Chapter 10

In Light

„I've sunk my teeth into the deposed histories, be it of us or of them – I've seen no sign that we behold the perfect Light any more than the rest.“

Mind of the Heretic, Vol. VI

Olivia sat slumped on the balcony’s chair, her silk-draped figure hidden by the tall terrace-frame made out of marble stone, her gaze vacant, expression dark. She hardly seemed to be in her mid-twenties at the moment, contemplating in silence having given her a bucket of years.

A few minutes later, she let go of a pent-up breath and pulled herself forward, hanging over, grabbing her head with her hands, rubbing her face as her golden hair fell down tenderly to her sides. There were demons engaged in a decisive battle within her heart, one that she didn’t wish to participate in, yet realized time and again she had no other choice. Through the short conversation with Noah, she understood one thing about this Outlander – he knew things he shouldn’t know.

Even if he didn't know the names and the alliances and the nuances of how the Lumina is run, he understood the underlying principles, the core values that hold it together – and he did all this from reading a few surface-level books, stuck inside a walled room with no access to the outside world. From the sounds of it, at least as far as she picked up on it, he had experience in examining the heart and the soul of a Kingdom and disassembling them as though they were machines. However, her concern wasn't the Kingdom, but rather the exploration of the world; yet, though he didn't say it outright, he strongly implied the two are too interconnected to be examined separately.

She reached out over to the table and took the glass of wine, downing the last few gulps in one go, shuddering right after. There was neither an easy nor a right choice within it; she truly believed in the Light's Doctrine, or, rather, participated wholly in it – save for that singular clause. All the others have led to the Lumina's prosperity and its ability to stand its ground amidst the two raging behemoths surrounding it. However, breaking one of its tenants was akin to breaking all – there was no pickings allowed. All in or all out.

“… Synthia.” She called out softly in the end as the figure materialized out of the shadows, leaning against the frame shielding the balcony. The figure’s eyes quickly met Olivia’s, the former’s seeming expressionless. “What should I do?”

“… I can’t make that choice for you, Your Highness.” The figure replied gently.

“… is he right? Is dismantling the Principality the only way?” she asked.

“I don’t know nearly enough to make a claim either way,” the figure said. “But, from what I understood, he doesn’t want you to dismantle it. Just take over it.”

“… isn’t that the same thing?”

“No,” the figure shook its head, sitting down onto the floor. “I hope you will forgive my transgression, but… the Principality is simply a representative of Light – it’s an institution, a manmade one. It’s in no way different than any other. People in it aren’t Saints, they aren’t myths and legends. They’re people, just like you and I. So long as the Light prevails, it doesn’t matter who begets its teachings. At least in my opinion.”

“… do you think I should trust him?”

“No,” the figure quickly replied. “But it’s not about trusting him, and you know that. In the end, only you have the power to make the choice, Your Highness. I will follow you regardless.”

**

Noah was currently practicing the writing of the strange script; though he'd seen some success, it was still beyond his abilities. He couldn't even properly write out 'I am Noah', to say of nothing else. Putting down the quill, feeling somewhat frustrated, he dug into the cupboard and took out a bottle of wine, half-full still, drinking straight from it. Though Olivia left the room downtrodden and conflicted, he was almost one-hundred-percent certain she will agree to his proposal.

Throughout his life, he held unquestioned faith in three of his abilities: to read people, to read social connotations, and to manipulate both to get what he wanted. And, in those amber-draped eyes, he saw the fire that burned far brighter than the instilled teachings of the past. Beyond that, he understood the underlying principle of her idealism – as most idealistic outputs, it was selfish. While she may have convinced even herself that her goal for exploration was altruistic, in reality, it was her own vanity driving her. Her own, personal desire. And those feelings are nigh impossible to suppress once stoked properly.

All he had to do, really, was give her a commanding and resounding reply that he can help her achieve her dreams. The next step will be her coming back, still undecided, asking him how can he guarantee something that like. In reality, it won't even be about him convincing her, but her needing a resolutory push over the last bind. Luckily, at least for him, she seemed to have never taken fully the local teachings. Otherwise, the un-washing of the brain could have taken months, if not years, if he were ever given a chance, to begin with.

He had already begun formulating the 'presentation' of sorts he will give her in terms of the short-term and long-term goals. What she sought and wanted wasn't something that can be achieved in a few years, and probably the greatest hurdle will be convincing her to give up the short-term victories for the long-term gains. If she was as clever as Noah believed she was, he knew she would relent and give in by the end. He also had to carefully input himself and realize his place in all of this; for him, it would be best if he could remain behind her, unseen. He didn't operate well in the open as most of the options he liked using would close off.

In lieu of that reality, he also had to convince her, somehow, to give him enough power and wealth to actually do something. There was no doubt in his mind she won’t trust him for quite a while – if ever. She was a Royal raised upon the reality that people befriended her because she was a Royal, not because she was Olivia. That sort of upbringing leaves scars that are unlikely to ever heal completely. The good of it, however, was that he didn't need her complete trust; he didn't even need her to give him free reigns. As far as he cared, she could stuff someone to supervise his every move if it would mean gaining the wealth and the connections.

Before he puts anything into practice, however, he will have to have her explicitly explain the current status of everyone who mattered even remotely within the Kingdom – from the most obscure nobles to the influential commoners – and how she specifically fits into that picture. It would also mark the end of the estimates, something he abhorred doing as it left a bad aftertaste in his mouth each time.

As he had predicted it would happen, Olivia arrived a short few hours later, her expression still showing a conflict. She was somewhat indecisive in entering and sitting down, but Noah waited patiently. There was no need to push – the first rule of getting someone to do what you wanted them to do was to get them to relax and feel comfortable. To reassure them. To reassure their position, their thoughts, their desires. And to play off of them carefully but, at the same time, directly.

“… Your Highness.” Noah nodded, smiling lightly.

“How?” Aii, can’t you be a bit more patient? Playing you is easier than playing—well, anything, considering I was kind of shit at sports… ugh, fuck, go away, bad memories…

“How what?” he dismissed his straying thoughts and asked.

“How can you claim with certainty you can get me what I want? What’s your plan?” she asked resolutely.

“… my plan? My plan is for you to become this Kingdom’s everything, Your Highness,” Noah replied calmly. “So much so that if you claim the sky is yellow instead of blue, the people will swear up and down against their own eyes that the sky is yellow.”

“—eeh? W-what?” Olivia stumbled slightly back, clearly surprised.

“It’s impossible to root out the cornerstone beliefs unless you yourself become one,” he explained. “Forget the Light’s Doctrine for a moment; even without it, I guarantee, the stories floating among the commonfolk as to why the ‘outside world’ is forbidden are far more convincing than the Doctrine itself. The kids are naturally curious and will ask, and it’s much easier to convince the kids to let go of it by saying there’s a big, scary monster on the outside rather than explaining the Doctrine itself.”

"…" Olivia listened patiently, inwardly agreeing, though she herself didn't know if it was actually true as she never dared bring up the outside world with anyone save for Synthia and Vorvil.

“So, in order to root it out, you have to become bigger than it. To the point of when you say ‘the outside world is not scary’, the people will genuinely believe it is a paradise.”

“… yes… but how?” Olivia asked again, desperately fighting off from getting dragged into the pace.

“… let me ask you something first,” Noah said, taking a step back himself. “How many years do you think we’d need for this?”

“Uh…”

"Don't think too much about it," he said. "Just give me the first number that popped into your head."

“… five… six, maybe?” she said, frowning faintly.

“Too low,” Noah shook his head. “Even if I don’t know your exact position within the Kingdom, and pardon my transgression, but I don’t think you’re anywhere near the top, no?”

“… that’s correct.” Olivia nodded faintly, hiding a bit of frustration that started to swell.

“Five-six years won’t even be enough to establish you as one of the central figures of the Kingdom, let alone as the figure of the Kingdom,” he said. “In order to get you there, we’ll have to take it step by step.”

“… step by step?” Olivia frowned; for one reason or another, he wasn’t giving her a straight answer. “Be direct, please. Why and how? I need a straight answer.”

“…” Noah gazed deeply into those amber-dyed eyes for a moment before sighing; she had still retained the basic countenance. She’s much tougher than I thought… “You need to become not just the Queen, but the Queen the likes of which this Kingdom had never seen,” he said, deciding to throw her a bone. “You can’t have power over the Kingdom in this elusive, abstract notion; you need to head both the Throne and the Principality, individually. There cannot be any other person with anywhere near your influence.”

“—w-wait, I have to become a Queen? That’s impossible.” Olivia quickly said, not for the lack of desire, but because she knew it really was impossible by now. She had nothing to fight for the throne with.

“That’s why I said it can’t happen anytime soon,” Noah said. “I can and will make you a Queen if you give me enough time. And, as for how, it's hardly anything complex. While I can't give you a detailed outlook due to the lack of knowledge on my part, there are three key pieces when it comes to obtaining power: wealth, knowledge, and influence. I can take care of the first two, but you'll have to expand on the third."

“…” Olivia listened in silence, slowly entombing his words.

"I can manage wealth once I understand the Kingdom's economy – namely how it functions," he said. "And, as far as the knowledge goes, I don't mean the knowledge they teach you in school – I mean you need to know the length of each individual hair of everyone who can even remotely threaten your rise. With time and a bit of help, I can establish that as well. The influence, however, remains the key; I'm fairly certain you want to be the one leading the charge, which means you'll be the one in the light. And, as for the one in the light, you need to be brighter than all others. I'll help you, naturally, but I won't be able to respond for you every time."

"…" Olivia fell silent and slumped deeper onto the stool, her expression somber. While it wasn't as clear-cut as she'd liked, he was right – he couldn't give her a deeper outline as he hardly knew much. Even what he knew from what little he picked up was already something she considered virtually impossible. She couldn't even imagine the extent to which it would rise once she actually fed him the information he needed. It was a gamble, one that on any other day, and with any other person, she would have never taken. Even when it was just a matter of Principality, she was hesitant, yet he had also included the rise to the Throne, something she had given up on doing years ago.

However, he was an Outlander. Outlander. The original miracle-maker of the entire peninsula. One of the figures that had terraformed the world completely, from top to bottom. If there was anyone who could pull off what he was suggesting, it would be an Outlander. The enigmatic figures that are like the flashes of Light – beyond powerful, yet depressingly fleeting. She didn’t know how many years Noah had left in him; after all, he was the oldest Outlander of all that had visited them. All others didn’t even reach their thirties by the time they died. Perhaps he was pushing the last dregs of his strength to live, or perhaps he still had a few decades left in him, like the peninsula natives.

If she delayed this unnecessarily, due to the uncertainties that she knew would never clear up, it might never come to pass, and the last chance of her ever achieving her almost lifelong dream would be thrown into dirt. She knew there would never be another opportunity like this one. It’s almost as if the Light itself had given him to her, as to inspire her to pursue her heart in opposition to the Doctrine itself.

Taking a deep breath, one that seemed to unclog the airways that had made her feel stuffed, and one that seemed to cleanse her mind of all worries that have piled up over the years, she lifted her head up and met the pair of beautiful eyes squarely. She saw confidence the likes of which even her Father had never showcased – the absolute confidence in oneself. She pondered just what he had experienced, what he had achieved, to give him such confidence in what she considered to be an almost insane undertaking. However, it was there, shining far more brightly than the sun itself. A faint smile hung on his lips, and even the knowledge and the feeling she got as if he lived beyond the scope of her own image didn’t tarnish the moment.

“… be honest with me, for a moment,” she said, the color returning to her cheeks, her voice evening out, expression growing tranquil. “Beyond just fighting for your life, is there a whiff of another reason as to why you want to help me? As you may know, attaching yourself to any of my other brethren might have been even easier. And, looking at it, you most certainly could have played me for long enough to achieve it.”

"…" each and every drop of blood inside Noah's veins screamed at him to lie, to make up a story as he always had, but, against the decades of experience and better judgment, he chose honesty, for perhaps the first time since his teenage years. The same honesty which had cost him so much he had never managed to regain enough to even it out. "Because I want to go home, or at least try and find out what happened to it," he said. "And your almost naïve desire aligns perfectly with it. Make no mistake; I'm not necessarily helping you out of the goodness of my heart, as neither are you keeping me alive for that reason. But, I believe that the relationships that last the longest aren't the ones built upon that trust, but upon the mutual interests. I will give you the world, Olivia; but, when I do, I’ll need you to let me go back to mine.”

“…” Olivia was temporarily stunned before unconsciously nodding, agreeing. She saw it, in his beautiful eyes, the honesty that replied directly to her own. He truly didn't care about the glory that came with her ascension or the accompanying wealth. His reasons, much like her own, were even more selfish – as selfish as any desire gets. Beyond personal, defying expectations.