Arata asked about the Ashen Gorge an hour later. He was feeling a little better by then. The paralysis had gone away. Arata was sitting at a table. There was a bowl of broth in front of him. His hands were still shaking a lot.
Vahn told him that the Ashen Gorge is a place. It is like a graveyard for people who do not fit in. The Ashen Gorge is a wasteland. The Mana Grid is very weak there. The Heavens do not take energy from the Ashen Gorge. The energy is not good enough. It has a lot of sulfur and raw power that is not controlled.
Vahn showed Arata a silver badge. It was hidden in a floorboard. Vahn said he used to be a Knight. Before that he was not a smith. He saw what they did to the Glitches. The Glitches are children like Arata. They can see the truth. The people in charge put these children in towers. They take their energy to keep the grid stable.
Arata looked at his bowl of broth. He saw the steam coming out of it. In his mind he saw the particles of water moving. Arata asked if the Mana System is a lie. Is all of it fake?
Vahn said it is like a farm. Humans make energy when they feel things when they work, when they live. The Mana System is a way to take that energy and send it to the Empyrean Heights. The Seven Generals are not gods. They are the people in charge.
Arata stood up. The Four Maze Grimoire felt very heavy to him. He asked about the book. If it is not about Mana what is it?
Vahn said the book is like a plan. A time ago people called it the Four Maze Grimoire. They said the universe is like a maze. Only the person who can figure out the way can control it.. Vahn told Arata to look at him.
Arata looked at Vahn.
Vahn said that Ether does not care about how Arata feels. It is information. If Arata makes a mistake he will not just fail. He will cease to exist. Arata has to be more than a mage. He has to be like a builder.
That night Arata packed a bag. He did not take a lot of things. He took some dried meat, a hammer and the iron book. He left a note for Vahn. They both knew he was not coming back.
Arata walked through the alleys of the Iron-Scrap district. He saw some Church Inquisitors. They had lanterns that glowed blue when they found a grimoire.
Arata hid in the shadows. He looked at his iron book. It did not glow. It was like a hole in the world.
He thought about the guards. They were moving at 1.2 meters per second. The light from their lanterns went out 5 meters. There was a chance they would find him.
Arata moved when the numbers told him to move. He was not a boy anymore. He was, like a piece of information moving through a system that did not know he existed yet.