A platoon of guards was scattered around the corner of the mansion on a hill near the town. The house was like a castle, with several high-rise buildings and blue roofs.
The open bathroom let out steam, revealing a middle-aged woman with a towel draped over her chest to toe. She found herself in a large bedroom with a yellow light. The woman did not realise that there was actually another figure, completely in the nude, sitting in a chair in the room's corner. The figure of a man, pressed his hand to the marble tile surface. At once, the skin of his hands, then the entire surface of his body, turned into a layer of marble floor.
The naked man approached the woman, who became aware of firm footsteps behind her. The woman thought it was her husband, then turned around only to find a plain visage covered in marble.
She was startled, her throat expanding, a sign of a danger siren ready to reverberate. The marble man straight grabbed the woman's neck, preventing her from making a sound, as her windpipe gradually turned marble! Poor woman, she could only stick out her tongue. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't take a single breath, for she was choking on chunks of solid marble right inside her throat. The marble man continued to strangle his victim until her entire body became a masterpiece of marble sculpture. The woman froze with her left hand holding the culprit's hand, and her right one raised forward to grip him, to beg for something.
The killer disappeared into the night, while the statue remained in the dim room, waiting to be found and 'adored by art worshippers' in sorrow.
The afternoon before, the civil guards immediately checked on John Philo's condition after the discovery of the golden statue. John Philo sat limply on his bunk bed with a blank stare. One of the civil guards clutched his communications device, in a mumble reported John Philo was still in prison. The video recorder installed in the prison hallway also saw nothing suspicious the entire time.
Several civilian guards left him, except for one officer, who approached his cell. "Did you hear the news? One of the culprit's parents died unnaturally. He turned into a golden statue. Seems someone's fighting for 'your justice.'"
John Philo just glanced at him for a moment before finally returning to his blank stare, this time with a slight smirk on his dry lips.
"Perhaps those lads didnae get the punishment they deserved. But taking vigilante action, let alone abusing magic, is nae light offense. He will be caught, sooner or later," said the civil guard.
The last officer refused to linger with the bereaved, again leaving him alone.
***
A pair of Crimsonmane siblings finished their dinner while talking to each other. Alicia told the journey of her recent ups and downs like a roller coaster ride. Starting from how she found Orb floating from her house, and how she got recognition from Orb to access its power through her toil and pain (being hit by a meteor). She also recounted her experience of dealing with a Protos particle-consuming mage that nearly killed her, to her experiences of practicing magic, and much more. Leith listened intently to his sister's never-ending ramblings—mostly thinking about the most rational approach to her story, perhaps. A young girl, who was literally hit by a meteor and buried under the debris, then "avra kehdabra!" She came out of the layered ruins and became a mage in one night! However, looking at the world of thaumaturgy and the current context, it might have been calculated in the probability of ill situations that would happen in one's life. It might have been a really tragic event, but it was not the strangest of all.
"… And that's how I connected with Orb!" Alicia concluded. "How about you? Was the family gathering after so long impressive?"
Leith finished his dessert. "Impressive? Most of them are still arseholes."
"You're still at the dinner table, Leith."
"Aye, sorry. At least we get along with some of them. The family meeting was pure stress. Even though it's only been a long time since we've been in touch, they have already burdened our family with hunners of work."
"The preparation you said on the phone?"
"Aye, that's what I meant, and Alicia," Leith changed the subject for a moment. "Uh… abut Orb. Do you ken what power it has?"
Alicia was silent for a while, then answered, "After reminding those events. I think I recognize the power that Orb has. At least what I've learned from Mama."
"And that power is?"
Alicia started to tense up, as if what was about to come out of her mouth gave her sheer goosebumps and the universe exploded.
"The Divine Grace. The pure Arcane."
Leith leaned back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. "At least Papa and I won't have to waste any more time thanks to you, sister."
"So the mandate given to you is to find the source of the pure Arcane?" asked Alicia. "Are they pranking you or something?"
"A prank, maybe not. In short, Grandpa Alasdair found Mama's journal."
"J-journal from Mama?" Alicia immediately froze, waiting for Leith to reveal more knowledge.
"From the journal, Mama wrote that she was looking for pure Arcane resources outside the Empire of Roma. The last clue she found was that the mage Lailoken or Languoreth might have this might, and they hid it here in Trinketshore, where Merlin's sister passed."
Alicia had expressed no reaction yet.
Leith continued. "And some of the kins,"—Leith was looking for a more refined vocabulary other than 'arsehole' or 'bastard'—"who hate us said that it's just fictitious writing from mama's unstable mind. But grandfather Alasdair seemed so obsessed with his daughter's journal, that he asked her family to keep searching for that might, which is now...," Leith raised his hand. "... Is on your very hands."
The young girl bombarded him with questions. "W-why was mama looking for that power? Where's the journal now? And why is Grandpa Alasdair looking for it too?"
"First, I don't know. Second, Papa is holding it. Of course, he won't hand it over to a fourteen-year-old child. Third, what else if not to assert the dominance or political influence of the house of Crimsonmane? That's why I didn't call papa right away. It would be good if we could discuss it more privately regarding this power. And one other thing; who else knows about this other than your two friends?"
"Only them, I guess. The victims of yesterday's black magic… I hope they remember nothing after the attack."
"Keep your fingers crossed then," Leith said.
***
The night was supposed to be quiet, but sobs and sirens opposed it. The actual husband found a deposit of the maestro's work. Not even a thousand bodyguards could prevent Lana Bain from becoming another magnum opus. Lana Bain herself was the mother of James Bain, the second culprit of the Esmer Philo murder case. The killer displayed the statue on a marble cube, bearing the same threatening inscription as the one the night Francis Little was murdered.
The night was not long enough for the crowds of authorities and curious residents who flocked to the Bain castle museum until sunrise. A few felt pity, but most sang the thanksgiving and spat in the courtyard of Bain castle.
Early in the morning, Alicia woke up and decided to have a little jog to increase her stamina. She passed the courtyard of Bain castle not far from her house, still crowded with civil guards. Her eyes glanced at the unfamiliar group of wizards. Looked like the wizards from the capital had arrived, just like her brother promised. Alicia knew right away that the latest murder case was in the castle, and of course, its victim was not the murderess. She then took the route across the bridge only to find another tumultuous with an additional stinging stench (wrong route, Alicia).
Alicia's shoulders weighed heavily upon hearing the two fresh news: Caleb Dune, the black mage she fought the previous nights died horribly, and another family member of the Esmer Philo murderess once again became the victim of homicide. The black mage who threatened her he would return, would not return. The good news was that the new Khaos champion might surface. This time, the motivation is clearer, according to Alicia's hypothesis; To hunt down the perpetrator's family members other than the perpetrators themselves. The killer wanted to force them to confess to their abuse of the law and demanded the authorities punish them with more commensurate measures.
Alicia passed through the square before returning home. The town square had never been so populous before. The protesters were camping there, still waiting for an answer from the mayor regarding the Esmer case. She took the time to a burned restaurant due to a tragic incident she was involved in. They filled the grounds with wreaths, candles, and prayer cards. Alicia just remembered she had not even had time to leave the house since then. She prayed to Silent Divine for a moment, hoping the owner of the tavern named Nancy would be greeted in Eternal Peace.
Before breakfast, Alicia practiced her magic shots in the backyard as usual. Leith, who just woke up, saw the dining table filled with an utter void.
"Alicia, breakfast?" asked Leith.
"I'm practicing, Leith. If you don't want to wait, cook yourself."
Leith sighed in dissatisfaction and decided to sit on the terrace steps. He did not want to lay his finger on the cooking utensils at all and expected his sister to take care of the kitchen affairs.
Leith saw the way Alicia shot her magic. The shots were quite accurate for shooting while moving. However, the young boy noticed there was a slight oddity in the way her hand shot. He then asked her, "Alicia! Is pure Arcane fired like that, or was it just your hand gestures?"
Alicia stopped her training for a moment, turning her body. "Eh, what do you mean, Leith?"
"Yer hands were stiff. Whereas when you moved Orb, your hands were more flexile."
"That so? I learned to shoot from Nadine, you see. Hey, since there's a real wizard here, how about you teach me a thing or two?"
"No wonder." His answer was short. "Shooting magic isn't the same as shooting a rifle. Plus, your moves are quite foreign to western mystic arts. Western-rite sorcery is probably the closest one based on your gestures and the absence of spellcasting. What mystic arts are you actually using?"
The same question was asked by her two friends. Magic was usually applied through a discipline called the mystic arts, which took various forms throughout the world. The problem was that Alicia did it spontaneously, as if there had been some inspiration from her alignment with Orb.
"I'm not using any magic control methods other than staying focused on maintaining synchronization with Orb, I think."
"Wow really? Hmm… That's… a novelty," Leith replied, somewhat amazed.
"I've seen no one controlling pure Arcane directly. Well, not in Wizardry," Leith continued. "But if you look at most mystic arts, you can always wiggle your hand while shooting to make your aim more flexible. Unlike shooting arrows or rifles where you lose control of the projectiles once they're ejected, you could still control the magic energy as long as the energy tip hasn't completely dislodged from its source. That rigid motion you did is usually for firing the energy on the larger scale, which requires more control."
Alicia happily accepted her brother's feedback, trying to put into practice what he just suggested. It turned out Orb's plasma energy was not much different from the ordinary magic one. Alicia twirled her hands to accumulate the power escaping from her Orb then flung it with grace. This way of shooting was not only easier, but also maintaining synchronization with Orb was way more effortless. It demanded her to be more relaxed, graceful, and elegant. She shot while dancing in front of the pile of dolls without messing up her accuracy at all.
"Leith?"
"Hmm?"
"YER PURE DEAD BRILLIANT! OCH, MY BROTHER IS ONE CANNY LAD! YOUR WORDS IS PROPER SOUND! MY SHOT IS MUCH EASIER AND MY FOCUS IS EVEN MORE BELTER! WHY CANNAE I FIND IT IN MAW'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA—"
"Eh, Alicia! C'mon, it's just a basic magic shooting technique—"
"Nonsense!" interrupted Alicia while still shaking Leith's body. "Do you have any other tricks? Come on, tell me! You know what? Let's practice together! Wouldn't that be more fun?"
Alicia kept pleading happily in front of him, until she finally laughed out loud after realising how ridiculous she had become.
Since living in Trinketshore, his sister had become a smiley person over time. But this was the first time Leith had seen Alicia ever be this happy. Her sweet, wide smile felt even more sincere. Oh, Alicia was indeed one bonnie lass with her precious smile. A national treasure of Caledonia! A positive atmosphere ran through his spine. Leith also smiled amused to see her.
"Uh… sure, I have a few tricks, but… with my current amount of mana, I could only give you an answer, and I did. You know what I need? Caledonian breakfast set full of protein to unlock new tricks!"
"Ahhh… Not fair! Leith, come on, tell me! Please?"
"Caledonian Breakfast Set!"
"Just one trick, ONE trick...! After that, the Caledonian breakfast set!"
"A Caledonian breakfast set first. After that, some great tips from the grand wizard, Leith Crimsonmane!"
And they kept funny arguing until the older sister gave up and accepted the offer of the grand wizard Leith Crimsonmane. []