Ragnarok: Creed of the Forbidden Guild

Those Tangled from the Cursed

The Academy Garden found itself occupied with the most unlikely person, doing the most unimaginable thing, at the most impossible time. If the garden statues had eyes, they would be blinking double-time, as if such rapid winking would help them believe the unexplainable or shake their consciousness awake.

It is a pity these inanimate inhabitants of the lawn cannot relate how the self-proclaimed greatest wizard, Faulkner Lepant, woke up before dawn to practice casting spells. Though prideful Faulkner finds that an advantage. For him, admittance of any incapability –such as not being able to heave magic decently (and still have to prepare for it) —is worse than the slashing scythe of a Baphomet.

Our magician can be seen with his arms outstretched forward, eyes tightly shut and mouthing incomprehensible words that grew louder every second...until.

"Remind us again the power of fire...

To aid and save us in times of dire...

Erect for us a tower of heat...

Burning taller with each heartbeat!"

After his last rhyme, the mage opened his eyes. At the same instant, glowing circular inscriptions in crisscrossing designs appeared where his eyes focused, rotating slowly as if the lighted runes were of considerable weight. He took a deep breath and called at the top of his voice.

"Fire Pillar!"

-o0o-

Elysa woke up staring at the dark ceiling of her room. It was faintly illuminated with small patches of beam outside her window. Utaru jerked in his sleep and she checked to see what was wrong, but it seemed her Poring was only dreaming, and soon this pink, jelly-like pet returned to its comforting stillness.

Convince that there was nothing to worry about; she too, tried to summon herself back to dreamland, or at least, summon it back to her. There was this stingy pain on her nape, which she was sure, she got from staying up late the previous night and she was pressed on placing cure for it –sleep.

However, images from the book she read last night started flooding her head like foggy visions and these had drawn her away from her hoped remedy.

The book had a name, but the title was now inscrutable, blotted with what she decided was 'red ink,' shuddering at the thought that it could be dried blood. The binding, she could only speculate, was the hairless skin of a leathery animal. The writing spoke of an ancient civilization, legendary names and weapons and about a guild whose name she was not sure of. Maybe I should visit the library. Elysa finally considered. She could not think further anymore; slumber was beginning to eat her.

She was at the edge of the waking world, bit by bit falling away to the place of unconsciousness, but she heard someone calling her...or maybe not. Yet, she knew the voice. It said:

"...Burning taller with each heartbeat!"

She guessed who it was, and the answer came yelling back.

"Fire Pillar!"

It's Faulkner's! Elysa jumped out of bed and rushed to her window.

-o0o-

The Geffen Academy gate man had just finished his shift and was yawning wide, grumbling and complaining lack of sleep and employee benefits as he passed the academy walls he patrolled earlier.

According to the position of the moon and the slowly decreasing darkness, his duty for the night was over. He can now return to the barracks and tell his replacement to circle the school perimeter, and then he can go to sleep.