Chapter LIX
Insight
As they continued their route, Adriaas chose to show her curiosity. "Who's Brakosh? I learn twenty new names every day since I got to Capahuento. It’s hard to keep up and painful not to have Ion, my kabbalah, with me."
He is the current leader of the shadow faction, he moves in the dark corners and passages of Imperia, works as a dealer in El Mercado. Through connections, he's done business with the Elkrachets. It has allowed him to open a few windows to exploit their disorganization."
Elchome showed a clear reluctance to share more.
Adriaas was undeterred by his hesitation and pressed on. "What are his duties as leader of the shadow faction? It's odd that it lacks a legitimate color name like the rest of the factions."
"We don’t know; it's black ops stuff that must remain secret. It's an elite within the rebellion, essential for keeping the movement alive. They operate in the shadows, hence their name, hijacking enemy operations or preventing them from reaching us. The camps stay alert thanks to their intel gathered through spies, only sharing what they know with the High Council, who manages them."
"It sounds as if you’d want to join that faction and leave Silver."
The thought made him smile, revealing his genuine admiration for the shadow faction.
"From the moment I heard about them, they had my interest. Their work and dedication are admirable, and the results of their missions prove their effectiveness. It isn’t easy to be accepted; high standards are the baseline for them. I've tried many times to get in, but my abilities haven’t met their demands. My contribution is as a recruiter, searching across Imperia for the best candidates to do what I couldn’t."
"Why do you torture yourself like that? Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on something else?"
Adriaas saw a side of Elchome she wasn’t expecting that morning.
"When I started, my body was skinny and lacked the muscle mass needed for the training. Those who become nightshadows, as we call them, must possess an excellent set of skills, including perfect body condition, and I was nowhere near that. By finding those who excelled, I understood what was missing from my approach and have been working on it ever since. My hope to join them remains, although there's nothing wrong with being a member of the council."
Initially, Adriaas struggled to grasp that Imperials had life plans inside Sectum. They had dreams and lives as if their previous existence didn't matter, having abandoned the idea of returning to Malkuth. Many in Silver Camp were already planning for their future punishment, converting Onis to Gatvits and Rurias, the currencies in Dictaduria and Capitalia. They were saving money for their next life in Sectum.
"Did you try to become a Gevurah back in Malkuth?"
Elchome's reaction confirmed Adriaas' suspicions. "And failed spectacularly. I tried it seven times, never made it to Asporto. Didn’t even pass the gevuritah exams. My plan was to find an alternate branch, but inconvenient friendships got in my way. Long story short, I ended up here after smuggling H42 in a porterum to Titan."
As they traversed the imperial lands, she thought about how a single choice could alter everything in a Malkuthian life and sympathized with him for it.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"May I ask how long you've been in exile?"
A sense of guilt emanated from him, visible in the light of his eyes.
"Six years, three months, and seven days. I wasn’t aware of how serious my case was until it was exposed in my trail, the jury, the audience and a Table of Nine agreed on their decision. They sentenced me to sixteen years, with nine in Imperia, five in Dictaduria, and two in Capitalia."
Elchome took a deep and proud breath, enjoying the walk through the forest.
"I realize that being here was part of my journey. I’m ready for whatever Sectum has in store before my return to Malkuth."
Their route led them to the outskirts of a Landica Town, one of the smaller municipalities of the empire. The adobe cabins, linked by stone streets and interspersed with dry gardens, showed signs of damage, either destroyed by force or fire.
"Was a battle fought here? Can we trust our safety, or should we be alert?"
Adriaas felt uneasy about the state of their surroundings.
"Years ago, some inhabitants in this area were murdered by the Elkrachets, while others fled to avoid imprisonment. A few made it to a mountain camp and shared their stories. Not long after Sabina took power, she offered onis for their cabins. Apparently, she liked this area for building a weekend mansion for her family and close allies. The offer wasn't enough to buy a home or even rent one for more than a year, leading to opposition from the locals, who demanded more. In a tantrum, she ordered her guards to destroy their lives as an example."
"Each day brings more of these stories. It’s a never-ending horror narration about the people who are supposed to lead us! Is the mansion she planned to build hidden in the forest or anywhere nearby?"
Nothing resembling such construction had appeared on their path, and the mere thought of it made Elchome upset. She knew the answer: it wasn't worth it; none of it was.
"It was built in a different location, making the entire episode a pointless massacre. The memory of those who defied the crown made the empress regret the location. She left it as an example to anyone who dares defy her."
Adriaas empathized with the anger he radiated, thinking about the lives lost there. The entire explanation sounded like a whim from a capricious teenager.
"From what I’ve been told, the Elkrachets cared about their people decades ago. Sabina’s father, Emperor Grestav, remains known for his mercy and is remembered for it. I'm not saying he was perfect, but it sounds like they were far from the disaster Imperia has become. In the past, Landica and most towns were full of activity, work, and routine. There was a system in Imperia, and it kind of worked. Poverty and insecurity have worsened a hundredfold since Grestav’s disappearance fifteen years ago."
"How could the emperor just disappear? He was the one in charge!" Adriaas exclaimed in disbelief.
"It didn't matter to his family and close allies, while the rest of the country ignored his condition. Everyone knows they were the ones who murdered him, or so I’ve heard, Sabina said he was gravely ill but no one believed her," Elchome replied with a grim tone.
"His own kin betrayed him? Clearly, Grestav didn’t give them the attention they needed at the right time. What a terrible way to transition to the next realm. I wouldn’t wish a betrayal like that to my worst enemy."
At first, Adriaas considered it a heartless crime by his family. She tried to empathize with those unfamiliar with Aequiteism, like Grestav's offspring. They hadn’t asked to be born in Imperia, much less to stay and remain there as Homo sapiens, aware they were part of an experiment from a superior species.
“The official story is different, of course. They said he was suffering from dementia and had to stop working for his own safety before he disappeared. There was a will that he conveniently created while still sane, establishing Sabina as his successor."
She clung to that cliffhanger, eager for more details.
“Allegedly, his remains are on display in the castle’s dungeons as a loyalty reminder for his followers so they don’t rebel against. Threatening is a common practice in every level of the empire, so as corruption, your usual extarri experience.
“Power is a nasty thing,” Adriaas muttered.
"Of course, it is. I can assure you there is incest in that family. They want to maintain a pure lineage, despite its insignificance. If you ask me, they are worthy of being called Extarri. Grestav’s entire disappearance and the removal of the throne lasted twelve hours. One day, he was our leader and the next, it was Sabina. There were risings, but they executed anyone who dared to defy her rule in the streets."
“I can’t even imagine the chaos it brought to the country…”
“It’s inhumane to live under these conditions, but it’s our fault out of ignorance, though. Most Extarri are unaware of Sectum’s reality until they arrive, much less understand the systems in each region.”
“My parents used to intimidate us, pretending they would exile us if we misbehaved, but it's nothing quite like what I imagined."
“This country can become the bogeyman for children in Malkuth, but beyond that, no one cares enough to know how it works…”
Their conversation was cut short as they realized they had reached their target. After navigating the city, they stood on a street near the end of Landica Town and began looking around for the rest of their team.