Chapter XXII
In the following days, the situation with Seiras didn’t improve. Each morning, Ryokumo would meet up with the Master of the Mind and follow him down to the dungeons to continue interrogations of the Children of Reiner. Thus far, none of them had given in and revealed anything, but he could tell that they were all getting close to breaking. Seiras’s spell was torturous so there was only so much they would be able to take before they spilled their secrets or went insane altogether. Even Arisa Kirisan, the one who had shown the most defiance toward them, had lost her confidence and wouldn’t even raise her head when they entered her cell. She was the one Seiras had focussed his efforts on the most since Nigreos had confirmed her presence in the vault, so if any critical information were to come forth, it would most likely be from her.
But it isn’t worth it. I know it’s important to figure out the mystery of this guide, but I don’t know how much longer I can stand by and watch this. It’s awful.
Nightmares weren’t uncommon for him, but the past few nights had been especially bad. He’d been plagued by the screams of the Children and every time he woke up, he was in a panicked state and it took a few minutes to calm himself down. It had been affecting his ability to go about his day, and he could feel his senses weakening with exhaustion.
And Hannah’s starting to notice as well, he thought. I can tell she’s worried about me.
He hadn’t been as cheerful during their interactions and after returning from the Prince’s office a few nights back nearly in tears, he would be foolish to think that she wasn’t putting two and two together. Even if she didn’t state it, she almost certainly knew that it was his work with Seiras that was causing his stress.
I need to stop being so obvious. It’s bad enough that I’m having trouble focusing. I don’t need to stress her out, too. I would have liked to have a session with her today, but it seems I have other issues to deal with.
He had left the dungeons alone this time since Seiras had decided to stay a little longer that morning, so he decided to head to the dining hall to get some lunch. He spent far longer there than he planned to, just staring off into space before finally forcing himself to get up and leave. However, when he arrived at his quarters, he found a young boy waiting for him. He had recognized him almost instantly as Sinna’s apprentice, Alucian, and that had been enough for him to realize his problems that day weren’t over just yet. The boy had relayed a message that the Master of Rock wished to speak with him in her quarters immediately then swiftly departed, leaving Ryokumo standing alone to consider the request. His first thought had been to simply ignore it. After all, Sinna Cartus never bothered to hide her dislike for him, and he preferred to avoid her if possible. However, because of that, Sinna had never once requested to speak with him, let alone invite him to her personal quarters, so he couldn’t help but wonder what it was all about. That was why, despite being exhausted from a morning spent with Seiras, Ryokumo had turned and begun making his way in the direction of the woman’s quarters.
I hope this is worth it. I’m really not in the mood to deal with her right now.
Sinna didn’t live too far away from him, so it was a relatively short walk through the halls of the Citadel before arriving outside her door. He stopped right before it and took a moment to put his senses on alert. While he didn’t think she would be bold or stupid enough to attack him, espeically in her own room, he didn’t want to chance anything. She had openly declared her suspicion that he was a traitor, so for all he knew, she wanted to take the situation into her own hands.
It’s unlikely….but it never hurts to be careful.
Ryokumo frowned. While he didn’t sense any traps waiting for him, he did sense two powerful presences on the other side of the door rather than just one.
So she’s not alone? Who else did she invite?
Yet, as he asked himself that question, he realized how stupid it was. There was only one person in the Citadel that Sinna completely trusted, and if she wanted to speak with him, it was only natural that she would be there as well.
In that case, I suppose I’ve wasted enough time just standing here. Let’s get this moving.
He reached out and rapped his knuckles against the door a few times.
“Enter,” came the harsh call from within and a moment later, the door swung open on its own.
The residential floors of the Citadel used similar layouts for each apartment so Sinna’s quarters were very similar to his own. He entered into a single room consisting of a couch, a small table in front of it, and a few magic-lit lamps in the corners that were illuminated with a small amount of fire magic. In addition, a large glass case about eight feet high was placed on the far left side, displaying the numerous trophies and awards the room’s owner had won in the various tournaments she fought in over the years. However, there was no sign of either of the people he had sensed, so he turned his attention to the hallway straight across that led to the bedroom in the back. He closed the door behind him and moved inside, making his way into the hall. He found the bedroom door already open and when he entered, the two Masters were already there waiting for him.
“I’m surprised you bothered to come, Caeli. I was certain you would laugh in Alucian’s face and remain hidden in your room,” Sinna sneered, her amber eyes narrowed at him, as if his acceptance of her summons was somehow suspicious.
The large woman was standing beside the bed, her muscular arms folded across her chest as she looked him over. Despite feeling relatively safe, Ryokumo still couldn't help but tense up at her presence. Sinna stood a full foot taller than him and he once again wondered if she had some giant’s blood in her, though she had furiously denied it each time he had asked. Her black hair was tied back in a braid that fell to her mid-back and she was wearing a sleeveless leather jerkin that was clearly intended to show off just how toned her arms were.
“Well, I’ll admit, I was a tad curious,” he responded. “It’s not every day you decide I have some worth to you so I couldn’t help but see what it was you needed from me. And I was especially intrigued to find that it isn’t just the two of us.”
He glanced to the left where Nyx Rana, the Master of Water, was sitting silently on the bed, her eyes drooping in the dark, lamplit bedroom. It was one of the rare occasions when she wasn’t wearing her cloak and he couldn’t help but marvel at how young she looked. Her hair was a sparkling silver and her irises were white and pretty. To anybody who didn’t know her, she appeared no older than sixteen, and her apathetic personality only served to enhance the harmless image she exuded. But she was a Master of Ijiria and that alone spoke of her incredible strength.
When Ryokumo looked at her, Nyx slowly raised her head to stare back. “Are you offended by my presence?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, I prefer it. Speaking with Cartus alone is not an idea I am particularly attracted to, so I welcome anybody else that might be a bit more polite.”
Sinna scowled. “Save the snide comments, Caeli. Whether you choose to believe it or not, I summon you here for nothing more than a simple conversation.”
“Oh, please,” he shot back. “Don’t pretend that you’ve called me here for a reason as benign as that. If you want to talk to me of all people, then I have information you want. I take this is in relation to Seiras?”
The woman cocked an eyebrow, as if annoyed that he had guessed her intentions so swiftly, then snorted. “Well, if you’d like to cut to the chase then I won’t complain. Yes, I want to talk to you about Seiras…or more specifically, I want to know more about this supposed original spell of his.”
“Don’t we all,” Ryokumo said with a wry grin. “However, if that’s what you want then I would recommend saving your breath. Seiras has always kept his secrets close to his chest. Even working alongside him, I still know very little about the nature of that spell. I’ve only seen what he wants me to see, and I’m sure that’s not much.”
Sinna clicked her tongue. “Yes, but that’s good enough. I don’t even know that much, but I would like to. What is he doing to the prisoners? How is he using it to torture them?”
“Using the being to attack the being,” Nyx murmured, almost more to herself than to them. “He was very vague when he described the spell, but it sounds quite dangerous. I, too, am worried about what he’s working on…and the repercussions it may bring.”
Ryokumo glanced hesitantly between the two, searching for any sign of an ulterior motive. Yet it seemed as if curiosity and even fear were the primary reasons they had decided to come to him, and he chose to believe them. While he wouldn’t have put it past Sinna to try and manipulate the situation, Nyx was often an open book. If she claimed that she was worried about the spell then that was most likely the truth.
“Not to be rude,” he began softly, “but what exactly do I gain by answering your questions? You call me here and demand answers when you haven’t even offered anything in return. Information is powerful and Seiras has already made it clear that he wishes for his power to be kept to himself. Why should I risk pissing the little goblin off for your sake?”
Sinna narrowed her eyes in disgust. “Why not for the sake of this Citadel and this country. Don’t act like you support whatever he’s doing. You know as well as the rest of us that Seiras Ka is a dangerous man who’s only kept alive because the crown thinks it can benefit from him. But we know better. He’s an insane creature who shouldn’t be allowed to roam free…and especially not with something as despicable as whatever it is he’s created.
We may not agree on much, but I know for a fact that we can agree on that.”
Ryokumo smiled bitterly, knowing she was right and yet still finding himself hesitant to relay anything to her. She might be a fellow Master, but she was not his ally. Giving anything to her could come back to bite him in the ass, and he didn’t want to kick himself later for making what seemed like an obvious mistake.
“And what makes you so certain that we agree?” he retorted. “How do you know that I’m not in full support of his methods? After all, if they work, we may finally get ourselves an answer to this mystery of the Citadel raid.”
“You don’t,” Nyx muttered softly yet firmly. “I can see it in your eyes, Caeli. You’re shaken up. You have been ever since you were assigned to work with Ka. Whatever you’ve witnessed is bothering you… It’s why I thought speaking to you was for the best. You agree with us.”
Sinna nodded. “Yes…she’s right. I can see it, too. You aren’t yourself.”
So…even they could tell how unnerved I’ve been. Damn it! I’ve let those visions cloud my instincts and now, I’ve put myself at a disadvantage with them. I need to pull myself together and put this nonsense behind me.
“Perhaps…your judgment isn’t far from the truth,” he finally admitted. “But what good is it to tell you? What do you intend to do? I’ve already spoken to the Prince and Princess and they don’t care. As long as Seiras gets the answers they seek, he can do as he pleases.”
“I suppose that remains to be seen,” Sinna responded. “It depends on what the spell does. If it turns out to be something relatively harmless and you’re simply unable to take the torture of your friend’s precious children, then I will do nothing but scoff.”
Ryokumo turned a glare her way, but decided to let the comment slide for the sake of avoiding conflict. “And if it is something dangerous?”
“Then we’ll see,” Nyx replied. “Maybe if two more Masters speak to Reigious, he might change his mind. You ask what we can give you, Caeli, then I offer us as allies. If you truly wish to stop Seiras, then our help could be beneficial.” The Master of Water smiled as her eyes opened further. “I agree with Sinna’s assessment. That man is dangerous…and I fear what could be done if he’s allowed to roam free. Especially considering how precious he is to the Prince.”
With both Nyx and Sinna staring at him expectantly, Ryokumo reluctantly sighed. He knew the risks of trusting Sinna, but Nyx had never done anything wrong to him in the past. They weren’t exactly friends, but she was somebody he could at least respect, and her smile seemed genuine. If they deemed Seiras’s spell dangerous, then they would help him. As he thought back to the screams of the Children, he took a deep breath and nodded.
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Well…I can’t deny that having them as allies wouldn’t be good.
“Fine then. You win. I’ll tell you,” he said.
“Thank you,” Nyx replied, and once again, he only sensed genuine gratitude in her tone, which only furthered his belief that, if anything, he could at least trust Nyx to keep to her word.
“The spell,” he began, “is more or less what Seiras claimed it was. Essentially, it forces the victim to face their deepest fears and regrets. Visions flow through their minds…but they’re immersive. While you’re within them, you forget everything except that moment…and it’s distressing. Whatever you want to stay locked inside comes to the forefront of your mind…and almost feels like it's ripping you apart.”
Sinna frowned. “Interesting,” she murmured. “You say this like you’ve experienced it.”
“I have,” he growled.
Both women’s eyes widened in surprise, but Nyx was the first to respond.
“You have? You mean he used it on you?” she inquired. “Why?”
Ryokumo scoffed at the memory. “Why, you ask? Why does he do anything, Rana? He enjoys suffering. He brought me to his quarters for the simple act of testing his experiment on me because he thought it would be fun. It was…” He stopped mid-sentence as the emotions from that day returned to him. “...terrifying. I have no interest in revealing what I saw in those visions, but it was enough to bring me to my knees. Had he wanted to, he could have killed me before I recovered…and he claimed it wasn’t at its full power.”
“But…” Sinna leaned up against the wall and furrowed her brow in thought. “How did he manage to catch you off guard? I would have expected someone like you to be ready to defend yourself at any moment when around a man like him.”
“Defend myself?” Ryokumo clenched his fists. “There is no defending against it, Cartus. He didn’t even raise his hands. He just uttered the incantation and suddenly, I was gone. And I have defenses in my head to protect against mind magic…yet it wasn’t enough. He got through without lifting a finger.”
Nyx leaned forward and glanced briefly at Sinna before turning back to stare directly at him. “So what you’re saying…is that there’s nothing stopping him from casting this spell on us?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he confirmed. “The only one among us Masters with any experience in Mind Magic is Nigreos, and even he only has a surface level understanding. We can’t even begin to defend ourselves should Seiras decide he wants to have more fun.”
“And he’s already made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to cast it on us after what he did to you,” Sinna murmured. “Something really does need to be done about him. There’s a reason Mind Magic drives people insane…it's a twisted power that shouldn’t ever be tapped into.”
“But what can we do?” Ryokumo asked. “Without Reigious’s permission, we can’t harm him. Seiras is the first Master of the Mind in almost a century, the Prince isn’t just going to cast him aside.”
Nyx nodded. “Yes, Reigious is the first hurdle. Sinna and I can try speaking with him to see what that would accomplish. And…as hesitant as I am to say it, perhaps we inform Taurus and Mackia just so that they are prepared should Ka attempt anything.”
“Actually, Taurus already left for Trovia,” Ryokumo informed her. “The tensions in Harunhein were getting too high, so the Princess sent him up north to act as a deterrent.”
Sinna grimaced at the news. “In that case, we’ll tell Mackia. She might be devious, but she hates Seiras as much as the rest of us do. She’d be willing to help us convince the Prince. In addition—” She was cut off by the sound of knocking at the door. “Er…come in!”
Ryokumo cocked an eyebrow. “Expecting company?”
“No,” Sinna muttered. “I was not.”
He heard the front door open, followed by rushed footsteps as a young man hurried into the doorway, looking concerned. It was Alucian, Sinna’s apprentice.
“What is it?” she demanded. “I thought I told you we would need privacy.”
Alucian hurriedly bowed. “I'm sorry, Master, but this is urgent. Prince Reigious has requested that all the Masters meet in the chambers at once.”
***
Ryokumo, Sinna, and Nyx all walked into the Chamber of the Masters together, only to find that they were the last ones to arrive. Reigious was sitting calmly in his golden seat, his hands folded on the table and a satisfied smile on his face. Two seats to his right, Iris Mackia was watching them curiously, her yellow cat-like eyes narrowed in intrigue, probably due to the rare sight of the three of them together. Finally, to the Prince’s right was Seiras, his bulging eyes wild with excitement as he bounced up and down. Ryokumo exchanged glances with the two women on his right, and both seemed to have come to the same conclusion they had.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Reigious said as the three of them took their seats. “Normally, I’d have preferred to give you more of a warning, but today has special circumstances.”
“Special indeed,” Seiras rasped gleefully.
Ryokumo eyed the halfling nervously, then turned to the Prince for answers. “Is this about the interrogations…or did something else happen?”
Reigious grinned then motioned toward Seiras. “Go ahead, Seiras. The floor is yours.”
He quickly bowed his head then stood up on the chair before scanning the table with delight. To Ryokumo, it seemed as if he were simply basking in their reactions. Just like it was no secret among the Masters that they all despised Seiras, he certainly knew of their opinions of him. It was probably one of the reasons he took such joy in tormenting them.
“I am pleased to announce that soon after my dear partner, Caeli, departed this morning, I was able to succeed in snapping Arisa Kirisan!” he declared. “She spilled all her nasty little secrets to me and I must say, they are quite fascinating.”
A wave of surprise washed over the table as the four Masters stared back at him. Even Nyx, who often didn’t react to anything, looked unsettled as she regarded the halfling.
“Oh, I’m so proud of you, Master Ka,” Iris cheered, breaking the silence, though it seemed more like she was mocking him than actually congratulating him. “And what did we learn? Anything important?”
“Yes, do we know who the guide was?” Sinna urged.
Seiras nodded violently, his body shaking with excitement. “I do, I do! And it is quite a fascinating revelation, for the guide that led the Children up to the vault was Kirisan herself!”
Ryokumo frowned. “Kirisan? You mean she was given guideship by somebody?”
“Yes, that is what must have happened,” the halfling replied. “From what information she had, it would seem that there were numerous Children of Reiner who were bestowed guideship by none other than their wretched mother.”
Sinna grit her teeth and stood up, eyeing him with irritation. “Alright, slow down! You’re telling me that there are multiple Children with guideship privileges…and that Abi Reiner gave it to them? But then who gave her the privilege? Last I checked, Masters weren’t trusted with that power. So stop being dramatic and get to the point! Who is the root of all this?!”
“I don’t have a clue!” Seiras declared with a cackle. “For Arisa Kirisan does not know. She claims that her mother merely gave the guideship to four of the Children, but never told them where she got it from. All she said was that it was a secret they must take to the grave…and it would seem that is exactly what dear Abigail did.”
Ryokumo’s mind was spinning as he took in all of the new information they were being presented with. Abi…was a guide? She never told me this…but why? Damn it…why is it I can never truly understand that woman’s intentions? She’s an enigma even now.
“And did the girl say where the other three Children are?” Iris inquired, her tone more serious now that she understood how important the conversation had become. “Or even if they’ve spread the guide to each other? Just because she only trusted four of them doesn’t mean they didn’t start passing it amongst themselves.”
Seiras shook his head. “Kirisan does not know. She claims that as far as she was told, the four have remained the only Children that are guides and she does not know if the other three are living. According to her, they entered the Citadel in three groups, each being led by a guide, but only one of them made it to the top.”
“Hers,” Sinna finished. “The one Rista Pine was a part of.”
The halfling chuckled. “Correct. However, she has given me the names of the other three and, after having our magnificent Prince Reigious check reports from that night, we have confirmed that the other two guides were, in fact, killed.”
“Which only leaves us with two more,” Ryokumo said. “Kirisan and whoever stayed behind in the city. Do we have a name for the one who didn’t go on the attack?”
“We do,” Seiras rasped. “Malt Territh. The Prince and I also looked into him and he was registered as an orphan with Reiner. But as Kirisan claimed, there is no record of him having been in the Citadel. Instead, he was in a rather large group of Children who departed Erika not long before the attack began, which leads me to wonder if Territh is even in Ijiria anymore.”
“And now, there’s nothing stopping him from passing the guideship onto whoever he wants,” Nyx murmured. “And if he did escape into a neighboring country, he could easily use that as a bartering chip for safety, especially in Trovia. This could be more disastrous than we thought.”
“I agree,” Reigious said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. “With my father in his current state, he won’t be able to recreate the illusion magic. I’m doing my best to study it, but as of right now, I am incapable of fixing it. Which means that we need to track down this Malt Territh as quickly as we can.”
“But where would we even start?” Sinna inquired. “He could be anywhere in the world by now… Finding him won’t be a simple matter.”
“I agree, but we don’t have any alternative options.” Reigious sighed. “For the time being, I intend to send the Korrei-Tarr out into the city to gather whatever information they can find. Once Nakoma has finished dealing with the Trovians, he’ll take the lead and, if we’re lucky, perhaps he can learn if Territh ever crossed the border.”
Ryokumo nodded. The Korrei-Tarr were the country's elite fighters, currently being led by Princess Piura. While the Masters specialized in magic and used that to compliment their ability to fight, the Korrei-Tarr were the opposite. They specialized in fighting and used magic to enhance their abilities. To any fighter who didn’t have an advanced control of magic, fighting a Korrei-Tarr was essentially a death sentence. With the Master of Fire at their head, if Territh was found, he would be as good as dead.
“I agree,” Sinna stated. “In this current ordeal, they would be the best option. But what of Kirisan? Is she to be left alive? After all, should she escape, she would become just as dangerous.”
Reigious nodded. “I’m going to have Seiras question her once more to be absolutely certain she didn’t lie, but once that’s done, she and the remaining Children will be executed. After all, their purpose will be fulfilled.”
Ryokumo struggled to keep the regret from showing on his face. He knew it was the right choice from the perspective of the country’s well-being, but he still couldn’t bring himself to hate the Children. He didn’t want Abi’s legacy to be snuffed out like that.
“Now, with that discussed,” the Prince went on, “we still need to continue our investigation into the root of the guideship. Somebody had to have given it to Abi Reiner, but we can’t be certain anymore whether she received it from the council or from somebody who did. The line could go far, but I assure you that neither my sister nor I ever trusted her enough to give her such a power. A piece is still missing and I would like the five of you to look into it. See what you can find and report back to me immediately if you come across anything. And Ryokumo…”
At his name, he glanced up at Reigious. “Yes, my prince?”
“I’m sure you would have told me already, but I still feel the need to ask,” he began, “but is there anybody you can think of that was close enough to Abi that they would bestow guideship upon her?”
Ryokumo immediately shook his head. “No. There were many who loved her, but the only ones she was truly close to was Nigreos, Album, and myself…and I assure you, we wouldn’t have had the ability to give the guideship to her. If somebody did trust her with it, I was never told. She was a woman of many secrets.”
“I suppose so,” Reigious murmured. “In that case, you’re all excused. I’ve said what I needed to say.”
“Actually!”
Just as they were all getting to their feet, Seiras raised a hand and grinned. “I was thinking this was cause for celebration! After all, we’ve finally received some form of an answer in our quest for information! So, why don’t us Masters all have dinner together in the Niras Lounge? I say we’ve earned it, wouldn’t you?”
Ryokumo’s suspicions were instantly raised. They rarely ever got together as a group outside of the chambers, and they’d certainly never had dinner together before. The fact that Seiras would even suggest such a thing was so out of character for him that there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the halfling was planning something.
“Sure, sounds like fun,” Iris chimed in, startling the other three. “I could use some relaxation time.”
What? Why would she…?
Yet, as he looked at her seemingly cheerful face, he realized that she had sensed exactly what he did. The Master of Nature knew Seiras was up to something and she wanted to see what it was. She was a woman of mischief and this was the perfect place for some fun. Of course Iris Mackia would be the first to accept. Ryokumo glanced across the table at Sinna and Nyx, but both women were eying Seiras with unrestrained suspicion.
“So? Cartus? Rana? Caeli? Are you going to join us?” he pressed.
Damn it! I don’t want to have dinner with him in the slightest yet…he’s clearly up to something and I have to know what it is, especially if Mackia’s already agreed to go. I don’t really have a choice in this matter, do I?
Ryokumo sighed. “Yeah, sure. I suppose my evening is free.”
***
Sitting in the darkness of her cell, Arisa Kirisan felt as if everything inside of her had been completely shattered. After days of that horrible mental anguish, she found herself unable to stop shaking. The constant barrage of visions were tormenting and she found her resolve diminishing with each attack Seiras Ka sent her way. What she saw was nightmarish and mentally scarring and she knew there would never come a day when she would be able to forget them. And after all of her defiance, she had finally given in. She told the Master of the Mind exactly what he wanted and she left nothing out. She never lied and she never tried to hide anything. She had betrayed her mother and her brothers and sisters in every sense of the word.
I want to die. Please, somebody kill me. Let me die. Let me leave this place!
She knew her death was coming and now she welcomed it. She didn’t deserve to live anymore. The amount of blood on her hands was more than she could fathom and now, she was certain more would die.
They’re gonna hunt down others and they’ll all be killed because of me. If I hadn’t given in…they would have been free to go into hiding. They’d be safe…and now I’ve ruined that. I sold them out to the Masters.
I deserve to die.
I want to die.