Adelyn was back in her territory, the land of books. She still had a large amount of unfinished books that she had to get through in order to get any kind of information on divinity. It was such a vague term though, that the collection just felt endless.

  Regardless, she was in her comfort zone. Plus, she’s tackled bigger stacks of books before. With just some skimming, she was sure she would find something at least. Anything at all would be helpful.

  She had to keep thinking this to keep her motivation up. The more vague statements, unclear conditions, and odd patterns showed, the more she had to remind herself that something had to be stored within these books. There were just… so… many… and they all said very little.

  The divine isn’t necessarily something one can capture in a paragraph, but there really was a lack of connective tissue at all. Holy adventurers were blessed for their good deeds, priests were given their connection to the moon, and those who love the planet were given back to them by the skies. All of it didn’t have a ton of logical through line.

  After far too many books to count, Adelyn decided to take a brief break. She rested her head just a little bit and groaned. She really hadn’t found anything of substance, despite her constant and endless searching.

  There was still more to go, however. She was still hopeful she could find something, at the very least. She just needed a brief break. A quick refresh of her mind, so she could astutely clear and not miss anything.

  “My, you are quite a reader,” a familiar male voice came. “Even I couldn’t read this fast.”

  Adelyn raised her head from the table and looked up. She saw a face she hadn’t saw in a while. The guard at the gate, the keeper of Rumia, Grimace, looking down towards her with a neutral expression.

  “Eh… ehhh—?” Adelyn nearly jumped out of her seat once she saw his face. The boy remained unphased, the massive scythe he carried still intimidatingly hung onto his back. He shook his head, and took a seat down next to where Adelyn sat.

  “I was looking to take a break too, this city is quite tiresome,” Grimace said, calmly, ignoring Adelyn’s dramatic reaction. Adelyn however, was flabbergasted at his sudden appearance. She expected him to still be guarding the capital, so what was he doing here?

  “What’s going on with Rumia? Why are you here?” Adelyn asked out of confusion.

  “Relax, she just has a new guard. I am on city inspection duty, which required me to come here. That is all,” Grimace explained, picking up one of the books that Adelyn hadn’t read. “You are researching divinity, is that correct?”

  “Woah woah woah, new guard?” Adelyn asked. “What do you mean by that? Is she being treated well by them? Is she still safe?”

  “Well, that depends on how well she treats her guard, so you would know her better than I would.”

  A frustrating answer, since this was a situation they had never been in before. Adelyn couldn’t predict anything that would happen in this world. However, she figured that it would do nothing to get worked up over it, so Adelyn quietly took the chair and sat back down.

  “Since you’re here, can’t you like, tell the governor to give us approval? That would make things so much easier,” Adelyn complained, beginning to open up another book. “They report to the capital, don’t they?”

  “I suppose they might report to the capital, but each governor is their own entity in terms of the decisions. Governor Rebecca may be the highest authority, but certain things require the approval of all of the governors, including entry,” Grimace explained. “Speaking of which, you never answered my question. Are you researching divinity?”

  Adelyn looked awkwardly to the side. “Yeah. Your book doesn’t tell us a whole lot about that, so I’ve been cleaning out the library.”

  “Interesting,” Grimace said. “I suppose that would make sense, Luan is particularly fickle. I had a chat with her earlier, and convincing her to do things without divine blood is quite difficult.”

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  “What did you try to convince her of?” Adelyn asked.

  “Financial support. She supports the current government as a result of the princess’ divine rule, so I had to pull that card. It is the most convenient way to do so, but since the lockdown and the city are currently ordained by Rebecca, then that rule isn’t as stable as it seems.”

  “Is there a reason why you’re telling me this?” Adelyn asked. “Wait, princess’ divine rule? I think I read something about that.”

  “Ah yes, the royal family is all divine. That is common knowledge, as they’re blessed by Midnas. It’s a strange quirk, because other than that example, no other family is consistently divine besides them, so I suppose it legitimizes their authority in that sense.”

  “Wait, it’s not hereditary?” Adelyn halted Grimace at that piece of information. “Then how are they all so divine, if it’s consistently random?”

  “I do not know, that information is not provided to me,” Grimace shrugged. “My job is to understand and enforce the laws of the people, not monitor the royal family.”

  Adelyn thought for a moment. That was something, a lead. There must be a reason why the royal family is divine if divinity is not hereditary. She wondered if this library had any information on the royal family.

  However, she should probably just ask Grimace. “Can I get any information on them?”

  “The current princess lives quite a private life, which contrasts from the tourist attraction that they used to be. I suppose it was probably due to the death of her parents,” Grimace said. “It was an unfortunate illness, but the Governor helps the princess rule in the meantime, until she is ready and grown up. But as a result, I’d think you would have trouble finding information on her specifically.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” Adelyn said. “I hope she’s doing okay.”

  Grimace frowned, as if he was thinking about something. He then shook his head and stood up. “You are probably more likely to find info about her parents, though facts about their divinity are not super well documented, as it is just assumed that the entire family is blessed.”

  “Okay, thanks. That’s good enough. I appreciate your help!”

  Grimace nodded at Adelyn’s thanks, and began to get up. “I believe my break should be over, I ought to go back to my inspection duties. I wish you luck on your journey, Adelyn. Your trials will prove your worth, I’d hope.”

  The boy began to walk away, as Adelyn watched him step towards the exit. This was a small meeting, but at least his presence gave her some new information. However, before he left her sight, the Judge stopped and turned around.

  “I will say. If there is any message you wish to be passed onto Rumia, I would be willing to assist,” Grimace said. “You two have not spoken in a long time, and I am sure she would appreciate hearing words from you.”

  “Huh?” Adelyn seemed surprised at the offer. She appreciated it, but she wasn’t expecting this much generosity from him. “Well, wait.”

  Adelyn got up from her desk and ran up towards Grimace. If she was going to send a message, she would have to do it right.

  “Ahem. Ahem. Rumia, I know this has been taking longer than we’d both like, but… I know you, and you know me. We both know that we’re doing our best to meet each other again. It’s hard for me, and I really miss you, but to see your light again… it’s what keeps me going. It’s been forever since both of us have seen the sun, yet I know it’ll happen again. I just need you to be strong for me, and I’ll just try to be strong for you. That way, you can be the light at the end of my tunnel, and I’ll be yours. Even far apart, we’re still together. And soon, when we get home, we’ll get to see the sun rise again.”

  Adelyn began her speech. She felt like she ended up being a little bit long-winded, but it was what she thought. It was modeled a little after some stories she read, where a hero would promise to save the world. She always liked those heroes… and she wouldn’t mind being one to Rumia.

  “This concept of a ‘sun’ is something that Rumia had brought up a few times, I am still unsure as to what it is,” Grimace said. “But very well, your speech has been noted.”

  “Wait, are you going to repeat exactly what I said to her?” Adelyn asked awkwardly.

  “I couldn’t match your cadence, but,” Grimace waved his hand and a pen and paper floated towards him. “I did transcribe it into a letter, so that will have to do.”

  “Oh, thank you. I hope she sees it—” Adelyn then realized something. “Wait a minute, you're telekinetic too?”

  “Hm?” Grimace said. “Oh, yes. I suppose my invisible arm counts as that.”

  “I’ve never met another one!” Adelyn said. “Do you have any tips?”

  “Ah, um,” Grimace seemed awkward, putting away his pen and paper into his pocket. “Not in particular. You just simply need to put your mind into it, and control your thoughts precisely.”

  “Ah, I get it! Thank you very much, and please deliver my message to her as soon as possible!” Adelyn bowed.

  “I… will, no problem,” Grimace said. The boy began to walk away, he seemed a little bit thrown off by Adelyn’s enthusiasm, but Adelyn herself was pretty satisfied.

  She had gotten some answers, and she had gotten some thoughts out of her mind. That was the motivation she needed to keep moving forward.