108 Chapel Days · Scene 26

Chapel Days

Chapel Days · Scene 26 · Path a

The Chapel ~ Exterior ~ Airship Dock
Early Autumn ~ Late Morning, mostly sunny and warm

A ceremony of golden Light past
Two new Sa·B·ers birthed unto the Face of Icarus
Regardless, normalcy was invasive and overwhelming
Yet an airship docked kept it at bay
A waiting reminder of an uncertain future, ever changing with the wind

I

mpressive a display as the ceremony to make Maye a Sa·B·er was, it along with the ceremony to make Squawk a Sa·B·er had indeed passed along with several days. No one had yet departed from the Chapel as the airship that brought Verdant, Buck, and Mosvei was equipped with vastly superior medical facilities compared to the Chapel and was on loan for assuring that the ceremony was a success. Squawk was not very fond of the tests that were being carried out and made a mighty harrumph as he descended the gangplank from the airship to the Chapel.

“I swear! Any more of these tests and I’ll start walking across the Face of Icarus just to get away from them! I’ll have you to keep me company regardless! Isn’t that right you idiot⁈”

“Heh heh… I guess I couldn’t let you run off on your own after all of this.”

“You better believe you can’t!”

Waiting for Squawk at the end of the dock, Chain welcomed him with a nervous laugh and smile as he assailed her with his complaints. Hoping to avoid Squawk simply complaining without end, Chain tried to pry more positive information out of him about his tests.

“So, are you still getting physically stronger every day?”

“Nothing as noticeable as after the first couple of days. Pah! Even though these fools are the experts they say they can’t say what else to expect yet still have the gall to suggest adventuring might make me even stronger!”

“It’s true though! We’ve become much stronger since our journey has begun.”

Chiming in with an attempt to give Squawk a reason to feel more optimistic, Drop only gave him reason to be more bitter.

“And pray tell what type of adventures you have partaken in to grow so strong!”

“Well…”

Chain could not stop Drop as her desire to share stories of the few adventures she had already had far outweighed her desire to not be yelled at by Squawk. Consequently, as Drop spoke excitedly, Chain donned an expression of fear that grew worse alongside Squawk’s growing irritation. Still, Drop spoke without a care in the world.

"…there was when we woke up under a Lucifalz and had to fight off a gang of raiders that culminated in us controlling and wrecking a Dolmen. There was a whole bunch of monster lairs and old ruins while we were roaming about the Athera Mountains, and that was before we had our first fight with those Sa·B·er brothers. Then of course there was that whole affair with the Foreigner when we rescued you!”

“Then it has been fighting, fighting, and more fighting…”

Even though she knew it was coming, Chain could not stop Drop who seemed oblivious to Squawk having lowered his head while closing his eyes.

“It has been a fair bit of fighting, but it’s been very fun anyway!”

“FUN FOR AN IDIOT LIKE YOU MAYBE‼ BUT WHAT PART OF CONSTANTANTLY BEING ENGAGED IN COMBAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ENJOYABLE TO ME⁈ I’M A PILGRIM OF ATHEAELDRE WHO IS DEDICATED TO RESTORING LIFE‼ YET NOW I HAVE TO SLAUGHTER EVERY MONSTER I SEE‼ COMPLETE AND UTTER MADNESS I SAY‼”

“Perhaps you might want to consider your actions as preparing the soil for future growth. Like Vaerseal rises in the east and gives birth to the day, so to does He set in the west at the day’s death. It is the cycle of life, and after we are born from our mother’s womb do we return to Father Icarus to give him strength.”

“That was a lot of nonsense to say don’t feel guilty about it when everyone dies eventually. It was also one of the longest interruptions I’ve ever been so unfortunate to be interrupted by.”

Looking past Chain to where Mosvei had appeared unnoticed before he spoke, Squawk gave the scholar a dirty look. He offered the nāti youth a smile and Squawk clicked his tongue in response. Before either could say anything more Chain had an epiphany and suddenly turned to look at Mosvei and question the truth of her realization.

“Wait! Vaerseal is the sun⁈ How is that possible⁈”

“Oh~. You hadn’t realized Child of Her Light?”

“That shouldn’t be possible though! The sun is not part of Ambrosia!”

“Wait, it isn’t? I thought the sun was part of Celestia’s domain.”

Grabbing his ears in hands, Squawk could not decide what annoyed him more. Chain’s ignorance towards the nature of the world or hearing her voice speaking both ignorantly and knowledgeable from two different copies of her face. He was a time bomb ready to go off but Mosvei proved to be a man deserving of being called a scholar and offered his unsolicited insight.

“The sun as you know Lord Vaerseal is in fact the same as the stars in the night sky. A great ball of fire well beyond the domain of Celestia.”

“Eh–?”

“It is not so confusing child. To the ancients this was common knowledge and even today if one considers that the sun brings warmth and light, neither of which are within Celestia’s domain, then it becomes obvious that Lord Vaerseal is beyond her reach.”

“And should not be within Ambrosia!”

Clenching her fists at her side, Drop pouted deeply as she again contested Mosvei’s claims. The Scholar of Vaerseal simply continued smiling though as he offered Drop a reason not to trust her own understanding.

“Tell me kind spirit, have you been in full control of your own thoughts since the Light of Lucifalz washed across the Face of Icarus?”

“Eh, well, that’s… It’s hard to explain…”

“That is because of the presence of a dragon is it not, and the whispers within the Lucifalz? You are unbalanced, dangerously so, and it is why I am here; to speak with you of the journey before you so that you might save yourself.”

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