Reborn From the Cosmos

Arc 8-36

“How do you get someone to trust you with their deepest secrets in one night without cracking their mind like an egg?”

A creature that just admitted to brainwashing someone has no right to look so cute, especially when smiling smugly. Geneva’s tail whips with amusement as she stands before the desk of the study. It reminds me of when I would endure Father’s surprise quizzes about summoning, proudly rattling off one correct answer after another.

“I didn’t make her trust me. I made her want to trust me.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Directly influencing someone’s mind is difficult. The mind knows its normal state and resists influence. It’s much easier to feed the mind an idea. Tell it a story, so to speak. I fed her a story of a friend that has been with her in her darkest times, someone that she can trust implicitly and go to for comfort. Very few creatures would reject such an idea. Poor Ceri in particular longs for it. She latched onto the idea. I barely had to use any magic, she convinced herself.”

Saints, I hate the mental affinity. No, that’s not true. Magic is a tool. I’m sure the mental affinity is capable of wonderful things. It’s just so saints damned insidious.

“This Ceri. She’s a lackey, right? A soldier? What does she know?”

“Quite a lot. You should know, it is the lowest members of a society that see the most. For example, she knows that the meeting last night was a farce. Sin, the leader of the rebels, has no intention of allying with the Traditionalists, because the Traditionalists have no intention of truly allying with the rebels. Something he demonstrated aptly, deepening the loyalty of his people. Their movement, as they call it, is in shambles now but it is under the guidance of a capable leader.”

Is that bad? Good? If someone is taking control of the rogue elements of the city, is it better he be an easily defeated idiot that will cause all kinds of senseless collateral damage or a smart, charismatic bastard with a plan? 

I’ve never put much thought into the rebels. They’ve always been minor players, obstacles that someone will eventually push aside. If they aren’t, if they’re positioning themselves to be a major power in the future Quest, what does that mean for the city? Should we be intervening? We’re the only ones that can yank up this particular weed before it grows out of control.

“This…Sign character.”

“Sin.”

“Yeah, that. Is he dangerous?”

“Most definitely.” She chuckles at my frown. “He is preaching about violently liberating the city and its people from the yoke of any body of authority. Revolutionaries are always dangerous.”

“Yes, but he can’t actually do it.” Can he?

“That doesn’t mean that he can’t cause a lot of damage trying.”

That’s a good point. “Tell me. Do you think eliminating him would help the people?”

“No.”

Huh?

“No need to look so confused, my summoner. It’s simple. The man himself is a danger, but the idea he represents is the real threat. If you want to protect the people, you have to protect them from the ideas he’s spreading. Few things fuel an idea like the death of the one propagating it. That is also a radicalizing element.”

“You think killing him would make the hunters do even stupider things?”

“That would be my best guess.”

“But if we leave him alive, he can spread his idea himself. I don’t see how that’s better.”

“While he is alive, he is his idea. He, and the idea he represents, can be challenged. It can be proven false or lesser. If you kill him, he can no longer be challenged. His words become unassailable. Even if you ‘defeat’ the believers, they will simply assume that their dead leader understood more of their ridiculous beliefs, even if said leader was as dumb as an ox.”

Hm. I suppose I can understand that.

“Besides, this is a good crucible for the people to define themselves with. No matter what you do, only the people can decide their identity. It is their fight. Some things, people must face on their own or they’ll never grow.”

“...you really know people,” I ask while slumping in the straight-backed chair.

“You tend to pick up things when studying them for centuries.”

“Yet, you can’t properly teach me magic.”

She chuckles. “You are your own worst enemy when it comes to your progress. If you’d let me have my way with you, I’d make you a master in a matter of weeks.”

“Weeks? Not days?”

“It would require some practice.”

Sigh. “As wonderful as letting you in me sounds, I’m going to refuse. Now and forever.”

“Aw.”

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you just give me the spells?” Geneva tries to explain the logic behind magic, the underlying principles behind every variable and magic’s natural equivalent in the natural world. Her teaching was holistic, meant to expand my lacking education in every way. Unfortunately, I’m not interested. Oh, I can see the value of it but, whether it’s a lingering habit of my rebellious childhood or a natural aversion to scholarly pursuits, I’m not interested. 

Maybe there will come a time when I dedicate myself to understanding the intricate interwoven laws of nature but today, I’m only interested in the results. What’s the point of having seven affinities if I can’t use them? I can’t imagine myself enduring her lectures everyday but I can certainly spend a few hours throwing around magic.

“Yeah. Let’s say…ten of your most useful spells for the fire and water affinities. That’s a good place to start. And keep it under twenty units of mana.”

“Not my other affinities?”

“If it hasn’t been made clear yet, I don’t fully trust you. Seems wise you get other perspectives.”

“Lou, you wound me.”

Please. I don’t think I could hurt her feelings if I tried. “Have that ready by end of day.”

“Of course my summoner.”

“And this Ceri? You have that under control?”

Her smile is as charming as it is unsettling. “She is mine in ways you cannot fathom. Yes, Lou. The situation is under control.”

“Good.”

I don’t need to speak the dismissal for her to understand it. She stands and leaves the room with swaying hips that draw my eye. Temptation, it's a terrible thing. 

Not a moment after she leaves, Bell pushes open the door, waddling in on her adorable little legs, her tail pulling a serving cart behind her. I divert my gaze as she starts to shift but it only takes a few moments before Big Bell is serving tea.

“You could have just done that from the start,” I say as she sets a cup before me.

“But you enjoy watching my antics.”

I do. “I enjoy watching this form too.”

She grins, her white smile brilliant against her obsidian skin. “You’re right not to trust Geneva. You have no idea how far her schemes go and what she’s willing to do for success.”

My brows go up at the unexpected dig. “Are you allowed to speak against her?”

“She hasn’t ordered me not to.”

“Well, what am I missing?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t? I thought you all lived in each others’ minds.”

“She may come and go in our minds as she pleases but keeps her plans to herself. She must.”

“Why…”

“Because she can’t risk one of us working against her.” Her glowing eyes meet mine. “Loyalty is a compulsion, but so is the desire to grow. And there is only so much space at the top.”

“Bell. Are you trying to make me your accomplice against Geneva?”

“Wouldn’t you rather I have power over her than the other way around?” she asks as she leans over the desk. She doesn’t bother carrying around clothes that can accommodate this form so she’s very naked, a fact that is being pressed upon as she poses on the edge of the furniture. “Don’t you trust your cute Bell more than that creature?”

“Cold,” I whisper, matching her conspiratory tone as I lean toward her. I stop just before our lips touch, but she doesn’t flinch. If it were anyone else, staring into each other’s eyes without blinking like this would be romantic. “You are my cute Bell. But I’d never make the mistake of trusting you.”

“You don’t need to trust me to make use of me.”

“You’re not doing this for me.”

“No, but I’d be far more accommodating than my mistress. Like your tutoring. She is playing you, sabotaging your efforts.”

I frown. “She’s followed my orders.” She has to. Not just in letter but in spirit.

“Yes, but you haven’t given her the right orders. And she’s made sure you don’t.”

“...why?” I would think she’d want me to get stronger. The stronger my core, the better I taste to her.

“Your flesh is mana. It doesn’t need to be cultivated. Further, Geneva’s power over you is your dependence on her. The more you learn to do for yourself, the less you need her, and the less influence she has over you.”

“That’s ridiculous. It would take me centuries to be able to do what she can do.”

“It’s about mindset. If you strive to do for yourself, you will reject the easy option. She is the easy option. Each time you surrender to her, it gets a little easier to do so again. Again and again, until she creeps into every corner of your life. Her condition for victory is not to best you. It is to leave you completely dependent on her, to turn you into an eternal buffet. She wants you helpless.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“No? You wouldn’t be tempted by the prospect of doing nothing for the rest of your life besides being serviced by her? By us? In every way you can imagine…and more?”

Saints.

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

She licks her lips and we’re so close, she touches mine the barest amount. “No.”