[Chapter 1 | V ]
So it was true that the town got very shady during the night hours. The partly middle aged man sighed in exasperation as he had gotten up from his knees and left the unconscious mugger underneath the tree. He had only put the person to sleep, so his life was spared, for now. Now that the monastery he was originally in charge of was burned down, along with the library and everything in it, he had to come to this town for assistance in the search for a man with entirely vile intentions. Vox was the name of this town, and he wasn’t sure why that was, but was an alternative location to go to for vital and personal information. If he revealed his identity to the residents of Vox, they would surely be afraid of him since their town was only several miles away from his own home- and they had heard about what happened the day before he arrived. Though they may not be afraid of him due to his personality, it was what he was capable of doing that made the people uneasy.
Bringing the hood of his black robe more over his head, he kept his face concealed in the shadow of it, with only his concrete-colored eyes visible to anyone that cared enough to look. The forest area he was wandering through was said to be a shortcut to the venue he was looking to enter – the planetarium. He had to know where his brother-in-law was hiding, and what he was doing with his spouse; two daughters had been born under his name, one that their dreaded uncle would probably destroy an entire town to get his hands around her neck, and the other – the one that he kidnapped – that he could be doing anything with. Whatever the magus was doing, he had absolutely no right to steal the custody of her from the family. The hooded man could only pray that she wasn’t dead.
With the mugger out of the question, the forest seemed very tranquil. Only the sound of the bottom of his boots pushing against the gravel could be heard, along with some cricket chirps being heard at a distance. I could only imagine how she sees and hears all of this. The man thought to himself. Estrella, his daughter that the majority of his own peers seemed to look down on, had been born with something else in her blood. It allowed her to see and hear things an average person wouldn’t be able to hear. The father thought of this as a gift rather than a curse, unlike her uncle – who thought that she was dead as well. She had to have woken up by now where he left her. For now, she was in safety. His brother-in-law had taken two of his relatives’ lives too many, and he refused to let another fall before him.
It was colder than usual this night. The continent that he explored on was known to usually be warm from evening to dawn. He knows this because he has had his visits here as a child himself. As a matter of fact, he believed that his own aunt still resided in Vox. Should he be able to find her, he could ask her if she knew anything. It has been so long since he wandered the streets and walkways of this town, and he could tell that a lot had changed. From any spot, people would be able to see the planetarium. One of the more massive parts of the building was a large translucent globe of the planet. It was build with two layers, the top one being transparent while the second one was solid and concealed whatever was inside. Flowing in between the two layers of glass and metal was fog that would change in hues every half an hour, and it was one of the main lights of Vox that kept the surroundings illuminated. When the sorcerer reached the end of the forest trail, he could see some of the colors shine onto his figure, giving his shadow more emphasis.
He had stared up at the enormous globe that towered above him from not too much distance left to walk. His hood had once again faltered a little bit when he looked up, but he immediately put it back down, holding it with one hand as his head hadn’t lowered yet. By the gods...
“Valeh? Is that you?” A very unusual voice spoke out. He may not have known who it was immediately, but he only knew one person that gave him that nickname out of fun. He turned his whole body around to see an aged woman sitting against a dark velvet wall of a medium sized home. Her hair was maroon colored, slightly faded, and was styled in two large braids that were hanging in front of her. She wore an oriental white robe around her and had a cup of tea in her hand, the fragrance spreading in the air with the steam rising from it. His eyes had met hers as she stared up at him in surprise, as if meeting someone that she hasn’t seen in a while, and it was specifically the eyes that revealed who she was. “Valerius?”
He brought his index finger to his mouth as she said his full name rather loudly. There were several people wandering the street from what he could see, and he didn’t want his identity to be reveled in public. The aged woman gave the sorcerer a confused look for a second before he stepped up to her close enough so that she could see his face under the hood. A smile had formed on his lips as her frame didn’t shift at all .
“Aunt Madison,” Valerius said quietly. He could now smell that it was Chai tea that she had most likely brewed herself. “Only you could name a figure in the pitch black darkness.”
Madison had laughed as his statement, holding her cup straighter so the hot liquid wouldn’t spill. “It’s anything but dark here...I could tell because I could see the gleam in your eyes. The same one your mother has.”
“I have not spoken to her for some time now. I’ve had my own family to take care of.” He replied, feeling a little nostalgic. It was depressing that neither his wife nor his son could live to one day meet her. That cold-hearted man...how could he do this to his own sister and her child without a single care in the world? Valerius had never heard a sicker story than that about his own brother-in-law. Madison eyed him once more, seeming to detect his silence. She began to speak in whispers.
“I heard about what happened in Sonria. I can’t put to words how devastating that must have been because I wasn’t there. But you,” She paused. “You lost half of your family in that incident, and I am sorry for your losses.”
“I will never get over Liora’s passing – or Kain’s as much as I feel I may have belittled him at times. And I shouldn’t have, but,” He had stood straighter from his partially crouching position as he stared ahead towards the planetarium. “It’s time to move on. I must speak to the man or woman in charge of the planetarium; for I’m trying to track down someone that’s a threat to everyone I can think of.”
“It’s a woman...and what a coincidence, she is a widow. She may try to come onto you.” Madison had warned. Valerius had narrowed his eyes at the thought.
“If she does, I’ll have her know that it wasn’t the reason I came all this way. ” It didn’t matter to him how long this woman was a widow. Doing such acts together the day after the passing of his wife was an idea that Valerius did not find intriguing in the slightest; it was just revolting. “I will see her, ask her for the information I need, and once I get it, I will leave with thanks and nothing more.”
Madison had smiled lightly at his plan. “My nephew, fully grown and running towards ambition without the slightest waver.”
“And with that, I must keep going,” Valerius replied. He bent down and gave his aunt a kiss on her forehead, discovering that her skin was slightly cold. “It was an honor to see you after all this time. You really should go inside.” Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned around and began to head towards the direction of the globe lights. With his boots only making a small scruff noise when it pushed against the concrete walkway, he shouldn’t have been attracting any attention to himself. An owl cooed in the distance, more than likely from the forest, as the grey eyed man had then reached an entrance to the planetarium’s courtyard. Located at the center of the ground and completely carved in was a large sigil. From the runes and crests that it was made of, Valerius could only tell that it was once used to summon a terrestrial spirit; but the sigil was aged, and no longer active to use. It was now just a large emblem on the ground.
Walking towards the glass double doors, he had already sensed that they were sensor activated, and once he walked close enough, they slowly opened without staggering. Stepping inside, the main hall of the building was massive. Somewhat dark as well, but light enough for the people that were working inside to see. He kept his profile hidden as he continued to walk through the large room, already feeling the glances of some of the workers. He headed towards the front desk where he could see a man working on some sort of project on his computer, so he must have been the receptionist. He seemed focused but at the same time not entertained by whatever he was doing, and when he looked up at Valerius walking towards him, it was as if he was given a moment of relief.
“Can I help you?” He asked, sounding groggy. The coldness in the room must have kept his small frame awake. The sorcerer grunted before he gave his answer.
“Where can I find the owner of this planetarium?”
The weary eyed receptionist blinked before he began to rub two of his fingers together, as if it were a nervous reaction to his question. “Our boss in on the very top level of this building; but she’s a little bit busy at the moment.”
“Believe me. She’ll make time.” The older man replied. The receptionist looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed held back by something in his mind as Valerius turned around and headed towards one of the elevators. Unlike most modern elevators, these were just round platforms in between a transparent shaft that rose when anti-gravitational energy was released beneath them. It may have taken a long while for the usage of this kind of magic to be discovered, but it had saved a lot of time and extra building to do. There were a hundred floors to this building, but the platform rose fast enough for the rooms that were passed could only be seen for less than a second. The top floor must have also been the observatory of the building.
A high-pitched ding sounded as the platform came to a sudden halt, and the force nearly startled Valerius – but it must have been a shocking feeling to normal people. The transparent door slid open and the man stepped within the room. As he suspected, it was an observatory. The room was dark and had a glass roof so the night sky could be seen and a massive telescope was placed at the center of the room. Sitting on the chair in front of the telescope and examining it closely was a woman. She looked rather sophisticated; her hair was raven black and had waves in it, while her eyes were a sharp blue. She wore green rimmed reading glasses that only slightly hung above her nose, and wore a button down white blouse and black tight skirt as her outfit, along with satin leggings.
Only examining her features for a second, Valerius had walked towards her, stopping when they were about 6 feet apart. The woman turned her head at him for a second, and then back to whatever she was analyzing.
“I’m entirely busy, sir. The receptionist should have told you that.”
Valerius ignored the statement she made. Instead, he took another step forward and then brought his hands up to the edges of his hood. Slowly, he removed the hood from his head, completely revealing his facial features; previously pushed back silver hair had now fell in front of his face, the length reaching past his shoulders. His grey eyes seemed to contrast more with the dark room as they were no longer hidden in a shadow, and his face appeared a little young for a 49 year old sorcerer. He noticed that the woman had turned back to look at him, suddenly looking surprised as to who she was looking at. She must have known what his rank was too, but Valerius knew he had to show her to get the information she needed. “I’m afraid my need of your assistance is urgent.”
“Chief Briller-” She replied, clearly awestruck. But the sorcerer shook his head.
“No. That was before. Now, I am just Valerius. Don’t hesitate to address me as such.”
The woman blinked, but then grunted and looked to the side as if she’s made an embarrassment of herself. “Well then, how can I help you?”
“ I hear your profession involves more than studying our planet,” Valerius started. The astronomer blinked in reply to that, but then he began to walk around her, stopping when he was completely behind her. Without giving her a warning, he pushed some of her hair aside, revealing her neck. “The proof is on your skin...” What he had suspected of her was true. The mark of the psychics was inked into the flesh of her neck. It was an eye, encircled by slim tribal lines, seeming to resemble that the eye could see more than what is present. Glancing down briefly for a second, he noticed that there were several pieces of paper on the counter underneath the large telescope. All of them seemed to be written by her, and either at the bottom or the top of the page was written in script ‘Amanda Suvius’. “...and I know you can give assistance, Amanda.”
“So you know about us? This isn’t surprising in the slightest.” Amanda replied back, who flinched a little from the feeling of his cold hand brushing lightly against the flesh of her neck. She turned herself around on her chair, eying him with a poker face. “So what do you need? As much as I don’t mind you here, I can’t waste any time.”
“I need to know the location of Ora.”
“Chief Roseveldt?”
“He is my brother in law. He’s holding one of my daughters captive, and I need to reach him before he does anymore harm to our family – or anyone else.”
“I see. Hold still for a minute...” Amanda stood up from her chair, her gaze on Valerius unwavering. She had brought her fingers straight out and slightly brushed them against his temples, eventually bringing them to touch his forehead. “You want to find Ora, huh? I’ll have to be sure of some things while this process takes place."
Valerius had suddenly felt as if something was intruding into his mind. He had felt a little light-headed and unusual sensations were felt tracing around his head. Half a minute had passed with complete silence, and Amanda had eventually closed her eyes, bringing on full concentration on whatever she was looking through.
“Ora, he – he always hid his real motives. His parents often found him secluded in the oddest places when he was younger. Am I correct?”
“Yes...” Valerius replied. He had managed to keep his balance, but he was now feeling faint. He had read that the powers of psychics had a very draining effect, but he would keep himself together. It was considered very rare to find these kinds of people around the world, and finding out that one was nearby his own hometown had surprised him. He honestly thought it was a rather obvious spot for one to reside, however. “...how far is this progressing?”
“This very moment, I have skimmed through your connection with your wife, and am now looking through her connection with Ora. That is why this may feel very exhausting to you; I’m reaching in a deep part of your conscience that I rarely go through...and what I’m finding makes sense now.” The silver haired man had felt the psychic’s navy colored nails graze slightly against his skin, and he waited patiently for the results to come – yet at the same time, he was putting in a lot of endurance to block out his current condition, as he was seeing several dark colored waves of light beginning to flow across his vision, yet he knew it was only a hallucination. Just when he thought he may have to sit down regardless of what she was doing, she opened her eyes and snatched her hand back away from his head. All of the energy that Valerius could have lost during the process had suddenly slammed back into him, and it was a shocking feeling to say the least – making him gasp.
With that, Amanda turned around, and walked to a translucent counter that held a black globe in place, half of it sticking out of a cut-out hole in the counter so that it could be rotated by hand – or by the button sitting to its left. Valerius followed her to the counter as the psychic began to speak again.
“So from what I’ve learned, Ora was an egotistical fool that basically liked to wander in secluded or sacred locations.” Valerius nodded his head in reply. Amanda glided her hand against the globe’s surface, spinning it to certain spots all the while pausing a couple of times before rotating it some more. She brought up a finger to adjust her glasses before staring at one particular landmark on the globe. “Now, I can’t tell you exactly where he is this very second, but I can give you several hints,” She had tapped one of the smaller continents with her finger, making image glow a bright blue. “There are several areas in the whole world where you rarely see humans roam around. Most of them have a terrain that an average human wouldn’t be able to live for a day in. This one in particular is Myrenia.” She pointed out the glowing piece of land. “Its capitol was believed to be created not by humans, but of a creature of legend whose existence was nearly forgotten until people discovered that the terrain of Myrenia had changed. It’s all nothing but forest now, and there’s actually an invisible barrier that prevents entry from anyone trying to get in. But there is supposedly a temple there that had sunken underground several centuries ago. Definitely a well hidden part of the continent.”
Valerius actually doubted that Ora would choose to hide there for the time being. He was known for being an active outsider, and exploring underground would definitely seem off. It would have to be a place where he could easily go outside whenever he desired, especially for battle. "What are the other venues?"
The astronomer glanced at him briefly and then back at the globe, knowing that the first landmark probably wouldn't be where he was hiding either. She turned the object to the more northern areas now, where a massive amount of land resided, almost as big as the continent that Sonria resided. But the sorcerer already knew that those locations were closest to the sun, making the climate there to be high in temperature and only having several types of creatures adapted to the habitat. It definitely wasn't a habitat for humanity, however. Placing a nail on another glowing continent, Valerius peered over her shoulder to see what was selected.
"This one is Peroa; definitely not a home to humans due to soaring temperatures, even during the winter. However, centuries ago, a rather large mine was created through one of the volcanoes where some of the rarest minerals are believed to be found. People have actually tried to come here to find them, but they wouldn't live long enough to even come close to where they were hidden. Some of the gems in the volcanic mine were believed to be infused with magic...think Ora could have went there?"
"I doubt it," Valerius replied. "He has my daughter, Demitra, with him - and she would be considered a regular human. If he saved her from the monastery incident with some sort of purpose in mind, he wouldn't be foolish enough to risk her life in that terrain." He looked to the other side of the room for a moment, suddenly feeling uneasy. Amanda seemed to have detected the unease as she glanced over at him briefly. For a moment, she stopped looking at the areas on the globe and turned her attention to the sorcerer. She brought a hand over and placed it on his cheek as if to comfort him, but the touch had made him flinch.
"I know you are very concerned for your daughters," she said. "You've managed to save one, so you can save Demitra as well; and I won't be the only help that's offered to you."
Valerius's eyes slowly averted to the psychic. Her expression had read reassurance and determination, as if she thought that he was capable of doing more things than he thought he could. Even though she was capable of predicting outcomes in the future, he doubted that she knew what exactly he had planned. A moment after their eyes had met, Amanda’s determined look was replaced by what looked like curiosity, as if she was unsure about something she was thinking about – or doing. Before he could catch what more than likely could have been on her mind, she stood slightly on the tips of her feet and placed her lips onto his. The sudden move have caught him by surprise, but it wasn’t anything too deep; just a brief display of affection as the woman broke the kiss a second or two after she brought it to him. Valerius wasn’t aware of how his expression looked, but it must have been shocked, since Amanda’s face had looked anxious – as if she’s wanted to do this for a long time and finally got her moment, but was afraid of what the outcome would be.
The grey-eyed man suddenly remembered his aunt’s warning about this woman. She’s a widow. He thought to himself. He probably couldn’t imagine the immensity of the loneliness that she has felt since her own husband passed on. He could relate, as he had not yet – and probably would never – gotten over the death of his own cherished wife. He brought a hand up to grasp the hand that was on his cheek and lowered it down gradually as his mood had suddenly went serious.
“I realize that this was so sudden...” Amanda said, cutting off Valerius’s chance to speak as if she didn’t want to hear what the former chief of the Sonria Monastery had to say.
“There was no harm done,” He replied to her calmly. He gently let go of her hand so that it would fall back next to her hip. “But right now, immediate action must be taken.”
The black haired woman raised her head slightly to look at his face. She was aware that there was no overtime for him, and she nodded her head in agreement. Turning her body back around to the globe, she had examined the surface of it before using her index finger to push the button that sat beside it, making it’s whole circular structure illuminate and then rotate in a counter clockwise direction.
“There is only one venue left on here that is more than likely the new cover for this magus...”