Chapter 19 - Divine Will
The rest of the feast day tournament went by with little incident. Despite the increasing strength of their opponents along with a strict time limit being placed on later matches, the members of House Tenebri put in a good showing overall. Unfortunately, none of them managed to make it to the top of their brackets or even earn a coveted audience with Serapis. Nonetheless, Mistress Adelin was pleased with the outcome and the attention the House got during the tournament.
Zahra was much less fortunate. Since she wasn't present in the arena for her second match, she ended up being quietly disqualified. Part of Veil's mind was racked with concern for her, since Zahra's connection to Nuha's power was severed the moment she fell unconscious. Nuha herself had to cancel her power out shortly afterward to recover from the hours of straining it to its fullest effect.
Some time after midnight, the tournament concluded and House Tenebri's power users made their way back to the estate. Veil and Arc stuck to the back of the group, never letting their voices get any louder than a whisper.
"Zahra… She won, right?"
"I think so… It was kind of hard to tell towards the end…"
Veil looked down. Her eyes traced the movements of her feet as she walked. "I hope she did… I guess all we can really do now is check in with Nuha."
"Yeah… I'm kind of worried about her too, to be honest. The way she had to use her power, next to Zahra she probably worked the hardest out of all of us today…"
Veil could only nod in agreement. For the rest of the trip, silence persisted between her and Arc. Once they returned to the estate and Mistress Adelin congratulated them for their efforts, they headed in the direction of Nuha's hut. As soon as they made their way in, Veil rushed over to Nuha's cot, finding her fellow Servant taking labored breaths in her sleep.
"Nuha…"
Arc began to speak in a low whisper. "Is she-"
"She's… all right. Resting. She had a long day. We all did…"
The sudden sound of a third voice in the hut briefly startled Veil and Arc. As they turned around, its source became clear to them.
"Z-Zahra…?"
Zahra was sitting with her back up against the wall of the hut. A few bandages were messily wrapped around her chest and left shoulder, and her halo seemed to be flickering as she looked up and gave Veil a faint smile.
Veil quickly closed the gap between the two of them and gave Zahra a hug. "Serapis, Zahra, I was so worried about you! Are you alright?"
"I… Ah, careful there, Veil… Didn't really do the best job patching myself up. And my power's a little messed up right now, but I think it'll get better… But the point is, I'll live. Been through a lot worse…"
Arc sat down beside the two girls. "That's good to hear, but what happened with your Mistress? Did you end up getting the scroll?"
"About that… I've got some good news, and some bad news…"
Zahra reached behind herself with her right hand. Slowly, she pulled an ornate scroll out from where she was sitting.
"The scroll… You did it, Zahra!"
"Yeah… That's the good news."
"But, what's the bad news?"
"That's… Hold on, let me get it open…"
Veil pulled away from her hug, giving Zahra some space. With a few more labored breaths, Zahra grabbed at the scroll's casing with her hand until she was able to open it. As the scroll slowly unfurled, she looked at it and frowned.
"I've got no clue how to read it… Hey, Arc? You know languages pretty well. Think you can read this for us…?"
Arc looked down at the scroll. "That's… I don't think I've ever seen a language like that before…"
While Arc traced his finger under the script, Veil looked down at the scroll. Her own reading ability had improved considerably over the past few months, but what she was seeing now was completely incomprehensible to her.
"Zahra… Is that…"
Zahra nodded. "That's… the bad news. I never got a chance to see it before today… but it looks like Mistress Mitra wrote the prophecy scroll in Serapis's Holy Cipher…"
—
Following Zahra's revelation, Veil and Arc left to get what little sleep they could before the following morning. With the rise of the day-moon following a somewhat restless slumber, they returned to Nuha's hut. Once the two of them passed through the threshold, they could hear part of a conversation that Zahra's power had previously been blocking out.
"…So that's what the Holy Cipher looks like?"
"Yeah. I can't read it, and it didn't look like Arc could either…"
Inside the hut, Nuha and Zahra were already looking over the prophecy scroll. Nuha occasionally rubbed her head as Zahra massaged her own left shoulder. As soon as the two of them noticed they weren't alone, they both gave Veil and Arc a warm smile.
As Arc sat down and gave Nuha a faint smile, Veil was quick to give her a hug. "Are you feeling alright, Nuha?"
"Y-yeah. Still have a bit of a headache, but I can manage."
"I'm sorry we had to push you so hard yesterday…"
Nuha rested a hand on Veil's back. "It's okay, Veil. I was happy to help. And besides that, we have the scroll now."
"Yeah, if only we could read it…" Zahra muttered.
"I've been thinking about that," Arc said, glancing down at the scroll. "But first off, what even is the Holy Cipher anyway? Last night was the first I'd ever heard of it."
"Can't say I'm surprised honestly, and I can't blame you for not knowing. The Holy Cipher is the secret language of Serapis. She wrote Her Precepts in it, and only the highest castes know how to read it. In fact, most Serapeans have never even seen what it looks like."
"I guess that explains why I've never seen anything like it, then. If it's for high castes only, I can't imagine very much of it making its way to Anduruna…"
"Yeah, and now that I'm thinking about it, it makes sense why Mistress Mitra wrote it like this. It's just another layer of protection to keep the prophecy from getting into the wrong hands…"
"So, is there no way we can read it?" Nuha asked.
"Not without a High One, or at least a Daughter or Son… And taking it back to my Mistress to read it would defeat the whole point of getting it away from her…"
Veil looked down at the scroll. "Wait… You said a Daughter of Serapis could read this?"
"Yeah, I mean, they're among the highest… Wait, Veil, are you thinking…"
"If a Daughter can read the scroll, what if we asked Mistress Adelin to read it?"
Zahra looked up. "That could… Yeah, I think that could work, Veil!"
Arc tilted his head. "Wait, would she even be willing to do it if we asked her? Wouldn't that be…"
"I don't think it would be against the Precepts to ask… And besides, if she has any questions, we have some proof that Serapis would want her to do it!"
"That's right. We've got the results of my duel with Mistress Mitra, for one…"
"And we have…" Nuha activated her power. A few seconds later, she canceled it out and started breathing heavily. "…My power, too…"
"And even without that, I think she'd understand! The prophecy… it's important enough that we could probably convince her just by telling her about it!"
"This sounds like it could work… It's just Mistress Tenebri we're getting in on this though, right?"
Veil nodded. "If she's the only one we need to read it, yeah."
"Good. Mistress Mitra was pretty worried about who she could trust with the prophecy. I think it would be better if only a few people know about this."
"Don't worry, Zahra. We can trust Mistress Adelin, I know it!"
Zahra gave Veil a smile. "Okay, then we'll go ahead and ask her. Probably later tonight, I think."
"Whenever we do it, we'll do it together."
Arc nodded. "Right."
"We got this far already," Nuha said. "I think… Serapis will be on our side with this, too…"
"Okay, then I guess we have a plan! Later tonight, I'll be back with the scroll. In the meantime, it'll probably be a good idea to actually get these injuries treated…"
With a faint laugh to herself, Zahra refurled the prophecy scroll and headed out of Nuha's hut. As she left, Veil kept thinking about the plan going forward.
Mistress Adelin… She'll help us, I'm sure of it…
She can read the scroll, and we can get to the bottom of the prophecy… And Serapis's plans for us…
And if Kumarbi has anything to do with it… We'll stop whatever he's really planning for sure…
—
Adelin led House Tenebri's nightly prayer to Serapis just as she had for every night since the contract. Her voice inspired her House to honor the Goddess with devout prayers, while in the back of her mind, she continued to wrestle with questions she had ever since the moment that her husband was taken from her. As she prostrated herself before the House's great statue, her silent prayers were filled more with questions than with worship.
Serapis… Why did Sef have to die…? And when can I take his revenge on the nightmare scum that killed him…?
What is your will, Serapis? I need to know…
Once the six minutes of worship had passed, Adelin rose from her prayer and looked up at the massive effigy of the Goddess. A tired sigh nearly escaped her mouth as she stared at the statue's perfect, expressionless face, but she caught herself and remained composed.
I am still the Daughter of House Tenebri. Still a Daughter of Serapis. Whatever Her will is, I must put my role before everything else…
Taking a brief moment to gather herself, Adelin turned to face the members of her House. With a warm smile, she began speaking to the crowd, hardly paying any actual attention to the words that left her mouth. Over the years, the process of addressing her House became fairly automatic. Even with mentions of recent events sprinkled in, the same general sentiment from years of addressing them was easy for her to convey.
More importantly, the automatic nature of the speech gave Adelin a chance to see how the House was doing in general. As she started getting into her oration, she turned her attention to the House's Walkers first.
As she had expected, Kamal was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of his Servants or slaves. For better or worse, he always had his own way of doing things. This extended to his worship of Serapis, which he always did on his own time, entirely in private.
As a result, few if any of his underlings attended the House's nightly prayers for fear of making him angry over putting another schedule above his. The fact that the other schedule was made by someone two castes above his own was secondary to the fear he inspired in them.
Putting her thoughts on Kamal aside, Adelin turned her attention to the rest of the House, this time focusing on the Hands. Among them, Mahir kept his head low as she continued to speak, and the estate's guards followed suit. Ever since the contract, he had been taking over his late Master's responsibilities admirably, and Adelin was grateful that he was able to handle her husband's role, at least in part.
Mahir… He's worked tirelessly to keep order in the House, and I'm sure he's been suppressing almost as much grief as I have… Despite being only a few years older than him, Sef was almost like a father to him…
Adelin turned her attention yet again to another part of the group. Among the slaves present in the crowd, the former Andurunans - Asma, Evan, and Arc - stuck out clearly to her.
To think a group like them ended up contributing so much to House Tenebri… They're all former Unseen, but each of them has a power, and each has adapted quite well to our culture…
A smile crossed Adelin's face briefly before she finally moved on to look over the House's Servants. Among them, two had recently been standing out. Two Servants who had been at her side during the contract. And one of them in particular…
Adelin paused for a brief moment as her eyes met the eyes of the Servant in question. Before the crowd had a chance to notice anything was wrong, she resumed her speech, paying closer attention to Veil than she normally would.
Tenebri Veil… She has probably been the single greatest boon to House Tenebri ever since Serapis gave her a power… Rising to the Servant caste within months of receiving it, excelling as an arena fighter in general… not to mention her involvement in the contract…
But that look in her eyes… Normally during our prayer sessions, she keeps her attention purely on the statue…
Why was she looking so intently at me this time…?
The question faded to the back of Adelin's mind as she turned her attention to concluding her speech. Once she finished speaking and the crowd gave her a hearty cheer, she gave one final glance to where Veil had been standing.
To her surprise, the loyal Servant girl was nowhere to be seen.
Adelin felt the strangest sensation crawling down her back, but shrugged it off as she turned to head for her manor house. A quick use of her power pushed the door open and closed it as soon as she slipped through.
Once the door had been closed behind her and she was certain no one could see her, she let out a yawn and headed down the corridor that led to her bedchambers. It had been a long day as usual, and Adelin yearned for the comfort of sleep, even as the loss of her husband had made her chambers feel all the more empty.
Letting out another yawn, she used her power to open the last door standing between her and her bed…
"Mistress Adelin? We need to ask you something."
The fact that the voice she heard was familiar was the only thing that kept Adelin from unleashing a flurry of shadow claws on the intruder in her home. Still keeping her power active, she spoke slowly, her voice a mix of tired and apprehensive.
"Tenebri Veil…? What are you doing in…"
Adelin trailed off as she saw the rest of the room. Inside, Veil, Nuha, Arc, and Zahra all stood, staring at her. The latter of the four had her power active and held a fancy golden scroll tube in her hands.
"Wh… what is this, Veil?"
Veil bowed before responding. "We need your help, Mistress. Zahra… She has a scroll that we need your help with."
Zahra nodded and bowed. "Sorry about breaking in by the way, Mistress Tenebri. But I swear to Serapis, we needed to do it like this. We couldn't risk anyone else knowing about the scroll."
"I… I see, Walker. I presume this scroll of yours is important, then?"
"Very important. Fate of Serapeum important."
"The fate of… Veil, just what have you gotten yourself into…?"
"I think… I was always a part of it, Mistress. Ever since Serapis gave me my power."
Arc spoke up. "Veil, Zahra, even me… We're all wrapped up in the prophecy written in that scroll. It's supposed to predict a threat to Serapeum, and to the whole Dreamworld besides that. The problem is… we can't read it."
"It's written in the Holy Cipher, Mistress," Nuha said. "And since only Children of Serapis and High Ones can read that language…"
Adelin glanced down at the scroll. "You need me to read it."
"We wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, Mistress. And we're pretty sure Serapis wants you to read it for us."
"Veil's right, Mistress Tenebri. This scroll… I got it from my Mistress after winning a Fatewielding duel with her."
"You won a… Hold on. A duel I can understand, but why would Daughter Safak have something like that in her-"
"It wasn't her, it was… it's a long story. Point is, I won the duel, so I know for a fact Serapis wanted me to get the scroll."
"And we have some more proof if that isn't enough. Nuha, could you…?"
Nuha nodded. The next instant caught Adelin completely by surprise as a bright yellow halo appeared over the Servant's head.
"By Serapis… Nuha… When did you…"
"I got it a few days after the contract, Mistress… After what happened, I never thought Serapis would bless me, but She did, and…"
"Nuha actually helped us out a lot with getting the scroll using her power… it's another long story. But you see it, right, Mistress? Serapis wanted us to get the scroll, and now I think She wants you to help us read it!"
Adelin looked around the room. Veil had a hopeful look on her face, and Nuha, Arc, and Zahra shared the same look. Nuha in particular occasionally looked up at her halo, and Zahra's eyes would occasionally drift down to the scroll in her hands. Soon enough, Adelin found her own eyes resting on the scroll once more.
"Veil… All of you… I'll be honest, for some time now I've been wondering just what Serapis has been planning for me. But now… I think you might've shown me what She wants me to do."
"Mistress… does this mean…?"
Adelin nodded. "Yes. I'll read the scroll for you."
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Adelin found herself being embraced by Veil.
"Thank you, Mistress! I just know that Serapis wants this for us!"
"About that… it might be a little early for you to say that, Servant."
The sound of a tired, and more importantly unfamiliar voice caused Adelin to react immediately. Turning her head, she began to summon shadow claws to attack its source.
The intruder, who appeared to be an older brown-furred male mouse with slave tattoos on his hands, reacted just as quickly. He moved out of the way of the approaching claws with the kind of ease and grace that would never have been expected of someone of his bedraggled appearance.
With a similarly fluid motion, the slave rushed at Adelin and brought a small knife up to her throat. The fact that he had a silver halo glowing over his head only registered to her moments after the blade touched the fur on her neck.
Veil and Arc activated their powers in the next instant. But before they could do anything else, the slave spoke up again.
"Nobody move, please. The last thing I want to do tonight is spill a Daughter's blood. Hey, Zahra, if you could get your friends to settle down, I just want to talk for a bit without any… problems."
Out of the corner of her eye, Adelin could see Zahra paling as the slave spoke.
"E-everyone, cancel your powers and just do what he says. I've seen what he can do with that power without a weapon, and it's the sort of thing that you really don't want to see…"
One by one, everyone's halos except for the mystery power user's vanished.
"Much better. I'm glad you all can at least listen to reason…"
The slave slowly pulled his knife away from Adelin's throat, smiling faintly as he did. As the group continued to look at him, Arc looked at the ground.
"Even though Zahra was using her power…" He muttered, turning his glance to Zahra. "This guy… is he a friend of yours?"
"He's… I've known him for as long as I've been an Eye…" Zahra slowly walked over to the slave. "But… what are you even doing here, Nanda?"
"Honestly? I was hoping you'd be able to tell me. I was ordered to arrest you, Zahra. Something about you turning traitor. Can't really believe it myself, but you do have that scroll, so…"
Zahra stared at Nanda. "A traitor? That doesn't make sense… Mistress Mitra gave me the scroll willingly. I won a Fatewielding duel with her, doesn't that mean Serapis wanted me to have it?"
"Yeah, thought you'd say that. When I asked Mistress Mitra about it, she said pretty much the same thing. But I got the order from Serapis Herself, so I just need to bring you to Her so we can get this all figured out."
"From Serapis…? But… weren't we doing Her will?"
Nanda shrugged. "Not my place to say. All I know is that Serapis wanted to see you and the Servant girl Tenebri Veil specifically. And anyone else associating with you besides that."
Veil blinked. "Serapis… She wants to see me too?"
"Seems that way. Now, I still don't know about this whole 'traitor' business She was talking about… But I guess now you'll have a chance to ask Her about that yourselves."
—
Some time after midnight, Serapis noticed the sensation of a group approaching her temple. In total, she could sense six people making their way up the pyramid's steps.
Three of them, she knew, were her trusted Eye Nanda, the traitor Zahra, and Tenebri Veil. The remaining three were a mystery, though she was certain at least one was the slave with the wind power. The other two were of little importance, she decided. Whatever they had been doing with the two Obscured Stars would likely be discovered in the interrogation anyway.
Serapis's anticipation grew as the group advanced through the temple. Everything was proceeding smoothly, and soon enough she would regain the control she had feared losing only a mere day ago.
The group approached. Serapis focused on how close they were getting.
Soon…
In time, the group arrived in her Inner Sanctum, punctuated with Nanda speaking up following a bow.
"My goddess, I've returned as you commanded. I bring you Zahra and Tenebri Veil, and a few of their… allies."
Serapis looked down from her throne at the group. True to Nanda's words and her own predictions, Zahra, Tenebri Veil, and the slave were all present and bowing before her. With that confirmed, she turned her attention to the other two members of the group.
One was another Servant girl from House Tenebri. Unsurprising. She must be one of Tenebri Veil's friends… And as for the other one…
Serapis had been quick to write the woman's familiar appearance off as a coincidence, but as soon as she noticed the tattoo on her right shoulder, she felt an urge to rise from her throne and approach her to be sure. I can't believe it… She's the Daughter in charge of House Tenebri… Tenebri Adelin… for someone of her caste to potentially be working with a traitor…
Without noticing it, Serapis had begun making her Inner Sanctum shudder in response to her thoughts. The moment it became clear to her, the shuddering ceased and an eerie calm pervaded the Sanctum.
No… I must remain calm… They would need someone to read the scroll, and Daughter Adelin would be the most likely to agree… But I suppose there will be plenty of time to make sure she's still loyal to me…
Behind her mask, Serapis composed herself. She stared down at the group before her and spoke, making the very room vibrate to harmonize with her voice as she did.
"Thank you, my dear Nanda. You may leave now."
Nanda bowed and left the Sanctum. Once her Eye had left, Serapis turned her attention back to the group that was still bowing before her.
"Raise your heads, my children. I have no intention of wasting your lives, unless you prove to be unworthy. My beloved High Daughter Mitra has told me that you have been acting in what you have believed to be my will. I wish only to see the depths of your devotion myself.
"I, and no other being, will be the judge of your actions thus far. If you have truly served my will, I will allow you to continue to do so. But if I find that you have been led astray…"
As Serapis spoke her next words, her Inner Sanctum shuddered with the intensity of an earthquake.
"You will know the fury of your goddess in full."
—
As the day-moon was setting in the sky, the High Priestess and Lord Kumarbi made the rounds of the Faithful's home. Those who were able-bodied were ordered to gather before the High Temple, and as night arrived, a group of several men and women had gathered on the steps leading to the High Priestess's abode.
Lord Kumarbi looked over the assembled group, his expression never changing. "I see you have all come to serve my will. I am pleased, my prizes… Your devotion will surely see you through this coming Trial."
One of the men among the group spoke up. "We are honored to carry out your will, my Lord."
"Indeed. Now, listen to the words of my High Priestess. She has worked tirelessly to prepare you for your roles in the Trial."
The High Priestess gave Lord Kumarbi a reverent bow before turning to face the Faithful. "Brothers and Sisters, Lord Kumarbi requires the strength of your arms, the speed of your legs, and the cunning of your minds. Your Holy Trial is to journey to the accursed lands of Serapeum, and bring those from the Deceiver Serapis's lowest of castes into our flock.
"Unseen, slaves, Servants if possible. Bring them to our Lord's side by word or by force, and He will reward you. He will grace you with an experience of True Nothingness should you prove successful in this endeavor."
The group let out a unified response. "Yes, my Lady."
"And, to assist you in your trial, we have prepared a special boon. My finest prize, if you would…"
The High Priestess nodded and reached into a simple cloth sack at her side. From within it, she pulled out a number of small amulet pouches, which she proceeded to hand to each of the trial goers. As each one took a pouch with a reverent bow, Lord Kumarbi continued to speak.
"When you go into the lands of the Deceiver, you will go with my blessing, so long as you carry those boons with you. Each one is a living part of my being, and an extension of my will. Carry them, and when you speak, the potential prizes among her people will listen. When you draw them along, they will follow without resistance."
Once every member of the group had a pouch tied around a part of their body, the High Priestess spoke again. "One more thing, before you depart. In the lands of the Deceiver, there is a Servant girl from the House known as Tenebri who is of… certain importance to us. If you can bring her to us, I will consider it a great favor."
The trial goers nodded, and a faint smile formed on the High Priestess's face.
"Thank you. Now, I believe our preparations are complete. Portalmaker, come forward."
The group of Faithful parted down the middle as a heavyset slug dreamkeeper lumbered up the steps behind them. The man, who the High Priestess knew as a former Walker, approached her and Lord Kumarbi with a lack of speed born from both reverence and his general lack of physical strength. Following a bow to both of them, he spoke with a laborious voice.
"Shall I use my power now… my Lord and Lady?"
Lord Kumarbi nodded. "Yes, my prize. Prepare the portals for the Trial."
The Portalmaker nodded and bowed. A moment later, a violet halo appeared over his head, and a number of violet portals appeared all around him.
"Each portal… leads to a different part of the Deceiver's lands… Remember the places you arrive at… Come the dawn, they will be where you must return…"
The trial goers nodded to the Portalmaker. Following a series of bows to Lord Kumarbi, each one walked into one of the portals, vanishing shortly afterward.
Once each of the trial goers vanished through the portals, the Portalmaker bowed to Lord Kumarbi and the High Priestess one final time before using his power to fall through a portal created directly under himself.
As the final portal closed, Lord Kumarbi turned to the High Priestess. "The trial goers appear to be quite capable… I believe each of them will prove successful in their own rights…"
"Of course, my Lord. I would expect nothing less from them."
"I have to wonder though… The Servant from House Tenebri you mentioned… Which one were you referring to…? The prize I failed to acquire, or perhaps…"
"That is…" The High Priestess paused. "If they can find one, or even better, both of them, I believe it will be a boon for us, my Lord."
"I see… A fair response, and for what you have to gain from it, I can accept it as you entertaining the Great Temptation rather than entirely suppressing it…"
The High Priestess bowed to Lord Kumarbi. "Thank you for understanding, my Lord."
"Of course… For if they return with my prize, it will redeem my… previous failure. And if they return with yours…"
"If they do," the High Priestess said with a smile, "I will finally get to see my daughter again…"