Chapter 99: A Heavy Hand
Aliyah and Nara settled into a relatively empty theater, except for the 6 newcomers that had also been abducted with The Advent’s last drive-by organized abduction.
The theater was a cross between a movie theater and a lecture hall. A steep incline staggered chairs, which led to a large magical projection. The far wall was slightly curved, resembling curved monitors, as if they cared about the viewing experience of their victims. The lighting was bright, and it dimmed as soon as the projection flickered to life.
“Hello!” A cheerful voice sounded through obnoxiously crystal-clear surround sound.
The image of a beautiful woman appeared on the screen. A celestine again, evidentially universally beautiful to the greatest demographics. Most closely ‘humanoid’ races found celestines beautiful, whereas races like leonids and dragonids didn’t care. No doubt an intentional choice to appeal to the majority humanoid population of Erras. Propaganda on Earth usually had some more subtlety, although subtlety was wasted effort when they had such a ‘captive’ audience.
“I am Quena Bess, your guide to the mission of the Advent and life within the Advent!”
The view panned from her face, displaying a beautiful plaza decorated with a fountain and beautiful geometric flooring. Buildings lined the street, and in the distance were tall towers Nara recognized as high rises. Flowering trees lined the street, and nature was abundant but not overgrown. Sky trams followed transparent rails, shuttling citizens from one portion of the city to another.
Quena began to narrate about life on the advent as they explored the city.
It was annoyingly close to what Nara herself thought was a utopian city and society. Abundant in forms of public transportation, walkable streets, clean streets, policies that prevented homelessness, free education, free healthcare, free necessities, short workdays and long weekends, early retirement, abundant time off. Parks were varied, plentiful, and well maintained. Housing was entirely free, with larger housing granted to those that worked in more difficult fields, yet still prioritizing the proximity for workers so their commute wasn’t hours long.
The union of magic and technology, sharing the benefits of both and eliminating the negative byproducts. A match made in heaven, handcrafted by the cosmos, perhaps literally. Science and technology excelled where magic struggled, while the reverse was true of magic.
City wide detection arrays warned of monster manifestations in advance to evacuate civilians, and local essence users swiftly dealt with the monsters. Shelters were plentiful, and the advance warning gave plenty of time.
Nara groaned.
“What is it?” Aliyah asked.
“It is a pretty nice world,” Nara said, cranky with how impressed she was. “Before I got here, I would’ve jumped at the chance. Don’t look at me like that. It’s really leaps and bounds improvement over my world.”
“…Even with all the monitoring?”
“Right, they mentioned that. Slipped my mind because my world does it illegally, legally, publicly, and secretly, then sells it to anybody that’d buy it.”
“How terrible. Who would want to buy so many recordings of mundane life?” Aliyah was most concerned with what was to her a massive waste of effort and time, although she may appreciate the research that mass data could be used for, if Nara explained it to her.
“That’s not quite how it works. Honestly, this might be one of those ‘the aliens invaded Earth, and the world rejoiced’, sort of things for my world.”
Aliyah expression was obviously disbelieving.
“Honestly,” Nara said, sucking in a sharp breath. “I really don’t want to admit this but if I hadn’t been collared and kidnapped, this would’ve been far more convincing. Really, we might’ve welcomed them with picket signs saying: ‘Welcome Overlords!’, ‘My home is your home’, and ‘Take me to your leader!’.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Lina said, smoothly cutting into their conversation. “Worlds under the harmony of The Advent are fair and generous. We have long discovered that most worlds suffer not a supply issue, but an issue of distribution. In many worlds, the powerful hoard the resources. We understand that those who work hard and achieve should be rewarded, and we aim to balance both merit and the value of life. With the benefits of magic and technology combined, it is possible to not only distribute resources effectively, but provided to all for free, as a baseline.”
Nara let out an internal scream but collected herself. The video ended, so Nara turned to Lina for questions.
“If you have all this capability, why not just give it to worlds? Charity work, you know?”
“Charity is indeed a praiseworthy purpose. However, we have tried to provide our benefits to worlds charitably. Inevitably, if the worlds maintain their original power structure, those with authority necessitate a hierarchy. Those on top much have better lives than those below them, otherwise what separates them from the rest? While we give magic, knowledge, and technology freely, they hoard the benefits for themselves, cementing their own power and giving those below them the scraps they deem fit to share. Thus, we must suborn the previous authority and supplant them with our own. There is no other way. Even if we share the magic, knowledge, and technology with the entire population, only those with the power and resources can utilize our gifts and implement them as they see fit. And if they can, they take from those who cannot resist—the vulnerable and weak who need protection.”
“So hey, this is all really good,” Nara said. “But it’s marred by the fact that we’ve all been abducted and held against our will. Just like Jiro, I want to stay with my team, and I want to get back to my family. It may be the harder way and slower way, but forming diplomatic ties to encourage a mutually beneficial relationship and society is the proper way to do it. And if it doesn’t work, just…give up? You did your moral duty; We dig our own graves.”
Nara gestured furiously with her hands, emphasizing each of her next words, “I don’t have a problem with any of this except being fucking kidnapped. Y’all can release the ones that want to go, and I’ll consider this a rather rough but otherwise harmless cultural fair.”
“I will communicate your sentiments to sister Hellis Fallen,” Lina easily acquiesced.
“Alright, I guess that’s something,” she said genially.
She expected nothing.
*****
Aliyah and Nara lounged in one of the faux-outdoor relaxation areas. Nice, comfortable furniture surrounded with shade and a water feature river which cut through the center of the complex, before it disappeared underground towards the communal eating area. Lina sat further away, giving Nara space as promised.
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“Do you mean all that?” Aliyah asked, not quite accusingly, but a tad beyond polite curiosity.
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“You don’t have a problem with their world?”
Nara sighed and mulled over the sour gumball thoughts melting in her mind. “It’s better than my world in many ways, but I’ve lived a relatively sheltered life, both here and there. I haven’t had any actual trouble with the authorities, haven’t had to make tough decisions for myself or my family, wasn’t born into a disadvantageous situation, haven’t had to commit crime for survival or to prosper. I know Eufemia’s had a rough life, and John’s been through some of it with her. I have my reservations, of course I do: I certainly can’t trust their methods or their morality, and I remember what Sage told me. They would sacrifice a world if it would preserve harmony. What do you think?”
Aliyah sat in deep though for several minutes, seriously considering the response to Nara’s question. The conflict with The Advent was still in its early stages and its resolution was hidden in the fog of dawning time. What happened in this one facility was just one of many across the world. Whether her world joined The Advent was still up in the air.
“As you said, I don’t approve of their methods,” Aliyah began slowly. “And yet, it resembles this world in many ways I cannot deny.”
“It does?” Nara questioned, surprised by Aliyah’s fair response.
“High rankers do what they think is best. There are many that understand wisdom transcends both age and rank, but when they believe that they are right, who would stop them? Many have wisdom with their experiences and age, but...” Aliyah paused. “Even the most stubborn of high rankers stay above the line. The morals and ethics they’ve developed from fighting monsters, protecting the people, and engaging with peers do not disappear with rank. They may be heavy handed, but...not to this extent. Sometimes heavy-handedness saves lives. Other times, it is unnecessary.”
“So, it's an issue of severity to you?” Nara summarized.
“Yes,” Aliyah tasted the potent truth in the open air. “The line and the degree of which we approach it is what separates a wise ruler from a tyrant. To threaten the academics on purview of death is far beyond the methods of a just society. Their methods here are indicative of their methods elsewhere.”
She glanced at Lina, who smiled back but said nothing.
“They may claim that those who join them have their protection and better treatment, but how do you trust their best when you know their worst?”
Aliyah sighed, rolling her shoulders to stretch them. She cast her gaze over their idyllic prison, similarly annoyed with its pleasant design. Unlike Nara, Aliyah tried to analyze the origins of its architectural design. She couldn’t discern much. Vaguely Atilsalhayan, perhaps Silversandian, although the furniture style did not match either culture.
“I hope that the threat of The Advent is a lesson to my world. We have been complacent in the development of society. Should we survive this, I’d like to investigate the policies of Sanshi. It is my hometown, and I hope to improve it. If that recording has any fragment of truth, then there is much we lack.”
“Should we survive this? We will survive this.” Nara tried for confident and encouraging, grabbing Aliyah’s hands. Aliyah squeezed back. “Besides, that seems more of Sen and Encio’s type of thing.”
Aliyah chuckled. “I can call it political training and force Sen to participate. I imagine Encio may be a great teacher.”
“Surprisingly, he is.”
*****
Nara and Aliyah, together with a tag-a-long Lina, explored the library that The Advent provided. If they were offering free and accessible information, Aliyah would not miss the opportunity. Nara wondered if her Guide would record every book she saw into her archive if it was disabled. Even if it did not, she didn’t trust the books here enough to care. They could very well have their own subtle propaganda, warped facts, or lies: It need not be so blatant as the video. Nara had no way to verify, and she cautioned Aliyah. The threat of misinformation was greater in Nara’s world than Erras, and she had more experience with it. With the goddesses Truth and Knowledge (and other gods which presided over their own respective domains), Erras had ways to verify information.
The library had the same relaxed sandstone resort architecture with large, sweeping archways, natural sky lights, and green decorations. The library was much smaller than the one in the Celestial Book trial—a given, as a secret facility to hold academics captive had limited space. There were books on what Nara considered ‘science’ but not as much as she expected.
Earth’s unique barren magic environment had nurtured a mastery of reality that few others accomplished, nor cared to accomplish. A quick scan of the books told Nara that The Advent had not yet developed electronics. The holographic screens she’d seen in the facility must have been primarily a product of magic, not science. As well as the autonomous serving cart—likely an autonomous magic construct, rather than a hovering robot.
Aliyah pointed out which topics were more advanced than she had seen on Erras herself. Many were. They had a better grasp of physics and statics for civil engineering, better understanding of biology for biological engineering, as well as knowledge in subjects such as harnessing wind power and waterpower with windmills and water wheels, although Nara was relieved to see they hadn’t breeched fields like nuclear energy. Their magic in general was more advanced, with both Erras’ strength and Elderster-jos' efficiency. Through magic application, they had an adjacent understanding of acoustics and optics, with a different approach to these topics than Earth. They even had research into the aura and the soul, which left Nara unnerved.
“How on Earth did they find these things out?”
“Yes,” Aliyah agreed, “The implications are problematic.”
They didn’t have actual methods of soul engineering—going into another person’s soul directly to alter it—but they did know how to put people into engineered situations to encourage development in a specific direction. Essence user development depended on if the user felt challenged—it didn’t matter if the challenge was manufactured if the person felt it was real. Some challenges may be standard, while others were torturous, although they were unwritten. The two of them could read between the lines of a society where ‘the ends justified the means’.
“By their theories,” Aliyah said, “they can put an essence user into just the right situations to push them into gold and diamond rank in record time.”
“Just theories,” Nara stated flatly in an effort to reduce The Advent’s looming lore of power. “Who knows if it works in practice? Besides, if that was true, shouldn’t there be a lot more than just one gold ranker here?”
“You say that as if one gold ranker isn’t a lot.”
“A lot for us, but not a lot for this world. I’m a little surprised they haven’t invested a diamond ranker into this facility if what they say is true.”
“What makes you say that?”
“If they kidnapped me knowing I’m related to Amara in some way, then they know both of us are Encio’s teammates.”
“Sezan is a risk,” Aliyah concluded.
“Yeah. Either they’re risking it that Encio won’t call his grandfather, or they have a diamond ranker that Lina doesn’t know or isn’t telling, or they’re confident they won’t be found. I’m hoping it’s option one.”
“I agree. Option two is by far the worst. Two diamond rankers fighting—it would be a catastrophe.”
With two diamond rankers, it’d be a challenge just to avoid becoming collateral damage.
Nara was missing the sound of Chrome’s nagging voice when an unfamiliar person interrupted their conversation of two. It was subtle, but she saw Lina’s expression harden at the appearance of this newcomer.
Nara had no aura senses to rely on for detecting emotion and intentions, only good old first impression and intuition. Thousands of years of human evolution had created a creature that was exceptionally accurate at feeling whether they’d get along with somebody based on first impression—90% accurate, if the article Nara last remembered wasn’t out of date or faulty science. She didn’t have a working Guide to confirm.
Lina’s subtle displeasure and Nara’s own heightened sensitivity due to her anxiety of being abducted by magical alien commune cultists set off Nara’s own displeasure; She didn’t like the person who stood before them.
He was an elf who looked like the worst type of gym rat. He wasn’t bulky; most elves weren’t without an essence ability that boosted physical strength. Clearly, he spent time working out beyond what was normal for his rank to push the lithe physique of his race. His skin was sun tanned, like a professional surfer, but without the charming imperfections of freckles or wrinkles caused by sun exposure, unnatural in its uniformity. His hair was a sandy blond and buzzed short on the sides in a military cut. His pale blue eyes locked onto Nara in a gaze she found inexplicably uncomfortable.
There was no suppression collar around his neck: he was an Adventist.
With a flip of his hand, a chair floated over to settle in front of Nara and Aliyah. Lina had never used any of her essence abilities in front of the captives to put them at ease and establish a middle ground, but this man had no such compunctions. He wanted them to know he was more powerful than they were, that their situations were unequal.
“I’m Ceram Howl,” he said, his arrogant smile a poor imitation of Encio’s inexplicably pleasant one, “Shouldn’t we all appreciate the wonderous workings of Harmony that has brought us together? I think you and I meeting…is fate.”