After the choking smoke and oppressive atmosphere of the Rotalleb Covenant building, the front entrance of the Sucifenev building looked a Hell of a lot more inviting. The sleek walls were perfectly clean, having recently been power washed, and in place of conventional doors it bore an automatic entranceway made from thick glass and bearing the Sucifenev insignia. Antennae and satellite dishes covered the green-tiled rooftop, and he could see a fair amount of work had gone into bringing the old building up to date. It was impressive how they managed to retain the original style without burying it underneath all of the extra technology.

  Approaching the door, Cobalt looked it over for anything resembling a handle or a doorknob, but he could find nothing; just sleek glass. A couple of Sucifnev students bearing green blazers sitting at a nearby bench snickered at his ineptitude, but when he looked over to them, they pretended as though they were completely engrossed in their books. Eventually he found a panel mounted to the wall by the door, fitted with numerous little buttons and a speaker. Finding a switch marked with a bell, the Incubus took a deep breath and pressed it. He heard a little chime before someone picked up.

  “Good day, this is the Sucifenev Covenent building front desk, how can I help you?” spoke a polite woman’s voice through the intercom.

  “Hello, um… This is Cobalt Trayer? From Brimstone?”

  He was met with silence.

  “Alright, you listen to me. I’ve had it up to here with these prank calls. I’m going to give you this opportunity right now to skedaddle on back to Edifrep, otherwise I’m calling security,” the receptionist hissed, this time sounding a lot less polite.

  “No no, ma’am, I really am-!”

  “Everyone knows Cobalt Trayer is dead; come on, you’re not even putting the effort in anymore!”

  “M- Ma’am-!”

  “You have ten seconds to vacate the doorway. Good day.”

  The speaker went silent. Confused, Cobalt hit the call button a couple more times, but he heard nothing. Beside him, the glass doors hissed open as a pair of demons dressed in security unforms stepped out, their stab vests emblazoned with the Sucifenev scroll. Drawing their batons, they grabbed the Incubus’ shoulders and pulled him back.

  “Alright buddy, you were warned…!” one of them growled, his voice muffled by his helmet.

  He raised his baton to strike, but his companion lifted his hand to stop him.

  “Wait wait wait… he, uh… he ain’t lying, Kell.”

  “What?”

  “That’s him.”

  “What are you-?”

  “That’s an Incubus, man. Look at him. Blue all over.”

  Lowering his weapon, the security guard took a step towards Cobalt, squinting through the dark plastic of his visor.

  “… Shit man, I thought that was paint,” he murmured, prodding the Incubus’ face.

  “Yeah, look at the horns too.”

  “… What horns?”

  “Exactly. Don’t think even the Edifreps would go that far.”

  “No kidding… no kidding…”

  As the security guards poked and prodded Cobalt – musing over the nature of his very existence, apparently – he took a moment to digest that fact that here in Furnace, he was once again a complete oddity. Brimstone was at least used to him, but up here he was right back to being something to be gawked and stared at.

  Joy of all joys.

  “So… excuse me, could I maybe…?” he asked awkwardly, pushing their batons aside.

  “Hm? Oh shit, right.”

  The second guard grabbed his radio off his belt and held it to his face.

  “Hey, Delilah, this isn’t a prank. This is the real guy.”

  “Carl, I swear to fuck-”

  “No, I’m serious, it’s him. Sending him in now.”

  Giving Cobalt a nod, he plugged a code into the keypad on the panel and stepped aside as the doors seamlessly slid open. With a nervous word of thanks to the security guards, Cobalt reaffirmed his grip on his cane and stepped into the foyer of the Sucifenev building.

  The differences between this Covenant building and the last were night and day.

  The first thing that came to his mind was that he somehow stepped through the front doors right into the future. All around him, Cobalt could see sleek marble and bright green lights, making the front entrance look like the deck of a sci-fi spaceship. A couple of well-dressed receptionists sat behind a lengthy desk while numerous Sucifenev academics buzzed around. Some were dressed in lab coats and protective wear, while other wore engineering coveralls and electrician’s gear. The air smelled like bleach and disinfectant, as though the entire building had been scrubbed clean. He had a hard time believing that this was an accommodation building.

  Arriving at the desk, one of the receptionists turned around with a sour look on her face, which quickly contorted into an expression like she had just smelled something foul.

  “A- Ah, Mr. Trayer. Good to see you… alive,” she remarked, sounding exactly like the voice on the intercom.

  Clearing his throat, Cobalt leaned forward, deigning to just let bygones be bygones. No sense in causing a fuss now; he still had plenty more meet-and-greets to get through.

  “I’m here to see your Covenant Head,” he asked politely.

  “Is that so? Well, allow me to just check Mr. Quire’s schedule-”

  “No need, Delilah; I believe everything is in hand.”

  From a door behind the desk, a well-dressed Nymph stepped forward, carrying a tablet in his arms. He was tall for his race, and wore a lengthy lab coat over a green sweater vest embroidered with his Covenant’s crest. He had a sharp, angular visage, and wore a headband to keep his long golden hair out of his eyes, which shone behind his spectacles. Tapping something on the tablet, he leaned over to the receptionist’s computer and typed a few keys before regarding Cobalt with a smile. He could see multiple piercings along each pointed ear.

  “Terribly sorry about the frosty reception, dear boy; I’ve been terribly busy, see.”

  Rounding the table, the Nymph produced his hand. It was encased within a strange device; a lattice of metal framework and exposed wires that coiled around the extremity like a second skin. Lights and diodes gently pulsed on the back of his palm, and as Cobalt stared, he supressed a chuckle.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. Just a personal project I’ve been working on.”

  Nodding, Cobalt shook his hand.

  “Rallen Quire, at your service. Delighted to meet the acquaintance of a fellow man of learning,” he said with a smile.

  Well, this one was certainly more pleasant than Avery, setting Cobalt at ease somewhat.

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Quire. I’ve been-”

  “Instructed to peruse the Covenants, yes. Well, step right this way, and you and I can get right down to perusing this wonderful house of learning.”

  With a polite smile and turn of his heel, the Nymph clasped his hands behind his back and began to stroll down a nearby hallway. He looked almost as though he were gliding, and as Cobalt struggled to catch up, he looked down to realise that he was. Rallen’s legs weren’t moving, and he could hear an electronic whine from the heels of his shoes.

  “Could do with a pair of those myself,” the Incubus joked in an effort to cover up how out-of-breath he was.

  With a light chuckle, Rallen clicked his heels together and turned around, causing the wheels in his shoes to start propelling him backwards.

  “Unfortunately, these are another personal little project of mine, but I’m sure you and I could work something out later on down the line.”

  His piercing gaze flicked down to the knee brace on his right leg.

  “Though perhaps you ought to sort that little issue of yours first,” he added with a sly smirk.

  “I- I’m sorry?”

  “But I’m not here to pry into your medical history. Shall we begin the tour?”

  Despite his confused protests, Cobalt was eventually forced to just swallowed his questions and meekly follow the motorised Covenant Head around the building as he rapidly explained the function and purpose of the countless rooms they visited. He saw extensive libraries and archive rooms, as well as research laboratories, machinist workshops and even an entire chamber dedicated to magical research. Rallen spoke quickly and with rapid breaths, completely overloading Cobalt as he was dragged all over the lowermost floors of the Sucifenev building. By the time he was brought to the – admittedly impressive – high-tech cafeteria, the Incubus was practically dripping with sweat, clinging to his cane for dear life as he struggled to stay upright.

  “M- Mr. Quire…?” Cobalt asked, wiping his forehead.

  “Questions?” Rallen asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “This is an accommodation building, right?”

  “Of course. Best one in the Mancer District.”

  “Then where are the bedrooms?”

  The Nymph stared at him for a moment.

  “Oh. Oh! Of course, how could I forget? The first four floors are dedicated to furthering our academics’ education. Learning doesn’t stop outside of the classroom, you know. We have sleeping pods and communal spaces further upstairs.”

  “But… no bedrooms?”

  “They have what they need. Are you hungry, Cobalt?”

  “I-”

  “Our kitchen can accommodate even the most exotic of diets.”

  “How do you-?”

  Raising the strange device on his hand to his face, Rallen tapped a small screen on the underside of his wrist before pressing a finger to a small earpiece.

  “Kitchen, this is your Head making an urgent request. Prepare my usual alongside a charcuterie board. Completely uncooked, thank you,” the Nymph commanded, turning on his heel and gliding towards a table at the head of the cafeteria.

  This guy was quick. Perhaps a little too quick for Cobalt.

  “What about recreational time?” the Incubus asked as Rallen pulled out a chair at a sleek white table.

  The two sat opposite each other, the Nymph smiling all the while. His teeth were unnaturally shiny.

  “You just saw all of our recreational spaces,” he explained, steepling his fingers.

  Cobalt pulled a face.

  “Those were workstations.”

  “I’m not seeing your point.”

  “I-”

  “Cobalt, I imagine it comes as no surprise to you that I’ve been following your case for some time,” Rallen interrupted, his glasses glinting in the light from the greenish lamps above them.

  Two staff members dressed in chef attire rounded the table, bearing stainless steel trays. One contained an assortment of meats and cheeses, while the other contained a few slices of bread and a handful of pills.

  “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately…” Cobalt murmured, eying the tablets up with a concerned eye.

  “I imagine the other Heads have been giving you the same speech, but can you blame us? You’re a fascinating specimen,” the Nymph laughed, swallowing all the pills in one go.

  Without water.

  “… Well-”

  “A million in one chance to be born with Everlast. A two million in one chance to be born an Incubus. Those two things occurring together…? Tell me, Cobalt; what’s it like to be a statistical equivalent of a four-leaf clover?” Rallen asked, taking a bite from his bread.

  Cobalt stared at him. He could see the look in his eye. The look that people gave him when they only saw what he was, and not who he was.

  “I-”

  “But to go back to your question about recreation, Cobalt, I’m afraid that’s simply the way of things here. At Sucifnev, we aim to be the best. After all, we’re fostering the brightest minds of this generation, the next generation, and every generation proceeding us since the founding of the Mancer District,”

  The Incubus didn’t say anything for a moment, figuring that Rallen was only going to interrupt him again. Instead, he pulled a slice of raw bacon off the tray and swallowed it whole. It was strangely flavourless.

  But the Sucifnev just sat and waited for his response, smile unwavering.

  “That’s very-”

  “Take Cloaking Charms, for example. The scholars at the Brimstone Institute of old may have been the ones to develop them, but it was Sucifnev that brought them into the 21st century.”

  This was getting tedious. Rallen just wouldn’t let him get a word in edgeways.

  “Mr. Quire-” Cobalt sighed, clenching his fists.

  “We’ve also funded the construction of the Quire Science Centre after the last one burned down a few years ago.”

  “That’s-”

  “Not to mention nearly every graduate to come from this Covenant has gone on to do great things. Doctors, scientists, engineers; really, I don’t see how the others are considered our equal. Rotalleb is full of knuckle-dragging simpletons, most of Edifrep belong in prison and I’ve seen peacocks with more tact than those Silibon dandies.”

  Cobalt clenched his jaw. His patience was beginning to wear thin.

  “What about-?” he began.

  “But of course-”

  “What about Amrifni?!” Cobalt yelled, having finally had enough of the constant cutting of conversation.

  All around the cafeteria, the murmur of conversation died down as the other academics turned to stare at the Incubus’ table. Grinding his teeth, he looked Rallen right in the eye. The Nymph looked shocked, and strangely intrigued.

  “Amrifni is a nonissue, dear boy. The less said about them the better,” he sighed, finishing off his bread.

  An uncomfortable silence passed between the two as Cobalt picked through his charcuterie board. The meat was bland and limp, and as he ate, Rallen leaned forward.

  “Do you mind telling me about your leg?” the Nymph asked, his gaze flicking over to the handle of his cane.

  “… Are you going to let me finish my sentences?” Cobalt asked in response.

  “But of course.”

  “I got hit by a car not long after I woke up. Crushed between the bonnet and a wall. My leg got the worst of it.”

  Rallen nodded slowly, his smile gradually creeping back up across his face.

  “I see, I see… And yet here you are, walking around like nothing ever happened. Remarkable,” the Nymph chuckled, folding his arms.

  “It still hurts to walk on.”

  “Mm. Cobalt, have you ever heard the term ‘psychosomatic?’”

  “Wh- What-?”

  “Ah, one moment,” Rallen suddenly said, brushing away the Incubus’ question as a man approached the table.

  A Fallen woman dressed in a cleanroom suit gave the Covenant Head a courteous wave. Her suit was white and green, and marked with the Sucifnev scroll.

  “Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed at the Centre,” she said in a quiet tone, leaning in close.

  “How urgent is it?” Rallen responded in a hushed tone.

  “Pretty urgent. Somone leaked data to the control group. It’s a whole situation.”

  “Hm… Duly noted.”

  Turning around the Sucifnev Head clasped his hands and gave his guest an insipid smile.

  “I’m terribly sorry about this, Cobalt, but I’m afraid something has come up and we need to cut this short,” he said through his teeth, tipping his glasses so they shone in the light.

  Cobalt sighed and rolled his eyes. He was noticing a theme here; it was almost like these Heads barely had time for him.

  “I assume you’ll need me to find my own way out?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “What an excellent suggestion! Thank you, dear boy, and good luck in your endeavours! Be sure to get that knee checked properly, won’t you?”

  With a bow and a click of his heels, Rallen whirred off with his subordinate, leaving Cobalt alone with his food. He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, already feeling completely drained despite the sun still being high in the sky. These Covenants seemed to despise one another, if what their Heads had to say held any water. Avery was a brute and Rallen was overly precocious; that didn’t make him terribly excited to meet the rest of them.

  Edifrep was next, but that wasn’t what Cobalt was worried about.

  Peering out the massive wall of windows on one side of the cafeteria, Cobalt squinted at the smallest Covenant Building. The peeling blue paint, the boarded windows… Something about it rubbed him the wrong way.

  “Amrifni…” the Incubus murmured, pushing his tray away.

  Covenant of the Miscellaneous, or so the Archdean told him.

  And yet…

  A shiver ran up Cobalt’s spine. No, there was no point in getting caught up in preconceptions, especially those coloured by the other Covenants’ opinions.

  Two down, three to go. Once he got this all over with, then he could finally begin his new life at his new job.

  Whatever that was.