[184] 4. Reversal of the Law (5)
But come to think of it, the howling wasn't the problem. He'd never seen magic turn into a massive flash and shoot up into the sky like that.
"How on earth did they do that? Who are those people?"
The two tracking specialists began following Shirone's party's trail. One sniffed like a dog; the other kept his head thrown back with his tongue hanging out.
The man using smell admitted defeat.
"Boss, the wind's blocked. We can't follow."
The man using taste held on a bit longer. He drew his tongue back into his mouth, let his eyes clear, and said,
"I can pick it up with taste. They're that way."
The captain swung into the saddle as the rear guard arrived. He turned in the direction the scent-man pointed and barked,
"They only crossed one wall! They couldn't have gone far! Pursue!"
"Kiryahahahaha!"
The pursuit squad gave a monstrous cry and retraced their path.
One minute later.
Shirone and his group descended back to the original spot on a shaft of light.
It had been Shirone's idea to turn Kergo's tracking ability against itself.
Because this place already bore their scent, a search here would be useless. The pursuers would only come back after checking every other point.
Clove supported Gadrak again as he limped along. He pointed into the deep cleft of the valley and said,
"You saved me. We won't run into them for a while. Let's go this way—there should be a path."
Amy asked, unconvinced.
"Where exactly is the Nor's Shelter? How much farther do we have to go?"
"That's the question I'd like answered. How do you wield light magic so freely? Do you extract it from the air?"
"We don't use that method. Why are you asking?"
"To move to the Nor's Shelter you need a place where light gathers. It's similar to the spell you cast, but it can travel much farther. Anyway, trust me and follow. There's a Shining Spot not far ahead."
The magic Gadrak spoke of was probably spatial travel—borrowing the power of photons where light concentrates to fly straight to the Nor's Shelter.
A good choice. With that method, even if a pursuer killed the guide, the Nor's Shelter wouldn't be revealed.
The Nor people's way of thinking was distinctly mage-like. A place where people like that gathered—what would the Nor's Shelter be like?
With a small thrill, Shirone slipped along the valley fissure toward the far side.
@
"Where could they be hiding?"
The pursuit leader was grim. They'd been scanning the area for twenty minutes and still couldn't find the scent.
A scouting party rode up. Their faces already showed failure.
"They're not here. No sign of entry in Maru Valley or Fan Brook."
"Damn it! To lose ones we already had in our grasp!"
"But captain, isn't it strange? How did they escape when we fought them? That spot certainly wasn't one the Nor call a place where light concentrates."
The captain had been thinking the same thing.
As far as he knew, no Nor mage used that kind of magic. They might be an otherworldly species, but they had many humanlike traits.
He'd been hunting heresy for four hundred years; a hint from ancient history stirred in his mind.
"Could it be... an earth-human?"
A sharp light flared in the captain's eyes. If they were earth-humans, pursuit would be the least of their worries.
Meka delves into what it knows; Nor explores what it doesn't. But Kergo probes God — Kergo was the only subject who knew all truths.
Earth-humans were not mere constructs. To Kergo, they were a serious variable that could affect the Law.
"Break off the pursuit. Return to Shamain. Report first."
The men turned their mounts and followed the captain.
At that moment, the ground trembled.
Everyone casually scanning their surroundings widened their eyes as the vibration grew stronger.
"No way...?"
The Nor used the valley as a midway bastion because it was a clean zone where, if you avoided a single Law, no harm could befall you.
So this tremor should never have happened. There was no record in history of a vortex serpent appearing during daylight.
"The Law... is diverging."
A strong wind whipped up and a black curtain fell over the vision of those twenty men.
What followed in the darkness were screams and shrieks.
As time passed, their cries faded away.
When the darkness lifted and sunlight poured down to illuminate the cold valley, thousands of chunks of flesh floated above the red stream.
@
"Shamain?"
Shirone looked puzzled. Kanya realized she'd been curt and added an explanation. Meeting people from places other than Heaven for the first time, she sometimes forgot they came from the land below.
"It's the district where the subjects live in Heaven. It's also called the First Heaven."
"The First Heaven. So it's the first of the heavens?"
Gadrak answered. As a heretic, he was less inhibited than Kanya when it came to explaining Heaven.
"Heaven is divided into seven districts, from the First to the Seventh Heaven. The area where the subjects live is called Shamain."
Shirone pictured the view he'd seen from the sky.
A huge circular wall enclosing six pie-sliced districts with another district sitting dead center.
Those were the seven heavens Gadrak meant.
"Do all races live together in Shamain?"
"Yes. Their living zones differ, but they all live in the First Heaven. Kergo keeps to itself, too. Subjects are basically under the Law's protection. But Purgatory is extraterritorial—Heaven's Law doesn't apply there. Surviving in that place isn't easy."
"How many races live there, then?"
"If you include Purgatory, you can't count them. There are many otherworldly species whose origins are unknown. The lone-horn specter you fought is also an otherworldly species. But so far, only three races among the subjects keep the God's Law. Each has strengths and weaknesses, so they combine forces to form Heaven's foundation. Nor likes exploration, Meka likes research."
"And what do Kergo like?"
Gadrak's mouth twitched into a small smile.
"They like God."
"Gadrak! That's blasphemy!"
Kanya snapped, but Gadrak didn't care.
The moment he decided to become a heretic, no Law ruled him. He'd gained a painful life in exchange for abandoning God, but that too had been his choice.
"Kergo people like struggle. Their role is hunting. They're the only race allowed into Purgatory. Of course, they seem to interpret that oddly."
Even Kanya had to agree this time.
"A race I really don't like. Using the power of giants doesn't make them giants. I hate how they pretend to be those who keep the Law."
"But what is the Law, exactly?"
At first, when she heard the word 'Law' she interpreted it as she knew it, but over time the term had come to mean something different from the original world.
Kanya asked incredulously, "You don't know what the Law is? Is there no Law in the land below?"
"There is, but do you have to follow it so strictly?"
"Of course. The Law is the will of the great Ra. One who opposes that will cannot exist. That's why it's called the Law."
Shirone spread his hands in frustration.
"But we're breaking the Law right now, aren't we?"
Kanya lost her patience.
"That's why we're suffering like this in Purgatory! Why can't you understand? Would you want to live here forever?"
Clove shot back at her insult toward Purgatory.
"Hah, what's wrong with living here? It's far better than spending your whole life in that cramped place."
"Oh, really? Then go live there. Spend your life getting hunted for heresy by Kergo."
As Clove retorted, Gadrak spoke up.
"Maybe so. Anyway, we're those who defied the Law. So we were cast out to Purgatory—but so what? At least we obtained freedom."
"Why call that freedom? It's just fear. The fear of not knowing when you'll die."
"You don't know when you'll die. Still, the right to die belongs to me. Isn't that enough?"
Kanya's expression hardened.
Subjects were said to gain eternal life, so death was a sensitive subject. For a heretic to speak of the 'right to die' felt like mockery of Heaven.
Kanya couldn't hold back. "If you're a subject, you should follow the Law, right? You ran off and now wrap it up in talk of freedom and the right to die—do you think words like that make your life better? That's why I don't like Nor."
Rena intervened. "Enough, sister. Arguing with a heretic won't change the outcome."
Kanya knew that. Those who stood opposite her on the basis of the Law were impossible to reason with.
But Gadrak intended to settle things now that the matter was out in the open. Long years in Purgatory had left him with grievances.
"Do you really think you're right? Do you believe you're just?"
"Of course! We're different! We left Purgatory because Heaven doesn't use elixirs and such. Once we get what we need, we'll return to Shamain and live under God's protection, happily ever after!"
"Don't dress it up. You're just creatures thirsty for immortality, too."
A murderous look flashed in Kanya's eyes.
She had held back during the blasphemous talk so far because she had limits. Gadrak had just crossed that line.
"I won't forgive that, even from a heretic. I could kill you right here."
"Don't, sister."
Kanya shook off her sister's hand and drew the Arc. But Gadrak only looked at her calmly, almost with pity.
"Then why did you come to find me? What are you trying to get from the Nor's Shelter?"
Kanya's shoulder twitched under the Arc's aim.
"You don't have to say it. Soon someone in your family will be given the Ilhwa liquor, right? So you're here to buy Nor medicine."
The Arc's aim wavered. At this distance, releasing the trigger would leave no way to stop the projectile. Still, she couldn't fire. Tears spilled over.
"What's so wrong with thinking of my parents? What's so bad about that? This has nothing to do with the Law! I just... I just want my mother...!"
Even a man of Heaven was moved by a woman's tears; Gadrak's anger softened. He had once been a subject himself. He knew better than anyone how Kanya felt.
Rena hugged her sister and said to Gadrak, "I'm sorry. My sister—"
"I know. You don't need to apologize to a heretic. Meka have strong family bonds. She probably overreacted. It's because of this wound."
Gadrak awkwardly checked the wound in his abdomen. The muscle was cut but the organs were intact. The bleeding wasn't severe, but it hadn't stopped.
Gadrak turned and said, "Don't worry. Nor folk don't invest emotions in objects, so you'll be able to get what you need. But you'll need a lot of elixirs. The Nor are shrewd merchants."
Kanya wiped her tears and said stoutly, "Hmph, don't worry about that. I saved enough over a year."
A sad smile lingered on Gadrak's lips as he walked away.
Watching their conversation left Shirone feeling down. Much of it was unfamiliar, and the reasons for the outbursts were unclear, but this place wasn't governed solely by absolute values either.
What is Ilhwa's liquor? Is Ra truly a god? Is this Heaven, or just another world?
When this journey ends, will he be able to return carrying all the answers?