The Greatest Sin

Bloodthirsty. Arrogant. Condescending. Secretive. Pretentious. Manipulative. Selfish. Greedy. Dishonest.

Arascus’ other daughters are at least likable. I have nothing positive to say about Anassa.

- Excerpt from the secrets texts in the White Pantheon’s closed library. Written by Goddess Maisara, of Order: ‘Documenting the Daughters.’

Edmonton led Fleur and Eliza to the Divine Library. It was the middle of the night, they waited for Arcadia to go to sleep before visiting it again. They had visited several times before, Edmonton smirked as he remembered that first entry when he bickered with Lyca on testing the door. Now, after spending so much time with Arascus, after downing Leona’s plane and training everyday… Well, it much like entering any other library to him.

The huge building was hidden by the trees of Elassa’s Divine Gardens, further North and away from the main complex of Arcadia, people rarely frequented here unless it was for sightseeing or taking someone out on a date. The building suddenly rose out of the ground, its dark slate black against the blue and starry night’s sky. All towers tall towers and sharp roofs as if it was a serious of spikes cast into the ground.

They had agreed to rescue Lyca later. Edmonton and Fleur both preferred having their presence in Arcadia be unknown, they had stayed in Eliza’s room the whole day. Edmonton had sent a report to Iliyal and informed him that tonight he’d receive his information, and then that Edmonton and Fleur would be staying in Arcadia and to inform them of the time so they could free Lyca. Eliza said she visited him once a week still, when he had his visitor hours and that generally he was taking imprisonment well. Better than she would at least.

Edmonton looked around, there was no one about, and quickly disappeared through the front door of the Divine Library. Fleur and Eliza followed him. They all wore the casual clothes of students simply going outside, somewhat darkly coloured as to not stand, but there was no reason to try and blend in. Looking as if you belonged perfectly was a far better disguise than playing at some childish dream at subterfuge.

“Goddess Anassa!” Edmonton shouted into the library. It was empty as always, with the grand bookcases stretching into what seemed like eternity. They were perfectly clean, without even a speck of dust. Nor a hint of shadow, the entire place was well lit by a series of magical lanterns that hovered in mid-air. A stair-case with a red carpet draped over was at the end of the grand hall, leading up to the second floor. Anassa had never allowed any of them to travel up there.

“I do not appreciate being called for like a dog.” Anassa’s cold voice came from behind them. Edmonton hated how she did that, he had no clue how her sorcery worked, he could not even detect her appearing behind him. She circled around the group of three youths, brilliant black hair flowing down her back. Her long red dress trailed behind her, it was low-cut and revealed a healthy slice of pretty leg. And she was tall, easily twice the size of Eliza, Edmonton reached to just below those sizable mounds on her chest. Edmonton could not help but look, and he felt Fleur’s elbow in his side when she caught him. “You have returned.” Anassa said. “And I sense you’ve been training, not the most you could have been, but training nevertheless.”

She turned to face them as the library shifted. Darkness cloud around them, and then they were in a different room. With large chairs and couches obviously sized for devices, Eliza sat on a couch, her legs dangled off the front unable to reach the floor. “Sit, I did not bring you here to stand.” Anassa said as she sat down. The woman knew exactly what she was doing when she put one leg over the over. Edmonton tried to look away and felt Fleur’s elbow in his side again. “So? Has Arascus gotten bored of you yet?” Anassa asked.

“He has not.” Edmonton spoke up, his voice cracking as he tried to look away from the gap in her dress. Anassa smiled in self-satisfaction when she saw him looking. Fleur kicked Edmonton’s leg and took over the speaking for the two of them.

“We’ve come back for you, there’s a plan to free you from here.” Fleur said and Anassa exhaled tiredly.

“So you have been productive then.”

“We need to know about whatever is holding you here.” Anassa sighed and leaned back. She put one long arm around the back of her chair.

“Who am I communicating this to?” Anassa asked and lazily flicked a finger. Her nails were painted red, like her lips. “Obviously it’s not just you.” Fleur looked to Edmonton, then back at Anassa.

“I don’t… I don’t know what you mean?” She asked and Anassa rolled her eyes.

“Who’s organising this? Is it just Iliyal Tremali?”

“Oh.” Fleur said. “No, we have Iliyal, Kassandora and Arascus helped make the plan.” Edmonton saw the Goddess’ eyes widen and her mouth turn into a smile of pure delight. “Fer is going to be running the operation. Neneria won’t be attending.” Fleur finished and the woman leaned forwards. Now that Edmonton had to pull his eyes away from! It was simply scandalous! She was a Goddess! A Divine!

“So many have returned?” Anassa licked her lips. “And Irinika? Olephia? Baalka?”

“Olephia is back, but I don’t know about the other two.” Fleur said carefully, Edmonton tried to keep his gaze on Fleur, and he saw her own eyes sliding downwards. “And… Yeah. That’s it.” Fleur finished, a blush developing in her cheeks.

“It’s Irinika and Baalka for you.” Anassa hissed. “Not other two.” She reclined again. “So it’s Fer, Iliyal, Kassie and Arascus I’m talking to.”

“That’s the plan. The others are away to draw Elassa away from here.” Fleur replied in an apologizing tone. “I don’t know how, that Iliyal didn’t tell us.”

“Very well. They’ll know so tell them this. I won’t repeat myself, listen well.” Anassa said. Fleur and Edmonton both nodded. “My soul is bound to a prison shard. There’s ten-by-ten of Theosius’ Sentinels, the Centurion models around it. They’re all grafted with dwarven materialisation runes, crafted out of the same bronze-mithril alloy Allasaria’s chosen used. It’s the five styles of Sentinel-Centurions, twenty each. Their design has been altered, they don’t have cores anymore, they’re powered by Arcadia’s leyline fluctuations. Did you catch that?” Anassa raised a black eyebrow.

Fleur nodded and Edmonton replied. “I did.” He knew precisely what half of those words meant. The rest may as well have been gibberish.

“The shard is on the third floor. I’ve marked it already, if it’s Fer though, she’ll be able to smell it out. The upper levels of the library are flooded in mercury, the air is toxic there. The only entrances are the doors, the Library itself is reinforced with structural magic. Olephia would break it, but Irinika would not. I could if I was unconstrained, tell Iliyal that, he’ll know what level of strength we’re working with then.” Anassa crossed her arms. “Understood?”

“Yes!” Fleur half-said, half shouted.

“Great.” Anassa said. “That is all they need then.” Edmonton blinked. That was it? Only that? He expected… he didn’t know what he expected. Something more… Something he could understand at least. “Make sure you don’t forget.” Anassa cracked a smile. “It’s good that you’ve returned.”

“We’re happy too.” Edmonton said coyly.

“Oh I wouldn’t be happy if I were you. But I am very happy.” Anassa smiled and the couch below them disappeared. The three youths fell to the floor. “Who’s been teaching you?” Anassa then raised a hand. “Actually no, it was Arascus, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Fleur said as she stood up and rubbed her rear. “How di-“

“I’m the one asking questions here.” Anassa interrupted, she did not even change her voice from the purring leopard voice of hers. “But it’s obvious, you’ve grown in strength but not awareness. If little Kassie taught you, it’d be the opposite.” Edmonton had not met Kassandora ever, but from the way Iliyal talked about his favourite Goddess, little Kassie would be the precisely the last words he would ever use to associate with Of War. “I’ve been training little Eliza here too.” Anassa said. “But Eliza is a team-player.”

Darkness clouded over all of them. They stood in a pitch black space, there was no depth to the floor, no ceiling, no walls. If Anassa didn’t stay there, still reclining on her chair, Edmonton would have no way to tell if him and Fleur and Eliza were falling or not. “Go on then.” Anassa said. “Show me how much you’ve advanced. You have duties to attend to, so I’ll give you thirty seconds to scratch me or my dress.”

Edmonton wished he had the courage to scowl in front of Anassa. He had come to save her! And this was the thanks he got? Eliza stepped forwards immediately, her hands didn’t move, nothing about her posture changed, and then a red beam appeared, as thin as a needle sparked from her chest and aimed at Anassa. It didn’t even cover half the distance. Anassa smiled. “Straight for the heart, very good.” She said. “But I know what you’re capable of Eliza, this isn’t your examination. Let your two friends have a chance.” Eliza stepped backwards with a bow and Anassa angled her eyes to the two. “You have twenty seconds left.”

Edmonton raised his arms, Fleur flicked her fingers and Anassa spoke again. “You’ve both failed, but go on, try.” Edmonton poured all of his energy into the blast of energy. Red light burst from him. Stronger than anything he had used before, enough to fell at least five-dozen great oaks in a single beam. The planes he had downed in Artica would have had nothing but scraps remaining of them. Fleur’s flick created blades of red light as Anassa rolled her eyes, obviously unimpressed. “Very much Arascus’ style.” She said.

Edmonton’s giant beam and Fleur’s swords of sorcery ploughed through the darkness at Anassa, ready to destroy her, and then… And then they weren’t there. Anassa whistled as spun her finger in a circle and picked at her nail. “Examination over, I’ve revoked the twelve seconds you had, you’ve shown enough.” Edmonton’s beam appeared above him, hurled into him, and then it was below him. Fleur’s blades changed directions and hurled into the two.

Edmonton felt the blood drain from his face and Fleur let out a tiny squeak of fear as the blades reappeared above Anassa. Edmonton’s beam split in the air. Was that even his beam of magic anymore? It was, he could feel himself from it. It was his, but it wasn’t simultaneously. “Let me give a little lesson. Eliza has heard this before, but repetition is never bad, is it?” Anassa asked.

The show went on as Anassa began to stretch, her dress tightly hugging her. Edmonton’s beam split again and made two pillars around Anassa. How did she hold his sorcery still? Fleur’s blades made an archway among them. “I’ve talked with Eliza a great deal about this, since you were mages before you were sorcerers, and I know how magic works, it’s changed somewhat since my days, but then again, it hasn’t.” Anassa flicked a finger and the columns of red energy rolled over.

“Fundamentally, magic is one’s will exerted over the elements. Somewhere, someone, some time in the past, found out how to move things with his mind, and thus magic was born. It is irrational to some extent, but perfectly understandable, we can run tests to measure potential, we can create theories, put them into practice, we can change and evolve magic as time goes on. There is a certain scientific and mathematical structure to it.” Anassa flicked her finger and the columns changed into people. They bowed to the Goddess.

“Sorcery was much the same. Somewhere, someone, some time in the past, found out how to move things with her mind. The only difference was that this was a broken mind. It was not sane.” Anassa looked at the construct of light next to her, tapped it, and it shattered into a thousand butterflies that burned away like flames. “Where magic bends the laws of physics according to rational thought, sorcery bends them according to irrational thought. Do you understand?” Anassa asked.

“No.” Fleur replied as Edmonton shook his head.

“I thought you wouldn’t.” Anassa said. “Sorcery is ultimately delusional thought manifest into reality. You cannot defeat, nor at your current stage will you ever be able me, no matter how much you grow, because you cannot see yourself defeating me. In a contest of sorcery, can you stand you against me?” Edmonton tried to understand what the woman was even talking about. She was the Goddess of Sorcery! How could he defeat her in her own field?

“No.” Edmonton replied and Anassa nodded sadly.

“Honesty, at least I can appreciate.” The rest of the sorcery around disappeared, the darkness melted away, and they returned back to the room with the couches. Anassa flicked her finger, Edmonton and Fleur were sent crashing into the wall. “You are still trapped by chains of logic and sanity. Arascus trains well, because he trains soldiers, step-by-step, you get better. It works for muscles, which you grow, it does not work for Sorcery. Sorcery, an insane man who’s mind knows no limitations, could outdo you in a day. Lyca, your friend, is like that. He thinks himself top of the world, he comes at me with no limitations, and even he’s still failed to touch my dress.”

“I see.” Edmonton did not see at all. He just hoped it would save him from another blast like that.

“I know you don’t see whatsoever.” Anassa said. “Simply said, you are not delusional enough to stand against Divines.” She smiled at him. A beautiful, deadly smile, a she-wolf inviting a child to her lair. “Are you staying in Arcadia?”

“We are.”

“Go then, report to Iliyal. I expect to see the three of you here for another lesson tomorrow.” When Edmonton heard those words, he wanted to collapse onto his knees and cry.