Chapter 727 – Unexplained Mysteries
There are patterns in the grains, just as there’s patterns in the crust. I am Divine, I should be immune to this mindmancy, but I am certain I hear the calling of those who tell me not to continue. They slither to me ever closer, waiting until I fall asleep <- Unaware of myself being a Divine? Unaware of Divinity maybe? Seems farcical at the start, until we consider the pre-Divinity theorem. Monsters are not actually of what Divinity is, since they come from a time when Divinity was only beginning to form. Maybe they consider me a powerful mage?
No matter, I am certain that they are waiting for me to slip up and make a mistake. How, I am uncertain, but I can feel my mind already begin to fray under the strain of their assaults. The territory I wander into is uncharted entirely, of that, I am certain by the amount of discoveries that I’ve made and the amount of questions that every discovery brings about. Monsters are like dogs, a dog may look at one human and another and know generally that a difference is there, even if they can’t reasonably explain the differences. Likewise, I know that as they stalk me, they treat me as a man. My servants have been getting poisoned lately and loud screeching is audible through the night to keep us awake. It would be a challenge to maintain sanity were it not for my Godhood.
But why do they stalk me? Is that not the question of the Ages? The defence is thickest the closer you get to the king. I am certain one of my theories hit the mark. And, worse than that, I am certain it was more than one. The pre-Divinity idea of Monsters I am certain is correct. I would go a step further, and say that monsters are older than the Age of Gaia in the first place. Nevertheless, the criticism that arises every few decades before receiving and unsatisfying lack of engagement since no one truly knows the answer is valid.
Malam and Helenna and the Divines that would become tyrants, if they incarnated during the Age of Monsters, could not have singlehandedly protected humanity from the dreamwalkers. Much less could they have eliminate them entirely.
But as I consider this problem, I come across another problem that I am certain has been a mistake on behalf of my elusive opponent. I am a naturally secretive Divine, just as Helenna or Malam are. That is the price to pay for having a lack of overwhelming power. I know how to hide.
And I have been found.
If it was another Divine who would find me that wasn’t Helenna, I would run an investigation. But Monsters? Monsters that have retreated from existence? It is known, the only of them who actually venture are children who most likely are breaking their parents’ rules. It is implausible that monsters, of all of things that inhabit this world, should have found me. Even more improbable is the fact they manage to avoid Atis’ Hunters which the God has lent me in my time of need.
That is unless they have an ally. An ally far more important and bigger than all of us would expect.
…
I cannot believe it took me so long to realise what I was dealing with.
There was no finding to be done.
We all know each other here.
- Excerpt from an unfinished work by God Saranael, of Knowledge. The God lost his mind entirely before completing this text.
Elassa liked whenever Arascus came to visit. For one, he always brought something with him, for two, it meant she could get a break from the tedium of the work he had assigned her. The War College of Arcadia had been temporarily made into an enchanting facility. Countless of the transmutation crystals from the ICDT tower were leaving the school every day. Elassa herself was still in charge of producing the gemstones for the towers. Those would be used in battle and thus, they had to be perfect.
But the rest of the school was creating the countless smaller gemstones that would be installed all through the Empire. Onto radio masts and church bells and fire towers in forests. On flagpoles and street-signs and every else that some bureaucrat would deem of enough altitude to have an effect. And the sky in Epa would be reclaimed.
But Arascus had come, so she got the break she wanted from the mind-numbing, repetitive torture of a job. They had both sat down in her headmistress’ office. The red and purple banners of Arcadia floating against the wall. She would have offered wine if Arascus did not immediately forward on her desk, rudely planted his elbows on it, dropped a suitcase and let is swing open for her to see. “What is this?” Elassa asked. It was photos, there was one with Paida in the frame, so it must be the Aris expedition.
And Elassa stared at the texts on the walls. Some, she could read, some were wholly lost to time. But it was the pictures that caught her attention. The Divine on a throne, the tree that was cut down. A group of people in… sermon? Prayer? Magical communion? It was difficult to tell. “I’ve come to the premier archivist of this world because I don’t know myself.” Arascus said. Elassa stared at the images, then turned around and began to walk off. She had seen underground structures before but nothing of this scale. And whilst there were diagrams of ancient Divinity…
“I assume this is directly from underneath Aris?” Elassa asked.
“Paida herself doesn’t know where it is. It’s deep though.” Arascus replied as he began to follow her. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“You’re older than me.” Elassa couldn’t keep the smugness out of her own voice. Not only was he older than her, he was older than her by several ages. Elassa had incarnated at the end of Worldbreaking, Arascus had been here since before the Age of Heroism. And he was coming to her for knowledge?
“Don’t get too giddy with yourself.” Arascus replied dryly. That only made Elassa giddier. “When it comes to things like this, you have the most complete picture.”
“And you don’t?”
“No.” Arascus said. “Which is why I’ve come to you.”
“Have you read the Archive?” Elassa was just basking in the glory at this point. Arascus was declaring she knew more than him? What a day to be alive! Truly amazing! All her historical work had paid off indeed!
“Elassa.” Arascus said. “Let’s get back on topic. Do you know, or do you not?”
“I need to compare with other diagrams I’ve found.” Elassa said. She waved her hand, one of her many rings flashed with a white light and one of the cabinet doors flew open. A book came flying out of it, it shot to the desk, Arascus didn’t even seem surprised by the act of effortless magic. Elassa didn’t know why it annoyed that he wasn’t, he had obviously seen more impressive things than this.
“What’s that?” Arascus asked.
“It’s a record of unexplained mysteries.” Elassa opened the book. She knew the page. “I’ve not put it into the Archive of Arda, just so you know.” She couldn’t. The archive was supposed to be a complete work. It was one thing to make vague, general statements about the future. It was another to have a section about “unexplainable glyphs found underground”. Elassa turned the page until she got to a similar diagram.
“That’s the same.” Arascus said. “Did you find that?”
“One of my own Arcadia-led expeditions did.” Elassa said. “I have stared at it for…” She shrugged. “Well easily a month in real time, and I’ve not gotten any closer. Now, it’s repeated under Aris.”
“Where was that?”
“Eastern Epa, in a ravine in Erdely. Deep though and off the beaten path.” Elassa said. “I had thought you would know of it because Fer was there.”
“Erdely is huge.” Arascus said. “She’s not explored every square inch of the woods, obviously.” Elassa nodded, somewhat disappointed at the news. Elassa tapped her own picture, then Arascus’.
“This is obviously bad news though.” She said. “Because I can’t do the method I did before to cope with not knowing it.”
“What was that?”
“Write it off as a joke or something personal.” Elassa said. “A family patriarch, the crowd are his family. The tree would be an actual apple tree or something? The children cut it down, the man killed himself in grief, they cried.” With each word, she tapped her own picture. “A highly personal explanation, but it would check out.”
“It’s the sort of explanation that makes your blood boil.” Arascus said.
“I know.” Elassa said. “And it’s also more common than you think.” She clapped her palm against her chest. “Trust me, I’ve probably done more archaeology than the rest of you combined.”
“I trust you.” Arascus finally leaned back. “But your theory doesn’t work anymore.” He said. “Or it’s the tale of a lifetime.” His eyes met Elassa’s. “I’m sure we can both sit and invent a story which will maintain your original explanation and tie it in nicely. Let’s not.”
“Let’s not.” Elassa agreed. She tapped Arascus’ picture now. “The chance of my scenario is nil at this point.” She inspected the two photos side by side. Wait… What? “I don’t even believe they’re related.” Elassa said then blinked. “Save for the subject matter of course, but I mean they don’t have the same creator, you can see it in the stone work. One is dirty, the other, I mean, look how smooth these diamonds are cut. That’s magic at work.”
Arascus stared at what she had pointed out and nodded. “That makes the situation worse. I had first assumed it to be the work of monsters under Aris. Or maybe madmen who ventured too far. But this?” His finger brushed past Elassa’s as he tapped the other photo. “Erdely is the other side of Epa. It’s a continental phenomenon now.” He pursed his lips. “Continental at least.”
Elassa sighed and flipped the page, she knew there were more photos here from recent times, although Arascus blocked her hand before she could move the page again. They had stopped on a pencil drawing from ancient times, a recording of what had been found long before the photographic camera existed. And it was a drawing of the exact same thing. A sculpture of a Divine on a throne. “I was going to mention that in a moment.” Elassa said.
“So these aren’t new.” Arascus tapped the pencil drawing that was obviously of a sculpture which talked of the same things that Paida had seen down there. Elassa looked at the reference number, then flicked through to the glossary.
“Diagram of sculpture of unknown Divinity, recorded to have been made out of oak. Presumed to be ancient record of a Tyrant.” She looked at Arascus and smiled. “The author gives an example too of what Divine he thinks it could be too.” Arascus looked at her dryly.
“The fact you’re asking gives it away, it’s me, isn’t it?” He said without a hint of amusement in his voice.
“It’s you.”
“Well it’s not me.” Arascus said and crossed his arms. “Unless it’s some allegory.” He looked at Elassa. “It’s the tree that sets me off.” He pointed to the photo Paida’s expedition had taken again. “The Divine in the throne, that could be anyone. The tree though? Either that has some hidden meaning I can’t work out or…” He trailed off. “Or it’s just a tree, but I nor do I assume you know of any situation where a tree was cut down that would be relevant.”
No. Not at all. There had been plenty of felled forests in Arda’s history. That wasn’t uncommon. There had even been diplomatic insults regarding this… Elassa looked down at the photo. “Well it’s not Fidor’s felling of the White Oak.” She said. A Karainan king who had cut down a tree that was supposed to symbolize good will between him and the nobles but…
“I somehow doubt that they’ll bother to record Reconstruction-Era Karainan history in the Aris Catacombs.” Arascus said. “Just a hunch, although I don’t what’s brought it on.”
“I mean…” Elassa said. “This is not something even I’m an expert in. This is all just my unexplained mysteries of Arda and...” And then, she stopped, her mouth opened and she realised she finally had the sliver needed to crack open the knowledge locked away within the mind of the Gaia Generation: Neneria, Irinika and… “Well, I do know of a Divine who is in an expert in trees.” Elassa said.
“She won’t want to talk about it.” Arascus said. “I’ve not even questioned her on it but I know. Iri and Nene both don’t want to talk about it and they’re…” He motioned with his arms. “It’s Irinika and Neneria. What exactly could stop them from speaking?”
Elassa put her book down on the table, took a deep breath and tried to keep her fury down. Her fists landed on her hips and she stared up at Arascus with an annoyance which quickly became disdain. Was that supposed to be any sort of reasoning? “Do you know how many times I’ve done something I didn’t want to in the pursuit of knowledge?”
“A great many times.” Arascus said. “I assume, although I wouldn’t know.” He crossed his arms and looked down at the woman. “Besides, don’t pretend you don’t keep your own secrets.”
“My secrets aren’t to do with the origins of this world?”
“Instead they’re to do with the origins of Divinity.” Arascus replied and Elassa went red. She didn’t have to press him more to know what he was insinuating at: Anassa and her awakening and how Elassa had facilitated that. Of Magic stalled, Arascus didn’t give her a chance to speak. “I will recall Irinika and Iniri and talk with them independently.” And there it was, here Elassa had been thinking she could find a way to participate in those meetings. “If there is anything you want to know, tell me and I’ll ask.”
“I need to be there.” Elassa said and Arascus stared down as if he was staring down at a child. Elassa didn’t understand what exactly was so crazy about what she had just said that he needed to give her that sort of gaze.
“That’s not going to happen.” Arascus said. “And it’s not even a case because I care if you’re there or not. I’ll have to press them to talk to me alone, if you’re there, then the chance of them spilling something is.” He held up his hand, finger and thumb touching to make a ring: Zero.
Elassa sighed. The worst part was that she couldn’t even find an argument against that. Arascus was fucking correct. Iniri’s opinion of Elassa couldn’t get any lower than it was at this point. Irinika… Elassa didn’t even want to know what Irinika thought of her. It couldn’t be anything good, Irinika had a reputation of hating almost every Divine that wasn’t her immediate family. Elassa stared at the photos again. “Then can I ask you to tell me what they say?”
“I’ll share what I can.” Arascus said.
“And if it’s bad?” Elassa asked.
“Are you scared?” Arascus asked.
“No.” Elassa quickly snapped back. “Of course not. But I’m just saying. What if it’s not…”
“Neneria has told me the same thing.” Arascus said. “She would share, but she warned first. Once some things are known, they cannot be unknown and whether I was sure I wished to know them.” Arascus finally turned around. “Back then, I was content to let sleeping dogs lie. Now, there’s a sleeping dog under Aris. We’re going to know what it wants before we wake it up.”
Elassa blinked. “You’re going to be doing another expedition?” She asked.
“Of course.” Arascus said.
“Who’s on it?”
“I don’t know.” Arascus said. “It’s undecided. I have a hunch for who will be there.”
“Can I go?” Elassa asked quickly.
Arascus sighed. “We have too much on our plate right now. I’ll think about it Elassa. No one is going under Aris until we know what we’re dealing with.”