
Nozna let out a huge breath.
"At ease." Khamat continued. "There's no rush in mastering Essence control. You won't be using your Arcan powers for some time."
Nozna nodded, finally accepting his captain's proposal. "Yes captain, I understand."
Khamat smiled as he gestured towards Tomir. "Then let's begin."
…
Slone port, Santoria Kingdom. Onboard a merchant ship, in a second-class cabin.
Conrad Decaine pinched the bridge of his nose as he stiffly sat on the edge of a worn chair.
In front of him sat a similarly worn-out desk. The ship was a downgrade from the previous one.
Around him, the cabin remained still. Their family's wooden luggages stood lined up neatly against the weathered cabin walls like silent guards.
His family had boarded the Wieldon fleet heading to New Chester about an hour ago.
His wife, Mary, had decided to bring Cillian around the harbour for sightseeing whilst his daughter, Murphy, was probably taking notes and admiring Slone port's engineering.
This left only Conrad in the cabin.
All of a sudden, Conrad's wavy black hair grew longer, eventually turning into a bright red. His previous rough skin softened into a delicate layer.
Transforming back to a strikingly beautiful lady, Linda sighed.
Tch… My Essence is depleting faster than I expected… Pretending to be that dull, righteous bastard is exhausting. Not to mention… acting as the opposite gender takes too much Essence.
She leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs.
I have at most… four more days. Deactivating my acting will certainly help, but it's not enough… What should I do?
This fleet should arrive at New Chester in two days. Afterwards, the fleet to Veria port will take three days. If I maintain my acting as Conrad, I will run out of Essence on the second day between New Chester and Veria port…
Hmm, the tickets for the ships have already been brought, I can't stay at New Chester for an extra day to regenerate my Essence. I would have to find another excuse to not appear in front of them.
Mary and Murphy would immediately suspect something is up with 'Conrad'.
Suddenly a vicious smile formed on Linda's face.
Looks like I will have to steal Essence from some audiences. The transfer will be about eight hours. I don't need to worry about finding Arcans, there should be plenty of Arbiters in New Chester.
At that moment, her smile faded as she switched her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed as she frowned.
That Murphy girl seems somewhat wary of me. Seems like my acting hasn't been completely perfect… I'll have to keep an eye on that brat. If she becomes a little too nosy, how can I deal with her?
Her expression suddenly twisted into something dark.
Their whole family makes me sick. If not for the mission, I would have already killed the baby boy first to see their reactions, then slowly torture them with illusions.
Ha, I can't wait to see those two Mary and Murphy's expressions when they realise that Conrad is dead. Perhaps during the reveal I should make an illusion to make it look like he died an even gruesome death.
Linda began giggling uncontrollably.
Let's be patient, the mission comes first. Soon, they will know what it feels like to lose everything, they'll understand the darkness of this world.
Her giggles continued to echo through the cabin as she clutched her stomach.
When the cabin fell silent again, Linda strolled towards her luggage. She hastily opened the luggage and retrieved an iron box half the size of Conrad's luggage.
Previously, Conrad had used it to store several Arcan items and materials.
Linda had replaced it with her own things.
She calmly pulled out a small key from the inside of Conrad's shoe.
With a soft click, the key opened the iron box.
Inside were two smaller wooden containers, each carved with intricate engravings that pulsed faintly with crimson. Between them were several delicate golden threads, two small vials of blood sealed with wax, a faint glowing white stone and three different jars – one filled with a blue-white powder, another filled with amber-coloured webs, and the last one containing a golden viscous nectar.
These were the ingredients for a specific Arcan stone.
I had hoped to advance safely in Wingedor, but it can't be helped. This will be my first priority when I arrive in Ganalis…
A sinister smile formed on Linda's face.
I will finally become a Super Arcan.