Lottecia looked blankly around at the room she was being confined in.
White.
It was sheer white. Almost like a void absent of color.
But it was by no means transparent.
In any case, that was her only impression of the space. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, the furniture, even the painting hanging on the wall seemed white to her. In reality, there was a red flower depicted in the painting. A flower she’d never seen before, whose name she didn’t know. A painting of a single flower blooming. A flower incapable of reaching out, ignorant of its imprisonment on the canvas.
She was sitting on a bed. The mattress was covered by clean sheets and its somewhat firm springs felt comfortable.
She wanted to lie down, but she couldn’t—there was a strange animal camped out in the center of the bed, preventing her from stretching out. She didn’t know if it was sleeping, but its only motions were the slow undulations of its side as it breathed.
In short, this room must have belonged to this animal. Having nothing else to do, Lottecia spent her time mostly observing the catlike beast. It was the same size as a cat, with long fur, a crimson mane covering its back. Its features were mostly round except for the angular ears sticking up out of its head. She’d given its back a few tentative strokes, but the creature hadn’t responded to her touch. It didn’t seem to have even noticed her. Its lack of response made her feel like a prisoner, which just made Lottecia feel more despondent.
This is...where my father used to live? She rubbed at her eyes before the tears welling up in them could spill. I... As a baby, I controlled my father and made him leave this place? He knew he was being controlled, and he got sick because he wanted to return here?
Why was she believing what Ed—what that man had told her? Lottecia questioned herself as she stood. She looked around the room. Everything was organized and clean, and there was nothing lacking nor anything unnecessary. Even if she heard a commotion outside of the room, there was no need for her to leave and check it out. She didn’t even need to listen to it. Wasn’t that how people maintained their mental stability?
I just need to consider everything he says a lie. He used to be my husband, but now he’s thrown me away and left; he’s nothing but selfish, he’s a killer, and he tells nothing but lies. It would be weirder to believe the things he says.
She’d clenched her fists at some point, but they fell limp to her sides now. She knew...
Ed always lies. But I can tell when he’s telling the truth...
She knew now why Ed had left her after her father had died. Her father must have said something to him. Ed had left to look into that. And he’d come back after finding his answers.
Father and Ed both hated and scorned me. But I never knew why. I thought I could love and be loved like a normal person. But even that was wrong. There was nothing she could cling to anymore.
There was no love she could believe in anymore.
Her eyes had been wandering but they suddenly settled on one thing. Lottecia started, as if that was some kind of miracle. She held down her pounding heart from outside her skin. Now that she thought about it, she’d really just been staring at the door this whole time.
The door.
She carefully crossed the room and put her hand on the door.
She turned the knob.
It wasn’t locked.
She could leave.
If she opened the door, she could get out of this room.
But...
What am I even going to do if I leave...?
Lottecia went back into the room without opening the door. Without even checking what was beyond it.
✦ ✦ ✦
He only noticed the knob turning because the hallway was so quiet—if it wasn’t, there was no way he would have heard a door that was twenty meters away from him. It was one door out of a long line of them. Colgon glanced up at it, but soon returned to his original position. He stood in the corner of the hallway, crossing his arms under his cloak. He’d been standing here like this for hours.
The hallway was completely silent. He couldn’t even hear himself breathing in it. However...
Colgon watched out of the corner of his eye as a man approached soundlessly. The man likely had no intention of hiding. If he had, then Colgon probably wouldn’t have been able to detect him as he approached. Even in this straight hallway where there was nowhere to hide.
The man was just walking straight down the hallway, his huge body remarkably stable as he moved. A man in priest’s robes. Just before passing by Colgon, Jack Frisbee stopped and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Colgon gave him an answer that was nothing if not precise. “I’m not doing anything.”
It was clear that the man wasn’t satisfied by his answer. Jack’s muddy eyes flitted around before he directed them to one door in the distance. His voice low, he said, “If you’re keeping watch, you could do it in front of the door.”
The response to this was swift as well. “There’s nowhere for her to run. I don’t need to keep watch.”
Jack gave him an irritated look, his voice sounding annoyed. “What are you doing here, then?”
“I told you, I’m not doing anything.” Colgon removed his back from the wall in order to end this pointless conversation. He faced Jack and asked him a question this time. A necessary question. “Has there been any change? How’s the Second World-Seeing Tower?”
“The priestesses have it secured.” Jack Frisbee likely intended to speak without emotion, but Colgon could hear the sarcasm in his voice when he said the word “priestesses.”
“However, according to them, a sorcerer is necessary to activate the Tower. Dragons, with the crests of the gods, cannot. It must be the race chosen by the Celestials as their successors—humans, in other words. The summoning likely won’t work unless it’s attempted by a powerful white sorcerer. Either that or someone with equivalent abilities.”
“Lottecia still won’t be able to. She’s not yet aware of her own power,” Colgon said, indicating the room.
Jack likely assumed as much. The disappointment on his face wasn’t especially blatant. “Damian Rue?” he asked.
“He was destroyed. The lord of the Imminent Domain... He might be able to do it, but he’ll demand the submission of the sanctuary in exchange. I can’t imagine the sanctuary will agree to that. We won’t make it if we’re wasting time on such things.”
“I see. So the priestesses have the right of it.”
“You destroyed the Imminent Domain just as the priestesses instructed you to, didn’t you?” Colgon intended to ruffle Jack’s feathers, but the other man showed no indication that he was irritated. He was likely well aware of what Colgon knew.
“The priestesses sent me to suppress the Imminent Domain in order to find out exactly who Almagest Betisletha was,” Jack responded calmly. “And Almagest probably figured that if their assassination of him succeeded, they would back off...”
“I’ve heard the general story.” Colgon interrupted him. “The most powerful white sorcerer, eh? If there’s a chance... No, I wonder. I’m not confident in my own ability to control her.”
“...Who are you talking about?” Jack asked, his eyes glinting from under his dark hat.
Colgon shook his head. “No, no one can tell her what to do, so there’s no point in even telling you. Forget about it.”
“Even Damian Rue was able to be destroyed. No matter who she is, it’s possible we’ll have a chance to control her.”
“She’s the one who destroyed Damian. She might be the one to destroy the continent too. She’s a walking disaster,” Colgon muttered, more to himself than in answer. He changed the subject. “What about the Ayrmankar door?”
“None of the sorcerous weapons we’ve collected have been able to even put a scratch on it. Of course, everyone knew it was hopeless to even attempt it.” Jack’s expression changed slightly as he spoke. He grimaced like someone had just whispered something he didn’t want to hear into his ear. “It seems the situation’s changed. I don’t know the details, but the priestesses are requesting your presence immediately.”
“They want me?” Colgon asked, but Jack preferred moving to explaining. He gestured in the direction he was heading and then turned around.
Watching him, Colgon reached down to the sword at his hip. A sword forged by the Celestials. A straight blade that almost looked like a toy—the Sword of Korkt.
The magic sword Beedo Crewbstar sneaked out of the sanctuary when he fled. Freak Diamond.
Thumbing its grip, Colgon muttered, “There’s one thing I’d like to ask.” He stopped the man in the priest’s robe before he could walk off and asked, “Do the priestesses consider me a member of Doppel X right now? I’ve fought Doppel X as part of the Imminent Domain for a long time. Will they treat me like an ally just because I’m lending a hand?”
Jack didn’t answer, but Colgon didn’t need to hear an answer.
Those priestesses were long accustomed to betrayal.