“Are you sure you are well enough to move Evangeline?” Claudette pleaded as Evangeline worked her way out of bed

“You must conserve your strength master” Kiki chimed in

“I’m fine, if I stay cooped up in here any longer I’ll go mad” she said

“If you’re going for a walk let me join you” Claudette said

“I’ll be fine, just a stroll through town” she said as she put on a coat and ventured into town.

 

She liked Rosam more than she thought she would. It was bustling and clean, beastmen, humans, even a few Elven trading their goods and making merry with one another, it was a good sight to see. She strolled down to a bridge over a small canal and dangled her legs over the water. She closed her eyes and basked in the warm sunlight. She then heard someone sit down next to her.

“Back to the land of the living I see” The voice said, it was the ever persistent Maxwell “Don’t worry, no failed flirting attempts today, I thought you might like a break from the ‘rich bachelor’ side of me, maybe just talk” he said dangling his legs

“Didn’t know you had any other sides” Evangeline chuckled

“I’m a complex enigma” he laughed

“You’re something alright” her laughter slowly subsided “Don’t you have family back in your own town, why do you spend all of your time here?”

“I don’t actually” he said “I was orphaned, the bog flu plague hit Galatan pretty hard, my parents didn’t survive.” he said “The town doesn’t really have a need for the Blud family anymore, they’ve moved on to elected officials, no need for monarchs in small town governments… I came here to prove that I could still help, that I could fix something” he said staring off into the distances sadly.

“That’s terrible” Evangeline said softly

“I won’t return empty handed, I have to accomplish something, anything…” he clenched his fist “People think that with all of this wealth comes freedom, but they’re just fooling themselves.” he said “I’ve been a pawn in other people’s games since the day I was born, I’m disposable, a source of income… I’ve never done anything truly worthwhile, I thought I’d live the rest of my life as someone else’s chess piece, so I ran away, and came here” he said with his head between his knees

“You know what they say; once you’ve hit rock bottom you’ve got nowhere to go but up” Evangelene said trying to cheer him up

“But there’s always another hole to fall into” he said, followed by an awkward silence “I’m sorry, I’m bumming you out aren’t I? I’ll let you enjoy your day off, but tomorrow you’ll fall for me” he said standing up and walking away. Evangeline grabbed his boot and tugged

“You are helpful Maxwell, I’m glad to count you among my allies” she said looking him directly in the eyes

“Awe shucks angel, you’ll make me blush!” he said jovially “See you tomorrow” he said walking off into the distance   

 

She returned to the manor to the relief of Kiki and Claudette. She was still shocked at how sad Maxwell was, she had never met someone who looked so defeated. She found Jonathan in his study and sat across from him patiently as he wrote a letter.

“I want to learn about Mantra” she said

“This is your day off miss Church” he replied without looking up

“I’ve had about as much sitting around as I can take, please” she said patiently waiting. Jonathan sighed

“I suppose” he stowed the letter and stared at Evangeline for a moment “Mantra exists, in some degree in everyone, it is a drawing force, those who have greater faith tend to attract more people around you” he explained. This would explain all of the attention she’s had since she arrived “Mantra is not magic, nor is it soul art, it is simply the strength of your faith, when your faith is strong you give other people something to believe in”

“So mantra is contagious in a sense” She said. Jonathan laughed

“I suppose so” he chuckled again “to utilize mantra is to put total faith in your abilities, any grain of self doubt or hesitation will ruin you. Using Mantra is a leap of faith, you must believe with all of your being that it will work, become a cornerstone, abandon what is preconceived and simply do”

“Right… Right, is there something I say, like a verse or whatever?” Evangeline asked

“It is different for everyone, personally, reciting scripture invigorates me, it reassures me when I perform my Mantra, you may find it beneficial to read some scriptures”he said with a bowed head “But remember this, all demons, no matter their origin, no matter their size or form have a single link in common; they thrive on the despair of mortals. They plant seeds of anguish in our hearts, ransack villages and leave orphans. Ripe is sorrow. Those gripped by despair are easily controlled, by demon and men alike”

“But how do I use Mantra?” she asked

“I cannot say, it is something that you discover for yourself” he said quietly “Come with me, we have training and meditation to begin”