Chapter 46 – A City of the Past
Adam finally started to relax once again. Although he had an impressive collection of bruises and sore muscles, he also had a full stomach and his Corpiogenesis was gradually healing him. Besides, sitting on one of the comfortable carpets wasn’t all that bad. Especially now that Emily and Oliver had stopped bickering once again.
With a wide, enthusiastic smile on her face, Emily acted out how she took down several Roots and evaded the Shepherd’s attacks. Even Oliver’s mood seemed to have thawed a bit, although he was relatively silent and apparently still had difficulty looking at Emily.
Eager to learn more about the memory powers, they listed the strange Invocations they had seen so far. Adam assumed the green, glowing hieroglyphs were used to influence or change the properties of objects or opponents. The uses they knew of were the enchantment on Adam’s arms that made them repeat movements and the durability-increasing effect on the Shepherd’s trunks. Furthermore, the hieroglyphs were similar to those on the pedestals and those within the text of the scrolls and books used in Invocations.
Oliver was particularly interested in the control over the Overgrowth. The only ones they’d seen so far who were capable of that feat were the Shepherds, and they did so by writing in the air. They were also the only ones who could conjure creatures, like the peacock and the ape. However, the giant also practised the illusions and the Invocations reminding of electricity.
“I’ve been thinking about these ‘Commands’ the Thalers have talked about,” Adam said, rubbing his beard. “They seem to see them as irrefutable orders from Caine himself.”
Emily fidgeted with a small statue of an owl, cut out of emerald. “Ah, now that you mention it, that sounds like the system Caine uses to boss everyone around. We can assume everyone has a Realm of Remembrance, right? Commands could be part of how the system of memories is supposed to work, to ensure the Thalers keep everything running and up to date?”
Adam nodded. “Could be, although it might work differently in Caine’s case, with his memory powers.”
“Ugh, ‘memory powers,’ ” Emily said. “We really need a better name for it.”
“How about Memoryseering?” Oliver asked, sitting in his usual cross-legged pose. Adam and Emily looked at him in silence. “You know, based on Novaseering? But you’re actually ‘seering’ memories now…? Okay, maybe that sounds a little stupid.”
Emily giggled. “Just a bit.”
Adam smiled; it was good to hear Oliver mingle again. “My theory on the Commands is that they are sent and received using those.” He pointed at the banners on the walls. “Those banners are used by both the Thalers and the Shepherds. As soon as we entered the building, the Shepherd caused the hieroglyphs on the wall banners to change. Afterwards, almost all the Roots went after Oliver. Furthermore, hieroglyphs on banners of the Thalers changed during their fight with the Thuraum’s Corrupted.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “Oh! To give strategic directions to the soldiers, maybe?”
Oliver nodded slowly. “Sounds plausible.”
Adam rubbed his beard, deep in thought. “However, if that’s true… then the sheer number of banners here suggests they controlled more Roots than just the ones we’ve fought.”
“Oh, but wouldn’t it make sense if these Commands work over a long distance?” Emily asked. “Like, you said there were hundreds of Nodes at least on that map you saw. And it takes ages to walk between them.”
“Hmm, the trip between the last two Nodes took less than a week,” Adam said dryly.
“Which feels like ages for a person who isn’t ancient.” She stuck her tongue out at him. Oliver gave an awkward smile and closed his eyes.
Suddenly, Emily’s eyes widened and she dropped the owl statue. Oliver frowned, as that was probably some sort of ‘heresy against the feathered angels’ or some other nonsense. “But after the Shepherd died, all the banners around here became blank!” she exclaimed. “If those control Roots, it could mean that all Roots in a wide area aren’t receiving instructions!”
Adam shot up to his feet.
“Huh, isn’t that a good thing?” Oliver asked. “Disturbing the enemies’ communications is a sound strategy! The Roots might just wander aimlessly if they don’t receive any orders!”
“True, if they are normal Roots,” Adam said. “But all Roots we’ve seen were led by a Shepherd. They might get sad if daddy Caine isn’t writing them anymore and wonder what happened here.”
Emily stood up and got to the exit. “Which means they could be on their way!”
----------------------------------------
Adam ran through the rain and up the steps of the pyramid, careful not to slip on the wet stone. Oliver followed, huffing and puffing something about ‘damned stairs.’ Emily sprinted in front with her hair plastered against her head.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The pyramid’s flattened top looked similar to the one of Eulenschloss’ Node. With quick and shallow breaths, Adam tried to avoid looking at the replica of the site of his worst trauma. Which was a challenge, considering the statue took up most of the plateau. No matter how stupid he felt, no matter how he convinced himself it was not the real thing, his knees were shaking and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.
Luckily, there were no signs of the Overgrowth on the pyramid itself. The goldish-green spiral on the pyramid’s top was in a clockwise direction and burst into life as they got closer. Good, if our theory is correct, the Roots shouldn’t be inside.
Nervously rubbing the scars on his wrists, Adam puffed out his cheeks.
I’ve been hiding, avoiding, and running away from the past for so long. But that road has ended. I’ll never heal from my trauma or make amends if I don’t understand what happened. And I refuse to let my story end as the bloodstain in history it is right now. Adam took a deep breath and forced his legs to stop shivering. Adam’s heart beat faster and faster. He exhaled and looked up.
Each brick of the walls was visible, showing the lines of text in every known language. Although the script was tiny due to the statue’s small size compared to the original, they all knew what every line read: ‘Begone, for here lie the ruins of Ziecherhein. Remnants of the foul disaster that happened here will kill all who enter. May all remember Ziecherhein’s former glory. May none forgive those who caused the tragedy.’
Adam felt the colour drain from his face. Despite the tired, desperate voice inside him that screamed he was innocent, he knew damn well who the writers meant: the Prophet and himself.
A unique statue of Aves flying to the heavens crowned the stone walls. Shifting shades of green twinkled across its gold-flaked surface, caused by the aurora-like shimmering in the air. The downpour couldn’t hide the green streams of light, remnants of the most destructive Invocation in living memory.
Adam shivered, the urge to hide, look away, or vomit was almost overwhelming. Vague memories emerged of how the green light shone through stone and flesh. Adam closed his eyes and swallowed despite his dry throat. He tried to suppress the same endless questions he’d asked himself thousands of times before. Who caused this and why? Why did it kill combatants on both sides? Why did only I and the Prophet survive? The familiar brand of Schultora on Adam’s heart lit up as the cold, empty feeling of guilt rose in Adam’s gut.
Adam was startled when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Oliver stood beside him with a cautious smile. “It’s not the real thing, you know. It’s just a memory, remember that.” He gave Adam’s shoulder a squeeze. “You can do this. We may not know who caused the disaster, but I have no doubt we can find out and prevent it from happening ever again!”
Emily stood on Adam’s other side and smiled at him. “I think it’s brave of you, returning to all those memories… And we’re here for you every step of the way.”
Adam closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. “Thank you.” Trying to overcome his own reluctance, he stared at the spiral around the statue’s base. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”
----------------------------------------
Adam lay on his belly. Slowly, gradually, his mind and senses started to work again. Sunshine, strange and unfamiliar after spending time in the Realm, tickled his face and hands. The comfortable buzz of people talking sounded in the distance. The clip-clop of moose and the grinding of wheels neared them.
“I swear, it’s like everyone drinks in this ‘holy town,’ ” a gruff voice said. “And the prices you pay for food around here are insane!”
A woman sighed with endless tiredness as if they had been through this a thousand times already. “It was your idea to go on another pilgrimage, dear...” The two kept on bickering as their coach moved away.
Adam blinked a couple of times. Marital problems weren’t quite the first thing he’d expected to encounter in here. He pushed himself up with difficulty and gasped.
Instead of the Tomb, they were in the lovely city Ziecherhein used to be before the War of the Prophet. Adam smiled broadly as his heart ached with nostalgia.
They stood at the edge of Ziecherhein’s grand square, filled with merry market stalls. An elderly woman smiled radiantly as she walked with a small, giggling child on her shoulders. A teenage couple, almost shaking with nerves from standing so close to each other, bought a bag of sweets. Eyeing the couple from a distance, a group of teenage girls giggled and spoke in hushed voices. A small boy screamed in laughter as he ran away from his mother, zigzagging between the forest of adult legs. The mother panted as she tried to keep up, threatening to ‘count to three.’ Four young men who smelled like old beer strutted around with haughty looks. They wore the identical long coats of their Academy Association. Three others were undoubtedly being hazed, judging by their dirty clothes and how they fanned cool air at their superiors.
“Tsk-tsk, the Fasoux Association,” Oliver whispered beside Adam with a smile on his face. “Never understood why anyone wanted to join that self-important group of snobs.”
Adam laughed. “And no wonder Caine remembers them.”
On the sides of the square stood the two proud, iconic buildings for which Ziecherhein was known. To their left was the entrance hall that led inside the walled Starwing Grove. Its black and light-blue façade was richly decorated with silvered depictions of Aves’ life and wing-shaped spires that reached for the heavens.
To their right was the domed main hall of Ziecherhein’s Menhir League: Adam’s second home for years. It was an ancient institution tasked with the procurement and preservation of knowledge. Statues symbolised the multitude of sciences practised in the League’s many towers and castle-like buildings.
Built centuries ago, Ziecherhein was explicitly meant to be the place where both science and the Starwing Order could meet and flourish together, as two sides of the same coin. A testament to the old, almost vanished belief that science explored the wonders of the world ruled by Aves.
Adam smiled broadly as he looked at the place where he had spent some of the happiest years of his life. Where he had joked around and laughed with friends. A carefree time when he lived in The Badger: one of the messy but delightful places that housed people who studied at the Menhir League or the Starwing Academy. It was a time when he didn’t have to struggle for his life. Tension left his neck and shoulders, he exhaled deeply. Huh, so this is what being ‘relaxed’ feels like again. It’s like, for the first time since the damned War of the Prophet… I’m home.