Chapter 3: Tethers and Gold

"Mother?" A Raven haired boy no older than four-years-old tugged the dress of his parent and looked up with wonder as his mother's Hand glowed of a Gentle White Light over a wounded man. "Can I... try?"

Mother giggled and nodded as she took her son's hands and placed it on the patient. A small blush dusted itself on the boy's face as the patient was someone he liked, it was Anna. A Young Lady who had sprained her ankle for the fifth time... a Frequent patient whose eyes of Blue somehow made Rodric comfy. "If You have it in you to Help, You have the ability to do so, Rodric."

His Hands glowed like his mother. Young Rodric smiled a bit before yawning inciting a giggle from both the patient and his Mother. It was expected as the young tyke's Mana Circuits had yet to mature and with clever insight had been training himself with his mother to attempt in strengthening his body, his temple.

"Wah, Celine! Your Little Lantern has been working hard I see." Anna Giggled as she patted the Tired Boy's Head. "My Little Hero."

Those words had struck the young man's heart as Anna was a little crush of his ever since she was admitted to their care. She was always nice to him unlike the other patients that glared at him whenever he accompanied his mother to work.

For Young Rodric she was... precious as precious as his Mother, which is high praise since his mother, Celine was all he had.

Until the next day Anna and his Mother died...

It was... Heartbreaking for the young boy, no, it had crushed his heart as he blamed himself for her passing as he was the last one aside from his mother that had used the Healing.

||One so Young to take the blame for himself.||

[{Eight Years Forward & Present Day}]

"Again!"

"Eins, Zwei, Weiss, Fulken!" Rodric let loose four fists imbued with light into the Dummy scorching parts of it. His hands burned and knuckles nearly bloodied even with the ash locks he had on him. It spoke Volumes of his Prana and given his Family's Element and Magecraft: [Void] and [Severus]. The Former being a Rare Trait and the Later whose Discipline circles around physical contact Combined with the Early Discovery of his after the Incident it became clear he would excel within the Holy Church.

That Origin being , He could only bring Death and Pain as his penance he had disregarded himself as a Human and became a weapon for the sake of others.

After the Death of his Loved Ones He became colder to the point he rarely recalled the Warmth of Family, as His Life was filled with pain, Falsehoods, and Built on Lies upon Lies as he was taken in the Church for the sake of others as he was Doing 'God's Work' by taking a few lives for the sake of all. As Someone that had never received the legitimacy of the Bonds that many try to open his eyes to.

Until He was put into the Care of Certain Figures in the Holy Church.

That being Father Charles and Sister Elizabeth.

Two of the Most Unconventional, ill manered and tempered people Rodric had ever met had an effect on him, Emotion, from the wake of the sheer, Overpowering, and Frigid loneliness that he inflicted upon himself he was partially being tethered away from it because of them.

In the Span of a Few Weeks into a Month they had slithered themselves into his heart. Even with the amount of times they'd smack his head for being insensitive, even when they'd constantly lecture him of humanity.

They were there.

[<>]

"Ugh..." Rodric forced his right eye to open first somewhat hesitant to open the other. Everything was dark but not Dark, if it made sense. He was once again within the Infirmary but not alone as his right hand was tethered, or rather was held down by something.

His Eye adjusting to the iridescent light of the full moon surveying the area and then to his bound hand to see a familiar face slumbering or rather borderlining slobbering his hand."Elizabeth..."

She shifted in her sleep muttering some words. Curious, Rodric leaned towards her being ever so careful not to shake or wake her."Ya.. idjit.."

"Alright, I deserve that." He sighed with a quiet smile, relaxing a bit before attemping to sleep closing his eye he breathed deeply...

"Ah, Rodric, Lad. I see you Lived!" Only to be Disruoted by a familiar voice of the Mage Marshall."I hope I wasn't disturbing you and your Wife's Cuddle time... Snrrkt."

Rodric flipped the bird to the childish monster that stood to his left side of the bed to which Kaleidoscope almost Roared in Laughter but merely chuckled which was a surprise to the raven haired lad as the Files surrounded the eccentric man labeled him as... a Troll, which Elizabeth had to give him the in detail meaning of it in Modern Standards, which meant a trickster or someone who disregarded others.

"I deserved that, I admit but You have to loosen up. You are the First of the MANY, Players of this War." The Dead Apostle explained as he carefully sat at the bed opposite of the tired Priest crossing his legs before resting his chin on the free hand. "I am Curious as to How Much this World Benefitted in my... meddling. Seeing as you are alive I believe it was... fruitful. Esoecially when you think about how Magecraft, Elements, and Origins may have differed from what is Mine."

'Differed?' Rodric trying to grasp what the man meant until Zelretch stood up from where he was seated and began to walk away.

And just before he left he turned to the confused Priest and smiled.

[<>]

"And That was all he said?" Father Charles asked as he wrote down the events that transpired last night with Elizabeth glaring at Rodric obviously... unhappy with him not waking her up when the Dead Apostle was within the same room. "As Hilarious as your Lover's spat to be Elizabeth we need to investigate about Why the Man had visited Our Rodric."

"Lover's Spat My Ass Charles! I could have taken him down—"

"Don't kid yourself Liz, That Monster is well above everyone within this World. Even with Our Bkack Keys or Ash Locks we would need at least a Thousand each of our Best Exorcists, Executioners, and Chivalric Codes to even scratch him."

"Still..." Elizabeth looked down inhaling deeply as she clenched her fists on the white blanket of the Infimary bed. Rodric sighed and reached for one of her hands with his left eye still shut and rubbed his thumber over her knuckles in an attempt to calm her.

"It's fine... He was mostly curious about my eye anyway. And given my 'Condition' I could argue he had given me a Boon and Bane in the form of this Eye of Sirius, which we can pin point as a Mystic if not Pseudo-Mystic Eye." Rodric stating it in an objective manner as he rubbed his left eye then covering it with his hand. "I... Need nore rest if anything."

Father Charles and Elizabeth nodded leaving Rodric alone in the room. Waiting for a few moments before sighing.

"You can come out." He looked to the white pillar in the room to which a Man whose clothes reference of a warmer climate, with silk and cloth of the highest quality touching the form of the blonde. The man simply smiled as he open a clay tablet.

"Ruler Class, Wise King, Gilgamesh. Current overseer of this War. How may I be of service?"