Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Six: 'O, drowning Sand...'

"Rasalased," said Hector. "Finally. I've been trying to reach you for days now."

"Yes, you have."

That response gave him pause. "...Have you been avoiding me?"

"Yes, I have."

"Why? You know what's happening out there, don't you? You must!"

"Because terrible though it may be, I knew you would seek to interfere, had I warned you."

Hector took a moment to think about that. "You think I would've run in to fight Morgunov like some kind of moron?"

"No." The Dry God allowed a beat to pass. "Then again, perhaps, yes. But that is not the only reason I wished for you not to interfere."

"And what does that mean?"

"Morgunov, as you call him, may be exactly who the Lion needed to encounter."

"What?!"

"It is difficult to explain."

"Yeah, it sounds like it! But I'd like you to try, anyway!"

"You must promise not to go after the Lion, Young Hector. There can be no victory if you do."

Hector put two and two together. "Are you telling me that Morgunov is currently holding Asad hostage?"

Rasalased made no response, however.

"And you know where they are, too," Hector surmised.

"It matters little. I will not tell you something that will only lead to your own demise."

Well. Hector didn't necessarily disagree on that particular point. He might've been able to skate by with Ivan and Leo, but those were just freak accidents. There was absolutely no way in hell that he would be able to pull anything like that off again, much less against the Mad Demon, of all people.

But hearing Rasalased say all that made Hector curious about something else. "...You're actually able to see my death? That far into the future?"

"It would not be very far at all. Trust me."

"Ah..." Okay. Damn. That degree of roasting felt a little uncalled for, but alright. "Er... can you at least confirm for me that Asad is safe, right now?"

"Of course he is not safe. He has never been in more danger in his life."

Hector sighed. "You're not helping your case here, Rasalased..."

"It is an experience that he must have, else he will be unable to grow and meet me."

"Say what? How could that be true?"

"I will not lie to you. He may die. Morgunov may simply extract what he pleases from the Lion and then kill him immediately. But the reaper has escaped, and the risk, I believe, is worth it. No other opportunity may arise."

That brought a whole host of new questions to Hector's mind, but one in particular stood out. "What does Morgunov want from Asad?"

"Me, I suspect."

"What?!"

"Morgunov seeks that which lies beyond this world. And he believes I may be able to help him find it. This much, he has made obvious. But his intentions thereafter, I do not know. Chaos guards his mind."

Hector's thoughts were racing. Morgunov was after Rasalased? Worse news, he could hardly imagine. "What do you intend to do?"

"The only thing that I can. Wait."

"Are you kidding? You plan to just LET Morgunov find you?"

"As much as he seeks to use me, I too seek to use him. There is much I may be able to learn from such an experience. Which is not something I can often say."

Oh god, what the fuck? "But you have no idea what he'll do to you!"

"Yes."

"And--there's still Asad! He's--!"

"Yes. This will be difficult for him."

Hector couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rasalased sounded so cold. So matter-of-fact.

But maybe he shouldn't have been surprised. In their first encounter, sure, Rasalased had made a favorable impression upon him. He'd seemed a little mixed up, but Hector's overall feeling was that the Dry God ultimately wanted what was best for everyone. For him. For the Sandlords. For the Rainlords, too.

Was it really that straightforward, though? Were people always as uncomplicated as that? What about "gods," then?

Rasalased barely even seemed human now. What did he really want, Hector wondered? Being trapped in the Shards like that--what could he want? It wasn't like he was devoid of all desires or anything, right? He'd "wanted" to help Hector before, seemingly.

Hmm.

"...You are disappointed in me," said Rasalased.

Was he? Perhaps he was. "I'm just... trying to understand you, is all."

"It is not through safe journeys and easy trials that great deeds are achieved, Young Hector."

Hector still didn't like what he was hearing, but he tried to listen carefully. "...Okay. But what 'great deed' are you trying to achieve, then?"

"Me? Nothing at all. My only aim is to help others do thusly. My time has long passed."

"...Time is not time, Rasalased."

And for a while, the Dry God remained quiet. "Heh. Perhaps so."

"What you decide to do now," said Hector, "could have... no, it will have very far-reaching consequences."

"I am aware."

"Are you? If you allow Morgunov to get his hands on you--"

"We will have an interesting conversation. I have been wanting to meet these modern 'emperors' and evaluate them. It will be a good opportunity. And a dangerous one."

Hector wanted to sigh. Maybe he needed to rethink his approach here. He recalled something that Garovel told him about the Shards, about them being catalysts for unlocking great power. That had to be what Rasalased was getting at here, in his own roundabout way.

"...You want Asad to harness the power of your Shards, don't you?" said Hector.

"Heh."

What? What did 'heh' mean? Agh. "Rasalased..."

"If I allow the new Lion to unseal my soul, it would do more than simply amplify his strength. Much more."

"Er... what do you mean, exactly?"

"There is far too much to explain, Young Hector. But as a Shardkeeper, you must already have some idea of what I speak, no?"

"Uh... Shardkeeper? I didn't realize this thing came with a title, too..."

The Dry God gave a brief laugh that seemed to make the whole world tremble. "Well, you are a bit more than a Shardkeeper, in truth. That title refers merely to anyone who holds one of my Shards, however fleeting. Shardkeepers are not normally able to converse with me so easily."

"Er, I see..."

"If and when the Lion unseals my soul, all Shardkeepers will have their strength amplified as well. But as so few Shards remain, that includes only you and Young Emiliana Eirwen Elroy."

Oh. Right.

Yeah, Garovel had mentioned that, too, hadn't he? Somehow, Hector had forgotten about that part. He'd thought it was just Asad who would be affected.

"What bitter irony that a Rainlord should now be counted among my Shardkeepers. And a trustworthy one, at that. The world truly is an absurd place."

Hector wasn't quite sure what to say now. A power boost from the Shards sounded pretty fucking sweet, quite frankly.

"And there would be other effects as well," said Rasalased. "As I said, there is far too much to explain."

"Well, I'm not busy. I've got plenty of... opportunity to listen to you, right now."

"Heh. Yes. But there are more important matters to discuss, no?"

Were there? Shit, there probably were.

"You never know what may happen. Our conversations have a way of ending prematurely."

Okay, now that was definitely true. He'd always kinda felt like Rasalased was to blame for that, though. Hmm.

"Ask about what you feel is most pressing, Young Hector."

If he didn't know any better, he would've thought Ras was worried about time.

But he wasn't wrong. And the more he thought about it, the more Hector realized there was still a rather obvious point of concern. "...What if Morgunov gets his hands on one of the Shards? That'd make him a Shardkeeper, too, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed. Which is why I do not intend to let the Lion unseal my soul until he is free again."

"Hmm."

"But that is only my intent. If I feel that I am left with no other choice, I may allow it before then."

"Ah... you mean if Morgunov threatens to kill Asad and Qorvass if you don't let him unlock the power?"

"No. I would sooner let the new Lion die than allow my power to fall into Morgunov's hands."

Shit. Brutal. Hector had a rather strong feeling that Asad and Qorvass would agree with that sentiment, though. But that did beg the question. "How would you end up with no other choice, then?"

"If the existence of all my remaining kin were to be threatened--truly threatened--then that may change my mind. It would depend on the circumstances."

He was talking about the complete destruction of the Sandlords.

Genocide, Hector realized.

And by all accounts, the Mad Demon of Abolish was absolutely someone who might try to make that happen--especially if he discovered that it would motivate Rasalased.

Aw, fuck. Hector could already see this going terribly.

"...And how do you expect Asad to escape Morgunov's clutches?"

"That, I do not know. But there is little chance that Morgunov will kill him before getting what he wants."

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Well, that was true, Hector supposed. They probably had time on their hands, though Hector could only imagine what type of horrible captivity Asad must have been enduring, right now.

Agh, he wished he could do more. Even if Ras was willing to tell him where Asad was, what difference would it make? Short of Sermung himself, who in the world could possibly hope to rescue Asad Najir?

Hmm.

The more he thought about it, the more that seemed like the only real option.

"...Rasalased, do you know anything about Sermung? Like, his current whereabouts, I mean?"

"You would seek his aid?"

"Eh, I just... I don't know. That would be pretty dangerous for me to do while the Rainlords are in my home. But, uh... it was just a thought, I guess. So you can't, like, sense his super-powerful soul from afar or something?"

"I am afraid not. The world is a large and crowded place. And the strongest among you often have a desire to conceal yourselves."

"Are you saying Sermung is able to hide his soul power from you?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

Ah. Hector had been wondering when that shit would start again.

"It may help if I knew where to search for him. Alas, I do not."

Damn. Hector had to wonder what the most powerful man in the world was doing right now. Maybe he was outside his area of expertise here, but this seemed like exactly the kind of problem that the Crystal Titan would be interested in.

Surely, the emperor of the Vanguard would want to prevent an emperor of Abolish from acquiring new and dangerous power. But other than himself, how many people knew about this situation, Hector wondered? It certainly seemed like the Sandlords had been trying to keep Rasalased's existence a secret, so it was a fair bet that Sermung didn't know what Morgunov's plan here was.

Which meant that someone needed to tell him... unless, of course, the Sandlords had already managed to. But from the sound of things, they'd been far too busy.

Agh. He was probably just being presumptuous, though. This was the Vanguard. They had all kinds of resources at their disposal. They even had their own teams of Sparrows, according to Hanton Gaolanet. Their spy network was probably spectacular.

...But if that were true, then why had Sermung allowed this to happen in the first place? If he knew what Morgunov was after, he would've surely come to Sair himself and stopped him, right?

Hmm.

Yeah, this was above his pay-grade for sure, Hector figured.

He could worry about that later. He didn't know how much longer this conversation would last, so he tried to think of what else he should ask about.

It didn't take him long to come up with something. "The last time we spoke, you told me to be wary of pretenders."

"Yes."

"What did you mean?"

"Was that not clear? Those who sought to use you for their own gain? Those who hid their true intentions from you? Those who harbored dark secrets within their souls? There were many who fit the term."

"Ah... but could you, like, gimme some names or something?"

"I am not good with names."

"Oh, right, you told me something like that before, didn't you?"

"Ah, did I? Splendid. No further explanation is required, then."

"Well, I don't know about that. Maybe you could narrow--"

"What are your intentions for my kin, Young Hector? You are going to meet them, are you not?"

"Yeah, alright, just ignore me. That's fine." Hector didn't think he would be able to get Rasalased to talk about anything he didn't want to. "But, uh... regarding the Sandlords, I just want to help them stay safe. Beyond that, I wouldn't say I really have any 'intentions' for them."

"Is that so?"

"Er. Yeah. Why do you sound so curious about that?" Hector might've been squinting with his physical body, but he couldn't quite tell in this weird headspace or whatever it was. "Hold on. Can't you just read my mind or something?"

"Alas, I cannot."

"What? Why not? You were doing that all the time before."

"Yes, but your aura has grown significantly since then."

Hector stuck on that remark for a moment. Yeah, there was another subject he needed to ask about. "What can you tell me about auras?"

"It is a power that belongs to all, though few are able to sense it. Even I can only do so in a limited capacity."

"It seems to be a specialty of the Sparrows," said Hector.

"Ah, yes, the Wrobels. You are being careful of them, I trust?"

"Er, yeah."

"...Your answer lacks confidence, Young Hector."

"Well, that's not too abnormal for me."

"Hrm."

"Anyway, keep telling me about auras, please. So they're like a hidden power that everyone has? Even non-servants?"

Rasalased took a moment before continuing. "Yes. And no."

"Ah, thanks for clearing that up."

"Theoretically, I believe, all may possess the power of aura. But not all do."

"Uh, okay..."

"I believe it is because an aura is not itself an independent power."

"...What do you mean?"

"Your materialization, for example. That is an independent power. It relies not on any anything else, other than you. Your soul power, as well. That is independent."

"Hmm. But don't those both 'depend' on the connection I have with my reaper?"

"Yes, but that is a different manner of dependency than that which I speak of. Your materialization and soul power do not directly affect one another. If one grows, it does not impact your skill with the other."

"So you're telling me aura is dependent on another power?"

"Yes. You might say that it is a product of your entire self. All of your abilities. Even the parts of you which hold no physical power, such as your emotions and memories, are retained within your aura."

"Huh..." Hector supposed that made sense with what he knew of auras so far. It was still a little strange to imagine, though. "So... if my aura continues to grow, what will it do for me? Like, what are the actual effects of it?"

"Ah. A good question. Ultimately, no two auras are identical. Many may share similar attributes--especially if the individuals they belong to are of similar mindsets--but their effects can vary greatly."

"Hmm."

"An aura born from a vicious murderer will have quite different effects than one born from a gentle nurturer, for example."

"I see. And how is a new aura 'born,' exactly?"

"Another good question. Had I still a body, perhaps I would be researching that very subject."

"You don't even have a guess?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

Yep. On the whole, Hector couldn't be too disappointed. Rasalased seemed to be more coherent now than in any of their previous conversations. He felt like he was learning a lot. "Okay, uh... then can you tell me what the current effects of my aura are?"

"Hrm. No."

Well, fuck. "Really? Not at all?"

"It is shielding your thoughts from me. That much is obvious."

"Right..."

"Yours is a peculiar aura."

"Uh. It is?"

"Yes. It is warm and friendly, yet not docile. It is comforting, yet not self-certain. It is protective, yet also somewhat aggressive, as if readying itself to boil."

Hector wasn't too sure what to make of any of that, especially those last bits. Aggressive? Really? And it was supposed to be a reflection of himself?

"If you find that concerning," said Rasalased, "then you should be mindful of precisely what kind of man you are becoming."

Hector mulled that point over. "...You think I'm turning into a bad person?"

"Heh. Not at all, Young Hector. However, I think a man who never questions himself in these ways is not a man who should be trusted to determine right from wrong."

It sounded a bit like a lecture was coming his way, but Hector couldn't help pausing at the Dry God's words. This struck a chord with what Garovel had been talking about not too long ago, worrying about how much he had changed in a relatively short amount of time.

As much as a part of him wanted to dismiss Rasalased's concerns here, Hector felt like he should be careful. This was the wisdom of literal ancients that he was listening to. Just because it made him uncomfortable or because he didn't want to believe it could be true--that wasn't good enough reason to reject it without first giving it real consideration.

"Your power and influence are growing, Young Hector. This much is clear. And as a result, your role in events to come shall similarly change. Despite your age, you are fast approaching a point at which many older servants begin to struggle with the nature of their existence. The sweet allure of countless ideas and philosophies--born from your own mind and others--will eventually find you and try to win your favor. Some may even succeed, to the betterment of all.

"But if you are unable to pick and choose well, to hold true, then the suffering of one shall inevitably become the suffering of many. Your misery shall spread through the world like a plague, until eventually, if you are lucky, some kind soul finally grants you the heroic mercy of ending your monstrous life."

Holy fuck.

As Hector listened, he felt like he barely understood what Rasalased was trying to say, but if nothing else, it definitely seemed important. "...You've seen that type of thing happen before, I take it?"

"Of course," said Rasalased. "Even for non-servants, the confrontation with the self is all but inevitable. The weight of decades or even centuries of experience, knowledge, and responsibility--it will instigate one form of change or another. You have already seen this, too, have you not? With that sheep of yours."

Ah. Hmm. "Leo had his mind messed with by Ettol, though."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps he merely had his existing traits amplified. It seems reasonable to me that the so-called God of Impulse might be able to prey upon one's weaknesses in such a way."

Not a very comforting thought. Hector wanted to ask Ras about Ettol again, but he recalled him saying that he didn't know about him beyond the name. Better to stick to more immediately relevant and useful subjects, Hector figured. "What's your opinion of Abbas Saqqaf?"

"Names mean little to me, Young Hector."

"Oh, uh... the current head of Hahl Saqqaf? You know the name Saqqaf, at least, right?" Which brought another question to the forefront of Hector's mind. "Hey, what Hahl did you belong to, by the way?"

"You ask questions faster than I can answer them."

"Er, sorry..."

"I was born to Hahl Duxan."

"Oh. So Lord Hasan Duxan is your direct descendant, then?"

"No, the main family branch has deviated many times for a multitude of reasons."

"Ah..." Hmm, maybe that was a dumb thing to say.

"But yes, I am familiar with Hahl Saqqaf. How strange it is that they now hold so much power over my kin. I remember when they were naught but an afterthought among the Hahls. The weakest and most easily forgotten, by far."

"Is that resentment I hear in your voice?" said Hector.

"Heh. Perhaps. But they are my kin, nonetheless. A different part of me is proud of what they have achieved. Including Abbas, of course."

"So you do know who he is, then."

"I have been following the head of Hahl Saqqaf's exploits for many years now, yes. But only just now, thanks to you, did I learn his name."

"That's... pretty weird, but alright. I guess, um, back when you helped me against the Salesman of Death, you knew that Lord Abbas was going to show up and help me, didn't you?"

"Ah. I knew of the possibility, yes. There could have been many other outcomes, however. Truthfully, I did not expect him to emerge victorious in that battle."

Hector paused at that bit of news. "Excuse me? What did you expect to happen, then?"

"I thought it more likely that the deal you struck with the Salesman, as you called him, would be the deciding factor."

Hector had to think back. That whole situation felt like some kind of crazy fever dream in his memory now, and it was a bit difficult to recall it with perfect clarity.

The "deal" that he'd struck with the Salesman of Death had, in short, been to help Abolish seize control of the Golden Fort in exchange for sparing the lives of the Rainlords.

And yeah, Hector remembered that the deal had been more or less agreed upon when Abbas Saqqaf suddenly showed up in his mechanized armor and took down the Salesman single-handedly. That had been unexpected, for sure.

But to think that it had surprised even Rasalased...

Hmm.

"So you thought I'd be in a really terrible situation right now," said Hector. "Caught between a deal with Abolish that threatened the lives of everyone I cared about and trying to help the Sandlords."

"Indeed."

"Great. That's, uh... real comforting, Rasalased."

"I would have offered more aid to you, assuming we were able to speak again thereafter," said the Dry God.

"...Did you have any reason to think that we would speak again?" said Hector.

"Hrm. Does hope count as a reason?"

"Ugh..."

Rasalased laughed. "In any event, I was quite impressed by Abbas Saqqaf. It is a relief to know that one so capable leads my kin during these uncertain times."

Hector caught that last word and held onto it for a while, thinking. "You seem... a little different, Rasalased."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. You're a little more... chipper, I guess. And you keep saying the word 'time' without telling me how it's not actually time or whatever."

"I see."

And silence arrived.

Hector waited, but it seemed like he would have to be the one to say something again. "You feelin' okay?"

"Now that you mention, I suppose I do feel a bit different from usual. How odd."

"Do you have any idea why that might be?"

"Well, time is indeed not time. Perhaps I have just grown a bit forgetful. Thank you for reminding me."

"That wasn't really what I was trying to--"

"I shall try to be more vigilant in the future."

"Oh. Uh. Good..."

"Alas, this conversation should come to an end. You will be arriving soon, and your attention should remain focused on my kin. Thank you for keeping me company, Young Hector."

"Er, ah, no problem. Any, uh, last second advice for me?"

"Hold true, as always, Young Hector."

"Ah..."

He didn't even get to say farewell before he was booted back into reality.

Hector blinked and shook his head, feeling a similar level of disorientation as waking up from a deep sleep. It took him a second to realize that he was in the same place, the front passenger seat of a car as it soared through the night sky.

The reapers were still conversing about one thing or another, but he could barely catch what they were saying. It seemed like they still had a bit more time before arrival.

His mind lingered on that conversation with Rasalased for a while, going over everything they'd talked about.

In the end, though, he couldn't help coming away with this very uncomfortable feeling. This feeling like Rasalased had been keeping something from him, like the Dry God had ended things prematurely for some reason.

And with everything else going on in the world right now, Hector didn't appreciate all the terrible things that might imply.

It made him wonder if something was going on with Asad, with his imprisonment. Or with something else entirely, perhaps. Considering how Rasalased had apparently chosen not to warn him about the attack on Sair, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the Dry God might do something like that again.

Hector sighed.

It was understandable, he supposed. Rasalased had his own reasons. Of course he did. Hector couldn't exactly fault him for that.

He couldn't help feeling a bit disillusioned, though. He'd have to be careful of growing too reliant on Rasalased for guidance.

At length, the deafening howl of wind around the vehicle began to lessen, and Hector could see the ground approaching through the window. Dimas Sebolt set the car down in the middle of an empty road.

Everyone exited together, wanting to stretch their legs and take in the landscape. They seemed to be pretty far away from civilization, though, because there wasn't much light to work with. Only the stars and a dim moon staved off pitch blackness.

According to Levinox, Abbas' group was already quite close. The reaper had been in constant communication with them, coordinating their approach by feeding information to Dimas during the flight.

His conversation with Rasalased hadn't felt all that long, but he knew full well that there was some sort of time dilation effect. The same thing had happened when he talked to him in his sleep. Most likely, several hours had already passed.

Yet even so, Hector was a bit surprised to hear that the Sandlords had made it all the way across Callum so quickly. Sure, they had already been in the country by the time his own party had left Warrenhold, so the distance traveled was probably similar or perhaps even shorter; but still, he'd expected the Callumi authorities to prove more of a hindrance to the Sandlords' progress.

Not to mention, there were supposed to be three hundred civilians with them. Hector wondered how Abbas' group was managing to move so many so quickly.

According to the reapers, the Lorent-Callum border was only a short hike to the east, but Hector couldn't see any kind of barrier out there in the dark. Only open plains. Hector asked Garovel privately if there were any nearby guards on patrol, but apparently, that wasn't a problem, either.

It was convenient, but it also made Hector concerned about the overall safety of Lorent as a nation. There was a war going on, and it was literally headed in this direction. Border security should've probably been something of a priority at the moment, shouldn't it have?

Maybe he would broach that subject the next time he visited Riverton Hall.

'Hold on,' said Levinox, drawing everyone's glance. 'The Sandlords are not alone, anymore.'

The group perked up collectively in the darkness, waiting agonizingly for elaboration. Hector could see the reaper's skeletal expression distorting with apparent confusion as he was no doubt trying his best to decipher the information he was receiving.

'...They're under attack,' Levinox finally said. 'Abolish caught up to them.'