by Feng Yue
Andre shivered. He subconsciously grabbed the man closest to him. “Don’t let him keep fooling around! Otherwise…Mr. Wolf Flute, where is Mr. Wolf Flute?”
Everyone exchanged glances. With bitter expressions, they all fell silent.
-
The air was filled with a rotting scent. The door of the copper door opened with difficulty. Metal grated. The smell of dust poured out. In the dimness, Wolf Flute held his nose, a lantern in his other hand, and walked down the small path. The lantern illuminated two towering bookshelves on each side filled with ancient scrolls. Even the path was filled with books and scrolls from who-knew-where. Only his footsteps echoed in the vast underground square. It was so quiet that even his breathing was loud.
This was like a large archive but there was no light. It was a mass of dead silence in the darkness. Even insects could not survive in a place as cold and quiet as this. This was one of the Silent Authority’s institutions in the Sacred City. It belonged to the department of sacred weapons—Taboo Book Archive.
In the beginning, books regarding forbidden music theory and scores were kept here. Later, musicians expanded it and turned it into an immense library. Music theories, scores, and technologies from every school, every branch, and every dark musician were copied before being destroyed and kept here just in case. Hundreds of years had passed. No one knew how many things were actually kept here. Tens of thousands of scrolls? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?
This was not a library anymore. It was a cemetery for books. Once they arrived here, they would never see daylight again. It was like burying books into coffins. Like people, books would gradually die as they sat in the dark, collecting dust, their text fading. Maybe this was why it smelled like death here.
Covering his mouth, Wolf Flute finally found a dusty table. He pressed the bell lightly. The crisp sound spread in the darkness.
After a long while, a hoarse behind him said, “You wolf kid again?”
Wolf Flute turned around and saw the dwarf. Only one-third of an average man’s height, the dwarf sat on a wheelchair. His face was covered in wrinkles and moss. Vitiligo covered his eyes. He seemed like a spirit that lived in this vast cemetery. He had been here for too long. He even seemed to have melded into the wheelchair. The chair was rusted but moved soundlessly like a wraith in the darkness. Seeing his annoyance, Wolf Flute felt a little unsettled. No one would be happy if he was disturbed every few days.
Squeezing out a smile, Wolf Flute took out a list. “Mr. Librarian, I’m here to borrow some books. Thanks.”
The dwarf glanced at it and tossed it to the side. “Wolf Flute, we’re the only ones here, so stop pretending. These books aren’t for you, right?”
“Uh…” Wolf Flute awkwardly stuttered out, “My friend is a supernumerary member. This isn’t breaking the rules.”
“Oh? Your friend seems special.” The dwarf nodded nonchalantly. “Huh, half a grandmaster. Seems to have a bright future.”
“Yeah…huh?!” Wolf Flute gaped in shock. “Half a grandmaster? Are you sure?”
“That’s why I hate you guys. Aren’t you tired of pretending?” The dwarf glanced at him and slapped a few papers onto the counter. “Look at the books you’ve borrowed these past days. Look…”
Wolf Flute obeyed but he was still confused.
Annoyed, the dwarf explained, “Over six days, you borrowed seventeen forbidden scores from different fields and schools and more than thirty books on music theory. There’s also techniques and music theory of dark musicians. Nothing is related.
“Two days ago, you friend was still reading elementary books like ‘Shallow Exploration of the School of Modifications from the Four Changes in Alchemy.’ Now, he’s already jumped to professional and uncommon topics like ‘Aether Simulation of Fission Elements.’ There are also outlines of other schools like ‘The Sacred Beastly Nature’ and ‘The Path of the Church.’
“A beginner musician would not worry over these complex fields. There is no organization to it and he’s learning everything. It would ruin his future unless…”
Unless?
Unless what?
The dwarf stopped but Wolf Flute finally understood. Embarrassed at himself, he said, “Unless he’s already at the peak of the Distortion level and has entered the completion stage, right?”
During the completion stage, a Distortion musician would have reached the peak of his own school. Before writing his symphony of predestination and becoming a grandmaster, he had to go through this stage. Even a grandmaster who specialized in only one school would have to learn the basic music theory of the other six schools and combine them with his own music score. This way, he could receive more inspiration and thoughts, completing his own system.
One needed to have all seven schools of music theory to create a symphony of predestination. It was the stage of completing oneself and was aptly named.
“Correct.” The dwarf nodded. “Then what’s with your friend?”
“Uh…” Wolf Flute’s expression was complex. “He only resonated half a month ago. To be honest…even he doesn’t know what level he’s at now.”
“Resonance?” The dwarf’s white eyes widened. “Then what’s he looking at all that for? Suicide?”
Wolf Flute looked away and said lightly, “He said that he wants to compose so he’s reading some books in preparation…”
440 Investigation
It was another chilly and narrow room. There was also a single ghastly light and a cold voice in the darkness.
“Name.”
“Charles, male, nineteen-years-old, unmarried, loved before and didn’t regret it, save the mother not the baby, not a Virgo, salty, don’t want a card…” Under the light, the young man with messy hair could not stop talking once he opened his mouth—until a hand slammed onto the table angrily.
“Answer what I ask! Stop saying that useless sh*t!”
“Okay, okay.” Charles grinned. “I was afraid you’d get bored.”
“Probably not.” The voice in the darkness was mocking. “I heard that you want to join us but from what we know, you’re not even an official musician.”
“But I’ve had high education!” Charles said earnestly. “I graduated from the Angloian Royal Academy of Music! Full marks! Broke the history department record! And I’m multi-talented! I can sing, dance, draw, write, and do you want to hear me sing—”
Slam! A hand slamming onto the table cut him off. The man in the darkness huffed. “Ask and answer. Don’t tell me unrelated things.”
“Okay, okay.” Charles nodded and sat straight like a little kid at school.
“You used to work in the technical department of the Royal Research Institute. From what I know, you were the personal assistant of grandmaster Newton. What were you responsible for?”
Slam! Someone hit the table again. It was Charles. The man in the darkness was shocked as Charles pressed onto the table in fury.
“You don’t understand! That old thing isn’t a human! He’s inhuman!” Charles pointed at himself. “Look at me. I graduated from a Sacred Ivy League! Ever since I started working for the old *sshole, I just help him order delivery food, buy wine, buy hoses, write reports, get reimbursements, and wipe his *ss! And that guy just goes around playing without taking me with! Isn’t he an *sshole? I get pissed whenever I think of him! Sir, I’m…” Charles kept rambling on for five minutes before the examiner realized and forced him to shut up. Affected by Charles, he felt like his brain power was decreasing as well. He sat dazed for a long while before continuing.
“You’re a first-class engineer registered with the Sacred City?”
“Yeah.” Charles nodded like a chicken pecking at corn. His expression was pure. “I actually bought the fake certificate from outside the school! It’s only eighty dollars for one and there’s a picture too! Sir, would you like one too?”
“Shut up!”
Fifteen minutes later, Charles returned to his room and collapsed onto his dirty bed.
He started picking at his toes. It had been seven whole days. Ever since he woke up, he had been laying here. He had no clue how he got here or where ‘here’ even was. For seven days, someone would come and bring him three meals per day. He would eat and sleep, sleep and eat. He had to report if he needed to go to the bathroom.
Other than the people who escaped from prison with him, he had not seen any of the other Revolutionaries. It was completely like being in jail. He even had the same roommate.
“Hey, you’re back.” The badly injured man on the bed looked up and said, “Internal investigations are annoying, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay.” Charles pretended he was still talking to a bearded man and said with a smile, “Everyone’s nice to me.”
The moving bloody mess stiffened as if he was shocked. He quickly shook his head. “Don’t worry. Mr. Constantine thinks highly of you. This is just for going through the process.” As he spoke, his blood flesh trembled and let out sticky pale purple liquid. The distorted face opened and closed. There was static in his voice. The room was covered by some sort of flesh and it smelled like decay. The walls trembled like the stomach lining of some beast.
Without speaking, Charles lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
Deep breath.
Deep breath.
Deep breath.
He opened his eyes. The flesh on the ceiling moved like thousands of smiles put together. Charles put on his covers and curled up in darkness.
“F*ck,” he murmured.
F*ck…
-
In another room, someone knocked a door in the silence and entered. Constantine sat beside the window, reading quietly. Sensing someone enter, he looked up.
“The investigation is over, sir.” The examiner went over and gave him a document. “This is the process and record.”
Constantine looked at him. He said sarcastically, “So is my house arrest over too?”
The examiner smiled. “Mr. Gaius just wanted you to be safe. They are on high alert out there so it’s best if no one goes out.”
Constantine stared. “So you can lock us up and investigate us?”
“Necessary safety precautions, that’s all,” the examiner explained. “After all, it’s hard to ensure that there are no moles.”
“Who do you think is like a mole?” Smiling, Constantine pointed at himself. “Do I look like one?”
“Sir, what are you saying?” The examiner’s smile grew forced.
“I’ve been outside for decades. My title of deputy commander is nothing but a name. I’m sure many members don’t even know me, right?” Constantine replied indifferently. “I’m sure many people will be upset now that I’m back. How did someone like me not die in there…”
The examiner’s expression stiffened. He did not reply.
Constantine chuckled. Rather than continuing, he asked, “Is Gaius in the Sacred City?”
After hesitating, the examiner nodded.
“Why isn’t he willing to see me?”
“…Mr. Gaius has something to prepare and has no time for anything else.”
“I understand.” Constantine nodded. His eyes lowered, seemingly disappointed.
“I won’t disturb you anymore.” The examiner placed the document on the table carefully. “We already have guesses for the mole. Some unhappy things will happen in the next few days. I hope you won’t mind.”
Constantine opened the document and looked at the picture pinned inside. “Him?”
-
It was dinner time in a Silent Authority office. Everything was silent and the ground was littered with garbage. Maps of the Sacred City and old documents were everywhere. The garbage emanated with the smell of leftovers and dirty socks.
A few sleeping bags were tossed in the corner. There were a few boxes of fresh pizza on the table. A group of men who had not showered in a long while munched on the delivery food. No one dared to speak. The atmosphere was stifling as if there was an aether bomb hidden inside the room.
There was a mountain of cigarette butts in the ashtray on the table. Someone lay in a chair, his feet propped on a pile of documents. He looked down at the heavy book. His white hair was messy.
No one had seen Ye Qingxuan sleep all these days. He seemed to always sit behind that table, quietly looking at them. His bloodshot eyes were sharp as if wanting to pierce through all disguises and find the mole.
When he had time, he would read without a word, like now. As the days went by, the atmosphere in the office became more and more tense. When those bloodshot eyes looked by, everyone tried to avoid it in panic. It had already been one week! Everyone could feel that this seemingly calm man was about to explode. No one wanted the bomb to go off on him. This guy was fine with finding a random man to take his anger out on!
Because of this, everyone buried themselves in work. Their efficiency rose many times. If they still had bonuses this month, it would definitely be a lot. Sadly, Ye Qingxuan had deducted all of their bonuses. The suffocating silence continued.
In the silence, Ye Qingxuan finished book after book with incredible speed. There was no rest in between. It seemed as if he was reading a fantasy novel filled with a few million words of bullsh*t instead of difficult to understand music theory. As the pile of books grew, everyone’s hearts grew more troubled. It was as if they would be buried if the pile toppled. They could practically see the young man explode and send them all to the Judgement Tower.
Then hurried footsteps sounded. A sweating messenger pushed the door open and uttered the words that made everyone cry tears of joy, “We found Charles!”
441 Wash Hands
Late at night, the bell filled the air. In the silent church, an old man prayed with his eyes closed under the holy emblem. The gentle light cast a fleeting shadow. In the serenity, even the metallic arm seemed gentle rather than deadly like a weapon. After praying, Abraham opened his eyes and studied the emblem. As if hearing the footsteps behind him, he turned around. Seeing the white-haired girl, he smiled and waved.
“Professor, I was looking for you.” Bai Xi sat down obediently. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Abraham chuckled awkwardly. “For some reason, I feel frustrated these days. I can only feel calm here.”
“Here?” Bai Xi was confused.
“God is here.” Abraham studied the emblem. “I pray to him to let Charles be safe.”
Bai Xi followed his gaze toward the simple sign. Then she looked back confusedly at the old man. “You believe in God too?”
“Maybe others will find this funny. I am old now and completely different from how I was when young.” Abraham laughed at himself. “I did not believe in God before because I had nothing to ask for. Now, I really hope that God exists and can protect all of you, giving you, Yezi, and Charles a great future. I’m sorry. I should be responsible for this but I can’t do it well.”
“Professor, you’ve already done enough.”
Abraham shook his head. “For decades, I was troubled about the world’s structure but now, I’ve started fearing. I am incompatible with it yet I wish it will treat me well. This is my weakness…” He paused and smiled bitterly. “I even think that being weak is good.”
Bai Xi looked at him with curiosity rather than disappointment. “What were you like before?”
“Probably a bad person?” Abraham scratched his head. “I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve killed many people before. Some did not need to die, some were innocent, but I didn’t care. Sometimes, I would even get drunk from the feeling of controlling life. At that time, I was like a demon. I was trained to be like that.
“Someone told me that to protect this world, I have to kill things and get rid of the termites. That was the meaning of my life.”
After a pause, Bai Xi said quietly, “But you don’t like that, right? I like how you are now. You’re old but you look nice when you smile.”
“Before meeting Charles, I was terrified by my bloodthirsty nature. I would often
wake up from nightmares and be unable to sleep. But sometimes, I would miss the warm feeling of my hands covered in blood.
“No one taught me how to buy coffee, shake hands with people. No one was willing to shake my hand either because I held swords. I didn’t want to live that life—that was what I started thinking after I found Charles.
“I learned how to change diapers and take care of a child. I did many embarrassing things too…At that time, he was still so small but when he looked at me, he wasn’t scared. At that time, I thought that I had changed and it was good.”
Abraham smiled. The smile had no shadows. When he looked at Bai Xi, his eyes became gentle and pleased. “Do you know what makes me the happiest nowadays? Washing my hands. I clean out ink and chalk dust from my fingernails rather than blood.” He stretched out his right hand. The clean and gentle fingers ruffled Bai Xi’s long hair. “Now, I’m scared of dying because I think that living is good. There are more and more things that I care for in this world. I have you, Charles, and Yezi. I have three students. My past shouldn’t be mentioned but you are all my future.”
Bai Xi let him play with her hair. She leaned into Abraham’s shoulder and murmured, “Professor, you’re the best! When I get married, I want you to sit where parents should sit so I won’t be scared.”
“Okay.” Abraham smiled but for some reason, he really wanted to cry. Hugging the girl beside him, he let the hot tears roll into his collar. He murmured, “Okay.”
-
In the night outside the church, an old man stood in the darkness. He stared at Abraham’s back. After a long while, he decided against going in and turned to leave instead.
“Abraham, are you still dreaming…”
-
That same night, in a dark alley of the Sacred City, there was a dilapidated building. Under the dim light, the air was filled with the pungent smell of medicine. Bags of medicine ingredients were piled on the shelf but were all unlabeled. This was clearly not a proper pharmacy. Even though the Sacred City was powerful, drugs still existed. These illegal drugs entered the Sacred City through various channels and were sent to different locations secretly. However, the two parties now did not seem to be doing business.