Chương 402: Chapter 397 - Interrogative

"That should suffice for the time being," Scarlett said, evaporating a bead of sweat from her temple with a flicker of hydrokinesis. She pushed herself up from her knees and stepped back to survey her work. The floor before her was covered in a sprawling array, interlocking sigils etched into the stone with flame and silvery powder. A muted glow seeped through the lines, gradually filling the chamber as the formation reached completion. A low, steady thrum spread through the air, vibrating faintly against her skin.

Moving to the wall, she pressed her palm against a focal point she had carved into the formation, channelling a stream of mana into it. At once, the cramped cell opposite her—with iron bars looking into it—flared with restrained brilliance. Light poured from the arrays woven into its frame, leaving no corner untouched yet not blinding. At the centre of that glow lay a small figure draped in crimson robes, bound by chains of radiant gold.

Three lavender eyes regarded Scarlett without the slightest flicker of emotion from behind a white mask. Strands of pale blonde hair spilled from beneath the hood, catching the light in fine threads. Scarlett ignored her captive for now, sweeping her gaze across the cell, following the maze of glowing lines that traced its interior. It had taken three hours of precise work to assemble, and it was very much an improvised and temporary solution, but one without obvious flaws from what she could tell.

It should, in theory, be enough to contain Nol'viz until she could construct something more permanent, if that became necessary. The arrays layered several effects. Nothing too elaborate, given that Scarlett was still relatively inexperienced in this field, but Thainnith's legacy lent her a steady hand. The runes here maintained constant illumination, leaving no shadows for the Cabal girl to slip into, while simultaneously suppressing mana within the cell and reinforcing the iron bars.

She felt fairly confident it would hold even Fynn for a while. Of course, someone like Nol'viz would eventually escape, but that was why Scarlett had also prepared some safeguards through the Loci. She hoped it would prove enough. Allowing herself a brief moment of satisfaction, she brought out a flask of water. The array had demanded complete focus to make. It was a good thing her current company weren't one that minded silence much.

Her gaze shifted to the far corner, where Fynn sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. He had stood watch over Nol'viz through the night, and she doubted he had left his post even once. That was despite him still being far from recovered after Beld Thylelion. She'd urged him to return to his quarters and rest, but he had refused. That was very Fynn. Scarlett turned to Slate, standing a few steps to her left. The homunculus' robes pooled around her small frame, eyes fixed on the cell.

Slate hadn't moved except when asked, nor spoken once. If Scarlett hadn't already known this was how Slate was, she would have called it unsettling. But at least the girl wasn't restless. Still, having three silent observers watching for hours had been… excessive. It felt like at least one too many. She was sure Rosa would've had a joke or three about it if the bard weren't currently sleeping off her exhaustion.

A ribbon of warm water curled into existence above Scarlett's hands, washing away the silvery dust clinging to her skin before evaporating into steam. Usually, she preferred a proper cleaning, but she could live with this much for now.

"Slate," she said. The girl turned her head.

"Are you ready?" Slate considered her with an unreadable expression.

"Ready for what?"

"The interrogation." Scarlett stepped closer to the bars, eyes locking on the captive. This was the first time in her time that this cell had seen use, and, with any luck, it would also be the last. She wasn't entirely sure why the mansion even needed one, though it wouldn't surprise her if the original had installed it. Slate moved to stand beside her, the top of her head barely reaching Scarlett's shoulder.

"I am ready." Fynn gave no sign of waking from his meditation, though Scarlett assumed he was listening.

"Nol'viz," she began, meeting the Cabal girl's gaze. The three eyes fixed on her — large, glassy irises with tiny pinprick pupils that lent them an otherworldly eeriness.

"I presume you understand your current situation well enough." Since her capture, Nol'viz hadn't spoken a single word. Her composure was to the point that it could have been worrying. The girl remained silent, observing Scarlett. After a moment, though, her gaze shifted, settling on Slate. Slate met it evenly. Scarlett frowned slightly. She'd noticed this in Beld Thylelion as well. The two seemed strangely interested in each other, though she couldn't tell why.

"To begin," she said, "if I release you from these restraints, will you refrain from attacking us?" Nol'viz's attention returned to her. Slowly, she inclined her head. Scarlett lifted a hand, and the [Eternal Flameweaver's Athame] manifested. A filament of scarlet fire snaked from her, slipping through the iron bars to meet the golden chains binding the girl. From the dagger's tip, a spark of bluish-white flame raced along the scarlet strand and sank into the shackles.

Itris's fire devoured the mana, stripping away Raimond's invocation, and within seconds, the radiant bindings were gone. Scarlett kept her eyes on Nol'viz, alert for any reaction. If Raimond hadn't told her the chains would fade within a day, regardless, she wouldn't have bothered undoing them. But since time was limited, she preferred it to look like she'd chosen to release the girl. For a while, Nol'viz didn't move, simply lying on the floor. Then she stirred.

Something shifted beneath her robes as she rose to her feet with a very deliberate grace. Her masked face turned, surveying the cell in its entirety, before fixing on Scarlett again. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Do you have something to say?" Scarlett asked. The girl cocked her head slightly. Then her gaze slid to Slate.

"You are the Tribute." As always, her voice rasped out in a discord of whispers, as though several tones spoke at once from somewhere deep under the mask. Slate inclined her head.

"Yes." Scarlett looked between them. Nothing more followed. That seemed to be the end of the exchange.

"… Slate, in the future, ask permission before revealing vital information," she said. Nol'viz had been present when the Tribute was found, so there was no point pretending she didn't know what Slate was. The problem lay in how Slate responded. From what Scarlett understood, the homunculus carried a sort of imprint with the one who first found her, making her obedient to their commands. But her default seemed to be to follow just anyone's directions—even enemies'—unless told otherwise.

That was the sort of flaw Scarlett had to be careful about.

"I understand," Slate replied. Scarlett turned back to Nol'viz.

"Is that all you wished to say?" The masked girl nodded.

"…Very well." Scarlett supposed there wouldn't be much Cabal politicking now, then. That was just as well. She had a couple more preparations she wanted to complete before dealing with them again.

"I have several questions for you, Nol'viz," she said.

"I expect you to answer them."

"Why?" the girl asked. Scarlett arched a brow.

"Why do I expect that? Or why you should answer?" Nol'viz fell quiet, as if considering.

"…Why should we answer?"

"Because your fate currently rests in my hands." Scarlett let the Athame fade.

"You understand this much, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then will you answer?" Nol'viz tilted her head again.

"Maybe." Scarlett studied her. That was…not an entirely unexpected response.

"First, I want to know how many members of the Hallowed Cabal entered Beld Thylelion."

"We do not know."

"Do you know of anyone besides yourself?"

"No."

"Do you at least know any who were not sent?"

"Yes."

"Was Vail among them?" That question had been weighing on Scarlett's mind. The Cabal had sent a host of their people into Beld Thylelion using the altars imbued with the Anomalous One's power. While none of their agents had been weak—several of them could probably have overwhelmed Scarlett's group before she upgraded her pyrokinesis, and if you discounted Arnaud's presence—none of the Cabal's strongest had shown themselves. People like Vail, Vior-Da-Zof, Carnwedain, or even The Angler Man himself.

Some of those absences made sense. The Angler Man could barely leave the safety of his lair despite all his power, and Vior was too occupied with the Cabal's operations. But Vail? Her absence had no good explanation. If she had been there, things might have gone very differently. Scarlett had contingencies, and Arnaud would have been able to help, but it would still have been a gamble. Anything involving Vail was.

"Vail is gone," Nol'viz said. Scarlett paused, eyes narrowing.

"What?" What did that mean?

"Are you saying she is dead?" The girl shook her head.

"No."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Vail is gone." Scarlett frowned and looked to Slate.

"Do you understand her meaning?" Slate watched Nol'viz a moment before turning to her.

"Vail is gone."

"…Yes, I gathered that much. Define 'gone'."

"Gone," Slate said.

"No longer present in this realm."

"Not dead?"

"No."

"Then where is she? Why is she not in this realm?"

"I do not know." Scarlett looked back at Nol'viz.

"Which realm is she in? And why?"

"We do not know," the girl whispered.

"But you are certain she is gone?"

"Yes."

"When did this happen?"

"We do not know."

"Do you know anything more at all?"

"No." Scarlett's gaze returned to Slate.

"And you?"

"No," the homunculus said.

"… Very well." Folding her arms, Scarlett considered. She couldn't think of any good reason Vail wouldn't be in this realm. As for where she could be, the most likely places were the Blazes or the Wandering Realm. Given who Vail was… It worried her to think what that woman might be doing elsewhere while the battle for the Tribute had played out here. Best case, it was Vail being self-serving and prioritising her own interests above the Cabal's.

Worst case, the Cabal had something planned that even Scarlett didn't know of.

"Do you know when she intends to return?"

"We do not." Nol'viz's three eyes stayed on Scarlett for several seconds, pupils shifting faintly.

"…We are curious," she said after a while, and Scarlett was surprised at hearing what actually sounded like a note of genuine interest threading through the whispers.

"What are you?"

"…I am Scarlett Hartford." The girl tilted her head.

"We sense more. Like Vail. You are more." Scarlett took a moment to consider those words. Her lips pressed tighter.

"Can you define what you mean by that?"

"We cannot." She turned to Slate.

"Do you know?" Slate met her gaze.

"I do not understand the question."

"Why not?"

"I do not understand you."

"Do you understand Vail?"

"The nametaker is not mortal."

"… No, not entirely." Scarlett shook her head. She had hoped bringing Slate along for the interrogation would make things easier, but maybe that had been too optimistic. Fynn wouldn't be much help either. If she recalled, he couldn't tell when someone like Nol'viz was lying. Still, Nol'viz's thinking that she and Vail were similar… Did that mean the Cabal girl no longer saw Scarlett as an ordinary mortal? If so, what was the cause of that change? The Anomalous power? The legacy? Or something else?

She didn't feel too different. She had more power at her disposal, certainly, but she wouldn't call herself anything other than human. Frankly, the notion that she wasn't didn't sit entirely right with her. She refocused on Nol'viz.

"There is another matter that I am interested in. It concerns our encounter on the Resting Eye." It had been quite some time since she'd run into the girl while exploring the ruins on the volcanic island outside Darkshore, but she hadn't forgotten.

"What is your connection to Ayrlazkreh?" she asked. The ancient dragon nesting beneath the volcano played an important role in some of the events Scarlett knew from the game. With Fate gone, she couldn't be sure how much of that narrative still held, but some things likely would. Nol'viz's connection to the dragon was something she wanted to understand. Ayrlazkreh had said Nol'viz was allowed to dwell within its realm, which was strange considering the dragon's supposed enmity with the Cabal.

It even acted as if Nol'viz's ties to the Cabal were irrelevant, while Nol'viz had herself claimed ignorance at the time.

"We do not know," Nol'viz said. Scarlett studied her in silence.

"And you?" She turned to Slate.

"Do you know nothing?" Slate regarded her.

"Can I ask questions?" Scarlett hesitated, surprised, before giving a small nod.

"You may speak freely." The homunculus' emerald-green eyes shifted to Nol'viz, meeting the masked girl's three lavender ones. The two watched each other for a long moment before Slate spoke.

"You have frequented Ayrlazkreh, Guardian of the Molten Peaks' domain," she said.

"Why?"

"Fascination," Nol'viz replied simply.

"Fascination," Slate repeated, tilting her head. Nol'viz mirrored the motion, tilting the other way.

"Fascination," Slate repeated again after a pause.

"Intense interest. Captivation. An inability to ignore. What is it like?"

"We are unsure," Nol'viz said.

"We wished to know. That is why we followed it."

"You decided?"

"Yes." A small frown creased Slate's brow. Nol'viz blinked, all three eyes closing and opening together.

"We are fascinated by you as well."

"Why?"

"You are unique."

"I am."

"That is fascinating." Slate seemed to consider that. Then she raised one arm, pointing towards Fynn, where he sat cross-legged.

"Fyntrarth Grehaldrael is unique. There is only one of him. Is he fascinating?" Nol'viz studied him, quiet for a moment.

"He is curious. Not fascinating." Fynn's eyes opened, and he gave them both a flat look.

"…You're strange." Neither reacted, returning their attention to each other.

"I do not understand," Slate said.

"Curiosity. A desire to know more. Separate from fascination. How do you decide which?" Nol'viz tilted her head further.

"We do not. It is not a choice." Slate blinked, as though surprised by the concept. Then, finally, she nodded slowly.

"Nol'viz is intriguing. Intriguement does not need to be a choice. I understand." Scarlett kept looking between them. She followed their words well enough, but she couldn't shake the sense that she was missing the heart of their discussion. Then Slate turned towards her, watching her intently before facing Nol'viz once more.

"You are of the Hallowed Cabal. Will you change allegiance?" Scarlett's eyes widened. What—?