King

Hou'yi returned to the corridor of the volumes around four hours later, giving Angel ample more time to look through the article talking of Jess Queen's signature, who had particularly unique weave-work as whichever thread the signature imprint was woven on would be many times more flexible and adaptable than many others' signatures.

Although in return for this extended flexibility other functions such as extended silence, extended speed and extended stealth would be unable to be brought out to the best of their ability, with Jess Queen's signature rather enhancing the ability of the performer of the imprint instead of directly enhancing the imprint, rendering this more useful in many cases as unlike other signatures which only enhanced the imprint, causing only that aspect to become enhanced, it directly enhanced the performer and increased the ability one could perform all of their threads to, and not simply the one that was connected to the imprint.

Although in certain situations where two spellweavers were in a disagreement about another such situation, and were in a specific setting that benefited one spellweaver over the other, having a signature on your imprint that directly enhanced it would be a lot more helpful, since many threads would be useless in that setting, and choosing to enhance the thread that was your most useful would be most beneficial in that situation.

However, in most situations where the environment or setting was not more inclined towards one side over the other, Jess Queen's signature would be more useful since it enhanced the spellweaver to the best of their ability, making all of their threads more flexible, and not simply the one it was woven on the imprint to do.

Apart from this, Angel also looked through the rest volumes in the room, only to again be to no avail. Since he had not yet completely finished the journal by Garrett Queen, and the article proving itself most useful, he decided to take them to the Temple of Sky to continue reading further.

However, that only led to Angel wondering wether Hou'yi would still lend him help any further, which once again created a state in Angel's mind that was akin to a dream where everything appeared normal to sight but tilted slightly and glistened whenever he looked away or turned his view.

Because this was not useful at all, he decided to slowly state very simple thoughts in his notebook in order to get his mind to the normal working effort.

Hou'yi offered chance to become subordinate | benefits | more private volumes | support ? | useless | not furthering main goal 2nd

And that was the manner in which Angel decided to resolve the answer to Hou'yi's question. His thought process, after slowly unfreezing again, started to run again at the normal velocity and temperate.

Although becoming subordinate Hou'yi did offer many benefits, and would possibly be more useful in the long run—assuming that the archer did, in fact, become one of the city lords as he planned to—since Angel would get more access to resources and books along Hou'yi's ascent in influence within the city, it could possibly make Angel do useless things that were not beneficial to him in any way apart from helping Hou'yi, which would, in turn, benefit him. However, many of those actions would be completely irrelevant to any of his goals with the achieved effect the action was supposed to make not help him as much as if he simply went to the library and read, or prayed to the Being of the Nights and Days.

After he managed to successfully get these thoughts out of the way by directly thinking about them and making the twelfth sense vanish, Angel went back to reading the private informative journal written by Garrett Queen.

Informative Self-Assessment Page ___ : To a summons, Garrett Queen frater Jess Queen, the third entry ___ the third book.

Imagine that! Truly, what a pity, no? A pity it is, truly. A pity—why go to such costs ___ something when it could be resolved with time, and patience, which, alas, are things un-belonging to the members of the Church. How? How, let me ask you again: How are you willing to sacrifice your prophet, your one and only with the ability to see? I am at a confusion, one most unexplainable—why and how are you willing to make that sacrifice?

It is truly as I have described: prophets have no right nor no choice, and to be ___ at any moment a necessity for them to be arises.

It was also this moment where Angel looked up expressionlessly at Hou'yi, who had come up beside him, his face calm and smiling as always.

'Clear to you, Angel. May I inquire as to what is your decision to my question?' The archer's light brown eyes narrowed slightly.

Angel looked up straight into the brown eyes which seemed to hold no warmth within them—wondering internally how he could ever had mistaken the coldness for emotions—and said quietly: 'I refuse.'

Hou'yi blinked, still smiling. The effect this had, Angel reflected, was mildly threatening, with the facial features looking slightly out-of-place with both the ever-lasting smile and the blink being in the same moment. 'That is acceptable. I understand.'

Feeling like he owed the archer some explanation, he said, 'Upon doing the comparison between reading here in the corridor of volumes belonging to Sh'e'sh'ou, but handling things and events for you all in the meanwhile, and reading at the public library, becoming a subordinate to you is simply not rewarding enough.'

There was a silence. Angel watched as Hou'yi's expression slowly fell into thoughtfulness.

Finally, the archer nodded his head. 'Perhaps I have not given you enough credit, nor explanation.' He raised his head and smiled softly, light brown eyes glinting with emotion that Angel would most likely have believed before the day started. 'You will not be my subordinate. You will be a companion and partner, albeit one that responds to me. You will also not have to do anything for me. Essentially, you get to continue on the path that you are currently on, but be my partner, and have the access to all resources and information we have.'

Angel considered this. 'That is…considerate.'

Hou'yi smiled politely at him. 'I would not like to cause anger or displeasure to my future ally.'

'I don't have to do anything for you and you don't have a say in anything I wish to attempt?'

'Nothing, I assure you, Angel.'

Angel smiled. 'I agree, then.'

The archer smiled back. 'Lovely to have come to an agreement with you. Would you need any escorts on your way back to the Temple of Sky?'

'No, I think I can find my way once you show me the route out.' Angel smiled once again to Hou'yi and picking up the book and article on the table as well as his notebook, made his way out under guidance.

—————

The eyes lay closed; the world seemingly staring all at the figure under the ray of light that shone through the glass windows.

'Ill-rest was throughout the lands

'And all wept for grief

'Till giants awoke from their slumber

'Mighty and strange with their actions

'Peace was spread throughout

'And under one all lands united'

—————

The eyelids lay shut, looking serenely peaceful with the action, and the hands clasped together, aiming towards a wall on which a veiled figure was shown.

'Being of the Nights and Days, bring us freedom

'Forgive our forefathers and the evils of the Day

'Here in Stone, we beseech you to set us free from the horrors of the world

'We bless you and plead for you to set us free

'Forgive us'