The Book of Decimus—a tome written by Honurad Decimus, the man who shaped the continent's understanding of Clarion. Without prior knowledge, he observed, recorded, and defined its principles, detailing how one could awaken their own. Over the years, countless scholars tried to simplify his teachings, reducing them to twenty or thirty books that students like the protagonist had to read at the academy. But in the end, it all traced back to one man.
Honurad Decimus. The most knowledgeable man on the continent.
"You seem quiet," Honurad said, his gaze settling on me.
"Decimus... Heide... Decimus?"
He smiled, a warm expression crossing his face. "This will be your home from now on."
—
Days passed, and they were some of the best I'd had in this life. Good food, proper sleep, and—most of all—I got to know my new companions. Friends? Siblings? I wasn't sure.
Each of them had awakened their Clarion.
Gars possessed the Clarion of Smell.
Wanora had the Clarion of Vision.
Sinus, like me, had the Clarion of Touch.
And Honurad? He shared the same.
This tavern, our home, was supposed to be a small guild, but we never got an official sponsor. Despite Honurad Decimus' books being used across the continent, he wasn't paid nearly as much as you'd expect. Still, it was enough to take care of a handful of kids like us.
I kept asking them about Clarion. Honurad simply said, "You'll get yours soon enough. You're young; you'll awaken it in time."
"I already have," I said.
Silence.
Honurad raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"I mean… I've awakened my Clarion. It's the Clarion of Touch."
Surprise flickered across his face, but he didn't seem completely caught off guard. He stepped forward, fingers pressing lightly against my wrist, checking my pulse—or so it seemed. In truth, he was using his own Clarion of Touch on me.
A pause. Then, his eyes lifted to meet mine. "Oh my… you really do have it."
"Do you remember how you awakened it?"
The question made my throat dry.
Awaken it…?
Honurad continued, "Clarion can manifest for countless reasons. If someone were to awaken the Clarion of Taste, it might be from eating something extraordinary—or maybe something revolting. The trigger varies from person to person. So… do you remember how yours awakened?"
I did.
I could still feel it—the sensation of blood on my fingertips. The moment I took a life. That was when it happened.
But I couldn't tell him that.
So I shook my head.
Honurad sighed, leaning back, as if he needed the information for research. But his smile returned.
"Heide," he said. "Will you be my pupil?"
Wasn't I already? That's what I wanted to say, but I knew what he meant. Since he, too, had the Clarion of Touch, he wanted to teach me his way.
Few days prior
Sinus spoke, while cleaning utensils. "I mean, he teaches well, but I already developed my Clarion around weapon handling. If you want to develop your Clarion of Touch a unique way, you should learn from him. I doubt there's anyone better."
I nodded at Gramp's question. If I wanted to understand, there was no better place to start than with him.
—
A few days later, my lessons began. Honurad took his time explaining the basics, guiding me through each principle with patience. The days turned to weeks, the weeks to months. As time passed, I absorbed more of his knowledge, bit by bit.
"He seems happy," Wanora said one day.
I turned to her. "What?"
"I mean, he looks happy. Probably because he has someone to teach."
"You didn't learn from him?"
"We all did," she said. "But not in his way. None of us had the Clarion of Touch, and Sinus—well, he had it but refused to learn Grandpa's way."
"Nowadays, though, he does seem to be in a better mood," she added.
I frowned. "But how did you learn from him if you didn't have the Clarion of Touch?"
"He taught us the basics. His theories. They work well, even if we don't use his methods."
I nodded slowly. That made sense.
A couple months passed as I was sitting on the table with gars as he cooked while I ate.
"Oh… What about Monday?" I asked. "What Clarion does he have? He never told me."
Gars chuckled. "Of course, he didn't. Would the Clarion of Taste surprise you?"
I blinked. "Taste?"
"Yes."
Another few months passed.
Each Clarion was powerful in its own way—if used correctly. Most people never figured out how to use them properly, and the ones who did rarely shared their knowledge.
Except Gramps.
He explained things well.
—
I sat with him one evening as he spoke. "To understand the world, you need to look at the smaller picture."
"What?"
"Instead of looking at the bigger picture, start with the smaller one. To appreciate a dish, you must understand its ingredients. To admire a great structure, you must recognize each worker, every stone, every tool used to build it. When you can do that, you will begin to understand this world."
More time passed. Seasons changed. I continued learning.
"You, Heide, have the Clarion of Touch. It may not help you in combat the way others expect, but it can reveal secrets no one has ever spoken. To understand the universe, you must learn to perceive its vibrations and frequencies."
Four years had passed since I first began learning from him.
Then, one day, he sighed. "I will die soon."
I said nothing.
Honurad was nearly ninety. Even with Clarion sustaining him, his time was running out.
And yet—he had taught me everything I needed to know.
—
Months passed. Today, I graduated from his lessons. It wasn't an official ceremony, just a small gathering with the others. But Honurad made it special. Gars and Sinus cooked together, while Monday and Wanora decorated the house. Meanwhile, Honurad took me outside.
We walked through the streets. I had been here hundreds of times, yet today felt different. I looked up at the sky—clear blue, endless. The air felt fresh despite the usual bustle of the city, though the streets seemed quieter today.
We stopped in front of a familiar road.
"Remember when I found you here?" he asked.
I chuckled. My voice had changed—slightly deeper now. My face had changed too it grew more refined. I was sixteen this year. "Yeah, I do. I'm glad you did."
He smiled.
I had never noticed before, but he was surprisingly tall. I stood at around 5'7, but he still towered over me.
He led me into a tailor's shop. Inside, he presented me with a set of clothes—his gift to me.
"Try it on," he said.
I hesitated. "Isn't this too much?"
He waved me off. "If anything, it's too little."
I put it on—an asymmetrical coat, a scarf, a high collar, and a pair of leather gloves.
"It looks great, doesn't it?" he asked.
I nodded. It wasn't just clothing. It was a gift, made for me—by my teacher, my grandfather. Something I had never truly experienced in my previous life.
We walked again. He spoke. "I know I couldn't teach you everything I know. But I think… it's enough for now."
It was true. I still lacked a lot.
"One day, Heide, you'll learn everything I did… and the day you do, I'll be proud. Whether I'm here or not."
"Don't say it like that," I muttered.
He only laughed.
"Find your own peace, Heide," he said. "Everyone struggles in this world. But find your own way through it. This world is cruel."
I looked at him. He was smiling, but I could tell—this world had hurt him far more than it had hurt me.
—
When we returned, the house was fully decorated. The second I stepped in, Monday grinned and walked up to me.
"Congrats, Heide. You actually passed Grandpa's lessons."
Monday didn't stutter anymore. At least, not in front of us. Not in this house. It was nice to see—proof that he wasn't afraid of making mistakes with us anymore.
The day turned into a feast. Wanora kept piling food onto my plate, far more than I could eat. When I protested, she ignored me. At one point, she even got up from her seat and started shoving food into my mouth, as I struggled against her.
Gramps helped Sinus finish making his gun. Sinus was thrilled. Gars, too, had grown stronger. Each of them had improved. Their Clarions had advanced by miles. I wasn't the only one getting better.
I looked around the room. Everyone was smiling, laughing.
This was family.
For the past few years, this had been my family.
And I loved them all.
—
Even during Gramp's funeral, when only the five of us attended.
Even when it rained.
Even when we slipped in the mud, Gars still carried the coffin.
Even when we were soaked to the bone, we still buried him—far from Menyurl, at the cliff where we always had our picnics.
His favorite place.
I would have said he was lonely, but that would have been an insult to the ones who were there for his last breath.
"He wasn't lonely," I said.
They looked at me.
"He was satisfied. Don't think he was lonely."
I could tell what they were thinking. Each of them stood on the verge of tears. Of course, not me. How could mere five years make me cry for someone?
A tear slid down my face.
Huh?
I touched my cheek. More followed. If we had been outside, I would have mistaken them for raindrops. But we weren't. We stood at the place where he had planted a tree.
I didn't—I shouldn't—cry. And yet, I couldn't stop.
To think that five years wouldn't make much of a difference—that was a lie.
I loved him.
He was my family.
If only I had met him earlier… would I have had more time with him? Would things have been different?
I hated it.
I wanted to see him again.
—
His will was passed down to us.
Wanora received the entire building and the leadership of our small, unofficial guild. Sinus and Gars inherited his belongings. Monday got his library collection and robes—robes he never took off now.
And me?
I got a key.
I thought it might belong to a chest. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't figure it out. Even the others helped, but we found nothing. In the end, we stored the key away.
—
"We should do something about money," Wanora said.
It was a meeting she had called.
"Like what?" Monday asked. "We don't have anyone supporting us. And I doubt five people can even register a guild with barely any funds."
"True," Sinus said. "We can't keep this up forever. We need a source of income."
Gars stayed silent.
He wasn't wrong. We needed money, and keeping the guild running wasn't an option.
Bounty hunting? No.
Gramps never wanted us to do something that would risk our lives.
Then what?
"Hey," I spoke up.
They turned to me.
"What if we take on tasks? People always have odd jobs they need help with. We can accept the ones we want and reject the ones we don't. We won't need a sponsor or any official rights for it."
Wanora grinned. "Oh, nice! I knew I could count on you, Heide. You get a bonus."
"Bonus?" I raised a brow. "I get a bonus?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Give me my money."
She blinked. "Now?"
"It's a bonus, right? I need my money."
She stared at me. I stared back.
"You know what? Never mind. I cancel your bonus."
"...What."
---
And that was how TaskHand started.