Redemption Arc

Lucian sat on the back of a carriage as it traveled a particularly treacherous mountain road. The journey to the monastery was a rugged one. Heavenwatch was a description, not an aspiration—it was called such because it was so high up on a mountain that it could watch the heavens. Cate laid her head on his lap, and Lucian combed her long hair. She seemed to enjoy it, because whenever he put the comb down she handed it back to him. She seemed to be uncomfortable in the carriage, and he kept this up to keep her calm.

“Do you know what it means to find a bride in the monastery, Lord Lucian?” Brother Pell asked.

Lucian turned away from the window to look at his companion. “I think so, but if you want to refresh me, feel free.”

“Such humility. As expected from someone with such pure holy affinity,” Pell said praisingly.

Lucian was about to vomit—not from motion sickness, but from this guy. Every single time he did anything, he heard those familiar words: ‘as expected from someone with such pure holy affinity.’ He felt like everything he did was being scrutinized and given some higher meaning. He wanted to blurt out that he was a fraud and a phony if only to get this man to stop overanalyzing him.

“Those residing at Heavenwatch Monastery are all descended from a divine beast,” Pell explained. “This divine beast possessed the power of transformation, and assumed the form of a mortal to live among us and help us prosper. Even though the divine beast has long since passed away, his descendants still possess his powers of transformation. A strong holy affinity is essential to use and sustain those powers.”

Lucian knew that fact well. Despite the title of monastery, the monastics were closer to a reclusive clan of druids than clerics. Their holy affinity directly correlated to strength while transformed, entirely ignoring the body’s base stats.

“So, you can transform into a divine beast?” Lucian asked.

“I can,” Pell said with a faint smile.

Lucian leaned in. “Could you show me?”

Pell’s smile grew. “I fear if I were to do that here, we might be consigned to walk the remainder of the journey. Perhaps when next we come to a stop, I can illustrate the transformation.”

Lucian nodded. Hopefully, the people of the monastery weren’t too far gone. In War of Four, by the time the player interacted with any of them, they’d all lost their ability to transform. Eventually, a traitor among them would turn them into demonic beasts—a profaned version of their original transformation, and one which they couldn’t undo. From thereon, they were thralls to the First Emperor.

“I imagine that you’ll have the chance to see it many times throughout your life, if you’re wed,” Pell continued. “There are many great talents in the monastery. If you have children, they may manifest traits of the divine beast. Those children will be promised to the monastery in exchange for our support on the mainland. Such is the agreement your father proposed.”

“Right.” Lucian nodded.

He didn’t expect for this commitment to amount to much. Nothing quite like murdering his brother-in-law to sour the relationship with the monastery. Even if an engagement did happen, he expected it to be canceled rather quickly. If not by them, the coming chaos and the return of the First Emperor would put an end to any marriage talks.

Lucian looked outside. The carriage was coming to the end of the incredibly steep road they’d been traversing. He could see out across the Empire of Riverra—its rolling plains, the great skull covering Golvenne, the grand Kingswood, the Lurund River and its many tributaries… this was a beautiful, beautiful land. It’d be a damn shame to see it ravaged by war, its green fields trampled underfoot by armies of demons and men.

All the more reason to take Metterand out… Lucian thought. He looked ahead to see the chancellor’s carriage. He felt his heart pound a little quicker at the thought of what was coming.

Now that they reached the peak, their carriages headed onto an enormous bridge spanning the gap between two mountain peaks. It was made of solid stone and reinforced by both architectural prowess and magical wonders. Lucian couldn’t help but feel a little bit uncomfortable as their carriages rolled onto it. Maybe it was because this bridge had been destroyed in War of Four. All he could think about was the cutscene of it falling apart.

And the one who broke it… Lucian looked ahead. Heavenwatch wasn’t yet visible—it was concealed by mounds of stone. They’re in there, working their grubby little fingers into these people. Corrupting them.

Lucian steeled himself for what was coming. More specifically, who.

***

In Lucian’s eyes, Heavenwatch Monastery was one of the most memorable places in War of Four. As they approached it Lucian felt that opinion was reaffirmed. In design, it was closer to Buddhist monasteries than Christian ones, though without obvious Asiatic architecture. The bulk of the structure was located at the center of a crater atop a mountain. The crater was flush with wildlife in contrast to the rest of the mountaintop. Its white buildings with silver roofs stuck out like pearls in the middle of a sea of green. The sight of it reminded Lucian of one of the blessings of the gods, strangely enough. Perhaps that was by design.

In the back, a set of stairs ascended the crater to reach a cathedral which rested at the highest point in the mountain. It looked quite different from the cathedral that they had seen in the Fifth Canton—humbler, perhaps, but no less striking. When their carriages neared the monastery, what had once seemed rather small from a distance became titanic. The monastery was a huge place, as large as many towns they’d passed through.

As their carriages came into the monastery proper, many of the brothers and sisters of Heavenwatch came out to watch them. Visitors to this place were incredibly rare—they hadn’t exactly made this an easy place to reach, after all, and they were largely self-sufficient. Lucian saw a lot of people with white hair, luxurious white fur robes, and bright eyes ogling them. There were people with more common hair colors, but they were a very small minority. White or pale yellow were the sole colors of their outfits.

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Their vehicles rolled into a familiar central square of the monastery. It looked exactly the same as in War of Four. Lucian had Cate sit up as they slowed to a stop. Pell opened the door and exited, and Lucian followed shortly after. His ears popped from the altitude when he stood up, and he stretched his legs for a moment. The air was a lot thinner up here. Lucian felt a searing sensation in the back of his hand, and grabbed it by instinct.

Just as the game described, Lucian thought as he rubbed the back of his hand where the Inquisitor’s Mark was. It might not be able to react to your everyday demons, but when there’s a truly powerful ritual nearby… this thing lights up something fierce.

In-game, that’d been nothing more than some hidden dialogue the player received for completing Helen’s first quest. For Lucian, it was a sign that what he was looking for was here. There were a lot of people of the monastery crowded around, talking without approaching. Pell wasn’t an anomaly in looking like an angel descended from heaven. The first divine beast had good genes… or had at least transformed into something with good genes.

“The abbess is coming,” Pell said, touching Lucian’s elbow. “You should probably greet her.”

Lucian nodded. Their group reconvened, Lucian keeping Cate close at hand as Metterand looked around at the monastery in some awe. Eventually, two figures started to come out of the crowd and walk toward them. One was the abbess. She resembled Brother Pell in many ways, with white hair and crystal blue eyes. The one standing slightly behind and beside her… Lucian couldn’t help but fix his eyes on her.

Aurelia, the Cursed Child. In a monastery full of people with angelic appearances, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her robes were of a deep black and puffy fur, decorated with gold where all of them used silver. She had long, thick black hair, shrewd yellow eyes, pale skin, and a certain glamour to her that all her brothers and sisters lacked. Where they were ethereal, she was bewitching. She had a wry, almost foxlike smile with intense eyes.

Right now, that woman was simply Prioress Aurelia, second-in-command to the abbess. In time, she would become one of the First Emperor’s deputies, and a major recurring boss of immense power. She would be granted nine lives, after all—her gift from the First Emperor for betraying these people.

That deal hasn’t yet been struck, Lucian reflected, staring her down. But Aurelia’s still very powerful. Powerful enough that she’s the cudgel I’ll use against Metterand.

As Lucian lost himself in thought, the abbess bridged the distance and made it to their party. Brother Pell approached her first. He told her something excitedly—probably conveying the results. She shook his hand and smiled at him gratefully, then turned to Lucian. She was a woman just starting to become old. Her hair was largely white, but there were small sections that were gray—indeed, her graying hair was darker than her original hair color, strangely.

“She seems important,” Metterand remarked.

The abbess walked to the two of them. In War of Four, she’d been dead for months by the time they made it here, so it was a genuinely new character for him. Aurelia stayed back, not yet greeting them.

“Lord Lucian Villamar?” she asked, and he nodded. “I’m Abbess Dorothea. You’ve come a very long way. Was the journey harsh?”

“It was scenic,” Lucian said simply.

The abbess smiled, then looked to Metterand. “And you are?”

“Duke Clemens Metterand,” he said, flourishing and taking her hand to kiss the back of it. “I’m Lucian’s brother-in-law. Despite no blood binding us, Lucian is quite dear to me, and I wished to ensure he got the best possible outcome here.”

“Very admirable,” she said, buying it completely. She turned to Cate. “And you, young lady?”

“This is my sister, Cate,” Lucian said, wrapping an arm around her as she looked around in fright and wonder. “She’s mute. I ask that you be patient with her.”

The abbess smiled and nodded sympathetically. “Absolutely. Now… I understand that you may be eager to settle in, but there’s one final matter that needs to be attended to before you can be shown your quarters.”

“Brother Pell explained everything. There’s to be a final demonstration in the cathedral?” Lucian said.

Dorothea nodded. “We of Heavenwatch are very protective of our community, here. When we use the term brother and sister, it is without exaggeration. Please understand. I only wish to protect those here by ensuring you’re of sound character.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Lucian assured her. “Shall we?”

***

Aurelia stood in the back of the nave with several of her sisters of Heavenwatch, watching the new arrival with a suspicious mind. Her sisters chatted around her, discussing the gray-haired figure eagerly.

“He has a rather different atmosphere from most of our brothers, don’t you think?” said one novice. “I hear that he’s a high noble. Lord Lucian Villamar, his name is. Can you imagine the life he must’ve led? To be a noble’s wife… it would be such a change from the monastery.”

“He seemed rather protective of that woman. I heard that she’s his sister. That says quite a bit about him,” another suggested. “A family man… how lovely.”

Someone touched Aurelia’s elbow. “I think he was staring straight at you, Aurelia.”

Aurelia smiled politely. “Likely because I was standing next to the abbess.”

“You’re being modest,” his sister suggested. “Everyone knows that—”

“Shush,” another novice said. “He’s about to begin his test.”

The majority of the nave fell silent as Lucian walked up to the grand apparatus hosted in the back of the cathedral. That was the Celestial Organ, created by the True Divine Beast that was the founder of this monastery. Lucian spoke to the abbess some, then ascended the stairs leading to where it was played. He reached his hand out and set it upon the white crystal without delay.

Pure white light began to fill the crystal. Slowly but surely, it spread to the Celestial Organ, dispersing throughout the instrument. The organ came alive. It was as if the perfect symphony came into being second by second. Concurrently, the entire cathedral became alight with brilliant holy magic. An all too familiar song filled the halls of the cathedral. It was as if they became adrift in the heavens themselves, listening to the music of the gods.

What followed was a joyous, uplifting, even divine concert. Countless of her brothers and sister joined in, adding their voices to a grand chorus. Lucian took his hand off the organ, and yet it continued. It would play until completion of its melody. The time it continued was the gauge of his holy affinity—the abbess would be keeping track of it.

“My word…” one of her sisters said. “I haven’t heard the organ played so beautifully since last you touched it, Aurelia,” she said eagerly. “If he’s peer to our prioress, then he must truly be an exemplar.”

Lucian’s gaze wandered the crowd as they sang, a faint smile on his face. And when his gaze fell upon Aurelia… it lingered, as it had before. Her sisters babbled something, but Aurelia’s mind focused solely on this new arrival. She didn’t like unexpected variables, especially not when her plan was so close to fruition. Her brothers and sisters, she knew. She could twist them whichever way she wanted.

But if his holy affinity is that pure… then he’ll probably be just like all these fools, Aurelia thought, returning his smile. Lambs for my slaughter.