B2 CH 6 - The Burden of an Executioner
The eerie silence stretched between them like a veil of fog. Draven did not know what to say, and neither did the man before him. Fortunately, Corvanis broke the impasse decisively.
"It was my dream to become an Overseer—not because it elevated my status in the eyes of the Virien Houses, but to secure a future for my family." He spoke in a resolute tone at first. "The job was hard—the sheer cruelty of it—but I shoved those concerns aside. A job is a job. If I did not do it, others would."
"The Magisterium Arcana brought to my attention the suspicion of a smuggling operation taking place in the very district I had been assigned to—yours, as you well know. It sounded ridiculous. How could miners bypass the Torch's selective nature and enter Elysium? I told the same to my wife, who was also an Overseer in the adjacent district."
Corvanis scoffed. "That was the only way I could envision the conspiracy taking place. After all, miners might become daring, but none would dream of stepping foot in our commanding towers."
Draven listened to the story, remembering when Corvanis had been the sole Overseer of Catalyst District 99. Those had been fairer times compared to the arrival of Travor, though he had never allowed himself to admit that until now.
"I investigated the matter, seeking miners, downright bribing them for clues. Nothing worked; they wouldn't budge, wouldn't inform on their own. I respected that... but I also had a job to do. So, I cut off the district's food supply for a week." Corvanis winced and looked away. "I am not proud of what I did... but at the time... it does not matter anymore."
"Needless to say, it worked. Hunger can drive a wedge between any semblance of cohesion. Before long, I didn't need to seek them out. They sought me. They begged for food to feed their young." The Overseer's eyes brimmed with tears. "And I finally learned how the smuggling operation came to be."
Korvax, the Sovran disguised as a miner. Draven knew that much.
"It was my wife," Corvanis said, and the words sent thundering echoes through Draven's mind. "Thamys was the one behind it—the one with the power and authority to orchestrate the operation. The knowledge defied everything I knew. How could she aid ratlings? How could she defy the Blooded Decree, put her family at risk, for the sake of people she barely knew?"
"She was one of us," Draven sighed, as he understood the truth. He was living proof appearances could be deceiving.
"That was not all she was. A miner turned Empyrean, someone who infiltrated our ranks on behalf of the Witnesses of the Beyond." Corvanis shook his head as tears streamed down his face. "I reported the incident to the Magisterium Arcana on the spot. I... was so angry at her. At myself. How could I have missed it?"
"The Magisterium was too busy dealing with an Incursion in this very city, so they sent a letter and two choices: I was either to wait for support—stand neutral until they sent the Silver Flame Inquisition to eradicate every miner in the district, as it was deemed corrupted crops. Or I was to execute the traitors myself, and bring proof of the deed."
"I realized... I could not do it. Even though I resented Thamys, a great deal of me still loved her. Abyss take me. I wished to take it all back. Everything. If she had hated me for it, perhaps I would not feel this much regret... but she forgave my actions without a second thought."
"So you killed Will, the miner behind it, and her?" Draven felt his hatred for the man dissipate.
Corvanis had been raised as a Sovran, taught nothing but what he was expected to enforce. Cruelty and discrimination were not his choices; they were the very lessons he had learned in order to provide for his budding family.
"Of course not," the Overseer said. "I loved her, and she loved me. Maker be my witness, I was ready to fight the entire Inquisition for her. But it was too late. Thamys took her own life."
Corvanis cried like the wound was fresh. Draven never thought a day would come when the stoic Overseer would be reduced to a bawling child. Worst of all, he felt no happiness at the sight.
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"A single miner approached me one night. His name was Will. I tried to arrest the man, but... he was an Empyrean much stronger than I was. Ridiculous."
"Before I knew it, I had not only been soundly beaten by a miner, but was in Daesvor itself. He told me many things that night—many of which I am bound by oaths never to reveal—but it was what he showed me that convinced me to join their cause."
"The Haven burned. The forces of the Beyond invaded, and the Maker was dead." He suddenly started laughing. "It was all a bad joke. It had to be a trick. Or so I attempted to convince myself. But the more Will showed, the more I knew he was not lying."
"I had never had a choice in any of it. Will, or Korvax, showed me as much. All my actions had been foreseen. No one could break fate, except the Maker and you."
"Me..." Draven's voice trembled.
A Dreamer's prophecies always came to be; it was commonly known. But if he had the power to break them, perhaps he could have saved his family and Myra. Had he failed due to incompetence or lack of power? Could he truly say he had tried everything? Somehow, the knowledge did not assuage his wounds, but caused them to bleed again.
"The last Archon, the bearer of the Last Fragment of Eternity," the Sovran nodded. "If the Haven were to survive, you had to live. And for that, Korvax had to die."
"I... understand," Draven said, swallowing his self-pity. "He didn't die for nothing. That much gives me some peace. Still, what is the Last Fragment of Eternity? I've heard about it from a couple of people now, but no one tells me what it is."
"Let us hope that remains true," Corvanis said with a deep sigh. "I am afraid the definitive truth is beyond me, Draven. But there are some legends about it. Whether they are accurate, I cannot say."
"Many believe the Beyond, the realms belonging to the Six Paths, and our world were once separated. Impossible to breach. Eternity was the linchpin that held that equilibrium in place." The Overseer frowned, pondering his next words. "Why it shattered, the stories do not tell, but it did. The Archons were born, possessing a natural affinity for the Six Paths, while the Fallen attained dominion over the Beyond."
"If that's true," Draven interrupted, "what happened to the fragment of our world?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Corvanis shrugged. "But enough talk. I did not call you here to spend the day conversing. How about Mending us both, so we can have a rematch?"
"Sounds good to me. I was just about to grasp something about Dyad Vessel... I think I'm on the verge of something." Enthusiasm filled Draven's voice. He owed the insight to Corvanis, but saying it aloud still felt difficult.
He closed his eyes, diving into his soul and beginning replenishing his hexion reserve. Beckon. Imbue. Beckon. Imbue. Soon, he fell into a trance as the cycle of refinement stole his thoughts.
***
Draven punched Corvanis, evading a low kick aimed at his knee with serene grace. The moment skin touched skin, the corresponding impact was redirected at his target, effectively doubling the strength behind each strike.
"Abyss take me, you hit like a hammer," the Overseer said, stepping back and wincing in pain. "Whenever I hit you, I might as well hit myself."
The words entered his ears, but Draven barely registered them; his focus was entirely on understanding how Dyad Vessel worked.
It only activates if I touch his skin. But why? A punch hurts just as much through a shirt. He absently ducked under a jab, receiving one to the ribs in return. It's like it needs some sort of... channel to go through.
A fledgling idea shone in his mind. Without a second thought, steadying his will to keep the beast at bay, Draven unlatched the veotherium manacles that bound his hexion control. The metal fell to the floor with a ringing chime.
Corvanis's lips parted into a thin smile.
Draven extended crimson tendrils further, touching the Overseer with them. Release! he commanded—and to his surprise, Dyad Vessel complied. It traveled through the veins of hexion, using them as a channel to funnel stored pain into its target—but dissipated a few inches from Draven's body.
With a frown, Draven stopped himself from dodging a probing kick, merely grunting at the muted pain as the blow nearly took his balance. But he achieved his goal: the Providence had something to release again.
He dashed forward, closing the distance in quick steps, and threw a punch at the center of Corvanis's chest. The Overseer allowed it to hit, taking the opportunity to land a solid blow to Draven's jaw. It was a bargain; Dyad Vessel could not release without skin contact.
Until now.
Corvanis stumbled, wide-eyed shock etched on his face. "You..."
Draven let his guard fall, a grin surfacing on his lips. "That's right."
The scripture appeared before his eyes, its words confirming what he already knew.