'Sonnet'. CK couldn't remember seeing any 'Sonnet' in the records and the strange woman before her hardly looked like the junior students. She didn't look like staff either.
CK cast another glance at the woman before her, head to toe. White clothes, unknown identity, hardly noticed by anyone, and comes and goes as she pleases… No way!
"You're a ghost, aren't you?" CK squinted her eyes in suspicion while taking a few steps back. "Hm…" Sonnet tapped her lip thoughtfully, "I don't remember ever dying in the past, but that could also mean I've been long dead, huh? Funny!"
She clasped her hands behind her and smiled. "Your wordsmith level really changed... Hehe~ Looks like my bet on you was on point," Sonnet turned around, "Let's go. I'm sure there's plenty you'd like to ask."
"Will you be answering if I asked?" CK asked. "That depends," the woman looked over her shoulder with a smile, "Will you believe a word I will say?"
CK hesitated. Admittedly, she might not. And 'bet' on her? What was she, some horse in a track race? Still, she kept this to herself and decided to test her luck.
CK sighed. "My mama said not to go with strangers yet here we are," she said and followed after the woman in white.
"Heyy, don't be like that! I mean no harm," Sonnet pouted. "I guess," CK shrugged, "If you really wanted to, you would've snapped my head off without blinking."
"Hehe. I don't pick fights with babies, CK," Sonnet smiled amusingly, "Given your current situation, you probably won't be able to conjure a shield against a flying dagger."
CK said nothing. It was true. She had tested out whether the [Maiden of Prayer] had really taken away her proficiency and tried to summon a single crystal. However, the incantation did not work. CK only then confirmed that she was back to being a beginner in using Magna Alkemia.
So if Sonnet decided to attack, CK had no chance in defending herself. Even if she was hesitant, CK decided not to provoke the stronger person and rode along for the curiosity as well. A smart move, if Sonnet would praise.
"What was it like?" Sonnet suddenly asked, piquing CK's attention. "What was what?" CK asked confusingly.
"Speaking to the [Maiden] face to face. You're pretty lucky, you know? Rare is a case when the [Maiden of Prayer] would manifest physically to speak with even her most feverish adherents. And you just caught her attention like that," Sonnet mused, "But I suppose having her artifact close by amplified your chances of success."
'She even knows about that, too?' CK was confounded. "It was... strange," she answered, "It's like I have memories of the events but still felt like it never happened. It's like deja vu, but in reverse."
"Hm. Curious," Sonnet commented. CK crossed her arms, "Why did you come to see me? There's nothing I could possibly do that could interest you."
"I came to extend the denouement," Sonnet answered playfully, "I also had to take my chance. The old man makes it difficult to reach out to you."
"...What do you want from me?" CK asked, "You helped me enter the Maiden's Tower and you knew what I would do with the [Manuscript]. Why?"
Sonnet paused. "You've met 'him', yes?" she asked, "The intruder of the Maiden's Tower?"
"I did," CK answered. 'He almost killed me, if I should add'.
"Had he taken the artifact instead of you, let's just say that things won't go according to design," Sonnet said enigmatically, "The [Manuscript] was created for the sake of Knowledge. It shouldn't be used anywhere else. You were the most ideal person to use it. The [Maiden] must've thought the same thing, too."
Sonnet smiled mysteriously. "You asked what I wanted from you, yes?" she said, "It's very simple."
CK stifled a gasp when Sonnet placed a palm against CK's face. Sonnet's eyes flickered, "Pay very close attention."
The surroundings changed with a rapid swarm of colors stretching chaotically–A typical sign of successfully phasing away. By the time it ceased, CK found herself within the peaks of a tower, standing in front of an astrolabe that was nearly four times her size.
She squinted from the sudden light coming through the glass dome ceiling. The rings and intricacies of the astrolabe spun and rotated autonomically. They would meet the rays of light that produced momentary lights that blind.
CK recognized the humungous astrolabe rotating with life before her. She could see the same astrolabe from the plaza and at night, often becoming a topic of intrigue during idle moments when there were no classes.
"This astrolabe…" CK said in realization. She turned to Sonnet, "What are we doing at the central tower?"
"So you recognize this place?" Sonnet tilted her head. "Hello?" CK deadpanned while gesturing at the open scenarios, "We're literally inside the tallest tower at the center of the entire school."
"Oh…So that's how you recognized this place. I initially thought it was because you've been here before. From what I know, the central tower was closed off and became one of the school's many restricted zones," Sonnet let her gaze wander around, "This place has quite the history, you see."
CK raised an eyebrow as Sonnet paced around leisurely. "It used to have a name," Sonnet spoke, "But that name was taken away at the same time the school chose to close off this tower."
"Why did they close it off?" CK asked. "I was hoping you would ask," Sonnet giggled and snapped her fingers. CK paused in alert as the surroundings crumbled like shattering glass pieces, where reality bended with the tricks of illusion.
The ground beneath CK's feet faded to transparency, where the entire school seems to have disappeared. Only the central tower and the eight towers in the distance could be seen from the bird's eye view.
At first, CK thought she would be free-falling. But feeling an invisible floor and the strong blows of mid-air wind currents caused her to relax momentarily. CK was confounded by this large-scale incantation, "How did she…?"
She paused when Sonnet appeared before her, her entire figure floating freely without the need for the invisible footing. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Sonnet asked, "This was the 'school' in the past, long before it became the school it is today."
'So it was a glimpse into the past,' CK thought. She read several texts about incantations that could depict certain events from the past, but she didn't expect to see someone do it so easily and terrifyingly casual.
Looking down, the sceneries weren't so different from the current Nonaphrontistery. Islets surrounded the main island, but they did not contain the facilities it did today. They were plain, floating rocks in the middle of nowhere. It almost seemed as if they were merely chips that broke off a bigger land.
It really wasn't so different. But there was one thing CK noticed aside from the central tower's unchanged appearance. Stretching towards the borders of the floating school in the middle of nowhere were the eight towers surrounding them in a round formation. Aside from this, everything was plain empty.
"Only the eight towers and the central tower are here… There is no school," CK realized. "Very good. From your endeavors, what do you know about the eight towers that currently surrounds the school?" Sonnet asked.
CK looked at her warily. "Why should I tell you?" she asked. "Ah, right. Even up until now, you would protect the secrets of the Nonaphrontistery. It's alright, I already know what they are for," Sonnet said, "But still, try to humor me."
"…They were built for two main reasons: to serve as the Nonaphrontistery's defense systems, and for each tower to protect certain items," CK crossed her arms, "If you already know, I don't need to specify what those items are."
"Hehe! So wary. But sadly, you're only half-correct," Sonnet said, "Each of the eight towers are built to keep an artifact of each known Archetype, yes. But the administration panel of the past had…other reasons to build each tower."
"If they are meant to protect the Archetypes' artifacts from outsiders, the towers wouldn't be designed to filter wordsmiths according to levels. You encountered this upon climbing the Maiden's Tower, right?" Sonnet asked, "They should have focused on prohibiting anything and anyone from entering. But instead, the ranking system only encourages wordsmiths to become stronger to attempt each level. Sounds more welcoming, don't you think?"
"What are you trying to say?" CK asked with a frown. "Look at the towers from where you stand, CK," Sonnet smiled mysteriously, "Don't they seem to resemble something?"
CK gazed down, her gaze observantly falling on each tower. They resembled the same towers she knew, but there was nothing else to note. CK shook her head, "I can't find anything."
"I see. Then…how about now?" Sonnet asked again while rotating a finger clockwise. Almost as if adhering to her fingers, the towers in the distance illuminated in the same clockwise direction, glowing lines suddenly shooting out to connect with the other towers in a pattern.
CK's brows furrowed. Then, her eyes widened upon seeing a pattern she thought she would only see in the records. "This is a geometric pattern for an incantation," CK said in awe.
"Correct. An 8/3 Schafli Symbol, where 8 points would form 3 triangles interconnecting with one another," Sonnet nodded and drew lines with the tip of her finger, "But in the commonest term, it's otherwise known as an 'octagram'."
When first beginning as a Level II wordsmith, students needed to have a good grasp of the concepts of geometry. It is upon geometry where they carve out incantations to serve different purposes because they no longer rely on words to bring incantations to life. They rely upon runes and patterns. If a beginner needed to master grammar, those of the Level II needed to master geometry.
The octagram was one of the most common founding patterns for more advanced incantations due to its solid structure and easy recognition in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional surfaces. CK looked at the towers' pattern.
"Octagrams are best used as sealing incantations because of its structure. And if each tower serves as a 'point' in this octagram, it becomes a large-scale sealing incantation," Sonnet mused. CK's eyes widened as she traced the center of the octagram.
It was the central tower itself. A strong wind current blew against CK's direction, but she was sure this was not the reason she had goosebumps creeping on her skin.
"A sealing incantation, and the central tower is its core… That's ridiculous," CK said in disbelief, "The eight towers were built to seal the central tower?! What for?"
Sonnet smiled. "The central tower used to have a name. But it was taken the same time the administration cut off access to it," she said. CK's eyes widened, "The school…"
Right. The school didn't exist here yet, but the towers had long been standing. Would it be wise to believe the school was built around the towers, then? Why?
CK frowned in thought. Four years in this same school, but they were never told about the school's history—just its accomplishments over the centuries and its purpose to educate people in the Arts of Syntaxis.
"What is in this tower, and why did it have to be sealed?" CK muttered. Sonnet's lips curled wider, "Have you ever heard of the very first case trial at the Nonaphrontistery?"
CK glanced at Sonnet. "No… No, I haven't," she answered. She had a bad feeling about this.
"Shame. It's closely related to that, you see. Your trial in the hearing was addressed as Case No. 2—which meant it was the second trial to ever take place for the entire time the school was standing. If there was a 'No. 2', there has to be a 'No.1'," Sonnet smiled enigmatically.
"And it's closely related to the central tower…and the [Manuscript] in your possession."
CK took a step back defensively, the look of uneasiness clear on her face. "This is not something a normal outsider should know about," CK glared, "Why are you telling me this? I'm no longer part of the Nonaphrontistery."
"Darling, this isn't about your affiliation. None of this is. Ever since the [Maiden's Manuscript] became your possession, you became an unpredictable variable in many schemes. I'm making sure you don't act too brashly as result," Sonnet smirked.
"Pray tell, how can you do that?" CK wanted to snort. "By holding you hostage," Sonnet laughed lightly, "You ask why I'm telling you these things out of the blue. This is the reason why."
CK took another step back as Sonnet floated intimidatingly close to her. Sonnet smiled, "You adhere the Archetype of Knowledge, so you should know that what you learn comes at a price. Knowledge can also be used as a handcuff to hold people accountable for what they learn about."
Displeasure was obvious with CK's frown. "Or, you know, you can just pretend nothing happened. Turning a blind eye is a lot easier…but I somehow believe you won't be doing that," Sonnet shrugged.
"Is this the real reason why you chose to approach me? To keep a close eye on what I do?" CK asked. "Of course. You were the most unpredictable element of the entire case. A case trial in your name, a granted audience with the [Maiden of Prayer] that later chose to take your power away, deciding to drop out in the last minute… My, you were quite the star of the show," Sonnet's eyes glimmered with amusement, "You cannot blame me for taking precautions."
"It's a shame you chose to sacrifice your precious Chapter, though. That means you'll have to start over. Isn't it funny? You came to this school with zero proficiency and you're also leaving with zero proficiency… Hehe," Sonnet giggled, "Guess you won't have the privilege to use your abilities out there so easily. That's too bad."
"My memory is still intact. My proficiency is gone, but my experience and knowledge are still here," CK tapped the side of her forehead. "Yes. Memories," Sonnet grinned wider, "Memories are very crucial, yes. Hold unto them. They're far more powerful than what you think."
'Aaand now she's speaking gibberish,' CK wanted to roll her eyes. Sonnet yawned and stepped onto the invisible floor.
"While cutting ties with the Nonaphrontistery may seem like a big disadvantage, I think you'll have plenty to gain with time. For example, you are least prone to bias. Alumni of the school are inclined to serve the administration's interests, but this doesn't apply to you," Sonnet mused.
"Hmph. I refuse to be part of the Nonaphrontistery's business anymore. I'll decide what kind of problems I'll involve myself with," CK said. Sonnet laughed, "That makes sense. You're free and that's what matters, right?"
Yes, the joy of freedom… But such extravagance will still cost plenty.
"Perhaps the time will come when I see what 'problems' will pique your interest," Sonnet mused and waved a hand. CK watched as the surroundings reverted back, and they returned to standing within the observatory of the central tower.
CK was still perturbed. Why would the founders build the school surrounding the central tower? But knowing she won't get an immediate answer, she pushed the thoughts back to the corners of her mind.
"My time here is up. I've got plenty of places to be," Sonnet said and began to walk away. CK was in disbelief, "You're just gonna leave after bombarding me with those stuff?"
"Why, yes. It's called 'lore-bombing' for a reason. Go read some books and look it up," Sonnet flicked her hair off her shoulder. "You're unbelievable," CK said.
"I know, sweetie. I know," Sonnet smiled impishly, "But don't worry. Though we'll part ways here, don't miss me for too long. When you return to a place of power, there'll be a chance we'll meet again. Maybe you'll have some interesting stories to tell."
CK stared at her with mixed emotions. Just who was this woman?
"Well, then. Bye for now," Sonnet grinned at her and flicked a finger. CK blinked rapidly, finding herself standing alone in her room.
Once again, she was transported by a wordless incantation. "He…hehe," CK giggled, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She can't wait to be at that same level of mastery.
"Ha… Baby steps, CK. Baby steps," CK told herself and looked out the window. There, she found a clear view of the central tower. Her lips curled.
That woman was saying something behind her gibberish words. CK snorted. So what if she knows a little more about the school? She's leaving anyway, so what's the use knowing those stuff?
CK shook her head and closed the curtains, blocking the view of the windows. It was time she left. She's getting sick of the place.