Chapter 33 - An Omission of Memories

As Emily and Oliver looked through books of the bizarre library, Adam studied the towering holograms of marching soldiers and siege towers of the Pure. Although the thought of literally walking through Caine’s memories was still bizarre, it was surprisingly easy to get used to. Absorbing as much knowledge as he could, Adam thought of ways to use their insights for a new plan of action.

As they had expected, all the books, paintings, and other objects they found were in some way related to the siege of Eulenschloss. Since the Roots were absent here, and seemed too destructive in nature, Adam theorized that the library’s contents were made by the Thalers. Presumably, all of the inkwells and equipment for painting and sculpturing were used by the Thalers to continuously update the library’s contents and Caine’s memories.

Adam sat down at a chic oaken table, ignoring the pain in his leg. “So… I’d say we use what we already know about this place—and our hypothesis—to figure out what to do next.”

“Yes, finally, a plan!” Oliver said as he sat down in the largest chair at the head of the table.

Emily sat down as well, wobbled back and forth in her chair a bit, and swiped a pile of scrolls to the ground.

Deep in thought, Adam tapped two fingers on the wood surface of the table. “So, I wouldn’t mind finding out which of my memories have been altered and what I’ve forgotten. But I’m not sure how we could do that.”

Emily twirled a feather from one of the inkwells around her fingers. “Well, for a start, Oliver and I could prod your memory. We could ask you questions about things that happened, and if we notice anything odd, we can just tell you.”

“That would be great.” Adam gave her a suspecting smile. “I’m sure m’lady wouldn’t take the opportunity to plant some undignified nonsense into my poor brain?”

Emily made a fake gasp and placed her hand on her right heart. “Who, me? I’m affronted by the mere suggestion I’d say anything but the pristine truth! Anyway…” She swung up her legs and placed her boots on the table, wriggling her toes. “I’m sure you remember your unending commitment to massage my feet after long walks?”

Adam snickered. “Oh yes, and I always feed you grapes afterwards, right? Nice try.”

Oliver looked sourly at the boots on the clean table and cleared his throat. “I’ve given it some thought. Whatever is going on, I actually think it’s one of our main priorities to clear your Taint and get your memory back somehow.” He looked a bit awkwardly to the side. “You’ve, err… been through quite some hardships already, so to say, with your family and all. I think you deserve to get back what’s yours.”

Adam smiled at that. “Thanks. And I do believe it’s possible to get my memories back. Just now, when we fought the warrior, I suddenly remembered her name was Desdemona. Although that’s all I—”

“WHAT.” Oliver’s mouth hung open a bit as he stared at Adam with disbelief.

“That was her?” Emily hastily moved her feet off the table.

“Uhm.” Adam looked a bit sheepishly at Emily and Oliver’s shocked stares. “I think so?”

Oliver rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. “He ‘thinks so.’ ”

Emily shot Oliver an angry look and turned to Adam. “Back during the War of the Prophet, you’ve told us sometimes about fighting alongside her. You did seem to despise her back then, calling her miserably arrogant, but you did seem to respect her skills with the blade. Like how she somehow used to hunt whale turtles single-handedly.”

“Wait,” Oliver raised a finger. “Remember that evening Adam got drunk and kept telling the same story over and over again?”

Emily smiled apologetically at Adam. “At the time, there were quite a few of those evenings, I’m afraid.”

Adam sighed. “I know, I wasn’t at my best back then”

Oliver frowned. “That night, you kept boasting about how the two of you downed an Enigma.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “Ooh, right.”

Adam squeezed his eyes shut. He could imagine the Enigmas clear as day. Animated statues used by the Pure to take down walls, Enigmas were roughly shaped like colossal gorillas. Carrying towers with archers on the shoulders, and covered from head to toe in the Pure’s heraldry, they were a fearsome sight on the battlefield. If what Oliver said was true, to take one down with just him and Desdemona would have been insane. “No, can’t remember anything about that.”

Oliver nodded thoughtfully. “Please mention it when something comes back, okay? Anyway, I’ve been thinking. Doesn’t it sound awfully convenient for Caine that you’ve forgotten about multiple matters?” He counted on his short fingers. “There’s your secret research about these supposed ‘memory powers,’ your experience in the Forbidden Arts, and Desdemona who wants to pull your head off. I believe that at some point, Caine has deleted the knowledge that’s dangerous for him. However, let’s say these theories are true and you knew about the powers that locked us in this supposed ‘Realm of Remembrance.’ Getting your memory back might be our escape ticket back to Gotterburg!”

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Huh, apparently homesickness and urgency beat prejudices against unfamiliar sorcery, who knew?

Emily nodded. “Sounds good, and if we learn more about the Realm of Remembrance and the memory powers, it would probably increase our chances of surviving in here. We might learn how to defend ourselves against the Taint and other things Caine and his goons might throw at us.”

Adam ran a thumb through his beard. “Great! The info we gather from the Nodes might help us a lot, although we do need to be careful; I believe this place records what Caine thinks has happened instead of the objective truth.” Adam explained his thoughts about the gate of Eulenschloss and the drunk discussion he once had with Caine.

“So, we’re trapped in Caine’s twisted, heretical view of reality?” Oliver shook his head melancholically. “Aves have mercy on us.”

Emily frowned and crossed her arms. “But why has he trapped us in here, of all places? What has he achieved by doing so?”

Oliver looked up. “If you ask me, Caine ‘removed’ us for the same reason he removed some of Adam’s memories: because we are too dangerous for him. He said so himself, right, Adam?” He continued in a nasal mimicry of Caine’s voice. “ ‘I knew a day would come that you would find out. And I used to hope I could convince you to join the good cause before it would come to a confrontation. But both of you have become too much of a threat.’ ”

Adam clenched his hand into a fist for a moment, feeling the bitter anger rise in his stomach. “He did indeed. Although I wonder whether he hoped the Realm would actually kill us. The Thalers had tied me up in a chariot at first, and from what I’ve heard from them it seems Caine is personally in this Realm as well. So, maybe he has something else in mind for us? Furthermore, if he would’ve killed us in Gotterburg, there would’ve been evidence. But now?” Adam frowned and looked at his hand. “If we’re inside Caine’s memory, does that mean it’s just our mind that’s trapped in here? Are our bodies still in Gotterburg or are these our real bodies? It feels real.”

Emily lifted an eyebrow. “I can pinch you to check.”

“No thanks.” Adam leaned on the table with his arms crossed. “The thing is, either our minds were removed from our bodies and placed in here, which means that Caine and the Penduli can throw our helpless bodies in a river if he wants to. Or, we were transported in here with mind and body, which means we’re missing and no one knows we’re trapped in here.” Adam softly whistled between his teeth. “Gee, wonderful. I wonder which option is more disturbing?”

Emily nodded slowly. “Who knows what’s happening to our bodies if it’s the first one? Would he just imprison us somewhere? Or…” She shivered. “And what would happen if we die in here, would we die in the world outside? As far as I know, there are two confirmed conditions in which the victim’s mind is tampered with by sorcery. In both, the victim can act like their minds have left them.”

Oliver sighed. “To be part of the Pure, or to be severely Tainted.”

Adam rubbed his eyes with the tough palms of his hands and muttered curses under his breath. “Caine sure knows how to give a good ol’ welcome home present, doesn’t he?”

“I still can’t believe it, you know?” Emily closed her eyes and shook her head. “How can he, of all people, do something like that to us?”

Oliver swallowed and stared with a hollow expression. “It’s insane. “We can’t be sure what he did, of course, but I believe we have to be… realistic. He’s not the same man we used to know, the one we thought we knew. He said himself how interested he was in the Prophet’s abilities. He wanted to use them for a ‘world without suffering,’ right? Who knows what he’s planning to do?”

The three of them were silent for a while.

Adam cleared his throat. “In terms of places to visit, there’s this ‘Palace of Origin’ which should be at the centre of this network. If we follow our old plan, we should end up there.”

“Ah and according to that painting of the map in the last pyramid…” Emily shot Adam a short, teasing glance. “Caine should be there. But if all of this embodies his memories, would it be really him we’d find? Like, is he always inside his own memories? Or is it some weird memory concept about himself?”

Deep in thought, Oliver fiddled with his bottom lip. “Good question. The place could be heavily guarded if it’s so important.”

Emily looked up at Adam. “Wait, Schultora and Osaehin triggered old memories for you as well, right? We could just visit more of those creatures and see if they can return your memories!”

Adam grimaced. Although he’d rather chew an arm off than visit endless numbers of those things, getting overwhelmed by emotions every time, it could provide them with insights. Furthermore, he’d probably gain access to Invocations from other emotions besides fear and guilt. “True, true. Although I’d prefer looking for Nodes with useful information in the libraries, instead of randomly visiting Nodes and their disturbing creatures.”

“Indeed,” Oliver said absent-mindedly as he read a book about the Pure’s tactics in battle. “Just imagine how many bragging nonsense stories or women he’s slept with we’ll run into otherwise… Nodes about these ‘memory powers’ or Caine’s plans for the Penduli sound more useful to me.”

Adam’s eyebrows rose. “Wait, maybe beings like Schultora represent the emotion Caine feels for the Node’s subject! Osaehin could embody fear, so maybe that’s his primary emotion for the battle of Eulenschloss?”

Emily looked up from balancing multiple empty inkwells on top of each other. “Hmm? Oh, yeah! Caine seemed pretty darned nervous about standing so close to Mrs. Sexy. I hope the next Nodes contain some juicy news like that.”

Oliver snickered. “And of course, there’s the small detail of an entire army of the most feared faction of the century. Yes, him being scared sounds fitting.”

Deep in thought, Adam stared at the bookcases and tried to wrap his head around the implications of this theory. “That would mean every Node has one, or maybe even several of those creatures. And if all emotions can be represented in such a way, there should be many kinds of these beings we haven’t seen before. Hmm, but Schultora is definitely connected to guilt, which should mean that Caine feels damn guilty towards Catherine. If Caine has some kind of twisted ‘relationship’ with her, there could be dozens of reasons why he feels like that.”

Oliver shot Adam a pitying expression. “I’m afraid that does sound plausible.”

Adam gritted his teeth as he thought about Caine. What did you do to her, you twisted sack of misery? Were you in a good mood and did you leave it at brainwashing? Or are you treating her like shit as well, huh? You’d better feel guilty. A grim frown appeared on Adam’s brow when he looked at the books around him. An idea began to form. Hmm… maybe this wasn’t the best place to take me, for your sake.