I Sacrifice

I can’t tell if I’ve been here for five minutes or five hours, Lucius thought. Time feels so stagnant here, but rapid at the same time.

He had taken his place at the back of the bandaged queue, trying to fully accept his current situation as he waited for his turn in front of the Vatics. His last memories before arriving in Pareidolia included something about a painting burned clear in his mind, but that’s where it all became a blur.

Grimebank, was that his name? He mentioned something about a sacrifice, not that I have any idea what that even means. This is all really starting to freak me out, but I don’t know what else to do but go along with it for now.

The sorrowful sight of bandaged figures reminded him this wasn’t all a game, and that he needed to act wisely in order to leave in one piece.

Lucius’s pondering had worked at distracting himself, as he now stood once again in front of the two Hourmen.

“Um, hello again. Can I see the Vatics now?” Lucius timidly asked, fearful of repeating his previous mistakes.

The Houmen passively stared back at him, remaining in their formations. The same sentry who previously had held his blade against Lucius’s throat now used the blade to point down towards a rounded pedestal placed between the two of them.

The offering stand was a spiraling marvel of stacked cylindrical tiers like a twisted hourglass, each level gleaming with a veneer of marble platforms bordered in ornate gold. Thick, fluted columns connected each tier, giving the structure an elegance that surpassed the practicality of worship or function.

But it was the interior that unsettled Lucius most. Draped in deep violet satin, the core of the stand rippled with an unnatural stillness, as though the fabric concealed something alive.

Right, this must be it, Lucius thought, patting down his body to see if there was anything he had to offer.

As his hands brushed against his left denim pocket, he felt a rounded memory from years before. Reaching in, he took out a red amber gemstone that had been ripped from his mother’s throat, a symbol he had carried with himself since that day. The amber glistened like a molten shard chiseled out from the sun, its rays burning into Lucius’s palm.

It’s pulsing in my hand, like it’s chosen itself to be given up. But I can’t give this up, it’s all I have left…

“All I have left,” he repeated to himself out loud. “I get it, that’s why it needs to be the sacrifice.”

He held his right hand out over the offering stand, and dropped the memory of his parents into the darkness.

To his surprise, the Hourmen accepted it as a worthy sacrifice, and parted ways to grant him access to the Vatics. Five marble steps half covered by a cardinal red carpet led up to the papal figures, their separated levels surpassing not only the physical realm.

Imitating the figures who came before him, Lucius knelt down on both knees at the base of the steps, and awaited instructions.

“You may proceed with your one question,” both figures simultaneously announced, their voices sounding like imitations of living beings.

Lucius took out a folded picture he had drawn while waiting in the line, scribbled on some newspaper left behind by Grimebank. On a blank section, he had sketched a recreation of the painting that started all of this, and held it up towards them.

“Where is this tree,” Lucius desperately asked.

The two seeks had their faces completely veiled, but Lucius felt as though they could still see what he was presenting. After a brief pause, they both replied to his question.

“The tree is here,” blankly stated Lucidum or Obscura.

“The tree is there,” blankly stated Obscura or Lucidum.

Lucius did not appreciate the enigmatic answers. “That’s not even an answer, that doesn’t help me at all! This is the wisdom of the all knowing Vatics?!”

Before he could even stand up, he felt the cold press of two blades against the back of his neck, telling him his turn was over. He slowly raised both hands in the air, the sketch still clutched tightly. In frustration, he threw the paper towards them and watched it settle down onto the steps.

“You don’t have to tell me again. I’m leaving.”

Turning to exit the chancel, he walked right between the Hourmen as they returned to their formation.

***

The sun was beginning to set over the city of Pareidolia, bleeding molten gold across warped rooftops and towers that twisted like coils. Shadows stretched long and uncertain, taking on the vague shapes of things never fully seen. Above it all, the amber sky fractured into hues of violet and copper, the heavens it’s cracked canvas.

Lucius had exited the cathedral in a fit of rage, unpleased with his results.

This is all just a joke, one big laugh after another.

At the back of the structure, he leaned against the limestone walls, unsure of his next steps. The characters he’d seen were all so uncanny, he felt uneasy just recalling it all. Ever since he got to this city, this forbidden and abandoned world, he’d been faced by the continuous unknown.

I didn’t even text Kenzo back, I wonder what he’s doing right now. He wouldn’t believe me if I could tell him where I’m at. I wouldn’t even believe myself.

However, a small part of him was intrigued by this new world, with its endless possibilities. He could stay here forever, start fresh, and build up the life he had always dreamed of, far away from the mistakes of back home. Contrasting thoughts continued to berate his mind, sliding down the rough wall onto the cracked floor, prepared to remain there for a while.

“Didn’t go as you expected, huh?” a voice amusingly called out from the shadows. “I tell ya, it never does.” Grimebank emerged from the darkness, his two cigarettes flickering like fireflies in the night.

“All that for nothing,” Lucius replied, his head held low between his knees.

“You took the risk, that counts for something. And who knows, maybe the answer those old bastards gave you will one day prove to be useful.”

Grimebank reached into his robe pocket, but instead of procuring the whole newspaper, he brought out just one piece, marked up by a rough sketch on the front side. Standing over Lucius, he dropped it down into his lap.

“How’d you get this?” Lucius asked.

“I went in looking for you after you took a while, guessed that it belonged to you. That drawing…you know what, it’ll just be easier if you come on ahead. I’ve never been the best at explaining things, at least so I’ve been told.”

Grimebank held out a bandaged hand towards Lucius, beckoning him to rise. Feeling like he didn’t have many other options, he reciprocated the gesture, physically connecting the two of their worlds for the first time since he arrived.

“You’re gonna love it here.”

Lucius thought he could sense Grimebank smirking behind the bandages, as he followed his guide into the dark depths.