The door swung open, followed by a crash of a nearby frame fell from the wall. A young red-haired man rushed inside, heaving a heavy breath. “Where is he?!”
Luther rang the bell on the table. The man’s head immediately turned to him. Luther raised his hand, telling him to calm down.
The man fell on his knee. “Sir Luther, you went out by yourselves and chase the devil alone across another town. If it wasn’t because of their reports of sighting a sinner inside their town, we wouldn’t find you there. Please bring at least some of us with you next time.”
Luther scratched the back of his head. He never expected his absence would let to such trouble to his men. Before leaving on his chase, he left the matter of Havenbarrow to Vincent. He barely got back on his own. If not for the patrol guards, he could have died by his own recklessness. Luther mentally reminded himself to reflect such action after this.
“I’m glad you’re back and safe.”
Luther knocked his knuckles on the table three times. He placed his hand on his chest with a nod. A gesture of gratitude for Vincent’s work while he’s away.
Vincent smiled. “Please, there’s no need for such praise. I was only doing what you commanded me.”
Luther was fortunate to gain a reliable partner on his side. Despite his inability to communicate properly, Vincent didn’t push him away like every previous partner assigned to him. Vincent was the first one who came up with the idea of a unique signal for them to use.
He knocked on the table once, which roughly asked Vincent to report the situation.
Vincent stood up straight. His face shifted from joy to hardened mask. “While you were away, a messenger from Ashendel arrived. Luminary Cael asked for your assistance in his town. A curse has befallen on the shoulders of his people. The situation seemed dire from the way the messenger frantically asked to see you.”
Luther tapped his fingers. It was unlike of Cael to request for anyone’s assistance. As someone who could rival the luminary of strength, Luther doubt even he could do anything to help. He got up from his bed and went to a jointed small room. He grabbed a scroll from the mountain of papers. Dust covered the room. He rolled the scroll flat on the table. It was a map of Erdenia. A land of mortal blessed by the grace of heaven. Kings and queens used to rule over the land. Now it became a deserted ruin that became fables to the children. Sinners only conquered and destroyed. They left the land to show the state of their stolen lands. An intimidation to show their power to the weak.
Luther traced his finger from Havenbarrow to Ashendel. At the moment, he was the closest aid Cael could get. The other luminaries were too far for him to reach out.
A paper and a quill placed in front of him. Vincent prepared it while he was in his deep thought.
Did the messenger tell you anything about this curse? Luther wrote his thoughts down.
Vincent shook his head. “He passed away from his infested wounds after giving the message. He came here alone, travel from day and night without a rest just to get here.”
How long will the journey take?
“It will take at least four days to arrive in Ashendel if the heaven watched over our journey. With the sinners hiding in the shadows, I doubt we could make it less than a week.”
The messenger's desperate attempt to reach Havenbarrow alone told him about the dire situation in Ashendel. But what can he offer to help Cael, the Luminary of Justice. He was only an unknown luminary. His sight hardened at the sight of the flower on his necklace. White Valley was the name of the flower. It resembled the shape of a bell. A fragile flower easily trampled down even by a slight breeze. Forgotten into the past as nobody had seen it for thousands of years after the tyranny of sinners ravaged the land. The flowers disappeared along with the past.
Prepare for the journey. Luther placed the quill down.
“Understood—” Vincent took two letters out from his jacket. “These letters arrived this morning. One is from the Lumina Cathedral, it had Lady Kyra’s seal,” he paused, “and so does the red letter—”
Luther glowered at the sight of the red letter. The seal had a flower pattern of daffodil. A seal only held by the Luminary of Truth.
“I made sure verified its seal. Sir Gizem himself indeed sent this letter.”
He took the letter sent by Lady Kyra while ignoring the red letter. The sender ought to know not to send a letter in red carelessly. Sending one was like asking for a trial before the heaven. Fortunately, Vincent was someone who doesn’t run his mouth around. If anything, it would bring everyone in his squad into trial instead.
“I can’t believe he would make us do a devil’s work. Making us protecting a devil from its own kins. Why did you even agreed to this deal? Going off alone against something like that.”
Luther shook his head. He can’t give his reason out. It was an agreement between only two luminaries. Vincent pushed no further and gave up. “Now that the sinner we’re looking for is nowhere to be found, I suggest we stopped for now. Right now, our people need our utmost protection.”
Luther nodded.
“I’ll leave you to rest, captain.”
After Vincent left the room, he turned his attention to the letter. He gently traced the magnolia flower belonged to Kyra.
My dearest friend,
How’s Havenbarrow? I wished I could visit the town and offer my hand to the people. I hope you’re not overworking yourselves there. You don’t look after yourselves well, if not for Vincent being the mother.
He rolled his eyes. A spark of joy found its way into his cold, cerulean blue eyes. Kyra continued on telling about her days in the cathedral. Her days have been busier as the day for the war approaching close ever since the seven sinners returned one by one. Everyone grew restless as the fated day drew closer.
The priests wanted me to join an expedition in a few days. They needed my aid to support the knights. Please don’t worry about me. I’m well and fine. I will take my rest when needed, just as you advised me. You take care of yourselves out there. I await for your return from Havenbarrow.
The letter ended. Kyra asking him not to worry about her means there was indeed something he needed to be concerned about. Kyra held a heavy burden as the Luminary of Vitality. People held her in the highest regards among the three brightest luminaries. It was her duty to give her aid when needed. However, behind the bright light she held, Luther knew of the looming death followed her the closest. Kyra worked without a rest to heal those inflicted by the curses of the sinners. The war hadn’t started yet, but Kyra was already crumbling. He can’t get rid of the image of her once bright blue eyes losing its shine.
He glanced at the red letter. Did Gizem know sending the red letter with Kyra’s would encourage Luther to do his bidding?
No, there are more important things than this. Luther crumpled the red letter. He threw it into the fire. The fire devoured traces of its existence. It was only right for him to burn it before anyone found it first.
First, I need to meet Cael. After solving the curse in Ashendel, I’ll think about his offer but I lost the bell and the ribbon.
Luther shut his eyes. He tried connecting his thoughts to the missing bell. He could only see darkness. There wasn’t a sound or life in sight. The bond was faint. The bell might have been broken, barely allowing him to feel its presence. Gizem placed his own miracle prayer on the red ribbon as a proof of their agreement. Luther can back away from the agreement until he returns the ribbon.
He saw paintings of the wrath depiction in the Lumina Cathedral. A demon of a pair of red blood eyes shrouded in black shadowy mist. An unearthly creature came from the abyss and took on a disguise of a woman. He shivered whenever he glanced at the painting. Until he finally met eye to eye with the nightmare. The silvery moonlight strands swayed by the blazing fiery crimson flame. The ashes of sinners blanketed her lone figure.
Sinner of Wrath. Why do you hold such gaze as you burn your own kin?
Luther pulled out a new paper to write. Until he was certain of his own decision, he won’t let go of the offer. He should send one letter to explain his situation.
* * * * * *
A pair of arms entwined her silky moonlight white hair beneath her shadow. When it was done, the arms gestured at its finishing touch. It was a little loose and messy, but it was better than letting the hair slapping her face. Ethel pulled the braided hair over her shoulder. Her moonlight hair was the only thing she could be proud of. White was the color of pure and innocence. It reflected the moon, who shone the brightest in the night.
A scarlet butterfly returned to her side after completing the small task she had given. It guided the nearby knights to where the luminary was. She doubted the mortal can walk back home with that kind of condition.
“Great work.” She let the return butterfly rest on her finger.
“What do you think is it for?” Ethel asked her scarlet butterflies as she lifted the bell tied in a ribbon from her shadow. “I don’t think a luminary would bring a bell with him as an accessory.”
The shadowy arm turned the bell around as she inspected the bell. It had the flower pattern carved on its body. The same flower from the luminary’s necklace. A flower similar to the shape of a bell. I don’t recall seeing this flower either. The shadow shook the bell. However, it made no sound.
Ah, I remember now. That day, the same mortal had a bell with him.
Ethel hummed as she recalled the last moment of her sixth incarnation. A mortal walked through the valley of death, accompany by the sounds of bells. His silence similar to the owner of this bell. Ethel wondered if the previous man and the luminary had the same fate. Their mouth sealed.
She snickered. “I doubt the two of them are the same person. No mortal can live more than a hundred years old, nor do their souls returned here after death. Unlike the sinners, beyond life and death, only the mortal is welcome. A heaven of peace and eternal resting.”
Ethel rested her head against the tree. She reminisced about her first awakening in an open field surrounded by the golden valley. She awoke from a dream she couldn’t remember. “How long has it been? When am I going to have my peace and rest? ”
The first butterfly stayed hidden from the touch of the sun. It kept itself close to her shadow. Only appearing when needed. The first incarnation had no beautiful memory. Upon her first visit to a town, they threw rocks at her and hurled curses at her. Ethel remembered being confused and lose in a world that fear her. She had to learn to accept their fear and hatred.
What will you do now? They raised the question.
“For now, let’s just rest. I’ve only woken up from a slumber and have been running around. It has been exhausting.”
She raised the silver bell. One of the butterfly clung on the bell ever since she found it. A light carrying a sin by his side. She has questions what kind of new trap the luminaries were planning again this time.
“It was the same thing I did last time. The time I naively thought about a peaceful talk with them and sent them a letter tied with the same red ribbon.” Ethel stare at the ribbon. She held the urge to burn it into nothing but remnants of the past. It was a futile attempt. A stupid idea to even try. They can’t possibly wanted to open the door for a peaceful conversation. So why does the luminary had it with him? Perhaps he was trying to lure her into the gallows?
Ethel dropped the bell into her shadow. She buried it into the past as it should be.
Where to now?
“Lamifel,” Ethel answered. “To retrieve my sword.”
No! The second butterfly blocked her path. Of course, it would try to stop her. I made a vow. You made a vow.
Ethel brushed its wings to calm its restlessness. “Such is a fate full of regrets and tragic, for I have to return to the very town I burned down into ashes and left my sword there.” It was the first time she tasted the fire of her own wrath. A rage she couldn’t control or stop once it burst out. When she set her heart free to the rage, a disgusting satisfaction filled the void.
“Which reminds me. They changed the name. It’s not Lamifel.” Ethel pondered for a moment. She wiped Lamifel out in a single day. Left nothing but ashes. It has been more than thousands of years since then. To forget the awful past she caused, they named the town a new one.
When the name popped out in her head, she told herself. “To Ashendel then.”
