Loveless Maiden

As the Lady of Salvation finished her words, the flower that had yet to bloom withered and turned to dust in her hands.

"…Should I compel such false love and affection from others? Or, should I wither away, like the flower that once was… the answer is quite obvious. Right, Aratus?"

As she spoke her words, a man approached. A fellow with blood of fire and anguish, with a heart of steel, tempered by countless battles. This was reflected in the numerous scars across his body, his raven-black hair that was stained red, and his eyes that were akin to a serpent's.

Aratus growled as he walked further towards the Lady of Salvation, dragging along a shattered broadsword. Until he stood directly before her, glaring fiercely.

The Lady of Salvation spoke. "…Almighty Asura of Undying, tell me of your words. Unless you have come here to stare at my tenderness…"

"I barely heard you wallowing in your loveless past, so don't act like that with me so suddenly. Even though you are working with us, you should not overestimate yourself, lady," Aratus, the Asura of Undying, uttered fiercely. "But, regardless of that matter, I do bring news of the plan."

"We, the Five Asuras, have agreed on one thing. The Thorns of Bewitchment shall be used once again, and, you shall be allowed to use your curse's moonlight spells."

"…Really? I had undoubtedly thought that you Dragonblood brutes would solely rely on the fiendish strength of that Nine-Fold Mystic Pathway, Demonbringer, even though the power of curses is superior to mysticism in precarious situations such as these."

"Though, it makes sense as to why most of the fools out there rely on the power of mysticism so much. For example, you Dragonblood Baptists use blood and refine it into strength and power, utilising it in many ways. As an Asura, you also probably know how to use that power to a great degree, correct? So, I wonder how you managed to refine blood into the power of regeneration, Aratus…"

Aratus grunted. "I ask the same of you, witch. Using the endless love you compel from others to wield the power of moonlight inside that cold heart of yours. That power will end up killing you someday, the end of all those who bear curses."

The petite maiden giggled, and floated slowly towards Aratus, before grasping his handsome, chiselled, battle-scarred face in her hands.

"Don't worry. I already know of that fact. But, that isn't to say, your fate won't be the same, right? After all, you Dragonblood Baptists seek the blood of dragons, beasts that have long sealed themselves away from the world, and they would wreck chaos once brought to the surface again."

Aratus aimed his broadsword at her neck. "…Insolent. We have our goals, and you have yours, to refrain from speaking about it so lightly."

"…Yes… of course." She murmured, floating away. "I was just curious about something, that's all there is to it. But, back towards the plan… I wonder, when shall it begin?"

"…A month. You already know what we need to prepare, correct?"

"Of course. The Count has already turned his head, acting oblivious. He doesn't care what happens, even if some of his people die unless it affects him personally in some way… So, his town is, in some ways, the perfect "soil" for the great blood tree to take hold! The secrets within the Brethren Mountains shall be ours for the taking…"

She gently drifted back to her original spot, and said, "I worked with many sacred and hidden organizations over the years, with goals just as strange as yours, like the Lucent Aurelian Lotus Order, the Priests of Redemption, and all of the other hidden organisations lurking around the place, just to obtain the secrets that lie beneath the mountains of that land of Cursed Roots."

"But, this time I know that my plan will not fail. I am sure of it. The moonlight that shines brightly dictates it. I will become…"

Aratus, with a stoic face, turned around, heading toward the doors of the bedroom chamber, as he muttered, "I do not need to listen to you babble on needlessly. As Dragonblood Baptists will also certainly get what we want."

"But, all you need to do is stay out of our way once the Sanguistree has done its job. We will both get what we want in the end."

***

The next day had arrived, and, first thing in the morning, Silver used the small stove to cook some morning breakfast food, preparing the simple meal of eggs on toast. 

It tasted quite good on the first try, especially since he thought it would end in complete disaster. He was even lucky that he didn't manage to burn the entire house down while Ariadne was still asleep.

And then, he ate in silence by the wooden table in the kitchen, occupied by only his thoughts.

"…Now that our father has vanished, I suppose this house now technically belongs to me and Ariadne. But, there are too many responsibilities to handle between us two because of that! I need to pay the local rates, and house maintenance might as well not be an option due to the circumstances…" 

"…But, things are still manageable, if we can earn enough money from that "Shallow Wine Cup Troupe" until we come of age. What I should be concerned about, right now, is where our father is, and how he's going to return to us. He didn't say a word about his current location, or how exactly this happened to him, or the actual name of the person who did this to him in the first place…"

"All I can guess right now is the fact that the Count may know at least something about his whereabouts… and, as a knight, him being missing won't just be dismissed, no matter how much he… changed."

Silver continued to eat quietly, before he perked up, remembering something all of a sudden. He got up from his seat and rushed upstairs, before, shortly afterwards, coming back down with a book. The Mysticism Studies. Fortunately, it not only talked about the process of becoming acquainted with mysticism but also some of the history behind it.

"I just remembered the Mysticism Studies! Perhaps mysticism can help me!" Silver said excitedly, speed-walking back to his seat.

He quickly finished his breakfast and read the book eagerly. Silver skipped through some pages and then landed on the several bits and pieces of information which he deemed crucial. From the pages of the book, he read, "…Mysticism was a subject considered so important it was even often taught in schools. Exalted scholars often used it in their studies of magic, higher-ranking knights utilised it heavily in battles, and most magicians and sorcerers wielded it for their secret agendas."

"And, mysticism saw such uses in the first place because of the Nine-Fold Mystic Pathways. The nine defined ways that mysticism could be used amongst the lands, were established by the legends of the ancient past themselves so that all humans of the future could easily understand."

"…Among these Nine-Fold Mystic Pathways, there was Fatespinner, Hiddenwalker, Demonbringer, Lifebearer, Tyrantwielder, Lawchainer, Animalcaller, and Shatterselves. Yet, they were often called by other strange titles, "Shadowy Ghosts", for the Hiddenwalkers, or, "Lucky Fools," for the Fatespinners. All of this isn't to say that there couldn't be other Mystic Pathways that were simply created recently, however."

Silver paused in his reading. "I think I remember something from the night before… I chose to become a Fatespinner for a reason I can't remember currently."

Then, he continued, moving on to yet another page.

"…However, unlike the other Mystic Pathways, the Fatespinners could easily use the power of divination, which was shared between all the different pathways. Alongside this, they could also manipulate luck and probability in various ways and do many other things that warped the boundaries of common sense. A "Lucky Fool" of history, the Siphoning Spirit of Fortune, was described as something that was not meant to exist for this reason alone." 

"They were also a source of attraction for many animals in nature, due to the abundant spirituality they possess."

"…Huh," Silver inwardly muttered, blankly staring at his hand in curiosity. "So, that was the kind of power that I tried to obtain? To become something that doesn't truly exist…"

"I wonder, what would've happened if that ritual truly worked in the end?"