Chen started the day as he did any other. He woke the children under his tutelage in the Temple at first bell, as the sun’s golden rays carried with them prayers of hope. As the children cleaned themselves and dressed up for the day, he wandered back to his bedroom. He picked up RB-109 and headed left across the Temple towards the archive. On his way there, he met Sister Lenora. Sister Lenora’s silver curls draped over her shoulders, but her easy laughter made her the most youthful soul Chen knew.

“Good day, Sister Lenora. You seem to be in a rush”

“Good Day, Chen! My, you seem to grow skinnier by the day. Well, you see, Sister Telly has fallen ill, so I’m just about to clean up the prayer hall and go get some groceries”

Chen thought for a moment, “Say, Sister, would it be alright if I do Sister Telly’s chores? I seem to have missed feeling useful”

Sister Lenora glanced back with a quiet smile and nodded her head before she waddled off back to where she came from. Chen was wanting to feel helpful for certain, but he also missed wandering the streets and visiting shops on a whim. So he picked up his pace, descended down the spiral marble stairs, down into the Archive. There he rested the box on his desk, just above a pile of papers he had yet to get to, and hurried back upstairs. He slipped in through the back door into the Prayer Hall. The dust in the Prayer Hall had settled in overnight as Chen struggled to breathe. He opened the windows of the Prayer Hall and saw the sun had risen much higher than he would have liked. Chen looked outside, to Puriel’s Light and beyond. He sighed as he looked around. The Temple sat on the edge of the island that is Puriel’s Light, so he loved to take in the sights when he could.

On blessed days, looking out of the windows from the Temple, you could see the waters of Lake Cras. The fog that envelops it, lifted for the briefest of moments before it settled back down on the lake. Those days seem to be further and further apart now. As a member of the Church of The Offspring, every member is expected to devote themselves to the safety and well-being of children; for Chen Zi, the expectation is doubly so. His work at the Temple started when he was just a child, following his parents around, clinging to their hands as they distributed food to the meek. The memory of Lacrifah having enough food to be passed around made his heart tremble.

He reminisced as he grabbed the dusty wooden broom leaning on the edge of the Temple wall. The Conquest of Adago. The unity and peace under one flag through King Emeron was promised nearly two decades ago. Back then, Werin and Wedur hadn’t yet split apart and were still called Weredura, and Kirsh was the merchant capital of Adago with a chivalrous navy. “It all changed so quickly,” Chen murmured as he cleaned the Prayer Hall. The promise of unity and peace didn’t seem important then, but now, the people sing songs of a united Adago, one where the hero’s spirit would shine through.

The shine of the white, checkered marble of the Prayer Hall was lost long ago, but he felt that his cleaning had managed to restore some of its elegance. He returned the broom to the room where it was meant to be stored, and returned to open the large, wooden, ornate doors to the Prayer hall. As the devotees flocked in, Chen visited the kitchen and picked up the supply allowance stored just beside the clay oven.

10 silver for groceries to feed more than sixty children, sisters, nuns and archivists. “The donations to the Temple have slowed greatly”, Chen thought to himself, “I would need to buy flour and milk this week as well, it seems.” He sighed and straightened his back. He left the Temple through the kitchen’s exit and stepped out beside the ‘Scholar’s Street’, the name of the street beside the Temple, said to be the path that scholars love to walk on. He walked out to see a caravan merchant appearing to be selling a rabbit’s foot to well-dressed children. The merchant looked odd and untrustworthy in his demeanour, ringing every bell in Chen's body. Chen felt that he was probably trying to get some easy money from these children, “Hey, cut it out! You’re in front of Temeluchus!”

The man looked scared, then irritated as he panicked before fixing his gaze on Chen. He hastened back to his wagon and glanced back at Chen. He grabbed the reins of his two dull-looking horses and yelled, “Come on, Gold, let’s move!”

When Chen reached the market square, officers wearing maroon uniforms with blue stripes seemed to have formed a perimeter around the market square. Chen approached them to check if entry was forbidden, as he could not see any customers lined up at the stalls, but they looked at his church clothes and informed him that church personnel could enter. Chen walked in, slightly embarrassed that he forgot to change out of his Temple wear into his regular clothes. He walked around the market to see what each stall had to offer and the prices set for their wares. At the stall furthest in the back, one of the soldiers had seemingly lined up at a jeweller's stall. As Chen grew closer, he saw a little girl with flowing silky black hair and skin of dark Crestwood and knelt at once. His head was facing directly at the ground in a subservient bow.

After a moment, a sweet melodic voice issued a soft command, “Sorry, priest, I didn’t see you~ please rise!”

Chen lifted his head and smiled.

“It’s an honour to finally meet you, Your Royal Highness, Princess Icoura. I am Chen Zi, archivist of Temeluchus here in Puriel’s Light”

Her gaze fixed on Chen’s. She scanned his body and studied him for a moment before she turned to the royal guard who now stood on her left, “Which one is Temeluchus, sir Ovon?”

“Temeluchus is the angel of children like you, your Royal Highness”, the guard stated. Her eyes widened as she gasped before composing herself and returning to look at Chen.

“Do pardon me, sir Chen. I meant no offence in forgetting your angel’s name. Although it seems as though I have come out at a bad time.”

Chen returned her gaze and stood back up with a gentle smile, “Not at all, Your Royal Highness, your judgement is light itself.”

He paused as he thought for a moment.

Chen smiled as he said, “Your Royal Highness, would you like to accompany me as I buy some provisions for the Temple?”

Her eyes lit up like stars as her face took on a big grin she could not control. Chen looked at her personal guard, Ovon, for his nod before extending his hand out to the young princess. Her Royal Highness Icoura Puriel. The only child of His Highness King Emeron. Her famous antics like running from the castle, her guards and from her studies have made her the new light that her people look to before she could ever realise it. With the princess’s hand in his, Chen visited the stalls again and encouraged her to talk to the merchants, answered her questions about the various goods in the market and taught her a simple Temeluchan prayer for good luck. Chen gathered the supplies he needed in a small wicker basket before showing them to the young princess.

“That’s all I have to gather, Your Royal Highness. I truly enjoyed my time with you.”

“And I as well!”

Chen let go of her hand and rested his palm on her head and said, “May Temeluchus guide your path”

Chen left behind the Light of Lacrifah and headed back to the Temple. Through the main entrance, he saw a sermon being held, and the devotees crowded the entrance, so he skirted around the side to the kitchen’s entrance. He walked into the kitchen to meet Sister Lenora, stirring in a cast-iron pot as she brewed a stew for lunch. Chen handed the provisions off to Sister Lenora as they both bowed their heads slightly in appreciation. With great haste, Chen then headed towards the Archive, excited to unpack the mystery of the specimen before continuing with his errands. He passed through the already open entryway to the Archive and headed hastily down the stairs.

Deeper and deeper he went, but found that the Archive’s torches were already lit for the evening. He composed himself from his excitement as he reached the bottom of the stairs and walked steadily towards his desk. The box rested on his desk unmoved from its spot. Its lid, which held back the curiosity within it, however was noticeably lifted from the box as the screws that fastened it were seemingly undone. Chen hurried over to his desk and unlocked his Archive locker, where his Archival Driver lay there unmoved. The archival driver was the only way to unscrew the lid from the archive box, but it seemingly had not been touched, and the locker unopened. Chen gripped the driver and unscrewed the box completely. Any trace of the box’s contents was seemingly removed, leaving behind nothing but a sense of dread and dull, dark iron glare from the empty box.