Chapter 13:

Truth

Xorsis : Invasion\Lost


Arc 2: Truth?

Chapter 11: Truth?

1967, Dottonex.

Mersoy woke up with a start.

There was a dark ceiling up above, and she was lying on the cold floor. She turned her face sideways and saw bars. Gasping, she sat upright and looked around.

It was a prison, and she was locked in. Those iron bars reminded her of that certain day.

No. Thinking about it won’t help now.

Brushing off those memories, she looked around. It was a small room, and there were three cells, next to each other. In front of the cells, there were a few cane chairs and tables. Two men, Tokreians, sat in two of the chairs, quietly watching her.

The voices of a girl and a boy reached her ears. She glanced to her right; a boy was sitting there, and in the rightmost cell, a girl was sitting. She squinted her eyes; on closer inspection, she recognised them.

That ash-blonde short-haired girl, and that black-haired boy. She knew them. She met them before. They brought her out from the forest spirit’s cage, and they… they had delivered the final blow to the water spirit too.

But what was going on?

She remembered blurry images, and focusing on them, she could slowly recollect what happened. The final invasion - she led the undeads. The forest spirit had guided her, as it was the only way to do so.

And the scroll - she put her hand at her back, yes. It was safe. It was still there.

“No, you can’t lock us in here!” the girl was shouting, “We told you enough already, didn’t we? We don’t know this girl, we only met her in the forest, and that’s it!”

The boy was on the other hand, trying to speak politely, “It’s unethical to lock us in even though we said everything already. Let us out, We could talk quietly without being here.”

Then suddenly, the boy noticed Mersoy.

He ushered the girl and they both looked at her with suspicious eyes.

“She’s... awake?” the girl, Nia, asked, “I thought she’d be dead by now.”

“That’s because you’re a dumbass,” the boy said, “Why would they keep a dead body anyway?”

“You two,” Mersoy asked, “What’s going on?”

Both of them were taken aback that Mersoy was talking with them. Sharing a glance at each other, they nodded.

Then Nia, the girl, started to speak, “Well. You are awake, I see. Murder-”

Cutting her off, the boy said, “Why have you done all this? Why - I don’t see why you’d do it!”

Mersoy stayed calm. She’d let them finish talking first.

“We rescued you, we saved your life,” Nia was speaking, her voice was overflowing with emotions, “And I wouldn’t do it if Aez didn’t insist that I do so. Is this how you Estoycan people repay other’s kindness? Killing their family? Murdering their friends?

“If that was your plan, why did you go up with that act? Going as far to pretend you are a near-dead person somehow staying alive while being caged in a dense forest? What was the point of it all?”

“It was never an act,” Mersoy finally said, “It’s true that I was stuck there, and you let me out.”

Nia started to speak, but Aez stopped her. Mersoy said, “I… there’s a long history if you want to know everything in detail. In short, I’m Mersoy, the same assassin you know from your books. And it was I who ambushed Nevidilandi to steal the scroll back then. But I can tell you. And I’m sure you know it all from your cheap books. I didn’t kill anyone.

“The invasions before this one weren’t done by me. And only this time I decided to lead them. And so, I haven’t killed your families or anyone.”

“But you murdered Jordan!” Nia shouted.

“He was a soldier.” Mersoy said, her cold gaze fixed on Nia, “I had no choice. You can’t progress unless you destroy the opposition.”

Aez had a complicated look on his face.

“Look, Mersoy,” he said quietly, “I don’t know whether you are a good person or a bad person-”

“I’m a bad person, though I’m not the kind of bad who wants to murder everyone.”

“Mersoy,” Aez said politely, “I’m afraid… There are many things you are hiding from us. They put us in cells because we weren’t able to say anything about you.” he sighed, “It’s been three days since that day, and they still haven’t let us out. You were unconscious all this time. Tell us, Mersoy, why did you do it?”

Mersoy sighed quietly.

Even if she tried to explain everything to them, there was no way they would understand it. They would try to frame her up as the main villain of their little story, of Dottonex’s story.

Because the world they were used to wasn’t remotely aware of the bigger truth.

“I won’t bother to explain to you too,” Mersoy said, her cold steely gaze fixed on them, “But if you want to see that one goddamn mythical scroll all these people wanted so much that there was so much bloodshed over it, you can see it. It’s with me.”

Mersoy pulled out the scroll from her outfit. There was a hidden pocket in her outfit that was almost impossible to detect. She kept the scroll there.

If she succeeded, she’d have destroyed most of the enemies, and handed the scroll to Dottonexan authorities directly. But now that it wasn’t going to happen… at least she could try to get out of here before thinking of any other plan.

“Here.”

Mersoy handed the piece of parchment to Aez. The boy opened it, his astonished gaze fixed on it.

The parchment looked very old, it was torn at the sides. The colour of the parchment was yellowish - but on that yellow, there were black and dark red splatters. Blood? But there was no way of knowing; it had no odour now as it had been years. Aez scowled at it, lost in thought. Then looking at the writing style, he gasped.

He handed the scroll to Nia, whispering something. Nia looked at the scroll, and she looked astonished.

Mersoy sniggered, “It’s such a pity. I bet all the books write the scroll as a very powerful mysterious object, isn’t it?”

They didn’t say anything to her.

Somehow, Mersoy found it surprising, the Tokreian guards saw them conversing, and now even exchanging a scroll. But there was no action from them. But as far as Mersoy could understand, they would go to any lengths to hide this scroll.

Why aren’t they doing anything?

Then suddenly, Aez started talking.

“I don’t believe this.”

Mersoy looked at him.

He was frowning, and he seemed very disturbed.

“Mersoy, what’s the proof that it’s the real one, and not some fake parchment you brought?” Aez asked.

“I don’t think I need to prove that,” Mersoy hissed, “The paper quality. Tell me which shop could sell such a paper. Look at the colour. The goddamn writing style. Is it not familiar?”

Aez and Nia shared a pensive look.

“There are two different languages in this scroll,” Nia whispered, “the bottom half could be ancient Nevidilandian - it doesn’t seem familiar. But the upper half. This writing… it seems unnaturally familiar.”

“Where did you find the scroll?” Aez asked.

“I don’t have to answer that,” Mersoy said calmly.

“This is all a bit strange, isn’t it, Aez?” Nia was speaking to him now, “I didn’t get to tell you back then. But I can tell you - the Tokreians were looking for the scroll.”

“Just like all the nations were for all these years,” Aez shrugged, “No one found it. They said it was very powerful - so maybe not finding it was a good thing, after all.”

Mersoy started laughing.

Absurdity.

Nia and Aez were surprised, and shared a confused glance.

“Why don’t you just tell us what you know?” Nia asked, furiously.

“You all still believe something like that?” Mersoy said as she stopped laughing, “After all this time?”

“Just get to the point!” Aez said; his voice was now losing politeness.

“Well, then, I’ll do it,” Mersoy said. “There’s no mysterious scroll-like your history claims. There’s no scroll that can harm people or take lives.

“I’ve spent a whole year learning ancient languages. The bottom language is Nevidilandian, and there’s no source of the upper language. But you can guess.

“That scroll contains nothing like murderous spells.

“It only has… the advanced farming techniques that are applied everywhere now.”

At that very moment, the door of the room banged open. A man wearing a black suit with white garments inside was entering the room, his cold grey eyes fixed on them. 

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