NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Trust
-Emon-
I made sure Clara got home safe by flying a little while alongside her while we reflected on the situation. I repeated my words of reassurance about her having to rest enough before considering returning to the church. I soon afterwards arrived at my abode, still carrying the beautiful lady in my arms, and perched her in one of the guest bedrooms.
The entire journey felt both nerve-wracking and pleasing. More so because, ever since I encountered her, I was experiencing this… unexplainable ravaging emotion of concupiscence—as if her face attracted a sensation deep within me I thought would never arise. It grew so strong that, after exiting the guest room and settling in myself, I could not help but return to that same room…
…I hovered my trembling hand over the door’s knob as I started to gasp uncontrollably. Sweat began to ascend from within my skin, and my sight started to blur slightly. After a few seconds of anticipation, I felt as if I had lost myself.
I grunted loudly as I swung the door open without a sense of thought like a beast finally freed from constraints. She was wide awake, sitting on the edge of the bed before standing up, silently staring me back with a more composed expression.
I was already at a complete loss of mind at that point. I did not know this woman, I had never seen or heard of her before prior to our first encounter, these were everything left of my subconscious thoughts that stood pale against the emptiness of my mind that seemed like a strong gust of wind blowing off the seeds of a dandelion.
Not paying heed to her or her own thoughts, my body acted on its own, and I firmly pushed her onto the bed before kneeling right on top of her. What happened afterwards could only be described as paradoxical. Her eerie smile with squinted eyes seemed like a detachment from the situation. Her beauty was accentuated even more, yet, none of this, not even her putting a fight against me, her body feeling as limp as a lifeless doll, mattered to me. My mind was an entirely empty canvas, and the subconscious thoughts I once had, were now replaced with the unquenchable thirst of having to please myself.
My breathing became more beastly as I tore my white blouse apart and lifted her robe from beneath, her long, and beautiful slender legs gradually revealing themselves until her undergarments were visible. She smiled throughout the entire moment, gasping, as if her life-long mission had finally been accomplished. I never considered what her thought process may have been, what she could have possibly been thinking about at this moment, or the reason why she seemed completely consenting to what I was doing to her. Unfortunately, the moment I revealed her body to myself…
…My mind was overtaken, as well.
***
An hour or so passed after Emon had done the deed with the woman. They both slept next to each other until, at some point, the lady awakened, and turned her head to the left where Emon slept before slowly exiting the bed entirely naked. Something about her was different. It seemed as if a legion of demons had entered her body, with the only way for them able to represent themselves being through the now malicious expression Avani bore on her face. Her eyes were darkened, her eyelids shadowed, with an eerily closed smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She grasped the robe from the ground, and carefully exited the guest room before she silently picked up Emon’s black pants alongside her.
After dressing herself in the hallway, she fished the keys of the manor from the pockets of Emon’s pants and attempted to place it into the door’s lock, yet, her eyes widened in surprise when she found out the door was never locked. With a prompt chuckle, she cautiously opened the door, leaving little to no sound behind. She left the door wide open to ensure Emon wouldn’t be awakened by the sound of the door closing.
The night sky appeared quite beautiful, bathing her in the dim moonlight as a current of wind seeped through her figure, causing her hair to flutter in the wind. With a smile, she walked towards the back side of the manor, the cliff side overseeing the beautiful ocean. Right when she turned a corner, she was met with two figures standing at the very edge of the cliff who both turned towards her as soon as she revealed herself…
…The masked man, alongside the brown-haired man.
The two walked towards her, their figures overshadowed by the moonlight as well as the sea’s reflection emitting wave noises behind them.
“And?” the masked man began. “Has it worked?”
“It went seamlessly,” Avani responded, an amused glint illuminating her green eyes. “Did you bring the Zealot Blade?”
“I have it right here,” the brown-haired man said as he raised his right hand in the air, summoning the Blade which materialized into being, perched within his palm. “Are you sure you’ll be able to do it on your own?”
“He is sleeping soundly at the moment,” Avani responded, taking the Blade. “I’ll be able to do it.”
The masked man then added, his arms crossed behind his back, “We are positive you will be able to do it in this body. But, at the end of the day, you still reside within a mortal frame. We will keep eyes on you from afar.”
“That sounds fine,” she responded, turning back to the manor. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
***
-Emon-
I felt as if I was being pulled towards a far away aperture emitting a glowing illumination which made me jolt my eyes open as soon as the sound of a closing door reverberated throughout the downstairs hallway. My mind was still in a haze, to the point of me only vaguely remembering what happened earlier, like a dream, one could experience that felt a little too real, yet the more you would try to remember it, the more it vanished into obscurity. Nevertheless, I ran towards my own bedroom dressed only in my white blouse, putting up another pair of pants before making my way downstairs.
It appeared dark and desolate, which prompted me to reach for the light switch until I noticed my other pair of pants lying on the ground. As soon as I touched it, the lady’s face flashed through my mind, causing me to dramatically ponder…
Wait…
…Where… where is she?!
Did we…?
Not allowing myself to think further, I avoided the light switch and pulled the door open, and that is when I saw…
…The same lady,
Looking at me with a befuddled mien, her mouth slightly left ajar,
“A…vani…?”
Her face was the first thing I noticed, and right as I lowered my eyes…
…I realized she was holding a misty, ethereal sword in her right hand.
Before I was able to react in any sort of way,
I grunted, as the sword pierced my chest, which caused a misty and cold sensation spreading throughout my entire body.
My body trembled, and my breathing became haggard. I lowered my head to meet her horrifying gaze, a haunting wide smile, her teeth fully shown, her eyes squinted in malicious joy, firmly pressing the sword deep into my chest with both hands. I tried my hardest to at least utter a sound, yet to no avail. Right after this happened, two other figures descended right behind the lady…
…A masked man, alongside a brown-haired man.
The moment my gaze was met with their figures, my eyes widened in pure shock before Avani hauled the sword from my body, and I tumbled on the ground, face first.
***
As Emon fell unconscious once more, the masked man sat on one knee and placed his black glove-covered hand on the back of Emon’s head. The brown-haired man looked down at Emon as if he were a pitiful creature. “That went easier than I thought.”
Avani then chimed in after handing the sword back to the brown-haired man. “I managed to strike him down with no help. This body is sturdier than I thought.”
The masked man then added, his gaze fixated on Emon’s figure.
“All that is left is to alter his memories…
…And make him believe that you, a beautiful lady named Velera, has been his wife for over five years.”
Avani, or better said, Velera, chuckled with closed lips as she too looked down at Emon with a similar prideful expression as the brown-haired man’s.
“What a poor soul… to be thrown into this maelstrom of occurrences.”
“This is what it takes to bring The Father to life,” the brown-haired man retorted. “You should be happy that you will be released from Maledictus soon. Enjoy your last few months on this world while you can.”
“…That will be fine,” Velera said, averting her pupils.
The masked man then stood back up. “That should do. Grisha, take the man back to his room. He won’t be awake until a few hours,” he then turned towards Velera, a malicious shadow falling over his obscured face. “So you may have enough time to prepare yourself, Velera.”
“But, wait,” she said. “Since the Zealot has an effect of an hour, that would mean he wouldn’t remember saving me as a church member.”
“Do not fret,” the masked man said. “All I did was make him see you as his housewife. He still remembers saving the two abducted members. Given they are two registered members, the name Avani wouldn’t be an option anymore, so I gave you Velera.”
“Not even giving me the chance to name myself?” Velera said, crossing her arms. “How cruel you can be, Michel.”
“You should know me well by now,” Michel responded. “However, don’t we all possess some form of cruelty within ourselves?”
“Of course we do,” Grisha responded, knelt down. “But, if I could choose one person to represent cruelty…”
Before finishing his sentence, he lifted his head to meet Michel’s figure, who looked back at him, his arms crossed behind his back.
“…It would be you, Michel.”
He let a soft chuckle escape his lips before he answered, “At any rate, only the memories of the past seven minutes have been erased since I did not touch the Zealot Blade prior to when the man was struck with it for the first time. He will most likely head off to the church to report the members the next morning, so be sure not to leave this house until the next day, since Knight Three will be acting as Avani from now on.”
Grisha then added, carrying a limp Emon on his back, his long hair falling over his face. “You bear a similar appearance to Avani. One notable difference is that the real Avani’s hair is slightly more grey. This is due to the Dying Star disease she was born with which causes one's hair to weather faster than normal.”
He then stepped inside, as Michel took the word.
“There is no great worry. Avani is someone who originates from Astrogarde. She was a lady who suffered from extreme poverty and was forced to flee to Ventoria so that she would gain a place to stay under the influence of the Custody Agency. Apart from Clara, the church, and the CA, she is quite unknown here.”
“Additionally, since Emon works under Luria, the people he associates himself with will most likely not even be aware of Avani’s name, or appearance, since cases such as the abduction of the church members are confiscated and hidden from lower ranks, as well as civilians. However, since a few people of Luria most likely know her name and what she looks like, I made sure to tell Knight Three to change the colour of Avani’s hair entirely to grey, as well as slightly altering her skin tone. We will simply use the Dying Star as a reasonable excuse since the church should already know of her disease due to the Indoctrination Slate.”
“Why did you not tell me to change my appearance?” Velera asked.
“That is because, in Emon’s mind, his wife has the exact same appearance as the Avani he saved; a lady with black hair and grey streaks. As long as you remain inside for as long as possible and prevent even the smallest chance of Avani’s associates from seeing you, as well as gaslighting Emon into believing the Avani he saved was another woman, everything should be fine.”
Grisha then returned empty-handed. “He has been placed in what I believed to be the main bedroom. We can go now.”
“So, when will I see the both of you again?” Velera asked as Michel and Grisha were already steps away from her. Michel looked at her over his shoulder, and responded,
“We will return once you die. One more thing before we leave, chances are Emon will either feel sick, causing him to stay home, or not awaken before the planned time. If this is the case, tell him that a man named Phineas Leander has already notified the church about the abducted members. Make sure to include that he was able to know about this because Emon told him about it when he came here to discuss the lockdown plan for Ventoria’s Library.”
“Since nobody except the people he is close with within the Luria Assembly most likely know where he lives, make sure to obscure your face if anyone knocks on the front door if he isn’t able to open the door by himself. I told Phineas to tell his colleagues about the ‘good news’ as well as Emon’s absence if he exceeds the planned time of his awakening.”
“Additionally, there may be a great, improbable chance that the Emon will be under the influence of the Zealot’s Absolute Mist effect. The easiest way to find out whether or not that is the case is to look at Emon and watch how he wakes up. If he does not seem to remember anything regarding the saving of the two members, or anything else, then you will be in luck, and gaslighting him will become a lot easier since you will be the one filling in the details for him.”
“Understood,” Velera said. “I will see the both of you in a few months, then.”
“We are counting on you, Velera,” Grisha said, as both he and Michel walked into the distance, leaving Velera alone. She stepped back inside the manor with a determined gaze, closing the door behind her.
-Cyclone Cellar-
Dark stood composedly within one of the many industrial-looking hallways writing on a notebook he held in his hands, with dozens of staff members draped in formal white suits walking past him. His seemingly inadvertent demeanour hinted at his immersion in what he was writing on the papers. With seconds passing by, Dark’s castle in the air was broken, causing him to lift his head to meet Aurora’s eyes right in front of him.
“Oh, hey, Aurora.”
“Hey, Dark,” she said with a worried voice. “Any idea where Emon might be?”
“Oh, you weren’t told?” Dark pondered. “He called in sick for today. At least that’s what Zaccheus told me. But! There’s good news! Zaccheus was informed by Phineas that the victims were saved! Emon’s probably taking a well-deserved post-battle rest.”
Aurora squinted her eyes. Even though the good news had reached her ears, her worries regarding the church members were absent, as if they were never there. Paying no heed to what Dark just said, she spoke to him in a now more stern tone.
“Where’s Zaccheus?”
“He should be at his office right now,” Dark said, lifting the notebook. “I need to take care of something, though. So I can’t tag along.”
“It’s fine,” Aurora ended, turning away from Dark, who nonchalantly turned his attention back to the paper.
Aurora eventually stood before Zaccheus’ office room and gave it a few knocks before sounding from the door’s other end, her muffled voice resounding within the walls of the chambers.
“It’s me, Aurora. Are you present here, Zaccheus?”
The door then opened, as a strong gust of died out cigarette mingled with perfume hit Aurora’s face. The one standing right before Aurora was Wilfred, with a closed smile tugging at the corners of his lips—dressed in an impeccable all-black suit that contrasted sharply with his dark green hair. Behind him stood Phineas, also dressed in an all-black suit, next to Zaccheus who sat on the edge of the table, signalling her to step inside. He was dressed in a loose gray suit that blended seamlessly with his dishevelled long gray hair, sided with a pair of black glasses windowing his blue eyes.
“If it isn’t Aurora Jinton!” Phineas exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. “It is good to see you today.”
“Have I missed some important meeting?” Aurora asked, walking inside with her hands perched within her coat’s pockets. “Why are the both of you here, Wilfred, Phineas?”
“Oh,” Phineas began. “I came here to inform Zaccheus about Emon’s recent success in rescuing the abducted church members. We’re about to head off to the church to report the situation.”
“I see…” Aurora said solemnly, as Wilfred turned towards her, his hands folded over each other behind his back.
“You don’t seem alleviated knowing that the victims have finally been saved, Aurora. Emon will be fine. He is just in need of some rest right now.”
Zaccheus then chimed in, his deep voice reverberating throughout the room. “Phineas himself came to report the cause after being informed by Emon that the plan worked. We understood that Emon was planning on heading to the designated location by himself for some reason.”
He then continued, sighing with his eyes closed. “Call me pessimistic, but I would have never thought this matter would be solved so effortlessly.”
“Effortlessly?” Aurora said, tilting her head. “Wait, before I go into that…”
She then turned towards Phineas, who had his arms crossed, looking back at her with confident eyes.
“…Did you visit Emon to ask him about it, Phineas?”
“I visited him with the intention to hand over the signed warrant Miriam Cowright wrote for the lockdown of the Library. Today was supposed to be when we would discuss the matter amongst him and other Generals.”
“When I arrived, I was told that the members were indeed saved, and told to rest enough before heading to the church itself. Emon wasn’t feeling particularly well today, so he asked me to call him sick by notifying Zaccheus.”
Wilfred then added, leaning his head forward before Aurora’s gaze. “Do you still remember what that letter was about, Aurora?”
“Ah, about that,” Zaccheus interjected. “I understood that I was struck with the Zealot of Mist given I was the one who supposedly received the letter first, or at least that is what Dark told me.”
“Yeah,” Aurora confirmed. “You must have forgotten about receiving the letter from a certain someone. But for you to make sure Dark sends the letter to Emon must mean that a sense of anticipation was present. I was thinking about this last night, and I assumed the one who sent you the letter must have altered the duration of the Mist Effect.”
“Indeed,” Wilfred nodded. “However it is much harder to directly manipulate the effect of the Zealot by its form of origin—which is why most people tend to use foreign objects as a vessel to dampen the concentration of the Exorci by transferring a sum of the Zealot onto the object.”
“That is what I thought, as well,” Aurora said. “The members may have been saved, but this case is far from over yet. If what we assume is true, then Zaccheus must have been struck with a foreign object, like a dagger, or a sword. It would be hard to imagine someone capable enough to infiltrate the Cellar and directly manipulate Zaccheus’ mind, especially considering Zaccheus’ individual power.”
“It must have been a spontaneous attack,” Zaccheus murmured, staring at his right palm. “It wouldn’t seem too crazy to suspect that someone from within our own ranks did this to me.”
Only silence followed after the crescendo of his words. Phineas held his now darkened pupil lowered, with Wilfred doing the same thing, yet not able to prevent his lips from curling upwards. Aurora, taken in by the heavy stillness, broke it, as she turned back to the door.
“I’ll go and visit Emon.”
“That is fine,” Phineas said. “But, what about your tasks for today?”
“I’ll just ask Dark to take over for now,” Aurora said, opening the door. “There isn’t much to do since the festival is approaching. Take care.”
A few moments following Aurora’s departure, Wilfred took a deep stretch with a yawn as he too made his way out of the room after telling Phineas he would be awaiting him outside, leaving both him and Zaccheus by themselves.
Phineas took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he took a seat next to Zaccheus. It remained like this until Zaccheus lowered his head, and spoke to Phineas in a more desolate tone.
“Don’t you think it is strange, Phineas?”
“What is?” he responded, cautiously turning his pupils towards him.
“…Nevermind.”
Phineas took another deep breath before patting his shoulder. “I understand how you must feel, Zaccheus. When you look at this issue from a broader perspective, it seems completely reasonable to be feeling a little anxious, or simply uncomfortable. But, we have this under control. All that is asked for us to do is to have trust in ourselves, and be confident that we will come up with a solution.”
“It’s not as if I am doubting our capabilities, Phineas. I just feel a little disappointed in myself…”
Phineas then leaned over to him. “We will find out who did it. Not even Emon would anticipate being stabbed in the back like you were. After he has recovered, we will be sure to hold a good number of talks with the church about this case.”
“Phineas…” Zaccheus murmured, turning his head to him. “Thank you for your work.”
“I am just doing what I think is right, Zaccheus.”
“No, not only that,” Zaccheus continued. “But you are a key figure in both Luria and Terra Firma. I could not imagine myself being able to devote myself to two separate positions to this degree…”
“This is all for the sake of Ventoria,” Phineas said, standing up. “We are all equals. You love Ventoria as much as I do. The way we appreciate the city, and try to bring it to new heights differs from person to person. I, for one, could never see myself fit the role of Luria’s Director of Bureaucracy as well as you do. I never considered myself a paperwork guy, anyway.”
“I can definitely believe that,” Zaccheus chuckled. “You seem like a much more… practical individual. But that is what we need in this day and age. That is what Terra Firma needs, what Luria needs, and what Ventoria needs—given it was practicality that brought this city to what it is today.”
“We are glad to have someone like you in our ranks, Zaccheus. I did not even go into further detail to explain just how well-diversed the people of Ventoria are. There is no other city that contains three separate Assemblies and still be kept at bay. There is no other city that was left on the brink of destruction and decay, only for it to be brought to prosperity once more by a single man, Saint Maximus. We are great people, and we should treat our city like how it deserves to be treated!”
“Rightfully so, Phineas,” Zaccheus said, smiling. “I spent many weeks wondering about just how greatly the sense of nationalism seemed to have withered with the swarm of refugees, bringing their own culture and sovereignty of other lands here… I was obscured from the truth of us, the ones in true power, never lost our love and devotion for not only the country of Deneve but as well as Ventoria ever since it was re-established.”
“Hope is a fluke when it comes to us,” Phineas said confidently. “It is only a matter of time before Ventoria will be changed into a Utopia.”
As he said this, he grabbed his black coat from a nearby chair and pulled it over his shoulder. “It was good seeing you, Zaccheus. I should be taking my leave now, too. Can’t let the Priest wait for long.”
“Likewise, Phineas. I will see you at the upcoming festival.”
“Surely!”
And with their parting words, Phineas closed the door behind him, as Zaccheus stepped towards a large window behind him, perching his hands in his jeans’ pockets, thoughtfully gazing at the faraway view of Ventoria.