Arnold took the Grima's Truth into his hands, and he was staring at it in admiration for a long while. He caressed the cover delicately, with his fingers shaking a little.
The man was really impressed, he couldn't believe that he's holding such a treasure in his unclean hands. Arnold was feeling unworthy to even touch this priceless relict, and yet Lady Lina just gave it to him, as if it was nothing special.
"M-My Lady…" The dark priest stuttered a little. "…are you sure that I could hold this sacred tome, just like that?"
Lina made a strange face in response. "Of course you can." She said firmly. "Honestly, I can't understand why you are so agitated, it is just a book after all, it's not such a big deal." The girl stated indifferently.
Arnold gasped in indignation, when Lina said that to him. He frowned sternly as if he was about to reprimand the vessel of Grima for her nonchalant statement, but the man quickly reminded himself, that this girl is the Great Hierophant and he immediately summoned his whole mental strength, to calm down. Arnold just can't shout at Lady Lina… it would be disrespectful… It would be against the rules… and it would be dangerous…
"Your Greatness…" Arnold addressed Lina as calmly as it was possible. "…With all due respect, but I suspect that you have no idea how precious this book is."
"I know, I know…" Lina said airily, nodding slightly in the same time. "And maybe I shouldn't treat it so blithely…" The girl reverie for a short moment, and then she spoke up again. "Look Arnold; I'm aware that this book was written by the first Great Priest of Girma and all. I understand that it is very precious to you, and that you are probably considering it as something absolutely amazing, but seriously, you shouldn't be so nervous over the fact that I allowed you to hold it. After all, this is just a copy of Grima's Truth, we probably have many other tomes like this one, somewhere in the temple."
"I beg your pardon Lady Lina…" Arnold muttered quietly, shaking his head. "…but that's where you're wrong. This particular copy is more precious than any other that we have here." The man stated, opening the dark tome on its last page. "Do you see this?" He asked pointing his finger at something on the card.
Lina took a quick look at the place that Arnold wanted to show to her, but she just saw a short line, of a few completely blear words. She was still unable to clearly see the text of this book, so she quickly turned her eyes away, in fear that if she would be staring at the content of this book for too long, then she would lose her sight again, but this time, forever…
"Y-Yes…" The little girl lied, hesitantly. "I can see it, so what?"
"This is the signature of master Azazel." Arnold begin to explain. "He was the Great Priest of Grima for twenty years, since 1502 to 1522. Do you know what that means, Lady Lina?" The man asked, clearly in excitement. "This tome was transcribed by Lord Azazel and it probably belonged to him, which means, that this book is nearly 300 years old!" The dark priest proclaimed proudly. "This is a real artefact, this is a priceless historical treasure!" Arnold continued with a big grin on his face.
Lina opened her mouths lightly in surprise, and she just uttered one short "Oh…!" to express her astonishment.
The girl was truly impressed by what Arnold told her. Actually, she knew that the copy she received from father was old, because it was obvious even at the first glance, but Lina wasn't expecting that tome to be so… ancient. It was something absolutely unique, and the little one realized just now, that she should really treat it more carefully, and with great respect.
"Thanks for telling me this…" Lina mumbled strangely, reaching her hands towards Arnold, to take the book back from him, and look at it closely. "I was unaware that it is so incredibly old. I'll be more careful about it, from now on."
"I'm glad to hear it, milady." Arnold said in response, he was clearly content of himself. "Take it quickly, I'm unworthy to carry this old treasure."
Lina just frowned at him, when the man finished speaking, and she shook her head in a gesture of denial.
"No, Arnold don't get me wrong." Lina said quickly, to clear out the situation. "It has nothing to do with you, it's not like I'm thinking that you are not worthy enough, or anything like that. Quite the opposite, I can see that you are very knowledgeable, and I still need you, to read this book to me."
"But Your Greatness…" For some reason the dark priest was still trying to shirk of that task. "What if I'll damage this priceless book in some way?" He asked rubbing the back of his head in abashment. "I couldn't possibly take such responsibility on my shoulders."
"You have to." Lina told him, she was already a little irritated by Arnold's resistant. "You have to, because it wasn't a request; it was an order." The girl said adamantly. "I'm ordering you to read Grima's Truth to me, do you understand?"
Arnold gulped loudly, hearing that, but then he quickly fall to his knees and he bowed his head before Lina.
"Yes, Your Greatness." The man answered, a little nervously. "Understood."
Lina smiled slightly, seeing that Arnold is finally listening to her. She didn't even have to explain her reasons to him, the man immediately submitted to her, when the girl gave him a clear command.
It looks like Lord Uncle was right. – Lina thought to herself. – An order is working more effectively on the Grimleal, than the warmest kindness. – She realized, and that observation made her a little sad.
"But Your Greatness, if I may ask you…" Arnold mumbled hesitantly, standing up from the ground. "…why do you want it so much? Why do you want me to read the sacred book to you, instead of reading it yourself?"
Lina took a step back, and she turned her eyes away from Arnold, but she said nothing in response. The girl simply had no idea how to explain this whole issue to the dark priest. After all, what could she say? That some strange phantom blinded her, just because she was trying to read Grima's Truth? That, that weird woman warned Lina, that if she will try to read it ever again, then she will become blind permanently? No… this whole story is just stupid, and Arnold probably won't believe in it, anyway.
"Is that because you can't understand the text?" The man questioned Lina again, because she was silent for too long. "If so, then there is nothing to be ashamed of." Arnold continued. "The old language is very difficult to understand indeed, but if you want it Your Greatness, than I can teach you how to read it."
"That's not it…" Lina nearly hissed at him. "I know the old language well enough, to understand what is written it there, it isn't the problem."
"But it that case, what is?" Arnold asked again, very confused by his Lady's statement.
"It's not your concern." Lina growled in anger. "Stop questioning me, or I'll tell my father that you're too nosy." The girl announced, scathingly.
"Oh, Your Greatness, no!" Arnold jumped in absolute panic, as if Lina just spilled a cup of boiled water on him. "Please, anything but that! Don't tell master Validar anything! I swear I didn't want to upset you! Please forgive me!" The man begged her, making puppy eyes.
In fact, Arnold was in such a great fear, that Lina was surprised. She wasn't expecting that, that simple threat will cause the dark priest to be so terrified… But maybe his behavior is not so strange? After all, Validar has a squad of professional killers on his command, and besides he's very stern in general…
"It's okay…" Lina mumbled, a bit taken aback by the man's reaction. "I won't tell him anything, but you have to stop questioning me." She demanded.
"Of course Your Greatness, I understand." Arnold nodded quickly, and he immediately fell silent.
They were both quiet for some time, but after a while, the girl heard a familiar stern voice, calling for her.
"Lina! Lina!" Someone was apparently looking for her, and the girl cannot help, but smile a little.
Speak of the devil. – Lina thought, when she saw Validar on the courtyard, coming in their direction.
Arnold gulped unwillingly, when he noticed the Great Priest, but Lina herself, was pleased by his sudden arrival. They didn't meet today yet, so it was nice to see him.
"Hello, father!" The little one exclaimed, waving her hand towards him. "How are you?"
"I'm angry." Validar answered her seriously, approaching them. "Where have you been? I was looking for you everywhere." The man announced, with a grim expression of his face. "And where the hell is your caregiver? She should bring you to me long time ago. I was waiting for you in the altar for half an hour, before I decided to find you myself."
"My caregiver? You mean Maura?" Lina asked, just to make sure, and when Validar nodded, the girl reverie for a moment. "It's weird…" She mumbled quietly. "I haven't seen Maura since this morning, even though normally, she's following me the whole day. Do you think that something bad happened to her?"
Her father started to rub his chin with a thoughtful expression, when he heard Lina's question.
"I think that she's simply neglecting her duties." The Great Priest said, ominously. "I have to punish her for this, later."
Arnold gasped loudly, and he felt the shivers on his back, when he understood what Validar just said. He was aware that the Great Priest is probably going to torture Maura, and the thought about that get him worried. He was acquaintance with the priestess, (After all, she was Darius's sister in law, so Arnold met her in his friend's house many times, and they knew each other pratty well.) he knew that, that woman's devotion to Grima is great… She doesn't deserve to be tortured, for a small oversight like that.
"And you?" Validar suddenly turned his attention at Arnold, and the man nearly jumped out of his skin, when he realized that the Great Priest is taking to him. "Why did you brought Lady Lina to the courtyard without telling me anything?" He asked, sternly.
"You see… my Lord…" Arnold was trying to explain, hesitantly. "I just…"
"It was my idea." Lina quickly decided to chime in. "I was in need of some fresh air, so I ordered Arnold to take me here. Is that a problem, father?" She asked him innocently.
Validar sent Lina quite a scary glance as an answer, but the girl was unafraid of that, so he just sighed very heavily and he addressed her, surprisingly calm.
"You should inform me about such a thing, next time." The man said grimly. "I always need to know where you are."
"Why?" Lina raised her brows in a mild surprise. "It's not like I'm going to leave the temple any time soon, I'll always be somewhere around here."
Her father rolled his eyes, as if he was irritated by her statement, and he cleared his troth suggestively. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but this temple is huge. I was actually quick to find you, after just a dozen or so minutes of searching. If I wouldn't be lucky enough, then I could wander around this place for the rest of the day, and still do not find you."
"Well, you have a point." The girl admitted, when she remembered, how big this grim castle in which she's currently living in, is.
This whole temple is like an endless labyrinth of the long corridors and halls, so it is very easy to get lost here. Lina herself knew only about a few places so far… That is, she only knew where is her own chamber, her father and uncle's rooms, and she knew the location of the great altar, but the other places were still mysterious for her. It was surely frustrating for Validar, to run around the temple, without any hint of where he should look to find his own daughter.
"I'm sorry, father…" Lina mumbled in shame, bowing her head, slightly. "Next time, I'll be sure to tell you where you could find me."
"I hope so." Validar growled strangely in response. "I don't like wasting my time on something as trivial as searching for you, I have much more important things, that I must do with my time." The man grumbled in annoyance. "But never mind, just come with me now." The father ordered Lina, grabbing her by the hand, and squeezing it tightly.
The girl turned her head towards Arnold, as if she was trying to apologize to him silently, and the dark priest just nodded at that. He understood that Lady Lina have to go, and he was not going to protest. After all, they practically finished the lesson for today, so the girl was free to follow her father.
"Thank you for everything." Lina addressed Arnold, taking the Grima's Truth under her arm, and slowly departing from her teacher.
"It was my pleasure, Your Greatness." The man assured her, right before Lina and Validar left the courtyard.
They entered the temple quickly, and they went through the big hall underpinned by massive marble columns. Lina allowed her father to lead her, even though she didn't know where they are going. The girl was suspecting that Validar is directing her steps to the great altar, but she was not sure…
"So…" Validar accosted to his daughter, breaking the silence out of the sudden. "…did that man taught you anything important today?"
"Arnold…? Yes, he did." Lina replied, in accordance with the truth. "He taught me the names of the first ten Great Priests, but it was just the beginning. There was apparently more than one hundred of them, in the past." The girl stated, with her face clearly concerned over that fact. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to memorize the names of all your predecessors, father."
"You have to do it." Validar said to her, rather coldly. "You should know your roots, and the history of your own family well. It's important to learn about your ancestors' past, in order to not repeat their mistakes in the future."
"Yes, father…" Lina nodded dully, as if she wasn't really listening to the man's words.
The girl appeared to be somewhere deep in her thoughts, and Validar decided to somehow impel her, to focus.
"Now then, I want to see if you learnt well…" The man started slowly. "…list to me the names of the five Great Priests, chronologically, starting from the first."
Lina gasped quietly hearing that request, she frowned and then, she started to look through her memory, to remember the names of her old, long dead ancestors.
"Lord William…" Lina started to speak, after a short moment of consideration. "…Lady Adamaris, Lord Colbert, Lord Hagan and… this Lady with a very unusual name…" The girl mumbled hesitantly, she paused for a little while, and she rubbed her forehead, delicately. "…Lady Calamitia!" Lina finally exclaimed in triumph, when she remembered that name.
"Very well…" Validar praised his daughter, awkwardly petting her head in a gesture of approbation. "It is not so hard, is it?"
"I suppose it's not." Lina admitted, smiling weakly. "But this is just the beginning of a very long list…"
"A genius who learned how to cast spells by heart, and by simply mimicking other person's moves, shouldn't really be worried about memorizing a list, of a few short names." Lina's father said, glancing suggestively at her.
"You… are probably right, father." The girl mumbled, a bit taken aback by his statement.
"And what about Grima's Truth?" Validar asked next, setting his eyes on the book, that Lina was still holding under her arm. "What do think about it, so far?"
The little girl groaned in response, and she made a sad face. "Nothing yet…" Lina said with a dark tone. "I don't know what is written in there, I can't read it."
Validar got so angry by his daughter's answer, that he stopped his march and he looked ominously at her. It was unacceptable for him, that Lina is ignoring her duties like that. The Great Priest was looking for that old copy for a few long hours, before he finally found it. He wasted a lot of his precious time on doing that, and now when he finally gave that book to Lina, she's refusing to read it, without any particular reason? Why? How dare she? Is she so stupid, or just so lazy?
"Lina…" Validar growled at her, gnashing his teeth in anger. "…I told you before that you should take your duties more seriously. It is your obligation to read Grima's Truth from cover to cover, to learn about the beginnings of our faith. You have to know these things, you are the Great Hierophant, damn it!" The man exclaimed, nearly in fury. "How can you be our cult's leader, if you refuse to study about the essentials of our religion!"
"Stop yelling at me!" Lina told her father, with her own voice raised. "I'm not refusing anything! I said that I can't read the Grima's Truth, not that I don't want to! This is a big difference!" The girl shouted out, clearly confusing Validar by such statement.
The man was no longer angry; now he was just intrigued, and a bit worried about what his daughter just said.
"What does it mean that you can't read?" Validar asked, suppressing his anger. "Can't you understand the old language, or what?" The man was questioning her, and Lina just rolled her eyes hearing that.
"No, that's not it!" The girl said with a trace of pressure in her voice, hiding her eyes under the hand in hopelessness. "Why everyone are thinking about that? I understand that Arnold might suspect something like that, but you father? You know that I can cast spells, and to do such things, I had to learn the old language… Maybe I'm not perfect with it, but I know it well." Lina said firmly.
"Then, what's the problem?" The Great Priest asked, seriously.
Instead of replying his question, Lina looked around nervously, as if she was afraid that somebody might hear their conversation.
"We should talk about it one-to-one…" The girl said very quietly. "I have a problem, but I don't want anyone else to know what it is. Do you know what I mean?" Lina addressed her father, setting her gaze directly on his eyes.
Validar just nodded silently in response, he was not sure what Lina has in her mind, or what exactly her problem is, but it appears to be something very serious. He was very surprised by his daughter's behavior, and it made him a little worried.
"Could we go to my room, and talk about it in private?" Lina questioned him, meekly this time. "I know that we should probably go to the great altar right now… but I have something important to tell you."
"Of course." The Great Priest immediately replied, bowing his head a little. "If this is what my master wish for, then we will go right away. After all I'm here also to serve you with my advices, my dear child." Validar assured her, laying a hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, and then they went together to Lina's chamber.
When they finally reached to Lina's room, and they entered it, they found Xerxes inside, together with all of the girl's servants. Honestly, it wasn't the sight that Lina wanted to see right now, after all she was planning to speak with Validar one-to-one, she wasn't expecting such a crowd of people here, and it annoyed her a little…
The high priest was sitting at the table, with a cup of tea on his hand, and the women around, were staring at him nervously for some reason. But when Xerxes noticed his brother and niece, he smiled at them strangely, and he waved his hand in a gesture of a warm welcome.
"Hi!" The man said airily, still grinning at them. "You've finally come, I was looking for you in the great altar, but it was empty, so I concluded that it would be better, if I'd just wait for you in your room."
"Lord Uncle…" Lina addressed him, frowning slightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Xerxes asked, raising his teacup a bit. "Can't you see that I'm drinking tea?"
Lina just made a face-palm hearing her uncle's nonchalant answer, and she sighed loudly over his words. It was clear, that he's simply mocking her now.
"You know very well, that I wasn't asking about that." The little one hissed, in irritation. "Could you finally stop making fun of me?"
"Really, Xerxes…" Validar addressed his brother, sternly. "Be serious for once, behave properly, we're not alone here." The Great Priest remarked, glancing coldly at all the servants.
"Right, speaking of which…" Lina nearly whispered, frowning a little at the women around. "Leave us, and don't return until I'll call for you." The girl ordered them adamantly. "There is too many of us, indeed."
"Of course Your Greatness." Roselyn nodded, bowing gracefully, and quickly getting out of the room, together with the other servants.
When all Lina's attendants left, Xerxes made a weird grimace, and he stood up from his chair, with a teacup still on his hand.
"Well, we are alone..." The high priest pointed out the obviousness. "Is that means, that I can make fun of you, now?"
Lina gritted her teeth in anger hearing that question. Xerxes really started to get in her nerves, but the girl was trying her best to stay calm, despite his mockery.
"Lord Uncle please, I'm really not in the mood to listen to your silly jokes, so if you would be so kind to tell me what you want, then I would be grateful." The little girl said patiently, restraining her annoyance.
Xerxes rolled his eyes, and he drank a small sip of tea from the cup. – It looks like she already forgot what I was telling her about the Grimleal and kindness… - The man cannot help but think in a mild irritation.
"Alright." Xerxes finally gave up, looking piercingly at Lina, almost as if he was bearing some kind of grudge against her. "There is no need to get mad at me. I came here only to give you my report." He annunciated calmly.
"Huh?" Lina bumbled under her breath, a little surprised. "A report? What report?"
"I just wanted to tell you, that I already fulfilled your order." The high priest stated, making a few steps towards her. "I helped priestess Maura the best way I could, so she should be fine, soon." The man said adamantly, he appeared to be very confident of his own words.
"Ah! So it's about that." Lina exclaimed with a sudden enthusiasm. It's true that Xerxes annoyed her a bit, but she cannot help but be happy about his announcement. The girl was content, that her uncle fulfilled her command so quickly. "Then, how is Maura now? Is she alright?"
"Yes, you could say that…" Xerxes replied slowly. "I simply had to bandage her foot, so she couldn't overburden it, for a dozen or so days. If everything would go well, then priestess Maura should be completely fine… in more or less eight weeks."
"Eight weeks?" Lina repeated, rising her brows in surprise. "That's quite a long time. Can't you just use a staff on her, or something?"
Xerxes frowned at Lina in response, and the smile vanished from his face in that moment. The girl's question was annoying for him… It looks like her way of thinking was the same as the most people of this world… She was apparently thinking, that magic is a remedy for everything.
"No… I can't." Xerxes finally answered Lina's question, containing himself, and smiling again. "Priestess Maura's injury was too deep and too complicated, and the simple staff, was not working on her. It's true that healing magic is very useful, if you want to heal a bloody injury, or a burn, or some kind of harm caused by magic. But if your problem lays deeper; for example if your bone is broken, or if you have your guts damaged, then staff is not working so electively anymore… Sometimes you have to find another way, to cure somebody properly."
Lina reverie for a moment, to consider her uncle's statement, and after a short while she nodded slowly, in a gesture of understanding.
"You're right Lord Uncle, it makes sense when you're saying it like that. Some afflictions are more difficult to cure than the others, and magic probably can't deal with all the diseases in the world… It would be too easy, and too wonderful to be true."
"Yeah, that's the point." Xerxes said placing his tea on the table, and then approaching Lina to delicately pet her shoulder. "Clever girl…" He muttered under his breath. He was somehow proud of the fact that she reached to such conclusion on her own.
But Lina's reaction for his act was quite strange. When he touched her, the girl gasped and she made a step back in abashment. Lina was trying to hold herself from doing that, but she simply couldn't help it… She was simply taken aback by her uncle's behavior and she was feeling a bit awkward, hearing his praise.
Xerxes wanted to immediately ask her what's wrong, but Validar interrupted them both, with his voice clearly irritated.
"Can somebody explain to me what are you even talking about?" The Great Priest growled. "I'm right in front of you, how dare you ignore me?"
Xerxes blinked a few times, when he set his eyes on his brother, and Lina straighten her back nervously, when she realized that her father was a bit angry. She was not trying to ignore him, after all they came here purposely to talk, but then she started to converse with her uncle and… it just turned out like that.
"Oh, my little brother wishes for more attention… Were you feeling lonely, recently? Don't worry I'm always here for you." Xerxes said with his voice full of obvious irony, and Lina cannot help, but laugh quietly, covering her mouths with a hand. It was good to know that Lord Uncle is mocking everyone around him, and not only her.
The Great Priest gritted his teeth, and his whole body started to shudder, but by no means it was out of fear, it was rather out of rage…
"Xerxes…" Validar addressed the man darkly, clenching his fists in a gesture of warning. "…I swear, if you wouldn't be of the sacred bloodline, then I would kill you long time ago."
Lina had never seen her father so decomposed before, Validar was always doing his best to control himself when he was with the girl, but right now he was clearly mad. The Great Priest didn't like the fact that his brother was mocking him, and in addition, he was doing that in front of his daughter… it was unacceptable, it was an affront.
Lina glanced at her father first, and then she turned her head towards her uncle in anticipation. She was sure that Xerxes will start to apologize to Validar in a moment, but nothing like that happened. The high priest was simply staring at his brother with a smirk on his face, as if he was proud of the fact that he aggravated him. The atmosphere in the room was getting more and more tense with every passing second, so Lina decided to intervene herself.
"I'm sorry father." The girl said quickly, to somehow break all that tension. "I had no any intention to ignore you, I was simply worried about Maura, and that's why I got so absorbed in the conversation with Lord Uncle…" Lina stated, putting her head down, as if she was ashamed. "Please, don't get angry at us."
"You were worried about that woman…?" Validar asked, focusing his whole attention at Lina, and purposely ignoring Xerxes now. "Why?"
"Because… I asked Lord Uncle to fix her leg, and I wanted to find out if she's okay."
There was a long moment of silence, before the Great Priest finally decided to speak up; he was a little surprised by what Lina told him just now.
"Did you really ask Xerxes to cure somebody?" Validar grumbled, frowning in disbelieve. "What a ridiculous idea… If my brother took care of that woman, then she's probably already dead, or she will die soon." Validar paused for a moment, and he send Xerxes a challenging look, smiling nasty in the same time – it was his revenge for that mockery. "I understand now, why priestess Maura is nowhere to be found, we will probably never see her again."
Lina turned pale on the face, and then she addressed Xerxes shakily. "Lord Uncle… what is father talking about?"
"I have no idea." The man replied blankly, eyeing his nails attentively, as if it was the most important thing in the world.
"Don't play a fool Xerxes." Validar said, with a trace of satisfaction in his voice. "Everyone knows that you are cutting your 'patients' in two, just to see what kind of organs they have inside."
Lina gasped in horror hearing her father's words, but she was unable to do anything else. She would never suspect her uncle for doing such macabre things… But the truth was, that she still didn't know too much about Xerxes; they knew each other for a short period of time, so maybe…?
"I beg your pardon." Xerxes addressed Validar sternly, interrupting Lina in her thoughts. "You are well aware that I'm doing such things only with the people that you, yourself are sentencing to death, and only when their bodies are already lifeless, so stop scaring Lina."
The girl gulped, hearing her uncle's explanation. If what he's saying is truth than she don't have to worry about Maura, since she was not sentenced to death by anybody, but still… The thought about Xerxes cutting the corpses, in order to see their fleshes, resulted that Lina started to feel sick.
"You never cured any of these 'patients' of yours." Validar said slowly, approaching Xerxes and looking directly in his eyes, as if he was going to threaten him. "They all died in the end, your tries were useless."
To Validar's great surprise, instead of saying something in response, Xerxes just laughed loudly.
"Oh brother, now you're simply ungrateful." The man announced, shaking his head violently in disappointment. "Remember who was attending to your wounds when we were still children, and our father was maltreating you. Remember who was snaking into your room in secret, to bandage your injuries, and give you a Vulnerary." Xerxes said adamantly, crossed his arms on the chest, and after his words, Validar took a step back for some reason. Lina's father appeared to be a little taken aback.
"It was me, Validar." Xerxes exclaimed, in triumph, pointing his index finger on his brother. "I was taking care of you; you were my very first patient, so don't even try to provoke me like that. You know better than anyone else, that I'm a good medic."
Lina was very confused by her uncle's speech. She didn't know that her father was maltreated, when he was a child… Yes, Validar mentioned something about being tortured by Lord Faust some time, after he became the priest of Grima, but he didn't mention that his father was hurting him, even when he was still a kid… It was probably hard for Validar, to recall something so terrible, let alone, tell it to his own daughter…
Poor father… - Lina cannot help but think, pitting the man in some way.
Validar himself was a little confused, by his brother's sudden outburst… He was not expecting that Xerxes will mention it right now, and he was feeling very awkward with the thoughts about his childhood, that suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was true, that Xerxes was always coming, to treat his wounds every single time, after their father bet him up… Validar was just a weak child back then and he still didn't have his regeneration ability, so his injures were hurting a lot. To make matters worse, Faust was forbidding the healers to cure his son, so Validar was suffering in agony.
But Xerxes was ignoring the Great Priest's orders, and he was always trying to ease his brother's pain, by using some bandages, potions and sometimes even a heal staff. Actually, Validar's injures were probably the main reason for why, Xerxes started to study medicine, on the first place…
Validar would never dare to say it aloud, but in point of fact, he was very grateful to his brother, for the help that he was providing to him, in the past.
"Let's drop this subject right here…" He mumble to Xerxes, quietly. "Just don't remind me of that time."
"Of course." The other man nodded, grinning at his brother again. "You don't like the memories of your childhood, do you?"
The Great Priest's face got darker when Xerxes asked that rhetorical question, the answer was obvious, and Xerxes always knew it.
"You already gave Lina your 'report'." Validar hissed ominously at him. "So now you can get out of here, leave us at once." Lina's father said, firmly.
"Was that a command?" Xerxes asked, to make sure.
"Yes." Validar confirmed immediately, whereupon his brother sighed heavily.
"If you're saying so…" The high priest mumbled grimly, slowly directing his steps towards the exit. But just when he touched the door-handle to open the door, Lina's voice suddenly stopped him.
"Lord Uncle wait, don't go!" The girl exclaimed, coming closer to him. "I think that it would be better, if you would stay with us."
Validar and Xerxes were both looking at Lina in consternation, since they were not expecting such words from her. The Great Priest didn't know why Lina is stopping his brother out of the sudden – he was sure that she wants the high priest to leave them alone as quickly as possible, and when it comes to Xerxes himself, he was a bit confused too… After all, Validar ordered him to get out, and just a few seconds later, Lina told him to do not go and stay here. It was a contradiction and at first, Xerxes didn't know to who he should listen to. They both had greater positions in the society then him, but Lina was the highest member of the hierarchy, so it was more reasonable, to fulfill her order and stay, just as she's saying.
"Is something the matter, Lina?" Xerxes questioned the girl, staring curiously at her. "You look deathly serious."
"There is a difficult issue, that I want to somehow get rid of." Lina said slowly, considering every word in her mind. "I was just about to discuss it with father, but since you are already here, then you should listen to it too. I need an advice, and I would be glad to hear also your opinion, about this problem I have."
"Is there something bothering you?" Xerxes asked, raising his brows in surprise. "If so, then you can always count on me."
"Yes, I know this…" Lina muttered quietly in response. "I think you will be delighted, since it is about my visions."
"Oh, really?" The high priest was even more intrigued now. "Have you seen something since our last conversation?"
"You've had another vision?" Validar questioned her, approaching her from behind. "In that case, do tell us." The Great Priest commanded.
"Well… that's not only about my visions, but my problem is associated with them. Something very terrible happened to me this morning when I was trying to read Grima's Truth, and I'm not sure how to deal with it."
"Something terrible? Like what?" Validar asked immediately, when Lina made a pause. "And why nobody informed me about your problems?"
"That's because nobody else knows." Lina replied simply. "I was keeping it in secret until now, even Grima told me to stay silent, but I have enough. I'm not going to keep it to myself any longer." The girl said firmly, clenching her fists.
"Master Grima… was talking to you?" Xerxes questioned her, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes." The little one admitted in abashment. "The Fell Dragon was speaking to me once… twice actually."
Lina noticed that Validar and Xerxes are both in shock after hearing her confession, so she quickly added. "I promise, I'll tell you everything, but let's sit down somewhere first. I have a feeling that I would be a long conversation…" The girl said under her breath, and she approached the sofa to take a seat.
The two brothers followed her example, and they seat down beside the girl – Validar on her left side, and Xerxes on her right. They were both staring at Lina in anticipation, and when the little girl was already sure that she has their attention, she started to talk…
She told them about all the visions that she ever had and she was trying to remember their general sense; Lina told her father and uncle about that mysterious woman that is haunting her every time when she's meditating. About her conversation with Grima when she was lying unconscious in Tormus town, about her 'false visions', and finally about the fact that she was blinded for a short period of time, just because she was trying to read the Grima's Truth.
The girl was saying it in a great agitation, while Xerxes and Validar were both listening to it, in a clear astonishment. They didn't even know what to think about this whole issue. What Lina is saying was simply incomprehensible for them, and they didn't know what kind of advice they should give her, to help her with that 'problem' she had.
The two men were asking her questions from time to time, and Lina was doing her best to answer them, but no matter from which angle they were trying to approach that issue, it was still very strange. It was unbelievable for them, that the vessel of Gima even has such weird experiences with meditation.
"I just want to make sure that I follow, Lina…" Xerxes addressed her, frowning deeply in confusion. "There is some kind of a phantom in your visions; a woman who is looking almost exactly like you… and she's saying that her name is also Lina?"
"Yes, she's claiming that…" The girl admitted. "And she's looking like an older version of me."
"But you're saying that she's hurting you, and master Grima told you, that she wants your demise..." Validar said next, stroking his beard in reverie.
"Right…" The little one nodded at her father's words. "She's interrupting me, every time when I'm trying to get closer to Grima. She attacked me when I was speaking with him, and she blinded me when I was about to read Grima's Truth."
"Then, it must be is some kind of Naga's servant, whose main aim is to stop you from merging with the Fell Dragon!" Validar exclaimed in rage, making rather scary expression, he was clearly angry. "The Divine Dragon has probably fell into a great panic when she realized that the perfect vessel has been born… It's possible that Naga is trying to thwart our plans, for bringing master Grima back into this world, and she sent some creature to harm Lina!"
"You think so, father?" The little one asked dully, biting her lip in reverie. "I don't know… It still doesn't explain why that woman is looking just like me, or why I can see the fragments of her past in my visions."
"Maybe these are the memories of your past live…?" Xerxes started to wonder, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe that woman is your past self?"
"I beg your pardon?" Lina mumbled in confusion. She was unable to understand about what her uncle is talking about.
"It is nonsense, Xerxes." Validar growled at him.
"No…" The man shook his head. "I think that my theory should be considered."
"What theory? I don't get it…" The girl admitted, looking shifty at her uncle.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I suppose I should explain it to you." Xerxes said, setting his eyes on his niece. "You see Lina, the people of Chon'sin are believing that there is a phenomenon called 'reincarnation' in the world. I'm not too familiar with this belief, but I've heard a few things about it."
Lina was listening to him attentively, so the man continued.
"The idea is, that your spirit is journeying to another body right after your death, and then, you can be reborn as somebody or, something else."
"Reborn, as somebody else? Like who?" Lina asked, blinking in surprise.
"Who knows…? You can't be sure of anything after your death." Xerxes said in a strange reverie. "According to these teachings, it mostly depends on what kind of person you were during your lifetime. If you were a good person, then you might be reborn as a human again, but if you were bad, then you might reincarnate as some little, relevant animal; like mouse for example, or some kind of a worm, or a malicious parasite, or something like that..."
"I've never heard of it before…" Lina said, considering her uncle's words. "But that's quite an interesting concept." The girl nodded slightly. "But in that case… If I understand you well Lord Uncle, then you're suggesting that, I was that woman from my visions, during my 'previous life'."
"If we would establish that reincarnation is real, then yes, it might be like this…" The man said dully.
"Ah, stop it already!" Validar yelled at them. "There is no any 'previous' or 'next' life. The truth is, that there is nothing after your death, your spirit is disappearing and there is just silence and darkness, nothing more."
Well, that sounds incredibly depressing… - Lina thoughts to herself, but she wouldn't dare to say it aloud.
"That's what we are believing in." The high priest remarked, calmly. "But we have no any absolute prove, that we are right."
Validar just looked at his brother strangely, hearing that. "Do you have some doubts as to our faith, Xerxes?" The Great Priest asked, shifty. "Maybe we should do something to remind you, the reason why you exists in this world?"
"No!" The man said quickly, to stop Validar from continuing. A few more words, and the Great Priest might even try to accuse him of saying some kind of a heresy… "You know it's not like this, I'm a worshipper of Grima with all my heart." Xerxes told him, a bit nervously. "I'm simply considering all the possibilities, that's all."
"Then…" Validar addressed him omnivorously. "…are you really suggesting that Lina, our Great Hierophant, and the vessel of the Fell Dragon, was some lame servant of the Hero King in her so-called 'previous life'? Do you really think so, brother?" The Great Priest growled.
"No." Xerxes denied quickly, to calm him down. "When you're saying it like that, it really sounds like an absurd. Lina couldn't possibly be related to Marth in any way, there is no chance…"
"Why not?" The girl chimed in, quickly. "We cannot completely exclude it. I've seen these visions myself, and actually I have my own little theory…" Lina said, a bit hesitantly.
"And what might it be, Lina?" Validar asked her, curiously.
"You know…" The little one, replied slowly. "I was trying to forget about this possibility, because even Grima said that it isn't like I think it is. But when I'm contemplating about it, it makes some kind of sense, and the vision that I've had the last time, is only confirming that…"
"But what exactly?" Xerxes was chivying her, to speak.
"I suspect…" Lina muttered under her breath, as if she was afraid to formulate her own thoughts aloud. "I suspect that, that woman was just like me, I think that she was Grima's first, original vessel." She finally announced in tension, since she was not sure how her father and uncle would react to that.
There was a long moment of silence, before Validar and Xerxes both burst out laughing, completely flummoxing Lina.
"There is no way." The Great Priest said, restraining himself pratty quick.
"It's impossible." His brother nodded, still laughing quietly.
"And why do you think so?" Lina questioned them in annoyance, frowning deeply in the same time. She was really angry at them, for immediately trivializing her speculations.
"Lina, you are Grima's first and only vessel." Validar begin to explain, getting absolutely serious now. "You are one of the kind, there was nobody else like you in the history, before."
"How can you be so sure?" The girl growled at him in irritation. "After all, the Hero King was living nearly two thousand years ago, what can you possibly know about such ancient times?"
"A lot of things, my dear…" Her father hissed in response. "You are clearly underestimating our knowledge. Remember that Lord William was creating the Grimleal cult during these 'ancient times', so we heave piles of chronicles and documents from that period of time. If there would be some other vessel of Grima in the past, someone before you, then we would surely know about it."
"But…" The girl was still trying to protest, but Validar interrupted her.
"I don't know why you're even considering something like that." Her father mumbled in reverie. "Didn't master Grima tell you, that the visions about that mysterious woman were false?"
"Yes, he did… He even told me, to not bother you about these visions."
"And yet, you did that, even though your god advised you against it, why?" Validar addressed his daughter sternly, as if he was about to reprimand her.
"Can you blame me?!" Lina yelled out of the sudden, losing her nerves for a moment. "I don't know what else I could do! There is some weird phantom, who is harassing me, and harming me at every possible occasion! What should I do in your opinion, father? Do you think it's easy to deal with that dangerous woman? Because of her, I can't read Grima's Truth, and even when I'm trying, my sight is immediately getting worse!" The girl exclaimed in rage, squeezing tightly the book, that she was holding all this time.
"Well, it is a huge problem…" Validar admitted, sending Lina a worried look. "You can't lose your vision, it would be a catastrophe not only for you, but for the whole cult in general… The vessel of Grima must be perfect in every aspect during Awakening, otherwise the ritual might fail… On the other hand, you have to read Grima's Truth sooner or later, to learn as much as possible about the Grimleal history, and about the dark arts."
Lina just nodded silently at her father's words, and Xerxes addressed her next.
"Can't you see the text at all? Even one letter?"
"I can't…" The girl confirmed shaking her head. "The words got blear when I wanted to read. The more I was trying to decipher them, the worse my eyesight was becoming, and in the end I was unable to see anything…" Lina muttered in abashment. The little girl was not sure if her father and uncle would believe her… after all, this whole story was sounding unbelievable even for her…
"I'd like to see it..." Xerxes suddenly announced, crossing his arms on the chest. "I must admit that I'm a bit skeptical about what you're saying Lina, so I'd like to see what will happen to you, if you would try to read Grima's Truth right now, in front of us." Xerxes said, suddenly standing up from the sofa.
Lina just gasped in fear, hearing Xerxes's statement.
"But Lord Uncle, I can't!" She wanted to wean the high priest from that idea. "The risk is too great, what if that woman would make me permanently blind this time?!"
"She has a point." Validar said grimly. "What if she would really become blind after that try?"
"I'm sorry brother, but I won't believe it, until I see it…" Xerxes said quietly to the other man, so Lina couldn't hear his statement.
"I want you to open the Grima's Truth just for a little moment, to do a small test." Xerxes addressed his niece, calmly.
"A test…?" The girl asked in confusion.
"Yes, just open the sacred book on some random page, and try to read at least the first word you'd see. If you would be able to do that, than it's okay, but if you would feel that something is wrong with your sight, then close it immediately." Xerxes requested.
"Even if I would do what you're saying Lord Uncle, it won't change anything." The little one remarked. "I cannot give you my eyesight, so I won't be able to prove to you, that my sight is worse…"
"I suppose you would." Xerxes said firmly. "I will carefully examine your eyes when you will stop reading, and I'll see if there are any worrisome lesions in them." Xerxes laid a hand on the girl's shoulder, as if he was trying to calm her down. "Besides, it also might be some kind of hex that we could simply lift from your eyes, but first we must see what exactly is happening to you."
"But…" The little one stuttered. "But I'm scared…"
"Oh, Lina…" Xerxes addressed her, sighing loudly. "You shouldn't be scared, you are a godlike existence, and you have unimaginable power, when will you finally understand, that there is nothing in this world that can imperil you?"
Lina growled under her breath when Xerxes asked her about that. Her uncle's question, instead of encouraging her, annoyed her very much.
"You're saying it again… It is all so easy for you…" Lina whispered in anger. "'You are the vessel of Grima, so you are invincible'." The girl mumbled, mimicking Xerxes tone with irony. "It's idiocy!" She exclaimed in rage. "When will you finally understand that I'm a human too?! Even if I have Grima's power in me, I'm unable to use it yet! At least, not consciously…" Lina said a bit calmer. "I'm just a little kid… You can't expect of me to be fearless in every situation. There are still a lot of things that I can't understand, and because of that, I'm scared…"
Validar turned his head towards Lina, and he was staring at her with a clear scorn in his eyes. He was outraged by the fact that his own daughter is admitting her fear so openly. For him it was a sign of cowardice and weakness… And also, it was one more prove that he shouldn't leave this child under Celia's care for so long.
"Then, are you going to let your fear control your actions?" As oppose to Validar, Xerxes appeared to be completely unimpressed by Lina's speech. "Are you really going to do nothing, and allow some strange doppelganger, phantom, servant of Naga, or whatever to order you around? Are you going to allow her to tell you what you can do, and what you can't do?"
Lina sent her uncle a look full of rage in response. "Of course not." She hissed coldly. "I want nothing more, than to get rid of that woman and be done with it. She's so annoying… She was pretending that she's my friend at the beginning, but then, she started to attack me without any reason… and even after she hurt me, she was still trying to persuade me that it was for my wellbeing… What a hypocrite…" The girl growled in absolute anger. "I hate such people and I hate that person!" Lina was so outraged while thinking about that strange phantom, that her eyes turned red for a brief moment, and the two men noticed that.
"If you really want to get rid of that woman, then you have to face your fear." Xerxes said resolutely. "You have to stop being afraid, and just do what you want to do."
"But…" Lina was still not sure if it is really so easy.
"Don't protest." The man interrupted her quickly. "Please, do what I'm asking you to do, otherwise I won't be able to help." Xerxes mumbled, a little irritated by Lina's lack of confidence.
Why the kids always has to be afraid of something? – The man asked himself, remembering his own children's irrational fears.
Audrey for example was so incredibly afraid of high places when she was little, that she was even afraid to go up a ladder, and when Xerxes discovered his daughter's fear, he immediately decided to help her overcome it. He was taking her for a long walks around the mountains, and he was showing her the sceneries from the highest peaks.
Of course, Audrey was horrified by these walks at first; she was hanging to her father's arm by all her might and she was shaking like a little leaf when he was persuading her to look down, but after some time, his daughter completely got rid of her acrophobia, and she started to even like their walks together.
Ulrich - his firstborn son was very afraid of casting dark spells, after he accidentally burned his own hands with a dark flame, during training. It was particularly troublesome, since it was Ulrich's duty to become the priest of Grima in the future, and a dark priest who is afraid of darkness would be a laughing stock to the other servants of Grima around him… Xerxes couldn't possibly allow for something like that to happen, so he was coming to see his son every day, (even though he had not too much free time) porously to train Ulrich, himself. It was not as easy as it appeared to be, since the boy was absolutely freaked out by darkness at the beginning of his training, but it was worth it… Today, after all these years of efforts, Ulrich was a very skilled dark mage and it was just the matter of time, before he will become the respectful priest of the Fell Dragon.
Xerxes had seen a lot of phobias during his life but he had to admit that Rainer's fear was the most farcical one… He discovered that his youngest son is afraid of small lizards.
One day Rainer found one of these little creatures in the grass, and when he set his eyes on it, he immediately run away from that place, shouting something about the 'green monster' on his way. The high priest was very angry at his son for acting so silly… Honestly, Xerxes adores Rainer very much, but that kid's fear was simply unreasonable for him. That's why the father wanted to set his child free of that insane phobia.
The man gave Rainer quite a big, green lizard as a 'birthday present' a year ago, and he told his son, to take care of that creature as if it was a normal pet. The little boy was obviously scared and disgusted when Xerxes asked him to do something like that, but in the end he fulfilled his father's wish. Rainer named that lizard 'Jade' because of its green color, and soon he befriended that animal, and he was very often playing with it.
For Xerxes his own children's examples were only proves that fear, can always be overcome. On one hand the man was even able to understand why Lina is terrified by that phantomlike something from her visions, and he understood why she was afraid to open Grima's Truth now, if that mysterious 'thing' was threating her…
But on the other hand Xerxes simply could not believe that Lina will be blind forever. After all, she is the vessel of Grima and she has all his might. Even if that strange woman would try to make her blind by some enigmatic sorcery, then Grima himself should still be able to remove the curse from his vessel.
There is currently no any being stronger than Lina in this world, since she has a god within her, and the explanation that 'she's a human too' really meant nothing to Xerxes. It was just an excuse, that Lina used, to bury her head in the sand like a coward…
"M-maybe I should really try…?" Lina stuttered, trebling a little. "Maybe it would be okay? After all, it would be just a quick test, right?"
"Of course." Xerxes confirmed. "If you would feel that something disturbing is happening with your eyes, then you will be free to close the book."
Lina sighed heavily, and she took a deep breath to calm down. "Okay…" The girl muttered hesitantly. "I will open this tome just for a few seconds, and then I'll shut it."
"Yes, we will see if something changed in your eyes, and then we will try to find a remedy for that 'curse'." The high priest nodded.
"But be careful." Validar suddenly chimed in, almost as if he was worried about his daughter. "You absolutely cannot lose your vision, forever."
"I know…" The girl said to him in response, and then she opened Grima's Truth with her hands shaking.
Lina knew that what she's doing right now is risky and injudicious, but she didn't want to allow that mysterious woman to order her around. The girl was feeling a great jaundice towards that person, and she had a strange desire to do everything against her recommendations and advices… Besides her uncle's speech about facing the fear, encouraged her a bit. She decided to trust Xerxes in that matter; if he's such a good medic, then maybe he'll be able to cure her eyes, even if something bad will happen to them?
The little girl focused her eyes on the text of the book for a brief moment, but she immediately realized that she's unable to read anything.
"Everything here is blear…" Lina mumbled in annoyance, and just when she wanted to close Grima's Truth, she saw a very bright ray of light in front of her eyes, and she felt a great pain in them. She yelled shrilly in fear, and the dark tome, fall from her hands to the floor.
"Lina!" Validar and Xerxes exclaimed in unison, seeing the girl's behavior.
They realized that she has her eyes closed, her head is hanging off limply, and her body is motionless. Lina was sitting in the sofa right next to her father, but she was unconscious. What's worse, when the two men were trying to revive her, it had no any effect…
Lina was seeing the darkness before herself, but fortunately it was just for a few seconds, then the girl suddenly realized that she's standing on the field of beautiful full bloomed flowers, in front of quite a big and firm, stony castle.
There was a bench standing near the girl, and on that bench two people were sitting. The first person that Lina noticed was a big man with beautiful blond hair, quite bushy beard on his chin, tranquil hazel-gold eyes, and rather big snub nose. He was just sitting there, and he was polishing his armor very carefully. Right beside him, a very old thin and tiny woman with long grey hair combed into a bun and with glasses on her nose, was stitching together some kind of clothing; it appeared to be a red dress, but it was so little, that it probably belonged to a child.
"Umm… Good morning…" Lina addressed the two people, but it seemed as if they were unable to hear her. They were still absorbed on their actives, completely ignoring the girl's greeting.
"Hey? Excuse me?" Lina was still trying to communicate with the man and the old woman, but it was useless.
"I think they can't see me." The little one finally concluded. "Another vision then…" Lina muttered to herself grimly, and she quickly looked around, since she was sure that she will meet that strange phantom-woman in a moment.
"I have to beware…" The girl told herself. "…she might be somewhere near."
Lina was turning her head in every possible direction, and she was walking around all these flowers for a long time, with her nerves very uptight, but she didn't find that doppelganger in the end…
Maybe she's not here this time? – Lina started to wonder. – Maybe it is about something else? – The little girl was thinking, approaching the bench again.
She sat her eyes on the two people once more, but this time that blond haired man, was clearly staring at her and smiling slightly. Lina held her breath, when her dark-brown eyes met his hazel-gold. That man's gaze was just so radiant, so warm and so clear… It was hard for Lina to explain it, but something in that man's eyes was reminding her of her mother, and she felt a sudden nostalgia.
Lina wanted to try and address that blond haired man again, but before she was able to do that, the old woman made a loud groan of pain, which caused that big guy to freak out.
"Mother!" He exclaimed, immediately setting aside his armor and reaching his hands towards her. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call for a healer?"
"Ah…" The old woman mumbled, containing herself. "No… Don't worry Adam, I accidentally stabbed my finger with a needle, it's nothing serious."
The woman's son breathed a sigh of relief hearing that.
"I see… I really got scared for a moment…" Adam said quietly.
"Don't worry, dear son…" His mother muttered, reassuringly laying her hand on his cheek. "I'm not going to go to grave yet, it's just that…" She paused for a moment, looking sadly at the red dress in her hands. "…my sight is getting worse and worse with every passing year."
"Then why are you even stitching this dress?" The man asked, crossing his arms on the chest. "You don't have to do this mother, we could simply ask one of our maids to fix it, and you wouldn't have to bother yourself." Sir Adam said softly.
"Yes, but you see…" The woman was trying to explain herself. "…Celia, personally asked me to do it for her. You know that I'm unable to say 'no' to her; this girl so cute…" The old Lady smiled gently, saying that. "Besides I was sure that I'll be able to sew this dress without getting injured…" She muttered, glancing at her bleeding finger.
"Ah, Celia…" Adam shook his head slowly, as if he was disappointed over something, but there was still a small smile on his face. "I have to talk with her…. To bother her old grandma like that, she should know to leave you alone mother, you need more rest these days…"
"Celia…?" Lina mumbled to herself, blinking in surprise. "Celia? Like mum?"
"Rest?" The woman asked, smiling strangely for some reason. "I will have my eternal rest, only when I'll die." She said calmly, whereupon her son frowned deeply.
"Mother… this is not funny." Sir Adam stated slowly, grabbing his parent's hand, and taking a closer look at her small injury.
"I know my dear boy." She sighed in response. "But it is inevitable…"
Her son said nothing at that, he was just looking at his mother's face with his gaze soft, and full of love. He knew that his precious mother will leave this world someday, but he didn't like to think about that too often, his face suddenly turned grim and sad.
"Oh Adam, cheer up." The mother asked her child, smiling warmly. "I'm still here with you, so be happy about it."
"I am, mother… I am…" Sir Adam nodded, delicately petting the woman's hand.
Then, they heard the sounds of footsteps in the distance, and soon they both noticed a little girl running towards them.
"Daddy, grandma! You won't believe this! I can do an incredible thing!" The kid exclaimed in a great excitement.
Lina looked at that direction too, and when she set her eyes on the girl that was approaching them… she was simply dumbfounded.
Long and a bit wavy sandy hair… - Lina was thinking in disbelieve. – Big hazel-gold eyes, small snub nose, and a wide radiant smile… C-could it be? – She was wondering in astonishment.
"Celia, honey…" The man addressed her calmly. "Don't run so fast, you might trip over something." Sir Adam said, standing up, and catching his little daughter into his arms.
"It is really her…" Lina whispered, still in a small shock. "It's mum… It's mother when she was very little." She told herself, feeling strange shivers on her entire body. The tears started to slowly assemble in her eyes; Lina couldn't decide if she's happy for seeing her mum again after such a long time, or if she's rather confused because her parent is just a little kid in this vision...
It was great to meet her mum again, but the fact that she was probably even younger than Lina here, was really strange…
"Daddy, you know what?" Celia exclaimed when her father finally let go of her. "I can do an amazing trick."
"What? A trick?" The man questioned her, a little taken aback by her excitement.
"Yeah!" His daughter nodded cheerfully. "I discovered it last night, when I was trying to ignite the candle! You have to see it!" Little Celia stated in delight, and then she moved her heads closer to each other.
"Uhhhh…" Celia groaned quietly, and she frowned deeply focusing her eyes on the small space between her hands. Whatever she was trying to do, it apparently cost her a lot of effort.
"Celia, sweetie…" Her grandmother spoke up softly. "What are you trying to do?"
Just when she asked that, some strange purple spark appeared on the girl's hand, and a second letter, quite a big purple flame was burning in Celia's hands.
"Yes, it works!" Lina's mother exclaimed in triumph. She was clearly delighted by such success, but as oppose to her, her father and grandmother were not happy about what she just did.
The old woman let go of the red dress that she was holding the whole time, she gasped in horror, and she covered her mouths with a hand, to mute a scream of terror. The man in turn was staring at his daughter with his eyes wide, and with his face completely pale. Sir Adam opened his mouths as if he was trying to say something, but he was unable to... his own daughter… Celia just did something that should be impossible to do, for the worshipers of Naga.
"So, mum was able to manipulate darkness since she was so little…" Lina mumbled, approaching the small version of her mother, and looking at the dark flame in admiration. "That's great."
"Isn't that small violet fire beautiful, daddy?" Little Celia was questioning the man, with a big grin on her face. "I like it, it's so nice!"
Sir Adam took a step towards his daughter, and he slowly raised his arm, as if he was in some kind of shock. Then he quickly squeezed his child's hands to extinguish the dark flame, that Celia was holding.
"No, no!" The man shouted out, shaking his head in desperation. "Don't do it!"
"D-daddy…? What's wrong?" Celia asked her father, seeing only fear and desperation in his eyes, and not any delight. "Were you afraid that I'll burn myself with that flame? Don't worry, it's not hot…" She assured him, with a warm smile on her face. "…it is rather cold."
"It doesn't matter!" Sir Adam stated, losing his nerves, and rising his voice a bit. "Don't use this power! You cannot!"
Little Celia gasped loudly hearing her father's outburst, while Lina looked at the person who was apparently her grandfather, with her gaze full of skepticism and contempt.
"What's wrong with you?" The little one asked Sir Adam, as if she was expecting some kind of an answer from him. "Mother just showed you that she could use dark magic. You should praise her for that, and tell her that it's wonderful."
The man obviously said nothing at that, he was still holding his daughter's hands and he was afraid to let go of them.
"Daddy…" Celia addressed him hesitantly. "Why are you so sad? Did I do something bad?"
Sir Adam groaned quietly, when he heard his child innocent question, it was evident that she was unaware of how dangerous dark magic is and how baneful it might be for her, to have such power.
"Celia… my sweet child…" Her grandmother chimed in, when she finally got rid of her fist shock. "Your daddy is simply worried about you." The woman said as calmly as it was possible. "You probably don't know it yet, but if you would start using this strange power, you will fell terribly ill."
"Ill?" Celia repeated, with her own tone, a little worried now.
"Yes…" The old woman nodded grimly. "If you would be playing with this power too often, then darkness will engulf your body. Your heart will be growing colder and colder with the passing years, until it will completely freeze, and if that happen, then you might even die."
"What?!" Lina cannot help but exclaim, in a mixture of astonishment and indignation. "Who told you that, old Lady? What an outrageous nonsense you're saying! I've never heard anything as stupid as that!"
Little Celia gasped, hearing her grandmother's ominous words, and she even started to shake out of fear.
"No!" The small child shouted out, absolutely terrified. "I don't want to die! I don't!" She said in a small panic, and her eyes started to fill with tears. "Daddy, help!" Celia begged her father, throwing her arms around him, and embracing him tightly in searching for safety and comfort.
"Oh, honey…" Sir Adam muttered quietly, finally pulling himself together and returning his daughter's embrace. "…don't worry, daddy will never allow you to die, everything will be fine, but you must forget about that violet fire, that you can inflame. Keep it a secret and don't show it to anyone else."
"Why?!" Lina growled, unable to understand these people's reasons. "It makes no sense! It's a waste of talent! It is stupid! It is…!" The girl paused in indigence. "What is even happening here?" She asked herself in hopelessness.
"Can't I show it to anybody?" Celia asked, calming down a bit in her father's arms. "Even to Tristan?"
"Even to Tristan." Sir Adam nodded slightly.
"Even to Nadia?" She questioned the man.
"Even to Nadia." Her father confirmed again.
"Even to Gerard?" Celia asked, and her father cannot help but quiver at that.
"You cannot show it to anyone." Adam repeated firmly. "Especially not to prince Gerard or to his father, they will surely freak out, seeing something like that."
The child sobbed quietly hearing that, and tears started to fall from her cheeks. "Daddy… I really thought that it's something good…" Celia said slowly, sniffling a little. "That fire was pretty and nice…"
"I know honey… I know…" Sir Adam said, shading his daughter's tears away. "But you must learn that the pretty things are not always good. The flame of candle is also beautiful, but it might burn your skin, if you would touch it." Celia nodded silently at his words, so the man continued. "See, it's the same with dark magic; it looks nice, and it's very appealing to use it, but it is gravely dangerous to do so. Do you understand?"
"No…" Little Celia admitted honestly. "There are many sages who are using magic all the time, even mummy was able to do that…" The child sniffled quietly again. "Why can't I play with magic?"
"I told you already, that you will die if you would try to play with the darkness." The old Lady spoke up, a little annoyed already. "Celia please, be a good girl and listen to us." She addressed her granddaughter a bit calmer. "Forget about that dark flame. You know that we're telling you to stop doing these 'tricks', only because we are worried about you, right?"
"Yes, grandma." Celia confirmed without any enthusiasm, and she lowered her head in sadness.
"Hey, my golden-haired princess…" Sir Adam addressed his child softly, seeing her despondence. "…don't be so glum, cheer up, everything will be fine." He was doing his best to somehow comfort his child, but Celia was still looking rather depressed. "Maybe go play with Nadia?" The man suggested. "Your sister loves you more than anyone else in the world, you should go and spent some time with her, it will surely raise your spirit."
"Nadia is asleep right now…" Celia mumbled grimly. "…and if I would try to wake her up, then her nanny will be angry at me, again."
Her father just sighed at that, while the old woman send Celia a penetrating look, as if she was wondering if she should speak up or not.
"You can always go, and play with Tristan…" She finally said.
Her granddaughter made a strange grimace of uneasiness in response, and she groaned quietly, thinking about some kind of interaction with her brother.
"I guess…" Little Celia finally muttered. "I guess I'll simply go back to my room…" She decided, directing her steps towards the stony castle and slowly departing from her father and grandmother.
Sir Adam was observing his daughter with worried expression until she disappeared from his sight, and when he realized that Celia is no longer here, he seat back on the bench, he hid his face under the hands in desperation, and he sighed very loudly.
A grave silence fell between the man and his mother, but after a short moment, the woman decided to speak her mind.
"This child… is cursed." The old Lady whispered, with her voice full of honest pain. "Celia is cursed by the demon of darkness…"
Adam quaked hearing that, and he turned his head towards the woman, frowning deeply.
"Mother, don't say such things, it's just a stupid legend…"
"A true legend as you can see…" The old woman insisted. "Everything fall into a place when you think about it." She paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "Celia and Tristan were born as twins, and twins are always an omen of something terrible."
"What are you talking about?" The man cannot help but hiss in anger. "Stop mother, it isn't true!"
"I know, I know…" The woman nodded in sadness. "Normally, twins are considered as a double blessing from Lady Naga, but not in our family…" She muttered, groaning quietly. "…in our line, twins always means conflicts, anxiety, and bloodshed."
"Mother…" Adam gulped in disturbance, listening to the woman's words. "How could you say something like that?"
"It's not me… Lord Isaiah had written everything about that curse, ages ago… 'The twins are always born with the curse of the dark demon on them'… The woman started to declaim. "The demon is putting a curse on these children by giving them the dark magic in the moment of their birth, but in return for that power, he's taking away their love for each other… As a result of that, the twins are hating one another for all their lives. They are always fighting and the hatred in their hearts is growing every day… when that hate is reaching its zenith, they are turning their blades against each other and…"
"Mother, stop!" The man exclaimed in anger, pressing his hands against the ears. "They won't kill each other! It won't be like that! Not with Tristan and Celia!"
"It was like that many times, in the past generations and so far, everything indicates that it will end tragically this time too… Our bloodline is constantly punished by gods, for the grave sin, that Lord Isaiah has committed in his youth…" The old Lady said dully. "I can see that, Celia and Tristan are already in conflict, even though they are only six years old. I fear to even imagine what kind of relationships they would have in the future…"
"They will be fine." Adam said firmly, finally pulling himself together. "I will do everything what is in my power to bring them together; my children are not a 'bad omen'…" The man whispered under his breath. "Lord Isaiah was surely mistaken, there is no any 'dark demon' or any curse between twins."
"But still, Celia can use dark magic, as we were able to see a moment ago." The old woman pointed out. "How would you explain it, dear son?" She asked with her tone very serious, but Sir Adam had no any answer for that question.
"I don't know…" He finally admitted. ""Someone who was born in Ylisse, should not be able to use dark magic, since Lady Naga is never allowing the darkness to reach her children, but… Celia showed us the dark energy, just now…"
"S-Someone who was born in Ylisse…?" Lina repeated with her voice shaking a little.
The girl was listening to these two people's conversation very attentively, since she wanted to know why they were so terrified by seeing the dark magic in her mother's hands, and that last sentence, chilled Lina to the bone.
"So it's true…" She whispered to herself. "My mother is from Ylisse, and I'm a child with mixed blood, I have the blood of Ylisseans in my veins… it's so yucky." Lina spitted out in disgust. "Oh gods, how could this be? How could this be, that my dear mother was born among these blood thirsty monsters, and she was even raised in their country?" Lina gasped quietly when she realized something else. "Wait… It in that case, was she worshiping Naga, too…? I… I can't believe it…" Lina mumbled in shock, and meanwhile Sir Adam and his mother were continuing their talk.
"We cannot allow Celia to use that power." The old Lady said firmly. "The dark magic is slowly corrupting your soul, and it's causing you to lose your mind, in the end. It's too dangerous for a little child, like Celia to study dark arts… and the same goes for Tristan. Besides, if someone from the royal family would find out about Celia's abilities then…"
"Don't even say it mother…" The man interrupted her grimly. "The Exalt and the queen might even declare my sweet daughter as 'Grima's witch' if they would find out about what she can do. They might kill her, only for the fact that she has dark powers…"
"Exactly." The woman nodded. "They are good rulers, but their devotion to Naga is a bit too… extreme. I hope that prince Gerard won't be as radical as they are, when he will become the Exalt..." She whispered quietly.
"We will keep it a secret from everyone…" Sir Adam decided, in a strange reverie. "Celia is still a little kid, and she's a very biddable girl. She probably won't be using the dark magic anymore, since I forbid her to do that. Who knows? Maybe in time, she will even forget that she's able to manipulate darkness, and everything will be alright?"
"May it would be so, son…" The old Lady muttered under her breath. "I hope, it would be like that."
After the old woman said these words, the two people slowly faded away from the bench, leaving Lina completely alone on the field of flowers.
The girl sighed heavily when she realized that she's on her own, and she seat down on the ground, hiding her face under the hands in sadness; it was still hard for her, to deal with the fact that her beloved mother is Ylissean.
"Why mother never told me anything about her roots?" Lina started to wonder in annoyance. "I understand that being a Ylissean is probably not estimable for her, especially that she's living in Plegia. It's possible that she's even ashamed of her origins, but still… I'm her daughter, she should tell me about such things… She should treat me more seriously, and she should trust me more…"
The girl frowned deeply, she was very depressed now, and some strange thoughts started to appear in her mind.
I'm planning to kill all of them… - Lina reminded herself out of the sudden. – I'm planning kill all the Ylisseans, and since mother is one of them, IT MEANS, THAT I HAVE TO KILL… - The girl gasped in horror, and quickly shook her head, to chase away a terrible thought that appeared in her head just now.
"No! I will never kill my mum!" Lina exclaimed loudly, she was disgusted by the fact that such idea even flashed through her mind. "I'll never do that! The whole world can burn and fall apart, but my mother have to survive! My mummy is not like these bloodthirsty monsters; she's kind calm, and she's warmhearted and I love her! B-besides, she's living in Mediuth city for years - she's a Grimleal. After all this time, she's practically a Plegian like us!"
YET, A DAUGHTER OF NAGA WILL ALWAYS BE A DAUGHTER OF NAGA… - Something in Lina's head was still insisting, and the girl cannot help, but grow at herself.
"What's wrong with me?!" The little one yelled in irritation. "Are these my own thoughts, or Grima's thoughts…? I don't know anymore, I feel strange…" She groaned in hopelessness.
Lina covered her eyes with the hands yet again, and she curled her knees to the chest.
The girl was sitting in that position for quite a while, until she heard a hesitant yap closely and when she raised her head to look around, she found that white wolf from her dreams, standing right in front of her.
"It's you…" Lina mumbled, glancing shifty at the animal. "What do you want this time?" She asked, as if she was expecting some kind of an answer.
In response the wolf yelped quietly, and it spitted out something from its jaw. A beautiful, shiny yellow orb, trundled towards Lina without making any sound.
The white wolf seemed to be very happy over the fact that it brought that mysterious object to the girl, and it started to run around her, in excitement.
"What is it?" Lina muttered, intrigued and curious. "You brought me a golden orb?" She asked, carefully taking that object into her hands. "It looks beautiful…" The girl admitted, staring at it, in fascination.
She was glancing at that yellow orb in admiration, and she noticed that the light is emanating from that thing. That light was slowly getting stronger and stronger, and it was absorbing everything around her.
Lina got scared when she realized that, the light of that orb is so great and jarring, that it's blinding her…
"Oh, no!" The girl exclaimed, while trying to throw away the 'present' from the white wolf. "I can't be blind!"
She wanted to get rid of that thing but her tries were useless; for some reason Lina was unable to lose her grip on that orb and in a matter of a few seconds the girl was completely engulfed by that strong light…
The end of chapter 26
Thanks for reading!