Grimoire

There was a tale about two brothers.

In an age before civilization, monsters ruled over the world. These creatures, known as Eldritch, were beyond human understanding. Despite that, one thing was certain, humans could not compare to them. As humanity was driven towards extinction by the Eldritch, all hope seemed lost. Until one day, a pair of brothers stumbled upon a book.

This book, as if by fate, contained knowlege on both the Eldritch and the powers they had. Magic. Using their new found knowledge, the brothers split the book in two. One half was a book bright like the sun, the Golden Grimoire. Its counterpart, a book dark like the night, called the Silver Grimoire.

With the twin books of legend, the brothers were able to teach and share magic with the rest of humanity. The brothers, alongside their companions were able to fight back against the Eldritch and drive them away.

For a time peace existed. However, the Silver Grimoire would lead a rebellion against his brother for dominion over the world. Reviving the Eldritch, the Silver Grimoire would wage war on the world. This event was known as The Great Calamity, and nearly destroyed the world.

After the long and bloody war, both the Silver Grimoire and the Eldritch were defeated by the Gold Grimoire and the brothers' original companions. Eventually, the story of the Gold and Silver Grimoire would become legends.

The Silver Grimoire was said to one day return and bring destruction to the world again.

There was something ironic about the Silver Grimoire appearing before Aria. Her homeland, Easenna, had been destroyed because the other nations believed they caused Eldritch to return ten years ago. Now that same book that destroyed the world long ago was here to save her.

The Silver Grimoire looked like the night sky had turned into a book. The grimoires front and back was solid black, with a texture like leather. The frame around the cover was decorated with ornate rows of silver going around its edges, while the center had a silver crescent moon that seemed to glow. The book had a latch on it with gold planting. The pages of the grimoire were a translucent indigo with various colors that shifted like an aurora. Across some of the pages were small stars that aligned in the shape of various constellations. The shapes were different then the ones you'd see at night.

The only word Aria could use to describe the book was beautiful.

A book like the night sky. Eyes the color of a blood moon…

Aria recognized the same description from the story. She recalled the time her dad told her regarding the Silver Grimoire.

11 years ago…

“Why’d the Silver Grimoire wage war against his brother?” Aria asked her dad.

She was around seven years old when she first heard that story. All children in their nation had heard it by then as the story was integral to their history. Their nation's founder, the sword saint Selene, was one of the original companions to the brothers and went on to found their nation of Easenna.

Nicolas Corvo smiled, amused by his daughter's question. Like Aria, he had short blue hair, with a matching trimmed beard. His light-grey eyes looked at his daughter fondly. As the Patriarch of one of the nation's oldest families, he had a responsibility to educate all of his children on their history. However, he was unprepared to answer her question.

“I’m not sure!” He beamed before thinking about that complex question.

It was an age old question that stumped the smartest religious scholars. Some speculated he did it out of hubris, others believe he was doing it out of jealousy of his brother. Some cultists thought he was right and that the Eldritch were the rightful rulers to the planet. Of course he couldn't explain that to a child...

Nicolas hummed in thought before affectionately rubbing her head. “I’d like to think he had a reason for why he did it. Even if he was flawed, nobody would turn against their family and bring that kind of destruction without a reason. Who knows, maybe deep down the Silver Grimoire thought he was doing the right thing.”

Ardna rushed at Espoir. It was uncanny watching it move so fast; with its of its human-like legs. The Eldritch used its twin appendages, now sharpened to a curved edge, to bisect the grimoire user. His book disappeared from his hands as he slid under the attack. Pulling out his gun, Espoir shot the Eldritch as he dodged towards the side of the pews.

"…Oh.” Espoir realized his error as the bullets did nothing against the Eldritch. Watching them pathetically bounce to the floor, he knew he needed a new plan. Probably shouldn't mess around that much, I'm not the only person in danger right now. He realized he should be a bit serious this time.

A series of sharp appendages and human-like teeth were descending on him from the 'body' of Ardna. Throwing up a barrier, Espoir was knocked to the side of the room. The attack shattered his barrier and cut both his arms. I need to keep it away from the girl. After that, I should be able to seal it after.

Making a finger gun, he used his spell「Ignite」against the creature again. It naturally responded by coating itself in a dark-purple aura, the explosion did nothing against it. As the creature began to crawl towards Espoir, it raised a series of tendrils towards him. An onslaught of stabs and slashes rained upon the church's wall. Despite Eldritch being inhuman in nature, it was apparent that the Eldritch saw the Silver Grimoire as a threat.

Dashing to the side, Espoir placed his palm onto the cathedral floors. A wall of stone rose up and blocked the initial attack.

“Accelerate!” Espoirs body glowed green as he increased his speed. Dashing to the nearby wall, he dodged most of the slashes and avoided being impaled.

I see. That's how the toxin works... It inhibits the body and as well as my magic. Espoir was glad he had his grimoire active, otherwise dealing with the Eldritch would be a lot more dangerous.

Leaping off the wall, Espoir broke into a roll as he landed back at the center of the altar. The wall behind him had crumbled from the onslaught.

As planned, the Eldritch was ignoring Aria in favor of him. He needed to find the creature's core, then he’d be able to seal it. Rushing towards the grimoire user, an ungodly mass of spiked tendrils and spirals of ribbed teeth formed around the creatures ‘mouths’ as it prepared to end him.

“Flare.”

A red-orange triangle formed on the back of Espoir's hand. Holding his palm out, a crescent blade made of fire was launched at the Eldritch. The flame-slash cut the Eldritch's aura with ease before arching upwards and dissipating. The Eldritch was cut in half, both halves still moving. The creature let out a distorted, ear piercing screech. As it attempted to retaliate with dozens of spiked tendrils and saw blade like mouths, Espoir's eyes narrowed at the creatures shape before widening.

I have an opening! Espoirs eyes widened. The Eldritch was still regenerating from his attack meaning its aura would be weakened. His body glowed green as he dodged to the side. Rematerializing his grimoire once again, the book's pages began to flip as Espoir rushed over. As the Eldritch raised its tendrils to defend itself, Espoir plunged his grimoire into the creature's center. An eye bleeding light filled the room. The creature cried out once more before being submerged by the column of light.

Aria averted her eyes as brightness filled the hall. A beam of white light shot directly into the night sky. As the intensity died down, Aria's vision returned. While still hazy from the poison, she saw the Eldritch fading away into Espoirs book in a thin stream of stardust. Laying on the floor was Damien Blackwell alongside the two acolytes Ardna had eaten.

On a page in the Silver Grimoire, the Eldritch's shape had been transformed into a series of stars. It resembled a two headed fusion between a person and a centipede. “So that's Ardna huh? Only a face a mother could love.” Espoir let out a sigh of relief. Espoir was happy he sealed it before the situation got out of hand.

Picking himself up, Espoir walked over to Aria. She was doing everything she could to keep herself from blacking out. Between the poisoning, malnutrition, and overall fatigue, it was a miracle she was still conscious. “Hold still for a moment.” As the Silver Grimoire flipped through its pages, Aria’s wounds glowed a white color. “That oughtta help.”

For the first time in weeks Aria could not only see clearly but even something like breathing was easier. Even though her legs still hurt to use, it was a tolerable level of pain compared to before. “What did you do to me?” She asked.

"I removed any remnants of the Eldritch in you." Espoir lazily shrugged as his grimoire disappeared once again. “Part of Ardna's ability was creating a toxin that acted like mercury poisoning. I assumed Blackwell used that to keep you weakened, otherwise, you’d probably have killed him with ease. Grimoire users, like him, manifest an Eldritch’s power into themselves. Removing it is pretty easy since the Eldritch is already sealed in my grimoire.”

The girl looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. I don’t understand him. What could he possibly gain by doing all this for someone he just met? Why would the Silver Grimoire want to help someone like me? Aria couldn't under why such a powerful mage would travel around and fight other grimoire users? Wouldn't the Silver Grimoire ally with them since he was the reason they exist? Aria couldn't think of a reason he'd do all this for someone he just met, much less a soldier from another nation. If she was still under oath she'd be obligated to kill him for being a grimoire user. Maybe he is just naturally kind...

Looking towards the priest, Aria began to approach Damien Blackwell. She wanted to kill him. Wanted to make him feel what he did to her and Mary. Before she could do it, Aria’s thoughts shifted. “Mary!”

Her anger quickly changed to worry as she ran to the catacombs. Killing Blackwell could wait, she had to see her best friend. It had been weeks since she last saw her. The only way she knew she was alive was from Blackwell's taunts and the occasional screams from what he was doing to her. He had kept them far enough away that they couldn't communicate.

Please be alive! Aria thought to herself as she ran to the cells. She ignored the sharp pain in her legs as she repeatedly called Mary's name. Eventually, she got a weak response from one of the farthest cells.

“Lady Aria?”

As Aria opened the cell, the sight before her chilled her to the core. A woman with dark hair laid in the corner. Her normally fair skin had various spots of purple, black, and green. Her clothes were torn and tattered. She was missing both her legs. It looked like they were savagely ripped off. Both of her brown eyes had deep slashes running across them. If not for her voice, Aria would've assumed she was dead.

“Mary…” Her handmaid, someone who’d been by her side all her life, practically a sister. The same girl who followed her into battle, into war, now laid before her. Broken. Mutilated. Destroyed. A visceral scream escaped Aria as she ran over to hug Mary.

“My Lady. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Beneath tears, Aria clutched her head. “N-no! You shouldn't be the one apologizing..." It’s all my fault. It's my fault she ended up like this. She went to war because of me! She got captured because of me! Damien did this to her because of me!

She's dying because of me

“I thought I'd never get to see you again.” She choked out. Mary tried to give Aria a reassuring smile. “I-I wish you didn’t have to see me like this.” Mary knew Aria was likely blaming herself for everything, she had done so during the war. Despite being blind, she knew her current state wasn't pretty and would leave a scar on the poor girl.

“Nonsense! I…I thought I wouldn’t see you again at all.” Aria choked out through tears.

“How’d you get here? What about that priest?” Mary asked, worry seeping into her voice. If Aria escaped then she needed leave as soon as possible. Even if Aria disagreed, she wanted her to leave this place if it meant leaving her behind.

Aria squeezed her hand slightly. “I had help.” As Aria explained the bizarre circumstances that led them reuniting. Aria knew Mary wasn't long for the world, she didn't want to accept that.

“To think us ‘demons’ ended up saved by the Silver Grimoire.” If it didn’t hurt to breathe, Mary might’ve laughed at the cruel irony. “I’m… I’m glad you didn’t have to suffer like I did…”

“Mary...”

She forced herself to smile for her lady's sake. “I’m sorry Aria. If only I was stronger, or if you didn’t feel the need to surrender yourself for all of us, none of this would’ve happened.”

“It was my choice! I’m sorry you had to follow me into hell because of it.” She said lowly. From the moment Mary had been captured alongside her, Aria felt immense guilt. She truly wished only she took the brunt of the suffering instead. Mary didn't deserve to suffer for her choices.

Mary shook her head slightly, even without vision she could imagine Aria was blaming herself for everything. “I swore to serve you and your family. But even outside of that, I do not regret my decision being with you all this time. I don't want you to blame yourself for this. I'm glad I got to protect you all this time.”

Mary’s breathing started getting shallow. “I’m happy. I’m so happy I got to be by your side one last time.” Aria was frozen, unsure what to say. While she had comforted her soldiers in their final moment before, this time was different. How can she even approach that with her best friend? It felt so cruel. Unfair. All Aria could think was 'why did she have to die instead of her?'

“I- I’m scared Ari... I don’t want to die!” Red tears streamed down her face as Mary’s voice broke. Sobbing, the girls body trembled in fear. Aria could tell she had been acting brave for her sake. Suffering alone for so long seemed to have finally taken a toll on her as Mary started crying. “I want to wake up and be back in Easenna with you, Madam Corvo, all of your siblings! I want to see my parents again! To be with everyone like how it was before the war! I don't want to die here!"

“I-I want that too!” Aria cried, clutching her. After all this time, Aria finally broke. Seeing her best friend like this, no pain could compare. "I'm so sorry Mary."

Standing outside, Espoir sighed as he leaned against the wall. He had released the other prisoners on his way here. Additionally, he binded Blackwell's arm into the concrete in order to keep him in place. The odds of him getting away were low. Maybe the people whose lives were ruined by his church would get to him first. Espoir was tempted to go kill him right now after witnessing what he did.

Eldritch don't affect a grimoire users personalty. If the Eldritch corrupted them, they'd simply turn into it. The pain and suffering Damien Blackwell caused was done by himself. Espoir thought to himself. Staring at the ceiling, the Silver Grimoire's user shook his head. "Humans truly are twisted."

Aria stayed by Mary's side until the end. Unknown to either of them, Espoir used his grimoire from outside the hall to relieve Mary's pain. The Silver Grimoire left shortly after to give them privacy.

Mary died in Aria’s arms. Despite everything that she went through, she was grateful to be with her best friend one last time. Mary passed away with a serene smile on her face.

The next few hours went by like a blur. Blackwell escaped them, he had ripped his arm off to escape. Aria buried Mary on a hill overlooking Ashmore, just outside of the city. She couldn't return her to Easenna. Leaving Mary in that city was out of the question, so this was the best alternative. Espoir silently assisted in the burial, Aria could only assume he pitied them. Maybe had his own reasons for sticking around. She still had questions for him about the Silver Grimoire. In the end, Aria doesn’t recall much after the burial, just that she passed out sometime that night.

“Damn it!”

Damien Blackwell growled as he scaled the staircase. Inside the cathedral mob of disgruntled citizens who were calling for his blood. His arm was bloody and mangled. The Silver Grimoire not only destroyed his grimoire but tried to bind him to the floor. Despite that, he had wrapped it to try and keep the blood from leaving a trail. Pressing onward, Blackwell couldn't afford to stay in Ashmore any longer. His control over Ashmore had been broken the moment the Silver Grimoire user took Ardna from him. Any miracle he performed ended up voided. Additionally, he had released all his prisoners from the catacombs. The city wanted him dead and were closing in fast.

He hoped to hide and let the crowd believe he escaped. Once things died down he coule ssneak out of the city. He'd be able to flee the country.

Yes, I still have enough funds to start a life in somewhere else. Maybe I can live in the mountain side of Borea or along the beaches of Nadir. He thought to himself.

Damien knew he'd be able to start anew. Who knows, he might even be able to build up enough power to get revenge on the Silver Grimoire and that raven. Leaning against the bell towers wall, Blackwell let out a sigh. He might be able to hide here and escape.

“What a waste.” Looking to the source of the voice, a man covered by a black cloak sat under the bell. “To think you’d waste your grimoire on pointless desires. We had high hopes for you Damien Blackwell.”

“My plans were fine, it was the Silver Grimoire who ruined everything!” The figure took out a small pistol and shot Blackwell in the shoulder.

“Wait! I can still be useful to you!” He cried out, stumbling back in pain. He was a few centimeters away from falling hundreds of hundreds of meters onto the cobble below.

“It’s over Blackwell. Your control over the city is gone. Honestly, between the sacrifices and abuse you gave their families, I'd be surprised if there's anything left of you when they're finished." The figure clicked his tongue mockingly. "Trying to use an entire city to fuel your grimoire. My, how greedy.”

“The plan was working fine! It wasn’t until the Silver Grimoire showed up that things went wrong! I… I can still find you suitable hosts!”

The figure paused for a moment before tossing the gun at Damien's feet. “Perhaps you can pray to that ‘god’ of yours for salvation.” As the sound of a mob echoed throughout the stairwell, Damien knew his time was short. “They know you're here. Better think fast~”

Damien grabbed the gun to shoot his company only to find himself alone. As he heard the voices closing in, he understood there was no escaping his situation. The voices were closing in. Staring down at the gun, Blackwell understood he was running out of time. "Fuck."

On the morning of July 20th, the truth about the church of Ardna came to light. As the citizens of Ashmore went to get their revenge, what they found was a grueling sight at the gates of the cathedral. The miracle priest they had worshiped now laid on the cobble street, surrounding him was a in his own blood and body parts. He had thrown himself off the cathedral and denied them justice.