The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Pope Demetrius decided to form an implicit truce with Belphesto and demonstrate his peaceful intention with incremental steps. Since the church leader obtained Bel's permission, the pope signaled his men to take the two VIPs out of the chamber.

  Demetrius arranged for Luka and Juliette to stay inside the bell tower at the central plaza. Traditionally, this apartment hosted the recognized Godson of Altima for each generation whenever the guest visited Lumina city. Thus, Luka should stay there as the rightful occupant.

  However, Juliette's situation was more complicated. Usually, the church arranged for VIPs to stay in the Eastern District's guesthouse. But since the woman was injured and unconscious, the healers could treat both Luka and Juliette in the same location for convenience. Thus, the pope ordered a second bed brought into the apartment for the woman. But he asked for a removable partition in between the two beds to provide the occupants with some privacy.

  From the messages sent by the investigation team on the ground, Demetrius learned that Juliette became briefly trapped in ice. Thus, he asked a female healer to quickly warm the patient's body and prevent losing her fingers and toes to frostbite.

  While Juliette received treatment, the pope focused his attention on Luka. Demetrius was shocked when he first saw the boy at the chamber because Luka's hair had turned snow white and his skin was deathly pale. The church leader knew that Luka performed a divine summoning and borrowed the god's power to kill his mother's attackers.

  The pope assumed that the summoner sacrificed a portion of his lifeforce to make up for his mana's deficiency. The church organization banned using this dark ritual because, historically, evil practitioners sacrificed captives to summon powerful beings. Some theologists believed that demons first appeared on Zaleron through this method.

  Pope Demetrius shook his head as his mind returned to the task at hand. He took some green leaves out of a magic pouch and placed them in a mortar. He used a pestle and crushed the pieces into powder. "Lidia, bring me some hot water!"

  When the nurse gave him a pot filled with boiling water, the pope carefully poured the liquid into the bowl and slowly stirred the powder to dissolve it. "Please make the patient drink this tea thrice daily," he instructed and pointed at the pouch on the table.

  The nurse nodded respectfully. She needed to feed the medicine to the unconscious boy via mouth-to-mouth. The woman took a sniff of the aroma and felt refreshed. Lidia opened the pouch and examined the vibrant, verdant leaves within. "What are they?" she inquired because the healer had never seen them before.

  "They came from the World Tree," the pope responded casually. When Demetrius saw her jaw drop, he chuckled at her reaction.

  "If people know that you possess those leaves, they will target you!" she gasped. The church declared a Religious War on the Delfrir Kingdom partly because the elves refused to provide leaves and branches from the World Tree. These leaves were irreplaceable ingredients to create an elixir; therefore, humans will target anyone possessing these precious leaves.

  Many aristocrats joined the war because they hated the arrogant elves and saw this conflict as an opportunity to commit racial genocide. Their armies supplemented the church crusaders, and the combined human forces overwhelmed the elvish defenders by 3:1.

  In the end, Alectos, the Elven God of Magic, intervened and declared a truce with Altima, the Patron of Humanity. The church gained what it wanted plus the elvish territory while Alectos took his people and the World Tree to an uninhabited eastern continent. Thus, very few elves remained in the Morninglory Kingdom.

  "So make this our secret," the pope replied playfully before his face turned somber. "Luka performed a dark ritual to fuel his divine summons. That's why his hair turned white like an elderly. He fell into a coma to allow his body to recover from this destructive activity. The only thing which could help Luka rejuvenate his lifeforce is an elixir. Be careful not to use too many leaves because they could overload Luka's weakened body. The water should dilute the ingredient's potent therapeutic properties," Demetrius explained carefully.

  "We must watch Luka 24/7 until he awakens. You will serve as his primary caretaker during this period. Make any arrangement necessary for nurse rotation and hiring decisions. As you know, I'm not a micro-manager, unlike my predecessor," the pope joked. "But due to the sensitive nature of this assignment, Luka's secondary caretakers must be trustworthy. I don't know who hired assassins to attack the Heavensfell family, but I'm certain that they would try again. That's why I want a protector with Luka at all times."

  "Yes, Your Holiness," Lidia bowed.

  The church leader pointed at the rabbit. "That's the boy's magic familiar named Bel. He will stay with the patient." Pope Demetrius opened the partition and entered the room's right side to check on Juliette's condition.

  "Your Holiness, the patient is exhibiting strange symptoms," the nurse reported immediately.

  "How so, Wanda?" the pope asked as he began to physically examine Juliette by checking her pulse on the side of her neck. He immediately pulled his fingers away because his digits were starting to freeze!

  "Her ice magic is starting to run rampant," Wanda answered with a grimace.

  Pope Demetrius thought for a moment as he wondered why Juliette's body was reacting this way. He remembered what the investigators reported about the frozen landscape along with the pope's detection of divine magic at the site. The church leader voiced his speculation. "I think the patient involuntarily absorbed the ice god's divine magic into her body, and she's having a problem controlling it."

  "Then why is she alive?" Wanda asked in bewilderment.

  "Duchess Silverblade possesses high proficiency in ice magic. Therefore, she has some innate resistance to its magic effect. That's why she survived while other people turned into ice sculptures. But the patient is slowly losing this battle. We must seal her magic to help her survive," Demetrius declared. "Lay the patient on her belly and remove the garments from her back. I will apply the magic seal at that area."

  "Yes, Your Holiness!"

  Demetrius turned around and waited while Wanda executed his orders.

  "The patient is ready for treatment."

  The pope couldn't help but marvel at Juliette's smooth and beautiful skin. He bit his tongue lightly and used the throbbing pain to concentrate on his delicate task. Demetrius removed a needle and dipped it into a special ink made of liquified orichalcum; he planned to block the normal flow of mana throughout the caster's back to different areas of the human body. Then he will apply the enchantment to seal the magic permanently.

  Demetrius carefully poked orichalcum-tipped needles along the patient's vertebrae. After he confirmed that mana stopped flowing, Demetrius drew seals over the tailbone, the center of the patient's back, and finally, her skull's base. Next, he slowly removed the needles and waited several minutes. But Demetrius sensed no magic power from Juliette's body.

  Wanda gently wiped the sweat off his brows with a handkerchief.

  "How long did the operation take?" he asked while drinking a cup of water.

  "Two hours," the nurse answered.

  Pope Demetrius gingerly sat in a chair. "I'm glad it's over," he sighed and closed his eyes to take a well-deserved rest.

  Chapter 7

  Refuge in Lumina

  Juliette awoke to bright sunlight shining on her eyes. The woman turned sideways to view her surroundings. She quickly recognized the room because Juliette stayed here with her late husband during Tsunka's occasional visits to Lumina, the holy city.

  "I'm glad you woke up! My name is Sister Connelly, one of the nurses caring for you. How are you feeling?" a warm voice asked.

  Juliette sat up in bed and looked at the speaker. She saw an older woman in a black-and-white nun uniform. "Where's my son?" she asked.

  The sister pointed at the partition. "Luka is resting on the other side. But he's still in a coma," Connelly replied with a slight frown.

  "How long was I out?"

 
"Three days."

  The two women heard a noise on the other side of the partition and watched as a white rabbit nonchalantly entered and hopped onto Juliette's bed.

  "Hello, Bel," the patient greeted while petting the animal.

  [Hi, toots!] The familiar replied while patting her cheek playfully.

  The nun watched with a bit of awe and terror; the rabbit threw a tantrum when the staffers tried to feed it some carrots. Instead, Bel stole a meat sandwich that an intern was having for lunch. Hence, the workers realized that the rabbit was carnivorous and preferred to eat meat.

  "Is there something wrong, sister?" Juliette asked when she noticed Connelly staring at Bel.

  "We were having trouble figuring out what to feed the animal," the nun admitted.

  The patient nodded in sympathy. "Yes, Bel is a very picky eater. My household staff had a tough time convincing him to eat his meals," Juliette nodded. "Speaking of food, can I get some soup?" she requested politely.

  "Sure!" Sister Connelly rushed into the kitchen to warm up some soup. The nurse had prepared some beforehand to share with everyone.

  While the caretaker was gone, the patient gingerly climbed out of bed. Juliette carried Bel in her arms while walking stiffly to check on her son. The mother's heart sank as she stared at Luka's wrinkled face and white hair. She remembered that he disobeyed her instructions for the first time to save her at a terrible cost to himself. Juliette realized that Luka spent his lifeforce in a dark ritual to perform the divine summons.

  The mother sat on his bed and stroked her son's face while sorting through her mixed emotions. On the one hand, Juliette was upset that Luka disobeyed her and refused to run away while she bought him precious time as a decoy. But she was also proud of Luka for his bravery and courage. He behaved exactly like a knight and a hero.

  Juliette smelled the medicine in the partial room and turned her attention to the nearby desk. She opened the pouch and scrutinized the leaves. The woman recognized them as belonging to the World Tree and appreciated the lengths the church crossed to save Luka.

  "Here is your soup," Sister Connelly said while holding the bowl. The nun strolled in and handed it to Juliette.

  "Thank you," the patient replied and accepted the container graciously. The soup consisted of shredded chicken meat and sweet corn, and it was easy to digest. Despite her hunger, Juliette ate her meal with proper noble etiquette.

  The worker quickly left and returned with a bowl of shredded chicken for Bel; she placed it on the floor and slowly backed away. The rabbit joyfully hopped over and began to eat noisily.

  When Juliette finished eating, she placed her bowl on the table and held the pouch. "Who's been feeding medicine to my son?" the mother inquired.

  "I'm one of the nurses doing it," Connelly admitted sheepishly.

  "From now on, I'll feed his medication," Juliette declared. She cringed inwardly at the notion of an older adult taking her son's precious first kiss. Juliette breastfed Luka as a babe and didn't mind feeding his medication mouth-to-mouth either because she viewed this task as her parental responsibility.

  "That's fine," the nurse agreed. "But our healers will prepare the elixir. We know how much to dilute the leaves to avoid overloading your child's body with the medicine."

  "Okay." The mother intended to learn to make the elixir as well. She watched closely while Sister Connelly prepared it. Then Juliette fed the medicine to Luka orally without any hint of embarrassment.

  Afterward, she put Luka back to bed and returned to rest. When Juliette awoke in the evening, she noticed Pope Demetrius sitting beside her bed. "Good evening, Your Holiness," the noble greeted politely.

  The pope smiled because he thought the woman was recovering nicely from her dangerous ordeal. "I'm glad to see your rapid recovery. The staff prepared a light meal for supper." Demetrius raised a hand, and Sister Connelly entered with a tray and a bowl.

  The worker opened the lid, and Juliette saw rice porridge mixed with corn and shredded beef. The patient ate the bland-tasting food until she was full.

  The nun then took the finished bowl and tray and departed.

  Juliette was surprised that the pope had remained silent during her meal. Thus, she took the initiative to start the conversation. "What does Your Holiness wish to discuss?" the noblewoman inquired politely.

  "Do you remember what happened after you left the castle with Luka in the royal carriage?"

  "Yes," Juliette responded as her eyes brimmed with anger at the memory. "Assassins from the Shadow League ambushed us. Do you know who hired them?"

  Demetrius shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We left that responsibility to the royal knights while the church focused on reverting the frozen landscape to a highway suitable for commerce. Do you recall the assassins turning into ice sculptures?"

  Juliette's eyes widened. "I was surrounded by them when Luka's divine spirit used his power. I recognized the god as Glacius, the ruler of ice. He cast Frozen Wonderland and remade the vicinity to his taste. The spell caught me because Glacius didn't care to distinguish between friends and foes before him. So how come I'm alive?"

  "When the rescuers arrived, they found you on the ground next to Luka with Bel keeping watch. The footprints revealed that Bel somehow pulled you out of the ice. Also, I believe that your mastery of ice magic granted some innate resistance as well."

  The woman nodded to signal her agreement with his theory. Since Juliette reached skill level 10 in ice magic, she gained partial immunity to it. But in exchange, the magic swordswoman also incurred a penalty against fire magic.

  "But a problem came up while you were unconscious. Your magic started becoming rampant because your body inadvertently absorbed the divine magic. I devised a method to save your life -- by sealing your magic," Pope Demetrius revealed. "I placed three seals along your spine: skull, middle, and tailbone."

  Juliette attempted to cast a magic spell but found her mana frozen. She closed her eyes and performed a breathing exercise. Magic was like an invisible limb, and its absence weighed heavily on her psyche. However, if her magic turned rampant, she would inadvertently harm Luka and other people around her. Thus, the pope made the right call in sealing her magic. When the woman recovered from her distress, Juliette bowed deeply to her benefactor. "Thank you for saving me."

  "Duchess Silverblade, you should hate me for doing such a cruel thing to you," the pope revealed his lament. "You are like a bird with her wings clipped."

  "With all due respect, I disagree, Your Holiness. After my husband died, my goal in life is to raise Luka into the Heavensfell family's next head. If losing my magic would help prolong my life to watch him reach adulthood, then I'm all for it," she refuted him. "That said, I'm concerned that my son would blame himself for what happened to me. I don't know what to say if he asks me to summon an ice fairy. I can't tell him outright that he's responsible for my sealed magic."

  Demetrius empathized with her concern. "Luka had no control over his divine summon, and Glacius almost killed you. But the boy would still blame himself for hurting you."

  "I need a way to cover up my loss of magic." Suddenly a large shadow flitted past the window. Juliette saw a pegasus fly over her apartment. "That's it! I will join the valkyries!" she declared.

  The pope thought for a moment before he accepted her proposal. The valkyries were a holy order of female warriors dedicated to serving Altima; traditionally, they rode flying pegasuses, which the public viewed as her mascots and representatives. All members practiced celibacy, and those possessing non-light magic had to seal their power to avoid interfering with the pegasus's light magic. "Okay, I will make the arrangements for you to join the valkyries. But what's the explanation behind it?"

  "My noble pride," Juliette answered with a faint smile. "I am thankful to the church for saving my family and wish to pay back my debt by joining the church as a valkyrie."

  Demetrius smiled back because it was an impeccable response by a grateful duchess, and the nobles
could not challenge it. After Tsunka's death, the other aristocrats wished to marry the widow, sire children, and take over the duke's house. But she stubbornly refused all suitors. By joining the valkyries and declaring celibacy, Juliette would cut off the primary obstacle to Luka's ascension as future feudal lord of the dukedom.

  The pope exited the bell tower with a sense of relief and accomplishment. He avoided incurring Duchess Silverblade's wrath for sealing her magic without permission. Her entry into the valkyrie squadron would pull the duchy closer to the Divine Church of Light both factually and symbolically. Moreover, the assassination attempt of the Heavensfell family while under the king's protection diminished his standing before the nobility and commoners alike.

  The biggest problem now was Luka's recovery from his coma. Although the boy's vital signs stabilized, Luka's health had not improved significantly. The pope feared that the people would question Luka's care if he fails to recover soon. After all, the entire kingdom knew that the boy was sheltering inside Lumina.

  * * *

  The Goddess of Light, Altima, stood in a celestial garden within the divine realm. She invoked her sacred power and watched as the rare and precious flowers bloomed. They twinkled in a sea of darkness, and the goddess couldn't resist her urge to twirl among the flowers like a little girl.

  Suddenly, Altima sensed an intruder into her private garden. She stopped her movement and turned around. When the deity recognized the newcomer's aura, Altima dropped her caution and ran over to the handsome elf. "Alectos, thank you for coming to see me!" she squealed in delight.

  The God of Magic stared at her and sighed. "When will you start behaving like a proper goddess, Altima?" Alectos felt wary of her because Altima had an erratic personality, and she was prone to mood swings. In one instant, she treated him as a close lover; he was her bitter enemy the next moment. "I'm quite busy with my duties, so let's make this meeting quick," he urged.