1831-1832 eng

1831 Abstract Concept

Dressed in a comfortable night - gown, Rain was sitting on a bed. The bed was wide and soft. The sheets were immaculately clean and crisp... a far cry from the cold cradle of mud she had been sleeping on for many days.

It was also much nicer than her own bed in Ravenheart, so... she had nothing to complain about.

The room itself was spacious, but austere. The Citadel of Clan Sorrow was cut into the cliffside, so the walls surrounding her were that of rough stone. The furniture, however, was quite elegant and beautifully made.

There was a single arched window in the room, opening to the pale lilac expanse of the evening sky. The roaring of the Weeping Goddess seemed quiet here, somehow, but also constant, like a persistent hum.

The air was fresh and smelled of water.

The peaceful, but uniquely austere mood of the somber Citadel helped Rain imagine easily where Tamar's overly serious demeanor had come from.

She sighed.

Things had happened fast after the two of them reached the Lake of Tears. First, Rain and Tamar were brought to the city built on its shore — it was much smaller than Ravenheart, but still lively. The architecture style was distinctly different, as well, favoring flat roofs that served as gardens — as opposed to the capital, where most roofs were slanted and covered by tiles to avoid snow and ash accumulating on them.

They did not spend much time in the city, though.

The Saint of Sorrow was currently away, but Tamar's mother was there. After receiving news of her daughter showing up severely wounded, she immediately sent retainers to retrieve her.

Rain and Tamar were taken to the Citadel, which was cut directly into the vertical side of the great waterfall and oversaw the city from high above.

Tamar was treated by an Ascended healer. Rain, meanwhile, was welcomed as a guest of Clan Sorrow.

She met the matriarch of the clan, as well as a few elders. Everyone had treated her graciously — from the Awakened retainers and mundane citizens to the members of the direct family.

Tamar had briefly shared the story of how the two of them had ended up in such a sorry state, including the fake version of Rain's Awakening.

Everything seemed fine.

And yet, Rain was in a heavy mood.

That was because she had heard a lot, and inferred even more, from the conversations with the locals.

The war... seemed imminent.

Some of the people she had talked to were aware of it, while some were not. Nevertheless, everyone was alarmed and uneasy, as if there was invisible tension permeating the air.

Many things had happened after the survey team left the construction camp and lost contact with the rest of humanity.

The conflict between the two Great Clans had grown much more dire. Valor continued to demand that Silent Stalker and Master Dar of Maharana Clan were handed over, and Song continued to refuse. There were all kinds of unrest on the streets of Bastion and Ravenheart... NQSC, even.

There had been protests and violent clashes between the followers of the opposing Domains. A large crowd was chanting threateningly in front of Clan Song's compound in the waking world.

Someone had tossed makeshift incendiaries at the fortress walls surrounding the location of the King‘s Dream Gate in the Northern Quadrant. A few young Legacies had already fought openly, devastating a public venue. They were arrested by the agents of the government, but the government itself was behaving strangely, as if frozen by fear, indecision, and internal conflict.

And those were only the outward signs.

The more dire omen was how deserted the Citadel of Clan Sorrow seemed. There were Awakened warriors, but too few of them. There were members of the direct family, but only the less powerful ones.

Which told Rain one thing.

The Queen was secretly mobilizing her forces.

The road Rain had helped build was almost complete, and soon, legions of the Song Domain would march on it, heading to Godgrave.

The war, which was an abstract concept before, was almost palpable now.

It was much sooner than she had expected.

And so, Rain was sitting quietly on the bed, watching as the sky turned dark beyond the window.

Finally, when all sunlight was gone and deep shadows devoured the room, a familiar presence emerged from them.

Her teacher leaned on a wall and applauded quietly. His smile was as carefree as it had always been.

"Congratulations! You are an Awakened now."

Rain looked at his dark silhouette sternly.

"... Where the hell have you been?"

He gave her a vague shrug.

"Oh, you know. Here and there. Hiding in the shadows, taking a beach vacation, sitting idly on my dark throne. Why? Didn't you do well without me?"

Rain lingered for a few moments, then let out a heavy sigh.

"I wouldn't call it "well", exactly... but, sure. Actually, I did fine."

He grinned.

"Fine? You are the first human of your world to have Awakened without that pesky thing... what do you call it? Oh, the Nightmare Spell. Great job, Rain! You really made me proud."

She silently extended her hand and opened her palm.

"Give it, then."

He raised an eyebrow... or at least she thought he did, since she couldn't see his face clearly.

"What?"

Rain frowned.

"My Memory! You promised me a Memory after I killed the Huntsman."

Her teacher laughed quietly.

"Right. Don't worry, I will. I'll even throw in one more for that Awakened Tyrant. And a third one as a free bonus, for a return customer."

He hesitated for a moment, and then added more sincerely:

"But really, good job. Awakening, killing the Tyrant... and not leaving that girl to die, too. I'm not sure that I would have done the same as a Sleeper."

Rain looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"... Thank you. Anyway, I was never really a Sleeper. That would have been embarrassing — I'm way too old to be one..."

After that, neither of them spoke for a while.

Eventually, Rain asked:

"So, what now?"

1832 The Other Side

Her teacher sighed.

"That is up to you. Now that you have Awakened, we have more options. You are not a prisoner of the Song Domain anymore... so, if you want, I can take you to safety, to wait out this entire mess."

She faced him, not saying anything.

He chuckled.

"What? I have nice places to take my student to as well, you know."

Rain smiled faintly.

"Says the man who has lived in my shadow for four years."

The joke was just like countless others she had told in the past, but today, it did not land. She didn‘t feel it.

Rain shook her head.

"You know I wanted to Awaken because I wanted to be strong. Have I become strong to do nothing, then? Running away and hiding in a safe place sure sounds nice, on the surface. But do you really think that I would want to?"

Her teacher sighed.

"No, not really."

He hesitated.

"So what do you want to do?"

Rain remained silent for a long while.

"Tamar... told me to consult the person who had guided me to Awakening. Before trying to do anything. So, what? Was she right? Will I be silenced if I try to share my knowledge with the world?"

He walked over to the window and looked outside, his silhouette almost indistinguishable from the shadows.

"Well, that kid has some sense. What she tried to tell you was a bit too dramatic and extreme, but fundamentally, she is right. Of course, there are ways to go about it. You won't be able to offer this knowledge to the world freely, but the Sovereigns will not discard it, either. After all, it is another tool they can use. So, as long as you are willing to let them use it as they see fit, and are ready to accept that it will only ever be used sparingly... I can arrange that."

He turned around and smiled.

"Alternatively, you can entrust it to me. Your friend said that this knowledge should not be shared while you are weak and lack backing. However, she is wrong about one thing. You do not lack backing, Rain, since you have me. I might not be capable enough to stand against the Sovereigns... just yet... but I more than capable enough to disseminate information without being caught by them."

Rain frowned.

"What would be the point, though? You might be able to avoid them, but people who receive the knowledge from you won't be. So, the royal clans will just suppress them instead of me. Even if they fail to uproot the knowledge entirely, there will be countless victims. That is not what I want."

Her teacher grinned.

"Smart girl. Well... actually, that is all beside the point. In truth, you don't really need to hide that knowledge for long."

She raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I don't?"

He nodded.

"I'd say... by the end of this war, all your concerns will become moot. Or, well, we'll have bigger problems to solve at the very least. So, keep your secret safe until the war is over. Who knows, the situation might change entirely by then."

His voice grew a little lighter.

"In the meantime, work on becoming a Master. Maybe find a way to manifest a Flaw and an Aspect. Right, now that you have a soul core, we will have to teach you how to enter your Soul Sea..."

Rain listened to him with a smile.

At some point, she said:

"Teacher."

He paused.

"What?"

Rain remained silent for a moment, then said quietly:

"I am going to participate in the war."

For the first time in a long while, he seemed a little rattled.

"What kind of... have you lost your mind?"

She shook her head slowly.

"No. Actually... I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Rain sighed.

"Tamar said that I am naive, and I know you think that way, too. But I am not. Yes, I tend to assume the best of people, even if some of them don't deserve it. But I am not a fool."

He blinked a couple of times.

"Assuming the best of people who don't deserve it is pretty much the definition of being naive."

She looked at her soft hands, illuminated gently by the moonlight.

"In any case, the Sword Domain is going to declare war on the Song Domain. If the King of Swords wins... then, an occupation will follow. I can't just sit on the sidelines and watch without doing anything."

He pursed his lips.

"What, do you think that the Queen is any better? Valor might end up being the ones who initiate the war, but make no mistake. Clan Song wants it just as badly. More than that, what will change if one Sovereign replaces the other? Isn't it all the same for the simple people who live in the Song Domain? Not to mention that you don't belong to that Domain, to begin with. You are from a government family."

Rain looked at him somberly.

"A government family? Sure, I am. But, Teacher... for how much longer will the government exist? Once there is only one royal clan instead of two, do you really think that they will allow an independent power to remain without submitting to their rule? Neutrality will become a myth, by then. And anyone who did not join the right side in the war will be branded as a sinner. That includes government families like mine."

He lingered for a moment.

"I'm not sure about how much longevity the government has left, but you are right. The winner will certainly consolidate their power."

She shook her head.

"And yes, it matters which Sovereign rules the Song Domain. The royal clans might seem the same to you, but do you really think that the King of Swords, who is synonymous with Bastion, will treat Ravenheart the same as his ancestral home? That he won‘t siphon resources from the conquered lands to feed the central regions? More than that... by the end of the war, many people would have died. Citizens of the losing Domain will be occupied by the people who have killed their brothers, sisters, parents, and children on the battlefield. It won't be a peaceful process."

Her teacher sighed.

"Well... you are right. The King of Swords might certainly do something like that. And there will be some tension, and therefore some measures of suppression."

Rain smiled bitterly.

"And lastly, I do believe that both sides want the war. But, teacher... the people I know are in the Song Domain. Tamar and her clan. The porters from the survey team. The road managed who went out of his way to help me make more money while staying safe. The merchants who used to buy the materials I harvested. Our neighbors in Ravenheart, who brought us food when we arrived from NQSC. Young Awakened guards who welcomed me back from the hunts. And so many more. They are all good people. These are the people I know, and they are the ones who will suffer if the Song Domain falls to the army of Clan Valor. So..."

She looked away.

"I can‘t claim any sort of moral superiority by choosing to fight for the Queen, but I can't step back and do nothing, either."

Rain took a deep breath and looked at her teacher resolutely.

"So I‘ll do what I can. Little as it may be."

He stared at her for a long time, not saying anything.

Before, she could see a hint of his expression, but now, his face was entirely shrouded in darkness.

Rain suddenly felt nervous. She had never seriously angered her teacher before... did she do it now?

Eventually, though, he let out a long sigh and said in a grumpy voice:

"... You're not making my job easier, you know that? Bah! What a troublesome student!"

Her teacher shook his head in dejection.

"But... I sort of expected that to happen."

He cursed.

"What can I say... I guess we are joining the army of Clan Song. Why the hell not? One side, two sides, three sides... at this point, what‘s the difference..."