Chapter 05 (part 1/2) - Meridians

  Nights when waking up isn’t a certainty are usually reserved for newborns, the elderly, and the dying. Yet Vincent spent the night on edge.

  After rescuing him, Lily had tried to show him a few books and tools to introduce him to the world of magic, but Vincent was so nervous that it was impossible for him to retain anything. It would be better to continue after a night of rest, though Lily seemed reluctant to suggest it outright. Vincent knew that, if possible, it was advisable to stay awake through the night, but the exhaustion he felt made that impossible.

  “W-what do they mean when they say I don’t have m-much time, Lily? Is my case really that special?”

  “It’s better not to think about that, Vin. Nothing’s certain…”

  Lily avoided his gaze as she spoke. The restraints had left him weak and trembling, so she had to hold him the entire way back to the common dormitories.

  “D-don’t lie to me… if I’m going to die tonight, I need to know.”

  “You’re not going to die…”

  She said it without much conviction, avoiding a lie only through technicality.

  But what awaits me isn’t far from it.

  Lily refused to keep talking about it, though she repeated the same thing she’d told him when he first regained consciousness in this world: “Hold on to what matters. Don’t try to carry everything.”

  Now her advice made sense. He’d already drifted through the void a couple of times… that ethereal plane where his memories slipped through his fingers like sand, where a relentless wind eroded his very being the moment he lingered too long.

  When they finally said their goodbyes, Vincent was left alone in the dark, rustic dormitory. His roommates were already asleep, so he went to the only empty bed. He didn’t bother undressing; his clothes felt like armor, something that kept him half awake, something that tethered him to reality.

  As he lay his body down on the rough linen mattress, it swallowed him whole. Accustomed to complex spring beds and adaptive fabrics, the harsh simplicity took him by surprise. The coarse linen wrapped around him, and the sense of falling didn’t end when he touched the hard surface beneath him; his vision darkened, and without realizing it, he sank into the abyss.

  Incorporeal and unconscious, the void seemed more like a natural phenomenon than something with intent or malice... but even so, its very nature seemed cruel. In that state of relaxation, the most beautiful memories of his life resurfaced: past loves, moments with friends and family… drifting before him like fine dust It was too late when he realized that, by letting them pass, those memories would fade away, and once in the air, trying to catch the thousands of grains would only cause him to lose even more of himself.

  And so, fully aware of his own helplessness, he watched the faces of his parents fade from his memory.

  “Ahhhg!”

  A strangled cry jolted him awake. The room was just as dark as before, and the heaviness in his body hadn’t lifted at all. Only a few minutes had passed… and he had already lost so much.

  No… I can’t fall asleep. I’m bleeding out in there… there’ll be nothing left of me by dawn.

  Desperate, Vincent tried to recall important moments with his family. He focused on their faces, but they were shrouded in a shadow he couldn’t dispel. Most of his memories felt corroded somehow, as if moths had eaten through them.

  Damn it… I can’t afford to lose anything else. Maybe I’ve already forgotten even more… but I don’t even know what.

  Without realizing it, the faces of his parents faded from his mind, first their eyes, then their noses… By the time Vincent noticed what was being taken from him, he had already lost the memory of their voices, their birthdays, and pieces of his childhood.

  He frantically dug through his memory for the knowledge that had defined him. He started with the basics, grade school concepts, then the standard high school curriculum, and finally his university studies. He reviewed his theses and specializations… everything seemed to be there, at least on the surface. He felt that he could still access that information if he wished, but he had to test it.

  My knowledge… it feels… dusty.

  Under normal circumstances, even for a genius, it would take effort to access information studied years ago. But when it came to his invention, he should have been able to recall everything instantly. As he reviewed what he knew about teleportation, everything felt blurry; uncertain. He felt the urge to check his blueprints, his schematics, his formulas.

  Was it always like this? No… I used to be able to recite all this by heart. My mind is being eroded.

  The work of his life, the very thing that had led to his death, was now being eaten away by this dying state… only slowly. His once flawless memory had housed a vast library of all human sciences; through his research, he had studied countless fields, at least superficially, and his prodigious mind hadn’t allowed him to forget a single formula. That dense mass of knowledge was the only thing keeping him alive through the night.

  But it wasn’t entirely under control. Just as Lily had warned him, focusing too much on his mind caused his body to disconnect; there was a risk of falling into a catatonic state. During those moments when the balance tilted too far, fragments of his personal life slipped away as well. By the time the first rays of sunlight timidly crept through the window frame, he had discarded over three years of master’s and doctoral work… along with his first love, and the taste of a woman’s lips.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  I hope I can recover the knowledge I’ve lost with what they’ve gathered here… it feels as if all the information in my head were covered by a thick layer of dust, like I haven’t touched it in years.

  A few strange alarms began to sound; some vibrated, others chimed softly as they came into contact with the morning light. Vincent didn’t understand the dynamics of these dormitories, but he knew it would be best to get up early and wash before the others. Having spent the night on edge, he was already wide awake, so before anyone else stirred from their beds, he was on his feet and heading for the washroom.

  Leaving the dormitories, he found himself in a long corridor that connected to other barracks. Across from him were the women’s quarters, and at the far end of the hall were the baths.

  Upon entering the men’s bathroom, he was met with an odd layout, perhaps because it was meant for the husks. There were no pipes in the proper sense: the drains faced sheets of polished tin that acted as mirrors. At the far end of the room, several reptilian gargoyles held clay basins filled with hot water. At their feet sat a small fountain and more empty vessels.

  Vincent took one of the heated basins and set it beside the washstand, but out of curiosity, he also filled another vessel with cold water and placed it in the hands of one of the gargoyles. A few seconds later, he noticed the liquid beginning to warm.

  Hmmm… interesting. Could this be more efficient than using pipes? Maybe the tower can’t sustain such systems within its organic structure.

  For a dormitory meant for husks, the facilities were surprisingly well equipped. In the small hygiene kit he’d found in the drawer beneath his cot, there were shaving tools, a bar of soap, and even a small vial of scented oil. Everything looked new; apparently, the old Vincent hadn’t been capable of using them.

  “Oh, so there you are…”

  He muttered to the figure before him. Skinny, disheveled hair, face smudged and poorly shaven… he came face to face with his reflection: the new version of himself.

  “I’m sick of you… I can’t even look you in the eye.”

  Splashing his face with warm water from the bowl, Vincent lathered his skin, preparing for the razor.

  “How can you walk around looking like this? If you don’t have enough hair for a beard, then just shave it off already,” he scolded his reflection.

  After shaving his face and brushing his teeth, he stripped down and bathed quickly using buckets of water. Lily had cared for him as best she could, but it was clear that giving him baths wasn’t something a girl could easily do.

  It’s impressive that they even allow husks to bathe, considering how poorly they’re treated in every other regard… Lily also seems far too well-groomed. Maybe there’s something deeper behind that.

  The arrival of his roommates seemed to confirm his suspicions. One by one, as they stumbled in with varying degrees of lucidity, they began performing a routine similar to Vincent’s. They shaved, brushed their teeth, and those who didn’t bathe at least tidied their hair. They scrubbed their skin vigorously and rubbed aromatic oils on their bodies in an effort to improve their appearance, something that, at first glance, made little sense for the kind of work they did: cleaning, or at best, carrying books.

  Appearance seemed to hold an important role in this world, or at least within the tower. It didn’t look like a simple act of courtesy toward others; the intensity with which they prepared themselves hinted at something far more profound.

  The whole act looked even more bizarre when he saw his companions leaving one by one, grabbing their filthy mops and rags in preparation for the start of the day. After a bell chimed from the entrance of the dormitories, all the husks lined up, some on their own, others dragged into place.

  Vincent, whether out of reflex or sheer routine, was also placed in line by one of his companions. Apparently, the resurrected who still had their wits about them looked after the useless ones, like the old Vin.

  "Attention! Today we’re cleaning the west wing. You’ll scrub all the stained glass windows. The bathrooms here are overflowing with crap, so take care of those first before the stench spreads everywhere!"

  Ordered the custodian, standing at the entrance of the hall.

  "Don’t leave all the work to the empties, or they’ll just smear shit all over the floor."

  "Yes, sir!"

  The husks replied in unison, like a troop of soldiers. The custodian went on his way, likely to inspect other barracks. As soon as he was out of sight, the obedient formation broke into grumbling.

  "Not me."

  "Yeah, same here!"

  "Oh, come on… just let them do it."

  Said one of the husks, a redheaded boy of about seventeen, pointing in Vincent’s direction.

  "But Charly, the custodian said-"

  "Stop whining already… or do you want to clean the latrines yourself?"

  The rest of the husks organized themselves and left the barracks. Among those who stayed behind were four empties and three regular husks.

  The so-called empties were also husks, but their cognitive abilities left much to be desired, barely more capable than Vincent’s former self. The other three husks looked like a typical group of youths: the cocky redhead, a chubby boy with a kind expression, and a long-faced girl whose features gave her an almost equine look.

  "Alright… I need you to clean the bathrooms, got it? B-A-T-H… room. Where you do your business."

  Charly, the redhead, tried to explain the task to one of the empties near Vincent, miming the act of scrubbing and then pinching his nose to indicate a bad smell. Resigned, his companions followed along, handing mops and other cleaning tools to the empties.

  "You too. Just move this broom like this and sweep all the dirt into a corner. I doubt you even know how to use the dustpan…"

  The redhead gave Vincent his orders, and he instinctively took the broom, keeping quiet as he watched how everything worked.

  "Good, that takes care of the dirty work. We’ve got an hour to practice on our own."

  "Are we doing it now? I’ve got kitchen duty… if I don’t show up-"

  "I think you’ve gone to the kitchen enough times already, don’t you think, Ben? Look how fat you’ve gotten. They’ll notice you’ve been stealing supplies eventually."

  "But I share them with you! And you’re the one who eats the biggest portion…"

  "I need those nutrients, idiot! How do you expect my meridians to develop if I don’t consume enough vilamins?"

  "It’s vitamins."

  "Whatever. I need them to grow. I’m the one with the best chances of moving up. Once I do, I’ll bring you two along."

  The trio left the empties working and returned to the dorms to “train.” Vincent didn’t follow immediately, he didn’t want to draw attention. Instead, he started sweeping near the door, using the chance to eavesdrop.

  The redhead seemed to be the leader, the kind of leader who needed to raise his voice to compensate for his lack of authority. That made him easy to read, and even easier to overhear.

  "Move the beds, Ben. Make some space. You bring the incense, Tammy. I’ll get the burner ready."

  The chubby one’s name was Ben… big, but with a childlike air. Tammy passed right by Vincent on her way to the opposite dorm, barely sparing him a glance. After shifting the beds and clearing a wide space in the center of the room, Charly placed a clay burner in the middle. Tammy returned soon after with a small pouch of incense. The three sat around the burner, and using magic, Charly lit the device.