Relentless

The Head Curator’s office doubled as a protection chamber for the most valuable of documents in the Book Club’s possession. Despite the name, the Grand Archivist did not manage the archives.

Her office was so important to the organization that only she could access it. It's reinforced by several powerful barriers deployed by the organization's mages and made of the unique Baryean Metals from Crystivik, which can withstand the most powerful magic.

As Lawrence looked around the office, Madame Curator rummaged through her records until she got her hands on a single thin book and flipped it open.

“I’d completely forgotten the name. The only thing we have on them is that they were suspected to have formed during the previous era, about a quarter of the Church’s lifespan.” She succinctly informed the Grand Archivist.

“That’s…that’s it?” Lawrence stammered in disbelief.

I would’ve thought the Book Club would have more than a Google AI summary.

“There were sources that both humans and demons co-founded the Didact, but those sources are unfounded.” She added before closing the book and returning it to its resting place.

Great, we had that entire dramatic sequence of going down the elevator for nothing…

“Well, that’s disappointing.” He sighed, feeling he had wasted his time chasing a broad name.

“I apologize, Grand Archivist. But, since you’ve brought it to my attention, I can have our field agents keep an ear open.”

“Please do. Good day, Madame Curator.” He tipped his hat towards her before making his leave.

Exiting the office, he walked past the Curator's Guard again to reach the elevator.

I can’t be too disappointed, as I’d had a pretty fulfilling day, despite only expecting to spend the time reading at the public library. Although technically, I have been reading.

As he entered the elevator, he reflected on today’s events, which brought back memories from my past life.

~

Kaede caught himself yawning as he was reading “The Crow and The Raven,” written by R.K. Stephen, in the high school’s library.

Accompanied by close school friends Goro, Ryutaro, Miwa, and Kana, they were supposed to study for an upcoming English exam, but they were all messing around while he opted to read.

“What do you think, Kaede?” Kana asked, nudging him hard, which brought him back to reality.

“What?” He asked, confused, looking at her with a semi-dazed expression on his face.

“Do you think we all should skip the rest of the day and head to the beach?” She repeated the missed question.

“Um…” He contemplated it as his eyes fell to her fingers, which pulled her skirt away slightly, revealing the black band of her swimsuit, and she laughed at his surprised expression.

“Miwa and I already planned to go…!”

“Whaaat? What about us? What are we supposed to wear?” Ryutaro asked, slightly annoyed.

“You’re guys. Do you really need swimsuits?” Miwa asked, resting her face in her hand with a smug expression.

Ryutaro didn’t have a rejoinder, so he quickly admitted defeat by closing his mouth and sitting back in his chair.

“It’s settled then, let’s go!” Kana cheered excitedly.

The beach was not that far away from the school, so it wasn’t uncommon for students to sneak out on a nice day. We arrived not long after, taking off our shoes and socks to try and prevent sand from getting in them.

Everyone began running towards the beach. The girls unbuttoned their shirts and took off their skirts while the boys did the same with their shirts and rolled up their pant legs as high as they could.

Kaede looked towards the ocean, rolling up his sleeves slightly due to the heat from the sun, as he admired the grand blue sea. The warmth of the coarse sand found its way through the areas between his toes.

A slight breeze brushed the sand along the surface, some of which got in his eyes, causing him to recoil a bit and block more with his arm.

“Kaede…!” He heard Kana shout his name from afar.

She was waving, indicating that he should join them. Staring at the sea once more and then towards the few other people at the beach, he pondered the thought.

I wasted the majority of my life doing nothing with myself—I had no goals, ambitions, or motivation. I convinced myself for so long that life dealt a bad hand, and the only thing I could do was live with it and embrace it.

While he was recounting his past in his memory, Kaede’s focus shifted back to Kana, who was close now and grabbed his hand to follow her.

“Are you gonna waste away when the day’s young?”

Why does it matter to you?

Her words held little meaning for him, given what she had done to indirectly cause his transmigration. How could a girl like her be capable of murder without batting an eye?

He wanted to solve this mystery to quell the lingering voices in his head, but he knew it would be impossible now unless he could commune with the spirits of Earth for answers.

“Why not?” Kaede replied to her monotonously.

“It just pains me to see you living life like you’re frozen in time.” She said this with a sad expression, stopping to talk seriously.

“I don’t see why it’s a bad thing. Living life the same means nothing can hurt me, nothing will change, nothing will happen. Life as I see it is perfect.”

“Kaede…” She continued holding onto his hand as she stared directly into his eyes.

“That’s wrong. Don’t you want to be happy? To break out of this gray shell and see the colors of the world?”

Kaede thought for a minute as he stared at the rest of our friends who were splashing each other with water and having a good time.

It never appealed to me. When a man feels joy, tragedy can jeopardize it. What is the point?

“No.” He looked back at her.

She could see the conviction in his eyes, understanding that she could never change his mind. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she tried her best to keep them at bay. Not wanting Kaede to see them, she turned around and began slowly walking away.

“I hope someday you’ll understand what you missed out on, Kaede. Sometimes, you don’t know how important something is until it’s gone.” She added before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

He frowned, not understanding why she wouldn’t relent.

What’s the point?

~

The elevator ding interrupted his dwelling on the past as the metal doors slid open. Stepping out, he noticed Mary was nowhere to be seen. However, since obtaining the memory fragments of this place, he no longer needed her assistance to leave.

He turned to the door next to him and reentered the dusty, tarp-filled room, taking off his mask. The door squeaked softly as it closed on its own behind him.

Several dust particles were visible under the low light of the magical lamps that hung from their metal hooks. Covering his nose, Lawrence pressed the recall button, attempting to wait while holding his breath.

About thirty seconds later, it arrived and slowly opened its doors. Lawrence stepped inside and caught his breath, revealing the hidden number pad and ascending the shaft, leaving behind the Book Club, for now.

As he exited the elevator, he emerged from the employee-only section and returned to the central area of the library. Many people had cleared out, leaving only a couple of dozen as they perused the various selections the library had to offer.

Hundreds of water droplets fell to the ground, leaving behind a trail immediately washed away by more.

How long was I underground? Is it raining already? I should hurry home.

Lawrence was a bit distraught that he didn’t have an umbrella since Bernard had taken possession of it, but Lawrence had left so abruptly after the funeral that he didn’t get the chance to retrieve it.

Taking his chances, he quickly flagged down a carriage and entered the interior, shaking any excess water off of him.

“Where to?” The driver looked back as rain continued to fall off his raincoat.

“The Blackwood Mansion, please.”

Without a second to lose, the driver whipped the reins, and the horse quickly galloped away. They turned onto Cloverfall Boulevard towards the Indrift District, where the looming clock tower of the Imperial Academy was in full view, less than a kilometer away.

Rain slid across the glass windows as they passed by the empty streets. It was coming down harder, as the sounds of the carriage became muffled.

About ten minutes later, Lawrence arrived outside the metal gates of his more than humble abode. Shielding his face from the rain, he swiftly paid the driver and entered the mansion’s premises, running across the courtyard to get out of the rain as soon as possible.

Quickly entering the foyer of the mansion, Lawrence was dripping wet as the rainwater began soaking the carpet. The clicks of shoes echoed as Corinne entered.

“Master Lawrence!” She said in surprise, noticing his drenched appearance, and quickly retrieved a towel.

“Thank you.”

He began drying off his hair, running his hands over its smooth surface, which was now all over the place. Wanting to change clothes, he made his way towards the stairs as he wiped off any excess water sticking to his shirt and pants.

“Where have you been all day? Last I heard, you left with Mr. Thorbourne.” She inquired, following close behind as they entered his room.

Lawrence sighed, beginning to undo his tie and unbutton his shirt. Corinne didn’t mind seeing him half-naked since she had seen more since her service to him so many years ago.

“Let’s just say, I let Adrian keep his position, then I went to read a bit.”

He completely took off the damp shirt and handed it to Corinne, wiping the remaining water from his body with the towel.

“You what? I thought you wanted to take over your father’s company?” She gasped, not expecting his decision.

“Priorities have changed, and besides, I trust Adrian. It’s in good hands.”

“If you say so…” She murmured, as she watched him take the rest of his clothes off and dry himself.

Taking out a fresh pair of casual clothes and putting them on, Lawrence decided to take some time to read and brush up on the history of the world, hoping it would give insight into the lingering questions he still had.

Buttoning the final one on the shirt, there was a knock at the door as Corinne moved to open it, revealing one of the butlers.

“Sir, there are two inspectors here to see you.”