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Chapter 58
Quiet screamed for his life, he wished Leendonn was here to protect, he wished Teeriel would snap out of it, he did not want to die! But he couldn't do anything, he was weak, he was tired, he did not know what to do and Teeriel was so skerry and Quiet just wanted to live! He cried, and cried, and cried, holding onto his doll with every bit of strength he had, eyes screwed shut. He wanted Leendonn! But Leendonn did not come, he was all alone, he was so skerred!
He was… alone?
Still crying and skerred to his core, Quiet dared to peek out from his doll. He was alone on the hill. Teeriel disappeared. Yet the child was so paralyzed with fear, it took him minutes to finally be able to sit up and look around. Was it all a bad dream? Maybe Teeriel just went to get more fish…?
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry – Inarius sobbed inside his head. – I thought—I thought I could make him listen! I thought we could talk!
Quiet felt tears well up in his eyes again. Teeriel had never been this skerry, even when he had been mean and shouting constantly. Now he looked… he looked dangerous. What happened to the Teeriel he had had interesting talks with about so many things?
- We do not need the Third Note! He is a fool! – Worrldston argued angrily.
No, no, we need-we need him! I must have made a mistake, I need to right it!
The headache was coming back, Quiet mewled as he grabbed his temples.
- Forget him, Inarius! How ready he was to kill us just because that traitor was brought up!
I must have miscommunicated, I'm sorry! I need to try again!
- He will not give you another chance! He had decided that we are an abomination, you heard him!
I will be more careful this time around!
- No, leave him!
No, we have to—
- SHUT UP! – Quiet screamed into the night air.
He did his best to push both sides away, angrily pelting them on the head to keep them down. They fought back, still arguing, and he slipped many times, and the headache was really bad.
- You both stoopid! – he cried from the pain but refused to let them on the front again.
He held onto doll Leendonn tight, hoping it could help him, even if it was not the real Leendonn. Leendonn was his papa, he had taught Quiet so many important things, things that Inarius and the Worrldsston did not know!
- I hold more power than that mortal could ever dream of!
I have fought more battles and lived longer than all of his predecessors combined!
- Leendonn is my papa! – Quiet forcefully shouted into the night air.
Inarius and the Worrldsston grew more silent, but they were still bickering and fighting and Quiet was getting tired and his head hurt and he was afraid…
What did Ashava say? Ashava said something very important to him, too! The picture of the big ugly but kind demon gave a bit of a pause to other two sides as well. She had been a good friend, one of the first, in fact. And she had been one of the few who had never wavered in her loyalty to Sanctuary. Quiet latched onto this sudden agreement to make his head hurt less.
"…just remember what you had told me. That you are Quiet… not Inarius."
Yes, that is what she said!
- I am Quiet – he said it out loud.
- How can we be a new life when all the world is against us?!
So many dangers and enemies. Prejudice wherever we turn!
- No! I became friends with Teeriel. And with Amaniel! And with Ashava and Adenah and Izba! I want to see all of them again.
- The Third Note betrayed us!
It is my fault, I am sure of it!
- We will talk to him again! That is what grownups do! They talk, they do not shout.
Unfortunately, it looked like his two sides did not want to be grownups because they kept arguing over everything and pushing against him.
- You are both stoopid! – Quiet hissed through clenched teeth, holding doll Leendonn close. – We will talk to Teeriel! I want to know if we can still be friends!
- Allfather? – the ground suddenly twitched under him.
- Zaim? – Quiet looked down in surprise, even Inarius and Worrldston shut up finally.
- Allfather, we are… all the gods wish to offer our deepest regret and apology. We-we had believed the Substituut Guardian would keep you safe and yet he… tried to kill you – said the ground in a very sad and embarrassed way.
Quiet had no idea what substituut meant, but he figured the ground was talking about Teeriel.
- Well, I didn't know he would get angry either – he sniffled, wiping off his tears. – But I want to talk to him! Maybe we just didn't understand each other.
- Allfather, forgive me the insolenss but is that a wise decision?
- I don't know what you are saying, but yes, it is a good decision – Quiet tilted his head up. – We became friends with Teeriel, I want to see if we can still be friends. Grownups talk things out.
- As—as you wish, Allfather.
- So there are more of you?
- Yes, sire, each human culture has their fair share of us. We may differ greatly, but we all await your orders.
- Good. I want to meet you all one day – Quiet uncertainly stood up. – Can you help me find Teeriel and the grassy place?
- We have our limits, but we will do our absolute best, sire, whatever you may require of us. That I swear.
- Alright, thank you, Zaim. Tell those other gods I said hi.
- Right away, Allfather!
The ground fell silent once more, and Quiet was left alone.
- We will find Teeriel and try to talk to him – he stated out loud, trying to unite his two halves. – And if he is mean and doesn't listen, then I will go to that grassy place without him! … Do I want to go to that grassy place?
Please – Inarius pleaded softly, he sounded so sad and so tired.
Quiet thought for a moment. Alright, he will go to the grassy place. With or without Teeriel.
He stood up, feeling determined. This will not be easy. But he has already gone through a lot of things that had not been easy. He could do it! Just like Leendonn had told him!
"… the world is often not about what we want. Many times things happen that we did not wish for or did not expect. Those times all we can do is keep our focus and try to make the most of the situation. Those times we have to be brave and quick and clever to make it work."
Quiet could be brave. He could be quick and clever, and he could make the most of this. Even if he couldn't always keep his two sides from being stoopid and annoying. So he took a deep breath, adjusted his hold on doll Leendonn and began walking down the hill to the east. Teeriel said that's where the big white building was, he might be going towards there as well. In the meantime, Quiet reached out with his mind, searching for the big man, but also calling for help. He could sense some graceful and fast animals in the distance answering his call and coming towards him.
oooOOOooo
Tyrael tore across the meadow, his mind was a storm of seething rage, hurt and thoughts ruled by emotion. The feeling of betrayal felt like an icicle stabbing through the pit of his stomach, radiating cold that quickly turned into unbearable heat. He was so sick of it, so sick of all of them! The Council, Balzael, Malthael, Izual, Adria, Johanna and Inarius all over again! They all thought nothing of throwing him to the wind without a second's hesitation! And Tyrael was stupid enough to keep believing people! Could he even trust anyone in Creation at all, angel or mortal or demon?!
… No, no, that was dangerous thinking. He still had Sophie. He still had his Horadrim and Haile back home. Ashava, Adenah and Izba had also been trustworthy. Tyrael shook his head, trying to force back the hurt with little success. He had to get out of here, he had to get back to Westmarch, and forget about this whole damn thing!
He let out a choked sob as he shook his head. People suffered and died, important property was destroyed beyond repair, all just because Inarius wanted to have a trip down memory lane! How selfish was he?! Nothing else mattered to that megalomaniac, he just wanted to bask in his own glory, consequences be damned! Tyrael should have seen it coming, he should have kept Inarius in Westmarch, chain him down if he had to! Find Lyndon, confront him about the narcissist madman he was protecting and somehow rid Sanctuary of the angel once and for all!
But then Quiet… ?
Tyrael anxiously ran his fingers across his scalp, unable to make sense of things. Quiet seemed so genuine—no, no he was genuine. A small child somehow born from an angel and a creator artifact, learning about the world around him. He would not have stuck out from all the scores of kids Tyrael had seen in Westmarch as far as behavior went. Nobody could have faked that, especially not for so long and so convincingly!
But then what about Rathma and the Balance? With Tyrael's angelic existence gone, Trag'Oul and Rathma had to be the most objective arbiters of Creation! Right? Necromancers worked to keep the light and dark in equilibrium, and their patron had to be the peak of it all. If the Keeper of the Balance himself went after a target, then Sanctuary truly must have been in great peril, even if it all pointed to an innocent child… Maybe Inarius was using Quiet as a shield? Tyrael could not help but dread the notion. Quiet seemed to be his own person, still in development, and Inarius… somehow he and the Worldstone were separate from this new person. Maybe Inarius understood this mess far more than he had let on, and he was using the genuine nature of Quiet as a mask to hide his intentions behind. All the while influencing Quiet himself to do as he wants. It most certainly seemed to work as Tyrael was not able to force himself to hurt the child.
But would a manipulator like that allow such a massive slip about his true selfish intentions?
Tyrael let out a frustrated cry, clutching his head, but somehow still marching forward in the dark. He could not find any logic or explanation, his wrath and hurt were completely out of his control. He angrily sent a stone flying with a kick.
"You will have to deal with us, Archangel of Nothing. Sooner. Or later."
Damn it all to Hell, Johanna had been right in his dreams! Tyrael had been played for a fool by so many in his life and he had done nothing to deal with any of them. Was he really this naïve? Was he completely blind to the most obvious of signs, or did he just have the most rotten luck imaginable?!
Tyrael just wanted to break something, to somehow get rid of this horrible feeling inside him. Part of him knew that will achieve nothing, but still he swung El'druin and neatly cut through a tree. There was little that could withstand the enchanted blade, and so the unfortunate plant tumbled to the ground. Tyrael reared back, finally pausing in his stomping. He dismissed the sword with shaky hands, gulping down some air. He could not become a slave to his own emotions, that was a dangerous path to go down on. As an archangel he had seen so many heroes stumble there and lose themselves in the process. He survived so much, far too much that others didn't, for him to end up like that.
Tyrael forced himself to finally focus on his surroundings, trying to find some kind of distraction from the cold pit in his stomach. At some point in his mad dash away from Inarius, he had stumbled upon a dirt road and he had been following it to the east, it seemed. If he stuck to it, he would eventually reach Seram or Partha or some other smaller town. He needed to get some proper rest, make some order in himself, and then get a horse, or a caravan or anything else and head straight for Gea Kul and leave with the earliest ship.
And Quiet… Tyrael did not know what would happen to Quiet. He could not bring himself to think about it, or to think about Ytar and the gods, or about Lyndon. There was nothing… there was nothing he could do! Simply nothing!
Oh how dearly he wished Sophie was with him right now, Tyrael thought bitterly as he began walking once more. Or that he still was a mighty archangel, basically untouchable and infallible. Actually, he wished for a lot of things right there and then. Like that mortal life was easier and more straightforward, that he hadn't believed Inarius could change in the first place, that he could give back the lives of the crew of the Meridian, that—
Wait.
Tyrael stopped again, this time more lost in thought. Why had Rathma, Keeper of the Balance set up an ambush at sea like that, rousing a horde of water zombies and even a sentient storm for an attack? Necromancers did not work with collateral damage, at least Tyrael had not heard any such stories before. Those who left a lot of innocent dead in their wake had usually been branded corrupted and quickly taken out by other members of the order. Zayl had had a run-in with one such former comrade called Karybdus. Why would then Rathma himself choose to devise such a plan and such a setup that would undoubtedly result in so many deaths? Even if he had been successful in taking out Inarius, how could have all that served the Balance? Was it truly a "no price is too high" case?
Body moving faster than his mind, Tyrael stumbled to the side as horse shoes came stomping close to him. His line of thought ruined, he stared up in a daze at the lantern-carrying rider who bid the mounts to stop.
- Oh thank the Prophet I have found you, Tyrael! – Eirena smiled down at him at the warm light.
El'druin flashing in his hand, Tyrael immediately pointed his sword at the sorceress.
- Couldn't find another candidate for your chicken spell? – he growled out, his rage and hurt returning at the sight of her.
Eirena immediately lifted her empty hands up, sitting straight in the saddle, her smile gone.
- I am not here to fight you, Tyrael, do not worry! – she assured him.
- That is not how last time had happened.
- I am terribly sorry about that, really. I had to try and neutralize Mephisto, I was planning on turning you back the second he was subdued, but… that did not really happen the way I have planned.
- Quiet is not Mephisto! – Tyrael snarled.
Only one part narcissistic megalomaniac angel, he added sourly to himself.
Eirena grimaced and looked around carefully, her eyes scanning the area intently despite the darkness.
- He—he is not here? – she asked then carefully.
- No – Tyrael grumbled, slightly pulling back but not letting go of El'druin.
- That's—that's great! – the smile returned and the usual little girl attitude erupted from Eirena. – I am so happy!
- Wha—why?
- I actually came looking for you, Tyrael! I wanted to find you and help you! – she gestured at the second horse that was tied to her mount's saddle.
- Again, why?! – Tyrael demanded. – You attacked me last time we met!
- Yes, I know, I just told you, I am sorry about that! But it's okay, we can make it better again – Eirena jumped off her mount, not heeding the sword aimed at her anymore. – I kn—thought you were going East, but I had no idea where you were. Then I caught a glimpse of you in that bazaar in Lut Barada—
- Bahada – Tyrael corrected her, recalling that flash of messy blonde hair he thought he had seen in the crowd.
- Yes, that! And so I rushed ahead but honestly, it is just luck that I have run into you. I was actually headed to—to Seram, yes!
- Ahead of us, how?! There were no ships outside of the Meridian and the other ports are incredibly far from Lut Bahada – Tyrael blinked in utter confusion, finally lowering his guard.
- Uhm, Waypoints? Kehjistan is full of them! – Eirena grinned sheepishly.
Waypoints… Dear Anu, Tyrael has forgotten about the Waypoints! That first one that had been tempered with was such a disaster, and so many stupid things had happened since then that the archangel had simply forgotten about the rest! They would have had no need for the Meridian then, the people—the people would have not died then…
- Tyrael? Tyrael, you alright?
The mortal angel snapped out of his increasing dread as he realized what kind of an absolute disaster his short-sightedness had caused. He vaguely felt sweat running down on his temples, and he moved to wipe it away.
- It's—nothing – he quickly blurted out.
Eirena pursed her lips, wringing her hands in agitation.
- You have been through a lot, yes? – she asked softly.
- You—have no idea – Tyrael mumbled, desperately trying and failing to keep his emotions in check.
-… I know you do not really trust me, Tyrael, and I cannot blame you – Eirena offered shyly. – But I really do want to help you, to get you away from Me—away from all this mess, and get you back on your feet. I promise!
Tyrael felt himself sway terribly. His rage festered and stormed around inside aimlessly, he could no longer decide at whom he was even mad anymore. Inarius? Eirena? Johanna? Himself? The ice cold pit returned to his stomach, he felt like the world was narrowing and closing in on him. Was he ultimately responsible for every disaster on this journey, by allowing Inarius to leave Westmarch, or by forgetting about the most basic travelling method he and his comrades had used so much in the past?! His skull felt like it was growing heavier and heavier, threatening to crush his mind.
Eirena grabbed him by the arm, which sent a jolt through him, slightly shaking him out of his anguish.
- Tyrael! That's it, I'm taking you to Seram right now! It's not far on horseback! – the enchantress declared, somehow dragging and pushing him onto the spare horse.
Tyrael found no strength in himself to protest. A crushing exhaustion rushed over him as if Azmodan himself tackled him at full speed. He wanted to just collapse and sleep but someone, Eirena maybe, kept him upright.
He just wanted to sleep.
Sleep and forget.
Well, someone has to be the adult in this mess! And if the "adult" is a not even one year old baby angel, then so be it!
I know, cupcakes, I know it sounds like a cheap cop-out trying to save my own ass from "forgetting about the Waypoints", but I actually haven't, I promise! This route had been planned out for months now, I've got this, don't worry! Even when the story itself throws massive curveballs at me like last month's chapter, it is still on the roadmap. Tyrael can be forgiven for forgetting certain things on this insane journey so far.
Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter, this February had been super busy for me that basically curb stomped my personal projects. Also I got sick. Go figure. No, it is not corona, do not worry about me. :) But yeah, it was the nigh-perfect storm basically.
Thank you for reading, cupcakes and see you in March!
Lore & Trivia Corner
- Karybdus was the antagonist of the book Moon of the Spider, a renowned and over a 100 years old necromancer who was originally the role model in fighting for the Balance. However, he had an unfortunate tendency of "replenishing" his own soul with bits from others who "no longer needed it". Besides that being just ultra yikes, it also probably caused him to eventually take in some corruption and evilness into his being, which resulted in him believing that the Balance was too much on the Light Side. His solution to this problem was most simple: summon the single most disgusting and creepiest spider demon he could find back to Sanctuary, to even things out. All those people that got taken over by mind-controlling zombie spiders, and Westmarch being literally under siege by those fking things? Yeah, don't mind that part.
- Partha had been a larger a trading town during the Sin War, neighboring with Seram. It had been the first town where Uldyssian ul-Diomed demonstrated his slowly budding Nephalem-powers (thanks to Lilith) and gained some very loyal and possibly slightly obsessed followers from there… if by "some" we mean the entire town basically.