Sorin considered Madelin’s warning and decided that the risk was worth it. For one, Nemesis still hadn’t warned him of any ill intent. For another, he was curious about these white threads and what they represented. They were different than normal karmic connections but similar to Strife threads in some respects.

His karmic vision activated and revealed the hundreds of thousands of threads. He parsed through most of them and focused on the thickest threads and followed them backward.

Connected to these threads were chains. Thick, golden chains that restricted Madeline all the while propelling her cultivation forward.

Further down the line, Sorin saw the ocean. It was a vast thing that filled the void and connected Pandora with several other continents, including the Infinite Dungeon.

And beyond that, Sorin saw a white bonfire. It was blinding simply to look at it, but it radiated a familiar aura.

“You’re a God Seed,” was the first thing Sorin said. “You’re from the Dem Clan. You’re Madeline Dem, a God Seed associated with the Divine Clans.” Then he frowned when he thought of the white flames. “You’re also and Agent of Lord Hope. That white fire… is Lord Hope’s corruption.”

Ophiuchan Simulation cranked into overdrive as he realized the implications. He scoured his memories to discover what he knew of the Divine Clans and their interactions with his clan and was horrified to discover that there simply weren’t any.

The Divine Clansmen were ghosts. They came and they went, never seen but always acknowledged.

They radiated a familiar whiteness. The same whiteness he saw on the clergymen of Lord Hope, which he only now realized he didn’t seem to remember so well.

It was also the same whiteness that he’d seen tarnishing Stephan and Daphne’s divinity.

The same whiteness he’d seen oozing off the five deities protecting Olympia and humanity.

“We’re all corrupted,” Sorin muttered as he inspected his own body and really looked. Memories he’d locked away suddenly came to the forefront. Memories of him discovering the white corruption time and time again but always putting off any further investigation. “Even me.”

Madeline cackled as she poured the contents of her cauldron into a large soup bowl and pushed it forward. She then walked over to the oven and pulled out a loaf of bread.

“They say Hope is the mightiest of the Eight Evils,” said Madeline as she placed the loaf of bread on a plate alongside a large wad of butter. “It is by its very nature a forward looking evil. Those corrupted by it tend to not look back.

“It’s not a spell everyone is under, Sorin Abberjay Kepler, but a natural change in behavior resulting from carefully controlled exposure to the most powerful corruption on Pandora.”

Sorin thought back to Astley and her struggles of late. Her condition was worsening, and only now could he tell that it wasn’t madness. Rather, it was due to the conflict between her activities and the corruption inside her.

It was the same for Stephan. He’d grown aggressive of late. Some might thing it was due to the infusion of Violence Sorin had given him. Only now did Sorin see that it was simply the ambition that hope had stoked from its previous dying embers.

Daphne was competitive and cunning, not corrupted by Strife.

Gareth saw hope for avenging his parents through Sorin, which was why it appeared that his Hatred at all things corrupted was growing too powerful.

As for Lawrence… well, Sorin didn’t really know how to place Lawrence.

Lorimer’s wants, on the other hand, were obvious. He hoped for freedom from his base evils through combining corruption. The emotion closely resembled jealousy for what humans had and a cunning want for things not in his possession.

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So many historical inconsistencies. So many customs abandoned, resulting in even their very names being changed.

Sorin and everyone he knew had been looking at the world through a filtered lens. It was the same as when he looked at the world through the lens of Strife and saw naught but karma and conflict.

“You were not the cause of the plague in Mildred Outpost,” Sorin concluded as he inspected his memories. “Your role there was to light a way forward.”

“Such is the nature of all five Divine Branches,” said Madeline, nodding towards his soup. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

Given her overwhelming aura and lack of hostility, Sorin saw no reason to refuse. He sampled a spoonful of the white soup and raised his eyebrows. “This is clam chowder. And it’s damn delicious.”

“It’s your favorite, Sorin,” said Madeline. “Don’t you dare lie to my face.”

It was indeed his favorite, though how Madeline knew, Sorin had no idea. The soup was just what he needed, however, and gave him the time to organize his thoughts.

“Why are you here?” Sorin finally thought to ask Madeline. He looked down and was surprised to see that minutes had passed. The soup was already gone, along with all the bread and half of the butter.

Madeline shrugged. “I can’t say I was given a specific mission, Sorin. My divine nature is centered around oceans. My altered divine nature pertains to guiding the currents in the vast sea called humanity.

“Perhaps you needed jolt to get you started? A push in the right direction? You have the time, Sorin. You don’t need to be anywhere for the next five days.”

Sorin pondered her words and frowned when he saw the web of strife that had tightened around him. Ophiuchan Simulation was working quite well, but in the end, it had been obscuring some key facts form him.

“Coincidentally, it’s not Good Luck Soup that I just fed you, but Memory Soup,” said Madeline. “You will find your perception and memory greatly enhanced for the next five days.

“But take care; The records of my clan describe Azrakul as the trickiest of the Heralds, even more so than the Herald of Jealousy, Namrit. Not that you’re likely to get involved with that one. I see no destiny between her and the current you.”

It was now what Madeline had come here to accomplish. Her goal was to let Sorin see. It was also to let him remember long enough to solve his current problem.

“Since you’ve figured it out, you’d best get to work,” said Madeline with a nod.

“Can I ask you some questions?” asked Sorin.

Madeline thought for a moment before raising three fingers. “Three simple questions. Then I’ll be off.”

“Then my first question… is there any hope in resolving my current situation?” said Sorin.

“Who knows,” said Madeline with a shrug. “Delaying is certainly possible. I confess that your situation, while not unprecedented, is a little more complex than the typical corruption-divinity fusion that occurs in our divine clans.”

Sorin thought a little longer before asking his second question. “What is the nature of the Hyde and Zeiss Clans?”

“Hah! That’s a good one!” said Madeline. “I suppose telling you does not harm. It’s a simple tale, really. The Hyde and Zeiss Clans… they are descendants of the two Godkings from the Divine Era. One of them opened Pandora’s Box out of greed and paid the price for his actions. The other was caught up in the altercation and was punished unjustly.

“Alas, their power was so great that even their deaths and the heavy shackles upon their existence aren’t enough to completely lock away their great strength. The fact that no one dares intrude on the Undercity despite it being rife with myths and corruption should be proof enough.”

This brought Sorin to his last question. “What are Myths?”

Surprisingly, a wave of sadness washed over Madeline. “Myths are the lost ones. The children the gods abandoned in favor of protecting their true-blooded descendants.

“Once, they were revered by humans and feared for their powers. But now… now, they are reduced to lackies for the remaining Seven Evils as they fight for scraps of the fallen Divine Kingdom with Lord Hope.”

A similar sadness washed over Sorin as he thought of the Ouroboros.

The Ouroboros was a deity. At the same time, the Ouroboros was a myth.

It too had been abandoned by the Gods despite its loyalty. It was no wonder that a small infusion of Hatred was enough to cause it to rampage.

“You may all stay here to accomplish what you will in the Undercity,” said Madeline. “But my protection will only last seven days. Much is changing in the Infinite Dungeon, and I only have so much time to waste.”

Sorin inclined his head. “Thank you for the information. And for the soup. It was delicious.”

Madeline gave him a bemused look. “You’d better work hard if you want to even remember the taste of that soup, Sorin. Now off you go. No clients are allowed inside the kitchen.”

The next thing Sorin knew, he was standing inside his room. Lorimer looked up at him in askance. A quick inquiry revealed that the rat did not remember having gone inside the kitchen. In fact, he didn’t even remember them leaving their room.

“Changed your mind already?” asked Gareth, who was fiddling with his bow string.

“I guess I’m not too hungry,” said Sorin. “Lorimer also has some rations, so no need to take any chances. What about you, Lawrence? Change your mind about taking another peek around the bathhouse?”

“Eh,” said Lawrence with a shrug. “Honestly? I’m beat. I need sleep more than anything.”

That suited Sorin just fine.

Now aware of his predicament and with nothing to do before the Golden Circle’s auction, Sorin turned his attention to the many pills, poisons, and medicinal ingredients he’d collected over the course of the day.

Now that the web of Strife was gone, he noticed something interesting about both the raw and finished products.

They were corrupted, yes, but in very interesting ways.