As the faint hum of voices below me gradually grew in volume, I groggily opened my eyes and yawned before peering down upon the library from my resting place atop a bookcase.

A crowd of people had gathered in the room, and I felt a flicker of interest as my eyes scanned the sea of faces. Atticus stood front and center, clearly the focus of the group. But my gaze was drawn away from him, to a trio that stood apart from the rest.

The man in the middle had sandy blonde hair and eyes that seemed to sparkle with a mischievous energy. He was a kitsune; that much was obvious from his pointed ears and the three tails that swished behind him. But it was more than that, he had a certain aura about him, and I felt drawn to him despite never having met before. Of the three, he was also the only one who possessed the golden spark of disciple.

Perched on the bookshelf, I gaze at him curiously as he stood behind his companions, his gaze reverent as he listened to Atticus explain the rules of the temple. He seemed completely enthralled, his interest in the conversation palpable even from where I sat.

As I stared at the other kitsune, a faint tendril of power brushed over my senses and Tris whispered into my mind. "Finnic."

I sat up straighter, suddenly more alert. Finnic- the keeper of Egenor Barothlas' grimoire and a known member of the Dreadmere guild.

I hadn’t expected him to show up at the temple, though this did make locating him a lot easier on my bank account; I had been considering hiring the Whispers guild to locate the alchemist, but now he was here within my temple. How convenient.

Twin tails swishing, I propped my head on my paws and continued to watch him, my curiosity only growing. What was Finnic doing here? And who were his companions?

I watched as Atticus continued his lecture, Finnic paying more attention than the other two who he was with. I narrowed my eyes, studying the pair carefully. They had to be associated with him in some way; they were not from the temple, that much was obvious.

Suspicious, I continued to observe, ignoring the dull hum of conversation from below and focusing my attention on the trio before me. Considering Finnic was part of the Dreadmere guild, I had a feeling they would also be from the same guild. They were obviously trouble, and I wanted to know what kind of trouble they were up to.

“How plebeian,” an oddly familiar voice muttered. “Simply opening the temple up to any who wished to enter. That woman is treating the temple as if it were nothing more than a public library."

My ears pricked up, and my muzzle twisting into a scowl as I refocused my attention on Finnic's companions. Standing with his face angled away from me, the speaker was a tall brunette with elongated ears peeking out from the strands of his shoulder-length hair. He appeared bored and uninterested in what Atticus had to say as he addressed the man beside him.

The man he spoke to was shorter and stockier, and had a prominent scar that was immediately noticeable. He wore leather armor and had a permanent frown on his face as he looked around the room, clearly not enjoying his current situation.

I glanced back and forth between them, my mind whirling with curiosity and anger. Who were they, and why had Finnic brought them here?

My eyes narrowed and my fur bristled as the brown haired elf turned to look around, giving me a proper look at his face. When my eyes fell upon the face of the elf, my breath caught in my throat.

Ge Hong! His hair color, and clothing may have changed, but it was undoubtedly the vile filth known as Ge Hong. The facial structure was the same, as were the cornflower blue eyes.

Rage coursed through me as I realized that Ge Hong had infiltrated my domain. Did he think I would be fooled by something so simple as dying his hair?

My claws dug into the bookcase as I watched, my lip curling in a silent snarl. His presence here was unacceptable.

The urge to leap down and confront him was strong, but I held back as Trismegistus spoke soothingly into my mind. "Patience, Kadia. His presence here is a chance for you to gain Finnic. Let him think he has fooled us, and use this time to observe."

Nodding to myself, I tucked my tails close to my body and continued to watch. I knew Tris was right. I needed to be patient and let Ge Hong think he had outsmarted me. But this did not stop my anger from rising; I had vowed to take him down, and the thought of him being here infuriated me.

Still, I remained where I was and watched, my eyes full of rage. Ge Hong may have infiltrated the temple, but he had not gotten away with it. Not yet. I was determined to make sure that he never would.

My mind raced with possibilities and plans as I watched him and his companions, my eyes never leaving them as Ge Hong continued to prove just how arrogant and foolish he was. I watched as he took a book from the shelf, and my lips curled back in a vulpine smile of satisfaction as he stealthily placed it into his bag without realizing that he had just taken a blank book.

Yes, I would make him pay for his insolence. Ge Hong’s days were numbered, soon he would be joining Bianca in her fate. He had no idea what he was dealing with, but soon enough he would find out; his fate was already sealed.

"Hello," called a voice from below, breaking me out of my thoughts. Glancing down, I saw that it was Finnic who had spoken and he was now looking up at me with an amused expression.

My eyes narrowed as I looked back at Ge Hong and his companion, finding them huddled together at the far end of the room, not paying any attention to us.

"Are you a disciple here too?" Finnic asked, still looking up at me with a curious expression.

"You could say that," I answered in a series of soft yips. My eyes never left Ge Hong and his companion as I replied, making sure they didn't look over and see me.

"Ah," Finnic said, tilting his head to follow where I was looking. "That is Ge h-, Giovanni and Frank.”

Giovanni and Frank. So, those were the names they went by now. I snorted in amusement; he thought that those ridiculous aliases would help him get away with sneaking into my temple? He had another thing coming.

"Well," Finnic said, turning back to me with a smile. "It was nice to meet you, maybe I'll see you around on two legs sometime."

I huffed in amusement but stayed where I was, watching as he rejoined the others and they all left the tower of alchemy. I watched them go until they had disappeared from view, my mind still racing with plans of revenge.

They would be back soon enough, the lure of alchemical knowledge too great for Ge Hong to resist. And when they did, I would be ready.

With that thought in mind, I curled up and attempted to return to my nap. However, after only a few minutes, I heard a voice calling out my name. Slowly, I opened my eyes and peered down from my perch atop the bookcase. There stood Kensa, one of the inner disciples, holding a thick tome in hand.

"High Priestess Kadia, can I have a moment of your time?" she asked, her voice filled with soft reverence. "I have recently made a discovery and I would like to show it to you."

I jumped down from the bookcase, my curiosity piqued. As my feet touched the ground, my fox form shifted back into my human guise, and I smoothed a hand over the purple and gold robes I wore.

"Yes, by all means," I said as I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. "Show me what you have found."

Kensa beckoned me with a wave of her hand, and I followed her deeper into the labyrinthine hallways of the tower. We eventually reached one of the many alchemy laboratories, where a Pyrthirío squirrel sat with a retort bubbling away above it.

Kensa gestured to the retort and began babbling excitedly about her discovery. I smiled, and nodded along as she spoke, my mind slowly piecing together the relevant information from her babbled speech.

She had found a way to solidify the gelatinous substance which coated the bodies of the Pyrthirío. The substance took awhile to dry, but once it did, it was extremely durable. It did not melt, nor did it shatter, or dent when hit, which led to many possible applications for its use.

"Impressive," I said as Kensa finished her explanation. "What shall we call this substance?"

Kensa beamed. "I thought we could call it Pyrium," she answered.

"Pyrium it is then," I said, smiling as I turned to the bench and carefully picked up a solidified chunk of Pyrium, examining it closely. The Pyrium was clear, with a tinge of orange and gave off a faint warmth, unlike its gelatinous original form which gave off an almost searing heat.

"Walk me through the method once more," I prompted, shifting my attention back to Kensa.

Kensa obliged and began her explanation all over again. I listened closely as she continued explaining how she focused on the gelatinous body fluid, with the idea to create a sticky fire weapon similar to Drakus orbs. And how the addition of sap from the Gluey tree, so named due to the adhesive sap it produced, had resulted in the resin-like Pyrium substance.

Reading over the woman’s notes, I could see the various ideas Kensa had for further applications of the Pyrium resin, and her thoughts on the other compound distilled. It seemed a promising idea with great potential.

"Excellent work," I said finally, giving her a smile. "It is clear that you have been working hard." After taking a moment to think, I decided that I would invite her to join Atticus and Nadir in tonight's meeting.

"As a reward for this discovery, and your hard work, would you like to join Atticus and Nadir in my office at midnight? We shall continue our discussion there," I said.

Kensa’s eyes grew wide, her mouth opening and closing several times before she snapped it shut, her head bobbing in a nod.

"I will see you then," I said before turning and leaving the laboratory, passing Peran and the two newly arrived outer disciples on my way out of the tower.

I could feel their eyes on my back as I strode away, and a frown tugged at the corners of my lips. Peran had risen to the ranks of inner disciple quickly, but it seemed he was content to work on the easier brewing tasks, as opposed to any new research. Still, I could not deny his skill in potion making, even if I disagreed with his attitude and methods. With a sigh and a shake of my head, I continued on my way back to my quarters.

Entering my lab, I mused over the concoction I had been working on; it was a complex potion, with many different ingredients and no name or recorded information.

It was a mystery; one which Noctus had stolen from a Chancellor in Airus. The vampire believed the potion to be of great value, as it was something the Dreadmere guild had given to the city officials, and he suspected it played a part in how the guild had gained so much power over them.

I had never seen anything like it and I was determined to get to the bottom of this potion's secrets. Hours ticked away as I carefully studied each component, and I was soon lost in the task of unraveling its mysteries.

Eventually, my enchanted timepiece rang with an alarm - midnight had arrived. I sighed as I put away my notes before heading down to the office to await the disciples' arrival.

As I sat behind the desk in my office, my gaze fell upon the golden signet ring that adorned my finger.

The nine-tailed fox with its deep purple jeweled eyes surrounded by elemental symbols had been bestowed on me by Trismegistus. This signet served as my creator’s mark, and it magically appeared on any item crafted using my recipes or formulas.

I had guided Brodel and Meissa with creating similar rings after discovering an entry in Hemera II's journal that detailed the process. Now, I was faced with the task of creating similar rings for Atticus, Nader and Kensa. Each of these rings would be crafted to reflect their growth as a disciple and I planned for the creation of the rings to be common practice for inner disciples who proved their worthiness.

I sighed as I realized that it may not be possible to give similar rings to those who were not present at the temple. I stroked my ring in thought as I considered my options. How could I create rings for Sadie, Helvern, Lucas and Taurie without them traveling to the temple?

If there were altars designated to Trismegistus in Sēkrit and Caruan, then traveling to those locations would be easily done. According to Icarus and Haiden, all high clergy possess the ability to visit the temples and altars dedicated to their patrons almost instantaneously. However, for me, a high priestess with only one temple and no altars, such a feat was not possible.

To form an altar or temple, I needed a divine anchor—like the orrery staff associated with the temple. Icarus and Haiden claimed they got their divine anchors by requesting that their patron bless a chosen item which then became an anchor; yet when I tried this myself all I got were snappy remarks about lazy foxes.

After the third time I attempted to request a divine anchor, a book materialized in a sudden burst of light and began fiercely assaulting me, hitting over the head until I pleaded for mercy and promised to stop asking.

The title of the book was "Divine Mastery: Crafting Divine Items with Trismegistus" and it contained instructions on how to build altars and temples dedicated to Trismegistus, as well as how to create the divine anchors necessary for powering them.

Though the divine anchor was only the beginning, the book also detailed how to create and maintain ritualistic items, such as the signet rings I was planning on creating for my inner disciples. Even though Hemera II's journal had already covered the basics of creating the rings, Tris’s Guide provided further insight into possible variations and underlined the importance of such an item.

However the book hadn't solved the problem of how to create the divine anchors. It seemed that the anchor had to be forged with divine quintessence, pure gold, and astral magic. The gold and astral magic were attainable, but the divine quintessence was something I didn't know how to attain without the gods' aid.

I had already tried to refine the golden fur stolen from Tris's fox form, but it seemed that normal methods weren't working. Zosimos's reaction to the fur had been positive, so I believed that it was the answer to my quandary, but I just had to figure out how to use it.

For the time being, I decided to focus on creating the smaller items with the knowledge I had gained, such as the signet rings which didn't require divine quintessence. I had a feeling that the answer to my conundrum would reveal itself in due time.

A gentle tapping on the door jolted me from my thoughts, revealing that Atticus, Kensa and Nadir had arrived.

"Enter," I said, rising from my chair.

The trio slowly stepped into the room and spread out in a semicircle before me. They were all wearing their purple and gold disciple robes, two of them in the robes of alchemists, while Nadir wore the robes of a transmuter.

"Greetings, High Priestess," they said in unison.

I nodded to them and said, "Greetings to you all, disciples of the Philosophia Naturalis. Congratulations on your successes thus far." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts before continuing. "You have all proven your worth, and as such, I have chosen to bestow you with a great honor. You are to receive personal signet rings, for you have been deemed worthy to carry and display the symbol of your commitment to the path Philosophia Naturalis."

Their eyes widened in surprise, and they all exchanged looks with one another. I smiled at their reaction before continuing.

"These rings will be crafted with the quintessence of your being, so that each one reflects your individual journey in Philosophia Naturalis. They will be imbued with a powerful enchantment that will show your devotion to your craft and serve as a symbol of all that you have created."

I paused again, letting the impact of my words settle over them before continuing. "These rings will serve as your creator's mark and will magically appear on any item crafted using your personal recipes or formulas. It is a great honor, and I have chosen you three to carry it."

The trio nodded solemnly.

"We will be heading to the observatory, where we can draw upon the power of the stars as we create your rings." I waved my hand towards the door located behind my desk.

Silently they followed me out of the room and up the stairs leading to the ritual room at the top of the tower. Kensa made a soft sound of awe as we entered the chamber, its floor adorned with intricate symbols that glowed from the light of the moon.

"Now," I said, turning to face them once more, "let us begin."

Directing each of the three disciples to kneel on the ground inside the runic circle carved on the floor, I moved to one of the bookshelves and retrieved three clay bowls. The inside of each bowl contained half a dozen small arrays, which had been carved by Brodel and inlaid with pure gold.

"As you may have already felt, this circle has been imbued with astral blessings to increase your mental focus and aid in mana regeneration," I said, handing each of the disciples a bowl. "If you inspect the bottom of this bowl, you will see it matches your transmutation amulets. Place your amulets on the ground, with the bowl sitting on top, with each point lining up exactly."

I watched as each placed amulets down before carefully setting bowls atop them. Once each bowl was in place, I withdrew three potion vials from my bag.

"Now, I must warn you," I said, handing each of the three a vial. "This potion possesses hallucinogenic properties. Those who have consumed it have each spoken of different encounters whilst in the dreamlike state the potion places them in, however it is during this time you shall gain the symbolism for your personal insignia. Drink the potion and allow your minds to drift into a trance-like state, let yourselves be open to interpretation and take what you can from it."

Nadir didn’t hesitate before downing his vial, whilst Kensa, and Atticus both took a moment to examine the potion.

"High Priestess,” Atticus intoned after a few moments of contemplation. “Are you willing to share with us what ingredients are in the potion?"

I smiled at him. "Not all of them," I said, "but it does contain the stalks of the red amanita mushrooms."

Kensa nodded, her grip tightening around the vial as she tipped it back and drained its contents. Atticus's gaze lingered on both Nadir and Kensa as they knelt in frozen silence; their eyes closed.

I said nothing as Atticus examined his fellow disciples as they began to drift deeper into their trance-like state. After several moments, Nadir's eyes flew open, his body losing its rigidity.

Atticus spoke softly with his fellow disciple, questioning him about the effects of the potion. "What did you see?" he asked.

"It was strange," Nadir muttered, staring down at his hands with wide eyes. "I- I think I had eight hands, no- not hands, tentacles!"

I blinked once, then twice, momentarily trying to picture the man with tentacles for arms before dismissing the mental picture.

When Kensa woke, she claimed she’d dreamed of being a plant and proceeded to describe how her plant self had been harvested, then distilled into a potion. Atticus, who had been watching the entire time, asked me in a hushed tone if this was normal.

I let out a soft laugh. "In my experience, every interpretation is different," I replied with a gentle smile.

Finally it was Atticus' turn to drink the potion, and I watched as he downed it in a single gulp.

He gave no indication that anything had happened, and I began to fear that the potion hadn't taken effect. However, shortly afterwards his body suddenly sagged as his eyes closed and he drifted off into his own dreamlike state.

I waited, watching him closely as I pondered the meaning of Kensa, and Nadir’s dreams. What would Atticus see? When Atticus stirred from his stupor, his brows furrowed as he stared down at the empty bowl, before his expression smoothed into a smile. He remained silent when the others asked what he saw, merely shaking his head in response to their questions.

I studied Atticus’ face searchingly for a moment, hoping for some sign of what he had seen. He didn’t offer any further comment, and so I simply nodded in acceptance, before clapping my hands to redirect their attention.

When I had their attention, I withdrew three knives from my pouch and instructed them to unroll the leather bindings that had kept them protected.

Following my instructions each of the disciples drew the blades across their left wrist, grimacing in pain as they did so. Each knife was coated in a basic poison that would prevent the wounds from self healing, allowing the blood to continue flowing freely into the bowls.

Once each bowl was full, I carefully wrapped each disciple's wrist in a potion-soaked bandage that would negate the poison and quicken the healing process.

With their bowls now filled to the brim with blood, each disciple placed their hands on either side of the bowl, their eyes closed as they focused their mana into the transmutation amulets. A warm tingle of energy filled the air as I watched their auras pulse and intertwine, creating an intricate web of golden light.

The disciples knelt in the blessed circle, pouring mana into their amulets. Their cores were constantly refilled from the energy of the blessed circle, allowing them to continue channeling mana without pause.

Their faces were calm and determined as the ritual proceeded, each one pouring mana into their amulets until the sound of a loud crack, and a masculine cry of shock and surprise filled the air.

I looked over to see Nadir staring down at the shattered fragments of his bowl, a glimmer of gold sparkled from amongst the shards. Reaching down, he picked it up and held the ring in his hands for a moment before looking up at me with wide eyes.

I stepped closer, examining the ring over his shoulder. That explains the eight tentacles from his vision. I gazed down at the octopus with its eight tentacles curled around in a manner that faintly resembled a basic transmutation array. Tilting my head, I thought I could see tiny runes in the sucker cups depicted on parts of the tentacles, but they were too small to make out clearly.

Nadir quickly slid the ring onto his finger and smiled up at me, the light from the blessed circle reflecting off of its gold surface. As Nadir slid his ring onto his finger, I noticed that unlike my own and the clergy's, it lacked gemstones. The ring was plain gold, but I could feel the energy radiating from it and knew that Nadir had succeeded in crafting his signet ring.

"Well done, disciple," I said with a nod.

Kensa's ring was the next to form, and it showed a blooming flower with the runic symbol for life at its center. As with Nadir’s ring, there were no gemstones.

"High priestess, do you know what kind of flower this is?" Kensa asked, holding up her ring.

Leaning down, I took a closer look at the ring, attempting to discern what kind of flower I was. Nothing came to mind, so I simply gave the woman a polite smile. “You must discern that for yourself, disciple.”

I then moved on to look at Atticus's ring, my eyes widening as I gazed down at the symbol of a golden fox curled around the edges of the ring, nose touching its tail. The symbol for fire was at the center of the ring, encircled by the fox, who possessed a single red stone for its visible eye.

"High priestess," Atticus breathed, his tone reverent as he spoke. “I am honored to be given the honor of being your Acolyte, and shall do my best to prove myself worthy of you, and our patron.”

I nodded in acknowledgement, keeping my expression composed as I sent a tendril of power towards him, confirming that he was indeed an Acolyte.

"Acolyte?" Kensa asked, her eyes wide with wonder. "When did you become an Acolyte?"

Atticus smiled softly, "in the dream. Trismegistus himself named me an Acolyte in service to her eminence, High Priestesses Kadia."

"Eminence? What eminence! Tris! Don't go giving them ideas! All the bowing is bad enough; I don't need them calling me her eminence or other crap like that." I directed my thoughts at the god, but kept my face composed as I stepped back and nodded in acceptance of Atticus's words.

Nadir gave a low whistle, clearly impressed and Kensa stared at him in obvious jealousy.

As Atticus slid his ring onto his finger, he glanced up at me with a smile. "High Priestess, are these rings similar to your own?"

I nodded. "The rings are similar, but with their own unique characteristics," I said, placing my hand over the symbol of my ring.

"So as with your ring, each time someone uses our claimed formulas our symbol will appear in silver, or in gold if it is made by the original creator?” Atticus asked, glancing down at his ring.

I nodded again, smiling at the three of them. "Correct, you will also receive a portion of the mana that the crafter would typically gain when creating an item."

Nadir grinned. “So, it’s basically a copyright, and royalty payment system.”

“I guess you could say that,” I said with a light laugh. “Though, don’t expect any great boons. You could kill a fly and get more mana.”

The three of them nodded, looking pleased nonetheless.

“Still, it’s nice to know we get something out of sharing our works.” Atticus said and I nodded in agreement. "If enough people used our recipes, it would add up eventually.”

"It certainly could," I said, my lips twitching into a smile. "A hundred potions is about the equivalent of killing a rat," I said, referring to the lowest level brewing task available in the alchemy tower.

The three disciples shared a laugh and Kensa looked down at her ring with newfound excitement. "So, what level do we need to be in order to assign tasks in the tower?"

I gave her a consoling smile. "Only clergy, journeyman scholars, and direct disciples may assign tasks." I informed her, causing Nadir, and Atticus to grin broadly, whilst the purple haired elf’s shoulders slumped.

"I am certain you will ascend to that title in due time, Kensa. Your skills with alchemy are already impressive, and you continue to improve each day." I said, hoping to encourage her. "I would not have asked you to join us tonight, if I did not believe you soon to join the ranks of my direct disciples."

Kensa smiled, gratitude flashing in her eyes. "Thank you, High Priestess," she said, bowing low.

"It is the truth," I said, smiling at each of them in turn. "You have all worked hard on this journey, and I am proud of you," I said, extending my hand to gesture towards the door that led out of the room. "Why don't you head down to the dining hall? I'm sure you're all hungry after having used so much energy."

The trio nodded, each of them wearing grins. As they exited the room, I couldn't help but feel a little lonely watching their budding friendship. Of course, I was happy for them, but it made me miss the friendship I'd had with my teammates before I became entrenched in the temple's needs.

I released a heavy sigh and ran my hands through my hair. I had to stay focused on the task at hand; there was no time for distractions. I turned on my heel and pushed open the door to the room, heading down to my lab. It was time to get back to work.