Chapter 33: "A Mortal’s Resolve"

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I wandered through the endless hallways of the cathedral, searching for a direction, a clear objective, a clue of the whereabouts of the Feather.

I did the right thing when doubting my parents. Having seen what happened in Eryndor made me understand when, in a family, everyone suffers.

As soon as The Eternal Whisper gave me this ‘gift’, they became corrupted. Since then, they took advantage of me, their own daughter.

Jix described it accurately: they succumbed to their human nature. Can I reproach them for having done that? I don’t know. Even so, I can’t deny that I feel scammed, used.

Small rooms extended where I walked. In them, books, artifacts, and diverse experiments filled the shelves, the tables, and the desks.

Scammed or not, Zenith sent Corin to save me from them. Why? Maybe it was a power play between her and The Eternal Whisper. Maybe she thought that I would be valuable.

I don’t know, but what I’m sure about is that they, whether they admit it or not, are interested in me. I know it because they left me under Lodric’s supervision to take care of me, even if I hadn’t understood it.

The arcs and pillars that ornamented the cathedral were architectural works, worthy of admiration, magnificent.

I thought that living with Lodric was a prison. I felt free when I escaped. Yet, that forced me to know the true cruelty of the world, its insatiable ambition.

In the mansion I was protected; and now, I live surrounded by superior forces that I don’t understand: a huge place full of hues, of edges. It’s frightening, horrifying.

And, for all that, I don’t think I could keep living there, ignoring my past.

In the worst way, I learned to measure the consequences of my actions, as cruel as they may be. It was the suffering of my greatest mentor.

If I have to be honest, I think I fulfilled my objective. I’m satisfied. I feel that, one way or another, I found after much effort my real parents behind the story of Syrb, The Crimson Testament.

It provided me relief, even if I found out in a brutal way, one that hurts. Even so, I don’t regret it.

It was weird, the place was empty. Without Knights protecting the rooms or the cathedral areas: The Order was a ghost town, as if they had left Aurethys.

And who ‘saved’ me from Lodric? What an irony. Though, I don’t hold you grudges, Darek. What you did, as unforgivable as it is, can’t be changed.

Darek, you let yourself be fooled, you were manipulated to follow the will of others. Why have you allowed it? Why do you doubt, doubt of your past and of what provides the future?

You are emotionally unstable, your weakness is what makes you vulnerable to those that want to control you, like the Eternal Whisper and the Gods.

I don’t think there’s evil in your soul, but there is in the entities that surround you. They are the true danger and have sunk you in their world, making you lose your way.

Our story was marked with errors, bad decisions, and the fact that I accepted your mistakes doesn’t mean that I forgive you. However, that doesn’t mean either that I’m not searching for revenge after you killed my saviour, Corin. Unlike you, Darek, I know that won’t lead to anything.

The soft sound of a distant harp called my attention, captivating me with its ethereal beauty.

That rage that blinds you is the one that doesn’t let you see reality. But I, during this journey, could see it, even though I couldn’t understand completely what was going on.

I trusted you, since when I met you in the mansion I saw a broken boy, devastated, whose heart had been dilapidated again and again.

And this is how you pay me? You told me you searched revenge, even if you didn’t know if it was true: your memories had been altered. Even so, you didn’t hesitate when you killed Corin, isn’t that right?

Jix and your master tried to stop you. The only one that supported you was The Primordial Eclipse, an entity locked at the bottom of the Abyss, accused of wanting to annul everything. Weren’t the clues too obvious?

How ironic. I accepted a Pact with an Intermediary on The Nether Hollows to revive you: I was willing to sacrifice my life for you! As long as I don’t pay the price, you’ll remain alive, reminding me every day that I’m still chained.

Every night I sleep, every time I close my eyes, he is inside me. It’s an Intermediary that watches over me diligently, waiting for the moment to reclaim what I wished for.

I was the stupid one: I supported you as well, I accompanied you, Darek, and I hate myself for that. I was wrong. I helped someone whose only reason to live was vengeance. That’s not living, it’s wanting to die having inflicted your pain on others: that’s the true meaning of betrayal.

As I climbed the more intricate stairs, I advanced over tiny chambers and colossal terraces, the music intensified.

Humans decay before the corruption that stalks them. That was demonstrated by Darek and my parents. However, can I trust the Gods? Jix, my guardian, assured me he accompanies me so The Silence doesn’t take over the Feather. What if he lies as well?

Trust is an ephemeral and scarce good, irrelevant to those whose ambitions haven’t been satisfied.

That’s why, since now, the weight of my decisions will fall on me only. I must decide on my own when to act, which risks to accept and which secrets to keep. Nonetheless, if I start to distrust so much, I’ll transform into Darek, doubts will invade me and I’ll end up like him. What should I do then?

The sifted light of the stained glasses dyes the floor with red and blue sparkles, while the echo of every step resonated like a sacred mutter in the gloom.

I don’t know, but if my choices depend on myself only, that means I can’t keep escaping. Until now, I refused to kill, it seemed a repulsive idea. However, this world doesn’t know any other way to resolve conflicts.

Even in the beginning of this journey I was weak. In the catacombs, under the village surrounded by the lake, I decided to unleash that demon. Why? Because I wasn’t prepared to accept their deaths.

Seeing them die, because of my fault… I couldn’t accept it. Then, I released it, to damage in a place I’d never know, where my sins couldn’t punish me. Nonetheless, now I understand my mistake: ignoring the pain doesn’t take you anywhere.

From now on, when I get the Feather, the weight of thousands or millions of lives will fall on my shoulders and the same Zera as before, weak, I can’t make a mistake again, I can’t let my pulse shake.

Refusing to murder won’t be an escape anymore. I’ve seen that the passivity of my cowardice crumbles before the unavoidable. That’s why, I won’t allow cowardice to stop me, never again.

The sound guided me towards a tiny door, where only a mouse could fit in. Its decoration was refined, of the highest quality: small shiny golden canvas adorned the darkness on its intense oak.

But, who have been the culprits? By whose command did I end up here? By the Gods’.

Their powers are absolute, and have been present in every aspect of my life, from my childhood to now.

The Eternal Whisper was the one who gave me my ‘gift’. Zenith took me to live with Lodric. Then, I met again with The Eternal Whisper, even if I didn’t know of its existence.

They manipulate reality as if they had written it, that’s why the Feather is so powerful, so precious: because it’s capable of changing the inescapable destiny they had created.

I closed my eyes. The melody sweetened my ears, caressed them with a maternal delicacy. Then, I made myself tiny. The hallway behind me gave the impression of being built for giants.

I glanced at the door in front of me, stunned by its details. Slowly, I placed my hand on the doorknob.

That’s why I’ll protect the Feather no matter what: to oppose them, to stop their perverse ends.

However, what is the strength of a human before the fathomless power of a divinity? Will I really change something, or am I just a small pawn in a greater gear?

I’m just a mortal between forces that could destroy worlds. Nonetheless, even my fragility has power, and I’ll prove it.

I opened the door. I heard its hinges creak, celebrating my presence. When doing it, a magnificent sound emerged from its interior, dazzling my senses.

The past cannot be changed, that’s why the Feather causes The Gods so much fury.

I learned that thanks to you, Darek. You gave your life obsessed by a story of revenge, by a past you had lost, that had been tainted.

I’m certain that the future is the only promise I can change. I’m willing to sacrifice myself to redeem the mistakes that this world and the ones that rule it have committed.

Inside, surrounded by the harp’s melody, Zenith waited for me in silence.