Jackal Among Snakes

‘Doctor Raven’ was a shallow imitation of the man that Argrave recalled seeing in Erlebnis’ realm when he had absorbed the knowledge from the book in the Archives. Tall with natural gray hair, pale skin, and an ever-stoic demeanor, he examined Sophia twice a week to track what was occurring within her body magically and physically. He kept track of her health just as much as the magical phenomenon within.

Sophia obediently underwent examination without so much as a peep. When it was done, some of her caretakers took her aside that they might speak to the Alchemist in private.

The Alchemist stayed in his human form, his eyes gray emotionless slates. “Sophia has never been healthier. And so long as she draws breath, she always will be healthy. Her health is instinctual. Hause was right—creation, if not life itself, springs within her being. Her soul and her power are interlinked so completely as to be indistinguishable from one another. Thus far, it sustains her, keeps her safe. But it can do much more than that.”

“What does that mean for her?” Argrave asked, sitting on a chair backward while resting his arms on its back.

The Alchemist held out his hand. It split, and plants budded upward as demonstration. “If she wishes, and if she gains mastery over it, Sophia could create life. You’ve experienced it yourself—you were subject to her, and with instinct alone, she used your flesh to birth you anew.”

Argrave narrowed his eyes. “Used my flesh? That’s hardly ‘anew.’”

“The point remains. That which she touches, she can give life to. If she had a dead body before her, she could create a soul to fill it. She could change the body of another to match what she wanted. And indeed—if she learned how, she could change the memories, sentiments, and thoughts that you hold.” He gestured at Argrave. “I’ve analyzed your body. I don’t see any fundamental changes in you. Still, Sophia’s power might be subtler than anything I might see.

“The Heralds used Sophia’s power, imprisoning her within a pocket realm that was so distorted it mirrored itself in the real world.” The Alchemist held out his hands and waved to all three of them present. “We have the opportunity to do the same.”

“The Heralds were quite literally pulling her soul apart,” Argrave said coldly, rising to his feet.

The Alchemist tilted his head. His human features seemed to grow more monstrous by the second. “Did she seem pained by this?”

“That’s not…!” Argrave began, but trailed off when he realized he had no strong rebuttal. Sophia had shown no overt pain from having her soul ripped apart so. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that the idea was wrong—monstrous, even. It was pulling apart the fabric of a human being without their knowledge.

“I would say more, but the argument would be pointless,” the Alchemist dismissed. “We cannot do what the Heralds did. I never saw it, nor have I any idea how to imitate the power that they possess. Thus, we must find another method of harnessing her power of creation.”

“I understand why we have to explore this unknown. Hell, it’s the entire purpose of this project,” Argrave said, stepping forth. “But how will Sophia factor in?”

“When Gerechtigkeit descends, we have a brief window of opportunity to discover where he came from. Once we have that information, how will we get there?”

“I don’t know.”

“That question was rhetorical. I know you don’t know, that’s why I’m going to tell you,” the Alchemist said, annoyed at having been interrupted. “Sophia’s creation can surpass everything. It is quite literally beyond dimensionality. She and all of those people, yourself included, existed in a pocket dimension where time itself functioned differently. Its denizens mirrored themselves in the real world. That sort of power is the only thing we have comparable to what Gerechtigkeit can do.”

The Alchemist walked away, where he picked up a notebook and looked it over. “The situation may change when Gerechtigkeit himself descends. I cannot predict how drastically different things will be from other cycles, nor how Sophia will actually play her role. But my working theory is this; once we know where Gerechtigkeit is, to actually chase and destroy him, Sophia must create a person where he is, that they might destroy him.” He set the notebook down. “In practical terms, Sophia would recreate your flesh and soul in the location Gerechtigkeit’s true body lies.”

Anneliese looked endlessly fascinated, but Argrave nodded. “So, atomic teleportation, that sort of thing? Deconstruct me in one place, transfer me, then reconstruct me where I need to be?”

“Precisely so.” The Alchemist stepped away. “There are two ways I’ve thought of doing this. The first would be relying upon Hause. She could unlock Sophia’s dormant potential, allowing her full access to the latent power of creation. I’m sure I needn’t say how devastating that could be in the hands of a seven-year-old girl. She could quite literally transform anyone she sees into something else. A man she dislikes could become a fly. She could change the entire world with an errant thought. Her sleeping dreams could become a reality if she cannot check herself adequately.”

Anneliese looked at Argrave and said confidently, “That seems unideal. Then the other method would be, naturally—”

“Training, yes,” the Alchemist interrupted. “Argrave was able to teach Sophia the basics of controlling her power through dumb luck and close scrutiny. He only did it to free her from the snare the Heralds had set, but it was proof of concept that she has greater control over this power than she’s presently utilizing. This method still carries with it some risk, but markedly less.”

Argrave pointed at him. “So, you were just being an ass when you said Sophia might need to die.”

“Not necessarily,” the Alchemist shook his head. “In all likelihood, she is the anchor that recreates Gerechtigkeit. So long as she can rebirth him, he may never truly die.”

“But if she masters that power, does that have to be so?” Anneliese asked hopefully.

The Alchemist looked between the two of them and then turned his back. “Until we learn more, the last steps of this project are mere conjecture. But I do know this; she must learn. Anneliese—your [Truesight] gives you an innate advantage in this, but I suggest you work with Argrave. You should guide her toward this power. I will be honest. It’ll be immensely dangerous. If she grasps her power, she may spontaneously transform the world around you, if not you yourself, into whatever her imagination conjures.”

“And what’s our end goal?” Argrave asked, feeling a brewing nervousness.

The Alchemist looked back. “I don’t know. I’ve never known. Yet still I walk.”

#####

Argrave and Anneliese took the information from the Alchemist gladly, yet heavily. They were glad that they wouldn’t need to harm Sophia to bring their dreams to fruition. They were trepidatious about the immense unknown that teaching the young princess about her power would bring. This came alongside another duty just as monumentally difficult, so for now, they merely took Sophia back to her daily life until they could come up with a plan to teach her. Other tasks awaited them.

Day by day, the makeshift docks in the northern portion of Vasquer became something more permanent as the scale of the invasion increased. The Imperial Navy had surrendered, and most of their ships had been captured, giving them a sizable fleet and too many prisoners to easily deal with. With the Sea Dragon, the giant flagship capable of housing tens of thousands of troops, under their thumb, it was more than possible to transport the whole of Argrave’s army overseas. It was a dangerous, yet unavoidable proposition. Ji Meng had made the journey. It was possible.

The turtle ships of the Great Chu were fine enough vessels, and Anneliese had the same idea as Argrave once the ballistae crafted by Dario started to make their way north. They stripped out the liquid fire throwers, clearing up a large amount of room below deck. It provided ample space to fit the ballistae. It was no different from having cannons on the side of the ship. Cannons, as Argrave understood things, had changed the shape of naval warfare utterly. Magic might be considered the same thing, yet this brought the power of magic to the common man. Hundreds of ships, armed with projectiles that could shatter magic wards. It was a wondrous thing. For now, Argrave had people charging their cores day by day.

The Veidimen continued to prepare for their part in things. Argrave and Anneliese had sent Patriarch Dras for a conversation with Ji Meng to weasel out his intentions and get him caught up to speed for further conversation. His presence would be incredibly important for handling the Great Chu. It was also the largest internal threat that they had. A conqueror, schemer, and all-around bastard… but also a respected emperor that had stood at the head of an empire consisting of perhaps a hundred million people.

If harnessed properly, Emperor Ji Meng could make or break the invasion of the Great Chu. Their people would never peacefully accept invaders, especially not when they outnumbered Argrave’s forces nearly ten to one. It would take long and bloody warfare if they didn’t have someone well-respected to control; the reins to the horse, metaphorically.

No one was more adored and simultaneously feared than Ji Meng. The only question that stood was how to tame him. Anneliese speculated that he would never surrender the throne of his empire to anyone, nor would he forget the defeat at Argrave’s hand. That made him one of the worst allies imaginable.

But someone who was predictably treacherous might be just as easy to use as someone who was steadfast. That same principle guided their dealings with Sataistador. Hopefully, never shall the two meet…

Argrave opened the sliding doors leading into Emperor Ji Meng’s quarters. The emperor laid in his bed, reading a book. His head turned to them when they entered, and he sat up and kneeled formally.

“I thought I might see you soon,” Emperor Ji Meng greeted, bowing his head without any sign of discomfort. He was the sort of man to endure any humiliation if it meant rising up to where he once was.

“Then we can cut right to it,” Argrave said.

He and Anneliese entered, then shut the doors behind them. This was a negotiation for the fate of the Great Chu. Ji Meng needed Argrave as much as Argrave needed him. Both sides seemed to know this as they took their place at the negotiation table.