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Chapter Text

Astra awoke to the setting sun.

Her quarters within Raya Lucaria Academy were cramped, what with the makeshift vegetable garden under the window, and the workstation covered in crystal tools and the stone parts of her project that took up most of the space in her modest room.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up and began the process to tie the longest strands of her blue hair into a set of four braids, two on either side of her head.

Though her ‘day’ was from dusk to dawn, there was still much to do. Astra ran through her mental list of imp pieces she needed to finish before she could fully construct the first of her imp familiars. She had chosen to make them to help her in her studies.

Hailing from the communal lifestyle of Sellia, the solitary nature of the mages here in Raya Lucaria seemed arrogant and selfish in her eyes.

And it wasn’t solely night sorceries that she had a talent for.

She tied the ends of the braids into a scruffy knot at the back of her head, left the rest of her hair to hang loose, and brushed her fringe out of her face. Astra got up to throw on her astrologer’s robes over her sleep tunics, slip on her boots, and fish her gloves out of a pocket on the inside of her robe.

And looking somewhat presentable she exited her room, locked the door behind her, and went in search of food.

She found Thops in the dining hall, practically falling asleep on top of his dinner plate. Astra sighed as she took a seat across from him, a bowl of porridge in her hands, and her white gloves tucked into a pocket of her robe while she ate.

“You look like shit.” She commented and ate her bowl of honey sweetened oats.

Thops blinked at her and chuckled. “Goodness, do I really?”

“You haven’t been taking breaks, have you?” she asked through a mouthful of food. At his sheepish look, she grumbled in equal parts annoyance and worry and set her spoon down in her bowl. “Look, you’re not gonna get anywhere if you don’t rest, what’s the use of learning all those flashy spells, or makin’ new ones, if you’re just gonna drop dead from exhaustion?”

“I know…” Thops said weakly and yawned. “But I have so much catching up to do, I’m not as talented as you are.”

“M’not fucking talented,” Astra argued. “I worked my arse off, same as you. And I don’t want you hurting yourself, you have the skill, you just need to hone it, gradually.”

“When you put it like that, you make it sound like I’m trying to learn the sword,” her fellow mage said. “I’m not touching any of the advanced spells, I assure you.”

“A mage must still take into account their physical health,” Astra warned and pointed her spoon at him. “Lack of sleep can cause all sorts of health issues, can even affect your connection with magic, and to try and work on only a few hours of sleep is a fuckin’ terrible idea.”

He looked at her wide-eyed. “…Can it really get that bad?”

She thought back to the headaches, the irritability, and the fatigue that assaulted her when she had partaken in similar habits to his only a few years ago.

“…Yeah it can,” Astra replied. “Don’t be an idiot like me Thops, take care of yourself. Get enough food, water, and you’ll find studying easier in the long run.”

Thops looked down at his barely touched meal. “I suppose you have point,” he looked thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps you could lend me a hand, if you have the time?”

“Sure, but then you should try to have an early night,” She suggested. “I know I sound like I’m nagging, but I’ve tried being nice about it…”

She had too, little nudges when she’d caught him in similar states in the past, had fallen on deaf ears when he simply launched right back into whatever he was doing before she’d woken him.

It was worrying, to find him falling asleep on his feet, or nodding off in the middle of studying. Most others found it funny, she didn’t. She knew he could be brilliant if he didn’t work himself to the bone.

“No, I understand, you’re just worried about me,” Thops said. “I was studying Great Glintstone Shard and lost track of time…I’ve been having trouble with that particular spell for a good while now. Do you have any pointers?”

“I would try and see if you can master Swift Glintstone Shard first,” she suggested. “The main tripping point with the greater variant is the amount of power you need to put behind it, it’s not Cannon of Haima levels, but since most novice spells rarely delve into power output and focus more on consistent casting, it trips up a lot of would-be sorcerers.”

“So the two spells are similar then?” he asked.

She hummed an affirmative around another spoonful of porridge. “Once you have a good feel for the swift version, you should be able to see what you’re doing wrong with the greater one.”

“I’ll give it a go and thank you for the advice.” Thops said gratefully.

Days later, in the dead of night, Astra was hunched over her desk, a set of googles over her eyes as she worked the crystal dart along the hollow inside of the cat-shaped head of her first imp.

She had experience with making smaller golems, many of the newer miniature gargoyles that maintained Sellia’s streets were her design, something nimbler and unlike those made by her predecessors, did not malfunction if they were struck.

Those were more bat-like. Stone creations that mimicked animals, or their likeness, was something she had found fun to work on when she first started out making little wooden goats as her very first golems as a teenager.

She carried this design principle with her when she first began work her imps, creatures that looked more cat-like, and empowered with the magics of the deep night sky that Astra herself was so attuned to. And so much of her work, after the initial carving was done, was to engrave the inside of the head and chest with their programming.

And each crafter had their own style, for unlike spells, which were unchanging once the spellform was finalised, the exact way golems were crafted was best described as an artform than an exact science.

And Astra’s style, as she etched life into stone, were the stories she saw within the deep dark sky. Of other worlds and eras past.

The darkness between the stars spoke to her, painted stories of joy and sorrow, of lives of no importance and the greatest of heroes. And old gift, the sages of her hometown said.

Night Maiden, they called her.

And in the dead of night, invigorated by the power of night magics flowing through her as she worked, Astra imparted the lessons she had taken from those old, night-born tales to the first of her new companions.

The first of her two imps was named Dawn. The creature followed her around like a child following a parent, and Astra was quite proud at how lifelike the imp was.

It did not move with the rigidity of stone, like the watchdogs, nor the quick, scurrying of other imps. It was as graceful as a cat, its movements fitting its feline form as it skipped and twirled about on its hind legs.

Astra walked into the dining hall one evening, Dawn behind her, and grinned as Thops looked stunned at her stone creation.

“What do you think?” she asked as she stood in front of his table and gestured to the imp.

“That’s a bit different from the illustrations in that book you showed me,” Thops said, impressed. “An improvement if you ask me.”

Dawn wandered up to him and bowed playfully.

“Oh, hello there.” Thops said cheerfully.

“Her name is Dawn,” Astra said proudly. “Instilled with the liveliness of the night in both society and nature. I crafted her to help me with traversal, or fetching things that are up high.”

Dawn, in response, did a little twirl.

Astra was pleased. “Playful too, the kids back home will love her.”

“I’ve never seen an imp, or any golem with personality before…” Thops said in wonder. “Once word gets out, you’ll be the talk of the academy I’ll bet!”

She scoffed. “Or I’ll have impatient fools begging me to teach them how to make their own, only for them to give up and blame me when they can’t grasp the art of crafting.”

She turned to Dawn. “Now, how about a demonstration, could you grab me an apple from the kitchen please?”

Dawn nodded and ran off.

Astra turned her attention back to her friend. “You look better, you’ve been taking my advice?”

“I have, turns out a good night’s sleep did wonders for my spell comprehension,” Thops replied. “Still working on learning that spell you suggested, but it’s going a lot more smoothly than usual.”

“That’s great!” Astra said. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

“Oh, I don’t suppose you’re aware but…there’s been a bit of an uproar,” Thops added. “Another argument between one of the senior mages and a lazuli sorcerer happened in the debate parlour today. Been happening a lot lately.”

“Really?” Astra was intrigued. She hadn’t taken notice of whatever it was going on with the rest of the student body. “And Queen Rennala is still out of sorts, right? So who’s keeping everyone in line?”

“Well that’s the thing, nobody,” Thops said. “Classes still continue, everything still runs more or less…but more and more sorcerers are speaking up against The Carian Royals. That they’re not as powerful as they claim.”

“Well they’re fucking morons,” Astra said plainly. “Anyone with a knack for sensing magics can see the amount of power in any of the carian sorceries is not something to joke about.”

It was then that Dawn returned with a green apple in hand, and Astra noticed her imp was being followed by a fellow scholar.

“You must this imp’s master then,” the other sorceress said, face hidden by her glintstone crown. “I was quite surprised when I saw it scamper out of the kitchen.”

Thops looked rather surprised by the newcomer.

“I created her actually,” Astra replied and introduced herself as her magic sight studied the other woman. “Astra of Sellia.”

“Ah, the Sellian mage in pursuit of new night sorceries and a Golem Crafter? Now that’s a rare talent indeed…” the woman replied. “I am Sellen. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

Astra hadn’t. “I’m not the sort to keep up with who’s who, unless you’re a new professor I haven’t heard of…”

Astra had never strived to earn her own glintstone crown, nor make any great mark in her time at the academy. She merely wanted to study The Night and expand night sorceries to be on par with the other schools of magic.

She didn’t care if that earned her a fancy stone hat or recognition. All she wanted was to elevate the Sellian teachings to what they could be, what they should be.

As grand as the night sky itself.

“You haven’t heard of Sorceress Sellen?” Thops gaped at her. “Sellen’s one of greatest mages in the academy! She’s even got a portrait done.”

Astra hummed in thought. It took quite the accomplishment to have a portrait up in the school. But the more she inspected the acclaimed mage, the more Astra noticed that Sellen’s magic looked off. Powerful, yes, but it did not look right. The swirling mass of glintstone energies did not seem to flow with the woman’s movements, it looked unstable, restless.

Like it wasn’t Sellen’s magic at all.

“As I said, I don’t keep up to date with things,” Astra repeated. “Bit busy building my imps and studying the night.”

“You must be quite talented, I hear making golems is quite difficult,” Sellen said. “And to study the stars on top of that…wherever do you find the time?”

The night...not stars… Astra idly mused. Not that many know the difference.

“Nocturnal by nature,” Astra replied. “I follow Sellian traditions.”

“How interesting, would you be willing to swap notes?” Sellen asked. “I’m afraid my latest research project has hit a bit of a roadblock, so I’m collaborating with others to see if we can come up with a solution…”

Something is definitely wrong with her magic. Astra thought. That kind of maelstrom is not normal.

“Eh, I dunno, bit busy with my own work…” Astra trailed off casually. “Gimme a week or so to finish up my imps, then I might have some time to spare.”

It would give her enough time to construct Dawn’s sibling and finish a spell she had left half-done when she began her imp project.

A spell that would prove to be useful if Astra’s observation about Sellen was correct.

“I can do that,” Sellen agreed. “Though I can’t wait for much more than a week, I’m hoping to finish my little project before Her Majesty’s next visit.”

“…That’s…How far away?” Astra asked as she wracked her brain trying to remember what the day’s date was compared to when Queen Rennala had announced a visit.

Astra never really had a firm grasp of the passage of time.

“About a month away, I think,” Thops supplied helpfully. “Last I heard anyway, The Queen was still taking time to herself after, well, you know…”

“Yes, nasty bit of business that,” Sellen said. “To think our ruler could be so consumed by a broken heart…It will be good to have her back in these halls again.”

Astra stood and motioned for Thops to follow. “Right, my friend and I have some spell practice to do, I promised him I’d give him a hand today.” she grabbed the apple from Dawn.

“I’ll leave you two be then, see you next week Astra,” Sellen said. “I look forward to working with you.”

Thops thankfully followed Astra out of the dining hall, with Dawn skipping alongside the two mages.

“…We don’t have practice planned today…” Thops spoke up.

“Well we do now,” Astra said. “I’ll explain when we stop by my room to grab my sticks.”

Her sticks were her staff, the dark blue glintstone nestled atop it invisible to those unattuned to night sorceries, and her sword, carved from her grandfather’s old staff.

Thops waited next to her bed as she put on the belt that held her sword sheath.

“Something is wrong with Sellen’s magic,” Astra explained as she tightened the belt. “I don’t know what, but one’s magic is an extension of themself, it moves with you, not in the whirlwind of power that Sellen has.”

“Maybe it’s because her magic is so powerful?” Thops suggested. “After all, there aren’t many mages as strong as her, are there?”

“I’ve seen Prince Radahn when he stayed in Sellia, watched him train when I was just a kid,” Astra stated. “He’s far stronger than Sellen and his magic didn’t behave like hers.”

She plucked her staff from where it rested against the wall as she continued to explain. “I don’t know what may cause her magic to behave the way it does, but I know it isn’t good. I’m going to be cautious around her until I know what her intentions are.”

She had expected people to approach once they noticed her imps, but she couldn’t shake this gut feeling about Sellen.

“Is there anything I could do to help?” Thops asked. “If you think something is going on, couldn’t we report her or something?”

“But we don’t know what and we have no proof,” Astra replied. “So, I’m going to use this week to prepare, but I would appreciate it if you could help me test out a spell I’ve been working on.”

“I’d be honoured!” Thops said.

It was a relief to know that she had his support. “I should have the spellform finished once I’m done with my second imp…now let’s see if we can find a good spot out in the courtyard to help you work out those glintstone spells…”

Chapter Text

Dusk, Dawn’s sibling, was taking longer to craft than Astra would like. With her worry that something more could be going on among the other students than just a simple rivalry between different conspectus schools, she had decided to ensure that her second imp would be capable of defending her.

As mighty as a lion.

Dawn could fight, and she had watched the cat-like imp wield a pair of daggers with frightful skill when Astra bought Dawn along to her training session with Thops. But the mage knew it wouldn’t be enough, and it would best for her imps to have differing skillsets in battle.

For one would cover the weaknesses of the other. That was how she had always envisioned them, a pair of capable assistants, companions, and warriors crafted by her hand.

Astra worked tirelessly, hunched over her worktable once again as she smoothed the jagged edges and imperfections in Dusk’s mane.

She had taken inspiration from Serosh and crafted her second imp in the visage of a lion, of a creature as strong as it was fierce.

“This is impressive,” Thops commented as he watched her work. He was sitting on her bed, glancing up from a book he was reading every once in a while, to see her progress. “I don’t think I could have the patience for that, let alone the skill.”

“There’s a reason golem crafters are a dying breed,” she replied. “Part of it is the time invested, and the skills needed to craft in the first place.”

She finished sanding down the jagged edges of the mane and sat straighter to admire her handiwork.

“What do you think?” she asked her friend.

“Looks intimidating,” he replied. “Like it would tear you apart.”

“Good,” Astra said, satisfied and reached for the broom next to her workstation to clean up the stone dust and bits of stone that now littered her floor. “This one will be a fighter, tough as nails.”

“So you have all the pieces carved out, what’s the next step?” Thops asked as Astra swept up her dust covered floor.

“I grab my crystal tools and begin engraving his programming,” she replied. “That will take a couple days alone due to how extensive the process is. If I get it wrong, it’ll take just as long to correct the mistake.”

“And you want to work on a spell on top of all that?”

“Well I’m not doing the engraving today,” Astra said with an eye roll. “For the rest of the night, I’ll work on the spell, then once Dusk is built, we’ll take the imps and my new spell on a test run in the courtyard.”

Thops looked sceptical. “Are you sure you can get all that done in five days?”

She had done the math the moment she had returned to her chambers the night she had met Sellen. Provided she didn’t make any mistakes with Dusks programming, Astra would have just enough time to finish her imps, finalize the spellform she had developed, and test both the imps and the spell in a combat setting day or two from her meeting with Sellen.

“I admit, it will rely on me getting Dusk’s programming perfect the first time,” she admitted. “With Dawn, it took a while because I had never worked with imps before…but given that she’s up and running with no issues…I think my chances at success with her sibling are pretty high. I know what I’m doing now.”

She was more concerned about the spellform she had been developing. She had been struggling with it before she had begun crafting her imps.

“Fuck…” she muttered.

Dawn approached from her right, and Astra sighed.

“I think I need to take a break…” she said to the imp, and from his place sitting by the door, the freshly built Dusk, perked up.

Dusk, larger than his sister, was built to be strong and instilled with not only the skill to swing a blade, but also the tales of gentle giants and virtuous heroes. His programming, albeit simpler than Dawn’s, was just as full of personality as the two imps interacted with the world around them.

Astra stood from her worktable where she’d been working on the spell and grabbed her sticks. It was a warm night, a bit muggy, and the mage whistled for her imps to follow her as she left her robe behind and went out in only her tunics and slacks.

Dawn danced around her creator as Astra headed for the courtyard beyond the debate parlour. Dusk walked beside her, on her left side as Astra was completely blind in her left eye and the mage was used to checking what was to her left more often as a result.

The new moon that night meant there was less to see by, but Astra could see the world around her clear as day as she stepped outside into the night air.

“Alright you two, I’m going to meditate,” Astra told her imps as she walked to a patch of grass that looked comfortable enough to sit on. “Behave and don’t break anything.”

Dawn ran off to explore the gardens planted around the edges of the courtyard and Dusk plopped down in the grass nearby to watch his sibling. Astra sat down beside him.

The spell should have been simple. It was a superior version of Unseen Form, a perfect shroud of invisibility that hid the caster from sight and sound. Yet her attempts to make the theory into a practical spell had eluded her, namely with the sound cancelling.

And with a deep breath, she turned her senses to the night sky for answers. The Night whispered in her ears and stories unfolded before her eyes. A symphony painted in shadows, and she sifted through them.

The courtyard fell away, time held no meaning as she searched for a solution, for a glimmer of magic that held the power she needed to harness to complete her spell.

“So it is silence that you seek, to hide and creep in plain sight?” The Night said, her voice felt more than heard, a rumble akin to the purring of a cat. “Behold Little Mage, a tool of assassins loyal to the Lies of Gold…Take their secret and spin a Veil of Night…”

Astra summoned a notebook and enchanted quill, eyes transfixed on the vision before her, and wrote down everything she could without care for presentation or organization. Every tiny detail she wrote upon the page and concealed with her own magic, to be analysed in the privacy of her room.

And to onlookers, her mad scribblings and rough sketch would be nothing more than gibberish and an unidentifiable mass of ink.

And once the vision faded, sight and sound flooded with the real world, she tucked her notes away and laid down in the grass.

Lies of Gold? Astra pondered as she stared at the stars. What does that mean?

What cryptic clues The Night gave out, The Stars often illuminated, or held enough pieces to the puzzle that she could make an educated guess.

Astra could observe the stars as well as any mage, it was a foundation for learning to harness the magic of the night, to learn the power of the stars to better tune out their radiance when in search of the great expanse between them.

Astra followed the patterns and flow of magic, the movement of the heavens, and sat up as if to better glimpse their secrets.

“…The fuck?” she said in sheer confusion.

Golden Amber…?

The only thing that came to mind was the Amber Egg on display in the Grand Library, it had been left there since Queen Rennala had returned to her manor after her husband had left.

From what she little had heard from Thops in recent days, The Queen’s upcoming visit would be to move the egg to her home, and to resume her duties as leader of the academy.

Lies of Gold and Golden Amber…

It couldn’t be a coincidence that Selen’s project, whatever it was, was timed for the queen’s visit. The amber egg was something none of the student body, nor any mage at the academy, had taken an interest in. The Faith-borne wardings and incantations embedded on it would turn any mage away.

As far as Raya Lucaria was concerned, it was nothing more than a golden paperweight, it was not tied to the stars nor the moon, and therefore was of no use to a scholar of sorceries.

The egg was given to the queen when Radagon left to marry Queen Marika the Eternal… Astra pondered, gaze still skyward. And prior to their marriage, Lord Radagon was a Champion of The Golden Order.

Was that what Lies of Gold meant? In reference to The Golden Order? Astra had heard stories of the religious order having holy spies among its ranks, but those stories dated back to the war before Queen Rennala and Radagon were wed.

And Astra knew very little about the order itself, or what they preached to know for certain what lies The Night could mean.

She was also too hungry to really ponder of mysteries at the moment. She turned to Dusk as she pulled herself to her feet with a grunt.

“Fetch Dawn and head back to my room, I’ll need your help after I grab a bite to eat.” She instructed and Dusk nodded and went off to pry his sibling out of a bush she was playing in.

Food, then head to library to see that egg. Astra planned. As pressing as this bullshit is, I am not working on an empty stomach.

“Alright you two, I want you to find me anything about The Golden Order’s teachings or history.” Astra instructed her imps as the three of them entered the Grand Library.

The towering pillars and massive bookshelves made Astra feel at home. It reminded her of the modest but equally impressive library back at Sellia. While the imps sought out the nearest bookshelf to begin their task, she headed to furthest wall at the back of the library.

Let’s see what I can find. The mage mused as she strode over to the imposing statue of Radagon at the back of the room, and the pedestal before it which housed the amber egg.

On the surface, the egg looked to be just that, an egg made of amber, and too thick to see if anything was inside. She could sense the faith-borne power it contained, however.

And a trace of something else, she couldn’t name what, but it was neither sorcery nor incantation in nature, it wasn’t a spell or an enchantment. It registered to her senses as some dormant type of power, awaiting use.

Astra hummed in thought, the other power wasn’t anything that felt dangerous, and tuned her senses to try and make sense of the incantations that may be within the egg.

She had tried to study fundamentalist incantations in the past, before living with her grandfather in Sellia, as fundamentalism derived some of its teachings from sorcery, and many of its incantations had spellforms as opposed to the holy scriptures of other faith-based spells.

But she could never grasp the basic principles of incantations, so even though she could the spellforms of fundamentalism, she lacked the religious insight to properly understand them.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t work out what the spell did, fundamentalist spells were practical in nature, and practicality was her nature.

As she walked around to view the egg from one side, she noticed a fundamentalist spellform hidden under the amber, only viewable thanks to the candlelight hitting the egg at the right angle.

She pulled out her notebook and quill again to copy it.