Chapter 132: Quinn Larisch (Part 4)

With power comes influence. Having the ability to wield iris is a double-edged sword, both in and out of use. Those well known for their strength in iris can never truly live a peaceful life, as the nightmare of always being hunted for their power becomes a harsh reality in their day-to-day lives.

These powerful wielders always have to keep one eye open when they sleep while their other eye is always watching their back. Bandits… bounties… the black market… collectors… all kinds of treacherous people seek to obtain or steal abilities from wielders for their own personal gain.

And from this day forward, I will be one of the hunted, especially if word gets out about my ability and what it’s capable of. The power to override another person’s memories could be incredibly dangerous if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

As those thoughts lingered after my parents wrapped up what they knew about iris, I learned they weren’t done talking just yet. They must’ve previously been thinking about revealing the following information to me for a while now because, unlike the stuff about iris… they seemed prepared. I had no idea when they were planning on telling me, but speaking with the general must’ve made up their minds for them.

In school, I was taught that the overall purpose of the academy was to prepare students like me to inherit jobs that would grant us money and success throughout our lives. Regarding the survival program, the intent was to create competent soldiers and leaders for the country’s military as a different career path. That was the truth; the academy was genuinely preparing children like myself for such futures, but the existence of the trials of Iasa was neglected entirely.

When a person in Iasa turns eighteen, we were told by our teachers that every year, all of the eighteen-year-olds, no matter who they are, would be sent to a different part of the country that the government privately owned. While there, the government would determine the career path for each eighteen-year-old based on how capable they were in various departments.

In other words, the academy was preparing us to excel in this event. Still, the blood-curdling truth of what ‘The Trials of Iasa’ really were was generally kept a secret from the public. Only past survivors know what happens when an individual turns eighteen, but it’s taboo to talk about. Even at that moment, as my parents described what the trials of Iasa were to me, they were risking their lives.

In actuality, the upper and middle-class families sent their children to the academy to gain an advantage over the less fortunate who couldn’t afford special training. The students' survival odds vastly improved by learning the skills needed to survive the trials.

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In other words, parents weren’t sending their kids to the academy for the good of their kids but because they wanted their kids to get a leg up on the competition during the trials. In a sense, one could view such an act as selfish or selfless, depending on how you view it.

I could see an argument for either side, but that doesn’t negate the fact that by sending their children to get special training, these parents hailing from more prosperous lineages hope their child will receive the training needed to live. At the same time, they are also subconsciously wishing that all the poverty-stricken children who would one day challenge their child in the trials will die.

Finally, my parents addressed the age of divination. This time, though, what I was taught in school was a lie. When a person turns forty, they don’t get inducted as esteemed citizens who can move to the most luxurious part of the country to live out the rest of their days. Nor do they get drafted into the military to serve their country with honor until they die… they are simply executed to keep the population numbers down.

In the past, the law regarding the age of divination was put in place to squash the efforts of a rebellion within Iasa. But now, it's only maintained so overpopulation would never happen, keeping the population at a number the government could still control. Tens of thousands of people outside the upper and middle classes are experiencing famine, with a hefty amount of people dying of starvation every year. But the queen turns a blind eye to the impoverished, as they rather sacrifice the few than possibly risk giving too much power to the public again.

With Iasa scraping at the bottom of the barrel to procure whatever natural resources were left in their kingdom, hardly any exports were being made to other kingdoms or countries. The economy has been plummeting for nearly two decades and is currently at an all-time low.

Everything I thought about Iasa and how society worked was flipped on its head that night as my parents filled me in on the truth. I was no longer blind to the cruel reality of Iasa, and things suddenly became clear.

Why I was never allowed on the streets at night. Why soldiers patrolled the city during the day. Why we have never learned about some regions of the country in school. Why my parents always avoided directly answering specific questions I asked at dinner.

But I know my parents, and I understand that they might’ve enrolled me at the academy way back when partly for this reason. Nonetheless, I genuinely believe that they enrolled me in the academy so I could become the best version of myself. There was no other reason to have me on a path to graduate so early if it wasn’t for that. However, the government intervened, and my parents had no choice in turning down the general.

So, at the age of twelve, I became the youngest government agent in Iasa history. And as a government agent, I didn’t desire to improve the kingdom in the least bit like Ryker. Call me selfish, cowardly, or whatever you wish; I don’t care.

What I wanted more than anything was for me and my family to continue living as happily as possible, and I was willing to do anything to make that possible.

But what I learned and discovered during my time as an agent… made keeping that goal all the more arduous.