[Chapter 17 part 1] Light - The Wall of Legends

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Light arrived first, racing ahead. The stranger was facing the pillar, legs dangling. A cloth-wrapped staff leaned in his arms, and a cloak obscured his features. There’d been no reaction to his presence.

This rock was noticeably larger than the rest, twenty feet across. It barely moved. The Helix’s boulders acted akin to springs, bobbing up and down when jumped on. I understand Kate’s warning. The gravitational force ‘fixing’ them in place equaled their masses. If someone weighing more leapt on them, the net pull would be down, and both would fall. While they’d avoided this pitfall, Free had landed off-center on a rock which had begun spinning. She’d had to root herself until it stabilized.

Once the others joined him, Rose took the initiative, “Hello, sorry to bother you, but we were wondering what you’re doing up here?”

“I’m puzzling a riddle.” A male voice responded smoothly. “Astra Skyfell returns from seclusion with eight young adults. Who could those be?”

This is bad. The man stood. “Maybe by waiting here, I’d uncover the truth. After all, how could new arrivals resist admiring the view? Perhaps a chance encounter might even be possible.”

Turning, he lowered his hood revealing short blond hair. His extreme handsomeness bordered on the unnatural. With the sweetest of smiles and the kindest of tones, he spoke, “Would you mind letting me see your faces?”

It occurred in an instant. The man’s staff blurred, and Light felt a searing pain as their scarves blew away in the wind. Back at the man’s side was a golden spear. Seeing the cuts on his siblings’ faces, Light understood. He ripped off our disguises, scrapping our cheek bones in the process.

“You nearly killed us.” Light raged.

“No, I didn’t.” The man’s grin widen, showing teeth. The gilded weapon flashed again, and other side of Light’s face was torn apart. “See? I never miss, not by a millimeter.”

So he intentionally gouged us? This thought was interrupted by searing agony. Golden spikes had sprung up at their feet, digging into their ankles.

“If I made them bigger, your friends might see them.” The blond man apologized. “By the way, please don’t yell. I haven’t decided to kill you yet.”

They each stopped the bleeding in their own way, with Free mending her wounds completely. That left them pinned to the ground before a lunatic. “Why’re you doing this?” Soul demanded.

“I wanted to see your faces.” The man answered off hand, examining them. His eyes fell on Rose and lit up. The picturesque smile returned, “Oh, I see.”

He pointed his spear lazily, “You, what’s your name?”

“Rose.” His sister answered coldly.

“Tell me, Rose,” The man chuckled. “What was Lily’s expression when she saw you?”

He’s figured it out. The man watched them grimace, his chuckling intensifying, “Trapped forever in a child’s body… Then meeting you for the first… time…” The man spoke each sentence between bursts of laughter. “How much suffering did you cause her?” The man covered his mouth, recovering enough to eke out one last question, “How did she stop herself from killing you on the spot?”

Then the laughter consumed him. They watched paralyzed as he leaned on his spear, madly convulsing. It lasted an eternity. Finally, he regained control, and his spear faced Rose again, “I’m definitely letting you live. Your existence causes unbearable torment to another.” He drew himself straight. “I approve.”

“You’re the Laughing Man.” Rose stated the obvious.

The man made mocking bow. His spear then swung to Free, “You… are fairly handy with healing magic, aren’t you?” Free paled. Damn…

“Sola’s doppelganger, is it? I've got good news! You have even less to fear than dear Rose over there.” He began giggling again, but contained it through sheer force of will. “Just by living, you’ll cause so much misery, for the world, for yourself, for those around you… Not to mention that disposing of you would be widely considered a good deed. Imagining the praise makes my skin crawl.”

“Are you planning to kill us?” Soul asked.

The man lowered his weapon, glancing at Soul with pity. “You really don’t understand how this world works… Or have much faith in your protectors.” He shook his head sadly. “You were never in any real danger… physically that is. Letting me learn your identity, not a great idea.”

“Anyway, you have a scary necromancer traveling with you who’s talented at sensing death and has very warped ideas about time. Those lesions are the limit of what I could get away with. Anything more might’ve also drawn a reactions from those hundreds of fiery birds over there. Besides, your greatest protection is something beyond all of that.”

“Clones of the seven heroes and Sola… You’re all undoubtedly ‘main characters’ which the HEAVENLY DAO is following.” He made slow, sneering smile, “Overcoming plot armor as thick as yours requires time and effort. Preparations must be made. A tragic narrative crafted. A fatal flaw exploited.”

“However—” The man declared passionately. “Some things must be attempted even when you know they’ll fail. You shouldn’t let the prospect of success alone guide your actions. Sometimes it’s the principle itself that matters.”

He turned to Soul, cruel determination in his eyes. “That’s why… Doppelganger of Ethan Skyfell… You don’t mind, right? If I try killing you…”

This can’t be happening! They watched in horror as the man raised his spear theatrically. Then his eyes went wide, and he jumped back. A blackness washed over where he’d been standing, severing the rock in two.

“I knew it.” He laughed as Simon drop down besides them. “That’s a scary blade you’ve got there. Where’d you get it?”

Simon didn’t speak. He was holding a knife, one hand on the handle, the other on the sheath. Although Light never saw him move, the spikes holding them were broken apart.

“That’s my queue.” The man let himself fall backwards. “Thanks for satiating my curiosity!”

They listened listlessly as the mocking laughter dissipated. There was no excitement at their ‘rescue’. We know how grim this is.

“We’re returning.” Simon said. “Be still.”

He grabbed their collars, two in each hands. Light felt himself go weightless, and the scenery raced by. Then they were above the terrace. Simon released them, letting gravity take hold.

“Thank goodness you’re ok.” Kate exclaimed.

“That’s relative.” Rose said emotionlessly. “We’ve just exposed ourselves to the worse possible person.” She smiled wryly. “We couldn’t even manage an hour without being unmasked.” She touched her face. “Literally.”

“Let me tend to everyone.” Free declared fiercely. She finished in seconds. “That’ll do for now. Later, I’ll work on our bones. Every trace will be erased.”

“Let’s talk inside.” Simon said. They entered and gathered around the table.

“Wouldn’t it be better to head to the Inner Palace?” Kate asked.

Simon shook his head, “Between myself and the phoenixes, here is secure enough. Also, I can’t cross the flaming wall, which is a good thing. The less people with permission, the safer it is. Where are your bags?”

“Below.” Soul offered.

Simon turned to Kate,“Is there anything nearby to hide their faces?”

“I’ll grab something.” Kate rushed off. For some reason, Silver trailed after her. God, I wish I was fearless right now.

“When will Lily return?” Free asked.

“As soon as she can ditch the press.” Simon answered. “About twenty minutes after the announcement, Astra ducked out, leaving Lily to answer questions.”

“How’d you get here so fast?” Kate asked as she distributed red shawls. “You were there before I’d shut off my wrystal.”

“After leaving the conference hall, I jumped back in time to arrive when you ended your call.” Simon explained. “I couldn’t appear earlier without getting crushed by paradox.” Time travel, cool… Under normal circumstances, he would’ve latched on to the topic.

“Now that everyone’s collected themselves,” Simon said. “Please recount every detail. Leave nothing out.”

Rose did most of the talking. She’s good at this. Once finished, the room was silence. This was my idea. He’d wanted the climb the Helix from the moment he lay eyes on it. When he’d seen someone sitting there, he’d been overjoyed. It’s my fault. He’d long accepted that his impulses might land him in trouble. You can’t be awesome without risks. Sadly, it was only his own well-being he was willing to gamble with. Must I reign myself in? Can I even do that?

“Simon, please tell us about the Laughing Man.” Wise suggested. Light perked up. I must evaluate the harm I’ve caused.

“Alright,” Simon said, “I’m sure you’re familiar with the basics. He emerged four centuries ago out of nowhere and possesses the ability to warp long distances without the Pillar. However, what’s truly frightening isn’t his strength or mobility. It’s the malevolent cunning behind it. He knows how to orchestrate the downfall of heroes. Arther Bard is proof of this.”

Simon shook his head while staring far off, “He loves to ‘play the villain’, appearing before his victims to taunt them. Never have I heard of this working against him. When the information he leaks is acted on, it’s a distraction or ruse. Other times, his revealed schemes are ignored, and an opportunity to stop them is lost.”

“How’s that possible?” Dawn asked.

“He reads people.” Simon explained. “He determines how they’ll react and says what’ll lead to the greatest harm.”

“Should we discard his words as lies?” Free asked.

“Yes, that would be best.” Simon winced faintly. “I must qualify the last part. The Laughing Man recognizes the truth’s value. He rarely speaks falsehoods unless it’s to ensure a particularly dire outcome.”

It doesn’t make sense. “Why bother?” Light asked. “Revealing his plans, I mean. Even if it works out, it’s an unnecessary risk.”

“It’s his nature. Rather than just breaking a damn to flood a village, he’ll tell the residents in advance. Then, when disaster befalls them, their anguish is magnified by the knowledge they might’ve prevented it. He’ll go to excruciating lengths for that extra bit of torment.”

Simon smiled melancholically, “A hero brings about a happy ending from a hopeless situation. The Laughing Man does the opposite. He stages tragedies where none should be possible. His strength, courage, dedication, intellect, and demeanor are unimpeachable. It’s the ideals he adheres to which make him a monster.”

“Why’d he withdraw so quickly when you showed up?” Soul wondered.

“I presented a dangerous battle without prospect of victory. Reinforcement would’ve shown up long before anything was decided. Not to mention I have a ‘righteous grudge’ against him, as old and powerful as they come. He knows better than anyone how dangerous those can be.”

Hope raised her hand, “What’s that?”

Simon considered, “Someone at the guild should teach you some basics. I’ll suggest this to Astra.”

“As to your query, The HEAVENLY DAO loves revenge stories as they make thrilling entertainment. To encourage them, those seeking retribution are granted strength when confronting their target. This advantage is called a ’righteous grudge’ and is proportional to the wrong being redressed.”

With inquires running dry, Light asked what they’d all avoided, “Will he tell the world?” This is what matters.

(continued in part 2)