Spawn of the Outworlder

Chapter 18-It Had to Fall Apart to Work

Luna Rucervus sat in the small, dingy room of Doc Sparkton's inn, her hand wrapped around Graham's, the stale smell of the place still sticking to her nostrils. I suppose there is little incentive to clean when you're the only shelter in town, she thought, trying to regain her focus.

She stared at Graham, who she'd managed to convince to strip to nothing but his undergarments, the ser using his free hand to cover his belly, clearly ashamed. He resisted me, initially. It appears that I don't have full influence over him yet. We shall fix that tonight.

As she had commanded him throughout the night, Luna could not help but feel a bit of shame for how easily she found it to calculate Graham's behavior and reactions. Umbral training teaches us how to best manipulate others to our goals, yet even I am baffled as to how quickly Graham has turned to putty in my hands. His infatuation with me is no doubt a factor, but even without it, I suspect it would have taken no more than another day to turn him into my second. If the Goldbeams were simple, Graham is effortless.

Releasing his hand, Luna revised her plan to tell Graham the "truth" of his purpose. Having spent the day thinking it over, I've determined that the best suitable version of his story is one in which he believes his journey to be heroic. Not simply a version that is kind or exciting, but one in which he believes that his very actions will ensure the safety of the Empire. Which they will, in a sense.

It must be grand enough to justify our efforts in making this journey, while also communicating the gravity of the situation. Most importantly, I must make sure that he believes that I am breaking the trust of the Emperor himself in doing this. If ordered to keep this a secret, he will sense that it may not be the entire truth and I risk him discovering more of Abbadon's legacy. But, if he naturally realizes that speaking on the subject endangers me, he will avoid any scenario wherein he may learn more.

"Thank you," Graham said.

"Oh, don't thank me yet, ser," Luna answered, releasing his hand. You'll receive your "thanks" in the Capital. "I've still to tell you of what you must know. Feel free to thank me afterwards. Now, let us begin. You are aware of the man known as Novis Solus I, yes?"

Graham stared, confused. "I do, somewhat. Mostly what we were taught in classes. He fought Abbadon all those centuries ago, right? Ended the Chilliad Wars."

"Indeed he did, dear. But what most are unaware of is that there was another by his side. A great and powerful sorcerer, who was instrumental to Solus I's founding of the Empire. A researcher known as Ethan Morningstar..." Luna took note of Graham's confusion. "...the First. Ancestor to your father, Ethan Morningstar the Second. During the Chilliad Wars, Morningstar studied the armies of Abbadon, learning how they operated and how to manipulate them. He was at the forefront of understanding a type of magick that is now outlawed: cursed magick."

"Why was it outlawed?" Graham asked, Luna sensing fear in his voice. He suspects that he is capable of casting it.

"Unlike typical magick," Luna began, "which draws from the power of the Almighty Light, cursed magick is unholy, drawing from a Realm that decayed and rotted long ago. Light magic calls upon the energy around us, converting it from one form to another. We cannot simply create something from nothing. An exchange must be made. Cursed magick, however, is unnatural to these lands, and as such, has no limits. Its very presence in our world draws us closer to the decaying that took the Realm it invades from. It can and, for a time, was used by our Empire's enemies, nearly bringing about ruin to our world."

"But if cursed magick is so dangerous," Graham asked, now leaning closer forward, "why have I never heard of it? Or anyone?"

"Do you believe the public at large could be trusted with the knowledge that a form of magick with no limits exists? That those that learned of it would understand or care of how it is inherently destructive to our Realm? Novus Solis I believed not, and fought to surpress any knowledge of cursed magick from the Empire, aside from a select few Heritage Keepers, left to ensure future leaders would know of its danger."