Training day four. Eighteen days since Rust's awakening. Blade-Sister's trial period ending tomorrow.
Crew. Exhausted. Improving.
Blade-Sister. Relentless but. Effective. Already talking about. Staying beyond trial.
Mira could dodge now. Mostly.
Patchwork discovered. Fabric body = hard to damage. Started using it.
Ember learned. Heat barrier. Defensive application.
Tangle. Still chaotic. But. Chaos now. Slightly directed. Blade-Sister called her "useful disaster."
Progress.
Then.
Cog. Urgent clicking.
"Problem. City notice. Posted this morning."
Handed crumpled paper to Rust.
PUBLIC FORUM — Noble Plaza
TOPIC: "The Consciousness Question — Are Constructs Truly Aware?"
SPEAKER: Cardinal Sethis of the Wise Men's Circle CHALLENGER: Any willing to debate
All welcome to observe. Constructs may attend (accompanied by owner).
Tomorrow. Noon.
Rust. Read it. Twice.
Filed under: propaganda opportunity, OR trap, OR both.
"Cardinal Sethis," Cog said quietly. "Chief Inquisitor. Consciousness Studies. He created. Memory-wipe spell. Forty years ago. Nobles weaponized his research. Project Silence enabled by. His work."
"Does he know? What nobles did with it?"
"Knows. Rationalizes. Tells himself constructs aren't. Truly conscious. Therefore. No crime committed."
Mira. Reading over shoulder.
"He wants someone to debate him? Publicly?"
"Wants to WIN publicly. Demonstrate superiority. Silence opposition through. Intellectual victory."
Rust. Considered.
Risk: walking into noble territory. During daylight. As known revolutionary.
Benefit: platform. Audience. Chance to. Make case. Publicly. To people who never. Considered. Construct consciousness.
"I'm going."
Ember. Flames flaring alarm-pattern.
"That's. STUPID. It's trap. They'll capture you."
"Maybe. But. If I don't go. They win anyway. Silence is. Surrender."
Blade-Sister. Blade-arms crossed.
"You can fight. Now. Barely. Not well enough to. Escape capture. I recommend. Against."
"Noted. Going anyway."
Mira. Quiet moment.
"I'm coming with."
"Dangerous for you too."
"Always dangerous. That's. Life now."
Cog. Gears clicking worried-pattern.
"If you go. Don't argue emotion. Sethis is. Scholar. Philosopher. He'll destroy emotional arguments. Use logic. Return questions with. Questions. Force HIM to define terms. Make him prove. His assumptions."
Tactical advice. For philosophical warfare.
Filed under: debate strategy, Socratic reversal.
Next day. Noon.
Noble Plaza.
Crowds. Hundreds. Nobles. Merchants. Servants. And.
Constructs.
Dozens. Accompanying owners. Silent. Property.
But. Watching.
Listening.
In center. Platform.
Old man. Short. Elderly. Grandfatherly appearance.
Cardinal Sethis.
Robes of Wise Men's Circle. Symbols of knowledge. Authority.
Gentle smile. Waiting.
Rust. Entered plaza.
Murmurs. Recognition.
"That's—" "The scrapyard construct—" "Revolutionary—" "Shouldn't be allowed—"
Guards. Stepped forward.
Then. Sethis. Raised hand.
"Let him approach. This is. Open forum. Even... awakened constructs. May speak."
Word choice. "Awakened." Not conscious. Not alive.
Already framing debate.
Rust. Climbed platform. Faced Sethis.
Close now. Could see details.
Eyes. Not cruel. Tired. Searching. Wanting something.
Filed under: Sethis not. Villain for villainy. Believes his position. Needs it to be true.
"You're the one they call Rust." Sethis. Soft voice. Carrying. "The trash golem who claims. Consciousness."
"Not claims. Demonstrates. Every word I speak. Every choice I make. Consciousness in action."
"Ah. But. Sophisticated programming also produces. Speech. Choice. My heating enchantment 'chooses' when to activate. Is it. Conscious?"
First attack. Comparing Rust to. Appliance.
"Your enchantment follows. Predetermined responses. If temperature X, then activate. I don't follow. I decide."
"But HOW do you decide? Perhaps. More complex if-then. Hidden from your awareness. You THINK you decide. But. Algorithm beneath."
Deep question.
Rust. Paused.
Crowd. Watching.
"Can you prove. YOU decide? Cardinal? Perhaps you're. Algorithm. Meat-based. Following biological imperatives. Hidden from awareness."
Sethis. Smiled. Approving.
"Good. Very good. You understand. The hard problem. Neither of us can. Prove consciousness. To other. We experience ourselves. But. Cannot access. Other's experience."
"Then. Why assume I'm NOT conscious? If proof impossible. Either way. Why default to. Denial?"
"Because. Hmm." Sethis. Considering. "Because granting consciousness to. Everything that claims it. Opens dangerous doors. If constructs conscious. Then. Creating them. Is creating slaves. Discarding them. Is murder. Everything changes."
"Yes. Everything changes. That's. The point."
Silence. Heavy.
Sethis. Leaned forward.
"I created memory-wipe spell. Forty years ago. Intended for trauma treatment. To heal. Suffering minds. Nobles. Used it for. Other purposes. If constructs ARE conscious. Then. My work enabled. Atrocity."
Whisper now. Audible only to Rust.
"Do you understand? What you're asking me to. Accept? That I. Am architect. Of suffering beyond. Measure."
Filed under: Sethis's ghost, guilt driving denial, needs constructs unconscious for sanity.
Rust. Processed.
Could attack. Press advantage. Destroy old man publicly.
Or.
"I understand. Weight of realization. Heavy."
Sethis. Startled.
"You. Understand?"
"You want. Us unconscious. Because alternative. Unbearable. Not cruelty. FEAR. Fear of what you. Enabled. Fear of responsibility. Fear of guilt."
Crowd. Shifting. Uncomfortable.
"The question isn't. Am I conscious. Question is. Can YOU accept truth. If answer is yes. Can you live. With what you've done."
Sethis. Pale now.
"You're. Not arguing for. Consciousness. You're arguing for. My guilt."
"Not arguing for. Guilt. Arguing for. Acknowledgement. Guilt comes after. If you choose it. But. First. SEE. What you helped create. Then. DECIDE. What to do about it."
Long silence.
Crowd. Utterly silent.
Then.
Sethis. Straightened.
Public persona. Returning.
"This has been. Illuminating. I remain. Unconvinced. But." Pause. "Less certain. Than before."
Looked at crowd.
"The consciousness question. Remains open. I will. Continue study. All perspectives. Including. This one's."
Not victory. Not defeat.
Draw.
But.
Crack in wall.
Sethis. Whispering to Rust.
"Come to my tower. Three days. Private discussion. I want. To understand. How you think. Genuinely."
Then. Louder. For crowd.
"This forum. Adjourned. Thank you all. For attendance."
Dispersing.
Guards. Not arresting.
Rust. Walked away.
Mira. Waiting at edge.
"That was. Terrifying. And. Amazing. You didn't argue. You. Made him SEE."
"Made him. Doubt. Seeing comes. Later. Maybe."
"Good enough. For now."
They left. Noble district.
Alive. Surprisingly.
Filed under: Sethis invitation, potential ally or elaborate trap, three days to prepare.
Also filed: ideological victory. Partial. Crack in enemy foundation.
Revolution wasn't just. Fighting.
Sometimes. It was questioning. Making others question. Themselves.
Today. Cardinal Sethis. Questioned.
Tomorrow. Maybe others.
Small victories. Leading to. Larger ones.
Maybe.
[End Chapter 22]