Chapter 09 (part 2/2) - Empty Husk

  Lily smiled softly…

  “You lifted me in your arms… and hid me in a filthy, abandoned latrine in one of the old service wings of the tower. I don’t know why you decided to care for me. Back then you were more capable, even if you couldn’t communicate. You shared your food with me, made sure I didn’t freeze… you saved my life.”

  Vincent could feel Lily’s embarrassment as she showed him those memories, of how he chewed food for her and pushed it down her throat with his fingers.

  “On cold nights you held me, or brought hot coals for warmth. You picked fleas out of my hair, bathed me, and tried to entertain me in your own way…”

  Lily looked at him with a tender, grateful smile.

  “You cared for me… for years…”

  The scene jumped again. This time, a group of scholars stood around Lily’s immobile body, astonished that she was still alive.

  “When they finally found me, it was because they caught you bringing me food. They hit you so hard… but I couldn’t do anything. It was in that moment of desperation that my gift awakened. The ability to project images into others was born from my need to communicate in that ruined body. I had no control over it back then, but it was enough to catch the attention of the scholars, who took charge of my rehabilitation.”

  Lily withdrew her hands from Vincent’s temples. Back in the present, their eyes met, both of them tearful.

  “They whipped you for stealing food during all those years… the wounds are still marked on your skin. I think that punishment destabilized the bond of your soul. You were never the same after that, and your condition only kept getting worse…”

  Lily collapsed onto him, her sobs breaking in her throat.

  “Vin… the guilt is eating me alive… it was because of me… because you cared for me that you-”

  Vincent placed a hand on her to calm her, but her tears would not stop.

  “It’s been three years since you’ve been like this… unable to take care of yourself… all because of that punishment.”

  *Hic*

  “Vin… no matter what happens… I will never leave you alone… even if I have to feed you like a baby for the rest of my life.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that… I think I’m alright now, don’t you?”

  He lifted his hands toward her, inviting her to examine his meridians. Lily wiped her tears and took his hands.

  “…”

  “It’s true… you have your own flow.”

  She didn’t sound entirely pleased; she had sensed something worrying.

  “But it’s tiny… I don’t know if you’ll be able to use magic like this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Vincent asked, uneasy. Now that the threat of death had receded, the idea of using magic was the one thing keeping him hopeful.

  “It doesn’t matter right now. Focus on healing first. Even if you can’t use magic, there’s plenty you’ll be able to do.”

  “There’s plenty you’ll be able to do,” she said… so is it impossible for me to use magic? Is my flow so weak? It must be something that can be trained… but I know it requires money.

  Her words echoed through his mind. It was obvious he wouldn’t be able to afford the incense needed to strengthen his meridians through magical means. A heavy debt hung over both of them, and Lily was already carrying them both on her shoulders.

  I need to become useful as soon as possible. I’ll ask her to bring me the common language book. If I want to stop being dead weight, the first thing I need is to stop being illiterate.

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  And while Vincent was asking Lily for books to study during his recovery, a voice called out to her from the far end of the room.

  “Magister Lily, are you still here?”

  The speaker was a man with a disappointed, languid tone. Bald except for the gray ring of hair circling his ears and nape, he carried heavy eye bags and a sharp, pointed nose. He was a high-ranking scholar, followed by a line of similarly distinguished men.

  “Archon Lutero…”

  Lily straightened immediately, greeting him with a bow.

  “Far too many pleasantries have already been extended to you for you to be wasting time here. If your friend is out of danger, resume your duties at once.”

  “Of course, Archon… my apologies.”

  And Lily left without another word. The speed with which she obeyed told Vincent everything he needed to know: this man was someone of extremely high rank. None of the scholars behind him dared raise their voices over his, and Vincent was surprised to spot Drestan at the back of the line, reduced to a bowed-head pawn, far below in the food chain.

  “So he survived the night.”

  Lutero judged him coldly.

  “He did… and we detected no gifts or anomalous physiology in him. He pulled through by sheer force of will.”

  Answered the healer who had treated him the night before.

  “That still doesn’t explain how he achieved this level of damage.”

  Commented a younger woman beside him, fine-featured and sharp, her straight hair tied into a ponytail. The glasses completed her look as a competent secretary.

  “Magister Lily must have played a part… but even with knowledge, maintaining that level of control under such strain is impressive. Especially for someone from a world where meridians are not present in the body.”

  Lutero examined Vincent carefully. His gaze was hard, and his bald head gleamed under the infirmary lamps. Although he dressed like any other scholar, his lean build, the faint scars on his hands, and his commanding presence betrayed a past as a warrior.

  “There’s no point in treating you as a husk anymore, is there?”

  Vincent nodded.

  “Then you understand the situation you’ve put your savior in. She is a unique asset to the tower, and although she won’t admit it, she feels untouchable. Her gift is extremely valuable, but we cannot allow others to believe that actions come without consequences…”

  They were sizing each other up. There was no point pretending incompetence before someone like him; his eyes seemed to look past the physical world, probing straight into Vincent’s soul.

  “To pay the debt she will have to work more hours, take on more dangerous missions, and explore unknown territory… all because she is carrying you.”

  Is he trying to make me feel guilty? What a basic manipulation tactic… far too basic. There’s a reason he isn’t ordering me outright.

  “If you truly care, you could settle the debt in another way. What you just survived is unimaginable. Any information you have on how to replicate it would be extremely useful.”

  So that's it. He's not asking me directly, but he already knows that whatever I say won't be useful.

  “I only learned from the books and from the experience Lily implanted.”

  “Are you certain you have no knowledge that might complement such a level of control over the meridians? I understand earthlings possess very advanced medicine.”

  “I’m not a doctor, if that’s what you’re asking… I don’t have that kind of knowledge. I think it has more to do with my willpower… I simply couldn’t die like that. I still have unfinished business.”

  “Hmmm…”

  Lutero did not seem pleased with the answer.

  “Revenge?”

  “That’s right. And it’s what dominates my memories… I’ve lost much tonight, so I don’t know if I have anything that could be useful to you.”

  The archon stroked his chin, thoughtful.

  “I see. A real shame. If you had something to offer, we could be more lenient, but if you are going to limit yourself to being a husk, then we cannot give you special treatment.”

  The archon extended his hand and tapped Vincent’s bracelet lightly. It was swollen and reddish, pulsing as if thirsting for work.

  “An exception had been made in your case… extending your debt and lowering your quotas to something manageable for someone of your abilities, but that can no longer continue. On the next payday you will be assigned a standard quota. Sweeping a few floors will not be enough; you will have to make yourself useful in some way. Everyone here must contribute. You cannot depend on the girl forever.”

  “…”

  That manipulation tactic did work. Vincent knew it. Hearing Lutero speak with such precision and calm pushed him toward a different, more subtle approach. His ego did not overlook provocations like that, and Lutero knew it. He was right: Vincent could not keep relying on Lily.

  “If anything comes to mind, you may write it here.”

  The archon gestured to his secretary, who immediately presented a sheet of paper and a charcoal pencil.

  “It is far more harmless than the other methods. Put effort into it and see what you can come up with. Remember that resurrection is not free.”

  And with that, the scholars withdrew. Their intentions were clear: either coax him into speaking willingly or force him to work under impossible expectations until he was pushed toward the devourer.

  The immediate threat had passed, but his memories were still at risk. In that tower, knowledge was the greatest currency, and they would not stop until they extracted something useful from him. If he gave them even a single thread, they would pull until he was hollow.

  I cannot give them anything they don’t already know… they’ll keep digging until I’m empty. But if I want to survive, I must give them something… something from their world.

  His most valuable quality was not the knowledge he carried, but his ingenuity: the ability to take old ideas and transform them into something new. If he wanted to survive, he needed to innovate… but within their rules, within the language of magic.