Chapter 155 “Suspicion”
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Vanna’s eyes remained fixated on the antique record for several seconds longer than usual. As an adept inquisitor, her razor-sharp instincts sensed that there was something of considerable importance hidden within the terse lines of text before her.
The document described a peculiar episode involving unauthorized religious practices among common citizens. The ritualists had targeted unspecified entities in their sacrifices, a deviation that should have made their ceremonies void of any effect according to canonical laws governing rituals. Yet, inexplicably, the actions appeared to have caught the notice of some otherworldly forces, which then led to concentrated outbreaks of psychological distress among those involved. Even more puzzling was the fact that the church had not undertaken any further examinations to get to the bottom of the incident.
Just as she was processing this information, a sudden recollection flitted across Vanna’s mind. Placing the file she was currently examining to the side, she rapidly sifted through a stack of reports to find another that had caught her eye just moments before.
This other report, also dated in 1889 but a bit earlier, documented an armed attack in a storefront situated in the less affluent district of the city. Under normal circumstances, such a criminal act would fall squarely under the purview of the local sheriff and not merit inclusion in the church’s confidential archives. However, additional scrutiny had revealed something unsettling: the man who had instigated the attack was a “customer” who had suddenly experienced a severe mental breakdown within the confines of the shop. He had claimed to have seen an irreverent shadow in the store window and had brandished a knife to defend himself against an “invisible force.”
Further church-led inquiries had revealed traces of unauthorized religious practices in the basement of the establishment. However, the symbols and markings used in the rites were a bewildering jumble, corresponding to no known entity or spiritual figure. Upon questioning the shop owner, who was responsible for these enigmatic rituals, it was discovered that he himself had little to no comprehension of the mystical practices he was attempting. His inconsistent sacrifices were being made following some “unexplained guidance.”
Both these troubling incidents featured sacrifices that, according to established theological principles, should have been inconsequential. Nonetheless, they had both resulted in localized mental turmoil and left unsettling, unanswered questions in their wake.
Vanna’s brow slightly creased into a frown. These two anomalies didn’t seem to have any connection to a factory chemical leak that had occurred eleven years prior or to the mysteriously erased recollection of a major fire from the past. Neither event aligned with her current investigatory timeline, nor were they the main subject of her inquiries today. However, the reoccurrence of such bizarre instances involving heretical practices in the church’s most recent archival records was too striking to ignore. Her finely honed senses as an inquisitor were piqued.
Pausing to collect her thoughts, Vanna carefully set down both files. She resumed her search through the packed shelves of age-old documents, but now with a recalibrated focus. She decided to allocate a portion of her mental energy to seeking records that detailed incidents associated with non-sanctioned religious practices or rituals.
After an unspecified period spent engrossed in her search, she came to an abrupt halt as if guided by some internal alarm. She sensed she was on the verge of discovering something even more significant.
The third record, still dated before the “factory leak” incident, occurred on the edge of the upper city district. A maid working in a wealthy household suddenly went berserk, severely injuring three other servants and the male homeowner before locking herself in a storeroom. By the time the church’s guardians and the local sheriff broke in, the maid had already taken her own life.
Investigators found a startling discovery in the storeroom where the maid had barricaded herself. She had carved a series of sacrificial symbols into the walls and floor with a dagger, presumably in the moments leading up to her suicide. Additional evidence of heretical worship was unearthed in her personal quarters—once again, the symbols and artifacts indicated rituals devoted to an indeterminate entity. What set this case apart from the others was the nature of the sacrifice. In previous instances, the haphazard rituals had led to localized mental disturbances among bystanders or participants. This time, however, it was the individual who performed the sacrifice, the maid herself, who had been driven to a state of insanity.
This marked the third such incident, and its discovery dramatically escalated the level of urgency in Vanna’s demeanor.
Rapidly assimilating the new information with that of the two previous reports, Vanna started mentally organizing them by their dates and geographical locations. The incidents didn’t follow any discernible pattern: they were scattered across different timelines and occurred in disparate locales. Moreover, there was no evidence to suggest that the individuals involved in these incidents had any connections to each other. Importantly, none of these unsettling events bore any relation to the notorious factory leak that had happened eleven years prior, and no involvement of any known heretical sects was indicated in the follow-up investigations.
With laser-like focus, Vanna continued her meticulous examination of the subsequent documents in the archive. She eventually stumbled upon the thick dossier dedicated to the factory leak incident. The file was voluminous, reflecting the scale of the event’s impact; it contained the highest number of arrests and detentions of alleged heretics in recent decades. Photographs, interrogation transcripts, and meticulous notes filled the heavy binder.
However, Vanna only skimmed through the contents of this specific dossier. She had already familiarized herself extensively with the details of the factory leak case over the past several years, repeatedly reviewing documents related to it. Her search today confirmed her suspicion that even in this secure church archive, no new insights regarding the eleven-year-old factory leak were to be found.
After replacing the factory leak file back on the shelf, Vanna resumed her search. It was then that she noted a significant detail:
Following the cataclysmic factory leak incident, there were no subsequent records of cases resembling the three “heretical worship” incidents that had so deeply intrigued her. This absence persisted even though half a year had elapsed after the factory event.
Vanna was struck by a sudden realization: all the perplexing incidents of “ineffective yet somehow effective” heretical worship had clustered in the period leading up to the factory leak. Once that massive event occurred, they seemed to halt abruptly. It was as if the factory leak had acted as a critical juncture or turning point, marking the end of this string of peculiar, unexplained heretical practices.
On the one hand, this observation could be rationalized as related to the large-scale crackdown that followed the factory leak, which led to the arrest and detention of thousands of cultists, effectively purging the city-state of most heretical influences. This would naturally account for the absence of similar incidents in the subsequent months. Yet, Vanna couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be more to the story, a deeper connection that remained veiled, waiting to be uncovered.
For some inexplicable reason, Vanna felt a nagging sense that the surface-level explanations for these disparate incidents didn’t capture their full complexity. She paused, standing next to a towering bookshelf, her mind teeming with unanswered questions. After a contemplative moment, she returned to the starting point of her search, pulling out the first file on the peculiar “heretical worship” cases and leafing through its pages thoughtfully.
These reports were scattered and fragmented, lost in a sea of disordered records that spanned all sorts of calamities and oddities. Had she not approached her task today with heightened attentiveness and a prior suspicion that “something doesn’t add up,” these anomalies likely would have escaped her notice altogether. Now that she had stumbled upon them, however, they clung to her consciousness like stubborn seeds, growing more and more difficult to ignore as her intuition flashed incessant warning signals.
Her deep contemplation was interrupted by the unhurried sound of footsteps approaching, coupled with a subtle aroma that blended mechanical oil and sacred incense. Glancing up, Vanna saw the elderly priest responsible for overseeing the archive making his way toward her. As he walked, he displayed a noticeable limp, evidence that his injuries extended beyond just his missing hand.
“It’s rather uncommon to see anyone in the archives at this hour, so I thought I’d come over,” the elderly priest offered warmly. “Have you found what you’re looking for?”
Taking a brief pause to collect herself, Vanna replaced the file she’d been examining. “I’ve found pieces of information, yes, but they haven’t provided the full answers I’m seeking.”
“Answers?” The priest raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What sorts of answers are you in search of?”
Sidestepping a direct response, Vanna redirected with a question of her own. “How long have you been in charge here?”
“Oh, it must be nearly twenty years now,” he chuckled. “Ever since an improvised explosive device set off by some heretical fanatics took my hand and leg, I’ve been reassigned to oversee this sanctuary of knowledge.”
Intrigued, Vanna followed up. “Is it usually this serene in here? Do others often visit the archives, like I’m doing?”
“It’s generally a quiet place,” he said, a smile etching its way onto his face. “Certainly, there are those who come to peruse the records, but they are a rarity. These archives are like the deepest recesses of human memory, storing ‘solved cases’ and ‘sealed files’ that are not meant for public scrutiny. Once these documents enter this vault, they become a part of history, their relevance gradually obscured by the sands of time.”
He paused and continued, “The city-state is a bustling place, always in motion with new developments, new crises. People are so consumed with tackling the challenges of tomorrow that they seldom have the time or inclination to sift through the forgotten dilemmas of the past stored here. Also…”
The elderly priest hesitated momentarily, lifting his eyes to contemplate the towering shelves of ancient texts that stretched high, almost touching the room’s vaulted ceiling. After a significant pause, he continued, speaking softly and reflectively.
“Also, you see, these sealed files aren’t merely chronicles of bygone events. Some of them actually encapsulate ‘history’ itself—the history that has been deliberately confined within those pages. Our world’s timeline—past, present, and future—is built on precarious underpinnings. Delving too deeply into certain subjects within this archive could have a damaging impact on one’s psychological and emotional stability.”
Vanna found the priest’s words resonant, “That warning sounds quite similar to the kinds of cautions the Flame Bearers often give.”
“Ah, you’re correct,” the priest replied with a knowing smile. “The Flame Bearers are particularly vigilant about such matters. They act as custodians of historical knowledge and live with the perpetual worry that some forgotten element of antiquity might resurface to destabilize the very foundations of our present reality. They are so cautious that some have even suggested that those who preach about doomsday scenarios—what they call ‘End-Time Contamination’—might actually be Flame Bearers who have lost their sense of direction.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “I used to have close acquaintances among the Flame Bearers in my younger years. Their beliefs may deviate from the dogmas of the Storm Goddess, whom both of our orders serve, but I’ve always found elements in their theories that are worthy of thoughtful consideration.”
As Vanna listened to the elderly priest, a comforting sense of tranquility settled over her. She had a measure of respect for this seasoned custodian who had dedicated so many years to the service of the church. Intrigued and feeling the desire for further conversation, she ventured to ask, “Do you still maintain contact with those old friends from the Flame Bearers?”
The elderly priest slowly shook his head, his expression taking on a wistful quality. “No, I’ve lost touch with them. In fact, one morning it dawned on me that I never even knew their real names. This likely signifies that they have become martyrs, sacrificing themselves for beliefs they held dear.”
The solemnity of his last words added a layer of gravity to their conversation. Both individuals were momentarily united in a silent acknowledgment of the complex and often perilous path that seekers of truth have to tread, even within the seemingly secure walls of their own institutions.
Thanks for the chapter.
This is making me curious.
In a lot of fictions, my first thought would be that there’s a coverup being done by the authorities.
In this story, however, I don’t think it’ll go that direction. The authorities have a vested interest in purging corruption; even if they did a coverup, they’d only do it after they were sure they’d cleaned up all the possible side effects – they wouldn’t slap a fake story on something without being sure it was taken care of, because leaving behind something like the corrupted chapel is like sitting on a time bomb. But that leaves me wondering who actually is doing the coverup, and how they’ve managed to slip it past the churches for so long.
We’ll see, I guess. It should be interesting however it shakes out.
Thank you for the chapter!