Chapter 16

**Merianna**

All the while Noch was carrying me through the Atrium where everyone was gaping at us, I flung insults at him and called him names that had Nelia blushing and him cackling.

I was peeved that all the names I was slinging at him had no effect at all. Only when he started walking up a staircase did I give up and decide that my spotty vision and trembling body could use the oxygen more than he could.

While I was hanging upside down, I could feel Nelia's worried gaze boring holes into my head as I spied the toes of her boots appearing in my line of sight every once in a while. Soon I heard the lock of a door clicking open from behind me, and then I recognized the black and red patterned rug that decorated Noch's itty-bitty office floor.

"Why are we in your office?" I moaned.

"Because, I have something here that'll help you out more than going to the infirmary would." Noch plopped me unceremoniously down on the two seater couch that rested against the left side wall close to his main desk.

Then he set the Rune Reaper in the corner behind his magnificently elaborate desk chair which was carved from Sylvan Wood, with cushioning that was lined with griffon down feathers and covered with black dyed Selkie fur that gave off a red sheen in the light. One thing about Selkie fur was that it never aged, was extremely flexible and was always soft.

I glared enviously at the beautiful piece of furniture. It always boggled my mind how the craftsmen are able to chip or even cut down the Sylvan trees. The thing about the Sylvan trees was that the wood was EXTREMELY hard. You could liken the consistency to that of granite, only more woodsy, black-ish, and light. Hence why Sylvan wood is so prized here at the order. We use it a LOT in our weapons, and some furniture pieces.

I heard once that Doris nearly bit Fog's head off because she was tired of constantly finding broken furniture whenever the Order had an especially rowdy celebration. So he decided to invest in Sylvan wood. Which in my opinion was a great idea.

All in all Noch's office space was about 8 x 12 meters, 8 meters being the width of it. Yes that isn't generally really considered tiny, but with the way he decorated it might as well be.

Within that space there was a huge desk at the far end in front of a massive window framed by heavy black drapes facing the door, another couch on the right side of the desk, a massive book shelf on either side against the walls that ate up the rest of the space between the couches and the door.

There were also various small tables lining the middle of the walkway which were stacked with various mountains of open books, objects, notes, papers, inks and potted plants. Also a wooden chair that obviously got shifted between the stacks. Not to mention there was also a solid wooden cabinet that he had sitting on the right side of his desk.

And it was this cabinet that he descended upon. Nelia lifted my legs and put them on her lap as she sat down next to me.

"How can being here be better than going into the infirmary?" Nelia asked with a dubious frown.

"Because, twin of the demon spawn, I know what it is that she really needs." He said while pulling out two glasses and a bottle of dark red wine. He set the two glasses down on his cluttered desk and poured each glass about halfway full.

Setting the bottle down, he picked up both glasses and came walking around the desk again until he stood in front of my face. "Sit up Merianna, this will make you feel better in no time."

I grumbled as I listlessly wiggled up gingerly, and also kept the fact that he addressed me by my name to myself. "A bath would make me feel best I think."

"Shut your mouth and just take a sip would you?" He said thrusting the glass underneath my nose. He took a sip of the other glass since he knew that Nelia didn't really have a taste for wine.

The minute the smell hit me, my mouth salivated as I accepted the glass gingerly. I haven't smelled a wine like this before, it was sweet and yet had a hint of saltiness to it as well. Bringing the glass to my lips I took a sip.

Immediately strange things started happening. My eyes closed on their own accord, my head started clearing, and my body arched feeling like it was expanding from the inside out. I gasped as I felt energy rushing into my drained body. I hadn't even noticed that my inner energy had been drained to such an extent until my body had found that second of rest on the damp grass when Nelia tackled me.

"Mhm, I thought so." Noch murmured as he took another sip of his own wine.

"What?" Nelia asked in confusion over my reaction.

Noch pointed to me. "Merianna practically drained her energy in that battle. And when her physical body finally had a taste of rest, that fact made itself painfully clear." He said seriously.

This was so odd, I wasn't used to him looking at me so seriously… I was pulled out of my musing when Nelia rounded on me though. "What in the name of all things holy did you do?!"

I just clutched the glass of wine closer to me as I shrugged at her. "I'm not sure, I was just fighting. I was angry at the hunters when I saw what they were doing, and I just dove into battle." I said helplessly.

Noch guffawed. "You didn't just dive into battle, you decimated them!" He said with a laugh that sounded surprised and pleased about that fact. Nelia and I just blinked up at him, and within our silence I took another sip of the thick wine that tasted like heaven on my tongue and felt like pure sin in my body.

"I see you like this particular wine." Noch nodded at me with a wink.

"It feels like I'm being filled up with fresh air every time I sip it, and I don't feel dizzy or lightheaded anymore." I said with a silly smile plastered on my face.
Noch chuckled and put his glass down. "That is because this wine has been infused with energy. The bottle is spelled so it allows the energy around it to be drawn into the contents of whatever it is carrying. And obviously the longer it stands the more energy it gains. I use this especially whenever I use a lot of energy to cast magic."

I frowned. "But, I didn't cast any magic, I think."

Noch raised his eyebrow at me. "I was afraid you would say that." He said and then walked over to his plain wooden chair to drag it over to where we were sitting and sat it down in front of us.

"Alright," he said as he sat on the chair facing us at eye level. "I saw you on the battlefield, and you were definitely pushing your energy over your body and doing magic at the same time. I suppose that is why you didn't consciously know about it."

I just looked at Noch with wide eyes as I tried to remember. "I remember using my energy to move with the wind so I could move faster, I imbued my legs with the air so it would carry me quickly."

It seemed like an idea had just jumped into his head. "Now that I think about it, I was very puzzled when we tested you girls to see if you had an affinity or alignment with the elements."

"Why?" Nelia asked as I was taking another sip.

"Because you," Noch said pointing to me "seemed to have a strong affinity to fire, water and air while your affinity to earth was weaker but normal with what someone would see with new bloods who had affinities. Affinities typically need more work to actively learn and master while alignments are a born trait, something that typically gets used unconsciously and can normally just pop up randomly with strong emotions. You have no alignment with any of the general elements."

"And you," he said pointing to Nelia "seem to have an affinity more with water, earth and air than fire, but again, no alignments." Then he frowned deeply and looked between the two of us. "And if what I'm thinking also applies to you, then I still have to figure you out." He mused.

"What are you getting at?" I asked around my glass.

Noch smiled. "What it all comes down to, is that you my dear, have an alignment with an element."

I cocked my head and Nelia did the same. "But, wouldn't that then mean that one of the elements we have an affinity for is the one we have an alignment with?" Nelia asked puzzled.

Noch just shook his head and looked at the two of us seriously. "There are some things that most people don't know about these days. One of those things is something that had been lost through centuries of wars, burned scrolls and disintegrated tombs. There was a cataclysm that rocked this realm about 2000 centuries ago, and before the cataclysm there used to be a cycle of life where there was a whole different set of elements."

My eyes rounded with interest as something in my spirit stirred at the mention of ancient unknown elements. "What were they?" I asked almost breathlessly.

Noch grinned. "The elements back then consisted of 7, as strange as it may sound. They were much more widely based than the new era elements that we know today, and they were a lot more concentrated when it came down to energy. The elements that were more commonly found back then were Light, Darkness, and Ice. Then moving on to the less common elements there were Nature and Lightning."

Noch's face grew serious as he continued. "The last two that were the rarest to find were called Armageddon and Creation, these two were typically the causes for utterly destroying or restoring whole civilizations, both of which could carry all the elements together, and because of them, the cataclysm fell upon that cycle and just about ended this whole realm. Luckily the fates and a few older deities of that time helped along whatever was left, and now we are sitting here, with elements that are much more simplified and basically the 'children' of the old elements." He said with a shrug as if this wasn't a big thing.

"So, what does that story have to do with Meri?" Nelia said while she looked a bit paler than usual.

"Well, if my hunch is right then this might just have something to do with both of you and not just the one, but one thing is for certain. I know what element you are aligned with Merianna." Noch said with a seriousness that was usually only directed to death sentences.