“Glowing storms, crystal rains, and unnatural fauna.
These are the things you must worry about. When worlds collide and spill into another, magic has a way of worming its way through the crack.”
-Ten-Cents, Exploration Journal, (108, 3rd Era)
“Colors, they’re so wonderful,” Colin muttered in awe.
They’d moved the stunned boy outside the temple, but his talking to himself hadn’t lessened. Even now, his head bobbed left and right as he took in nothing in particular, at least to the visible eye. He insisted that his new Talent let him see the natural flow of mana in the air, which he very well might have.
Latent mana in the air certainly existed, but… Seeing mana seemed useless since you utilized mana from within to manifest a glyph.
“The way it flows… The natural path of magic—look, they’re following a current of it.” Colin pointed towards a cluster of floating candles.
“Nobody but you can see it, bud. I told you already.” Garin shook his head, sitting next to the boy near the wall. The rest of the Knights were passing around, looking for a sign that might lead them to Seven-Snakes, but the trail that’d led them here was no longer present.
Seven-Snakes figured out something or decided it wasn’t worth marking his path any longer.
Though the senior Knights weren’t happy about the situation, both were happy that Colin was in good health. Erec thought he was in a better mood than ever before.
Colin lifted a hand towards one of the halls, his visor open and a wide grin on his face. “All of this, and yet we couldn’t see it.” There were many floating candles the way he’d indicated the current compared to the rest of the labyrinth around them. “This is what being special is like? It must feel good, Erec.”
“…Does it stand out to you more than anything else?” Erec asked as he came to a sudden realization. They weren’t sure how the statue would show them toward Seven-Snakes. Boldwick was waiting for a sign, and the statue had bestowed Colin with this power. It clicked.
“Yes, of course. It’s a vibrant gold stream.”
When the senior Knights returned from another circle around the building, Erec debriefed them about his thought, and they agreed. Too much a coincidence not to be the intent of the statue, and the density of floating candles in that direction was the only feature that’d stood out to them. With Colin seemingly fine, they were soon on the move again.
Not knowing if this ‘golden current’ would shift course, they let Colin take the group's lead.
He walked with a particular pep in his step; every time he gave direction, Erec died a little inside. Before, he’d seen him heightened and afraid, but now he relished the attention. Scanning the library, and at peace with it. Though perhaps being gifted your talent by whatever being controlled this place lent you a certain trust in it, Erec couldn’t fully empathize.
There was too much unknown, and having eyes following them was eerie.
Even if that entity was doing everything in its power to have them gather up the rest of the humans here and shove them out as quickly as possible.
Still, the edge was taken off a bit.
Erec found himself able to focus on other things; his eyes trailed along the books as they walked. They came in every shape and form he could imagine: from meticulously bound and treated leather, cheap prints, and those papers held only by strings. All of them in script he couldn’t understand, and he theorized they weren’t from Earth. Many held eldritch pictograms on their covers. All the while, he wondered what they might contain.
Focusing on the books lets him ignore Colin’s increasingly cocky attitude.
It took a while, but at long last, he spotted a book whose writing he could understand.
“An Expert’s Analysis of the Late 21st Century Nuclear Power Dynamics?” Erec muttered the words to himself as he stared at the book. Not sure what any of that meant other than the dates being wrong. From his reading of the earlier script, the second century used a different system, which had to have been the century before the 3rd Era.
The hell was a nuclear power?
“Last thing he needed was another thing to go his head,” Garin mumbled to Erec’s side, watching Colin declare the value of his new gift to the group of Pendragons and Knights. “I don’t like how his talent ignited, but I’m trying to be happy for him. He makes it so damn hard.”
“Is it bad? His Talent appears rather harmless if it’s just sight.” Erec said, still taking in the book in front of him. He knew better than to grab it off the shelf, but there was a feeling to it that left him with a sense of foreboding in his gut. For such a simple book on its exterior, its presence here had a weight to it that couldn’t be explained.
“Probably? Would you trust a power that a creepy statue in the middle of an even creepier dimension gave you?”
“To be frank, I’m starting to conclude that the powers the Goddess has given us aren’t that much better or that they’re intentional. Maybe our Divine Talents are the only thing truly belonging to us.” Erec said, finally tearing his attention from the book.
They had to move ahead, Colin wasn’t waiting around, and the gap was increasing. The last thing they wanted to do was fall behind and get lost in the never-ending library. He doubted Boldwick would let that happen, but everyone had their hands full, unsure when they would come across Seven-Snakes.
“Finally wising up that the sky bitch doesn’t care about anyone but Herself?” Enide asked, slipping a little too close to Erec. “Glad to hear it. You two are too smart to be treading the same dirt as the red cult.”
“Red cult?” Garin asked.
“The only ones preaching in service of Her are the guys in red robes. Burned on the bottom; bottom of the rung in Vega, yet some people still listen to the crap they preach.”
“Holy shit, the church is Vega?” Garin asked.
“…Church?” She shook her head slowly, “They don’t got like a chapel or anything. Call themselves priests, I guess. But… More like they’ll whine your ear off until you tell them to shove it.”
“No way.” Erec tapped his hand against his side. Understanding that the Goddess existed was one thing, as was their deserved blasphemy for her, but the existence of priests outside of the Kingdom… Was it related to Faith?
Especially since they refused to acknowledge anyone outside of their walls as humans.
“Yes, way. Not like they’re super common, but you’ll find a couple.”
“I wanna talk to one of these priests,” Garin said.
“Me too. I’m sure Boldwick and Robin would like some words as well.”
“Don’t see why. But hey, when we get to Vega, I’ll show you around, but not the old folks,” Enide shrugged, walking out ahead of them. “I have a couple of places in mind I think you two would like; we can bring that jerk—er, sorry. That girl, Olivia, was her name, right? Call it a double date.”
Erec flushed at the term, glad beyond belief to have his helmet on. She also knew exactly what she was doing, smiling proudly at the idea.
“Wow,” Garin shook his head, “I get you two don’t get along, but Liv’s a great person, y’know? You should give her a chance…” he trailed off, and Erec knew precisely what was going through his friend’s head. “Other than insulting my girlfriend… I like this idea! You’re a genius Enide; tell me, what sorta outfit do you like to see your men dressed in for a date.”
Enide tilted her head as she walked; a bright candle above floated near. “Y’know, no one’s ever asked me that before. Hmm. Maybe something that shows a little skin; maybe some muscle?”
“Oh? Muscle huh? You know, things are starting to make a lot of sense.”
“…Please. Stop.” Erec said, a headache blooming.
“Don’t you want to dress in a way to impress your date? Try more, Erec, or you’ll lose her interest.” Garin laughed, earning a glare from Boldwick ahead of them.
“…I never agreed to a date.”
“Won’t you go on a date with me, hero? After holding my hands while staring at the stars all alone, Maybe if you dress up in a nice shirt with the sleeves pulled up and the top button undone this time, I might actually kiss—“
“Focus! For the Goddess's sake, catch up already.” Boldwick called out loudly, cutting into the conversation and ending the torture. Enide and Garin burst into small little fits of laughter that kept setting off the other.
Erec could only sigh. It didn’t bode well that his best friend was conspiring with Enide.
Going on a date with her… It made his heart race, but the thought dragged him too far from the current situation. They were deep in a foreign world, tracking down a criminal, but the way she could yank his head somewhere else entirely was scary. Even now, he could picture the bright lights of Vega with her hand in his.
What was happening to him?
“Ahead,” Colin said, “The mana is growing thicker; it’s like a vortex. We’re close.”
“Group up, and this time let's try to save on the flirting,” Boldwick ordered.
“Bah, they’re just young. We’ve been walking for hours now. And you have to admit this place already has enough tension and foreboding. What’s the harm in it?” Rochester shot back.
“…Just get your guns out, Knights, get out your weapons. I think I hear something.”
Voices.
Human voices were ahead and loud. Arguing. One among them was recognizable. The gruff, cocky, and demanding voice belonged to an undoubtedly evil man—the target of this travel through a Rift.
Seven-Snakes was ahead, and soon they’d be out of this place.