The Price of Knowledge

Sirius woke up in fear.

He was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding, but very soon he remembered where he was. Yesterday he and Father Gregor returned to the merchants' guild and collapsed into their beds. Sirius looked over at Father Gregor, who was frowning in his sleep. Seems like the nervousness pestered him in his dreams as well. Sirius have also been waking up from time to time, disturbed by the nightmare about the Cleansing.

He stood up, not sleepy anymore and walked up to the window, covered by the wooden blinds. A thin ray of the sun peeked from behind the planks, scattering across the room. With nothing else to do, he quietly put on his clothes and woke up Seth. The poor manasnake was dying from boredom since their arrival, so Sirius began playing with it. He would tickle the snake and lightly pull on its tail, while Seth playfully snapped his translucent glassy fangs and flicked his body. Sometimes he would phase away and appear in different place, feigning anger. When Seth's playful drive was satisfied, he coiled in Sirius' hands and asked for head pats, which Sirius gladly gave. As magical serpent drifted into sleep, Sirius began thinking.

He knew Seth for a very long time, and it seemed rather normal to have a manasnake as a pet. In Ravenloft he noticed that having a dog or a cat was a privilege, and a manasnake was not something a regular family could tame. Additionally, in Rivervale he met wild snakes, but none of them came even close to the intelligence levels of Seth, who could be compared to a big dog or even a toddler. Sirius even drew parallels between Seth and wild icehorn. That stag seemed rather smart as well, as though he was confident in its might and knew that humans were scared of it. It is unlikely for it to view a human as a companion, more like a pest that is not worth its attention, like a weak ant.

Rustling startled Sirius from his thought. Gregor woke up and dizzily looked around the room, finding him on the floor near his lazily tidied bed.

"Morning... Why on the floor?"

"Seth was... in my arms just now." Said Sirius noticing the absence of manasnake on his lap. "He disappeared again."

"Should we find him?" Said Gregor, while sitting on the bed and scratching his head and looking to the sides.

"No, he often does that. When he hunts or plays he just becomes invisible and then..." A weight on his collar made him pause. "... comes back when he wants."

"Convenient. I didn't tell you, because I thought it wasn't important, but now that I think about it, you might want to know."

"What is it?" Sirius asked, intrigued.

"Today is the birthday of the Queen, meaning today you might be able to see the baptism."

"And you kept it to yourself all this time!?"

"At first I didn't want you to pester me, but then all this tribunal happened and I simply forgot." Guilt painted Gregor's ears red.

"You are right, I would definitely pester you."

"Want to grab a breakfast and go to the city square?"

"Sure! I'm starving!" Sirius jumped from his place, startling Seth out of existence.

After a quick preparations, they were drawn downstairs by the savory smell of roasted bacon and eggs, mixed with warm scent of fresh bread. The dining hall was full of merchants and travelers, enjoying the food, gossiping, and asking for seconds. After the effort of finding a table, Sirius and Gregor were rewarded by a hearty meal. After paying for the breakfast and arranging the departure time, they left the guild and went towards the Chapel.

"What was the coin you gave them?" Asked Sirius. He caught a glimpse of a bronze hexagonal coin with a silver circle inside.

"That was a crown. A little too large of a value, but can be exchanged for ten bronze scepters. In turn they divide into ten rings. For the smaller values people use weighted gold and silver beads."

"Isn't exchanging goods just... simpler? And what if someone decides to create their own bronze coins?"

"There is a magic circle for checking a coin, and their weight is very precise, so anyone can check the validity. Also, forgery is punished with execution, so not a lot of people want to overstep the law."

"And once again execution as a punishment..."

"Actually, common people do not offend the Order and do not encounter execution so often as you do. It's only you who actively tries to get on their nerves. Now, stay close, the crowd is becoming denser."

They arrived at the foot of the chapel, still sky-high as yesterday. To Sirius it was not as grand as it was yesterday, though. It was ominous, almost terrifying. Its black bricks consumed all sunlight, like pupils of a beast, and blinding white columns made it hard to look at the world around. The magnificent chapel hid dark secrets, no one among the Ravenloft cared about, as they praised the Divine Twins for their gift of magic rituals. Sirius was disgusted to the core, as he wanted to learn and research, but was bound by the shackles of unjust rules. This won't be long however, as he got the permission to study, and he intended to use it to grow as a mage.