Chapter 25 - Acknowledgment

Dread froze his veins as Tetsuo recognized the trenches that led to Remes. He looked at Eleanor who was still looking off into the distance. His thoughts raced as he tried to understand what was happening.

Does she know? Is this it? How’d she find out?

Tetsuo eyed her again. She sat motionless and uncaring, not seeming to think much of the sight, worrying Tetsuo. Despite the daylight, the area was dim, likely due to the dust in the air. Instinctively, he reached for his ring for comfort, but the Ficium gauntlet he wore blocked it. He felt a pang of disgust for it to have taken him this long to have noticed that. Before he could dwell on it, Eleanor began to speak.

“You know, it was fun having an apprentice. I thought it would have been a hassle, but honestly, it was cute watching all your small victories.” Eleanor chuckled to herself. “Obviously, I’m still leagues ahead of you. But I guess I understand the appeal of becoming a teacher.”

Tetsuo sat too scared to respond. Eleanor noticed his terror and sighed. “I guess I should just get to the point.”

Eleanor stood up and pulled a small poster out of her pocket and handed it to Tetsuo. He recognized it immediately as an intact version of the propaganda posters from Remes.

“Vivio al vivicium. Have you heard this phrase before?”

Tetsuo frantically shook his head.

“Even if you did, I don’t think you’d understand it automatically. It’s from a language long forgotten by Alvanians. Remes still uses it, although at this point it’s been modernized beyond recognition. Personally, I don’t like it. I think it’s disrespectful. But the flow of time is cruel and uncaring.” She sighed to herself. “At least the meaning of this phrase stayed the same.”

She repeated, “Vivio al vivicium, a life towards eternity.”

“Remes was founded on this principle. Every life lost here is meant to bring them one step closer to achieving immortality.”

Eleanor looked back out to the distance.

“As a child, your purpose is to learn the doctrines, internalize that you’ll sacrifice your life to end the sacrifice of lives. When you're mature enough you’re assigned a partner, and you reproduce. The Hierarch takes your children, integrates them into the system, and you go back to working until you die. The only meaningful relationship in your life is between you and the Hierarch standing above all, promising the unobtainable goal of immortality.”

Tetsuo began to ask, “Why would–?”

“Because it happened once.” Tetsuo’s eyes grew wide with disbelief, although Eleanor paid no mind. “Three-hundred years ago, one of my ancestors achieved immortality, and I’ve been paying the price ever since.” She sighed.

“The Hierarch is your ancestor?”

“Hah! He wishes. No, he’s the same as any scared old man.” Eleanor’s expression became absent as she reclined into her seat. “They had no descendants, only leaving us with proof of immortality and its existence. At the behest of their sister and the generations that came after her, they founded Remes, and its citizens have been repeating this endless waste of life ever since. At least that’s how the story goes.”

They traveled in silence, the dust whipping around the carriage. The sand skated over the wooden floor of the carriage. The knight steering the carriage whipping the reigns, the crack echoing out to the expanse. Tetsuo mulled over the information he had just received. He compared it to what he had seen with Pia, and realized something.

“Wait. So Ficium is part of the key to immortality?”

“Private.”

“I mean it has to be right? All they do is mine Ficium and send it to Alvania. Is Alvania trying to discover immortality too?!”

“Private.”

Tetsuo grew exasperated with her sudden reluctance to provide information. She looked ahead at the distance but was oddly tense. Again he reviewed the information.

“Remes was founded because your ancestor discovered immortality...”

“PRIVATE.”

“Alvania was founded because of the summoning phenomenon…”

“Please just drop it.”

Tetsuo turned to her and grabbed her by the arms. “Your ancestor… He started the summoning phenomenon, didn’t he?”

Eleanor looked to the side dejectedly. “Now you’ve really gone and done it huh.”

Eleanor flicked her wrist at Tetsuo, pushing him back into his seat with a strong gust of wind. The dust around them began to swirl around the cart, spinning violently. The winds whipped Tetsuo’s hair into his face.

“An Earthen knight’s been asking a lot of questions about Remes. That knight’s also been stealing and tampering with Ficium, in-fighting with other knights, and conspiring against the kingdom. Tetsuo, you’re a knight. What would we do with this individual if we caught them?”

Tetsuo watched her expression. Her carefree attitude was missing, and replaced with a cold expressionless stare. He remained silent.

Without a change in her expression she responded. “Normally we’d imprison them… but this individual knows far too much and poses too great of a risk to the wellbeing of the kingdom. It would be fortunate if they disappeared, taking their problems with them. A very convenient solution.”

Tetsuo shuddered. The wind tapered out, and Eleanor formed a long sharp needle made of ice from the tip of her finger. She slowly reached out and pressed it against Tetsuo’s throat. He knew she could skewer him at a moment's notice so he decided to stay put, cold as it may have been.

“Of course, my beloved student would never have broken any of my rules. They’d tell me if they stole something from the workshop or tested their own gadgets without me right?”

“Did Alon tell you?”

“Please, I’ve known him since he was a kid. He never goes back on his word. If he was keeping a secret for you, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Then how did you–”

“Look. Congratulations. You got your answers, now stop searching. Give up on going home, and restart your life here. That’s the only option you have left.” Tetsuo attempted to raise his gauntlet at her but he hadn’t noticed the carriage's wood wrapping around it, binding him to his seat. He grunted as he tried to pull his hand free of the vines, but to no avail. Eleanor pressed the icicle further into his throat, a bead of blood trickling down its length.

“I want your word that your search ends here and now. Say it.”

The vines tightened around his arm pulling him down against the seat.

“Please,”

He thrashed in place but came no closer to escaping the carriage. For now, he knew he’d have to survive. ”Fine.”

Immediately, the vines released and quickly shrank back into the wood of the carriage. “Thank goodness.” Eleanor collapsed beside him catching her breath.

“I believe this is where our lessons together end. In good faith, I can’t let you continue at the workshop. You understand of course?” Eleanor pointed to the trenches. Slowly Tetsuo nodded. “Great. I’ll talk to the Hierarch and see to it that they stop trying to have you assassinated.”

“Like they’d do that for you…”

Eleanor shrugged. “They have to. Like it or not, they need me.”

Tetsuo glared at her. “If you have that kind of influence, then why haven’t you stopped it?”

Eleanor glared back at him. “Because for now I still need them. Hundreds of years of work are about to finally pay off. If I stop now, all those lives would have been spent in vain. If they want to keep spending their lives like this, who am I to stop them? I just need them to work, and I’ll do the same.”

She went back to slouching in her seat, kicking her head back and resting. Tetsuo stared at her in disbelief.

“The most powerful person in the kingdom, and you won’t do anything to help the people your families screwed over. You disgust me.”

“Hey, that makes the two of us.” Eleanor looked at Tetsuo with a deadpan expression. “Nothing to do about it.”

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The ride back was completely silent. Nightfall descended as rain pelted their carriage. Eleanor had formed a small canopy of ice to protect them from the rain. Tetsuo could see the kingdom coming back into vision.

“Remember. Not a word. You wouldn’t even be able to imagine the consequences.” Eleanor stared out to the entrance plainly.

As the carriage neared the entrance, someone was standing with a lantern dimly lighting the gates to the kingdom. He ran up to the carriage, the rattling lantern momentarily illuminating Alon’s exasperated face.

“Tetsuo! Where’ve you been??” Alon ran up to their carriage rain dribbling down his cheeks.

“I– Uh…” Tetsuo fumbled a response.

Alon shook his head. “Look it doesn’t matter… Just come with me. Now!”

Tetsuo looked back at Eleanor who tried to ignore him.

“Alon, what’s going on?!”

Alon seemed panicked, with harsh furrowed eyebrows made even deeper by the lantern light. His eyes were wide, as though he had just seen a ghost.

“From the portrait! She–! She’s here!”