The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 903: Light of Gold & Abyss of Darkness

“So it was Sun God who did that to you? Gave you a gift of receiving rare jobs?” Souldealer asked.

Her expressions revealed she wasn’t sure whether to pity him or be surprised by the revelation.

“No, well, I don’t know,” Damian replied truthfully. “Only three people in this world know about that. My birth family doesn’t know what it did to me.”

Sam and Lucian eyed him, trying their best not to draw attention to it. They knew who the three people were. The realization that they had messed up was hidden skillfully by them.

They could not even actively protect Maelor. That would make him the target of the gods faster than they could breathe.

“It’s compromised information then..” Einar murmured, and Damian nodded.

“Can gods give rare jobs to people? Are you sure that’s what happened?” Torwin asked.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, the people who were not pathfinders usually had a lot of information on pathfinders. Throughout history, those with financial means have consistently sought ways to gain power in a world governed by the law of might makes right.

Damian sat upright, “Status is fair. It’s the information I learned as a kid that made me unlock unusual skills, which led to rare jobs. I always had a curious nature; the path of a rune shaper has the most potential for us as a civilization. Not just a warrior, a tool of destruction. But a creator, one that could solve any problem.”

“All the work you did, all the intelligence, ideas, morals, mercy.. It’s all you. They may have given you a kickstart with some unique knowledge, but the man you have become is not because of that one favor.” Lucian said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“A favor you didn’t even ask for..” Souldealer added.

“So Astraea it is,” Sam muttered, changing the subject.

Damian sighed, “It’s tonight. Prepare all that you need to; I have some things to do before leaving as well.

He stood up. Words were said, plans made, and now they only had to make them come true.

“We take Evrin with us. The House of Lords, all division commanders, and family members. Give the news channel just a few highlights of the potential partnership between the two nations and tell them to write an article. We send an official announcement at midnight as well.”

“This might be too sudden for some people,” Torwin predicted.

“I expect a backlash as well. But Sanctuary will stand tall. It’s people protected and cared for. Maintaining an always positive outlook has never been Sanctum’s priority. We do our work and hope for the best.”

He added a few words for the heads. They would have to answer many people because of his choices.

“What of Faerunians?” Souldealer asked.

“They are guests,” Sam replied. “We treat them as such. What they want to do with their lives is their choice.”

“If we had any sense, we would be using them..”

Einar added with a smile. The smile spread to everyone in the office as well.

“But we are fools with hope,” Lucian said.

“We would have to change our name if we do that,” Sam said. “Sanctuary protects.”

“It’s not just the act of accepting the most unlikely people,” Torwin added, standing up, “It’s keeping the belief alive for every soul on the mainland that anyone can be accepted in Sanctuary.”

———

Eldoris Royal Palace. Three Hours Later.

The decorated white palace was shining like a beacon in the heart of Eldoris. Damian and the Sanctum heads were welcomed by the royal family and the queen in the enormous hall. It was packed with Eldoris nobles who had come from their land at a moment’s notice.

Something was going on in the palace; all nobles of Eldoris knew that, but none had an exact idea what that was. The same was with all the prominent figures of Sanctum’s government.

The dinner was just in name. It was a high event for socializing for most. The sanctum head and their close family members were invited to dine with the Eldoris royal family. It was done with all bells and whistles behind it, showing the elves’ deep coffers openly. They indeed had money.

Sanctuary might be growing at a frightening speed, but Eldoris has been ruled with impressive stability for centuries now. The war against the Empire and Ashenvale, and then the demons had used up a lot of their resources, and yet they were better than most countries on the mainland.

Only the jewelry and silk dresses worn by the female elves could put high nobles of various countries in generational debt. All men, including Damian, were beyond impressed by the killer elven beauties. Ilvanya had other second ranker daughters. Ilarin also had several daughters. There was no male elf alive, but some of these elves had lovers and husbands.

Only the Spellmaster was an odd one. A slight noticeable distance from people on her sides. She wore plain black silk cut in an asymmetrical fall, one shoulder bare while the other carried a long, heavy drape. Faint veins of dull gold ran through the fabric like buried embers, gathering near the hem. A simple belt held it all in place.

No ornament, no softness—just quiet weight, as if even silk had learned discipline around her. The queen was her complete opposite. Smiling, talking, surrounded by people, and dressed in white and gold.

The contrast was jarring. One side of the table was the queen wearing her golden crown; her smile lit up the whole room. The other side had Damian with his unrestrained, crownless abyssal dark hair that seemed to bend light itself.

The private dinner was full of laughter and interesting conversations. No business was discussed there in the presence of family members.

They joined the nobles afterwards and spent time socializing and standing around with a glass of alcohol in hand, looking all pretty.

Damian was in his ceremonial dark uniform, tailored close to the body and lined with restrained gold along the seams and cuffs. The fabric was heavy, formal, built for posture rather than comfort, especially with a cape—sometimes he felt like Evrin and Souldealer were just messing with him with all these fanciness.

It lasted for two hours.

Damian and all sanctum heads made a show of returning to Sanctuary along with all their officials through the waygate. But after a while, the seven sanctum heads used Damian’s office to meet and travel back to the Eldorian palace using another waygate.

Ilvanya, Vidalia, the queen, and her shadow, Ilarin, were together in a closed, big room deep inside the royal palace. One end of the room was a massive gold and gray gate, behind which should be the royal dungeon. This place had tons of protective spells; this was indeed a secure place to have a top-secret meeting.

The elders of Eldoris were present. Four main ones at least. Ilvanya and Vidalia were both part of the elders as well, so six in total.

This was the group Damian was supposed to be a part of after today.

“Lord Keeper, it took more time than it should have. Only an hour and twenty minutes are left.”

Damian nodded, “Yes, we can chat afterwards. Let’s do this first. Just give us the name of our soon-to-be eight sanctum head.”

“Before that, let me be clear, the position in the queen’s inner circle is limited to the Runebreaker himself. It is not an official position that can be changed or passed down. The elders are all chosen by the queen herself; she is not beholden to any condition on who it should be.” Ilvanya replied.

Damian and the sanctum heads already knew that. The contract had it written very clearly. He just nodded to show they understood.

Unlike the sanctum head official position, the queen’s inner circle was just in name only. If the queen did not trust someone, she could obviously just remove that person from it without any vote or anything. She was the supreme will in the Eldoris.

“Lady Ilvanya will be the eighth sanctum head representing Eldoris.” The queen said and exchanged a glance with the ex-queen.

“Very well, let’s do this then,” Damian said and stepped forward.

The queen gestured, and Ilarin walked near him with a covered thing in her hands. The cover was soon removed, and the glass half dome was fully revealed.

Inside it were three pure white petal flowers with veins and a stem of bright gold. Just the oppressive, serene feeling resonating in Damian’s heart was proof enough that it was a big piece of a divine fragment. The white and gold were pure, condensed divine energy.

Ilarin lifted the glass, and the queen said,

“Take one. Eating this will make you a direct follower of Goddess Astraea.”

Damian stared at the thing for a while, then exhaled, gritted his teeth slightly, and decidedly took one flower in his hand and placed it inside his mouth.

He didn’t need to chew it. Like a cotton candy made of clouds, it melted inside his mouth and quickly spread inside all of his mana veins.

Cold, hot, pain, relief, satisfaction, isolation, destruction, and recreation. Those were the fraction of feelings that Damian could name before they spread all over him and vanished in a flash.

When his eyes regained clarity, he was on his knees and out of breath.