Chương 148: Chapter 138-Chosen Truth

Ilota closes the curtain behind him as we enter the construction zone of the clocktower. Huh, they sure are working fast in here. Might be done by the start of summer. Huh, I'm getting a weird feeling about this. Summer?

"So, you want to talk about this Ashfall?" I ask as I play with a bucket.

"Still playing clueless? I'm a reporter. When I find inconsistencies, I dig, and I don't stop digging until I get to the truth. So, tell me what you know?" Ilota asks as he looks me up and down.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ilota."

"Then why did you follow me when I brought up Ashfall?" he says in a cold tone.

"You sounded serious. I thought it would be best to hear you out, but if you're just going to talk nonsense, then there's no point in me being here," I [Lie] as I put the bucket down and walk past him.

"Someone has been asking around about Ashfall, and it's not me," Ilota says, stopping me in my tracks. Fuck. I can't exactly walk away, but if I turn around, I'm basically admitting that I know something about Ashfall. Why did I even come in here with him to begin with? I should've brushed it off and kept walking. Like I need to do now.

"Who?" I ask, cursing Abrigon for not doing his job.

"So you do know something about Ashfall."

"That's not an answer, Ilota. Who's asking about Ashfall?" I ask with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Sorry, but as any good reporter would tell you. Information doesn't come cheap," he says with a wink.

"Are you asking for money?" I ask, shocked.

"What would I do with money? I want something far more valuable. I want the truth. What do you know about Ashfall?" he asks the same question as all those months ago.

"Fine. You want to play this game? Then let's play. One question for one answer. Seems fair enough to you?" I ask as I plop down on a stack of bags, "And no open-ended questions." Ilota squints at me as if trying to read my thoughts.

"Fine. When was the first time you heard about Ashfall?"

"Eleven years ago. Who's asking about Ashfall?"

"Eleven years? That's certainly an interesting time frame," he says as he writes in his small journal.

"Ilota."

"Ah, sorry. I don't know the guy's name, but he's human, a bit older, and has a scar under his right eye. Did you live in Ashfall?" Ignoring him, I shake my head. Scar under his right eye. That has to be Alexander Argent, but why would he be asking about Ashfall? He knows everything he needs to know. Unless…

"Chosen One? Did you live in Ashfall?" Ilota asks.

"Yeah. What kind of questions was he asking?"

"Wait. Wait. Wait. You actually lived there? I thought you might have known some people who were from there or something like that, but to think you actually lived there. What was it like? How did the fire start? How did the mixture of cultures go?" he asks in rapid succession, getting lost in his own curiosity.

"Ilota, answer the question," I say, giving a gentle reminder.

"Sorry, I was shocked. Uhm. He's mostly asked about people who used to live there," he says. People who used to live there? He knows damn well there aren't any, and he wouldn't ask about me. He already knows about me. Then what's the point of- No. There couldn't be. Survivors?

"Are you okay? Do you know this guy? You aren't looking so good. Should I get somebody?" Ilota asks with a hint of worry. I buried everyone, but some of the bodies were beyond recognition. Hells, some of them were burned to a crisp. If there were survivors, they could've run and never looked back. Why didn't I think about survivors? Why didn't I think to look for them? Well, it's not like I didn't have my own problems at the time. Still, I should've… done something. This novel's true home is a different platform.

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"I'm fine. Do you know if there are any? Survivors, that is?" I ask, snapping out of my mind.

"He asked a lot of people; None of my sources could confirm that he got a positive answer, but he seemed pretty adamant about looking for one. Chosen One, you obviously know this man. What is happening?" he asks with a gleam of curiosity at the word survivors.

"Let me ask you a question first. Why are you so curious about Ashfall? As far as you know, it's just a town that burned down. Yet you keep poking at it. Why?" I need to know if I can trust him. He talks a big game about the truth and all that, but if I can understand his motives, I can better understand him. If this is all idle curiosity, there would be no point in getting him involved. Better yet, I'd push him as far away from this as possible. He could get himself killed, but if there's something more…

Ilota gently closes his journal.

"Like you, I'm not of noble birth. I grew up in a small town not far from here. A simple hunting village where simple commoners live. There wasn't much to do there except read the paper that the mailman would bring every month. I would read that thing from front to back to the point that I could recite it from memory. I loved the stories it had. The news of places I'd never been to and people I've never met. I fell in love with it. Knowledge. Truth. So much so that I wanted to become a reporter.

I want to get the next big scoop and share it with the world, but as time went by, I realized how much the truth is hidden and twisted to serve those who would benefit and hurt those who are left in the dark. I felt dismayed. If nobody reports on the truth, who will? That's when I realized I had to be that person. I can tell that Ashfall's truth is hidden, and I want to bring it to light because that's what it deserves. That's what the truth deserves."

"I'm not the biggest fan of the truth, but I can understand what you're saying. If you really want to know the truth, then I'll tell you, but then you're going to have to help me. It's going to be dangerous, and it's sure to get us in trouble, but you'll learn the truth and maybe even help me save some people," I say, being the most truthful I've been in a while. With a smile, Ilota takes his quill out.

"Tell me everything. Tell me the truth." Ilota looks down at his notes.

"So, Ashfall was attacked by Purists and burned to the ground. You survived the attack out of sheer luck. One of the Purists who attacked is one of the Headmaster candidates. This same guy is also responsible for the attack at the Ball and is the one who's asking about survivors. Did I miss anything?" he asks.

"They tried to pin the attack at the Ball on the Vashrins using [Transmutation]," I add as I lazily lean on a pillar.

"Okay. I think I got it all."

"Do you think we can do something with this?" I ask with a hint of hope.

"If you're asking if we can print, then no. All we have here is hearsay and circumstantial evidence at best. If we want to print, we need cold, hard facts. Something that's irrefutable, like a confession. Otherwise, the public won't even bat an eye," he explains.

"That's going to be a little hard to get out of him," I say as I get up and use [Clean] to get rid of the dirt.

"At this point, I don't know how else we could prove that it was him and the Purists. Your word does hold a lot of sway, but we would need more than just your testimony," he points out.

"So we're hopeless?" I ask in disbelief.

"I didn't say that. If there are survivors, then it wouldn't just be your word against his. I suspect this is why he's looking for them. Tying up loose ends before becoming the Headmaster," Ilota says as he taps his journal.

"Then we need to find them first. Do you think you can get me a lead?" I ask.

"I'll get on it immediately, but you might have some better luck on your end," he says as he stands to meet me.

"My end?"

"Ashfall was built and managed by the Empire. It was specifically the Emperor's personal project. I know you're close to the Imperial family. If you ask, you might be able to find something out that could help us with our search," he explains.

"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, try to stay safe. If Alexander is trying to get rid of any loose ends, that includes you and me," I say as I pull back the curtain.

"I may not have a powerful [Blessing] or even amazing [Skills], but one thing I can take pride in is my ability to stay out of harm's way. I'm more worried about you," he says as he walks past me into the night.

"Don't be. I'm The Chosen One after all," I [Lie]. With a nod, we go our separate ways. I still don't know if that was the right move. Telling Ilota about Ashfall and the Purists is a risky bet. It could lead to him being injured or, worse, killed. I pride myself on being resourceful, but even I know that doing this alone is sure to end in failure. The Ball taught me that.

"You saw my memories of Ashfall, right?" I ask The Chosen Blade.

"We did. I'm sorry that you went through that," Yellow says.

"Do you think somebody could have survived that?" I ask as I walk to Azalea Hall.

"I've seen many massacres in my time. My village was attacked by wandering raiders who were looking for food, and subsequently burned it when they found none. Even in that dark moment when my family and friends were slain, I held hope in my heart that I would see them again, but you need to be wary. Hope is a dangerous thing," Black says in a rare moment of sincerity.

"Black is right. Hope is as deadly as the strongest poison. It can cloud your judgement and push you to do things that you may not otherwise do," Yellow warns. Looking down at The Chosen Blade, I sigh.

"But sometimes Hope is what fuels you when you face insurmountable odds. When life is determined to crush you, Hope is the only thing you can rely on. Isn't that right, CJ?" Blue asks.

"It's good to hear from you, Blue. It had been a while. Ready to help me take on this Purist?" I ask with a devilish smile.

"You helped me fight my foe. It's only right that I help you fight yours."