*Work In Progress* - Open to suggestions & feedback :)
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Master, do you know how loved you are? A shining light in a world of grey, facing it's darkness your smile never withered. Was there something you saw, that we never could? All mere mortals, at the whims of destiny and the hand that paints. Yet you chose to believe. Did you really have faith that we had a fighting chance? Many felt you were always naïve.
Lumiere isn't a land of sunshine or rainbows either. But perhaps you already knew that. In the face of helpness, the despair and treachery of the human heart have tainted these lands. You left a heavy responsibility on our shoulders, looking after the dome. It wasn't the logistics you were truly worried about was it?
Mere weeks after your departure, our dear Deputy Councillor of Defense couldn't sit still anymore. She spearheaded an investigation into missing grappling hooks from the Expedition Academy. This was clearly Maelle's handiwork, she always enjoyed the thrill of parkour and nothing could stand in the way of getting what she wanted. It wasn't a secret by any account, but soft-hearted Emma would typically shield her from the repercussions, yet she did put on a strict face for the inevitable earful that followed.
The trouble now, was this was coming back to bite us, with Gustave gone - Paquette had a shot of ownership over the dome and that would be her ticket to the Chief Councilor's Chair. Maelle was also on the expedition, so the blame could freely be allocated. But Emma wasn't a pushover, her seat was hard earned. Two could play at this game, she already had a inventory list amendment that was filed to showcase a log of exit & entry to the missing grappling hooks. This was a minor incident that blew over as quickly as it started.
But that was just a teaser, shortly after Paquette led a campaign on resource efficiency. The scavengers were having to travel further out to help maintain our utilisation rates. The hazard rate was too high, casualties had begin to emerge. Yet the first industry to be scrutinised was our engineering guild, clealry showcasing how selfless this campaign was. Of course, our expenditure on the Lumina Project was a key focus area. This was your legacy after all, everyone knew how much of an eyesore yourself & Emma were in her eyes.
I still remember how you comforted us, when we questioned why this project needed to be maintained? Your answer back then was, "Lumiere stands as one, when our sword reaches the paintress, that will not mark the end. An entire continent is cast before us, we'll need to get hands on to cleanse this land of those vile nevrons. A brighter future awaits us all, but we need to be ready."
Unfortunately, our small hands might not be able to protect this project, let alone realise the vision of retaking the continent. But we still have hope, by the same beauracracy Paquette was vying to tie us up in. A hearing session with the Board of Directors from the Engineering Guild might help keep the lantern lit. With the presence of Emma, as our backer, being a huge boon for us.
Deep underground, hidden from view lay the Engineering HQ. After the fracture, the remnant Nevrons who had clung to the island were hunted down. The land underneath was dug up, just in case any Nevron nests were lying in ambush. That entire area, which was then vacant, was pillared up & now being used as the HQ for our Engineering Guild. With several logistical reasons giving them priority over the rest:
1. Hazardous work environment: any failed inventions exploding could be contained & casualties prevented.
2. Logistics: Access to the waterways for maintenance & filtration. Easier access to any given point of Lumiere through tunnels.
3. Resource & Noise Management: Better storage of critical resources and isolating loud sounds from the rest of Lumiere.
***
Led down scantily illuminated tunnels, we reached the gates to the Engineering Guild. These were 3.3 metres thick reinforced, blast resistant doors. It wasn't our first time here, but every time we came, the same reverance was felt by us. The guards gave us a slight nod, Gustave was a frequent visitor down here, his reputation well regarded. Now that same reputation was cascading down to us.
A giant hand carved stone palace and a giant closed off industrial warehouse could be seen in the distance, our destination was the palace. As apprentices, the warehouse (a workshop space for more senior researchers) was off limits to us. Our workspace was the Engineering Hub, above ground.
The first stop on the way, was an open court with statues of all prior Expedition Leaders decorating the landscape. A list of all the expedition members was carved onto these statues as reminders of the brave souls that had departed. Luminant stones were embedded into the walls, with a green carpet of flowers bouncing back the light. Alan's statue had also been added here, it was our first time down since your departure. A steward stopped us here, whilst they went on to notify the committe of our arrival. Whilst we were here, we looked for your name, and found it graciously carved, alongside Maelle's on the lantern. *Sigh* If only, you were still here with us, we would have been a lot more confident in the outcome.
We didn't have to wait too long, before we were escorted further inside. Walking through the garden of discovery, where different inventions were showcased with plaques introducing their functionalities. Your Lumina Convertor was also boldly showcased here, seeing it put a smile on our faces. This covered a large part of our way there, before we reached the palace doors, with the same scary doorkeepers that used to creep us out. They didn't seem to have any expressions, as they glared at us.
Of course, we weren't led through the main palace doors, that was reserved for the directors & council members. Instead, we were led through a smaller side entrance, which was also quite majestic in and of itself. The passage was quite luxurious, with high ceilings, grascious chandeliers and decorative pieces of caligraphy strung on the walls.
Finally, we made it to the reception area, Ophélie was the receptionist today. She encouraged us to try our best, with a warm smile, whilst we waited to be summoned inside theChamber of Ordinances[1]. As we walked in, we nodded at Emma who was seated on the side. Unfortunately, the council members were usually seated together, so Paquette's gaze also fell on us like a hawk and she gave us an eery smile. Bastien seemed to be the neutral party representing the council.
Directly in front of us, was seated X from the Board of Directors.
*Cough Cough*, "You all know why we are here today. I'd like to keep this short & sweet, I hope no grievances are formed by whatever decision is made today. Any objections or emotions you have, should be vented in this room. Once you leave this room, the decision will be cemented without any room for discussion".
A brief silence penetrated the room, whilst we let those words sink in. The good news was this seemed to be a neutral party from the Directors, so we still had a chance of keeping the project alive.
"Well, don't let me keep you, you can start with your argument against this, Councillor Paquette" they mischievously echoed.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. It is no secret we have been backed into a corner. Our resources are constantly dwindling, with every citizen working hard to keep the status quo. With the nearby islands already drained, our acquisition rate has dropped significantly. To balance this, we have no choice but cut down on our expenditure. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but history has shown every Expedition following their own unique strategy. As we can never be certain how effective others have been." she briefly paused, before resuming with her drivel, "When, not if, Expedition 33 fails - the Lumina Converter won't be worth it's weight in scraps. We need to be realists here, we simply can't afford to waste resources pursuing this any further".
I had somewhat expected this, but that last comment was a bit too far. From the corner of my eye, I saw Guillaume dig his fingernails into his fists, "keep it under control" I whispered. We couldn't afford to explode here, or she would have got what she wanted.
Just as I was about to counter with the argument I had pre-prepared, Emma spoke up for us: "We have seen the efficiency of the Lumina Converter in many demo's previously. I am sure Alexandre here could present the logs if anyone is interested. But I don't believe that is enough to satisfy the culling you are after. I propose we settle this in an agreeable manner. What better way to showcase the effectiveness of the tool than to have a match between Gustave's apprentices and 3 apprentices of your choice on the obstacle course at the Expedition Academy, to gauge how much of an advantage it gives?"
That caught us unprepared, this wasn't what we expected to hear - we had come with case studies, testimonials & witnesses who could help vouch for it's effectiveness. With reports on how cost effective it was as a tool, requiring few precious materials - the only downside being the preperation time, which we were already working on optimising. Was this an example of to surprise the enemy, you must surprise yourself?
***
At the Expedition Academy, a large crowd had formed - clearly these people had no other form of entertainment. They had all come after hearing this gossip of a clash between Emma & Paquette, with us apprentices as the proxies. To be fair, if we weren't the ones in the thick of it, we probably would have been seated quite comfortably in the front row to watch the same.
We made our way to the starting line, the way this competition was set up - was a 1v1 race. Next to us, were the notorious three, Paquette's own apprentices who worked the admin team and had a bad reputation for being snobs.
Guillaume wanted to go first, he couldn't hold in his emotions any longer. As he made his way to the starting line, the rules were explained by Bastien as a neutral party, "Nothing too complex here, you will find 5 flags scattered around the course, you need to navigate the course, find the flags and bring them back here individually, the one with the most flags secured wins. Is that clear? Any questions, no? Great, 3, 2, 1 - Begin"
Guillaume looked back, gave a confident grin and then darted off into the distance. His opponent seemed to have a similar pace, as they both dissapeared off into the distance. Within a few minutes, we could see a figure racing back with a flag. We felt it was quite quick for Guillaume, but upon closer look it was his opponent. The notorious three all flashed a smile at us, as the hunt for the next flag began. Not too long after, we saw Guillaume return with a flag. Seeing the flag placed in the opponent's area - his smile broke and a more serious look appeared on his face. He sprinted back, with more drive and determination to succeed.
Not too long after, we saw Guillaume tailing the opponent back, both with flags in their hands. It would be the final flag that would decide the victor. We flashed him encouraging smiles and a thumbs up - he could do this, he nodded back at us before sprinting off.
Time seemed to be trickling slowly, our anxiousness was visible on our faces. Until finally, the crowd was cheering again, was someone headed back with the last flag? A silhouette could be seen in the distance again, as he loomed closer, grim expressions made their way to our faces. It seemed we had lost the first match. How were they so quick, we cast puzzling expressions towards Emma. She left the area - seemingly to investigate if any cheating was taking place.
Shortly after, Guillaume seemed to be headed back with a downtrotten face. Adrien comforted him, we still had a chance - both of us were faster, as Guillaume was more speciailised in developing his strength.
Emma came back, shaking her head, she quickly notified us that the notorious three were using more powerful Pictos, these were from Piquette's own inventory, which gave high agility boosts. It was quite amazing how Guillaume still managed to catch up to their buff's with lower ranked Pictos. But the commitee overseeing this match, stated if more powerful Pictos could beat the Lumina Converter - it wasn't all that special. So they had no choice but to face this head on. She offered to give us her Pictos, but both myself & Adrien turned her down. If this was what they planned, we would crush them with our lower grade Pictos - that would elevate Gustave's achievement the most.
Alexandre Obstacle Course - win 4, 1 - absolutely dominating the competition.
Adrien - wins 3,2.
They all celebrate with Emma with a hearty meal. The next day, we sat atop the Crooked Tower.
***
At the precipice of crooked tower, with a cool refreshment in our hands, all three of us were glaring at the monolith. The etched "33" a reminder that Gustave was still out there. Jules was also here, he helped repair our apprentice uniforms which had gotten scuffed up during the obstacle course yesterday. No words were spoken, a comforting silence hung in the air.
In the distance, we saw a shimmer, almost like a screen cast in front of the monolith. Within a moment, a giant X appeared on that screen and it shattered like glass. Leaving behind black mist and small shards that glittered in the distance. However, that lasted for only a few seconds, was it an illusion? Had my will to see a sign and the recent stress made me hallucinate? I looked at the others, and saw the same shock in their eyes. "Did you, did you just see that?" asked Guillaume. "Did you see that too?" echoed Adrien, "He's still fighting for us" I said solemnly back.
We kept our eyes glued on the monolith, were they about to finally reach her? Even Jules, who was typically a chatterbox was eerily silent at this moment. It was weird, at that moment, it felt like suddenly someone was watching us - it was an oppressive feeling deep inside our souls. Like the world itself was wathcing. Moments turned to minutes, nothing changed - was what we had seen really an illusion or had they already fallen?
It was almost time for our shift at work, maybe we had just imagined something in a moment of desperation. As we were reluctantly tidying up to leave, another phenomenon occurred. On top of the monolith, swirls of white and black, twisted like threads leading to the sky. This lasted for a fraction of a second, an even briefer time than the glitering shards before. At this moment, we were fully attentive. I told the rest, "forget about the shift, if Gustave's fighting the paintress we need to see it" (show our support). Another supervisor from the engineers guild had come to find us, after the match yesterday - many from the guild were hoping to celebrate with us. We told him what we saw, but he refused to believe us. Somehow we talked them into staying for a while, so far nothing was happening from what we could see. A doubt began to fall in our hearts, had you fallen, was it over already? Did you fail?
The paintress hadn't even moved yet. Were we ultimately that weak, she didn't even have to move to crush the entire expedition? Surely not, that would be too devestating a blow. Perhaps that is the reason why none had succeeded so far, was it that impoosible a task - a seed of doubt had already sprouted...
Whilst I despiared, it seemed like the paintress twitched, I bit my tongue in anticipation, was this it? Then she slowly began to stand up - I looked at the others again and saw the same flabbergastedness in their eyes. *Dilaougue, Dialogue* "Dad,we might actually have a chance, if only you got to see this moment" said Jules.
We were expecting a showdown, but what we saw was mind-boggling, unexplainable, the paintress like King Kong, climbed the tower. Her torso and arms were above the monolith, she seems to be standing, yet using the monolith as a footstep at the same time. There was a giant hole in her chest, like a void, heartless as she was. The whole of lumiere was abuzz - everyone was suddenly out on the streets, leaving work to head to either the harbour or the crooked tower. Soon it became cramped up here, we could see them fighting, *flesh out the fight*, then she fell of the monolith. The numbers on the monolith took a bit longer to disperse, but they faded away like the flowers during our gommage.
We rubbed our eyes, sighing in relief, finally! We were free from it's accursed spell. All of Lumiere was gathered here and celebrating! Simultaneously, decorations were being put up, a band was arranged and a welcome party being assembled for when the expeditioners returned home triumphantly.
A few hours later, in the distance, we could see the legendary Esquie flying towards us. Our hearts were in our throats, there were no ships. How many had fallen? Who had survived? Fresh on people's mind was the lumina converter, someone spread a rumour that this was what gave this expedition the edge we needed.
When we heard that, a spark of hope was lit, surely you must have survived, right?
Esquie landed gracefully, there was too much crowd to clearly see who disembarked. We waited patiently atop the stairs, we knew you would come find us. The buzz of celebration all around us, the joy infectious. Someone started clapping, then another, and another, until thunderous applause echoed throughout Lumiere. We were all beaming, then we saw Maelle coming up. You must have been right behind her right? We were peering behind her, but no one else came. The look on Maelle's face was somber. We could sense Emma next to us tense, when Maelle didn't say a word. When she kneeled down, our hearts dropped.
Trembling hands gave Guillaume your journal. He couldn't process what had happened. I put my hands on his shoulders, we mustn't sully your legacy. But it was too much, he dropped it and ran. I was left behind, my whole world crashing down. Tears were running down my face, I just didn't know it. My knees buckled, your journal resting before me. I picked it up and cradled it for warmth, yet it had none to give. Cold, rough and unfeeling. It couldn't replace your presence.
Maelle tried to comfort us, we heard of your bravery. Emma asked Adrien to follow after Guillaume, he did bring him back. The two huddled together, each looking to one another for comfort. This had become a ritual, even though we stood victorious, the grief was our price to pay. We wanted to hear more about what you had done, Maelle was sharing your adventures. It seemed only myself & Emma were listening, you would always be remembered. You had given us the chance to truly live.
Mid conversation, a heavy ominous whooshing sounds passed us by. The world shifted to grey. I felt it in my soul, the time had come. Our bodies decayed to white and red petals, with splashes of ink being left behind. Everyone's time to gommage had come. That was the last thing I remembered, in the next instant I found myself standing in Lumiere once again, on the same harbour. It was even more crowded than before, despite somehow being much much bigger. All around me were familiar faces, I could see Guillaume, Adrien, Emma & Maelle standing not too far, but her hair was all white. Had everyone been revived?
Then it clicked, surely that must include you as-well! Adrenaline pumped through my body, I weasled my way through the crowd. You had to be somewhere. It wasn't you I saw first, but Sophie, standing there laughing. Right next to her, you were standing calmly. Yet it all seemed too sirene, you didn't seem like you had come back from an expedition. I just didn't want to accept reality then. I immediately ran up to you, grabbed on your coat and cried out all my grievances. You as always, stood firmly as our pillar, patting my head, re-assuring me all was ok. I was willing to live in that fantasy. There was a part of me that felt hollow, like I was missing something. But I convinced myself, that was just a figment of my imagination. It would go away in time.
However, it didn't go away. A sense of sickness in my stomach stirred, it only ever festered over time. Until I discovered the truth. It wasn't possible for us to be revived, Aline "The Paintress" would have done so if it were possible. as we were her precious chroma reserves.
Our world was a lie, now our existence was too. I wasn't alone on this self-discovery. It had become an open secret, none after the "Crimson Blight" were the same. Alicia was playing her make belief games to avoid the bitter truth. Your painted copy, alongside the original expedition had long been warped by her twisted mind. You were like puppets, soulless and dancing to her whims. The monster we now face is not nevrons, axons or an unreachable villain. But the worst kind; powerful, broken human.
She didn't even try to hide the truth from the rest of us, we noticed copies of several people, she had forgot who she had "revived" and our memories did not line up with their behaviours. Some of us were more "revived" than others. I saw a few people that could pass as zombies, their minds were a mush of what "Lumiere" was in Maelle's mind.
Painted Verso pulled a fast one on us, he had decieved Maelle into thinking she was actually reviving us and now she wasn't open to reason. The Dessendre Family, everyone now knows that name. We stand firmly against what Maelle has done, we were better off resting in peace than being zombified and desecrated.
A resistance had formed, yet we were powerless. Anyone that defied her, was warped further and further into insanity be her. None could leave, what had become "New Lumiere". It had become our defacto home, nothing had changed. Just instead of a gommage, we had a captor. Yet she wasn't untouchable, none of the Dessandre family are, inside the canvas. She hadn't transcended immortality, just had enough of us under her control to use as a meat shield, especially our strongest.
She was growing old, the painting was corrupting her. Some amongst our ranks, entertained the possibility of it all ending. Just waiting patiently for the end to come. Others were more proactive in finding a way for this world to survive. Your motto had become our calling, "For those who come after". Yet, there was no "after", there were no children. Maelle was the only one who could paint offspring as new beings, yet they were also soulless. As time passed, more and more of Lumiere was giving in, the same people who once spat on the cultists as cowards, bent their backs to please Maelle. The majority now fell into this category. They still were aware that the guillotine was hoisted, the new gommage didn't have an expiry date.
We, on the other hand, were being hunted when found, we could only hide in plain sight. Maelle knew everyone she had painted, just her vision on us was more lax, as she didn't care all too much for us and couldn't fathom us as a threat. We still had a semblance of a conscious and a moral compass. Somehow, you & Sophie still had fight in you. Sophie was our open leader, she stood in firm opposition to Maelle, refusing to co-ordinate costumes or change her stance on children. It got on her nerves, but she played her game. By her own imaginary rules, Maelle couldn't do a thing to her. She did however take it all out on Verso. Poor Verso, he never got his wish of release. He's being paraded as a covert warning what happens to those who stand against her. There can be no sadness in our kingdom, we must always be smiling. Lune was broken, to ease Verso's suffering she had no choice but to share the burden. A son was granted as a peace offering from Maelle, which seemed effective. Sciel was trapped in her own head, with Pierre's return and Maelle's influence. Monocco could not act with Verso and the rest held captive and Esquie had no cause to fight. Great minds however, fear not adversity. If after 67 years the strongest Dessendre Family member was defeated. We could definitely triumph over the weakest, we just needed a plan of action. Upto this point, I hadn't gathered the courage to read through your journal. After all, there was a version of you right here right?
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[1] Feel free to suggest alternative names, I'm not the best at naming :)