Euryce ~ Past ~ The day we began to fall

Where did it all go wrong?

If you asked me, I would say it was wrong ever since the conception of this world, so further back in time that our history does not record it.

When did Nochightdad start to fall?

Certainly, and although it sounds very wrong to say so, I would say it happened the day Howard came to this world.

He appeared after a successful summoning ritual in what was a very dark time for our city. I was not there, but I heard tales about the moment he appeared in the top of the pyramid, with his strange clothes and strange transparent things in front of his eyes. Legend says that when he appeared, he simply looked around calmly, before speaking to the summoner, Orphie’s father, and said:

“So this is what we are doing now then?”

I still don’t understand what he meant. When I asked he said some nonsense about mesoamerican cultures, pyramids, blood sacrifices and things that I did not understand. At the very least, what I grasped is that he realized the situation he was in as soon as he came to this world.

Which did not stop him from being thrown in the prisoner chambers, of course.

There, he met the prospects. A part of our history that even now I’m ashamed to remember. They were the fallback plan for when the summoning ritual failed too many times in a row and we needed someone to enter the stream.

What happens when you don’t get any worthy sacrifices? You take enough unworthy ones to equal its value. In the start they started using criminals, but things had changed as time went on, and if the city leaders decided that they needed more sacrifices, entire families could be taken in for a petty offense committed by only one of them.

Howard was thrown in with the prospects, one of which had been beaten near to death when they all got arrested. Their family tried to tend his wounds, but they had nothing to do it with. His breathing was shallow, his heartbeat weak.

But for Howard? It was like a normal tuesday for him. Even without being able to communicate with the prospects, only with signs, managed to communicate them how to treat him. He indicated the best posture to ease his breathing. He ripped his own shirt off to bandage his wounds, he was determined to save him.

Then, during the night, the prospect stopped breathing, his heart seemed to have stopped. His family was starting to cry over him, mourning him, but without a word Howard pushed them aside and got back to work.

When I asked him about it years later he said he used two techniques. The first one was mouth to mouth breathing, which was quite self explanatory, but the other one was a bit stranger. I think he called it CPR.

Whatever he did that night, the man that everyone, including the guards, was gonna die, had survived.

When the guards returned the next day expecting to pick up a corpse, they found an injured man who not only looked healthier than the day before, but had also woken up from his deathly sleep.

This apparent miracle caught the attention of Orphie’s father, Meofor, who went down himself to the cells to interrogate the miracle worker on his methods. Howard saw it coming, and took his glasses before standing tall before the man who came looking for him.

“They are saying you can bring people back to life.” Said Meofor, towering down over Howard. He had come down to the cell accompanied with two guards, ready to act if Howard even flinched wrong.

The family behind Howard continued screaming to Meofor. Howard could not understand what they said, but based on the reverent way they were looking at him, he could guess.

“To say that I can bring people back to life is an overstatement of my capacities, but you could say that I have some very useful knowledge from my homeland that… allows me to have a say in moments like these.” Howard said, standing firm, looking at Meofor at his eyes.

Meofor looked unimpressed, but took a step forward towards him.

“Is that so? If it’s knowledge, then I guess you can share it, can’t you?” He said, giving a sign to the guard on his side to step ahead.

Before the guard could hit him to truly start the interrogation, Howard calmly responded.

“Can you enumerate me every fact of the world you know?” He said. Looking at the guard straight to the eye.

Surprised by the attention, the guard doubted for a moment. In which Howard pressed on.

“Can you tell me every thing you have eaten the last week? Can you tell me the name of every person you met in the last 3 days?” Howard went on, taking a step towards the guard without taking his sight away from him.

Meofor saw the confusion in the guard’s face and got angry. After pushing the guard away he punched Howard’s face. He fell to the ground by the force of the impact.

“You think you are smart, don’t you.” Said Meofor, ready to take the interrogation in his own hands.

“You are the chief of this city aren’t you?” Asked Howard, his voice slightly trembling while he feigned confidence.

His words did stop Meofor for a moment.

“You sure know and have seen a lot of things, but if I asked you to recall all of them, could you? It’s not easy, is it?” Howard said, trying to take advantage of his pause.

“Oh, so you say you can.” He said, spitting the words in Howard’s face.

“No, I can’t. That’s… kind of what I’m trying to say.” Howard finally said.

Meofor stopped for a moment, finally starting to understand what Howard was trying to do.

“Do you think I care about your secrets that much?” He growled at him, finally letting him go.

“I must tell you that even where I’m from, the knowledge I have is a bounty. One that very few people have and that has allowed me to save countless lives in the past. You see, I’m a medic, and where I’m from, we have medical knowledge that you can’t even imagine.”

“Then I’ll beat every single piece of it out of you.” Meofor tried to threaten, with a low voice.

“Yes, you could try that. But just like you can’t tell me all you know by command, I can’t do it either. Even less under duress, if you understand what I mean.” Howard bargained, standing up again.

Meofor sized him up, an uncomfortable silence setting between them for a moment.

“What do you want.” Meofor finally growled, reluctantly.

“I want time. A place to stay, food, materials to study. I’ll methodically go over every piece of knowledge I have and I’ll register it for your society. I’ll treat any illness to the best of my capacity and I’ll save as many lives as I can as a thanks for your hospitality.” Howard said, with a small smile creeping in his face.

Meofor felt like a vein was gonna pop in his forehead, but he was not stupid enough to let such an opportunity pass.

Such the legend tells the story about the first sacrifice that escaped his damnation in less than a single day. 

Howard put his glasses back, as he walked out of that cell with the guards that had imprisoned him, knowing that they could not touch him anymore.