"You know the Arken gods right?", Vanessa asked.
Seventeen nodded, "They were the original guardians of the world but they got corrupted. The Founder fought and drove them away."
She nodded, "You seem well versed in that story."
"Well. I can't call myself an instructor if I don't know the legendary battle between Arkenstein and the first guardians.", Seventeen shrugged.
"You're right. But did you know that they had returned after a millennium?"
Seventeen stared at Vanessa, at a loss for words. He had never heard about that part. "They returned? What happened? I believe Arkenstein had passed away by that time."
"Yes, he was. Who do you think fought against them this time?", she asked him with a smile.
"No way.", he whispered, not taking his eyes off her. "When the Headmaster said you are more like a god slayer, I didn't think you would be one."
Vanessa smiled bitterly, "Slaying a god is not what you think it is. Killing one of them will unleash a curse on you. The curse of longevity and torment."
She placed a hand on her head, "I will be living for another 3000 years and every month, I will be struck by a severe mental attack that will render me completely helpless. My magia will be everywhere and it is literal hell for me."
"How long does it last?", Seventeen asked.
"An entire week."
He grimaced, "So that's why you asked for one week off every month from the Headmaster. To endure that much torment, your mental fortitude is impressive. Any normal being would've gone insane."
Vanessa smiled sadly, "I fear these attacks are starting to affect me.", she stretched her fingers, "I'm starting to release magia explosively at night at times, especially when I get nightmares. I am losing my grip, Seventeen."
Seventeen stood and placed a hand on her head, "Don't worry Vanessa. I, no. We will find a way out of this predicament. Cardinal Academy has a lot of skilled Warlocks who can find a solution. Plus. There is me so you don't have to worry as long as I exist in this world.", he said with a smile.
She looked at him and chuckled, "How pathetic of me. Being comforted by a machine but no.", she stood up, "You are not a machine, Seventeen. You are the same as us."
"Well. Shall we continue the story with a walk?"
Frigus stood up and followed them as they walked through the hidden garden.
"Three thousand years ago.", Vanessa began, "The Arken gods returned after realizing that the Founder and his companions have long since passed away. They believed there would be none who are capable of facing them."
"But it seems like fate had anticipated their return. During that age, ten individuals of overwhelming power rivaling that of the gods existed. They were the rulers of their races and beings that stood at the apex of magia."
She looked back at Raviel's grave, "We were called the Ten Crowns, six kings, and four queens. Our armies clashed with the armies of the gods in what was called the Second Celestial War."
"The Second Celestial War?", Seventeen asked.
Vanessa nodded, "The First Celestial War was between Arkenstein, his companions, and the gods. There were originally fifteen Arken gods. One of them left the pantheon and joined the Founder after realizing how corrupted the others were."
"And so fourteen gods faced Arkenstein and his allies. After the first war, their numbers were reduced to ten. I believe that is the only great war recorded in Arken's history."
"Indeed. There is not a single mention of a second Celestial War.", Seventeen said. She continued.
"In the second war, we managed to slay six of them and seal the remaining four far away from this planet. But we also lost six of our own.", her face turned melancholy.
"The Vaharis King Jerares, Elven King Oserion, Dwarven King Absalom, Orc King Zog, Demon Queen Mavis, and Fairy Queen Anya. They all gave their lives slaying the gods.", she sighed, "Now only three of us remain. The Spirit Queen, The Monkey King, and me."
"Hold up. You said that six of the Crowns passed away but only three remain now. What happened to the fourth survivor?", Seventeen asked.
"Ah yes. The Dragon King. Well, he disappeared a year after the war ended. We searched everywhere for him but to no avail. It was as if he was never there.", Vanessa had a difficult expression on her face.
"Let's stop for now. I will tell you the rest of the story later when the time is right. It's about to be dawn.", she said.
Seventeen became frustrated. It looked like Vanessa was hiding something but the information he just received was more than enough.
"I understand. But can you tell me one more thing?", he asked.
"What is it?"
He pointed at the grave in the middle of the garden, "Who was Raviel?"
Vanessa's eyes softened, "Ah. I believe you should know.", she turned to the grave, "Raviel, my old friend was the oldest Arken god."
"What?", Seventeen was shocked by what he heard.
She nodded, "Raviel was the only god who wasn't corrupted like the rest. Maybe it was because she was the first among them, we don't know how she was unaffected. She was a powerful and proud god who loved fighting but deep inside she was also a benevolent one."
"She was the one who left her kind after seeing them become corrupted and helped Arkenstein fight against them in the First Celestial War. After that, she disappeared for a thousand years. No one knew where she went."
Vanessa smiled, "Before ascending the throne. I, the Dragon King, and the Fairy Queen went on a quest to find the ancient god who betrayed her kind to protect Arken."
"We traveled all over the world. At one time we even stumbled into Eravon on the way. He joined us and the four of us had a lot of adventures together. That quest in itself would make an amazing story."
"Our meeting with Raviel is still engraved in my mind. We found her asleep in an ancient temple and she attacked us immediately after waking up, mistaking us for the Arken gods that she left."
"She went straight for the Dragon King as he was the strongest among us. The rest of us put up a good fight but the one who impressed Raviel the most was the Dragon King. The battle lasted for three days and ended in a draw with her and the Dragon King being the last ones standing."
"I remember collapsing on the ground after fighting for two days and just watching those two monsters duke it out on the temple altar. It was truly incredible.", Vanessa said with a chuckle.
Seventeen was amazed, "Judging by the magia released by her now, She must've been a powerhouse back then. And you managed to fight her for two days. Color me impressed."
She rubbed her head sheepishly, "Well, I didn't go one on one against her. I had help from Eravon and Anya but the one who fought the most was the Dragon King."
"So what if I fought you?", he asked suddenly.
"Wanna try?", she asked back, her eyes glowing.
In the blink of an eye, Seventeen's limbs were blown away and a hole was ripped into his chest. Liquid magia sprayed everywhere. Before he could process what happened, everything went black.
He snapped back to reality. His limbs were intact and his chest was unharmed. He patted himself to see if everything was fine.
"Did I just die?", he looked at Vanessa, her eyes still glowing.
She was smiling.
A chill ran up his spine. With just a look from the queen of vampires, he saw his death. He smiled nervously, "So this is what you meant by losing your grip."
"Never imagined that would work on someone like you, Seventeen.", Frigus chuckled.
"I am impressed that you were able to keep your wits.", Vanessa said, still smiling, "Any other person would've had a breakdown by now."
"I can sense the beginning of insanity from you.", Seventeen pointed out. "Aren't we all insane in some way or another?", she asked, spreading her arms.
"You have a point."
Seventeen looked at the rising sun, "I believe we should be returning to the academy. We don't want the students wondering where we were frolicking."
Vanessa nodded, "Very well.", she turned to Frigus, "I'll see you later, old friend."
The ice wyvern bowed his head, "I look forward to our next meeting, Queen Vanessa."
She nodded and turned to Seventeen, "May I?"
He nodded. Vanessa waved her hand in front of her and a rift opened that led straight to the roof of the dormitory.
Seventeen was amazed at the feat. Due to the abnormally high magia concentration, he is unable to open a rift inside the garden. The best he can do is near the entrance to it.
'That's a Crown to you.', he thought as they entered the rift. He waved goodbye to Frigus and the rift closed behind them.
(Vanessa's story about the past is really helpful. Even though she didn't tell the whole story. what she said answered a few questions.)
'Yep. I wonder how the Headmaster will react if I relay it?'
(He'll probably act like an excited kid with candy.)
"You should convey what I said to Cardinal Zephyrus.", Vanessa said as they stood on the roof, the sun slowly peeking out from the horizon.
"Are you sure?", he asked.
She nodded, "He is an interesting man, yearning to know the truth which others have deemed unnecessary. There are only a few people like him out there. Humans are curious beings and you know that nothing can stop them from finding the truth."
(She has a point.)
"Also. I am sorry for not telling everything.", she avoided looking at him and started swaying, "I am a bit afraid to tell the rest right now. Let me organize my thoughts and I promise I'll tell you the whole truth."
Seventeen nodded, "It's okay. You don't need to tell me if you are nervous. We'll just find the truth by ourselves."
"But I have to tell you everything.", she suddenly said, looking straight up at him. Seventeen looked at the icy blue eyes and saw that she was determined.
He sighed, "Alright. At a later time then.", he took in the cool morning air, "Anyway. Let's start a brand new day. Shall we?"
The two of them smiled as they saw the sun rising above the trees.