Chapter 64 – A Man of Conviction

As the nutshell around them cracked further and further, Adam and Caine huddled close to Emily. Baring her teeth in the effort, she formed a hemispherical barrier of Ironglass around them.

The deafening groans and snaps of breaking and tearing wood, as if a whole forest was being demolished, sounded all around them. They yelped as they and their barrier fell through the porous bottom of the nutshell and dropped through the dark, crumbling insides of the Root monster. Emily squeezed her eyes shut in her effort; the barrier barely held when it hit the ground and masses of dirt, bugs and twigs fell on top of it.

Soon, the waterfall of debris subsided. The rain of the Node started to wash away the landslide of filth. Like a giant swarm of fireflies, twirling sprites of green Origin flew up from the remains and disappeared into the tunnels of the Realm. Emily dissipated her barrier and fell over in exhaustion.

Now that the symbol that had formed the core of the Taint had been destroyed, the rest of the Overgrowth was crumbling as well. Adam laughed in victory as he saw the brownish-purple vines and bushes that led towards other Nodes die.

Yet, there was no sign of the one man who had caused all of this.

Adam scanned the mountains of grey dirt around him until he saw something glow in the distance—Adam moved towards it as fast as his tired legs allowed him to.

There, on a patch of ground, Oliver was conjuring several green concentric rings, which included a spiral at its centre. He rubbed his thumb over an ammonite that he, Adam, and Emily had gathered inside the Realm. In yet another middle finger to their cooperation, the bastard applied the Origin from their ammonite for his own Invocation. Around the spiral, he was conjuring Ironglass depictions of houses, trees, and Starwing Groves.

The spiral was eerily similar to those they had used to get out of the memories of Eulenschloss and Ziecherhein. However, this one was undoubtedly meant to get him out of the Realm of Remembrance entirely.

“NO!” Adam screamed, dashing straight towards his former friend. He had a long way to go, however, and his exhausted body was frustratingly slow. “Don’t you dare run away from me!”

Oliver sighed as he moved his arms in waving motions, continuing to prepare his Invocation. Only now did Adam see the Ironglass lines of text that Oliver was conjuring on the ground, as a second circle around his spiral. “It saddens me,” Oliver said. “How this has turned out. I really hoped we could continue working together.” He frowned back at Adam with iron determination. “However, I have great plans and I won’t allow you to meddle with those. But don’t worry, we’ll see each other soon enough.”

Oliver raised his arms and closed his eyes in concentration. With a rushing sound, the spiral began to glow. Specks of light flowed outwards from its centre.

“Oh, should I be ‘grateful’ you’re leaving us here?!” Adam bellowed as he hobbled onwards.

Oliver ignored him and stepped inside the spiral. His body glowed in green light before he dissolved into nothing.

“I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS!” Adam screamed as Oliver’s entire Invocation dissipated. He was gone.

Adam’s chest heaved up and down in deep breaths and he punched the ground in frustration. “Damn it!” Puffing out his cheeks, he pushed his body to move back to Emily and Caine.

Masses of Thalers stood near the place where he, Emily, and Caine had fallen down from inside the Behemoth. All of them were turned towards something in their midst.

Adam swallowed, ignoring the reflex to keep his guard up. They’re friends now, Caine will vouch for me. His head still spinning from everything that just happened, Adam made his way through the crowd. Upon seeing him, the Thalers clenched hands into fists and narrowed their eyes in utter hatred, but let him pass despite their clear reluctance. Caine lay on the ground, grasping his chest as he winced in pain. Emily sat beside him, holding her hands in the Weaver gesture in an attempt to heal him.

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Adam sat down beside his old friend and grasped his hand. Suddenly, Caine’s body became translucent, before it turned solid again. No, no, no… don’t you disappear on me…

Caine kept his eyes closed and gave a quivering smile. “The Taint was more intertwined with my Realm than I thought.” He winced and groaned. “Now that it’s gone, it’s like… parts of my mind aren’t working.”

“We shall take back all Nodes that were conquered by the Taint, my Lord!” A masked Thaler with an embroidered robe exclaimed, pounding his chest.

“We’ll repair all the damage!” Another Thaler cried out.

“Yes, go! Now!” Caine wheezed.

The crowd stirred, but most of the Thalers eyed Emily and Adam. Teeth were bared and weapons were raised. Several terror birds scratched the ground impatiently with their clawed paws. The masked Thalers neared Adam. “But… these intruders damaged your holy Realm! It’s for your own—”

“GO! Direct order!” Caine hissed.

The masked Thaler gave Adam a final, murderous glare. Then, he made a clicking noise with his tongue and nodded towards the tunnels. With disapproving murmurs, the Thalers dispersed and moved towards either the tunnels or the pyramid.

Caine gave a soft whimper and his body turned translucent again, for longer than before. Adam bowed over him, opening and closing his hands. He wanted to help so badly but had no clue what to do.

“It’s not working!” Emily breathed with a hint of desperation as she tried her healing Invocation.

“This body… just a projection,” Caine said weakly as if every word weighed a ton. “I must end… the Invocation. Before… die.” His hazy eyes swivelled around as if having trouble finding Adam and Emily. “Get out, stop… Oliver! Hurry!”

Adam’s hands grasped Caine’s palm. “We don’t know how to escape the Realm!”

Caine squeezed his eyes shut and bared his teeth as he took quick, shallow breaths. “Learn Reminiscence… my memories.” His eyes shakily settled on Adam’s and his fingers weakly squeezed Adam’s hand. “You have… child… don’t know…where....”

Adam’s breath halted. His mouth fell open, as he was utterly lost for words in the mix of emotions that erupted within him. To hear he did have a child, a precious mini version of himself, made him want to sigh in sweet, sweet relief. The gaping hole in his heart left by Eric and Cath seemed less unbearable now. However, it sounded like he’d left the poor child alone. He closed his eyes and sighed. Guilt and shame for what he had apparently done pierced him like a cold knife to the stomach.

“Schultora,” his left heart whispered.

Emily gave Adam a judging glance from the corner of her eye, but she quickly focused on Caine again. “Please, save your strength and live. We’ll manage.”

“Stop… Oliver… hurry!” Caine uttered with a shaking, soft voice. His foggy eyes closed and he released a breath. A green glow appeared all over his body, making him fade away until nothing remained.

Adam and Emily stared at the place where Caine had lain.

“Do you think he was… in time?” Emily asked vaguely, without looking at Adam. Grey rings of exhaustion lay beneath her eyes.

Adam cleared his voice and released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “The Realm seems the same. I’d guess it would collapse or something if he’d died.” Adam sighed. “I had no idea, you know, about my child.”

Emily swallowed, avoiding Adam with her gaze. “I see.”

“I must’ve forgotten because of Oliver’s Taint or what happened around Ziecherhein’s disaster,” Adam continued. “But that’s no excuse; Who knows how long I’ve them without a dad. I don’t even know who the mother is. But I will seek them out, no matter how long I have to look.”

Emily’s eyes found his and she nodded with a wary shadow of a smile. “You really have changed.”

Adam smiled. “I hope so.” He looked away for a second, unsure how to broach a certain subject. A lot has happened just now. “Are you… okay, though? What Oliver just tried to do to you, that’s… beyond words. Horrifying. And the moment you turned against him was—”

Emily closed her tired eyes and held up her hand. “Stop, please. I know you mean well, but it’s… a little much to digest.”

“Sure, of course,” Adam said. If there was any way at all he could relieve her pain, he would. But now, the best he could do was give her the space she needed. Not sure I’m even the right person to help at the moment, after what happened in the Green Hare. With a crack from his knees, Adam got to his feet. “Shall we focus on getting out of here and back to Gotterburg?”

Emily lifted her chin and opened her eyes with iron determination, despite her tiredness and the unhealthy pale-grey haze on her skin. “Yes, before that damned traitor can cause more misery.” With difficulty, she got up as well.

Adam nodded and looked over the wide Node around them. At the pyramid and all the tunnels. At the green patterned trails of Association that led to other Nodes, filled with Caine’s memories. Somewhere, there should be all the knowledge about Reminiscence they needed to escape. Adam cracked his neck to the side. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”