Chapter 6
The early morning light had not yet reached the inner chambers of the Tower Temple. The grand hall remained dim, lit only by the bluish hum of Aether powered light orbs embedded high along the vaulted ceiling—casting long shadows down the marbled floor.
Six students stood in a line, silent.
Rezar. Carla. Lahm. Anur. Ori. Cerys.
Each dressed in the white robes of the Custodian Order. Each summoned from their chambers before sunrise. Each facing the two men who now stood before them like pillars of judgment.
Xur towered at Omid’s side, his arms crossed, expression carved in stone. A sentinel. A sword. Unforgiving.
And beside him, the newly named Grand Overseer—Omid Faris. His robe trimmed in silver. His presence calm, but no less commanding.
Omid’s eyes moved from face to face, pausing just long enough on each to let the weight of silence settle like dust.
“You left your beds,” Xur started, voice deeper, harder. “You disobeyed Temple law. You entered a sealed archive. And you participated—willingly—in a forbidden act.”
Carla stepped forward, hesitantly. “He didn’t force us—”
“I’m aware,” Omid cut in gently. “And that makes it worse.”
His tone wasn’t cruel. But there was no warmth in it either. Only disappointment.
“We’re not here to punish you,” Omid continued. “We are here to understand what happened. To make sense of what was risked, what was corrupted… and what you think was gained.”
Anur’s throat moved as he swallowed. He didn’t speak. His hands were folded tightly in front of him—still stained faintly red.
Cerys glanced to her side at Ori. Ori didn’t meet her eyes.
Omid’s gaze found Rezar.
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“You saw what he did Rezar,” Omid said. “You know what that was?”
Rezar hesitated, then nodded. “It was blood magic.”
“And you stayed.”
“I didn’t want to.” Rezar’s jaw tightened. “But…” his head tilted towards Carla but he didn’t further explain.
Carla bristled but said nothing.
Omid sighed, his voice dropping to something closer to regret. “What Azunya did was not just against the laws of the Temple. It was against the very soul of what we are.”
“He made Aether answer,” Lahm said suddenly, voice low but firm. “And Anur bonded. Isn’t that what matters?”
Xur took a step forward, anger crackling in his stare. “At what cost?”
Lahm met his gaze. “The Temple has taught us for years that some of us just… don’t bond. That it’s not our time. Or not our calling. But he showed us that it happen. With anyone. That there’s more to it than just waiting.”
“That’s enough,” Xur growled.
“No,” Carla said suddenly, stepping forward now. “It’s not enough. We came because we wanted answers. Because we’ve trained for years and were told to have faith. But faith has a cost too, doesn't it?”
No one replied. But the weight of her words lingered in the hall longer than they were meant to.
Omid watched her quietly, “You don’t understand what you’ve done,” he said at last. “Invoking forbidden incantations and sacrificial blood is an unnatural process of connecting to the Aether, one that comes at a cost. A cost of purity or your soul. A cost you don’t quite understand.”
He paused, then added:
“You’re children. And children think they’re immortal until they bleed. Such practices have had whole civilizations destroyed under God’s wrath.”
The hall was silent but from the look on the students’ faces, it was quite clear they didn’t understand the cost or the consequences.
Then Omid straightened.
“I understand you’re eager. So was I in your age. You don’t have to understand the reasoning, I don’t expect you to, but you will have to respect the rules of the temple as everyone else before you.”
Omid looked at them directly before he concluded, “You are not to speak to Azunya again. Not here. Not outside the Temple. Not in secret. He is forbidden from teaching, gathering, or influencing any of you until further notice.”
Xur’s voice was sharper.
“If any of you defy this order, you will be expelled from the Custodian Order. You will be stripped of your robes, your title, and to sever your bond to the Aether, you will be cast out of Aetheria.”
Anur looked as if the floor might collapse beneath him.
Carla’s face hardened.
Rezar looked relieved—but not proud of it.
Cerys and Ori stood frozen, caught between duty and something deeper.
Omid took one final look at them.
“I believe in redemption,” he said. “But I will not allow this to happen ever again. You’re dismissed.”
No one moved at first.
Then, one by one, they bowed. Slowly. Uncertainly.
And left the hall.
Only Xur and Omid remained.
The Grand Overseer exhaled quietly, turning away from the door the students had passed through.
“He won’t stop,” Xur said. “You know that, right?”
Omid nodded; his voice low.
“Call the masters of every discipline. We convene at the Celestial Conclave. And call for Azunya to answer for his actions.”
***
