Chapter 5.5: Fate and the Grand Order

The Tokyo Sanctum was not built for sorcerers. It was built for the gods.

Ace could not help but marvel at the jaw-dropping beauty of the complex. He could barely wrap his head around how they managed to conceal a sprawling complex under the facade of vegetation. Sure, Aogashima was isolated, but shielding the Sanctum away from satellite imagery and the few residents was peak sorcery.

“This place is the Central, the heart of the Sanctum,” Dr. Farid gestured around. “If you are lost, come here.”

Central was indeed the heart of the Sanctum. The daylight poured in from the stained glass dome and illuminated the intricate flooring and interior design, which was a fusion between the traditional and the modern; not like he knew much about Japanese or any form of architecture in the first place. The place thrummed with life as people made their way to their destinations. Overhead, a robotic dog whizzed through the air, carrying a bag in its mouth. The roar of its engine broke through the babble of voices and the soft clicks of shoes against the polished marble. 

“You might get the impression that abilities are isolated from one another,” Dr. Farid remarked casually, gesturing vaguely about. “But everything’s connected.”

“How?” Ace asked.

Dr. Farid walked him over to the directory, made up of little slabs of wood with the names of landmarks carved upon them. “We are headed to the Hall of the Grand Order,” he said, gesturing towards the board. “Press on one of the wood pieces bearing its name.”

The coolness of the polished wood sent tingles down Ace’s fingertips as he ran them down the board. The Hall of the Grand Order, he read silently and pushed the slab. There was a slight bit of resistance before it went down with a deep ‘clack’.

Nothing happened.

“Oh, it’s not second nature to you yet,” Dr. Farid said. “You have to direct a bit of Essence into it.”

Concentrating as hard as he could, Ace mustered up a bit of Essence on the tip of his finger and tried again. This time, the directory glowed dimly, and the floor beneath his feet lit up. Ace’s eyes followed the trail that snaked across the floors. Wow, he thought, shifting his position and watching the path move along with his feet.

As Ace was about to look up at Dr. Farid, a biscuit fell onto the floor. Ace looked up to see that Felix had decided to pop by. “Oh yeah, that’s pretty lit,” Felix said, snacking loudly. “Pity no one uses it much. Runes, quite nifty. Wonder if there’s someone under the floorboards activating these runes. Y’know that lil’ pouch, you can open a portal next to where you wanna put an object in your room.”

Oh, no wonder, Ace thought as he reflected on the mess in his room.

“Pick up after yourself,” Dr. Farid chided. 

Felix casually snatched the fallen biscuit and tossed it into his mouth. Ace’s stomach growled involuntarily, just realising how hungry he was. Felix waved the bag in front of his face. “Matdongsan, wanna try?” he asked.

Ace shook his head, but Felix pushed a piece into his hands anyway. “Eat. Your dinner is still on the way.”

A nutty and sweet flavour burst in Ace’s mouth as he chewed, and he quickly took more. When they reached the Hall of the Grand Order, the guiding light on the floor fizzled out. “This,” Dr. Farid said, almost breathless as though he was there for the first time, “is the Hall of the Grand Order.”

It was a rotunda filled with looming statues made of gold. Ace’s eyes wandered down for a moment and saw the words ‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’ inscribed on the floor. 

“The First’s famous words.” Dr. Farid pointed to a statue of a veiled lady with outstretched arms. The back of her palms were clasped together as though she were presenting an offering. Her head was held high. Whoever sculpted her was nothing short of a genius; they were able to capture the veil sliding off the back of her head as though there was a gust of wind blowing it off. “Imera Lucius, one of the first sorcerers. If the sun shines just right, it would seem as though she were receiving the blessing of light.”

Ace’s gaze shifted to the statue’s hands. He noticed an ornate ring on the left pinky finger.  Upon closer inspection, there were cracks of red peeking through the gold. “The sculptor took lots of creative liberty,” Dr. Farid mused. 

“What do you mean?” Ace asked.

“What she actually said may have been lost in translation,” Dr. Farid replied simply. 

Ace took a moment to marvel at the twelve statues. Each wielded a unique weapon but only two raised them proudly and they happened to be opposite each other. One raised his greatsword while the other raised her staff. Both weapons pointed to the skylight above them. “So, these people are…”

“The first twelve sorcerers who awakened among the normies back then,” Felix chimed in. “Some say that their souls reside within these statues but eh, typical hall of fame stuff.”

“First twelve?” Ace raised his brow.

“You see the weapons, like that ring?” Felix pointed to the First’s ring. “They are Regalias, granted to those strong enough. The world first saw twelve beams of light upon the earth before everyone else came along.”

“They, amongst hundreds of thousands, were in the same position as you, Ace,” Dr. Farid said. “It was the Order of the Twelve who eased friction and created some form of order and were protectors in the ages of darkness. We wouldn’t be here if not for them.”

Protected us… Ace studied the plague at the First’s feet. “Lady of Genesis,” Ace muttered to himself. “Wow, so she creates… life?”

“Not exactly,” Dr. Farid cleared his throat. “Rather than creating life, she was connected to it. Lady of Genesis is what we would call her ability if she were to exist in more modern times.”

“Ace, has Dr. Farid given your ability a name?” Felix quipped. 

Dr. Farid spun around as his face lit up, “Thank you for reminding me! I had the feeling that I was forgetting something! Old age, really.”

Ace followed Dr. Farid to his office, which he mentioned was in the Sanctum’s main library, the Athenaeum. Its atmosphere was congenial and restful, with the smell of books wafting through the air. Definitely a good place to study, he thought. 

Dr. Farid pushed against the door to his office, only to find it stuck. “I’m sorry for the mess inside, one minute please,” he apologised sheepishly and slammed his body against the door. It gave way after a few hard kicks. 

After much digging, Dr. Farid came out holding a plain green book and handed it to Ace. He opened it, only to find that the pages were blank. “My ability, ‘The Good Essay’, mainly allows me to absorb and present all knowledge from books I read, as well as impart knowledge to others by putting some of my energy into their heads,” he said. “Combined with Shun’s ability, ‘Cybero’, we imbued this book to abstract the very desire that is the basis of our abilities and give it a name.” 

Dr. Farid bobbed up and down with excitement. “This is only for record-keeping purposes, of course. However, I see it as a rite of passage for all sorcerers. It is fate that brought us all together, after all.”

“He really gets into it,” Felix whispered to Ace.

“What’s your ability’s name?” Ace asked Felix.

“Don’t need one,” Felix said coolly. “My name is enough.”

“Really?”

“Felix is the only one here without a name tagged to his ability,” Dr. Farid replied. 

“Names are lame!” Felix declared with a waggle of his finger.

“Names are keepsakes and they make lives easier,” Dr. Farid said. “Now, Ace, it’s your turn. Give me your hand.”

Ace held out his right hand. Dr. Farid guided it and placed it on a blank page. “Now, lend it some of your Essence,” Dr. Farid instructed.

Ace pushed out a bit of Essence just like he did at the Central’s directory. The page emitted a dull white glow. Ace’s hand tickled as white tendrils wrapped around it. Then, words materialised in the space above the book. “Lingering Wills of the Days Bygone,” Dr. Farid lowered his voice, whispering breathlessly.

“Hm. Poetic,” Felix remarked.

So that’s my ability’s name, a small bud of pride blossomed inside Ace’s heart.

“A memory-based ability based on the name and reports,” Dr Farid said. “Like Mo Wang’s ‘The Twelve Flower Months of Remembrance’.”

The moment of stunned silence was interrupted by the loud growling of Ace’s stomach and the trilling of Felix’s phone. “Food’s at your doorstep. Enjoy your rest until school starts.” Felix gave him a thumbs-up as he got off his call.

“You really joined at the right time,” Dr. Farid added, tucking away the book. “It’s right before the school year starts for our registered first-year students. If I’m not wrong, it starts two weeks later?”

Ace lit up. He was not alone, at least. “How many students are in my year?” he asked.

“There are… two others,” Dr. Farid replied with slight hesitation.

“Oh.”

“On the bright side, we have student enrolment for two consecutive years! I’m sure that they are very excited to meet you.” Felix placed Ace’s hands on his shoulders and squeezed them gently. “I think one of them can’t wait any longer.”

Ace raised his eyebrows but said nothing. All that was on his mind was dinner.

***

“Chilli crab bee hoon and bubble tea?!” Ace tucked into his food, slurping down the thin noodles loudly. 

He was about to crack open a crab leg when he stopped to look around. Remembering that he was in his room, he decided not to care about appearances. “Lingering Wills of the Days Bygone… Lingering Wills of the Days Bygone,” he muttered, chewing on a piece of crab meat slowly. 

It was a mouthful, but it was a much better label than ‘Aberrant’. Dr. Farid’s words about the Order replayed in his mind. “Protectors in the ages of darkness…” Ace squeezed his fist as he held the image of the phantom around A-Pa’s neck in his mind. 

The least he could do was keep A-Pa from danger. A-Pa would have told him the same thing if he knew.

Ace was about to swallow a large mouthful of food when there was a violent bang on his door, interrupting his train of thought. He did not dare approach the door, as there was no way that it was a knock. Whatever was on the other side got irritated by the lack of response and started banging again. He clicked his tongue. “Coming!” 

Just as his foot touched the ground, the door exploded.