The two of them went down another elevator, entering the labyrinth again. They got to a huge hall and were almost at the ceiling on one of the walkways. It was the most advanced part of the refuge, with the two mechas in the middle, held by locks and metal cranes. There were a hundred mechanics and engineers moving around the room, working with parts and machines. —How do you keep everything going?
—With structure and hierarchy. My family had prepared for this situation for centuries. —Vanrra felt sick from the vertigo and seeing those steel monsters. He was going to throw up again. He held Amir. —Is this how you always are?
Vanrra moved away. —Don't... touch me... I don't want to be near them.
—Are you still in shock?
—I don't want see one again. I want to get out of here.
—Where do you want to go, the game room or the bar? There's music there.
—I want to go back to my room.
—What's wrong with you?
—I already told you; I... I don't want see those things again.
—I don't mean that. What's wrong with you? I invite you into my home; I give you everything, and this is how you thank me.
—What you expect me to do?
—Stop acting so bitter. What happened to the guy who wanted to kill me in the desert? The one who wanted to fight.
—I don't want fight.
—It's not about fighting; it's about attitude. That trouble you have won't go away by locking yourself in your room. You have to laugh; stop thinking negatively. Talk to people.
—I don't know anyone; I don't know you.
He offered his hand. —Do you want to be my friend? —He said it with a big smile. —Now we won't be strangers anymore.
—Yeah… sure.
—Really?
—Yes
—I thought it would be harder; I had never done it before. Officially, we're friends. Do you want me to tell you a friend's secret?
—A friend's secret?
—Yes, when you have a new friend, you tell them a secret.
—I don't think it works like that.
—Whatever you say, grump. Do you want me to tell you? Yes or no?
—Well, tell me.
—It's a secret; don't forget... My favorite number is six.
—That's it all?
—Yes, you have no favorite number?
—The five. I also like the eleven.
—What else do you like, Vanrra? Is there something specific you like? A hobby.
—I like painting.
—You already saw the paintings in my lobby; come on, I'll show you the museum. —He took him back to the red carpet. He showed him painting by painting, telling the story of his family. —See this girl? She's Fatima the Luminous, the founder of our dynasty: the Fatimas.
—What is she holding in her hand?
—The celestial fire. She lived more than a thousand, one hundred and fifty years ago. She was the one who ended the Dark Age, a thousand years of catastrophes where humanity worshipped false idols and was guided by superstition. She was the one who brought the light.
—What exactly is the celestial fire?
—Probably a metaphor for the Holy Reason; the High Porte destroyed most of the chronicles from that era, leaving only oral stories. They say she possessed a celestial gift that attracted people, a power with which she subdued nations and destroyed entire armies. In all her portraits, she was depicted as a giant. She ended up founding the nation of Ab.
—Did she finish? Was there anyone before her?
—Yes, her father, the prophet. He was the true founder, the first to be touched by Holy Reason. There are no images of him; his name is not remembered either.
—Why? What did he do?
—He was the one who unified the tribes and began the expansion of Ab. He was such a sacred man that saying his name and representing him in images was considered an offense punishable by death. After a thousand years of self-censorship, his name was completely forgotten. The only thing known about him is that he was red-haired.
Amir walked to the next painting. It showed a man on horseback, pierced by dozens of arrows, charging toward an army. —This represents the first civil war of Ab. After Fatima's death, her successors reigned for forty years. The other houses envied our power, so they played dirty; they argued that the king could be chosen by consensus, without needing to be a Fatima.
—Is there something wrong with that?
He looked at him somewhat annoyed. —It sounds good, but it was just an excuse to take the power for themselves. They hunted down and killed most of the Fatimas; the survivors fled to the far west. The houses divided up the nation; they claimed to reign in the name of the Holy Reason, but in reality, they were nothing more than tyrants, warlords who kept killing each other. The only thing that united them was the fear that the Fatimas would return.
—What happened next?
—For three hundred years, we gathered followers, preparing to return. We advanced little by little. Our order infiltrated the entire nation; when the right moment came, we struck. The Mahdi came out of the desert and reconquered the nation.
—Mahdi?
—He is the most important member of the dynasty after Fatima; Mahdi is just a nickname. Here he is. —He showed him another painting. It showed the Mahdi coming out of the desert, raising a ceremonial dagger. Behind him were thousands of soldiers shouting his name.
—He reconquered Ab all by himself? He must have been a great man.
—Something like that. He did most of the work, but died before finishing. His descendants fought against the coalition of the other houses. It wasn't the greatest victory. During those three hundred years of absence, our order didn't have control over Fatima's creed. The High Porte was created; there are the priests who replaced the Fatimas and the order. At first, they were just puppets of the great houses, but over time and after so many wars, they became the only power that unified Ab and, consequently, its rulers.
—Is the order and your family the same?
—Yes and no; it's difficult to explain. Only those of the highest rank know the full history of the order. I'm level four; there are seven levels in total. Corax, Nymphus, Soldier, Leo, Persian, Helio, and Pater.
—Soldier?
—It's the third rank; its real name is "Miles." Symbol of Mars.
—How do you move up in rank?
—By being loyal and serving the order.
—Is there any point to moving up in rank?
—It's very useful. You learn truths you never thought existed. They help you see beyond our limited perspective of the world. Secrets of reality are revealed to you, knowledge beyond the reach of ordinary people. For example, this: How many people do you know who know what happened a thousand years ago? They live in a world they don't even know, just like animals.
—Why didn't your family get rid of the High Porte?
—It was impossible; they didn't have the numbers. They decided to ally with them; together they eliminated the old warlords and reestablished order. I guess it worked; the nation stayed united for eight hundred years.
—Why did they rebel?
—I don't know; they always wanted to impose their interpretation of the Holy Reason. Our family and the order are obstacles for them and for their perfect society. A place where everyone follows to the letter a tradition written by them, full of internal contradictions. They don't let people think; they fill them with fear and ignorance. They made sure to burn all knowledge that contradicted them to create the "new man."
—New man?
—Their ultimate goal: to use the fire of Reason to shape and accelerate human evolution, no matter how horrendous the cost. Only they know what nonsense they want to do to us; they spend all day talking to their machines and receiving the supreme Reason.
—They talk to the machines?
—I think they're exaggerations; it's too ridiculous to be true.
A painting caught his attention; it depicted the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people into the desert. —Who are they?
His joyful, carefree tone changed. —Samaritans. I think I'm open-minded, but I don't want to talk about those people. It's clear that I wouldn't hurt them; I'm not a savage. I think we can all get along to some degree.
—Samaritans? I saw a girl killed just for being one of them. They hanged her from a post.
—I'm sorry for her; unfortunately, it's something relatively common. That's why they hardly ever leave their ghettos.
—What did they do to deserve that?
—What they didn't do. —Vanrra was annoyed by the comment. —They are a special people, as ancient as the Dark Ages. The first wave arrived shortly after Fatima's death; no one knows from where.
—What makes them different?
—They didn't want to accept the Holy Reason; they kept to their superstitious customs. I admire their resilience. They took advantage of the chaos after the civil war to gain positions of power. They controlled banking and lending; it's said they financed all those wars to get even richer.
—I don't believe they were all rich. That girl didn't appear.
They moved in front of the painting that was covered. —There weren't as many problems back then, just small fights. When the second wave came four hundred years ago, the problem began. Those things showed up not long after they got there. —He took off the veil that was covering the big painting. It showed one of those demons, a chimera with big horns and those eyes that are so well-known. —They came just a few years later and destroyed almost the whole country. For the first time in hundreds of years, people came together for a common cause.
—Are you saying they caused them?
—No one knows; it's a mystery, but it's quite a coincidence. Besides, they seem to worship them.
—Are you sure?
—It's not that they pray to them, but… It was Fatima who eliminated false idols and superstition from the world; they were the only ones who didn't assimilate and continued believing in those ancient beings. Those demons were part of their superstitious mythology; I believe they call them... —He couldn't say the name. —Sorry, it's just that they speak their own language, is pure babbling.
—I don't believe they are to blame for everything.
—I think so too, but… I don't know what to think. Fatima told us that humanity could only survive through Reason, and they don't want to accept it.
—What is Reason?
—I already told you; it's hard to explain. It's when you think the right way, rationally.
—How do you think rationally?
—Fatima left written instructions on what you had to do to think rationally.
—How many books did she write? What are they called?
—As such, she never wrote anything herself; she told her knowledge to her followers, and then they wrote it down; it took three hundred years to finish compiling the tradition.
—Does your order know anything about those times? You said they're part of the family.
—I don't have the rank yet. They've told me that's how it went. There is Fatima's creed; its recitations. You can read them, but the interpretation depends on each person.
—How do you know your interpretation is the right one?
—Because I'm a Fatima and I belong to the Ismailites. There are two ways to interpret the recitations. The literal way, like the damned of the High Porte. —He whispered. —Or the hidden way, as they teach you here…
Karl arrived with them. —Prince, the meal is ready. —They went to the dining room. Hiram and the general were already seated. They were served a large piece of meat. Vanrra ate like an animal, unlike the others.
—Doc. How have you been?
—Very relaxed. I had never been treated like this in my life before.
—Because you never told me about the history of the world; it's very interesting, you know…
—Don't talk with your mouth full. It's disrespectful.
Amir said. —It's okay; we all make mistakes.
—Sorry, doc.
Hiram asked them. —What did you talk about?
—The history of Ab, how it became the biggest nation on the continent.
—The biggest? I thought that was Kislev.
—Kislev? —Amir seemed a bit uncomfortable. Airan ignored them completely.
—It's the other great nation on the continent, our historical rival. It's much further north. It stretches from the Black Lands to the Far East; it covers the entire sea of grass and the great taiga. They've always been our enemies, but right now we have bigger problems.
—Do you know anything about their history?
—No, I hardly know anything. They are ruled by the Tsar.
Vanrra finished his plate; they immediately served him another portion. —This is the tastiest food I've ever eaten. —The taste of the meat made him forget all his problems and anguish.
Arian set his meal aside. —Tell me, Vanrra, how did you learn to pilot the mecha? Not just anyone could do what you did in the desert.
—I don't know what you're talking about; I'd never been in one before. I don't even know how they work. I just sat down and grabbed those levers. I felt that pain, and then it was like I was moving my own body.
—When you killed that abomination. What did you do to break its armor?
—I don't remember; I fainted.
Hiram asked him curiously. —You fainted? What do you mean? What did you feel?
—I don't remember. It was like I was submerged in a pool looking at the night sky. When I came out of the water, I was already out of that thing.
—Didn't you see anyone else?
—What do you mean, doc?
Amir asked Hiram. —Did you teach him to fight?
—Yes, he knows how to defend himself.
—You never…
—Can you teach me too?
Arian said to him. —Ruaj and Sins are already here for that.
—They haven't returned yet. Come on, doc, he looks like a strong guy.
Arian continued. —Ruaj will be back the day after tomorrow.
—Why is he taking so long to come back?
—That's what comes with being at war.
They finished eating. Hiram took Vanrra to his room to talk in private. Upon entering, he made sure no one was listening behind the door. —What's going on, doc?
—What did they tell you? Tell me everything. Did they say anything important?
—I don't know, we just talked about…
He took hold of his shoulders and whispered in his ear. —Don't tell them anything about us, about the titans; just make up stories. We'll leave this place soon; I'll find a way. These days, eat and sleep as much as you can. You'll miss it.
—What have you been doing, doc?
—Speaking with their leader, I just need a couple more days. Gain the prince's trust; keep it up. Remember: they're all a bunch of liars and thieves. Just look at these guys; imagine how we would have ended up if you hadn't gotten into that mecha.
—But they fight for what belongs to them.
—Are you high? These guys are no better than the High Porte; that's why they were with them before. Don't believe what they say; just go along with it. Don't forget that you can only trust me. That's the only way we'll be able to leave this hell. Do you get it?
—But doc…
Did you get what I said, or do I need to explain it to you like a kid? —He agreed. —Don't worry; nothing will happen to you as long as you're with me.
He lay down and thought about what Hiram had said. He had Amir on his mind. Is he telling him a lie? What does he want from him? What could he want from someone as pathetic as him? The soft bed felt like heaven. It was the best thing he had ever felt, even more so after those sad days. —What should I do now?