Chapter 20 Cursed Chalice

Theo had been practicing his new skill for a few hours now, he was getting the hang of it and enjoying it at that, Prims domain had evolved from when he first arrived in it, it was still a well-lit white space, but the flooring now appeared to be stone cladding with a circle half-wall encasing the place and Prim's flame would hang from a white shiny chandelier.

"Prim what happens if I stay too long here, will people think I´ve disappeared?" Theo asked her.

"Well your body is still where you left it, it´s just sitting down looking like you are meditating or training when you come here only your mind is transported and the body you feel is an interpretation of it" Prim explained.

"I always thought I was transported, but what about the air I breathe and the scars on my hands, how is it so real?" Theo asked once again.

"You make it as real as possible, you interpret your body as it is, it is important that you feel it so, for all intends and purposes this place is for you to use as you please, to train and practice" Prim explained

"Thanks, I think I understand, if I feel myself real, the training is real, even if it isn't my real body when I come out it will be as if I was training with it, It has been a while since you've talked to me, how come?" Theo said

"It wasn't only I that hadn't reached out to you, but you as well did not seek any advice or information from me, as you had no real urgency I will let you figure out things for yourself, I will only meddle when asked by you or when I feel it imperative to do so" Prim asserted.

"Prim are there any more spells or skills that you can teach me?" Theo asked eagerly.

"There are quite a few spells I will teach you in due time, for now, you should strive to better yourself" Prim responded.

Theo was excited to learn more spells and understood that for now, he had to give it his all, he had a huge advantage over others, even highborn could not match him, as he could practice for hours on end and only spend a few minutes in the outside world.

When Theo felt he had finally gotten the hang of his new spell he stepped out of Prim´s Domain, as he opened his eyes he was sitting down just as Prim had said.

He went back to the inn, everyone was sitting down and waiting for supper to arrive, only a few minutes had passed.

After supper Ferdinand gathered everyone and asked them to follow him, they began walking through the town, looking at the villagers, working and going on with their lives, as they wondered where Ferdinand was taking them, one by one they noticed the path he was taking, they understood, none of them talking, just following along.

When they reached their destination it was the Garden of Remembrance, Ferdinand stood in front of the burial plot of Fester, he kneeled, and the rest were all lined up behind Ferdinand watching him.

Fester was buried on the ground, laying him to rest, only a wooden plaque lay on top of the foundation, it read out Fester Yungwesan he was born in the year 433 of the new world, and died in 454, Ferdinand pulled a knife out and carved out a horizontal line with half a circle on top and 4 waves like lines, it meant soldier and wind magic.

Ferdinand then carved out 4 asterisks, when he was done he stood up still facing the plaque "This is to remember all 5 of them, their deaths are tragic and could have been prevented, that is on us for not being strong enough, may their death mark us, to be better, we may not have killed them, but we could have helped, remember you always have a choice" Ferdinand commented.

They all understood the truth of his words, Everett may have been the captain, but they did not need to follow him, they would mark this as their first ever real-world test.

Ferdinand turned to face them "As you´ve seen this world is dictated by the strong but also by the privileged, Everette may have been chosen to be our captain and he is indeed well trained and strong, but make no mistake, it was my privilege that put him in that position, as where none of us are of high standing, it is a hard truth to face, but even if things are stacked against you, choose to do right, there is nothing worse than self-preservation with a guilty conscience" They could see the deep feelings Ferdinand was hilding in, they could only wander what else Ferdinand had been faced with.

They all paid their respects and went back at different times, Theo went back to the room and lay on his bed, he now appreciated just how sheltered he had been of the world, Ferdinand was a former Noble, he had been born in that privilege he spoke of, he knew better than all of them, Theo had lived a carefree life where he felt his biggest problem was that he hadn't awakened, he experienced peace and the only death he faced was of the natural order.

While he pondered and reflected on his life he took out the Chalice he received from the villager he saved, it was a silver cup with a sleek handle, some ornaments at the base of the cup, and a finely crafted line along the rim.

"Theodore you should know that is a cursed artifact you are currently holding", Prim´s voice resounded in Theo's head.

"What do you mean?" Theo asked nervously as he dropped the chalice.

"There is a dark aura emanating from it, I believe it´s the dark artifact the Cursed Blood Chalice, it is a sacrificial type of artifact, it works in a particular way, you probably felt it in the woods while chasing after the bandits, but there was a dark aura that was what killed the bandits, to drink from it with blood taken, blood will be taken back, if given freely as it was to you, it will do as you command but the demon that recedes within the chalice must be satiated if the blood it receives is deemed insufficient it will turn on you," Prim said as she forewarned about the artifact Theo had received.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, even been walking around with this thing, what if it had turned on me, should I just throw it out?" Theo said erratically.

"You can relax Theodore, it is dormant right now, and it can stay that way for centuries, only if you activate it or someone else does will it manifest itself" Prim chuckled slightly at Theos scared demeanor.

"So should I get rid of it? as you said it's evil," Theodore asked reaching for the chalice with trembling fingers.

"It is a cursed artifact but it is only evil if you use it as so, the world isn't black and white, there are many nuances in between if you use it even if it is a cursed item it may benefit you greatly" Prim conferred.

Theo pondered for a while, "I think time will tell if I should use it or not, for now, I'll just hold on to it, can we keep it in your domain?" Theo asked.

Prim stored the chalice in her domain whenever Theo felt he would need it.

As Theo was still thinking about the chalice and talking with Prim, Ferdinand walked into the room, he was carrying his lance and had a dejected look on his face.

"Hey Ferdinand, are you ok?" Theo said tentatively.

Ferdinand lay down on the bed next to Theo looking up at the ceiling, "I wonder if when you think about someone they may feel the connection and think of you as well" Ferdinand said pensively.

Theo just lay there not sure if he should say something, "Since I was a small boy I was taught to fight, magic classes, battle classes, strategic lessons, etc. but for the last few years it has been apparent to me that one of the most important things to understand is to think for yourself, to reflect and question things is as natural as taking air into your lungs, I hope I can rise so my impact can be felt, just now even if I was able to save a single person I think thats enough, this Lance is from my mother, its a family heirloom, my father hated it as he was a swordsman elemental, my father was someone who only thought of moving up, greed and selfishness were his greatest traits, my mother wasnt a bad woman, she just couldnt deal and remained on the sidelines, I dont blame her, the only good one in my family is my sister, shes the only one I miss and the one thing I want to protect" Ferdinand related some of his past to Theo.

"Why were you banished?" Theo couldn't help himself and just asked, "I'm sorry you don't have to tell me I was just wondering why they would send you off, you are clearly on par with Highborns so it seemed odd" Theo quickly explained.

"Well it's not that big a mystery, it was a situation similar to what we went through, I was second in command at a dungeon raid, and they were using the weaker fighters as cannon fodder which is a common practice, I just couldn't abide by it, I stood up to my captain, knocked him out and canceled the raid, in the end, I was punished and nobody backed me up, saying I blew their chance at artifacts and completing a raid, selfish people can see past their nose, so I was sent back home in shame and my father thought he could set me straight but I confronted him, it was clear he no longer had control over me and because I was of no use to him anymore he banished me, after that I left and traveled wondering what I could do and then there was the call to arms, so I decided to join up," Ferdinand told Theo.

Ferdinand unlike many highborn's and nobles was conflicted in the way things were done, tired of cruelty, hierarchy, and selfishness, he lost as he looked for another way, but in the end, he remains true to his convictions.

"I think what you did was admirable, as you said you always have a choice, and you did the right thing, even if they couldn't see it at the time, I hope if I'm ever in that position I will be able to make the harder choice," Theo said as he praised Ferdinand.

"Sorry for dropping all that on you, I´ve just been carrying it for so long I guess I just needed the release and someone to confide in, so thank you Theo" Ferdinand stated as he exhaled and stretched out on the bed.

They talked for the rest of the night, Ferdinand learned of Theo´s family and how different they were to his own, Ferdinand also talked in greater detail about his family, he used to live in Vermilion City, is the smallest of the 3 great cities, hed visited them all, they talked all night.