Chapter 28: Caden

　　"And now you know the truth," said Elena. "You are burdened as I am."

　　Caden couldn`t speak. It was as if his tongue was ripped out, and his thoughts melted into oblivion. He repeated every sentence Elena had said in his mind. Could that all be true? Would Elena create such a distinctive and specific lie? If so, why? She could already compel him.

　　There was no need to lie. That, compounded with her vulnerable body language and bloodshot eyes, must mean she was telling the truth.

　　"Does it weigh on you?" She got up from her chair and clasped her hands behind her back. With a face that only reflected guilt, she began to pace around the room. Each step echoed on the wood floor and killed him further.

　　Caden sunk into his chair. His eyes drooped lower, and the corners of his vision burned crimson. The Defiant Flame roared brightly in his mind. At any moment, it felt like it would break through its walls and manifest itself as an archon of madness.

　　"Does it torment you?" Elena asked.

　　"Yes."

　　"The truth is worse than anything. I may have tried to blame my actions on burnout before, but my desire to bring back the Sun goes much further than upholding Isabel`s dream. Pyromancy is part of the curse - a fragment of madness. When the Sun returns, I will eradicate the magic and finally rid myself of this Flame. It will die, and with it, Isabel will be avenged."

　　Caden spoke slowly. "You blame it. . . for what you did."

　　Despite every ounce of his soul telling him to get angry, all Caden could seem to manifest was emptiness. It wasn`t just Elena`s fault. It was the curse of Pyromancy. Her flame, Kindling, burnout, all of it. Even Caden held some blame for placing the Crown atop his head. In truth, if he had one person to condemn, it would be himself.

　　Elena spun around, her eyes bearing hatred. "Do not lecture me, child. You know exactly what burnout feels like. I was Kindling. I fought with every bone in my body to keep her alive. I ripped myself to shreds and went mad in the process." She slammed her hands on the table. "Do you think if I really wanted her dead, I would have purposefully given the Tigress to Luna?"

　　He blinked and shook his head. "What?"

　　"Back then, when I was compelling Isabel, I must have fought back enough for it to go to Luna instead of me. Sometimes I regret that decision, as the Sun would have returned by now if I had the Tigress, but. . . I never deserved that power."

　　"I believe you," said Caden.

　　Her eyes softened, "What?"

　　"I believe you," he repeated. "I don`t think you have any reason to lie to me right now."

　　A warm silence washed over them.

　　"But I must know, the Tigress and the "Shard of Sin" you mentioned. What does that mean?"

　　Elena put a hand to her face, rubbed her eyes, then ducked behind the bar and pulled out two glasses. She poured them full of alcohol. "The Shard of Sin is the Crown," she said. "It created the curse that covered the land, and the Tigress was, in turn, created to fight against it. Luna is destined to break the curse." She swirled her drink in her hand. "The entire reason I turned her into a symbol for the city was so that when she inevitably defeated the Crown, the people would love her - instead of resenting her."

　　"Then why let her go?"

　　"Because I have you."

　　"And what`s special about me?"

　　"You put on the Crown, and it consumed you," Elena said. She took a swig of her drink. "After reading all those damn papers from the notes Isabel took in the top room, I figured it all out. The Crown himself created the curse to protect us from something on the outside. Its power is built around him.

　　"Therefore, If you could become the Crown once more, you could use his powers to break the curse. It`s all about you. And I can compel you, so I can compel the Crown. Plans changed as soon as you fell into my grasp. The exact moment that I was certain you`d be useful was when you Kindled. That was when I knew that the Crown had chosen you. It was no fluke that you were swallowed by darkness."

　　"And if I say no?"

　　She laughed, "You can`t. You can`t fight me. Luna tried, and she`s the bloody Tigress!" She threw her arms up into the air. "I will make you put on that Crown and force you to break the curse."

　　He found himself not needing to be forced. If anything, all he had left was Isabel`s dream.

　　"Our magic," said Caden, "Heliomancy, it was given to us by the Crown. Why didn`t I Kindle with you?"

　　"I`d assume you were too busy being consumed by the Crown, but who knows? You were a child and weren`t blasted with an attack like I was. It could be a thousand different things."

　　Despite everything, despite Elena`s heinous acts and horrible persona. He found himself unable to hate her. He should hate her; he should wish to kill her as he did Vance.

　　No. He was supposed to be better. And he understood her. He understood, desiring a goal so desperately that he would throw everyone around him into the dirt. He betrayed Mia, he lied to his entire squad, and he left Solaris, who only tried to protect him. He insulted and harassed Luna. . . He did all of this for a goal he never even wanted.

　　We`re not very different. . . he thought. We`re just people.

　　Isabel was right.

　　Elena approached him slowly. "And now, I will ask you to go tomorrow and ensure Luna leaves. We might break the curse, but you`ll be stuck as the Crown, and she will eventually return to eradicate you."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

　　"What? I can warn her, I can -"

　　"Hush now. Don`t speak a word."

　　Caden obeyed.

　　"I must take what I have given you for Luna to be set free. For the curse to be broken, something must be sacrificed."

　　She placed her hands on Caden`s face.

　　An eerie silence washed over them.

　　She retreated.

　　He was left pondering what had happened.

　　"I`ll see you tomorrow. Leave now."

　　"Of . . . course." He obeyed, then rose, pulling out his journal and flipping through the pages. He left the tavern with renewed confidence. He read a note, "transferring to quadrant one." He had remembered writing that. In fact, there was nothing in the book he didn`t recall.

　　Did Elena even do anything? he thought.

　　Perhaps he was wrong about her. After her show of power on his journey to the tavern, no memory was out of place.

　　* * *

　　The Sanctuary Spires were much larger up close. He arrived the following day, and until his mission later that night, he would be working hard to get this place in order.

　　The Spires spanned the majority of quadrant one. A sizeable obsidian wall surrounded the seven pillars scattered on the flat surface. Pathways cut between each tower, and many tents were placed for knights to retire within. The center of the Sanctuary was the mine. This large crevice was dug into the ground with many ladders and wooden platforms. Vagrants worked along the edges, mining the iron ore that nested deep within.

　　The main export of Belmire was steel. It was the foundation of their military and the only place in all of Elutia where you could find this much of the precious iron. On top of that, quadrant one was booming with smelteries to make steel, weapons, armor, and many more products. It was how the economy flowed, so it would be impossible to eradicate the Sanctuary completely.

　　He had recently learned that the colored armor used for the different ranks was just painted steel - and he couldn`t help but wonder why stained steel would sell for more. Yet part of him remembered seamstress Heather from all those years ago and how she would up the prices of colored cloth.

　　Caden stood on an elevated platform that overlooked the mine. He had shouted at many knights just this morning and stopped a total of twelve injuries from occurring - yet it didn`t seem like enough. The vagrants already worshipped him like some kind of cult leader because he killed Vance, so his moving here only sharpened their resolve.

　　I`ve not changed at all, he thought. I`m still thinking the world is divided into good and evil. I should know that`s not true. He sighed and placed his hands on the reinforced metal railing surrounding the mine.

　　Is revenge all that defines me? He felt like he was suffocating with his thoughts. First, Vance, then Elena, and now, everyone in the Sanctuary. It`s not his job to punish those he finds evil; he should instead seek to understand sin and learn to eradicate it. He should be a true hero.

　　Turn a bad man into a good one; Isabel had said it was possible. Solaris was proof of that; he killed many people, yet Caden still thought he was a good man.

　　He`s a better man than you, said the Defiant Flame.

　　His burnout had resurfaced, although his practice in precision had helped greatly.

　　"Don`t you just love the smell of metal in the morning?" a voice called from beside him.

　　Caden jumped and turned to face him. It was Ferris, wearing his button-up suit coat and a nice bowl hat. He was leaning against the railing, and Caden was sure he had just appeared out of thin air.

　　"What?" Caden asked. "Ferris, what are you doing here? Wait, how are you even here?"

　　"They let me in the front," he said.

　　"Why would they do that?"

　　"Because I`m a vagrant."

　　"You are?"

　　He laughed, "Vagrants are just people, too, you know. Just people without a place to live, no reason to act so shocked."

　　"I . . . I know that," he said.

　　"And what did you think I was? If not a vagrant?"

　　"I don`t know. . . a wizard?"

　　"Well, I don`t have a staff. . . and my hat is hardly pointy." He laughed a loud and boisterous laugh that made Caden smile. "And I don`t even have a sigil."

　　"A what?"

　　"Oh, too complicated to explain," he said. "You`re not very entertaining, you know. But at least you`re not always brooding like some people."

　　Caden got the feeling he was referring to someone he had never met.

　　"Well, how did you expect me to act?"

　　"Originally, you were supposed to be a coward, but I guess now your view on morality shaped you. Desperately trying to be better yet failing at every turn. Is that what you are, Caden? A selfish failure?"

　　His words cut him deep. It hurt much more than he thought it would. He spun and placed his hands behind his back. "I don`t know who I am anymore."

　　"Right, finding out your life was a lie, it hurts, doesn`t it?"

　　"Why are you speaking to me like this?"

　　Ferris raised an eyebrow, "Sometimes when you`ve got a disobedient child, you must show them the ugly truth to get them to see their flaws."

　　"I feel cheated," Caden snapped. "I feel like everything I could have wanted was stolen from me! I feel like I should be fighting and destroying everyone who had wronged me. But I don`t know if that`s what I want anymore." He put his hands on his head. "I`ve wasted my entire life chasing a goal I didn`t even want."

　　"You don`t know how compulsion works, do you?"

　　"What?"

　　"It can only push and pull on your own innate desires. Darian didn`t force you to seek revenge, just as Elena didn`t force you to come here. They simply pushed you in that direction. Deep down, you wanted your revenge or something inside of you wanted to listen to Darian. You thought it was the right thing to do." Ferris took off his hat. "Compulsion is a terrible form of madness, but it is not omnipotent. If you want to be better, Caden, stop sulking and go and do something about it. Don`t just say you`ll be better. Just do it."

　　He paused for a moment, pondering Ferris`s words. "But my life was stolen. . ." he said. "What would I have done if I wasn`t compelled?"

　　"You wouldn`t have worked on Elena`s crew; you wouldn`t have helped her bring back the Sun. You would have abandoned Isabel`s dream and ruined her memory. Would you change it? If given the option?" Ferris turned to him. "Would you be selfish enough to sacrifice everything for yourself? That`s what a true villain would do."

　　"I . . . I don`t know."

　　"Think about this. You can choose your own life. Don`t focus on just one thing at a time; don`t obsess, or you`ll get lost. You don`t need to be here at the Sanctuary when you could be out there." He gestured with his hands, making the shape of a rainbow.

　　Caden looked skyward. "You mean past the edge of the world?"

　　"Perhaps."

　　"I think. . . that it`s all worth it though. This obsession, this drive. If it`s to fulfill Isabel`s dream. . . to bring the Sun back. . . I might never know who I am, but I can at least be who she wanted me to be. Even if I must align myself with evil to achieve this goal, I think bringing back the Sun would be worth the sacrifice."

　　"I think Luna would greatly disagree with that," Ferris said with a chuckle.

　　Caden raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

　　He laughed again. "Funny, funny. You know, the Tigress? Small feisty girl with too much pride but also surprisingly quite creative." He touched his chin as if thinking about this mysterious person.

　　"Am I supposed to know who you`re talking about?"

　　Ferris stepped away from the railing, turning to meet Caden`s eyes. "You`re serious?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Oh. . . my." He sighed. "I am deeply sorry; I had not realized it had already happened."

　　"What are you talking about?"

　　For a split second, Ferris`s eyes reflected an emotion unbefitting of a man like him. Fear.

　　"Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" Caden asked.

　　Ferris cleared his throat. "No, no. I just think I made a mistake here. What do you know? I`m always late, aren`t I? I guess that is my own curse." He sighed. "Do not worry, I will fix this."

　　"Fix what? What are you talking about?"

　　"You have Elena`s task tonight to ensure someone leaves the city?"

　　"Yeah, some girl or whatever. What`s that have to do with you speaking nonsense?"

　　He nodded twice, three times. "Okay then. I will fix this. I`m too caught up in this plot for my own good."

　　Caden was about to ask another question, but the wayfarer walked forward a few steps and was blown away in the wind. His body turned to dust and vanished into nothing.

　　This left Caden even more confused. Who was Luna? Had Elena taken a memory from him after all?