*Rings, D-Ding*
The wooden door to the bookshop was opened, the inside seems to be old, the walls are made of oak woods, lit by two dimmed red lamps facing opposite each other to the side, an opaque window to the left of the door, and a charm that seems to be a dream catcher, hanging above it.
"Oh Welcome back dear customer! Good to see you again."
The bookstore owner said. He seemed to be in his late 40s, tanned skin,gray hair, wearing a linen shirt and a blue robe. He has green eyes and a mischievous smile on his face.
"Well what can I help you with? Any particular book you're looking for?"
Irene was browsing through each row of books with her finger.
"mmm.. I'm looking for spell books in healing.." Irene said.
"Oh! You're getting in to healing now? In the third row, at that corner on the right." The owner pointed the way.
Irene picked up a book and went to the counter.
"Now I'm curious.. why did my disciple begin having interest in supporting magic? I thought your only interest was solely on offensive magic."
The man spoke with eagerness.
"..Well, I guess I had a change of heart." Irene replied.
The man placed his hand under his chin in contemplation.
"Mmm well it's always great to learn new things, here and there, and it is you we're talking about here after all, so I need not to worry."
Irene nodded to the man in thanks for his approval.
"Oh I almost forgot, how's life in the manor? Are you having any troubles?" The man asked with a concerned look.
She replied in a hurried- "I'm doing fine, master. Everything is ok."
"Ahh I see, splendid!" Suddenly his expression changed from his care-free tone in to a serious one in that instant." Then.. have you found it?"
Irene was hesitant to answered-
"…I haven't had the time to look for it."
"Oh..is that right? Oh yes!.. I did hear about that incident a while back. You were the one that defeated the wyvern, right? People were talking everywhere about your ultimate spell, the piercing heavens! "
Piercing heaven, a spell that summoned a giant greatsword, said to be one of the weapons held by the angels of the goddess,who protects humankind and others living beings from the evil that have lived among us.
Irene became a little bit embarrassed from all the praises she's receiving, so she altered her gazed around. "Thank you, master. If it wasn't for your guidance, I alone couldn't have been able to use such a spell."
The man motioned his hand as to brushed it off.
" Oh! You've flattered me too much! The results only bear fruits because of your hard-work after all! Not to mention, the blessing of the goddess! If it wasn't for her highness, Rosalia, we couldn't have the fortune to learnt such a spell!"
Rosalia is the name of the Goddess who is said to protect human kind. Rumor has it that She has a long crimson hair, a golden staff and platinum eyes that reflect the very stars.
He continued- "That is why, Irene, we need you.. to find Mary's study book. It is the last item that we need to revive her highness."
Irene thought- I've known the whereabouts about that book for awhile now. That book, it is there.. within her place..
The man noticed the uneasiness in Irene's eyes.
"..Has something clouded your mind? You seem to be really nervous today."
" Ah..it's nothing. I was just thinking of what might happen if I were to get caught by the Corvus… What if…we could find a way to negotiate with them? Maybe they'll be willing to offer the book to us."
The man thought about it, but he wasn't so pleased with Irene's resolve.
"…Have you gotten soft, Irene? Negotiate? With the Corvus?..No no..They are stubborn, self-centered and despicable brutes! Look what happened to Mary! If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't ha-"
Irene tried to reason with him- "But what if they changed!?"
*BANG!*
The man slammed the wooden counter in frustration, but he realized that he was too overwhelmed by his feelings.
He sighed and tried to reconciled- " Please…Irene..this is a request from me, not as your master, but as the person who took you in and helped raising you.I hope you'd be willing to help this old man with this request..."
Irene knew that she can not refuse further and nodded as a surrender- "…Okay, Mr. Abel."
*Ring, D-ding*
Someone rushed in in a hurry. They were breathing heavily and looked like they were in desperate need of help.
"I-Irene..?" My lady? She looked restless.. was I taking too long?
Irene rushes towards Kannavis.
"My lady!..Is something wrong? You're shaking…" I've never seen her lady this nervous before..
"Let-let's go back..I'm not feeling too well.." Her hands were shaking.. she looked around all over as if someone was following her.
"Okay let's return right away." Irene turn to look at Abel, he waved his hand to bid her off.
As we were going back on the carriage, I noticed that her lady still seems to be taken aback. I took her hand, and she jolted in fear.
"My lady.. what happened when I was gone? Did someone do something to you?"
"No..no..I.." Kannavis couldn't speak it out..
"You were taking your time… and..people started to approach me asking for directions..so I started to panic.. mmph!"
Oh.. I didn't realize her social anxiety was that bad..
" I'm sorry that I took too long my lady, please, forgive me."
!
Suddenly Kannavis moved from the other side of the carriage, and sat next to Irene. She then let her head fall to the side of Irene shoulder.
"Don't move." Kannavis said as she closed her eyes to rest.
Irene nodded… this is new to me.
I noticed that Miss Kannavis changed a lot after that tea party. Before, she always has a domineering gazed upon others that I find was hard to approach. Kannavis at the academy, was harsh, arrogant, and would looked down on everyone. However, now she seemed more aloof, timid but demanding, unpredictable and sort of.. cute.
Ah- I turn my head away from her, another hand covering my mouth…huuu what am I thinking?.. She looked peaceful when she sleeps.. I shouldn't wake her.
*Meanwhile in Kannavis mind*
Sh*t what was that reading? That woman must be insane, how does someone like me who can't even cast a single spell supposed to be the devourer of anything? But that crow.. it also said something similar, and did I really eat the heart in the dream!? Those bloodstains were real, Heck! whose heart even is that?!
*Fort Ophis, underground*
*creaks, creaks..*
*cling, cling..*
"Alright move it along, slowly.. don't drop it." A worker said, instructing others to moved the corpse of the wyvern. It was somewhere deep underground, tunnels and railroads, intertwined all across each other, in the caves. Sounds of constructing, and people in a dark-teal robe, wearing a mask that seems to resemble a snake, wandering through the hallways.
Fort Ophis, located west, in the House of Ophis territory, is the place where the scholars, and mages from the Ophis, conduct their research and experiments on magical beasts, and sometimes, even human.
Adventurers and mercenaries always looked forward to whenever The Ophis put a bounty for them to hunt creatures. They pay a ton and if you have magic items or relic that you found in your adventure, you can always contact them and make a deal.
"My lord, the wyvern has arrived." Hedera bowed to a woman. She has a slender figured, a sharp blue eyes, a moss-colored hair and was wearing a red velvet dress and a white fur collar on her shoulders.
She sighed in relieved- "Finally, it has arrived. The journey was quite difficult, wasn't it?..Despite the mistake to let those bandits delivered you, you still made it here right."
She said while patting the wyvern.
"Begin the dissection." Hedera ordered.
"So.. how many have we gathered?" The woman asked.
"About 3, my lord and including this one, we have 4." Hedera answered.
"Mmm.. that's a good amount. Three more would be enough to-"
*knock, knock*
"What is it? Why are you here?" Hedera was annoyed, but the person who came in seemed to be the surgeon who's operating on the wyvern.
"Hmm.. good evening, Lord Hedera and her Duchess.There's.. seem to be a problem."
"Well What is it? Speak!" Hedera yelled.
The surgeon answered nervously. "It seems.. the wyvern has.. no heart."
"…What?" The woman raised her eyebrow.
The three started to head to the operating area, to examined the body.
The surgeon started to explain the situation.
" When it first came in, the injuries from the battle seems to have affect only the exterior part of the wyvern, no fatal wound to any organ except for the cerebrum, but when we worked our way in to the chest.. there was no heart, it was hollow."
Hedera was shocked and confused at what he just heard.
"How is this even possible? Are you sure that someone didn't pierce it out?"
"..I can assure you, my lord. There were no signs of stitches, or any scars that went through that area. The veins and arteries that connected to the heart, were cut clean, but what's strange is how does someone did something like this without dissecting from the outside? It doesn't make sense!"
Hedera grunted and pushed the surgeon out of his way in frustration. "You're the one that have to make a sense out of this."
"Hmm the Corvus.. they must have done something" The duchess said. She clenched her fist.
She continued-"Send someone there, but don't let them do anything rash."
"Yes, my lord". Hedera excused himself from her presence and leave to do his task.
The woman was standing, tapping her feet, feeling irritated then-
*BANG!*
The whole underground shook.
She slammed the wall in anger, a crack, the size of her body was formed just from it.
She sighed in frustration- "Haaa.. these impudent…"