It was one month until the Dragonsday Festival, and Thais’ family members were converging on Iyiria’s shore. Some would accompany the clans they’d married out to; most would arrive with the Pearl Singer clan she’d been born into.

The annual migration should have been a time of reunion and celebration, but this year, Thais was worried.

“Put that away,” Etienne said as she reached for another cigarette. “You’ve gone through how many, already? Another won’t help.”

Thais sighed and pushed the stick back into its box. She threw it over the bar counter at his head, where he caught it with ease.

“Put it somewhere I can’t find it, or I’ll go through the whole box by the end of the night.”

Etienne raised an eyebrow. With a flick of his wrist, the cigarette pack disappeared out of sight, whether by sleight of hand or some other trick she didn’t know.

“Guessin’ you got some bad news?”

She nodded curtly. “Aunt Eirene just gave me a call. The committee’s messages and meetings’re being completely stonewalled by the Ministries, and our latest application with the Atmospheric Chancery has been denied again.”

“Well, shit. After all that work?”

“Yeah. Some new technicality over legislation that was introduced after the application was submitted. Swear they’re not even pretending to care anymore.”

“No point in worryin’ over what ya can’t control,” Etienne said. “If we can’t recruit a reliable helper to bulldoze through those paper-pushers, then worst comes to worst, we’ll find a way to pull it off under everyone’s nose.”

“Hope it won’t come to that,” Thais muttered. She thumbed absently through the dossiers they had on everyone in Nithemoore’s Year 2 Governance track. By now, she’d long memorized every word. “Looks more ’n more likely that I’ll be using those preparations we put in place, though. It’s not too late for you to cut your losses.”

Etienne narrowed his eyes. “Hey. How many times you gonna ask? I knew what I was gettin’ into when I decided to help out.”

Thais managed a faint smile at that. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She pushed the dossiers aside. “Enough about that. How did your outing with our peculiar and nameless friend go yesterday? Get anything outta him?”

Etienne crossed his legs on the bar stool, leaning his head on his hand, and blew a raspberry.

“You talkin’ bout ‘Embers’? That guy’s slippery as an eel. Had to threaten not to sell any more info ‘bout the rats or the Shrine before he caved, ‘n then he only said that he hadn’t passed our info ‘bout Rat Row to anyone else.”

“And we’re supposed to believe that?”

“I dunno. But y’know what else? He said he’d give me a piece of info as a token of sincerity. Said if we wanted to find someone completely neutral on the Anthemoessians, that Acacius Duval’s the best we’ll ever get.”

“Even harder to believe. But that basically confirms it, right?”

“Yeah. He’s gotta be in our line o’ work under Acacius Duval.”

Their suspicions towards Etienne’s nameless friend, privately nicknamed “Embers,” had started with his first request. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that, around the time of Linden’s duel with Acacius, a fourth-circle 6E mage came looking for a way to defeat a Trajectory realm aura user.

Then there was the information he’d had on the events of KP-04, which he could only have gotten by hearing it directly from the source or being there first-hand. Embers could’ve been a noble in disguise, but they’d eliminated that possibility because of how he’d requested a basic guide to aristocratic relationships and how he effortlessly fit into the seedier side of town. Their current best theory was that he’d been hired for a one-off job by an aristocrat, formed a longer-term partnership, and realized he needed to get up to speed on the noble circles before he could make any serious mistakes.

That could’ve also explained why he’d looked into the security on Veratrum Row, but the timing with the Order’s attack was a bit suspect. Then there was the fact that, out of everyone on the Row, only the Duvals managed to completely dodge the danger. Acacius had poor relationships with the other members of the Six Families; perhaps he’d taken advantage of the situation to weaken the other aristocrats while avoiding personal blame.

The puzzle pieces didn’t all fit, but so far, the best theory they had was that Acacius had hired Embers as an independent hand outside the Duval’s vast underground network, though to what end, they weren’t sure.

It was also hard to tell how much loyalty Embers had to his probable employer. The way he’d sold out information about KP-04 and Acacius himself on the spot suggested that he didn’t have much, but it was also possible that he was just a good actor, and that it was Acacius’ intention all along for some information to reach their side.

“I suppose his tip may be worth checking, then,” Thais said. “How’s his lessons comin’ along with you, by the way?”

Etienne clicked his tongue. “He learns so fast, it’s scary. Y’know he only became an aura initiate like a month back? I don’t think he’s even been practicin’ much outside of his time with me, but he’s already pickin’ up tricks from the next level.”

“Huh. You’d usually only see that kinda progress from someone jumping over from a similar frame, right? Like the Seungjo Republic’s martial resonance frame.”

“Well, he looks like he’s from the east, after all. That, and he learns real well with his body.” Etienne smirked and balled up a fist. “If he gets a little slow pickin’ up a new idea, all I hafta do is beat it into him.”

“Ya sure it ain’t just your own grudge against his talent?”

“What grudge? This is tender, lovin’ care for the guy who keeps throwin’ gold coins at me like he’s afraid of havin’ too many.”

Thais laughed. “Guess Acacius pays him well, huh?”

“So we should secure him on our side after all. C’mon, let’s see what they’re sayin’ about him on the school forum and see if we can get any good dirt.”

Etienne, being a Nithemoore student, naturally had access to the school’s internal forums. Thais followed him to the back room and sprawled over the ratty couch as Etienne pulled up the weavesite on his seam and projected the hologram onto the far wall.

Etienne had a few threads bookmarked already.

What happened in KP-04: Masterpost

by: Anonymous

Putting together a masterpost since there’s been so much confusion around. If you have any additions or corrections to make, tag me in a reply on this thread and I’ll update this post as soon as I can.

Order of events

• Arrival in KP-04. Acacius Duval is one of the last to arrive at the designated meeting ground. “Witch of Katsouli” Tiziri, under her disguise as “Hanan,” distributes compromised lenses for use.

• Independent exploration time. Acacius Duval is missing during this period; it is presumed this is when he uncovered evidence of the conspiracy. The Broken Kaleidoscope’s research and back-up teams are eliminated.

• Guided tour begins. Everyone descends underground to the Cagzol Caverns. Acacius Duval sends a fake threat to everyone through the compromised lenses, putting everyone on high alert.

• Order of the Black Sun launches their initial attack on the Nithemoore contingent. It is speculated that they were forced to act prematurely due to Acacius’ actions. They trap everyone within a barrier made using the sacrificial flow frame.

• Acacius breaks the sacrificial flow barrier through unknown means.

• Acacius deduces that the current “Professor Raoul” is actually a fake.

[…]

• Luka and Acacius depart while the exit to the Fantasm World is still being constructed.

• The Fantasm World is solved.

• Luka, in an altered state of mind, attempts to kill Acacius. It is speculated that Luka’s state was the result of what happened when solving the Fantasm World. So far, no legal action has been taken.

[…]

408 (Anonymous):

so practically all the missing information is stuff that only acacius duval would know? why the hell haven’t we gotten him in the thread yet? @Acacius Duval?

409 (Anonymous):

acacius doesn’t post on the forums, lol. look at his account, he hasn’t even logged in since the last school year.

410 (Anonymous):

has no one tried talking to him in person, then?

411 (Anonymous):

one does not “talk” to acacius duval

412 (Anonymous):

idk, looking at the discussion over in Acacius holds a Q&A, he doesnt seem to be as unapproachable as ppl keep saying

413 (Anonymous):

lol then why dont you try talking to him yourself?

414 (Anonymous):

no thanks, id rather leave all the hard work to someone else

“They’re still going in circles in that thread, huh?” said Thais.

“Some people got nothin’ better to do all day,” Etienne replied. He checked in on the next thread.

Acacius holds a Q&A

by: Anonymous

so everyones heard about what happened during the year 2 governance track makeup exam by now, right? you wouldnt believe it but one of the stars of that show actually commandeered home room to hold an AMA. heres a partial transcript of what he said.

(before anyone asks, no, i didn’t record it, i just have a memory-related title that comes in handy in times like this.)

[…]

90 (Anonymous):

yknow for all that he keeps pissing people off this acacius guy actually seems alright

91 (Anonymous):

@90 i had the same thought tbh, i dont agree with his point of view, but the way he stood up for rhoswen and took responsibility for his own actions is pretty admirable. like… it actually wouldn’t be that bad to have him as a partner, that’s how i felt.

92 (Anonymous):

@90 @91 Lmao, what? Say that again when you share a class with him.

93 (Anonymous):

i share a class with him. he mostly keeps to himself. it’s like wildlife rules: don’t fuck with him and he wont bother to fuck with you.

94 (Anonymous):

shouldnt we expect better of our future overlords than “dangerous wildlife”?

95 (Anonymous):

Could be worse.

96 (Anonymous):

Wait, all that time asking questions, and you guys couldn’t even ask him anything about KP-04? Worthless…

“Nothin’ new here, either.”

“That was some Q&A,” Thais remarked. “It takes some guts to challenge anyone who’s capable to come and teach you a lesson.”

“Yeah, and no one’s managed it yet, have they? Anyone from the Six Families has definitely got somethin’ crazy up their sleeve.”

After browsing some more, they landed on one of the most popular current threads in the forum board.

Attack on rat row?

by: Anonymous

So, that crazy fight in the sky over that neighborhood… and even the AC is getting involved? Anyone know what’s going on?

[…]

143 (Anonymous):

doesnt anyone find it suspicious that only the duvals werent there during the attack? like, where was acacius duval?

144 (Anonymous):

dude you have it backwards. obviously the order only dared to attack BECAUSE acacius wasn’t there.

145 (Anonymous):

LOL

146 (Anonymous):

LOL

147 (Anonymous):

LOL

148 (Anonymous):

can we get acacius stationed at the coffee shop on 42nd and shoreline ave? even if the rest of the city goes down that’s the one place i can’t lose

149 (Anonymous):

yall are so annoying. the rat class is just a leech on society. stop gassing them up even as a joke.

150 (Anonymous):

typical populist killjoy. you think you could enjoy your precious peaceful days in iyiria without the great families’ legacies protecting it?

151 (Anonymous):

lmaooooooo watch out a rat licker has logged on

152 (Anonymous):

i kinda agree with them tho. i mean think about it, a countries power is strongly tied to how many high-realm individuals are in it. if the families are the countries most reliable way of producing epic- and myth-rank individuals then itd be a bad idea to get rid of them.

153 (Anonymous):

have you ever considered that high ranks wouldnt be concentrated in the aristocratic families if they didnt monopolize resources and power for their own families growth? we should abolish the class system as a way to produce high ranks and provide equitable opportunities through the state instead.

154 (Anonymous):

the state that is still controlled by the families?

155 (Anonymous):

would still be a step up from before

156 (Anonymous):

let’s just let the dragon decide

157 (Anonymous):

true, just give everything to the shrine, LOL

158 (Anonymous):

all hail the dragon shrine

159 (Anonymous):

all hail the dragon shrine.

160 (Anonymous):

all hail the dragon shrine.

161 (Anonymous):

all hail the dragon shrine.

162 (Anonymous):

I’m sick of people relying on the Great Dragon as a copout for creating lasting solutions for current problems. A country for humans should remain in human hands. Stop trying to relinquish all your power to a literal Hierarch that doesn’t give a fuck about you.

163 (Anonymous):

bro, it was a joke

164 (Anonymous):

and now we’ve got a human separatist here. huzzah everyone, we’ve collected every stupid political position in the country, let’s go home.

165 (Anonymous):

and what do you believe in thats so much better?

166 (Anonymous):

“doesn’t give a fuck about you” this is why no one takes human separatists seriously. youre seriously gonna say that when the dragon shrine is literally right there?

167 (Anonymous):

the dragon shrine is run by human hands

168 (Anonymous):

and the humans can run it because the dragon supports it. come on now

169 (Mod Talon):

As a reminder to everyone, discussions within a thread need to stay on-topic. Political debates should go in General > Politics. Warnings have been issued to all violators in this thread.

170 (Anonymous):

hi i’m kinda late to the party, sorry if this is a stupid question but i’m an international student and this is my first year, so i’m still learning everything… who is acacius duval, actually? i know that he’s the current eldest son of the duval family, in the six families, but what else should i know besides that?

171 (Anonymous):

@170 He’s a second year in the Governance track who’s been caught in a few controversies, like espousing classist rhetoric (see this thread). He is also, arguably, the greatest reason why anyone made it out of KP-04 alive. Even if he’s got a rotten personality, people are starting to think of him as someone who’s reliable in a crisis and a good person to have around when something goes wrong.

Of course, during the special assignment makeup exam, he himself was one of the reasons why everything went wrong (see this thread). But you have to admit that it takes some capability to make your entire year band together to take you down.

“The more I read through these threads, the less I want to recruit him,” Thais said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t sound great to work with.”

“So Acacius thinks he’s better than the masses and has got a big head. Which rat doesn’t? But if ya want to push your family’s ritual through, you need friends in high places.”

“I need a diplomat is what I need. He sounds like the opposite of diplomacy.”

“He’s good in a crisis.”

“He’s no Myth-rank. What’s he gonna do if the ritual fails? Run faster than anyone else?”

“If nothin’ else, maybe he could help ya figure out a way to finish the ritual in secret.”

“Somethin’ illegal that would go directly against the aristocrats’ interests?”

“Against the Farzans’ interests. The nobles love cuttin’ each other down. ‘Sides, the Duvals are always doin’ shady things.”

“I dunno. I still think Roxana’s a better choice. Problem is, I still dunno what bargaining power we got with her. Helpin’ us won’t help her place in the Shrine.”

The world ran on material interests. Even if Roxana was the graceful and empathetic saintess candidate that she presented herself as, Thais didn’t believe she would stick her neck out for the Anthemoessians without something to gain.

Sensing her low mood, Etienne moved closer and wrapped one arm around her shoulder in a hug.

“Hey, don’t give up yet. There’s still time.”

“Only a few weeks. When have you ever known something of this scale to get approval in just a few weeks?”

“What’s that thing you’re always sayin’? You don’t know the end of the story ’til the teller’s finished the tale. You ’n’ me, we’ll find a way somehow.”

Thais let out a long breath.

Etienne was right. Worrying wouldn’t fix anything; it would be more useful to find something to do instead.

She finally wrapped an arm around him, reciprocating the hug, and knocked her forehead against his.

“A little brat like you thinks he’s got wisdom to share?”

“Only when your brain’s started malfunctionin’ with age.” He grinned. “And hey, just remember, ya won’t be goin’ through this alone. Even if I’m away for Dragonsday prep durin’ the day, I’ll be back at night. You won’t be able to get rid of me even if ya try.”

“Heh. Should’ve never let you cross my doorstep when you first showed up.”

Who knew that listening to one bold proposal from a street urchin years ago would eventually gift her a brother, a partner, and a best friend.

Nithemoore’s work-study program was beginning that week. The third years, as was tradition, were integrated into the grand preparations for the Dragonsday Festival, and Etienne was no exception. However, somehow, he still got Thais a near-complete record of where the second-years had been sent to work. It covered the most important institutes where the majority of the second-years had found a place. Unfortunately, Acacius Duval was not among that majority.

Thais hadn’t been sure about pursuing him as a lead, anyways, so she set that matter aside and turned her attention to the Atmospheric Chancery.

Not many had managed to snag a work-study position with them. Thais nodded when she saw Roxana on that list, and grimaced when she saw Mehran Sattari and Nastaran Farzan there next. Even if Roxana took up her cause, it would be difficult to move it past those two.

But still, if the possibility was there, then Thais should try at least once.

Although the Atmospheric Chancery was better known for the flashy appearances of their flying ships, they typically had a small office in major cities to receive and process citizen reports.

So the next morning, Thais donned a cloak and concealment charm and navigated through the city to Nithemoore’s historical district. The Chancery’s office was located in a nondescript brick building, squeezed between two much larger and flashier stores; if not for the worn brass plating on the wall there, she might have mistaken the office door for a staff-only entrance belonging to one of the other stores.

Inside was an empty waiting area, an old kiosk for submitting digital reports, and a front desk manned by a masked Chancery official and Roxana herself. Thais pretended to browse the kiosk before approaching the office and asking if she could submit an anonymous report in person instead.

The Chancery official, shuffling through various forms on the desk, nodded vaguely and gestured for Roxana to help. And so, Thais successfully landed herself a private office to speak with Roxana alone.

Roxana was pleasant and friendly. It was easy to make small talk and ease the mood. However, when Thais finally brought up her goal, Roxana’s smile diminished.

“The Anthemoessians’ decennial Ritual of the Buried Storm? I can help you file a report, but I’m afraid the chances of approval are currently very low.”

“Why?”

“Are you aware of the Order of the Black Sun? Because they’ve recently carried out terrorist activities using the sacrificial flow frame, the Atmospheric Chancery has been cracking down on anything remotely related.”

“We don’t use the sacrificial flow frame.”

“Yes, but… it originated with the Anthemoessians, did it not?”

No, Thais wanted to say. It was an outsider who’d come into their homes, disregarded their traditions, caused a catastrophe, and dealt irreparable harm to their relationships with outsiders ever since.

But seeing Roxana’s attitude, would it make a difference to explain?

“If the ritual is not carried out regularly, a Legend-level danger will be unleashed on Iyiria’s coastline,” Thais said. “Surely that is more costly to the Atmospheric Chancery than a few days’ worth of bad storms.”

Roxana nodded. “Of course. Any threat above Myth-level is something that we must all take seriously. What documentation do you have on this threat, and can you provide the historical basis for its reappearance?”

“Is the story of the [Red Flood] not enough?”

“Because stories from antiquity predate the current archival system, it is difficult to separate story from historical record. Thus, the Chancery prioritizes recent records and records of incidents that suggest they are likely to repeat.”

The modern approaches towards history frustrated Thais. Stories could not be so easily separated from history, and history was known through those who told their stories. Sometimes, the only reason history was preserved was precisely because it was told as a story.

But for all that Iyirians loved their theater, they did not believe in oral tradition. They’d lost theirs long ago.

“The [Red Flood] incident has never repeated itself because we have carried forward the task of suppression for the past thousand years,” Thais said. “If the Atmospheric Chancery needs verification, can they not send even a single representative to our waters, to listen to our story?”

“I’m happy to forward your request,” Roxana said, typing something down in her notes. “Just be aware that, in the Chancery’s records, since they’ve denied your application to hold this ritual for the past twenty years, and no disaster has befallen Iyiria yet, it has cast some doubt on the alleged urgency of this ritual. Even those who are sympathetic would rather be mindful of the current political climate and defer any investigation for another year.”

“We can’t wait another year,” Thais said. “Without reinforcement, this is the year that the suppression will fail.”

Roxana, for a moment, looked very sad.

“I’ve noted it in my report. I’ll also flag this for urgent review by those who are higher up. However, I’m only here as a temporary worker, so I don’t have the ability to do more than that. For that, I am… deeply sorry.”

She bowed her head towards Thais, and the worst part was, she did seem sorry.

Just not enough to offer the political help that was needed most.

Well, it made sense. At the end of the day, Roxana wasn’t the Saintess yet, and she had no reason to use up her social capital in the Dragon Shrine just for them, did she? And the Dragon Shrine hadn’t survived so long in Iyiria by shaking the status quo.

“…It’s alright,” Thais said finally. “There’s only so much that one person can do.”

Roxana nodded.

“So if you’ve done your best, but nothing is working, it’s okay to let go. You have to look out for yourself and what’s important, you know? Besides, even if the [Red Flood] incident repeats itself, things won’t turn out the same. Now, Iyiria has the Great Dragon to hold up the sky.”

After typing up a report for Thais, Roxana filed it away and bid her farewell, wishing her luck. Thais left the office, disheartened.

She wanted to blame Roxana for being an uncaring cog in the bureaucratic machine, for seeing a problem in front of her and looking away.

But the more rational part of her was still analyzing their conversation.

Although Roxana’s words could’ve been taken as a tacit rejection of all the Anthemoessians’ beliefs, they had also all-too-coincidentally revealed a great amount of information. Her last words, too, seemed to hint that they shouldn’t burden themselves with a difficult task and instead escape on their own.

Perhaps Roxana was right; the Ruler of Sorrow would surely defend its territory, preventing any disaster from reaching the scale of the [Red Flood] from thousands of years ago.

However, even if Thais could abandon Iyiria, where she had lived for almost ten years now, she couldn’t abandon the waters where she had been born, nor her family that called that place home still.

That night, after closing up the bar and retiring to her bedroom two floors above the bar, Thais sent a message off to her family about what she’d tried today and her thoughts about what to do next.

Only minutes later, her seam vibrated with an incoming call. When she picked up, her younger brother’s youthful voice came through in their native tongue, accompanied by the distinctive background crackle of a strong wind. “Hey, sis.”

“Hey, Thunder,” Thais said, replying in the same tongue. “You on the night shift?”

“Yeah. It’s been real boring. Gramps just woke up though. He wants to talk to you.”

Along came the distinctive thump of heavy footsteps on the boat deck. Then, in his distinctive deep cadence, her grandfather roared, “Good evening, Thais!”

Thais had already moved the seam away in anticipation of his loud voice. On the other end of the connection, her brother wasn’t so lucky. “Ow, Gramps! Watch it! How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t need to yell into the receiver!”

“Sorry, Thunder,” her grandfather boomed. “I just don’t get how these delicate things work.”

“They’re not delicate, you’re just too loud.”

Her grandfather laughed, causing the sound to fritz out briefly. Then, in a more serious tone, “Thais! I communed with the First Singer tonight.”

Thais gasped. “Grandpa! Why didn’t you let someone else do it? Your lifespan!”

“Bah! Leave it to someone already at the end of his years. Besides, you young’uns don’t have enough experience to do this yet.”

“It’s through trying things like this that we gain experience!” Thais pinched the bridge of her nose. Even if her grandfather was careless about shortening his lifespan, she didn’t want him to leave any sooner than he had to. 

The Anthemoessians’ relationships with the First Singer were often less contentious than most outsiders’ were. Thais’ grandfather was of the opinion that it was because they didn’t try to understand the First Singer as separate beings: “None of that Tripartite malarkey. The First Singer’s three faces are simply aspects of the same being, connected together as all things are connected!” Nonetheless, some matters always had a price to pay, and this was especially so for divining the secrets of the world. 

Thais wanted to scold him more, but she was tired, and she wouldn’t win an argument with that stubborn old man, anyways. The only time she’d won an argument with him was when she ran away from home. 

“Forget it,” she said. “You wouldn’t bring this up if you hadn’t heard anything back. So? How was your communion?” 

“I sought to know where you might find your answers, and the First Singer sent a dream,” her grandfather proclaimed. “I was searching for materials to create a harp capable of bearing the power of my song. Long and far through oceans and depths did I search, yet I could not find a single material that would suffice.”

“That sounds bad,” said Thunder.

“Hush, boy! I’m not done yet. In my dream, with spirits low, I gave up on my search and let the currents carry me wherever they pleased. They carried me to a great expanse of trash and detritus, where all the garbage of the ocean would eventually arrive.”

Thais grimaced. “Is this an omen with a good ending?”

“It is, indeed!” he declared. “For it was exactly there, in the mountains of floating waste, where I found it: the perfect jawbone of a whale from which to craft my harp.”

“What the heck,” said Thunder. “So the First Singer’s sayin’ that big sis needs to go looking in the garbage?”

“Precisely!” her grandfather boomed. “So tell me, Thais! Of the places you have been looking, which place is the worst? Somewhere so worthless that you wrote it off from the start?”

So, not where the majority of the second-year students were working.

As Thais considered various government institutions, one terrible name came to mind.

“Don’t tell me…”

“It seems you have found your answer. Go forth boldly; you have nothing to lose! If you succeed, however, we will finally have the instrument we need to weave our song.”

“What Gramps said,” Thunder said. “Good luck, sis. Don’t forget that none of us go through life alone. We’re all rooting for you.”

So it was with a mix of hope, skepticism, and despair that Thais appeared the next day at the Department of Interjurisdictional Affairs.

Despite the name, the department did not coordinate work between different parts of the government. Rather, it was where bureaucratic tasks went to die. Anything that couldn’t be cleanly made into someone’s responsibility and wasn’t important enough to fight over would be filed here, where it would likely gather dust forever. In other words, it was the Iyirian government’s garbage can.

Although the office had received a downtown office with a good location, the inside was as dead as the tasks it handled. Among the crooked and dusty shelves, crammed between rusting filing cabinets, there was only one person manning the office, and he was sleeping.

He’d pushed his chair back, kicked his dress shoes up onto the desk, and placed a book over his face to block out the light. The book, titled Beginner’s Guide to Algebra, did not even pretend to be related to his duties here.

Thais stared at the deep magenta of his suit, the gold embroidery, and the rose insignia carved into the pin on his white cravat. A strange feeling rose within her.

Clearing her throat, she called out, “Excuse me.”

The young man behind the desk stirred awake. He pulled the book off his face, squinting blearily out from under rosy curls against the office lights.

“…Can I help you?”

It was Acacius Duval.

In all her years, Thais had never imagined that such a prominent aristocrat would waste such a precious work-study opportunity on such a meaningless, dead-end place.

And yet, just as her grandfather had predicted, here he was.

“My name is Thais,” she said. “On behalf of the Anthemoessian people’s Pearl Singer clan, I am here to negotiate the right to perform the Ritual of the Buried Storm.”

“O-kay…” Acacius said slowly. He pulled his feet off the desk and fumbled around with the hololight computer until it woke up and projected an intake form to fill out. “Give me the details.”

Thais gave her three-minute pitch, summarizing the most important details of the matter, and watched Acacius type it down in a serious fashion. He filled out a few fields, such as the date and the person who’d received the report, and skipped almost everything else. He saved the form just like that.

Then he turned to face her with a solemn look.

“It was Thais, right? This sounds like a pretty serious situation, but as you can see, this office doesn’t really… handle anything important. So that’s why I think…”

He paused, and briefly, his eyes went vacant, as if he’d been pulled somewhere far away.

Thais would’ve dismissed it as a momentary lapse in thought, except that the woven knot tattooed over her sternum began to hum.

The story woven into her soul, [Follower of the First Singer], was reacting. When Thais strained her ears, she caught the notes of their Song of Trial resonating with Acacius before her.

At this moment? What had brought Their attention here?

Acacius’s momentary daze passed quickly, and Thais’ title tattoo quieted down, too. He furrowed his brows, thinking, and ran a hand absently through his hair. 

Then, as if coming to a resolution, he let out a breath and met Thais’ eyes.

“Let’s suppose you receive approval from the weather authorities to perform the ritual. Are you the one who’d be in charge of coordinating and performing it?”

“No. That would be my grandfather.”

“Alright.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Let’s go meet your grandfather.”

Thais’ brain momentarily stalled. “What?”

“What?” Acacius repeated back at her. “If I’m going to help you, I should hear directly from the most involved parties myself.”

Chapter 67 Back to Index