As the waxing gibbous moon hovered above the hut, the trio postponed their search to take a breather. Both Sam and Lucy remained down in the workshop, with Rupert staying upstairs, guarding the front door.
After the youngest Nightingale carefully placed a journal back into its place, she turned away from the shelf and noticed that Sam was fixated on the slab. "Had any luck?" asked Lucy as she headed to the worktable.
"I wish I could say that," the man shrugged, "But unfortunately, I'm not a trained linguist like Elisabeth."
Lucy giggled as she took her place next to the man, her azure eyes scrutinizing each symbol. "Huh, I never thought there'll be anything left of the Country of the Reeds," she remarked sadly.
"What happened to it?"
"A revolt of some kind - stemmed from years of oppression and suffering," Lucy took a deep breath before continuing, "My mom told me a tale about this land. A beautiful kingdom with fields of shining golden reeds stretching as far as the eyes could see. The royal palace, built from pure white stone, sat right next to a large river; its flowing surface is so crystal clear, it was like looking through glass."
"Hm, that sounded like something out of a fairy tale."
"It was. My mom described the kingdom as, and I quoted: a whole nother world."
"So, what happened to it?"
"Well, it is said that the last king was suddenly consumed by an abnormal lust for gold and riches – so obsessed he was that he ended up hoarding all of them in his castle like a lunatic. Because of his unscrupulous actions, the land soon fell into years of famine, poverty, and abuse -- turning what used to be a bountiful land into graves for the poor and the sick. Eventually, as you might have guessed, the people had enough, and it didn't take long for them to storm the castle, catching the king sleeping blissfully with his wealth."
"Sleeping with his wealth? That is pretty...abhorring. So, what happened then? To the king, I mean."
"The people caught him, of course, and he was thrown in a vat of liquid gold. Soon after, his remain was paraded around the city before it was cut into pieces and thrown into the river."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Regrettably, by the time the rebellion was finished, the damage done to this land was pretty much irreversible. Thanks to the greedy king's decades of negligence, not even a single blade of grass could grow from the hills outside." Lucy crossed her arms together after finishing her story, and with a low voice, she said, "I'm sorry. If it wasn't for my brother and me, you could have gained access to the Archive without dealing with all this shit."
Sam was rendered speechless by the sudden apology. After recollecting himself, Sam asked the woman, "Was it a mistake – what we did back then?"
"What?" Lucy's forehead creased, both confused and intrigued at the odd question.
"Back in the Wailing Forest, what we did – was it a mistake? You know, saving the towners from the Distorted?"
"That's..." Lucy halted, her head tilted down to the floor.
Sam sighed, "A wise man once told me that doing the right thing can sometimes get you in trouble. But, that doesn't mean you should stop doing the right thing. I never blamed both of you for what happened. Truth be told, I was expecting the suspension. Thomas wouldn't want someone like me to be associated with Conclave, let alone join it."
"Then he is an idiot," Lucy snapped before leaning against the table, munching her lips.
At the same time, Sam was peering at her with concern. He had been observing her since they escaped The Nest -- noticing how easily agitated she was after the encounter with the Crystal of Birth.
"You're still thinking about that crystal, don't you?" Sam mouthed.
Lucy fidgeted as she felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. "It was supposed to be like any other day. Out on the lawn in the morning, training with Rupert and my father. Then in the afternoon, I'll watch my mother cooking in the kitchen. On the day it happened, we were supposed to bake a cherry pie together." Lucy laid her glassy eyes on Sam, "I'm going to find him -- the man with the Black Flame. I'll make sure his death will be slow...and painful."
"I understand your reason for doing it but you are treading on a very dark path. One that, I'm afraid, you might not be able to come back from," Sam retorted.
"I know," Lucy exhaled with a smile across her weary face. "So, no words of wisdom from Samuel Edelweiss? You know, to prevent me from pursuing this road of vengeance?"
"No," Sam shook his head, "You and your brother have the right to do so. However, aside from avenging your parents, you mustn't forget about your main duty."
Lucy chuckled, "You sounded so much like Markus. But, in case that happened," she bumped her fist on Sam's arm, "I'll be counting on you to bring me back to my senses."
"That…was so corny," Sam commented and both started to laugh out loud.
"Yo, guys! I think you might want to see this!" Rupert suddenly called them out, much to his younger sibling's dismay.
"Well," Sam shrugged, "So much for a peaceful night."
ɹɹ********************************************
The two rushed upstairs, only to find all the lights were off except for the candle in Rupert's hand. As soon as the elder Nightingale saw Sam and his sister, he put his finger on his lips before gesturing his fingers at the window in front of him.
"Now tell me, what do you guys see?" muttered Rupert, pointing to the outside of the cabin.
Sam and Lucy peeked through the glass and it didn't take long for them to see an orb of light floating between the black dunes.
"Are those…people? Real people?" Lucy spouted. Under the dim moonlight, she saw two hooded figures wading through the sand -- guided by a single flashlight.
"They sure look like real people. They've been patrolling the area since half an hour ago but this is the first time, they are approaching us," Rupert explained. "So, who do you think they are?"
"Well, considering Elisabeth was the only person who is supposed to be here, I'm guessing they're the ones who messed this place up – and maybe even knew Elisabeth's whereabouts," Sam replied.
"So, what's the next course of action?" Lucy inquired.
"Well," said Sam as he pulled out his mask from his jacket. "Let's give our guests a warm welcome."
"Now, we're talking," Rupert sneered.
**ɹɹ******************************************
||| THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS: MARKUS |||
[Meanwhile…]
[The Dungeon, Tower of Nexus]
Markus stopped in front of the metal door, his heart was beating anxiously at what waited for him beyond the cold, emotionless barricade. How should he proceed? How should he strike up a conversation with someone like Jack Cindar? Those were the questions that kept repeating in his mind.
"Here goes," Markus sighed before he pushed the door open, revealing a man meditating on the concrete floor with a reddish-brown mist swirled ominously around him.
"I expected you to come sooner, Markus Strigis," a smirk appeared across Cindar's swollen face. As soon he opened his eyes, the colored gas instantly disappeared without a trace. "So, what do you want? A confession? Some words of regret?"
"Those would be nice but all I want for now is a reason. For your recent...mishaps," said Markus, his nose crinkled from the lingering stenches of dried blood and sweat.
Cindar huffed proudly, "And what do you hope to find if I tell you? Solace? A sense of resolution? You don't strike me as a sentimental person, Markus."
"Don't try to change the subject now," said the Captain of the Deathstalker, as he glared scornfully at Cindar. "Let me remind you that you are currently in a very precarious situation. So, for once in your life, why don't you act like a man of honor, and take responsibility for your actions?"
"A man of honor?" Cindar chortled. "Oh Markus, let's not hide behind an archaic concept such as honor like our predecessors did. You and I are the same -- a pragmatist. Someone who is not afraid to break the laws of the old for the sake of achieving our goals."
Markus proceeded to scoff at the man's remark, "You flattered yourself. Your ways of 'breaking the laws of the old' are clearly different than mine, based on what had transpired in the Training Hall…and during your apprenticeship."
"Ah, those two idiots. If only they did as they were told, they will probably be alive," Cindar blurted out. "Of course, I'm referring to how I tried to persuade them not to explore the tunnel they were buried in."
"Those two idiots...had families who will be grieving because of you."
"So? Isn't it better for them to grieve now than later? Our job is not exactly risk-free."
"That's not the point!" Markus exclaimed before lowering himself down to Cindar's level. "I've reviewed the footage of what you did those kids and honestly, I found it to be a tad...peculiar."
"Oh? How so?"
"For starters, you never once tried to conceal your act; you did it nonchalantly within the view of the camera – it was as if you wanted to be seen on purpose. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Cindar broke into a vast roar of laughter, "You are letting your imagination run wild again, Markus. Isn't it obvious? What happened was I lost my temper and what happened next was kinda of a blur to me."
"Really? You 'lost your temper' and, yet you still managed to miss their vitals?"
"Lucky for them, I suppose."
"Are you seriously expecting me to believe that?" Markus narrowed his eyes.
"I don't expect you to. But, it will be nice if you do."
After seeing the arrogant smile on Cindar's face, Markus knew he could not get anything else from the stubborn man. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it," he stood up and casually made his way back to the entrance.
"So, what do you think will happened to me, Markus? Will I be Culled or executed?"
"Whichever it was, I'm sure you wouldn't care less. However, there's one thing for certain – your punishment will be much more severe since Thomas won't be covering for you this time. Oh, you mentioned something about me stabbing my best friend in the back. Do you know why I did?" said Markus as he grabbed the door handle.
"Enlighten me, please."
"Because he's the one who killed the previous Faceless Lord."
||| THE END OF THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS |||
****ɹɹ****************************************
[Meanwhile…]
[Desert of Ashes]
"Dude, are you sure you're seeing right? I don't see anyone in there," said the man with the flashlight, pressing his flat nose against the window. "You're not pulling my leg again, are you, Earl? 'Cause I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes."
"I swear on my mother's name, Keith! I definitely saw someone walking around inside this freaking cabin," the stout man replied.
"I don't even know your mother," the man named Keith sighed heavily. He directed the light at his companion, when he noticed Earl's dilated pupils, Keith immediately clicked his tongue out of annoyance. "You imbecile! you took those things again, didn't you?!"
"What?! No! I didn't!" Earl snapped, "Maybe just a little bit?"
"For Vidia's sake, how many times do I have to tell you to stay away from those drugs? It's not designed for someone like us."
"I know, but…please trust me. I'm not trying to trick you or anything like that." the man pleaded.
After a few moments of deliberation, Keith reluctantly gave in to his friend's demand. "Fine. But if there is nothing in there, then you will stop sniffing that stuff."
Keith marched toward the entrance and carefully place his hand on the doorknob. It was expectedly cold to the touch, which only made Keith grumble out loud.
KRIK!
The door creaked open as soon as Keith twisted the knob, and he quickly pointed his flashlight forward which only ended up raising his disappointment.
"See, Earl? There's nothing here except for a vacant and messy living room. Can we go back-?" Keith paused after realizing his friend was nowhere to be seen. "Where the hell did that doofus go?" the man grunted, shortly before he saw a fist shot out of the darkness in front of him.