Chapter 197 - Daydreams Of Better Times

One of the things Isca hated most was snow. It was why she had gone out of her way to leave the North in pursuit of a warmer, more idyllic Southern life. 

For years, she had worked, studied, and struggled for the singular goal of escaping the closed, tomb-like cities of her youth. Even though there was still plenty to do within the North, the one thing Isca wanted beyond her reach. 

She wanted to see a clear sky. A simple request that proved impossible, for the eternal winter that had once claimed the North would not permit it.

But things were different now.

Autumn had arrived in the North and with it, the splendor of crimson blessed the land. 

It was quite the sight for Isca, who had only ever seen frigid hues of white and l.u.s.trous silver in the North. Life had started to recover with the return of the seasons and the miraculous downpour of ambrosia that occurred during the Eventide. 

"How long has it been since you've been away?" asked Reed after he noticed her captivated expression at the scenery around them. 

"Four years, give or take a couple of months," replied Isca as she relished the crunching sound of the fallen leaves underneath her feet. It was a childish delight that drew a soft chuckle from Reed to her annoyance, the inconsiderate boor. 

Apparently, Reed had become quite an avid fan of hiking since the Eventide, or rather, he enjoyed retreating into the wilderness to observe his work. He felt it was his responsibility to look after it — the earth — given he was one who had given it life. 

The small saplings sprouted a few years ago had already grown into virile, colorful columns that stretched into the clear sky above, a far cry from their previous condition only a couple of years ago...

"It's like an entirely different world just sprung up seemingly overnight when I wasn't looking. To think all this growth occurred in the span of little more than two years," murmured Isca in soft disbelief. 

For Isca, those twin years had passed in a flash the wake of the Eventide and the immense change it had brought, but to Reed, they had the longest years of his life, by far.

For Reed, those twin years had been most painful. They were filled with many unexpected trials and tribulations that had put him through his paces and then some.

But he did not look back on those years with aversion, for in his mind, they had finally allowed him to test himself. To face a great challenge and prove to himself what he had known all along from the beginning.

"It's not that surprising," said Reed as he played with a small leaf. "These little saplings just needed an opportunity to grow, that's all. And I gave them that chance. To turn a new leaf, so to speak..." 

Why should I have been the only one to be given a chance to grow, after all? Fair enough that the land should get an opportunity to heal and grow if the people living off of it got one.

Isca found his boast a bit too grandiose, but couldn't find anything to say about it when she noticed the peculiar tone in his voice.

It was clear to her that she had just stumbled on something potentially combustive if improperly handled. The last time Isca blundered, Reed had become nigh-feral in momentary retaliation— a terrifying event she preferred to never experience again. 

Even so, Isca did not believe that he would ever harm her. Though Isca did not have the most astute eye of discernment, she was of the belief that Reed would never do such a lowly thing. 

He was of sub-common lineage, born without anything to his name, and yet, it had not diminished him in the slightest. Indeed, though she had only known him for little more than a month, it had been enough to sketch a rough portrait of his character, his inner nature. 

His demeanor would not allow for any form of impropriety, minor playful jests aside. There was a sharp correctness to his behavior that one would think him unkind, but she thought more a product of his... troubled childhood.

The fault did not lie on him for being like that, and for what it was worth, she liked his solemn approach to life, as it befitted his tremendously important position in Mulia. 

His tongue was usually quite concise, a trait some would consider belonging to an unsociable man, but she knew better. It was the quality of a disciplined man, one who did not want for meaningless drivel, to pollute the air around himself with hot air. 

To her, Reed was an exceedingly complex and noble soul that had been beset with responsibilities that ordinary people could not even begin to fathom...

And then Reed curiously said, "Who or what are you thinking about, might I ask? ...Someone special, perhaps?" 

The question immediately dragged Isca out of the dangerous spiral she'd almost lost herself in and abruptly said, "I-I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about!" 

For a moment, the gears landed in the correct position and he loathed his preternatural mind for what it had figured out before he even conciously realized it himself.

The rise in her blood pressure, the dilation of her pupils upon looking at him, her increased heart rate, even the vigorous neuronal activity in her brain. 

Reed could see all of it. He quite literally watched it happen on a microscopic level and there was nothing he could do to avoid putting the puzzle pieces together at Mach speed.

There was such a thing as being cursed with knowledge.

He would have preferred not to know the truth, but his mind would not permit the blessing of ignorance. In fact, he was sure that this was not... the first time he had figured it out. Reed was positive he had already discerned the truth dozens of times, but it did not matter to him. 

Melt.

False. 

Return. 

Forget.

Once formatted into hard data — a recognizable neuronal configuration in his brain — he promptly registered the specific pattern as "unacceptable", thereby drawing a blank if it was ever accidently triggered.

Reed had not erased the memory but merely put a lock on it. And until he unlocked it himself, he would remain oblivious of its existence. 

A small act of mercy on Isca's behalf and his own.

To break her heart would likely spell alter her perception of him irrevocably, no doubt, and ruin a relationship he had come to enjoy very much. Finding someone with whom he could share his secrets and get a fresh perspective out of them was extremely rare for him. 

And he did not want to lose that just yet. 

Many years ago in his youth, a very close friend had informed him that men and women could never be friends and he had scoffed at him in disbelief. Nowadays, he was inclined to agree with that statement, to his dismay...

If only for a millisecond, Reed's eyes lifelessly glazed over, and then his consciousness returned, unaware of what had just transpired.

Reed shrugged his shoulders and thought to himself that whoever had elicited such a lovable expression out of her was a lucky person.

The pure, bare-faced adoration in her eyes reminded him of the first time saw that expression on...

They were only a few minutes away from their destination, a place Reed had wanted to visit for some time.

The old, winding trail they had been walking on was not a new one to Reed. Far from it. He was quite familiar with it, given it was one he had frequented very much in his youth...

For he was the one who created it. 

It was an old trail Reed had carved out in a dreary forest back when he had begun to explore the North as a budding trainee. Without regard for anything or anyone, he used his powers at the time to do as he wished, inadvertently tearing apart a personal trail to the top of a small hill simply because he capable of doing it.

Even now, he still felt a bit sorry for the damage he had inflicted upon the impoverished forest. But it had healed since then, to Reed's delight. The old trail had almost disappeared already, nearly buried underneath the overgrowth of the blossoming forest. 

When Reed and Isca finally made to the end of the trail, they found themselves atop a hill that overlooked a forest set ablaze in the warmest colors possible. A sight to behold, for sure, but it was not why Reed had brought them here today. 

No, he had brought them there to see that — the decrepit tower in the distance.

The Spire.

"What a tower!" exclaimed Isca, "I've never seen something that big, well, in all my life..." 

It was almost as if she's testing me, Reed thought. There was no way Isca wasn't trying to get him to say something foolish and highly inappropriate. In his mind, she had cast the golden bait that no imm.a.t.u.r.e man could resist remarking upon.

Reed grit his teeth as he restrained the urge and let out an awkward cough before he said, "Yes... that is— or rather, once was a place of discipline and education. And even though I only had a brief stay there, that place has never left my heart. Even half a decade later, I can still remember every day I spent there as if it had only been yesterday..." 

To him as a youth, it'd been a dreadful, never-ending nightmare but as with all things in retrospect, his opinion had changed with time.

He recognized the unique comfort that had been bestowed upon him at the time — to be perfectly safe, to possess friends for the first time, to have a chance to be released of his former burdens, and to have been given the rarest of all opportunities... the chance to start anew. 

"That was the first place I could confidently call home. And it was where I met the man who gave me the future skills I would require as an a.d.u.l.t. Admittedly, it would not be until much later that I took his lessons to heart. Years later, being the juvenile fool I once was..." said Reed. 

"So... What is this person's name? I'd love to meet him if possible and get his side of the story," replied Isca as she took a photo of the Spire. 

That would be problematic. Not only for Reed but also the man in question for a variety of reasons. He could not be allowed to be distracted from the important work he had been given, not even for Reed's sake. 

In any case, Reed preferred not to personally involve anyone in this matter of his. He'd already asked enough of them as it was; to take their privacy away would too great of a request. 

"Unfortunately, that will not be possible. He's a man who values his privacy and I would like to respect that. Though I am sure that he would gladly let you interview him if I asked, I do not want to make him go out of his way for me any further than he already has..." 

Reed paused for a moment and then said, "You may simply refer to him as the Instructor for future reference, as that was his job during the time I was in his care."

To Isca, the title sounded rather formal and distant for someone who was supposed to have been a role model for him, but Reed thought otherwise.

He felt it fit the man perfectly. He was a man who had dedicated himself to caring for wayward idiots like him, above all else. There were likely entire generations that owed their lives to the guidance he had offered them in their youth. 

When Isca heard this, she suggested changing his title to "the Educator", but Reed rejected the idea, for he was a military man and his methods of teaching were not pedestrian in nature.

"The Instructor was a stickler for the rules and the patron saint of discipline in the Spire— ah, the tower. I, in particular, had a very tumultuous relationship with him since I was sort of a special case, but even so, the man never gave up on me. And for that, I owe him my life."

The more Reed spoke about the Instructor and his memories at the Spire, the more she saw heard him grow more spirited, and even occasionally flash a smile or two. 

.....Hm? What was he talking about? Ah, I spaced out again. 

Thankfully, her recording drone was not prone to the same indiscretions and had faithfully done its job. The same, however, could not be said for Isca, much to her chagrin. 

She feared for herself, aware she was slowly beginning to head into a dangerous trap as a writer. Under no circ.u.mstances, could she allow herself to become prejudiced in any way. Neither hate, disgust, pity, jealously, or even... love could affect her in telling the facts as they were. 

If they did, it'd mean that she would no longer be qualified to do her job.

It was a vexing problem that did not have an easy solution. 

But that was life in a nutshell. She would have to endure and resist, at least until the job was done. After all, the reward he had offered her was too incredible for her to fail...