The mage’s lips twitched in amusement. “I.”
A pause. “We will speak aloud now. Have the Observers been handled?” His voice dripped authority.
Aaron’s vision tunneled. Heat surged—rage, panic, both. Breathe. In. Out. His fingers steadied. Attacking someone who could vanish from memory? Stupid.
Grandfather nodded, slow and deliberate. “They won’t remember. Just another trial. Neat. No loose ends.” His eyes swept the room. “The space is secure?”
Aaron’s gaze darted. Bark—motionless. Observers? We were watched? Why erase them?
Bug tensed, tapping his halberd. “As far as I can tell. I’m nowhere near—” Radiostatic shattered Aaron’s thoughts. “—level. But he blinded it for three tenth-cycles. Now…” Bug gestured at Bark, helpless.
“Damn fool.” Grandpa’s growl rumbled. “A deep system search? With the bookworm watching? Might be gone for days. Mother-cursed infomancers.” Was that my fault? Aaron shifted his weight.
“Look at the bright side.” The mind mage smiled. “We will have an expert on our champion’s culture.”
“If he wakes.” Grandpa snorted. Aaron’s heartbeat thundered. They knew. They’d known for a while. If they have seers—if they know what I am—
His stomach twisted. I’m a prophesized hero. The thought felt alien. I can die heroically. Again and again.
Fuck.
Aaron smiled, all charm. Maybe the conspiracy won’t do horrific things to me if I’m polite? Worth a shot. Yeah. Keep rationalizing. That’ll fix everything.
Tension coiled in his shoulders. They’ve got all the power. But—if they wanted me gone, I’d already be dust. Potential allies. Or users. I need information. Can’t hurt to ask nicely—
“We are the Preservers,” said the green-robed mind mage. Aaron stiffened. Shit. Mind reading.
No hesitation. Flood the mental space. Tentacles. Screaming anime girls. Internet’s weirdest. The mind mage flinched like he’d been slapped. Bug snapped into a combat stance, visor down.
Aaron stood still, pulse jackhammering. Was that an attack? Or did I just break him? “Sorry,” he whispered. Silence.
The mage swallowed hard, breath ragged. Then, hoarse: “By the Eye… How can so many tentacles fit inside one body?” He stared. Shaken.
Aaron looked away. Hells bells. Prudes. Generic anime porn—and they nearly had a breakdown?
Grandpa snorted. “What, found something even you haven’t seen before?”
Bug eyed Aaron like he’d sprouted extra limbs. Aaron wiped sweat from his brow. Mental warfare: won that round. Next.
The mind mage inhaled. Exhaled. Steadied. His gaze shifted—past Aaron. Aaron followed his eyes.
The air changed. Heavy. Wrong. The room warped. Then the mind mage spoke, voice low.
“That… that was not his doing.” A beat. “Step back and greet the champion of the Weaver.” Aaron froze. What. He was saying that a lot today. It was starting to annoy him.
The group stepped back, slow and cautious. Trepidation edged into Grandpa’s face; his eyes flicked around. The mind mage stared—black-eyed—over Aaron’s shoulder. Bug’s visor stayed unreadable. Right. Maybe I should focus on the cabal of mages now terrified of me. What just happened?
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The trio dropped. Knees first. Then—lower. Faces pressed to stone. Bodies stretched in full submission.
Aaron’s skin prickled. He shifted, suddenly aware of the rags clinging to his body. If bowing shows status, I’m apparently at the top.
He swallowed. A distant thought whispered—I like this. He crushed it. Hard. At least they’re not trying to kill me. Yet.
“We greet the Weaver’s champion,” they intoned together. The mind mage lifted his head slightly. “Please, forgive my presumptions, champion. Rest assured—I seek only to aid you.”
Silence. They didn’t move. Oh. I have to say something? How would they react to ‘No biggie, bro’?
Aaron cleared his throat. “I greet you too, mysterious group of strangers who’ve been manipulating me. You are forgiven—kinda. If you tell me what’s going on.”
His voice echoed—like a sermon in an empty cathedral. Still, they lay there. Do I tell them to get up? It’s weird having people grovel like this. And kind of nice, a faint voice whispered. No!
Grandpa turned his head, stage-whispering to the mind mage, “Does he actually know the rules for a sage’s greeting? What it means? Or how to respond?”
Aaron couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. Grandpa was something else. The sheer absurdity hit him all at once. Is it bad form to laugh at people bowing before you?
Another wave of laughter doubled him over. He clutched his stomach. Grandpa joined in with a deep, rumbling chuckle. Bug giggled—high, unexpected.
They were still on the floor. It took a moment to settle.
“Oh—uh, you may get up,” Aaron said, sheepish.
“Most obliged.” Grandpa groaned, rising with a hand on his back.
Aaron winced. Did I just hurt an old man by accident? ‘Hurt’ is a strong word, though.
“Cut it out,” the mind mage snapped. “We forgot about Edict-damned interventions.” Interventions? That sounds ominous.
Grandpa stroked his beard. “The stories say they happen at pivotal moments. Not… casually.”
The mind mage buried his face in his hands. “Weaver’s knots! A cognimancer of my level, handling a freshly loaded mind—why didn’t I see this coming?” Level of power or incompetence? Aaron did not ask.
Grandpa tilted his head, listening. “Someone’s suspicious. We’ve got less time than we thought. I’ll buy us some.” With a nod to the mind mage, he slipped through the door.
The mind mage yanked his hair—Anger? Frustration?—then steadied. Straightened. Lips tight. Eyes sharp. “We have little time. We were meant to meet in the Polis during your first night. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You need a mind shield. A good one. Preferably, I’d replace your memories.”
He met Aaron’s stare. “I see you’re reluctant. Fine. I’ll teach you the shield and wrap it in an illusion. You might think that excessive—but trust me: the longer no one spends weeks torturing you to crack your mind, the happier you’ll be.”
His words fell rapid-fire. Urgent. Inevitable. Aarons head spun. I should sit. Think. Trap? Time pressure. Classic compliance tactic. Resist.
But… weeks of torture? Definitely something to avoid. Aaron set his jaw. Straightened. Glared.
“Why should I trust you? What just happened? I don’t even know your name.” His voice cut the silence—sharp, commanding.
The mind mage didn’t blink. “The Weaver sent a message. It told me to moderate but continue my plans. Said I would be spared if I am useful.”
He inhaled. Shaky. “That happened when you sent me… those images. It made it’s position clear. I saw what you were thinking. Then the Weaver made it worse. It lasted subjective days.” Aaron’s gut twisted. Days?
The mage pressed on, words tumbling. “My name—I’ll tell you. But consider this: right now, you know nothing. If you get captured, we can rescue you. But if we’re revealed? You’ll regret knowing.”
Ice slid along Aaron’s spine. That was the intervention. His “Watcher” moment. Divine intervention changes people. At least, here it did.
Aaron scanned the room.
The mind mage: chalk-white. Nose bleeding. Shaking.
Bug: clinging to his halberd like a child with a security blanket.
Bark: oblivious. Still searching the local network.
Aaron closed his eyes. Fists clenched. Fuck it. “No names. Teach me?” Biggest mistake of my life? Brain slave incoming?
The mind mage exhaled—relief, maybe. Bug relaxed. They’re not acting. Right? Am I too paranoid? Or just not paranoid enough?
“Lie down. I’ll link our minds—if you permit it.” He sat, cross-legged, steadying himself.
“Doesn’t this take a day or something?” Aaron asked, recalling Theon’s words.
“Normally. But you have me.” Aaron lay back. The stone’s cold damp seeped into his bones—oddly grounding. He closed his eyes.
The world fell away.
Darkness.
True darkness.
Post-Diasporic Systems Compendium, Vol. IV: Bioconservative Technologies
As always, this chapter was edited using the mighty Infomancy Analyst Spell called ChatGPT.
Upload schedule: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri 4:47 PM EST / 10:47 PM CET → Each chapter is 1500 +/- 500 words long.
What do you think of Aaron's decisions? Would you have done the same?
Comment below, Like, Favorite or Recommend. It really helps. Thank you :)