Embers in the Dust

Myla wasn’t sure of how many libraries there were at Berkton Academy, but when Mr. Muffins and she managed to find one, they had made their way inside and quickly got to work. Between the large and looming shelves, the two had found a quiet space near the back, with a large window to give them adequate light, and close enough to some of the books they were curious to skim through.

The morning moved, and within the first couple hours they both found themselves with a stack of books high enough that they couldn’t see each other without moving to the side. It was difficult, as neither of them knew exactly what to look for, but they at least had some ideas. Starting with Vecna and his aliases, as well as Kas, they managed to find the story that Humboldt had told them. The challenge was that each book was mainly just recountings of the same things. It wasn’t until Mr. Muffins lazily skimmed through a book of conspiracies that he found something. Standing to look over the pile of books, he handed one to Myla and pointed down at the open page.

“There’s a guy in Skystead who says Kas is still alive and that he’s seen him.”

“Yeah?”

“The catch? This was written five years ago. What’s the likelihood Kas is really alive after five-hundred and somethin’ years?”

“Who knows? Vecna’s name is ‘The Undying King’. Maybe they all managed to keep going?”

“I don’t know… It sounds like stories you tell kids to scare ’em.”

“Maybe. I did find something about spells that I didn’t know. Apparently certain magic was banned, due to how difficult it was.”

“Like, a school of magic?”

“No, like this one here talks about a spell that only a master mage could do. He needed at least a hundred undead to do it, and even then, if it didn’t work it would kill everyone involved.”

“Sounds rough. What was the spell?”

“Atvari Tempus.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“It would cause someone to unleash their mind into an energy vessel that was massive, and could cast spells with ease. There’s a lot of warnings about it causing issues with magic though. Rifts would open before many got the chance to even cast it, and magic would go unstable. It does say that someone managed it, but it doesn’t say who.”

Myla sighed, setting the book down and picking up another. Across from her, Mr. Muffins took out a small device and checked the time.

“It’s getting a little late, and I promised Humboldt that we would have lunch together. Do you mind if I-”

“No, please. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but if they have anything sweet, could you grab one for me?”

“Of course. See you later.”

With a large stretch, causing his tail to twitch back and forth from under his coat, he nodded then left Myla to her work. She leaned back, exhausted from all of the smells of the older books in front of her, but kept on. The afternoon came and went, but she paid it no mind. She ran through all the things she could think of, with little to no luck. When she was at the point of exhaustion, and ready to give up for the day, she had a thought.

Odin.

Standing quickly, she walked over to the shelves about the deities and tried to find some of the books nearby the one Mr. Muffins had earlier. Searching the shelves, her finger running along the spines of many, she stopped on one book that seemed to have not been moved in some time. Picking it up, she looked at the yellowing letters on the front cover; Gods Across Cecela.

She didn’t take it back to the table, but rather opened it right there and started shuffling through it. Stopping midway through, she found what she was hoping to see.

It’s hard to say if the story is true, as the person is six-hundred years old, and has been living in an institution since the early four-hundred OC. I did have the chance to meet with him, and it was an illuminating story of The Undying King and Kas. I have written about it in previous tomes and text, so I won’t go further on that story, but rather on one I had found later in my adventuring days.

In Calimshan, there is a sage who has many written texts from sages who once ran as leaders to the village before its growth and led to the democratic aspirations under the Queen’s command. While visiting, I had a chance to read through some of the earlier texts, and did find something about a figure, resembling Odin, who appeared in front of the sage within a year of The Undying King’s departure from Midgard.

The text said little of his intention, as time had weathered it beyond recognition at some points, but it did speak about a ritual that Odin desired to try. The sage commanded ten of his strongest mages to join the deity, but something went wrong. It led to the death of those ten mages, but did little else in giving factual data of use.

Myla closed the book and tried to see if things connected.

Was it possible that Vecna tried to cast Atvari Tempus, and used Kas’ people to obtain enough undead for it? Was he successful? Could Odin really have tried to go and recreate it on a smaller scale, and ended up killing those mages? Was it really Odin?

Her mind felt water-logged. She shook her head, put the book back on the shelf, then went back to the table to clean up.