NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67: The Mirror.
Chapter 67: The Mirror.
“Hey. Hey! Wake up. Mr. Park asked you a question.”
Ryan didn’t move. In fact, he didn’t so much as twitch.
His heart was still beating and his lungs were still drawing in oxygen, but the rest of him was utterly unresponsive. Like a broken doll laying against a wall.
At first, I’d thought he had merely fainted after Prudence lunged at him. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
“Is Mr. Perry in need of more healing?” Mr. Park asked. His voice barely audible, over the rancor of everyone else present.
“I don’t think so. But, I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” I admitted.
Mr. Park nodded slowly. His eyes and mind remaining steady and free of judgement. In spite of the chaos that had ensued less than ten minutes earlier and the wrath of our fellow survivors aimed at Ryan. It was a level of self-control that bordered on the supernatural. One that I couldn’t help but be jealous of right now.
‘Damn it, Ryan. Quit hiding in your own head. I need that video yesterday.’
I sighed and began to massage my forehead. Trying to push away all my other worries.
“Peachy?” I called out. “Did Granny Golden receive Slasher?”
“Yes master.” Peachy whimpered. Her beady little eyes downcast and subservient.
“Would you stop calling me that? My name is Sully. Honestly, I don’t know why you insist on being so scared all the time. It’s not like I asked you to do anything that would harm you.”
“I… I could lose my Mercantile License for this.” She informed me. “The same goes for Granny Golden. Bypassing the usual trading rules of the Tutorial could come with heavy penalties if anyone reported us.”
I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“And you still did it without asking for anything in return?”
She hiccupped.
“That thing…” She trailed off, her knees practically vibrating as she spoke. Clacking against each other like maracas.
“That thing was a Veiled Prince.”
“Yeah. So, I’ve been told.”
“So, you now have another, high-tiered ability. On top of those I’ve already seen.”
“Actually, that’s not strictly true. One of my Tier 5 ones grew to Tier 10 when it absorbed [Warp the Veil II] and [Psionic Conjuration III]. Why are you crying?”
She had broken out in tears again. Seemingly without reason.
“Please… please don’t enslave us when you get out master. I beg you. Please remember what we’ve done for you.”
“Geez! This again. I’m not going to go around killing random people.”
“But, the gnomes…”
“Are not people. Killing them is different. It’s more like, I don’t know. Pesticide. Yeah. That sounds about right. Why are you crying harder!?”
Mr. Park placed an assuring hand on my shoulder. Whispering in my ear and drawing me back as he stepped forward.
“I’m ever so sorry about this my dear.” He began. His voice buttery smooth and his expression soft as silk.
“It will be all right. Sully will remember his friends. He always does. Why, you only need to look at how desperately he’s defended his friend Henry to see his dedication. Even now, as we prepare to try Ryan for unjustly influencing girls in the Warehouse, Sully remains dedicated to keeping the rule of law for the sake of the rest of us. He could have done away with him, if he so willed it. Or, perhaps, force him to make that video. None of us could have stopped him, if he so chose.”
He paused, placed an assuring arm around Peachy and drew her in so that she could cry on his shoulder.
The alien did so. Her body relaxing in his grasp.
“But he didn’t do any of that. He drew back and allowed Ryan a trial. Even when he and the rest of the council had access to his memories. Even after what our ongoing investigation had confirmed. I believe that speaks to the strength of his character.”
He pulled her back so that she could stare into his eyes.
“And sure, he might activate new abilities without meaning to now and then, but from what I saw, these events don’t last more than a minute and no one’s been hurt as of yet. Compared to someone like Ryan, who knowingly refused to turn off his presence abilities among friends and even went so far as to abuse [Friendship] to manipulate others, Sully could be seen as downright benevolent. Why, for someone with that kind of power, I would argue that he is the height of responsibility.”
Wow. Just wow.
Mr. Park didn’t truly believe that last part of course. He had been scared (Gnome)less by the Tall Man. Same as everyone. But you would never have known that without being a mind-reader. The sincerity on his face was such that even I started to believe him.
‘I guess those social graces come with experience. I have got to work on that too.’
“Now then dear.” Mr. Park began, his old hands wiping away some of Peachy’s tears. “Why don’t we follow up on Sully’s request. Has the item been delivered.”
“Yes. It has. The gnome died almost immediately. After the…”
She chanced a glance at me and shivered.
“After the sword took over someone’s mind and the Sealed Intruder came out to attack. No one else among the teachers reported it. They’re afraid of what the consequences might be, once you all get out.”
“Perfect.” Mr. Park said. Apparently not as alarmed as I was about the whole, took over someone’s mind, bit.
“Uh, sorry. Could you specify what you meant regarding Slasher taking over someone’s mind?”
“I… the sword has access to a potent variation of [Friendship]. That’s what Granny Golden said anyway. It took over… over a woman. Cassandra. Until the Cherub intervened and freed her. Now, she has the sword, but isn’t being controlled.”
Well, that was good. About the best I could have hoped for under the current circumstances. Better to avoid re-summoning Slasher and Cherub for now. Not that I could in any case. All the related abilities were now tied to… it. And I wasn’t in any hurry to see it again.
“Right. Thank you Peachy.” I spoke. Following in Mr. Park’s lead.
“This means a lot to me. More than you could possibly know. I won’t forget it anytime soon. If there is anything I can do in return, you need only ask.”
“Anything?” Peachy asked. “Does that include using the, uh, leveling boost on me? On us, I mean.”
“Of course.” I answered at once. “We’re friends, after all. And friends help each other.”
My declaration made Mr. Park’s heart swell. His mind buzzing with new ideas on how to best exploit this newfound leverage over Peachy and Granny Golden.
Peachy stepped back from him at that point. Flinching for a second, before pulling something out of her robes.
“This, this might help. Sully. It’s a Forum Mirror. It’s a consumable that allows two people using the forums to speak directly, through a live feed. Instead of the usual text format.” She swallowed.
“I’m, not supposed to be selling it this early, since you all should have unlocked the forums after the second cycle. But, you people unlocked it early thanks to that bas… thanks to my dear ancestor’s intervention and his usage of his System privileges. Furthermore, the item will work even if only one of you has the forums unlocked. You could use it to speak to your friend.”
My eyes went wide.
“Thank you! Yes! That would be wonderful! How much would I owe you?”
“70, 000 Store Tokens.” She cringed.
“Nice! It’s cheap too. Here.”
I paid upfront and reached out for the item. Inspecting it with [Insight] to confirm the details. It was only ten minutes of screentime, but it was a damnable miracle for me.
‘I’ll be able to see Henry again. With this, I’ll be able to make sure he’s safe.’
It might have seemed like a small thing, yet, it meant the world to me. To see a familiar face after being here for so long. To speak with someone I truly trusted, after all the things I’d found out.
“Thank you so much Peachy.” I said. Hugging the item.
I wasted no time and used [Insight] on her. Blasting her with as much juice as I could manage at that moment.
She went down like a ton of bricks. Flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water. A triumphant smile taking over her beak as I saw several Telepath, Enhancer and Projector abilities merging. She got Shifter as a fourth Type too. Putting her on the same level as Granny Golden.
‘Actually, she might even be stronger than Granny at this point. I recall her only having Telepath on Tier 2.’
Hopefully this meant that she’d be far more calm and friendly around me in the future. Mr. Park wasn’t wrong to think that she’d be useful going forward. I mean, (Gnome). The mirror alone was priceless to me.
“Very good.” Mr. Park clapped his hands. “Now all that’s left is…”
“Let me go! I’ll kill him!” Prudence bellowed from the side.
I looked her way and found Kaito and Stellio barely holding on to her. Keeping her snaping jaws in check.
“P.R! Stop it! We all agreed he should have a trial!”
“(Gnome) that! You all saw those memories! He’s been toying with people like a damn supervillain! Don’t tell me he didn’t know! We all agreed that it was mind-control at the meeting! Even Sully turned off his presences afterwards!”
“Hey! What do you mean, even Sully!? What, am I some kind of brute now? I was the one who brought up how chummy you’d all gotten with me after I got [Charming Presence II]. I was the responsible one here!”
Kaito shot me a look. Same as Mr. Park.
“Okay. Okay. I get it. Tensions are high. My bad.”
Indeed, none of the other girls looked particularly happy. Least of all Louise, who hadn’t changed out of her were-wolf form ever since I shared Ryan’s memories around. Jane had left in tears, but she… she’d stayed to stare bloody murder into Ryan. To the point where I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost. He was a piece of (Gnome) that went around manipulating women after all.
“Hey. Ryan. Time to wake up man. I’m about to send the mirror to Henry and your sister will want to talk to you. More importantly, I need you to tell her to back the (Gnome) off Henry. After we’ve had your trial. Come on.”
I kicked him a little. Softly, at first. Then with a bit more force.
Trying to wake him up while dispelling some of my leftover tension.
When that didn’t work, I used [Domination] on him.
“Hey! Wake up already!”
That finally did the trick.
His eyes shot open as mortifying screams erupted from his throat. So loud and high-pitched that I had to take a few steps back from him. The sounds went on and on and on. Flowing outwards like a waterfall. His own fingers reaching up to his face and clawing bloody ribbons down his cheeks.
“Holy (Gnome)! What’s wrong with you?”
Mr. Park didn’t bother with exclamations. Moving in to heal him without a word. Holding his hands back with rapidly expanding muscles.
I stepped around Ryan’s writhing frame. Noting that his sheer, insurmountable terror had even quelled some of Prudence’s wrath.
I tried searching his mind with my fog, only to meet a wall of endless darkness. It, wasn’t like the times I’d failed to get a read on the others on my team. No. This was, different. I was sensing a wall of darkness because all Ryan could think of was a wall of darkness.
“Sully. Dominate him and get him to stop attacking himself.” Mr. Park demanded.
I did as he asked without protest. Forcefully bringing Ryan back to earth.
He gasped. Breathing heavily as if he’d been drowning moments ago.
Then, he began to cry.
His limbs frozen at either side as fresh tears flowed down his face.
“Thank goodness.” He wheezed. “Thank goodness. I’m back. I’m finally back. It’s been so long. I thought…” His voice broke and he choked on his own grief. “I thought my life had been a dream. I thought there was nothing else. Nothing outside that place.”
“What place?” Mr. Park asked. “You never left. Your body’s been here this whole time.”
Ryan hiccupped some more before answering.
“The bad place. The dark place. The place where hope goes to die.”
His eyes met mine and I saw what was in them.
This new Ryan had nothing left to give. No anger. No machinations. No planned reprisals.
His were the eyes of the lost and the dammed. The eyes that Randall had had. Back in my own nightmare.
“Please.” He whimpered. Debasing himself without holding anything back.
“Please let me die. I’d rather die than go back. Please. Please. Please.”
I swept my gaze all over the town. Taking in the burning buildings and the children flying between them.
Each one wore fine white suits that almost sparkled in the sunlight. With red stripes around their cuffs that went up towards their collars. All of them had the face of a younger Sully. Frozen in rictus, predatory smiles.
Their hands held spears or halberds. Instruments of war coated in brilliant golden flames that shone almost as bright as their eyes. Except for the parts coated in gnomish blood and viscera that is.
I shook my head. Bringing my hands up to my forehead and swatting away some of the ashes that had gathered on my hair.
‘How did this happen?’ I wondered.
Things had looked really dicey back there. When Patricia had gathered a mob around her. Somehow convincing people that I could send them home since I had leverage over the teachers and the principal.
Granny Golden had said she couldn’t get personally involved, as long a Rut was out there and ready to report her. So, she’d hidden me and Cass away while the gnomish teacher went around humming to himself.
“What’s this I see? Staff getting involved in the squabbles of Students? Tut-tut. That is wholly unacceptable. We are not supposed to get involved in their spats.”
He had been grinning back then. Reminding Granny and principal Banerid that they shouldn’t care whether a mob formed or whether Students took some measure of justice into their own hands.
“Fool!” Principal Banerid had shouted. “Bloody fool! Have you not seen the note? You’ll get us all killed! Or worse, enslaved!”
Rut the history teacher had laughed in his face.
He was still laughing now, in fact. His severed head donning a frozen smile atop the spike where the little suited children had impaled it. Right next to the five or so System Enforcers that had come to avenge his death. Only the sixth one had managed to escape, once the legions started pouring down from the sky and even then, he’d been missing an arm, a leg and most of his face by the time he managed to slip through the portal.
There were no flies surrounding the grisly scene as of yet. Perhaps due to the absence of insects or non-domesticated animals down here.
‘A small mercy. I suppose. Otherwise, it might have been more horrible than it is right now.’
I walked along the mostly empty streets. Noting the terror in people’s eyes as they saw me coming. The way they averted their gazes so as to not meet mine head on.
My hands clenched into fists as my breathing quickened.
‘It wasn’t me!’ I wanted to shout at them. ‘It was the sword and the big angel-like thing that came out of it. They were the ones called the suited-up kids. They were the ones that burned half the town to the ground!’
But I didn’t say anything of the sort.
It wouldn’t have helped. That image of the talking sword signing about murder time in that childish voice would haunt these people till their dying day and nothing I could have said would have changed that.
Especially not when the Cherub was still flying over head.
“Burn the wicked! Sear away your sins in purifying fire! Those who allow gnomes to live, share in the crime of their existence! Burn them all in the name of the master! In the name of the Coffin King! In the good name of my lord and master, Solomon Carter!”
Its voice felt like waves of fire searing my ears as they passed. Heat travelling through my brain and leaving behind echoes of the given message. The more one heard them, the harder it became to unhear them. To the point where I could swear other people were mumbling the sermons as they walked.
“The wise one has told us the truth! Fear and hate the gnome, lest you become its victim! For all of the world’s evils are endorsed and committed, by gnomes! A gnome has no empathy! No common humanity that separates us from simple beasts!”
A parade of the little winged children followed it wherever it went. Chanting hymns that praised Sully’s heroism. Especially as it related to the rescue of hundreds of people in his Tutorial and his subsequent treatment of gnomes.
Some of the things they sang chilled my (Cherub)ing blood even now.
“Righteous father! Loose your fury! There are gnomes to kill today! Crush their spirits! Bind their bodies! Help us find a better way!”
“Gentle father! Raise your banners! There are foes we have to slay! Scourge their flesh! Sunder their bones! Burn their horrid sins away!”
I shook my head and averted my eyes from the procession. Moving rapidly in another direction.
Yet, the hymns could not be escaped. They could be heard on every corner and on every street. On every house and every storefront. As if the walls themselves were singing.
No, actually, scratch that. The walls, WERE singing. Some of them anyway. Having grown lips and shining purple eyes that sought to glimpse at the heavens. Pupils dilated in ecstasy as they joined the chorus.
Looking around, there were people I knew singing along with the walls. Leaning against them and adding their voices to the song.
Oscar and Mindy were right there in the thick of things. Eyes filled with a terror that surpassed normal comprehension. Perhaps they figured that the little killers would leave them alone if they sang along. Or perhaps they’d finally snapped and had no idea what they were doing.
My eyes scanned the rest of the crowd. Taking in faces until they landed on a particularly odd figure.
“Principal Banerid!?”
The fox-like alien glanced back at me. A forced smile finding its way onto his jaws.
“Henry! Why! What a lovely surprise! Come come! How fares our good champion?”
I shook my head. Opening and closing my eyes in quick succession. Not quite able to believe what I was seeing.
“Principal, what? What are you doing?”
He laughed nervously. Tucking at the collar of his robes in a manner that screamed the truth about his unease.
“Why? I’m singing the praises of our new overlord of course!” He was peeking upwards at a flock of two-hundred or so children flying overhead. A mangled abomination of barbed wire and mangled flesh leading the way. Its two pairs of wings dyed a midnight black.
“Yes sir! Sally is the greatest thing since the System came to being!”
“Sully.” I corrected.
“Of course! Sully! That’s what I said! I love me some Sully! Yes indeed. I’ll do anything to prove my loyalty! Anything!”
He stared straight at me. His voice growing in volume while slowing down at the same time.
“A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!” Then he started winking, as if there was any subtlety to be had at this moment.
I…
I couldn’t even get mad. Sighing in defeat as the full weight of the situation bore down on me.
‘Holy (Cherub) Sully. What the (Cherub) did you do?’
No one answered my query.
Instead, Granny Golden came out from a corner. One claw on her heaving chest and another on Cassandra’s form as she hauled the girl around.
“Henry! Henry! Oh, thank Gozo I found you! Quick! You have to get ready!”
“For what?” I asked. Wondering what new surprise was waiting for me now.
“For your friend! Solomon. He’s…” She dropped Cassandra and tried to hold back a panic attack. She failed and began to weep.
“Quick! Quick! You have to answer! You have to answer him! Please!” She shoved a large bathroom mirror into my hands.
I staggered back and almost dropped it.
“NOOOOOO!!!” Principal Banerid shouted. Lunging forward to place his own claws beneath me. “It’s okay! It’s okay! You got it. You got it. Thank goodness.”
“Will you two leave me alone?”
“We can’t.” Granny Golden pleaded. “Please Henry. Our lives, our whole species might depend on this. We’re not from strong factions. We can’t hold out if he comes for us. Please. Just this once.”
To my shock, even Patricia got in on it.
“Henry. Please. He…” She stopped. Unable to get the words out. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m so, so sorry. He’s got my brother. Granny Golden says he’s got my little brother. I can’t…”
“Sully wouldn’t hurt him!” I snapped back. Surprised by my anger.
“I know Sully and none of this sounds like him. There has got to be a reason for what he’s done. If it even was him. I definitely know he wouldn’t hurt another human being. Not unless his life was on the line and even then, he wouldn’t take it too far.”
Patricia broke down in tears.
“Please Henry. I don’t like this. I don’t want to fight anymore. Please, just give him what he wants.”
“All Sully wants is to be a good guy and get drunk with friends!” I protested. “He’s not that complicated!”
But none of them would hear it.
So, I placed the mirror against one of the walls that kept their silence and let my Psy flow through it.
Sure enough, there he was. Wearing a pristine white suit with a black tie. His face freshly shaven and his hair a mess of oily black tangled knots that fell until his shoulders.
“Henry!” He cried out. Grabbing the mirror with such force that I feared he might leap into it and out this end.
There were tears of happiness in his pale blue eyes. Making it seem as if they were chips of dirty ice that were just now beginning to melt.
“Oh man. I’ve missed you so much. It’s so good to see you. It’s so good to see that you’re safe! Did you get hurt in the fight?”
“No.” I answered. A bit taken aback by his intensity.
The Sully I knew had been a quiet guy, for the most part. Someone who was a bit awkward at talking to people.
This Sully had a manic demeanor about him. His face perpetually open in what must have been the literal definition of crazy eyes.
“I’m so happy, Henry. I’m so relieved to see that you’re safe. I, I don’t know if I could have forgiven myself if I didn’t get to you in time.”
It was then that the truth of the matter hit me.
“You did this!?” I barked. Hands shaking from sheer disbelief.
He blinked. As if unsure of what was going on in my head and stepped back a bit.
“Define, this?”
“The (Cherub)ing killer kids Sully! The murderous fire-guy going around smiting people and chanting about how great it is to serve you and about burning down the guilty!”
“Whoa whoa whoa! I didn’t teach him to say that! Henry! You’ve got to believe me! I have got no clue where he got those ideas! Honest! I swear on my life!”
I, felt so much relief at his denial. Thanking all the higher powers I could think of that my friend hadn’t gone full supervillain.
“That’s good.” I managed after some quick, steadying breaths. “That’s good to hear. I’m guessing the things about you torturing gnomes were lies too.”
“Oh no. I definitely did that.”
My eyes snapped back to his.
“You did!?”
“Of course I did. (Gnome) em. (Gnome) every last one of them. Why, is that a problem?”
I, had no words. Glancing back at the flocks gathering around the impaled heads.
“Of course it’s a problem Sully! You’ve committed war crimes!”
Sully made a rude noise with his lips.
“Don’t be ridiculous Henry. You can’t commit war crimes against gnomes. Just like how you can’t commit war crimes against roaches. They’re just, something you have to get rid of to sanitize your living space. That’s all.”
I gaped at him in horror. Unable to reconcile the words coming out of this person’s mouth with the Sully I knew.
“Sully, did you.” I bit my lips. Hesitating. Wondering if I really wanted to know the answer.
“Did you hurt Patricia’s brother?”
He stared at me. His wide eyes drinking in my form. My face. My expression.
“Uh. No. He did some bad things and he had a trial and he…” He stopped once he noticed Patricia’s sobbing as she leaned against me for support.
“He fell down some stairs.” He finished.
“He fell down some stairs?” I asked again.
“Yes. He fell down some stairs.” Sully confirmed. “He’s very clumsy.”
Pat started wailing even more and Sully visibly panicked.
“It’s all right! It’s all right! He’s fine. I can show him to you. Wait a second.”
Sully left the screen and I could hear faint hisses from the other side.
“No…yes…let…. go…. yes… yes!... Because I (Gnome)ing said so! Either… meet… Dolce…! Snack!”
He came back a second later with another boy in his arms. He looked like death itself. Eyes hollow and devoid of hope. Of life. As if he’d been brutally tortured for weeks or even months. His face was swollen too as if he’d recently been beaten savagely by a mob. His cheeks looking more like apples than anything else.
“Well Ryan? Don’t you have something to say?”
He didn’t even lift his eyes to look at Pat.
“I’m very clumsy and I fell down some stairs.”
“There, see?”
Pat roared with fury at that. Throwing a punch against the wall behind the mirror and almost hitting the edges of the instrument.
“Liar! He looks like he’s been worked over by the CIA! Tell me what you did to my brother! Answer me!”
Ryan burst into tears at that.
“Stop it Pat! You don’t know. You can’t know! He… he’ll hurt you! Just do what he wants!”
“Whoa there! Okay! I see where this is going and I’m not letting it happen. Look, Pat, was it? I was trying to be nice since it looked like you’d made up with Henry. Truth is your brother is a (Gnome) who’s been going around manipulating people with his abilities. That’s why Prudence and all the other guys here got to beat the living daylight out of him. I personally wanted to jail him, but this is what the people voted on. You happy now?”
“No! I’m not happy you sick (Cherub)! My brother would never do that!”
Sully stared at her for a second. Before grumbling something about his own reunion and then passing along the mirror to other people waiting nearby.
One by one, the stories came. So many that Pat ran away before the end. Saying nothing.
“You see Henry?” He said once she was gone. “I’m helping to catch guys like him. And I’ve been doing far more than that. So, yeah. My powers are, a little creepy on occasion. [Unstable Reality] and its fusions are just like that on most days to some degree. So what?”
He pointed towards himself.
“Henry. No matter what happens to me. No matter what the future has in store; you can rest assured that I am a good person.”
There were a series of giggles coming from above. A flock of the little Sully copies dropping a package that burst like a ripened watermelon upon making contact with the ground.
Me and him both saw it. The remains of a gnome’s head.