Chapter 57: Unfinished Conversations
Mason woke furious. The emotion remained waiting for him the moment consciousness returned.
It sat there patiently, ready to continue exactly where it had left off.
His eyes opened.
Sunlight spilled through the chamber windows.
The palace looked peaceful...but there’s a lie lying beneath it.
Athlian remained silent.
That only made things worse.
Mason sat upright. "You could at least say something."
No answer.
"You took control."
Silence.
"You went to see him."
Still nothing.
Mason laughed once.
A sharp sound.
"That’s what I thought."
Athlian finally stirred. ’You’re angry.’
"Congratulations."
The reply came immediately.
’I didn’t ask for your approval.’
That almost restarted the argument.
Instead Mason stood from the bed.
Because if he continued talking right now, neither of them would accomplish anything.
Athlian seemed to realize the same thing.
The silence returned.
It was uncomfortable and heavy. And very far from finished.
Unfortunately, the day had already begun.
A servant informed him that Zereth had requested his presence at the archives.
Mason immediately considered refusing.
The temptation lasted several seconds.
Then reality intervened.
The Witness investigation remained too important.
So he went.
The archives had become busier over the past week.
More guards, scholars, officials.
More people pretending they weren’t spying on each other.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Everybody knew something significant was hidden inside the old records.
Nobody knew exactly what.
Zereth stood near a table covered in documents.
Several maps had been spread across the surface.
Ancient maps.
Mason recognized that immediately.
"Please tell me we found something useful."
Zereth smiled faintly. "Useful is subjective."
"That’s a bad sign."
The immortal ignored the complaint.
"We’ve identified three locations mentioned repeatedly in the journal."
That got Mason’s attention.
He approached the table.
The maps showed territories from centuries ago.
Some kingdoms no longer existed.
Others had changed names entirely.
Zereth pointed toward several markings.
"These locations appear unrelated."
"And?"
"The journal references them repeatedly."
Mason studied the map.
The places sat far apart.
Different regions, cultures and eras.
No obvious connection.
Athlian became interested immediately.
’Those aren’t random.’
"Helpful observation."
’I wasn’t trying to be helpful.’
Zereth continued. "Each location later disappeared from official records."
Mason blinked. "What?"
"The settlements existed."
The immortal tapped one of the markings.
"Then suddenly they didn’t."
"Destroyed?"
"No evidence."
The second location received a similar explanation.
Then the third.
Same result.
Records vanished.
References disappeared.
History simply... stopped mentioning them.
The pattern bothered him.
A lot.
"That’s impossible."
"Normally."
Mason hated that word.
Normally.
Because nothing surrounding this investigation qualified as normal anymore.
One of the archivists approached carrying several scrolls. The elderly woman looked exhausted.
Which was becoming a common condition inside the archives.
"We found another reference."
Zereth accepted the document.
His eyes moved across the text.
Then narrowed.
"What is it?"
The immortal handed it over.
Mason read carefully. Most of the text had deteriorated.
Only fragments remained but one sentence survived.
The Witnesses remember what Heaven forgets.
Nothing else explained the statement.
Nothing clarified it.
The line simply existed...
Mason reread it twice.
Then a third time.
"The more I learn, the less sense anything makes."
"Welcome to historical research."
The archivist sounded genuinely tired.
Mason understood completely.
Several hours passed examining records.
Most produced little.
Some raised additional questions.
A few seemed deliberately written to frustrate future readers.
Ancient scholars were apparently terrible people.
Eventually Mason escaped.
His survival instincts remained healthy.
The palace gardens provided temporary relief.
Until familiar footsteps approached.
The commander carried a folder beneath one arm.
Mason pointed immediately. "That’s paperwork."
"It is."
"I’m sorry."
Draca looked amused. "I’ll survive."
"Debatable."
The commander sat beside him on a stone bench.
For several moments neither spoke.
The silence felt easy.
A rare luxury lately.
Mason hated how much he appreciated it.
Draca eventually glanced toward him. "You look tired."
"So do you."
"Fair."
Neither denied it.
The capital remained under pressure.
The investigation continued expanding.
Temple factions argued daily.
Coalition representatives demanded answers.
Everyone wanted solutions.
Nobody possessed them.
Draca leaned back slightly. "The council meeting was unpleasant."
"
That describes most council meetings."
"True."
Mason smiled despite himself.
The commander noticed.
Something softened in his expression.
Athlian noticed too.
Unfortunately.
There it is again.’
"I’m ignoring you."
’Coward.’
He ignored that as well.
Draca studied him quietly.
Then asked something unexpected. "Are you alright?"
The question sounded simple.
But It wasn’t.Mason immediately recognized that because Draca wasn’t asking about politics, investigations or palace problems.
He was asking about him.
That realization landed harder than expected.
"Mostly."
The commander didn’t look convinced.
Fortunately, another interruption arrived.
Unfortunately, it arrived in the form of two former lovers.
Both appeared simultaneously.An event Mason now considered a natural disaster.
The first smiled.
The second smiled too.
That somehow felt worse.
"My goddess."
"We’ve been looking for you."
Mason immediately regretted existing.
Draca looked entertained.
The next ten minutes became a competition disguised as conversation.
One complimented his appearance.
The other complimented his intelligence.
Then they began trying to outdo each other.
Mason suffered.
Draca watched.
Clearly enjoying himself.
Eventually Mason pointed accusingly.
"You could help."
"I could."
The commander made no effort to move.
The women laughed.
Draca actually smiled.
Mason considered several dramatic responses.
None seemed effective.
Thankfully, a messenger arrived.
The universe occasionally showed mercy.
The young attendant bowed hurriedly.
"Commander."
Draca stood. "What happened?"
"A tribunal representative has arrived."
The mood shifted immediately.
Even the former lovers became serious.
Tribunal involvement rarely produced good news.
Draca’s expression hardened. "When?"
"Just now."
The commander exchanged a glance with Mason.
Something unspoken passed between them.
The palace atmosphere changed within the hour.
Word spread quickly.A Tribunal envoy had requested an audience officially and publicly.
Which meant the visit had been intentional.
That alone worried people.
Mason joined the gathering later that afternoon.
The audience chamber remained crowded.
Nobles.
Ministers.
Temple officials.
Coalition observers.
Everyone attended.
Nobody trusted anyone else.
The envoy stood at the center of the hall.
A woman; tall, composed and expressionless.
She wore simple silver robes without decoration.
Oddly modest compared to most high-ranking religious officials.
Mason studied her carefully.
Something felt strange...a familiarity.
The sensation vanished before he could identify it.
The envoy addressed the assembly calmly.
"The Tribunal wishes to assist ongoing investigations."
Several ministers visibly relaxed.
Mason immediately distrusted the statement.
The Tribunal never offered assistance without motivation.
Everyone knew that.
The envoy continued. "The recent Heaven Fracture affected more than this kingdom."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Murmurs spread throughout the chamber.
The woman allowed them.
Then spoke again. "We seek cooperation."
Nobody looked reassured, especially Zereth.
The immortal stood near the rear of the chamber as he observed everything.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
Most of it consisted of politics.
Carefully phrased questions.
Carefully avoided answers.
The usual. Yet one detail remained
troubling.
The envoy seemed particularly interested in the archives.
Not the palace.
Not the underground prison.
The archives.
Mason noticed.
So did Zereth and Draca.
None of them liked it. By evening the palace felt more tense than before.
Which was impressive.
The palace had already been extremely tense.
After dinner Mason finally returned to his chambers.
Exhaustion settled over him.
Athlian remained unusually quiet.
The argument still lingered between them.
Unresolved.
Eventually she spoke. ’You’re still angry.’
"Very observant."
A pause followed.
Longer this time.
Then:
’You think I betrayed you.’
Mason frowned.
The answer arrived before he could stop it.
"Didn’t you?"
Silence.
Another pause.
Then:
’I protected something important to me.’
The response irritated him instantly.
"That explains nothing."
’I know.’
"Then explain it."
Athlian didn’t. Instead she withdrew again.
Leaving only frustration behind.
Hours later sleep finally arrived.
And with it...
Another dream.
Mason found himself standing inside a corridor. Stone walls stretched endlessly ahead.
Ancient lanterns illuminated the darkness.
The place felt familiar. Like a memory belonging to somebody else.
Footsteps echoed nearby as someone walked ahead of him.
A silhouette.
Impossible to identify.
The figure stopped beside a doorway.
Then turned.
Mason couldn’t see a face.
Only shadows.
Yet one phrase reached him clearly.
"The Witnesses were never meant to survive."
The corridor trembled.
The dream shifted.
Another image appeared.
A table.
Several people were seated around it.
Documents scattered across the surface.
Arguments.
Fear.
Urgency.
Someone spoke. "They’re already rewriting it."
Another voice answered. "Then we record everything."
The vision fractured.
Light shattered.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then chains echoed once more.
Mason woke immediately.
His heart raced.
The room remained dark.
Moonlight crossed the floor.
Athlian was awake too.
He felt it.
Neither spoke immediately.
Finally Mason broke the silence.
"Another memory?"
’I don’t know.’
The answer sounded honest which worried him.Because lately neither of them knew where the visions originated.
Memory.
Dream.
History.
Something else entirely.
The boundaries continued blurring.
A knock interrupted the moment.
Mason frowned.
Who knocked on doors in the middle of the night?
Apparently Draca.
The commander entered moments later.
His expression remained serious.
Mason sat upright immediately.
"What happened?"
Draca closed the door behind him.
Then placed a folded paper on the table.
"Zereth sent this."
That was unexpected.
Mason accepted the document.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
The message contained only a few lines.
A newly recovered section of the Last Witness journal had been discovered.
And according to Zereth...someone had attempted to remove it less than an hour earlier.
The Chamber That Shouldn’t Exist
Mason looked up.
Draca’s expression had darkened.
Neither needed to say it aloud.
Someone was actively trying to keep the truth buried.
And for the first time... It appeared they were getting close enough for somebody to panic.
