The Choice of the Cellabris Lineage

The mansion of the Cellabris family was remarkably modest. As the current king had abdicated all worldly comforts to prepare for his final days in a position of service, it would have been unseemly for his kin to indulge in luxury. That the residence could be called a mansion at all was merely a concession to the minimum dignity required for those who managed the royal household.

Yet, as authority does not always stem from wealth, people often felt a sense of awe simply by witnessing the weight of the responsibilities borne by those within. Huran followed Ondalan through the desolate hallway, his shoulders hunched in trepidation. There was not a single piece of art or decoration to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠found; the only light in the corridor came from the flickering flame of Essence hovering above Ondalan’s palm.

"Let us enter."

"Yes, sir!"

"Keep your voice down. My mother may be sleeping."

Huran bowed his head deeply, his expression one of profound apology. The young man before him, though appearing to be his peer, stood in a realm entirely apart from his own. The atmosphere surrounding him was different from that of High Priest Hamses, who had approached him with nothing but cold authority. There was something softer about Ondalan—something that made one instinctively lower their guard.

Once inside the room, Ondalan gestured for Huran to sit and asked, "It must have been difficult to come all this way in the middle of the night. Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"Pardon? Oh, no. I am fine."

"Don't stand on ceremony. I was about to have some myself. It would be rather lonely to drink alone, wouldn't it?"

"...Then, if you insist, I shall accept."

Huran thought to himself that this was perhaps the most polite moment of his entire life. Ondalan smiled gently and poured the tea. The rich, deep aroma warmed Huran’s body, which had been stiffened by the cold. Feeling the tension melt away, Huran spoke cautiously.

"The aroma is truly wonderful. May I ask what kind of tea this is?"

"I am glad it suits your palate. It is a tea I received through my connections at the Temple of Water. I often brew it for my father."

Huran’s jaw dropped, leaving him momentarily speechless with awe.

"Goodness! Such expensive tea...!"

"You are my guest tonight. I was never taught the manners of a host who neglects his guests."

"You are too kind, sir."

That a nobleman so close to the royal family would treat him with such grace made Huran feel as though the dinner he had eaten earlier was rising in his throat.

"Anyway, sir, I should attend to my business first."

Huran pulled out the letter he had kept carefully tucked away in his tunic. As Ondalan took the letter, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

"It is a letter from your brother."

"Arnat...?"

Huran bowed his head respectfully, saying nothing more about himself.

Ondalan broke the seal and read the contents. It read as follows:

With a soft *whoosh*, the letter burst into flames before his eyes. To Huran, whose eyes had widened in surprise, Ondalan asked calmly.

"I see. I have received the letter well. Thanks to you, I have been able to confirm my brother's news."

"I am relieved to hear it was delivered properly."

"And who might you be?"

Ondalan confirmed the man's identity in a composed tone. After all, Ondalan was the eldest son of the Paenus family and the acting head in place of his father, who was imprisoned. He had an obligation to trust the words of his brother, who had left everything to him and followed the royal decree.

"My name is Huran. I also serve as the captain of the guard for the 3rd District of Mirvis."

At his words, Ondalan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt a weight lift from his chest and let out a sigh. Unlike the flustered Huran, Ondalan was finally at ease. He would not have to kill an innocent man.

"I look forward to working with you, Huran. I stake the name of my family on guaranteeing your safety."

"Th-thank you, sir."

That dawn, someone slipped out of the Paenus mansion, crossed the silent desert of the night, and disappeared toward home. And when the day broke, the captain of the guard for the 3rd District of Mirvis made his childhood friend very flustered.

"Let's get married."

Huran laughed heartily, even though Arotte, who was so flustered that she punched him in the eye instead of the back as she used to, left him with a dark bruise. Arotte jumped up and down in anger, but eventually, crying and laughing, she fell into the captain's arms.

Where water flows, there is a path for life to grow. Thus, the source of the water is the true cradle of life. The people of Seplam agreed with this wholeheartedly. No matter what anyone said, they were the people who loved water most in the world. They were also people who sought to resemble the characteristics of water—flowing everywhere and creating beneficial value.

In that sense, Aieril, the trade city and capital, was Seplam's greatest pride. It was the place where the largest water source, excluding Cellabris, originated, and it was the headquarters of the Temple of Water, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠which the people of Seplam respected above all else. It was where the Great Temple stood.

A collective built over generations by three merchant groups in the southeast, Seplam, which was closely linked to the city union, held the belief that even wealth was not right if it stagnated. Therefore, they were extremely enlightened about the circulation of assets and the flow of money.

Thanks to this characteristic, it was common knowledge that merchant groups flying the Seplam flag were skilled in calculation, making it easy to see how profound their love for water was.

Therefore, even though they were not priests, when people from other lands asked, they would say with a proud tone:

"Who are my parents? Is that even a question? We are all the adopted children of Wior!"

Oera, the Wise Sage, was conducting her class with a cautious heart. While overseeing the training and stages of the sages was something she did regularly, today Oera felt as though the water flowing underground had been blocked by a stone.

"We will stop here for today."

"Thank you for your guidance."

Leaving the sages behind, Oera walked through the Great Temple, moving deeper into its interior. She stopped at a place that could be called a secret scenic spot.

A massive waterfall was pouring down a grand stream of water. Originating from the highlands adjacent to the northwest of Aieril, the waterfall flowed southwest, melting into the landscape of life within the citizens' sight.

The water, having flowed a vast distance, became one with the ocean. Realizing that while one thought they were great, there was something even greater at the end—Oera believed this was the lesson that those who pursued learning should never miss.

'Be infinitely humble, and be humble again. That will awaken our ignorance and give us teachings.'

When she was young, her master had patted the Wise Sage Oera, who had caused a great accident due to her arrogance, and said that.

If not for those words, what would she be doing now?

'Perhaps I would have been excommunicated for causing trouble.'

At the sudden memory of the past, Wise Sage Oera took in the scenery of the path she had to take.

A wooden bridge was installed in the middle of the waterfall. The bridge was a bit of a distance from the water's current, but the spray, scattered like steam, was enough to soak anyone crossing it. And on the other side of the waterfall, on a small protruding part of the cliff designed to keep water out, was a shrine.

It was the residence of the Grand Master of the Temple of Water, her master. At the same time, it was also the place where the memorial tablets of the past Grand Masters were enshrined. That was why the shrine existed within the Great Temple.

An ordinary person would naturally get soaked. But as a priest of the Temple of Water, and one with the lineage of a Wise Sage, she could walk through this spray as if it were a sunny spring day.

Arriving at the shrine looking neat, Wise Sage Oera lightly tapped the floor stone. After showing the courtesy of announcing a guest, a voice came from inside a moment later.

"Who is there?"

"It is Wise Sage Oera."

"Come in."

The Wise Sage politely took off her shoes and entered the shrine. A fresh air, unbelievable for a place under such a waterfall, was circulating inside the temple.

Inside the temple, there was a structure where water fell through a pipe connected from the ceiling to the inside of the floor. And an old woman was sitting in front of it, looking at her. An old woman with neatly arranged white hair sat in a straight posture and greeted her.

"It has been a while. Grand Master Arana. You called for me."

"You came well without dawdling."

"Well, I have aged quite a bit to be called a thirteen-year-old child anymore."

"Hehe. In my eyes, you are still that child from back then."

At the voice filled with kind affection, Oera felt her heart soften.

"I am curious why you called me."

Even at Oera's attitude of getting straight to the point, Grand Master Arana did not lose her smile. She knew that Oera's attitude was not just showing formal etiquette, but consideration for her frail self. The Grand Master understood Oera's heart and said:

"A divine oracle has descended."

At the weight carried by that word, Oera felt her breath catch. Was this the reason for the feeling she had today?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"An oracle? Hasn't it been quiet for the past few decades?"

"That is true. But how can we know the will of the Originator?"

Oera did not answer. It wasn't that she was speechless, but that her thoughts were different. She believed that no matter how much they had changed, the Originator and humans were subjects of understanding. 'Weren't the Originators also people born and raised in the world as humans?' But her master only revered the Originator as an infinitely high being. Humility to lower oneself is a virtue, but there is no need to infinitely revere the other.

However, Oera chose to understand her master's will rather than put forward an opposing opinion to her beloved teacher.

There are several temples in the world, but among them, the Temple of Water shares a commonality with the Temple of Fire, which is its polar opposite: that the temple was built because of the 'Originator'.

When the Essence spread into the world thousands of years ago, the world became prosperous. But anything in excess becomes poison. Excessive concentration of Essence became a toxin, and when it dwelled in life, it caused even greater problems. Beasts became magical beasts, and there were areas where people could not step foot. And countless people gained the power to handle Essence, and a chaotic world arrived.

In those days, when warlords were most active to achieve peace, the Originator appeared suddenly. Those whose physical properties had transcended humanity due to the concentration of excessively powerful Essence. Their bodies, made of water and fire, granted them transcendence. But they themselves refused to give up being human until the end. Eventually, people revered those who devoted themselves to humanity until peace arrived, and temples were built to commemorate those who did not die and to receive their teachings.

Those who devoted their entire lives to the temple following that thorough lineage until they became old were called Grand Masters by the world.

Arana said, "Wior has spoken. A noble person will appear from the river where the moon crosses."

"The river where the moon crosses..."

Oera, who slowly chewed on the words, said, "That is quite lacking as a reference to time."

"That cannot be helped. The time of us who wear flesh and the Originator who transcends flesh must be different."

"Shall I investigate the past oracles recorded in the records? Then we might be able to infer the time when this oracle will be fulfilled to some extent."

"No. It would be better to prepare to welcome the noble person."

Wise Sage Oera understood Grand Master Arana's words perfectly. Even though decades had passed, Oera was always an understanding student to Arana. Her master was saying, 'Since we don't know when they will come anyway, let's just focus on training hard like now.'

"It is an oracle. Without room for reversal, the noble person will come even if we do not find them. All we have to do is wait. I hope to welcome them in my generation, but if not, I want to welcome them without any shortcomings."

Arana added, making her wrinkles curve, "If that happens, I hope you can be the one to welcome the noble person."

Oera looked at Arana with a face that could not hide her shock. Just as she was no longer a thirteen-year-old girl, the teacher before her was not just a respected sister and sage. She had become a Grand Master after passing through the Wise Sage, and was now an old woman entering the beginning of the path called infirmity.

"Don't say such things, Master. You are still quite healthy."

"Isn't it our life to flow as the water path opens? It is a natural principle that if the front water flows, the back water comes."

"Master..."

Toward Oera, whose eyes were red, her master opened her arms. Arana, who gently hugged Oera, who had slowly approached, as if embracing a child, gently patted her back and smoothed it down.

"Serving those who endured transcendence for the sake of humanity is never easy. But because it is you who have followed me here, I want to entrust it to you. Succeed me and become a Grand Master of the temple who is not ashamed."

Oera nodded while hugging her master tightly. Although it was skin that was wrinkled from age, Oera thought her skin was white and warm, just like when she returned to her childhood days.