Prophecy of the Nexus

Chapter 14

I racked my brains for some ideas. "Lightning is commonly shown," I said. Sir Petra nodded and added it to the board. "Umm," I stalled, trying to think of anything else I knew. I had often asked Master Orion about his powers, but he had often brushed them off, saying I was much too young to understand. Now I realised he didn't want a civilian getting ideas.

A thought then popped into my head. It was a long shot, but when I had seen it happen, I had wondered if that was possible with blessings. "Can we conjure weapons with blessings?" I asked.

Sir Petra raised an eyebrow. "That's correct," she said. Though she was small in stature with barely any muscles, I was more afraid of her than most Arknights. I never knew if I was going to get shouted at or not. "But, it's not conjuring like pulling a silly rabbit out of a hat. We forge weapons with our souls. They will only last a short time but have devastating effects. Where did you learn this?"

"I saw one of the witches produce it," I said, not wanting to make eye contact with Sir Petra. I knew witches drew power from the world around them, so it wasn't quite the same.

Sir Petra huffed. "Amateurs," she muttered. "They mimic our powers, but they lose the strength of the Divine. I imagine their weapons didn't last long."

I thought back to that ghasts and how many strikes of the silvery blades it had taken compared to the one bullet. "They didn't seem to do much damage either, sir," I added.

Sir Petra nodded. "Our weapons will be stronger, but they must be a last resort. If you are in close quarters with a demon, you're most likely dead already." Sir Petra demonstrated how to produce a simple sword and even a spear by just separating her hands. Reading from my lexicon, it turned out weapons were quite far down the list. The sketches showed how to let my power flow and what to bind my soul to. "The spear is the best weapon to conjure," Sir Petra monologued as I attempted repeatedly to produce a weapon. "You can infuse a lot of power and have it be gone in a matter of moments. Nice and easy." It wasn't nice and easy. I was directing the power through to my fingertips and trying to pull them apart to forge my weapon. Though it started well, it would always collapse halfway through. It was hard to concentrate. I was so tired from the washing and exercise, I barely had the strength to focus my mind on the spear.

"By the angels, what are you doing, Sara?" Sir Petra exclaimed as I failed to produce the eighth spear. If it had still been in one piece, I would have thrown it on the floor in frustration. However, that was very difficult to do with particles of light. I leant against a bookcase, trying to regain some sort of strength. Sir Petra eyed me from behind her spectacles. "Tired, are we?" She said. It was mocking, like she was enjoying the fact I was tired.

"A little, sir," I muttered back.

"Kitchen working you hard?" Sir Petra added. I looked up at her. I didn't think all the Arknight would know about my punishment. Maybe Sir Atticus had told everyone about how much of a screw up I was. Sir Petra chuckled to herself. "It's very rare to see Atticus so frightened."

I frowned at her. Sir Atticus hadn't been frightened at all that day. He had changed into battle against a fully powered demon. Plus, he wasn't scared of a disobedient girl. "What was he frightened of, sir?" I asked.