Azela had awakened late. The sun was already high in the sky and very warm.
She hadn't had a bath since coming to Jastria, or changed her clothes. So far she had been too embarrassed to bring up hygiene to Shi-Yon, but judging by her smell, she would soon have to.
As she stepped out of the tower, something odd caught her sight. There was a sheet of red cloth several feet from the entrance, partly concealed by mud and fallen leaves. Walking closer to investigate, she could see that the cloth had a vaguely human shape, and as soon as she was close enough, could tell that it was actually a robe. One almost exactly like that of the woman that had attacked her on the beach.
She froze with the realization that this robe was not empty.
Slowly, cautiously, she reached down and pulled back the hood. Under it was the head of a man, not long dead. His throat had been crushed so entirely there was no doubt as to how he had died. There were very few signs of a struggle, though. Whatever killed him had taken him by surprise.
It must be destroyed, the robed woman had said. She had to have been talking about Azela. Odd that none of her rescuers felt the need to explain the strange woman's eagerness to end her life. Not that she had asked, to be fair.
That this man had been killed so close to where she slept likely meant that he was after her as well. She wondered if Shi-Yon would answer her questions about this when he returned, or if this was something about her past that she wasn't supposed to know.
She decided to visit MegaGlitch's tavern before going to the library today, and set off immediately, anxious to distance herself from the corpse. Shi-Yon told her that she could go to the library at any time until she got used to Jastria life, but he never said that she could go anywhere else. On the other hand, her dark-armored roommate was nowhere to be found, and he never explicitly said that she couldn't go anywhere else.
This was also a good opportunity to see what Jastria was like, but along the way it didn't take long to discover that there wasn't much to see. All of the buildings she passed were simple mycelium structures. The more interesting places, such as Shi-Yon's tower, the library, and quite a few odd, seemingly unused towers in the outskirts and center of the village, were clearly not built by the same architects or even in the same era. The streets weren't much more than dirt trails that ran along the rows of huts. At first glance, one could easily assume that the inhabitants of Jastria were living in destitution, but each hut was sturdily built and had full gardens, pipes for running water, and finely-crafted glass windows. A few were painted, each in a slightly different style, giving them their own unique appearance.
As before, the glitchen seemed to keep to themselves and showed no interest in her. No one offered so much as a hello, and if she greeted a passerby, she was usually ignored or given only a nod. She didn't take offense; whenever she saw them speaking to each other, the exchange was also brief. Every conversation she overheard played out awkwardly, and they spoke of farming and other business mostly.
Children were outside today, playing in the streets and grassy lawns with little to no supervision. Unlike the adults, they had no qualms about being sociable and formed groups. Upon seeing Azela walk past, one little girl left her friends and ran up to tug at Azela's outfit.
"What's wrong with your ears?" the little girl asked.
"My ears?" Azela wondered, reaching up and touching her left ear. It was then that she noticed: her ears were different from all of the others she had seen. Every other glitch she saw had rounded ears like a sapien, but hers were pointed. "They're just a little different, that's all," she told her. The child gave her a confused and unsatisfied look, then ran off to rejoin the game that the others were playing.
She reached the tavern soon after, which appeared to have been built from wood instead of mycelium and by much more skilled hands than Jastria's huts. A quiet mix of conversations drifted out from the open doorway, along with the aroma of freshly cooked food. When Azela walked inside, she suddenly found her path blocked by a tall, wide man. "I'm sorry lil' lady, but you'll have to come with me," he told her in a drunken, alien accent while scratching his greasy beard, "There's been tell of intruders about, and I don't remember you." Azela cringed at the mixed smell of alcohol, sweat, and various oils.
"It's okay, Five. She can come in," MegaGlitch said from behind the counter.
Five ran his fingers through his long brown hair and asked, "Ah, so you know her, then? Are you sure she's old enough to be in here? She doesn't look out of her teen years."
"No one doubts your observation skills when it comes to women, but this one has been appointed as the seventh apostle. That means any authority you have over her is questionable. Let her in," he insisted.
Azela stepped past the man and walked up to MegaGlitch. "Heys," she said, politely smiling.
"What is it that I can do for you, child?" the cyborg asked.
Azela's eyes wandered, avoiding the piercing gaze beneath his antique goggles. She noted that the tavern was filled with a much more diverse crowd than she had seen outside. Villagers in here had an array of skin tones and hues, predominantly sapien in essence, yet interspersed with individuals with fur, scales, or feathers. All had humanoid bone structure and size, though some had more reptilian, feline or avian characteristics. Attire varied too; some draped in the more humble style she had become accustomed to, while others were dressed in more elaborate clothing not unlike her own. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you in private... if you're not too busy, I mean..."
"Of course I will speak with you. Follow me."
The room he led her to was behind the counter. There was hardly any light inside, and when MegaGlitch closed the door behind her, it was hard for her eyes to adjust. Except for a slight murmur, the sounds of the room outside were suddenly silenced.
Azela was about to speak, but MegaGlitch spoke first, saying, "You wish to know who you are. I can see it in your thoughts. Do not be afraid. I do not have the knowledge required to reveal your past, but I can speak of your present, and your promise to Shi-Yon is safe, as you have asked me nothing." He moved a chair over to her. "I advise you to sit down, it is a long walk from Shi-Yon's tower. That he agreed to let you live with him surprises me. He guards his secrets as a mother would guard her children. You should learn to protect yours as well."
Though he told her not to be, Azela was afraid. Only now did she fully realize what Shi-Yon meant when he said that the cyborg could read minds. His mention of the promise told her that every thought was open to this creature. If he meant to do her any harm, however, he could've easily done so earlier. Sitting on the chair that was offered, she tried to relax.
MegaGlitch sat on a stack of boxes across from her. He began by saying, "You wonder if you are truly a glitch. The body you inhabit is. Your ears, while an uncommon sight to the child that brought them to your attention, are nothing out of the ordinary in other parts of the haven. Long ago, glitchen with even more diverse traits such as horns or arm-blades were commonplace."
Azela tried in vain to stifle her racing thoughts. "You specified my body, instead of just saying that I was glitchen," she stated.
"If you identify as such, then you are," he said, "Shi-Yon told you of the collective known today as Exitherra. One physical body, but many many minds. Celestial forms do not operate with the same logic as physical ones; not all of them were the same species. At least not until they were ripped out into the harsh physical realm we know today."
"Then they became glitchen," Azela said.
MegaGlitch motioned to the door behind her. "Those others out there, did they all seem part of the same species as each other?"
Azela hesitated. "No," she admitted.
"Yet they choose to be known as glitchen, for simplicity. For community. For a unified identity," he said.
"But that doesn't explain why you specified my body," Azela said.
MegaGlitch nodded. "The first generation took the form of memories. Various lifeforms, various people, real or imagined. Their bodies reflected parts of the celestial forms that they were made from. Your body's appearance has changed since it was first brought to me. It has entered a state not unlike a first-generation glitch."
"So you are saying that my 'celestial form' might not match?" Azela asked. "Exitherra was one body with many minds, then those minds… broke. Into Glitchen. Then what? My body's mind broke?"
"Your body's mind was, clinically speaking, dead."
Azela felt her heart sink as she tried to take in what he just said. "And then my body followed. Just before I woke up in it."
MegaGlitch continued, "I am unsure how to classify you. The body you are in is changing. At first, it was what in ancient times would be known as a saipexen. When you came to the front, it reshaped itself. You were more like a sapien then. But my eyes can see that it continues to subtly shift. You are becoming more yourself every day, whatever that may be."
Azela did not know how to parse what he said. Instead, she kept her mind as clear of thoughts as she could and asked aloud, "You said that there was one way to restore my memories. Just tell me, what is it and why is it so dangerous?"
MegaGlitch hesitated, but said, "There are many misconceptions about the true nature of souls."
Azela sensed discomfort from the cyborg.
"There is a... we'll call it a plane of existence. It is called Celestion. This is the realm through which thoughts are sent when telepathy is used. It is part of a system, and one aspect of this system are souls. Celestion makes a copy of any sentient consciousness. A backup. It contains memories and personality, but that backup is not you. Most religions claim otherwise, making this a difficult subject to bring up. Souls continue to exist past the death of the body, and many people want very much to believe that death is not final.
"You are not your soul. A soul is a part of you, like an organ. Remember that as I tell you this. When we found you…"
"I have no soul," Azela said.
"You have one now," MegaGlitch corrected her. "The soul associated with your body had been extracted. The mind died. You remain. We do not know how long you have existed in this body, but you appear to have only recently obtained control of it."
"Where is the previous soul now, then? In the afterlife?" Azela asked.
MegaGlitch gave a mechanical sigh. "If it still exists, it probably rests in some sorcerer's desk. Your body's soul was stolen through magical means. If we could find it, we would have to fight for it, and if its possessor knew we were coming for it, he might destroy it rather than let us have it. It would contain a copy of your body's memories up to the point of its theft, but retrieving it may be too dangerous. The power of a sorcerer, one who bends reality itself at a whim, cannot be taken lightly."
Then after a second of silence, he responded to a thought as she had it. "Red robed attackers? I was not informed of this. This is a mystery to me as well, but it is my responsibility as well as Shi-Yon's to keep you protected. I will investigate. Return tomorrow and I will share what I can."
Azela had more questions, but tried to keep her mind as blank as possible as she said, "Um... thank you. Please don't tell Shi-Yon I was here." She didn't try to think of an excuse, as MegaGlitch was certain to see through it. As she stood the chair fell away from her, but she didn't bother to pick it up. Despite the darkness she quickly found the door and left the room, wanting to get away from the cyborg so that she could have her mind to herself again.
Only when she was several huts away from the tavern did she stop and breathe a sigh of relief. She felt no ill will toward MegaGlitch, yet she couldn't stop herself from thinking that the ability to violate a person's private thoughts so easily should not exist at all, and hoped that she was far enough that he didn't sense that thought.
* * *
Azela's day passed slowly at the library. She didn't talk much to the librarians, and wasn't able to concentrate on reading anything. Words on pages seemed to become nothing more than ink on paper. The only things that caught her interest were books and scrolls on the local species of flowers.
She wondered why Shi-Yon was not allowed to tell her about some parts of her past. There must have been a reason. Could some events of her life be so terrible that they were best left forgotten? If so, did they regard things done to her, or things that she did to others? Was she a victim or a villain?
Shi-Yon had told her not to seek out her past, but her curiosity was too insistent.
While the memories may be gone, accounts of whatever tragedy she had endured could still exist. She left the books about flowers behind and began to look through the haven's records and most recent history.
Among observations recorded about the settlements nearest to Jastria, she made a strange discovery. Certain events on a few dates had been purposely removed. As she glanced at these, she noticed a young librarian watching her suspiciously. Azela considered her options. She clearly should stop tempting fate, and whatever information was censored from the public wasn't guaranteed to have anything to do with her past. The fight on the beach when she was found allowed her to see Ayan's power firsthand. Approaching him or his followers was a foolish idea. They would be unlikely to tell her anything. These secrets were the will of a being with the powers of a god. She suspected that there were other ways to uncover what she wanted, however. Standing up slowly, she tried to appear as calm as possible. This librarian had to know something about the missing information. When the librarian turned and walked toward the front desk, Azela stealthily followed.
The librarian met with an older one and began discussing something with great urgency. Azela crept as close as she could without being noticed, spying on the two through a bookshelf. Her ears twitched as she listened intently.
"What am I supposed to say?" the young one asked.
The other appeared to be unsure but said, "There's nothing we can do. If she asks about it, we'll tell her the truth; that it was an order from the First Apostle. But under no circumstances are we to tell anyone about Vane's attack or the escapees. Even high level threats like Sierrix and Evisceron are not to be discussed until Apostle One or Ayan himself says so. That's what he commanded, and he seemed very serious. There must be a good reason for it."
Evisceron.
Her skin tingled. The name gave her the impression of a key to a locked door. It sounded familiar. Not from the recent days she had spent in Jastria, but from somewhere else.
The sound of footsteps coming closer suddenly made her jump up, and she moved like a passing shadow to her previous seat, evading the librarians' view. No one gave any indication that they noticed something out of the ordinary, despite her heavy breathing and pounding heart. It was close, but Azela felt proud of her skills in stealth. She made a mental note of it, in case she ever had to use them again.