Chapter 23: The Village Without Memories

The hooded figure looked at them.

-You may enter whenever you like.

And just like that, both of them disappeared through the ground.

The silence they left behind wasn't peaceful.

Eldren stared at the cave entrance with his brow furrowed.

-Walking straight into a trap doesn't sit well with me at all.

-We're already here -said Mozir-. We can't turn back.

-Eldren has a point -Heliya cut in-. Walking into enemy territory is madness.

Yuzo turned to his brother.

-Are you going to keep going?

Joshido didn't hesitate for a second.

-Yes. We have no other choice but to go in.

-Then we better be ready for anything -said Naiden.

Renir looked at all of them with an expression that didn't understand the debate.

-I don't understand why you're hesitating. I would do anything to defend my home.

Those words reached Heliya in a way she didn't expect.

He has a point.

Nobody else spoke.

They looked at each other and walked in.

The darkness hit them right away. But it didn't last. Little by little the cave lit up with a faint red glow coming from the walls, with no clear source.

Naiden looked around.

Something about this place doesn't sit right with me.

The group kept moving, but there wasn't much to see. Just rock. Everything was rock.

Until they reached the end.

The same two hooded figures that had welcomed them at the entrance, standing in front of a massive circular door that looked like it was part of the cave itself. Like it had always been there, waiting to be opened.

-Is this the place? -Joshido asked.

The hooded figures didn't answer.

They just started opening the door.

It moved slowly, dragging a harsh, heavy sound through the space.

Mozir gritted his teeth.

For his hearing, that sound was unbearable.

When they crossed through, the group stopped.

What was in front of them was nothing like what any of them had expected.

An entire village, with the cave rock as its ceiling. No natural light, no sky, nothing connecting that place to the world outside. Like its inhabitants had chosen to cut themselves off from everything else.

Nobody spoke for a moment.

They just looked.

There were a lot of living beings. Too many for the space. Barely room to walk between them. And none of them wore hoods.

Two beings fighting in the middle of the path with nobody stopping them. Others selling all kinds of objects from makeshift stalls. Female beings looking for company in the crowd. Everything mixed together, no order, no direction.

Just desire. Just impulse.

-The living beings here have no control -said Yuzo-. They do whatever they want.

-So many living beings and not one of them noticed us -said Renir.

-I've been listening to some of their thoughts -said Heliya-. They're not thinking about anything important.

A brief pause.

-Nothing worth repeating.

Mozir looked around.

-How can the leader manage a village with beings who act like this?

-I wouldn't want to spend much time here -Eldren muttered.

Naiden said nothing. But his face said it all. Pure disgust.

Joshido looked at all of them.

-Let's keep moving. See if we can find a way through.

They were still pushing through the crowd when Mozir stopped.

-Found something!

Everyone turned.

Off to one side there was a hallway. Quieter, darker, away from the chaos.

They followed without arguing.

The hallway was long and a little narrow. The light was sparse, barely enough to see where they were stepping.

-Not the best place -said Heliya-. But at least it's quieter.

-We should walk this way and see where it leads -said Renir.

And without waiting for anyone, he started walking on his own.

-Wait -said Eldren.

Renir ignored him.

Eldren sighed.

-If something happens to him, nobody blame me.

A few moments passed.

Then Renir's voice came from deeper inside.

-Come here. You have to see this.

Something in his voice made Joshido move first.

When they reached him, Renir stepped aside.

-Look at this.

All along the hallway, pressed against the walls, living beings lay on the ground. One after another, no space between them. And so it went all the way down as far as they could see.

Naiden's eyes opened wide.

-Are they dead?

-No -said Mozir-. This is their home. This is where they live.

Yuzo looked at them without being able to process what he was seeing.

-How can they let something like this happen?

-The leader of this village is responsible for this -said Eldren.

Heliya went still for a moment.

She entered the mind of one of those lying there.

And listened.

-I want to get out of here but I don't know how. If I try I'll end up dead.

She came back out and swallowed hard.

-We have to do something. We have to help them.

-There's not much we can do -said Renir-. This isn't our village. It's not our problem.

Mozir turned toward him.

-How dare you say something like that? Does nobody matter to you besides yourself?

-Calm down -said Joshido-. Renir has a point. We already have too many problems to deal with. Helping them would just be one more.

Even if I wanted to, we can't.

Yuzo didn't answer.

He walked ahead of the group, turning his back, and said through his teeth:

-Let's go. I want to meet the leader.

From the shadows, a hooded figure appeared in front of Yuzo.

-Welcome to our village.

Yuzo looked straight at him.

-Why are living beings living like that?

Everyone turned toward him, surprised. They hadn't expected that from Yuzo.

The hooded figure didn't answer the question.

-Our leader is waiting for you. Follow me, I'll take you to him.

Joshido put a hand on Yuzo's shoulder.

-Easy. This isn't the moment for this.

Yuzo pulled his hand off.

-Then when will it be?

And kept walking.

Joshido stayed back for a moment, watching him.

-Don't worry about him -Mozir said quietly-. He'll get over it. Let's go or they'll leave us behind.

They started moving again through the crowd.

Yuzo wouldn't let it go. He moved closer to the hooded figure as they walked.

-Why are the inhabitants like this? Distracted, like they don't notice what's happening around them.

The hooded figure didn't answer.

They kept walking until they reached the center of the village.

More living beings on the ground. Some with a makeshift roof above them, others just sitting, watching the group from where they were. But unlike the crowd from before, these ones were aware. They knew what was happening.

And they were watching.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Eldren's arm.

A living being on the ground, eyes full of desperation, looking up at him.

-Please... do you have anything to eat? It's been so long since I've had anything.

Eldren froze.

He didn't know what to say.

He gently pulled his arm free and kept walking.

He couldn't even look him in the eyes.

Yuzo stepped in front of the hooded figure, cutting him off.

-I'm asking you a question. What is going on here?

The hooded figure stopped.

-I don't know. I have no memories of what goes on here. I have no memories of who I am or how I got here.

Nobody said anything for a moment.

That wasn't the answer any of them had been expecting.

Yuzo looked at him for a second more, then looked away.

That's when he saw her.

A female being sitting against the wall, covered in dirt, with the look of someone who had been forgotten a long time ago.

Yuzo walked over slowly and crouched in front of her.

-What's going on here? Why are you like this?

She looked at him. Her body was shaking. When she spoke, her voice carried something that hurt to hear.

-They give us a liquid that erases our memories. Even of who we are or where we come from. Those of us who are like this... we're the ones who decided to stop drinking it. The ones who want to start remembering again.

Yuzo's fists tightened.

-Do you know why they do this to you?

-He wants to control us -she said-. He wants the only reason we have to live to be serving him.

Yuzo's presence started climbing slowly.

Joshido watched him from behind.

It's the first time I've seen him this angry.

Renir noticed.

-Save that anger -he said quietly-. Use it when you're standing in front of the leader.

The hooded figure looked at them.

-Shall we continue?

Yuzo didn't answer right away.

He stood there in silence, looking at all the living beings around him. The state they were in. The conditions they lived in.

Mozir came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

-Let's keep going. And give whoever is responsible for all of this a good beating.

Yuzo got to his feet.

-Let's go.

They kept walking until they reached an area that had once had homes. Now there was nothing but rubble. And a smell that filled the space in a way Mozir had to work hard not to show.

Eldren looked at everything, unable to believe it.

-I don't understand how he can keep the village in this state. I would give anything for our village to be alright. The inhabitants, our parents... my sister.

Everyone lowered their eyes when they heard that.

Everyone except Renir.

Not because he didn't care. He just had never been through anything like it and didn't know how to feel it.

-We're close now -said the hooded figure.

The group looked up.

A stone tower rose ahead, looking like it had grown straight out of the cave wall. Several hooded figures guarded the entrance, but when they saw the guide they stepped aside without a word.

They went in.

They climbed to the top. At the end of the path there were two black doors with a hooded figure standing guard on each side. They opened without anyone asking.

What was inside was different from everything they had seen in the village.

A massive hall, well lit, with several hooded figures posted around the sides. From the entrance to the throne, a long red carpet ran the full length of the room. And at the far end, the throne. Built from black rock, solid, imposing.

The group stopped at a distance, out of caution.

In the throne sat a living being who barely fit inside it. Dark skin, black eyes that blended into a cold stare. The kind of look that would have been enough to make any ordinary living being turn around and leave.

The leader didn't waste time.

-I know everything about you. And about your village. You're here because I wanted you to be. Tell me what you want to know.

Nobody spoke.

Except Yuzo.

The same Yuzo who never acted on impulse.

-You're a mediocre leader! How dare you hurt your own inhabitants?!

Nobody in the group saw that coming.

The leader let out a small smile.

The kind that makes it clear he enjoys what he does.

-Good. So that's how we're starting.