Vendi

So let's start with my turning thought,

"If Rafayel is a miracle, then Valko is a travesty"

I had made a theory some time ago about the 6th LI being Raf's foil in the narrative. Just like Xavier's foil is Sylus and Zayne's is Caleb.

Many of their mannerisms are either direct opposites or compliment each other. Both personality wise and aesthetic they are similar with some key differences.

Example: Xavier and Sylus both know more than they let on and try to lead you in the right path but still waiting and letting you come to those conclusions yourself. Their key difference is that Xavier is a liar. He will lie about anything, be it if he has a good reason to (which most of the time he does) or not. Meanwhile, Sylus will never lie to you. His truths are sometimes twisted into riddles but he still will tell you if you ask the right questions. But they both know you are capable of holding your own and will go into battle by your side.

Meanwhile, Zayne and Caleb are both leaders. Zayne is more the mentor leader, teaching you and hoping you make the right decisions but slightly nudging you in the correct direction when you don't. Caleb on the other hand, is the big brother leader, he knows best and he will take care of it without you having to worry about it. But both will go off on their own when they deem it necessary to keep you out of harm's way.

They all protect you in different ways. But they all see you as an equal and would never force anything on you when most of the time they have the upper hand in knowledge and physical strength.

Rafayel is a bit different tho.

He is a predator that will lull you into a false sense of security with his "meekness" and then he will snap his jaws once you're close enough, he will never let go.

He doesn't go for you, he waits for you to come to him while placing all the right pieces in their place to make it seem like it was your choice when in reality, he never gave up control. He still sees you as an equal and would never harm you, but he is more on the dangerous dominant side that many don't seem to understand.

Now we don't know much about Valko, which is why there is not much reason to either hate him or love him.

But we can make assumptions based on the pattern that has been presented to us.

"The real hunting ground's up ahead. Do you dare follow?"

That's literally all the man has said but already we can build off of it. I saw a post saying "thank God he didn't say something like "I'm coming for you👹"" which got me thinking: he is asking you to follow, he is literally screaming that he is danger but he is not forcing you. Then it finally clicked.

He is literally like Raf in the sense that they are both dangerous, but unlike Raf, Valko doesn't hide it and didn't wait for you, he came to you and is asking you to follow him.

((Now this is still just an assumption, which should be taken with a grain of salt. Which, like that's his whole character, everyone doesn't know him but they're already assuming literally anything depending on which side of the conflict they are on.))

This is a great step in the right direction for the character if this is correct. It follows the established pattern of the foils.

Going back to the theory I had mentioned a while back, Rafayel is a creator so it would've made sense for his foil to be a destroyer. (Much like Xavier is a Prince vs Sylus the dragon and Dr Zayne (God) vs Apple Caleb ('Apostate'*still can't find a good word to describe Caleb's trope of damning Heaven and building your own paradise)))

We already had Raf ruling the seas, Sylus the skies, and Xavier had the stars, so it was logical to have an earth representative which is why I had also said that the 6th LI's evol would probably be something along the lines of terraforming.

Rafayel (merman) and Sylus (dragon) are also humanoid hybrids. With 3 human(ish)s and 2 hybrids, it was only natural that the 6th would bring balance to the established pattern. The land animals were missing from the roster. A dangerous, destructive land apex predator.

These are good foils for Rafayel if you really think about it, animal based and elemental but complete opposites. Not to mention, appearance wise, Rafayel has unnatural hair and eyes so it also had to be something along those lines. Many theorizing that it would be Red hair and golden eyes. I had also heard a rumor about a demand for a forehead style haircut.

And would you look at that, somehow Valko checks all the boxes of what we were expecting.

Red hair? ✅ Yellow eyes? ✅ Elemental evol? ✅ Animal hybrid? ✅ Dangerous and destructive? ✅✅

So then, if he fits the mold then what is the fucking problem? The same as it always has been.

Corporate greed and fandom toxicity.

You all like to act like Valko is a blank slate, but that is just not simply true. People already had their opinions about a 6th LI being introduced. Be it good or bad, the bias was already there before the man even existed.

His reveal only amplified those emotions.

There were those who didn't believe in him even though there was that huge "Coming Soon" everywhere you could choose your LI and the clues were always there. Then there were those who didn't want him included, or at least stall his reveal until the other two LI that had been added previously had at least a chance to catch up to the OG3 in terms of available content. ((To be honest, I was/am included in this group as I still fear that the company will start abandoning their older characters in search for the Next New Thing))

The fact that we have not gotten a Main Story update in more than a year also does not help. The game's focus as of late has been towards fun events that don't really progress the plot and reruns of cards most veteran players already have.

But also, if you haven't been keeping up with the main story, everything is going to shit with all the characters. Xavier has been hinted to be in danger of his evol consuming him, Zayne left us because he will take care of what needs to be done alone, Rafayel had a victory but his revenge is not nearly done, Sylus is still working behind the scenes, and Caleb is in danger of being discarded once he is of no use to the one company that is still after all of them, EVER. Things are seemingly going to shit and the new-ish world underneath hinted that the timeline might be exploding. SO BIG THINGS ARE BREWING. Which is part of the reason everyone is so desperate for the next part, BUT IF THE AUDIENCE WOULD DIRECT THEIR ATTENTION TO THE LAST CHAPTER WE WERE LEFT ON, the EVER lady gave us coordinates to an unknown location she deems fit to be the next step in awakening your true power. WHICH is the PERFECT time to introduce Valko. THEN once all the pieces are on the board, the story can progress further.

This is the best case scenario, the content has been kind of quiet because BIG things are being cooked and we just need to wait patiently for everything to be released.

((Kinda like Caleb's 3rd myth. I have suspicions that it kept being put off because Infold wanted to introduce the Ancient Chinese banner first because Caleb's 3rd myth also had ties to that timeline and they showed his outfit so it would have been a spoiler if they had released him first before the AC banner we got earlier this year.))

Not to mention the big ass elephant in the room, this is a gacha game that has its content behind a paywall.

For New Players it is a bit overwhelming. Starting the game and getting to Level 80 is no easy task, and that's assuming you're lucky enough to get your hands on good cards to get you through the battles.

The reruns have been great for players who missed them the first time around, it also brings peace of mind that if you didn't get it this time around, you can wait and the card will eventually come back.

That is if you are lucky enough to save up for the card, or if you want total completion, you HAVE to spend actual money. No way around it. No matter how much you grind, you have to focus your resources if you are Free 2 Play or spend as much as you're willing of your real money.

This has led many to quit, let's be honest. It's not right to squeeze your target audience for money but at the same time, these are people with actual jobs. If we want more content then we have to contribute. Create a demand to get more products. Simple economics. Not to mention, if you go back to the old Kindled Cards you can see the DRASTIC change in quality to what is coming out now. Our money is actually being spent to improve the game. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, the reruns are expensive and if you main all 5 then your savings is practically non existent, not everyone has the luxury to be able to afford this. Which really sucks for people who really love the story and the characters.

Money will always be a source of strong emotions.

And the amount of real money spent in a certain region is also the cause of the entitlement certain players feel over the creative control of the game.

There's no nice way of saying it. The CN girls do not like change and anything that doesn't fit their standards gets ostracized and protested. And due to them being from the home country of the game and spending more money than the global girls, they will make their opinions known and make demands the company MUST follow if they don't want a strike from the CN fans.

Which like, I understand the importance of stating your opinion and for the company to take the fans' wants into consideration, but it is another thing entirely to devolve because you didn't like something and start making demands and threats like goddamn terrorists.

We do not negotiate with terrorists for a reason. They will let the power go to their heads and if the company listens to them, anything after this will be up for the chopping block. Nothing will ever be good unless it fits what they deem fit and the behavior will spiral whenever they see something they don't like. But ALSO, as a consumer, one should also acknowledge the corporate greed behind the characters we love and shouldn't be willing to accept just the bare minimum and thank them like they've served it on a gold platter.

There is a balance to these things and right now everything is on fire and nobody can agree on anything.

Infold wants to expand to appeal to the Global side. ((if the current Movie Banner wasn't clue enough. They had said they would be sticking with Chinese oriented stories but now this new one is toeing Western Culture. Timing is quite suspicious as if Infold was testing how the audience would react to different cultures being introduced and suddenly we have this new character that is being accused of just that.)) But again they don't want to lose their already established audience. There are rumors that the company was expecting a huge backlash and that a lot of players would quit, it all depended on the timing of the banners released.

Which like prophecy came true, many people ended up deleting the game but a lot of people also ended up coming back/downloading it for the first time. I'm not sure if it's enough to balance it out but things are very shakey and will determine the direction the company takes.

Will the returning/new players be able to keep up with the game and Infold's demand or did they get attracted by a New Shiny Toy and once they realized what it was decided it was not for them and then leave? Bringing numbers even further down and making the old players who were against the risk to go "see? I told you so" forcing Infold to go back and never take any creative risks again. Or will the gamble pay off and the revenue will skyrocket and Infold either is truly done and focused on building the story OR will they see the huge success and just start focusing on being fully gacha oriented and start designing more "flavors" to see what sticks? The Next New Thing. And completely abandon the foundation the original fans were here for?

Only time will tell.

And that anxiety and mistrust in the company does not sit well with most, leading to outbursts and demands.

For some portion of the fans, the hate towards Valko is directly tied to Infold and they are misdirecting their anger.

To some degree the hate is justified as they are worried about greed consuming the company and the heart and integrity of the game is lost to it. The whole reason we all fell in love with the game was because it felt slow and personal. The story felt well thought out and planned, sure each character was still trying to find their footing but the personal connection and the potentials were there. They're worried everything will be abandoned or twisted into something it was never originally meant to be due to corporate greed like so many other otome games/franchises before it.

Fine line between love and hate.

Which is what some are saying that some Valko haters will flip "once you get to know the guy!" ((Myself included I'm afraid, although after this post maybe it's not so far off.))

Because in reality it was never about him ((it also kinda is but we're getting there)), it's about what Infold plans to do with the direction they are taking the game in. Some agree with it, others are severely against it.

Now to actually talk about Valko himself.

We don't know the guy but we are already judging him from 30 seconds. But pictures paint a thousand words and boy oh boy does everyone have a thousand words to say about Valko.

It kinda is ironic that this is what's happening to Rafayel's foil.

The face of the game, the most beautiful face card and then you have his foil, the ugliest face card being bashed as soon as he comes out.

Beauty is subjective and objective. But it is in the eye of the beholder.

That's literally all of what Rafayel stands for. Although Valko is not my cup of tea like many others, I cannot deny that some people absolutely adore his visuals. What is beautiful to one person might be revolting to another. We are not all the same with the same tastes. Disagreements over preferences have existed since the dawn of time. Which that in itself is beautiful, the diversity of it all.

But humans tend to take things a bit too far sometimes, especially when fueled by underlying emotions. Humans are emotional creatures and it is something we learn to control as we grow. At least, that should be the case.

The outbursts towards Valko's appearance is something we can't ignore also being part of people hating on him.

This is my personal opinion but I've never been too much into muscles. I can appreciate good abs but what's his personality like? But some people see a sweaty bicep and a pair of ears and now their mind can only think of the gutter. And that's okay.

What I personally did not like was the fact that the trailer hadn't even been out for 9 hours and already there were smut fics simply focusing on the fact that it was a furry. Furries have always been a controversial topic, although they are more out in the open, there's still not many that accept them into their spaces.

Which again, different kicks for different peeps, you do you. But you don't even know the guy and you're already projecting the most depraved fantasies you can think of just cause he has a tail and ears, that's not a companion, that's a sex toy. Which really rubbed me the wrong way to say the least. But it's human nature/depravity to say the least, both men and women experience it. Rule 34 and all. There are others who genuinely do want to know more about the character and his lore and how it all fits in the universe though.

So I'm not sure if I was the only one who thought this, but it wouldn't surprise me if people who already hated furries just recoiled further because of it and the backlash became bigger.

But clearly Infold really said "this one's for the Furries!" Again, we were missing that part in the lore so it makes sense, but to some it just felt like they were only catering to that untapped audience, which some took as a betrayal to the original IP of the game. This is still just Infold trying to expand their market, they know there are a lot of global players that would appreciate the diversity and that kind of trope but there are also limits to how far they are willing to push the CN side past their comfort zone.

Not to mention how Valko singlehandedly revived all the Twilight is insane and really speaks volumes about our society. Which is probably why Infold was willing to take the risk.

So then you have Infold taking this BIG risk but also wanting to play it safe, so thus comes Valko. I feel like they really tried to appease both sides but in the end they appeased nobody.

They tried really hard to get us to like him, he's even wearing everyone's favorite black tank top and tight arm band to show those HUGE biceps! At least that's what it feels like that's what they're selling.

But it commits to neither side, the CN say he's too rugged ((which compared to the others, he has a more squarish face.)) and the Global/Furries are saying he's not rugged enough. Not to mention the complaint about the four ears. This is his Myth card so he will be able to change out of those ears. Especially since they gave him the CEO trope. Meaning this myth is one of his past lives and his current self will have a human form while in business attire. Would have been a perfect time for a wolf cut but they wanted to cater to the forehead or maybe because that's the famous hairstyle over in the West or maybe it didn't fit the trope but if he was going to be able to change out of it why not go WILD?? ((Ba dum tss)) Not sure but everyone agrees it's a little all over the place.

But here's the real kicker a lot of people also didn't like that he looked like a mix of Sylus and Caleb with a bit of Zayne sprinkled into his eyes.

Corporate needs you to find the differences between these four pictures.

He has Sylus' nose and Caleb's jaw but is just a bit sharper. I think that's what's giving uncanny valley. Either way MY knee-jerk reaction was not a good one because I already had anxiety of them replacing the characters which only amplified the bad emotions already residing. I'm sure it's the case for a lot of people. My issue was also why the fuck is he looking like the other two foils and NOTHING like Rafayel??? You literally had One job Infold. Complete the pattern!

Xavier gives off Prince vibes with his soft features and symmetrical face. Sylus has a crooked nose and sharper features. Both with silver hair, one covering all his forehead in a neatly, the other showing most of his forehead with spikey hair going out. Single color eyes

Zayne has a part on his left, Caleb's part is on the right. Both black hair and dual colored eyes. Zayne's hair is a bit unkept but tamed and Caleb's is windswept. They're both meant to inspire familiarity.

Rafayel has beach waves and a beautiful mystical multicolor purple hair parted in the middle. Dual colored eyes. Valko has a dulled out auburn/red shaved cut with single colored eyes. Forehead fully out.

It feels off. It doesn't land. It doesn't feel like it fits the pattern. Which I think is what caused a lot of disappointment.

We also already had 3 beefcakes, we needed another guy that was more "toned down" to balance it out. Instead they went for bigger is better.

((Maybe they messed up by making Zayne into a beefcake but LIKE have y'all seen Medalist? When Coach Tsukasa is in his normal jacket he looks like a cuddly teddy bear, it's only when he takes it off that you're reminded he's ripped AF. Zayne is the same, it's the duality of man.))

But as mentioned previously it makes sense? Like Raf is supposed to be the "softest of the bunch" so it was natural for Valko to be the roughest of the bunch, right?((Pun not intended but look at that)) He had to scream out "DANGER" which I think it achieved pretty well all things considered.

But it just KILLS ME how generic his design looks, there are already SO MANY posts saying "Valko looks like___!" And like that already added to the thought that Infold was just trying to appease the majority so they went with what they think Westerners find attractive. Which it worked on some but it also didn't on a lot of others.

It's lowkey giving AI in my opinion but some say the blurred AI was better. AND IF VALKO REALLY IS NOT AI AND SOMEONE REALLY DID POUR THEIR HEART INTO THIS CHARACTER, then the hate just feels even worse when you think about how things are going so bad that they had a meeting yesterday on the 24th to debate if he should just be downgraded to a "special encounter." That is awful any way you look at it.

Also, apparently his voice actor has been the voice for multiple background characters. Including the eye that appears in the first chapter and at The Nest in earlier chapters announcing the Hunt that Rafayel brought you to and eventually met Sylus, where he does admit not having anything to do with that activity. This led to many theories and if Valko really was there all along then the writing is still great! But we really won't know until we actually meet the guy. Which a lot of people are already against, because again he just feels like a mix of all the other's qualities. Infold's true intentions are never clear but we should also give them a chance in this endless game of tug of war.

there were dozens of them. peaceful sketches of you asleep. sharp, dynamic lines of you during training. soft moments of you laughing. rough, playful doodles of you angry. he had catalouged every single emotion, every micro-expression, studying your features as if he were afraid the universe might try to erase you from his mind. 

a familiar smell of fresh ocean water and citrus wafted behind you.

“cutie?” his voice cut through the silence.

you turned, the sketchbook still in your hands. rafayel froze, his gaze darting from your face to the pages. he crossed the room in a few fluid strides, closing the distance between you two.

“snooping through my collection, aren’t ya?” he teased, booping your nose.

your face immediately warms. even with his playful front, you can still see the slight tension in his shoulders, the quiet vulnerability of an artist who had just been exposed.

“it was just laying here, practically calling me to come look,” you counter, your voice softened, affected by the weight of what you just saw. you look back down at the sketchbook, your thumb tracing the page where he captured you smiling. “how long have you been drawing these?”

he lets out a dramatic, theatrical sigh, tilting his head as he feigned being deep in thought. “how long? probably since I first saw you,” he said casually. “it’s a medical condition at this point. my hands just move on their own.”

“so this is from the past year?” you ask.

“since I first saw you, cutie. not met you,” he smirked.

he steps closer, his chest brushing against your shoulder as he leans over to look at the book with you. he turned towards the beginning pages. “look at this one,” he murmured, his tone shifting from playful to entirely fascinated.

he stops on the sharp, ink filled page of you in your combat gear. your expression was fierce and unyielding. you recall it being the first time you and rafayel fought a wanderer together. 

“you always look so serious when you’re focused. I think that lemon guy was intimidated,” he said. “although, you make that same face when you’re trying to build legos.”

he turns to the next page. sure enough, you’re making the same face. but this time, your hands held small plastic blocks rather than a weapon. you giggled at the sight.

“is there one you haven’t drawn? you practically have everything in here,” you said, flipping through the pages.

rafayel’s gaze darkened, his hands coming up to find your waist as he leaned down to whisper in your ear.

“there is one…” he said softly. “one I haven’t been able to get right.”

a shiver went down your spine as he pressed his front against your back, letting you feel the growing bulge in his pants. “what is it?” you asked, breathless.

“I haven’t been able to capture your face when you’re in pure bliss,” he murmured. “I always get…carried away.”

the implications that hung in the air caused your panties to dampen.

“maybe you just need a live model,” you offered.

that’s how you found yourself spread out on the couch, naked, while rafayel sat in front of you, sketchbook on his lap.

“you gonna draw me like one of your french girls?” you teased.

rafayel chuckled, his hand brushing against your inner thigh. “you’re my only girl,” he said softly. 

his fingers brushed between your folds, pressing gently against your clit. you sucked in a breath, face contorting in pleasure. the sound of charcoal against paper began to fill your ears.

“you’re a beautiful model, cutie,” he whispered, his finger dipping into your cunt. he thrusted in and out slowly, curving just right to brush against your spongey walls. 

you moaned, your legs spreading wider for him, hips thrusting against his hand. your eyes were glazed over and hazy, drunk with pleasure. “m-more,” you whined, reaching out to tightly hold his wrist.

he didn’t pull back. instead, he slid another finger in as his thumb rubbed your clit. Rafayel’s gaze remained locked onto your face, tracking every twitch of your lips and every flutter of your eyelids. he barely looked down as his other hand moved with masterful precision against the sketchbook, perfectly capturing the exact moment you unraveled for him.

“g-gonna..!” your voice cracked as your body spasmed. a gush of cum drenched rafayel’s hand as he stroked you through your high.

your body slumped against the cushions as he signed his sketch.

“I think I’m gonna need one more,” he said, unbuckling his belt. “you make a different face when it’s my cock.”

masterlist

© lilacgrayskies on tumblr

The large double doors closed behind the congregation, and a slight chill brought by the absence of the sun made the Duchess shift in her seat and draw her fashionable coat closer to her body. It did good enough to keep her warm outside in the crisp Spring wind, but here where the Sanctide Court rarely lit a fire it did not suffice to stop goosebumps sprouting on her arms.

As the final organ note echoed around the chamber, the Duchess of Sterling swept her gaze along the dais where church officials were seated behind the pulpit, yet there wasn’t any sign yet of the Holy Sanctarch.

Today was the day she would officially meet him as finally her request for appointment had been accepted, and as someone who had been dutifully raised in belief of the Tide she was brimming with honor and doubt she deserved to even have the chance. Her Father and his wife had been deeply religious, and every night he’d read her an excerpt from the Ocean and Covenants- an accepted doctrine of the Sanctide Court- and though after moving out her attendance had slipped in exchange for more working hours, she had always given extra income to it’s charity and the local priest of her village knew her by name.

The charity was in fact the point of the meeting, because the Crown specifically asked for everyone to be audited with her fine toothed comb, no exemptions for religion or charity.

Honestly, she was looking forward to an easy investigation after the countless months of tracking down tax receipts of local businesses to see if they added up to what the local government had reported, and than reviewing how much money was actually within their coffers, she had good faith to believe the Sanctide Court would be much more forthright and amicable to work with. She was praying for this to be so simple it’d be comparable to weeks off work.

The Sanctinal Amund rose to his feet once the note finally died off, and absolute silence fell as he made his way to the pulpit and began service.

During the opening prayer something caught the Duchess’ attention away- a quick tug at her gut that was gone as quickly as it came- and when she opened her eyes all there was to find was the Sanctarch in his seat relaxing as if he’d always been there. There hadn’t even been the sounds of a door opening or footsteps to tell he had arrived, yet there was no mystery to solve because the answer was simple: Magic.

Magic was a distant thing for commoners, a fantastical rumor that most never saw in their lifetimes if they did not have the honor of living near a church or noble that was gifted with miracles, but here in Aristocracy magic was as common as the sun filtering through leaves.

The sources of magic were Divine, Bloodline, and Miracles, and as the leader of the main religion of Gaia, Sanctarch Rafayel’s magic was Divine.

It took Duchess Sterling’s breath away to be able to witness such spectacular things up close, yet it was just another thing that set her apart from everyone else who had grown up with their own bloodline magic that they hardly thought about a world without it.

Though Rafayel did not need magic to leave someone breathless, as his looks were somehow even more captivating than the stories said. She watched for perhaps a moment longer than she should at the way a nearby candelabra made his nose and cheekbone glow a pink hue while the rest was lost in the shadow of his hood, and she felt more than saw the moment the Sanctarch looked in her direction.

Quickly averting her gaze back towards Sanctinal Amund, Duchess Sterling tried not to focus too much on her warming face at being caught staring. Though, that was perhaps something she and the noble women around her had in common, as she was not the only one taking occasional glances towards Rafayel’s handsome face. It was an advantageous thing for the Sanctarch to be so young in comparison to all his predecessors in this day and age where gossip and infatuation were currency in and of itself.

There were rumors about his charming personality that managed to get even the most frugal of elderly widows to part with a portion of their wealth, and though the method was questionable, the Duchess supposed that even if it was true, as long as the cause was worthwhile the ends justified the means.

===

“Your Grace, thank you for your patience!” A tall woman with a kind smile said as she greeted the young Duchess, dressed in the dark blues and tans of those who’ve devoted their lives to the Tide. “I am Naiad, a member of the Pool of Remembrance which is the hall in which the Sanctide keeps all our records, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with you today.”

“It is me who should be grateful,” The Duchess said as she rose to her feet, though she had been waiting longer than expected in a room she’d been led to by a young nervous boy. “I thank you for taking the time at all to meet with me.”

“Not a trouble at all, Your Grace! Please, follow me.”

She was lead through hallways lit by torches that shifted from blues, to pinks, to purples in differing saturations of light; Passing by groups of people dressed in the same blues and tans as Naiad all conversing to themselves in low whispers, yet they all greeted her kindly with a nod or smile. When at last Naiad stopped, she opened a door to an office and gestured for the Duchess to come inside.

“Would you like some tea?” Naiad asked, and the Duchess was glad to be welcomed by a wall of warmth emanating from a fireplace with a tiled mosiac of the stars moving like waves on a beach in the corner.

“Thank you, yes.” Sitting down, The Duchess looked around the office. There were bookshelves lining every wall, and each was filled with tomes and textbooks, as well as scrolls carefully rolled and placed within so that there was room to stack them.

After sending word to fetch tea, Naiad sat down across from Duchess Sterling, pulling on tortoise patterned glasses that sat at the brim of her nose, and it made the Duchess miss her own pair, but she’d been reprimanded multiple times that wearing them in public was unbecoming of a Duchess, so she did not take them out unless very necessary.

“Unfortunately a matter has occurred that requires the Sanctarch’s full attention, so he will not be joining us. But I can assure that I will provide as much information to Your Grace as is possible!”

That was disappointing, but the Duchess only nodded with an understanding smile.

“He’s a busy man, I’m sure; Perhaps another time. Well, forgive me but I’d like to begin right away if that’s the case.” Duchess Sterling retrieved her notebook from her purse as she confessed, and at the offer borrowed the ink from Naiad for her pen. “I must admit the distributions of tithes and donations has been a long curiosity of mine since I was a child, so I may ask a little more questions than I usually would; Apologies for that in advance.”

“You grew up a Tide Follower?” Naiad asked, and when the Duchess confirmed she seemed very pleased, the apples of her cheeks glowing as she retrieved the first stack of documents they would go through. “That reassures me than that we are in dutiful hands.”

For two full hours Naiad and Duchess Sterling went through the amount of funds given to an individual church, which of that funds was donations and what amount was tithe, the split of the tithe to upkeep church grounds and supplies for the attendants and Priest, and the dividing of donations between local aid and going to greater charity across Gaia. They got through numerous towns, villages, and at least one major city before the town of Muse was brought up, which was the Duchess’ home. There had been no plan to comment on that, however, but as Naiad kept reciting the numbers as she had been, the Duchess slowed in her writing so long that a blot formed beneath the metal tip.

“I’m sorry, this is from the town of Muse, you said?” She asked.

“Yes.” Naiad confirmed, which only made the Duchess sit back in her seat. “The one in the northeast by the mountains.”

“Than… No, that cannot be right.” Duchess Sterling held out a hand, and puzzled Naiad passed the paper she’d been reading from to her.

“I assure Your Grace our records our well kept and precise.” Naiad reassured with a tone that bordered how you’d patiently talk to a child.

The Duchess’ mind was working too fast to bother being offended.

“… Sister Naiad, I grew up in Muse,” Duchess Sterling spoke after a few minutes of complete silence, looking up at Naiad with a confused brow. “Every month since I was twelve years old I donated the entirety of the allowance the previous Duchess gave me to the church, which was ten thousand exactly every time.” The paper was laid now on the table, and the Duchess pushed it back towards her. “That alone exceeds the yearly amount you have written here.”

The smile was still on Naiad’s face, and her hands were clasped atop the table as if this was a pleasant conversation about birds, yet there was a ever so slight tension in her shoulders and the smile was too unchanging to be natural.

“What a beautiful place to be raised in.” She commented, reaching out to pull the paper back towards her. “I am sure there is merely some transcribing error happening here where something has gotten mislabeled. I shall look into it and send word of the correction at once, Your Grace.”

“That would be appreciated, thank you.” The Duchess said, but now she could not help but look towards the stack of documents they had already gone through and feel a nagging concern that there was other clerical errors she had missed. But, her heart could not believe what her brain was telling her that perhaps it was no error, and so she did not push further. “Shall we continue on?”

Duchess Sterling was looking over everything provided to her with a more fine tooth now, because as much as she was raised to wholeheartedly trust in the judgment of the Sanctide Court, her practicality needed to be reassured.

She missed Naiad slipping a note beneath an empty teacup before having the same nervous boy from before come take the tray away, she was so absorbed in jotting down the number amounts into her notebook, and she might have stayed there all night if not for a knock at the door another two hours later.

“Your Quintessence!” Naiad exclaimed with reverent delight upon opening the door, and that did shake Duchess Sterling from her intense focus and bring her to her feet. “What honor brings you to us on this busy day?”

The Sanctarch entered the room with the ease of a man with enough confidence to enter a lions den and be welcomed, and the first thing Duchess Sterling noticed about him was he was taller than she expected, having to crane her neck back ever so slightly to meet his eyes after she gave a polite curtsy.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Quintessence.” Duchess Sterling said honestly, trying to blink the stars from her eyes and recenter herself to the business at hand, though it was almost as awe inspiring an experience as when she first met the King and Queen.

Family had done their fair share of criticism of the royal family, yet no one had ever spoken ill of any Sanctarch; Rafayel nor his predecessor.

“The honor is all mine, Your Grace.” Though it was not offered, Rafayel took her hand that had risen to smooth down any fly away hairs and kissed the back of it, causing butterflies to erupt in the Duchess’ stomach like she was a young girl again. “I’ve heard much about Gaia’s newest noble who no one suspected to be such a vibrant flower, yet I did not think time would allow for us to meet today. It was quite a surprise to find out you’re still here well after most have left to have supper. There hasn not been an issue that is causing Your Grace doubts about the honesty of the Sanctide Court, I hope?”

Seeing the look of honest concern on his face- the inside of the eyebrows raised and eyes that held the suns reflection on deep water a little wide- Duchess Sterling quickly shook her head.

“No! Of course I would never accuse the holiest of orders of anything, especially with no evidence.” She hurried to assure, yet than she looked sideways towards the desk where that slip of paper with the offending falsehoods on it sat. “However, I… must raise some concerns I have about the thoroughness of the records kept here. There is a rather troubling miss identification of funds from my home town that I personally can vouch for as being false.”

“Oh?” Rafayel tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, and picked up the paper she’d been looking at, and she saw the slight movement of his eyes as he read through it. “Might I inquire what specifically causes you to say this?”

Retrieving her notebook, since it would be improper to get close enough to him to point out the numbers on the sheet he was reading, the Duchess flipped back to the page she’d dog eared to come back later.

“None of the donations I ever made are accounted for, as well as off the top of my head I can recall specific years where a family gathered together a more significant amount of money than normal, and about two of those were not documented as well.” Looking at Rafayel, Duchess Sterling tried to convey how earnestly concerned she was through her eyes as well as her words. “It may not be my place, however I have seen wrong calculated funds of similar disparity in other cases were someone was misappropriating the funds for their own personal gain.”

“Are you accusing the Sanctide Crt of allowing a thief to be among us?!” Sister Naiad bristled. “That is prepos-“

“It’s alright Sister Naiad,” Rafayel raised a hand and stopped her indignation, giving Duchess Sterling an appreciative smile. “Her Grace is giving us good faith that it is one bad fish that found it’s way into our current and not accusing the whole of being rotten.”

“Of course it is not all of you,” Duchess laughed, because the idea was preposterous. “I was raised attending and have full trust in those who I know in the local church, and they would not make such a large error nor lie. However, I have learned much about those who seek only personal opportunity, and they find ways into positions where they might leech coin for themselves, and with such a good organization as the Sanctide Court it makes sense to me that someone would take advantage somewhere.”

“I agree.” With a single motion, Rafayel collected the few things Duchess Sterling had left on the desk. “There has been an epidemic of ne’re-do-well’s who grow their pockets by taking advantage of the trust placed upon them by others, and one of our core beliefs is forgiveness of even those who have committed great crimes; Yet it does not mandate that we cannot ever judge them once more.” Placing her pen back into her hands, Rafayel held them for a second longer than necessary. “You have my word that we will find out the truth of what happened, and all will be well.”

Looking into his face, how could the Duchess feel anything but reassured?

That night, Duchess Sterling left feeling greatly comforted by Sanctarch Rafayel’s words, and her heart was appeased that all would be fixed.

====

All was not fixed, because for the sake of diligence Duchess Sterling reached out to everyone she knew from Muse (including her own family) and asked them personally the amounts they’ve donated to the church, and by the time she was called back to the Cathedral to sit before Naiad once more, she had a good estimate for the past year (which had included her own donations before inheriting) and as she looked down at the fresh amounts given to her by Naiad, her heart sank.

“I cannot accept this either, Sister Naiad.” Duchess Sterling confessed, shaking her head and feeling the perched hat on top wobble a bit. “My own research has presented different results, and I’m afraid I will need further investigation done.”

“I do not know what else we can do, Your Grace.” Sister Naiad laughed in disbelief, throwing her hands in the air. “We have done a thorough internal research and that is what we found. I have full confidence that what is before you is the truth.”

“Well I am not comfortable presenting this- nor anything that you have presented to me, if I am to be honest- to the King and Queen as facts.” Duchess Sterling sat up straighter. “Once is forgivable, but twice is concerning. Surely you can understand that, Sister Naiad. If I am allowed to supply a man to do their own investigation and the results are the same, than I will concede that my sources must be wrong. However as of right now I have complete certainty in them.”

There was no fire in the hearth today, and the chill only grew as Sister Naiad leaned closer, hands clasped so tightly atop the desk her knuckles were white.

“You trust common word above the truth given before you by the Tide? A foolhardy decision that I will excuse as a mistake made by someone so young.”

Duchess Sterling bristled at that, eyes narrowing in the dimming light. She was well into adulthood and was by no means a young girl who should be getting admonished like this, but Sister Naiad was not done.

“Those who oppose the tide get swept away by the riptide, and even those with good intentions are not exempt.” The paper was slid back across the table in slow offering. “All the crown needs to hear is what is before you today, with not even a inclination to the previous error. It’d be in your best interest, Your Grace, to align yourself as fresh as you are with an ally as spectacular as us.”

For a few seconds, the Duchess considered it; The weight of obedience a heavy stone in her gut, but around that stone was sparks that quickly caught and grew into a righteous ember as the Duchess realized if she did not pursue this to find out the truth, than the poor mother with six children who always made sure to scrounge together enough coin to put in the donation dish might have gone without a meal for the sake of something unjust. Or the elderly couple who grounds keeped the local church in Muse, who had raspberry bushes in their front yard and always encouraged the Duchess to pick as many as she liked, passed away not knowing if what they spent their life dedicated to was a facade of good atop a bone yard of disease.

“What you walk around saying speaks louder than if you’d admit it outright, which is all you needed to do because I am not here to make any enemies, yet if the Sanctide Court wishes to not disclose the simplest of things- such as what is being done with the copious amounts of wealth donated to you- than I suppose we are not on the same side.” The Duchess started slowly yet reached a strong pace at the end of it, pulling her gloves back on. “I do not know what type of women my Grandmother was, nor what sort of business she kept with the Sanctide Court, however I know who I am and where my allegiance lies is to the people of Gaia.”

Standing up, she looked down towards the holy women.

“In four days I see the Crown, and I will do my duty to them and the citizens who pay for the bed you sleep in at night and the making of the robes you wear which are finer than anything most of them will ever touch. I will not stand to see good people have their faith taken advantage of, and though I hope I do not find anything unsavory, I will upturn every grain of sand in the ocean if I must to make absolutely sure!”

With a sweep of her pink coat draped over her arm, Duchess Sterling marched towards the door, and while standing in the threshold she turned and gave one last withering glare towards Sister Naiad.

“I am also insulted you think me a person who’d bow down to a threat!” There was a few startled stares as the Duchess marched down the halls, but all of them averted their eyes and unlike before there was not even a peep of discussion as she yelled one final word back over her shoulder. “The nerve!”

No one interrupted her as she retraced her steps to the courtyard of the cathedral, and she wasted no time in going towards her carriage with the Sterling family crest of Marigolds on the door.

Caleb, who had been leaning against the side of it twirling a clover in his fingers saw her approaching and elbowed a napping Gideon so hard he jolted and sent the hat covering his eyes flying. He only just caught it before it was taken by the seasonal wind.

“Hey, how’d it-“ Caleb started, yet he took in the look on her face and stopped. “Woah, you look angry enough to scare a cat with a look.”

“The nerve of them!” Duchess Sterling repeated, entering into the carriage, her momentum so strong she slide a few inches after sitting down. “Well, the nerve of one of them, but still!”

“This is a lot more emotion than I suspected, it must have been pretty bad.” Caleb joined her in the carriage, technically improper since he was her guard, yet his status as her half brother trumped all. “Tell me what happened?”

Duchess Sterling waited till they got moving and collected her thoughts, trying to calm herself down from the adrenaline spike of the confrontation with Sister Naiad.

“I can no longer in good faith trust that they are being forthcoming.” She finally said, reaching up and pulling out the hat pin because the weight of it was starting to give her a headache. “At least not the woman I’d been mainly speaking to. I did not want to think it, but they’re hiding something, Caleb, and whatever it is they don’t want me to find out.”

He let the seriousness of that hang between them, keeping an eye out the window.

“Ever since your first meeting I’ve been asking around, and I’ve heard some unsettling stories.” Caleb admitted, voice low, and he leaned forward to go even lower. “I thought entering this life would be safer, but there’s just as many tangled threads as there was back in Port Noino, and this time they have centuries of namesake to fall behind. Even an ancient religion like that is bound to have skeletons in the closet, and I have to ask again are you sure about this?”

As peaceful of a farm life their father was still having in Muse, Caleb’s mother’s side of the family was much more fraught, and a debt had fallen on his shoulders after she died that had introduced the two of them to the dark side of poaching and black market trading.

It was mostly his to pay back, but as his sister who felt horribly responsible for his parents marriage failing since she’d been a result of an affair, she’d dedicated a lot of her own income to it as well up till the sudden inheriting of the title.

“Yes. More now than ever!” The Duchess sat back, replaying the meeting through her mind. “The people have no say in how the rich use their money, but I can give them a voice because money talks and they have that in droves when united. As well, with the Sanctide in particular, I have to admit I feel personally offended. I gave any coin the last Duchess gave me to the church because I thought they were doing something good with it, but if I had not I could have used it to make actionable choices around the village!”

“I don’t know what else you’re talking about, but you’d have not been allowed to aid with anything on the farm.” Caleb reasoned. “It was Mother’s caveat, remember? You always said you’d have used the money to help the family if you could, and we all knew it.”

She remembered very well. It had been a list of conditions for her to be allowed to stay on the land; Not sleeping in the house of course, but in the barn once she got old enough that she did not need to be bottle fed. One such condition was that nothing else related to the Duchess’ mother would be allowed on the land, and that had included the money. Another was that she had to move out as soon as she was old enough, and leaving home at sixteen was a large factor of why the Duchess was managing to meld into this life of nobility as well as she was. To be a child having to hold yourself in such a way that adults take you seriously is not so different from being a commoner having to hold her chin high and act as if there’s no doubt that she belongs among nobles.

“I know.” Duchess Sterling looked out the window at the city street bustling by, following the trailing wings of a butterfly as it floated past the retreating view of the Sanctide Cathedral. “I know.”

===

Once home at the Marigold Estate, Duchess Sterling set herself down at her desk and after an hour or so of consideration, began writing out a plan of attack- for lack of a better word- and sorting through her potential options.

Already she’d been planning on sending out informative surveys to get an idea from the citizens themselves what income they bring in and how much taxes they give to the crown, but now she was going to add an addendum to how much they’d given to Religious worship as well. The Sanctide Court was not the only religion of Gaia, yet it was the most prominent and the information she’d get from that survey would be necessary to compare to the records she’d been given so far by the Sanctide.

It was unfortunate that she’d not gotten to see more than she had that first day, but she’ll work with what she has, and it was a good enough sample size to see just how much they were changing their numbers.

But, all of this would take time. Months, even, and that put her in a complicated situation because so far all she has to bring to the crown is one instance of them lying, which might be enough to allow her to investigate more, but also… the Sanctide Court is going to suspect that, and how does she play their game with her own house rules?

It was a condendrum that kept her late into the night, and when her lady maid Natasha entered the office she thought it was to tell her off for being up, but instead she held out a silver envelope.

“An acolyte just dropped this off, Your Grace.”

Inside was an invitation to meet with the Sanctarch in the morning, and the longer she stared at the words, the more compelled Duchess Sterling felt to go, clashing with an insistent tug at her gut warning that something was off.

Tearing her eyes away, she wasted no time in tossing the odd feeling letter into the fire, that great sense of unease not settling till the parchment had rolled and twisted into ash.

=== The reception she got this time when entering the Cathedral was much more frigid, yet there was no outright hostility as a new woman in crimson robes that matched her hair came to meet her.

“I am Selina, Your Grace, a member of the Pool of Remembrance. I have only just been made aware of your interactions with my aunt last night, and I apologize if she offended, but the Sanctarch will meet with you shortly and shall clear up any misunderstandings she caused.”

The waiting room to meet the Sanctarch was much better furnished than the one she’d first been put in, and Duchess Sterling could not help but take note that meant she was never supposed to meet the Sanctarch that first day, it had all been a ploy to string her along.

“I hope so, I had to move a meeting for this.” Duchess sat down and made herself comfortable because that was a way to portray ease that she was not actually feeling. Every small noise made her eyes flick over to it, and she could not help but stare at the ticking clock. With every minute that passed, she worried this was a power play; Taking small moments of control to make her do what they want shielded beneath simple things such as waiting for an appointment.

“If our meeting does begin within twenty minutes,” The Duchess turned to Selina, who was standing and waiting patiently by the door. “Than I will take my leave.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” Selina left to assumedly pass on the message, and the Duchess took the opportunity to fidget in her seat. Caleb’s mother rolled in her grave whenever she did anything, yet for her to be here about to potentially argue with the Sanctarch would surely make the woman spin around so rapidly a hole would be drilled into the bottom of the casket. After the betrayel of her husband, Caleb’s mother sought comfort in religion.

She’d hate it, but part of why Duchess Sterling felt so strong about setting this right was for her sake.

As expected, at seventeen minutes is when Sanctinal Amund entered the waiting room and beckoned her in with a nod. Very aware of Selina walking in behind her, Duchess Sterling entered the grand office of the Sanctarch.

Dark wood shelves lined the walls, yet the room was so large it did not feel cramped, and the desk at the back had a fully copper front molded to look like waves crashing beneath the marbled top, and the years had turned the copper a patina blue.

The Sanctarch, Rafayel, was standing on the left side of the office where a bay of windows looked out over the great expanse of a gigantic lake the cathedral was built on the cliffside of; A miniature ocean that is a pivotal part of the Sanctide religion. The early morning sun reflected the pink hues of the water as gentle waves lapped at the feet of those choosing to walk it’s shores.

Much of the capital city was along the banks of lake Coralis, an example of how entwined the religion was with the daily life of its citizens.

Rafayel turned with good showing of pleasant surprise.

“Ah, Duchess Sterling, I hope you were not waiting long.” In a few strides, he made it across the room and offered out his hand. She took it, yet retracted it back to her side after giving it a cordial enough handshake.

“Three minutes more and it would have been, yet I’m grateful we get the chance to talk.” That was true enough, and she took the seat she was directed to.

Behind her, she faintly heard Selina say “His Quintessence said I could stay, Grandfather.” Before Amund was moving to stand behind Rafayel as he sat in the finely carved copper chair with pink cushioning. Selina stood on the right side of desk, facing towards the windows with her hands behind her back.

“Firstly, Your Grace, I offer an apology.” Rafayel sighed, shaking his head and his dark purple hair shifted around his eyes, the movement reflected in the silver mask on his face shined to pristine reflection. “I understand Sister Naiad had poor choices of words, and it reflected badly on the Sanctide Court, and as such your opinion of us.”

“It is certainly something to be told that the riptide will take even those with good intentions when all I asked was to be told the truth.” Duchess Sterling said, and Amund clicked his tongue in irritation, yet Rafayel spoke over as much of it as he could.

“As I said, a poor choice of words.” Lifting his left leg to rest over his right, Rafayel slid open a drawer. “However, it is our intent today to make things right and reassure you that it was merely her being difficult without our knowledge.”

A silver folder was handed to Selina from Rafayel, who presented it to Duchess Sterling.

Opening it revealed a lined document that at last contained a detailed accounting of the charity given in Muse the last year, the next page was for the tithe, and behind that was dates and names of those who handled the money from Father Khalid in Muse to an assumed middle man who traveled with it, and at the very bottom a Sanctinal Nora’s signature validated it’s arrival at the Cathedral.

There was even a paper dedicated to notes of when correspondents happened on the matter, with the storage system numbering taped over that would tell where these letters were being kept in the archives.

“Might I ask where this was hiding?” Duchess Sterling inquired as she lowered the small folder. “Nothing Sister Naiad presented to me was this thorough.”

“It was in Selina’s office.” Rafayel tilted his head towards the woman. “No hiding, just an assumption that an aunt would not be so prideful that it’d make her incapable to ask her niece for help.”

Amund’s jaw was moving in irritation, and Duchess Sterling was understanding now that Naiad was a spoiled woman by nature of her father being a Sanctinal- the ranking in the church just below Sanctarch.

“She seems a trustworthy woman, why was I not directed to her first?” The Duchess asked, referring to the other woman in the room.

“Naiad is usually more pleasant to talk to,” Rafayel said conversationally, leaning back in his seat and shrugging his shoulders. “Selina can be quite taciturn, yet clearly this was a duty well above Naiad’s head. I can transfer all correspondence on this matter to her at once, and I can assure you Selina will be up to the expected standard the Sanctide Court operates in.”

It only took two seconds of mulling the thought over before the Duchess set the folder down on the table.

“With all due respect to Sister Selina, I’d prefer to keep in touch with you, Your Quintessence.” That, made Rafayel pause, and Amund did not hide his look of affront. Yet Duchess Sterling did not break eye contact with Rafayel. “This still does not tell me what these funds are used for nor whether they are being kept together or divided into different banks.”

“Is it not common practice for the Duchess of Treasury and Internal Affairs to work with the accountants and record keepers of those being audited?”

“Common, yes, but commonality relies on abundance, Your Quintessence. You are not garnering taxes for landownership, you are gaining funds by the virtue of hearts dedicated to the Sanctide Court.” Rafayel broke eye contact first to look at the number she pointed at, first on the divided line. “To you, this is six thousand a year; To me, this is Hanna whose house always smells of baked apple pies.” Her finger slid down to the next line. “Margery and Edward have a rooster that chases children and they are ever so apologetic about it.” once more, her finger slide down and hovered over the line that was her Father, but she moved one down and avoided it. “Anthony and Greg. They’ve adopted three children, and put all their hearts into raising them with love- well, not all of their hearts, because a portion is dedicated to you.”

There was no reading what was behind those eyes as they lifted to regard her, but there was an intensity that cut through the already fast beating of her heart in her ears.

“Surely you take the weight of these offerings as seriously as I do, being the one they put all their faith in.”

An unsuspecting smile curled Rafayel’s lips, and this one made his lower eyelid lift ever so slightly.