❝ It's so quiet… ❞
Erenn huffed as he scanned the empty halls of the palace, his hand gently touching the marbled stone walls as he looked out to the rising sun over the courtyard below. It was indeed quiet; Phinnease had to travel to Candria for an important meeting and told him to stay behind, though he took August and Solf with him. It seemed of utmost importance, so they left in a rush and put Sir Faust in charge of things. Erenn had always felt uncomfortable around Faust as if something was off. But everyone felt that, though he was still widely respected among his peers despite his lack of words. He had not once ever spoken to Erenn since they met. And even now; as he was put in charge to “babysit” Erenn, he was nowhere to be seen.
Kuvira was nowhere to be seen, Riley was off in Zhou, and the others were busy on missions or dealing with their troubles. Even Sir Estel was dealing with the growing crime in Piore right now. That sounded like fun, at least more fun than he was having right now, wandering the nigh empty palace save for the odd maids and servants who only served to annoy him with their questions. Hell, he wanted to know at least what had happened with Lady Ellianette, having heard that she was found and had returned to her home in Zhou. But he hadn’t heard anything else, though it wasn’t like he knew her well.
The blue-haired male sighed, shaking his head as his hand shifted to comb through his long hair, touching upon the earrings that his father had given to him before leaving. A Holy Relic. Of course, Erenn was still oblivious to its nature and had attempted various times to call to it, but to no avail. It frustrated him and usually ended with him storming out of the training grounds in a fit of rage and, of course, with Solf or August chewing his ear off. But right now, they weren’t here, and it was quiet. It was almost sad if he were honest. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his mind before he proceeded to wear the typical, mischievous smile he always wore.
Erenn looked around quietly before he turned around and ducked down the hall, slipping down the spiral stairs to where Finn’s study was located. Of course, the door was locked, as he would find after several attempts to open it, leaving him in a huffing mess until he noticed that the door was now ajar. It opened! He had to stifle his excitement before he moved to grab the handle and pull it open. And as if on cue, he would feel a looming shadow behind him and suddenly freeze in place before gulping and turning slowly. It was Faust.
❝ What art thou doing, child? ❞
The masked male spoke in a low brogue, almost a metallic sounding voice, which only served to bring cold sweats to Erenn, who now looked up at the looming figure's porcelain mask. A moment of silence passed between them as Erenn attempted to think up a reply, though he knew whatever he would cook up wouldn’t work. Faust was a known truth seer, meaning that he could see through anyone's lies. But just as Erenn went to speak, the masked man shifted, before pushing the boy aside and the door open before walking into the doorway. He didn’t look back at the dumbfounded Erenn but merely spoke flatly.
❝ Follow. ❞
Erenn nodded and did as he was told. Leaving the door ajar on the chance that this spelt trouble, the young man quietly followed Faust into the dimly lit room. As they entered, the masked man raised his hand, and the various candles lit simultaneously. Erenn was slightly surprised but didn’t speak as he watched Faust shift and creep over to the large bookcase by the door. His hand glided along the wooden frame as his eyes scanned the books, perhaps looking for something. It was almost as if he had forgotten Erenn was there until the boy hesitantly spoke.
❝ What are you looking for? ❞
He asked, almost regrettably. Erenn was virtually waiting to be chewed out for breaking into the study, yet the deafening silence only tickled his restless nerves. Plus, being in the presence of such a strange man only served to add to the weight of his unrest. The blue-haired male waited for a response, fixing the collar of his black tunic as he leaned against the stone wall near what appeared to be a broom. Perhaps he was staying close to it on the chance that his gut feeling was right, but he did not move.
❝ I could ask ye the same, child. ❞
Faust replied in his typical flat tone. It wasn’t much of an answer, but Erenn did notice that he had stopped searching upon pulling out a leather-bound book to inspect it. He couldn’t see much of it, but it seemed old, very old, in fact. As if to break the silence, Faust spoke once more. This time, his tone was slightly different, though Erenn couldn’t figure out why.
❝ Hast thou read the works of Sir Elias Rosenrot? ❞
He turned to face Erenn before approaching the young man and moving his arm out to hand him the book. Erenn looked down at it, and the colour seemed to drain from his face. If he could put it into words, he felt a deep, confusing fear just by looking at the book. He knew it was bad news and thusly backed away slightly to which Faust would chuckle before pulling the book away and slipping it under his sleeve. He then spoke, but his voice was completely different now, almost sounding female.
❝ He was… A relic of his time. A genius, to say the least, and one who had fathered much of the Magick world. He was also the one who invented the Grimoire and is most well-known for his demonic books. This is one of them, inscribed with the Seal of Solomon to keep the spirits at bay. Your father is an avid collector of them, did you know? He, too, dabbles in the dark arts. ❞
Erenn frowned, a little taken aback by this new information. His father was a practitioner of dark magick. That wasn’t new. But his hoarding Grimoires was news to him. It was a known fact that they were outlawed and were sought after for the purpose of destroying them. But to think that Finn was casually keeping them in his study was questionable, but for some reason, he didn’t doubt it. But why?
❝ And? Why is that important? And why the hell are you going through his things- ❞
Erenn asked, though as he went on his tangent, he was silenced by Faust slamming the book onto the ground and destroying it by crushing it under his foot. It burst into flames, and the silhouette of a horned creature seemed to fade into the room with a shrill cry. Erenn was now more than confused, but he remained silent as Faust turned to face him. Erenn shifted to grab the broom handle as the large man approached him and waved his hand over the boy's face, to which he fell to the ground unconscious.
❝ Because it is a grave sin, child, lest ye forget the path we walk; you must question those you follow. Trust not the word of others but your soul. ❞
