Chương 2

Bit by bit, Kirk absorbed information and created a foundation. The world spun into coherence. Administrator Ranya led him out of the tent, out of the Healer's area, and toward the tallest buildings inside the wall. They pressed up against the stone, as though their height was only possible by leaning against it. She brought Kirk to the largest of the buildings, up a short fight of stone steps, and into a wide room with a desk and a few chairs. The window was open and a soft breeze blew in, alleviating the heat.

The Administrator gestured.

"Take a seat." Kirk sat down in the comfiest looking chair, behind the desk. The administrator released a hollow laugh.

"So, it's going to be like that, Kirkland Albion?" Kirk wasn't even listening to her, not really. He looked out the window, at the sky.

"This world isn't fair, is it?" She made a disgusted noise and tossed a sheaf of papers onto the desk between them.

"Alright I understand these materials are clearly unnecessary. Fine, whatever games you wish to play with your family, do so. Just do not waste my time. Go and become geo feed, for all I care. The geo 3s are unusually active this year."

"What about geo-1s and 2s?" Kirk asked. The Administrator sighed.

"Smartass." She strode over to the window and looked out it. In the distance, it was possible to see the wavering light of the Rift.

"You crossed the boundary. You are now a fully fledged Conduit. Congratulations. We unlocked your Runic Interpreter; everything should be in order." As the administrator spoke, she gestured toward his wrist. He looked down and saw an unassuming band of brass across forearm, about three fingers thick. Shallow indentations in the shape of over lapping polygons covered it surface. When he tapped the metal, the band hummed. A web of complex characters shimmered along those indentations.

In response, Kirk felt a new awareness. Strange symbols appeared on the surface of his eye, in the corner of his vision. He knew, almost intuitively, that if he looked at them, he would be able to access his information.

"No matter your name, I want to make one thing clear-- you will participate in routine patrols, like every other Conduit." The Administrator said.

"We do not make special exceptions for nobility." Kirk looked at that blue character in his vision. Suddenly, information appeared in front of his eyes. Name: Kirkland Albion Archetype: Spark Mage (0) -Runes: Summon Ember -Manifestations: [None] -Ascension: Cultivation (Fire 0/1) Archetype: Beast (0) -Runes: [None] -Manifestations: Heightened Senses -Ascension: Death Eating (0/30) Spark Mage. Beast. Kirk observed, fixating on the labels of these Archetypes.

"What's your Archetype?" Kirk asked the Administrator. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What an incredibly rude question. That is not information you are entitled to, young man. You are just as the rumors made you out to be. Step carefully- your family name will only carry you so far. The Conduits in Peakhold will not suffer your attitude. As an Administrator, I only have a responsibility to shield you from monsters.

"But I'm not going to stop your own foolishness from killing you."

"What do you mean? I don't remember anything from before today." Kirk frowned at the Administrator. She frowned right back and acted as though she hadn't heard.

"I'll have an aide bring you to your quarters, if there is nothing else. I do not have time for this." Kirk shrugged and stood. The Administrator rapped at the door. A young woman put her head through. Her eyes widened as she saw Kirk. That growling part of him, which he realized had to do with his Beast Archetype, released a hiss of distaste. Why do people have those reactions, when they see me? Kirk shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Take Young Master Albion to his quarters," The Administrator said. Her voice was almost sweet. She smiled at Kirk.

"I'm sure you will be delighted by how we executed your lodging requests." Kirk nodded.

"Thank you." He felt somewhat pleased that his response appeared to flummox the Administrator. He followed the young woman down the stairs and out of the building. Once more, he was back in the open ground between the walls. The young woman led him to a different corner- Kirk realized that the interior of the keep was divided into four quadrants. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The healer's area, the Administrators, and now he went to a third: a series of neat lanes between small tents, built for only a single or pair of people. Kirk felt a nudge from the Enhanced Senses that came from the Beast Archetype inside of him. He turned around; the young woman had stopped a few meters back. She gestured weakly.

"H-here it is."

"Here?" Kirk looked at the tent in front of them. It was somewhat taller than those to either side. The young woman flinched.

"U-unfortunately… all permanent dwellings here in Peakhold have already been assigned. So you can only stay here. Your supplies have already been placed inside." Kirk nodded. If anything, the young woman just seemed more scared. She bowed her head.

"Please. This wasn't- I'm just an aide."

"Sure," Kirk said. He waved the aide away and she gratefully fled. He stared after her for a second, considering. What a kind person. To your fellows generosity… I should repay her in the future. Kirk pushed aside a flap and stepped inside. His eyebrows rose.

"Oh, it's quite nice." He walked over and sat down on the bedding. He rubbed the materials and felt silk. At the foot of the bedding was a massive wooden chest. Several other bags, were piled against the edge of the tent, bulging out the wall. He also had several barrels on the other side. A few bottles were tucked under a small wooden table. Right by the entrance, a set of leather armor, along with a shield and short spear, had been laid out. Kirk laid back on the bedding. He stared up at the ceiling of the tent.

The momentum of the surroundings had carried him along for a while, but now he had the time to stop and reflect. He had a massive problem. He didn't remember who he was. And everybody seemed to know him, which was doubly aggravating. Not all of his memories had vanished. Kirk raised his hands.

He knew the names of body parts, he recognized the materials of the tent and the hold, he had a vague understanding of what it meant to be a Conduit, that the Conduits were governed by the Maester Council, and that Administrators were the designated officials hired by the Council to manage a Rift. Just whenever he thought about himself, about his family or upbring? There was only a static filled void. No thoughts appeared. He groped and found nothing. Kirk focused on that little rune in the corner of his vision.

He looked at the top of his information. Name: Kirkland Albion"That's my name." Kirk muttered his eyes drifted down. He pursed his lips.

"But this… one thing I do remember is that everyone only has one Archetype." Archetype: Spark Mage (0) Archetype: Beast (0) As though sensing his attention, his Archetypes stirred. From the depths of his being, two phantoms emerged. The phantom on Kirk's left was a four legged creature. The details were fuzzy, aside from two piercing eyes, the yellow of a freshly risen moon. Although Kirk couldn't discern its actual identity, he could feel a feline energy from the Beast. Meanwhile, on Kirk's right-- Kirk frowned.

Compared to the other Archetype, which began vaguely cleaning itself with a tongue, the right Archetype, Spark Mage, conjured a strangely inert phantom. It was a single spark, but it was somehow… flat. Just floating there. A Conduit should only have a single Archetype. Is having two why I've lost my memories? Kirk wondered. The Beast Archetype emitted an uninterested growl. What did it matter why? It was so. Kirk rubbed his cheeks and sat up. Without his focus, the phantoms of his Archetypes vanished.

He stood and left the tent, then followed the path away from the direction the aide had brought him. He passed several tents with the flaps pulled open, with individuals lounging, or resting, within. Kirk also moved past tents from inside which he could hear hissing arguments. But it was the bare tents that earned a pause from him. Kirk's pupils dilated as he recalled the sobbing woman and the dropped flower. He released a shuddering breath. He moved on.

At the end of the lane, against the base of the stone wall, was a small clearing with a well. Several individuals were hanging around, a few hauling up water. Kirk hovered at the edge of the clearing for a second, observing them. But then one man spotted Kirk and his hand snapped out and clamped around the forearm of his friend.

"I told you! There he is! He came in with the most recent levy batch. That's Kirkland Albion." Kirk felt heat rise in his cheeks as all of the individuals turned to look at him. He bounded over to the wooden ladder leaning against the stone wall. He ascended as quickly as he could, throwing himself up onto the battlement of the wall and striding away to escape the attention. Kirk rubbed his cheeks and shook his head. Who was I, that everyone reacts like this? He took a breath and closed his eyes.

The feeling of the wind brushing its feathered fingers across his skin grounded him. And with his eyes closed, Kirk became very aware of the surroundings. He paused and sat down. The warmth of the sun, the solid residual heat of the stone beneath him, the wind- its touch and sounds- and then the voices of the people-"Healer Michaels!" Kirk's eyes opened. His senses were almost too willing to allow external information to disturb him. And people's voices were especially harsh.

Looking around, Kirk saw he had walked along the wall to shift partially out of the tent lanes to the healers area. In a corner of the Healers quarter, a man with a salt and pepper beard sat in a wooden chair, in a shadowy space beneath an old tree that grew inside the stone walls of the hold. Another man hurried closer.

"Healer Michaels, I know you said you shouldn't be disturbed-""Yet here you are disturbing me," The sitting man scowled. The man shook his head.

"You don't understand. There's been an accident. The Sea Snakes Troop found a small geode of Radiant Ore. During the extraction-" The Healer held up a hand.

"You must be aware of why I told you not to disturb me- my energy is spent. I am hollow. I can perform no healing. Stabilize them as best you can. I will go in a few hours."

"They are demanding to see you," The other man said weakly. The Healer narrowed his eyes.

"Of course they are. You know that their fellow Conduit won't make it through the three hours, will they? And you don't have the spine to just tell them the truth." The other man's head drooped. The Healer snorted.

"If there is one thing you can rely on in this world, it is suffering. Fine then; what is one more speck of misery, one more ounce of hate as I ask them to watch their friend die? Too bad I don't have infinite power. Wouldn't such a life be too easy?" On top of the wall, Kirk watched the two depart. The healer walked with a cane, leaning against it, taking care with each of his steps. Watching him move, out of that vague confusion that swirled within the core of him, Kirk felt resolve forming.

He once more pictured the weeping woman, as she cursed the world for not being fair.

"If this world isn't fair," Kirk said slowly.

"Why don't we fix it?" The Beast inside of him hummed its agreement. All it would take is infinite power.