?Rudolf carefully stowed the revenant’s tooth—a precious artifact that might grant him survival in the hands of witchfinders. A surge of reassurance washed over him, incrementally bolstering his sense of security. He then returned the wizard’s head to its vertical grave, tending to the burial with meticulous care. After that, he hastened back to his steed, mounted it, and rode forth, resuming his patrol through the desolate expanse.?

  Half an hour later, Gray, the aged gravedigger, shuffled to the spot where the horse had been tethered. “Youngsters these days lack all propriety,” he grumbled. “Can’t even be bothered to clear away horse dung.” Gray briefly tidied the site before retreating to his cottage to rest.?

  The next day, Rudolf entered Sheriff Claude’s office. The sound of the closing door drew the sheriff’s curious gaze upward. Seated across the desk, Rudolf cleared his throat and said, “Sheriff, during the last witch hunt, the trainee patrolmen I knew perished. I’ve been reflecting, and I seek your counsel.” Claude set aside his papers and regarded Rudolf with a mixture of pity and understanding, knowing the lad had been deeply shaken by the injuries sustained in that ill-fated operation.?

  “Speak freely, Rudolf. I’ll do what I can,” Claude encouraged.?

  “I wish to know—how does one become an alchemist?” Rudolf inquired.?

  “An alchemist?” Claude exclaimed, clearly startled. “I can assist with anything save that.”?

  Undeterred, Rudolf asked, “Then what about knighthood?”?

  “Anything but these two,” the sheriff replied.?

  “Druidry, then?”?

  “Anything save these three,” Claude answered, a faint flush of awkwardness coloring his tone.?

  Rudolf’s persistent gaze prompted a sigh from Claude. “Hear me, Rudolf. I understand your aspirations. Among the twelve apostolic orders, knights, alchemists, and druids are the Divinely Chosen. Knights form the noble elite, alchemists govern cities, and druids oversee the wilds. To become an alchemist’s apprentice, you need three alchemists to co-sign a letter of recommendation. I could secure one signature and help obtain two more, but their ‘signing fees’ are 100 gold shields each. It’s a necessary cost because alchemists, as their craft implies, need vast quantities of metal—gold, silver, copper, lead, and rarer ores. They accept all kinds, making them both paupers and plutocrats.?

  “With three recommendations, your application goes to the Fabro Alchemist Society. Their review requires a 100 gold shield attendance fee for the panel. Approval is far from guaranteed, and costs vary depending on the objections raised. Persuading the society’s chancellor might demand an additional 200 gold shields. In total, 500 gold shields are the bare minimum. Fabro admits only ten new alchemists annually, and the society tolerates no deficit. Even a single gold shield short, and your cause is lost. I regret I can’t help more; last month’s wages went to Lady Claire, and the month before to Lady Carla. My coffers are empty.”?

  Rudolf calculated silently. His monthly stipend was two silver shields, and twenty - four silver made a gold. A year of frugality would yield one gold. Five hundred years—a seemingly absurd and insurmountable figure.?

  “Knighthood, then? How can I achieve it?” Rudolf asked.?

  “Noble blood is the sole gateway. Wealth cannot buy what birthright denies,” Claude stated gravely. “In truth, Rudolf, set your sights on winning a noblewoman’s heart. Your son’s chance at knighthood would far surpass your own.”?

  “And druidry?”?

  “Druids dwell in wild tribes and recruit only from within. Outsiders are rarely accepted.”?

  Claude continued, trying to console him, “Some things are gifts of birth, Rudolf. What isn’t granted at first breath remains forever out of reach.”?

  “You excel at dispiriting counsel, Sheriff. Spare me such ‘comfort’ from now on,” Rudolf said, rising to leave.?

  “Stay—let me offer more insight.”?

  “My teeth throb from your wisdom. I’m going to see the dentist,” Rudolf replied without turning.?

  Claude called after him, “Next month’s full moon sacrifice lacks a victim. Keep watch these days and find us a suitable offering.”?

  “Understood! I’ll take leave to tend to my aching jaw.”?

  Knights, alchemists, druids—the Divinely Chosen, walking in the light. “Offerings,” on the other hand, were the heretical apostates, those outside the sacred triad. After Claude’s words, Rudolf steeled himself. Heresy be damned—he had crossed worlds and been reborn; failing to seize apostleship would be a tragedy.?

  Two hours later, the door of the dentist’s in Leman Town opened and then closed. Rudolf emerged, clutching his cheek, with Mr. Tiss, the dentist, bowing apologetically behind him. The extraction of a wisdom tooth had left him dizzy with pain. For some unknown reason, the anesthesia, usually potent, had dulled in effect. By the time this was realized, the procedure was already half - done.?

  Each movement of the dentist’s tools wrenched a spasm from Rudolf. He strained to hold himself still, but the sweat beading his brow and his white - knuckled grip betrayed his agony. Realizing the anaesthetic’s failure, Tiss himself sweated profusely. Even supplemental doses wore off quickly. With the gum already lacerated, stopping was not an option. So Tiss pressed on, feigning normalcy, and completed the extraction.?

  “True steel, that man!” Tiss murmured to his assistant as Rudolf left. Miss Abby wrung out a towel at the door, damp with the patrolman’s sweat. “A patrolman’s fortitude—no less.”?

  Rudolf heard not their praises. He frowned, concealing his expression beneath his police cap. He knew the reason: as the wizard had warned, he was no longer human. All apostates knew the creed: Wizards must fall.?

  He had dreamed of alchemistry, but time had run out. Among the three heretical paths—Wizard, Word - Binder, Silver Serpent—only Wizardry remained an option. Stellar corruption had claimed him, and the only choice was now the inevitable one.?

  Beneath his coat, his shirt clung to him, soaked through. He longed to return to the precinct and change, but a heavier weight pressed on him: would the station ever feel like home again??

  Freshly dressed, he stood at the window, observing the comings and goings in the yard. Leman’s precinct housed two apostles: Claude and old Babe, with four or five trainees besides. Whatever he planned, he must wait for their absence. First, Babe left for home. As dusk fell, Claude, clad in finery, also departed—no doubt on his way to one of his paramours. The world, much like medieval Europa, prized illicit love. A spouse’s infidelity was no cause for shame, but to lack a lover oneself was considered disgraceful.?

  Having taken leave for his tooth, Rudolf was free from patrol. He stayed, waiting until midnight when the trainee patrolmen rode out. Then, he left his quarters, feigning a search for painkillers while secretly noting who remained.?

  The wizard’s awakening ritual would commence that night…?

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