Chapter 62

**Merianna**

“I present to you a gift!” Thyrion exclaimed happily as he threw the Warlock down in front of Noch’s desk.

Noch took in the sight of Thyrion and I standing in the middle of his office for a minute, since we barged in unannounced. “I assume this is a friend of Dermon’s?” Noch asked curiously as he eyed the unconscious Warlock on the floor.

“For all intents and purposes, that is indeed the conclusion we have reached so far.” Thyrion announced happily.

“He pretty much confessed that he was in cahoots with Dermon the moment this idiot started challenging him.” I deadpanned while pointing to Thyrion.

Noch raised his eyebrow at Thyrion. “Not only did you steal my staff, but you also put my pupil in danger? It seems you’re as shameless as ever.”

I knew that Noch was just having fun, but the way he was going about it was as sadistic as ever. Thyrion’s enthusiasm disappeared faster than it took him to build it up. “Come now Noch, what would it take for you to forgive me?” He pleaded.

“Probably nothing, but you could most likely start by giving back what you took.” He said without missing a beat.

Thyrion deflated even more and heaved a sigh as he plopped into one of the couches nearby. “I will do my best…” He didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the thought. I almost pitied him.

“Should I let Raska know about our new guest?” I asked innocently while indicating the incapacitated Warlock.

“That might be a good idea, she knows what information we need so we can leave it in her hands. Just let her know that she has a guest in the dungeons. Oh wait… she hasn’t returned from her scouting with Jasnine yet.” Noch amended quickly before I could say anything.

“Should I let Fog know then, and just let Raska know once she’s back?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t like Noch to actually volunteer correct information. Usually he would just have let me search the castle for Raska till I was blue in the face without letting me know that she was still out.

“Yes, that would be better for now. Thyrion, mind taking your little trophy downstairs?” Noch asked politely.

“Right right, I’ll get him secured. He’ll be the first thing Fog and Raska see when they wander in there.” He said halfheartedly and heaved himself off of the couch to pick the Warlock up again.

“Good. Demon Spawn, mind giving me your weapon for a day or two? I have something I want to test out.” He said with a sly grin.

“You already started working on the idea?” I asked excitedly.

“Indeed, how could I leave something so enticing alone?” He asked while sticking his hand out for my weapon.

“I look forward to the fruits of your labour!” I happily placed my miniaturized scythe in the palm of his hand. I myself was excited about what it would be able to do once it was finished.

“I see that you didn’t have a chance to use your new scythe on the Warlock. Did Thyrion take away all the fun?” He asked with a grin, glancing at the two of us.

“No actually, I thought that he was incredibly stupid for pulling the Warlocks attention. I bet we would have found out where he traveled from if he hadn’t noticed us being there.” I was still irked about that.

“Well, at least on that point I’m glad you two brought the Warlock here instead of letting him run back to whatever hole he crawled out from.” Noch said seriously.

I cringed at that. That was true, gaining information was the best thing we could do right now instead of tailing. “True… I’ll go and inform Fog that he has a visitor then.” I said as I turned around and followed Thyrion out of the room.

“Make sure to make our visitor comfortable!” Noch yelled out behind us.

“Comfortable sure is a cruel word to use in this situation, but not like I mind it.” Thyrion muttered as he wandered down the hall and swiftly made this way to the dungeons. I on the other hand split off and went down the opposite flight of stairs to go and hunt down Fog.

I had managed to find Fog quite easily as he was walking out from the library where he no doubt just finished giving a lesson to the newbloods.

“Fog!” I yelled as I ran up to him.

“Ah, Merianna. I’m glad to see that you have come back safely from your task.” He greeted fondly and planted his palm on my head. “What brings you here? Have you already reported to Nochtandriel?”

“Yes I have, that’s actually the reason why I came to find you. Thyrion and I brought a guest back with us. He’s currently making him feel right at home in the dungeons right about now.” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Oh dear, that sounds like something that needs immediate attention. I assume you came to me since Raska has yet to return, correct?”

“Right. I’ll let her know that she needs to go downstairs as soon as she’s back though, but Noch thought it would be best to try and get information out of him as soon as possible.”

“Indeed, that would be best. Shall we?” He asked as he extended his arm to escort me.

I happily took a hold of his arm and smiled all the way as he led me to the dungeons. I always enjoyed walking with Fog, even if that walk was taking us towards the darkest parts of the Order, I didn’t mind at all. Even after all these years, Fog was still a very solid father figure for me and Nelia here in the Order. We would never think badly of Fog.

I was walking happily with Fog, until we slipped into the slightly hidden hallway just behind the kitchens and saw Thyrion emerging from the right, out from the heavy iron wrought Sylvan door that led straight down a flight of stairs and into a space that could be dubbed as Tartarus on earth. Thyrion didn’t notice us at first, and was sporting an impressive glower once I caught sight of him.

“Good work Thyrion, I shall take it from here. Do you mind accompanying Merianna on your way back?” Fog greeted as he let go of my arm and walked towards the door himself.

“Of course Fog!” Thyrion said with a grin that he suddenly plastered on his face. It slightly irritated me that he switched to another emotion so quickly.

With that, Fog sauntered in through the heavy door and closed it tightly behind himself. Fog and the others hadn’t felt the need to introduce Nelia and I to the Order’s dungeon just yet, they probably felt like we were too innocent to be shown something like that. I was perfectly happy with that. I didn’t feel the desire to go down into that dark hallway, and wondered if I ever would.

“Shall we?” Thyrion asked as he started to lead the way back to the Kitchen.

I eyed him for a minute. It didn’t sit well with me that he switched his emotions around so quickly when we showed up. Thyrion noticed that I wasn’t following him, and turned to look back at me. “Something wrong?”

I squinted at him. “Care to share what you were thinking of when Fog and I showed up?”

Thyrion gave a sigh. “Right, I forgot that you don’t like it when people aren’t honest.” He looked over to me again, as if he were trying to come to a conclusion. “Alright, but let’s go to the kitchen, or take a walk.”

I nodded and then started walking past him. “Let's take a walk then, I don’t feel like sitting down yet.”

Thyrion gave a shrug and followed me out of the dark hallway. I led the way out past the kitchens and through the Order’s main doorway. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and a cool refreshing breeze blowing through the air. It was something worth taking note of, but all I had on my mind was what his issue was with the Warlocks. I didn’t know too much about them myself, only that their magic was somewhat similar, but still very different from ours. Thyrion clearly knew something about their history itself that I didn’t.

“So, care to share why you seem to have some personal issues with the Warlocks?” I asked straightforwardly.

“You really do like getting right to the point, don’t you?”

“Of course. Anything else is just a waste of time and breath.” I quipped.

He went quiet for a few minutes, then heaved another sigh. “It’s really not something that can be explained in simple terms, but the short and sweet version is that the Dark Warlocks used me once upon a time to further their own goals while making me believe that they were on my side. I didn’t take kindly to it after I found out and figured out what their real goal was in the end. 

I tilted my head. “What was their goal?”

“Well, their goal still hasn’t been met, so I assume that’s why they have enlisted the help of Dermon. How much do you know about the history of the Dark Warlocks and the normal Warlocks?”

“All I know is that their magic is slightly different from ours, and that the Dark Warlocks are a branch that broke off and went mad?” I stated as a question. I wasn’t sure if my information was correct. It wasn’t like I spent a lot of time researching other magic users of this realm.

“That is true. Now do you know why they went ‘mad’?”

I shook my head. “No idea. I never thought that it could have been anything special.”

“In a way it is and in a way it isn’t. I guess it depends on your own perspective.” He said with a frown.

“Well clearly it was real enough for you to start hating them with a burning passion.”

“You’re not wrong there. It is that way because many of us have lived long enough to see and experience many things that could be seen as fantastical by today’s standards.”

“Please do elaborate.” I said in a monotone. It felt like he was trying to talk circles around the subject.

He eyed me then gave another sigh as we reached the Garden. “Well, the Warlocks weren’t separated by goals or ideals in the past. There wasn’t anything like normal or dark Warlocks. It all started a very long time ago when one of the Warlocks stumbled across ancient texts on an Old Dia.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Old gods? Won’t it be the same gods and deities as we know of today? They don’t die after all.”

Thyrion gave me a look that made me want to swallow my words. For a second his look made me feel like an extremely ignorant child.

“Things can get infinitely more complicated the deeper you delve into the realms and spaces between realities. How much written history do you think can survive when a cataclysm hits a realm?” For some reason, his question sent a frigid shiver down my spine. “This realm has already had one cataclysm that we are sure of thanks to those who were able to be reborn after it. The rules of the time before that cataclysm were different from what they are now. Magic was more widespread, more advanced, and more varied. You should have learned this from Noch already.”

I nodded. I did know. The elements that Nelia and I were aligned with were vastly more versatile than the elements that were more commonly used these days. And according to Noch, our elements were pretty common in the time before the cataclysm.

“Since so much has changed between the time before the cataclysm, and the time after. Who’s to say that the gods that created and ruled the realms during that time before, were the same as the ones we know of now? Who’s to say that they weren’t as much a part of this realm as the mortal people that walk it now? All anyone knows of the gods and deities now, are what have been passed down through old texts and word of mouth. There is no denying that they have existed, or do still exist. Which also means that no one can be completely sure as to what their real natures were before it was twisted in texts by the hand of man. Which is why what the Warlocks who believed the texts and deviated to become Dark Warlocks, are trying to do is so dangerous.” Thyrion said with a dark scowl hovering over his grave face.

“What is it that they are trying to do?” I asked and cautiously sat down on a nearby bench.

“They are trying to reawaken, or bring back an Old Dia who was basically one of the deities that the Warlocks followed. Or rather, the original Warlocks made her one of their patron deities. They made her the Mother of Warlocks you could say, along with one or two others whose names were lost. According to the records they could decipher, she was a merciless deity that could raise hell upon the realm with a lift of her finger, a deity of War and Chaos. According to them she was one of the first deities or dia to appear in this realm. You could even say that she had a hand in the creation of this world. Apparently their lore is that she was destroyed by other deities some time before the cataclysm that we know of hit this realm.”

“That *does* sound fantastical.” I breathed. Somehow Thyrion’s words struck me deeper than I thought they would. It almost felt like I didn’t have enough air in my lungs to ask more questions. “So, why do they want to reawaken this deity?”

Thyrion looked down at his boots. “They wish to bring her back so she can bring about another cataclysm or big catastrophe. They want to make the realm that will exist after this one, one that is catered to the magical rules of the Warlocks, but that is also solely ruled by them.”

“That sounds very bad…” I mumbled softly. If this deity actually existed, and was indeed destroyed by the others for who knows what reasons, and the Warlocks did manage to reawaken her to fulfill their wishes… I didn’t even want to think about what that could mean for the rest of us. I didn’t follow any particular beliefs, and didn’t have any patron deities, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t there. There were so many things that were out there that many people, including witches, didn’t know about.

“What was the name of this deity?” I asked.

“I believe they called her Denaue. That was the only name I heard them use when I uncovered their intentions.” Thyrion said bitterly.

I was glad that I was sitting when Thyrion answered. For some reason, the name made a shock of nerves shoot through my whole body. Suddenly my gut was telling me that the deity he described earlier was not the one whose name he just mentioned at all. The description and the name didn’t fit together. But what did I know? I didn’t know their lore, and I most certainly didn’t know any of the old deities from before the cataclysm. There was only one person I knew of that would actually know.

“Does Noch know about this?” I asked him quickly.

Thyrion turned his attention back to me. “He should since he’s had more run-ins with the Warlocks than I probably did. If he doesn’t, well he never gave me any opportunities to speak to him over the past few years.”

I heaved a big sigh. “All this just sounds too outlandish to be real. I’m going back inside to see if Raska has returned yet.”

I stood up from the bench and immediately marched back into the building before Thyrion could say anything. Noch was the only person that I could count on when it came to information from the time before the cataclysm. I knew he had a lot more in that head of his than he was probably willing to share. But share he would.