The soft glow of candlelight cast flickering shadows across the cluttered space, revealing crates stacked haphazardly against the walls. Shiny objects glinted amidst the darkness, their surfaces catching the light in a tantalizing display.
Scattered across the floor and on top of the boxes were various objects; shiny metallic ones that caught the fleeting light, vials filled with unknown substances, some clear, others ominously dark.
Among them, less savoury items could be seen—preserved body parts floating in formaldehyde, giving the room a macabre edge.
But my gaze however instantly landed on a single point of interest.
At the back on top of a leaning box was a glass container. Inside it, shielded from dust and time, lay two old, rustic-looking pages on a stand. One edge of each page jagged, torn from its original binding long ago.
The exact same pages Rex had brought to the auction, and taken back in the end afterwards.
"Elias, look at this, have you ever seen a tooth this big?"
Caius's voice broke through my thoughts, his excitement palpable as he stood next to an enormous dirty-grey tooth, encased in a glass dome. I only glanced briefly at the tooth, my interest barely piqued by his curiosity as it was one of the items that were for auction.
"Yes, it's... remarkable," I replied absently, my attention still fixated on the pages that seemed to whisper secrets from their silent perch.
The candles around the room melted down half to the stumps in their holders compared to the unlit ones, suggesting that it had been at least a day since they were lit. That meant Rex would've been in here to deposit the items when he arrived yesterday or the day before.
Ignoring Caius's continued commentary on all the other objects he was engrossed in, I approached the glass container that held the pages. With a steady hand, I lifted the glass off and placed it gently on a box to the side.
The pages had a hint of yellow due to aging, and the ink was slightly faded but still legible, penned with a meticulous hand. I reached out, fingers hesitating a breath away from the parchment, aware of the weight of history they carried.
Without a second thought, I lifted them from its stand to better inspect the writing. It was written in the language of Ancient Arcanist which I had thoroughly studied in Alexei's books. And just like the other page similar to this one I found back in the Leode library, it was a Diary entry.
[29th February 523
"Today has been a rather informative one. Cris and I have settled in an underground chamber near the hills of the Giants to conduct an advancement ritual.
He told me something rather unusual.
That he wishes to switch completely from the Porter pathway to the Scout pathway using an unheard-of method that is kept secret among a select few Arcanists in that mysterious group.
Using a still beating heart of a Tier 3 Lifeless, he's able to advance and switch from Tier 4 Artisan. Cris said that he had been along the Porter path from Blinker, Shifter, Luminary and now Artisan, but he wants to extend his life through the Tier 3 Lifeless.
Something tells me that it's not the only reason, yet I can't bring myself to ask why or what it is. I've only known Cris for 15 years, so there would still be many things I don't know about him.
Cris has taught me the technique that one is able to use the organs of an arcanist of the path they wish to switch to, as a catalyst and extra material within the regular advancement ritual.
The more dominant the better, which is why he's using a still-beating heart to minimize the negative effects.
Hopefully this experiment is a success. Only time will tell."]
The date was once again far in the past, over a century ago. This time it was further back, as the previous Diary entry was in the year 548.
Cris was also mentioned again. It seemed like the author, [The Lonley Traverler], was companions with Cris for a long time. Was Cris his teacher? And those arcanist tier names from the Porter pathway, I know knew Tiers 8 down to Tier 4 for the path Fleur was a part of. What was the Tier 3 Lifeless from though?
Also, this advancement ritual was drastically different to the one I had read about in Alexei's arcanist books. The ones I had researched were simple, using a few materials and a piece of parchment with the ritual written out in Ancient Arcanist.
But this one was twisted and dark. Using the organs of a dead arcanist to completely switch your own pathway. It made sense why Darius didn't want these pages to get out. If that happened, would arcanists start killing others to advance? Everything would change drastically, and likely for the worse.
Looking over at Caius still engrossed in the artifacts around the room, I flipped the pages and began to read the second one.
[Year 631?
"A long time has passed since my last entry. We've been making our way through the darkness and the endless trees.
I believe it's been at least a few years, yet Cris told me it's only been a couple of weeks at most.
Is that because of the effects this place has on one's senses?
But finally today we've found somewhere to rest. A small shack where Cris has introduced me to one, Alistair Creed, another Arcanist from the outside.
A much taller man than me, over three meters tall, donned in red, a fluffy robe, and a wooden cane. Not to hold him up, but just for looks.
Over a cup of tea and a strong liquor for the others, Cris told him about the search we were on. To find the one who will overthrow the current 'Eye of the Cosmos' Celestial Lilith.
Who knows if it can really be done or not? I for one have my doubts."]
As I finished reading the passage, a shiver ran down my spine, the words resonating with a haunting intensity. The pocket watch in my jacket felt warm just from looking over the words on the page.
The mention of Celestial Lilith and the notion of overthrowing the Eye of the Cosmos sent a chill through my veins. I hadn't a clue what it was about but I knew this was information that couldn't get into the wrong hands.
Rolling up the pages with a sense of reverence, I carefully stowed them away in the inner pocket of my jacket, the weight of their secrets pressing against my chest. The implications of what I had just read lingered in the air, casting a shadow over the dimly lit room.
Pacing back and forth, I mulled over the implications of the information I had gleaned. The idea of using arcanist organs to switch pathways was both intriguing and unsettling. It hinted at a darker side of arcanist society, one fueled by ambition and desperation rather than passion and intrigue. Were there more dark secrets in the underbelly of the Arcanist world?
Glancing at the vials of organs displayed on the nearby shelf, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of my stomach. Cris's words echoed in my mind, a stark reminder of the risks and sacrifices inherent in the pursuit of power and advancement.
If these pages were to fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic. The delicate balance of power that governs our mystical world could be irrevocably altered, leading to chaos and destruction on an unimaginable scale.
Whilst looking over the shelf of tubes and vials, the organs bobbed in the opaque liquid. Some of their labels had rubbed off but you could still tell what they were. Tongues, livers, hands even.
But one caught my eye. A cloudy tube with a pair of eyes, still with their green irises. The label was faded but still legible. Eyes of a Visionary.
With a heavy heart, I slowly walked up to it. I wiped the glass with my healthy hand to clear the dust off.
My heart began beating faster and I could feel the chill of the blood under the ripped trousers on my left hand.
"Eli."
Visionary was the next Tier within the Watcher pathway. With these eyes, would I be able to advance more easily?
"Elias!" Caius said louder, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I whipped around and saw him standing by the door.
"Did you find the pages? The ones we came here for? We need to get back to Fleur, Lucas and Darius as soon as possible."
Clenching my left hand, sticky with blood and reaching up to pat my chest with the other I nodded. "I got them. Let's go," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil brewing inside me.
As we prepared to exit, I glanced once more at the tube of eyes. I already had everything I needed for the advancement ritual towards becoming a Tier 7 Visionary. Yet, the temptation to seize the Eyes lingered at the edge of my consciousness.
With a deep breath, I steeled my resolve. The path of advancement needed to be earned, not taken through shortcuts. "We have what we need," I murmured to myself, more as a reminder than a statement of fact.
Caius reached the door first, his hand resting on the knob. He turned it slowly, the creak of the hinges unnaturally loud in the tense silence that enveloped us.
Instead of the expected dim hallway, the door revealed a vast office-like space, so different from the room we anticipated that it momentarily disoriented us.
The room was grand, lined with long, flowing red curtains with open windows. A massive desk sat imposingly at the far end, an island of dark wood amidst a sea of plush carpet. And a figure under the light, with their head down in a book in the desk chair.
Caius and I exchanged a bewildered glance. "This isn't the hallway," he whispered, a hint of unease threading his voice.
"No. It isn't," I agreed, stepping cautiously into the room.
I turned my gaze down towards the man at the desk as his head was still down looking at his papers.
"Yes, Hector? What is it this time?" The man said as he pinched at his glasses, taking them off and placing them beside him on the wooden desk.
"Rex," I muttered under my breath.
Caius, already retreating toward the door, hissed urgently, "Elias, we need to get out of here."
I barely registered his words, my focus fixed on the figure now rising and looking over at us from behind the massive desk. "You're not Hector," Rex observed, his voice steady but tinged with surprise. "Who might you be?"
"Hector?" I echoed rhetorically, stepping further into the room, my eyes scanning the opulent surroundings and settling back on Rex.
Rex paused, a contemplative expression crossing his features. He paced over to the side of his desk and leaned against it, the weight of the moment seemingly pressing down upon him. Massaging the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut, he took a second to think.
After a moment, his demeanour shifted. He perked up slowly, a look of realization dawning on his face. With a snap of his fingers, he said, "Ah, yes. You were the one that interrupted my auction. You ended up causing King and I a bit of trouble."
"I must admit," Rex began, his voice a measured blend of curiosity and suspicion. "I didn't expect anyone to arrive here just yet. The guards at the estate are not easily bypassed, especially for those who cannot surpass or negate predictive arcanist abilities."
I maintained a composed exterior whilst taking another step forward to Caius's dismay, concealing the tension that coiled within me like a tightly wound spring.
The guards' authority was likely linked to either the Time or Fate authorities and since prediction was something I could somewhat do as a Watcher, someone of the Fate authority who had such abilities would most definitely be able to do as well.
As if on cue, something or someone unseen closed the large curtains, casting the room from moonlit into shadow against the candles. My attention snapped towards the movement, and I saw Rex on the other side of the room, handling the curtains with deliberate grace.
A shiver ran down my spine as I realized the situation had shifted once again. Rex, who had just been at the desk, was now by the curtains. Did this have to do with his arcanist abilities?
I turned my gaze back to the desk, only to find Rex standing by the table once more, his expression unchanged. It was as if the room itself conspired to keep me on edge.
"So, what brings you to the Stanway Estate? Surely Pink didn't invite you here?" Rex spoke slowly as he adjusted one of his desk lamps.
"Oh that's right, the pages, the pages" Rex continued before I could say anything. "I knew you and your buddies were after something at the auction, and when everything went south, that only confirmed my suspicions."
Caius, ever alert to the escalating tension, edged closer, his hand gripping the fabric of my jacket with a subtle urgency. His voice was a hushed whisper. "We need to go, Elias. We can't let him drag us deeper into this."
I could feel the weight of his concern, the pressure of his fingers tugging insistently. But my focus was divided, torn between the need for discretion and the unfolding conversation with Rex.
"Darius will handle it if this gets out of hand," I muttered back, trying to reassure Caius without drawing attention. "Let me go, I need to do something."
Before Caius could respond, Rex's voice cut through the air, smooth and confident. "It's too bad about those pages though. They're not even here," he said.
His words sent a ripple of confusion through me. Not here? My hand twitched instinctively toward my jacket, wanting to confirm the presence of the pages hidden within. But I held back, realizing any sudden movement might reveal too much.
Rex started to pace around the large office space. "They've been sold."