Lady's Grace, cutters!

 

„Know. Act. Be.“

Factol Rhys

 

 

Third Lady's Day of Tithing, 126 HR

 

Naghûl reviewed the last few weeks in his mind as he entered the Limbo Bar. Immediately after they had uncovered the Hive Strangler Murders, as they had come to be called, they had returned to their respective factols to report back to them in detail - all except for the still-factionless Sgillin, of course. Erin had found the whole story very exciting, but was concerned about the sleeper issue and had said she wanted to get more information about it. Ambar had been thrilled with the Chosen's success, though belatedly concerned that Lereia had put herself in so much danger. Terrance had been very calm about the whole thing, but was equally concerned about the Illuminated plans and felt that the entire project should be shut down. However, he was reluctant to suggest violent means - at least for now. Sarin had been pleased with the outcome of the mission, if not thrilled that Skall had been on his tail in the aftermath. He had acknowledged, however, that the Chosen could do little about it. He had also hinted at trying to find a solution to the whole thing - and contrary to Terrance, he didn't seem averse to violent means. Then about two months had passed. Weeks in which the new Chosen of the Ring Prophecy had not exclusively gone their separate ways, but in which everyone had nevertheless pursued their own duties, business or inclinations. Kiyoshi, for example, had been fully occupied with going through the eight weeks of basic training that all Harmonium recruits had to complete. While there had hardly been any time for this before the events in the Hive, Kiyoshi's factol had apparently decided that it was important and useful to give his new recruit this experience. An experience that would not have been very high on Naghûl's list of priorities, but which he nevertheless assumed would benefit the young man from Kamigawa. After all, he was completely new to the City of Doors and the basic training would definitely familiarize him with the Cage and its customs. As the investigations in the Hive had shown, this was definitely necessary. Jana had also used the past few weeks to settle more and more into her new faction. She had spent a lot of time on the grounds of the Shattered Temple, often in the company of Askorion, Terrance's deputy Jaya or even the factol himself. The rest of the time she had mostly been found in her house in the Hive, where Naghûl had visited her twice. She still harbored deep doubts about the whole story of the prophecy and had instead preferred to look after the prostitutes of the Gatehouse District or to internalize some of the Athar's writings. Lereia and Sgillin had come to the realization that the events recently set in motion would probably bind them to Sigil indefinitely. Even though it was not easy for them, they had therefore decided to leave behind them the island on the world of Toril, which they had inhabited for a while and which had also been a second home to Naghûl. They had been there for a few more weeks to settle all their affairs and inform some friends that they would be away for a while. Then they had returned to the Cage and Lereia had familiarized herself more closely with her new faction. Sgillin was staying with her, but had been hanging around with Naghûl a lot when Lereia had been at the Foundry. He also made more frequent forays alone these days, about which he did not tell much - and Naghûl did not ask, respecting that the half-elf also had his own business in Sigil, whatever it might be. Naghûl, on the other hand, had spent the time with his duties at the Festhall, a few new experiences and, of course, his wife Morânia. Not being allowed to tell her about the top-secret prophecy or the events in the Hive had been difficult for him, however. It was therefore almost fortunate that Morânia had been on the Prime during the time of the murders and in the few weeks afterwards - on the very same island that Lereia and Sgillin had said goodbye to for the time being. A long history connected Morânia and himself to this island. In the principality of Meresin, located there, they had stood by the citizens in some difficult battles - first against a corrupt prince and his henchmen, then against demons, golems and the undead. Her services to the principality had ultimately earned Morânia the title of countess there - which she had recently resigned from in order to serve the island's security in other ways, in an order of paladins. Those very events - the handing over of the county to her successor and the organization of the order - had kept Morânia away from Sigil completely for a while, just at the time when Naghûl and the others had stumbled into the House of Visions and the whole story with the prophecy. But then she had returned to Sigil, and as much as Naghûl was happy to have his wife by his side again, it was hard not to be able to tell her about the recent events. Especially as he realized that these events would bring him back to Sigil permanently, that the episode they had shared on the Prime was coming to an end, at least for him. That was fine in itself - other, new and exciting experiences certainly awaited him. But his wife was still committed to her paladin order on the Prime and would certainly continue to spend most of her time in the small principality. Fortunately, they were both over a hundred years old and living apart for a few weeks or even months was not as difficult for them as it would have been for a young human couple. But now there was something that separated them on another level - a prophecy on the one hand and his wife's religious obligations on the other. And while Naghûl knew exactly what Morânia's duties were, he couldn't tell her about his new responsibilities. Even though it was quiet at the moment and all the Chosen were - for now - going about their own business, it was not a situation Naghûl particularly liked. He had thought back and forth about what to do. And just as he had decided to ask Lady Erin if he could let his wife in on the prophecy, fate had got there first. They had sat together in Morânia's house in the Market Ward, chatting and spending the evening over a bottle of good Arborean wine. Naghûl had not failed to notice that his wife had been quieter than usual for a few days, pensive somehow. That evening, he had found out why. It was something internal to the faction, she had told him, but after a few weeks of consideration, she had decided that the matter was too big and important to deal with alone. Therefore, she had asked her factol, Rhys, to confide in her husband and had received permission to do so. Naghûl had hardly believed his ears when Morânia had told him that Rhys had found a parchment in the City of the Star in Elysium - a piece of an ancient prophecy. Then she had told him the now all-too-familiar story: about the Chosen of the Ring, the Deus Machina ... and that Factol Rhys assumed that Morânia was one of those Chosen. Her connection to the Cadence of the Planes had led her to this conclusion. Naghûl's boundless surprise had quickly given way to deep relief that not only did he no longer have to exclude his wife, but that they were part of this together. Excitedly, he had then told her his part of the story, and also about Lereia, Jana, Sgillin and Kiyoshi, about the alliance of the four factions and the murders in the Hive. Just everything. And as he had done so, he had realized how Morânia's astonishment too had given way to relief. They had talked most of the night, both in high spirits about all the news, but also happy to be able to get through this together now. The next day, Morânia had told Rhys about it, and the Cipher factol had declared that she would approach her colleagues Sarin, Erin, Terrance and Ambar about the matter. And just as Rhys had put the other factols in the picture, it was now Naghûl's job to do the same with the other Chosen.

 

He had asked them for a meeting and a few days later they met in the Limbo Bar. Naghûl nodded to himself. The prophecy had rested long enough now. Everyone had had enough time to sort out important matters - but they could not close their eyes to the fact that this mysterious story was now part of their lives. The Limbo Bar was as busy as ever that evening. The glass lanterns filled with chaos matter, dozens of which hung from the ceiling, bathed the room in ever-changing light as they changed color and brightness at irregular intervals. On the colorfully lit shelves behind the bar stood dozens of bottles in which the Changing Beer had already taken on various states due to the thoughts of the githzerai owners Mrak'Ka and Zerkal. Nothing apart from Changing Beer was served here, as one could transform it into any drink desired using just imagination. The bottles on the shelves were for those customers who found it difficult to concentrate adequately on their drink preferences and didn't want to take any risks. But only the two githzerai seemed to know the secret of how the Changing Beer retained its desired state even when they handed it over. All the other guests' drinks turned back to default when they tried to pass them on to someone else. Naghûl had, rather uncharacteristically for him, been overly punctual and thus the first one in the bar. Kiyoshi was the second to arrive, also a little before the appointed time. When Naghûl asked him how he was, the young man explained that he had successfully completed his basic training, but showed the tiefling something that had been bothering him for several weeks: a physical change had happened to him that he had not expected. It took the form of thin scales that shimmered like brass and now covered the tops of his forearms and the backs of his hands. This change had been accompanied by a brief syncopal attack, which obviously had made Kiyoshi very uncomfortable afterwards. He had told his instructor Amariel about it, and she had suggested that he might have dragon blood. Dragon blood influences often became apparent during puberty, but in some cases this heritage only appeared in young adulthood. This seemed to be the case with Kiyoshi. Naghûl found the story exciting and thrilling and encouraged the young soldier that this was by no means a bad thing, but on the contrary a kind of honor. If he really possessed the heritage of a brass dragon, this would give him some physical advantages and probably also abilities that went beyond those of an ordinary human. Shortly after this revelation, Sgillin and Lereia arrived, followed by Jana.

The latter looked around the bar with satisfaction as she took her seat. "I'm glad we've got this murder story behind us," she said. "I didn't remember the Plane of Fire as being so inhospitable."

"That depends on where you are," Naghûl interjected. "The City of Brass is rather pleasant between all the fire."

Jana raised her shoulders. "As pleasant as an Ifriti city can be, I suppose. So ... shall we toast to still being alive?"

The tiefling nodded enthusiastically. "I'll buy the first round." He ordered six Changing Beers and noticed the confused looks around the table.

"Forgive my ignorance," Kiyoshi began his question in his typical manner. "But aren't there only five of us?"

Lereia raised her shoulders unknowingly and Jana nodded at Kiyoshi's words. "Exactly. Are we expecting anyone else?"

Naghûl just grinned contentedly, enjoying the obvious confusion, whereupon Sgillin shook his head. "Sensates ..."

As the Changing Beer was served and placed in tall glasses in front of them, Kiyoshi looked with interest at the swirling, ever-changing color of the liquid inside. "Forgive my ignorance," he turned to Lereia. "But what are we about to drink? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, it's Changing Beer," the young woman explained helpfully, obviously happy to already know about this aspect of Sigilian culture. "It can take on any flavor you like. You concentrate on it and turn it into wine, for example."

Kiyoshi looked at the glass in front of him with a serious expression. "Does it contain alcohol?"

"Only if you want it to," Jana said. "Just think of it as clear water or wine. Or whatever you like to drink."

"Ah," said the young soldier, examining the glass with undiminished, quiet seriousness. "That is indeed interesting."

Lereia watched him with a smile. "So, just concentrate on a drink. And don't worry if it doesn't work right the first time."

While the others were explaining the wonders of Changing Beer to Kiyoshi, Sgillin had leaned back and focused on his glass. The drink turned golden yellow and smelled of honey.

Naghûl had to smile. Of course, mead. Jana was about to raise her glass to the others, but the tiefling held her back. "Perhaps we should wait a little longer."

"For whom?" Jana asked, now with a hint of impatience.

"For the sixth person in our circle."

"You're being evasive," the sorceress replied. "Why don't you just say who we're waiting for?"

Naghûl looked towards the entrance and a smile appeared on his face. "For her."

There she stood in the doorway, his wife. Her golden blonde hair shimmered slightly in the light of the many lanterns, her alabaster skin and bright blue eyes clearly reflected her celestial heritage, but even more so the feathered white wings that spread out behind her back. Her demonic heritage, on the other hand, could only be recognized at first glance by the two curved horns. Wearing a simple but elegant white dress with golden edging, she stood at the entrance and let her gaze wander around the room. When she spotted the group, she approached the table.

"Oh, hello Morânia," Sgillin greeted with a smile. "Long time no see."

The half-elf had known the bal'aasi from the principality of Meresin, as had Jana, who had also lived there for a while. Morânia was only vaguely acquainted with Lereia, but they had met a few times. So Kiyoshi was the only person at the table Morânia had never seen before.

He immediately stood up and bowed with his hands folded in front of his chest. "Konninchi'wa, honorable stranger," he greeted.

"Lathander’s Blessing," Morânia replied, unusually reserved by her standards, as Naghûl noticed.

It was rather rare that she greeted in the name of the Morninglord in Sigil and not in the Lady’s name. It indicated that his wife felt insecure about the affair concerning the prophecy, despite all the fights and adventures she had already experienced. Who could blame her? He still remembered well how he himself had felt when Lady Erin had told him about the prophecy and his role in it a few weeks ago.

So he leaned over to his wife as she took her seat and greeted her with a kiss. "My devilish angel, I'm glad you found your way here."

She smiled briefly when he addressed her with the pet name he often liked to use, then she nodded to the others, her gaze lingering on Kiyoshi a little longer.

"Yes, love," Naghûl explained. "You already know everyone here, except for our friend Kiyoshi. He comes from Kamigawa and belongs to the Harmonium. Good man."

"The Harmonium," his wife repeated with a gentle nod. "Pleased to meet you, dear Kiyoshi."

Naghûl knew that Morânia's relationship with the Harmonium had become much more relaxed since Lady Juliana’s and Sarin’s factolship and that she therefore took not only neutrally to Kiyoshi's faction affiliation, but even with favor. In the meantime, Sgillin had begun to fill his pipe and eyed both Morânia and Naghûl expectantly. The others also waited curiously, to some extent impatiently to hear what the Sensate had to tell them. Naghûl took a deep breath and reached for his Changing Beer. It immediately turned deep red and became viscous - hot rabbit blood with a dash of rum. Kiyoshi looked at him briefly, then took his glass as well and concentrated ... his drink swirled a little and finally turned light green. It smelled like tea with sake. Kiyoshi immediately put it down on the table again.

Naghûl noticed it, but said nothing, instead looking at the others. "Now we are complete. We want to celebrate the fact that our circle has expanded by one person."

Lereia lowered her drink, transformed into hot tea, and looked at him in astonishment.

Sgillin, on the other hand, grinned. "Oh, really?" He looked at Morânia. "You too?"

"It … looks like it," Morânia replied, uncharacteristically uncomfortable that all eyes were on her at the moment. "To be honest, the whole thing still seems a bit unreal to me."

Jana, who had been staring at Morânia the whole time, now cleared her throat. "You'll have to forgive us, but ... well, we didn't know anything and are a bit surprised."

"Which child are you?" Sgillin asked curiously. "Or are you like me and still don't know?"

As if on cue, Lereia took out the booklet with her notes. Morânia, on the other hand, smiled for the first time. "I am the child who carries the soul of heaven."

"That's new ..." Lereia muttered as she flipped back and forth.

"But definitely fitting," Sgillin added with a smile.

"How do you know that so well?" Lereia asked cautiously.

"Apparently we all have a different piece of this script," the bal'aasi explained. "In addition, my factol has a special gift ... no, rather an ability that she has worked hard to acquire. She is connected to the Cadence of the Planes. And this allows her to ... see things."

Lereia took note and immediately posed her next question. "What faction do you belong to, Morânia, if I may ask?"

Naghûl noticed the formal way in which the young woman addressed his wife. She had known Morânia less long and well than Jana and Sgillin, and the elevated position she held in Meresin - first as countess, now as head of the Order of Light - certainly added to this. Morânia smiled kindly and only now focused on her glass of Changing Beer to turn it into warm hare blood like Naghûl, but hers without rum. "I belong to the Transcendent Order," she then answered Lereia's question.

"They're neat," the tiefling interjected.

As hoped, his wife laughed at the somewhat flippant remark and relaxed. "I should say so!" she replied.

Sgillin took a sip of mead and frowned. "Um, what exactly is a Cadence and what does the Transcendent Order do?"

"We are also called the Ciphers," Morânia explained. "My faction strives for a unity of body and mind, of deed and thought. And in Sigil, we take on the role of mediators in disputes. The Cadence of the Planes is the state of being of the multiverse, in which one can connect with a higher state of consciousness."

Naghûl could clearly see from Sgillin's expression that Morânia's explanation of the Cadence in particular had not really helped. He couldn't blame him. Probably no one but the Ciphers themselves understood what the mysterious Cadence was supposed to be.

Morânia's smirk showed that she was all too familiar with such reactions to her faction philosophy.

The half-elf took a puff from his pipe before getting back into the conversation. "Ciphers ... well, well. Do you know one Lataris Goldeye? She or he is on our list as one of those who will soon join - or have already joined - your faction with certain ulterior motives."

"Oh." The bal'aasi raised her brows. "I will inquire if we have a newcomer of that name."

Lereia took a sip of her tea, leafed through her book again briefly and then looked back at Morânia. "I also have a question. This may sound a bit clumsy, but I'll ask straight out: What can you do? I can make nothing of the term soul of heaven ."

Morânia leaned back and sighed softly. "Well ... that's a good question. I'm afraid I have to admit that I don't really know yet. Factol Rhys said something about me being able to deliver messages and answers as part of something called the Concord. But she didn't know what that meant either."

Now Sgillin had to laugh. "Well then, welcome to the club. You know as much about your gift as we know about ours."

Naghûl grinned at this remark and raised his glass to toast Sgillin.

Jana, on the other hand, shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I'm just still very surprised. And I must at least officially protest against ... well, against a paladin."

She grinned at that, but Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow at the remark - the clearest display of emotion he'd shown since entering the bar.

Morânia did the same. "I hope you didn't say that to Sarin," she replied, amused.

Jana had to laugh. "No, I was told to behave respectfully towards a factol."

"Very wise," the bal'aasi answered with a grin.

Jana turned her glass on the tabletop and became more serious again. "Well then ... I was actually hoping that we could wrap this up today and get back to ... normal life again. You really want to pursue this further?"

Lereia frowned in surprise. "Well, that other story had nothing to do with it."

"Exactly," said Sgillin. "The happenings on the Plane of Fire were just an interlude that wasn't part of the real thing."

The sorceress sighed deeply. "All right, then. But do we really want to ... work? Then we should find somewhere quieter. All you can really do here is party."

Although Morânia knew Jana's sometimes confused nature, she seemed surprised by her chain of thought today. "I don't know if I would call it work," she replied. "I mean ... it's our destiny, isn't it?"

Jana laughed a little, with a mixture of doubt and amusement. "Really? I'd rather decide for myself than ... who- or whatever."

"There are things you can't decide for yourself," Morânia replied calmly.

"For example, your skin disorders," Kiyoshi interjected abruptly, looking at the brass-colored scales on the backs of his hands.

Sgillin glanced at them. "That doesn't look like a disease. Well, if it spreads, you might have to shed your skin from time to time. But believe me, it's quite relaxing."

Naghûl grinned to himself. He knew that Sgillin was alluding to an adventure in the Beastlands, during the course of which he had been temporarily transformed into a snake.

Morânia now also looked at the scales. "It looks nicer than a skin disease, I think."

"Forgive me," Kiyoshi replied with a serious face. "But my lord and prince, factol Sarin-gensui, ordered me to make a joke every now and then."

Morânia raised her brows in astonishment. "Your lord and prince ? Lathander's light! And he ordered that? Not really?"

Kiyoshi's gaze seemed to grow a touch more serious. "I don't suppose you were questioning my words, but merely expressing your amazement. Am I right in this assumption, honorable Morânia-san?"

Morânia frowned in confusion, while Naghûl grinned and saw that Lereia was also smirking behind her glass. In contrast to his wife, they all had made the acquaintance of Kiyoshi's special nature already. Morânia would still have to get used to it.

"Um, of course I don't doubt that it is as you say," she explained diplomatically. "I'm just ... a little surprised."

Naghûl had to laugh at the way she emphasized the last three words. Kiyoshi's remark also sounded rather bizarre, he had to admit. Should Sarin really have ordered him to make jokes? The tiefling really couldn't imagine that and rather assumed that the young man from Kamigawa might have misunderstood something. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"So, should we go somewhere else?" Lereia returned to the previous topic.

"If it's up to me, we'll stay here and get drunk," Jana said lightly. "Have fun and laugh, and then we can continue tomorrow."

Sgillin shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid I don't have a house here where I could offer you my hospitality."

"My house is in the Market Ward," Morânia explained. "That might be the closest."

"Is smoking allowed there?" the half-elf asked immediately.

"Yes," Morânia replied with a laugh.

"We can also go to my place," Lereia offered, whereupon the bal'aasi gave her a surprised look.

"You already have a house here?"

"Yes," Sgillin remarked with a grin. "Once in Sigil, smiled at a factol and she already has a house."

Lereia raised her hands defensively and smiled, a little ashamed. "Well, I didn't do much for it. Ambar gave it to me as a gift."

Morânia raised her brows in astonishment. "Ambar gave it to you? Aha." She grinned meaningfully, but obviously in jest.

Jana began to laugh and glanced sideways at Sgillin.

"Yes," he said. "I also think it's strange."

"Not strange and not aha," Lereia replied seriously. "He's my mentor and only means well."

She kept nodding affirmatively at these words and Morânia smiled. "All right, it was just a joke."

"I know," Lereia agreed. "I just had a bad conscience about the house."

Jana raised her glass, probably to interrupt the house discussion. "So ... let's drink a toast to the factols?"

Morânia nodded and did the same. "I'll drink to that, Jana. We all have one I can drink to in good conscience, I think."

"But only to ours," Naghûl remarked as he reached for his glass. "Because those are the pleasant ones."

"Definitely," Jana agreed. "I certainly wouldn't want to drink to all the factols."

Lereia nodded. "To our factols," she joined in.

Kiyoshi concentrated on his drink again - the smell of sake disappeared. He nodded contentedly and raised his glass.

"To our factols and their wonderful quirks," Naghûl said, looking at Sgillin with a brief grin.

"I don't have one," the half-elf replied with a shrug.

"Then you'll just have to skip this turn," Jana said with a cheeky grin and took a deep sip.

Naghûl toasted his friend. "Sgillin, I can only offer it to you again and again: Come and join the Sensates."

"Nah, nah," the half-elf fended him off. "That wouldn't go well, I think."

"Then the Harmonium," Morânia said with amusement.

"I think that would be a wonderful experience," Naghûl agreed, grinning broadly.

When they had finished their drinks, the bal'aasi looked around. "And now? Stay or go? I have to admit that I'm eager to talk to you about all of this. After all, it's a bit more new to me than it is to you."

"I suggest Morânia's house," Naghûl explained. "I'm in the mood to bake."

"Ha!" Sgillin pointed at Naghûl. "That, my dear Sensate, is something I want to see ... And taste."

Jana stood up. "Me too."

"My baking skills win out," Naghûl remarked, beaming. "Wonderful!"

As they stood up and grabbed their coats, Morânia looked at Jana thoughtfully for a moment. "You are really among the Lost now?" she then asked directly.

Jana finished the last of her beer, paused for a moment and then nodded. "Yes. You ... don't hold it against me, the paladin remark, do you?"

Morânia laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I know how it goes in the Cage. Besides, I'm a paladin of the best kind, you couldn't have meant me."

Jana grinned with relief. "That's probably the case. And Naghûl can really bake?"

"You bet!" Morânia confirmed, and Naghûl noticed he felt a certain pride at his wife's immediate, sincere praise.

"Let's get going then," Jana said with a smile.

"Do we have to go shopping?" Lereia asked hesitantly.

Naghûl waved her off carelessly. "I'm sure Morânia has everything in her kitchen. She doesn't want a bad-tempered husband because he's not allowed to bake."

"You're stashing everything with me anyway," Morânia replied with a laugh.

- - -

By the time they left the Limbo Bar, the hour of Last Light had already passed. It was a cool day with a light rain and a restless wind blew through the streets. They had taken a caratella to the Market Ward, but in the Guildhall Ward, not far from the Great Gymnasium, Naghûl signaled the driver to stop. The older gnome brought the Bytopian ponies to a halt and the tiefling got out of the carriage without further explanation.

"What are you going to do now?" Jana wanted to know tensely.

"I have an idea," Naghûl simply said and then waited for the others to get out as a matter of course. "Follow me."

"When a Sensate has an idea ..." Morânia said with a sigh, but left the caratella and gave the driver a few coins to wait for them.

Naghûl thought to himself that she probably knew him well enough by now to know that one or two crazy ideas couldn't be driven out of him anyway. Well, most of the crazy ideas, actually. The others followed suit, Sgillin calmly, Kiyoshi stoically, Jana annoyed and Lereia with a puzzled frown. Only when the tiefling had almost brought them to their destination did the half-elf let out a rather strained sigh.

"Oh no ..."

But Naghûl just grinned triumphantly and pointed to the entrance of an inconspicuous house made of gray stone. On the inside, of course, it was anything but inconspicuous ...

"What is this place?" Morânia wanted to know.

"Where it all began ..." the tiefling replied meaningfully. "At least for Lereia, Sgillin and me. This was the first time we had to deal with … all of this."

Lereia nodded. "Yes, this is the house where we saw the tombs. Jana and Kiyoshi weren't present then. It was creepy ..." She crossed her arms and gave Naghûl an annoyed look. "We could discuss something like that beforehand."

Apologetically, the tiefling raised his hands. "I just don't think we should withhold this from our fellow Chosen."

"You're just trying to avoid baking," Sgillin remarked, half joking, half disgruntled.

Naghûl knew that he had taken his friends by surprise with this action. But he hadn't felt like discussing it in advance. Sometimes he simply preferred to act rather than talk. He glanced briefly at his wife and her indulgent smile told him that she had already forgiven him for his little arbitrary act. So he took out the key he had received from the dabus and had always carried with him ever since. As on that chilly day of Regula, he used it to open the door and this time, too, the house was completely empty - just bare walls and a bare floor. The others followed him in silence and crossed the first room as quietly as possible, then went through the corridor that led to the next, larger room.

Here Lereia turned her head gently. "There they are again. Withering white roses ..."

"Where?" Morânia frowned, but then seemed to remember something. "Or is that your gift? Naghûl mentioned it."

"Yes," Lereia confirmed. "I perceive it as a kind of ... trace or signature. But it's more of a spiritual thing, no one can see it but me."

"So now we're working after all," Jana sighed, but followed the others further into the room.

Naghûl looked around almost devoutly but also tensely. "This is where we were first confronted with the prophecy," he explained in a hushed voice.

"Yes, the tombs appeared here," Lereia confirmed. "But the scorpion is missing."

Kiyoshi's gaze wandered to the center of the room. "Forgive my ignorance," he began his question. "But do you see the strange vortex there as well?"

Naghûl followed his gaze and discovered the vortex that they had also seen in this exact spot on their first visit. It had been active last time, but not today. "Yes, Kiyoshi, that is a vortex," he explained to the young soldier. "But it's inactive today."

Morânia looked around attentively, almost as if she could hear or see something special. "But something ... is here," she realized.

Concerned, Lereia turned her head towards her. "What do you sense, Morânia?"

"I don't know ..." She looked around again and Naghûl watched his wife intently as she walked further into the room. "It is as if something ... is pulling at me."

"Then let's get out of here," Sgillin said worriedly and Lereia frowned.

"Pulling? Is it your body or rather your mind or soul?"

"It's not physical," Morânia explained, still highly concentrated. "More spiritually."

Now Sgillin seemed to be getting uncomfortable. "Then all the more ... Let's get out of here!"

Naghûl, on the other hand, watched his wife warily but remained calm. They had been through a lot together over the decades and certainly worse things than this. At this point, he saw no reason yet to stop the interesting and possibly helpful proceedings here.

Morânia seemed to think so too, because she didn't move. "No ... wait," she said instead.

But then, very suddenly, her head was jerked back as if by an invisible force reaching for her. Naghûl immediately stepped to her side and Jana also rushed forward to support her if necessary.

"Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!" Sgillin exclaimed as he put his hand on the quiver.

Naghûl had taken Morânia's arm gently as a precaution, but realized that she was standing steadily. Then her head slowly sank forward and her golden-blonde hair hung in her forehead. Slowly, she brushed it back ... and when she looked at Naghûl, her eyes were white, without iris and pupil, like Jana's when she had a vision - but a golden light shone from hers, as if a tiny sun was shining behind them. Naghûl flinched in shock. But before he could think another thought, Morânia moved her lips.

" I am the Envoy ," she said, her voice echoing strangely. Hesitantly, the others stepped closer and Morânia let her gaze wander over everyone present. " You seek answers ," she continued. " I will give you the answers I am allowed to deliver. I am still a long way off. The veil will only be lifted briefly. Ask. "

Sgillin was the first to recover from his shock and surprise. "Quickly then. Questions?" He looked at the others.

"I ..." Lereia looked back and forth between Morânia and Naghûl, obviously undecided as to whether she should ask anything.

The tiefling wasn't quite sure either, but then asked the first question that came to mind without much thought. "Is it true that the Chosen have no spiritual signature?"

Morânia turned her head in his direction, her eyes still shining brightly and intensely in the gloom of the old walls. " Yes, " she then replied, her voice echoing in the large room like a bronze bell.

Naghûl took a deep breath and looked at Lereia, who now also took heart. "How many Chosen are there?" she asked.

Morânia now slowly turned her head towards Lereia - but this time she remained silent. A brief, breathless wait in the group, but no answer. "Are there any other Chosen?" Lereia tried again.

This time Morânia answered. " Yes. "

"Who are the other Chosen?" Sgillin quickly followed up.

But again there was no answer, Morânia just looked at Sgillin - apparently waiting - and remained silent.

"Forgive me, honorable companions," Kiyoshi remarked cautiously. "But it seems to me that she may only respond to questions that can be answered with yes or no."

Naghûl nodded gently. Judging by the pattern of the previous four questions, the young soldier might well be right. He thought about what another sensible question might be, but Jana beat him to it.

"Are there forces in other factions not represented here who know about the Deus Machina and are working against us?"

Morânia turned her head to Jana. " Yes, " she replied in an echoing voice.

But then, after the third answer, the glow in her eyes vanished, her head sank forward and her shoulders sagged a little. Naghûl and Jana quickly grabbed her by the elbows to support her as a precaution.

The tiefling stroked her hair gently. "Are you all right, dear?" he asked quietly, now concerned about her condition.

He watched her closely as she raised her head and looked around, slightly disoriented. To his relief, she looked confused but not hurt. "I ... I think so," she replied, still a little weak.

"You're definitely one of us," Jana murmured tonelessly, staring at Morânia with a hint of unease.

The bal'aasi didn't seem to notice, however, needing to stabilize and regain her bearings. "What was that?" she then asked. "My gift?"

"It would seem so," Naghûl replied gently. "Did you notice everything?"

Morânia nodded. "I remember everything. But as if I was behind a veil or a wall."

Only now did Sgillin take his hand off the quiver. "What spoke through you?" he wanted to know.

Naghûl saw his wife take a deep breath before she answered. "I think ... it was ... her . The angel's soul ..." she then explained quietly.

The Sensate nodded. Yes, he had immediately thought of that too. An old story - and one that no one in this room knew except him. The looks of the others were correspondingly confused and questioning.

"What kind of angel?" Lereia asked in astonishment.

"It's been a long time," Morânia said with a sigh and brushed back her golden blonde hair. Her feathered wings moved gently up and down. "That was years ago, in Meresin. We had found an artifact, a soul sphere, in which the soul of an archangel was enclosed - or at least a part of it. I destroyed the orb back then to defeat the devil Inzarik, who was threatening Meresin. That worked, but afterwards the soul had no body ... and therefore went into mine."

Sgillin's eyes widened, and Naghûl knew him well enough to realize that he was completely dumbfounded. "You ... you have an archangel inside you?"

"A part of her soul," Morânia toned down, as if to reassure the others. "But yes, that's how it is. Sometimes I feel her and very rarely, in very dangerous situations, she gives me a part of her power."

There was a deep silence in the dimly lit room for a while as the others had to process this message and sort it out for themselves. Kiyoshi tried to remain as calm as possible, but Naghûl could tell that even he was a little overwhelmed by the story - just like Sgillin, except that the half-elf had shown it more clearly. Jana, on the other hand, looked at Morânia with even more unease than before. Lereia seemed quite positively taken by the story and eyed the bal'aasi curiously, if not intrusively. Then a question seemed to cross her mind.

"But ... what does this angel have to do with the prophecy? How does she know about it?"

Morânia lifted her shoulders somewhat helplessly. "Our piece of the prophecy says something about a child carrying the soul of heaven ... What exactly this archangel has to do with it, I don't know. But I'm sure she just spoke through me. However, I had the impression that she was subject to certain limitations."

"She said she was far away," Lereia pondered. "So she's not really here ?"

"In a way, she's part of me," Morânia replied. "But mostly she's trapped inside me, and not the other way around ... I don't know the whereabouts of the archangel to whom this soul part belongs. I've never been able to find out."

Sgillin shook his head and waved it off. "That's too high for me."

Morânia rubbed her temples briefly as she apparently searched for words to explain something she didn't quite understand herself. "Somehow ... she wanted to help us, I sensed that. But she can't just say anything she wants. There are restrictions, but I can't say what kind of and by whom."

"Hmm ..." Lereia twirled a strand of hair around her index finger, as she often did when she was thinking. "The question is why and how she knows about the prophecy. And what she means by a long way off ."

"I'm afraid I don't know exactly," Morânia replied. "But somehow I have the feeling she could answer more questions if she were closer ... in whatever way."

"Excuse me," Kiyoshi spoke up again. "But wouldn't it be the logical next step to find out how that can be accomplished? Especially since we have to go to the heavenly spheres anyway? Because of the Keeper and the Proclaimer that the grimace in the Hive spoke of."

Naghûl nodded gently. Yes, Lady Erin had already hinted to him that the Chosen would probably be given a new mission. In the very matter that Kiyoshi had just mentioned. A glance around told him that the cheerful evening of baking and chatting had come to an end for the time being. For one thing, Morânia seemed quite exhausted from her first encounter with her gift and for another, the rest of them was also thoughtful and confused enough to want to process what they had just experienced. They therefore all agreed to go home first, report back to their factols and come to terms with the new situation. A few days later, they decided, they would meet again and talk about everything.

 

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played May 22, 2012