Chapter Sixteen:
"Painted Trickery"

Like a prisoner lead by a chain to follow his captor, Light followed Gravitti under duress through a series of similar looking corridors decorated with famous paintings all with the same oak lade frame.

He tried to make a mental map, remembering the paintings, but it almost seemed like things kept changing as they went along, like an ever changing labyrinth, the paintings changing as well. With his encounter with Orthrus, he half expected the Minotaur to make an appearance if Greek lore was a theme.

There was a theory about mazes. Often, going right helped a lost person get out sooner. Right angels always returned to once they started. The same theory could be consider for left angles, but 'right' was more a psychological premise to help people, because it felt more of the 'right way' to head towards.

He stopped next to a painting on the wall and looked at it. To the untrained eye, it looked nothing more than some old man experimenting in a science lab illuminated by coloured light particles in a beaker. But to Light, it made him smirk. Because it was an epiphany in its own rite, and it was two fold.

First, he recognized the painting. It was called, The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus, painted in 1771 by an artist named Joseph Wright of Derby. He was an English landscape and portrait painter. He was also acclaimed to be "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution".

Some of Joseph Wright's paintings portrayed 'the moment that which something is being discovered'. It was also reminiscent of the Evangelist 'discovering' a new power through his own knowledge of the Astral god. Every painting in the corridors he walked past was from Joseph Wright. But most likely they were reproductions of the originals. It may have been a bit of a reach for Light to come to these conclusions, but he didn't think so. There was just too much evidence not to believe it.

And second, it didn't slip his notice that this artist in particular would strike his eye and be notability prominent here. Joseph Wright, being a painter by trade was also a philosopher to those closest to him. Light's father once told him Light's ancestor Joseph Savant, who was of English descent, visited Japan, changed his last name to suit a new vocation—Savant not being his true name—and began a cult based on the elements of occultism and mysticism. He purchased an old Buddhist Monastery to secretly house the calling forth of spirits which later branched out to become the Savant Society, an elitist group of people who pride themselves on their association, and he later found out, with Shinigami, gods of death. He returned to England and died.

Why a painter with such an acute eye for detail would want to dabble with occultism was beyond Light, but the premise of 'discovery' was paramount in some of Joseph Wright's paintings and people from his era often had a second interest. And when he looked around, he noticed there were no painting was on the left walls of the corridors. All of them were on the right, the right way of a maze.

Light didn't believe in coincidences.

"Do you enjoy the painting, Yagami?" Gravitti said. He came over. Light gave him a sideways glance, then turned back to the painting. Gravitti's hands were clasped behind his back casually with no fear of Light hoping to flee.

"It's a fascinating painting by Joseph Wright."

"Do you know its full title?" Light shook his head, fainting ignorance. He, in fact, did. "The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, Discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation. It has been suggested that The Alchemist refers to the discovery of phosphorus by the Hamburg alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669, as was the custom of the Ancient Chemical Astrologers. This story was often printed in popular chemical books in Wright's lifetime and was widely known, according to historical records."

"Interesting," Light said mildly. "The Philosopher's Stone, is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver, from useless to very valuable items—akin to a mortal reaching to be a god."

"Ironic that you would say that," Gravitti mocked.

Light produced a thin smirk. "The true bases of the tale is enlightenment to a higher plane of understanding, from ignorance to cosmic, from peasant to kingship. Most people would only skim the surface of the story and would not look at the underline theme of what our ancestors were trying to tell us that with the right motivation, anything is possible!"

Light looked at him again, but Gravitti merely looked back at him. No emotional response.

"These paintings are not real and are precisely placed six meters apart to make it appear we have walking forwards, whereas, we haven't gone far from our original position—an illusion. The paintings have changed. I took notice while you escorted me through these supposed different corridors that every frame is not just similar but the same—a new painting projected to make me believe you were actually taking me somewhere. And besides, I know for a fact the Joseph Wright collection currently resides in a museum in the United Kingdom. This has all been a figment of some illusion for my benefit. I'm curious as to why?"

Gravitti smirked as if amused. "The boy told you something about this place, didn't he? It triggered your mind to go into overdrive to watch for oddities." He shrugged indifferently. "Nevertheless, you have a quick wit and you are smart. I knew it wouldn't take you long to figure out something was off. I suppose in being a detective, it comes second nature for you to notice the unusual. Very well then, the time for trickery and illusion is over. I have a gift similar to my younger brother, but more advanced, and I am able to project my thoughts into another and make them see what I wish. My mind tricks are more reliant on the feeble minded anyway like Hiro Yamamoto. I will have to punish the boy for revealing my secret."

"No! Don't punish, Riki. It was my fault. I pressed him into telling me more information about this place." Light cast his eyes down. It pained him to bow down in front of lesser in his eyes, but he did want Riki to feel the pain of the control collar judging by the pain he felt especially to a higher degree. It could kill him. "I'm sorry, I will not ask such questions again."

"Good, you are already learning," Gravitti said. "That boy means more to you than you care to admit, Yagami. Remember that."

Gravitti waved a hand and the entire corridor changed, an illusion projected and then shattering for Light's benefit.

In front of them stood a set of two large wooden oak doors with crosses carved into them surrounded by a triangle. Religious in context, but used by the Evangelist's as a symbol for his organization. The triangle was another form of meaning for Infinity, because a triangle always returned back from once it started, and all points were right angles at 90 degrees—always perfect.

"The purpose of the corridor and the paintings was too see how long it would take you to discover the truth," Gravitti said. "I was instructed if it took you too long, that the summons by the Evangelist was to be revoked. That you were unworthy of an audience with him. But you passed the test for flying colours. Only a few have seen through my illusions as quickly as you. Take that as a compliment. However, your subconscious saw what you wished to see in the paintings—projected by your minds eye. People see different things, different artists. You saw Joseph Wright, your ancestor. That's interesting to say the least, since he created what would later become known as the Savant Society. Other than your sister, you are the last known descendant of Joseph Savant."

Gravitti then smiled amused.

"You're very smart, Light Yagami," he continued. "But it will only get you so far. A man must have power and influence to change the course of history. And you have a long way to go. So, let me show you what true godliness is."

Gravitti gestured towards the doors.

To be continued...