The journey back to the capital had taken several hours and by the time the carriage was entering the palace grounds the sun was already beginning to color the horizon, marking the start of a new day. Ku Shen had been unable to rest during the trip and even as he enters the quiet calm safety of his own room the intrusive thoughts continue to nibble at his sanity. -What was the lesson this time? It could be anything, I'm lacking in so many areas. Did they just want to humiliate me? Mission accomplished if so. Not that I don't deserve it. I betrayed Big Bro Wei, my best friend. Even worse, I failed. I deserve to be taught whatever lessons he can come up with. What was the lesson this time?- They continue on loop like a bad song, no beat or melody, stuck in his head all the same and he can't help but sing along.
Except for a new bed and the new desk against the wall opposite it, the room is bare and devoid of decorations. An emptiness that reminds him of the tantrum he'd had during the annual gathering of the Tomorrow's Court. He lies in bed staring at the ceiling. His ego as a prince of the empire is tarnished, but not broken, and it prevents him from feeling shame, but he feels something infinitely close to it.
He doesn't know how long he lays there with only the song in his head for company, but a new sound rouses him from his daze of half conscious self admonishment. He follows the intermittent buzzing noises across the room to the drawer of his desk. He opens it half expecting to find a beetle of some sort trapped within, but to his surprise it's just his Encyclopedia page and it's doing something unexpected, it's vibrating. Tentatively, he reaches out and picks it up, feeling it touch upon his Chi briefly as words begin to appear on it's surface.
“Hello Little Shen, we should talk,” it reads. The handwriting and form of address unmistakably Ku Wei's and for a moment Ku Shen is tempted to cast the page back into the desk and ignore it. Instead, he takes a seat at his desk and just stares at it.
The words linger for a bit, expecting a response Ku Shen imagines, but when none comes he feels it brush against his Chi again to confirm he's still there before it continues, “You're probably expecting me to gloat over some imagined victory. The sad fact is this wasn't planned. My friends ran into you by accident and the team name was just them having a bit of fun at your expense. They fully intended to represent you in the competition to the best of their abilities. But I'll try my best to grasp this opportunity you've delivered me, so here's Lesson Three: Trust.”
Once again the words just hang there. Ku Shen feels numb as he reads and rereads the brief explanation of the events. Then he feels the now familiar touch upon his Chi once again as the words fade and are replaced, “You probably feel how alone you are more keenly than ever at this moment, relationships built on benefits are inherently fleeting and difficult to put trust in. These last few months I'm sure disappointment has felt like your only constant companion, so I imagine it's hard to even trust yourself anymore. If you continue like this your paranoia will get the better of you. It will drown you and consume you if you let it. You need to find someone you can trust so they can buoy you and help you stay afloat.”
The words pause for the briefest of moments before transitioning, but they come slower than before as if the writer is unsure of what or how to say what comes next, “This was your last lesson. I forgive you Brother. Things can never go back to how they were before, but I hold no ill will for you. You're young and you made a mistake, a grave mistake, but you're just a product of our father's will and Gaian society in general. They're the ones I have a grudge with. They're the ones that need to be taught a lesson. I hope we meet again some day when we're both better men.”
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The one sided conversation between the two princes proves a distraction for Tomo who can sense the whole thing through his connection to the Encyclopedia. His guest is kind enough not to comment on the temporary lapse and simply beckons him to join her next to one of the windows once his attention returns. “I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it is,” Charlatte Cooper says more to herself than to him as he approaches. Staring at the uncountable number of pillars stretching out before her like a forest she asks, “I'm always surprised by how much of it is empty space. Any thoughts on why that is, dear?”
He knows she's baiting him. She wants him to fall into another of his passionate monologues so she can admire and tease him in equal measure. It's fortunate for her then that he's not in the habit of passing up the chance to lecture. “I have a theory,” he says, hamming it up with a smug grin that elicits a small laugh from her before he continues, “The multiverse theory that we were taught states that any decision with two or more options spawns new realities. While I don't entirely disagree, the sight before us would seem to indicate that is false. If it were true each pillar would have an infinite number of branches. I hypothesize that each of these realities has it's own gravity and that a decision needs to reach a type of escape velocity in order to spawn a new branch, otherwise it simply collapses back into the original. For example, this morning I had several choices for breakfast and according to the old theory that should have spawned a dozen or so new realities, but I suggest that they all exist within this one reality. Because, a month from now when I no longer recall what I had, who's to say which is true? As such only significant decisions that can change the course of history matter, but even then they have to be 'real' decisions with significant differences in the outcomes between options and no obvious choices. A true coin toss to decide our fates, so to speak.”
“Very good professor! Truly enlightening!” his wife exclaims in exaggerated tones as she begins a slow clap.
Her words and actions are designed to mock him, but there is a hunger in her gaze, a hunger he returns. “There is so much more I could teach a willing pupil,” he says in little more than a whisper as he licks his lips.
“Stop talking,” she demands as she pulls him close. And he does, the two finding a much better use for their mouths than words.
*** *** *** ***
Captain Fan sighs as he addresses the remaining teams, “You all really thought you could wreck the point economy, didn't you?” It's less an accusation and more an answer to a challenge. The captain approaches the leaderboard where Team Lesson Three is in first, though their name is crossed out. They are followed by Ku Wang Xiaobo, Ku Xue, Ku Qin Zemin's Siege Squad, with The Dominators in last to Ku Yu Zhengzhong's chagrin. His answer to their teams averaging 100,000 points each is to simply cross it out.
Lin Liqin and Ku Yu Zhengzhong both feel an itch in their hearts at the loss of the points they negotiated to secure. Captain Fan writes in a 5 next to each score. Then slaps his forehead, “I forgot the bonuses... hmm... let's see... You all finished on the first day so an extra three points each brings you all to eight. Then another two for Lesson Three for trading in the most carts of silver, that puts them at ten. Ku Xue gets one point for being the first one back, so you're at nine. Siege Squad collected the most badges from teams they eliminated, so they're also at nine. Everything in the point store this time will be worth one or two points. No haggling.” That last statement was directed at the quartermaster standing off to the side. The old man just nodded along, looking like he was about to cry.
Captain Fan took a moment to savor the dejected looks of the participants before moving on, “Now on to the real reason you're all here. For round three we're combining capture the flag and bunker busting. Each team will be given time and resources to travel out along the valley floor and establish their own bunker. I suggest finding highly defensible positions for your bunkers because I have recruited our disqualified points leaders, Lesson Three, to lead my men in testing your bunker's defenses. Every bunker will have a flagpole and the number of points you'll earn for successfully repelling an attack will be equal to the number of flags you have flying. As such, you can reduce your opponents' ability to get points and raise your own by stealing their flag. It's important to note that if your bunker is destroyed you will be disqualified, so it's important to defend it properly even if you don't have a flag. This round will go the full three days, at the end of which the team with the most points will be crowned our winner. Any questions? No. Good. Dismissed.” The captain completely ignored Ku Qin Zemin's raised hand and headed back to his office.
Ku Xue gave a little laugh before placing his hand on his cousin's shoulder, “Don't fret Cousin Zemin. The point store is about to open and Quartermaster may have the answers you seek.”