Chapter Sixteen: The Information We Need

Jerle?

Where had she heard that word before?

Jerletown.

Her eyes widened. A city named after a Shard? Was it a coincidence Voyne was moving there?

Just then, a knock was heard on the door "Sophia?"

"Come in please."

Luthen entered.

"I just discovered something" He said "It is not that big of a discovery though."

"Go on." She said.

"Look at this." He pointed to the symbol of the Soul Church "And this." He now pointed to the symbol on the cover of the Legend.

In each case, a seven pointed star symbol was seen.

"I do not know if that is useful, but there's definitely a connection between the Church and that book."

Sophia sat down.

"Thank you for sharing this, Luthen. It helped confirm my findings."

"What did you find then?"

"You know the place Somen told us about?"

"Yeah. Jerletown on Sacred Island. What about it?"

"Jerle was the Benevolent Goddess. A Shard. The entire town is named after her. Voyne is after something there."

"Does the book say anything about that?"

"I haven't finished reading this poem yet. Give me a minute."

Luthen sat down and closed his eyes. Please let's get something. Anything at this point.

"I got it!" Sophia said after a minute interrupting Luthen's internal monologue

"What's up?"

"I think I know what he is after! Look here" She said pointing to a particular section of the poem.

The language the poems were written in was unfamiliar to Luthen. Sophia's pointing did not help.

"Uh…Sophia?...Uh I can't read this." He said finally.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll translate. It says here that Jerle created a powerful item it calls a Relic."

"What's a Relic?" Luthen asked, puzzled.

"It says that Relics are items that hold the powers of gods."

"So, Shards created these…Relics to hold their power. Why?"

"She created it after the war so that humanity may have a way to defend itself from the tyranny of the gods in the future. It further says that the location of the weapon was entrusted to two of her most loyal sections of followers; her priests and the First Seven."

"First Seven? Then that means–"

"The Great Nobles know the location of the Relic!"

"It is most probably what Voyne wanted to ask the Great Nobles for."

Sophia relaxed in her chair and sighed. Now they had a real lead and could decide on their next move. And they had to move quickly too.

"Call Somen and Kane here please. We need a plan."

*******

"So what is he after?" Kane asked after they all gathered.

"A Relic." Luthen answered

"Huh? What is a Relic?" Somen asked.

"It is an item that contains a Shard's power" Sophia answered.

"Things like that can be made?"

"Only a Shard can create an object that can contain Shard-level energy. Saintess Jerle, who lived two thousand years ago, created the Relic." Sophia explained.

"Shard-level Energy? Isn't that dangerous?! Why did she do it?" Kane said.

"The book said she wanted to protect humanity from the tyranny of the gods. Us."

"The Relic, once absorbed, can increase the amount of soul energy that an ability user can manipulate. Any Ability user of any Aspect can use it although it has a greater affinity for Soul Aspects. That's probably why Voyne is looking for Soul Aspect users." Sophia finished.

There was a pause.

"It gets worse. We believe the Seven know the location of the Relic." Sophia said.

"How?" Kane asked.

"Jerle revealed the location of the Relic to two different groups; her priests and the First Seven–" Sophia started.

"–And they in turn passed in down to their descendants, The Great Nobles. That's Voyne's third request." Kane finished.

"We think so."

"We have to make sure it doesn't fall into Voyne's hands then."

Luthen's eyes sparkled with anger "Let's pay him a visit and settle the scores then." He hadn't forgotten about Maron.

"We've said too much. There's something we need to do first." She turned to Somen "Why are you doing this? You have no obligation to us whatsoever."

"Is this really needed? He is a Shard. We're on a timer here!" Luthen complained.

Good intuition. Kane remarked. She doesn't trust blindly.

"Just shut up and listen." Kane scolded Luthen.

"I don't have a good reason. I am just here for the highs."

"The highs?" Sophie said as confused as Luthen.

"The highs, yeah. The good times." Somen closed his eyes and folded his eyes as if remembering some happy memory.

"There are no good times here. There's only death. A lot. Mostly others. Hopefully, that is." Sophie said

"I am a fighter by nature. I live for the ecstasy of the fights, whether they end in my or my opponent's demise. I originally came here from Gralan because I was told of a prestigious underground fighting tournament. However, all the fighters there did not live up to my expectations. They were weak, just like the rest. But when Kane and I fought earlier, I experienced a state of euphoria I have never felt before." He opened his eyes, looked up and sighed. Man, what I would give to feel that again.

Luthen's mouth was wide open.

"It sounds like the fights from here are only going to get better. I wouldn't like to miss out on the fun." He looked at them and smiled. "Is that enough?"

Fun? This was fun? For real?

Kane responded. "Thank you for sticking with us. We could use your skills."

"Yeah. Just don't leave me out of the good stuff."

"Definitely not." Kane said

"Let's fight again sometime. You too, Luthen. You look strong." Somen said.

"Nah, thanks for the invite. I am good" Luthen hurriedly refused

Right now, Kane and Somen looked like besties.

Sophie was wide-eyed and dumbstruck.

I just confirmed it. Mentally, Shards have issues.