Newly Summoned Demoness 2 - Chapter 17 – Approaching Resonance (Patreon)

Elania took in a deep breath of the morning air. It was crisp and carried the scent of mana as she and Yolani stepped out of the carriage and onto the cobblestone of the Magistry’s main square.

Robes of scholars and the learned dominated the dress of the people moving between the assortment of libraries and other buildings around the massive tower that jutted out of the ground and towards the cavern’s ceiling.

Patrols of guards in groups of three dominated the closer area near the tower, and the open area directly around the raised stairs that led to the Magistry’s base was cleared except for designated lanes for entry and egress.

She placed a hand on her forehead and looked up. The light stones overhead blazed with an intensity that felt stronger near the city’s heart. The memory of their first visit came to her; it had been night then. It felt odd to be walking into the tower in broad daylight.

“It was nice of them to pay for the ride,” Yolani commented as she gathered her satchel and followed Elania out of the carriage. She held onto a shoulder as she stepped down, then scanned the open square herself.

Elania hummed agreement, her attention caught by the grid pattern engraved on the stone beneath their feet. The faint glow of the artificery was barely visible and easily missed during the day, but if it had been night, every group walking about would have been lit up for the guards to observe.

A buzzing sound, barely perceptible at first, began to fill Elania’s ears as they walked towards the tower. It grew louder, a familiar resonance that she couldn’t shake. It wasn’t painful, but it was distracting, causing her to tune out Yolani’s conversation with Henri as he and his squad escorted them.

Yolani seemed to notice and frowned at her. “Are you alright?”

Elania frowned, wondering how to explain. “There is a buzzing. I think it is coming from the engine. I can feel it from here,” she murmured.

“Let me know if it gets worse than that,” Yolani replied, giving Elania’s shoulder a squeeze. “If we need to, we can leave.”

Elania shook her head. “We need to see what this is about. Maybe it’s related to the buzzing. I don’t think that’s normal.”

Yolani bit her lip. “Buzzing isn’t normal, but if you’re the only one affected… well, there is only one reason I can think of.”

A group of guards assembled on the steps and then moved to meet them halfway. Their gear was immaculately polished, with red cloth and golden trim. Half of them carried artifice muskets, while the read held halberds with two ribbons tied to their tips. It was very… flashy.

“Looks like this is as far as I can go,” Henri said. “Magistry Guard aren’t going to let City Watch like us into the tower.”

Yolani offered him a grateful smile. “Thank you for seeing us this far, Henri.”

Henri exchanged a few words with their new escort, then turned back toward the carriage. The new guards were polite, but…

Elania let out a sigh and focused. The buzzing tinnitus made her just want to get things over with.

As they moved up the steps toward the primary entrance, a set of double doors cut in the wall beside the massive permanently closed gates, the volume of the buzzing became even louder. It seemed like every step toward the tower made it worse.

It almost certainly was coming from the Celestial Engine.

Yolani seemed to sense her unease and moved closer, her presence a silent offer of support. Elania took another deep breath, steadying herself as they entered.

The first step inside provided an almost instant relief. “It stopped,” Elania blurted out. The guards looked at her without understanding, but Yolani nodded.

“Maybe it was some kind of resonance. The tower could have been acting to amplify it,” Yolani said.

Whatever the reason, it had become much more bearable.

The short corridor that led to the first floor lobby was lined with intricate murals depicting Neftasu and its different districts. Two guards standing to side of a set of doors straightened, thumped their polearms on the floor and then pushed the doors open.

The grandeur of the room was far more ostentatious than the City Watch’s lobby, even if the layout was similar. The golden wall trim, sets of plush furniture, even a working fountain with a pond in the corner, were all extremely… extravagant.

The back wall held a set of elevators, each one privately used by each of the Magisters. That was a relief—they would avoid the maze-like corridors and stairways that she remembered when she and Yolani had infiltrated the building months ago.

A Magistry worker pulled a lever, opening the elevator cage for them. As they stepped inside, the woman put them into motion.

As the elevator ascended, Elania fidgeted, the sensation of the Celestial Engine’s proximity escalating to an itch beneath her skin. She could feel the silent hum inside of her chest, a sound that wasn’t a sound, resonating within her core.

Yolani cast a sidelong glance her way, a wordless question in her eyes.

Elania offered her a weak smile.

The elevator came to a stop, and the cage doors slid open with a smooth motion. They stepped out and were both taken aback as they realized the room was one they had been in before. It was the library attached to the vault doors that led to the balcony of the Engine itself.

It was completely empty; no guards or researchers present.

“Miss Aetherhart, Miss Reyes, welcome,” Keswick greeted, drawing their attention to the library counter. The Magister was sitting on a stool, a large tome sitting open on the counter before her.

“Please, come have a seat,” she invited, gesturing to a nearby table.

As they approached, Elania’s gaze flickered to the large vault door that was the Engine’s entry point, the ornate threshold standing like a silent, gilded guardian. Yolani took the lead as they sat down.

“Magister Keswick,” Yolani began, her tone polite, but carrying an edge of defensiveness. “I trust you’ve had time to consider the assistance you require from Elania? She’s not been feeling well since we arrived, and I feel like it might be prudent for us to finish quickly so she doesn’t have to linger here.”

Keswick marked the place in her tome with a ribbon before closing it and giving them her full attention. “Your concerns are noted,” she assured. “The feeling of unease might be directly related to Elania’s purpose here.”

Well, that was ominous.

But maybe not unexpected.

Elania leaned forward, her hands clasped tightly together on the table. The itch had become a light tug, straight towards the vault door. It was like a golden thread connected her to the thing within.

It wasn’t happy.

“What exactly am I needed for, Magister Keswick? And why me specifically?” Elania asked before Yolani could continue.

Keswick came around from the counter to sit with them, placing the book she had on the table. It was leather bound, but golden ornate lettering filled the cover.

“This,” she began, her gaze locking onto Elania’s, “contains what little documentation and knowledge we possess about Neftasu’s Engine and its precise workings. It’s a divine artifice crafted by the Gods themselves. Over the millennia, much of its function has been lost to time.”

The word ‘Artifice’ caught Yolani’s attention like an eager fish on a hook. When the Magister slid the book across to her, it only took a few seconds before Yolani had flipped open the cover and was reading the first page.

“Relain’s tampering siphoned its power into hundreds of mana shards, many of which were used in the process that created you,” Keswick continued.

Elania’s brows knitted together in a frown. “I was summoned here, not created.”

Keswick shook her head. “Your body was created, while your consciousness was conjured from another… well, time, place… realm, or universe. We have no way of knowing the truth. It’s the very reason such an exorbitant amount of [Power] was required.”

Elania frowned. “But why? Why to go through so much trouble to use so much power on it?”

Keswick inhaled. “Aurorism celebrates the seven gods, while abhorring the seven demons. They make a clear delineation between the two.”

Elania shook her head. Religion? Well, he had been a crazy bishop in a cult. “What does that have to do with it?”

“They are the same. They were not different. System-wise, the ‘Gods’ were Demons as well. The difference between them was simply their morality. Relain was attempting to summon the Demon Elania’onbe’tila, who was the creator of Neftasu’s Celestial Engine,” Keswick explained.

Yolani lowered the book and stared at Keswick. “They messed up the summoning and got Elania instead because of her name?”

Keswick nodded and looked straight at Elania. “For whatever reason, that is what occurred. The amount of [Power] used during the summoning explains your unique traits as a Demoness. That you have developed so quickly is directly related to that extreme potential you possess.”

Potential. There was that word again. Elania pulled up her [Status] screen and looked at the offending line that had changed after her dip in divinity.

[Level 121 Lesser Demon (Ascendant)]

Was it a good idea to reveal the change? Elania glanced over at Yolani, who was looking back at her with concern.

Well, it was relevant, and the Magister might have insight on it. “About that. After coming out of the Celestial Engine, my potential stat changed. Instead of reading really high, it just reads ‘Ascendant’ now.”

Keswick stared at her for a moment, then grunted. “Ascendants... Then it’s actually true. You have an incredible potential and could be walking down the same path as the Gods themselves did… or perhaps a new one altogether.”

Alarm bells started going off in Elania’s head. This was all a bit much.

“Are you saying Elania is a Goddess?” Yolani blurted.