The church was reopened with a simple ceremony. Aurelburg's wall sentries took part in the rite with the permission of the city administrators. The bishop appeared before the doors; his shoes and staff clicked on the stone steps that led to the main entrance. Behind him were three priests: two of them were in red robes, each carrying a club-like object with a rubber tube, connected to a water vessel mounted on their waist. The last clergyman was a young man wearing a white alb with silver trimmings. The rest of the train was made up of lay servants who were mostly adults, with them were adolescent boys and girls.

  A choir of eight filled the nave with song. The sun chose to partake in the ceremony, spreading its light through the windows, providing the lone holy symbol behind the altar with a layer of faint brilliance. Euphemia stood on the right side; her hand just parted with the door handle. A priest and the lay people went ahead and sat on the pews, followed by the congregation of mostly workers who were in charge of building the village outside. The bishop went to the right-hand corner of the interior, and the priests in red stood behind him. He raised his staff, which prompted the other two to lift their liquid-bearing apparatus. A drizzle of bluish water shot upward, to which the staff's crystal reacted with an indigo light. The droplets burst into smokeless white flame; this was answered by the choir with three sung lines. Incense rose from their burners; a cloud that smelled of herbs and oils filled the chamber. Three more corners, three showers of white flame that fell and burned upward, and the master of the ceremony settled behind the altar, holding the staff high for the audience to see. Voices faded as the choir gave way to the celebrant; a long and low hum before the bishop began praying:

  "We stand before You, the never-fading light of the world. Receive our will to create a safe harbor for the lost and the distraught. Send for Your spirits and bless every corner of this sanctuary. Shine your light on both the faithful and those in doubt...

  "Let Your grace stay in our hearts, believing in the day Your final will prevails...

  "With this, help us to lead mankind back to Your embrace...

  "In humility and gratitude, we plead - anoint this home, and our efforts, for Your glory alone."

  A mass was held afterwards, with the bishop presiding. Almost two hours of silence, of prayer, and of song. Euphemia watched, stood, and prayed behind the rest of the gathering. Coarse voices, the cracks of youthful voices, and syncopated notes: all merged with refined notes of those who would be the regular chanters and singers of this renewed parish.

  ????

  The lone bell tolled for the first time in decades. A final blessing was given, and most of the congregation exited the church. There was an exchange of pleasantries between the clergymen and Sister Euphemia, whose role at the time was to usher churchgoers and guide them out after the mass. The bishop found himself looking all over the nave; for a church to be restored to a near-pristine condition would have been impossible if done by the simple labor of hands. He wasn't able to ask how the canoness succeeded in her task, for time wasn't a luxury he could spend. A final greeting and a few blessings later, he was on his way to return to Aurelburg's seat of the Church.

  With the ceremony concluded, Euphemia headed back to the room she was using. One last check to perform, and also some last sweeps of the broom on all its corners. She looked around: the bed, though she never answered what she was lying on, helped her get sleep on those nights. Was it Kirk who put the bed in place, or maybe Rook? Euphemia also thought of the almost stony density of the stool and table she used in this humble room. The gleam on their surfaces, a wave of 'farewell', or perhaps 'see you around'.

  She would miss the relative tranquility of what was once an abandoned sanctuary. The canoness stood before the open door, a deep breath behind a smile. Euphemia could have done more, and certainly with more company. However, this place would be taken care of was an ambiguity held by the future; she might no longer pass this way to find out. The parishioners in this locale were to be handed a young leader: someone whom she hoped would grow along with this place's rebirth. She turned her back; the sun's fingers guided her to the hallway outside.

  With her bag in tow and all of her effects removed from the place, she closed the door and locked it on her way out. The young priest was standing before the Holy Symbol; the afternoon sun struck it, showing a shower of prismatic shapes.

  "Good afternoon. I did not expect to see you here, Father."

  She took the set of large brass keys from her waist, handing them to the clergyman, who looked at her with a surprised face. Euphemia's gaze reflected through the veil's half-darkness, despite her veil's attempts to hide it. She resumed by saying:

  "Congratulations on being this church's new resident. May you continue to watch over and take care of this place."

  "Thank you, Sister." It didn't take long before he noticed the large, block-shaped thing slung on her shoulder. "Won't you be staying here?"

  "I was sent by His Excellency, the bishop, to attend to this church in your absence." Her arm remained stretched. She gave a smiling nod, urging the priest to take the keys. "I would love to stay here. See this place regain its serenity. I must lament that I am needed elsewhere."

  "And I thought I was blessed with a helping hand while leading this parish." He took the heavy keys from Euphemia's hand. "Will you be returning here, once you're done with your business?"

  "Your Order must decide on that, Father." Her voice matched the pleasantness of her face. "My Mother Superior, too. If it is by God's will."

  "I... would have to look further into that, then."

  "Also, any of the rooms will serve you comfortably." Her sleeves concealed Euphemia's hands. "I've done my best to make them orderly."

  "Thank you." The new priest shook his head slowly. "I'll make sure I'll spare a room for you, should you come back."

  "I appreciate your generosity. I believe this place is lovely, and you, too, will find it so." Euphemia walked towards the lane leading to the main door. "Until we meet again."

  "May His hand guide you on your travels, Sister...?"

  "Sister Euphemia." She said, "May the Creator's guidance never leave your side."

  No blessing. No rite of safe travels. He had forgotten all that. It was too abrupt that the caretaker who was here before his assignment would leave only with a moment's notice. The priest's eyes followed the canoness as she genuflected, paying her last respects to the altar and to the sacred icon. Her steps made soft echoes throughout the nave.

  Her outline was swallowed by the shade of the trees after she turned to face the road outside. And just like that, she was gone.

  ????

  Aurelburg Station stood at the center left of the city, a mere three blocks from the City Administration building. A web of railways converged at the compound; the frequent whistling of trains entering and leaving the terminal was common fare amongst the citizenry. This place was considered one of the Empire's few transportation centers where people could easily travel to most of Kriemreich's other landlocked cities. Southern winds brought from the Weissland Mountains prevented smoke from leaving a blanket above Aurelburg, which then left a very cool atmosphere in its place. While the city rarely experienced the smothering attempts of daytime fog, the cold air somewhat dimmed what light the sun brought from above. What was supposed to be a brighter afternoon light was subdued into a faint yellow when it reached the city space.

  Euphemia caught up with her companions near the city gates. Rook was in his usual silence, leaning against one of the lampposts: far enough from Kirk, but close enough to prevent him from doing anything out of hand.

  "Took you long enough to leave that place. I almost fell asleep with all that singing."

  Rook looked at the open city gates. He could have seen the church in one glance, if not for the dense cloak of the Antikwald. He placed his hands inside his coat pockets before he continued:

  "I'm going to miss that little pool there. Now I don't know if I ever wanted to be in the usual bathhouse."

  Euphemia muffled her laughter before she responded, "I think I can find you a similar place next time."

  Columns and rows of people entered and left Aurelburg Station through its wide doors; a sea of coats and dresses mingled with the large, red pillars that held the floor and the ceiling together. Kirk looked around the place, noticing that very few people struck up conversations with other passengers on the waiting platforms. Most of them looked at their watches, the ceiling-mounted clocks, or the electronic bulletin board that announced the incoming trains. Kirk watched people pass by before saying:

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "Quite the busy bunch you have here, Euphemia."

  "This city is home to many of the working class here in the Empire." Euphemia looked at the ticketing booth straight ahead. "They'd rather mind their own business than- I seem to have forgotten. Oh, that: talk to other people. It's hard to miss a train here by not hearing the announcements—it will be another hour and a half of waiting before they can catch the next one."

  "It's not like the announcement is that hard to miss." Kirk shrugged his shoulders and moved along.

  Ten of the ticket booths were open for business at that time; people stood for a moment, walked by the next, pulled out coinage to get their tickets, and then rushed in line to the toll gates. Kirk tried to offer help by saying:

  "If you don't mind, let me pay for..." he dug deep in his pockets; his hands wriggled inside, hoping to shake something out. He let out a long breath of defeat, revealing a pair of empty palms. "...forget that. I'm out."

  "It's all right, Kirk. I can vouch for all of us." Euphemia turned around to face them. She looked to Kirk's left and right; a puzzled look registered on her face. "Did Rook go somewhere else?"

  "Now that you mentioned it..." Kirk looked around and made another sweep with his eyes. He stopped at the rightmost area and said, "I'll go get him. You take care of the tickets for now, Sister."

  · · ─ ·?· ─ · ·

  "You shall be able to see different kinds of magic using your special eyesight. Now, tell me the colors you see in this orb I am holding."

  "There's blue, and red... and there's a bit of yellow too."

  "Excellent, as expected of you, my boy." His face was still hidden in shadow; only his glowing eyes chose to be revealed. "Now, look at me with those eyes."

  "You're green, and I could see streaks of red and blue in you."

  "Very good. Just the way I wanted it. Now, your friends will also have the same gift I've given to you. You will all need this, for there are many things we can put this to good use. These are some of the many talents you shall get from me."

  "I am happy, Teacher..."

  Rook stared at the music box offered for sale in one of the many shops that lined up at Aurelburg station. Inside, it was a butterfly construct; prismatic wings broke the display lights into colors dispersed all around it. He could see tiny cogs and springs that suggested it was more than just for display. Beside it was a key; half of it was inside the machine, suggesting that Rook would see the butterfly do something else once he wound it up. The door opened after one of the shop's customers left the place: a happy man giving a mechanical bird to a pretty woman. His eyes followed them for a moment; the focus isolated on blond strands that danced in a space that became shadows and green light.

  There were voices: one that stood above all was that of a girl's, younger and more keening than Euphemia's speech. He could hear 'her' laughing, yet the face remained hidden in the dark.

  He shook his head and stared at the store's biggest display window.

  Rook imagined himself getting inside the shop, seeing the display without the glass barrier that stood in his way. He wanted to touch it and maybe free the hapless construct from the seller. Rook wouldn't be able to pay for it, obviously, but he could ask either of his companions to give money for the trinket. What would he be doing with the music box? Would the tunes it played complement the majestic butterfly? He was about to reach for the door when someone tapped his shoulder.

  "There you are." It was Kirk, of all people, who had to call his attention.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "I'm supposed to ask you that." Kirk looked back at the station's boarding gates, then told Rook, "You got a pretty good taste in trinkets, I'll tell you that. Try not to just wander off the next time."

  "Yeah. Got it." Rook did not continue holding on to the knob and turned his back on the shop when another person approached them.

  "I have our tickets now." Euphemia appeared from behind them, a fan of three train tickets in her right hand. "I didn't know the two of you were interested in music boxes."

  "Just saw him here, looking at this." Kirk pointed to the butterfly music box that was presented at the center of the display.

  "Very charming." Euphemia bent slightly to take a closer look.

  "And very expensive too." Kirk pointed out the thousand-Mark price tag attached to the trinket. "Boy got some taste indeed."

  "I don't want it... that badly." Rook took a step away from the shop display.

  "Maybe some other time?" Euphemia's hands disappeared into her sleeves. "I don't think I've drawn enough for this."

  "I say we get ourselves a good snack since we're here." Kirk's palm landed on his stomach, thinking that everybody would get the message. "There are shops here that we can afford, aren't there?"

  "My memory of this place is not reliable, but we can have a look." Euphemia gazed at the stretch before them. "We must get going."

  It did not take long before they came across a modest café just a few paces away from the toll gates. Euphemia ate little at that time, opting to indulge in a cup of tea. It was not the same for Kirk and Rook, who each had a platter of crackers and pastry. They spent their time watching trains stop by the station, unload passengers, and receive new commuters–all done without saying a word to each other. Rook's eyes strayed at the cleric at random–he would meet Euphemia's gaze at some points, but he found it strange that she wasn't asking him any questions. It could be the tea, or perhaps her sight was not on him at all.

  A static sound, followed by an ascending tone, came out of the speakers. It announced:

  "Train Number Five-Six set for Luminberg, is arriving in five minutes. All passengers, please proceed to the waiting platforms." The static-slurred announcer repeated the statement after five seconds.

  Euphemia was the first to stand, saying:

  "Our train is here. Let's go."

  All of them stood up, Kirk grabbing the last cracker to send to his awaiting mouth whole.

  "Here are your tickets." The cleric handed a ticket each to Kirk and Rook. "Hold on to these until the conductor sees them."

  A blue locomotive at a distance was seen slowing down; the weak grating of metal against metal gave away the sound of brakes being applied. It had an almost perfect slope, only broken by the steamer installed on the roof section. It chugged along the platforms; its wheels drumming slower and slower until the doorway to one of the passenger cars aligned with the space the three were standing on. People disembarked from the train, which made them wait for all of them to come out before they could set foot inside the transport. As usual, Euphemia went ahead looking for their assigned seats while Kirk and Rook could do nothing else but follow her lead.

  This train was wider compared to the one Rook and Euphemia rode on to get to Aurelburg. While the boy didn't know why this was more spacious than the previous one, it meant more room to breathe.

  "Seat BC-F-8: this should be it."

  It was a seat vastly different from the train to Aurelburg they used. Not only did it have more legroom, but it also had a table for them to use. Rook felt the carpeted floor under his feet and saw a wide, curtained window beside the seats.

  "This is a lot better compared to that freighter I hitched a ride in from Grenalium."

  "Grenalium, Kirk?" Euphemia looked at Kirk before taking a seat.

  "I forgot to tell you that, so I should explain myself." Kirk slid to the area by the window; beams of light caught his face in a brighter glow than his actual complexion. "I hail from Grand Prettan – the isles a lot north, but a little west, of this empire. Of course, I had to hitch rides here and there since I only carried some of your Marks here, which are worth nothing there."

  "I see." Euphemia nodded. "You managed to come this far with that small amount of money?"

  "That it?" Rook mumbled, "I came to this place with nothing."

  "That's a long story, but let's just say I got them from a friend. Supposed to be part of a coin collection, but I had to let them go. Travelers get hungry, and we need to pay for food, and you know the rest of the story."

  "Is that so?" Rook felt that Euphemia wanted more than the answer Kirk gave, but she did not pry any further. "We are in for a long journey, probably up to... I guess a little over half a day. There's a city up north, which is facing the Empire's borders, if I am... yes, I'm sure."

  "I think I can point you to where I came from if you say north." Rook took the opportunity to speak up.

  "You've never told me that before." Euphemia's attention turned to Rook.

  "That's because... because, you didn't ask."

  "We're both not from here. At least we have something to talk about," Kirk said.

  "Who says I'm talking to you?" Rook snapped.

  "I feel we will get to know each other better than before." Euphemia flashed a smile at Kirk and Rook. "This ride will definitely be a lot livelier than I expected."

  "I think I'm still tired from having to deal with everything back at that woodland. I'll just nod off for now." Kirk stretched and began falling sideways to the other end of the seat.

  "Same here. I don't feel I'm at my best." Rook slouched in his seat. "Can I take a nap?"

  "A few hours of rest wouldn't hurt. I would indulge in a short nap when you wake up."

  "Suit yourself, prayer lady. If anyone here needs the most rest, it should be you."

  "Then I trust you'll watch over me when I sleep later." Euphemia looked at the newest addition to the travelling band.

  "Rook and I got your back."

  "Yeh. What the monster-caller says." Rook turned to the view at the window.

  Kirk stared at the glass barrier; beyond it was a lighter face of the Antikwald. The train revealed a more majestic side of the forest, where the trees were younger, showing a brighter shade of green. Deer and wild pigs peeked in and out of the woods in search of a grazing area. An aged bridge stood between a shallow and narrow gorge not too far from Aurelburg's gates. Forest air was many times better than what this machine offered to his lungs. He would have to make do with being stuck in the train for a while; where Euphemia would take them was not a place that a day's walk could complete. He closed his eyes as their train cruised by.

  A shrill whistle followed by a thick plume of white smoke pushed out of the smokestack. Euphemia felt a mild shaking of the air around her – the sound of the train engine being prepared to move out.