Of Dust and Parchment [Closed]

"You have no right to complain, young lady," the woman said when Cassima remarked on being grabbed by the wrist.

When Cassima's own bracelet didn't work on the door, the woman scowled.

"Guess we'll have to do this by force," she said.

The woman would tug at the handle of the door, but it wouldn't budge. She then tried to slam her body against it and kick at the door's lock, but it still wouldn't move. Theo raised a finger.

"I, err...should point out that the library doors only respond to Cartic marks," he said.

"Well, why did you only tell me now!?" the woman snapped at him. "And that is a horrid design choice! I'm going to have a word with the head librarian about this the moment we get out."

This time, the woman would bring her cutlass out from its sheathe, but as she tried to cast a mark, her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Theo asked.

"I...I can't cast anything," she said.

The woman would try to summon more marks, but nothing worked.

"This, this is impossible," she said. "My stones are fully charged. There's no reason for me to not be able to cast anything!"

It was then, the three would hear something in the distance. The cell that had once had the corrupted hounds opened. It was hard to see what was up ahead, but there was no sound or signal of life coming from the cell. The woman would move over to a table that had a lantern and light it with a nearby flint stone.

As she raised the lantern up, she'd see that a door laid beyond the cell. It had bolts and a small window meant to pass food through. Almost like in a prison cell. It might strike Cassima as odd for a library to have such a set-up to begin with.

"The Keeper's path," Theo murmured. "That's where the maintenance goes through sometimes to do redo the tunnels. I think we can get back up from there."

The woman sighed. "Then I guess we should," she said. "I'd rather not wait in here when I'm needed above. And you two are going straight to Yoshi as well."

Theo grimaced, but the three would start heading to the door.

The door itself was unlocked. Where the bolts should have shut it closed, it was open and as the woman swung the heavy wood open, a cold draft would brush against them. Ahead, Cassima would see a narrow tunnel and a stone pathway. Despite being dark, it was dimly lit with what looked like lines of glowing blue rock and fungi.

"Come, children," the woman said as she'd start walking ahead, the lantern in her hand and her other hand on her cutlass. "Keep watch of where you step. Can't afford any of you tripping and getting dirty, can we?"

As she continued, she'd decide to make chitchat. "So, Miss Addington," she said. "I hear your situation is rather unique to the university. You came in rather late to join classes and you barely have any skills under your belt. No offense, but I find it odd you are here--and with that rather sharp attitude I heard of, no less. What makes you think you'll be a good fit here at the academy?"

When Cassima got scolded, she fired back. "No right? I almost died and got taken to the darker depths of this archive's you have by him." She pointed at Theo. However it seems as though that there is no way for the trio to get through to the door and they were stuck in the lower parts of the archives.

"Hmm, strange, do you think that there's a bigger force at work, say, someone that is watching us as we speak?" Cassima theorised, no doubt, bringing paranoia to the trio at the thought that their being spied on by someone.

Regardless, the trio looked around and realised that this place looked more like a jail then a lower part of an archive. They soon found a tunnel that might help them get back to the upper levels, which Cassima followed the Officer and Theo through.

Once they did and the group started to walk through the tunnel Cassima started to get interrogated...And this was the first day of her job too!

"Oh, I might not become the best student or a good fit but i'm here to learn certain branches of spells, that is my goal, nothing else. This role I have is to keep me afloat as it was required." Cassima told the Officer before rolling her eyes.

"Besides, if my region wasn't ruled by a selfish harlot who fails at being a harlot because she executes men for a living instead of ruling a region like a member of royalty should be doing I wouldn't be acting the way that I am." Cassima said.

The moment the words came out of Cassima's mouth, Theo stopped walking and had a terrified look on his face.

"What was that?" Delilah asked looking at Cassima disapprovingly.

The woman would loom over her, glaring like a furious mother upon hearing their child mention profanity.

"I'm not sure what language you use up in those slums you call mountain homes in Eisleyn, but such language about loyalty is not appreciated here at the academy," she said sharply. "You're fortunate you're speaking to me and not anyone else. I'm surprised with that mouth of yours the princess didn't cut your tongue."

"I-I'm sure she means no harm by what she says," Theo said, sounding oddly nervous. "After all, Master Yoshi mentioned her life in Eisleyn being hard. Some poor folk are just very dumb in blaming the ones in power for all their problems."

It was obvious Theo was trying to be nice, but that didn't stop him from still sounding full of himself and unenlightened. At this Delilah sighed.

"Look, I know things are hard in Eisleyn," she said with a gentler tone to Cassima. "But for your own safety, I'd suggest you not speak like that--let alone here where many Saoirsian students reside--Saorisians who come from a country that strongly believe in their ties with Eisleyn and love the princess. Do you understand?"

Slums...Did she just call her family house back in Eislelyn a slum?

Cassima...Was not going to have this officer talk down to her. She's been through hell in Eislelyn and it was hard trying to get to Aldmerrow. To have someone like Delilah snapping at her like this made her angry. She growled at Delilah.

"I said that the princess if a filthy harlot who's never going to get married because she enjoys seeing her suitor's heads on the pike. I guess you don't know since your busy living in your comfy home here in Aldmerrow then to come to the hell that is Eislelyn." Cassima glared at Delilah.

"Our house may not be better then your's, but it is more then just a slum. Maybe you should be the one to watch your tongue." Cassima smirked.

"Of course with a tyrant like Eala, she would probably cut off my tongue for simply existing." She shrugged before correcting Delilah.

"It's very tough. I lost someone important to people like Eala, i'll try to be nice to all the Eala supporters in the Academy, but I will never admit my love to a monster like her, not even on my death bed." She flinched before finishing what she said.

"For my own safety." Before widening her eyes.

"But now's not the time to get mad because of what I really think about my immature ruler. Right now we should really focus on getting out of here, right?" Cassima looked at Theo, noticing how terrified he was, before smiling at him.

"It's ok." She reassured Theo.

Delilah's face darkened as Cassima went on a spiel about how she hated the princess and was not going to stop talking about it. Exhaling, she raised a hand, almost tempted to strike the child, but Cassima brought her attention to how Delilah was supposed to be working on making her safe if that was so important to her.

Delilah let out a cool sigh.

"Your decorum definitely is in need of check," she said in a low tone. "That much you've made quite apparent, but you are right--we need to focus on getting out of here."

As Delilah raised the lantern, she looked at the series of doors along the spiral staircase that stretched upwards and downwards.

"I think it's safe to say that we need to go 'up'," she said. "Help me inspect the doors. Test if they're open, but do not proceed beyond that, understand?"

Theo nodded and watched as Delilah already started trying to tug at one door.

"Should we really be concerned about any danger?" Theo asked. "After all, this is just a library."

Delilah shot daggers at Theo.

"You know very well why," she snapped. "You literally almost killed your protege. Need I go on? And that's on top of all the other threats in these lower quarters!"

Theo settled for a shrug and started inspecting yet another door.

It was around this time that Cassima would feel a cold breeze pass by her. In fact, she'd hear a whisper of sorts.

маған кел...

As the breeze passed her, she'd be able to detect the source coming from one of the black doors near the top of the stairwell.

"And your aloofness needs to be toned down if you ever want to be friend's with people." Cassima snapped back.

"Like me." She pointed to herself as the trio finally decided that they were going to get out of here again instead of arguing. Cassima rolled her eyes when Delilah told her not to go beyond any unlocked doors.

"Of course I won't, do you think i'm stupid?" She asked the Officer as she started to investigate every door after glaring at Theo's question.

As she did she felt a breeze and a strange voice from behind her, causing her to turn back towards Delilah and Theo.

"Hey... Did anyone hear that?" Cassima asked, before looking up at the black doors and pointing towards it.

"I think if we want to get out of here we have to try out those doors up there." She pointed.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything," Theo said remarked.

Delilah arched an eyebrow.

"Nor did I," she said with suspicion. "Perhaps you heard an echo when you were off prattling with that disrespectful mouth of yours. Whatever the case, you are correct and we should check the upper doors."

Delilah went up ahead to the black door at the top of the stairwell. Giving it a small push, she felt resistance, but it didn't feel locked.

"Hey. This one's not locked," she told the two. "It's a bit old, though, so I need a bit of time to budge it open."

"Let me help," Theo said.

The boy would head up the stairs and with Delilah start pushing. The two would hear a creak and it would open to another corridor, one much darker than the last. A blast of cold air would greet them and make its way down to Cassima, followed by the echoes of its blowing.

"I suppose this must lead somewhere," Delilah said as she raised the lantern. She squinted. "I don't see much ahead. You two stay here--and behave. I'm going to check if it leads to a dead end."

Theo nodded and Delilah went inside. Seeing Delilah go inside, the blond would make his way back downstairs to where Cassima was.

"Forgive my aunt," he said sighing. "She's a bit of a stickler for rules. It makes her no fun at all."

And then, grinning, "My methods are a lot more fun, right? If you think about it, I..."


But as he continued to talk, his words would drown out. Cassima's ears would be filled with silence and the sound of wind echoing through the corridors. And then,

маған кел...

маған кел...

KEPILDIKSIZ, NEMESE ÖMIRIMIZ.

The words would get louder in her ears despite being nothing but a whisper. Soon the voice would seem to multiply, drowning her hearing entirely, egging her with a command she couldn't understand.

Cassima sighed. "I heard what I hear unlike what you hear." Cassima said, making an implication that Delilah was hearing things as she watched her and Theo open the door, while Cassima stood there. It was obvious that Delilah would not want her help, even though if she did want Cassima's help then the trio would of been back in the upper levels of the Archive's by now, safe and sound from hounds and other creatures that lurk within the depths of the lower Archive's.

After they got the door open Delilah insisted that Cassima and Theo stay until the area behind the door is safe. "The only thing that's dead is you when your going to enter a possibly dangerous room by yourself." Cassima pointed out to Delilah, but she had already entered the room.

While Theo apologised for his aunt's attitude and began some small talk, Cassima looked around and ignored him, and that was when she was hearing the voice again. It was like it was if... It was chanting something. Soon it drowned out what Theo was saying and it's as if it wanted Cassima to say what it was saying.

Which made her worried as she suddenly made a grab for Theo's hand.

"I think your aunt maybe in danger. We must go to her." Cassima advised to Theo as she tried to drag him into the room that Delliah had just entered in, fearing for the Expiate's Officer's life.

"Danger?" Theo said with a smirk. "She's an Expiate officer. What harm could possibly--"

Cassima beat him to it, though, by dragging him up the staircase and into the room. He would try to urge her to stop, but her head would continue to be filled with the weird voice in her head. Oddly enough, it would start speaking to her in a language she could understand.

Yes, come to me. I have a score to settle with you.


When the two would reach the doorway, the light from the lantern was gone and Delilah was nowhere in sight. Instead, there seemed to be a faint blue glow towards the end.

"Aunt Delilah?" Theo called out. While he was still trying to act casually, there was a little more edge to his voice. When he received no response, his smile faded. "I suppose we should go forward."

Just as he was about to step forward, however, a black cloud formed from under his feet and he yelped in surprise. What he and Cassima would see next were bright yellow eyes in a tuft of black smog that slowly formed into the shape of a small girl, almost the same size of Mirai. It was nothing but a silhouette, but it still oddly had three-dimensional form.

"An Incantus!?" Theo yelled. He got in front of Cassima, pulling the librarian's dagger from his pocket. "Stay back, Cassima."

The silhouette merely tilted its head and then stared at the two. It would then speak.

"Oh. There you are," the creature said. "I couldn't call you until you were in my quarters. It's a pleasure to meet you at last...Miss Addington."

Theo would whirl around and look at Cassima bewildered.

"Do you know this thing?" he said.

As Cassima continued to drag Theo further into the room, she began to hear the voice again, this time it sounded more English as she briefly stopped. "Huh, it's not speaking in a forgotten language anymore." Cassima said out loud before looking around. It seems Delilah has gone missing.

How shocking.

"I knew this was going to happen. Your aunt's mind is as thick as a brick." Cassima rhymed as a creature suddenly appeared, a creature that Cassima recognised. She gasped loudly.

"Oh my. It's the Incantus from the sky garden that almost killed me, it's probably back to settle the score with me once and for all!" Cassima declared, before lowering her voice.

"Oh, it probably killed your aunt too." She revealed to Theo. Surely he will take the news of his aloof's aunt death very well. He barely reacts to anything so far.