Chapter 529: Happiness in Ignorance

“Sometimes, you learn just enough to entice you. Then, you push a little deeper, not knowing what you’ll find. It’s a treacherous journey, the unknown. You either find nothing... or you find misery.” Dario managed to look up at Melanie. “You learn a little too much, and the façade starts to fade away. All your happiness is flavored with bile, because it all feels so small in comparison to the grandeur of what you’ve learned.”

Melanie shook her head. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“You asked me if it was worth it, what I’ve done.” Dario exhaled. “It was never about it being ‘worth it.’ I knew the truth, and all the misery it brought. Things fell apart around me, and all my joy died. It was a buzzing in the back of my mind. It was as though I knew a poisonous spider lurked near my bed, yet not where. I had to act.”

“I suppose I know what you mean.” Melanie kept her eyes focused on Dario—even with him broken and battered, she didn’t underestimate this man for a second. “Knew a happy couple, married for twenty years. Then, the husband confessed he cheated when they were engaged. Twenty years of a good bond fell apart all because someone learned something they couldn’t forget. I always did wonder if ignorance would’ve served that woman best.”

“Hm. Hard to say.”

A silence stretched out between the two of them. Melanie sighed after a while. “You’re a lot like Argrave, in a way. Lots of self-importance.”

“Self-importance?”

“Well, yeah. Thinking that you’re the only one who can save the world, that sort of thing. You both have your reasons, I guess, but you took drastically different paths with your savior complex. Difference between you... Argrave has people backing him up. Your only ally abandoned you the moment it became problematic for them. Castro trusted Argrave enough to give his life for his cause. Do you see the difference?”

Dario didn’t dispute that.

“If know them, here’s what’ll happen. Argrave and Anneliese will try and convince you to come to their side, spill the beans. I’d advise that you do. If you’re honest, if you try and turn a new leaf... if you rely on someone besides some bastards that’d ruin your life and then abandon you, the royal couple might have your back, too,” Melanie ended hopefully.

“If not?”

“If not, I’m pretty sure they’ll give you to the Alchemist.” Melanie crossed her legs as the idea made her uncomfortable. “He’ll think of half a thousand measures to get what he needs from you. Even if they don’t work like you seem to think, I can guarantee they’ll be a lot worse than whatever secrets made you depressed enough to hurt yourself this badly.”N♡vεlB¡n: Where Every Word Sparks Wonder.

“I would never—”

“We’ve got Sophia. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but given the lengths you went through to stop that, it has to mean something. You want to know why your patron—if you can call them that—walked away? Because it doesn’t matter even if you don’t stay silent. We’re near the truth. If you’re so tickled about the fate of the universe, or whatever stupid reason you’d hurt yourself like this, then work with us!” Melanie’s last words were emotional, causing Dario to lift his head to look her in the eyes.

They had a long stare-off—her green eyes meeting his bloodshot red. Dario was the first to break his gaze to lay his head upon the cavern floor, and Melanie shook her head in disappointment. Then, his voice came again, muffled.

“Mostly right, but wrong in one pivotal point. I was abandoned to divide your forces. They suspected Anneliese, or perhaps the Alchemist, would chase after me while Argrave returned as quickly as he could. And now that you’re divided, Mozzahr is going to try something.”

“Mozzahr?” Melanie looked at Dario with focus. “What are you talking about?”

“Me, I’ve died.” Argrave nodded. “I could tell you exactly what happens.”

“But dead people can’t talk. I’ve seen them.”

Argrave paused in the middle of the bridge and kneeled down. “When you die, you wake up in someone else’s body. It might seem a little bad at first, but in time, you help a lot of people, you make a lot of friends, and you realize that it might just be the best thing that could’ve happened to you.” Argrave tousled her hair. “After all, because I died, I saved you.”

“Mister Castro...” she grappled with the idea of reincarnation, but her clever mind grasped it quickly. “...is gonna wake up as somebody else?”

“That’s right. He’ll be...” Argrave’s creative mind worked hard. “He’ll wake up as a handsome guy, just like me. And just like me, he’ll be able to save just about anybody. He’ll meet a nice lady who makes him smile, and then he’ll go around saving people, making them happy. It might be that he saves someone just like you. And then, knowing Castro, he’ll make that person’s life a whole lot better. He’ll make them happy, just like you’ll be.”

Sophia smiled brightly for perhaps the first time Argrave had seen. Tears were in her eyes as she asked, “Really?”

“Really, really.” Argrave returned her smile, then stood with her hand held in his own. “So, don’t worry, Sophia.”

Argrave walked with a significantly more heartened Sophia. She looked up at him and said optimistically, “Dying sounds awesome.”

Argrave’s panic flared, and he looked down at a bright-eyed Sophia. Oh, hell... did I oversell it? He was pleased to see some of that sadness and guilt gone, but now there was a different problem. What if she goes around saying, ‘I want to die?’ People are going to look at me like I’m a monster. Good lord, I need Anneliese here...

“Argrave,” Elenore’s voice cut into Argrave’s head. “I need you to listen to me without overreacting. Give no strong indicators to anyone who might be watching.”

By instinct, Argrave picked up Sophia. She calmy accepted this.

“I’m listening,” Argrave responded to Elenore. “Go.”

“The Castellan of the Empty is in the city,” Elenore said simply. “I don’t know where. But I do know Mozzahr is after Sophia.”

“Are you alright?” He inquired at once.

“I’m fine. Orion is with me. I’ve informed all others. But this is a very delicate situation, not just for you, but for the whole city. We must behave surgically.”

A swell of nervousness consumed Argrave, yet it was soon drowned by a newfound confidence... and something else. A fierce protectiveness. Mozzahr wanted Sophia? He made a mental note in his mind: Mozzahr would lose some limbs, today, if not his whole life.

“Quite the coincidence,” Argrave answered Elenore with a furious calm. “I’ve just had a great deal of practice fighting against monstrous psychopaths with strength enough to crush my skull with their fingers.”