For so long had the amulet been an invaluable treasure of the royal Arcadia bloodline. For so long had it reiged alongside kings and queens of Acardia for thousands of years, and now a lowly priest with no extraordinary quality like him was holding it high, admiring its dark gleam.

Redmond could not explain this disquietness of mind he felt whenever the little bit of the dark amethyst had his eyes enthralled. The gem as little as the size of a kernel of corn shone to him its rich darkness. Its bleak violet made the priest think of how similar it was to His Highness' eyes, but unlike King Juan's ancient round orbs, this amethyst lacked a certain warmth. Neither would cold be quite the right word to describe it.

The young priest let the curiosity rest on his study and ran his finger through the thin papers he left unread. The sole candle he lit up before the night arrived had flickered and danced as he turned each page of the leather bound book.

Tomorrow would be the day he began his voyage to the neighboring country, to see if his good friend would like to join him in this investigation of the root of their turmoil.

"Redmond," a voice interrupted the quietness of his study. Who could it be, visiting him in this late hour at the silent church?

Then twice of the gentle knocks followed. Redmond knew exactly who was he.

"I am here to give you the provisions you need," said the knight in gray with a leather pouch in hand. "Are you alone this time also?"

"All the other priests went back home." Redmond creaked the door wider for the knight to step in. "And I was just waiting for you, Sir Grayson."

"We have been friends for so long, Redmond. Drop the 'sir' already."

The priest smiled warmly, as warm as the lantern Grier had sat beside them. It seemed he was on the patrol and on a quest to deliver him the goods.

Redmond saw the young knight's eyes fall upon the dark amethyst on the sturdy table. He looked at the priest and sighed. "The King said you wish to travel by yourself... Should I not come with you?"

"I appreciate your concern, Grier, but I will eventually meet with my friend and recruit him on the way soon."

The gray knight handed him the leather pouch and sat down heavily on the chair. "But the road to Moree is filled with dangers and thieves, priest."

"What would they get from a penniless priest like me?" Redmond chuckled quietly as he opened the pouch he received to see that there was a week's worth of food, medicines and balms for wounds in there. "I suppose if they were to rob me, I could share some of this dried meat you gave me."

"Redmond, at least allow me to escort you on your way."

The young priest went silent for a brief moment before finding himself another chair to sit on. "Grier Grayson, you're the knight captain. If you were to go, the palace would fall in disorder as there is no commander. Besides, you need to stay here."

"What is the need? I could appoint one of the colonels to temporarily take my place."

As the flame from both the candle and the lantern grew along with the dying night, Grier could see a sharp glint of worry in his friend's eyes. "Princess Aisha."

Grier frowned. "What of her?"

"Grier, your strength is required in order to protect both His Highness and Princess Aisha." Redmond paused briefly. "Because if my assumption is true..."

The young knight stayed rigid.

"Those with a large capability of divine magic such as the Princess may be in greater danger than we thought."

Grier's fist was clenched. "This... is it because of the curse?"

Redmond nodded. "Grier, maybe you have already taken notice that only in the church, the plants would thrive. It is because this church is maintained by the passive flow of the priests' divine magic. While it is passive, true, at the end of the day, many of the priests have said that doing so is taxing, exhausting. Princess Aisha, unlike the priest, has never received a priesthood nor a proper practice in maintaining the flow of her power, yet her divine magic kept being spent."

Closely did the knight listen. "I think I understand. She needs to actively use her magic essence to provide the plants continuously."

"Yes, she must be tired, truly." The priest sighed. "But it is not just the user exhausting their magic essence, Grier. The problem may be greater than that."

"All they need to do is to rest from time to time, no?"

"That would be for the best, but Grier..." Redmond stood up from his chair and walked closer to the lantern and pulled up the white sleeve that hid his left arm away. "Come take a look."

When the knight strafed his way to his priest friend, he was startled to see small spots of dark wounds on the arm of Redmond. "The curse...?"

"Yes, my friend." He rolled down the sleeve. "What you have witnessed is the result of today's plants being maintained. Ah, but worry not, this much does not harm me or anything. It will heal with time if I have enough rest."

"This has never happened before to any magic user, has it? I have never seen one up until now," Grier gave him his thought and let it roam to Princess Aisha.

"Yes, this has never happened before... so I came up with a theory," Redmond walked back to his seat. "This corruption... this curse... Not only does it cause turmoil, but it also saps away human's life essence, especially from people who have high and uncontrolled potency of magic."

"Aisha...!"

The priest nodded solemnly. "That is why I need you to stay here, Grier. You need to keep a close watch on the people who can use magic and especially on The Princess."

"But what can I actually do? What will happen if the curse plagues the person whole?"

"It is too early to tell you what might happen. I only have a theory after all," said the priest. His eyes were drawn back to the gleaming amulet. "I will investigate this matter soon."

The amulet shone against the tiny flame, having heard of his resolve.