Chapter 108: Breaking Through Lies

[Unknown cavern on the outskirts of Keystone]

Morgan's eyes open in a single breath.

When her senses return, droplets of the wet cavern she resides within echo through her — each hollow plink from a stalactite a reminder of the unending flow of forces that slowly shapes the Earth over time. She finds it soothing to resonate in such geologies, more defined than any temporal score of humanity.

Forces of nature act all the time on the world. For her and The Order, their goal is to not only gather those who believe in Isis, but to break the dam of a force long held back. Like how water shapes the Earth, so too will their goddess.

Not to remain distracted in her admiration, the councilwoman inhales the humid air once more before rising. Blue embers follow as her red dress slips to the ground, tattered and charred to the carved magic circle she was sitting on top of. She doesn't mind the loss as she stares at what was left of the ritual she performed.

Her eyes narrow, half-annoyed, half-intrigued. If the flames were complete, the embers should've remained yellow, but thanks to her decision to meet Marlin, her connection to the goddess' flames was altered. It wasn't too surprising, considering the similarly named man was in direct connection to Merlin.

Either way, she doesn't regret meeting him.

"Merlin...Marlin. Who knew that a dead man could be so funny with his pickings?" she mutters.

Tap tap!

Morgan's attention shifts to a nearby tunnel as steps frantically edge toward her position along with the wisps of a flickering light.

"Dear council!"

A deep voice burrows into the cavern as the large Italian man, Nico, halts before the councilwoman. With a square jaw illuminated by the torch he holds, his eyes are unbending to the bare cinnamon figure before him. That said, he can admire how her skin glistens against his light and the moisture in the air.

"Nico." Morgan acknowledges, her eyes softening. "I see you've set up quite the commotion in the city. Were there any regrets for our brother who sacrificed himself?"

"None. Without understanding our goddess' flames, the city can only see a heart attack." The Italian man assures, then frowns. "But I heard you projected yourself to Ruler's Den. You did not need to personally go out of your way to meet Marlin and break your focus. Our contact would've been able to evaluate him."

"No, I'm glad I did. With his arrival here, the man needs to see that we're not just a bunch of blind followers to Isis without any tangible evidence. To that end, our dear pub owner might not have been able to handle any probing of Marlin using the flames."

Brow's rising, Nico's eyes lower to scan the carved symbol that was prepared, catching the blue specks that lie about.

"So he's dangerous. Is that why you cast protection?"

Morgan follows her gaze back down to the tiny coals and snorts. "No, it was spread against me. Like we suspect, Marlin carries ties to Merlin, but he isn't aware of it. He was given a book that started the fire in him but lacks experience to control it. Even so, his connection to that mad mage was enough to kick me out before I could gather what he does know."

"He sounds like someone we have to remove."

"Perhaps, but let's not judge too quickly," Morgan warns. "If anything, he provides us the latest clues to Merlin's visions and plans he set up centuries ago. Since he willingly followed up on your invitation on the same day, we should give a member of our Order a chance to prove himself, no?"

"I see what you're after, but I'm not sure if I agree."

"Then visit him and see for yourself. More importantly, have you found anything on Lecia?"

"As far as her whereabouts, no," Niko answers. "We searched her house too before the accident, but nothing imbued with our goddess' flames was found."

Morgan sighs. "Not surprising. Given she was able to organize her own group for this long without our knowledge, she wouldn't have her secrets lying about. Victor's connection to her is only complicating matters further — he's likely had a part in her disappearance. What about any other contacts?"

"Nothing yet. It seems they're actively securing themselves as even public records are becoming harder to find in the last hour."

Niko pauses before adding, "You would know the most, though, my lady. Have you found anything through one of Lecia's members we captured?"

The councilwoman's lips rise a little. She raises her hand, looking at it. "Not yet. Sadly, her presence has already become lost to me. That's partially why I decided to give up and visit the pub."

Her eyes lock back onto Nico, and for the first time in a long while, a shiver travels down the Italian man's spine to meet the void in her eyes.

"Would you like to join her? Perhaps you can find the information...ah, but then I might not be able to find you either."

Nico's breath quivers. "That's...! I would love nothing more than to become—"

"It's a joke," Morgan shuts him down, flatly. Her eyes roll, exasperated. "I swear, people need to relax. Don't forget, we'll all become part of something greater, so don't set your sights short."

Nico swallows but nods. He stands still as the councilwoman takes a step past him, then lays a comforting hand on his arm.

"When you've lived as long as I have, truths will inevitably reveal themselves. Don't be hasty."

She draws her hand away, leaving. "By the will of the goddess."

══════════ ∴ ══════════

[Rachel's Home]

After some commotion from an unexpected visitor with glasses, Daniel shuffles awkwardly at the dining table to face the history addict, Rose, again. Rachel was equally surprised by the connection but couldn't ask how her guests knew each other with an overdue call to attend to first. Knowing that, she pushed Rose to join them.

Although Rose didn't mean to add to the dinner night, she ended up losing to the astronomer's insistence.

"Uh, sorry for the intrusion," Rose begins toward the two, rubbing her neck with a nervous laugh. Her gaze shifts to Anne as she clears her throat. "But honestly, when you said you were bigger into astronomy, I didn't think much of it. Looking back, I guess it makes sense you would be affiliated with Rachel."

Leaning away, Anne laughs weakly. "I...I suppose, but what about you? What's your relationship with Rachel?"

Rose stiffens before waving her hands. "Oh, nothing! We just share a mutual contact, that's all."

The slime mother raises a brow. "Who? Is it this 'Mike' you mentioned?"

"A-ah, j-just a...coworker of hers! He asked me to forward something that couldn't wait."

"Really now? What exactly was so important?"

Rose holds her hand out, closing her eyes anxiously. "I-it's not really my place to say."

Seeing Rose hiding something only raises Daniel's suspicions. Adding to his growing list of worries, there's still been no reports of Lecia being found in the news.

'Never a dull moment.'

Sighing, he glances toward the kitchen entrance, where Rachel excused herself to take a call. Somehow, it must be related to whatever Rose had to alert about.

He could sense there's something more distressing at play.

"I'm going to check up on Rachel," Daniel announces, rising. While it's only been a few minutes since the astronomer left them with a bumbling historian, he feels like he's wasting time as is.

Eyes snapping to him, Rose's shoulders jerk. "W-wait, no! She's fine, trust me! It's not good to bother her...a-ah..."

Her words fall on deaf ears as Daniel disappears into the kitchen before she can finish. Lips quivering, the bookworm's glasses fog into a panic before she tries to follow; however, Anne's hand on her shoulder was quick to end any challenge.

While trusting her son would manage with Rachel, the slime mother's eyes close to a scary smile. "Rose, we're friends now, aren't we? You should be able to tell a friend something about another friend."

Rose wiggles her lips. "That's...W-we only met today, though!"

"Why would that matter? Besides, you said I could ask you anything about history, and this is a history I want to know."

"Urgh...but, um...I'm just the messenger! Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Who says anything about shooting? Just an honest question. You're being oddly suspicious, you know?"

"Eeek! Um, I meant...no, that's not...uh..."

As Rose fumbles before an unyielding Anne, Daniel finds their elder host leaning against one of the counter tops, her eyes shut with one hand across her forehead while the other holds a phone to her ear.

"Dear god, why now?" she mutters, her voice cracking. "Surely, Lecia's okay if they haven't found...!"

Eyes opening, her breath stutters to see Daniel in front of her. Returning her gaze, the artist's eyebrow rises to hear his client's name dropped with such familiarity.

He decides questioning can come later as he resets, smiling as if he hadn't heard anything. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Hand sinking, Rachel straightens instantly. "Y-yes, it's fine, Daniel. Don't worry, I'll be right there once I...!"

The astronomer's words are cut by the caller in her ear. A few seconds later, her pupils shrink and shift to the side of her phone.

"Fuck off!" she erupts, shaking the air and Daniel as she turns away from him. Refocusing on the caller, her free hand grips the side of the counter with the weight of her objection. "Just because she's missing doesn't mean you have to bring him into this! I won't allow...allow..."

Yet, she stumbles. Whatever the caller is saying, it's handing the scientist a reality check. As she holds herself, forced to listen, Daniel thins his lips in worry to see his 'cool aunt' actually losing her cool.

After some time, Rachel shuts her eyes.

"You son of a bitch," she mutters through her breath.

Collecting herself, she returns to face Daniel, drawing the phone away. Although it's obvious she's irritated, her lips break into a weak smile.

"Daniel...I'm sorry for this. I promise that I'll explain everything, but first, I'd like you to talk to the man on the phone. His name is Mike."

The artist breathes out, understanding that's the name that Rose mentioned. While feeling unease over why he's being asked to join, Rachel's face shows more upset in her request.

Thus, without another word, he takes the phone from her hand and awkwardly brings it up to his ear.

"Uh...Hello?"

The voice that follows into his ears is mellow, tired.

"Hello, Daniel," Mike greets back before taking a moment to sigh. "Under better circumstances, I wish we didn't have to talk like this."

Daniel's brows knit. "You know me?"

A single bitter laugh escapes through Mike's breath. Daniel could almost feel his exhaustion through the speaker.

"Not personally, but Rachel and I both know Lecia. She made quite the blunder commissioning you, and now I fear..."

The archaeologist stops himself amid Daniel's silent surprise. "Sorry, what am I doing? Let me rewind a bit. Lecia and I are...friends who studied together in archaeology. At some point during her excavation days, she uncovered something incredible that couldn't be disclosed publicly. Rachel and I were eventually added to a private team to help with the research that followed for several years. That's how we all know each other."

Daniel's breath holds. He doesn't dare out himself, but is certain Mike is referring to one of Merlin's books that Lecia found at Stonehenge. More surprising is the fact that Rachel was involved with Lecia this whole time.

'Damn it,' he thinks, gritting his teeth. There's a sense of betrayal, but he doesn't forget that he and Anne have been lying to Rachel as well.

There were secrets on both sides.

He glances at her for a brief second while keeping his face neutral. "And the research is...?"

"This is already more than I ever expected to say to a stranger, but I can't elaborate without knowing where you align. If it weren't for the fact that you're here with Rachel, I wouldn't even consider it. The problem is that you're connected somehow, and not just as an artist Lecia hired."

Heart beating, Daniel plays off such notion with a scoff. "I'm sorry, but are you suggesting I had anything to do with the accident on the news? I'm just as shocked by all of this, especially now hearing that Rachel knew my client and didn't tell me."

The astronomer flinches across from him, but Daniel can't meet her gaze a second time for the sake of keeping himself together. Whatever happens, both of them will have explaining to do, and he's not looking forward to it.

"Is that so?" Marlin questions, unconvinced. "For Rachel's sake, I'm allowing you some benefit of doubt, but let me be clear: This was no fucking accident."

The sudden steel in his tone shrinks Daniel's stomach. "I...What do you mean?"

"I hoped you might have an idea. Regardless, I figured that if you're working with the group that coordinated the attack on Lecia, then Rachel and Rose might be as good as dead while the rest of us are compromised. If not, then you're equally at risk thanks to matters surrounding you, not to mention Rachel's connection to you. Either way, your family is in trouble..."

His tone lowers, adding, "...and so is mine."

Eyes wide, Daniel tightens his grip on Rachel's phone. Although he wants to deny that Lecia was attacked on purpose, Victor's final warning comes back to him.

"I am not in any state to interfere, but others who can see like I do will come to know your 'friend' is exceptionally bright. Various branches, especially for followers of Isis, will either seek to use her or destroy her depending on what they believe in."

There was no question of it. He just didn't consider there would be a group affecting others beyond him and his slime mothers.

Holding firm to not give anything away, Daniel growls. "Sorry, but you're fucking insane. It's ridiculous to think I could do anything to harm Rachel or anybody. If what you say is true, why not report it to the city?"

Mike barely seems relieved. "If only it were that easy."

The artist twists his lips. He had to ask, but figured that would be the case.

"Let's drop the pretense, Daniel," Mike forcefully urges before Daniel could question further. "Even if say you're not involved with the 'accident', Lecia believed you to know more than you led on. You should've already known from Rachel that your mother's grave was scanned by Sights Open and found empty. More than that, Lecia saw that you had a painting of a particular symbol. Whether you know what it is or not, people who are targeting us might not care. So, are you going to play dumb, or can you really say you don't know anything?"

"..."

Daniel frowns. There were obvious missteps, but knowing how those steps propagated beyond Lecia really hammered it home. It was a wonder how there wasn't more pressure on him.

Was it because of Rachel?

Either way, he finishes collecting his thoughts, scoffing. "I would say I don't understand enough! This is all very sudden, and you haven't given me a reason or benefit to believe you, Lecia, Rachel, or anyone part of this shady 'research' group."

Rachel softly inhales, her eyes widening in response to her name. While she doesn't know what Mike is saying, Daniel's upset stabs her, and she notices that he seems to be taking the archaeologist more seriously than she thought.

"...Daniel?"

Could it be he really knows something?

The weakly called artist doesn't respond but feels more shame for his words. Still, he can't be picky for the sake of his slime mothers.

He can't risk losing them to anyone.

Unexpectedly, Mike seems to breathe easier. Even though Daniel is running around his question, the fact he's willing to consider his words is telling.

"No, that's understandable," he admits. "Without knowing how much of our group is known, I really can't guarantee anyone's safety, but I'm making sure as much of our information is locked down to make it harder for them."

After a moment of pause, he lowers his voice. "That said, we're not defenseless, but we need to know who is and isn't actively trying to sabotage us. If you, or whatever you're hiding, isn't a problem, then I promise you that we'll do our best to support you as well."

'Problem, huh?'

Daniel narrows his eyes. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not convinced."

"Haah...well, this would go a lot smoother if we were both more honest. The good news is that I don't have to convince you myself. After all, you have someone who'll want answers even more than I do."

The artist flinches, his eyes widening as he returns to the anxious scientist in front of him. From the moment he took the call, it never occurred to him that this setup was intentional. Rachel would naturally doubt and want answers after standing by and hearing him, but it seems Mike understands how important Rachel is to him and is using that.

'This bastard...' Daniel thinks, gritting his teeth under his lips.

Mike continues, unwavering. "Rachel has been brought up to speed about what we know so far, so even if you don't trust me, at least trust her. If I hear back from them, then I hope that we can later come to an understanding. If not...well, I'll live with my regrets."

The call disconnects, leaving the artist stunned. Slowly, he lowers the phone from his ear.

"Daniel..." Rachel calls again, her voice rising with a quiver. With each second of silence that passes between them, her heart tightens. More than anyone, she wants to believe in her friend's son — someone she's looked out for in place of Amy — isn't part of this danger that's developing.

Feeling her concern, Daniel holds himself as his mind swirls to come up with an excuse before breathing in.

"Rachel, listen to me," he starts slowly. "While I wish you had told me that you knew my client, the fact that you were working together for...something on the side is none of my business. It also has nothing to do with me."

Rachel's face falls before tears brim in her eyes. "N-nothing to do with you? How can you even say that? It has everything to do with you, Daniel! What we were looking for might have something to do with why your mother's grave was found empty!"

Daniel groans, shutting his eyes for a moment as he internally facepalms. Straightening, he holds his hands out. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. What I meant is that the accusation that I would know something and could be responsible for Lecia's accident is completely unfounded. I'm just an artist, for god's sake!"

Rachel wanted to believe it as well, but...

"I just...I don't know anymore!" she chokes, curling with a hand to her face. "All I want to know is the truth about what happened with your mother...my friend!"

"..."

Daniel creases with guilt at the pain in her voice. He'd like nothing more than to tell the truth, but he's afraid of how she'll react, how she might change her outlook on Anne. Finding out she's been aligned with Lecia only validates such caution.

He steps forward, wrapping his arms around her. "Rachel, please...I know, and I'm sorry."

The scientist chokes again, failing to reign in her emotions as she leans against his chest. Her hands claw the front of his shirt as tears stain him.

"I just miss her so much! Please, if you really know anything...anything at all..."

The artist shuts his eyes as he squeezes her. "I miss my mom too, but even if we find her, she's...she's not going to come back."

"No, that's the thing!"

Daniel gasps as Rachel pushes him away, hands shaking. Her head lowers, bangs hiding her teary eyes.

"I...I don't know what Mike told you, but if you knew what Lecia saw, knew what I saw from the stars, you'd feel a glimmer of hope. As a scientist, I don't want to believe in magic, but there are so...so many things that have happened recently that are unexplainable."

She takes a deep breath, raising her head to meet Daniel's guilt-laden features. While Mike had warned her to be careful revealing their findings, he gave her the choice to be clear to Daniel if she felt it appropriate, although at her own risk. Regardless of permission, she can't hold back any longer.

"Daniel, you can call me crazy, but...something was released into our world by Lecia, all too similar to the painting she commissioned you for. Mike just told me he was investigating a history where Cleopatra revived. I know that sounds impossible, but it's the only thing that matches closely to everything that happened with the green fire Lecia and others saw."

The artist stares, paling. He knows this story as well, but to hear it from Rachel brings her closer than he'd like.

He can't downplay the idea fast enough as Rachel continues, laughing rigidly while tears continue to stream down her face. "I don't want to believe it...I really don't want to believe it, but surely, if she's not in her grave and did revive, she'd come back to us, right? She wouldn't...!"

Everything stops for Rachel except for her tears.

While the salty drops from her eyes fall to the tiles below, she takes in Daniel's expression and a hidden desperation behind his eyes. It only add to a ballooning feeling in her heart.

She feels as if the answer had been in front of her for so long.

Draft designations to stars that shouldn't have been known.

A sense of comfort that could only belong from an old friend.

Knowledge that carries forth a bright future and passion to the universe.

Without another word, Rachel turns around, unable to ignore this feeling as Mike's words and Daniel finally strike a realization in her heart.

...Anne.

"Rachel, h-hold on!"

Breaking out of his icy state, Daniel fails to get the scientist to calm down as she rushes out of the kitchen. In his fervor, he stumbles onto the floors.

'Fuck!'

Rachel enters the dining room, her chest rising with increasing intensity as she hears Anne's irritable voice along with Rose's cries.

"Grah! You are so annoying, Rose! Spill it already!"

"Uwaah! Why are your hands so cold?!"

"Don't change the subject!"

Coming from behind the slime mother, Rachel watches Anne growl as she tugs Rose's cheeks. The historian's eyes clench with stubborn defiance.

Watching this scene only helps to solidify memories of the fights she would see and experience with Amy. It only helps to further the pounding in her chest. While painful, there's more hope than she ever expected to hold.

She draws in slowly.

"Amy?"

...

The frustration in Anne's expression drops, as do her hands gripping the poor glasses girl. While Rose snaps away with a grunt, Anne's mouth hangs and eyes blank with disbelief. She wonders if she simply misheard the returning Rachel.

"You're...actually Amy...right, Anne?"

Sadly, no.