by Kell Inkston
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: THE REQUESTED SECRET
A short while earlier, Chaos has just entered the room of the high tea. The glowing doors shut behind him, and at his front is a petite, childish figure, clothed in luminescent white.
“Oh, well hello at last, Mr. Overlord Chaos! You’re Roem, right?” the androgynous child asks, hopping on top of his or her own chair.
“... I am?”
“You are indeed.”
“... I believe you are mistaken. My name is Chaos. That is what I have been named since I have existed!” Chaos says with an untouched grin.
“Then who named you that?”
“... Well, the people that I have oppressed named me, I would presume.”
“Oh? Well what were you called before you were oppressing people?”
“... Ahh, a fair point,” Chaos says, his grin lessening to just a smile.
“You can be honest with me, Mr. Chaos. I know you’re quite forgetful,” the bright-eyed child says, waving a finger and causing the floating teapot to begin pouring a sparkling, steaming liquid from its spout. Chaos looks to the side a moment as he strokes his chin, and then he nods.
“Very well. So my name was Roem, you say?” the Dark King asks as he steps up to his own seat. He lands on it with the grace of a dark monarch butterfly, not making a single sound but proclaiming complete superiority over the defenseless chair.
“Yes, and I’m afraid you’ll forget that too.” Chaos scoffs lightly at the boy.
“Oh, I am really that forgetful?”
“You certainly are. Aside that, it really is a pleasure to meet a creature of the pools, Mr. Chaos,” the child says, waving a finger again to deliver the teacup to the Overlord Gentleman. Chaos takes the small, intricately-marked cup, and pours some into his jaws. It is the best tea he has tasted, ever, and he’s had billions.
“Pardon me, a creature of the pool?” Chaos questions, squinting a wide, round eye at the pleasure of the tea’s immaculate taste.
“Oh, well I’m not allowed to explain it to you unless you ask it for your one thing that you really want to know,” the kid says, raising a snide brow. Chaos hums, takes another sip of tea and then responds.
“So, I can ask you about anything.”
“Yes, absolutely anything!”
“And you will be honest about it?”
“Absolutely!”
“But only one question?”
“That’s right!”
“So I could, theoretically, ask you for the knowledge in how to cause you to tell me anything else I would like to kn-”
“No, that’s cheating.”
“Hmm, so just one piece of knowledge, then?”
“That’s right!”
“Very well- give me a moment to think on this,” the powerful black spirit Chaos says before tapping his forehead a bit in thought. Just what would he like to know more than anything?
Chaos taps his face a bit at different places,
Then he strokes his blacker-than-pitch chin as if he had a beard,
Then he taps his foot as he comes near his conclusion.
At that, he snaps his fingers and turns to the child at the other end of the table.
“So, what if I were to ask you where Oa’s real self is? I could track it down and end that fool once and for all! It would be quite the achievement! I could invite it for tea, and then say something, and then kill it! Yes ... Yes! ... Yeeeeeeee--”
“W-wait, that’s what you want? You want to find out how to kill someone?” Chaos looks strangely at the boy, whose face is marked with a cross of confusion and disappointment.
“Well, they are evil.”
“So are you!”
“Only in the finest sense of the word.”
“I’d think the people you ki- ‘ehem’ that aside, Mr. Chaos, you could ask about anything.”
“Yes, I am well aware.”
“Like how to regain your memories?”
“Yes?”
“Or you could inquire about the truth of the Omniverse?”
“I suppose I could.”
“Ask about how to achieve ultimate power?”
“I certainly could.”
“You could ask me about the creator of the Omniverse! The great Overlord! The very same that opened the skys and breathed out the stars! You could meet the first mover!”
“I am quite aware,” Chaos says with a nod.
“So, understanding that why would you, pardon, waste your only question on someone’s location?” the child asks, not all that surprised, but still trying to talk the Overlord out of it. Chaos takes another sip, and then laughs.
“Well, naturally being the best would not be nearly as fun if it were not challenging. Certainly, I could ask for ultimate power, really, I could just ask about how to reverse my forgetfulness which I am certain is not quite as bad as you make it out to be, and that would be more than enough for me to formulate a military strategy that would easily topple every capital of the Western Kingdoms in a matter of days. Of course, then it would be boring.”
“Boring?”
“Well, of course. I would be so busy managing resources and ensuring that each society was running in a fashion that would completely abolish crime, hunger and sickness. I have quite a bit of essence I could use to infest the populations, but not enough for all the millions of people of the Western Kingdoms. So that said, if I were to wish for the ability to take over the kingdoms, I wouldn’t do it, simply because I would have to deal with the human equation on a large scale.”
“... You really dislike humans, don’t you?”
“Most of them, yes. There are always diamonds in the rough with any sentient race, but very rarely are they worth the effort to spend any significant amount of time with them.”
“So, right now, you feel as though the most desirable thing for you to do would be to kill Oa, show everyone how amazing you are, and loot its home for treasures, I’m guessing?”
“Yes.”
“You could simply ask for the knowledge of how to deal with the ‘human equation’ instead.”
“Hmm, no; as I said, dealing with humans has a tendency to create stupid outcomes. Tell me, could you truly name one instance in which humans have brought more good than evil into our world?”
“Yes; actually, if I were to name every instance, it would take centuries. But how about one: Not an hour ago, a force of sentient creatures banded together to ward off a threat. Even though they were accused by the fairies of being traitors, your humans pushed on and saved their lives. If it were not for humans, every fairy in Liefland would be dead; no more than two hundred lost their lives,” the child says, his gaze direct as he takes another sip of glowing tea.
“Hrm, well that is all good and well, but this is an exception. The Knights have more good than bad in their ranks, unlike most every other institution of mankind.”
“You’re wrong, Mr. Chaos, there is a latent good in humanity that--”
“Pardon, youngling, I would love to discuss your opinions on pest-races, but at the moment I believe you were about to tell me about Oa’s whereabouts?” Chaos says, placing the tea cup down and imposing himself into the table. The boy sighs.
“... Your mind is made up?” he asks.
“It is. I will kill Oa, and rid the Omniverse of the necromancers. Their kind never should have existed in our world, much like humans.” The luminescent child stares into the well of his teacup, sighs again and then looks up.
“I’ll give you this one for free, Chaos: You’re a human,” the kid says, sharping his gaze. Chaos laughs.
“Hmm, perhaps you are not as honest as you say.”
“It’s the truth, Chaos. You were infested by an Overlord even greater than yourself. It programmed the black and white essence, mana, around your body, to increase your strength, durability, intelligence, everything but your memory, which is programmed to lose itself quickly.”
“And why would this higher Overlord do a thing like that?” Chaos says
as though he were talking to someone who is an intellectual child.
“To make sure you don’t try to prevent its resurrection.”
“And why would I even dream of doing something like that.”
“Because at your core you are prideful, and have trouble tolerating something stronger than yourself existing.” There is a short silence before Chaos retakes his cup and sips.
“Interesting. I suppose I should write that down,” he says, expression mixed with thought.
“The sad part about all of this, Chaos, is that you will forget that you’ve forgotten. Your memory has been forced out of your head by the body that wraps around you precisely three hundred sixty two thousand five hundred sixty five times, and it will happen again in about twenty minutes. Of course, you won’t forget everything, you’ll just forget shards, pieces, enough so that you’ll barely ever realize that you’ve forgotten something. Do you understand this?”
“... I do, youngling. I suppose that is my lot in life, but to be quite honest I am quite alright with that.”
“Even worse is that you will also forget your tastes in things, and thus change your opinions on matters rapidly. Believe it or not you’ve admitted a human into your ranks just hours ago; Knight Love.” Chaos draws back animatedly, as if appalled.
“... I have? Oh yes! I have! I suppose I better go and kill her the moment I get back.”
“But by the time you get to her, you’ll recall how good she’s been to you, and you’ll change your mind, yet again, only to forget bits and pieces of it later.”
“... My ... that is fairly bitter I suppose. Thank you for telling me, young one.”
“Chaos, by your measurement of time I’m more than four times older than you. I know much more than you, believe it or not, but this is my lot in life, telling lesser creatures the truth of the world. Usually the people I talk with only have thoughts of wisdom on their mind. A matter of fact some of the most meaningful questions were asked by those humans you dislike so much, but here you are, asking not for the way to bring peace to nations, but how to kill someone.”
“If Oa dies, many problems will be solved.”
“There are better ways to fix things, Mr. Chaos.” The two are at a standstill, staring closely into each other’s eyes.
“That may be, but there are few ways as easy,” Chaos says, breaking the silence.
“... You’re right there, Mr. Chaos. Hmm, more tea?” the child asks, lightening up a bit when he notices that Chaos’ cup has become empty.
“Oh, yes, thank you,” Chaos says, causing the pot to hover over and deliver more tea to his cup.
“Of course, Mr. Chaos. So, you really want to ask for that?”
“Yes, that is my decision.”
“... Very well. Your motivations, even if selfish, will bring good to the Omniverse, as Oa is more of a menace than you are. He is weaker, but its mind is sharper, and as such it can bring more evil into the world. Oa’s spirit resides in a device you know of called a phylactery, buried in the heart of a mountain.”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s a good place to put something that you do not want anyone to find.”
“Indeed, he had his servants bury it for years until he decided it was deep enough.”
“Fair enough. So, youn—pardon, oldling, what dimension is this in?” Chaos asks, enjoying the aroma of the tea. The child waves a hand, and then a piece of paper appears in front of Chaos.
“This is the dimensional designation code for the place, along with directions after you get there.”
“Oh, lovely,” Chaos says, his tone of voice charmed by the convenience the child provides.
“The matter with it is that the O.E.L. has hired magicians to block dimensional travel to this dimension from any gate other than their center gate in their science quarter.”
“... They do not want anyone going to it?”
“That’s correct. They know Oa’s there and want to be the first to experiment on it, so they sealed off the dimension using some of their magical technology.”
“Interesting. Those O.E.L. humans really are not the most understanding of people when it comes to my plans.”
“Indeed. That said you’ll have to use that exact gate to get there.”
“I see, and then what?”
“It’s all written there,” the child says, motioning to the note. Chaos looks down at the notes and reads.
“Hmm, heading East?” Chaos mutters as he looks over the note with directions.
“That’s right. You will pass a human fortress, and go on through an enchanted wood before reaching the necromancer’s city.”
“They have a city, do they?”
“That’s what it’s called, but in truth it’s more of a laboratory where they continue to research ways to reverse death.” Chaos scoffs, his eyes still looking over the note.
“How petty.”
“It’s quite the motivation for Oa. It’s been ages beyond your own, and it is still committed to reviving its love.”
“Even after all this time ... most mysterious.”
“Yes, humans are a most emotional sort. That’s both a beauty and ugliness about them, I guess,” the boy says, scratching his soft, pinkish cheek.
“I suppose so. My foe in the Knights, Order, I have been surprised consistently with her. She has held together mentally for all this time, I would have figured she would have killed herself by now.”
“She is only able to do it by ignoring what makes her hurt, Chaos. You will see her break one day, and you will rue it.”
“Truly, so I will have won?”
“When she does break, you will not celebrate, but lament. Ten thousand years is not kind on one’s heart, and the time will come in which she will have to face the very things she looks away from.”
“I see, how long will it be?”
“You have much time before it happens, but I can guarantee you, that you will be more alive at that moment than you have ever been.”
“Ahh, most excellent!” The boy’s gaze sharpens again, causing Chaos to lean closer in interest.
“No, Mr. Chaos. Being more alive not only means being able to feel the goodness and blessings of life, but the pain as well. Hold strong, Mr. Chaos, and you will see the end of your tale.”
“My tale?”
“Yes, you may be surprised, but there are people reading about your achievements, both righteous and depraved, right at this moment. There are many realms above your own that know well your exploits.”
“Fascinating ... Our Omniverse is quite the miracle, is it not?”
“It is, Chaos. Now you have all that you need to know. You should be on your way,” the moon-lit child says as he bows his head in respect.
“Alright then, oldling. It has been a pleasure sharing tea with you.”
“Likewise, Chaos; thank you for spending this time with me,” the child says with a true, touched gaze. Chaos nods, and then rises from his seat. He turns from the first realmer and then exits from the doors.
The first realmer watches him leave and then, just as the doors shut, the dimension of the High Tea folds, and is plunged from existence.
And at that, the stage is set for the second act in this drama, in which Chaos will hunt Oa, and the Knights will hunt Chaos. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen.
-TO BE CONTINUED-
(But please, read my note for you at the end of the book- I need your help!)
A very special, short note from Kell Inkston:
Hello there, Reader! Thank you so much for reading through The Fairy Book! I must say I’m rather impressed with you, putting forth all of this grit and time to read some more and contribute to the cultural advancement of cool things in modern story-telling. You’ve done well, placing another book under your belt- your legend has now extended across another universe, its myriad of magics and knowledges now at your understanding pleasure! Pardon, I should also ask you will understand where I cut it off. I’m terribly sorry about that,
of course, but I figured this would be the best time to stop and recollect all of our fantastic memories while reading this book here, right now!
Hey, Reader,
Do you remember the time Order beat up all those water serpanty, dragony things?
How about the time Love gave a necromancer a kitten-themed stationary pad?
Oh, or what about that time Chaos was cool?
…What’s that Reader, that’s all the time? Well, I suppose you’re right there; High Overlord Chaos is pretty good at keeping his head in things as long as he doesn’t forget too much.
Yeah, those were some great memories, huh? While it’s now over, and that certainly is a shame, the two of us can put it behind us and cherish the thought of our Reader-Writer relationship with more depth than before. Yes, I feel it now, the invisible bonds of me writing stuff, and you reading it, are strengthening right this very moment! Doesn’t that excite you?
Oh? ... Well you don’t need to be so upfront about it; I would appreciate it if you’d let me down at least a little gently!
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks, and for you to email any questions, praise, condemnation, confessions of love, or what so have you to [email protected]. Oh! Or you could get up to date with myself and my other writings on my blog, kellinkston.com which is quite a lovely way to go about things as well. Amidst our verbal intercourses we can talk about most anything you’d like, but be warned that I may not always be able to get back to you. Do know; however, that while I may not be able to respond to every email, I certainly will put forth my finest effort to at least read every one. I really do love you, Reader. Did you do something with your hair today, like, different?
Oh ... nothing particularly new, hmm? Well that’s okay, your hair is beautiful anyway! I hope to talk to you soon, be it the next novel, in the mall, or via email sorcery.
With much platonic, more-than-friends-but-not-quite-lovers, love,
Kell R. Inkston
(P.S.: Tell me, who is your favorite character in the story, and why? I want an essay by next Friday!)
(P.P.S. Will you marry me? You know who you are.