Chapter Four: The First Secret
[Congratulations, you have defeated the Giant Rat. For killing your first mob on the floor with a weapon, you have gained one Death Boon.]
“Hey, Crystal, your message thingies nearly killed me back there.”
[Do you mean the notifications? I am sorry, but it is a setting that must be changed separately by Death Boons.]
I sighed. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. As Crystal’s indifferent response scrolled across the parchment, frustration bubbled up within me. Memories of waking in Penance flooded back.
Why me? Why had I been brought to Penance? The realization that I didn't have the force of will to leave this place weighed heavily on me.
Walking past the dead rat, I saw a sparkling cloud of dust rising from its corpse, almost like smoke from a flame. I kicked at the rat’s remains, watching as they disintegrated into a sparkling cloud of gold dust. The surreal nature of this place struck me again.
[You loot five gold.]
Just when I thought this place couldn’t get weirder. Corpses disappearing. Clothing that magically appeared around my body. Speaking, floating crystals. Giant Dice. Utterly bizarre.
Then, I saw it—a small orb descending from the ceiling. It pulsed with a bright blue light, casting odd, disjointed shadows. It moved slowly as if it knew I would wait for it to descend.
A part of me screamed not to touch it, warning that it was dangerous magic I didn’t understand. But another part was mesmerized.
I had always loved magic, hadn’t I?
I reached out to it.
Unexpectedly, more parchment appeared in my vision—comparable but not identical to the ones that woke me up. I shuddered as a ghost of pain flowed through me. This parchment was glowing with a similar but softer blue hue than the orb.
As I touched the orb, everything froze. The water flowing around my feet, my pounding heart, even the sound of water dripping—everything stopped.
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 1/???}~~~~~~~
{Would you like to view the memory?} {Y/N}
Hesitantly, I said, “Yes.” A sharp spike of adrenaline coursed through my body.
Memory core? Is this why I can’t remember anything? My heart pounded, and then, the sewer was gone.
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 1 Start}~~~~~~~
A serene garden gradually came into focus, the golden sunlight filtering through a canopy of leaves. I sat at a quaint table adorned with an array of delicious-looking meats, breads, and cheeses.
My hands and mouth moved on their own as if under a spell, mechanically lifting morsels of food to my lips. The taste was exquisite, yet I felt no pleasure, only a strange, detached calm as if I were merely a spectator in my own body. A jolt of electricity suddenly rushed through me, snapping me out of my detached state. I remembered. Our final lunch, though not our final meeting. Words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them:
“I’m going to kill your father.”
I locked eyes with Queen Jamie, my gaze unwavering, challenging her to speak the question we both knew lingered in the air.
“I have to end it. There’s no other way…”
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Though only sixteen, Queen Jamie was the nominal ruler of the country. Yet, her father’s shadow loomed over every decision, his influence palpable in every royal decree. Despite Jamie’s proximity to power and our bizarre friendship, I still huddled in the cold confines of my parent’s home every night while she slept in the warm fires of luxury. How much would it cost her to help me? To fix my broken life? Nothing.
Her response was as calm as the surface of a still pond, shattering my expectations of shock or indignation.
“My hands are tied,” she said evenly. “Besides, killing him won’t stop the pain. Killing him won’t fix everything.” She hesitated, but her voice remained steady.
“You know this; the Church of Rellum teaches us killing is wrong; all it will get you is a one-way ticket to an Eternity in Penance.”
I clenched my fists under the table, my entire body tense with suppressed rage and frustration. I wanted her to yell at me, to call me rash and stupid. But there was no saving me now. I had made up my mind. Even in this so-called Kingdom of Never-Ending Peace, people were still killed.
“That doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice unwavering. “I wouldn’t end up there for this anyway. Only monsters end up there. Monsters like him.”
He wasn’t just a tyrant; he was an abomination who thrived on misery. My soul might be beyond saving, but at least I could save others from his cruelty.
Her eyes flickered with a shadow of something—regret?
“You think I haven’t tried to stop him? He’s my father, but every time I’ve opposed him, he’s tightened his grip on the kingdom. On me. It’s getting harder and harder to sneak out of the palace.”
“Then help me before it’s too late,” I insisted. “You can do something. If you really cared about this kingdom, you’d stop him before he destroys everything. Look at me, Jamie. I’m what his rule has done. Do you want more people to suffer like this?”
I paused, waiting for a reaction. The Queen looked down at her tea, little spirals of smoke wafting away into the air. She closed her eyes and frowned.
If you were really sad, you’d have your guard arrest him and take back control, I thought.
She hesitated, and then, in a tiny voice I struggled to hear, she said, “There’s nothing I can do. I can’t stop him.”
I shook my head. This isn’t working.
Instead, I changed tactics—subversion.
“Fine, but at least give me your ring; it would help me get to him. I can stop him; I know that I can. That’s why I need it.” I didn't, truly. But a fast way into the palace would go a long way to helping my cause.
She pulled it off her finger and played with it. Sunlight reflected on its silver surface, catching my eye and making me squint. She held it up in the air and started talking.
“If I give this to you, I’ll end up in Penance the same as you.”
“I’m killing him with or without your help.”
The wind rustled the leaves overhead, a small shower of foliage falling over us and settling into our cups. I picked up my tea, carefully removing the leaves, savoring the earthy aroma despite the tension. I wasn’t so lucky I could throw away tea. However, the queen emptied her cup on the ground before picking up the carafe and refilling it.
But I was lucky, wasn’t I? Somehow, I had met the Queen of the Realm, and here I was, throwing my chance away like she throws out afternoon tea. After my declaration, how could she bear to be around me? Especially now that her ring burned a hole in my pocket. The third rule of being a thief was to ask nicely but never take no for an answer.
The world turned grey as we kept talking, Jamie gracefully changing topics, and the subject of my imminent sin was forgotten. Leaves continued to fall from overhead, hopefully covering the evidence of my sin until I left.
If I learned one thing about her over our weekly meetings, it was this: the Queen didn’t actually care. She was as broken as I was. She had seen the horrors of the world and given up on us all, content to let her father rule in her stead. The breeze came again, and this time, the tree shook violently. She stood, dusting the debris off her gown. We made our goodbyes. And—
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 1 End}~~~~~~~
The serene garden vanished as a horrific stench yanked me back to reality. I blinked a few times, struggling to acclimate to the sewage around me. What was that? I shook my head, a headache lingering, so I did what I always did when I was in pain: I distracted myself.
I walked toward the chest I had seen earlier. Placing my hand on the simple brown lid, I nudged it. It didn’t budge. Realizing my error, I moved my hand to the metal latch securing the lid. I lifted it and opened the chest.
[You loot 25 Gold. You have received a death boon for opening your first chest.]
Great. Gold. A fat lot of good that would be. What could I even buy in Penance? There would be few people here, right? Or would there be a lot?
I didn’t know what information I could trust. Ignoring my swirling thoughts, I left the room, determined to face whatever this twisted place threw at me next.