The whispers continued in his ear, sotis calling Jenkins's na, interspersed with strange wails and groans. Jenkins pretended not to hear them, but suddenly, a bizarre sizzling noise echoed through the cramped space.
It sounded like sothing short-circuiting, but this world hadn't unlocked electricity on its tech tree yet. As the strange sound persisted, the altar before him began to flicker and glow, accompanied by a series of beeps.
Jenkins imdiately took a step back, ready to leave, but the lights gradually converged in the very center of the altar. A pillar of white light then erupted from it, its radiance flashing in the cramped space, and a small figure appeared within the beam.
"A hologram?"
"I'm sorry, what did you just say? I may not be fully adapted to the current linguistic system and did not comprehend your phrasing."
Appearing in the column of light was the impassive face of a human male, or so Jenkins presud. He looked to be just over thirty, with a gaunt face, a slightly receding hairline, and vacant eyes that stared at Jenkins. When it spoke, its mouth didn't move at all.
"I didn't say anything."
Jenkins shook his head. Seeing that it had only manifested as an image and seed to have no way of interacting with the outside world, he picked up the silver ritual dagger and continued his work.
"Help escape this seal, and I will give you everything you desire."
The face spoke, but when it saw Jenkins remained unmoved, continuing to thodically carve the incantations, it was like watching an emotionless steam automaton.
"Power. Don't you want it? The power of machinery. I can reshape your body, grant you even greater strength."
The face in the light continued, but its powers of persuasion were abysmal. Of all the beings that had tried to tempt Jenkins, this was by far the worst.
"What about a long life? Don't you need a longer lifespan? I can help you break free from the shackles of your human form..."
"You control the power of machinery?"
Jenkins asked suddenly.
"Yes. What is it you want?"
"Were you the one calling my na?"
"Of course."
"Then why did you keep getting it wrong on purpose?"
"On purpose? No, no. The na you possess was bestowed by a far more powerful entity. I cannot speak it, or I will be discovered by It. That entity despises life forms such as myself. If It sees , I'm done for."
The hand Jenkins was using to carve the ritual patterns suddenly froze. His middle na had been chosen by Robert's father, the grandfather of the three brothers. Jenkins had always been suspicious about it; after all, the word "Redemptor" was just too sensitive.
He had asked the Church to investigate it multiple tis, even ntioning it to Bishop Parrold, but he never received a follow-up. Both Papa Oliver and the bishop had said it probably wasn't an issue.
"My middle na... is there a problem with it?"
"Of course there's a problem, sir. Do you really think the word ‘Redemptor’ is normal?"
Jenkins fell silent. He knew that if he pursued the truth, the talking thing would surely use its freedom as leverage. But he understood the stakes perfectly. No matter what, he could not break the seal today.
"Aren't you the least bit curious?"
Seeing Jenkins continue his work in silence, the face started talking again. It was truly annoying; Jenkins hated having a voice chattering in his ear while he was trying to focus.
"Did you know?"
Jenkins asked out of the blue.
"What?"
"Less than a month ago, in a very similar situation, I ran into another sealed entity. I think there was sothing wrong with its head..."
He couldn't help but snort, placing his hand on the freshly drawn rune to resonate his spirit with it. "It ended up spouting a bunch of nonsense about fate and being a pawn, then it self-destructed. To this day, I still don't know what any of it ant."
"Oh? Could you elaborate?"
Of course he could, as long as it kept the face from chattering endlessly. Jenkins was already a third of the way through reinforcing the seal; distracting it would help him finish the rest.
He recounted the events at the mountain villa in the most long-winded way possible. He even fabricated a huge number of details just to drag it out longer.
"Your story is incomplete."
"Oh?"
Jenkins grunted inquisitively while grinding a mineral powder. It had to be freshly prepared for use, which ant another five-minute delay.
"What could that sealed entity have discovered to make it act that way? Since it ntioned the Millstone of Fate, it must have been a truly terrifying truth."
"Who knows?"
Jenkins answered vaguely.
"I have also noted that since your arrival, you have shown no symptoms of being affected by my ntal interference."
The face took on a suspicious expression, scrutinizing Jenkins once more.
"No, I am affected. My temples are throbbing a little, and my back is itchy."
"That could be a lack of sleep and a skin condition... Who are you?"
It finally asked the crucial question.
"Jenkins Redemptor Williamt. You already knew that."
"Redemptor..."
The face fell into deep thought and was still contemplating when Jenkins finished reinforcing the seal and prepared to leave. The fact that it could appear as a projection wasn't because the seal was failing, it seed; this was likely a built-in function of the seal itself.
"What is your opinion on human chanization?"
"Evil, illegal, and unnatural."
Jenkins listed three adjectives.
"I know who you are now!"
If the face could have added a dramatic "Ha!" to that, the line would have been perfectly theatrical.
"Ha?"
Jenkins had already picked up his suitcase and was about to leave, but he turned his head back at the words, looking at the face suspiciously.
"Alright then, you tell . Who am I?"
"That's not important! What's important is that you cannot die here!"
Its speech suddenly beca rapid and urgent.
"What do you an? Is that a threat?"
"No, no, please listen carefully. Sowhere deep below this location, a group of people is searching for an item whose na I cannot speak. In fifty-four seconds, their blasting will trigger a massive earthquake, and this ancient passage will collapse..."
Jenkins didn't even wait to hear the rest. He turned and sprinted back up the passage, while the face continued to shout reminders after him:
"To prevent my escape, this passage is warded against any form of spatial transfer! Your only chance of survival is to cease being human! Yes, this is the conclusion reached by the computation core! Sir, please believe ! My na is the A4 Type Arithm—"
Reviews
All reviews (0)