Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!
#205
#205
The Blessing of Records….
Athanas knew disturbingly little about Fabio’s left eye. Not because he hadn’t tried to learn, but because Fabio had never allowed him to examine it properly. Ignore it, Fabio had warned him time and again, regardless of what the eye tried to tell him. That’s not me.
And he told me never to give it back to him….
A cold shiver ran through Athanas at the memory, leaving his face pale. It brought back something he would rather never think about again. He might not have understood the eye’s true nature, but at least he knew the precautions he needed to take. Keeping the reliquary against his chest made his mind completely immune to outside interference. But the protection came with a strict price: he had to replace the holy water inside it every day. If he neglected to do so, the words in anything written around him would begin changing on their own.
The last time I forgot, an entire book rewrote itself.
Athanas had never spoken directly to the eye, but he had his grim suspicions of what it might be. Long ago, Order had entrusted the God of Records with the history of the Dark Realm, hoping to uncover the truth about its forgotten past. And Records had found it. But rather than reveal what they had discovered, they had deliberately buried the truth.
They said they did it for Order’s sake, didn’t they?
Records could have been lying to Fabio, of course. It was entirely possible. But Athanas suspected the truth was much more troubling than that. After all, when Fabio still had the eye, he’d been able to see those vast stretches of missing time for himself.
And something inside Fabio had broken because of it.
Whatever was lurking inside that eye didn’t hate Athanas simply because he’d used Retrograde to deceive Fabio. No, it was something far worse than that. The thing seemed utterly convinced that Athanas was responsible for Fabio’s suffering. That everything Fabio had gone through, and all the misery and ruin that awaited him, was somehow Athanas’s fault.
Whenever Athanas noticed the words around him beginning to change, he destroyed them before he could make out what they said. As a result, he had no idea why the thing held such a deep grudge against him. And quite frankly, he didn’t want to know. He’d already seen what happened when Fabio was exposed to the eye’s so-called “truths.” They had driven Fabio to kill himself over and over again. He’d slammed his head against the walls until they were covered in blood, slit his own throat, and thrown himself from heights no one could possibly survive.
Athanas had no desire to see any more of it.
“…I promised Fabio I would never let anyone see it.”
[Ah, a sacred promise to your lover…! I understand completely.]
“Then please be quiet. I can’t concentrate with you talking.”
[Of course! Of course! Consider my pages sealed! I won’t say another word unless it’s absolutely necessary.]
The silence lasted all of five seconds. Then the chatty book spoke again.
[Actually, there’s just one little thing I’d like to ask… Why did you seal it using Order’s power?]
“Because it rewrites anything nearby whenever it pleases. I sealed it to keep that from happening, at least temporarily.”
[Oh, I see… Well, I think I do? But if it’s trying so hard to communicate, wouldn’t it be worth hearing what it has to say? Maybe you don’t realize how painful Order’s sealing power is because you’re one of its own. Look at what it did to me! It practically peeled the leather off my binding! Every time I try to call out and see if anyone’s there, it zaps me! And let me tell you, it hurts! But whatever’s inside that reliquary keeps fighting against the seal anyway. It’s putting itself through all that pain just to get a message out! Surely that means it has something terribly important to tell you?]
“It was Fabio’s decision to have it sealed,” Athanas replied curtly, making it clear the matter wasn’t up for discussion.
[Oh! Well, in that case, I’m sure he had his reasons! Perfectly understandable! Now then, this way, please!]
“This path leads to the Apostle Hall. Why would Fabio have gone there?”
[Hmm… It’ll take me a little longer to piece together their conversation.]
“How long?”
[Ten minutes at the very least? Maybe half an hour, depending on how much they talked. Oh, and you’ll have to stand completely still while I work.]
“I can’t afford to waste that much time.”
[Ahhh… What a shame! If only I had a magnificent holy relic containing the Blessing of Records! Why, with something like that, I could reconstruct the entire conversation in less than ten seconds…]
Athanas narrowed his eyes. So that was what the book had been after all along. And to think the book had so confidently claimed it had no intention of meddling with the blessing. Athanas quietly lowered his trust in Codex by about ten percent. Ignoring its painfully obvious hints, he pressed on and finally entered the Apostle Hall. Then he froze.
“…What happened here?”
The once-grand hall was in ruins. It looked like a pagan temple after a holy knight’s crusade had stormed through and smashed everything in sight. This wasn’t the kind of damage you’d expect from a fight, either. Someone had deliberately gone out of their way to destroy the place.
Athanas bent down and picked up a piece of decorative molding that had broken off from the high ceiling. As he ran his thumb over the plaster, he noticed several deep grooves scratched into its surface. Judging by the marks, something like a rope or whip had caught around it and been used to rip it down.
Marcello Teres.
If Teres was so eager to add to his mountain of sins with such petty destruction, Athanas would gladly leave him to it. Let the fool run wild. Every sin would only sharpen the blade of judgment that would one day fall upon him.
While Codex worked on sorting through the latest traces left behind, Athanas took another look around the devastated hall. His attention soon settled on a particular door. Someone had piled broken masonry and splintered wood against it. And judging by how carefully the debris had been arranged, it clearly hadn’t ended up there by accident. It was a barricade. Strangely enough, though, it seemed to have been built to keep something trapped inside rather than prevent anyone from entering.
What could they have locked in there? Athanas wondered, his hand moving cautiously to his hilt. A monster?
He carefully shifted some of the rubble aside, opened the door just enough to look through, and peered into the dim room beyond. Five people were huddled together inside. Athanas recognized them at once. They were the very same people he’d pulled out of the monster’s entrails earlier.
A low, monotonous murmur filled the room.
Are they… praying?
Their voices blurred together, the words too slurred to make sense of. Yet one name rang clear through the endless murmuring.
Fabio.
Again and again, they called his name, as though it were the only prayer their tongues remembered. Their voices trembled with desperate reverence, a devotion so unsettling that Athanas felt his skin prickle. He tightened his grip on his sword.
Perhaps I should pass judgment on them now.
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Whoever had barricaded the door had gone to the trouble of keeping those people alive instead of simply killing them. There must have been a reason for that. And until he understood what that reason was, killing them would be an unnecessary risk. He was here to figure out what had happened, not make the situation even more complicated by introducing variables he couldn’t predict.
With that in mind, Athanas quietly shut the door.
Commander Casimir wasn’t among them. Where could she have gone?
It was a troubling question, but one he’d have to leave unanswered for now. There were more urgent matters to deal with.
[Fabio went that way!]
Athanas quickened his pace, following Codex’s excited directions. By now, he hardly needed the book’s wriggling ribbon bookmark to guide him. His destination was already clear. Two halos shone in the gloom ahead. He recognized the first immediately. Marcello Teres’s halo spread outward in a tangled pattern, like a vast spiderweb.
But the other…
Athanas slowed to a halt, staring at the strange sight with open revulsion.
…What is that hideous thing?
A massive, translucent mass hung suspended in the air. Its swollen, gelatinous body resembled some strange creature dragged up from the deepest depths of the sea. Thick, dark veins ran beneath its surface, throbbing with a slow, steady rhythm. It was difficult to believe such a grotesque thing could be called a halo. It looked less like a sign of divinity and more like some enormous organ torn from a living creature, still pulsing long after it had been ripped free.
A dreadful thought crossed his mind.
…Could Fabio be trapped inside it?
Athanas tensed, ready to charge toward the halos. But before he could take another step—
The translucent membrane suddenly swelled outward, bulging so rapidly that it seemed ready to split apart. Then it exploded. A violent shockwave tore through the air, nearly sweeping Athanas off his feet. He threw up his hand to shield his face, just as a foul, acrid stench struck him. The smell was so overwhelming that it nearly took his breath away. Something heavy slammed into his raised fingers. Terrible searing pain shot through his hand as though someone had struck it with a hammer.
Then, a heartbeat later, something warm and viscous came raining down upon him, soaking him from head to toe.
Codex shrieked.
[NO!!! NO!!! NO!!!!]
Athanas slowly lowered his hand. It was drenched in blood.
…Everything will be all right.
Fabio’s voice surfaced in the back of his mind, reaching him through the ringing in his ears.
Athanas was calm.
No. He wasn’t.
But he would be. He had to be.
He couldn’t afford to panic. Not now.
He still had Retrograde.
That was what mattered. Not the blood, not the terrible sight before him, not the urge to fall to his knees and scream until there was nothing left of his voice. None of it mattered, because he could still turn back time. He couldn’t waste another precious moment drowning in horror or refusing to believe what had happened. He had the power to undo it all. He only needed to use it.
The terrible pain in his hand had lasted barely an instant. That was fine. There was no reason to worry. Once he turned back time, even that fleeting pain would disappear. And if his own pain had lasted only a moment, then surely Fabio’s pain must have been just as brief.
Yes. Of course it had been.
That was good.
No, that was very good.
Because now he knew where Fabio had been. He knew exactly when it had happened. Fabio hadn’t died somewhere far away, beyond his reach. He had been right there, close enough for Athanas to see. Close enough to save.
No. There was no reason to think of Fabio as lost. As far as Athanas was concerned, he was already safe. Athanas would make certain of it.
Because he had Retrograde.
Athanas clung to that thought as he walked, moving almost on instinct. His body carried him forward while his mind remained fixed on a single truth. With every step, his boots squelched against the blood-soaked ground. When he finally reached the center of the explosion, he found the ground drenched in blood. A deep, jagged crater had been gouged into the earth, as though some giant hand had reached down and torn away a fistful of soil. But that was all. There was no body or scattered remains.
Codex’s anguished cry rang out beside him.
[I haven’t even finished the first chapter yet!]
Athanas paid no attention to the book’s hysterical cries. He simply stared into the empty crater where Fabio had been.
The explosion must have destroyed everything.
If someone had a reliable way to come back from the dead, then an explosion powerful enough to leave nothing behind was a remarkably effective way to escape. He seized upon that reasoning, forcing his thoughts away from the empty crater and toward what he could still do.
How much time do I have left?
Less than ten minutes. His search of the Main Building had taken far longer than it should have.
I should use Retrograde now….
Athanas nearly acted on the thought, but reason stayed his hand.
No. Would that truly be the wisest choice?
Athanas forced himself to reconsider. Every moment could still serve a purpose. The cost of Retrograde would be the same whether he used it this instant or waited until the last possible moment. Then there was no reason to discard the remaining time. He could put it to use. Search the area. Examine the traces left behind. Learn whatever he could about the explosion and the events leading up to it. The more he discovered now, the better his chances of preventing it next time. This attempt was already lost, but that didn’t mean it had nothing left to offer.
With his decision settled, Athanas turned toward the floating book. His gaze was cold, his voice perfectly composed.
“Read the records of this place. I want to know exactly what happened here.”
[Ahhh… Can a book that hasn’t even finished its first chapter really call itself a book? I don’t deserve the name Codex! I’m nothing more than a pamphlet! A leaflet! A half-written tragedy that never even got the chance to be finished! Incomplete! Unreliable! Utterly useless! Ahhh—Agh! Aaaagh! Stop! It burns! Aaaagh!]
“I said read it.”
[…Ah. Was that a punishment? A little shock to bring me back to my senses? Or… wait, are you the kind of person who enjoys making others suffer? A sadistic type?]
“Read the records and tell me what happened,” Athanas said in a quiet voice as he approached the blood-soaked crater. “If you don’t, I’ll bury you right here with the holy relic and leave you in the ground for good.”
[You can’t! I have to record my Lord’s deeds! Especially at a time like this! Holy scriptures are supposed to spread far and wide after their Lord’s death… Ah! Of course! Now I understand! You were only threatening me to pull me out of my despair! You wanted me to get ahold of myself and carry on with my sacred duty! Yes, yes! I understand perfectly!]
“How long will it take?”
[…There’s far too much garbage mixed in! This blood is completely contaminated with useless information about the Watched One known as Nyapoleon, or Bonyaparte. Trying to sort through all that nonsense and find the records of Fabio’s final moments will take ages!]
Bonyaparte….
Athanas recognized the name. It belonged to one of the Watched Ones Fabio had specifically warned him to be wary of. And right now, Athanas knew almost nothing about what he was up against. When he had so little information to go on, even the smallest clue about his enemy could make all the difference.
“I’ll be the judge of what’s irrelevant. Read it.”
[Of course! Let’s see here… Hmm. Baby crab spiders are born by… eating their own mother alive? Huh. And sea… slugs? Apparently, they’re hermaphrodites, and when they mate, they stab their genitals right into their partner’s head? Then, once the semen reaches the cranial nerves—]
“That is irrelevant,” Athanas cut in flatly.
Someone had deliberately buried the records beneath a mountain of meaningless nonsense, making it difficult for holy relics like Codex to uncover anything useful.
Athanas silently counted the seconds slipping away. His eyes settled on the bloodstained earth as he weighed his choices. Perhaps it would be wiser to abandon these tainted records and use Retrograde immediately. He could return to the Apostle Hall, reach Fabio before the fighting began, and learn why he had chosen to face that monstrous thing.
…No. That wouldn’t work.
Even if he turned back time now, there would not be enough time for this hopelessly dim-witted book to piece together the conversation. Athanas fell silent for another moment, then reached for the reliquary at his chest. He undid its clasp and peered inside. The holy water within had lost its clarity. Nearly half had darkened into a thick, tar-like sludge, leaving the remaining liquid murky and foul. At its center floated a severed eye. A faint twitch disturbed its stillness. Then its brown iris turned slowly until its gaze settled directly upon him. It did not look away.
“Would this help you finish faster?”
[Absolutely!]
Codex eagerly stretched out one of its silky ribbon bookmarks and dipped the end into the reliquary. The instant it made contact, the book gave a violent shudder.
[It hurts! It hurts so much! It hurts! It hurts! I hate this! It hurts! It hurts! Who are you? Help me…]
Athanas frowned, his patience wearing dangerously thin.
“If you can’t endure the pain, then pull it out. I don’t have time to waste on something that’s going nowhere.”
[Huh? Oh, no! That wasn’t me! I was just reading aloud what this thing keeps writing.]
“…Then ignore it and focus on the blood.”
[Understood. In that case…]
Codex fell silent. Several seconds passed. The book didn’t say another word, and the longer the silence stretched on, the more unsettling it became. Then…
[…Athanas. Is it true that you possess Retrograde?]
“Yes.”
[Understood. I think I know what to do now. This Blessing of Records came from a Records who exists much deeper down than anywhere I’ve ever reached. The missing records belong to them, too. I’ll give this thing every record I currently have. Since I’ll be writing the information across such a vast distance, there should be very little chance of it becoming contaminated or altered along the way. And besides, all this thing seems capable of doing right now is recording how much pain it’s in. It’s probably too preoccupied with that to interfere with the information sent. Even if it does try to change something, I should be able to tell….
Athanas. When we meet again, let me touch this Blessing of Records for just a moment. I’ll be able to understand everything immediately. That way, the ‘me’ you meet next time will already know everything I’ve learned here. I’m sure it’ll help you. I want to be useful to you. Athanas, Retrograde is…]
…Less than a minute remained. For all his efforts, Athanas had learned nothing that could help him save Fabio in the immediate future. The basement of the Main Building had offered no answers, and there was little reason to search it again. Another path had come to nothing.
Athanas used Retrograde.
When he opened his eyes, the bitter wind of the bell tower greeted him once more, whipping against his face as though nothing had happened. Athanas wasted no time gathering his thoughts. He already knew where he needed to go. The Apostle Hall. He couldn’t afford to miss Fabio simply because they had taken different paths. For all Athanas knew, Fabio had been there while he wandered aimlessly through the Main Building, searching for someone who was already slipping beyond his reach.
Athanas set off at once, descending through the bell tower with breathless speed. But when he finally reached the Apostle Hall and flung open the doors…
…Empty.
Not a soul was there. Fabio must have left before Athanas had even returned to this moment.
Then I won’t need to check here next time.
No.
Athanas corrected himself fiercely. There would be no next time. He refused to accept another failure as inevitable. Retrograde might erase the wounds, the fear, and even the memory of that terrible death. But Fabio would still have suffered through it. For however brief a moment, the pain would have been real. And Athanas couldn’t bear to let him experience it again. He wouldn’t allow it.
Athanas didn’t linger in the empty hall. He immediately took off along Fabio’s route, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Every few moments, he looked toward the sky, searching for the flash of light that would signal the clash of halos. But there was nothing. Not yet.
…I’m not too late.
There was still time. He could still save him. Athanas could reach Fabio before that monstrous Watched One brought everything to ruin. His lungs burned with every breath, but Athanas refused to slow down. He sprinted toward the site of the explosion, pushing his body to its limits. But when he finally arrived… nothing was happening. The place was almost unnaturally quiet.
“Hm? Athanas? Huh? What are you doing here?”
Athanas stopped short. There was no grotesque, swollen monstrosity hovering in the air. No crater, no blood-soaked earth, no trace of the horror he remembered. And Fabio was nowhere to be seen. Only a red-haired man stood before him, looking faintly bewildered. He tilted his head, studying Athanas with a puzzled expression, as though he had no idea why anyone would come rushing here in such a desperate hurry.