The Simulacrum

~Chapter 136~ Part 1

The air in the Elysium, for the lack of better words, tasted different. It was something I'd noticed before, but this time I was sure it wasn't just my imagination. I wasn't sure what the exact difference was, but it was weird.

Shaking my head, I exiled the thought from my head and straightened my tailcoat. I was standing outside one of the cottages surrounding the familiar Migdál Glaukós, weighing my options. In fact, this was as good a time as any to take a deep breath of the weird-tasting air and examine the context.

So, here I was, already disguised in the newest iteration of my Bel costume and looking at the tower. In that tower, there was a book that held maybe/possibly/potentially the only remaining written instance of a certain law that, if disseminated, would cause me quite a bit of headaches. Not enough for me to consider setting the whole Celestial archive on fire, but enough to make my joking about it sound plausible enough that Elly still regularly reminded me that arson was bad.

So, the solution was simple. Get in, nab the book, throw it into a volcano for style points, and dust my hands off for good measure. Or at least it would've been if this wasn't an obvious trap. No, scratch even that. Calling it a 'trap' implied that it existed for hurting or capturing a target, but this? This was just ridiculous.

The musty tome of ancient laws in question was, at this very moment, sitting on Savir's desk. By that, I didn't even mean her big, needlessly fancy marble magitech desk from her workplace (as much as that applied to her) in the archives, but the on in her room. Right next to her makeup kit and some wine. Out in the open.

Which, in retrospect, told me this was either the world's stupidest trap or its most obvious bait. But for what? Was the book fake, and I was supposed to take it, which would then lead into some multi-step ploy she cooked up, or was it the real one, and she kept it close by on purpose? Was she carrying it with herself everywhere to keep it safe, to insist on its authenticity, or so that she would be guaranteed to be nearby if I were to drop by? All of those sounded at least plausible, but because I wasn't able to pay much attention to her in the past couple of days, I couldn't catch her red-handed or find any decisive evidence of her plans, one way or the other.

Whatever the case might've been, I've come too far to get cold feet, so I was going to find out what her scheme was for myself, and soon. Or at least as soon as she stopped fidgeting, and I could find a good opportunity to Phase in. Case in point, I observed her moving around in her bedroom impatiently, occasionally glancing at the book on the desk, the setting sun outside the window, or the only door leading into the chamber.

Yep, that settled it. She was definitely waiting for something to happen, and quite anxiously at that. But again, for what? Was she expecting me to show up in person? Did she want to catch me personally? Was there another reason? Was she trying to—?

With a dull smack, I lightly hit my cheek. Of course, since I was wearing my newest Bel mask, it didn't hurt. The act was more of a ritual of sorts, and it helped knock my thoughts off their circular track. That said, I really had to stop overthinking things. I was already here. What was the point in getting bogged down in her potential motivations when finding out for sure was the whole reason for walking into her trap? Or bait, or whatever. What happened to the Leonard Dunning of old, who was willing to jump into the thick of a situation without hesitation and just fly by the seat of his pants?

…

Though again, it was that tendency that almost got me vaporized by a plasma disintegrator. And caused my debilitating hand injury. Plus it was kind of what led to the creation of Bel, and accidentally pulling Cal from their stone, and me ending up in the Elysium, in the first place. Not to mention—

Another soft smack echoed in the air as I slapped the other side of my mask and groaned. If this kept on, I would be stuck here all evening, so I flexed my fingers, flung my point of view over to Savir's side once more, and after a short beat, I Phased into the room, just as she had her back turned.

I held my breath and snatched up the book from the desk. Technically, I've already achieved my goal by doing so… but I still wasn't convinced that it was the genuine article. Not to mention, at least half the reason I came here was to heckle her a bit and vent some steam, so it would've been a waste to leave just yet.

As such, I leaned against the nearby wall, crossed my legs, and hit up a random page.

"… and on the seventh day of the Month of Marriages, the Third Archon Basileús joined the six thesmotetai in the court of Areios Pagos to perform dokimasia upon the newly appointed Archon of…" I read until I heard the owner of the room suck in a startled breath, and only then did I look up from the book. Savir looked less freaked out than expected, but I cared little and theatrically snapped the book shut. "Is all of your literature this boring? It just lacks any pizazz." I paused and used the spine of the book to prop up my chin. "I mean, Basileús was an okay guy, I suppose, but not nearly pizazzilicious enough to be the main character. He didn't even have spiky hair!"

My efforts finally seemed to bamboozle her a bit, but it only lasted for a moment before she stood her ground and folded her arms.

"Bel of the Abyss, I presume," she said with a knowing grin that would've made me annoyed even if her mere presence wasn't already making me baseline irritated. Then, her smile opened wider, and she added, "Or would you prefer to be called Bel of the Tenebrous Flames instead?"

That made me pause. This sounded like a new misunderstanding in the making, and when I didn't respond right away, she let out a satisfied smile.

"To think the ancient enemy of the Great War, and the Emperor of all Abyssals would become a petty thief. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She paused and flashed a cheeky grin. "It's hard to believe. So hard, it sounds like the farcical claims of a foolish impostor, doesn't it?"

Okay, and now she was taunting me. What the shit?

"Tut, tut, little bird," I spoke in a low voice as I lowered the book and looked her in the eye. She met my gaze defiantly, but I could see at least a little bit of hesitation in there, meaning this was an act. For what end? I intended to find out before I left, so I decided to push her a bit. "If you keep twittering like that, you might just get your feathers plucked, you know?"

We held eye contact for the next couple of seconds, and she was the one who broke it first. Revelling in the tiny victory, I promptly Phased over to her bed and promptly landed on my back. In retrospect, that wasn't a great idea, because I forgot about how hard these Elysian beds were, and the impact pushed the air out of my lungs and nearly triggered my outfit's wards.

I toughed it out and hid my true reaction under a mirthful giggle. Method acting, as usual, was a double-edged blade. I propped the book up on my chest and turned to the woman belatedly spinning around to face me again.

"My identity aside, you don't seem too surprised by my arrival, do you, little bird?" I asked in an amused tone and casually turned a page, then tilted my head to the side and whispered, "I wonder what kind of bird you are…?"

She ignored my second rhetorical question and responded only to the first one.

"Of course not. As a matter of fact, I was counting on your appearance."

"Oh? Were you now?" I asked, keeping up the nonchalant façade while the question marks in my head were starting to strain against my forehead.

"Indeed," she answered as she walked over to the desk and… picked up a wine bottle? Bloody hell, was she using Refuge in Audacity on me? Again? The nerve!

Anyhow, while she opened it and filled up a crystal wineglass with a wide body and a long stem, I sat up and placed my feet on the ground again, waiting for her to elaborate. Instead, she started rambling about something else.

"As Deus's teachings often say, one must know their enemy better than they know themselves." She dramatically swirled the red liquid in her glass, but didn't drink any and only smiled at me. "And I know you quite well by now. You have first shown yourself several months ago, stealing an artifact from the dragonbloods of Dracis, followed by the high-profile theft of a mysterious box from the Feilong dragonbloods' auction, and I have also discerned that you once tried to get your hands on a Mana Well of the Abyss. And now, you're here." She used her glass to gesture at me, or rather, the book in my hand. "To steal something once again. Quite predictable, don't you think?"

I didn't answer right away. In fact, I remained completely motionless and stared at her, unblinking. Waiting for her smile to crack. And once it did…

"Canary!" I exclaimed at the same time I sprung to my feet, Phased forward, and extended a finger to the point I nearly poked her nose.

"Kya?!" she yelped as she stumbled back, almost spilling her drink, but I ignored her and twirled my finger.

"It fits you well. A tiny, dumb bird living inside its insignificant cage, and thinking that what she sees from her cute little hanging perch is the whole world and she had it all figured out." I paused and pointed the finger at her again. "That's you."

She was looking at me like I was an unhinged madman (which, to be fair, wasn't too far from Bel's core persona), but after a long beat, she grit her teeth and tried her best to maintain an affable look.

"T-That's quite uncalled for."

"Whatever," I responded dismissively, and this time, I Phased over to the fancy rattan armchair in the corner of the room. "Can we get to the point of why we're here?"

"You're here for the book," she said flatly, and I shook my head.

"Half correct. Gosh, I expected better from a canary. Imagine if some poor coal miners took you underground, and you only died of carbon monoxide poisoning half the time. That's some bad work ethic there, I tell you."

Getting impatient, Savir drank her wine and used the empty glass to point at me.

"Don't play mind games with me! I know you're here because Polemos, or rather, Leonard begged you to, didn't he?"

"… Excuse me?"

"Everything is just as I predicted," she pressed on, regaining some of her smug confidence. "Your appearance here is no mere happenstance, but the result of a carefully planned and curated chain of events I set into motion." Now I was getting genuinely curious, so I gestured for her to continue. "I have disseminated information about the Book of Hymnos holding the old laws Leonard would want to see buried, making sure it would reach his ears."

So far, as predicted.

"I was the one who made sure to keep him preoccupied by contacting the mundane authorities and pulling a few strings to ensure he would be unable to return to Elysium, so that—"

"Hooold your horses, little bird," I cut in with a hand raised. "You were the one who sicced child protection on the kid? Seriously?"

Savir let out a dismissive scoff, as if saying something like this was child's play for her.

"Of course. It is well known that Leonard puts altogether too much effort into maintaining his cover identity on our ancestral land, and that he's highly protective of his so-called family, weaknesses ripe for explo—"

"No, wait, stop. Please stop," I interjected, raising both my hands (and the book as well). "You know all of this, and you still went out of your way to mess with the kid's family? Are you real?" I asked and theatrically looked around. "Is this real? Am I being pranked right now?" When she didn't react, I turned back to her and spoke in a hard voice. "Little bird, I misjudged you. You're not a canary. You're a turkey."

"W-What?"

"Specifically the dumb suicidal kind that drowns in the rain. I mean, you do realize that whenever someone messed with the kid's inner circle, the idiot ended up regretting it, right?"

"Ah, yes. Such as the Lord of House Inanna," she responded in a hurry, as if grasping for the opportunity to bring him up. "We are very much aware of what happened to him, and that it was an act that, once again, required your contribution."

I theatrically rolled my eyes and stood up. She instinctively flinched, but this time, I didn't Phase, but just stood with my arms crossed.

"Yes, little bird, I know your chirpy little friends are great at picking up random rumors from all over the place. I mean, they better be, considering that's all they're good for. That, and shitting on statues, but that's not a life skill that puts breadcrumbs on the table." Cocking my head to the side, I waited for a beat, and only then did I Phase, once again appearing right in front of her, my mask nearly touching her nose. "I'm still waiting for you to explain why you thought any of this was a good idea. Care to elaborate, before I run out of patience and start being impolite?"

I could see her face tense up, but the Celestial bigwig managed to remain outwardly calm and took a step back.

"As I said, it was all so that Leonard would be unable to return to Elysium and interfere in person. By supporting Dolion's mobilization plan, I also ensured that Leonard's allies in the Military Department and the Seraphic Safeguard would be focusing their attention elsewhere, forcing him to contact someone else to get the job done." She paused and put down the empty glass in her hand before turning to me again. "He needed someone who could enter the Sealed Wing of the Grand Archive and break into the room holding the sacred Book of Hymnos before its transfer to the underground vaults of Migdál Iodes. Who else is better suited for such a task than a thief?"

I'm… not going to lie, I was getting a little lost here. What did that whole spiel about sealed wings and whatnot have to do with the book in my hand? Thankfully, she soon explained with a smug smirk.

"Of course, when you found nothing but a note telling you to come to me if you wanted to have the book, you had no choice but to do so. Predictable, at every step of the way."

I suppressed the strong urge to just slap her, throw my hands in the air in frustration, and leave without elaborating. Instead, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and pinched the chin of my mask.

"So, you're telling me you set everything into motion just to meet me?" She nodded. "Me. Bel of the Abyss." After a beat, she nodded again. "Someone who, according to you, may or may not be Bel of the Tenebrous Flames himself." This time she didn't nod, and only glared at me. "And you did that, on purpose?"

"Yes. I have determined that—"

"Kakapo!" I yelled, and this time, I actually poked her on the nose, causing Savir to backpedal and nearly stumble over a chair.

"W-What!?" she yelped while holding her nose, only calming down when she realized it was still on her face. What? Did she think I would steal it?

Anyhow, I let out a chuckle and told her, "It's a flightless bird, kind of like a big, clumsy parrot." My explanation only made her look even more confused, so I clarified, "It's a dumb bird that lives on an island without any predators, therefore it got so used to its safe little bubble that when an actual predator shows up in front of it, it's too dumb to run away. Truly a marvel of nature, proving that if you live in a sheltered enough environment, even the stupidest of birds can be successful…" At this point, I reached out again and clasped my hand on her shoulder. "… On second thought, maybe calling you a kakapo is too generous, little bird. As far as I know, those silly parrots never worked hard to invite a predator to their lair. Nature truly is full of endlessly idiotic wonders, isn't it?"

"U-Unhand me!" she yelled and flashed her three pairs of wings.

As if waiting for this signal, suddenly the whole room buzzed with magical light. Before I could make heads or tails of this, I was startled by the sound of breaking glass, enough to loosen my grip on Savir and for her to slip away. A moment later, the only door leading into the room was kicked down, and amidst the buffeting wings coming from the broken windows, over a dozen Celestials dressed in heavy hoplite cosplay and magitech guns rushed in.

Savir scampered to hide behind the four men coming in through the door, their guns aimed at me, while on the other side, seven similarly armed combatants landed, ignoring the shards of glass crunching under their feet and surrounding me on all sides.

"CIEL! Freeze!" one of the men yelled, and it didn't take me long to realize what all of this was about.

"This?" I asked, casually pointing at the people around me. "This was your plan?"

Savir didn't respond and only she held her shoulder where I grabbed her instead, her vicious glare tinged with a hint of shock and fear. In retrospect, everything started to make sense. Her original plan, which I wasn't even aware of, was to purposefully get me here, to her room. She was monologuing and kept messing around with Refuge in Audacity to buy time for these CIEL operatives, the Celestial equivalent of a SWAT team, to get into position, and this strange shimmering force field surrounding the place from the outside must've taken time to set up as well.

Turns out, this was a trap after all, and not just a bait. Except, it was never meant for Leonard Dunning, but for Bel of the Abyss. And I ended up triggering it, even if not by the route she planned. Realizing all of that this late into the game should've been aggravating… if it wasn't just so absurd. No, that wasn't a strong enough word for this. It was ridiculous, something I freely gave voice to by letting out a full-on belly laugh, startling the people around me.

"Ahahaha! You're serious! Oh, dear Spaghetti Monster in the Sky, you're actually serious! Ah, my sides! You're killing me!"

"Y-You!" Savir hissed, quickly regaining her zest once she was hiding behind others. "You don't seem to realize your situation, thief! You're surrounded, and all of Elysium has already been alerted of your presence! Even if you try to run, the whole Migdál is spatially sealed! You are at our mercy!"

"Ahahaha! No, please stop, little bird! I'm really going to die at this rate!" I cackled and threw my head back in preparation for another bout of laughter, but then I abruptly straightened my back and looked her in the eyes again, switching into a fully serious and grave tone. "So? What now?"

"Now…" she blurted out, visibly thrown on a loop by the sudden change in my attitude, but when the CIEL operatives around me began yelling again.

"Freeze!"

"Hands in the air, where we can see them!"

"Don't move, Abyssal, or I'll swear to Deus, I'll shoot you right through that mask!"

"No," Savir cut in from the back. "We need him alive."

"Why?" I asked back, maintaining a level, serious voice.

"I recommend you surrender now, and—"

"I asked," I cut her short by raising my voice again, "Why do you need me alive?"

Savir's face crunched up in a grimace, and her response sounded strangely strained.

"You… So long as you cooperate, and give a testimony about your involvement with Leonard Dunning, we are willing to—"

"So, political paydirt." Interrupting her once again, I let out a sigh, shook my head and switched to a more cheerful tone, "You really are a dumb bird, aren't you, little kakapo?"

Before anyone could react, I Phased right behind her and caught her neck from the back with my free hand. Even considering the surprise factor, it was almost contemptuously easy, my hand passing through her Barrier unobstructed and clasping around her neck with ease.

"K-Kaaah!" she shrieked and tried to break free, but when I squeezed a bit harder, she stopped struggling, especially after the CIEL operatives stopped stumbling over each other and aimed their weapons at us.

"Don't shoot!" one of them yelled. "He took the director hostage!"

I chuckled, and before anything else, I activated one of the enchantments of my Bel outfit. In the blink of an eye, the old tome in my left hand started smoking, and then once the temperature reached the autoignition point, it spontaneously combusted into soft blue flames. While I checked the book with my phantom limbs in advance, and I was fairly sure it didn't have any tracking enchantments on it, I still wasn't sure it was safe to take it with me. All things considered, the simplest option was to just destroy it here and now, whether this was the specific book with the specific laws or not, and call it a day. For bonus points, this also provided me with a great opportunity to flex some of my new toys.

This particular array on the gloves was designed to create 'sticky' flames, something I copied from one of the very first items I received from Mike when I started practising with enchantments, but I never had a good opportunity to use it before. I figured, since the whole 'Bel of the Tenebrous Flames' thing was already out of the bag, I might as well play into it a bit. Just for fun.

In any case, these flames weren't particularly hot, but they were really hard to put out once they were attached to an item, and considering how old and dry this book was, the original blue flames were soon intertwined with orange ones of burning parchments. That was my cue, so I flung it through the large broken window at the other end of the room, causing the CIEL members to scatter, while I simultaneously, pulled the struggling Savir closer.

I leaned over, so that my mouth was next to her ear, and whispered, "Thank you for the entertainment, little bird. It was worth coming here after all."

"W-What are you—? Nnngh! Let me go at—!"

I squeezed a bit harder.

"Killing you would be as easy as cutting the neck of a chicken… but where's the fun in that? I'd rather wait and watch what the kid will do to you once he finds out you messed with his family. It's going to be hilarious. For me, not for you."

In the meantime, the CIEL operatives were getting ready to try something, so I figured it was time for the curtain call. But before that, I had to leave the right impression, so I shrugged and spoke loudly.

"Or maybe not. The kid is kind of boring, so if you grovel hard enough, he might just let bygones be bygones."

Saying so, I let go of her neck, and simultaneously gave her butt a rough kick, making her stumble forward and land on the floor, barely missing the broken glass on the carpet. Before the agents could open fire, I yelled, "See you later, little bird! Make sure you won't become a dodo by the next time we meet!", and with a cheeky wave, I disappeared from the room, leaving behind only started gasps, confused yells, and a groaning woman on the floor.

Sure, those weren't great optics, but in my defence, she deserved it, and I absolutely needed this.