Gracefall Chapter 5: A Soupy Dinner

Read chapter 5 of Gracefall by arsy on NovelPedia.

As the woman sat down beside her husband, Lucia raised a spoon filled with steaming soup up to her mouth before taking a bite. Her eyes sparkled with delight as the warmth of the soup spread across her mouth. “This is amazing, Rose!” She turned to Lucia and chuckled amusedly. “I’m glad you like it!” Ishkiel nodded in agreement after taking a bite. One spoon after another they ate their bowls empty. Leaning back, Lucia let out a sigh. “That was nice.” She then turned to Rose before speaking up, “So, Rose… Me and Ishkiel need some of your poisoned water for a mission.” Rose halted her movements for a brief moment. She turned to her as she furrowed her eyebrows. “What mission?” Ishkiel gently rested his hands on the table. “Lucia got a relic last night. It’s a lure-type. Remember the rat’s nest inside that red, weathered building?” Rose nodded. Lucia smiled at her before continuing where he left off. “As the relic is a piece of meat, we want to place it inside the nest with your deadly water poured over it.” A contemplative expression appeared on the woman’s face. Putting her hand on her chin, she nodded. “It could work. But please be careful, as I won't be able to come with you.” The two nodded. As the woman briefly glanced between them, a moment of silence passed. She then got up from her stool and put her hands on the table, leaning forward. “I’ll get a vial from my room.” Their faces lit up with a smile, and Lucia nodded. “Thank you!” The woman stood up straight and turned toward the hallway door before walking forward. As the two waved at her, they turned to Alric. The sound of the hallway doors being shut echoed through the room. The man glanced at the two of them. “So, what’s got you two feeling adventurous today?” Ishkiel turned to Lucia. “Well, this one here decided to go out at night yesterday, and I went out looking for her.” Lucia chuckled. “It was amazing! I killed two Pales and even got a relic!” An amazed expression appeared on the man’s face. “Oh?” Then, she heard a voice coming from the left. It was Neris. “You killed your first Pale? How amazing, Lucy! What did they look like? I’m curious!” As she turned to the two girls, Cinder smiled warmly. “Y-yeah… I would like to know too!” A surprised look on Lucia’s face, she nodded with a smile. “All right, all right, I’ll tell you!” Looking up at the white marble of the orphanage’s roof, she said, “There was the second one, from which I got the relic of course! It was a large wolf-like creature with crimson fur. It was honestly quite scary!” They nodded for a brief moment before Lucia continued, “Then there was the first one, which I killed on my own without Ishkiel! It was quite weak, but also peculiar, now that I think about it.” Alric asked, “How so?” Briefly glancing at him, she shivered before explaining, “It looked quite humanoid, but its deformed, skeletal body was way too monster-like!” A moment of silence passed before Neris spoke, “It must have been a Graceborn!” Cinder nodded. As Lucia turned to the two girls, a puzzled expression spread across her face. “A Graceborn?” The blue-haired girl nodded. “If grace comes into contact with the corpse of a human, for example through graced lightning striking it, the corpse will transform into a Pale One called the Graceborn. Its rank depends on the rank of the human.” Lucia’s eyes were wide in shock, she gazed down at the table. “So a human could turn into a Pale One…” Neris nodded. “Yes, they would essentially be resurrected. However, people say that due to their nature, they resurrect without their soul.” The girl stuck her thumb up. “You’re lucky that it was most likely the resurrection of a newborn’s corpse.” ‘That must be why it was nameless.’ Suddenly, they heard the wooden hallway doors open. As they turned their heads, Alric shouted, “Ah! There’s our sleepyhead! And you! Finally done with your bath, huh?” Lucia looked at the entrance of the room and saw two figures, a man with damp black hair, Soren, and a yawn