Author: Lurina

060: Cut-Out Face (𒐃-2) - The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere | Royal Road

Research Tower | 7:26 AM | Third Day

We ascended the elevator.

"We'll be right back," Linos spoke, as we rose up several floors. "Make sure you stay in each others line of sight at all times until then. You too, Anna-- I know you don't like being bossed around, but we really do need to be cautious."

She didn't reply, though Fang did call out: "Don't worry! We'll hold the fort!" Along with a salute.

Linos didn't look particularly soothed by this as the elevator arose to its destination. I wheeled his chair forward, Ran alongside me.

"Actually," I said to her, as we walked. "There was something I did want to clear up a bit... From the account you gave me, I mean. Because there was one discrepancy."

"Really." She looked to me, grunting softly. "What was it?"

"When you were talking about the iron device, you said that it looked like a narrow stick of metal in a glass container," I said. "Is that right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's probably the simplest way to put it."

"That's strange," I said, scratching the side of my head. "When I had the, uh-- Well, in what I saw... It wasn't like that at all. It was more like a complex and mechanical-looking device, with kind of a mystical aura to it." I bit my lip. "I can't even remember seeing anything that could've been iron at all in its composition."

"I don't know what to tell you, Su," she said, shrugging. "I can't account for reality not being in line with your newfound telepathic abilities, or whatever."

"Er." Linos said, glancing upward at us. "I hate to be boorish, but what exactly are the two of you talking about?"

"I-It's sort of hard to explain, sir," I said. This really was going to be a lot less convenient with him here. "To confirm something... The device we saw yesterday evening... That was iron, wasn't it?"

He furrowed his brow, looking downward. "To be frank with you, I'm not completely sure. I suppose the fact that it solved the problem would suggest so, though." He sighed. "I'm no engineer like your grandfather, Su. I only understand the basic principles of how that machine even operates, let alone if such a component would, or would be required to, perfect it."

"Right..." I said, nodding distantly. It really was awkward to try to have this conversation based on second hand information.

"I can tell that you've lost a little faith in me over the course of all this, but in this case, that really is the sum total of my knowledge," he continued. "Perhaps the machine was tweaked by Neferuaten or someone else beforehand, and what we saw with Fang was nothing more than an advanced prop. Or maybe it wasn't iron, but fixed the interfacing issue in some other manner." He shrugged. "It's beyond me."

"Sir," Ran asked, her eyes narrow. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly was your relationship with him? With Su's grandfather."

I frowned a bit at the subject being raised, but at this point, there were much bigger concerns at work then my sensitive points.

Linos looked a little taken aback my the question, his eyes widening for a moment. He blinked a few times, pushing hair away him his eyes. "Well, he was a close friend, I suppose. A mentor in the early days of my career - when he was my professor - then a colleague both here and in academic life. And, well, Utsu knows that I came quite close to being his son-in-law, once upon in a time."

Ran looked to me. "He dated your mother?"

"Uh, no," I said, with a shake of my head. "Aunt."

"Heady days," Linos said, without much wistfulness. "More specifically, I suppose we traded a lot of favors. He was always helping me out of my financial pitfalls in my youth, and in return, I did a lot of work in managing his professional reputation." He sighed to himself. "It wasn't easy to keep his secrets, I'll tell you that. And I only learned a handful over the years."

"I ask, because you didn't seem very thrilled about the completion of his project," Ran said, her tone flat.

"Mm," he hummed, hesitant. "It's--"

"Complicated," she finished.

"...I was going to say 'controversial'," he said, with slight irritation. "You can love and respect someone tremendously while still not agreeing with everything they do, miss Hoa-Trinh. A lot of the order felt that way about him, even those who wanted him removed from the organization. I think even Durvasa probably feels so, even though he'd deny it."

"I don't really understand why it's controversial," I said, as we approached the door. "Rather, I would've thought it accomplished exactly what the order wanted to do."

Linos clicked his tongue. "It's a question of ethics, Utsu."

I blinked. "...it doesn't run on dead babies or something like that, does it?"

He exhaled. "That's not what I mean by ethics," he said, his brow flat. "Let's say that you're looking for a cure for an exotic cancer. You find a formula that does it, but when you inject into someone, they also gain the power to fly at a hundred times the speed of sound, and punch so hard they can smash mountains to pieces, like in an epic hero novel. Would you call that a successful treatment?"

I scratched the side of my head. "You're saying that, even if something fixes the problem for an individual... It might create other problems for the world."

"Exactly," he said, nodding firmly. "That's exactly the issue. Technology that's both that powerful, and that exclusive in nature..." He frowned deeply. "I don't need to explain how it's a dangerous combination."

We passed through the metal doors which slid open at our approach, and arrived at the junction where I'd last seen Balthazar, the white walls and basic furniture unchanged from before. ...And sure enough, there he was, in the same spot I'd seem last. Reading another magazine. The only difference was that, for some insane reason, he seemed to be wearing a pair of shaded spectacles this time, which hung loosely on his nose.

The moment I laid eyes on him, I felt a spike of both irritation and anxiety. But I wasn't alone this time, and regardless, push had come to shove.

"Ah," he said, looking up with a gentle smile. "I was wondering if someone was going to come looking for me. Good morning."

"That's a relief," Linos said. "I'm glad to see you're alive on your own up here, master Isan."

The young man chuckled a little. "For the time being, at least. Though I'm grateful for your concern, sir." He turned in our direction. "We meet yet again, Utsushikome. And you've brought your friend this time, too. Good to finally make your acquaintance, Ran."

He said the final sentence as if it were some kind of inside joke. Already, I was struggling not to scowl at him.

Ran looked him up and down, and then asked what was probably the obvious question. "Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?"

"Oh, I'm planning on going to beach later," he answered, his tone friendly.

A moment passed in silence, the two of them staring at each other.

"No, seriously," she insisted. "Why?"

He turned towards me instead. "Why do you wear glasses, Utsushikome?"

I frowned. "I'm far-sighted."

"Hyperopia can be resolved painlessly in a single appointment with a specialist. You don't even need a Biomancer nowadays." He slowly folded the magazine closed, placing it on his lap. It was a copy of The Psychological Review, the subject matter of which is self-explanatory. "I think it's even a socialized procedure in Oreskios, isn't it? And I don't think you have a religious background."

My frown morphed into a defensive glare. I had a reason for not wanting to change anything about this body, even trivial matters, but I didn't feel like trying to justify myself to him. And it was creepy how we was acting like he knew me. "I'm fine with wearing glasses."

"The reason is that you're clinging to something," he said, his expression relaxed. "Just like everyone here. Hell, just like everyone in this world, really. The Grand Alliance of the Mourning Realms..."

"I just arrived here with the rest of the students a few minutes ago," Linos said. "We were hoping to discuss a means to ensure your safety while also keeping a mind to Ophelia's own needs."

Oh, great, I thought. He's just gonna casually hijack the whole purpose of this, huh.

"Ah, so she's here too now, then," Balthazar said, with a gentle nod. "That's a very kind sentiment of you, Professor Melanthos. But I'm quite fine up here by myself. You needn't worry about me."

Linos frowns. "Don't you know what's going on?"

"The serial murders?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I saw the message. It certainly is quite a turn of events, but I'm not too concerned. I'm not a part of your group, after all, or even an official guest, so I can't imagine whatever is doing this is out for me in particular. I'm more than content to wait here for the situation to blow over somewhat."

"You saw the part where they said they were going to kill everyone in the sanctuary, right?" Ran asked.

"Ah, did they say that...? It must have slipped by me." His eyes wandered towards the window. "Still, I think I'd rather remain here, all the same."

Linos wheeled himself a little closer to him. "I don't think you understand how serious the situation is, master Isan--"

"On the contrary, I understand perfectly," he said, his tone growing a little more tired and distracted. "But realistically, you can't exactly take me with you, can you?" He smiled. "The uncomfortable truth is that you want to do something, but there's not a lot that can be accomplished without putting the rest of you in greater danger. And in a situation like this, splitting the group only heightens the threat in every sense - reduces your ability to defend yourself, to monitor everyone who could potentially be the culprit..." He shook his head, and held up his arm. "No, this little trinket Lady Anna has gifted me will suffice, I think."

"I think you're being fatalist," Linos said, though didn't sound convinced of his own words. "There are counters to prosognostic events and contact paradoxes. It can be managed."

Balthazar simply shook his head. "Everything is proceeding exactly as it ought to be, right now. Any change made on my part would only complicate matters. You are very kind, but my allotted role is at the sidelines." He let out a soft snort. "Well, for the time being."

Linos opened his mouth to protest, but seemed to not know what to say, perplexed by this last statement. He frowned, worried.

"Now then," Balthazar said. "You said you wanted to ask about something, no?"

Ran looked to me, and I realized that I hadn't even told her exactly what I planned to say, and in fact hadn't considered it deeply myself. There was a particular question on my mind, but asking it outright would come across as... Well, insane.

"Last time we spoke," I eventually settled on saying, "you acted like we knew each other."

"Did I?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded. "You said that I was an 'unfair person, to the bitter end', even though we'd only just met. And you acted like we had some past experience together. You asked me to forgive you for being immature 'this time'." I decided I would omit the most glaring piece of personal knowledge he'd seemed to possess.

He didn't respond, only facing downward, his hands held together.

"And then at the end, you said that we shouldn't talk until 'everything starts'." I narrowed my eyes. "That's not to even mention what you said a second ago, about everything proceeding as it should be. That was the most suspicious example so far, actually."

"So what did you mean, when you said it?" To my side, I could see Ran's brow slowly furrowing more deeply.

"It sounds to me," he said slowly, taking up a pitcher of water from the table in front of him and slowly pouring a glass, "like you've already reached a conclusion, and are just fishing for evidence in support of it before saying it outloud." This was only half true, but I still visibly flinched a bit. "I think we'd all be best served if you stopped beating around the bush, mm?"

I was silent for a few moments. He took a sip from the glass, then stared at me, while Ran and Linos looked on in expectance and confusion respectively. I took a breath, struggling to believe I was really doing this.

"Over the couple days... I've been experiencing what feel like premonitions."

"Premonitions," he said. His mannerisms died down a bit, his smile fading - not in favor of a more serious expression, but one that was purely neutral. "Can you be more specific?"

"Visions of things that haven't happened yet," I said, my voice becoming hesitant in spite of my best efforts "Information I, uh... I shouldn't really have."

"Can you describe the feeling itself?" He asked, looking up at me with those gentle eyes. "The sensation of it rather then the content. In your own words."

I bit my lip.

What was it that Neferuaten had called it, the other day...? Presque vu, the sense of being on the brink of revelation. But even though I'd wanted to accept that mundane explanation at the time, if I had to answer...

"I feel as though..." I hesitated, gulping down a little air. "I feel as though this has happened before."

At this, Balthazar let out a long sigh, closing his eyes, and tensed up a bit, his brow wrinkling.

"What's that face supposed to mean?" Ran asked.

"I'm just thinking about something a little frustrating," he said, his voice quiet. He reopened his eyes, looking directly at me. "Utsushikome, have you had any of these visions recently? Since you were rudely awoken this morning?"

I blinked. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't. They'd been growing in intensity up until the point my memory cut off, but since then, there'd been nothing to speak of. So I shook my head.

He nodded, slowly. "I see. I think I understand." He looked down at his glass of water, nodding to himself. "Professor Melanthos. While again, I'm grateful for your concern for me, would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

Linos blinked in confusion. "What for?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it, but I don't believe I could speak openly with you present. It's a very personal matter between me and miss Fusai, and I'm afraid it would be comfortable for me otherwise." He smiled. "If you wouldn't mind?"

The older man frowned deeply. "Even if you don't have any concern for your own safety, I'm responsible for these two, master Isan. I don't have any reason to distrust you, but leave them would be--"

"I'm not asking you to go all the way back. Just out of immediete earshot. You can even keep an eye on us through the door, if you like, so there shouldn't be any danger."

"It's alright, sir," I said, looking to him. "I'll shout if anything happens."

Linos seemed to contemplate this for a few moments, but eventually nodded, with a small sigh. "I'm not happy about this, but alright."

With that, he wheeled himself over to the entryway of the room, moving his chair up against the open doorway.

"If it's a 'personal matter,'" Ran said suspiciously, "Why am I allowed to be here?"

"Because you're the only trustworthy person here, Ran," he said, but then clicked his tongue. "Although, 'trustworthy' might be the wrong word. It would probably be more correct to say that you're the only sincere person here."

"Enough with the weird allusions, please," she said flatly.

"I'm serious," he said, taking another sip. "Everyone here is hiding something pivotal - misrepresenting themselves - except for you. You're like the eye of the storm."

"I can't tell if you're trying to compliment me, or being creepy on purpose," she replied. "Either way, it's kind of pissing me off how you're acting like you know everything."

"I haven't claimed to know everything, though I do know quite a lot. Speaking of which, now that I've caused a fuss about it, I ought to get to the point." He looked in my direction. "You said felt that this had happened before?"

I nodded, scrunching up my brow. I was really starting to regret having this idea, even if it did bear fruit.

"Well," he said casually, "that's exactly right."