The journey across the eastern seaboard continued uneventfully - just as Lieze had hoped. The hours she spent holed up in the Portable Home allowed her to begin the slow and tedious process of sorting her goals out once and for all, beginning with the identification of the so-called ‘Light in Chains.’
She wouldn’t find one mention of the mysterious name in the loose theories of Tonberg’s scholars. All that could be relied upon to divulge even the barest note of information were the journals of the Sixteen Sages, which were only so comprehensive.
Following their disappearance from the world, the Sovereign Cities plundered the Sages’ towers for remnants of their knowledge, but were only able to assemble an incomplete corpus of their works - a corpus that Lieze would nonetheless have to rely on.
But she was finished with the idea of consulting only her own mind. All her isolation had ever accomplished was dragging along the workload and infuriating her to no end. Lieze didn’t hesitate to take the most complicated and esoteric of the Sages’ writings to Lüngen, who she knew would be quite enthusiastic about the idea of researching the topic.
“The Light in Chains…” Within the tumbling, stomach-turning captain’s cabin, he scanned the impeccable handwriting within one of the journals, “I can’t say the term has ever crossed my mind.”
“Those were Furainé’s last words.” Lieze replied, “Alistair recognised them as well. The two of them were working together, so it’s only natural to assume they managed to uncover something important. But I’m not sure where to begin looking for evidence.”
“Was there anything amiss about her? Anything strange?”
“She was the daughter of a Sage.” She replied, “Allegedly.”
“Hoh… now that is interesting.” Lüngen leaned back in his chair, “While we’re in the vicinity of the Dwarven Mountains, it may be worthwhile to pay a visit to one of the Sages’ towers. When the Sixteen Sages vanished from this world, the Sovereign Cities scoured their abodes for any evidence of their passing, but it can’t be said for certain whether the Dwarves did the same.”
Lieze placed her hands together on the table, “Do you think we’ll find anything worthwhile?”
“These journals are incomplete.” Lüngen answered, “If there’s anything to be gleaned from their contents, then I would wager it can only be glimpsed as a cohesive whole rather than a fragmented collection of esoteric theories.”
“Ugh… why can’t things ever be easy?” Lieze placed her head against the rough wooden table, “How much longer before we reach land?”
“Weeks, I’m afraid to say.” Lüngen shook his head, “This vessel isn’t quite as fast as it first appeared. All the better that you and Drayya sent that missive to the mountains. We wouldn’t want the others killing randomly and causing trouble before we have a chance to orient ourselves.”
“I despise all this waiting around…” She said.
“Free time is a luxury to us necromancers.” Lüngen dipped a hand into his pockets to retrieve his pipe and tobacco, “I can tell you’ve become conflicted, Lieze. Use this time to consider your own feelings on the matter.”
“My ‘feelings’ are already on the table.” She raised her head, “I’m aimless. Without purpose. I want to believe in a world devoid of suffering, but all evidence points to the impossibility of such a reality. Whether human or Dwarf or Elf, we are all struggling against the chains that bind us - chains imposed by the cruel machinations of the Gods.”
“Well, then…” Lüngen squashed the dried leaves into his pipe with one finger, “If the Gods are our enemies, then the Gods must vanish. Is that not what you believe? Is that not the fundamental belief of our Order?”
“We may as well be trying to eat the sun.” She replied.
The sheer hyperbole of her response garnered a light chuckle from the old man. Lieze was envious of his ability to take everything in stride, as if he could find the good in every single outcome.
“We live in a world far too fantastic and terrible to be constructing our own limits.” He said, “If you desire something, then reach out and take it. Too often are we constrained by the perceived insignificance of our bodies. If there is anyone who could accomplish such a feat, Lieze, then it must be you. It is all an illusion of perspective.”
Before he could curse Lieze’s private cabin with smoke, he stood up and left the room to enjoy his smoke on the open, salt-encrusted air of the deck. As per usual, Lieze wasn’t certain what to make of his lesson, and whether or not it was brilliant or deluded.
“Perspective…” She muttered.
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When night fell on the vessel, the chilly sea air became unbearably cold. Part of the reason why Lieze’s journey had been stalled to such an extent was the reluctance of her cultists to work atop the masts in the dead of night when the howling winds threatened to shear off their ears.
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It was no wonder why the tar-coloured waves of the midnight hours had inspired so many tales of incomprehensible horrors lurking beneath the surface. Lieze could feel the water drawing her in as she peered over the edge. It was reminiscent of her meeting with the Blackbriar - the sensation of staring into an abyss with no end.
“Got you!”
Drayya drove the tips of her fingers into either side of Lieze’s waist, causing her to jolt in surprise, “Wha- Drayya!”
“Oh my.” She grinned, “You’re not still ticklish after all these years, are you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous… I’m not a child anymore.”
“Is that so?” Drayya lifted a hand into the air, “What if I did this?”
She caught Lieze’s nape between her thumb and index finger, causing unwelcome tingles to spread through the girl’s body. Drayya’s laughter filled the freezing air as she danced behind Lieze in an attempt to dodge her floundering arms, unable to get a grip on her tormentor.
“Stop-” She clamped her mouth shut to avoid making any unseemly noises, “Stop messing around!”
“Who knew the conqueror of Tonberg would be weak to something like this?” Drayya’s pearly teeth were on full display, “I’ll keep this in mind for whenever I need to get your attention.”
Just as Lieze got a good grip on Drayya’s hand, the grip on her neck weakened, and she found herself being caught in a tight hug as a pair of arms were wrapped around her waist.
“Hm.” Drayya exhaled through her nostrils. The hot air tickled Lieze’s shoulder, “You’re warm.”
“Do you think I’m alright with you placing your hands on me whenever it pleases you?”
“Oh - my apologies, your highness.” She replied, “How dare a lowly servant like myself place her hands upon you without express permission? I ought to be drawn and quartered for my insolence.”
“You always have to be so dramatic about everything, don’t you?” Lieze muttered.
“Do you dislike it?” Drayya’s tone straightened out, “All you have to do is ask, and I’ll let go.”
“Do you enjoy placing me in compromising positions where I’m forced to give you an emotional reaction?”
“Let me think about that.” She fell silent, “Hm… yes. Actually, I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing than forcing you to say ‘Oh, please don’t let me go, Drayya!’ in a girlish voice that defies every aspect of your personality.”
“My enemies are the Gods themselves.” Lieze began “-But somehow, your fantasies are even more unrealistic than mine.”
“Hearing you say something as embarrassing as that…” She replied, “I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’d probably kill myself on the spot.”
“Very tempting, but not tempting enough.”
“You can be so hurtful…” Drayya feigned sadness as she leaned into Lieze’s shoulder, “How are you feeling? About what we’re doing? You still seem conflicted.”
“Drayya…” She began, “What would you do in my place?”
“I won’t answer that question.” Her grip tightened around Lieze’s waist, locking them in an embrace, “I’m not you. I could never be you - that’s what I’ve only just realised. I wouldn’t be able to cope with the possibility of my ideals being compromised.”
“But that’s exactly what’s happening.” Lieze replied, “Why do we kill if killing is pointless? If it doesn’t bring us any closer to salvation?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then, why do we choose to live just to experience the fleeting beauty of the world?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know what I want, Drayya?” She continued her barrage of questions, “I’m nothing but a murderer. I was created to serve no other purpose. But is that what I want?”
“...Do you like hurting people, Lieze?”
“That’s…” She paused, “No.”
“Don’t lie to me.” Drayya whispered into her ear, “Let’s not do this anymore. I don’t want to hear the prattling of a girl desperately trying to find meaning in a world she supposedly hates. I only want the ‘you’ of today, not the ‘you’ of our childhood.”
Did she enjoy the killing?
No. There was no ‘enjoyment’ in any of it. As Lüngen said, it was all a matter of perspective. Slaughter, carnage, despair - she found pleasure in none of these things. But the thrill of adversary, and the need to overcome a challenge that eclipsed her in every way - that was her wont. Death was just an accessory to her victories. The means to an end.
“...Would you still be here if I told you that I did?” She wondered.
“It’s very flattering to hear that resolving your internal conflict comes down to my opinion at the end of the day.” Drayya smiled, “Lieze - it may come as a surprise that I think you can be a little bull-headed at times.”
“Considering how often you bring it up, I’m surprised we haven’t had this conversation already.”
“-But there’s something about that sheer confidence that inspires me.” Drayya continued, “Even so, I can’t help but feel as if you’re just searching for death every time we place our lives on the line. I might even stoop to calling you ‘aimless’. I spend more time than I would care to admit thinking about how wonderful you would be if your mind was just a little more purposeful.”
“...And what would that ‘purpose’ be, exactly?” Lieze already had a good idea of what the answer might have been, but she asked that question anyway.
“It could be anything.” Drayya began, “But I know what you want. You try to hide it, but I can see the ecstasy on your face whenever we emerge victorious from a scrap; whenever we raise a powerful thrall; whenever the tides turn in our favour. It’s those moments that excite me the most, as well. But to you, it’s something even more important.”
Lieze sighed, “The Order teaches-”
“I don’t care. I know you don’t, either.” She interrupted, “That’s just it. You’re always clinging to the past, allowing your ‘faith’ to hold you back. What was it you said on the docks? That without ‘faith’, we would be destroyed? I held my tongue back then, but I don’t think that’s true at all - and especially not for you.”
“You’re starting to sound like Lüngen.”
“You joke, but I’m being serious.” Drayya insisted, nuzzling her face into Lieze’s shoulder, “I want to see you unshackled by all of this pointless ‘weight’, uninhibited and uncontrollable; great and terrible and cruel. That’s the ‘Lieze’ that makes my heart skip a beat.”
-But would she dare to expose that side of herself?
That was the question Drayya posed to her. It almost sounded like a challenge, which fit her troublesome personality like a glove. Lieze couldn’t help but be tempted by the offer. Why was she allowing her mind to become sluggish and burdened by the natural outcome of her actions?
The waves were so dark that Lieze couldn’t even see the distant horizon. Blackened water and sky conjoined to form a void that stretched into the deepest reaches of space - a chaotic and unpredictable maelstrom of potential.