Lura Syllana
Her eyes burned red as they seared into my soul. She could’ve been beautiful if half of her face wasn’t decayed flesh over bone. On one side her hair was golden with a green eye in a sea of warm, ivory skin up to her nose, but then turns into a sickly-white, pale, rotting flesh with parts of her skull visible. Half of her upper lip is missing. Her skeletal hand holds a scythe of bone, raising it above me as she seeks to reap my soul.
A loud, piercing scream tears me out of my sleep. I look over to find Melyis crying and yelling in her sleep. She cries out and talks. “Please, I’ll be good. I promise.”
I go to her and gently shake her until she springs awake and starts crying. I hold her in my arms as she weeps and sobs. This poor girl. What in the Light has she been through? Who would do such a thing to a sweet girl like her? It’s horrible. Those scars on her back… What monster is capable of doing that to her?
“I don’t want to go back to sleep, please… Please don’t make me go back to sleep,” she says, pleading and begging me.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be alright. You’re safe now,” I say, gently running my hands through her hair. “Come, lay down with me, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
She nods and follows me to my bed. I pull her in and wrap my arms around her. We keep the lamp lit and lay there until we both fall back asleep.
—
The next day, the Paladins bring back the dead and I hold my breath as I go to see who is brought back, praying it’s not Orym. Thankfully, it isn’t. I thank the Light before going back to my studies with the others. They hold a funeral ceremony for them, and I’m shocked to see they’re taken by the Light as it beams down onto them and pulls their souls to the heavens.
We spend the next few days studying the book and the notes, quizzing each other about the things we need to know in the notes before we finally take the test and pass.
It’s like that with the next few levels. After we moved up to level four, we were given the book The Words of Akrasiel by Vedana Oddheart. Another current mother. She is one of Damaris’s mentors. I read the book with the care it deserves. It’s mostly about Akrasiel’s compassion and desire to help those in need. It speaks of service to those less fortunate and altruism. Those who serve the Light have a duty to care for those who suffer. There are tons of quotes by the Angel Akrasiel about self-sacrifice and service to the poor, homeless, and starving. We have a duty to heal the sick without bias. It does not matter what god they worship or what race they were born in; it is the servants of the Light’s duty to heal and care for all those who need it.
The entire book I can understand and I agree with. It is clear why Damaris is the way she is with someone like Vedana to learn from.
Unfortunately, the class is taught by a stuck-up noble boy named Glarald Balris. That’s not to say he isn’t handsome, but he is so arrogant and sure of himself. However, he’s easier to tolerate than most nobles. He doesn’t quite seem to view low-borns as lesser, but he still puts himself on a pedestal. It doesn’t take the four of us long to finish the book and memorize the principles within Terel’s notes that we need to learn in order to pass the test.
By this time, Ochilysse has received the next few books and has finished the first book, handing it over to Biremeril. As we enter the class as level fives, we get the book called The Holy Divine Light by Anfather, a current father of the Light. He has served as a Paladin and created the Paladin order before relinquishing his title as the Paladin’s Hand of the Light to become a father of the High Elven Church of the Light.
This class is taught by Fhaornik Venxidor, another high-born noble boy, but he is far different from any other high-born noble I’ve ever met. He smiles quite a bit and is rarely ever serious. Low-borns seem to be treated the same as high-borns. He is very cheerful and has a lot of jokes. He provides a rather pleasant change of pace. Before he lets us get to work, he always starts class with a laugh. He’s also very helpful.
The book of Anfather is all about our obligation to seek out justice and protect the innocent and defenseless. I shouldn’t be surprised about that. He did, after all, create the Paladin Order. He talks about how we should seek darkness, chaos, and all that threatens the peace and shed our Divine Light upon it, bringing order along with snuffing out war and violence.
It is our duty to remain vigilant against those who seek death and destruction. It is our responsibility to protect life and defend it against those who seek to bring death upon others.
We study hard, and, thankfully, Terel’s notes are at the back of the book to help us. At this time, several other of our fellow strays advances to Accepted, including Ochilysse, Cheyoise, Hubys, Inhepireth, Therlu, and Terelor.
New recruits have also joined us. I haven’t had much time to meet them as I am caught up between studies and labor. Another thing I’ve noticed is a huge change within Biremeril as he finishes the first book. He seems to have become rather lost and more withdrawn than normal. And a bit hostile. I saw him snap at Zarlatha Arcaneseeker during our service at the kitchens. I’ve never seen him act this way. He’s become more defiant and argumentative. I don’t know what to make of it. Is this because of what he has read within the book? Could it really be that hard to take?
We manage to pass the test to reach level seven, and Biremeril finishes the first book and hands it over to Ralodan, almost bitterly.
The next class is our final class since, in order to reach level nine, you must complete your hours, and to reach level ten you must pass a comprehensive test of all the teachings. Of course, I suppose we will have a class for that taught by another Accepted. This class is taught by a low-born woman named Helekharise. She’s nice and kind and offers much help. We’re given Light Incarnate, Akrasiel’s Second Coming by none other than Mathienne Naesalor, the High Mother of the church.
Within the book, it tells the prophecy of Akrasiel’s rebirth. Even though Akrasiel mentions a time of his sacrifice and rebirth, I guess he also took Mathienne aside and shared with her specific details of his second coming.
According to Mathienne, Akrasiel and the rest of the angels are beings born of the Light and are Light themselves. His rebirth may not just be one birth, but many since Light is not restricted by a physical form and one can become two. If one dies, like a phoenix, it is reborn from the ashes within a mortal form. It is told he will be reborn from a virgin. The seed of his soul will plant itself within a pure heart and be reborn from her womb. Akrasiel will return when the Light has been darkened by corruption and the seed of chaos grows in the hearts of mortals. When red becomes white, the Light will bring the birth of the one who will outshine the darkness. His coming will be one of many and when the many become one. The Light will shine its brightest when darkness threatens to encompass all.
It is rather confusing. The notes don’t help much. I guess Akrasiel will be reborn in several forms? Does that make any sense? Shouldn’t he just be reborn as he was? Or I guess in a mortal form… I don’t know what to make of it.
Helekharise only adds her thoughts on such a matter, but she admits that few know exactly what is meant besides Mathienne, and she is very vague about it.
We all study hard for the test and pass, but not as well as the previous tests. Either way, we have made it to level eight. Thankfully, we’ve been pretty good at getting our hours in every day, so we only have about forty hours left.
We spend much of our time either cleaning the kitchens, mopping floors, shining the glass, dusting, or doing other chores. When we aren’t doing chores, we study for the final test. Biremeril is on the second book of Terel’s and Ralodan says he’s nearly finished with the first book. He doesn’t seem all that affected by the book, unlike everyone else who’s read it. He still seems his cheerful and merry self.
It takes us all of four days of working ten hours a day to finally wrap up our labor hours. Then we are placed in a class with Illianaro, an Accepted stray who is close to reaching level ten. He’s rumored to become a Paladin upon passing his test to ascend from Accepted. Of course, I’m not surprised since the dark-skinned man is as strong as they come.
He is really helpful and does a good job of testing us for everything we need to know. Thankfully, we’re given back all the previous books with all the notes from Terel, so we know what to study.
After long days of study, we’ve all decided to take the test tomorrow. To prepare we hold a last-minute study session in the giant library, with bookcases stacked to the dome ceiling along with endless rows of bookshelves that go on forever. It smells of old, dusty paper. A smell that isn’t so bad.
We spend all night studying and testing each other until we are all certain of ourselves. After we clean up and head out, Ralodan pulls me aside. He smiles as he pulls out the first book. “I finished it.”
“And?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Honestly, I don’t know why everyone was freaking out over it. It really didn’t surprise me much. I felt like I kinda knew it already.”
I cautiously take the book from him, opening it up and flipping through the pages. “What is it about?”
“You’ll see once you finish reading it. Let me know when you do and I’ll tell you what I think.” He gives me that smile of his, and I nod in return before we join the others on the walk back to the Novice level.
Once inside the dorm, I tuck the book underneath my bed to read tomorrow, even though my mind is racing with questions. I can’t afford that distraction right now. I need to focus on passing the test tomorrow.
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