-------(•‿•)-------
small groups, their voices low but restless.
A few laughed nervously, already trying to make the memory feel smaller.
(It was just a spirit projection, right?)
(Like a really advanced illusion spell?)
(Yeah. Like forest magic. Not real.)
I didn't correct them. Those students weren't close like we were, so they only saw it from far away.
Neither did Zuriel or Eris.
And Lucien was nowhere in sight.
Instead, we sat in the communal lounge beneath a floating scrollscreen, which worked like a projector for the monastery's daily news. The headline pulsed in glowing letters:
SUDDEN VINE GROWTH BLAMED ON CLIMATE CHANGE—MAGICAL FLUCTUATIONS DENIED
A news anchor with perfect hair smiled calmly from the screen.
Forest tremors and unusual plant surges across isolated provinces have been linked to climate change all over the world. Experts urge citizens not to panic.
Zuriel scoffed loudly and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
Right, he muttered. And my fire spells are just emotional breakdowns.
I glanced sideways at him. They really believe this? Like seriously?
No, he said flatly. But they want everyone else to.
Later, in the hallway outside, I passed two instructors speaking in tight whispers.
Another church in the south was overrun with roots. The priests were nearly buried alive.
They're saying it's divine punishment.
No. It's the Convergence. We're losing control.
When I stepped too close, they fell silent.
Sir Nathaniel wasn't seen for hours.
And when he finally emerged, his face was carefully blank.
He walked past me without stopping, scrolls tucked beneath his arm, his lips pressed into a thin line.
But as he passed, I heard him speaking quietly to Eris.
Orders from above. No public reports. No written records. They've put us under a full silence seal.
But the students---
Will be told it was a natural anomaly, Nathaniel finished. We're under pressure, Eris. Even from the clergy. The world is changing, and the ones in charge are more afraid of panic than truth.
Later that night, I found myself outside again.
The air had cooled. The world felt still.
Stars blinked above the monastery roof, quiet and distant.
I sat beneath the same grass I had drained hours earlier.
The grass hadn't grown back.
But in the center of the pale circle, one small leaf had returned.
Soft green.
New.
I knelt and brushed my fingers against it.
It trembled beneath my touch.
Not with fear.
Almost like it recognized me.
Like it forgave me.
Did I do that?
Or had the forest?
I didn't know.
I wasn't sure what I was anymore.
I stared down at my hands. They looked normal.
But the card in my satchel pulsed faintly.
Warm.
Waiting.
---•́ ‿ ,•̀•́ ‿ ,•̀---
The next morning, the dining hall scrollscreen buzzed again.
New reports flashed across the glowing surface.
Strange mist sightings in the northern rivers dismissed as weather interference.
Animals migrating toward ley lines reasons unknown.
Religious leaders call for prayer and fasting, urging citizens to resist what they call false miracles and spiritual deception ,The end is near.
Lucien finally returned and sat beside me.
He looked tired, but calm as always.
I think the birds are moving differently, he said quietly.
How??
They don't fly in formation anymore, he said. They fly like they're trying to remember something or rinning from something.....
I didn't answer.
Because I felt it too.
The world was remembering.
And it wasn't sure it wanted us anymore.
------ ಥ‿ಥ----
The sun was sinking when Sir Nathaniel found me ..
He stood in the monastery's small meditation chamber, where colored light from the stained glass painted the stone walls in blue and gold.
For a while, he said nothing.
He just stood by the old stone table with his hands resting together, waiting for the silence between us to settle like dust.....
Finally, he spoke.
The tarot cards reacted to you.
I nodded slowly, still holding the ribbon-wrapped deck.
My hands hadn't completely stopped trembling.
All of them turned to Death, I murmured. The crow. The skull . Over and over.
Nathaniel moved toward the far window, looking out toward the forest that still seemed unsettled after the Diwata's fury.
When he spoke again, his voice was calm.
Measured.
Death appears to those touched by Malekai's echo, he said. It may be a warning. Or a sign...
A sign of what?
That the darkness in you… is old, he said quietly. Older than you know.
He turned back to face me, blue eyes steady.
And you may be the only one who can cleanse it.
A cold weight settled beneath my ribs.
You think it's Malekai? I whispered.
Nathaniel stepped closer.
Who else would Death come for, he asked softly, if not the one marked by the void?
I looked down at the cards in my hands.
But I didn't summon them, I said. They came to me.
Because you are sensitive, he replied. Your spirit is open. That is not a weakness.
He paused.
It is your calling.
My voice cracked.
I don't want to be called.
Nathaniel smiled faintly.
Kind.
But distant.
None of us do, he said. At first.
He placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
Gehan… do you believe in the Creator?
I hesitated.
The answer wouldn't come.
Nathaniel continued quietly.
Most who survive magic eventually do. Because He is power. He is protection.
His voice softened.
And right now, you need both more than ever.
I still didn't answer.
But I didn't pull away either.
I can't read the memories you lost today the council ask me to do a lot of jobs and I need you to do something for me first, and anyway, this isn't a safe place to go through your past.
Yes, sir, Nathaniel, especially since there are bigger problems than my missing memorieslike the nephilim book and the convergence.
------ಠ︵ಠ-----
By the time I reached the dining hall, most of the tables had already been cleared and the lanterns dimmed.
Only one long table near the back remained lit, a flickering candle set at each seat.
Sir Nathaniel stood at the head of the table, hands clasped behind his back.
Zuriel was already there, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and his legs kicked out in front of him, his expression unreadable.
Eris stood behind her chair, glancing between the two of them like she was preparing for something. She didn't look surprised to see me.
Lucien arrived just after I did, his hair still damp, sleeves rolled to his elbows. Several scrolls were tucked under one arm, and there was a hopeful nervousness in the way he moved.
Then Nikolai entered.
Not late.
Just… uninvited.
And somehow still smug about it.
He didn't offer an excuse.
And behind him
Damon.
He lingered near the doorway until Nathaniel gave a small nod. Only then did he step inside, moving quietly to the far end of the table where he sat without a word.
Nathaniel studied each of us like pieces of a puzzle.
You're all here, he said. Good.
He paced slowly behind the chairs, his footsteps deliberate.
This isn't ceremony, he continued. This is because I need those I can trust. Not blindly. Not emotionally. But with strength.
Discipline. Will.
His gaze fell on Zuriel first.
You've been trained to fight through fear. You've survived losing everything. Your fire is pure even sometimes unstable. And I've been training you for years now.
Zuriel didn't say anything.
He only met Nathaniel's eyes, steady and silent.
Nathaniel turned to Eris.
You see more than you say. You observe before you act. That's leadership.
A brief pause.
That's Vermilion.
Eris looked slightly away, as if the words carried more weight than she wanted to show.
Nathaniel's eyes moved to Lucien next.
Your kindness is dangerous, he said. But necessary. It grounds the rest.
Lucien blinked, unsure whether that had been praise or a warning.
Then Nathaniel looked at me.
His gaze lingered longer than the others.
And you…
He paused.
Are unrefined.
The word hung in the air.
Broken, perhaps,he continued quietly. But necessary.
His voice softened slightly.
You'll understand why soon.
Finally, his tone sharpened again as he turned toward the last two.
Nikolai.
Nikolai leaned back in his chair, placing his arms behind his head.
I prefer new kid with charisma.
You're impulsive. Unpredictable. I don't trust you, Nathaniel said plainly. But you've survived worse than most of my soldiers. And your presence stirs something in Gehan.
The table went quiet.
Nikolai didn't answer.
Nathaniel didn't wait for one.
I assume you'll stay.
Then
Damon.
The boy didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Nathaniel continued calmly.
You're not fully human. I know that. Lucien knows more than he's said, and I've allowed that… for now.
Lucien shifted slightly but said nothing.
But you see what others miss,
Nathaniel continued. I believe you've already seen her aura.
My chest tightened.
Damon finally looked up.
Not at Nathaniel.
At me.
There was no judgment in his eyes.
Only that quiet distance again.
Like he was still measuring something inside me.
Nathaniel's voice grew heavier.
The Convergence is no longer theory.
He paused.
It has begun.
The Diwata's attack confirms it. Myth is no longer dormant it is reclaiming.
He folded his hands behind his back again.
And we are not here to defeat it.
A brief silence.
We are here to contain it.
Eris narrowed her eyes.
You mean hide it?
Nathaniel met her gaze calmly.
I mean prevent panic. Prevent collapse.
The government wants order, not truth. They are asking us to protect the veil not tear it.
Zuriel's jaw tightened.
Like you protected the truth about the artifact beneath the eastern wing?
The room went still.
Nathaniel didn't flinch.
That wasn't your burden to carry.
But you lied, Zuriel said quietly.
To the council. To us.
I made a choice, Nathaniel replied. And I will continue to make them.
His gaze swept across the table. Not all of you will agree.
Eris straightened, her voice low.
You didn't tell them about Gehan either, The Nephilim book
Nathaniel didn't answer.
I looked between them, my throat tight.
Then he spoke again.
I need you ready.
The next artifact is waking. The Nephilim Book may react again.
And we are running out of time.
He paused.
His eyes settled on me.
Especially her.
My spine stiffened.
He didn't say my name.
Just the role.
As if I wasn't a person anymore.
Just a key waiting to be used.
The practice chamber was quiet, warmed by soft lantern light.
Nikolai wasn't leaning against a wall or flashing one of his usual grins.
Instead, he sat near the center of the room, quietly turning a worn charm in his palm as though it had something to say.
When I stepped inside, he looked up and smiled.
Not the smug smile.
The other one.
The kind you don't expect.
You came, he said.
I hesitated in the doorway.
I'm not sure why. I just feel like I need to.
You don't have to know, he replied, setting the charm gently on the floor beside him. Sometimes it's enough to just… want to.
That surprised me more than anything else tonight.
I stepped closer and sat beside him.
Close....
But not quite touching.
There was something about his presence that softened the room.
Made silence feel safe.
I've been thinking, he said quietly. About the weight you carry.
He glanced toward me.
I think it's heavier when no one names it.
What do you mean?
His eyes were warm, but still hard to read.
You're carrying something that didn't start with you, he said. That much is obvious.
A small pause.
But I don't think it wants to hurt you.
I swallowed. What if it does?!?
He tilted his head slightly.
Then why hasn't it?