After combat training, Ariadna took a shower, put on her priest robes, and had a quick lunch that Marina brought. Eager for her afternoon lessons with Velor, she felt a sense of kinship with him and excitement she had never felt before. The only thing stopping her from running to his quarters was her tiredness and the bruises from training.
A maid was waiting for her at the entrance and welcomed her inside. When Ariadna stepped in, she was taken aback to see her youngest brother, Roderic, sitting there with a proud expression, sipping tea without even looking at her. Just then, Velor entered the room, smiling pleasantly. "I'm glad we have gathered. My Lord, My Lady. As you know, My Lord will be joining us for the lesson today. You are welcome to come to my study," he announced.
Roderic finally glanced at Ariadna and then turned to Velor. "I won't join you today. I made sure she has arrived, but I see no point in participating further. I'll come supervise her later when she's actually learned something. Good luck." With a short bow to Velor, he brushed past Ariadna as if she were invisible and left the quarters. Ariadna sighed with relief.
Velor turned to her. "My Lady, please come to the study where we will conduct our lessons." He then addressed the maid, saying, "We'll need refreshments in an hour. Do not disturb the lesson before that."
Ariadna followed him to the study, which was spacious and filled with books and maps. As Velor sat behind the desk and gestured for her to sit wherever she liked, she looked around, too excited to sit down. "I guess you have questions, so let's get started," he said.
As she examined the books and maps, she asked, "Why are you teaching me and someone from the domain of the God of Innovation and Craft?"
Velor smiled and responded, "My domain deals with secrets. What greater secret is there than the past? We are historians, collecting myths and studying ancient texts. We aim to understand and record the knowledge of our time. The domain of the God of Innovation and Craft focuses on a different kind of knowledge. I believe it would benefit you to learn from them too, but it's not essential for your role as an heir."
Curious, she asked another question, "Why are you so sure I will become an heir?"
He smiled again. "Because we all believe you have been chosen by the God of Destruction and Renewal. Your affinity for the holy flame was extraordinary."
Ariadna pondered her next question, eventually asking, "How old are you?"
"I'll be 12 soon," he replied.
"Why are only the youngest different?"
At that question, Velor paused and stood up from behind the desk. He said, "I don't have all the answers. In fact, I came here with many questions of my own. Hopefully, we can figure them out together. I do have a theory, but it's quite new; I came up with it after your ceremony." He paused and looked at her thoughtfully before continuing, "Before I share it, here's a bit of history: there has never been a holy family with six children. Five has always been the maximum. I've looked through all the family trees, and we have written records going back 700 years."
Ariadna held her breath for a moment, processing this information. She asked cautiously, "So, I wasn't supposed to exist?"
Velor shook his head. "I don't know what it means. Five represents the number of Gods and their domains, so it makes sense in a way. But six is unusual; I've never seen it connected to the Gods. I think that the rest of us are different because you were born during our first ceremonies."
Ariadna looked at him, surprised. "Me? You think I'm the reason? I haven't done anything!"
He replied, "You are special. Why and how, we'll need to figure that out. As I said, it's just a theory. Do you have any idea why this might be?"
Ariadna hesitated, feeling the urge to share her secret with him—about her past life, how she died, and the hope of finally having someone remember her previous self. Also her suspicion that her familly has done something strange. But she decided against it; she didn't trust Velor enough yet. "No, I can't think of anything," she said instead.
Velor looked at her intently for a moment but ultimately accepted her answer. "That's fine. We'll try to figure it out together. Now, let's talk about our lessons..."