Chapter 20: Noah's Work

-10 MONTHS REMAIN-

Aurora and Miryam crept down the stairs. Each step creaked ominously with every shift in weight. The further they descended, the darker it got. The small lanterns on the walls barely provided enough light to navigate the basement. The stench grew stronger. The unmistakable musk of rot and decay. Miryam gagged as they descended further. The humming they heard was also getting louder. There was no doubt where it was coming from, a separate room in the back of the basement. But Aurora wasn’t set on checking there just yet. She wanted to explore some more. Aurora cautiously wandered the basement while Miryam held onto her tightly.

“Aurora.” Miryam whispered. “I don’t like it down here. It’s too creepy. Let’s just head back and pretend we didn’t see anything.” She tugged on Aurora’s arm to try and convince her to go. She just ignored her and kept pressing on. Noah was hiding something, and she was determined to figure out what. The floor seemed to squish with every step. It was coated in something moist, but neither girl mustered up enough courage to actually check what. They just let their imaginations do the work. Miryam thought it to simply be water, or perhaps even something pleasant like spilled sweets. Aurora the realist knew better. She didn’t want to confirm her suspicions, but there were enough context clues. There were several work benches and shelves spread out throughout the basement. Each one held a varied assortment of body parts. Unfinished projects and failed experiments. Something did eventually stand out to her. A cool mist rolled out over a portion of the floor. It seeped out from several cracks in the wall. A door.

“Have you ever heard of the True Entity Theory?" Noah asked Ulric. 

"I... no?" Ulric was caught off guard. The conversation had shifted so drastically. He knew this was another one of Noah's games. This line of questioning surely was going to converge back with the original point. But the dramatic change still felt jarring. 

"Hm. I should've expected that. You aren't exactly a philosophical man." Noah chuckled lightly. "They say that our power is separated across the multiple facets of our being." Ulric blinked, a blank expression on his face. Noah sighed. "The mind, the body, the soul, and the heart. Only the strongest persons embody all four of these facets. Some of the more prophetic types claim that great evil can only be bested by those who possess all those qualities. But I think it's more universal than that. You can make any great change with that power, good or evil." Noah smiled. The look on his face made Ulric shiver. "Now originally, the theory was proposed as one person needing to embody all those traits, but I subscribe to the newer belief that a tight nit group could do the same."

"And what? Is that what you used the army for? To find you your little group?"

"Oh no no no, Ulric! I was never going to find anything like that there!" He laughed as if the answer was obvious. "You remember what your fellow soldiers were like. Do you honestly think they had a strong mind? A strong heart?!" He wiped a tear from his eye. Ulric frowned. "I found a new group. A band of us that truly represents the four facets."

"Yeah? And which one are you?" 

"I thought it was obvious, Ulric. You of all people should know my work." Aurora placed her hand upon the door. It was cold. Freezing even. The basement had been relatively humid, so the suddenly chilled air felt strange. It all contributed to the bizarre aura of this town. Aurora knew she probably shouldn't look. She knew she had more important things to inspect or to not inspect anything at all. But her curiosity compelled her. She had to know everything. Aurora gently opened the door. A frigid blast of air enveloped her. She froze. At first Miryam thought she had literally, but she could see Aurora's breaths. She could see them get quicker. Get shorter. Aurora's heart raced. The floor seemed to melt underneath her feet. She started to wobble, stumble, and sway. 

"Miss Vale?" Miryam asked carefully. She didn't respond. Despite the cold air, beads of sweat streaked down her face. They pooled around her eyes. Was that sweat, she thought. Or was it tears? She didn't necessarily want to cry. She wanted to remain strong. But could anyone blame her? Because of what she saw? Hanging in the center of the freezer, as if on display. A trophy for one man and a warning for another. Perfectly preserved, waiting to be used. 

"Dad?" Aurora's voice quivered.