Basil had no words to express the emptiness he felt. His pale face did not change when they untied him, nor when he saw Merlian rewind the memories of those men, making them forget what had happened. He was not moved even when Merlian approached the leader's corpse and made it disappear, replacing it with sand that scattered in the air.
They left the scene quickly; Merlian wanted to get away fast. But even so, Auryn guided the group taking shortcuts that delayed them, and there were even moments when they retraced their steps.
Judging... by the fact that we haven't found anyone, she must be avoiding people.
Basil could barely think about it; he was not in the mood to analyze anything. His mind kept processing what Merlian had told him.
Extracting my motor-heart... Is something like that even possible?
He had read a lot in his youth and knew that despite so many books, he was no better than an apprentice in the world of Ivory engineering. But even so, he did not remember the existence of such a technique, and that said a lot, since being able to extract Ivory from a man's body opened up a lot of questions. Without a doubt, it would be a topic discussed by great scholars, even to this day.
But if it's a group of demigods that defies all logic, what can I expect? Oh, for Hex's sake... What trouble have I gotten myself into?
He bit his lip in frustration and brought his hand to the Ivory grille. For some reason, his chest felt much heavier than usual.
Losing my motor-heart...
There were no words to describe how terrible it would be for Basil if that happened. Since ancient times—even before the era of archaic Ivory—the path of Ivory was the spear against the Wanderers. He, who was barely at the first stage of that path, relied on ascending to stay alive, even if it was barely.
Oh... Hex... I made a mistake... I lost...
The burn on his face flared up again, just like that time. That pain haunted him every day, reminding him of the tears he shed and his promise. That was the bravest promise he had ever made, but it had turned into empty words.
How many more times am I going to... fail?
—Mr. Basil, pack your bags; we're leaving tonight. —said Merlian, who observed Basil's change in attitude with unusual interest.
Basil didn't realize when they arrived at the hotel; his mind was a jumble of thoughts. It was unusual for Merlian to remind him of such trivialities; usually, it was Ferned who communicated those things. The gray-haired man glanced sideways at the old man who had kept his distance. Not only him; Fauste also distanced himself, and judging by his face, he was angry.
He could understand it; they were just starting to gain some trust and he betrayed them. He expected them to react this way and really didn't care. He paid them no more attention and went up to his room with Paul and Castian. Without saying a word, Basil began packing his things with reluctance.
Paul looked at him strangely; it wasn't normal to see his boss like this. He didn't know why Basil was acting this way but felt it appropriate to give him some words of encouragement, no matter how superficial they were. Like it or not, he was in the same boat as Basil—at least in terms of not being able to escape from the supposed Emperors. Come on boss, I need your sharp mind.
He approached him. However, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
—Go out. —Castian said in a deep voice.
—Uh... yeah, right away. —Paul wanted to refuse but Castian's serious eyes stopped him. He left the room without thinking twice.
The door creaked shut and only two remained in the room. No one said anything for a while. Basil didn't seem to notice the change; he continued packing his things at a pace that annoyed Castian.
—How long are you going to be like this? —he asked but got no response.
Frowning, he approached with heavy footsteps. Then he grabbed Basil by the shoulder and turned him around forcefully. The young man seemed lost; his face was pale and his eyes lacked their usual shine. They locked eyes for a moment before Basil turned his head away to avoid looking at him. He couldn't face him; he didn't dare.
—I'm sorry... —He barely managed to let it out; he had no energy for anything.
—Why are you apologizing? —Castian remained where he was, looking at him.
—I... didn't keep my promise, —he said with a trembling voice—. I've failed again... just like that day…
The big man got lost in his memories. A young boy was crying out of frustration; his hand clutched a horrible scar on his face. He was making a promise at that moment.
—You're confusing something here, kid. —Castian looked at the violets with a spark of sadness—. That's not why you should apologize…
Basil listened and looked at him with some anger.
—What the hell are you talking about? I messed it up. The only plan I could hold onto is gone, and it's just a matter of time before I lose my only weapon. —His anger grew as he heard his own words—. For Hex's sake, it was the best I could come up with. The Ivory Hummingbird plan was too, but where has that gotten us?
»Nothing changes. Nothing I do is helping us. At first, I told myself that I had to keep hope, that I had to wait for the right moment. Well, that was it, and it didn't work.
—So you're going to give up. The great Hex will condemn you.
Basil's face tensed upon hearing this. Castian seemed determined to get on his nerves.
—I'm not going to give up! —He was surprised for a moment by the tone of his voice but continued speaking with momentum—. But this is too much! Tell me, what else can I do!? I've tried. I tried two years ago when we arrived in Promise City. I kept trying when entering the business world. I tried days ago with the Grand Headquarters, and I tried just a moment ago.
»I did it and failed! —He spat that last phrase like poison—. You remember, right? When she died, I made that promise grandiosely. I said I would never lose, that I wouldn't be weak again. But I....
—You lost.
Basil looked him in the eyes, clearly irritated.
—What are you getting at? Yes, I did. I let her spirit down; I know you're disappointed; you don't have to show it.
—Don't get confused, kid. —Castian's piercing gaze cut through him. The man's black eyes carried thoughts that Basil could barely comprehend—. I'm disappointed in you, but not for something as trivial as losing. When you go after something, there's nothing more natural than making mistakes and failing.
—That's the problem; I can't fail! Others maybe can, but I shouldn't...
—You're not a god. —Castian interrupted him sharply—. You're not an Emperor either. —A dry laugh escaped his lips—. For Hex's sake, you can't even beat me in a fight.
»You're overwhelmed by simply losing; that's what disappoints me. Do you think I started following you because I thought you were perfect? No. I did it because I saw your potential; I saw what you could become. —He could feel his tone rising but didn't care—. But now it turns out that your promise was a lie; it only took one mistake for you to lose your will! Did you want she so little!?
Basil turned pale upon hearing this and remembered the face of that woman—a calm demeanor and a cheerful smile, hands full of calluses that embraced him with a mother's kindness. All of that had faded away into a painful memory.
Mother... How could I not want her?
A burning sensation pulled him from his stupor. Half of his face hurt deeply, so much that he couldn't help but grab at his burned skin.
How could I not hate them!?
He clenched his teeth in anger; the faces of those people were fixed in his mind. Remembering the man who looked at him with indifference made his eyes shine with determination.
How could I give up!?
—I've been a fool; I'm sorry.—Basil said; energy had returned to his voice.
—Hm.—Castian wasn't going to say anything else; it was enough for him to know that Basil had returned to being himself.
Taking his silence as an agreement, Basil continued.
—The situation is bad, but I'm not going to stop. I'll make it happen no matter what; just watch me.
The man remained silent, showing only a fleeting smile.
It was already night when the train they were waiting for arrived. Basil had a relaxed posture and his characteristic hollow smile. Beside him, an annoying Mr. Akay looked at him filled with expectation. Basil barely knew him for two hours but had already marked him as a nuisance. The bandaged old man seemed ready to undress him in the middle of the street to see his Ivory grid. Of course, Merlian wouldn't allow that, so he had to wait bitterly.
Unfortunately for Basil, this did not stop the old man from asking all kinds of questions about his heart-motor. Of course, the gray-haired man wasn't willing to accidentally reveal details about his past; therefore, he opted for vague answers.
—How long have you had it?
—I don't remember; it's been years.
—Hm... does it make noise when releasing steam?
—A little.
—I see, I see... —The old man didn't seem bothered by the vague answers; instead, his interest seemed to increase—. How heavy is it?
—It's a bit heavy, but you get used to it.
—Oh wow! That's incredible... Now I wonder... —His words were followed by murmurs that Basil couldn't distinguish. He was more focused on analyzing the old man.
Merlian had told him that this person was going to remove his heart-engine. If it was already unthinkable that such a method existed, it was doubly strange now that he interacted with the old man. The Ivory Engineers were familiar with the design of his version, so it was rare for someone with such capabilities not to know it. In fact, Basil's version was quite old, being nine years old. The improvements it had were obsolete compared to the current ones.
How can it be that he doesn't know such basic things?
Basil boarded the train without letting doubts show on his expression. He sat calmly and looked at the city through the glass. Just as Merlian had said, they didn't stay long. They had arranged their next city a day ago, giving Basil the opportunity to choose.
He chose Gotra, the coastal city. Not because he was truly interested in tourism, but because it was the land of the Fairgo, a house that had openly shown good relations with the Great Headquarters. In anticipation of his plan, he assumed it was the best place to go to put more pressure on Merlian. However, that had lost its meaning, and he could do nothing to change the course.
I guess this is goodbye, Caleh. In exchange for seeing your beautiful fountain, I left nine men with amnesia and one dead.
He smiled at the cynicism of his thoughts but was interrupted by an impassive Auryn, who sat down across from him.
I thought you hated me now...
Basil raised an eyebrow. Auryn looked at him in silence for a while. Just before Basil could ask, she spoke.
—Was it really a lie? —An unusual spark of life shone in her eyes—. Weren't you afraid?
Basil looked at her for a second, reflecting. Seeing his silence, Auryn stood up with resignation but stopped upon hearing the gray-haired boy.
—No, it wasn't a lie —His eyes drifted towards the window—. Unfortunately, I am afraid.
She didn't say anything while watching him; her thoughts were unknown to Basil. She nodded and left as if she had nothing more to say.