The Gambit of the Faceless God — Epic Fantasy

-(1902: West Ventoria)-

Dozens of airships fled through the skies above the medieval-esque city, each with its own unique appearance, ranging sizes and structures. Inside one of those ships were two brothers; one was named Caelum. Dressed in a loose white shirt with slack black pants, wearing a good sum of vintage wristbands and two antique necklaces made of twine. He had a smooth olive-like complexion. Short white hair with light purple eyes which only further accentuated his unique appearance amongst the people of Ventoria.

His older brother, Vaelen, wore a similar, yet more collected attire. He donned a loose white blouse with black, more form-fitting pants. He, too, had quite a striking appearance. Curly long black hair which accentuated his overall slender, androgynous frame. A more tanned complexion and dark brown eyes. His voice, as opposed to Caelum, was deep, which often caught many off guard due to how feminine he looked.

Within a narrow pathway, Vaelen watched Caelum climb up a ladder leading towards the deck of the ship they were in, sighing in annoyance as his brother said,

“Keep an eye out for me, will ya?”

“For goodness sake…”

Not bothering considering Vaelen’s obvious opposition to his plan, Caelum let out a cheerful smile as he climbed, opening a small, iron door by turning its wheel. With a firm push, Caelum’s hair fluttered as the outside sky revealed itself to them from the other end of the aperture.

Caelum continued to climb, eventually standing on the deck. The beautiful view of the city spread out before his eyes once more, standing as tall as the ancient-looking buildings of stone, mixed with more modern, concrete-made structures. Chirping birds flew past him as he spread his arms wide in the air, chanting with a loud tone,

“This is what freedom must feel like! Ever thought of how unrestrained birds have to be, Vae?”

Vaelen, still inside the moving ship, turned his head towards the left, widening his eyes in fright with a gasp, as he saw a robust, middle-aged man wearing a flat modest hat storming towards him, shouting his name with a thunderous tone.

As he closed the distance between them, barely making his way through the narrow pathway, Vaelen was forced to climb up the ladder as quickly as he could, closing off the door behind him as his hair and attire fluttered in the wind. Caelum’s face turned thoughtful, as he asked him,

“What is it?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Vaelen began, firmly shutting off the door with the outer wheel. “Hank’s on our trails!”

Caelum clicked his tongue as both he and his brother looked around, trying to find a tall enough building they could latch onto. This was until Caelum noticed a stone parapet connected to a building coming closer.

As Hank managed to steer open the door, he peeked his head out of the crevice and shouted for them to return, shaking his fist in the air. The two brothers then ran towards the extent of the deck as the ship came closer to the stone parapet.

With a final turn towards the middle-aged man, Caelum exclaimed chucklingly, “Sorry, Hanks!” and followed Vaelen as the both of them took a big leap towards the rampart. Caelum was the first to climb his way up the low wall, afterwards helping his brother get on the platform.

They both looked at the ship passing them by, Caelum smilingly waving at the man with nervously closed eyes. He then turned around, discerning the large open central space surrounded by a U-shaped building, much reminiscent of a courtyard building. He soon realized that they found themselves standing in one of Ventoria’s libraries, which meant that a certain person they would never wish to encounter at this moment could very much be present on that day.

Nevertheless, Caelum shrugged and walked towards a wooden door to the right side, turning towards Vaelen as he held the door’s knob.

“Let’s get inside.”

“Wait,” Vaelen said, reaching out his hand. “What if she finds us?”

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s just go!”

Vaelen let out an exasperated sigh as he followed his brother into the building. The both of them ran through myriads of Victorian-esque corridors comprising bust sculptures, paintings of important figures, and servants whose eyes followed the passing figures of the two shenanigans. They eventually made it to a large closed ornate wooden door, presumably leading towards their escape, however, right as Caelum stretched his hand towards the door’s knob…

…The both of them levitated in the air as if an invisible string suddenly pulled them upwards.

“Halt, the both of you.”

“Damnit,” Caelum said, clicking his tongue. Vaelen looked at him with a disappointed expression. “See? I knew taking this route would be troublesome…”

The one walking towards them was Helvega, now thirty-two years old. It seemed she ensured her health as she never lost the glamour on her smooth pale skin. Her monotone dark brown eyes were still bereft of illumination, and she kept her frequent sedated facial expression from her youth. She was dressed in a form-fitting white Victorian shirt with loose sleeves, sided with black pants that gracefully outlined her slender figure. Her snow-white hair never lost its grace, and she was now wearing a set of glasses.

Her voice, as opposed to over a decade earlier, had a significant change. It was now deep but harmonious. The capability to entrance anyone listening to her if she wanted to. With a serious, but bothered tone, she spoke to them, crossing her arms.

“Let me guess. Got chased around by a ship owner for trespassing on their property?”

Caelum let another nervous smile tug at the corners of his lips, closing his eyes. “…We won’t do it again…?”

“You can wipe that smirk off your face,” Helvega said, turning her back towards them as they both plummeted onto the ground. “I needed some help with cleaning one of the rooms, anyway. Come with me.”

They both wiped the dust from their clothes and struggled their way through a large hallway, following their older sister towards their destination. It was a regular librarian's room, albeit quite dishevelled, with books scattered across the tables and ground, which prompted the two brothers to sigh disgracefully after Helvega shut the door behind them, leaving them to care for the chamber.

As Vaelen proceeded to do as told, collecting books from the ground and tables, Caelum crashed on one of the wooden chairs, nonchalantly resting his feet on the table. “I’ll take this one on the chin, Vae,” he then yawned, stretching his arms wide in the air. “I’m wayyy too tired for this, though…”

“Too tired?” Vaelen said, raising his left eyebrow. “You seemed quite energetic minutes ago.”

“Yes, but that’s when I don’t have to deal with crap like this!”

Caelum then leaned forward, snatching a book from the table. It had an old, dark green facade and a weathered outline. With its title written in gold as the cover.

“The art of the Gaian Creed…” he began, turning to the first page. “Saint Avarion, the Founding Father of the Gaian prominence… Yada yada yada! How do people manage to memorize things they read about, anyway?!”

“Oh, come on, Caelum,” Vaelen sighed, looking at him over the shoulder as he carried a handful of books. “The Inquisition happens tomorrow. You should at least know some aspects of our history and how one of the Gaian Saints managed to turn the temple into what it is today.”

He then placed the pile of books on the table, resting his right elbow on the little tower he made. Looking at Caelum with his left hand on his hip. “He has become the prime example, not to mention the central pillar for anyone who wishes to become a part of the Creed.”

“Don’t you worry, smart face,” Caelum retorted, closing the book shut as it let out a thumping noise, and a gush of a pleasant aroma brushing against his face. “I am surely prepared for what is to come!”

He then jolted himself back to his feet, raising his arms in the air as he walked around the chamber in circles.

“We’ll finally be getting our Grimoires! What do you think mine will look like? I am guessing a bow or something among the lines of anything resembling the armaments of my soul soaring the skies!”

“I can see you holding a bow,” Vaelen said, placing the books on their respective bookshelves. “Whether or not you will actually manage to master one is the real question.”

“Oh, shoo! I’m a quick learner! Besides, becoming an Awakener isn’t my end goal, anyway. Becoming a Sequencer is.”

“A Sequencer, you say? Well, good luck reaching the summits being as airheaded as you currently are.”

“I am capable,” Caelum said with a ferocious tone. “I will prove it right now!”

He walked towards a corner, far right from Vaelen, and grabbed two wooden poles resembling swords. After denying several times, Vaelen had no choice but to accept his brother’s duel. They stood adjacent to each other, firmly holding their weapons as dust particles gently floated in the air, with the sun’s ray gracefully bathing the chamber in a delightful, soothing atmosphere.

“The battle of the Jinton brothers! The one who loses has to lick the winner’s sole!”

Vaelen sneered. “Not in a thousand years!” as the both of them engaged in their friendly, but fierce battle. They were both considered complete amateurs when it came to swordsmanship as honing one’s sword was never a norm in their homeland. However, this fact did not make the battle any less amusing. Despite having little to no experience, Vaelen’s form seemed a lot sharper and composed in contrast to Caelum’s loose approach.

Vaelen leaned backwards, Caelum’s pole narrowly soaring right in front of his face. He then graciously turned his body to the left with great speed and landed a clean backwards slash onto his brother, who could only barely defend himself with his arms to lessen the impact, yet not stopping him from crashing into the bookshelf to his right, the collision causing the many books to fall onto his defeated figure. Vaelen held his pole in front of Caelum, silently acknowledging his victory with a closed smile, as the door behind them burst open…

…Revealing Helvega, visibly annoyed, walking into the chamber.

“It hasn’t even been ten minutes…” she frowned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“It’s okay, sis,” Caelum said, standing up. “We were just playing around.”

“You call that playing around?!”

“Well… maybe you wouldn’t understand because you probably never had a fun childhood!”

Vaelen turned towards him, as if non-verbally telling him to apologize.

“…Sorry, sis.”

“Don’t worry.”

She let out a deep sigh and began to arrange some of the books by herself, prompting the two brothers to follow suit. After several minutes, Helvega broke the silence whilst continuing to actively placing the books on the shelves.

“And? Are the both of you prepared to become Awakened?”

“I am,” Vaelen responded, standing next to her. “Not sure if Caelum is.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that challenging,” Caelum, standing next to Vaelen said, turning his head towards Helvega. “How was your experience?”

“Whether the Inquisition is challenging differs from person to person,” Helvega began. “In my experience, it was quite the storm to pass through. Most, if not all odds were against me. Ranging from people I had to work with, as well as the ‘adversaries’ put against us for the quests.”

“It often stemmed from their resentment towards the Arcane temple. And I, as the daughter of someone who was a prominent member within the ranks of the Arcane Conjurers, was naturally frowned upon. However, a lot of things changed during the past decade. I can safely assume that your experiences won’t be as ‘confined’ as mine was.”

“That makes me think, Hel,” Caelum began. “You seem capable enough to join the Arcane temple, let alone become a part of the Zephyr Assembly. How come you have devoted yourself to the librarian life so much?”

“…Trust me, I have received a fair number of letters from the Zephyrs regarding their interest in my association. But, at some point in your lives, you will realize what your soul truly yearns for. For me, delving myself into books and the art of knowledge seemed like my place to be.”

“They sent you letters?” Vaelen asked.

“They have, but most of them were because of my former affiliation with the Luria Assembly. Since they work alongside Luria for the sake of manufacturing ships, the expertise of people like me is deemed necessary for all sorts of things. Think of the exact compatible materials for, let’s say, a ship’s beak, or the types of blades a ship needs depending on its size.”

“I see…” Vaelen murmured. “No wonder Mother is so proud of who you have become.”

“Yes,” Caelum agreed. “You have definitely proved yourself, Helvega, especially after becoming the caretaker of… well, this library for what it is worth. However! It is our turn now!”

“I am sure you both will surpass me in one way or another, as long as you have each other. I never had the luxury of growing up with a sibling, let alone a sibling with the same age as mine,” she said, turning her head towards the two with a closed smile. “Don’t take this blessing for granted.”

As soon as she ended her words, the door behind them opened once more. The one stepping inside was Miriam, visibly having fallen under the traversal of time. She was dressed in a long, dark brown coat that matched perfectly with her overall attire. She also wore a wide-brimmed hat of the same hue and held a brown suitcase in her right hand.

“Everything at bay here?” she said with a smile. Helvega turned towards the two brothers, telling them they were allowed to go as long as they wouldn’t cause a ruckus again. With illuminated spirits, they both walked past Miriam whilst respectfully greeting her, closing the door afterwards, leaving the two esteemed figures alone within the modest chamber.

“They’re surely filled with enthusiasm, aren’t they?” Miriam began, placing her suitcase on the table.

“Especially Caelum,” Helvega responded. “I don’t know where he got it from, honestly. But, it is good to see two perfectly aligned young souls.”

“Really makes you think how well off the world would be if people simply aligned with each other…” Miriam murmured, leaving Helvega silent in response. She then took the word once more.

“It’s already been five years since you took over the torch. You left most of your life behind to dedicate yourself to this role… Knowing you’re someone who knows what she wants, I’ve always felt reassured that you will keep the library in good hands.”

Helvega humblingly lowered her head in a closed smile. “This wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Miriam.”

“Surely, surely,” she chuckled. “But don’t discredit yourself. Having graduated from Ventoria University at nineteen, correspondingly taking the role of the library’s Head at twenty-seven, all whilst having spent six years within Luria, before, at twenty-nine, deciding that it may just not be for you!”

Helvega chuckled. “…My younger self would fill buckets with tears if she knew I didn’t want to work for the assembly anymore. I guess life can really be spontaneous sometimes.”

“True!” she said. “Besides, how’s Aurora doing? Isn’t it challenging for her to take care of two young boys whilst dealing with sickness?”

“She is quite the perseverant woman…” Helvega began, her voice turning worriedly. “On top of raising Caelum and Vaelen, she never really gave up searching for Emon. Even though I repeatedly told her to just… give up and move on, she never considered it.”

“I know what kind of relationship she had with Emon, based on what you told me, but… to be this consistent for almost two decades is just…”

“I don’t really get it either, Miriam,” she sighed.

“Well, she does deserve all of my respect for taking in his kids,” Miriam said. “They would have definitely been put in worse life conditions, especially given the CA hasn’t been quite ‘welcoming’ during the recent years.”

Helvega sighed once more. “I’ll make sure to visit her after I’ve finished some tasks here.”

“I won’t distract you any further. It’s time for me to head off, too.”

“Surely. I’ll see you at another time.”

“Take care, Helvega!”

Miriam made her way out of the chamber, finding herself within a hallway comprising a number of bust statues, and dozens of ornate windows lined up across the entire hall, allowing it to be illuminated in the sun’s gentle glow. She slowly walked through the hallway, her footsteps echoing throughout the space, as she opened the door to her mind.

I’ve only met the man a few times…

During important discussions regarding the Monlay and Luria Assemblies.

He seemed like a very… charismatic and well-spoken man.

For someone like him, Luria’s First Administrator, to disappear, right after giving birth to his children, right after being given the throne of Luria, right after his life was facing a prominent change…

It simply seems unlikely.

And I believe this may have been a strong motive for Aurora to continue her search for him…