บท 25: The Sanctum

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of Sorin's finger tapping on his wooden desk was the only constant sound inside his office. Felix had noticed this habit of Sorin a while ago, a mannerism he does whenever he's deep in thought– or when he's angry.

Felix thought of it as a sign that Sorin was planning something.

The moon shone dimly outside the windows; there was a lone candle on Sorin's desk that was the room's only light source. The saint's attention was elsewhere, his eyes closed as he continued the rhythmic tapping on his desk.

The silence stretched on; broken by Felix's question: "What happened?"

Sorin opened his eyes, his purple irises shone differently under the candle's flames. "I knew you were going to ask," he replied, his tone low with suppressed emotion.

"You left me at the capital," Felix huffed out.

Tap.

His fingers clicked on the wood once more. "My apologies," Sorin sighed, running his finger through his black hair.

"Kieran, Kieran, Kieran," Sorin repeated the man's name almost like a curse, his voice filled with venom and frustration. "Do you know how much I despise him, Felix?"

Felix blinked at the question. It was a strange one, he knew Sorin for a very long time, and that meant that he knew about Kieran as well.

For as long as he could remember, the two were very close friends. Inseparable, even.

The sudden hatred coming from Sorin was quite a surprise... but Felix was not the one who dared question Sorin.

Sorin let out a frustrated sigh. "It's confusing, isn't it?" he said to Felix. Despite this, Felix was not naive. He knew that Sorin's sudden relations with demons had something to do with Kieran.

"You see, he jumped down after me without even hesitating."

Felix tilted his head, not quite understanding what the Saint meant. "He risked his life for you?" he guessed.

Sorin chuckled, but his voice was devoid of any humor. "It's frustrating," he hissed. "Kieran, the righteous hero of Eden Empire... my dearest, dearest friend."

Sorin locked eyes with Felix, deep pools of purple that seemed to burn with hatred. "The one who condemned me to death, a merciless fate that I had dragged everyone I ever loved with me."

Felix didn't understand, but he still listened and watched as Sorin stood up from his chair. His fingers trailed on the wooden desk. "Yet, I allowed myself to get distracted. To think for a second that..." he paused as if he was going to continue, but Sorin bit his tongue.

"My humanity is such a fickle thing," Sorin whispered.

Darkness filled Felix's vision when the candle went off with a quick flick of Sorin's finger. Before he could realize it, Sorin was standing in front of him.

"Do you think I'm human, Felix?"

His heart almost stopped, the darkness enveloped them like a shroud. Sorin's question felt like a sharp knife cutting through his skin.

Sorin repeated, "Am I, Felix?"

Felix knew that he wasn't. Not now. Sorin had changed. A drastic change, as if a switch was just flipped overnight.

When he met Sorin, he was a saint. Unmarred and pure, revered and beloved by the people.

Felix hesitated, unsure of how to respond, but the expression on his face remained neutral. "You were..." he answered.

Sorin smiled at his words. "I was," he echoed.

"But if I wasn't human, I wouldn't have any lingering emotions towards those pests," he clicked his tongue. Sorin took a step back from Felix, and with that, a flame blazed on the candle's wick, now illuminating the room.

Sorin's expression warped back to his usual calm demeanor, a perfectly practiced smile on his lips. "I'm sure it's hard to understand, but soon you will, Felix. You're too smart to be kept in the dark."

Felix let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging in relief. "No matter what, you know that I had pledged my loyalty to you," he promised.

Sorin chuckled. "Oh, I know."

***

The mage's tower was commonly known as The Sanctum. A building that hovers in the air, created using advanced magical craftsmanship.

The Sanctum's multiple spires housed mages that seek immense knowledge and power. It is a symbol of prestige within the continent's magic community.

Sorin thought of The Sanctum as a monument of arrogance and avarice. A tower in the sky, looking down upon the world as if they were superior to everyone else.

It was the epitome of humanity's thirst for power no matter the consequences, The Sanctum will continue to blindly pursue knowledge no matter the cost.

Neve Adurne was a great irony of The Sanctum.

Her name was synonymous with power, her use of magic was unrivaled. Despite her title as the archmage, she was merely a means to an end. A puppet dancing to their tune, robbed of her own freedom and dreams.

Sorin traced the letter that Neve had sent, feeling her desperation and suffering from the garbled writings. "Should I destroy them?" he pondered.

It won't be an easy feat. The Sanctum is filled with strong mages and researchers, ones that could easily overpower normal hunters.

It was his duty to save Neve, the head of the Sanctum punished her after the rejection of Kieran's proposal. It would mean another connection had come to waste.

Sorin was the one who told her to reject the proposal.

With a bitter smirk, Sorin's eyes narrowed. "You're strong, Neve. I hope you could wait for me."

The destruction of The Sanctum would mean chaos within the Eden Empire. The council that leads the Sanctum holds an oppressive amount of power, comparable to that of the emperor.

But the desperation in Neve's words served as fuel for the fire; he wanted to see the Sanctum crumble. Its 'unshakeable' pillars of authority falling down from the heavens back to its original place; hell.

Before he could perform such an ambitious plan, he would need the help of someone very important.

Sorin crumpled the paper in between his hand. "Be patient, Archmage."