For three days the candlelight never dimmed in the basement of the Great library. Darcy and Godwin paged through tome after tome. The two ate nothing more than small meals with little respite in between each day until finally Darcy found what he was looking for.

“Here it is!” He exclaimed as he slammed his hands on the table.

Godwin jolted forward in his chair, drool flying from his mouth as he clung to the table he slammed into.

“What’s that? What’s happening I say?” Godwin blurted out sleepily.

Darcy didn’t pay much attention to Godwin’s response as he dove back into the pages in front of him.

Godwin removed his spectacles to wipe away the tired from his eyes.

“Excuse me Master Darcy. I’ll put a pot of chamomile tea on for us. To help restore our wits.” The old man gave a small bow to Darcy before exiting the room.

“Oh course! By the goddess how could I forget something as specific as this!” Darcy said aloud once more.

A few minutes later Godwin returned with the kettle, a set of cups, and a place to set it all down. He laid the cup next to Darcy and poured him a cup of the hot tea.

“Here you are sir.” He said as motioned to the cup.

“Thank you.’ Darcy said quickly as he raised the cup to his friend in a thankful gesture and took a sip.

“Mm, that’s good tea.” He said before returning the text.

Rather than sit and wait for Darcy to return from his literature adventure Godwin decided to clean the archive room up a bit. An hour went by and Godwin excused himself back to the upper level of the library. Deciding it would be good to stretch his legs and get a little sunlight. He knew that when Darcy got like this it could be days before he’d be able to speak with him again. Though, it had been a decade or so since he’d seen his old friend so engrossed over his own research.

He reflected on their past together.

I could’ve sworn Darcy had committed every text to memory. So why the sudden interest in pouring over old text in the first place? And from the Goddess archive of all places. There’s hardly anything relevant in those old tomes anymore. He said he was here because of something that happened to Alex. What could’ve happened that prompted such a return as this?

Godwin though to himself more and more as he sat out on the terrace on the first floor of the library.

Another day passed and Darcy never emerged from the basement.

Finally, on the fifth day he returned from the basement.

Darcy made his way into the back of the building where Godwin’s room was. Here he found the old man cooking in his quarters.

“Godwin, I’ve found it.” He said proudly.

Godwin let out a cough as he dropped his ladle back into the stock pot before him, cleaning off his mustache and beard with a nearby towel.

“Daresay! Master Darcy! Could you please give an old man a fair bit of warning before approaching upon him?” Godwin gently scolded.

“Sorry old friend!” Darcy let out a chuckle and came into the room resting an apologetic hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve found it.” He said again.

“And what pray tell is that?”

Darcy let out a smile, hoping, that Godwin would ask him that.

“Oh bother, here we go again.” The old man let out a sigh as he pulled up a chair by the table Darcy had captured.

Darcy laid out the golden tome in front of Godwin and turned to one of its deeper pages.

“This.” He said as he pointed to the text.

Godwin let out a small snort as he cleared his nose and pushed his glasses further up his nose and then peered into the old tome.

“Well let’s see here. The Divine Gifts of the Goddess…” Godwin read aloud and then began to read silently to himself. Darcy paced up and down the room frequently turning to see the expression of his friend and then return to silence while he waited for him to finish.

“Darcy…” Godwin almost whispered.

Darcy made a quick turn on the ball of his foot and in almost a leap returned to his side.

“Yes?”

“Why on earth are you looking up for the latent abilities of the goddess of creation?” He asked as he peered over the top his frames.

Darcy gave him smile so large; you’d think it invaded his face.

“Because this is what happened to Alex. Right here.” He said eagerly as he pointed to the text.

Godwin snorted again as he wiggled his mustache before returning to see where Darcy had pointed.

The Divine Gifts of the Goddess of Creation

In times of great peril for the world and my children

I shall descend upon the world a chosen champion

Charged with saving the world from the blight of which was made

and set the world in motion again, to peace

On their day of birth, I shall pass down unto them a divine gift

A gift that will be instrumental in the completion of their task

As proof their eyes will shine gold when they come into creation

when their abilities surface for use

Their eyes shall too shine with the beauty of the world

But be known

Each champion shall be awarded but one gift

Here lay my latent abilities a chosen may inherit

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Retrosight – the eyes will glow red

The champion shall be given the gift to see into the past of any person, place, or object

Foresight – the eyes will glow a pale green

The champion shall be given the gift of knowing beforehand what is about to transpire

Futuresight – the eyes will glow pale blue

The champion shall be given the gift to see into the future of any person, place, or object

Aurasight – the eyes will glow lavender

The champion shall be given the gift to see the aura of all living creatures divine or otherwise

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Godwin stopped reading. He sat for a moment before matching eyes with Darcy.

“You’re saying Alex has one of these abilities?” Godwin asked.

“Yes.” Darcy confirmed with a heavy nod.

“Alex’s eyes shined gold before he collapsed. But I think there might be more to him than just what is here.”

“What do you mean more?” Godwin questioned.

Darcy placed a small golden pocket-sized book on the table.

“I found this. Which goes into more depth about each of those abilities and lists a few not found in that all-encompassing tome.”

“And what, pray tell is that?” Godwin asked. “What evidence do we have that makes that book more accredited than a tome written by the goddess herself?”

“It is a diary written by the goddess herself.” Darcy smiled.

Godwin starred empty for a moment. He looked quickly at the small book and then again at Darcy.

“You don’t mean?”

“I do. I must’ve found this year ago and never paged through it. Fortunate we are that it was stored in the correct place.” Darcy let out a chuckle.

He began to spin about the room his hands in the air as he let out a laugh. Godwin let out a deep chuckle himself.

“Do you know what this means!?” Darcy exclaimed to his friend.

“We have a true source of knowledge from the goddess. Not as that of a teacher…” Godwin started.

“But as a person!” Darcy finished.

“We have insight into how she thought, how she felt, and more!”

“Have you finished it?” Godwin asked.

“I did, I think it’s possible there might be another diary out there somewhere. But for the sake of what we need, this is it.” Darcy snapped his finger and pointed at the book as he finished speaking.

“Very well, so what does it say then? What does it say about Alex’s shining golden eyes?” Godwin asked eagerly. Being an academic like Darcy he couldn’t hold out much longer and needed to know.

Darcy opened the small book and began to page through it looking for the material.

“…No that’s not it.” He paged a little more.

“Oh, here it is…no no no that’s not it either.” He said disgruntled.

“Darcy, could you pick up the pace?” Godwin asked impatiently.

“Sorry, sorry! I’m almost there.” He replied as he skimmed through it again.

“I knew I should’ve marked it.” Darcy scolded himself again.

“AH here we are!” He exclaimed as he pointed into the small journal again.

“Well let’s have it!” Godwin barked, his hands out in front of him motioning for the text.

Godwin began to read. Darcy stood behind him smiling, his arms crossed, as if he had just found the holy grail itself.

“My goddess. You are sure this it!?” Godwin turned to look at Darcy.

Darcy gave him another smile and nod.

“This has to be what it is! It fits the description here perfectly.”

“But if that’s the case, then Alex will be the…”

“The first case of…” Darcy interrupted only to be interrupted himself as a loud crash was heard from the front of the library.

The two looked at the door and paused for a moment.

Darcy looked back to Godwin.

“I want you to take this book and hide it somewhere. We cannot lose this book.” Darcy took Godwin’s hands and closed it around the book.

“Darcy, what is it?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t want to take any chances.” Darcy snapped his fingers and before him a cane materialized which he took with this left hand. To the average person this cane looked like nothing more than a simple and standard walking cane.

“Darcy, is that?” Godwin asked as he looked the relic up and down.

“No, Mornstar is hidden and safe far from these lands. This is but a replica I made from a similar branch, with a small modification of course.” He slid his thumb under a small part of the cane’s neck near the handle and flicked it upward. The cane handle released and popped off a bit. Darcy gave Godwin a smirk and pressed his hand against it locking it back into place.

He motioned for the old man to be off.

“Go on now, hide the book somewhere safe. Do not let that book fall into anyone’s hands but ours. I’m going to greet our guest at the front.” Darcy said bravely as he let out a hard swallow.

“Who is it?” Godwin asked looking towards the ceiling.

“In Alex’s vision he saw a man wielding a golden sword and shield and fighting a shadowy bird like creature.”

“No…he cannot mean.” Godwin whispered with worry.

“Yes. He saw a vision regarding the Dark Lord. It seems he has returned.” Darcy said checking himself over once more.

“If that is true, then we should both escape from here Darcy!” Godwin motioned for Darcy to retreat with him through the library’s emergency escape route.

Darcy gave him a warm smile and placed both hands on his shoulders.

“No old friend. You must go. Only you can carry this secret.” He looked to door once more, he could hear the stomping of feet and scrapping against the wooden floors.

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold him off.” Darcy reassured.

“Where should I go?” He asked.

“Take this rooms emergency route to the basement and open this box. Stand back and let the box do the work. When it’s completed it’ll shrink down to the size of a marble take it to Castle Town there’s an old acquaintance of mine there. Seek him out, tell him my name and give this to him. He will keep it safe for us. He is getting on in his years now though. Last I heard he runs some kind of junk yard shop of sorts. Find Derelict.” Darcy gave his friend a hug before escorting him to the escape route.

As Godwin went through it, he looked back to his old friend. Darcy gave him a bow with one arm in front of him, the other behind his back with the cane.

“I’ll see you again old friend.” Darcy said as he gave a snap his free hand. As he did a purple magic ring appeared in front of the door with three different symbols appearing in the center. It let out a bright flash and then faded away.

“Even if the Dark Lord takes me down, there’s no getting through this.” Darcy said to himself as he walked away from the hidden passage.

“Better pick these up for safe keeping.” He said as he waived the cane around his head. Suddenly, the Goddess tome all the books in Godwin’s study rose from their shelves and flew in the direction of Darcy. He opened his coat allowing the books to fly inside of his jacket into a hidden breast pocket. When all the books had been secured, he closed his jacket, gave the chest a quick pat and proceeded to the stairs.

Looking at the door he gave out a sign. He corrected his posture and proceeded to walk out the door in a gentleman like fashion and with a low thud the door to Godwin’s quarters closed.