The altar in the center of space made Cale anxious. Exposing his memories would be the only way to find clues about the curses. He alone would not know how to circumvent the divine rules that forbid him from being a god.
For his revenge was what he needed to defeat figures as strong as the higher gods.
Norril prepared the environment, the lights were low and torches were lit to give a focused lighting only on the altar. She spread a heavy bag of sand, leaving it piled in three points of the center. Meanwhile, she guided the young man with brief instructions. Cale took off his tunic, exposing his arms where the stitching marks were and lay down on the altar covered with a white cloth. Norril approached and looked at him calmly.
"I will explain how this experiment will work: you will be unconscious, as if sleeping, and then the sand around the altar will take shape of the memories that you "dream". To prevent memories from being affected with false memories, the ancient runes drawn on the walls will force only what is true."
"So even if it is something I hate to remember..."
"We'll see" she agreed with her head "No need to worry, if something goes wrong, I will interrupt the experiment and force your awakening. And if you do not trust me, then know that your Theiodesmos will protect you anyway."
Cale looked at Aries and Yvaine, then nodded. The cowardice was not his own; it was something imposed upon him. Cale wanted to believe that there was a great force within him, ready to overcome the curses.
Perhaps confronting them was a way.
Closing his eyes, Cale let Norril charm him to be unconscious. The tiredness of reading books and scrolls for hours helped in the process. His body became heavy and relaxed from exhaustion. The tension that always made their shoulders shrunk, they also relaxed.
"Very well... the object of study slept" Norril said coldly, making the two Theiodesmos frown "Bakur, begin the enchantment of the runes."
"Yes, master" he uttered a hoarse voice.
Aries and Yvaine turned when the figure of a man with gray hair and fancy clothes passed through the runes, reaching out his hand and connecting them with his own energy. It was the Theiodesmos of Norril, a man of wiser and gentler appearance.
The runes turned red and shone brightly, emanating their energy to the altar where Cale slept. Norril stood out of the way, and signaled to others to do so as well. The dark chamber was completely illuminated with runes, a bright aura enveloped Cale, and gradually his face expressed itself painfully.
His hands and legs subtly clenched. Norril touched a specific rune, without taking her eyes off Cale, and forcing more energy in his direction.
"He's trying to resist the dreams" she explained when Aries cast an impatient look "I'll push a little further."
More energy was released, and gradually the light of the runes weakened in a harmonious frequency. The first sand dune stood up forming silhouettes. Norril entered the center to observe the formed silhouettes, being followed by the others.
"Bakur, take note of what happens" she ordered.
"Yes, master."
"That's..." Yvaine widened her eyes when the sand formed the perfect image of the four figures "my father... and us in the World of Chaos."
"Interestingly, it seems that your memories linked to the curses start from this point."
The sand silhouettes began to move on their own as if they had life. To Yvaine's shame and Aries' broken pride, they saw how Krynt knocked them unconscious after using his sword against Cale, keeping him stuck to the ground.
Yvaine even looked at Norril, curious to know her reaction to Krynt's attitude, but the guardian just watched the memories with coldness and concentration, without letting herself be distracted.
The sand portrayed Cale's despair in trying to escape, even wounded. Nuria's hunt behind him, and the way something hit Nuria's hand. Aries frowned upon realizing that the sand was unable to reproduce correctly what exactly struck the god of chaos, although it was clear that it came from his master. The muffled sounds of the memories were agonizing. At the end of the play, the sand fell to the ground and the rune lights intensified again.
"Can't believe I let myself be beaten so easily..." growled Aries, turning his face as he clenched his teeth.
"It's not as if you were a match for him" Yvaine replied looking at the sand "But Nuria took him directly to his castle... this is unexpected."
"Let's get ready for the next one. This memory wasn't so useful."
The sand turned again into the second point, creating an even more terrifying environment. The scene now was a dungeon where Cale was chained, with Nuria torturing him in the worst possible ways. The three were surprised by the vision of the evil of the god of chaos. The screams of Cale in those sands reverberated in the chamber, causing agonizing shivers.
"My dear..." Yvaine covered her mouth in horror.
Aries covered Yvaine's face when Cale's limbs were torn off. Although it was a representation of sand, it was difficult to watch the moment. Even Norril was speechless at the torture that a boy like Cale had been subjected to.
"一 It's funny, don't you think, Cale? They cursed you themselves, for being Ereghast's weakness. Everything was as they planned, your judgment by the Herald, your fall to my hands... I also cursed you, but do not take it to the personal..."
"Wait, what did he just say?" Norril turned around frowning "Who cursed the boy?"
"The gods of Keonna" Aries answered with a growl "But he didn't say about them specifically..."
The sand fell to the ground, finishing that scenario. Yvaine trembled with wide eyes without imagining that her master had experienced all this in these five hundred years, like a blink of an eye. She was not yet ready when the sand moved again from the other point, taking the form of a fog that hid any scenario.
Norril narrowed her eyes and walked to the third point, curious to see more. There was no silhouette, no image... nothing but a sandstorm. She approached trying to see anything, any sign, but the fog became intense and forced her to take a few steps back.
To the astonishment of the three, a mysterious voice resounded, reverberating as if it came from all sides.
"一 There are three curses residing your body currently. The curse of weakness, which makes your body weak like a human; the curse of limitation, which prevents you from developing your abilities as a demigod and the curse of cowardice, which makes you fear absolutely any divine being that is stronger than you."
"That's what the boy said before" Aries recalled, taking a few steps ahead of the fog "But we need more..."
"Wait, Aries" Norril extended his arm, preventing him from getting closer.
In the center of the fog, an image emerged. It was not easy to see, but it was possible to see Cale dismembered and someone nearby touching his leg and pulling a wire. Norril narrowed her eyes and came closer to see more details. However, the fog covered that tiny scene and continued to reverberate the conversation he drew from Cale's memories.
"一 You should look for someone more capable of confronting these gods than a mere cursed coward."
"一 I believe you have misunderstood something here, Cale Arkalis. I am the guardian of time, the one who serves the Voice of the Universe. If I say that the Universe has blessed you and has a destiny for you, then you will have absolutely everything you need to do it."
"The Guardian?" Yvaine whispered.
"Bakur!!"
The theiodesmos quickly recorded that experiment on the scroll. For the first time in history, the existence of the Guardian of Time would be recorded, and all thanks to the memory of the only person who met him: a son of a local god.
The experiment came to an end. The sand fell on the ground soon after, and the runes lost their brightness. Silence filled the chamber, and the three still digested the information.
"Prepare for the boys' awakening, we need to check his mental and physical state for any traumas" Norril broke the silence, and rubbed her fingers on the forehead as she walked slowly to the altar next to her subordinate "Perhaps making him relive such traumas in detail was a very risky experiment."
Aries didn't move when Yvaine followed Norril and Bakur. He kept staring at the sand and crouched down touching it with his fingertips. His eyes shone with a mixture of anger and shame.
The sand moved silently, forming a small image that only Aries could see. A scene that made your heart speed up and memories come back in an avalanche. Two very distinct forms in one kiss.
Squeezing his lips, Aries clenched his fists. Feelings completely noisy, emotions screaming to be understood haunted your interior. But would they be heavier than your guilt and impotence?
"I was very foolish to think I was strong enough to protect him."
Yvaine turned to Aries, surprised at the admission. His own expression was of restrained sadness. She gently touched the warrior's arm, seeing the image, but wisely choosing not to comment on it.
"Don't blame yourself... none of us are guilty. Now we know who really deserves divine punishment."
Yvaine looked at the altar, where Cale began to move his fingers, contracting as he regained consciousness. A wave of guilt went through her chest.
"Aries... we need to support him more than ever. He may be our master, but now I understand that we are more than subordinates. We are the only family he has at the moment."
Aries' answer was a firm nod, and he stepped forward, stopping by the altar while Cale slowly opened his eyes.