"Do you know why I walk the Path of Sincerity?" a whisper said from behind.
Ryul turned back quickly, swinging his graceful mythril sword without hesitation. He was almost grateful for the invader to let him know of their presence before attacking, for it let him activate his artifacts that added two invisible defensive layers on top of his golden and silvery plate armor. He had just returned to his room and been considering taking a bath, but the invader, although skilled in infiltration, was clearly a stupid novice too eager for glory.
His sword found only empty air. He almost cut the tapestry on the wall depicting the Tree of Life but stopped himself in time.
Ryul looked around but found no one. He mentally kicked himself for furnishing his bedroom. He knew it was a safety hazard, but he hadn't been able to stop himself after he started navigating dangerous waters. If his life were to be short, at least it should be fulfilling while it lasted. Now, his luxury might be his demise, for the invader might be under the massive central bed or inside the long, finely crafted wooden wardrobe enchanted to be bigger on the inside. They had undoubtedly abused the furniture previously, which explained how he had failed to notice them when he came in.
Then again, the furniture would give the invader a sensation of security, and the big objects were relatively far from the door. Ryul could use it. A stupid Guardian would search for the intruder, but Ryul released his domain to pretend he would do it, then just turned back to the door and decided to run, already opening his mouth to cry an alarm.
There was no door in his room anymore, and his domain never left his body.
"To hone myself," the whisper said behind him.
This time, when he turned, he saw a drow sitting on the bed. Not just any drow, either, but the most gorgeous one he had ever seen, enough to rival the most beautiful of high elves. That said a lot coming from him, considering he believed high elves to be better than every other race in every way conceivable.
Ryul's desire rose so fast and hard that he had to bend down and throw up bile.
"From the very first day I started walking a Path," the drow said with a sexy, hoarse voice, "I decided my Path would be the opposite of the power I was well-versed in and sought to improve; anathema to my deepest and most hidden self."
Ryul's lust reached a new high when he heard the voice. Such raw perfection! That was all he wanted!
Suddenly, truth slapped him in the face. Memories were unlocked, and his self was reanalyzed. An image came to mind, the memory of the first time he saw the Queen of Spring and Autumn.
He realized he had been doing all this simply because he desired the Queen, and the only way to possess her solely for himself was by taking her down from her throne.
"My very existence is to spite the powers that be," the drow continued, "and I started with spiting my own self. If I can't do that, how can I fight established old monsters? The united logic of my race, too, is to contrast against every other culture out there. There are no extremes of individualism or collectivism, only a complex web of belonging and self-sacrifice that perseveres despite all odds and can be simplified in one sentence: we are drow. Even I was surprised when my people resisted the Dreamer's ploy without assistance—partially, just to spite the Dreamer and the Alliance that allowed the Dreamer's scheme."
Ryul looked at the invader with bloodshot eyes. His body was overheating from the overwhelming lust that he had kept bottled for so long. Not for the drow before her, but for the very memory of the Queen.
He had forced herself to suppress it long ago. Now, he was forced to face his innermost self. It didn't help that the one time he sought an alternative to his passion, he was denied again. He had acted against his orders and taken Taeral into the Resistance, and the damn woman had turned out to like girls too.
Ryul cried as his long, unrequited love turned into physical pain.
The drow stood up and approached. Her dark clothes were tight but left a lot for imagination. Ryul could only imagine the Queen underneath. It was impossible for the Queen to manifest here, but his desires were shaping his perception of reality.
"I survived because I lucked out in developing a domain when my true beliefs and my Path were clashing so hard that I was almost killing myself," she said. "That this is the ultimate purpose of a domain: to dominate subjects. Yet, aren't we our Path? Isn't a domain our Path expanded into the world? How can my Path dominate itself to include things my Path disagrees with?" She chuckled. "Few remember the ruler of a true domain lies somewhere deeper. Few notice that we are not our Paths, Wills, or beliefs but our hearts. We are the core of our existence that makes choices. We're defined and made unique by the decisions we make."
"What..." Ryul arched with difficulty. "...do you want?"
The drow smiled, but he saw the Queen standing scantily dressed before him.
"My point is that I find great pleasure in the ironies of existence," the Queen said with a melodious voice that made the hair of his entire body stand on their ends. "I'm not an irony but a statement, yet such things feel close to me. Someone increased Shen's monitoring priority to A-tier to hurt him, but it allowed him to use the system despite your B-tier meddling. The lizard boy didn't interfere with you because he knew I would like seeing it, and he was right. Knowing Shen has the Queen's favor makes it even more delectable."
Ryul kneeled and drolled as he stared at the face of perfection.
"Now," she said, and he adored her every word, "your extreme and unresolved obsession will be your downfall. Cultivators call such things heart demons for a reason. It molds your Path into something you should not be, twists you, and leads to ultimate doom."
She stepped closer, standing before him in all her glory. His body trembled.
"Your Path will crumble because it's defined by external influence and unfulfilled desire. There's no ambition, only self-loathing and self-deprecation. Your Path cannot resist the cold honesty of its feeble falsity. It's feeble and useless, leading nowhere but the past, which was awful and miserable to begin with. The Path I walk to hone myself will be your destruction, and seeing an enemy fall to what makes me stronger is the irony that brings me happiness above all else. That I shall be rewarded for doing it by the very system that punished me minutes ago makes it taste even better. With a monologue to boost!" The Queen smiled, and the world became better. "My soul still aches, and staying awake is a struggle, but I had to be here for this. I owe the lizard boy for waking me up for this. It's the little things that make eternity worth it."
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"It's my pleasure to fall before your Realization, my Queen," he said with utmost devotion.
The Queen snickered. "Weren't you listening? I spite on the powers that be. If they say True Path Walkers are stronger, I create, survive, and reach greatness with a Reverse Path. By the same token, if they declare a pure Path to cause the death of the ego, I merge my ego with purity and become something more. And if they demand a Realization to reach A-rank, I do it without one and force them to recognize me as A-rank, for they have no alternative."
Ryuk couldn't understand it, but he didn't need to. He was barely listening. He was morphing into something else. Lesser, but better. Truer. Freer. Happier.
She continued, "I don't need a Realization to deal with someone who built their Path on a sense of inferiority. You also lucked out with your domain, or your Path would've unraveled earlier. But your domain was built on the same shallow foundations that define the rest of your mediocrity. It's already gone, for you can't dominate yourself with so much doubt and demeaning, and everything else is following. May the castle you built on quicksand crumble, for it should never have grown this high to begin with."
Ryul found blissful love and nirvana in the illusion of a meeting he had never had and attention he had never received. The harsh truth of his worthless existence was thrown on his face, and he couldn't be happier, for he had been noticed and analyzed by his Queen.
She was correct in everything. As always. He was nothing. Thus, he should cease to be.
His Path unraveled, and he with it.
----------------------------------------
Shen got two notifications as soon as he denounced the Captain.
| Report received
| Report accepted — Ryul Qira (B) has been deemed a traitor
Things had gone considerably smoother than Shen had expected. Had he overthought things? Ryul's actions were in a gray area between politics and raw power, so it made sense that Shen had seen too much into the Captain's actions.
Still, the easiness left a bitter taste in his mouth. His best guess was that Ryul was simply an idiot who had overestimated himself. Yet, even such an idiot could become B-rank and had crippled Shen's Battalion Commander!
"I want to apply for restitution for Battalion Commander Blue Sky," he said. "She was injured in the line of duty by a superior officer committing treason. The military must pay for the crime of placing such a person in such a high position. She must be healed, at the very least."
That demand was politically much less sensible than reporting the Captain because he was saying someone even higher in the chain of command was either an accomplice or incompetent. However, it was perfectly acceptable and even expected of an Exemplary Brigade. The same status that forced Shen not to continue improving his Laws minutes ago now worked for his benefit.
| Compensation has already been delivered to Second Lieutenant Blue Sky. A token to call a B-rank healer was included
Shen raised an eyebrow at that. That was pleasing. Whoever had gotten his earlier report had already made things right.
Yet, Blue Sky hadn't used any token to call anyone yet.
He turned to the lansier. "Battalion Commander Blue Sky, may I remind you that you're expected to maintain peak condition at all times, including physical readiness?"
Sixty-two pairs of eyes looked pained when they met his. "To heal my arm before my community is flourishing would be a dishonor to the ones I lost, Commander."
Shen hadn't been told lansiers also suffered from such a psychological barrier on top of their physiological one that kept them from healing minor injuries. It made sense, though. He nodded. "If you believe making yourself vulnerable and more susceptible to losing even more of your minds is more honorable than eating it up and protecting those who remain, so be it. I'll allow your claim of cultural relevance to overrule the demand for your readiness."
That was all he would say on the matter. He didn't know enough to make a more informed decision, nor could he empathize with a literal walking hivemind. Her argument was sound enough for him to let her lack an arm for the remainder of their current assignment. The military rules included such exceptions, though at the discretion of the individual's superior.
She nodded gratefully, all but ignoring his argument, "Thank you, Commander."
Shen nodded back and said, "Blue Sky, Hukzun, which one of you feels better suited to gather information? Consider your subordinates in the answer and know that whichever Battalion remains will replace Vinamour in locking the fortress down while I hold this place and pass judgment on the prisoners."
The two Second Lieutenants glanced at each other before Hukzun stepped ahead. "I'll lock the fortress down, Commander." He immediately organized his troops to do so.
Blue Sky smiled weakly. "I wish I didn't have to go back there, but I am more qualified despite what my recent failure suggests."
Shen knew she was better suited for it but wanted to give her a way out if Hukzun was up to it. He had also been testing if they had gotten closer to each other while he was away. Such small tests bordered on pettiness but were necessary while he got to know them better.
"Very well. I don't agree with the rule that you must call me Commander or First Lieutenant at all times, but we're an Exemplary Brigade. Don't repeat that mistake. Find Luthdel, Rayna, and Vinamour as soon as possible, in that order of importance."
Luthdel was more likely to do something stupid, so he was the priority. Shen needed a helper more than a Battalion Commander with anger issues, so Rayna was second.
"Yes, Commander," Blue Sky said and also organized her people to return to the fortress.
Finally, Shen turned to his forty-nine prisoners. They were all high elves. Shen didn't think many were innocent, considering their race had so much clout in Samir.
"The fugitives will go first," He said and looked at a random guy. "Iolas Quikalyn, step ahead and wait a moment." He reread the D-rank's file and pointed out, "You sold twenty-seven pieces of defective C-tier equipment that crumbled at the wrong time and caused the death of thirteen D-ranks and one C-rank. You then disappeared. Do you plead guilty, or will you enlighten me about a very interesting conspiracy?"
Iolas being safe and sound in the bedroom was evidence of his ill intentions, but only circumstantial, without other circumstances to justify his immediate execution. The same was true for most of the imprisoned fugitives. In Iolas's case, he could claim that he had no choice but to hide after he was schemed against by someone with too much power in Samir. It was improbable but possible. Thus, Shen decided to give him a fair trial.
The high elf hesitated momentarily before asking, "First Lieutenant, I take it your denounce against Captain Ryul Qira was accepted?"
Ah, so the Captain was a key figure in this mess, and Iolas was hoping for the Captain's protection.
"Yes," Shen replied, then said to the system, "I ask for the current status of Ryul Qira to be displayed in this trial."
The system agreed that Ryul's status was relevant and revealing it would assist with the trial. A message window appeared in the air, visible to everyone.
Ryul Qira (B)
Status: Deceased
Cause: Executed for treason
Well, that was a surprise. Ryul was even more of an idiot than Shen had thought if he hadn't an escape route planned and got himself killed so quickly.
Really, any random weakling seemed to be able to scheme in Samir just because they were high elves.
Said weakling was evidently very important to many of these people. Half the fugitives and five Guardians who had harbored them felt mixed levels of sadness and hopelessness when they read the message. A few even fell to their knees, some started crying, and at least six despaired.
"The Resistance..." a C-rank muttered, then just died.
He killed himself by willing himself to die. Any Path Walker could do so from D-rank onwards.
The waters of corruption in Samir clearly ran deep, but Shen really wasn't interested in knowing more. Those weren't his orders. He was just glad someone high up in the hierarchy wasn't involved.
Multiple others followed the first one to give up on life. They would be remembered as traitors if they waited for the trial and were executed. Dying as fugitives, even captured ones, some of whom the system had already deemed traitors, let their loved ones remember them more kindly. It was a small mercy allowed by the Alliance.
After the mass suicide, twenty-one Guardians remained. Twelve were C-ranks who had been branded traitors for staying in Shen's way and could only hope for the best in the trial. It was probably just wishful thinking, but Shen didn't blame them. Most people would do the same in their place.
He was more interested in the nine fugitives who chose to stay. None of them had been branded as traitors by the system.
"Lixiss Glynrel," he picked another random individual. "You're next."