Eight Intertwined II

225 - Edge

In a tragic but expected twist, the travelers found nothing of interest in Flamesgrace. Cyrus had seen that much coming, but it was still unfortunate. As far as he could tell, records of activity regarding the Gate of Finis were either incredibly recent--such as with Mattias' machinations and Werner's rise to power--or notably ancient such as what was found in the Duskbarrow ruins. The Church of the Sacred Flame fell in the gap between those two timeframes, and as such, it had very little new to offer the group. Mattias had conducted a lot of his operations in the shadows so as to not attract the attention of the church, and that unfortunately contributed to the travelers finding nothing of interest.

Cyrus wasn't going to give up so easily though. The travelers needed to go to Atlasdam so he could ask Mercedes for any information she may have had. If the library in Atlasdam had From the Far Reaches of Hell, then there was a chance it could have had other tomes about Galdera at one point. Mercedes knew the library better than anyone, and Cyrus was certain she would be willing to help. So once the travelers were finished with their investigations in Flamesgrace and Wispermill, Cyrus took the Warp Staff from Ophilia and teleported them to Atlasdam. 

Cyrus couldn't help but smile as his hometown materialized around him. It had been ages since he was last able to enjoy Atlasdam in full. When he was last there, he had been forcibly put on sabbatical, and while Cyrus had made the most of it, his parting remained a touch bittersweet. Now though... Cyrus would have quite a bit of work to do after his travels ended and he had to report Yvon and Lucia's activities to the royal family, but until then, his research had to come first, and he was looking forward to it. 

Cyrus easily led the travelers through the streets of Atlasdam toward the royal library. Tressa and Alfyn kept pointing out particularly impressive statues or architectural feats on the city's streets to one another. They had never been to Atlasdam, and it was certainly a far cry from their small towns. Since Hornburg's fall, Atlasdam had taken over as the oldest settlement in Orsterra, and it was something to behold and then some. 

Their whispers only fell silent when Cyrus opened the door to the library. Mercedes was hard at work behind the desk, and she didn't look up until after Cyrus approached her desk. As soon as she did, she let out a gasp she immediately quieted by covering her mouth with her hands. "Professor Albright!" Mercedes whispered. "What are you doing here? I heard from Lady Therese that something happened in Stonegard, but she never got the chance to explain it. Are you alright?"

Cyrus nodded. "I'm perfectly fine, Mercedes," he assured her, fighting to keep his fingers from drifting to the scar of his stab wound across his side. "I have come here to ask a favor of you, if that would be alright."

"Of course it would be," Mercedes replied, slipping back into her professional posture instantly. "Though you owe me an explanation as soon as you can spare the time. I get the feeling you're in a rush now."

"I'm afraid so," Cyrus nodded. "We're searching for any books that might discuss similar subject matter to From the Far Reaches of Hell. I finally found the tome, but it was... It does not contain anything good, to put it simply. We were hoping there would be at least something here that might be able to help us in our investigation of it."

"I can look around," Mercedes replied with a small nod. "I take it this has something to do with the fact that both Headmaster Yvon and Lucia disappeared weeks ago and haven't yet returned?"

Cyrus winced before nodding. "Yes, it does... And I'm afraid Therese was correct if she told you that they would not be returning. The two of them have betrayed the very purpose of the Royal Academy, and... None of us will be hearing from them ever again."

"You owe me a story," Mercedes reiterated. "But for now, I suppose I can help you to look through the books. I can take you into the forbidden stacks too. There's not really anyone to enforce the rule anymore, is there?" She laughed morbidly at that, but Cyrus could see anxiety in her eyes no matter how much she fought to hide it.