The Priesthood

Forging a code that is more powerful than the capabilities of the person forging it is stupidly difficult, at least to the point that the three of them would have difficulties performing it together. It had to be something that would pique the interest of someone much more skilled than them.

Every day, they had to see the person that they all suspected. She seemed to be as she always was: uninterested and blunt toward her students and peers alike. Nothing was different about her; only Kanrel’s perception of her was different. Yet he sat through her lectures, took notes, and participated during class as he would normally do.

Oidus, even with the crimes that she had committed, remained an intellectual of the highest caliber. And her style of teaching, although erratic, suited Kanrel perfectly.

Even then, he was in a rush to produce an overtly complicated piece of code that even she would have difficulty fully understanding. There was just a month left before graduation, and the cold of winter wasn’t that far away either.

At least doing so kept his emotions at bay. He would not lose control; he would not exact revenge on her; that was yet to come. This was all so that they could question her and find the truth. And not base their beliefs on something that could be an assumption or, worse, a lie.

Yviev and Yirn took it upon themselves to produce an entrapment code that they would use to pin her down so that they could question her without any issues. Yirn, who was more familiar with the surroundings of the city than they were, chose a location that they could use for their plans. An ample spot for an ambush.

Sadly, they weren’t able to visit the place beforehand because of their ban on leaving the campus grounds. Thus, they had to hope that Oidus would escort them out of the campus and into the city; perhaps her status could sway the campus guards.

Yirn also upped his training regime and frequently visited the dueling grounds; he sparred with other novices that frequently went there. Because of this, rumors went around the campus about him wanting to become an Inquisitor or a Paladin.

Kanrel didn’t have time for that; the code consumed all of his free time. The issue with it was that it was almost exclusively theoretical; he could only test it on a smaller scale and then hope that it could work as something much larger.

He couldn’t just create a fake code that would never work; he had to create something that could work. Otherwise, Oidus would see through this and think that Kanrel was just wasting not only his own time but, even worse, Oidus’s time.

Yirn and Yviev shared with Kanrel how their entrapment code worked and what Kanrel's part was in using it. According to Yviev, it was crafted in such a way that the three of them had to use it and keep it up at the same time; otherwise, Oidus could end up breaking out of it.

Then, at last, they thought that it was time to give it a shot. So Kanrel went to Oidus’s laboratory to showcase his code and ask for her help in testing it.

Kanrel looked at her from the doorway, collecting his wits and breathing slowly in and out to not let anxiety take hold of him.

She sat on the ground, writing something on a piece of paper, perhaps another conclusion to a failed test or something entirely different. She lifted her gaze when she noticed him standing in the doorway. She blinked a couple of times as if wondering if the thing she saw was real or not.

"So you’ve finally decided to visit me?" She asked and got up from the floor: "Don’t just stand there and come in instead. I suppose you are here for a reason?" She encouraged him and sat on a nearby chair.

Rather slowly, Kanrel walked in front of her. He cleared his throat and began his explanation: "I’ve recently encountered a small problem with my own research, and I would like your help with it."

Oidus raised her eyebrow and asked, "What small problem? What research and why do you need my help with it?"

Kanrel opened his notebook; in it was only his theory about gravitation and how one could use it with magic. "Since the challenge you gave us to lift a chair, I’ve been experimenting with gravity; it was the first thing that I wanted to use to lift the chair after all.”

Oidus leaned slightly forward in her chair.

"Especially, I’ve been experimenting with nodes of gravity, so forming a gravitational field or a spot in a location, for which I’ve devised a code," Kanrel said and brought his notebook to her.

She took it from him and began reading. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she read it, but soon a smile found its way onto her face. That damn smile.

"You’ve got yourself quite the code, indeed. Based on this, I can already guess what the issues might be that you’re dealing with."

"So let me guess: using this code within the academy would more or less cause massive amounts of damage, and at worst it could lead to the deaths of innocent bystanders?" She asked, going through the code again.

Kanrel nodded, "More or less, and I am unsure if I am successful in using the code even with the help of Yirn and Yviev," he added, taking the notebook back as she offered it to him.

"So you want me to help you out of the academy away from the city first and then use the code for you?" Oidus asked.

"Exactly."

Oidus made a long sigh. "Sure, I can help you with that, but why would I?" She asked and got up from her chair, "If there is nothing in it for me, why would I help you?"

Kanrel just stood there, his mind racing. What could she gain? Was there anything that she could gain? He could only think of her research, explosions, and implosions. So he went with the first thing that came to mind: "I think our current understanding of gravity is far too limited and possibly wrong in many ways, yet it is something that affects all; even magic has to take it into account."

"Understanding and perhaps even mastering it could push us through to the next phase of the development of magic."

Oidus, who was about to walk away, stopped in her tracks. She seemed to ponder his words until she scoffed, "You’re probably right," then she let out another long sigh, "I suppose I won’t lose anything if I help you, and perhaps you could mention my research to your mother; I would just love some investments into my research."

Kanrel almost sighed in relief. "Does tomorrow work for you?"

"Sure, now go tell the good news to your friends or whatever; I’ve got better things to do for today," Oidus said, dismissing Kanrel with a wave of her hand.

And as he was about to leave, she added, "You should visit more often; I have much hope for your future."

Kanrel stopped with his emotions swelling up again; it took considerable effort to not demand answers at that moment. "I will make sure to do so," he managed to say before he walked out of the door.

The rest of the day went by like a snail. He told the others that it would all happen tomorrow; they just weren’t quite sure when specifically. But it was easy to assume that it would be after the evening, so almost at night.

They quickly revised their plans so that they would all know where they were going and what to expect. Preparation is key to all things. They would have to be prepared for battle at worst if their entrapment code failed.

Kanrel even prepared questions that he would ask her, and there were so many questions that he wanted to ask her.

He went to his room a bit early and laid down on his bed. His mind raced with how things would go and how she would answer his questions. All the things that could happen, that could go wrong, that might go right. Everything and all.

He was trapped for the rest of the day and on until very late at night by these circling thoughts, emotions of doubt, and anxious worries.

Tomorrow felt so far away, and so did the answer, yet they were just behind the next corner that they would take.

He saw a nightmare; it was the same nightmare that he had seen daily during their time at the hospital: he was tied to a bed, but instead of faceless men, there was just Oidus. He would try to move; he would try to yell; he would try to beg, but only screams would come out.

He begged for mercy, but there was none in Oidus’s eyes nor in her actions as she slowly approached him. In her hands was a rapier, which she slowly inserted not into his stomach but into his heart.

Waves of pain and screams of agony trembled through his existence. Enough to wake him up from his nightmares, enough for him to scream even while awake. Enough for him to look for the rapier stuck to his chest—to his heart. Just to find that there is nothing there.

His heart beat quickly, like the drums of war. He looked around while sweat ran down his body. He looked for Oidus as tears fell from his eyes. Slowly, his body shivered no more, and slowly he calmed down.

He knew it was early in the morning as he buried his head in his hands and tried not to cry. Why did he want to cry? Why would he ever cry? He gritted his teeth and let anger consume him for just a moment. He hit his bed hard, just to feel only the response of pain. He took his pillow and bit into it, just so that he could scream at the unjust world that he found himself in.

Useless. It was all useless. He understood this as he slowly calmed down. He felt like he did on the day he awakened from the Ritual. They looked down on him; the Angels did. They must’ve only felt pity and disbelief for those who chose to take this path.

Surely they could not understand how useless a man could be, even when they looked from the heavens straight at them. They would only see men like him—powerless creatures that knew nothing and lived in doubt even when the answers were given to them. Even when power was granted.

Surely they would have just one thing on their minds: If this is a man...

If they had known before giving the gift to humanity, they would have let the Wildkin remove it from this world. This would’ve been the true blessing that they could give to creatures like him. This he believed with all of his heart.

He could not fall asleep anymore, so he let time slowly drag by as he just lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling. At least the ceiling was different this time.

After a while, he got up and dressed himself. He figured that it would be early enough at last; it was difficult to tell at this time of the year. Out of his window, he only saw himself looking back. A useless man with tired eyes.

With the strength that he had left, he opened the door and accepted that this would be his life. This is what it would be like for the rest of his time in this world. His outlook on things would not get better; things wouldn’t get better. For what he was and what he felt were all seen through a lens much darker than the darkest of autumn nights.

Today was the day when the truth would finally come out and set them free.