“…”
“…”
The two stared at each other in silence. An invisible force was gathering in the midst, filling the space to the brim with an explosive suspension. The man decided to stroke the nearly-bursting balloon of emotions, not afraid of the fireworks that could follow.
“Come with me. We have a lot to discuss, as I’m sure you’re aware of.”
“No need to, I have nothing to say.”
“Don’t misunderstand, Phoenia. That was not a request.”
His eyes were as harsh as a teacher reprimanding his student after failing a test. There was clearly no room for discussion.
“Or do you intend to make this situation even worse?”
“You know why I came here. There’s nothing I could’ve found that you don’t already know. Donovan was a great partner, and I just wanted to know what happened to him with my own eyes, not with those superficial lies you’ve fed me. Either way, I’m done here. I want to continue with the preparations for the festival now, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s a weak excuse, unbefitting of a leader of your stature. Maybe it would work in your country, but it won’t in this place. Now give up the struggle, and come with me...” He sighed deeply.
“…Before this turns ugly.”
“Geoffrey… Don’t do this.” Phoenia clasped the whip hanging on her right side. Geoffrey clearly noticed her gesture.
“Don’t even consider this stupidity, Phoenia. We both know how this will end. It is you who brought this upon yourself, and I will have no mercy if you decide to run away from the consequences. The moment you decided to follow in her path, you lost that opportunity.”
“Don’t bring her into this!”
“Then follow the role she’s blessed you with. Or do you intend to destroy the city from within? In that case, you’re not better than the people who betrayed her.”
“You-!“ Her anger was surging.
“Then, stop this nonsense and come with me. The last thing this city needs right now is a fight between those who are supposed to keep it safe. That’s not what she would’ve wanted.”
“How do you know what she would’ve wanted… You weren’t even here…” She mumbled. Geoffrey decided to ignore her remark.
For a moment, he glared at Taro.
“Also, I don’t know why you brought the boy, but I’ll let him go if you come quietly. I’m sure you don’t want him to get caught in the crossfire.”
Phoenia took a deep breath and finally relaxed her stance. She turned back to the usual composure she was showing in front of Taro and everyone else. The words of the man seemed to have made her realize her situation.
“Taro, go back to my place. I will join you after we’re done here.”
“…” Somehow, Taro did not feel comfortable about this whole situation. After all, Phoenia was still his only clue to Liss and if the man was lying about letting her go…
“Go! This is an order.” Her words were sharp and clear, completely different from before. Taro did not have a choice but to obey.
Two guards approached Taro and guided him past the duo. When he threw one last look at Phoenia, he unmistakingly saw the burning fire in her eyes. Her rage was clearly unfathomable, yet her emotions were bound by a force greater than she could deal with. Geoffrey, the protector of the first district. Just like Phoenia’s, his title didn’t seem to be just for show…
Taro left Phoenia behind and after a long walk, he ended up back inside the city. It was already long past dusk, yet people were still swarming the docks. They were carrying all kinds of goods: small crafts, food, planks, banners, and so on. It was the first day of the weekend, so people seemed to have finally found the time to prepare for the festivities. He had heard someone say that the festival would take place the next evening, so they only had one more day to prepare. Everything was speeding up at an enormous pace.
He noticed that the amount of boats in the harbor was slightly less than when he departed. Maybe some of the merchants wanted to evade the fuss? He was not familiar with how the festivities were going to proceed, but he could imagine that with the amount of booze he’d seen, it was not a welcome experience for everyone.
A girl in front of Phoenia’s mansion greeted him and opened the door. However, Taro immediately started his research on the items he’d found in the mansion. He had decided to ask the first person he encountered after those guards had left, which was this girl. The poor girl got shot by a flurry of questions.
“Do you know a place where I can find books?” He asked her. The girl looked at him in surprise.
“Books…?”
“Yeah. Is there a library of some kind in this place? Where they store all kinds of books, like economic, political, historical,…” When he finished her question, her face turned from pink to white in mere seconds.
“I have no idea, I’m sorry…” The girl interrupted him.
“…Really? Don’t you know any place where I can buy or lend them?
“I don’t know, sorry…”
“I see… What about-“
“Please, sir, I don’t know! So stop asking me these questions…” A slight hint of despair filled her voice. The girl seemed to be genuinely upset by his questioning…
Taro apologized and continued his search around in the area outside the building. There had to be someone who knew about possible sources of information…
“Do you know where I can find more information about-“
“I don’t know. Go away.”
…
“I’m sorry, but-“
“Can’t you see I’m working? Ask someone else.”
…
“Do you know anything about this…?” Taro showed the paper he had found in Donovan’s room.
“That’s…! I don’t know anything about it! Now, leave!”
Taro changed his questions and methods, however, the results only got worse. As far as information was concerned, nobody seemed to be willing to help.
…
Just when he was about to reach his wit’s end and was about to continue his search outside, he encountered a familiar face.
“What do you need?”
Tenessa was standing in front of him, clearly unamused by his appearance. She was loitering in front of a small restaurant, wearing a waitress uniform. In this city of crafts, the combination of her cuteness and the sexiness of her frilly costume would definitely topple even the most detailed artwork. Whoever made this a reality, had undoubtedly mastered the arts of crafting…
“Are you just going to keep staring at me? It’s sickening. Is this the help you were desperately looking for...?”
“…? How do you know I need help…?”
“Words travel faster than wind. So do rumors.” She answered cryptically.
“I’m looking for someone to help me get my hands on some information.”
“What kind of information?”
“I need to decipher something…” He showed the paper to the girl. After she inspected the paper, she looked straight into his eyes with a serious look.
“Are you retarded? Why are you waving this around here? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“Huh? What do you mean…?
She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside a small alley, whispering some words into his ear.
“…Listen. Put this away, and don’t show this to anyone else. Come to the dressing room in miss Phoenia’s mansion in thirty minutes. It’s the one you’ve been in this morning. Under no circumstance, ask anyone else questions about this either, alright?”
“…”
“ALRIGHT?” The force of her last whisper trembled through his ear, baking the message into his brain. Taro nodded submissively. Whatever he was doing wrong, it didn’t seem like a casual misunderstanding. There was clearly some kind of hidden sentiment in this town that he was not aware of. Without any inside help, Taro might be grasping in the dark until he had no more energy left.
Ten minutes later, he met Tenessa at the appointed place. She had swapped her apron for a casual outfit. Immediately after, without saying a word, she started undressing him. An unpleasant sense of déjà vu flowed over him. A few minutes later, he found himself in a complete different outfit. In contrast to the guard uniform, his current clothes were light and easy to move in. If he went outside dressed like that, he definitely would blend in immediately with the crowd.
“Much better than that stiff attire. Now, follow me.”
Again, she took his arm and pulled him outside the building. He felt some stares on his back, but they no longer felt cold and repulsive like before. He wondered what the two of them looked like to other people. He already had quite a good image, and he did not mind it at all…
They went around Phoenia’s place and entered a small building next to it. Tenessa took out a key and opened an old, wooden door. Inside there was a small bedroom, accompanied by a tiny desk and a multi-layered drawer. All of them seemed to be like they had been passed on for generations, almost wearied down to the last splinter.
The girl sat down on her creaking bed and pointed towards the spot next to her. Taro tilted his head, not understanding the meaning of her gesture. Did she want him to sit on the bed…? What was she planning to do…? Was this finally the moment he had been waiting for all his life…?
“Not in a million years.” She answered, as if she had read his thoughts. “Underneath it.”
Taro crouched and looked beneath her bed. A couple of boxes were stashed away carefully, hidden from plain sight. Taro pulled one towards him, and inspected the contents. It was filled to the brim with books. On the cover of the top one, he saw the title ‘The rise of Vinclum’.
“These are…”
“Books about this city. Most likely the only copies of them here.”
“The only copies…?”
“…My father wrote them. He was of the only ones who realized the importance of written history in this place.”
“Wow… So, he was a writer?”
“Yeah, he was. An amazing one.” She looked at the distance, reminiscing something from her past.
“Everyone else seemed to turn against me as soon as I asked them questions, but I don’t understand why. Did I do something wrong? Why were they acting like that?”
“Did you show them that paper you showed me earlier?”
“Hm… Only the last couple. I just asked normal questions to the others, like ‘Do you know if there’s a library here?’ or ‘Do you know some books about the past of this city?’.
“Ah, I see. You asked about books. No wonder that they gave such reactions then.”
“Huh? Why is asking about books controversial?”
“Books are… kind of a taboo here. I don’t know if the sentiment was born out of ancient tradition or excessive propaganda, but this city has a clear aversion to literature. In the past we’ve always passed down our skills and knowledge vocally. The fact that your questions reached me before you did, is a small-scale result of this. In the whole city, information like this gets spread on a way bigger scale in exactly the same way. Written sources would topple this information flow, upsetting the ones that use this to their benefit… The people here are very conservative, and even though most know the flow is being controlled by a select few, it would still take a massive reform to change it...”
Her body stiffened while she continued explaining the situation.
“The lasts couple of years it has only worsened. While everything looks fine on the surface, the city is slowly reaching a breaking point. Second district citizens are being overworked, blaming all their hardships on the poor third district citizens because they’re unable to fight against the nobles. Any new order or ruling only seems exist to squish more out of the working people, while they have nearly nothing left. This city was built on freedom and craftsmanship, but it seems our success has crafted the chains that are now holding us down. You could almost say these vocal stories are all we have left…”
“I already had the feeling there was a lot happening behind the scenes, but to think it was this bad…”
“Yes, I know. I hope the situation won’t explode, but the current events keep adding fuel to the fire. In all honesty, I would be more surprised if it didn’t all break down soon or later. And most other people know this too. That’s why they are unwilling to help, especially after you are mentioning an idea that’s been locked away by many of them. You could very well be the final breeze to blow away the remaining balance and artificial peace we have.”
“I see… But then, why are you helping me? Aren’t you afraid of the same?”
“I…” She paused for a moment.
“My father wanted for the people to know the unfiltered, objective past of this city. He started penning down everything he heard, saw and felt during his lifetime. This work was his dream, his legacy, his pride. He wanted people to know the beauty and evolution of this city, without any sugar-coating or lies. However, in his ambition he forgot about the traditions of this city, especially the human nature that wants to forget all the bad and revere all the good. My father placed both of those on equal terms, to the despise of many. Going against the very core of this city… eventually became his downfall.” Her face saddened.
“Just… See this as a way of getting back at the place that has unrightfully taken away the one I loved the most.”
“Alright, I understand.” Taro answered without hesitation. He sensed there was a tragic backstory hidden between the words, but he did not want to stab another needle in her heart. After all, he knew too well what emotional scars felt like, and the pain they brought with them. He was thankful to the girl for helping him, no matter her motivation.
One by one he skimmed though the books, while Tenessa had selectively taken up a single one from the heap and was carefully reading it. Most of them illustrated the daily lives of the citizens and the various happenings in the city over the years. Even though the peace treaty with the pirates, or the flourishment of the city after the ‘Centurial Trade Deal’ with the kingdom of Tyronia were interesting subjects, they were not the information he was searching for. The books were just superficial examinations, nothing Taro could use to delve deeper into the current investigation.
The books seemed to be chronologically ordered in time, in which Tenessa’s father described in each one the information he’d gathered that year. In total there were 45 books, or in terms of content, 45 years of information. When he neared the last books, he noticed something strange.
“Isn’t there a book missing here?” He was holding number 41 and number 43, however the book in between was nowhere to be seen. It should’ve described the events of year 221, interluding the events between the previous and the following books. In contrast with the ones he’d read earlier, this one seemed to be have a big importance on the current state of the city.
Book 41 described the turmoil in the city after the death of Tarroc Domevale, and the takeover of his daughter, Sarah Domevale. Apparently, after she had risen to power, Sarah had completely shifted away from Tarroc’s policies. In contrast to her father, who had made great deals for the average people and nobles, she seemed to be unnaturally focused on helping the poor and minority groups. Of course, this transition hadn’t fallen in good ground with a big part of the city, and eventually had caused protests to emerge. The book described these as ‘pure chaos instigated by ignorance’.
At the start of book 43, the city had been completely transformed into its current state: Phoenia was installed into her current position, the protests and chaos had died down and Sarah was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, the people of the third district had been separated from the other citizens with a giant wall. There were still some paragraphs present that described small amounts of resistance and violence, but surprisingly it seemed like the situation had mostly been resolved. One year had caused such a drastic change… Whatever happened in the missing book must’ve contained a lot of details on the origin of the current state of the city.
“I think this book might contain the clue I need, so do you know where it is…?”
“I see. As I thought, you’re interested in that… I know where it is, but we’ll come back to that later. First, let me show you something.”
She showed him the book she had been reading all the time. Unlike the other books, it was not labeled by a number. The page she was holding contained a bunch of numbers, followed by words. Just like the paper he’d found…
“This book is a notebook. My father would write down any additional information he’d gathered and didn’t put in his original books. There’s a lot of stuff, from locations of famous places to names of the most delicious dishes in the city. Between the abundant extras, he has hidden some very handy and delicate findings. One of them is this page. It contains a code that merchants use for selling, buying and contracting. Take out that page you showed me earlier.”
He took it out of his pocket. Tenessa snatched it from his hands quickly and started deciphering it.
“Let’s see…”
Minutes later, she had finished deciphering the text. Her eyes had widened, and her face was filled with shock.
“What’s up?”
She didn’t answer.
“Hey!” Taro put his hands on her shoulders, in an attempt to get her attention.
“Aaah! I’m sorry, I…” She looked deep into his eyes. “I can’t believe it… Is this paper real?”
“As real as it can get… I know you might not believe me but-“
“No, I believe you. Everything on this seems legit. I don’t think anyone would be able to reproduce this, even the signatures are completely accurate... However, this would mean…”
“What does it say…?” She still hadn’t said a word about why she was so shaken, and Taro’s impatience started to get the better of him.
“Here, read it… I think you’ll understand.”
She gave him the piece of paper. Her handwriting was as beautiful as one he would expect from an established scholar, completely in contrast with her revolting character.
“9 november 230. Transaction succeeded. Goods delivered in agreeable state.
12 november 230. Transaction succeeded. One item has been disposed of, the other goods delivered in agreeable state.
14 november 230. Transaction failed. Goods were malfunctioning, and have been disposed of. New transaction has been placed.
…”
The list went on and on, summing up tens of transactions. Then, at the end, he finally saw what has been bothering Tenessa all this time. The specification of what the merchants had been exchanging, changed the whole context of the document.
“Transaction details:
Goods: Demi-humans.
Physical age below 25.
Preferably marked, but not trained. Self-consciousness still intact.
Non-lethal force can be used with non-compliance.
In case of disposal, as agreed upon, no traces will be left of their remains.
…
Cases disposed of: 48“
Taro started trembling. The implications of this single paper were unfathomable. And the most alarming about it, were the names that had been written on the bottom of the paper. He looked at Tenessa in disbelief. She nodded in confirmation. Even though he couldn’t believe it, the proof was right before his eyes.
Beyond her all-encompassing image of protector, supposed to keep the city safe from threats and injustice. Beyond her self-proclaimed goal of preserving this city’s status quo to give the people peace. Beyond the clear commands she’d thrown out to find the missing people as fast and efficient as possible, in order to help those in need.
Beyond all of those … She was just another villain, disregarding lives as if they were hers to possess. It did not matter if she was saving people. It did not matter if she was upholding peace. It did not matter if she was being the leader everyone needed… If this was the cost.
Fourty-eight lives, forever gone.
There was nothing else that ‘no traces will be left of their remains’ could mean.
They killed all of them.
He could never forgive this. Just like those researchers, just like that half-demon… Just like anyone who took someone’s innocent life in front of him, throwing them away like disposables.
Taro would never forget this fury. He had sworn to get stronger. To rise above all of them. So that one day, he could come back and give every single one of them what they deserved…
After being confronted with the harsh reality, it finally all came back to him. The reason why he had traveled all the way down here, to a cold, unfamiliar place. There was something he needed to find here at all costs. Everything else had just been a delusion, a distraction.
“The one who is in possession of the missing book… It’s her… It’s Phoenia.”
That last sentence put the nail in the coffin. His emotions took over any sense of reasoning he had left. Again, he had been betrayed, deserted. Like countless times before.
But this time, it would be different.
He swore it would be different.
He was going to find was he was looking for.
He was going to punish those that had sinned against those they deemed unworthy.
And while he was at it, he was going to get to the bottom of this whole mess.
Fearlessly, beyond the glorified stories and untold misery, into the deep, dark past of the self-destructing city…
