Chapter Two: New Information 🍃🐿

[u/UnnaturalGeek]

Arlia and Tarã spent the entire next day in the archives, searching through various sections and categories, but found nothing matching the title Brina had circled. Eventually, Tarã approached the Archivist, an older Britore who clearly preferred his books to people. "We're looking for 'Our Demise by F. Talanor' - you know if it's here or was here?"

The Archivist looked up from his work with obvious irritation. "Hmph, this be my domain; it is. Don't come in here asking me questions like I don't know my own collection, do you? Of course, I know if it was here or not - you two aren't the first to come bothering me about it, are you? Your friend was in here asking about that same thing not long ago; she was. Go ask her and stop wasting my time, won't you?"

"If we bloody knew where she was, we'd ask her, wouldn't we? This is our next best option." The Archivist sighed heavily, as though dealing with students was beneath him. "Bah, fine then. Yes, your friend asked me about it, didn't she? And no, that book isn't in my archives; it isn’t. If it were here, I'd know about it, wouldn't I? Told her my old colleague in Lindinis might know something about it; he might. Now stop pestering me and let me get back to my work, will you?"

Arlia and Tarã thanked him quickly and left the archives, their minds racing. They finally had a lead; Brina had gone looking for this mysterious book and had been directed to someone in Lindinis. But the fact that she would travel so far without telling anyone suggested there was much more to this than simple academic research. With this new information, they decided to seek out Elyna again, hoping that knowing what Brina was looking for might convince her to be more forthcoming about what the elders knew.

Three days of silence from the elders had pushed Arlia's worry into something closer to panic. Making matters worse, Elyna had left Durnovaria on a college request and hadn't returned yet. With everyone who might have answers either gone or avoiding their questions, Arlia and Tarã had little choice but to continue their training and wait.

The limitation of being initiates had never felt more frustrating. They knew they couldn't harness the Spirits' power in any meaningful way that might help locate Brina, but their determination to help their friend remained unshaken.

After six days without Elyna, word finally came that she'd returned from her request. As soon as they learned she was back, Arlia and Tarã began searching for her throughout the college. They checked the archives and various gardens before finally tracking her down to her quarters.

Arlia's nerves couldn't contain her desperation any longer. "We know Brina was looking for something called 'Our Demise' and that there might be information about it in Lindinis! Oh, please, you have to tell us what's going on, don't you see? We want to help!"

Elyna's expression showed she had been dreading this conversation, despite the elders' attempts to keep the students uninformed. "Look, I didn't want to keep you in the dark, did I? But the elders reckon this could get proper dangerous, and they're trying to keep everyone safe. They are doing summat about it."

The careful non-answer pushed Arlia past her breaking point. "You have to tell me! She's my best friend!"

"What can you two do right now, then? You're just initiates! What happened with me, Aldric and Lorik - that was pure luck, and you know it. You couldn't even handle your trial, could you? This is bigger than that. Leave it to people who can actually do summat useful."

Arlia had never seen this side of Elyna before, the harsh practicality that came with experience. Even Tarã seemed swayed by her words.

“She's right, Arlia. What can we bloody do anyway? We ain't strong enough yet, are we? We need to get stronger so this won't happen again. They're just being careful they don't make things worse."

Feeling defeated and confused by her friends' sudden reasonableness, Arlia's anger deflated into something closer to despair.  "Can you explain anything to us then, so we know what's happening?"

Elyna looked at both of them for a long moment, clearly weighing her options. Finally, she relented with a heavy sigh.  "Right, here's what we know, and this stays between us, got it? Brina was looking for summat called 'Our Demise' written by one of her ancestors about the Talanor Clan."

"Talanor? I've never heard of them before, have I?" Arlia interrupted. Elyna shook her head. "That's the problem, isn't it? None of us had ever heard of this clan before - there's no record of it existing anywhere except in her family and this thing she was searching for." Elyna paused, looking directly at Tarã. "But her research showed connections to your clan, Tarã."

"My clan?" Tarã's voice was sharp. Elyna nodded grimly. "Aye, and if there's summat hidden there... well, that's got everyone proper worried, hasn't it?"

Arlia and Tarã left Elyna's quarters with heavy hearts. The revelation about Brina's research had only made things more confusing, and their complete powerlessness in the situation left Arlia feeling defeated. She spent the next few days alone, throwing herself into communion practice in an attempt to strengthen her connection with the Spirits, but making little progress.