Chapter 8
Priest si u
location: World Archives, the central nation
Day: 16th of Jan 5027
-Claus -
a tired operator Sophia calls agent double 0 through the team channel
-yes -
- there is nothing - she says as she places another file on the large stack of files next to her
-what do you mean there is nothing -
-just like I said, I have combed through everything. there is nothing; there is no digital record, no physical record, nothing it's like she randomly appeared in the world two years ago -
-maybe she is just a good hacker who was able to hide their identity from the system - Claus wonders
- no, Claus you don't get it. a good hacker could possibly remove themselves from the digital archive system but wouldn't be able to get rid of their physical file. that's why I came to the archives, for them to have no physical file in the archives means one of two things either they don't exist or -
-or someone high up in the government removed their file -
***************************
location: the ancient labyrinth
Ken walks towards Saiko and Naoi who is helping her study water magic, holding an empty bottle of water in his hand
~looks like we will have to leave this place soon ~
Saiko turns to look at Ken
_ oh, why is that? _
~we are running out of food and water we have been here for a week ~
- oh, but we haven't finished studying yet besides there's so much more to learn besides magic -
during the week she spent in the labyrinth Saiko was able to learn one third of the information recorded in the room.
if Naoi were to rank the silver cat among the water mages he met based on her talent, she would rank in the top 10 %
~ you are not wrong but my desire to live outweighs my desire to learn ~ Ken responds
Naoi raises his hand and the two of them stop talking and look at him
- you can take the labyrinth with you once the labyrinth gets a new heir it stays with them till they die -
Ken looks at Naoi with intrigue
~how are we going to do that?~
having finished studying all the information on the pillar, he now realizes that many things he once thought impossible are now possible yet despite that nothing he learned would make it possible to take the labyrinth with them
- the labyrinth's form is changeable. it can be a scroll, it can be a massive building, it could be a library, it could be stone tablets but its most commonly used form is a book -
the walls of the labyrinth glow with golden soothing light then begin to slide at extremely high speed toward Noai.
the walls of the labyrinth shrink smaller and smaller the closer they get to Naoi, before turning into a mist like golden substance that then transforms into paper
soon the entirety of the labyrinth has turned into paper; leaving them standing in a massive underground cave, then a string appears binding the papers together at one edge before a black cover with golden decorations appears around the paper and closes on them, finally, ancient writings appear on the cover of the book that Saiko and Ken are now able to read
[ the book of knowledge ]
Ken looks utterly dumbfounded before his expression turns to anger
~ DON'T BREAK THE LAWS OF PHYSICS MY AS~
Ken gets pushed to the side by Saiko who looks even more shocked than Ken is, she hastily tries to grab the floating book before hesitating and looking at Naoi
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_th-this this book ....this book used to belong to my old man_
Naoi smiles gently at Saiko
- that is correct my child priest choi si-u was the previous heir to the Labyrinth or should I say the Book of Knowledge now. he was a good man very close to the divine, that is also why I know you very well my child even better than you know yourself I have watched you grow up since the day si-u found you -
Ken looks at Naoi with a look that says he finally understood something
~ so that's why you showed her such blatant favoritism ~
Naoi ignores the insolent child and continues.
- now it's your turn to inherit the labyrinth I am sure priest si-u would be proud -
a still shocked and confused Saiko looks at Naoi
_ No, I don't get it how is the old man involved in all of this _
Naoi looks at her apologetically
- well, he wasn't born a priest my child. he was always a good man close to the divine but he only became a priest after he found you. do you remember how he found you? -
Saiko pauses for a moment recalling the day her suffering ended
_ .... I, I do. I think I was 10 years old at the time_
she begins to tell them her story as the vivid memories play in her mind
_Everything before that day is a haze, but that day I remember clearly _
********************************************
BOOOOOOOOOOM
WHEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOO
- THE FACILITY IS UNDER ATTACK -shouts a worker
BOOOOOOOOOOM
explosions erupt all around the facility
-PROTECT THE WEAPON - a guard shouts
for the first time since she could remember the door to Saiko's room opened and a group of armed men rushed inside.
confused and scared little Saiko runs to her bed and hides behind it.
her room was an empty one; four grey metal walls a bed, and a bathroom area leaving her with few places to hide
a blurry figure enters the room after the guards.
CLANK SWIFT
its movements were so fast before Saiko could see who or what it was three guards had already dropped to the floor dead.
sounds of gunshots and metal colliding against metal fill the room as the guards engage the intruder.
Saiko sees this as her chance to escape; she collects her courage and runs out of the room.
once outside she is met with a hellish sight; the entire facility seems to be burning and bloody corpses fill its halls
she runs looking for an exit as the smell of burnt corpses fills her nose, but try as she might she can't find an exit.
getting desperate she decides to use decay magic on a wall but when the wall decays the only thing she finds is dirt as the facility is built underground.
- EVERYONE HEAD TO THE WEAPON’S ROOM-
Saiko hears one of the guards shouts followed by the loud sound of footsteps
she frantically looks around for a place to hide fearing if they find her, they put her back in her room again.
she notices a lab area to her left then runs to it and hides in one of the cupboards.
Saiko hides as the screams and sounds of fighting continue outside but after a few minutes it becomes quite
tap tap tap
sounds of calm footsteps echo outside of the cupboards.
Saiko puts her hand over her mouth to muffle her breathing scared the guards will find her as footsteps get closer and closer
.
.
.
creeeeeeek
_kyaaaaa_ little Saiko screams as the doors of the cupboard open and closes her eyes then throws a ball of decay at what she expects to be the guards
-wow there that almost hit me -
Saiko feels a gentle hand pat her head.
she opens her eyes to see an old man wearing a black coat that's half soaked in blood looking at her with a gentle smile
-it's okay now - the old man continues - you don't have to be scared anymore -
**********************************************
_ That was the first time I met the old man _ Saiko continues
_As time went on my memories of the days I spent in the facility became hazy. I remember small glimpses sometimes visions in my dreams I remember a lot of blood I remember being locked up, but every time I asked about the facility or why he was there that day he always dodged the question _
-he sealed away some of your memories so you don't remember the pain- Noai responds
-originally, he was a special agent in the government. he climbed up in the ranks until one day he was high enough to be informed about the living weapon program as they called it
when he saw the living weapon when he saw you and the suffering you were going through it weighed on his heart, they told him it was for the sake of harmony but he couldn't endure watching you suffer he became the heir to the labyrinth and then broke you out of your confinement took you under his care and gave you a place you can call home -
_but why? was I locked up _
Naoi looks at her with a sad look
- I am sure you can guess why; you already have the pieces of the puzzle my child -
Ken looks thoughtful for a moment
~ I think I figured it out it's because of the labyrinth right? you said the labyrinth judges your character before it gives you knowledge right they used kids so that the labyrinth would judge that their innocent nature is worthy enough to gain powerful knowledge ~
Naoi nods
- that is correct but only half correct, they also selected children with rare and powerful magic affinities such that when combined with the knowledge of the labyrinth they would produce the most powerful mages after all children are the most beloved by the divine
Naoi continues- they kidnap them soon after birth and make them go through hardships the more hardships they make the children go through the closer to the divine the children become and the further away from the divine they become -
Ken shakes his head and looks at Saiko
~ tsk tsk tsk told you this government is corrupt ~
Saiko looks at Naoi
_ there are others besides me? _
-all your siblings in the orphanage were living weapons like you -
_What happened to the old man why did he disappear two years ago _
- he went to save a child as he had done many times before but that time fate wasn't on his side and he was caught to make sure the labyrinth didn't return to their hands he asked me to return it to its original position and shape hence why they went looking for another key, but fate saw to it that a curious insolent child may steal the key and run into you my child bringing both of you here so that you may inherit the labyrinth -
Ken looks offended by the insult
~hey ~
Saiko pauses for a moment
_ We have to find the other children we have to save them _
ken interrupts Saiko
~sure, but first we need to get out of here get food water, and a place to hide then we can plan our next move if we want to save anyone, we need to be alive to do that if we move recklessly we will just end up being caught like your old man -
Saiko pauses for a while and thinks
- I guess you are right but what's the plan where do you plan to hide from the world government it literally has the word world in its name -
ken smiles smugly
- well of course in the only country that's still not part of the world government. the human republic of Kim sangtae -