Chapter 12: Chapter 10: The Warmage Pupil Arc

 ‘No matter how high I may reach in this life, there will always be someone above me.’ 

A year of basic knowledge went by and I was now at the south church with Ryhn. As the now official successor, a lot of things changed for me. I got a room of my own on the first floor, relatively close by to his study so I could drop whenever necessary, and everything essential would fall on my hands without questions asked. I was further taught about how money worked along with etiquette for those superior in rank that I would one day meet.

“The time has come for you to receive a name and meet the gods to advance your limitations.” 

Without a covenant with one, it was not possible to use magic despite having talent. For this entire time, my master didn’t teach me a single incantation for any spell as it wouldn’t amount to anything. Such were the laws of this world, and surely I wouldn’t be the first one to break them. Instead, the old wise man shaped my personality, allowing me to grow into a more desirable prospect of an adult. Be it as it may, a teen was still too young to carry on everything he desired to pass down on my shoulders.

“To think the day would come for me to receive a name... it still feels like a dream sometimes.”

The old man smiled happily, walking towards the front row with me following by his side as he used the long staff as a cane. The diverse people around stared at both of us while commenting to one another. 

“Look, it’s the water 7th circle warmage, the one who murdered a hundred at the Hyuden passage with a single spell.” A woman in her twenties, dressed in fancy attire with a long red wine dress, declared to the two younger-looking men in front, whereas one of them questioned coldly.

“The dog of his majesty, you mean?”

“Don’t say such rude things! Especially not in front of our mother. Imagine if you’d end up sullying her name!” With an angrier tone, the younger one glared at his brother.

“It’s impossible to sully Rynaena’s name! Hers and our names belong to the Ena household, a permanently superior family.” The man started laughing, causing the mother to smile and the brother to shrug, giving up as nothing would fix his rotten personality.

The woman who noticed an archbishop passing close by spoke in a delicate, calm tone. “Jayena, Tomena, keep your voices down. May it as it be, at least here it is still the house of the great god of light.” They turned around, noticing why she was saying those unnatural things which kept going for a little longer. “And by far, he is the most superior being in the entire world.”

“Of course, mother.” The siblings replied in unison, leaving themselves in a wonderful picture towards the man in robes, who greeted them with a big smile. This kingdom worked through theocracy with a king as the ruler, having an even power to the church.

“We’re honored to receive the Ena household for today’s oration. I didn’t notice the duke, but I hope everything’s alright.”

Rynaena’s bowed fashionably whilst keeping the tip of the skirt held with two fingers to avoid allowing it to touch the floor as per tradition. “Of course Raphael. My husband is just busy handling some affairs for the upcoming battle with his liege.”

“It must be tough having to lead our men, but with god watching over them, I’m sure they’ll be successful.” They traded smiles and words. However, as the warmage grew tired of waiting, he hit his staff on the floor, causing a small vibration and everyone’s attention to befall on us.

‘Did you really have to do that?’ I hid my face in the opposite direction of their gazes while growing bothered by such an action, but worse than that, I felt embarrassed by having so many people stare at me indiscreetly like that.

The archbishop, who remained still further away from us, excused himself from the conversation he was having, approaching us with an expressionless face. As he arrived, his lips moved slowly, filled with curiosity towards our presence.

“If it isn’t the one and only water Warmage Ryhn Alankhazar.” He looked at my teacher from top to bottom, evaluating him without a hint of fear, an achievement all by itself, compared to what this man could do. “What affairs does an entitled mercenary may hold with us today?”

“This kid.” He took a step away from me, no longer staying between us. “I want her to go through the god’s ritual.”

The man inside the expensive silky white robe glanced around the church finding a fellow worker. “Priest Marta!” He shouted to her, making the woman approach us in no time.

“Yes archbishop Raphael? How can this humble servant be of help?” Strangely, she looked slightly nervous, causing some calmness to emerge in me.

“Was there any ceremony scheduled for today?”

The woman nodded in agreement, looking to the side, finding the elder face slowly becoming pissed. “We have one for a lady on behalf of warmage Ryhn.”

“Or so it seems...” He looked at me, giving me the creeps and then back at Marta, who looked like a fellow innocent soul with brown hair and similarly toned eyes, similar to one of the sheep's back at the base. “Do show her the way, then.”

“Yes!” Without waiting a second, her eyes moved towards me while she gestured for me to follow along. “Young miss, please come with me.” I started walking after her, who smiled at me nervously, doing her best to overcome the dispute between the two men who apparently had some animosity to one another.

After going through a passage behind a golden statue at the end of the church, behind the tribute where those dressed robes made speeches, Marta sighed in relief. “It would be much easier for my heart if Raphael accepted mercenaries as they are.”

My light blue eyes took a glimpse of the woman who, despite wearing the robes, was currently acting like a heretic. ‘Should I warn her to be more careful?’

Before I could mutter a word, the woman faced to the path we walked, turned slightly to the right, looking at me with a mischievous smile. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“Alright.” I averted my gaze from her, checking how this hall was lengthy and tall. Perfectly tidied and adorned, filled with what looked like texts on its walls.

As if noticing my curious gaze, her soothing voice arrived at my ears.

“Those are the scriptures that we convey to the citizens of Einhol since ancient times.”

In a joking matter, as I now held one of the woman’s secrets within me, I told her in a carefree way. “You don’t look that old, though.”

To my surprise, she burst out laughing, more than I have ever seen anyone before.

After some time, as the woman needed a while to calm down, she finally added something to the conversation. “That one was quite fair.” 

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I smiled faintly, happy that she reveled in it. ‘I’m glad one of many jokes I learned through chatting with Ryhn worked out. Though in his case, he didn’t appreciate them that much.’ I paused as she did, too. ‘Rubia did mention humor was something that varies from person to person.’

Marta pointed at an old-looking door to my right. Compared to everything I saw till now, it certainly appeared archaic and devoid of anything that looked as magnificent as everything till this point. “There’s your ancient gate. Once inside, keep it closed till you’re done. Once you have the answer you seek, just walk this path back to your master. Any question?”

I stared back at her with a tense smile. “If everything goes the way my teacher explained, I don’t think so.”

The woman smiled kindly and opened the door, giving me passage. Once I went through, it closed on my back. A peculiar room that was filled with dust and statues made of shiny golden metal. ‘To think there would be this much gold in such a place.’ Without greed, I took that as a surprise, for only someone extremely stupid would attempt to assault a church protected not only by the militia but also by many mages, the followers of god.

“Should be that...” I muttered lowly, finding a great magical circle, whereas before, they’d have a word about their element, but now a different sculpture laid in their place. Without willing to wait a second more, my bottom hastily took a seat on the floor, sensing it to be cold. For the past months, the one thing he taught me about regarding magic was meditation, and so my mind soon dwelled in peace, allowing the surrounding circle to activate. My eyes before long closed and inside a familiar room, I found myself to be.

“What are you doing here?” I turned around, finding the source of such a strange voice, further surprised I was, when my mind realized it to be the fabled guardian of the eight colored doors. A white and scary being, very tall, slim, and wielding an obsidian mace on the left with a red eerie shield on the right.

“I came to get a name. My teacher, the warmage Ryhn Alankhazar, asked the archbishop Raphael on my behalf.”

“Silence!” His words echoed, pulsating the entire place, causing my footing to be misplaced while finding balance and almost fall.

‘What’s up with this fellow? This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be!’ I shouted in my mind, not wanting to anger it.

“There’s no name for someone like you here.” With my frustration reaching its peak after being forced by the church to wait for a year, I clutched my hands tightly and yelled back in fury.

“All I want is to know my name and only then shall I leave this place!” He pointed his mace at me angrily. My body felt the guardian emotions, and with his motion, a light surrounded my body. I punched it with all my strength, allowing me to realize he locked me inside.

“Don’t struggle. I’ll give you what you want if you promise to never set foot in this sacred place ever again.”

I thought of everything my master taught me, remembering that there wasn’t a need to return here in the future. “Very well. I accept that oath.”

Some time passed and as I grew impatient, its voice once again resounded through, causing my ears to vibrate with it. “Complicated that was...”

My eyes stared at him in confusion whilst words danced in my mind. ‘What was?’

Interrupting my thoughts, his voice resumed.

“...but your true name is Aura.” Before I could say anything, he hit his mace on the shield and my eyes opened, watching everything blurry.

“Where am I?” I looked around dazed, noticing the golden figures of before, getting up slowly, doing my best to keep stability as everything felt like it shook, or vibrated, causing me to lose balance sometimes and even feel slightly sick.

“My name is... Aura.” I smiled happily walking towards the door and once I stepped out of the circle, my vision gained some stability. Yet something was completely different. I gazed into my hands, who shone differently from the rest. In my right hand was a white hue, and the left one a blue one.

‘Seems like I can now see my own auras. Hum... it sounds the same as my name. Isn’t that weird?’ My shoulders shrugged happily, having fulfilled my teacher’s request.

A while later, we met and the moment he noticed me; I realized the proud smile on his face, freeing me of all concerns. “You had me worried for a moment when the master with servant ceremony failed. To think there was a limit of how many people I could entitle.” Ryhn facepalmed like he had done so many times before, after realizing his stupidity of no longer being able to give me or anyone else a name. Something that no one did before, as not everyone took so many kids the way he did.

“It doesn’t matter anymore!” I replied cheerfully towards him, reassuring the man as he had done to me many times. We weren’t close to one another, but shared respect along with a sense of duty. Not that the old man or I didn’t want to, it was just the things he made me do since the fated day we met weren’t good in the eyes of god, or anyone else really.

“You’re right!” He laughed loudly, captivating everyone’s attention, who quickly gazed back upon me.

“Congratulations pupil of the warmage.” A soft tone belonging to a woman came from behind, making me turn around, finding a sweet smile.

“Thank you, Marta.” From next to her I heard a cough, rotating the waist and below, as the upper body couldn’t do more for me in that sense.

“Congratulations, seeing as you have the power of the god of light, feel free to drop by in our church anytime you see fit, even become part of us.” Unexpected words came from the archbishop himself as he looked attentively at my right hand, causing many other eyes to stare at me. Before ruining this chance, I placed my left hand inside my pants pocket, hiding the water element.

“Thank you, your eminence.” I bowed slightly towards him before resuming my words. “For now, I have chosen to follow Ryhn Alankhazar as he teaches several pupils and is a seventh-tiered magus, one of the very few in the whole kingdom of Einhol.”

Without losing his face, or feeling bewildered by my choice, the man let out calm and refined words, including some respect in them that didn’t exist before to my master. “Mhm... well, that’s fine. Despite being a mercenary, he was indeed entitled as the warmage by his majesty, the chosen of god.”

“Let’s go, kid, we have a lot to do still. See you later, archbishop.”

As he turned around to the exit, I too followed the motion, hearing a couple of last words from the now Raphael who stood behind me.

“The church will always have its doors open to you.”

I took a glance at him, who now held a big and kind smile, a very different expression from before. Nonetheless, I waved goodbye happily at both before leaving.

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