<div>
Abbey House Dining Hall | 6:14 AM | Third Day
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
uncertain, mind. After all, people feel very, very strongly about doing things for reasons they can''t put into words all the time.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
It hadn''t even occurred to her. That meant this had probably been a snap decision.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
MY DECISION!" Mehit shouted abruptly - probably louder than I''d heard anything screamed all weekend - her features flaring with furious anger as her gaze sharply turned back towards our group. In a quick motion, the pistol in her hands shot up, the safety pulled back, the barrel aimed directly at Linos''s head.
That was incredibly fast for a civilian, something in me observed. She must have training.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
any incantation. Without a defense set up - and with her inside the barrier, we had none - it was the simplest way in the world to kill at least one person.
<div>
<div>
unnatural things. I should have never have brought Lili to this. Never let her into this class. I should... I should have kept her safe..."
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
special." She tilted her head, just slightly. "How many of you are like her? Hm?! I wouldn''t be surprised if it were all of you. If this whole class just farce, some... Some..."
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Oh, I thought. So that''s how it is.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
clear plan." There was so much contempt in her words, she practically spat them out. "I won''t make that mistake again. W-Whatever is left of her, of her innocence... I''ll keep it safe, no matter what happens. Even if doing so requires that I give up my life." Her grip on the pistol tightened, and so did that on her daughter. "Now. Lower the barrier."
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Lower it," Mehit said, her tone growing gravely quiet.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
slightly more awful.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
that peculiar. Where things are something close to ordinary.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
just those 100,000 people, in bodies directly transposed from the Tower of Asphodel. But when it happened to infants...
<div>
<div>
blocked, irrevocably, from forming this link. This would naturally lead them to develop a different and new higher-planar pneuma, or ''soul'', instead-- Like plants forced by a slab of stone to grow horizontally rather than vertically.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
strictly true. Though the physical matter that could be integrated into its structure had been limited, this wasn''t true for that which wasn''t physical. The pneuma normally disintegrated upon the death of the biological mind, but in the Imperial Era, it had been discovered that it was easy to keep it in a state of stasis simply by continuing to feed it a tiny amount of information across the planes.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Moment-Emulating Arcana had to base their observations on inference. But there was one means by it could be interfaced with which wasn''t quite mundane - that is, though its connection to the Tower of Asphodel, the same process which allowed logic bridges to function in the present, and by which the Ironworkers chose to facilitate the attaching of Indexes.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
environment.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
deeply disturbing at its root. To human beings, our inner world is the most precious thing. It''s shocking how much people keep from one another; how much people insulate their complete selves from the painful constraints of day-to-day material reality and social convention. For that to be compromised so completely, well...
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
people... And most of all, no one desired to conceive that there was a slim chance that people they knew, perhaps even their loved ones, could be someone else wearing their face.
mattered, at least.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
original sin of civilization in the Covenant Era, such as it was.
<div>
<div>
partially afflicted tended to want to leave it behind them, to establish a sense of self that felt absolute.
<div>
<div>
truly couldn''t be helped... A choice was given. To either decide to - in spite of their self-conception - embrace the identities they now possessed and play that role for the rest of their lives, for both their own sake and the people who would otherwise be left to grieve something so strange and terrible. Or to have all ties severed, and begin a new life in the uttermost sense, preferably far away.
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
utterly unalike. And what they really understand is nothing at all.