Chapter 9: Slipping Gears

Chapter 9:
Slipping Gears

 

ETERNA EXPLAINED very little when she finally returned home. The next morning, long before anyone else woke up, Milkit found a note on the dining room table.

“I have some things to do. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

She ran back upstairs and woke Flum. After reading the note, Flum put a hand to her head in shock.

“I can’t believe she’d just leave us behind and not even tell us anything.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, her mind raced over what to do next, but she was still far too shaken by Satils’ return to form a meaningful plan of action.

“Do you think this has something to do with the Necromancy project, too?” Milkit asked.

“Considering the strange visitors who stopped by yesterday, I’d say the timing is way too good to be a coincidence.”

Just as Nekt said, the church was already putting its plans into motion. They were using the dead to try and split Flum and her friends apart.

Flum’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock at her bedroom door.

“Can I come in?”

“Ink? Of course you can.”

The door opened and the small girl stepped into the room.

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to leave your room?”

Ink shook her head. “Eterna said I need to stay for a little while longer, but it doesn’t seem to matter with her gone all of a sudden.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Speaking of that, Eterna left before the sun came up.”

“She left that early?” Milkit was already an early riser, but this took her by surprise.

“I just don’t get why she’d go so far to keep where she was going a secret from us…” Ink trailed off.

“Listen, why don’t we all get some breakfast in us before we continue this conversation? You won’t be able to think straight on an empty stomach.”

Milkit was concerned about Ink needing to be fed, but she also figured breakfast would help get her mind off Eterna.

The three made their way downstairs. An unexpected voice interjected before they reached the dining room.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Nekt was lounging in one of the chairs at the dining table.

“What in the hell are you…?!” Flum took several steps forward and drew her sword.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down. I knew you guys were in a bind and figured I’d offer you a helping hand. Oh, hey, Ink. How’ve you been?”

Ink responded through clenched teeth. “I’m doing well.”

Nekt seemed to pick up on her unfriendly demeanor but dismissed it with a cheerful laugh. “Anyway, it’s just like I said, isn’t it? Eterna Rinebow is in trouble.”

“Did you know this would happen?”

“I figured as much, but the decision was left up to her. That’s just the kind of guy Dafydd Chalmas is, and that’s exactly why things worked out this way.”

Dafydd’s sincerity was his most powerful tool in shaking Gadhio and Eterna to their core. It wasn’t just the care with which he chose his words, but the earnestness with which he spoke, winning him the trust of whoever listened.

“Do you know who Eterna went to go meet?” Flum demanded.

“That I don’t know. Like I said before, the Children and Necromancy groups don’t get along. My best guess would be she was off to meet her grandparents or something, considering those were the ones Dafydd brought over yesterday.”

His description matched perfectly with the group of visitors Ink mentioned the night before. As far as Flum could gather, the older couple had some kind of connection with Eterna, and the younger man was a researcher on the Necromancy project.

“Looks like even heroes are just human at the end of the day. But that’s neither here nor there. Honestly, I thought the Necromancy group’s work was just plain stupid. Dying’s a natural part of life, so spending Papa’s power on something as useless as raising the dead seemed like a waste to me. But maybe I was wrong. Humans would rather fixate on the past over preparing for what’s coming in the future. I think the members of this household prove that quite well, really.”

“I already told you, I won’t be joining you.” Flum grew even firmer in her stance on the subject.

Nekt shot a confident grin back at her, almost as if he sensed that there was still a weakness in her facade for him to break through. “Because you have Gadhio Lathcutt by your side, I suppose?”

“Y…no, not Gadhio, too??” Flum couldn’t conceal her surprise.

A wide grin broke out across Nekt’s face at her reaction. He let out another condescending laugh before continuing on. “It looks like he left behind his precious woman and child to head out as well—probably for the same place as Eterna.”

“No way!”

“Now, now, calm down, lady. I didn’t do this, y’know. Being mad at me won’t get you anywhere. I don’t know the details, but I did see he was in the company of a woman in her twenties. A lover or a sister or something?”

Flum was sure it was Tia. If she was alive again, it would completely undermine his resolution to avenge her. It didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that he would leave Kleyna and Hallom behind in favor of his wife.

Many people spoke of Gadhio as a dry, emotionless man, but Flum understood how he felt all too well.

“So, what’ll it be, Flum? It looks like you’re all alone now, and your two would-be allies are of no use to you anymore. Can you really carry the fight all on your own? Remember your battle with that thug Dein? He didn’t even have Papa’s power to help him out. Do you think you can keep pulling victories out of your hat against all odds?”

Flum knew the limits to her power all too well. Eterna and Gadhio were being taken to a place that might be developing even more powerful Origin cores than what she’d dealt with thus far. There was no way she could win on her own—not just against the Necromancy group but Nekt as well. He’d already taken Milkit away once before. What choice did she have but to take him up on the offer?

“Hmm. You still hesitate, even with your back up against the wall.” Nekt crossed his arms and watched her with great interest.

“It’s hardly an easy decision!!”

“This isn’t such a bad offer, is it? I mean, if you don’t want to, sure. We can just pretend this whole conversation never happened. It makes no difference to me. I was just thinking it’d be helpful if you were on our side, is all.”

“Is this part of Mother’s plan?”

“Nope, I’m acting on my own.”

“So you’re here all by yourself without Mother’s blessing? No connection to the Children team?”

“Now, now, you’re twisting my words. I never said I wanted you to ally with the Children. I suggested you join forces with me. Neither Mother nor Papa have said anything about this, and none of the other Children are involved. Does that alleviate some of your concern? Just nod your head, and you’ll have gained a powerful, if temporary, ally. All with zero risk to you.”

Zero risk was clearly an overstatement. There was no such thing in the church’s power games. Nekt wouldn’t be seeking Flum’s help if it didn’t benefit him in some way, and any benefit to Nekt would benefit the church.

Milkit nervously tugged at the hem of her dress as she watched Flum cogitate. Meanwhile, Ink stood facing straight ahead, looking gloomy. She was far more hurt by the fact that Eterna left her behind without saying anything than she was concerned by Nekt’s appearance.

“I guess I’ll interpret your silence as a no, then. If you still haven’t made up your mind, then I guess I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands.”

“Wait!” Though she was annoyed at Nekt forcing her hand like this, Flum had no choice. “You really just want to destroy the Necromancy group, right? You won’t do anything to Milkit or Ink?”

“Listen, I’ve nothing to gain from killing you, much less from those two. I have better things to do with my time.”

She was reasonably sure Nekt had no intention of harming either Milkit or Ink. Besides, he could have already done so if that was his plan. He had more than enough chances when they were trying to save Ink. This didn’t mean she trusted him as far as she could throw him, but…

She’d have to compromise. She just wasn’t strong enough to go it alone.

“All right then, what’s your answer, lady? Are you going to work with me or not?” Nekt gave Flum a scornful look as he stood there, clearly confident in his position.

“I…”

Just as she was about to choke out her reluctant response, she heard a sound that changed everything.

“I’m home.” A lethargic voice echoed from the doorway.

A figure made its way through the entrance hall before sticking its head into the dining room. All eyes in the room fell on Eterna.

Everyone suddenly froze. Nekt’s unquestionable superiority began to crumble around him.

“Huh, one of the Children? Just what’s going on here?” Eterna sounded surprisingly calm in spite of the circumstances. Flum was beside herself.

Flum and Nekt both launched into their own line of questioning.

“I’d love to ask you the same! Did you go somewhere with Dafydd?!”

“Right! He brought an older couple here yesterday to meet with you, didn’t he?!”

“Huh. So I guess you guys figured it out. Sorry for not saying anything about that. Anyway, I decided not to pursue it any further. I’ve already visited my parents’ graves and made my peace with their deaths, after all. Right now, Flum, Milkit, and Ink here are far more important to me.”

“Oh, Eternaaaa…!” Ink’s voice quivered as she dove head first into the older woman’s arms. Eterna held her tight and began to stroke her hair.

“Huh, judging by her reaction, I’m guessing you guys thought I just left her to finish recovering all alone?”

“With a note like that, I think anyone would be concerned!” Milkit’s voice was uncharacteristically harsh.

“Wow, even you, Milkit? Listen, I’m really sorry, you guys. I really did plan on being right back, so I figured a brief note would be enough.”

“Where did you go?”

“I went to visit the graves of Kindah and Claudia Rinebow, my adoptive parents.”

“But you just saw them back in the flesh. So you must’ve already known their bodies were gone, right?”

“That’s correct. I found traces of the digging. The work looked recent.” Her face tensed. “In other words, the church robbed their graves and pointlessly disturbed their endless slumber to win me over and sustain their research. Dafydd Chalmas and his crew are a bunch of grave robbers.”

“Huh, you guys…you really do your homework. Wow.” It was Nekt’s turn to be at a loss for words.

“Maybe,” Eterna said. “Or maybe I’m just more of a romantic than I’d like to admit.”

Nekt smirked, shrugging in defeat. “I mean, whatever. Wish I could be as chill as you.”

Flum shot him a suspicious glance. “So I guess you’re giving up now that Eterna’s back?”

“Yup.”

“So why are you still here?”

“I might’ve stood a chance with you on your own, but the odds don’t really look too good for me with her here, too.”

Yet he still didn’t disappear, even though he almost certainly could have whisked himself off with Connection anywhere he liked.

Finally, an answer to his odd behavior came to Ink. Knowing his personality, it was unlikely that he would ever admit to it even if she were right, but she still needed to ask.

“Nekt came to visit me, not convince Flum… Didn’t you?”

“What?? No way! Why would I want to have anything to do with a reject like you??”

“I dunno. You’re acting kinda weird, Nekt. You were getting really annoyed with Flum earlier.”

“Who wouldn’t get annoyed watching someone waffle around?”

“No, I don’t mean like that. I don’t think it had anything to do with Flum at all, actually. If anything, you sounded kind of sad just now.”

“Heh, and when did you become my counselor, Ink? The only reason I came off that way was ’cause I had everything all tied up before that witch ruined it all!”

Eterna cut straight to the chase. “Or maybe you’re just afraid you’ll be discarded, too.”

Nekt shot a furious gaze in her direction. “What a baseless accusation…”

“Well, Mother discarded Ink. Frankly, I was surprised by how cold he was to Ink the moment she was no longer of use.”

Mother had acted like a real mother to Ink, right until it became more convenient to leave her for dead. Though Eterna hadn’t seen the event play out herself, she heard about the sudden change from Ink.

“The reason Mother abandoned Ink so easily is because their relationship wasn’t that of a mother and daughter. Ink was a specimen, one that was no longer needed,” Eterna said. Even as the words came out of her mouth, she clutched Ink even tighter to reassure the younger girl that that wasn’t what she believed.

“What’re you trying to say?” Nekt demanded.

“The Necromancy group has actually brought the dead back to life—their goals are within reach. The Chimera group is also likely making steady progress. That leaves the Children group. The team has to implant cores into their subjects and then wait eight to ten years for results. It’s hardly efficient, is it?”

“And yet here I am. I’d say I’m a pretty significant result, no?”

“But there are only four of you, and you’re not much stronger than Gadhio or myself. I can’t imagine you’re capable of wiping out all the demons.”

“So?” Nekt was getting more and more incensed as Eterna continued, maybe because he felt insulted, or because she hit closer to home than he wanted to admit.

“I think the ultimate goal of the Spiral Children project is something far different. They call you the second generation; well, what’s stopping them from creating a third or even a fourth generation? Once those children exist, Mother will lose interest in you and discard you just like Ink.”

Nekt sighed and went silent. After a few tense moments, he let out a hollow laugh and threw his hands in the air as if in surrender. “Well, this definitely puts me in a tough spot. You’ve got quite an imagination on you, but that still doesn’t explain why I should be afraid. Unlike this failed experiment, my powers are proven, and Papa still loves me!”

“Sounds like denial to me.”

“What the hell do you know??”

“A lot, in fact. I was experimented on by the kingdom, too.”

“Wha…?!”

This left Nekt at a loss for words; Flum and Milkit stared wide-eyed at the sudden confession. The only one who didn’t react strongly was Ink, who already knew Eterna’s true age, though she was still taken aback.

“You were experimented on, too?” Nekt demanded.

“It was around fifty years ago, now. I was a prime guinea pig—young, orphaned, slum-dwelling. That was what led to me living here.”

“They performed experiments here?”

“Not here, per se, but this is where the test subjects lived. The heads of the research group—our caretakers—were the Rinebows. They must’ve been in their twenties at the time.”

Eterna went on to explain what had happened to her. The experiments had been carried out with the goal of creating humans that could fight toe-to-toe with demons. No one in the kingdom knew much about human experimentation at the time, so they threw everything they had at the wall to see what stuck. The results were predictably lethal.

Claudia had given Eterna her name in the hope that perhaps she would live just a bit longer than the others had. As it turned out, it worked. Eterna was the project’s sole success: her life span extended and her magic deepened.

Word came down that the pipeline project was to be canceled early due to its low success rate, and Eterna would be disposed of. Kindah and Claudia helped her escape from the capital before that happened, and she spent the next fifty years of her life living in the mountains as a witch.

Nekt stood entranced, absorbing every word of Eterna’s story.

“In the beginning,” Eterna said, “we were on our best behavior because we were scared we’d be kicked to the curb. But Kindah and Claudia were far too kind to do that. They never turned anyone away. If they’d been anything like Mother…well, I’d be terrified. Just like you, Nekt. If there was anyone out there who could help me—friend or foe—I’d be desperate to make contact with them.”

He remained silent and stared off into the distance, lost in thought.

Flum spoke up next. “You know, Nekt, there was a thing you said earlier I keep coming back to. You said neither Mother nor Papa said anything about this. Going by what Eterna said, I understand about Mother. But the fact that Papa…err…Origin isn’t talking to you must mean…”

Nekt was dismissive. “Papa’s been busy. But…you’re right, he’s been quiet lately, since before I came to see you.”

In other words, not just Mother, but Origin, too, had already lost interest in the second-generation Children.

“I understand the fear of being abandoned by the people who matter most to you.”

“Oh, c’mon. I don’t need a slave’s sympathy.”

“I’m not trying to offer my sympathy.”

“Let me guess, you’re going to say Ink and I are both pitiful rejects? Hah! Gimme a break, lady. I came here to get you to do my bidding, and now here I am, seconds from a big mushy group hug. How bizarre.”

It was clear to everyone in the room he was putting on a show of false bravado—including Nekt himself. All he could do was double down.

Ink turned to Nekt and spoke to him in a solemn, even tone. “You want to destroy the Necromancy team to change Mother’s mind, don’t you?”

“Ink, you’re assuming this third generation even exists. It’s pure speculation.”

“I’m just saying if that were the case, maybe Flum and Eterna would help you.”

Nekt brought his hands to his face and burst out laughing.

“You must be joking!” He cackled like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “How is that any different? Besides, Mother is obviously your enemy, so why would you offer your assistance?”

“I’m in,” Flum said.

Nekt’s eyes went wide. He gawked at her from between his fingers.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll join you.”

“You’re weirder than I thought, lady. Are you really that softhearted?!”

Flum was dead serious. “Compassion has nothing to do with it. I believe the Children and Necromancy groups are at odds with each other, and now I understand what you’re really after. I wasn’t interested in joining up with you before because I didn’t know what you wanted. If we can achieve your goal, then Mother will reconsider the second-generation project, and nothing bad will happen to us.”

“But…!”

“More importantly, I don’t know where the Necromancy group is or where Gadhio’s been taken. You have any ideas?”

“I have a hunch.”

“In that case, there’s something for us to gain, and our goals are aligned. Obviously, we’re not allies by any stretch, and we might try to kill each other again at some point, but for now, at least, we can lay down our arms and work together.” Flum offered her hand to Nekt. “I’m serious about this.”

All she was looking for was a handshake. No words were needed; that much was clear to Nekt.

“This is crazy, you know that? Ever since everything went down with Ink, I’d been thinking about how weird this all is…” His teeth ground audibly as he clenched his jaw. Whether it was out of annoyance, anger, or envy was anyone’s guess; there was so much going on in his head at the moment that even Nekt didn’t know what he was feeling.

No way…

Nekt’s pride was too strong to let him admit to such weakness.

No…no, no, no! I…I’ve come so far to be able to use Papa’s power like this; I must be special! So why am I out here begging for help like some snot-nosed little kid??

Nekt was still a child. He wasn’t quite mature enough to put his pride aside to get what he wanted.

“So, Nekt, why don’t we…”

“That’s not gonna happen!! Connection!”

A vortex appeared in the center of his face as he clenched his fist, focusing on unleashing Origin’s power to connect his current location to another elsewhere.

“Nekt??”

“He’s gone.”

“I guess we pushed him just a bit too far.”

“That’s too bad. He seemed like he was about to actually open up.”

“By the way, you mentioned Gadhio earlier…” Eterna knew nothing about Gadhio’s wife or of his connection with Kleyna and Hallom. Flum didn’t like the idea of sharing the details of his personal life without him around, but it seemed necessary, considering the circumstances.

“Well, you see…”

Flum told her everything she knew; Eterna nodded along and soaked it all in, occasionally speaking up in a hushed tone to prompt her to continue.

“I think part of the reason I decided to turn down Dafydd’s offer is because I’m pretty cold, emotionally.”

“That’s not true!”

Eterna shook her head at Flum’s instinctive denial and took a seat. “Heh. I only really spent a few years together with my parents, and then I had fifty on my own to process things and visit their graves. I already made my peace. Gadhio is different. He vowed to get revenge for his lost love.”

“You have a point. I had a gut feeling Gadhio would succumb… He loved Tia more than anything.”

“That said, we can’t just leave this be.”

“If only we could have gotten Nekt to tell us where the lab is,” Flum fumed,

“Too late for that. There’s no sense crying over spilled milk. We’ll just have to figure it out on our own.”

“You’re right. I’ll head over to Gadhio’s and see what I can find out.”

“Anywhere in particular you want me to check?” Eterna asked.

“I’d like you to stay here and keep an eye on Ink. She still can’t leave the house.” She’d already broken Eterna’s strict guidelines about staying in her room.

“I’ve been thinking about how to deal with any health issues that may come up since we finished the heart transplant,” Eterna said. “As long as you stick close to my side, you’ll be fine.”

“Really??” said Ink.

Eterna’s voice suddenly took on a stern tone. “However! Don’t do anything rash like running around. That’s completely off limits.”

Ink nodded, though it was debatable whether she really understood what she was agreeing to.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can help, too,” Eterna said.

“Oh? Well then, I guess I could have you guys go talk to Welcy and see what she knows. She might have gotten some new information in the meantime. I’m pretty sure she should be at her office in the Central District right about now.”

“Leitch Mancathy’s sister? Got it.”

With that settled, the four left the house in their respective directions.

 

***

 

Far beneath the capital’s streets and beyond the mazelike waterways was a modern-looking facility that stood out from its modest surroundings. This place, marked by the signs of the bygone civilizations from whom humanity’s modern conveniences were copied, was the new center of operations for the Children project.

“Listen, Mother… Mother! If I did something bad, I’m sorry, okay?? Please just talk to me!”

Fwiss banged on a door, practically in tears.

Though each blow was relatively light, he’d been at it for over two hours by now, and his hands were covered in blood.

“Are you mad we couldn’t kill those girls? But you know, we worked really hard when we had to move bases! Come on, Mother…I did so much to help!!”

Fwiss was the most dependent on Mother out of all the Children. Ever since Gadhio destroyed their last base and they were forced to move here, Mother paid little attention to the second-generation Children. There was explanation for this sudden change.

This only served to make Fwiss all the more anxious. Were they going to be rudely discarded like Ink was?

“I’m back.”

Nekt teleported back to the room, having finished his conversation with Flum mere moments ago. He sat down and leaned casually up against the wall, inviting an angry glare from Fwiss.

“Where the hell were you off to, Nekt?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

A white-haired girl holding an old, shabby doll that had seen better days spoke up. “Well, it does. M-mother’s going to get rid of us. I’m scared, Nekt. We need to apologize.”

“If all we needed to do was to apologize, Mute, Fwiss would’ve taken care of that a long time ago.”

“Well, you broke Mother’s rules and left the facility. Don’t you think that’s a problem?”

“I think you’re mixing up cause and effect here. I left because of where we are now.”

“What for? You didn’t try to talk to Ink, did you?”

“Heh, like it’s even worth trying to talk to a dimwit like her that can’t even hear Papa’s voice. We’re just too different, really.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Neither Mute, who still wasn’t sure what Nekt was really thinking, nor Luke, the most mean-spirited of the four, knew anything about the outside world. Mother was everything to them. They saw nothing wrong with being so dependent on him…and why should they? They’d been raised that way.

“Mother, please!! I’m so lonely, I feel like I could die if I can’t see your face, Mother! I’ll drink whatever nasty medicine you want! You can even poke me full of needles if it pleases you! Please, please, Mother…! Mother!!” Fwiss began to grow hoarse.

Finally, after all that time, it seemed as if his pleas had made it through. The doorknob turned with a creak, and Mother emerged from the doorway.

“Moth…euangff!!”

Mother grabbed the back of Fwiss’s head and kneed him in the face, the power of the blow lifting Fwiss’s body clear off the ground. Blood poured freely from his nose and mouth.

“M-mother, why??”

“I can’t take your incessant pounding anymore, you little mongrel!!”

Another blow to Fwiss’s face, this time with a clenched fist.

“Hnnggf! M-mother, no, I…!”

“Didn’t I already tell you?! I’m busy, and I don’t have time to deal with you miscreants!”

“I know, but I was lonely, and…”

“You think that’s a good enough reason to interrupt my precious research?!”

Mother gripped a fistful of Fwiss’s hair and slammed the young boy face-first into the wall over and over again.

“Finally! Finally, I’m about to make some progress!! How is it you don’t understand that you only exist to further my research? Huh? Huh?!?!”

“Auugh…hnnngh!”

Fwiss had nearly lost consciousness; a damp spot began to form in his pants as his bladder relaxed. It failed to give Mother pause.

Nekt shuddered.

I…I want to help him, but I…I can’t stand up to Mother.

All of the Children knew they would only invite hell on themselves if they stepped in. All they could do was seek help from someone on the outside, but at present, there was no one there but them.

Nekt, Luke, and Mute were all helpless to stop Mother.

“Stimulation, yes! Those heroes gave me the shock to my system I needed! Eyahaha! And, and you know what? It’s still going strong! My brain crackles with insight—intellectual ecstasy, handed down from on high like divine lightning! And you intend to interrupt this?! Really??”

“Hyauugh… I’m…s-sorry…hngh…gyaugh.”

Mother gasped for breath.

“You…you little good-for-nothing lowlifes just can’t get it through your thick skulls why I love you, do you?”

“I love… I… Mother…”

“Then just keep quiet. You got that, Fwiss? If you don’t, I fear I may begin to hate you.”

“I’m…sorry! I’m so sorry! Please, I’ll be good from now on, so please don’t hate me, Mother!!”

Fwiss clung desperately to Mother’s leg. Mother kicked him away like a piece of trash and slammed the door shut.

Fwiss curled up on the floor in a ball and sobbed.

“Fwiss…” Nekt reached out to try and comfort him, when suddenly he stopped.

Those sounds coming from his mouth weren’t sobs at all—Fwiss was laughing.

“Ha…haha! See? Mother really doesn’t hate me. Hahaha! This pain is a sign of love.”

Fwiss was overjoyed.

“Glad to hear it, Fwiss.”

“It’s fine, Mother’s just busy is all. He’ll be back soon. It’s fine, really. I’m just glad Mother is so kind and caring, to pay attention to me like this. Besides, I’m the one who broke the rules in the first place! Hahahaha!”

No one thought this was the least bit strange. Violence was one of Mother’s ways of showing affection—though he’d never gone out of the way to harm the second-generation Children before. Not until they were cooped up in this new lab.

Regardless of the reasons behind this sudden change, Mother was the absolute and final force in their lives. And yet Nekt, alone, was beginning to feel there was something wrong with the whole situation.

Maybe it’s because I’m so smart? More mature than the other Children?

He shook his head.

No… I’m no different from the rest of them. Mother’s got as much of a hold on me as the rest. The only difference is that when we saw how Ink was so easily discarded, I actually ventured into the outside world.

Not that he had much choice in the matter. None of this came about entirely of his own will, as much as he would have liked to take the credit for it. Ultimately, Mother played their strings and they danced to his tune.

“You’re the older brother now, which puts you in charge. You’re a smart kid, so I’m sure everyone else will listen to you.”

Mother’s words echoed in Nekt’s mind. Assuming everything was going according to plan, he almost certainly knew of Nekt’s attempt to bring Flum to their side.

So is it all for nothing? No…maybe I’m just overthinking it. But am I really doing the right thing? Or is Fwiss actually on to something here?

Flum had said he lacked “morals,” but to the Children, that was all they knew. Within their narrow little world, these corrupted morals were right and true.

I…I really want to trust Mother. But this situation is very different from what happened with Ink. She left Mother’s side in high spirits.

This was the world as these eight-year-olds saw it. They were doing the best they could within their limited understanding.

Nekt clenched his jaw as he fought to untangle these two disparate points of view.