Chapter 9: Asbel's faith; Pascal's discovery

Although Pascal had eagerly declared it was time for them to return to the task at hand, there was truly little for either Richard or Cheria to do save watch her as she continue her fervent search through the Fodran's records. She'd occasionally assign them small tasks that they would accomplish to the best of their ability, the majority of the work was left for Pascal, who was the only one who knew remotely enough to be able to recognize the cure if she found record of it.

For fear of distracting her, both Richard and Cheria remained silent, but Richard noted their silence wasn't filled with the same discomfort that had previously occupied the space between them. Evidently Cheria had decided that he wasn't still being controlled by Lambda, though he could still catch her glancing at him, her face full of concern.

Perhaps she was right to worry. Richard was still uneasy from how close they'd been to letting things spiral out of control. While Richard was certain Lambda didn't harbour any ill intentions, he knew all too well how easily the best intentions could go astray. Even now they weren't completely out of the woods. Lambda had agreed to give Richard a chance to save Asbel without the consequences Lambda's own plan entailed, but if that failed, then what? Richard knew he didn't have the strength to confront Lambda if they couldn't see eye to eye.

It's not about strength, Richard. If anything, I need to believe in him because I'm weak.

Asbel's words crossed Richard's mind and for the first time he could understand their meaning. If he spent his time worried about every possible contingency he would drive himself mad. Perhaps it was true that Lambda could conquer him, and if it reached that point, there was little he'd be able to do. It was for that reason that he had to believe it would never come to that. Just as he'd asked Lambda to believe in him, he would trust in Lambda. Together they would find a way to achieve their goal, and then none of the dark thoughts at the back of Richard's mind would ever even become relevant.

I suppose I owe you an apology.

Lambda's voice filled Richard's mind. Though it was still burdened, Richard took comfort in the trail of warmth that lingered in its wake. Lambda's energy had calmed a great deal and while he was still unsettled, it no longer set his own nerves racing.

'It's alright.'

No, it is not, but thank you none-the-less. You have grown stronger since we were last together.

'So have you,' Richard replied, a light chuckle crossing his mind. 'I think you managed to take me over in less than a minute.'

No… Lambda continued, oblivious to Richard's attempts to lighten his mood. I haven't changed at all. It took but a single upset and I fell right back to a path I thought I'd never walk again.

'If it hurts, just destroy it,' Richard stated simply. 'I don't blame you, it's such an easy answer that its tempting to think that way. We believe that if we hurt someone in the way they've hurt us, they'll understand the gravity of what they've done. In reality, we just give them a reason to lash right back at us. It is thoughts such as those that destroy the peace we treasure so dearly.'

Lambda remained silent. Richard sighed, deciding he could no longer avoid the subject.

'Lambda, how long has Fodra been talking to you like that?'

So you heard her voice as well. Lambda mused, surprising Richard who had assumed Lambda already aware of this fact.

'I did.'

I must be slipping. I've managed to keep her voice from Asbel all this time.

'Well you also hadn't taken Asbel over,' Richard pointed out. 'But why have you been keeping this to yourself? He could have helped you.'

Perhaps, but I did not want to bother him, he already has enough to concern himself with. I was the one who took it upon myself to bear her hatred. He should not have to deal with such, it is my burden to carry.

'And what do you think he would say to that?' Richard asked.

He'd call me a fool, and there is little I find more irritating than being called foolish by an idiot of his calibre.

'There we go,' Richard chuckled. 'There's the Lambda I remember.'

Earlier, you claimed that I had been hiding something from you.

'In that regard it is I who needs to apologize,' Richard answered. 'It wasn't right of me to say the things I did. I think… I'm just as uncertain as you are. In truth I'm worried that I may be powerless to stop what's happening to Asbel, that I may end up watching helplessly from the sidelines. To lay all the responsibility on you was wrong of me, and I should not of accused you of lying as I did.'

No, you were correct. I had reason to believe it was Asbel's eleth that was ailing him from the beginning, but I could not be certain until you confirmed it.

'You knew it was Fodra that had poisoned him,' Richard realized.

I had my suspicions, yes. Fodra has been rather persistent in maintaining her grudge against humanity. Lambda confessed. It was my intention to dream with her, to show her what Asbel had shown me, the potential that humans possess. But she rejected me and has since refused to listen to my words.

'That was when you woke again, while Asbel, Sophie and I were travelling.'

Yes. Since that time I assumed she was simply biding her time, hoping I would tire of holding her captive but when I made it clear I would not allow her destruction of humanity, she began to lash out. However, I believed that I could keep her contained; I did not think that she would target Asbel, nor that she was capable of harming him without my knowledge.

'Lambda, this isn't your fault.'

I fear I may have overestimated my ability to wear away her hatred. I may have resisted but Asbel was so easily able to change how I saw the world, I did not appreciate the immensity of what he was able to accomplish.

'You still have plenty of time,' Richard pointed out. 'It's like you've said, time is a luxury you've been gifted with, you aren't bound to the short lifetimes we humans are, so it's far too early to be giving up.'

My time is precious little if she able to destroy those I care for.

'What I don't understand is how Fodra intended to gain from all this,' Richard mused. 'Other than hurting you, what purpose does killing Asbel serve her? Has she tried bargaining with you?'

No, she did not threaten me nor has she since made any kind of offer. Until just now she had not spoken to me in some time. It was part of the reason I could not be certain she was the cause.

'Then poisoning Asbel must bring her closer to her goals somehow,' Richard concluded. 'If we can figure that much out, then maybe we can figure out how to keep Asbel safe from her in the future.'

Her goals have always been the same, Lambda pointed out. She wishes to return life to her world, and to eliminate the humans she feels will destroy it again.

'Asbel is only one human,' Richard mused. 'I doubt she intends to eliminate humanity one person at a time. As for her second goal, Asbel's existence isn't preventing Fodra's life from returning in any way. So why does Fodra want him dead?'

There is no sense in her actions save for vengeance.

'It might be no more than revenge, but I still get the feeling there's more to it than that,' Richard pondered. 'I don't know that I'll be able to help you on that front; the only one able to communicate with her is you. You need to figure out why she poisoned Asbel."

You make it sound simple; I cannot even fathom where I might begin with her. This may be beyond even my abilities.

'Asbel still believes in you, you know. He knew what he was getting into when you guys took on Fodra. He had faith in your abilities then and he hasn't faltered since.'

If that's the case his faith is horridly misplaced.

'No, that kind of faith is never misplaced, especially when it comes to Asbel,' Richard retorted. 'So far… I believe that you've managed to live up to it.'

Time around Richard resumed its flow, leaving Richard with much to think about. Still, it was difficult to dispel the contentment that lingered within him. There was a satisfaction that his conversation with Lambda had left behind it and Richard could only find himself amazed once again. Even worlds apart, Asbel was still supporting them.

That Asbel still felt very close to them all didn't entirely surprise Richard. The more time he spent with Lambda, the more of Asbel's character traits he could see in the being, most notably being their stubborn tendency to avoid imposing on others. Richard wondered how much of this could have been prevented if Asbel had just admitted how tired he was, or if Lambda had shared his problems with Fodra. It was a thought that was neither here nor there, as Richard doubted they could have avoided the situation completely. It all boiled down to what Fodra wanted and how killing Asbel got her there.

No, perhaps he was getting ahead of himself. She had poisoned Asbel, but that didn't mean she necessarily wanted him dead. Death was simply the ultimate outcome if nothing was done. Was it the consequences of the poison itself that she was after? Hadn't Lambda said that he would have consumed Asbel's consciousness if he remained within Asbel much longer? Perhaps she had sought to drive Lambda from his vessel, but what purpose did that serve her? Richard shook his head but it did little to clear to tumult of thoughts that raced through it. He did know one thing for certain, getting Asbel back on his feet and Lambda back where he belonged would foil whatever she might have in mind.

"Bingo!" Pascal shouted, startling Richard from his musings. Her furious pounding on the controls was only broken by her voice. "Hey Richard!" She called without turning her head from the display, waving one of her hands at Windor's monarch.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can you run over to my bag and grab my lapcomp while I compress all this data?"

"I'm sorry, your what?" Richard asked.

"Oh that's right you've probably never seen one," Pascal realized as an afterthought. "Cheria could you grab it for me?"

"Did you borrow Fourier's lapcomp again?" Cheria asked as she rummaged through the Amarcian's oversized bag.

"No," Pascal replied. "She got so tired of me taking hers all the time that she made me my own."

"So what exactly do you need this for?" Cheria inquired, handing Pascal the strange device.

"There's a ton of treatment records in here and it would take forever to write it all down, so I'm just going to copy all of the data into my lapcomp. That way we can refer back to it for the details once we get back to Ephinea. It'll save us the trouble of having to come all the way back up here."

"Sounds handy," Richard commented.

"Oh yeah! It's super awesome to have all that data right at your fingertips. Now if Poisson would just let me copy some of the data from the Archive of Wisdom, then I'd really be in business."

"So in all that data, do you think there's something that can help Asbel?" Cheria inquired.

"I'd be surprised if there wasn't," Pascal chirped cheerfully. "Even just the little bit I've gone through makes it sound easy enough. After the scientists figured out what was going on, it doesn't look like anyone else died."

"That's very good news," Richard agreed. "Does the treatment sound complicated?"

"That's the thing, its super simple!" Pascal exclaimed. "The poisoned particles are almost identical to eleth particles, which is why we picked them up when we measured Asbel's eleth. They act the same as eleth too. The easiest way to cure Asbel would just be to remove the tainted particles the same way you'd remove eleth."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Cheria inquired.

"Well, I was kind of thinking Lambda could do it." Pascal replied. "I mean it shouldn't be too hard for him to extract some eleth from Asbel, right?"

'Well, Lambda?'

Of course I am capable of such a thing.

"He says he can do it," Richard replied but he didn't share in Cheria and Pascal's cheer. There was something off about Lambda's reply. He didn't sense any relief coming him. Despite having finally found a way to save Asbel, he still felt tense, ready to snap at a moment's notice.

'Are you sure this is going to work?'

I know no more of this than you. If the Amarcian says it will be effective, then I don't doubt it will be.

'I don't mean to pry, you just don't seem very… happy about it.'

It's nothing.

'If you say so.'

"But Asbel's eleth is already dangerously low," Cheria pointed out. "Can we really afford to take any more out of him?"

"It should be fine," Pascal dismissed her concerns. "We're not actually taking any eleth from him, just particles that act like eleth. Once the tainted particles are out of the way, his eleth should build right back up. With Sophie's particles, he'll be back on his feet before you know it!"

"And there aren't any other ways of extracting these particles other than relying on Lambda?"

"Well all of Lambda's powers involve manipulating eleth, yeah? He's definitely the most reliable resource we have right now." Pascal stated. "Why? What's wrong, Cheria?"

"I'm just worried about how reliable Lambda really is," Cheria replied. "I'm worried he might not be able to handle it, that's all. I mean, it doesn't hurt to have a back-up plan, right?"

"You don't need to worry Cheria," Richard spoke up. "Lambda was able to absorb all the eleth from the three Valkines. The amount within a single person is nothing by comparison, and we're talking about even less than that. I'm sure he's capable of removing these particles Pascal is talking about."

"I suppose…" Cheria trailed off. "I just don't like the idea of Lambda absorbing eleth or not-eleth or whatever those things are. You can't tell me he's perfectly fine after what just happened and his absorbing eleth is just how all of this began in the first place. It brings back awful memories."

"It does… doesn't it?" Richard replied softly, the regret drowning his voice.

Though he turned back toward Pascal, Cheria could still see the hurt in his eyes and she instantly felt bad for what she'd said. That wasn't what she meant. She didn't blame him for what had happened! If anything, Cheria couldn't begin to imagine what he was going through right now. If she was uncomfortable about allowing Lambda to absorb more eleth, she couldn't begin to fathom what Richard must be thinking.

Cheria still couldn't shake the feeling that had come over her earlier, the awful vibe that she was still getting from Richard, even now. Pascal seemed happy enough to let bygones be bygones but Cheria wasn't so sure. She hadn't seen the way Lambda looked at her, so cold and full of hatred, it had brought her right back to the days they had fought against him. Could they really trust Lambda if he was still like that?

"Alright!" Pascal declared, drawing Cheria from her ruminations. Folding up her lapcomp, Pascal hauled her bag up over her back. "I've got all the data we need, we'd best get our butts back to Ephinea."

"Yes," Richard agreed, they'd spent far too much time here already. While Richard was sure it couldn't have been more than a few hours, their journey in here already felt like an eternity ago. "Asbel is waiting for us."

"Hey Pascal," Cheria commented, stopping the Amarcian in her tracks.

"Yeah, what is it Cheria?"

"Is that your communicator that's flashing?" She asked, pointing to the device that was half sticking out of one of her many pockets.

"Oh hey yeah," Pascal reached for the device. "I totally forgot I had this with me. Shoot, this thing doesn't get reception up here so I must have had this message since before we left. Hope it isn't too important…" Plucking a few commands into the terminal, Pascal's face suddenly sank. "Uh oh…."

"What is it?"

Pascal held up the communicator that flashed so angrily no one even needed to read the message.

"Umm… did anyone remember to tell Hu and Sophie about Asbel?"