Daiden slowly followed the escort into a private garden at the Lord’s Castle, hidden in the back courts, and shielded by tall walls. At a slow pace, they reached a lake with a floating sculpture, buoyed by a platform infused with the water elemental. It splintered the moonlight into a range of colours, in a display that moved the heart. The whistling winds nudged the flora into a dance, changing shades in a gentle sway, the grass as well. Daiden watched when the sculpture moved, from the influence of a breeze, breaking the light to a different part of the garden. He immersed in the show, agape.

The luminescent sculpture showed the polish of an expert, cut with precision and care. Now a craftsman as well, Daiden admired the details – intricate, miniaturized, to replicate the Multana Lord’s Castle.

“This is just so…beautiful,” thought Daiden, honestly. “Would anyone ever miss technology if exposed to the wonders of this world? Every day…every bloody day, I see something…”

When the winds whistled once more, the sculpture gently moved to the centre. Daiden heard a click in that moment. At the bottom, the platform dulled from its luminescence. Daiden watched the colour recede to a more natural polish.

“A wonderous sight, is it not?” a voice said, with clarity. “An unknown artisan is believed to have crafted this sculpture, to honour the architect of the Lord’s Castle. A simple story of one craftsman paying tribute to another, across professions. And yet, even after all these years…we stand here, confused.”

Daiden turned to find a slender man with straight, pale hair. It fell on top of his forehead, just until the eyebrows on the left side, and covering the eye on the other. He smiled at the Godvildian trainee, wrinkling at the corners of his eyes and lips. As the clouds parted, the moonlight splintered from the sculpture, onto him as well, revealing a radiant, olive complexion, covered merely by a translucent robe and a green shawl. Daiden looked away, embarrassed.

“Is this your first time, meeting someone from Sol Sanctum?” the man asked.

“This is Ser Daiden Lost,” the escort said, interjecting the conversation in a hurry. “We have requested him to protect you until the end of this assignment.”

“You may leave us, you bore,” the man said, with a slight frown. He watched the escort disappear and returned to Daiden. “I am Leda, a Priest from Sol Sanctum.”

Daiden introduced himself again. He shook away the shyness and forced a conversation to ease from the discomfort. “You mentioned not knowing something…the sculpture?”

“Well, aren’t you attentive?” said Leda, with a laugh. He walked until the edge of the lake, stopping by Daiden’s side, and continued, “You see, the platform is infused with aeter, and at the centre of the lake, there’s a mechanism to charge the stone. Without it, the sculpture drowns. But there’s nothing we can do to control it. The platform moves only when urged by a whistling wind, and nature is chaotic…irrational even.”

“The sculpture has always been afloat then?” asked Daiden, curiously.

“Always,” answered Leda. “Tens of thousands of years, perhaps more, and not once has the sculpture drowned. It’s always moved to the centre before that happens. Some believe that the Lord’s Castle is impenetrable, for as long as the sculpture stays afloat. I love this story.”

“I can agree,” said Daiden. “It’s a good story…”

Leda started to walk away from the lake, and gestured at Daiden to follow. “I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being in a confined space with another individual, for days even. But you seem like a fine, young child. Let’s learn from each other.”

Daiden nodded along to the suggestion.

“I have supplies enough for a few days,” continued Leda. “I’ll cook, and you’ll assist. I’ll handle the breach, and you the undead creatures. We’ll figure the rest out naturally.”

“Sounds like a pleasant enough person,” remarked Daiden, in thought.

They stopped at a corner, with a closed water well in front of them. Leda pressed his palm against the seal, stirring the enchanted structure to separate and reveal a stairway.

“I was given a key by Minister Tyr,” explained Leda. “Normally, only a few soldiers are allowed access to this dungeon, as guides for the special quest. They were supposed to accompany us until the door today as well.”

“Oh! What happened then?” asked Daiden.

“I refused,” said Leda, casually. “All that formality, all that nonsense…I just wanted to meet and evaluate you in peace. Well, Tyr was desperate. So, he conceded the key to me.”

“Ah, so I was right…” thought Daiden, following Leda into the dungeon. “He is very, very important!”

Once inside, the two men heard a loud tremor, and a soft click as well. They turned to notice the seal close, robbing the stairway of its only source of light. Leda returned and pressed his palm against the stone once more. It didn’t budge.

“Ah, Tyr is a remarkable man,” said Leda, softly. “True to his word.”

“We can’t go out until we finish the task,” remembered Daiden, out loud. “It does encourage success.”

“A fine way to look at it,” admitted Leda. He moved to the front. “Allow me to lead the way.”

In the darkness, they descended along the walls of the stairway to reach the underground dungeon. Leda warned Daiden of the last step and cautiously reached for one of the torches on the side. From a hushed chant, the torch sparked a flame, lighting a portion of the space around them. Daiden followed the light with his eyes, with a little interest even.

“I don’t sense any aeter from that flame…” noticed Daiden. “It’s…a different kind of fire…”

“Here’s your first lesson, Ser Lost,” said Leda, reading his companion’s mind. “Did you know that Sol Sanctum isn’t governed by the laws of Aeterna? I can tell you didn’t know from the look on your face.”

Leda used his free hand to draw a line at waist level. His hand guided the particles in the air to alchemize into a staff – a wrinkled, wooden staff, with a thick, fruit-like head. He waved it at Daiden. “We can’t use aeter as well. But that doesn’t mean we can’t influence this world. It’s why our Temple is held in such high regard. Would you like to know our secret?”

Daiden gulped, responding with a slow nod.

The priest lightly pressured the pointed end of his staff to the floor. He tapped it in a rhythm, and then once more, only harder this time. It struck the stone floor with a loud snap, creating a ripple, strange and translucent. Daiden felt it on his ankles, like with waves on a beach. He noticed an absence of aeter in the light as well, despite an effect that trembled of magic. As the wave receded to its point of origin, it left the floor engraved with unfamiliar runes and alphabets. It formed a circle, rising from the edges to form a dome.

“I estimate a ten-meter radius,” said Leda, out loud. “Think of this as a safe zone. We can sleep and eat here without worry. And I’m starving!”

“This is amazing…” stammered Daiden, in praise of the effort. “I don’t understand a lot of things in Mioverold, but this is simply extraordinary! How, I mean, just what did you do here?”

“A few us are trained to inscribe words with power, by using a portion of our lifespans,” revealed Leda. He then playfully added, “Shh, this is a secret of great value to us. But what a bonding experience this is!”

Frozen at first from the revelation, Daiden recovered to ask, “Does this mean…that you’re not affected by the Curse of Immortality?”

In a smile, Leda nodded. “Very smart. We have long lifespans, and our leader, the Void, she’s been alive for as long as I can remember. Our runic abilities work on the principle of exchange, equal exchange. And by being excluded from the Circle of Aeterna, this is how we continue to exist, in alliance with the Godvildian Empire.”

“You have taught me a lot!” said Daiden, with a deep bow. “Thank you.”

Leda continued to smile, wider now. His eyes gleamed with interest as well. “There is no need to thank me. We’ll apply the principle of equal exchange with our knowledge as well, yes? I just traded in a secret, and it’s time for you to trade with one of yours.”

In a soft step, Daiden noticed the priest clear the distance between them. He felt Leda touch his chest, and part almost immediately after. The former lowered his head to find a strange set of inscriptions on his armour now.

“You’ve now temporarily bonded with me, to hold you accountable to the exchange,” explained Leda, with an unusual calm. “The runes will constrict and destroy your heart if you fail the trade. Equal or higher, those are your options…”

“What the fuck?” blurted Daiden, trying to erase the inscriptions from his armour. “He’s bloody insane!”

“Relax, Ser Daiden,” said Leda, cocking his head to one side. “You have two hours to think on what you would like to give me. Why don’t you clear your head by conversing with those outside the safe zone?”

Daiden calmed, in an embrace from the light of Ehedus. He shook his head and noticed Leda point to the darkness, outside the range of the light from the dome. He then heard it, footsteps.