After Aya and Sayer’s left the banquet, the guests of House Castille went wild spreading a flood of rumors and speculation. The daughter of a marquis actually walked out of what was supposed to be her own engagement banquet with a commoner. What a scandal! Rarely did such a juicy piece of gossip liven up the social sphere of these aristocrats. 

The couple’s story was especially popular with the young daughters of Melogos’ upper class. With each pair of lips that retold the events, the story gained more embellishments. The mysterious commoner boy was romanticized into a tragic hero who crashed the party, determined to move mountains and cross rivers of blood to be with his beloved. The Beaumonts on the other hand were described as villainous tyrants. Obviously they must have been forcing Lord Castille to separate Aya from her lover. 

How much of the new tale was true? Who cares? This version made for the spiciest drama so that’s the way the story was recounted.

Poor Quinten Beaumont, after first having his engagement plans canceled, was now finding his reputation being smeared. This was a disaster for him and it was all that peasant’s doing! Just after leaving House Castille, he ordered several of his retainers to dig up every bit of information about Sayer. He wanted to know where he lived, who his family was, who his friends were, where he worked. Everything! This humiliation needed to be repaid a hundredfold before his anger could be sated.

—

Within a quiet dorm at the academy, Sayer wore a look of helplessness. A very focused Aya was in the midst of wrapping a gauze bandage around his arm. Both of them sat together at the edge of Aya’s bed. 

Sayer had come to the conclusion that Aya was not cut out to be a nurse. After watching her fumble around cluelessly, he had already attempted to take over and treat his wound himself. However, Aya stamped her foot and insisted. So now he had no choice but to sit obediently and suffer through her ‘gentle treatment’.

Initially after the banquet, Sayer had been absolutely furious with Aya. She manipulated him into agreeing to a favor without knowing the full details, and she vastly underestimated how serious the consequences of her actions would be. But when Sayer saw her timid and guilty look, completely unlike her usual mischievous behavior, he lost the resolve he needed to remain angry. 

“What happened can’t be undone, so there’s no use dwelling at this point. What are you going to do next?”

Sayer told himself many times that the fallout of the banquet would have nothing to do with him. His side of the deal was fulfilled, but here he was worrying about how she would deal with things anyway.

“I.. I have no idea to be honest. I was certain that if I showed my father that I would not be controlled, he would cave and cancel the engagement plans. But he’s already sent a messenger. He said that if I’m so determined to be independent, I can try fending for myself without the family’s backing from now on.”

“Are you going to end up kicked out of your school?”

“I should be alright at the academy for the rest of the term, but after that I’ll need to find a way to pay for it myself or move somewhere else.”

Sayer creased his brow as he considered possible solutions. Aya’s situation really wasn’t easy to solve, but at least she wouldn’t be living on the streets for now.

“Is there something like a scholarship program you could apply for?”

“The only thing like that is for people affiliated with the clergy, and my focus would need to be abjuration. Plus I’d rather keep my distance from the Church if possible.” 

Aya bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms. She showed an obvious distaste for anything to do with the ecclesiarchy.

“Why’s that?”

“They prohibit the study of any forbidden or heretical knowledge, but who decides what knowledge is forbidden? They do. So who’s to stop them from just labeling anything they don’t like as heresy?”

Sayer felt himself nodding as he listened to this criticism. The Church of Vera’s control of information was indeed uncomfortable to him.

Can knowledge be evil? Some research has undoubtedly been used to commit evil deeds in Melogos’ past, but that doesn’t mean the research itself is inherently bad. When a sword is used by a highwayman to rob a merchant, is the sword to blame? Then what about when the same sword is wielded by a chivalrous knight? 

“Speaking of which, you seem to be no stranger to forbidden knowledge yourself, Mr. Thorne.” 

“Why do you say that?”

Aya grinned and leaned in closer to him, propping herself up with her hands on either side of his leg.

“That symbol you were asking about. It’s not the kind of thing one would expect an innocent boy-next-door to be curious about.”

“Then what is it exactly?”

Aya’s hands fiddled with the hem of her dress as she hesitated, considering just how much she should share. Since things had gone as far as they had, Aya decided she should just tell him everything. She owed Sayer that much at least.

“Rather than just explain, it would be easier if I showed you something..”

—

The pair waited until the sun had fully set, and then snuck out from Aya’s room. They returned to the Athenaeum where they had first met. Sayer found out that Aya had somehow gotten herself a key to the building, and that is the only reason he wasn’t locked inside the first time he had been here. 

Aya navigated through the maze of bookshelves with purpose while Sayer followed close behind. While she led the way, she explained things to a very confused Sayer. 

“My great-great-grandfather was one of the sorcerers hunted down during the black magic purge. But he didn’t die. He managed to hide out here in the academy.”

So that’s how it is. No wonder Aya didn’t like the Church. One of her ancestors was persecuted for heretical research.

The two reached the farthest wall in the back of the library where there was a massive faded fresco. Aya stepped up before the fresco and touched one painted figure’s eye, revealing it to be a cleverly disguised button. Sayer heard the sliding of stone as some mechanism within the wall was triggered. One of the marble tiles in the floor raised up, and after Aya slid it to the side, it uncovered a narrow passage with a ladder descending into darkness. 

“Your grandfather sure knew how to pick a cozy hideout..”

With apprehension written all over his face, Sayer peered down into the hole in the floor. He wasn’t able to see the bottom of the shaft. A draft of cold air blew against his face.

“What’s the matter? You’re not afraid of the dark, right~?”

Aya dragged out her last syllable with a playful tone, taking pleasure from his reaction. Sayer had no idea this little field trip the girl was bringing him on would involve him delving underground. 

“Aya.. How is it that you know this secret?”

“He left behind clues in his journal written in code. Naturally a genius like myself had no problem deciphering it.”

Aya held her chin up high and planted her hands on her hips proudly. Sayer was too busy pondering to himself to bother acknowledging her boasting. 

What kind of forbidden research was her grandfather into? Was all this cloak and dagger really necessary? With these questions in the back of his mind, Sayer started to descend down the ladder.

The cramped shaft gave off an oppressive, claustrophobic feeling. Sayer continued climbing down for dozens of feet. Aya created some light via sorcery as she followed after him. He raised his head to look back at her, but she quickly stepped on him to stop his wandering eyes.

“Where exactly are you looking? Don’t even think about trying to take any peeks up my skirt.” 

“I was just going to ask how much further.”

Almost as soon as Sayer had asked, he felt his foot touch the ground beneath him. Aya hopped down from the ladder soon after. She held her dress down with her face flushed red, looking very aggrieved. 

The chamber sensed their arrival. Several rusted sconces lit up on their own and the previously dark space flickered with torchlight. This secret space consisted of only a single room laid out like a private study.

One wall was covered by something that looked like a wine rack, but instead of bottles it held hundreds of rolled up scrolls. Other than that, the only other feature in the chamber was a dusty desk and wooden stool. 

“This is where my grandfather hid everything to do with his research.”

“And what exactly was he researching that he needed to be this secretive?”

“The ancient Melogosians and the Abyssals.”

Sayer had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but Aya wasn’t surprised by this in the least. The existence of both was a taboo that wasn’t to be talked about.

“Melogos is way older than most people think. The city that’s here now was settled a little over 300 years ago, but it was built atop ruins of a past people that were here at least a thousand years before that.”

“I assume you’re telling me all this because the symbol I showed you is something from that civilization?”

“Yes. To be specific, it’s something they called an Abyssal Accord.”

As she continued to narrate, Aya started searching through the scrolls for a particular one. Once she found it, she unfurled it out on the desk for him to see. It was a charcoal rubbing used to record part of an engraving. Depicted in the center was a runic symbol that looked nearly identical to what he saw on the cover of the portal tome. 

“The ancient Melogosians worshiped a pantheon of gods that they called the Abyssals. They had rituals where they gave offerings to these gods or performed some kind of service for them, and in return they would receive an Accord. It was like a proof of contract or a pact between them and their god. This contract apparently was able to grant them the power of the Abyssals.”

Abyssals. This kind of name didn’t make them sound like benevolent gods. Do gods even exist in this world? So far all that Sayer had encountered was sorcery. The Church created something called Angel’s Blood, but that name didn’t seem to be literal… Or maybe it is?

“The power of the Abyssals.. What kind of power was it? A kind of sorcery?” 

“No one knows for sure. What we know is that there were several different blessings. Each was associated with a different Abyssal and granted its own unique power. Most of them we know almost nothing about.”

“Most?”

“There’s one my grandfather had records for called the Accord of Truesight. With that one, the accorded were given a special power that let them see.. Something. It isn’t clear what, but it must have been something terrifying. Their murals show that around half of those that received the blessing would tear out their own eyes after witnessing it.”

Sayer sucked in a breath through his teeth. Thankfully he didn’t receive that ‘blessing’.

“What about my symbol? Do you know its name?”

“Yours is the Accord of Kinship.”

“And you have no idea what kind of blessing it’s supposed to give?”

Aya’s pigtails swayed side to side as she shook her head. Sayer went silent and fell into deep contemplation. A drop of his blood activated a book with the Accord of Kinship on the cover. Presumably this was equal to ‘signing the contract’. But if that’s the case why didn’t he feel any effects from this so-called blessing? And what had he been contracted to do? Or what price did he have to pay?

As Sayer was trying to organize his thoughts, Aya tiptoed closer to him and leaned into his chest to meet his eyes.

“Now I’ve told you everything I know, so why don’t you tell me exactly where you found an Abyssal Accord. I’m really dying to know!” 

“This Abyssal stuff is what you’ve been studying outside of your academy courses right? You really need to find some more normal extracurriculars.”

Sayer flicked her on the forehead and then pushed her away to arm’s length. When did this girl suddenly become so touchy? Aya rolled her eyes at his clumsy attempt to dodge her questioning. She would pry out the secrets from his lips one way or another.

“Fine! Be that way. I guess you’ll just have to research all this stuff on your own since you don’t want my help.”

With her head turned away from him, she acted as though she couldn’t be bothered with him.

“Uh, well.. I might have signed a contract with an Abyssal.. By accident.”

In less than a second Aya was glued to his chest again, so fast that she almost knocked him over. Large doe-like eyes sparkled with interest in the low light.

“Tell me more!”

Sayer decided that Aya was the only ally he had in Melogos and she had acted in good faith by sharing her secrets, so he would divulge some of his as well. They were tied together through circumstance now regardless, so they might as well go all the way with their cooperation.

With his mind made up, Sayer spent the next hour telling her how he had found the book. He explained how its text changed shape from an alien language to his own, how he accidentally activated it, and even how it brought him from another world called Earth.

This last point caused Aya to have endless questions. She wanted to know everything about his world. Sayer thought that compared to Melogos, his home was much more boring, but that didn’t seem to bother Aya any. 

Sayer was a little surprised that she just accepted everything he told her as the truth right away. If someone else told him the things he was saying, he would probably question their sanity. Then again, this was a world where sorcery existed, so maybe his story wasn’t so hard to believe. Or maybe Aya was just a little crazy herself.

Eventually, Sayer needed to put a stop to Aya’s curiosity for the time being or they would be down in this bunker under the library all night. The pair split up at the entrance to the Athenaeum. Aya promised that she would search through all of her grandfather’s notes for anything related to the Accord of Kinship, and Sayer promised that he would help her find a way to deal with her new financial instability. 

Sayer used the same method he used his first night to scale over the academy’s perimeter wall. Unbeknownst to him, someone had been waiting for him outside the academy and they took notice of him trying to sneak away into the night. As Sayer headed towards his room at the motel, a figure cloaked in shadow quietly trailed him from a distance.