The tunnels beneath Atlasdam were mostly dark brown in color, and the rocks crunched beneath Cyrus and Ophilia's feet. Ophilia had pulled the Lanthorn free of its hiding place under her cape to allow it to illuminate their path, and the Ember shone brightly among the shadows. Cyrus continued to watch the Ember with curiosity, and Ophilia was left to wonder if he knew anything. Cyrus refused to yield even an inch of ground, giving her no way to say for sure if he was aware of her true identity as the Flamebearer.
Cyrus cleared his throat to show that he was about to start discussing something solemn, and Ophilia perked up at the sound. "I can show you how to cast ice magic if you would like," he explained. Ophilia smiled and nodded in response. A rustling sound brought them to a stop, and Cyrus' expression hardened. "It seems that this would be the perfect time to practice."
A few moments, a small creature that looked like lantern appeared from around a pair of rocks, and it began to dive towards Cyrus and Ophilia. Cyrus raised his staff and slammed it into the stop of the creature to keep it at bay, and the lantern was sent flying backwards. Ophilia watched in surprise, seeing red magic flicker beneath the shaded hood of the lantern.
"The red magic indicates that it's made of fire magic," Cyrus explained. "That means that it will likely be weak to ice magic. Allow me to demonstrate how to cast it. Focus on something as cold as possible, and expel that energy out through your hands. It's similar to other types of magic, but you must concentrate on your knowledge of cold climates in order to perfect it rather than the sun, for example, as you would with light magic."
Cyrus raised his other hand, and white energy began to mount across his fingers before flying forward in the direction of the lantern. Speckles of blue could be seen as icicles spread outwards, slamming into the lantern. The creature let out a hissing sound before completely falling dormant, clearly trapped in place by the attack. When the ice splintered and shattered, the beast was gone save for a few twisted pieces of scrap metal.
"Wow," was all Ophilia could say in response to that. She looked up at Cyrus in surprise, unsure as to how he was able to do it so effortlessly. He seemed to have had more than enough practice with his magic, and it was so easy for him that it looked as if he didn't have to try. Ophilia still had to summon a significant amount of energy in order to truly cast a light spell, and that was what she was familiar with. She couldn't even imagine how difficult it would have been to break out of her comfort zone to focus on other types of magic.
"It simply takes practice," Cyrus explained when he saw how surprised Ophilia was at the sight of his magic. "If you concentrate enough, you should be able to execute proper attacks with it. Magic requires concentration, but at its heart, each type of magic functions the same way as all others do. If you place your energy in it, then you can summon anything you so please."
"How do you cast other types of magic?" Ophilia questioned, careful to keep her voice down to ensure that no monsters heard them as they continued their journey through the cave towards Russell.
"For me, I imagine a fireplace for fire magic. I allow it to consume me before bursting outwards. I think of blizzards for ice magic, and storms correspond with thunder magic. I'm admittedly less proficient with wind, light, and dark magic, but you seem to know how to handle light as it is anyways," Cyrus began. "I have theories that there are other types of magic out there as well that simply haven't been discovered. After all, some types of magic have been associated with members of the circle of twelve gods that founded Orsterra. However, the other six members of the group lack a corresponding element, which leads me to believe that perhaps there is more than we can see now."
Ophilia nodded her understanding. She had to admit that she found Cyrus' explanations fascinating. She hadn't ever been given the chance to investigate into magic as much as she would have liked because of her duties to the church, but Ophilia was confident that she would have more than a chance to branch out as long as she was with Cyrus. He was already inspiring new hope inside of her to find out more about other types of magic.
Cyrus could tell that Ophilia was intrigued, as a bold smile crossed his face as he continued speaking. "As of now, my theory is as follows: Aelfric used light magic, Alephan utilized ice, Bifelgan used wind, Sealticge mastered dark, Aeber manipulated fire, and Draefendi had thunder at her beck and call. Of course, this leaves Brand, Dohter, Dreisang, Steorra, Balogar, and Winnehild without a corresponding element, and they don't exactly match up with the currently discovered powers of magic as of now. Legends say that Winnehild sealed away the fallen god with power of steel, so that could indicate a new element. Perhaps these other powers were lost when the gods ascended to the heavenly plane once again after their war against the Fallen One..." he went on.
Ophilia nodded on, understanding that his title as a scholar was not simply something for show. He was well-versed in the subjects that he researched, and she knew that there was still more that he hadn't yet mentioned. If given the chance, Cyrus likely would have continued for hours at a time, and Ophilia wouldn't have been able to object. If they were not on a mission, Ophilia would have asked if she could hear as much as possible about magic given her lacking knowledge on the power, but there was too much happening for her to do such a thing.
Another rushing sound pulled Ophilia from her thoughts, and Cyrus was forced to stop speaking in the middle of his sentence. Ophilia glanced around instinctively, trying desperately to locate the origin of the sound. When her gaze eventually fell upon another lantern that had crawled out of the shadows, she clutched her staff tighter in the hand that wasn't gripping the Lanthorn for dear life.
Ophilia rushed forward all at once, and the staff in her hand came down hard on top of lantern, leaving an echoing sound to clap through the cave. Ophilia was too fired up on her own adrenaline to even notice what was happening, and she examined the lantern carefully. Red magic was at the heart of the container, making it clear to her that it was a fire type enemy.
"Blizzard..." Ophilia whispered to herself. She forced her thoughts back to that morning when she had been traveling through the empty snowy expanses of the Frostlands. That had been her home for too many years to count, and she would return there soon enough. For the time being though, all she could do was remember, and she allowed her own memories to take physical form.
With a sharp flick of her wrist, Ophilia had cast a spell of quick ice that mounted on the lantern immediately. It wasn't as clean a process as what Cyrus had displayed for her previously, but Ophilia could still see that a lot of work had been done in a relatively short amount of time. The lantern was left immobilized, and all it took was another quick blow from Cyrus' staff to finish it off. The staff shattered the ice, freeing the lantern of its icy prison and splintering it in the process.
Cyrus clapped his hands together once in joy, a smile spreading across his face. "You learn quickly, Ophilia!" he praised her. Ophilia grinned in response, though hers was far more shy than his was. Cyrus was shameless as he continued their trek through the cave, and Ophilia followed him after she had sufficiently examined the lantern.
"I can't believe I actually did that," Ophilia confessed. "I didn't know if I would be able to pull it off, but here we are... That was amazing! You're a great teacher, Cyrus. I don't know what I would do without your help."
"It's my joy to assist you," Cyrus assured her. "Most of the time, my attention has to be dedicated to teaching my students at the Royal Academy of Atlasdam, so I have minimal chances to fight with my magic. The fact that you are interested in learning more... I rather enjoy your enthusiasm, Ophilia. It's a pleasure that I have been able to assist you in such a way already."
"I should be the one thanking you here," Ophilia said, trying to hide the embarrassed blush that was already creeping across her face. She shook her head as she looked up at him in admiration. "I don't think I would have ever been able to pull that off if not for you... I'm going to need all the power I can get if I want to get to Saintsbridge without any issues."
"Saintsbridge..." Cyrus whispered to himself, and once again, the glaze of familiarity passed over his eyes. Ophilia could have sworn that she felt her heart stop for a moment, and she prayed that she hadn't ruined her chances at keeping her identity as the Flamebearer a secret. She was almost certain that Cyrus had already determined the truth, but she still wanted to put in at least a bit of effort to keep the truth concealed.
"I'm going there on a pilgrimage," Ophilia said, desperate to cover for herself. She realized too late that this wasn't the best thing to say, and she immediately chastised herself internally for not staying quiet sooner. She looked down at the ground, almost asking for a lantern monster to attack them so that this was no longer an issue.
Cyrus shook his head to himself. "If you don't mind my asking... Would you happen to be the Flamebearer?" he questioned carefully, obviously trying to ensure that he didn't cross any lines with Ophilia.
The blonde cleric looked up at him in fear, and she chose to focus on the way that the metal of the Lanthorn felt between her fingers. "I... Um..." she muttered, desperately trying to find the words to deny his claim. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get away with it, but that wasn't going to stop her from at least making the attempt.
Then again, she had already placed her trust in Cyrus up to this point. He had given her no reasons to mistrust him, and his kindness seemed to know no limits. He hadn't asked her any questions up to that point, and if Ophilia was going to trust anybody with the sensitive information that she was the Flamebearer, it would have been him.
Finally, Ophilia let out a sigh. "I... I am," she confessed. "There was a change of plans at the last minute, so I'm going on the Kindling as a replacement for my sister. She was supposed to be the original Flamebearer, but... Things happened, and I'm the one undergoing the pilgrimage now. Please don't tell anyone about this though. I don't want to potentially face trouble along the way to Saintsbridge because of this.
Cyrus shook his head. "I would never dream of sharing the truth with anyone," he assured her. "I'm honored that you would trust me with this truth. It's admirable that you decided to take up the Kindling in your sister's footsteps. I have no doubt that you will be a fine Flamebearer. You have already proven yourself as a powerful mage, after all."
Ophilia was once again left stammering and helpless, unsure as to how she was supposed to respond to his words. She hadn't expected him to compliment her so freely, and she had no ideas on the answer he was expecting to hear. "Thank you," she eventually forced herself to say. Cyrus didn't even seem aware of the high praise that he was giving her, and Ophilia was left to question if he was at all knowledgeable about matters of the heart.
"You're very welcome," Cyrus said with a bright grin. "I trust that you will look after Orsterra in your journey... I must confess that I have always wished to witness the Kindling for myself, but I am unfortunately bound to the Royal Academy at the moment. It would be a joy to go and travel Orsterra on my own terms, but I have other matters to attend to for the time being."
Ophilia could sense something behind his words that felt a lot like unfulfilled wishes, and she frowned to herself. "You really do want to travel the world, don't you?" she eventually questioned him.
Cyrus nodded sheepishly. "I would love the idea. Of course, as I previously mentioned, that simply isn't an option for the time being. Perhaps the chance will arrive one day... I would love to see if I can prove my various theses regarding magic, but I cannot do that as long as I am here. There is much more to be learned beyond the boundaries of Atlasdam, but my duty ties me here. Who can say what the future will have in store for me though? Maybe I will get my chance yet," he told her.
Ophilia felt a pang of sympathy for him in the corner of her chest. She wished that there was more she was able to do to help Cyrus satisfy his wishes, but she knew that she had duties of her own to concentrate on. Having Cyrus travel with her would certainly make it easier for her to navigate through the rest of the continent, but he couldn't simply leave Atlasdam as long as he had such important matters to attend to. Ophilia couldn't ask him to abandon his home for her sake. Even if he wished to see the Kindling, it was too high of an order that Ophilia didn't feel she was in the proper position to place.
"I hope you do," Ophilia said with a gentle smile of her own. Cyrus beamed in response before focusing on placing one foot ahead of the other as the path grew uneven. Ophilia found herself concentrating on much the same, and she gripped the Lanthorn with renewed vigor to ensure that she didn't drop it. She doubted that something made by the gods would fall apart so easily, but Ophilia didn't want to chance dealing any damage to something so sacred.
It was only after their brief conversation had come to a close that Ophilia began to recount the details in her mind. She realized too late that she had referred to Lianna as her sister without a scrap of shame. It was something odd to her given that she had been treated as Lianna's sister and Josef's daughter for most of her life, but at the same time, Ophilia had struggled for so long to feel as if she was worthy of them. It was a cruel twist of fate for her to only recognize her own worth the day before she was set to depart for Saintsbridge on a journey that she was never intended to take.
And yet, Ophilia couldn't find complete fault in it. She had met Cyrus as a result, and if she continued to press on quickly, she would be able to arrive in Saintsbridge soon enough. That would ultimately result in her being able to travel to Goldshore, and from there, all she had to do was return to Flamesgrace. Everything was going to be alright. She was going to be able to see Josef one last time before his life force gave out. She was positive of it. She would bend apart the worlds themselves if she had to so that she could reach such an end.
Ophilia's mind was cast back to her final encounter with him before she departed on the Kindling. She had tried to heal Josef after her tears finally settled down, but he had told her that the power of healing magic was only effective on a person who had been injured externally. It was able to mend flesh, but that was about all that it was capable of doing. Further issues, such as old age or effects like poison, were something out of the power of healing magic. Perhaps a day would come when such strength existed within healing magic, but that day had not yet arrived, meaning that Ophilia's attempts had ultimately ended in failure.
In a strange way, Ophilia was thankful for the third lantern that appeared to her and Cyrus. It meant that she didn't have to think about the potential of grief that seemed to hang over her shoulder no matter how much she wanted to avoid it with every ounce of desperation in her body. This time, the creature had white magic bordering on being a pale blue color at the center of its body. Ophilia recognized that this had to indicate fire magic was going to be the best thing to use to defeat it, and she thought back to her conversation with Cyrus previously.
"Fire," Ophilia whispered. She concentrated on the image of the fireplace that had existed in her father's room back at the cathedral of Flamesgrace. She remembered sitting before the hearth countless times during her youth as Josef read stories of wonder and whimsy to his daughters. Lianna had a habit of bouncing around after the fact, desperate to act out the final noble deed of the hero before she went to sleep. Ophilia usually fell asleep before her energy could drive her to such extremes, but she was fond of Lianna's machinations regardless.
Once again, it was sweet memory that allowed Ophilia to expel the magic from her fingertips, and she watched as flames crackled towards the lantern. It was left dazed, leaving Cyrus with the perfect opportunity to follow up with an attack of his own that completely obliterated the beast, leaving behind little more than a pile of ashes on the ground.
Ophilia was stunned silent at the power that she and Cyrus held together, and she let out a sigh of relief after the battle was over. She felt bad for the way that she had been forced to defeat the lantern in such a violent way, but there hadn't been much of a choice for either one of them. She and Cyrus had both done what they were forced to in order to survive. The creature wasn't going to let up its assault unless they defeated it.
When Ophilia glanced over at Cyrus, she saw that the lantern had managed to get in a small cut on his face when it first appeared. Ophilia hadn't noticed it before because she had been so distracted, but she couldn't unsee the tiny gash against Cyrus' pale skin after noticing it for the first time.
"Allow me," Ophilia told him. She raised her staff, and magic began to buzz in the air before coating both herself and Cyrus. It drained much of her remaining magical energy, but she thought that it was worth it. She watched on in satisfaction as the injury on Cyrus' face mended itself and disappeared once again.
"I had no idea that you were able to use healing magic," Cyrus said in a whisper as he raised one hand to touch at his cheek. "I've always been curious about such a power. I'm far from being talented with it, I'm afraid. Perhaps one day, you can teach me about your own strengths in magic. Consider it an equal exchange of sorts."
"Of course!" Ophilia agreed immediately. She pulled a plum free of her bag before pushing it into her mouth, and pride swelled fully across her chest. She hadn't expected to receive such a request from Cyrus, and as far as she was concerned, it was an honor that was as good as gold.
Neither Ophilia nor Cyrus could continue the conversation after that. A set of stairs that had clearly been carved by human hands came into view, and Ophilia stopped in her tracks. There were torches flickering from beyond the steps, and Ophilia was confident that they had arrived at their destination. Chances were high that the rest of the cave system had already existed before this Russell character appeared, but he had undoubtedly crafted the back segment to be his hideaway from the rest of the world.
"Are you ready?" Cyrus questioned as he glanced in Ophilia's direction. When she nodded without needing a second of consideration, Cyrus set his expression in stoic determination before taking to the steps. Ophilia trailed after him silently, still clutching tightly to the staff and Lanthorn in her hands. The grip allowed her to release her excess energy. It felt as if the inside of her body was buzzing against her will, bringing her a sensation that she was far from being fond of.
There was a man in the small area, and he was hunched over a wooden desk that appeared to be on the verge of falling apart. Papers and books littered the space, and the torches mounted to the wall were blowing softly. The crackling of flames filled the space, the only sound aside from Russell's footsteps as he navigated his underground study. He didn't even seem to notice that Cyrus and Ophilia had arrived and were watching him, too wrapped up in his own work to bother turning around.
Cyrus fully entered the cave, but Ophilia chose to hang behind. She realized that Russell was putting together a potion of some sort as he read out of a book sitting on the desk. A hearth that held little more than embers hid in the shadows, so dim in its flames that it had gone unnoticed at first.
Unfortunately, Cyrus and Ophilia did not go unnoticed, and Russell turned as soon as he heard Cyrus' shoes make noisy contact with the flattened rocks of the study. "Professor Albright?!" he yelped. "Are you always in the habit of barging into your peers' offices while they're working?!"
Cyrus took a step forward, and Russell took a cowardly step back. "My apologies. I would have knocked, but... I didn't see a door," he replied, his voice suddenly taking on a cold quality that Ophilia hadn't expected. A shiver went up her spine at the unexpected paradox of coldness and conversational aspects to his tone.
"Apropos of nothing, mayhap you've heard that a certain tome was stolen from the archives," Cyrus continued, not seeming to mind Russell's nerves at all.
Russell's eyebrows shot up. "I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about," he said, though it was clear that he wouldn't be believed. He had been so caught up in his encounter with Cyrus that he didn't notice Ophilia until after he said this, and his gaze drifted to her. "Who is-"
"Come now, Russell," Cyrus interrupted. "Playing dumb is just going to drag this out for the both of us. So let's cut straight to the heart of the matter: you're a thief, and I can prove it." He remained calm and composed despite Russell growing increasingly unsettled, and Ophilia had to confess that she was impressed at how relaxed Cyrus was. She never would have remained so level-headed in the face of a situation such as this.
"What?!" Russell yelled out. "The hells you can!" He glared at Cyrus with all the anger in the world, taking a step forward when he finally found the confidence to do so. His previous anxiety was quickly replaced by anger, and it was directed completely at Cyrus and his conversational yet accusatory words that echoed throughout the study with immense ferocity.
Cyrus began to pace the width of the room, not seeming to mind the way that Russell was glaring daggers at him in the slightest. "Unfortunately for you, at precisely the moment you were trying to sneak back with the key... Your friend the guardsman was just waking up from his little slumber," he mused aloud.
Russell stumbled backwards by a few feet. "B-But that's impossible! He was asleep, I'm positively-" Russell only realized his mistake too late, and he gasped in surprise as he looked to Cyrus, fear once again overtaking the rage and confidence in his eyes.
Cyrus hummed to himself in mock curiosity. "Keeping up on our friend's somnolence, are we, old chum?" he questioned. Ophilia realized that it had all been a gambit to try and get Russell to confess, and when she looked down at Russel's desk, she could see a key sitting out in the open. It had likely been brought back down to the study to ensure that it was concealed from the outside world, but it was hiding among the clutter. If Cyrus had immediately jumped to using the key itself as evidence, Russell would have feigned denial, but that wasn't possible if Cyrus manipulated him into confessing by carefully selecting his words. Once again, Ophilia was overwhelmingly impressed with the power that Cyrus possessed when it came to logic and reasoning. She hadn't heard the full story of his endeavors yet, but as far as she was concerned, that was little more than an unneeded formality given that his skills were already on full display for herself, and-more importantly, Russell-to see.
"I-It was a slip of the tongue!" Russell cried out. "I tell you, I know nothing about this gods-damned book!" He approached his desk, pressing his hands against it as he looked down at his work. The anger was starting to surface once again, and Ophilia could tell that she was on the crux of something significant. The Lanthorn shone its agreement, and she hid it beneath her cape to ensure that Russell didn't see.
"I figured you would say as much," Cyrus mused. "Then perhaps you'd care to accompany me to the academy? To prove your innocence, of course." Once again, Ophilia's eyes went wide at Cyrus' skill. It was beyond clear how he had earned his position at the Royal Academy of Atlasdam, and she expected to hear one day that he had accomplished something well beyond what anyone could have anticipated.
Those words forced Russell to return to his full height, and the rage in his eyes was unrestrained as he glared at Cyrus. "Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" he screamed in anger. He sunk into a combative stance, his hands raised as if he was about to cast magic at Cyrus. As had been true for much of the conversation, Russell chose to ignore Ophilia, seemingly seeing Cyrus as the larger threat out of the two thanks to his blatant verbal assaults against Russell's credibility and innocence.
"It was the perfect plan!" Russell continued to shriek. "If not for your bloody meddling, I could have had it all! You... You aren't going to get away with this! I won't let you tell the truth! I... I can't let that happen!" The magical energy in the air began to buzz and condense, and Ophilia let out a gasp, realizing what was happening. Russell hadn't been able to escape Cyrus' inquisitions on his own terms, so he was going to fight his way through them regardless of what came of it.
Ophilia knew deep down that this was because Russell was functioning squarely off of his own adrenaline. He wasn't thinking properly because of his panic, but that was hardly an excuse for what he was about to do. Ophilia was relieved that both she and Cyrus were at least somewhat experienced with combat since it meant they would be able to defend themselves against his onslaught. She feared to think of what would have happened if she or Cyrus was unable to fight back, but she pushed the thought from her mind, knowing that it was nothing more than an intrusive hindrance that would keep her from unleashing her full potential in the battle to come.
"Ophilia, are you ready?"
Cyrus' voice pulled Ophilia free of her trance, and she nodded. Both she and Cyrus turned their attention towards Russell once again, and Ophilia watched as the man began to mutter under his breath. She could feel the temperature in the area drop by a few degrees, and she recognized that this was likely a sign of ice magic.
Sure enough, a few moments later, a few wisps of icy power appeared before her. They reminded her of the spirits that she had encountered on her way to retrieve the Ember and Lanthorn from within the Cave of Origin, and her heart pounded in her chest to show that she was ready for this. Fighting three against one wouldn't be easy, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying. She couldn't leave Cyrus to fight against Russell on his own. It was wrong, and she had to do what she could to help the man who had been so kind to her since her arrival in Atlasdam earlier in the day.
"It seems he won't listen to reason," Cyrus told Ophilia, and she nodded a second time to show that she agreed. Russell wasn't going to be allowing either one of them to leave the study, so they would simply have to fight their way out. Cyrus was understanding of such a fact as well, and his eyes fell shut for a brief moment. "If that is how it must be, then..."
Cyrus and Ophilia both rushed forward at the same time, staffs raised high above their heads as they prepared for what was to come. This outcome was tragically inevitable, but that wasn't going to stop them from succeeding. They had no choice, and they were going to ensure that the truth was dragged to light after it had festered in the shadows for far too long.
"Let the battle begin!"
I cannot believe that I typed this entire chapter in an hour and a half. Man, motivation can do wacky things to you.
I'm hoping to update this story at least one more time before the week ends since I'm on spring break and thus able to stay up as late as I want without school interfering in my typing schedule. I wasn't expecting to update this all at once, but I guess it does make things easier for me later down the line. Oh, well.
Ophilia and Cyrus' banter was tons of fun to write in this chapter. I rather enjoyed working with them both, and I think that their dynamic is lovely. Ophilia admires him, and Cyrus is being 'Cyrus' in every sense of the word with his flattery that he doesn't realize is flattery. Oh, Cyrus, being so smart in some areas but so tactless in others. I love him to death though, so it's alright.
The tidbit in there about healing magic is something that I added in myself. It's based on information in the game about how healing magic can't get rid of status effects like poison, silence, terror, etc., and I thought it was a nice way to explain why Ophilia couldn't just heal Josef previously.
As for Ophilia learning magic, I thought that this would be a nice way to start teaching her different types of magic. Since the shrines and their subclasses will be used a bit differently in this story, I decided to make this something that happens over time rather than being tied to class skills. I'll explain the shrines and such when they come up during chapter twos and such. Funnily enough, I'll also be explaining fast travel around that point too, so the beginning of chapter two is going to be big exposition time.
Speaking of chapter two (or more accurately, after the chapter ones are done), I'm going to be bringing Kit in after the group goes to S'warkii. Since we're going around the acronym in chronological order, H'aanit will be the last party member picked up. Kit is going to show up after her first chapter so that everyone can meet him. Sidequests will be scattered throughout the story, and I'll throw them in when they feel right to incorporate. When I say that I'm doing this entire game in this novel, I mean it. As of now, I'm looking at having up to two hundred chapters. Yeah. Oh, well though. I signed up for this, so what can you say?
Anyways, that's it for now. And now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to sleep, since it's four in the morning as I post this (again). Next time, we'll be finishing Cyrus' chapter one, and from there, it'll be off to see Tressa! For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day everyone!
-Digital