The Mortal War Part 6: Dalmen The Architect

To no one’s surprise, Selon dwelt on his numerous nervous thoughts as he climbed the spiral staircase that led up the tallest tower in the Sovereign’s Court. His eyes darted back and forth at the slightest noise, only this time he was certain that his caution was absolutely justified, not just a paranoid fear born from unfounded anxiety. Something was following him, just out of sight like a starving yet patient predator. But there was still one last hope that he could cling to.

Hiprous was clear that Dalmen would help him without hesitation, but with what Selon had discovered, could he truly rely on anyone in the Court? Not to mention that Selon had been told that the Architect would soon be sent out into the countryside to help with fortifications in the frontier and ensure the safety of the Celestials far from the Court. If he had already left, then there would be no one left to go to. At least, no one he could trust.

He heard the clacking sound of footfalls on stone approaching from above. He froze in place, afraid he had been found out.

Selon let out a sigh of relief as he caught sight of who was ahead of him. A tall Celestial with long braided hair and a dress of earthy green tones passed by. “Good afternoon, Selon.”

“Oh, hello Despuen.” Selon clutched his notes closer to him, the evidence kept within was enough to make him dizzy if he thought on it for too long.

“I didn’t know you had returned.” Despuen smiled, though Selon knew it was a feigned gesture. She certainly still harbored resentment for his part in allowing Morven to ruin her gardens, he was the one who had let them in, even if he hadn’t known what he was up to, it was still enough to suspect treachery.

“I was hoping to get your opinion on a few matters.” Despuen said.

“Ah,” Selon nodded. “Of course, of course. As soon as I finish an urgent meeting with Lord Dalmen, I’ll make my way to you immediately. This is about the garden, I presume?”

“Actually,” Despuen’s smile soured, Selon knew he shouldn’t have mentioned it. “No. It’s something else. Something that you would have more expertise in than I have.”

“Are you ill?”

“I’m not sure. There’s been something weighing on me, it’s almost like…” Despuen looked down the stairs and Selon recognized the familiar apprehension in her face. “I think this would be a conversation best had in private.”

“Certainly.” Selon nodded again, eager to placate whatever request she had just to get moving again. “Where should we meet?”

“Meet me in the lower gardens, near to where this all started.” Despuen answered. “I’ll arrange for it to be open for us. In the meantime, I have some other questions that need answers. Let’s just say that some have underplayed their responsibility in inciting this dreadful war.”

Seleon felt that there was a pointedness in her response. No, she’s probably referring to someone else, she wouldn’t come to me if she thought I was responsible.

“Until I figure this all out, keep this secret between us.” Despuen finished.

“I understand.” Selon courteously stood to the side as Despuen glided down the stairs in her elegant as always nature. She was a very kind Celestial, she had a hand in teaching Selon just as much as Hiporus did. Selon wondered what could have been troubling her so much that she would come to him, the one who had betrayed her trust. Moreover, he just hoped that this meeting would give him the chance to make up for his mistake.

I should have thrown those two out of that garden when I had the chance. Selon thought to himself. He was so caught up in his mistake that led to this point that he almost walked right by the doorway to the floor he was looking for. He cursed to himself, now his worries were distracting him, he had to be present and prepared for whatever was about to happen. Dalmen was known for being a tad esoteric, but he was dependable, at least that’s what others claimed. Every time he saw the man, it seemed like he was always juggling dozens of different tasks at once, eager to take on a new one on a moment’s notice. How he possibly managed it all as one person, Selon had no clue to.

It wouldn’t be long now, he found himself in the hallway leading to Dalmen’s office. This hall, like the rest of the Court was gracefully designed, where hallways met, it created spacious crossroads that allowed one to sit and reflect while they navigated the long corridors. The walls were painted with both the familiar landscapes of the Court and the more distant lands that lie on the frontiers of existence, Selon noticed the pigments were beginning to lose their vibrant hues, someone would have to touch them up at some point. Columns were evenly spaced out against the walls to seperate the murals and to hold up more intricate designs held above on the ceiling. Numerous embellishments added to the detail in a stunning combination of art and architecture.

Even though Selon had grown up in these halls, he had rarely taken the time to appreciate these details, they were simply another part of his world. Now that he was about to meet the one who designed this, he realized just how much time Dalmen must have spent in order to bring something like this together. The Court itself was a beautiful work of art, carved out of a smooth gray stone, made long ago. How exactly long ago that was, Selon couldn’t say, by the time he was born the Court had become a staple of the landscape, another mountain that dominated the skyline.

He was there now. The door into Dalmen’s office was right in front of him. Selon clutched his notes, though his past actions have been seen as questionable, this could only be described as high treason. He reached up and knocked on the door.

“One moment!” An aggravated voice called back.

Selon blinked, maybe he came at a bad time, he wondered if it would be worth returning later.

The door suddenly jerked open and an older Celestial with short brown hair was staring back into the room, giving little attention to Selon’s arrival.

“Quit it Ardae!” Dalmen said to no one before turning back to Selon. “Ah, you’re Dalmen’s student, he mentioned that you might meet with us before we left.”

“Yes, um, I think I’ve discovered something related to the… to the war.” Selon stuttered. “May I speak to you in private?”

Dalmen raised an eyebrow, looked back into the room and shrugged. “Alright, come on in.”

Selon and Dalmen both stepped into the room. The door closed by itself behind Selon. He turned around to see someone materialize out of thin air with a strange ripple around them, as if the air itself was a curtain pulled back to reveal them.

Selon jumped with fright at the reveal. Dalmen only scoffed.

“Are you going to keep doing that with every guest I greet Ardae?” Dalmen asked.

This other Celestial pulled their hood back to reveal a face similar to Dalmen’s, only their hair was longer and more tangled, and they were much shorter than the Architect.

“What? Shouldn’t I introduce myself?” Ardae replied.

“Hm, interesting.” Dalmen laughed. “I don’t recall this level of etiquette when we talked to anyone else. Got something you want to say?”

Ardae shrugged. “Selon’s less annoying than most people.”

“Uhm, uh.” Selon looked back and forth at the two twins. “Thank you?”

“Don’t validate them.” Dalmen replied before circling around to a desk that sat next to a window. Outside Selon could see the Court stretching out before them. Dalmen sat down on a chair opposite of him. “Now, how can we help you?”

Selon looked back at Dalmen, in that moment he realized that he had already forgotten why he was here. “Oh, right!” He put his notes on Dalmen’s table a little too forcefully then he wanted. “It’s the murders, I found something connecting them!”

Dalmen and Ardae exchanged nervous glances. “You mean, the one going around killing Celestials nine at a time?” Dalmen asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s a serious issue.” Ardae replied.

“Agreed.” Dalmen added. “Shouldn’t this go to someone higher up than us? Palador would be the first choice, or even go straight to the Sovereign for that matter. Why did you come to me?”

Selon shook his head. “Palador isn’t here, and well,” Selon took a deep breath. “I think I found a connection to you.”

Dalmen’s eyes widened. “Really? What do you mean?”

“It’s the work I was recalled here to do.” Selon explained. “I was called upon to assist my classmate Playus with some project that was directly supervised by the Sovereign. However, when I arrived and was given my task, something felt wrong about it all.”

“What did they have you do?” Asked Dalmen.

“It was a very odd task, they wanted me to document various illnesses that have been sprouting up across the Source, colds, flus, that sort of thing.” Selon tapped his notes, “But they weren’t looking for mortality or recovery rates, they were looking for the most rapid form of transmission. How could something spread rapidly and effectively through the population? I didn’t understand why they wanted something so specific and when I asked they brushed the question aside.” Selon shook his head. “It didn’t sit right with me. Playus was always ambitious and brilliant, but there was something to her now. A sort of grim attitude surrounding her duty, whatever that means. I couldn’t go on working with this without some reason, so I started digging.”

Dalmen began flipping through Selon’s notes. “And what did you find?” He asked.

“First, before I came back here, I was helping a victim of one of the strings of murders.” Selon explained. “She was an older Celestial, with two kids. Bleeding from her wounds was this substance.” Selon retrieved a vial of a white silky substance more akin to dust than fluid and he set it on the table.

Dalmen picked it up, it was warm to the touch, as if some sort of chemical reaction was taking place inside. He held it up to the light and watched as it reflected and refracted in numerous brilliant ways. “What is it?”

“I didn’t know at the time.” Selon answered. “But when I investigated Playus’s plans, what her true plans are… I found more vials of a similar substance tucked away secretly within the Court.”

Dalmen looked away from the vial and tightened his grip. “There are vaults…” He trailed off in thought, but returned shortly. “There are vaults built into the Court that could be used to hide such things. I suspected Buldren kept some things down there that he didn’t want coming to light.”

“I found Playus’s notes and I copied them here.” Selon took a deep breath. “These are our souls…”

Dalmen’s eyes widened.

“Each vial contains a part of the soul that was wounded. Somehow, they’ve created a means to break apart the soul and,” Selon searched for the proper word, “and harvested it.”

Dalmen almost dropped the vial. Fortunately, he caught himself and gently placed it down. “What do you mean?”

“Surely you two would know!” Selon said. “You were some of the first Celestials to arise with a physical form!”

“That was a long while ago.” Ardae noted.

“I suppose, but you experienced what it was like before that.” Selon guessed. “When our essence, our very being was nothing more than dust in the wind. We had no physical form and so we could never remain in one place, or truly perceive the world. I think this substance is what constitutes that soul.”

“And the murderer is extracting it somehow.” Dalmen concluded. “Oh my, and you’re sure that the vials you found were identical to this one?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ardae, do you know what this means?” Dalmen asked.

“That the Sovereign is in fact endorsing these murders.” Said Ardae.

“Not just that, but the Sovereign has a use for these murders!” Dalmen shook his head. “If they are indeed one in the same, then Buldren is working towards something dangerous, and what’s all of this about searching for contagious diseases? There must be a link of some sort.”

“There’s one other thing.” Selon noted. “In Playus’s notes, she had several correspondences with Buldren. They refer to you by name.”

“All positive things, I imagine?” Ardae teased.

“Quit it, Ardae.” Dalmen replied.

“They mentioned you too, Ardae.” Selon said. “But I didn’t realize who you were until we met just now. Their letters refer to you both as the previous sovereigns.”

Dalmen paused and frowned before letting out a laugh. “Selon, all of what you said is very strange, but that takes the prize. I don’t remember ever ruling the Source, what about you Ardae?”

Ardae shrugged. “Can’t say it’s a job I’d particularly care for.”

“No, though it would let you build as many towers and knit as many quilts as you could imagine.” Dalmen pointed out.

Ardae raised an eyebrow. “I suppose there would be some benefit to it.”

“You two honestly have no idea what that’s about?” Selon asked.

“No, I can’t say that I do.” Dalmen answered.

Ardae simply shook their head no.

“But as for the rest of it,” Dalmen added, “These are all very serious implications. We need to get them out of the Court and to the rest of the Source. We’ll bring light to this plot and figure out what exactly Buldren has planned for these murders.” Dalmen scoffed. “Palador will help us, it seems like he’s the only one who truly understands what the Eterna should stand for.”

“But he’s also a staunch supporter of Buldren. Do you think he’s going to listen to us?” Selon asked.

“No.” Ardae shook their head. “I don’t think so, he’ll take any criticism against Buldren as a personal insult. We need to take action.”

“Oh?” Dalmen asked.

“We need to bring evidence of this plot to light before we try to accuse anyone.” Ardae suggested. “To do that, we need to find the vault where the rest of these vials are held, then we can expose them to the truth.”

“I think I have an idea of where they may have hidden it.” Dalmen flipped through the plans and concepts that he held in mind when he designed the Court. “But we should first get Selon to safety. Find a nice hiding place in the meantime.”

“Of course, there is another option.” Ardae continued. “We could find the murderer and have them confess the details.”

“But that could be anywhere!” Selon objected. “We don’t have time to track them down, people are dying!”

There was a heavy knock on the door. The three gods froze, Ardae reacted first by drawing the hood of their cloak over their face and they vanished from sight.

Dalmen snapped to attention, Selon saw that he grabbed a loose screw from the spare scraps he had been tinkering with. He waved his hand, signaling Selon to sit in a corner, out of view of the door. Selon quickly backed away and pressed his back against the wall.

On the opposite side was a guard in heavy plate armor, one of the Sovereign’s personal guards.

“Can I help you?” Dalmen asked.

“Lord Palador has brought urgent news.” The Guard spoke in a gruff and tired tone. “A traitor has returned to the Court. Selon has betrayed our Lord and seeks to asist the murders. We have been ordered to sweep the Court to locate this traitor, please stand aside.”

Dalmen sighed. “Son, I’m very busy here at the moment. I can’t waste any time on any political matters right now.”

“I’m sorry sir.” The Guard grew annoyed. “But my orders come from the Sovereign himself. We are going to check every room and I am not allowed any delay.” The guard’s hand hovered near their weapon, a mace that would be strong enough to break down the door.

Dalmen snapped twice with his free hand behind the door. “Alright, alright. Make it quick.”

He pulled the door open and Selon’s fears spiked. But a quick swish, an invisible fabric surrounded him and Ardae appeared in front of him with a thin veil separating them. Ardae’s cloak was now missing, they folded their arms and looked at the guard with a disapproving look.

“Sorry Ardae,” Dalmen shrugged. “It seems Buldren’s finally grown concerned with the recent murders.”

“Oh, joy.” Ardae rolled their eyes and sat down in the chair next to Dalmen’s desk.

The guard did a quick scan around the room, their eyes passed over Selon’s position without making a single remark. Whatever Ardae had done to enchant this cloak must have cost an obscene amount of time and patience.

Selon held his notes close to him, he felt like he had forgotten something. Then he saw it, the vial of silvery light was still sitting on Dalmen’s table. He had to stop himself from calling out to the other two about it. Though he was invisible to the eye, he knew that he would likely be heard if he so much as whispered.

Dalmen remained at the door, exchanging mocking glances with Ardae, attempting to act casual as the guard moved around the room, checking for any hidden intruders. There were multiple times that Selon had to slowly shift his position to avoid the guard running right into him. Ardae must have been very skilled in secrecy if they were able to move about under a cloak like this without giving their position away through numerous tells. Any heavy footfall, any loose breath, several things could give away his position to the guard and bring all of his work to ruin.

“Tell me, guardsman,” Dalmen began, “What evidence does Palador bring to say that Selon is a traitor?”

“His word is the Sovereign’s.” The guard replied. “It is not our place to question it, only to carry out his orders.”

“Ah, I see.” Dalmen shook his head. “And how do you know that these orders came from Palador?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who told you to carry out these orders? Did the Sovereign speak to you personally?” Dalmen’s eyes grew wide, as he probed his curiosity. “Who brought this news to the Sovereign?”

“My lord, it is our duty to fulfill our orders without question.”

Ardae scoffed.

“I’m aware of that fact.” Said Dalmen. “But consider that someone lied to the Sovereign? What if someone forged orders that were supposedly from Palador?” Dalmen’s tone soured. “Would you be able to tell the difference?”

The guard’s brow wrinkled as he thought up a response. “My lord, if I continued to worry about something like that, then how could I trust any order given to me? Any one of them could be falsified without anyone knowing.”

“Yes, that’s a conundrum I’ve been facing for a while good sir, what’s your name?” Dalmen asked.

Selon could not believe this, Dalmen was trying to make conversation with one of the soldiers that was hunting him down. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, the fact that he was stalling their escape, or the fact that Ardae seemed to be relishing in this escapade, a wry smile disguised as courtesy substituted any anxiety Selon would have in their position.

Who are these two siblings? Selon thought.

“I am Mismen, humble servant to our lord.” The Guard answered. “Perhaps we can discuss your issue later, but for now I suggest you continue to follow orders handed down from the Sovereign.”

Ardae raised an eyebrow.

“No offense, sir.” Mismen quickly added.

“None taken.” Dalmen replied as he walked to his desk and sat down. “Well, the Court is a large place. I suggest you get a move on, I imagine there’s plenty more for you to search.”

“Just a moment,” Mismen pointed at the vial. “What’s that there?”

Selon’s heart leapt.

“This?” Dalmen picked up the vial and did his best to suppress his disgust. “Just a task handed down from the Sovereign, I’ve been asked to try and contain the mess Morven made of the Seal, and Buldren believes the substance in this vial has something to do with it.”

“And you’re not lying to me right?” Mismen asked.

There was a look of confusion across Dalmen and Ardae’s faces, before Dalmen let out a hearty laugh. Selon was not sure if that was part of the manufactured act or just his natural reaction.

“No, no. That’s the truth.” Dalmen lied. “Just a very stressful matter, I’m sure you understand.”

“I see.” Mismen nodded. “I’ll leave you to your work. Have a nice day, Lord Dalmen, Ardae.”

“Good luck.” Dalmen replied.

Ardae didn’t respond, they simply nodded their head and began fiddling with a piece of wire.

Mismen looked once more around the room, his eyes passed over Selon one last time, before he nodded towards Dalmen and withdrew from the office. The second the door clicked shut, Dalmen breathed a sigh of relief.

“It seems like someone is determined to keep this covered up.” Dalmen noted. “They must hold considerable authority within the Court if they can speak with the Sovereign’s authority.”

“There’s one other possibility.” Ardae added. “The Sovereign himself has a hand in this.”

Selon removed the Ardae’s cloak and folded it neatly in his hands. “Why would he do that? What would he have to gain?”

Ardae shrugged.

“We don’t have time to go over that.” Dalmen held the vial towards Selon, shaking it intently for him to take it off his hands. “Selon, you’ve got to get out of here. If the Court wants you dead, then there’s nothing we can do here, we’ve got to get you out of here.”

“Good, I’ve wanted to get out of here for a while now!” Ardae took their cloak back from Selon and tossed it over their back. The cloak unfolded on its own and spun around them, landing perfectly onto their shoulders. “Shall we take the back way?”

“No, not that one, it’ll most certainly be guarded. I think we’ll have to take our private route, only a handful know about it and half of them are in this room.” Dalmen suggested, Ardae nodded in agreement.

“Where are we going?” Selon asked.

Dalmen answered by walking towards the opposite side of the room. “I’m sure you’ve seen the intricate details of the palace that Ardae and I carefully fashioned over time, yeah?”

“Uh, yes?”

Dalmen pulled on a bit of detailing on the stone wall, a part of a repeating pattern that ran across the whole of the wall at waist height. When he pulled it out, Selon saw that there was a rotating mechanism keeping him from removing it entirely from the wall. Dalmen twisted the mechanism and pushed the decoration back into the wall. There was a quiet click and a part of the wall slid open.

“You can hide so many little secrets in the grand details.” Dalmen smilled. “Just, take care to keep this one discreet, alright? We only share this one in times of great danger.”

Selon nodded and looked behind the hidden doorway. Past that threshold was a long and dark corridor covered in wood paneling and overwhelmed by dust.

“Hmm, seems like we’ll need to clean it out again.” Dalmen noted. He turned to his twin, “Ardae, don’t bring a knife!”

Selon turned to see Ardae tucking a dagger under their cloak. “What? You never know if you have to defend yourself.”

Dalmen was incredulous. “Do you want to start a fight? I thought the whole point of these passageways was to keep us out of sight?”

“I want to be prepared.” Ardae argued. “No telling what will find us on the way out.”

“Wow, I’d hate to see the Meta’s idea of subtlety, what am I going to do about you?” Dalmen rolled his eyes. “Come on, before mister soldier-fella comes back.”

“Mismen?” Ardae corrected.

“Whatever.”

Selon looked into the corridor, baffled by the layout of this place. This hidden hallway should cut into the stairway that he had just climbed to even get onto this floor. “What is this place?”

“Don’t worry too much about it.” Dalmen answered as he stepped in. “Back when we built this place, we left a few secrets to help those in need.”

Selon stepped in, Ardae shortly followed after hitting a switch on the inside. The wall swung back shut and silently fit into place.

“Where did you learn to do this?” Selon asked.

“Not sure, it was a long while ago and I can’t really remember much about that time.” Dalmen answered. “It’s like that for all of us who were born before the Seal, all we have are vague glimpses of a time long gone.”

Dalmen stepped up to one of the doors along the side of the hallway, he put his hand to the knob.

“Wait.” Ardae said.

“What?”

“That leads out to the workyards. There will be guards all over that place.” Ardae noted.

“Yes, but there should also be a large crowd down there right about now,” Dalmen argued back. “Not to mention several places where we could hide Selon if things go wrong.”

Ardae shook their head. “It would be too obvious, I suggest the gardens.”

“Really?” Dalmen replied.

“Yes, it’s close to our way out of the Court and as far as anyone knows, the gardens are a complete dead end.” Ardae explained. “But we would still have a good excuse to go down there anyway.”

“Oh, I see.” Dalmen realized. “I suppose, it would be reasonable for us to survey the walls along the garden. They honestly could use some shoring up anyway.” Dalmen backed away from the door. “Alright, you’ve convinced me.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Selon asked as Dalmen approached another door and slowly pulled it ajar.

“We’ve played the politics of the Court for ages now.” Dalmen explained. “You get used to working under pressure and you get a handle on what matters should be taken to Buldren, and what should probably remain a…” He searched for the right word, “Private matter.”

“What he’s saying is, he knows when to lie to our lord’s face.” Ardae replied. “But I don’t think he’s that good at it. Buldren simply lets him get away with things thanks to his role.”

“Let’s us get away with it.” Dalmen added. “Let me remind you of that.” Dalmen turned to Selon. “Honestly, having Ardae covering our back is a good comfort as well. They’re much better at this sort of thing, I usually just play along.”

“Could we, um, hurry it along then?” Selon looked over his shoulder. “I don’t want to be here any longer.”

“Right, of course.” Dalmen got back on track. He pulled open the door and the three stepped out.

They were no longer in the tallest spire, instead they were at the ground floor. Selon could feel the sudden change in pressure as his ears popped. They were standing just outfront of a tool shed, Selon had to look back up the Court to confirm that, yes indeed, they had somehow transported themselves all the way down in a matter of seconds. He thought it would be best not to ask his questions on the matter out of fear of distracting the two twins on another meandering topic. If they always moved and talked so quickly about these sorts of things, he wasn’t surprised that Hiporus, their mutual friend, could never find sleep.

Poor Hiporus. Selon thought of his old master. He’s out there somewhere, unaware that the source of all this pain comes from within the Court. If the Sovreign wants these murders to be carried out, then he’s been set up to fail.

Selon put that thought aside along with all the others that were building up trouble in his mind. He would tell his teacher about all of this when the time came, but there was no clue how far into the future that would be. First he had to get away from this place, which didn’t even seem fair. He hadn’t even done anything wrong like Morven had, he just stumbled across this very real plot against them all, and now the Sovereign was punishing him for that?

“Selon, come on.” Ardae nudged his shoulder before they pulled their cloak over their face, vanishing from sight.

He snapped out of his spiraling thoughts and tagged along, doing his best to escape the building feeling of dread in his stomach, his palms were starting to sweat and his grip on his notes seemed to loosen, as if they were growing heavier.

At the very least, he got the comfort of seeing the gardens one last time. Dalmen led the way through the winding paths, but Selon could remember these pathways perfectly after spending so much time helping Despuen help tend to them.

Selon remembered the meeting he promised with Despuen just as they turned a corner to find her waiting in front of one of the greenhouses. This one was roped off and marked with signs denoting the danger kept within, it had been like that since Morven damaged the seal.

Selon felt an unseen arm pull him back into the bushes. He would have let out a scream if Ardae hadn’t slapped their hand against their mouth.

“Oh, lady Despuen. A pleasure to see you.” Dalmen said.

“Hello, Dalmen.” Despuen replied. “You haven’t happened to see Selon anywhere? I need to urgently speak with him.”

“You and the whole Court it seems.” Dalmen replied. “The Sovereign’s labeled him a traitor.”

“What?” Despuen gasped.

“Yes, I know. It doesn’t make much sense to me either.” Said Dalmen.

“He is one of the most reliable caretakers I’ve ever had!” Dalmen could hear the outrage grow in her voice. “What could he possibly have done to warrant this?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Dalmen scratched his head. “I think it had something to do with the murders taking place in and around the Court.”

“There’s no chance that he’s involved in that!” Despuen shook her head. “No chance at all.”

“Do you really think so?” Dalmen thought carefully about what he would say next. Maybe there’s an ally to be made here.

“Absolutely.” Despuen answered. “For one, he wants to become a doctor and wants to preserve life, he’s the most deserving of the name Eterna out of all of us! Not to mention that his tendency to pack his schedule wouldn’t leave him any time to help these murders!”

“Despuen…” Dalmen could feel Ardae’s eyes staring daggers down at him. They would not see this as a good idea. “I have suspicion that Selon is being framed.”

“What?” Despuen felt a lump in her throat. Everything was coming apart as her suspicions were confirmed, the Court was turning on itself.

“Yes, Selon spoke with me earlier today. He’s found something terrible with those murders.” Dalmen cleared his throat, something about the aromas in the garden must have been getting to him. “He also believes that there is some greater conspiracy surrounding this, and it’s somehow connected to our…” Dalmen hesitated, not entirely sure where he was going with this, “It somehow involves our souls.”

Despuen took a sharp breath in. “I see.”

“It sounds like you have similar concerns?” Dalmen asked.

“I do, it’s-” Despuen’s voice cut off. Her eyes filled with fear.

Dalmen felt the world dim as some large presence echoed from behind him. He quickly understood why he had felt a lump in his throat, the world itself was growing heavier as he approached.

Selon and Ardae felt a similar sense of dread from their hiding place, they watched as a large and imposing figure tread down the same pathway that they themselves had just walked upon. Even under the cover of the bush, there was no mistaking his identity. Light itself bent in his presence, making it difficult to look upon him, but it was abundantly clear who it was, for only the Sovereign held such power.

Lord Buldren looked down on the two gods. “Lady Despuen, I suggest you leave us and put anything Dalmen said out of your mind.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Despuen took a short bow and retreated deeper into the gardens, getting out of sight as fast as possible.

Dalmen turned towards Buldren, all the while he averted his eyes. He remembered Selon’s warning, and he was afraid of what the Sovereign’s presence meant for the situation. How did he even find them? “Lord Buldren, pardon my speech, but I believe a terrible conspiracy has-”

“Silence.” Buldren said in a stern yet subtle voice, powerful enough for Dalmen to comply without question. “Kneel.” Buldren further ordered and Dalmen did so.

“We have to do something.” Ardae pulled back from Selon and vanished before he could say anything.

“Wait, what are-” Selon could feel his breath grow heavy as he spoke. The air itself grew oppressive in Buldren’s presence. Never before had Selon met with something so fearsome and powerful, he wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this place as he could, he could not fathom how some people spoke with this god every day of their lives.

“You have forgotten your oaths, Architect.” Spoke Buldren, “Do you believe I did not know about your meeting with the traitor Selon? Do you think so little of me that you would conspire with murders within my own walls!”

Dalmen looked up towards the Sovereign. “My lord! Selon has discovered something terrible, we’ve been lied to. The murderer is acting in your name!”

Buldren curled his fist and punched Dalmen in the left ear creating a horrid thwacking sound. Dalmen fell to the ground, clutching his face as blood trailed downwards, all he could hear was a horrid ringing sound in his head.

Selon was backing away, Ardae was nowhere in sight, this was going bad. Should he run? Dalmen and Ardae’s escape route must be nearby; he could likely find it thanks to his prior knowledge of the gardens. But could he abandon the twins who had helped him so generously? He couldn’t risk his knowledge falling into the wrong hands, the rest of the Source had to know what happened here. So with a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, he turned and ran down the garden path, too afraid to look back at the conflict and the strange twisting light that surrounded Buldren.

“Do not speak such falsehoods in my presence!” Buldren’s voice rose, yet it remained remarkably in control. “You are a member of my council, you helped build this Court and for that I was willing to give you some leniency. But it is perfectly clear to me now that I have let this Court fall out of control for too long. Perhaps it is time to remind you what lies down the path you have chosen.”

Buldren reached for Dalmen’s collar and dragged him to his feet. Dalmen’s vision blurred, his sense of balance was nonexistent. He felt the feeling in his limbs fail him, replaced with nothing but an overwhelming realization that his lord could end his life here and now if he wanted.

Dalmen’s thoughts were dominated by a single one. I don’t want to die.

“Your soul will scatter if you continue this course of action.” Buldren said, “You and your sibling will be reduced to nothing more than dust in the wind by Morven’s thugs. Is that what you want, Dalmen? To be nothing more than fleeting thoughts in a sea of chaos! That will come true unless you answer my questions right now, where is Selon the traitor?”

Dalmen wanted to lie, to stand defiantly against the one who struck him. He wished that he could act on all of the big talk of resistance and politics that he had made earlier. But this was not the kind of power that you defied, the Sovereign was not pointless talk of potential ideas. He was very real and he consumed Dalmen’s view. “He- he was somewhere in the gardens. I don’t know where he is now.”

“What did he say to you?” Buldren demanded.

Dalmen’s eyesight was fading, the pressure in his head was building. One strike to the head and he was already dying, and now he was betraying someone who had come to him for help.

“He spoke of some twisted scheme, he said that you lied to us and that you used us to craft your perfect seal.” Dalmen’s posture slumped. “He said you were murdering your subjects.”

Buldren’s anger grew and his grip tightened. Dalmen felt his weight grow unbearable, he knew he would be crushed in a moment.

Ardae rushed forward, abandoning all subtlety, they drew their dagger, grabbed onto Buldre’s back and stabbed Buldren with all of their strength.

His grip on Dalmen loosened, and the Architect fell to the ground. Buldren stumbled away as Ardae kept their grip on him. Their invisible cloak made it difficult for Buldren to find them, even as he reached for his back, for a moment he was unable to find any purchase to grab Ardae.

They pulled their dagger out and stabbed Buldren a second time. He let out an enraged groan of pain before he rushed backwards, slamming Ardae into a stone wall. Their grip on their dagger loosened and the air was knocked out of their lungs. Buldren managed to finally grab Ardae before he lifted them up and threw them into the ground.

Ardae’s breath was knocked out of them and their arm hurt terribly though their own cloak prevented them from seeing the damage. They rolled over and caught sight of their brother.

“Run.” Dalmen whispered weakly.

Ardae’s eyes widened in a silent pleading message.

Dalmen mustered up as much strength as he could to shout. “Find him and RUN!”

Ardae was about to reply, but they heard Buldren approaching. They grabbed the hood of their cloak and pulled it forwards before vanishing from sight one last time. Then, they listened to their brother, and ran for their exit. All the while they cursed and swore upon Buldren’s name. Selon was right, the Sovereign had a far more sinister side to him, one that he had only revealed when all was ready. But what was the point of all this, what exactly had he done to them both?

And why can’t either of us remember any of it? Ardae thought.

As Ardae withdrew from Buldren’s influence, the old god looked down at Dalmen before speaking to someone who was lurking out of sight. “Take him away and find the others. The Seal must be mended sooner than we expected.”

“As you wish, my lord.” A new voice spoke, one that Dalmen had never heard before.

As his consciousness faded, Dalmen saw how unphased Buldren had been to Ardae’s attack. Soon darkness overtook him and he was left with nothing more than a perpetual ringing in his head even though he could hear no sound from his wounded ear.