Chapter 34: Echoes of the Past

  Lily used [Transform] and returned to her elven persona, Lysaria Greenwood. The teleportation circle flared to life as she stepped through it. On the other side, inside her suite in Tiara, the elf Lysaria Greenwood emerged from an identical circle.

  She looked down at herself and checked her clothes. For her elven persona, she had chosen a royal-blue dress with golden accents. It looked elegant enough to draw attention, but not so much that anyone would mistake her for nobility—more like a wealthy merchant than a lady. After yesterday, Lily had decided to tone things down a little. After all, she was already the exotic elf merchant from far away. She didn’t need even more eyes on her, though she knew it was probably already too late after her visit to the Asara Bank branch in Tiara.

  She walked slowly through the suite. Even though she had just left her own mansion, she still marveled at the interior. It was different to have these things in real life now, the kind of luxury she had only ever seen in games before. In her old world, a place like this would have been far beyond her reach, something she could only dream about. The polished furniture, the thick carpet under her feet, and the calm quiet of the room reminded her how far she was from the life she once knew.

  Lily glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past nine. The subjugation event with Igrath and the planning for the new base in the forest had taken longer than she expected. But it could not be helped, and she was mostly satisfied with how things had turned out this morning. Only one thing still bothered her. The book she had confiscated from Sevrin, with its message written in English at the end, wouldn’t leave her mind. It proved that not everything that happened here was completely random. After all, it had been an introduction message from the game. Even if it wasn’t exactly the original, it still welcomed “travelers,” and travelers had always been another word for players in Xantia. So maybe there had never been a mistake with the summoning circle. Maybe something had interfered and changed the spell, pulling her into this world on purpose.

  She let out a quiet sigh. “Whatever,” she said to herself. “I’ll think about it later. I can’t change it anyway.”

  For now, she wanted to check in with Gideon and ask what had happened yesterday after she left the auction hall. She could already guess there had been some commotion when Veyth was found.

  So she went to the door, unlocked it, and walked down the stairs of the inn. When she reached the entry hall, the same girl from yesterday was behind the counter in her cream-colored uniform. This time the girl spotted Lily right away as she came down the stairs, as if she had been waiting for her.

  “Good morning, Lady Greenwood. I hope you had a pleasant night,” she began with a bright smile.

  Lily nodded as she walked toward the exit. “Yes, the suite is quite comfortable.”

  “Would you like to have breakfast?” the girl asked quickly. “You could sit here in the lobby, and I’ll bring it to you.”

  Lily stopped at the counter. “No, thank you. I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later outside.”

  The girl’s eyes widened a little. “But you could at least have a drink. You know, beer is free for our guests, and—”

  Lily raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a little early for beer?”

  “What? Too early? Oh… I could also—”

  Lily turned fully toward the counter. “Say, what’s your name?”

  “M-my name? I’m Tessa, Lady Greenwood.”

  Lily’s emerald eyes fixed on her. “Tell me, Tessa. Why don’t you want me to leave?”

  “I… I wouldn’t dare…” Tessa stammered. Under Lily’s gaze she lowered her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry, Lady Greenwood. I didn’t mean to—”

  She stopped, then gave up with a nervous sigh. “Earlier this morning, a few officials from the Church were here. They said they wanted to meet you. But I sent them away, since my superior officer had mentioned that you didn’t want to see anyone and preferred your peace.” She swallowed hard before continuing. “They said it was of the utmost importance, that they needed to speak with you. And since they were from the Church, I promised I would send word when you were awake, so they could visit you here in the lobby.”

  Tessa looked up for a moment, her expression apologetic but firm. “They wouldn’t dare to do anything here in the inn, my lady. So, I thought it would be best if you met them here.”

  “And why didn’t you just tell me they were here and wanted to speak with me, instead of trying to keep me here?” Lily asked.

  “Eh… I thought, since you’re an elf… and they’re from the Church… you might not want to…” Tessa stammered, her voice trailing off. She looked close to panic. “I’m sorry, Lady Greenwood. Please don’t tell my boss…”

  Lily rolled her eyes inwardly. Of course, something else she hadn’t seen coming. Elves probably didn’t like the local Church because of some old grudge or prejudice, but which Church, anyway? In her time in Xantia there had been dozens—fifty, maybe more—but she was fairly sure it wasn’t the Church of Cthulhu here. After a few moments it clicked. She remembered the conversation with Veyth back in his office, just before their fight. He had mentioned that the Ecclesia Regnum was the only entity still capable of producing [Greater Healing Potions] nowadays.

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  “That damn bitch,” Lily said out loud, her voice edged with annoyance.

  Tessa flinched in shock.

  Lily looked at her and sighed. “Sorry, not you. I was just thinking out loud.” She shook her head slightly. “Still, that was rather presumptuous of you. You could have just told me what was going on.”

  The girl still didn’t look convinced that Lily hadn’t meant her. Her eyes grew glassy, and she bowed her head. “I’m really sorry, Lady Greenwood. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Lily sighed again and waved her hand lightly. “It’s fine. I’m not angry. You just caught me thinking about something else.” She straightened a little and glanced toward the entrance. “I’ll wait for the Church officials here. You can let them know they may come in.”

  Tessa nodded quickly, still a bit shaken but trying to regain her professionalism. “Of course, my lady. Right away.”

  Lily walked over to the same table and stools where she had sat yesterday with Gideon and took a seat. She followed the girl with her emerald eyes as Tessa hurried out of the lobby.

  Her elven form was probably more troublesome than she had first assumed, Lily thought. It wasn’t only exotic. There was probably more behind the looks she had received on the streets than she had realized. But could it really be that the Ecclesia had become the dominant church here? What had gone so wrong in the last five hundred years for that to happen?

  The reason Lily was so surprised was simple. Back in the game, the Ecclesia Regnum hadn’t been an official faith or even a real church, but a player-made kingdom. It had been founded by players obsessed with old crusader themes and the whole thirteenth-century Templar aesthetic, or at least, that was what they claimed. In truth, the whole thing had been a real shit show. They were beyond fanatic, living out their supremacy dreams online, and their goddess, Luxandra—who was also the guild leader of the Ecclesia Regnum—had been a real-life idol. She had once been quite prominent before a string of scandals drove her and a horde of simps straight into Xantia.

  Since Luxandra had also been a top-1000 player, Lily had been aware of her faction. The Xares Empire had always been at war with one kingdom or another, so the Ecclesia Regnum had crossed her radar more than once. But she never would have imagined that Luxandra’s makeshift faith, of all things, would survive here. Even the Xares Empire itself hadn’t.

  She leaned back a little, still trying to wrap her head around it. If Luxandra’s cult had somehow turned into a real religion, then the years between the game and this world had twisted history in ways she couldn’t even begin to guess at. What had started as a group of players chasing their Templar fantasy must have spread, picked up real followers, and rewritten itself into doctrine.

  Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Perfect,” she muttered. “Out of all things that could have survived five hundred years, it had to be that circus.”

  While she was still sitting there, the door opened. A hooded figure stepped inside, followed by two large men in armor. The armored men stopped near the entrance, taking position on each side of the door, while the hooded figure walked toward Lily’s table.

  Under the hood, a man’s grin appeared. Without asking, he pulled out the opposite stool and sat down across from her.

  “Lady Greenwood, I assume,” he began. “Quite the surprise to see an elf in these lands.”

  Lily looked at him calmly. “And you are?”

  “Oh, you can call me Lucien,” he said, his tone smooth and polite. “I’m an inquisitor, momentarily investigating an incident from yesterday involving cultist activity. And it seems a report reached me that a non-human was seen meeting with the victim shortly before he was found.”

  “I wasn’t aware that meeting someone in private is considered a crime,” Lily replied evenly. Her eyes drifted to the chain hanging around his neck. It was thick and silver, the pendant half-visible beneath the folds of his cloak—the seal of the Ecclesia.

  Ah, fuck me, she thought as her suspicion was confirmed. Of course, she had to deal with these idiots.

  “Oh, it’s not a crime, of course,” Lucien said with a faint grin. “But you must understand that a non-human meeting with the victim shortly before such an incident does appear rather suspicious.”

  “So?” Lily asked calmly. “I was under the impression that we elves are, by birth, aligned with [Good]. That hardly fits with the kind of cultist activity you’re describing, does it?”

  Lucien’s grin widened. “But Lady Greenwood, you are a lady, aren’t you? And since your kind lives for centuries, we both know there have been many among your ranks who have fallen from grace. It’s quite normal to follow every lead, especially when a newcomer arrives in town without registration and appears out of nowhere. Tell me, did you bring your cultist friends with you when you entered the city in secret?”

  Lily felt her irritation rise. A spark of heat flickered deep inside her, fueling an unnatural anger. She forced herself to stay calm and smiled faintly instead. “If you don’t have any proof for your claims, I don’t see the need to answer your questions, Lucien.”

  Lucien looked amused. “Everyone has to answer an inquisitor. Refusing questions only proves that you have something to hide. I have already sent word to Veythral to ask about you. There must be something of interest when I receive an answer. But in the meantime, why don’t you tell me how you came into the city? What is an elf doing here, and what were you doing before you went to the auction hall to meet Mr. Nathanel Veyth yesterday?”

  He reached into his robe and pulled out a small black sphere, setting it on the table between them. The surface gleamed faintly, smooth and cold.

  “Would you be so kind as to place your hand on this pry stone?” he asked politely.

  Lily stared at him, dumbfounded.

  His audacity was almost too much for her to keep her composure. Yes, she had accepted that this world was real, that her actions had real consequences, and that everyone here was a living being. She had come to Tiara today with the clear intention of staying low, not drawing attention, and being careful about everything. But apparently, luck was not on her side.

  “And what happens,” she asked in a low, dangerous voice, “if I don’t place my hand on this pry stone?”

  Lucien laughed again, a dry, low sound. “You have no choice, Ms. Greenwood. It will only prove your innocence anyway. It shows that you’re no cultist after all.”

  Lily might have gone along with it if he hadn’t laughed like that. The smugness in his voice, the way he looked down on her as if she were something beneath him, it was enough to make her blood stir. He clearly thought he could do whatever he wanted just because she wasn’t human.

  She met his eyes and smiled faintly. “Then make me do it,” she said quietly. “If you really dare.”

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