SS 1.4 - Tiffania Lightsworn

At the ruins of Westwood village…

Tiffania let go of Muurleth's avatar, which was a mass of black flames that did not hurt her hands when she touched it, and had a thin smooth shaft inside to grip at the centre of the flames.

She landed gently on the ground, but the sight of her former home came as a great shock.

The huts were blown apart as if a great battle had taken place. Small broken dolls were scattered between them.

She walked almost numbly to what was left of her own hut, and saw the huge amount of dried blood inside.

The scene left her queasy, and she soon turned away.

"Where are the children…?" She asked in a pleading tone.

"They are most likely dead. Every person in this village was nothing more than a doll."

She whispered the names of the orphans she once took care of as she checked every hut.

"Why…?"

"Come."

She followed the avatar to a spot a little away from the village, deeper in the forest. There, a wooden plaque was stabbed into the ground, and letters were engraved on it, while flowers were planted at the root.

Here lies Matilda.

A loyal friend.

R.I.P.

Tiffania collapsed and began to cry.

After a long time, the tears stopped flow, and she simply sat on her knees there in a daze. Muurleth's avatar simply floated in the air before her silently.

"Can you…tell me what happened here?" She finally asked.

"An…old friend of mine, by the name of Axion, came here with the one you call sister Matilda. It seems that Reconquista had been blackmailing your friend with your safety, and she enlisted Axion's help to rescue you. However, Reconquista had already found out, and laid a trap instead. A doll with your face mercilessly killed the girl. This is the real reason they took you away. Axion survived the ambush and defeated the dolls, and he was the one who made this grave."

"You said…it was…Myojnitnirin…that did this? And that Myoznee…umm…that void familiar was the one supporting Lord Cromwell?"

"I do not know. Axion seemed to believe that."

"Where is he now? Can I talk to him?"

"He snuck on board the Lexington, I assume in an attempt to track down Myozunitonirun. I gave him a welcoming gift at Newcastle, which you saw."

Her face turned shocked again. "But…you…why would you kill him?"

"He is not dead. He is far too powerful and resilient to die from an attack of only that level."

Tiffania's face was one of incomprehension. Not only at Muurleth's belief that someone could have survived that spell, but also that Muurleth would attack an old friend like that.

"Even so, wasn't he your friend?"

A dark rumbling chuckle followed. "We have a number of…outstanding disagreements. We have fought many times in the past, and no doubt we will fight again. In truth, he is an aspect of me. Unfortunately, he refuses to accept his own divinity, and so our divine essence was split into two incarnations, and he insists on interfering with my plans. But I cannot kill him, as we are immortal and he will simply reform so long as I exist. A most irritating friend. My spell was to ensure that he could not stop me from claiming Albion."

Tiffania found it difficult to understand Muurleth's logic, but she did not argue. Friends should help each other, she thought, not kill each other. Any disagreements they had could surely be talked out. It made even less sense to her if they were supposed to be two parts of the same being. But maybe gods weren't meant to be understood by mortals like her.

She fell silent again, unsure of what to do. Cromwell had lied to her about taking care of the children, but he was already dead. She thought about taking revenge for Matilda and the children, like the characters in fairy tales and stories, but she didn't see the appeal in it.

Her mother had died long ago, now her father was also dead, and she regretted her role in it. Although she hadn't done anything against him or for Reconquista, she saw how painful it was for him to see her on the opposite side.

No friends, no family, in a country that hated her.

Even the new princess title that Muurleth bestowed on her hadn't made much difference. Instead of only fearing her as a person, they just also feared the consequences of offending her and Muurleth's wrath.

What was there left for her to do? Go and find the elves? If they were as kind as her mother…or would they hate her too for being half-human?

"Do you want revenge?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Good. Vengeance is meaningless. It is a chain of hatred that never ends. They kill your loved ones, you kill theirs, and many generations go by and the hate remains long after everyone has forgotten why they fought in the first place."

Tiffania raised her head and looked at the black flames in surprise. She did not expect Muurleth to tell her that. He seemed rather…vengeful and quick to kill at Newcastle.

"Do not be surprised. I am not a god of vengeance. I am both Lightbearer and Darkbringer, the Prince of Duality, Lord of the Infinite. One cannot hate without knowing love, and one cannot understand the meaning of happiness without having experienced sadness. What I desire is progress and evolution, purpose and ambition, a limitless growth to infinity. These 6,000 years of hate between the humans and elves…what purpose does it serve? Perhaps once upon a time, war did catalyze progress, but over the millennia, the humans and elves have shunned contact, unable to share knowledge, even losing knowledge. They have stagnated and destroyed more than they gained, the reason for their conflict long forgotten. Why did Brimir seek the Holy Land? Why did the elves refuse to help Brimir's quest? Memories of an eon of senseless bloodshed are all that remain."

She listened to Muurleth's avatar and found his words almost similar to what her mother had told her. The reason she came to Albion and allowed herself to love a human…to find a way to make peace.

Her own father's last words were not so different either. Whereas Lord Cromwell told her that her birth was a sin and she needed to devote herself to Brimir to be accepted by the people, King Henry said that the crusade was meaningless.

She knew that not all elves hated humans, and not all humans hated elves. Her mother and father, and their closest supporters, including sister Matilda and captain Coventry, were proof that the hatred could be overcome.

Was Muurleth right, and the conflict really meaningless? For what did Cromwell so fanatically seek the Holy Land? She had seen with how own eyes how many people had rallied to his cause. She couldn't understand it.

"So…what was the reason for the fighting, in the beginning?"

"I do not know. As I told you before, gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and I was not present on this world until recently."

"Then, why are you telling me all this? Is there something you want me to do?"

"The era of pointless conflict has come to an end with my arrival. You carry within you both human and elven blood, and you are also a wielder of the Void. You have a unique opportunity to bridge the divide, and the necessary temperament to do so. I offer you the chance to become my mortal champion and assist me in ending this 6,000 year conflict. If you accept, then you shall carry out my will, and I will give you the means to succeed. You shall become my voice to the people and my sword to defend the faithful. As my champion, you will still be free to pursue your own objectives that do not contradict my directives."

After wishing she could make friends and not be feared for so long, the offer was undoubtedly tempting.

She could imagine a world where humans and elves lived together, full of kind people like her mother.

But was it really possible?

And equally important…was she being lied to again? If Cromwell had only been using her, then how did she know she wasn't being used again?

"Your Divine Greatness, I mean no offense…but how can I know that you are telling me the truth? That peace between humans and elves is what you really want, or that it's possible? I'm sorry, I just feel so lost. Lord Cromwell was very convincing too…I don't know anything anymore…"

"You are permitted to doubt. I do not need someone who blindly follows commands without thinking for themselves. Faith is what you turn to when reason is not enough, but reason must always come first. It is with reason that you can determine truth from lie, or distinguish between real and false gods. Unlike the so-called gods of Valhalla or Brimir, what I offer are not merely empty promises that you can never verify for yourself. Neither do I ask for devotion without cause. I merely give you the means to obtain your own salvation."

"The means to obtain my own salvation? What does that mean?"

"Listen carefully, Tiffania! I am Voidstarter and Dreambreaker! I am He Who Sees Beyond! When there exists only the void of nothing, I shall not create a perfect world—instead, I shall create a spark so that you may light with your own hands the fires of life and progress! When you dream and pray to me, I shall not make your dreams into reality—instead, I shall wake you from your slumber so that you may walk with your own feet on the path of ambition! In this world as in every world, the only immutable truth is that there is always uncertainty! Therefore, you shall seek the truth always, even as it evolves, and I shall teach you the principles of reason! As such, I do not promise you there shall be peace. Instead, should you accept, your first and greatest task as my champion shall be to discover the reason for the conflict that began 6,000 years ago. Armed with the answer, you shall then be able to decide for yourself how to arbitrate its solution. I will merely guide you on this quest and give you the authority and power necessary to achieve it. If you dislike my advice, you are free to pursue the answer on your own."

"You won't force me to do anything? I can just…look for the answer myself?" She asked. Then, before waiting for the answer, she spoke again while fidgeting with her fingers. "Will I have to…fight? I don't want to fight anyone…I didn't want to join Lord Cromwell's crusade, but he said I had to…"

"You cannot achieve peace without some obstacles along the way. If it were so easy, this conflict would have ended long ago. You will realize that in time. Whether you choose to fight or not when the time comes, that is your own decision. I will not order you to fight."

After a few moments of consideration, she felt that her doubts had been cleared.

"Um, I accept then, Your Divine Greatness."

"Then I bestow upon you the name of Lightsworn, Henceforth, you shall be a shining beacon that lights the paths in the dark. Now kneel and repeat after me."

She nodded, getting into position.

"I, Tiffania Tudor of Westwood, by the Grace of Muurleth the Enlightened, Prince of Duality, Lord of the Infinite..."

She repeated the words with careful enunciation.

"…discard my earthly name and former life to accept the mantle of Lightsworn, reborn Champion of my Lord. While I hold this name and title, I swear to love all that He loves, to seek knowledge and truth, and shun ignorance and fallacy. I shall hold steadfast in Faith through Reason, accepting just reward and punishment. If I should ever forswear these oaths, then my Lord may take away all that He shall have given me while holding this title."

Tiffania was wary, as she knew magical oaths could be binding. There were stories of oaths sworn before entities like the Great Water Spirit of Ragdorian Lake having real consequences. If Muurleth was a god, then an oath was not something she could take lightly.

But she listened carefully, and did not find anything objectionable in the oath. It was actually a rather open-ended oath, and she felt it allowed her much freedom. There did not seem to be any actual obligation to Muurleth, and the consequences of breaking it were minimal. It seemed only fair that Muurleth could take away whatever he gave her.

So she swore the oath.

"Now make an offering with your blood. Use the dagger you brought."

Before leaving the palace, Muurleth had instructed her to bring a dagger, which she had tied to her waist, and now unsheathed used to make a small cut on her finger.

When the ceremony was complete, the blood was drawing up into the mass of flames and disappeared.

"Henceforth, you shall be known as Tiffania Lightsworn of Albion, first of her line, Champion of Muurleth. Furthermore, as my Champion, you need not address me as Your Divine Greatness in the future. It is sufficient to address me as my Lord or Lord Muurleth."

"Yes, my Lord Muurleth."

Then she flew back to the palace with Muurleth's avatar, and found a strange orb floating on her windowsill.

It was silver in color, made of perfectly smooth metal, and just large enough to be possible to hold in one hand, but comfortably in both. At the center was a section which emitted a faint red light.

Also lying on the windowsill was a tiara-like object, similarly silver in color. But one side was a transparent material almost like glass but much lighter and thinner.

"This is an Oracle and Control Visor. If you wish to speak with me, you may do so through the Oracle, and I will answer in due time. Be aware that I will not always be able to manifest on this world if I am busy elsewhere. The Oracle can also defend you if necessary. Put the Visor over your eyes and observe."

She picked up the visor and wrapped it around her head, after which it tightened but still felt comfortable. The transparent panel covered her eyes almost completely, then a faint light shone into her eyes. When it was done, suddenly letters and symbols appeared in her vision, as if magically floating in front of her.

"Oooh…" She made sounds of awe and curiosity.

She tried to touch them but her hands merely went through them.

Bioscan Complete.

Tiffania Lightsworn Acknowledged. Champion Visor System Activated.

Connection to assigned Oracle established.

A large flashing circle shrunk and centred in on the corner of her vision and her eyes followed it to a box of text which was like a log of messages.

Another flashing circle centred on the Oracle, and a green square highlighted it along with a label, before turning into a cursor icon on top of it.

The orb transformed, extending what seemed to be four legs with additional petal-like extensions that rapidly spun until they were hardly visible.

A blue window appeared in front of her.

Oracle vision stream available. Engage vision projection mode?

Yes / No

Press a button above or focus your sight on it momentarily.

Her hand went to the Yes button and pressed it. This time, there was a reaction, the button lit up before the text box disappeared, then her vision was suddenly replaced by a new one.

A line of text displayed at the top

Currently in Observer Mode.

She saw herself from the perspective of the Oracle, and gasped. The transparent panel on the visor had turned pitch black and opaque, and she saw her hand going to her open mouth in an expression of shock.

The view flew around her in a display of acrobatic prowess before exiting the window. It kept going for some distance before turning around.

A reticle appeared, then the view zoomed in rapidly on a teacup sitting on her tea table.

A flashing circle centred in on it.

Target Locked

Firing laser…

A red dot appeared on the teacup, then it exploded.

She yelped and cowered down in a squat, shutting her eyes in fright with her hands over her head until the Oracle returned and floated in front of her back in its orb form, and she opened her eyes to find she was seeing out of her own perspective again.

"There is no need to be afraid. The Oracle will not harm you, nor will it attack unless you request it. You should not rely on it, however. It cannot fight for long, and needs to recharge its power with sunlight, as does the visor. Your royal guard is your first line of defense, and then your own magic. The Oracle is a secret weapon to be used only in an emergency."

"This unit's primary purpose is communication, not combat," the Oracle said in a voice that sounded strangely filtered and distorted. It felt artificial, and had no distinguishable gender.

"Y-yes, I understand, thank you," she said, getting back up with a gulp.

"In truly dire circumstances, you may also request to call down the Destruction Light on a particular target. My Guardian Monitor above this world will determine whether your request is reasonable, and cast the Destruction Light if appropriate."

"The…Destruction Light? You mean…that…" Her eyes widened as she looked at the Oracle in fear.

"The same spell that destroyed the Lexington, yes. I have limited the power you are permitted to only a maximum of one-hundred KT, or twenty times that of the one that was used at Newcastle."

Her mouth dropped open. 'Twenty times?! That would be enough to completely destroy a whole city, maybe even more than that!'

"If you desire to use a Destruction Light any stronger than that, you will need direct permission from me, as there will be risk that the Destruction Light will destabilize and shatter Albion into pieces, or if used on the continent, may cause earthquakes and unintended damage to neighbouring countries. I trust you will not request to use this power carelessly."

'Shatter Albion into pieces…why would I ever want such a terrifying thing?'

"I-I won't, my Lord! Please, I don't want to be able to call down the Destruction Light, and I beg you to spare the people from any more! Once was enough," she said, and bowed with her hands clasped as if in prayer.

"You may change your mind when a powerful enough threat appears. Would you rather invaders slaughter the innocent people of Albion, or destroy the evil enemy? Rest assured that I have no intention of using it again without good cause, and the Guardian Monitor will not approve of your requests without good cause either."

"I understand, thank you, my Lord. I will be careful."

After the explanation, the avatar disappeared, leaving her to stare at the Oracle.

'Without good cause…that's all I can ask for then. Oh, please don't let me fall into temptation, I must never use this power, it's too horrible! Maybe I should just make myself forget about it…' she thought.

The Oracle's red light blinked rapidly, then it flew into her chest. Instinctively, she caught it, then it stopped floating and simply rested on her hands.

"To conserve energy, this unit will not fly unless necessary. Please carry me with you at all times and ask for my help when you need it, Champion. You may treat this unit as a familiar," its metallic voice said. "But do not allow others to touch or examine me. I am a holy artifact."

A familiar? She always did want one, but never learned how to do the ritual for it.

"Umm, do I just call you Oracle?"

"This unit's full designation is Intelligent Personal Escort Terminal, Device ID iPET-CTIFF001."

"That's so long and strange! Why are there numbers in your name?"

"I am a companion-type Oracle, so you may name me if you wish."

"I should think of a better name then. Hmm, what should it be? Do you have any preferences?"

"It should be something suitable for a holy artifact. Like Oracle."

"…"

She sweatdropped at the suggestion. Why did it tell her she could name it if it didn't want a different name?

But then, Lord Muurleth had said it was 'an' Oracle, meaning that there were others. She'd rather have a unique name for her own Oracle.

"Oh, I know! My mother told me a story once, of the hero saint that saved the elves from the devil. Saint Anubis was its name. So I will name you Anu, after Saint Anubis!"

"That is also acceptable."

Afterwards, she smiled again, thinking of the fun she could have with a familiar, and held Anu up to her face.

Then she blinked as if remembering something. "Oh um! Is it okay if I summon a familiar too? Or should I only have you?"

"Your question cannot be processed. Elevating query, please hold…."

"Eh?" Tiffania had a confused expression as she watched the red light on Anu blink from red to blue.

There was a short delay before the response came.

"Hello Champion Tiffania. I am the Guardian Monitor Offensive Bias," said Anu with blue light. Tiffania now understood that the light was to indicate that something else was speaking through the Oracle. The label her visor provided changed correspondingly.

The Guardian Monitor whom she could request the Destruction Light from...she shuddered at the thought.

"Answering your question, you may summon another familiar. However, Lord Muurleth advises that you wait a little. As a user of Void, your familiar summoning ritual may result in summoning a human. The contract familiar spell imposes a mental compulsion which forces the familiar to love you, effectively turning them into your slave without them realizing it, much like animal familiars are absolutely loyal to their masters. Lord Muurleth wishes for you to fully understand the consequences before you attempt it,"

Tiffania gasped. "That's horrible! I don't want to enslave anyone. I won't summon a familiar then. Anu will be enough for me!"

"A summoned familiar can do things for you that a PET class Oracle unit cannot, especially a Void familiar with powers of its own. It will be useful to you to have one."

"But I can't enslave anyone just to have a familiar. That's cruel. Won't they have friends or family that I would be taking them away from?"

"The summoning spell should target only someone who is willing. But if not, Lord Muurleth will also help you find a way to remove the mental compulsion or redirect the targeting to someone or something that is. However, there are other Void mages who have summoned familiars, and they are not as kind as you. Lord Muurleth hopes that you can help him save the familiars who are being treated as slaves, using the power of Void spells. But that will require experimenting with the summoning."

"Save other familiars? Oh, maybe I could do that…" she put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, holding the Oracle in one hand.

"It is not urgent. If you would like to summon a familiar, please contact me through the Oracle, and I will inform Lord Muurleth. But in the short-term the Oracle should be sufficient for your needs." Then the blue light turned back into red.

"Okay then. Anu, can I show you to Captain Coventry?"

"Yes." Anu then floated back up and transformed, flying onto her shoulder before retracting its petals. Its central ball sat on top and four legs remained extended to clamp on her shoulder.

She opened the door and peeked out to find the two guards still standing outside as usual, and her handmaiden who had been asked to stay outside while she secretly left her room with Lord Muurleth's avatar earlier.

Soon they accompanied her to find Captain Coventry, who was in the courtyard overseeing a training exercise for the reformed royal guards.

"Your Royal Highness," the Captain bowed upon seeing her, as did the other royal guards.

"Look, Captain Coventry, Lord Muurleth gave me Oracle Anu to be my familiar! I wonder if you could teach me what mages normally do with their familiars?" She asked while pointing to Anu.

Coventry furrowed his eyebrow and looked closely at the visor she now wore around her head, and then at the metallic thing on her shoulder emitting a faint red light. "His Divine Greatness gave your royal highness Oracle Anu? You didn't summon it with the Springtime Summoning Ritual?"

"Yes, that's right. He asked me to become his Champion and I agreed, and then he gave me Anu."

"Greetings," Anu said.

Coventry's eyes widened. "It speaks!"

Anu jumped up then flew in front of Coventry, before retracting its legs and very slowly floated in the air as just a ball, until it hovered in front of the captain.

"I am a holy Oracle. My purpose is to deliver Lord Muurleth's divine words to the faithful, and to assist his mortal Champion, Tiffania Lightsworn, in carrying out his will."

"I understand, your Holiness. May I ask if His Divine Greatness has any particular instructions for us?"

"Not at this time."

Anu floated back to Tiffania. She held her hands out to gently bring it back to her shoulder.

In her vision, a translucent text box appeared again, this time with a cartoonish icon showing the Oracle to its left. Letters appeared from left to right rapidly.

Do not reveal my combat capabilities. I am a secret weapon.

You may inform him about being able to see through me.

She blinked, then faced the captain again.

"So um...Captain Coventry, can you tell me about what normal familiars are like?"

"Of course, your royal highness."

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