Calamity Mandate

Chapter 95 - Hidden Knowledge

The light drizzle had turned into a steady downpour by the time the rental carriage pulled up to its destination on the outskirts of the Tye-An Street market. A block down the road the coloured tarps of the market proper could be seen, the shouts of vendors still coming through the steady din of the rain.

Makeshift bins cobbled together from planks of wood were filled with chopped up bundles of vines and foliage. These bins were two meters high and twice as long, built directly on the ground. People were tossing plant matter into the bins, and carts pulled by horses or men would come periodically and cart them away. Many of the buildings were in disrepair, punctured by vines that had been removed or yet to be removed.

These vines grew faster than any other plant the people of Noga had ever seen. One could sit for an hour and watch them grow. There wasn’t just one type of plant. Some were thorny, some had strange flowers that resembled the heads of babies, some had tiny white berries that grew in bunches.

Some of them had fern-like leaves with dark bulbs that grew on the ends. These were burned on the spot.

Despite the rain and recent events, the crowds were still as thick as ever. The vendors still sold their wares with loud, energetic voices. There was laughter and arguments and people following their regular routine. There was a pervasive mood among the people, like they were all pretending that things were normal, while simultaneously all acknowledging that they were pretending.

After all, through tragedy and hardship, life continues on.

Yuzu pulled out her umbrella as she stepped down from the carriage with the help of the driver. She handed him a few coins and he bowed politely and bid her goodbye.

She walked across the street towards a sheltered doorway underneath an old sign that read “Chen’s Import”. A painted sign hung from the door, reading ‘Closed’, but Yuzu ignored it and turned the handle. The door seemed to stick for a moment before giving way to her push. She stepped inside, putting away her umbrella.

The dim, unfinished narrow space was quiet and empty, except for a single lamp, and the desk and stool by the door at the back of the room. Once again all of the threads disappeared from Yuzu’s periphery as soon as she stepped through the doorway. She proceeded to the back door with a purposeful stride and opened it.

A warm light instantly flooded in from the other room.

Instead of a staircase leading down to a hallway she found herself looking directly into a modest looking study. She blinked in surprise, hesitating at the door. Though she remembered that Argus could control the layout of his space, she didn’t expect to open the door directly into his room.

“Welcome, Yuzu.” The voice of an unseen young boy greeted her. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yuzu stepped inside, observing the richly decorated room. The floors were polished wood, the ceilings high with plaster cornices. There were numerous free standing shelves filled with books and scrolls. The walls were covered in maps and diagrams. The room was lit by several dozen candles that hung from the ceiling by pendants, with glass bulbs surrounding them.

She was looking up at the pendants with a thoughtful gaze as Argus turned the corner of one of the shelves.

“I light them myself.” He said, grinning, “With a long stick.”

A small smile curled at the edges of Yuzu’s lips as she looked over the boy. His golden locks of hair seemed to shimmer under the candle light as she met his green eyes. He was dressed in the same grey vest, white shirt and black trousers as when she first met him. There was no visual difference to his appearance, but there was a different air about him.

He seemed steadier. A calmness pervaded his expression.

Argus motioned towards a set of chairs next to a fireplace and they sat facing each other.

“You’ve made quite an impact on the city.” Argus began with a smile, “You have earned a place in the public consciousness with your feats from that night.”

“The white maiden.” Yuzu said softly.

“That is what they are calling you.” Argus nodded. “It seems that your meddling with Fate leaves traces... Imprints on the people you’ve affected. In the past two days I have met with several Exalted who you’ve touched. They’ve consulted with me asking for your identity.”

He smiled at her, “Don’t worry, I did not reveal anything.”

The young boy paused, looking away. His eyes gazed into the flames of the fireplace as his expression softened.

“I have to thank you, for your assistance in the Library. I was expecting to find some clues to my condition, but I didn’t know it would be a piece of my own soul.”

“Are you all better, then?” Yuzu asked, “You seem much calmer than before. Not... Um...”

“Crazy?” Argus grinned, shaking his head, “It’s okay to think that. After all, I was by definition broken, then. I have successfully fused with the piece of my soul, and with it I gained back many memories of my past... But I’m still not whole.”

“These past two days I’ve been sorting through my memories, trying to piece together the facts.” Argus said. His hands clenched in his lap as he started to tremble, “I was whole once, in a position of power and responsibility. I was a scholar, my life revolved around the pursuit of Hidden Knowledge. I was supported by various figures in history... People that had the power to help me uncover the deepest mysterious of the world. I remember... I remember being close to discovering something.”

“Something terrifying and grand. Something that would change the course of history forever if it were to be revealed. This secret truth that even the Gods desired to uncover...”

The trembling spread from Argus’ hands to his arms and legs until his whole body was shaking. “I was... I was so close!”

“What was it?” Yuzu asked, prompting him to continue. Though she didn’t know what he was talking about, she could see the immense stress building up inside him.

“I don’t know... I don’t know...” Argus’s held his head in his hands as he slouched forwards, “I was attacked... I don’t remember who it was... But I know that I was on the verge of discovering the secret, when that person came to me. No... Maybe I had even discovered the secret!”

“That person is just a shadow in my mind... But I remember the pain as they tore my soul from me and ripped it into pieces. I remember my mind shredding apart. I remember losing myself over and over.”

“This person crippled me, they all but killed me to hide this secret. They scattered my soul across the world to keep me from learning the truth behind Hidden Knowledge.”

“I was broken. My memories stolen from me, the very essence of my self was shattered. I... I’ve been in this child’s body... It must have been for hundreds of years... Barely surviving. Barely understanding. Slowly building up the pieces only for me to shatter again and lose my way. An endless cycle.”

Argus gradually stopped trembling as he shook his head sadly, “Somehow, in all those years, I managed to find this place. I managed to find the astrolabe and get access to Okuron’s Library. I managed to find you.”

Yuzu swallowed softly as she digested the information. She had helped him find his soul, had touched it herself. She didn’t doubt anything he said. This ten year old boy that was hundreds of years old, looking for answers.

Argus chuckled, looking up at her with a knowing gleam in his eyes, “You don’t really care, do you?”

“It’s not that I don’t care...” Yuzu said, looking away. He had read her thoughts again, annoyingly. “I just... can’t relate. I don’t know what it’s like to have my soul torn apart. I don’t know what’s so important about this ‘Hidden Knowledge’. I’m sure it’s a big deal to you... but what can I do about it?”

“I guess that’s something we’ve yet to see.” Argus said, sighing wistfully. After a moment he nodded softly, “...Thank you.”

“For what?” Yuzu asked.

“For breaking me out of another downward spiral.” Argus said. “I was getting lost in my own despair.”

He chuckled, looking around the room, “Actually... This is one of the meeting rooms that I let my clients use. To tell the truth, my bedroom is still just as much of a mess as it was before... These past two days I’ve barely been holding myself together... coming terms with the things that I only now know I’ve lost...”

“You don’t need to hide it.” Yuzu said, “Not like I’m going to judge you.”

“I know.” He smiled, “I wanted to give you a good impression.”

He looked away, the smile fading as the conversation died down briefly. Yuzu clasped her hands together lightly, looking over the boy. He was calmer, steadier, yes, but a great weight still hung from his shoulders.

“So...” Argus said quietly, pushing away his thoughts. He looked up at her with a steady gaze. “What can I do for you?”

“Per our agreement,” Yuzu nodded calmly. “You owe me the answers to two questions.”