Chapter 9: "A Child Among Ruins"

“You are… worthy… of the… sword.”

His stone body cracked with a dull din after pronouncing those words. From his rubble sprouted green shoots, and with them roses of an intense red, a pure white, and a profound black. With impossible delicacy, they opened their petals, as if the air itself knelt to welcome them.

The ground, once covered with Plague, became tinted with lively colors, and the fragrance of the flowers spread to every corner. Thorns glittered like jewels under the sun, forming a tapestry of treacherous beauty.

This is the Garden of Thorns in its full splendor.

We admired its charm for some instants and then abandoned the mountain. From that moment on, we did not exchange a word.

Her expression says everything: she is discouraged by what happened. The death of the Knight, the story behind the sword… but mostly by what she had said: “To save someone by killing them.”

“We were on the brink of death fighting against the Knight, and the golem threatened to kill us if you didn’t return the sword,” she recapitulated.

“Nonetheless, after all that suffering, the Garden of Thorns saw us out, showing its ancient glory, a majestic spirit full of life and harmony,” I answered, disgruntled.

How is it possible for life and death to be entangled like that in the same place?

I despised myself for having killed the Knight: I had allowed the memories and regrets of my past life to invade me, tearing me apart with horror and guilt.

And even so, the Garden showed me its most radiant face, as if it vanagloriated itself for my act. Is this what the world pretends? For me to follow this path? For me to dress up blood with flowers?

Thinking about that bemused my head.

“When I escaped from the Cathedral of Perpetual Order…” I began, just to clear my mind. “I’ve lived some years in Aurethys, the City of the Greedy Star. Do you know what the Transgression Permit is?”

“Yes,” she answered downhearted. “In Lusthal, the Permit was Lust. After midnight, everyone could appease their sexual desires without consequences.”

“Well, in Aurethys the Permit was Envy: it was allowed to hurt anyone you envied in any way you wanted. That’s why I know how cruel this world can be.”

Mainly the Gods, they are the worst.

“What I want to say is that we will face more dangerous challenges,” I warned.

******************************

We walked to the East, in search of a place to stay the night and rest. There, we would think about our next destination.

If we continue on this path, in a few days we will arrive at the Abyss of the Forsaken Faiths, the frontier with Aurethys. I refuse to return there. That place fills me with repulsion.

After some hours, we found a village that floated over an immense lake, surrounded by vibrant crops. To get in, there were precarious wooden bridges, hundreds of meters long, that connected it with the surrounding forest.

A river discharged into the lake.

I need to sleep immediately: I have never experienced such stress as the one provoked in me by killing the Knight. What’s more, even if it wasn’t real, I’m still affected by the pain the snake projected onto me.

As we approached, we noticed that the surroundings were quiet: neither the rustle of the market nor the creak of the flotilla on the water could be heard.

“It’s desolate, don’t you think?” I asked Zera.

“Yes,” she answered curtly.

After crossing one of the bridges, we observed the houses from outside. Closed like small fortresses, their windows had been shut with boards and their doors locked with keys.

Places like this give me the ick, make me remember a dungeon with an open ceiling.

“Did you see anyone, Zera? It’s been a while since we arrived. It’s desolate.”

“I don’t see anyone, but it doesn’t seem abandoned. Could it be that the people are hiding from something? A monster, maybe? Isn’t it exciting?” She outlined a smile, and her attitude changed radically.

Why does she find mysteries exciting? Isn’t she scared?

I was infected by her enthusiasm: I felt curious about what was happening. Without regard, I broke down the door of a house. Its fall raised a cloud of dust, and the half-light inside got enlightened.

On the floor there are two people… dead? No, they are still breathing. They are malnourished. Could it be a famine?

“What happened to you?”

They did not answer, nor did they deign to gaze at me. They remained motionless.

Without anyone’s permission, we checked some houses. Everyone was in the same state: skeletal, unable to get up, and with lost consciousness.

They are covered with dust: they have been like this for days.

On the shore, boats moved in a serene sway.

We argued for a long time about what had happened. At some point, Zera asked me to make silence.

“Do you hear that, Darek? There’s a kid crying!” She immediately ran to the main square. When she found him, she lifted him in her arms. He must have been five or six years old. “Do you feel alright? Are you hurt?”

“Mom… I want my mom!” he cried inconsolably.

Why was there an abandoned child on the street? Did he get lost?

His body was trim and lush. He had no dust on him, nor signs of starvation like the rest.

“What happened here? Why are you alone?” I asked, keeping my distance.

Why isn’t he shut inside a house? There were kids in those, and none were as healthy as him. Then why…?

The little one just kept crying. Along with his tears, the waters rose, and numerous houses remained isolated under his reign.

“Surely you must feel lonely, it’s okay. We will take you to your mom,” said Zera, trying to calm him down.

“Wait, let him answer first.” My voice sounded serious and stiff.

“Don’t be a brute. Can’t you see he’s upset? You should be more considerate.”

Has he suffered the same as the others? No, there are no signs of damage or loss of consciousness on him.

How…?

Have they been attacked and he hid? No, there’s no trace of a battle...

Who is he?

Everyone is malnourished, did they have a bad harvest? No, there are crops everywhere...

Then… what are you?

“Zera, don’t touch him.” I unsheathed my sword, directing the blade at his face.

“Darek, what are you doing? Have you gone mad? Let go of that.”

The kid must have caused this, something inside me tells me so.

“There’s something odd about him. Do you think it’s normal that everyone in the village is on the brink of death and this child is the only one unscathed?”

“It’s an absurd insinuation! He is just a child. You don’t even allow him to share what happened.” With every second I kept my sword held high, determined, she glared at me with growing hatred.

The atmosphere turned fraught. His cries and their unexplainable appearance deepened my distrust.

“I won’t ask it twice. Who are you, and what happened here?”

If you try to deceive me, I’ll cut your throat.

He hugged Zera and continued crying.

“Let go of him; that’s not a child, Zera,” I said, slowly approaching. This time, my sword threatened Zera.

“Stop it, Darek! Are you crazy? Do you realize what you are saying? How can you think he is responsible? Calm down, don’t let your paranoia lead you to an irreversible mistake.”

Don’t you dare call me paranoid.

I ignored her words and kept advancing. My pride fed my obstinacy, assuring me I was not wrong, that I never was.

“And if it is a misunderstanding? You can’t just take a look and decide that killing a child is the solution.”

I’m not wrong: I’m in the right.

She left the kid on the ground.

Finally, she came to her senses. Now give him to me.

She put her gloves on and fulminated me with a defiant gaze, full of contempt.

“I won’t allow you to cross that line, Darek.”