Chapter 3

Marissa had no other family other than her late mother and father. She did not have any grandparents, aunts, or uncles. She had nobody left in this world and was now all alone.

Now that she was an orphan, it fell upon the Church to care for her. Within a day of the accident, the young girl and a few of her belongings had been sent off to an orphanage. This particular orphanage was located in a town north of the Fontail Chasm called Ducann. Ducann was a sizable distance away from Marissa's desert township to the south, and very far away from anything and anyone familiar to the little girl. She wondered if she might ever see her home ever again.

Ducann was one of the few cities in the Helean peninsula. Easily three times the size of the desert city of Takait, it was completely massive within the eyes of the little girl. The young girl had been sent along her way with a group of travelers whom had been ordered to take her to the great city. As she rode in one of the wagons of the caravan, she noted how everything was both odd and new. Her mood was a mixture of sadness, fear, and a bit of excitement. She did not speak at to anyone at any point along the trip. She merely sat in her seat watching the lands go by.

In the village's center were five towering spires built from white granite blocks. Each of these towers was easily visible from miles away. They shot up towards the sky, dwarfing even the nearby hills and forests. Apparently that was where the area's main Church was located, and also where a significant portion of the Church's clergy still resided.

As they entered into the borders of the city, Marissa could see even more. Dotted around the gigantic center structures were buildings of widely varying shapes and sizes. Large three story mansions were located right next to single floor rickshaws. It was easy to see that in the town of Ducann there were some with tremendous power and wealth, as well as those just struggling to keep alive.

One of the senior caravan members began to speak of the city's history. Marissa carefully listened as she scanned the alleyways of the village.

Marissa learned that at one point the city of Ducann had been a capital city. The highest members of the Church had overseen the lands from their towers upon high. However Ducann had fallen upon hard times, just as most cities do when they grow too large too quickly.

The initial simple township had been built from the ground because of the waterways bordering its edges. Goods and services were flown up and down the nearby rivers, and a healthy freshwater fishing industry was also maintained. The water brought life and prosperity to the land.

When the Church first arrived to establish a simple chapterhouse along its shores, there was no sign of the great towers. But as the town and its people grew, so did the size of the Church's presence.

Within half of a century the city had been built up again and again away from the town's center in circular patterns. As more and more people settled in Ducann, its borders and containing walls were pushed further and further out. With no real plans in place, homes and businesses were placed randomly and essentially wherever space was available at that moment. It was only a matter of time before the once small fishing village had transformed into a tremendous city bursting at the seams. Those living in Ducann had great power and governance over their surrounding areas. The ivory towers were seen as a great symbol across the land.

As it grew, so did the dissidence between its people. The land on which the city had been built became incredibly expensive, and those unable to afford the higher costs lost their homes. Businesses which were not profitable had to be closed. Many of the simple services which had sustained the backbone of the town disappeared. With the luxuriousness of the town fading, many of those with wealth also left to find residences elsewhere. The city began to slowly decay.

As expected, the Church did decide to move most of its focus from Ducann to the city of Isalis. Isalis showed more promise than its brother, and the great city then became the new capital city of the land. However, the Church did not fully abandon the once great city of Ducann.

A group of sages had decided to remain in the village and continue calling it home. This was mostly due to their compassion for the people; to whom they felt they owed a debt. They recognized that it was important for this city to remain under the guidance of the Church. At this dire time especially, the town needed leadership.

In addition, they had also chosen to stay because of the great libraries stored within the granite towers. Rows upon rows of books lined the white walls of the tall steeples. Texts that had recorded centuries of history lay upon the shelves. There were also the innumerous arcane books written by those familiar with the magical essences of the land.

Magical research had been one of the larger industries of Ducann during its golden age. Mages from around the lands came to study and practice on the Church grounds. Their experiences were meticulously recorded into tomes filled to the brim with knowledge.

From these tomes a school of magic was born. Similar to most Church based schools; the school was created in order to train members for the Church as well as its defensive force the Holy Protectorate. While some schools primarily focused on physical training with a spotlight on fighting skills, the Ducann School favored magical teachings.

It was at this institution of magic that Marissa was destined to stay.

As the caravan carrying the little girl arrived at the gates of the Church, a single woman greeted the traveling group. The woman was plump and somewhat short. Her skin was a pale white, and her blond hair was tied behind her head with a strip of bleached linen. Upon her sturdy frame she wore a simple sleeveless white dress.

She lifted the latch of the gated door and opened it wide. The woman then strode out to speak with the party.

"Who amongst you is named Marissa?" she asked with a calm voice.

Marissa solemnly lifted her head and her hand to answer the woman.

"Ah, there you are dear. Please come with me and bring your belongings."

Marissa disembarked from the wagon with the help of one of the travelers and gathered her few personal items. In a cloth sack lay several items of clothing, a doll sewn from an old dress, as well as a small handful of feathers. These few items were all that Marissa was allowed to bring from her home in the desert.

Marissa emotionlessly waved goodbye to her traveling companions and walked to a spot beside the woman.

The woman knelt down to the small girl and hugged her tightly within her arms. The hug took Marissa by surprise. The smell of fresh cotton wafted into Marissa's nose, and the warmth from the lady's arms soothed the girl's small frame. A sensation of relaxation and comfort overwhelmed the young girl. Instinctively Marissa hugged the woman back.

"There, there darling." Sorrow filled the woman's voice. "I feel terrible about what you've been through. It must be so hard…"

Marissa didn't answer. She simply continued to hug the compassionate woman.

After a few moments Marissa let go, as did the woman. The woman led Marissa up to a building on the eastern side of the Church courtyard. A two story building made from wood sat separate from the main stone structures. They entered in through the front door and climbed a simple staircase to the second level.

With one following the other, they both entered into one of the rooms located on the top floor. Inside were five individual beds. No one else was in the room at this time, and so the pair was alone for a moment.

Using her right hand, the woman motioned to the bed closest to the window. It was a small bed made from wooden beams, straw, and a pair of linen sheets. Beside the bed was an end table with three drawers.

"Marissa, this will be your bed for the time being. You may put your belongings in those drawers over there." The small girl walked over to the drawers and placed her items within.

"Now you may be wondering who I am, am I right?" the woman asked.

Marissa looked into her eyes and nodded.

"My name is Arience. I am one of the sisters who will be taking care of you at this institution. I will make it my duty to watch over you the best that I can. You should think of me as a sister, one of your family, and as such you can call on me at any time. I will always be here for you.

"As you can probably see, there are other children living within this room. You'll be sharing this room with three other girls whom I'm sure you will meet later. You will find that they are all quite nice, and hopefully you will quickly become friends.

"Now before I leave you for a short in order to prepare tonight's supper, do you have any questions of me?"

Marissa hesitated, trying to think of anything to ask. The young girl nodded 'no'.

"Are you sure?"

Tears began to form around the edges of the small girls eyes. She nodded 'no' yet again.

Sister Arience easily noticing that Marissa was about to cry, raised her hands up into the air towards the little girl.

Marissa quickly embraced the caring woman. She leapt into Arience's arms and held onto her tightly. Two streams of tears fell from her tiny eyes as she started to cry.

Arience tried to comfort the crying child. "That is all right dear. Let is out. Let it out."

The woman continued, "You have been through so much, but you are here now. You are safe, and you are amongst those that will love you."

Continue reading onto Chapter 4