Book I Chapter 8: Remembrance of Things Past
Aurelian's native language is Higashian/Japanese
Ch'en's is Lungmen Dialect/Cantonese
Texas's: Siracusian/Italian
Projekt Red: none/limited Universal
Exusiai: Leteran/(Church)Latin
Satanael: unknown (presumably Classic Lateran/Vulgar Latin)
Skadi: Ægir/Old Norse
FINALLY SKADI AND SPECTER ARE HERE! but neither will meet Aurelian until Book II. I did refer to Aurelian as Messiah in the narration, but that's because it was being partially narrated from Chen's pov
Hands behind his head, Aurelian whistled a jaunty tune as he strolled down a stone brick path. He enjoyed his daily walks. Surrounded by nature and the earthen scent of fresh rain, it was his fleeting moment of paradise. Birds greeted him as they flew by, tweeting affably. Chirping insects, croaking frogs, and the squeaking groans of pond turtles filled the morning sky with a symphony of conversations. Even the turtles' putrid odors had a certain rustic charm to them. Hearing rustling amongst the leaves, he stopped as a doe approached with her child in tow.
"Oh, Hello! Where's the mister today?"
The animal appeared to snort with a head shake.
"Fooling around, again? Gotta beat some sense into him, ya know? Otherwise, he'll never learn!" Aurelian knew that deer couldn't smile. It wasn't in their anatomy, but he swore the doe had smirked.
"Maaah!"
He laughed as the baying fawn pranced around him. Aurelian stroked its soft hide. "Yes, yes. I'll get your biscuits, but I need to work first." Satisfied, the baby returned to its mother. With a nod, the two disappeared into the forest. All you ever want is food, kid.
Aurelian sighed. The warm morning sun and the mountain environment's gentle embrace were enough to lull him into wakeful drowsiness. It was the middle of summer and the sun was at its strongest. Thankfully, the tourist season had long since passed, so he could spare himself the back-breaking cleanup work. The only foreign occupants at the moment were two charity workers from Ursus.
The two girls, a Draco and a Cautus, had been staying with them for the past week. They were kind individuals who had come to Higashi by request of the Cautus's father. Aurelian didn't know the full details and it wasn't his place to pry. They, apparently, also came to care for the infected but, unfortunately, were infected themselves. While traveling, the Cautus's Oripathy took a sudden turn for the worse. While Higashi was known for its infamous "hands off" approach toward the infected, they, by no means, had benevolent intentions. Desperate and with no one to turn to, the Draco happened upon whispers of their temple—a temple that treated the infected with dignity and respect. He knew the trip to their mountain temple was arduous at best, and the Cautus would not survive a second trip. They had placed all of their eggs in his basket, so to speak.
When the two showed up at the front gate, the Draco was in a frenzy. Tired from carrying her friend up the mountain, she was desperate and unable to think clearly. Aurelian had stood transfixed by the Cautus's ethereal beauty. He wasn't sure why, but something about her felt very familiar.
Thankfully, his master took control of the situation and brought the two girls to the center courtyard. Satanael had lived for thousands of years (or so he had claimed) and was alive when Oripathy first cursed the continent. If there was anyone who could help the girl, it was him. Together with the Old Man, Aurelian could use his powers to treat the girl. He didn't understand the specifics, it was over his head, but he knew the basic idea.
Somehow, the Old Man could determine the location of Originium particles in her bloodstream. He said it had something to do with the Originium deposits, the direction of her blood flow, and how the Originium would metastasize and travel through her circulatory system. Satanael would find a specific spot and Aurelian's sole job was to use his powers to catch as many Originium particles as possible without stopping the blood flow. It was mentally and spiritually exhausting as he couldn't see what he was doing and had to rely entirely on the Old Man's directions.
Once Aurelian had gathered a significant clump of Originium, the Old Man would cut a nearby artery and let the natural blood flow expel the mineral from her body. After removing the ore, Aurelian had to monitor the girl's condition. That was the most daunting part of the operation. With no way to seal the artery, he had to utilize his ability to maintain constant pressure along the incision until it healed naturally. This process kept the blood inside her body and prevented her from bleeding out.
He had sat next to the girl constantly adjusting the applied force. After two long hours, Aurelian was forced to cover the incision with his hands so he could maintain focus. Every so often, he would lose concentration, and a squirt of blood would slip through, but he was quick to fix it.
After a grueling ten hours, surprised, the Old Man determined the Cautus to be clear of immediate danger. Satanael slapped him on the back with a guffaw, calling him a miracle worker. Usually, patients would be out for weeks on end after vascular surgery.
This procedure was repeated every other day with the incision's location changing from operation to operation. A couple of times, Aurelian had to operate on the Cautus's healthy bosom for hours at a time. Thankfully, she was sedated during her blood-letting sessions. He'd hate to explain why he was touching her breasts.
Aurelian returned from his daydream to soft singing. He was on his way to visit the two girls when he heard the melody floating over the exterior walls. He passed through a kouraimon that separated the honbou, his house, from the rest of the temple. He spotted the Cautus sitting on a grassy hill on the outskirts of the temple. She was leaning against a tree with her gaze turned to the sky, singing in a blissful trance. Her long, silver ears twitched as he approached. Looking up at him, she beamed.
"Good morning, Aurelius. How are you today?" She spoke in requiems. Her voice was soft and fragile felt like it could shatter at any moment.
"Any day I have to see my face in the mirror is a bad day." She punched him in the shoulder. "I'm fine. How are you, Yelena?"
"Any day I see your face is a good day." She knew he had a complex about his face and ruthlessly teased him for it.
"Should've just let you die…" Yelena covered her mouth with a hand as she laughed. It was honey to him—painfully sweet and silky smooth. Even the high tones melted in his ears like rich, luscious chocolate. He could listen to her laugh for the rest of his life and never eat again, and he'd still be happy.
"My apologies. I meant to say any day I can breathe is a good day. Every morning I wake up thinking everything was just a dream and that I'm still dying in the courtyard. But when I open my eyes and see the sun shining down on me, I realize, 'Oh, it's more than a dream!' "
"You speak as if death is your destiny. Like this disease is destined to kill you."
There was a sense of resignation etched into her sad smile. "It's a fate I've long since accepted."
"Now, don't say that!" They looked up as a third figure crested the hill. "You can't give up yet. Not when infected are still suffering under the yoke of the Ursine regime."
Yelena smiled. "Talulah, is the master ready?"
The Draco nodded. "Yes, he's ready to start today's session."
"Please tell me the drain is in a modest place this time…" Aurelian whined as he dragged himself down the hill. "I don't know how long I can handle looking…"
Talulah smiled. "Yes, this time it's on the arm."
"Thank the heavens…So, Talulah, what's today's story? I'm going to need some help staying awake. Ten hours is nothing to laugh at."
She hummed. "Well, let me tell you about my younger sister. She was a bit shy and often bullied. Her name is Hui-Chieh…"
Aurelian awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. For once, he had had a pleasant dream. He missed Yelena and Talulah and hoped they were doing well. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he thought back on the previous night's events.
After his smoke, Aurelian had settled down in front of the sofa table. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to finish the report. He spent four hours reading a majority of the sample reports Ch'en had provided. There were so many jargonic terms, the entire damned report was essentially one large jargon. Apparently, "bad guy" and "good guys" weren't legally protected terms? After spending another two hours creating jargon cheat sheets, Aurelian finally felt he was ready to start writing the report.
During the process, Firewatch would emerge from a room to check on him every so often. She had creeped him out. The Elafian would silently watch him from the corner of the room, taking the occasional sip from her tea. She never blinked. He couldn't place a finger on it, but something was burning beneath her olivine eyes: something that pushed her to her limits. Something that she felt he was obstructing.
By the time he finished, it was 04:00 in the morning and he was struggling to stay awake. Even Projekt Red had fallen asleep, curled up on the marble floor beside him. Crawling onto one of Ch'en's couches, he had fallen asleep. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Projekt Red must have snuck onto the sofa, because when he awoke, he felt an extra Projekt Red heavier.
There was some dissonance between Red's physical and mental age. She had the body and instincts of someone in their twenties, but an emotional and social development of a child. He would often find her doing things that were innocent through the eyes of a child but inappropriate through an adult's—like sleeping on his chest or wrapping her tail around his waist.
He had only known her for a scant two days, and it was alarming how quickly she had taken to him. At first, he assumed their personalities simply matched, but the more he thought about it, the more he doubted his initial theory. It was unnatural, especially for someone as isolated and closed off as Red. However, Red wasn't the sole culprit. Saga also acted strangely familiar with him, but there wasn't anything special between them. Sure she might hold affection towards him, but she wasn't throwing herself at him like Red was.
But why? What makes Red so special?
Aurelian racked his brain for an idea, but couldn't think of one. He absentmindedly. placed his hand between her ears and lightly scratched her head in thought. The Lupo sighed in her sleep, mumbling his Codename with contentment.
It struck him like a ton of bricks. Physical contact!
He was constantly petting Red and she was always on his shoulders. However, compared to Projekt Red, Aurelian could count the number of times he had touched Saga on one hand. If so, it would make sense why Firewatch despised him. Those were most likely her genuine feelings toward him because he hasn't touched her. But he couldn't say for sure.
He didn't have enough information to form a working hypothesis. There were too many unanswered questions: does it influence other humans and if it did what were the requirements; why did Texas and Firewatch hate him; most importantly—were these natural feelings or fabricated lies?
He had grown used to affection from wild animals: birds, turtles, and deer. All of them had simply approached him. But humans? He was surprised people acknowledged him. Considering how the majority of Terra viewed him with disgust and contempt, it wouldn't be ridiculous to assume H her feelings were fabricated.
But by what?
His powers? Possibly, but it seemed unlikely. Aurelian didn't know who, or what, Astaphaios was, but removing souls was slightly different from animal affinity and the Deva Realm only granted him control over celestial beings, not Terran.
Unless…the other realms had powers of their own… If the celestial realm had powers, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume the animal and human realms had as well. Regardless, this wasn't something he could figure out on his own and the Old Man was just as clueless as he was. He was left with only one option: the library.
However, there was no way Ch'en would allow him to skip out on work. Aurelian hummed. "Wait a minute. I'm a grown-ass man! I don't need my mother's permission. Screw that, I'm going! I can probably hitch a ride with Texas and Lemuel… though I should probably start by asking Lem…"
Feeling him beginning to stir, Red's eyes fluttered open. "Messiah, awake?" Aurelian instinctively reached out to pet her but stayed his hand at the last moment. If his theory was right, he was only doing Red a disservice. However, the Lupo didn't take things in moderation and leaned into his hand. Aurelian sighed. It was too late for Red. If it turned out to be true, he would take responsibility for his actions.
"What would you do if your feelings were fake?"
"Fake?"
"Like someone created them."
She was silent for a moment before rolling off the couch and onto the floor. "Don't know."
"I see."
"Why?"
"Just curious." He said, sitting up. "Hey Red, I'm going to go to the library today."
"With dragon?"
Aurelian shook his head. "She probably wouldn't let me. I have to sneak out."
"Red, go. Orders from Kal'tsit: make sure, Messiah, not alone. Don't trust." He shrugged, though he could do without the distrust from Kal'tsit. Besides, it wasn't like he could stop her. Projekt Red could smear him along the floor before he could say "No."
He rose to his feet and stretched, lightly kicking Red to move. She climbed up his body and rested her cheek against his halo. Summoning his staff from the bar, Aurelian walked out onto the patio and dialed a number. A groggy voice answered.
"Messiah…? What is it? It's seven in the morning…"
"Wanna help me bust out of jail?"
Instantly the voice perked up. "Do I what?! Hell yeah! Texas! Texas, wake up! We have a heist to pull!"
Sweet. Hanging up the phone, he backed himself against the glass doors and sprinted towards the railing. Vaulting over the barrier, Aurelian slipped his staff beneath his feet. "Just letting you know Red, I haven't tested this." He shouted over the roar of rushing air.
"Kal'tsit is right. Red, must watch, Messiah."
"Have faith!" Aurelian reached out with his mind, urging the celestial fabric to bend to his will. His stomach heaved skywards as the sudden force violently slowed their descent.
Projekt Red pawed at his white hair. "Messiah, can fly?"
He smirked as he surfed towards the street. "No, jump good."
"Red, climb good."
"Think you can teach me that?"
"Maybe. Messiah, too soft. Muscles, too weak."
He slapped her ankle.
Skadi gazed out at the ocean, watching the tides' ebb and flow as they lapped against the sands. How long had she been walking? When was the last time she slept? Everything seemed to blur into an unending nightmare. Skadi collapsed. Grabbing a fistful of sand, she wondered: how many lives had she taken? They had never meant much to her. Each life was a single grain of sand—numerous and completely identical to the next. For years, she had wandered, desperately chasing any rumors of survivors, but in the end, they all meant nothing
A song streamed from Skadi's throat. She sang with a heart of glass, falling to the ground and shattering into a thousand pieces—never to be whole again. The melody tore memories from the dregs of her consciousness. Memories she had long thought forgotten: her childhood, her family, her friends, her first kiss, her final 'good morning', and her illusion of continuity. For a moment, Skadi dreamt of another world where they were still there, gazing out at the ocean with her.
So precious.
So fleeting.
But it wasn't enough.
It was never enough.
She wanted more—needed more—hungered for more. Anything to return her to her dream. Anything to return to them.
A shrill tone shattered her illusions, hurling her into the dark, cold abyss of despair—of reality. What's the difference?
Skadi gripped her phone, trembling. Who dared to contact her now? It would be so easy to crush the device in her hands. It served no purpose. She didn't know why she still had it. She had all the money and fame in the world and all of it meant nothing—nothing without them.
"I hope this is worth it." She had a job to do and if she wanted to find her fellows, she needed the funds. Reading the message, Skadi quizzically sucked her teeth. It was Rhodes Island again. She had lost count of how many times she had turned them down. Now they wished to hire her to escort a package from their Kjerag branch office. It was an easy job and she had no reason to decline: Kjerag was only a few hours away.
What fools.
If they were so desperate to part with their money then she would willingly take it.
Using her sword, Skadi pushed herself to her feet. The Abyssal Hunter brushed off the remaining sand from her thighs. Tucking her silken hair beneath her hat, Skadi took a final glance toward the ocean. "What would you have done?"
"What do you mean 'no one left the apartment?' Then where the fuck is he?!" Ch'en slammed her landline onto its receiver. "仆街! I take my eye off him for one night, and he disappears!"
"Miss Ch'en?" Firewatch called from the patio.
"What?"
She was standing next to the railing, pointing down towards the street. "I think I found him."
Ch'en rushed to the railing, nearly falling over. There, thirty stories below were Messiah and Projekt Red. She cursed as a Penguin Logistics van pulled up beside them. Ch'en leaned over the barrier. "You, 黐㞗線撚樣!" She screamed. "屌你! 𨳒你老母臭閪! You'll be writing reports until the day you die!"
Messiah threw a cocky grin over his shoulder and flipped her the bird, before vanishing into the van followed closely by Projekt Red. It took off into the distance.
"To the library!" He cried.
The moment Aurelian entered the van, he noticed two things: Exusiai was driving and Texas was plastered against the far side of the vehicle.
"You…" she ground out. Aurelian had never heard Texas speak with this tone of voice. Her words dripped with toxic fear and burned with anxiety.
Confused, he pointed to himself. "Me?"
"Why is she here?"
"Texas!" Exusiai shouted, unusually stern.
Projekt Red whimpered with a doleful expression, her ears flat against her head. "Who Red? She's my chaperone. Dr. Kal'tsit instructed her to escort me." Aurelian frowned. "What's with all the hostility Texas? She's not going to hurt you. She just wants to be friends."
The ebony Lupo looked askance at Red. "Do you not realize what she is?" She asked.
"All I see is a woman unfairly ostracized for a situation far beyond her control."
"She's not like us Lupus. She's different." Aurelian's eyes dangerously narrowed. "No! Not like that. Unlike us, she's a true wolf—a wolf hunter. Raised and trained in the ancient ways, her presence alone is enough to strike fear in even the hardest of mafioso. The Red Wolf is infamous for killing Lupus like me."
Aurelian sighed. "I understand, but I think if you give her a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised.." Turning to Red, he scratched behind her ears. "She's actually quite nice. Watch this." Leaning back, he patted his lap. Projekt Red dove and rolled about, merrily wagging her tail and snuggling into him.
"See? Isn't she the cutest thing?"
Texas watched with a mix of horror and fascination as he reduced the infamous Red Wolf to a rolling mess of joy.
Sensing her moment, Exusiai erupted with chatter. "Ohmygod, I can see your face! You have white hair, that's so cool!"
Texas perked up."You're right. I didn't notice. Where's your helmet?"
Aurelian puffed up with pride. "I left it back at Rhodes. As for the new mask, a friend gave it to me. It's comfortable and easy to smoke with."
Exusiai scowled and glared at her partner. "Texas. I can't believe you! Those things are terrible for your health!" The Lupo merely shrugged.
"So is living with Ch'en."
Aurelian felt the world grind to a halt as they stared wide-eyed. Even Projekt Red threw him a stupefied look. What? What'd I sa—Oh, shit. Texas's message echoed in his mind: "last thing we need is the LGD after us…don't get too close… bastard." Funny, he didn't remember that last part.
"You what?!"
Aurelian's eyes dilated. "Lemuel, keep your eyes on the road!" The angel snapped forward, barely avoiding an oncoming 16-wheeler.
"All part of the plan!" Shaking, she nervously gripped the wheel. "…more or less."
He face-palmed. This is going to be a while.
Leaving out the theories about his power, it took a full thirty minutes for Aurelian to explain the long and complicated series of events that lead to his current situation. At first, they were skeptical about his research, but eventually, they folded. By the time he had finished, they were already walking through the Library's front doors. With an infamous assassin riding on his shoulders, Aurelian felt comfortable leaving his weapon behind. Besides, Texas had assured him that his staff would be safe in her van.
Walking past central circulation, Aurelian was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the library. The temple library was merely a small wooden room that housed a few books here and there. A majority of the space was spent storing and maintaining the miles of religious texts hidden within the temple walls. If the temple library was a glass of water, the Library of Lungmen was the entire ocean. It had a grand staircase in the middle of the central hall. What kind of library needed that?
He blanched. "Mother of Heaven, that's a lot of dead trees."
"Actually, a majority of them are simple tablets in facades. Not even Lungmen could afford that much paper." Exusiai stated matter-of-factly.
"Where do we even start?"
Texas wearily approached, making sure to keep Exusiai between Aurelian (and by extension Projekt Red) and herself. She was holding three maps. "Probably Religion. On the second floor." She said, distributing the maps.
"Anywhere else?"
Leafing through her map, Exusiai offered a suggestion. "Maybe Historical Chronicles? If I remember correctly, it should be on the first floor…?" Texas nodded.
"Anything about Culture?"
"First floor. Terran Culture next to the reading rooms."
"Thanks, Texas. We should split up. Lem could go to Religion, Texas to Historical, Red and I will be in Culture. How's that?" They nodded. "Alright, let's meet at the reading rooms at 10:00. That should give us more than enough time." The two members of Penguin Logistics went their separate ways.
Aurelian looked up as a shadow loomed over his head. Red had leaned forward, staring him in the eyes. "Red, grab books, tall shelf." He reached up to pat her head. The corner of her lips twitched.
"Thanks." Sitting up, the assassin returned her head to its usual perch as Aurelian handed her the library's map. "Think you can guide me?"
She eagerly nodded. "Then Messiah, help Red?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Red, has, homework." He raised a brow. Only one person had the audacity to give the Projekt Red homework—Kal'tsit. "Read book."
"What's the problem?"
Red rummaged through her coat and produced a small book. "Don't know word." She flipped through her book before lowering it in front of his face like a curtain.
"Which one?"
"This." She pointed.
"That's not a word. It's a sound that dogs make."
"Woof."
He laughed.
"That's all?"
"Yep!"
Skadi stared at the white envelope in her hands. She had never received a written letter before. At least not on land. She gracefully tore the envelope open. Pulling the letter free, she whipped the paper straight.
Dear Skadi,
It read.
I hope this letter finds you well. You may not remember me, but I am Dr. Kal'tsit, head of the Medical Department at Rhodes Island.
Skadi resisted the temptation to tear the letter into shreds. They had interrupted her for this?
Our records show numerous attempts by our staff to recruit you as an operator, with less than desirable results, however, I believe this is our first conversation.
Numerous couldn't begin to describe their attempts. Whether it was for her skill or her power, they had contacted her on several occasions and her answer was the same: no. It got worse when male operators started flirting with her. Skadi made sure to put an end to that. For the most part.
You will be glad to know that this is not a recruitment attempt, but something we are offering of our own free will.
She scrunched her slender brows together. If it wasn't recruitment, what could they possibly want?
We have recently recruited two new operators: a wandering nun and a Higashian Sage.
How did this have anything to do with her?
Although I am unable to discuss this in full detail due to issues pertaining to patient confidentiality, I realize you have no reason to visit us without an incentive. Thus, I will divulge some of the necessary information. Keep in mind that we are still unsure about our results, but, preliminarily, we believe we have found at least one of your fellows.
Skadi froze. She dared not hope.
Not now.
Not ever.
She had wrapped her heart in chains and cast it aside, letting it sink beneath the waves—a thousand leagues beneath the sea. Hope was just an exercise of futility, and yet, against her better judgment—against all common sense—she felt its bubble rise to the surface as she reread the message. But Skadi wasn't so easily swayed.
The ocean surrounding her heart had since frozen over—each layer of ice forming another wall around it. More bubbles coalesced with every repetition. Trapped beneath the bitter cold, they steadily pressed against the permafrost, struggling to break free.
Rhodes Island wouldn't dare lie to her. They knew what she was capable of and what she would do if she discovered their folly.
For the first time in years, Skadi felt hope. She felt alive. Boundless energy threatened to burst from her body.
This Dr. Kal'tsit truly believed she had found her kin. If she was right, then all the searching and all the pain could finally come to an end. She would finally have a purpose—a person to live for.
But could she trust their judgment? What did she mean by "her fellow"? Ægir? Abyssal Hunters? She had seen Ægir in Iberia, but they were nothinglike them.
We invite you to visit Rhodes Island, and we hope you are able to determine their identities. We can discuss the details in person.
Rhodes Island will be docking with the city of Lungmen in two days. If you wish to meet us, you know where to find us.
Dr. Kal'tsit
Skadi couldn't ignore the request, not with her heart aflutter. Not with this hope.
She ran.
As fast as her legs could carry her.
As boldly as her heart dared her.
Leaving a trail of dust in her wake.