The ones with the least to lose are often the bravest, and being scared to lose turned me into a coward. I was so scared to lose. My payments, my comfort, my family's love if I stopped sending them support. So, I clamped onto the orders. I shut my eyes and pretended it was fine because it wasn't my idea. I didn't start this, I couldn't see the greater whole like the queen could, so I couldn't be held responsible for the consequences. 

You won't read this, but Karis, I want to apologise. You were barely a teenager with everything to lose when we met. Yet, you were brave. None of us understood how an urchin and a demon child like you was so blessed, fit to wield the most coveted form of magic: the light. But none, not even the high priests, were arrogant enough to openly question the will of the gods. 

Indeed, all sceptic voices that dared to speak against the demon boy were silenced by the radiant light bursting from his fingertips. 

Karis, like many others, will never know he was betrayed. He will never know how I was the one to ensure he would never find out he was betrayed. I thought I was doing him a favour by protecting him and his dreams. Now, I'm not so sure. Doesn't everyone deserve the truth? Shouldn't everyone be given a choice? 

Excerpt (3/8) of an anonymous letter hidden in the wall of the Diviner's cenobium. 

**

Chapter 3

"Karis, do you remember the day I found you?" 

Karis stopped digging his shovel into the dirt and looked up at the Diviner, squinting his eyes at the harsh sun above her. The question came as a surprise. She had always taught Karis to turn his gaze towards the future, not the past. The past was only worth mentioning when learning from history books or when a mistake was about to be repeated... Was a mistake about to be made? 

Karis frowned. "Yes, Diviner, I remember. What of it?" 

She smiled. Standing in the cenobium garden with the wind twisting wisps of greying hair against her cheeks and clumps of dirt clinging to the kneepads of her pants, she looked like an ordinary woman. If they saw her like this in the palace, tenderly brushing the petals of the orchids with her fingertips to check for dark spots, they wouldn't believe she was the Diviner. That even the queen herself would quiet down and hold her breath while heeding her words, the same way as Karis held his breath now. 

The Diviner plucked a petal from the flower, and then she looked at Karis. "A little boy, no older than six, hesitates under the garden arch," she said. "He doesn't want to steal, but his stomach cramps from hunger. The cenobium's doors are wide open, and he slips inside, his breaths coming quick and shallow. He sees no money, but he does see a book with golden rims. An ancient tome that stood the test of time—rich in both content and value. It shimmers like the palace ceilings, or so he imagines. The palace is a place he never expects to see from the inside in his life." 

Karis' cheeks felt hot in a way that had nothing to do with the burning sun. "Then you found me, and asked me stay here and read the book instead of stealing it, and learn of the prophecy. Why are you reminding me of this?"

The Diviner turned to him fully. "You have always wanted to go to the palace, and now, your wish will be fulfilled. The Damaryl family showed interest in adopting you."

For a brief moment, Karis just stood there, stunned. Then his eyes grew wide in excitement.  The Damaryl family was one of the ancient, noble bloodlines who had been in service of the royal family for ages. Being adopted into that family meant that he would have a good chance of becoming a knight as well. "Really?" 

"Really," the Diviner confirmed with a slow nod of her head. "A recruiter by the name of Tanith will visit in the afternoon. She wishes to witness your light magic before signing any official documents." 

"I—I will be ready for it," Karis stammered. Showing his light magic would be easy; it came intuitively the moment he closed his eyes and listened for the vibrations in the wind. Even the faintest sound was enough to manipulate and turn into bright, radiant magic. The monks the cenobium said it was special. When Karis was younger he thought everyone heard the magic in the wind and was able to do what he did, but now he knew better. Now it was his ticket into the palace. 

Karis caught the Diviner staring at him, and his smile faded. She didn't say anything in response to his happy outburst. For a moment, Karis feared she was mad at his happiness because being adopted into a noble family also meant leaving the cenobium and leaving her. But then she cracked a small smile. "You should go inside and change into a clean uniform," she said. "You want to make a good impression on the recruiter, don't you?" 

Reassured by the Diviner's smile, Karis dared to show his enthusiasm again, and he grinned back. "Yes! Of course."

The Diviner chuckled. When Karis stood to leave, however, she opened her arms, stepped forward and engulfed Karis in a warm hug. Her hair ticked Karis' nose as she held him.

"Diviner?" Karis asked after almost a minute passed and the Diviner still held him in a tight embrace. "Are you alright?" 

The Diviner dropped her arms and took a step back. She looked deep into Karis' eyes, seemingly lost in thought, and then raised a hand to brush her fingers through his curls in a tender gesture. "Yes, everything is alright," she said. "Karis you..." she faltered for a moment. "Go to the palace, and live well. Achieve everything you have ever wanted. Become the strongest of all knights." 

Karis looked at the Diviner, and chuckled at the severity of her words. "Why are you saying farewell like we will never see each other again? I will be training many days, of course, but I will surely visit you and the cenobium every free day I get. I owe you my life and I will never forget my time here. I'm very happy and grateful to you and the all the other monks for my time here."

"Of course, Karis. You will always be welcome here." Sadness flickers across the Diviner's features. It was gone so fast, Karis wondered if he'd imagined it. The Diviner took out a handkerchief and wiped Karis' cheek before pressing the satin cloth into his hands. "Don't mind the musing of an old woman. Go wash up and impress the recruiter. She will be here by noon."  

"Yes, Diviner!" 

Despite having time, Karis didn't walk to the cenobium. He sprinted across the fields as fast as he could, dreaming of his future inside the palace walls. His heart almost burst out of his chest with sheer happiness and excitement, but he had to contain himself. The Diviner was right: easy as it was to summon his light, he had to impress the recruiter before the noble family of  Damaryl would officially adopt him as one of their own. Still, Karis' mind already ran wild with all the possibilities his future now held, if he succeeded in making an impression on dame Tanith. 

The highest honour in the entire palace would be to become the personal guard of the chosen one, Calan. The prince was almost the same age he was, a little younger, and hadn't made many public appearances. The queen was, understandably, very careful with her son. If he fell prey to an assassin, the entire world would end. This was exactly why Karis wanted to be his personal guard. If you couldn't be the one who saved the world, who wouldn't want to protect the one who would save them all? He'd have to train hard. Harder than he'd ever trained before at the cenobium, ever since the Diviner had found him and offered him a home. 

Determined to make the best first impression he could, Karis cleaned himself in the bathing area, and checked his face in the mirror. Once he'd made sure there wasn't a single speck of dirt on his face left, he grabbed a clean uniform from the closet and got dressed. The uniform was simple and grey in colour. The monks from the cenobium were taught to be humble and didn't focus on earthly possessions. The fabric was made of cotton, because it was always warm and damp in the jungle surrounding the building. 

Karis was so eager, he was clean and ready an hour before Tanith arrived.

Shara, one of the older monks living at the cenobium, let the recruiter inside their living quarters. She nodded curtly at Karis in encouragement, before closing the door and leaving Karis alone with dame Tanith. 

Tanith was an old woman, but not as old as the Diviner. Her short, brown hair didn't have a greyish hue yet, and the skin next to her eyes only crinkled as she smiled. She was dressed in dark red robes—the colour of the Damaryl family—and wore a ruby neckless. 

"You must be Karis," she greeted Karis cordially. "My name is Tanith. Nice to meet you." 

"Nice to meet you too, dame Tanith. Thank you for visiting," Karis politely responded. 

Despite the initial warm exchange, Karis already saw the recruiter glancing at his pointed ears. Many people did when they first met him. Children in the street stared and loudly asked their parents why that boy had red eyes and a tail, like he was some sort of circus act. 

That was the one thing Karis wasn't looking forward to: starting all over again with earning people's trust. It took a while before the others in the cenobium decided Karis truly had the light and wasn't cursed or different from them because of his demonic blood. The whispers in the cenobium had long stopped and Karis was accepted for who he was. But in the palace, he would have to gain their trust all over again and prove that he was not cursed. He was willing to put in the work. He had to. 

"I understood from the Diviner that you want to see my gift first?" Karis asked. "We can go to the training quarters immediately."  

Tanith laughed kindly. "That's right. That's why I came to visit you. You are very eager." 

"Yes," Karis said. "There is no greater honour than being a part of the knights, and the Damaryl family is an honourable family. I am eager to prove myself." 

"That is very good to hear." Tanith's smile lingered. "Very well, escort me to the training quarters and show me your power." 

Karis wasted no time guiding Tanith to the inner sanctum of the cenobium, where the monks trained. Magical wards were set up around the training area, so everyone could safely practice there without accidentally ripping the building to shreds. It was especially made when Karis joined the cenobium. At first because the other monks were scared of him and the Diviner, who was their leader, had to do something to ensure they would support her decision to let him stay. Later, when Karis found his light powers, the wards still remained so he couldn't accidentally harm anyone during his practice. 

Karis turned to Tanith before stepping past the transparent wall created by the wards. "It's best if you stand here and don't enter the sphere with me." 

"Of course," Tanith replied. "I understand your light magic is... powerful." 

"Yes, it is," Karis agreed confidently. If nobles of Damaryl were interested in having him, then he had to convince Tanith he was powerful in every possible way. He had to prove now that he was worthy of being a knight. 

Karis walked to the middle of the training area, his bare feet sinking into the sand on the floor. He didn't need training dummies to destroy to show off his strength, but it would help to make it look more impressive. Karis also cursed himself for forgetting to dim the lights so the effects of his radiant magic would be even more pronounced. 

All things he couldn't change anymore now. Karis breathed in and out deeply and heard the Diviner's soothing voice in his mind, telling him to not look at the past. Look at the future. The future in the palace. He closed his eyes and let his magic flow through his veins. 

With a quiet hum, Karis made the air around him vibrate and dance. Through tiny cracks in air, he summoned his lights and with a gesture of his hands, he made them dance around the room. Then, with an upward flick of his hands, he swished the lights to the ceiling and fanned them out, creating a starry sky above. Satisfied as he heard Tanith gasp, Karis dismissed his magic as quick as he'd summoned it. 

The room looked dull and dark now, despite it being broad daylight. Tanith was staring at him, clearly impressed. After a few seconds of silence, she started clapping. 

"Amazing," she breathed. "The noble knights of Damaryl welcome you into their family. I will step into the cenobium's office immediately to sign all the papers. You can pack your bags and come with me immediately if you want." 

He'd done it. Karis' chest hammered. So much blood flooded to his cheeks he thought his head would explode. Still, he fought his smile and only screamed internally. 

"Thank you, dame Tanith," he said with as much grace as he could muster. "But could I come to the palace tomorrow morning, please? I would like to say goodbye to my friends in the cenobium, and if it is possible, to travel to the palace with the Diviner in the morning. Would that be acceptable?" 

Tanith smiled warmly. "Naturally. I completely understand, Karis. You will be entering a completely different world tomorrow, starting the moment you enter the palace."

"I am ready for it, dame Tanith."

Tanith's smile widened. She reached for the silver chain of her necklace, pulled it over her head, and handed it to Karis. "Please, you may call me sister from now on, as a part of the family."

If it were at all possible, Karis felt himself turn even redder as he accepted the gift. "Thank you, sister."