Chapter 72: A Glorious Mess

  [Item Acquired: Vestige of Time #2 – Added to Inventory]

  Coming out of the Vestige, I felt like my head was about to explode.

  I was shaken. Trembling.

  It was all even worse than I had initially thought.

  Not only was the energy source we’d used to power up most of our technology for centuries processed humans, but the Wildlands…they were—to some extent—habitable again.

  That meant there was no real reason to keep living on the platforms. We could return to the ground. Maybe not all at once, but it was a realistic possibility, proven by this underground city Vorrick called…Novus.

  I needed to know more.

  Once again, I grabbed Riven’s body—already knowing he was dead—and shook him violently. I knew it was useless, but my mind was in such disarray it felt like my body had a will of its own.

  I forced myself to stop by taking a deep breath.

  Let’s think about what else I learned.

  Vorrick mentioned Dolos again. It sounded like Dolos had already told him about the Parasite weakening in that cave, at least. That was why he was quick to take off his helmet.

  He also said he found Novus eighteen months too early. What was that supposed to mean? Had Dolos prepared him for this discovery? And if so…why eighteen months specifically? What happens then? And how long had already passed since this memory took place?

  Mom was still alive back then—but already under surveillance—which meant more than a year had passed for sure. And if I had to place this Vestige chronologically with the others I’d seen, I’d say it’s the earliest one so far—excluding the one with Mom in Blackthorn.

  I still couldn’t wrap my head around him and the Primarch. Both—and even my mother—were surely influenced by Dolos. Additionally, Valdemar was Dolos’ Champion. Then why in the world were they fighting on different sides? What was Dolos’ goal? What was he trying to achieve by placing so many players on the board? I wondered if I could weed out this information from him if he called me to his realm again.

  I sighed, trying to clear my mind.

  Learning all this new information somewhat cleaned the battlefield’s picture in my mind.

  Novus was a city of exiles—people sentenced to death by being cast into the Wildlands. But instead of dying to the Parasite, they were saved by Valdemar and his people. They probably took in Foundry refugees too. In return, they built a real community underground.

  I immediately remembered what Dad had told me earlier today: Owen’s sister, Chloe, had been exiled as well. Could she still be alive in Novus? If so, that only added weight to the possibility of Owen being the man behind the mask.

  But that was beside the point right now.

  Valdemar, despite his violent methods, seemed to be fighting for an incredibly just cause. I could tell that much from Riven joining him. In the Vestige, Riven had been clear about his convictions, even willing to die for them as an act of defiance. And if he supported Valdemar now, then maybe—just maybe—it meant Valdemar wasn’t that bad.

  I was still far from being a fan of Libra’s terrorism. But considering the other side was literally enslaving people and turning them into crystals, I knew which side I preferred.

  At the very least, Valdemar seemed to be the lesser evil.

  And Mom? She had helped him. She’d recruited Riven herself by revealing the truth about the crystals to him. She had set the agent tailing her on a path that eventually turned him into one of Valdemar’s lieutenants.

  Suddenly thinking that she joined him to “contain” him felt ridiculous. Thinking that his entire revolution was just a revenge plot felt ridiculous. Apparently, it was so much bigger than a simple revolution.

  This wasn’t about splitting the cake differently. This was about what was right. The people deserved better. And I was all for it.

  I mean how could I not? The oligarchs were keeping Orlinth—and especially the Foundry—hostages to keep their life style. There was a different way, and they denied us even the knowledge of it.

  But there was still the major problem: Valdemar’s actions are going to bring the end of the world. And according to Riven, he didn’t seem bothered by that at all.

  Did he have a plan for that as well? A way to overthrow the oligarchs, release the people, and stop Erebus all at the same time? If so, then he was insanely arrogant to think he could fight and win on so many fronts at once.

  That’s when I realized what my goal needed to be going forward.

  I still had to find Valdemar. That didn’t change. What changed was the reason.

  I didn’t need to stop him. I needed to join him. To hear him out. To help him as the other looper. Surely, together, we could handle all fronts better.

  But that circled me back to the original problem: who is Valdemar? And where do I find him?

  Scratch what I said before. The new information didn't clean anything. It only thickened the mess even more.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  My gaze fell on Riven. If I could only find him in the next loop, he might lead me straight to him.

  I heard steps approaching.

  Immediately, I reached to Zee.

  Placing a hand on his head, I sent him back to the Inventory. He already did enough for me this run. I didn’t want him destroyed, especially after learning what made his gears move.

  When I checked the Inventory to ensure he was there, I suddenly noticed something odd in the Déjà vu System.

  [Checkpoint lvl. 1: Time left until Anchor expires – (-00:17:59)]

  The timer…it was negative, and it kept counting—getting further away from when it should have expired.

  “What the…” I muttered.

  The only answer was Dolos.

  By accepting the tungsten he left in the Inventory after our meeting, I had likely opened the back door for him to mess with the System again.

  “You are Baines’ son, aren’t you?”

  Casten Vorrick’s voice was unmistakable.

  Covered in dust, his face bloodied from a head wound he’d sustained from the falling debris, he steadily made his way toward me, carrying Alice’s lifeless body in his arms.

  The injury wasn’t minor either. Even from this distance I could clearly see the open wound. And the amount of blood on his face and clothes was far from negligible.

  How the fuck was he still alive?!

  He came closer and stopped just a step away from me. His eyes looked past me—at Riven’s corpse.

  He sighed, shaking his head.

  “I can’t even take revenge on him for what he did to her,” he said calmly.

  I looked at him, unsure if he was trying to convince me—or himself—that he was mourning. Either way, I wasn’t buying it.

  He made Alice an orphan. I doubted he cared for her that much.

  “You killed her parents,” I said, wondering if he’d kill me for learning such information and end this loop right here.

  But he didn’t. At least not yet.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his eyes avoiding me completely.

  I actually did. Or at least I thought I did.

  Either way, knowing his connection to Dolos, I couldn’t risk revealing anything that might expose me as a looper. He still seemed to be in the dark about that.

  “How do you know me?” I asked instead, feigning ignorance. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see what lie he’d come up with.

  But he surprised me.

  “I believe you already know how,” he said, sending a chill down my spine.

  It could’ve meant so many things, though, so I knew I couldn’t jump to conclusions.

  “I don’t,” I said, figuring that was the safest answer.

  Casten Vorrick gave a slow nod. “Lie all you want. I don’t care.”

  Then explosions thundered in the distance, shaking the entire building—Libra’s attack on the Blood Storage.

  “Damn fool,” Vorrick muttered, though I wasn’t sure who he meant. The obvious answer was Valdemar, but maybe he’d meant himself.

  Other than that, he just stood there, silent and contemplative.

  Earlier, Alice had made it sound like he’d drop everything to confront Libra on the other side of the Census Archives once he was done with Riven. Now, he seemed reluctant to move at all.

  “Aren’t…you going to help stop Libra?” I asked cautiously.

  Vorrick shook his head slowly. “There’s no point. The world will reset either way.”

  I swallowed hard. He was aware of the time loop—and he wasn’t even Dolos’ Champion. It was one thing seeing him talking about Dolos. It was a completely different thing understanding the minimum of his knowledge because of him.

  I wondered how much he actually knew.

  “W-what?” I asked, testing the waters while pretending ignorance.

  For the first time, Vorrick met my eyes. His gaze was heavy and suffocating.

  I forced myself to hold it, refusing to look away no matter how tempting it was.

  “Ignore it,” he finally said. “Tell me this instead: how do you know Alice?”

  I shrank back, unsure how to answer without revealing anything crucial.

  He continued, voice sharp. “She barely ever descended to Orlinth. And on one of those rare visits she so happens to run into you—the son of Solvane’s greatest enemy?”

  “Greatest enemy?” I echoed, bristling on my mother’s behalf. “My mother is the sole reason we’re even able to have this conversation right now.”

  He didn’t acknowledge my words. “I thought I was imagining things when I saw your name in the Expo’s lineup for today. Now I see you in the flesh and Alice dies. Surely this can’t be a coincidence.”

  I didn’t like where this was headed.

  “Alice is dead because of this guy,” I said, gesturing with my head toward Riven. “Not because of me.”

  “Maybe so,” Vorrick said sharply. “But it doesn’t change the pure malice and wickedness of that dirty conwoman. Even in death she continues wreaking havoc.” He shook his head. “What were you two doing here? Why did you need KNOWING? Were you blackmailing Alice? Answer. Now.”

  The last word rang like a threat even without the “or else”.

  I didn’t know what to say. Any answer would open the door for more problematic questions. And silence would seal my fate as well.

  Somehow, only one idea came to mind—a risky, nearly suicidal one. But seeing the negative timer on Checkpoint's Anchor gave me the nerve.

  I couldn’t believe I was about to do it again this loop.

  I released a soft, forced chuckle before spreading my arms as if surrendering.

  “I’m with Libra,” I said, smiling weakly. “Bet you didn’t expect that, Prime Vorrick?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Impossible,” he said flatly. “We tailed you long enough to know you’re not. You’re just a hot-headed fool who fancies himself an inventor.”

  I nodded, keeping the smile, heart thundering. Then I pushed the gamble further. I couldn’t believe Devin’s stupidity was going to help me.

  “A conman—just like my mother,” I said, and pointed at his COG. “Check my record. Check why I was arrested yesterday. Your Ironwatch nearly locked me up for good, but I tricked them into thinking it was a malfunction.”

  Vorrick immediately reached for his COG and likely began searching Ironwatch’s records.

  Meanwhile, my mind was thinking about the continuation of the lie. About how to keep myself alive.

  When Vorrick’s hand moved to his side, unholstering his handgun and leveling it at me, I knew the gamble had paid off and that it had also crossed a dangerous line.

  “How did we miss you?” he asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

  I shrugged, keeping up the act. “Unfortunately, I can’t reveal my secrets yet, Prime. Valdemar would kill me himself if I did. And he’s far more terrifying than you.”

  “You should be afraid of me now,” he said, cocking the gun.

  Under the threat of a loaded gun, I struggled to keep the act going. I knew I wouldn’t be able to remain believable with a shaky voice and trembling knees, so I steered the conversation toward what he wanted to hear.

  “I know where he is,” I said. “Valdemar.”

  That snagged him.

  “Where?”

  “Here. In the Archives,” I said. “I can lead you to him.”

  He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Lead the way. But if I learn you lied, you’ll discover I can be much scarier than Valdemar.”

  Anger boiled within me. I already knew what he was capable of—what he’d done to Thea. He was despicable.

  Before I could settle on the rest of my plan, he suddenly staggered, lurching forward and dropping to his knees. The gun slipped from his hand and clattered on the rubble-filled ground.

  Even in this state, and especially after what I’d seen him do, I didn’t dare to attack him.

  Was the head trauma and bleeding finally catching up to him?

  “Hey, Prime Vorrick?” I called cautiously. “Are you okay?”

  No response.

  Growing hopeful, I took a step back.

  One step. Two steps. Three steps.

  But then his hand darted to his COG. He pressed a sequence of buttons.

  Déjà vu rang in my mind, warning me about what was coming.

  I started running.

  But it was too late.

  A flash.

  It exploded violently, killing us both instantly.

  [You’ll now reawaken at the Anchor Point]

  Next Chapter: