2. Auslin

Chapter 2

Auslin

A t the top of the staircase, Auslin paused a moment to catch his breath. There are too many damn stairs , Auslin mentally complained like he did every time he had to take the long way up after a journey.

All was silent and still in the compound. It didn't surprise Auslin to find it deserted, since most of the mages were attending the events being held at the Day of Remembrance Festival in Tiora. The mere thought of going to the event made Auslin want to groan. It was more effort than he felt like giving as his travels and troubles caught up with him.

The sight of his younger brother walking over from the storage house area pulled Auslin from his thoughts. Sephen dusted off his hands as if he had just been carrying something.

Although there were eight years between them, and they had different fathers, they had always been close. It surprised people to learn they were related because Auslin was so tan from his travels and had dark black hair and unusual lilac eyes. Sephen was pale with blond hair and dark green eyes. He had not been blessed with the same magical abilities as Auslin but was still allowed to live at the temple.

Auslin called out to Sephen, who immediately brightened as his older brother approached him.

Sephen enthusiastically greeted him with a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're back! It felt like you were gone forever this time."

"It was only a couple of months." While he said that, his trips with Kio were tediously long to him as well. He wondered how much longer he could stand making them together. Putting such thoughts aside, Auslin had more pressing questions. "Why aren't you at the festival?"

Sephen looked a little sheepish. "I helped set up some things for one of the stalls earlier. But you know it wouldn't be a trip into town if I didn't stop at the bookstore."

Auslin smiled fondly at his younger brother. "I take it Reskin had a new release you wanted to read immediately rather than go to the festival?" That was Sephen's favorite philosophy author. His world always ground to a halt every time a new book was published.

Sephen grinned. "You know me so well. I wouldn't have put it down, but Bancho needed me to carry something out to the storage house. It's not like I can tell him no." Bancho was the elderly head of the temple, who had been there for as long as anyone could remember. He was blind and physically frail, but his spirit was robust as he led daily practices as the leader of the mages. "I was getting ready to go reread it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I can lend it to you when I finish," Sephen offered. "Reskin must have written it with the Day of Remembrance Festival in mind. A lot of it deals with things from his past, including losing one of his closest friends. It's sad, but in the most beautiful way, if that makes any sense."

"Thanks." Auslin enjoyed his brother's passion, allowing it to help improve his somewhat bleak mood.

Sephen sighed wistfully. "I wish I could meet Reskin. He's so amazing. It would be a dream to talk to him. But no one knows who he really is."

"Maybe your paths will cross someday," Auslin told his brother with a smile. "You never know what fate has in store for us."

"I'll say some extra prayers, and maybe add a few more to meet Liros someday." Liros was the Knowledge Power they worshipped at the temple along with the Fate Power Sophina. Sephen loved him almost as much as Reskin. He gestured at Auslin's pack. "Are you dropping off your things and going to the festival? "

Although Auslin knew he should say yes, the thought of going into the city overwhelmed him. He was still in a weird headspace over Kio, plus the unsettling conversation with Kitsuki. The jubilant festival was the furthest thing from his current state of mind. If he was truly being honest with himself, he also didn't feel like meeting Kio later. He just wanted to be alone for a little while.

"I'm exhausted," Auslin admitted. "Maybe I should go to the meditation garden to clear my mind first. It would probably do me more good than the festival at this point."

"Kio is misbehaving again, isn't he?" Sephen looked at his older brother with sympathy. "You really would be better off without him, Auslin. I know you would be sad for a while, but it can't be worse than what he's putting you through right now. No one would blame you for leaving him with the way he mistreats you."

He was surprised to hear his brother's words echo Kitsuki's advice. "It's not that easy."

Sephen gestured for his brother's bag. "Here, let me take that and your traveling cloak. I'll put them in your room for you. Go meditate. When you're finished, let's have some drinks and talk about Reskin to take your mind off everything."

"That sounds great." Auslin shrugged off his pack and black cloak that was dusty from his travels to hand over to his brother. "Thank you so much."

Sephen gave him a tight hug. "Welcome home, brother. I'm glad you're back."

Returning the embrace, Auslin drew strength from it. He smiled when they parted. "I'll come find you soon."

"I won't be mad if you give me enough time to read another chapter or two of Reskin's new book." Sephen waved goodbye before heading to the living quarters on the other side of the temple.

Smiling to himself with a small amount of good humor restored, Auslin walked to the meditation gardens. But an ugly memory of the last time he had tried to find solace there came to mind. Kio had followed him and created a huge scene about Auslin prioritizing everything else over him. The thought of having to go through that again was exhausting when he was so close to his breaking point.

As he came across the cordoned-off area known as Fate's Gate, Auslin paused before the large, sacred monument that loomed over him. Their temple had protected it since the earliest days of history. It was rumored that anyone who passed through it would have their fates rewritten by the Fate Power, a deity by the name of Sophina, who lived in the Divine Realm.

The stone arched doorway was massive, with moss growing on it that was as ancient as the gate itself. Some said it had been there since the dawn of time itself, but Auslin found that hard to believe. It was even taller than the multistoried temple in the background, looming over everything.

Ornate carvings of dragon spirits decorated the stones, which had always been the protectors of Valzerna. It was why Kitsuki's ancestors had ruled the region for so many millennia. There were ancient runes on the stone that only the oldest of mages could decipher after years of devoted studies to the language. Auslin didn't have the patience for that kind of learning.

Everyone in the area was familiar with the superstitions around Fate's Gate, which was why a small, sacred cord was all that prevented someone from approaching it. Fear was by far the biggest deterrent to going near it. The real possibility of earning a worse fate by angering the Fate Power was too high for most people to risk.

On the other side of the monument were crumbling ruins of a staircase that led further up the hillside, but no one dared ascend them through the gate.

Auslin had been up to that area via another route. It led to a beautiful clearing where he used to sneak to when he wanted to get away from everything.

Kio was also deeply superstitious by nature. He thought Fate's Gate was creepy nonsense that should be torn down and destroyed. Auslin was confident that Kio wouldn't dare follow him up to the clearing because he assumed the entire area beyond the gate was also sacred ground. That meant Auslin could have some peace up there to clear his mind.

The other routes were too arduous to scale at night, even with the generous light of the full moon, so that made it easier for Auslin to decide.

He ducked under the red cord decorated with golden medallions etched with dragon spirits that served as protective wards. Auslin had a momentary flash of doubt because he had been raised with the same superstitions about angering the Fate Power by using the monument to his benefit, giving him some trepidation about going through it.

But he figured there were worse things than having his fate rewritten. Auslin pushed the thoughts from his mind and confidently walked through Fate's Gate. He was unprepared for the feeling of ancient magic embracing him with a crackle of energy as he crossed to the other side, where his rewritten fate now awaited him.