Chapter 54 - A Proposition of Happiness

Down in the crumbled amphitheatre, amongst the scent of braziers and the maddeningly complex symphony of the Pure, Caine sat in his armchair. He rubbed his neck with a hint of desperation in his eyes. Alone amidst all the Pure in the audience and the Prophet next to him, he scanned his surroundings, probably looking for a way out.

The Prophet pressed the tips of his fingers together. “Let me show you something.” The air in the empty space in front of them rippled like water until an illusion appeared, like a window to a faraway place. As if seen through the eyes of a bird, the window showed a glorious city. Adam gasped as he recognised the towering buildings reinforced with the bones of great beasts, built with the help of domesticated mammoths. The Pure’s orchestra switched to a tribal song, using drums, snares and a choir of throat-singers.

“The Dachmean Empire,” the Prophet uttered. “Considered one of the greatest civilizations to ever exist. When Dachmea the Great founded it, she started an era of relative peace, civilization, and progress.”

The illusion showed streets with well-fed people wearing exotic fashion styles with headdresses, capes, and colourful furs. They shopped at markets, full of the barks, cries, and howls of animals from all over the world. There were clean streets, professionals who administered medicine, and scientists in debate. Despite the horrendous source, Adam couldn’t help but gaze in awe at a wondrous society he’d only seen the remains of.

The Prophet’s melodious voice woke Adam, as if from a dream, “However, how much suffering has taken place in even the best of human societies?”

The illusion switched to slums with endless masses of poor people. The view went from family to family, suffering from cold, famine, and disease. It showed men being kidnapped and beaten.

“It is the natural law of the Impure. Enabled by free will, the powerful will inevitably enrich themselves while the poor are led to suffer.”

The window showed two men and a woman in gilded armour and warpaint. They inaudibly yelled at each other, pointing fingers, and reaching for weapons that quivered with the might of Instinct.

“The three heirs of the crown. They took a break from their own personal misery to wage war. Unable to accept just ruling part of the Empire, they let their subordinates fight amongst each other.”

The window showed a city burning. People fled in terror as soldiers raided whatever they could.

“So much death for a flag with different colours. If they had worked together, their society still would’ve thrived today. Instead, they brought their empire and themselves to ruin. Free will, my child, is the greatest curse of all who aren’t Pure. The source of all pain.”

The window disappeared, and the Pure orchestra became visible again. Smiling, together, in euphoria.

With a fatherly smile, the Prophet turned towards Caine. “I’m trying to help you, my child. You have suffered so much in your short life, while you have worked so hard. And now, I give you your reward,” the Prophet said, his voice rich and balming like warm honey. “Be free, as one of my Chosen. One of the select few who can apply their intellect and skills to help me build the next evolutionary step of humanity. Together, we’ll—”

Caine stood up with quivering knees.

The orchestra stopped playing and the Prophet’s friendly expression turned to stone.

“I’d rather die,” Caine said, his voice a raspy and soft afterthought compared to the majesty of the Prophet’s. His face pale as a corpse, Caine tried to take a fighting stance but winced and grabbed his neck. Scrunching up his face in pain, he gathered all the Oquira he could muster. A man who looked death in the eye with his chin up.

Adam, Emily, and Oliver stared in silence. Even though Adam knew all of this had happened long ago, and knew what had happened between them, something inside him tensed up to come to Caine’s aid.

The Prophet spun his empty cup between his fingers, quite as if he contemplated nothing more than the fate of an old pair of shoes. Finally, with a twinkle in his eyes, he nodded approvingly. “Brave. Much braver than Zachalynn gives you credit for.” He set his cup down and sighed softly. “I understand it’s hard to let go. All your life, you’ve worked for the benefit of others, striving to please those around you. Of course, it’s difficult to finally choose what’s best for yourself. Go then. I invite you to think about my words.”

Caine’s eyes shot to the exit before they frowned in a wary expression. “You’ll just let me leave after I know about… all this?” He gestured to the fauteuils, the room, and the orchestra.

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The Prophet smiled patiently like an encouraging grandfather. With an aura of unending certainty, as if he was the only true adult in a world full of children. “Certainly. I often travel far from the front lines and inside the most well-guarded cities of countries that oppose the Light. Why? To give people like you a chance. And show them that your walls and defences are like air to me. So go ahead. Send troops after me and close off these Vaults. You have no idea how many people within this very country you protect, have seen the truth and work for me. So, return to your life, and see if I’m wrong. Just know that we’ll always be there to welcome you home. To embrace you with the warmth you’ve always deserved.”

Caine shivered from head to toe as he walked towards the exit. He opened the heavy doors, behind which there seemed to be nothing but a cold, dark emptiness. His eyes shot back with a pained yearning to the light and warmth behind him, to the beautiful room filled with music and comfort. To the Prophet’s promise. For what seemed like minutes, Caine stood there in the doorway. A deep frown of doubt split his face as if he was making the hardest decision of his life.

Finally, with his shoulders slumped, Caine stepped through the door and back into the darkness. However, not without a final glance at the chairs behind him. The room turned silent again as the orchestra disappeared. The Prophet turned back into a shimmering shape.

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Adam, Oliver, and Emily stared in silence for a while.

“Damn,” Emily said in a soft voice, perfectly capturing Adam’s feelings at the moment.

Adam squeezed his eyes shut. “How?! I mean, there were rumours of course that he could walk through walls, was invisible, and other nonsense. But how could the Prophet have actually been here, with so many of his Pure, in the middle of the war! How did he arrange that appointment for Caine? Why didn’t Caine tell us?”

Oliver sighed and shook his head. “We all know the answer. I fear we just witnessed the moment our dear friend started his descent into the fiend he is now. You saw the doubt in his eyes.”

Emily frowned. “We haven’t seen the full picture yet, though. These were just a couple of moments in time.”

Oliver looked up in annoyance. “Come on, open your eyes. We saw his trauma and heard about his inner pain, which he was desperate to get rid of! He clearly stopped believing in Aves and the Starwing Order. And now, we see him receiving an offer from the Prophet for some elite position, in which he can keep part of his free will! And in Eulenschloss, we heard about his fantasy of ‘using the Prophet’s methods for the greater good’. As he said it: ‘to remove pain but keep free will intact.’ ”

“Oh, he turned into a fine piece of crap, all right,” she stared into the distance with furious eyes, in a way that reminded Adam of her father. “But we don’t know what happened between then and now. We don’t know if he managed to influence the Penduli with his own ideals or if he serves the Prophet.”

Adam rubbed the scars on his wrist. “Maybe he conspired with the Prophet during Eulenschloss, to manipulate the Queen of Glass. Then again, it’s possible he had plans to use the Prophet’s techniques to start something new himself, outside of the Pure. His eyes aren’t white though, so at least he isn't fully part of the Pure who remained after the Prophet's death.”

“True, true.” Emily scrunched up her nose as she gazed around the theatre. “However, shall we at least get out of this musty heap of stone and get some sunlight?”

Adam sputtered in indignation at how anyone with eyes could address such a well-preserved jewel of the old times like that.

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After a while, the group had made their way back from the Vaults. Eager to set his mind on other things than the Prophet’s grim drivel, Adam surely didn’t mind walking through the cobbled roads with timber-framed shops in the city’s centre. Jolly songs sounded from the depths of an empty well, sung by young men as one of their silly assignments before they could join an Academy Association. An older member poured down water when one of them mixed naughty words in between the lyrics. Laughter of the others echoed up from the well. Nearby, an old lady complained to a young salesgirl about the high price of her spices. The poor, red-faced girl stammered that she couldn’t help it, but a more experienced employee came to the rescue.

“So, where to go next?” Adam asked. “We know more about Caine’s background and how he transformed into a human turd. But where could we learn more about Remniscence and the Taint?”

Oliver nodded. “Let’s focus on the disaster. Maybe we can get your memories back of what happened back then.”

Adam grimaced. “Not sure how that would make me remember anything new about the disaster. I’ve already seen the statue of the Tomb and the vague impression of the aurora. But maybe it would—”

Emily halted and peered into the distance. “Wait, guys! Isn’t that Caine with Agatha?”

Shining through the buildings, multiple green apparitions were visible from inside the Green Hare, the best tavern in town. The one Emily pointed at showed Caine in a fox mask, sitting at a table with a masked, athletic women with complex braids. “Huh, a date during Fiendswell Night. That must’ve been during… the third year of the war, I think? He couldn’t celebrate with us in the capital because of ‘work duties,’ remember?”

Oliver chuckled softly. “ ‘Work duties.’ He must’ve felt so sad spending the late hours all cosy and warm with Agatha.”

Emily rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow.

Adam rubbed his beard. “That memory could be interesting… We don’t know whether Caine managed to spread his ideas within the Penduli. The key to that would be Agatha.”

“My thoughts exactly!” Emily said. “If Caine managed to convince her, we should know. Plus, I’m aching for some comfort and relaxation after all those tombs or whatever.”

Oliver groaned softly. “You want to listen to them during Fiendswell Night in the Green Hare? The place will be full of partying idiots! We’re bound to bump into people and change the memory!”

“Masked idiots,” Adam wrung his hands, warming up to the idea. “We can wear disguises as well. So even if we accidentally touch someone and everyone can see us, we can just blend in with the crowd. No one will suspect a thing!”

Oliver glared at Adam from the corner of his eyes. “Ugh, fine.”