Chapter 59: Dolos

  Feeding my COG with an Aetheris…?

  When I asked if he meant slotting one into the Channel Core, he wagged his finger and repeated the word “fed”, then refused to elaborate.

  I tried to recall if I ever heard of anyone who had actually tried that.

  Dematerializers were always kept under tight supervision – especially when temporarily loaned out for COG-upgrading – so it wasn’t like someone in Orlinth could’ve just shoved an Aetheris into theirs without getting caught.

  Skyhaven, though? Maybe. The oligarchs? Most likely.

  But what was it even supposed to do?

  Everyone knew COGs as these mysterious, black boxes. We didn’t know how they worked – just that they did. And still, upgrading them through metals made some kind of sense. Magitek infrastructure was known to have affinity for metal, after all. It was an observed principle that every functional magitek device had to be built from metal. Other materials like wood or stone simply couldn’t conduct mana effectively – or at all – within magitek circuitry. Metal was a requirement, not a preference.

  So if every magitek device needed metal to work, was it really so far-fetched that the most advanced of them all – the COG – used metal as fuel for growth?

  Which brought me back to the original question: what was feeding an Aetheris supposed to do?

  Aetherises were just power sources, right? Wouldn’t feeding a COG with one be just the quickest way to burn it from inside?

  Outside Blackthorn, as I walked, I briefly considered connecting the Dematerializer and giving it a try using one of the Aetherises I found inside the crib.

  But only briefly.

  “Like I’d be crazy enough to take advice from an anarchistic revolutionist,” I muttered, chuckling to myself.

  Soon after, a System message blinked to life.

  [Déjà vu System Alert]

  [Darkness Ascension Imminent]

  [Countdown to the End of the World: 00:19:59]

  [System will collapse after this event]

  Wanting to make sure next loop’s me didn’t come back to Blackthorn again, I summoned the Brass Medal and tossed it away.

  Next loop, I should just go home and ask Dad about the people in that picture. Hopefully seeing the photograph at the start of the loop will be enough of a clue.

  I spent the rest of the minutes thinking about Mother.

  Then…I died.

  ***

  When my eyes opened again, I found myself lying on grass.

  For a second, I thought Chronos had finally summoned me for a talk. I nearly jumped to my feet – until I noticed something odd.

  Were those blades of grass actually…worms?

  I shot up anyway, frantically brushing myself off to make sure nothing crawled up my clothes.

  Then a joyful, weathered voice called out from behind me.

  “Viktor! Good morning, my boy.”

  I spun around.

  An old man sat on a block of hay, smiling warmly, revealing missing teeth. He wore a wide straw hat and simple, dirt-stained clothes.

  “Dolos, I assume?” I asked, already making the connection.

  His grin widened, and he gave me a slow nod. “Pleasure to finally meet you. My Champion can’t stop talking about you, you know?”

  “Really?” I asked, eyes narrowing as I scanned the area, half-expecting the Obsidian Crow to step out from behind the stacked hay.

  “Don’t worry,” the old man chuckled. “He’s already left.”

  I decided to skip the pleasantries. “How – and more importantly, why – am I here? Where’s Chronos?”

  “Ah, we don’t need him, Vik,” the old man said, waving a hand like he was swatting a fly. “You were on your way to him, but he's so weak that I just pulled a few strings to snatch you here first – no funny businesses. Thought it might be better if we had a little chat one-on-one before you see him.”

  “What chat?” I asked flatly. “What do you want? You’re crazy if you think I’ll listen to anything you have to say knowing who you are.”

  The old man gave a sad little smile. “And are you sure you do know who I am? Or maybe – just maybe – you only know what Chronos wanted you to believe about me?”

  I crossed my arms and let out a dry laugh. “What is this? Manipulation 101? I don’t need Chronos to tell me not to trust you. It’s already been made abundantly clear by your Champion’s actions.”

  “Ha,” Dolos raised a finger, amused. “But are you sure you know who my Champion is?”

  “Not yet,” I admitted. “But all three candidates are currently neck-and-neck for the title of Solvane’s biggest dirt stain.”

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  Dolos laughed, looking genuine. “This – “ he had to pause to catch his breath. “You’re a lot funnier than my guy.”

  “Sweet,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Can you send me to Chronos now?”

  “Listen, Vik,” he said, suddenly serious. “I get it. Sometimes my actions – or those of my Champions – can seem like they’re not exactly in humanity’s best interest. But…what if I told you Chronos is no better for humanity either? Maybe even worse?”

  I shook my head. “I’d say you’re full of shit.”

  Dolos nodded in agreement, unsurprised. “Fair. I’d think the same, in your shoes. But just…think about it. You’re an inventor – you enjoy thinking. Look at Chronos’ actions and explanations during this Battle. Really look at them. I promise, you’ll start to see it.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, where do I even start?” Dolos said. “You remember Erebus’ marks, right?”

  I did. Chronos and his crew told me about them – how they were basically the sole reason the Déjà vu System had to reset my memories between runs. I remembered a certain Anastasia Wright carrying such mark. But that was it.

  Dolos didn’t wait for my answer.

  “Now, Chronos wants you to believe that the only way to avoid getting marked by ol’ Erebus is through what he likes to call ‘subtle progression’. But he’s wrong – objectively wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  The old man’s eyes widened like he’d just uncovered a great truth. “Of course! Look at my Champion, for example. He sets hurdles for you left, right, and center – forces others to make the changes while he stays in the shadows. Even now, with Erebus tracking things more tightly and tracing changes back, he remains untouched. Want to know why? Because we figured it out together. We found a way to fool someone as ancient as Erebus.”

  Dolos didn’t even give me a chance to ask about this way he was so proud of.

  “But Chronos? No. He’d never push himself to think harder. Never question the limits he’d been given. For him, there’s only one right way – his way. And if that means taking a promising Champion like you and burning his brilliance by stripping away his strongest weapon – his mind – and forcing him to play amnesiac? Well…“ Dolos trailed off, locking eyes with me. “You see where I’m going with this?”

  I nodded slowly. “Maybe he just hasn’t thought of another way like you did. Not being smart enough doesn’t make him malicious or – “

  “You still don’t get it….” Dolos cut in, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Then how about this? His blindness problem. He’s definitely told you about how he can’t track you properly, right?”

  I remained silent. Needless to say, he was spot on. But…this was still a manipulation he was playing so I didn't want to play along.

  He grinned. “It’s fine, Vik. You don’t have to say it. Your silence speaks volumes.” He shifted, leaning back on the hay. “I brought that up for a reason, of course. At the beginning of this battle, I was blind too. Know how long it took me to fix that problem, Vik?”

  I shrugged.

  “Three loops,” he said proudly. “Three. And what’s Chronos been saying to you this whole time? Let me guess – “

  He cleared his throat before his voice seamlessly shifted into Chronos’. “Let me talk to this god. Let me request a favor from that god. This meditation you see? Yes, yes, part of solving the blindness problem.”

  Then he dropped back into his old man persona. “How close was I?”

  My eyes narrowed – not at the accuracy, but at the implication. “How do you know he hasn’t already solved it?”

  “Oh, please,” Dolos scoffed and waved his hand like the answer was obvious. “I know him better than anyone. He’s no different from Solvane’s automatons – built for a purpose, unable to evolve.”

  “What’s your point?” I snapped. “He’s not perfect. I already know that myself. But at least he’s genuinely trying. You, on the other hand? You somehow infected my COG. You made me a target. Every time I watch a Memory Fragment, that Obsidian Crow comes for me and ends the loop prematurely! And don’t even get me started on your Champion…”

  “Vik, son,” the old man said, placing a hand over his heart as if he was offended. “I thought you of all people would appreciate the opportunities I gave you. Sure, there’s an Obsidian Crow breathing down your neck, but if you manage to immobilize him – as the quest requests – you’d get five upgrades. Five!

  “Instead of scrounging the slums of Orlinth or the Foundry’s mines searching for tungsten – or whatever – you could upgrade your COG five times, regardless of the metals it’s asking for, in a snap!” He grinned and snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”

  Then his smile faded. “Tell me – had Chronos ever offered you anything like that?”

  He hadn’t. But I wasn’t mad at him for it or anything.

  He continued. “Or had he ever tweaked his precious Déjà vu System to allow you to save written items?”

  My eyes widened, heart pounding. “That was you? Why?”

  He just smiled and nodded without elaborating.

  That caught me off guard, but I regained my composure quickly.

  “Again, what’s your point?”

  Dolos shook his head. Then, suddenly, his entire form shifted.

  The old man morphed into a tall, powerful woman with braided blond hair and piercing light-blue eyes. A long scar crossed her right eye, but it took nothing from her beauty. Her body was lean, muscular, wrapped in thick, white leather armor. A massive sword unlike anything I had ever seen hung across her back.

  When Dolos spoke again, it was in her voice.

  “This is Arabella,” he said. “A former Champion of Chronos. Back when I was still his assistant.” He held out her hands, gazing down at the calluses and battle scars like they were sacred. “I loved her with all my heart.”

  Another manipulation tactic. Surely. Stay strong, Viktor.

  “She saved her world,” he went on, “and fell in the process. I’ll spare you the details – and the accusations I have for Chronos. I’ll just say this: Arabella could have been saved. And as someone recently opened my eyes to – maybe some of that is my fault as well. But the point I’m building to is that Chronos just isn’t cutting it anymore.”

  Her expression hardened. “In a reality where every thousand years he needs to help a different humanity save itself from Erebus, excuses like blindness and half-measures with his System are not enough. Let me ask you this: are you really willing to let your world be destroyed because Chronos made a mistake? Whether it was genuine…or just an oversight? How far does your trust in him go? Will the death of your father be a reasonable price for you to pay for his faults?”

  Fuck. He was actually making me think.

  “And look,” he continued. “I’m far from perfect – many would be happy to testify to that. But I do believe I’m what humanity needs going forward. The only reason I’m sabotaging Chronos is because it’s the only way I know of to make him retire. Even if it means killing him.”

  He paused, letting the words hang in the air.

  “Because he’d never let me take over otherwise. So yes – I won’t deny it – I am assisting Erebus, indirectly. But only because I’m aiming for something much greater. I’m sacrificing the short term…for the long.”

  He finally slipped.

  “And for you, Solvane is short-term?” I asked, my tone sharpening.

  “It was,” he said, not even trying to deny it. “But…things played out differently than I expected. If you agree to hear me out, we could both get what we want. You’ll save Solvane – your father, Trent, his mother, everyone else. And I’ll replace Chronos.”

  He smiled – Arabella’s face soft and sincere.

  “What say you?”

  He was very convincing. Too convincing. I had to keep reminding myself who he was – the God of Lies and Deception.

  Still, maybe I could outsmart him. Or at least learn something useful for Chronos.

  I decided to play his game.

  “Let’s say I believe you,” I said. “What do you plan to do?”

  Arabella’s smile widened. “I’m delighted you’re willing to listen, Vik. That’s…incredible. Much more than I deserve."

  She stepped closer – towering over me – and placed both hands gently on my shoulders. Her strength was terrifying. If she – or rather Dolos, in this case – wanted, she could snap my neck with a single twitch.

  Dolos, wearing the skin, spoke gently.

  “Trust takes time to build. I get that. And I don’t want to overwhelm you. So…play the next loop as you see fit. When you wake up, you’ll find I even left you a present – a token of gratitude.”

  “A present?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He withdrew his hands and turned away. “For now, I ask only one thing – don’t tell Chronos about this meeting. Stay silent, and I’ll know you’re serious. The gift will be waiting. Tell him and you can forget about everything we’d discussed.”

  Then, right in front of my eyes, his form shifted again – this time into a man clad in bronze armor, a red cloak billowing behind him as he turned his back to me, head bowed.

  "Shit," he muttered, then sent me away before I could say anything.

  But I saw what he didn’t want me to - a pair of horns rising from his skull.