Chapter 42: Burden
Carda has released you from your promise to Trina.
Vina's heart leaped into her throat as the notification appeared in her vision, even with her eyes closed.
> System: Process failed with error: Aspect Intervention by Carda Ardaxin.
>
> System Error: Identity Manipulation detected on registered user Carda Ardaxin.
>
> System: Checking backups…
>
> System: Process failed with error: Aspect Intervention by Roark Ardaxin.
>
> System: Process has ended.
>
> System: Resolving…
>
> System: Aspect Intervention was conducted by Trina approved user Roark Ardaxin. Implied approval accepted.
>
> Fix: No work needed.
>
> Error Resolved. Ticket is now closed.
Skill Specialization: Forage. Blood Bloom Insight granted. Details withheld.
To her surprise, she didn't feel any knowledge flowing into her mind. In fact, nothing seemed to happen at all. However, what she did feel was relief. The system hadn't managed to kill her.
At that moment, however, the system messages seemed confusing to Vina. Clearly Carda’s real name was Roark, but the system’s own confusion over his true identity did not make much sense to her. "I need to thank him later," she told herself.
"This is why everyone needs to be subjected to the Aspect of Retribution!” Haldo insisted, pointing at the woman's rune covered arms. “We can't allow this kind of torture within the city,"
Vina's attention snapped back to the ongoing meeting. "Tell them the truth, Kallie. Be honest with them," she said firmly.
The woman swallowed hard but nodded. "I promise you all that my ability to speak the truth is not impeded. I promise Trina I will speak the truth throughout this meeting. The aspect of retribution’s affliction was removed from me while I was conducting my assassination attempt on The Asharaina, Lady Vina Esca within the city."
Vina stared at the brothers, sensing their unease. "We can ask her nearly anything. Who hired her? When did they hire her? Who removed her affliction? If Trina notifies us that she is lying, I will reactivate the runes as per our agreement." Vina paused and gestured toward Eilin. "However, if possible, I'd prefer to keep the details of her contract out of the archivist's records.” she paused for dramatic effect, looking at Haldo. “Just imagine the consequences," Vina said calmly, trying to make her intentions clear to him. She had little doubt that he would not want to go down in history as a traitor to the family.
"Lady Esca, just to be clear, you're not insinuating that one of us had anything to do with this, are you?" Haldo asked slowly, his eyes shifting between her and Eilin.
Vina flashed him a smile, understanding that he was speaking to the record, not to her. "Of course not. I believe someone wants me out of this city. I'm willing to accommodate them by leaving, expanding our influence, and growing our power in Valanire. I just need your support," Vina looked towards Hakim, but chose to speak to the record as well. "Wouldn't you agree that this is the only truly peaceful way to handle this?"
Hakim nodded slowly in agreement, and Haldo glared at her before nodding as well.
"I believe Eilin requires a verbal assent for the record," Vina suggested, taking a chance.
“Yes.” Hakim said aloud, but Haldo hesitated before saying, “I approve on one condition.”
Vina's heart sank; she was so close. "What condition?"
"There is a creature-like woman named Oyna going about destroying assemblers. I'm certain you've seen the world notification. So far, she has destroyed four of our assemblers—three that you're responsible for and one that I am responsible for. She used a red blade covered in blood runes. Is she dedicated to you?"
Vina shook her head. "She is not dedicated to me. She saved my life, and in return, I rewarded her with the weapon she now uses. I did give her approval to destroy my assemblers, but she was acting on her own when she attacked yours. My understanding is she isn't currently in Halos."
Haldo nodded. "Yes. When I attempted to discuss her behavior, she attacked some of our guards and fled through a portal ring she activated herself. Obviously, we were unable to follow. You'll receive my approval on the condition that she no longer returns to The City of Halos, and you refuse to provide her any further assistance should she return to you."
Vina absorbed the information, suspecting that Haldo was withholding some details. However, she knew that what she was building was bigger than any single person. Ultimately, she nodded. "I understand and agree. We cannot have agents of chaos acting within The City of Halos. I will no longer provide Oyna with any assistance should she return to me of her own accord."
Haldo nodded, "Then we're in agreement. The Halos House will provide The Esca House some minor assistance in relocating to Valanire until they are fully established. We all agree that the people are not prisoners to our cities nor slaves to The Family. They may come and go as they prefer, even settling within Valanire if they so choose. This ends house assembly number seven hundred twenty-nine. I thank the archivist for keeping good records."
Vina left the room, feeling mostly successful, but her concession nagged at her as she walked back to her wing of the manor with Riza, her guards, and Caja in tow. Her choice of words had allowed her an escape from the agreement, but she needed to seize it before it was too late. "Riza..." Vina muttered, but she paused, unsure what she wanted Riza to do first. She sensed Riza similarly hesitate, probably unsure how to address her in the public area
"Lady Esca, how may I attend to you?" Riza finally asked as they moved along the halls.
Vina listed off several tasks she needed to be done, including handing off her prisoner to Haldo, preparations for her masterpiece, and setting up a security detail at the portal ring she intended to visit that evening.
"I'm told Oyna left the city. My tracking skill agrees with that intelligence. I need to find her before she finds me. In case I can't find her again, I need a backup plan. I need someone who can activate blood portal rings so they can help Prosit’s people out of Valanire. Who else has been able to activate blood runes?" Vina asked. Caja and Riza were both quiet. "I mean it. I left the two stone slabs at the amphitheater because they don't fit through a portal ring. Who has been reading them?" When her question was met with silence once more, she stopped walking and waited for them to face her. What she saw there concerned her.
"Asharaina, no one has been able to read your runes or write them successfully to my knowledge," Riza finally admitted.
Caja just shrugged. “Oyna tried to teach me, but I never learned the Blood Runes skill. Then she vanished one day without a word.”
Vina closed her eyes in frustration. Suspicion began to pick at the edges of her mind. "No one at all?"
~~~
Vina ascended the stage, her stone slabs standing tall and still imbued with the blood gifted by each attendee as they entered the amphitheater. While the crowd had dwindled somewhat in the absence of her masterpiece, she observed that the remaining spectators had come equipped with carving tools. Many were engrossed in their carving endeavors, oblivious to her presence.
Activating Commanding Voice, she pleaded, “Everyone, may I have your attention, please? I'd like to address you all.” A chorus of shifting sounds indicated their redirected focus. “I appreciate your diligent study of my work. It has come to my attention that this has been an especially challenging task for everyone. So, I must ask, has anyone managed to read or write a blood rune successfully?” Her eyes scanned the crowd, seeking a sign of triumph. “It's okay to admit it. Don't be shy. If you've succeeded in this difficult task, I am eager to meet you.”
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However, her question was met with silence, prompting her to switch her approach. “That's alright. My aim is to understand what's happening. Is there anyone here who possesses both a blood class and the rune carving skill, perhaps level twenty-five or higher? Please, come to the stage. I wish to engage with you directly.” To her delight, two figures, a man and a woman, rose from the crowd separately and approached. Vina descended the stage to meet them, to the visible displeasure of Riza, while Caja joined her, bounding down the steps behind her.
"Thank you both," Vina expressed in her regular voice, welcoming them before escorting them back to the stage.
“Hello, Asharaina. I am Tral,” the man murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
“And I am Ynaya,” the woman’s soft voice was almost lost in the ambient noise.
“Tral, Ynaya. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Could you show me what you've been working on?” Vina requested, her eyes darting to their hands. A quick glance at each piece of leather provoked a frown. The runes there were dense lines, filled with copies of her own runes sourced from her stone slabs. "Damn," she muttered, "I was afraid of this."
Caja inquired, “What seems to be the issue? They just appear to be scratches to me.”
“The problem,” Vina explained as she traced her hand over Ynaya’s leather, “is this.” She lifted her hand, revealing the glowing runes from her blood. “They’re a bit rough due to their lack of experience, but functionally, they're acceptable. Your runes are equally acceptable, Tral." With a troubled frown, Vina bit her lip, deep in thought. "Could it be interference from the system... or something else? I learned it without a system error, but did Oyna... did she really?" Her voice trailed off as she plunged into her memories, replaying the moments leading up to Oyna’s Blood Rune acquisition. Oyna's face flashed in her mind, filling her with every experience they had shared together. Oyna’s acquisition of her Blood Donor ability and her subsequent learning of Blood runes seemed like no sheer coincidence to her. "But… I told her she was special," Vina muttered. "Did I lie? I didn’t know my blood… I should have spoken with her more. We could have learned together. I should have been here. How could I leave her alone?"
"Give her some time," Vina faintly heard Caja explain to their two guests. "She does this sometimes."
Shaking off her memories, Vina resurfaced. "The skill might be unique to my blood. I don't have an explanation as of yet, but it appears only those with my blood have succeeded in learning it. We can try that... but how best to... I can infuse my blood into one of you, but I doubt everyone would be agreeable to that," she mused.
Tral nodded, determination in his eyes. "I'm ready, Asharaina." Ynaya quickly echoed his sentiment.
Caja intervened, moving closer. “Hold on. We can test this easily, without causing anyone harm. I can just copy you, remember?”
Vina acknowledged her suggestion. "Good thought, but limit it to your blood." Vina cautioned, acutely aware of their audience. Revealing that Caja could mimic her appearance could cause unnecessary complications.
Caja rolled her eyes and then acquiesced as her vibrance shifted toward Vina’s, "Alright, the palm cut again. And remember, Vina, you're healing this later." She swiftly produced a knife from an unseen source and slashed across her palm. After pressing her hand onto Tral's leather, she stepped back in surprise. "Wow! I got the skill. Wait, no, I got a system error. I'm learning a restricted skill."
Vina's heart skipped a beat at those words. The experience of the system trying to kill her was still fresh on her mind. "Is it creating a ticket for Trina?"
"No... It's attempting auto-resolution. It claims that you submit too many trouble tickets to Trina and that she is too occupied to address your incessant issues. The system must believe I am you.” Caja flashed her a smile which Vina did not reciprocate. “It notes that you've already acquired this skill and has flagged this incident as 'won't fix.' But I retained the skill!" Caja suppressed a laugh. "It's suggesting that you and it should spend more time apart."
Vina cocked an eyebrow at Caja. “Is that how the system typically speaks with you? It's always so formal and to the point with me.”
Caja grinned. "Absolutely. It never fails to amuse me." Her gaze fell upon Ynaya's runes. "They seem... famished? Are they dying?" she questioned, looking back at Vina, a hint of worry in her eyes. Her still bleeding hand slowly reached out to the runes, but Vina grabbed it and healed her immediately.
"No, they're not. Trust me, they're deceiving you." Activating Blood Call, she retracted her blood from the runes. "See? They're dormant, not dead. First rule of blood runes, they're voracious and will claim your life if you let them." She gestured towards the leftmost slab. "Can you read it now?"
Caja glanced at it, her mouth forming a silent 'O'. "Parts of it. The upper segment contains rules."
Vina nodded. “More like safety guidelines to keep you alive. Memorize them so the skill doesn’t kill you.” She turned to Tral and Ynaya. “I need to come up with a process to teach all of you that doesn’t hurt you. I can infect people with my blood, and then anyone with the capability could learn Blood Runes, I think. The issue is, the process to cure you is destructive and painful with my abilities. I can heal you afterward, but I can’t take away the pain instantly.”
Ynaya spoke up, "Asharaina, if I may... Many of us have been here for days on end. I believe a moment of pain may be a small price to pay for achieving our goal."
Vina turned to Caja and Riza, doubt clouding her eyes. "Kallie..."
"Survived the process," Caja finished for her.
“But Caja... I'm going to hurt them,” Vina murmured, her voice tinged with distress.
Caja placed a hand on her shoulder. “They’re willing to sacrifice to make something new.”
Vina was taken aback, her own words echoing in her mind, conjuring memories of the first time she stood on this stage.
“Yeah, I was present at the unveiling,” Caja said gently, gesturing at the patient crowd. “They've sacrificed significant time trying to learn something that, up to this point, was impossible. Now, it's your turn to sacrifice once more.”
Vina looked out at the crowd, her heart heavy with the weight of responsibility. She knew the necessity of the path ahead, yet it pained her deeply. A single whisper echoed in her mind, a conversation from another time and place.
“Our titles don't let us fail them for long.”
The sentiment was a painful reminder of their shared duty. For the first time, Vina truly understood Seassa's words; they weren't just a caution but a reflection of the challenges they must endure. As Asharaina, sometimes they had to cause temporary pain to bestow a lifetime of potential. As if to confirm what she needed to do, she had a window notification appear in her vision.
Title Under Threat: Asharaina You have become aware that some of your people could benefit from your knowledge. You have an obligation to help them. Failing to try will risk losing your title.
~~~
Back in her room, Vina cleaned the ruined makeup from her face. The memory of what she had done to her Dedicated replayed in her mind as fresh tears threatened to stream down her face again. A haunting symphony of wailing cries echoed in her mind, every single scared face and scream memorized by her mind. And despite her efforts, every single one refused to be silenced.
Trying to focus on her actions instead of her memories, she robotically put on her armor and hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder. She leaned over and patted Langternem one more time, giving it just enough blood to get it through while she would be gone. Then she activated Refuge Recall, and immediately felt the knot in her stomach dissipate. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief as the ache faded away. But the pit from her guilt was not so easily banished.
“Asharaina?” Riza asked. “Going somewhere?”
Vina just about jumped out of her skin in fright. “Holy shit, Riza!”
“Did you forget you told me to station a guard here?” Riza asked.
“No… I..” Vina hesitated. She hadn’t forgotten. She just had so many other things on her mind. “I need to find Oyna."
Vina could feel Riza’s eyes examining her face carefully, no doubt absorbing her emotional state. “Do you know where she went?”
“Let’s find out together real fast.” Vina suggested, pulling a hood over her head, leading Riza out of the refuge, and across the way to where she knew a portal ring awaited them. Riza gestured toward the guards, recruiting them on the adventure. Vina activated the portal ring and together they all went through.
On the other side, the smell of rot was overwhelming. Vina clutched at her nose as she scanned the area. Only the moonlight and her lantern illuminated the stone room.
“In Trina’s Name, Vina what is that smell? Riza choked out as she covered her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up. The guards were making similar noises of sickness.
“We’re at Solitude. This is where Oyna and I fought The Shaper. We’re probably smelling dead bodies.” She walked to one of the broken windows and looked out.
Moonlight may have streamed into the room, but already it was clearly waning into a crescent. Its radiance was dimmed ever so slightly, but Vina could still see down at the clearing around the tower. Below she could see a figure in white dragging a red sword behind her. Initially her heart jumped in joy at seeing Oyna, but the woman’s demeanor and movements soon put an end to that. She walked in small steps, in a small circle around the tower. Her form once again rigid and lacking life.
Riza joined her side, holding her nose, but Vina pushed her back. “I don’t want you to see her like this. Go down two floors. It will smell better there. I need to speak with Oyna alone.”
“Vina…” Riza started.
“That’s an order! If we have any chance at getting Oyna back, I need to do this alone.” Vina said sternly, even as her emotions started to get the best of her. She turned then, and ran.
Vina descended the stairs, her heart pounding in tandem with each step. Oyna. She had tried to provide her a refuge, a place where she could heal and grow stronger, away from the horrors of her past. Yet it seemed she had merely traded one form of torment for another.
Guilt washed over Vina like a tidal wave, at seeing her mindlessly walking once again. She should have stayed with Oyna, should have ensured she was safe and truly settled before moving on. Instead, she had handed her a weapon, approved a task, and gave her a promise of safety that had ultimately proven false. Now Oyna had returned to the one place she should never have had to see again.
As she ran, Vina's thoughts flashed to the sword of blood she had given her, meant to be a tool of protection and empowerment. But had it instead become a cruel reminder of the world's mercilessness, of her own failure to protect Oyna from it. She had wanted to see her rise, to conquer her past and carve a future free from the influence of The Shaper, to be recognized as a person of value in the community she was making.
But looking at Oyna now, once again dragging the sword behind her in desolate circles, Vina wondered if she had done more harm than good. She had saved Oyna once from a physical tormentor. Now she had to save her from a different kind of torment.
Crossing the threshold of the runed doors, Vina turned to see Oyna clearly now. Her white mask once again replaced, covering her face. Her body bathed in the melancholy glow of the waning moon, Vina’s heart clenched at the sight. She took a deep breath, readying herself. This wouldn't be easy, but then, Oyna had never asked for easy. She had asked for safety, for understanding, and for help. And Vina would give her that, despite her agreement with the brothers halos. Because Oyna deserved nothing less.