Daddy…

Oh, daddy…

Where are you?

I need to show you… they taught me things.

So many things.

Why are you running?

Don’t you love me?

I will find you.

Daddy.

Anne opened her eyes. Darkness. The cold floor left her face sore as she found herself out of her bed. The air was stale and smelled like wax and dust. Crawling on her hands and knees, she felt her way around the small room until she found what she hoped was the door. The thick wooden door was set so firm that barely any light made it past its edges.

Where am I? I remember that voice… telling me to knock. The people in blue. It was real?

My head is clear, and I feel… good.

But.

Anne ran her hands over her face and nose.

Clean? I don’t feel any blood. This is strange.

She pounded against the thick wooden door with her tiny fists. The resulting thuds were barely audible, but footsteps could be heard outside shortly after. The door slowly opened, and the bold man stood in the doorway. His concerned eyes met her as she sat on the floor.

“Good morning my child,” he said gently, pressing his palms together in front of his chest. He moved one hand up until it lightly touched his chin and gave a slight bow.

“I know you have a lot of questions, and so do I, but breakfast first.”

Anne nodded and took the man’s hand as he helped her onto her feet. They made their way down the hall and into a large room. The smell of food hit them as they entered, and a hundred or so faces turned to gaze at them. The bold man simply waved his hand, and everyone turned back to their breakfast.

Tables were strewn around the room at random and were packed with blue-robed people buzzing with indistinct chatter.

They reached a large table at the far end that overlooked the rest. A small table and chair were set beside it, and the man gestured to Anne towards it. She took her seat and the man sat down at the larger table. The roof was high, with beams of light softly shining in through small windows set high in the walls. Food was soon placed in front of them, which Anne happily dug into.

After they finished their rather large breakfast, Anne saw the bald man smiling at her.

“Did you enjoy the meal?” He asked.

Anne gave him a big smile and nodded happily.

“Good. Now, let us leave. I’m sure you are itching for a talk.”

With another nod from Anne, they both got up.

Following the man, they left the others to enjoy the rest of their meal. After a short walk and a whole lot of stairs, they entered a spacious room set atop a tower that loomed over the rest of the buildings. There was no furniture except for twelve chairs that sat in a circle in the center of the chamber. Many large windows lined the wall of the round room. Anne ran up to one to look down at the scene below.

“This is Concordia, the chapel of harmony. We are the followers of the True Voice,” the man said as he stopped next to her, also looking out of the window.

“And I am Darius, the Abbot of Concordia.” Darius held his hands, palms together, against his chest. He then lifted one hand towards his chin as he bowed slightly.

“I greet you. Take note of my gestures, for this is the salutation you will receive, for it is a friendly greeting from a member of Concordia to any other member of lower standing.”

Anne eyed him closely and quickly mimicked the movements as best she could.

“Very good, though because you are not officially a member you will greet everyone as of higher standing.” Darius smiled, and again placed both palms together in front of his chest. Keeping his palms together, he raised both hands to his chin and gave a more prominent bow.

“While you are here, please use this greeting. It is very important, and a proper show of respect is held in high regard. Though this hierarchy is not one of uncontested power or importance, it does present an environment to learn care, respect, and the drive to improve oneself.”

“I will do my best,” Anne said softly as she mimicked the greeting.

“Good, good. Now for the last one…” Darius started but was interrupted when the door to the room opened.

“Father! You called for me?” The person said out of breath.

It was Kate. She quickly clenched her right hand into a fist and placed it into the palm of her left hand, held both against her naval, and gave a deep bow.

Darius greeted in response, with one hand touching his chin. He looked down at Anne and winked, and Anne smiled back and nodded happily for she understood.

“Just in time, Kate. Young Anne here was just learning our ways of greeting.”

Anne turned to Kate and quickly motioned the way she was shown. Kate’s face lit up and she returned the greeting.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Kate exclaimed.

“We are about to sit in the Ring of Questions, the Silence of Lies. The most important matters needing discussion, are done so here.” Darius explained and pointed to the circle of chairs in the room.

“I am not all-knowing, but I hope that my knowledge will suffice. I must caution you though. We will each only receive three questions today. We can always do this in the future should some questions remain unanswered.”

Anne could not understand why she felt so happy and cheerful, yet she enjoyed every moment of it. Darius took a seat in the circle of chairs and Anne took the chair opposite him. Kate dropped down next to Anne on the floor, grinning. Kate was a teenager with long red hair that did its best to cover her face. Anne giggled at the fact that they both had unruly hair.

She is so pretty!

“So.” Darius interrupted.

“Anne. Welcome to the Ring of Questions, the Silence of Lies. In this circle, each participant can ask three questions and will receive three answers. No falsehood in your answers must exist, nor trickery in your questions. Should there be any of this, then your words will bear no sound."

"There is no need to worry," Kate added.

Darius smiled in agreement and turned his body to face Anne.

"When I met you, I felt that you had a lot of questions, and after meeting you I now have the same. You can ask me any questions you have, and I will answer them to the best of my abilities. In return, I ask that you truthfully answer mine. Do you accept?” Darius asked in his usual soothing voice.

“…Yes,” Anne answered.

“You can ask the first question,” Darius said.

Anne sat thinking of a question, though she was a bit flustered. Since they met in the ally she almost felt as if she was merely a spectator inside of her body. It took only seconds until the questions started to stream in.

“What… what happened to me yesterday, when we got to the fountain?” Anne asked as she recollected those moments while she fingered a curl that dangled on her face.

“Well, I knew that you would ask, yet I do not have an answer… yet. Some of the questions I will ask you are aimed at finding out that very answer. What I do know is that your hollow was, for some reason, very susceptible to the touch of those around you. When we huddled to get you out of that dangerous district, I think that we dazed your hollow. It can happen, though I have not seen it in person for many years."

Darius threw a quick glance at Kate.

"Kate performed a quick sealing ceremony on you during the night. More on that later,” he answered, his voice a bit distant.

My… hollow?

“I'll tell you all about it later, ok?” Kate nudged Anne with her elbow.

Darius nodded in agreement.

“Please, another question,” he added.

A question. Think.

Think…

“Then, will you tell me about… ‘The Incident?” Anne asked.

Kate shuddered at the question. Her smile faded.

“Years ago,” Darius explained. “The Incident was an event that changed the world we all knew. The fury of God descended upon man and the evil that plagued their hearts and soiled their hands. Before ‘The Incident’, people’s emotions of lust, jealousy, and anger shaped their lives. But after, those emotions became their judgment. You heard their shallow lies; Spouting genetic mutation or disease to explain the thorn in their flesh.”

Anne’s eyes were wide, but she remained silent.

“Nobody was exempt from this. And from that day any man, woman, or child that could not calm their emotions, whether it be anger or sorrow, would face the most gruesome of ends.

Feelings of joy and happiness were least affected, but still becoming a danger when pushed to the extremes."

Darius hastily silenced Anne before she could speak.

"I am afraid I might have created more questions than I have answered, but rest assured that all will be revealed. Keep only your most vital questions for the circle."

“I have answered some of your questions, my child. Now, answer mine.”

“You are but a child, yet I have not met any child who speaks or thinks quite as you do, nor have I met any person with the fortitude that you have displayed. You are quite proficient in both your knowledge of things that be and your skills in reading, yet you say you don’t remember anything of your past. Though I confess, my assessment is based only on the little I have seen, and when examining your mind on our way here. I must ask, should you still remember. Who taught you?”

Both Anne and Kate stared at him in disbelief.

“Father! You can’t be serious?” Kate cried.

“Silence child,” he retorted calmly. “My question bears no ill intent. Let her answer.”

“I…” Anne began. Both Kate and Darius listened intently.

“… don’t know. It is true. I don’t remember anything but the past few days. And I can’t read. I never have. I couldn't even read my age on my wrist.” The steadiness of her words scared her, but she did not give it much thought. Darius raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

He didn’t respond.

“I read the sign!” Anne suddenly burst out.

“But I… I have never read… before.”

A smile crossed Darius’ face. “Well, I can hear your answer, which means that whether it is true or not, you do not lie. I accept your answer.” He said.

Do I think differently? How did I read that sign? I never knew I could. Was this something I could do from the start?

“But…”

Anne began to speak, but he simply held out his hand.

“Be calm my child. This is no place to linger on these thoughts. Please, ask your last question.”

Anne hesitated as she tried to clear her mind. Kate sat with her arms crossed, staring indignantly at Darius.

“What… what is this place? Who are you and the people here?” Anne asked.

“I will treat that as one question, by answering both with one answer.”

Darius replied.

“After ‘The Incident’, many people tried to make sense of the chaos.

Researchers created that abomination they call ‘The Cure’. It’s just a suppressant, suppressing almost all emotion. It makes you less than human by removing choice and responsibility.

Though the current form they force down the people’s throats has improved quite a lot over the years. It does let some positive emotions through, but it still leaves one rather simple and shallow.”

“There were others, very few others, who instead begged God for deliverance. The answer came. The True Voice. A voice inside us, of God himself, that taught us how to gain better control over our minds and emotions. And thus the True Voice helped us survive the wrath of his punishment, should we keep the faith and live true to the precepts. Note that this is but one of many chapels such as this scattered across Ostiarius”

Anne had no time to contemplate as Darius readied his question.

“Anne. For my next question, I will need you to think back to when we met. In that alley. I’m sure you understand now what happened that day. Or should I say, what could have happened that day? But it didn’t. Please tell me, my child, how did you face the wrath of God’s punishment, and prevail?

Punishment? That is what it was? But I've done nothing wrong! But I did survive. How?

“A voice,” she replied softly.

Darius shuddered at the word. “But my child… this does not make sense.”

“You are right… it does not make sense. I thought it was your voice that I heard. I guess it was not.” Anne said, fiddling with her hair even more.

“The True Voice… It spared you, while judgment was already sentenced. I have never heard of such a thing, yet you don’t lie.” Darius mumbled as he tried to contemplate the consequences.

Anne felt uneasy. Her mind wandered back to the horrible scorching pain she suffered in the alley, and on the train. But all of that dissolved when she brushed one of the sockets hidden under her shirt while fidgeting. Anne’s mood turned cold and dark. She stood up. Her eyes burned into Darius making him shift in his seat.

“My last question.”

"But, you already..." Darius started.

Anne clutched her dark pink shirt and without hesitation pulled it off. She threw her shirt at Kate, who let out a shriek. She watched out from behind her red hair that now covered half of her face. Darius quickly tried to divert his stare, but Anne slowly walked toward him. His face flushed with dismay as she turned around, exposing the metal sockets that ran down her back and dotted her body.

“What am I?”

Darius froze. His expression was hard and unyielding as he pushed himself to maintain control. He then took a deep breath to calm himself as he began to survey Anne’s body.

“Oh, my dear, dear child. Look what they did to you.”

Anne could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

“An ‘entity’, perhaps?” He murmured.

“No… No. Entities were grown men and women with only two or four of these horrible synaptic sockets. Usually on their arms. This is excessive. You… you were not used in the creation of the so-called cure.”

Darius closed his eyes. "Please get dressed."

Anne took her shirt from Kate and slid into it.

Darius took Anne’s hand and turned her around. After wiping a tear from her eye. He worriedly looked at Kate, and then back at Anne.

“To finish my answer, my child. I think I once knew the explanation. Yet… the methods they developed for erasing memories are very effective.” His words hit both Anne and Kate straight in the gut.

Darius sympathetically cupped Anne’s cheek.

“Though the effects on children were always more… severe.”