Double-Blind: A Modern LITRPG

Chapter 267

Within weeks of the asteroid hit, most places lost power. There were backups, of course, but cut off from the outside and isolated as we were, the emergency power was routed to critical infrastructure first, leaving the once vibrant skyline filled with perpetually dark monoliths jutting up towards the sky.

The light was returning now, albeit a glimmer of what it once was. The skyscrapers of now-derelict multi-billion dollar companies were repopulated with smaller businesses, guilds, and crafters. Several regionsspecifically three and nineacquired methods of ample power generation gleaned as rewards for their performance in the transposition. They couldnt be paid directly in Selve for their power, instead leveraging the resource for alliances and trade. The recent additionthe gilded toweremitted no light of its own, but never stopped glimmering.

I tried not to think about how Id be there in less than three hours and returned to more pressing matters.

The kid was quiet. My intention was to take him somewhere open and unconfined, but I couldnt help but wonder if he was worried that if he made a scene Id throw him off. He squinted slightly, then placed a pair of glasses on his nose, removing them to wipe them on his shirt before replacing them on his nose. They sat slightly crooked. With the set jaw and dark eyes, he reminded me of Sunny.

Maybe it was cruel, but I said nothing. Just sat beside him and waited.

Whats wrong with my magic? He finally broke the silence.

I reached over to point at the manacles on his wrists, and when he flinched, pulled my hand away. The bracelets dampen and drain your mana pool to almost nothing. Easier to talk without lasers burning ozone. You get it.

The slightest tip of his head. And what happens to me now?

That depends. I mused. Do you have people? A place you can go?

I already knew the answer. Sunny didnt have any close friends or family, so far as I could tell. However, his ex-wife did. She had plenty of relatives that lived around the metroplex, and several within Dallas itself. Despite hating Sunny with a passion, several of them were friendly enough with the kid to take him in. Assuming they were still alive.

The kid didnt answer.

If not, theres a few groups thatd be willing to take in a stray mage

I have somewhere I can go. The kid said quickly.

I jingled the key, showing it to him. Then we take in the scenery for a bit, have a chat, then I take those off and go our separate ways.

His eyebrow raised, and he seemed unsure. Okay.

Whats your name? Again, I asked a question I already knew the answer to.

David.

Sorry we had to meet this way, David.

I really was.

Is he dead? David asked. Something in his tone seemed off. Almost resigned.

Hes gone.

Fuck.

The silence lingered, accented by distant sirens and the sound of traffic dozens of floors below. There was nothing I could say to help him through this. Any words of comfort or support I offered would be seen as condescending at best, cruel at worst.

Tears formed, receded, then formed again, threatening to spill down towards white lips pressed tightly together, trembling with rage. Of course. He he David frowned. Why cant I remember your name? Dad said it. Im sure he said it. He wouldnt shut up about you. What the hell? He sounded confused, rather than accusatory.

The name Myrddin was the one thing I let Azure take from him. Tragic as it was, losing a parent is a formative experience. Youre simply not the same person after as you were before. From my experience with memory edits, tearing the entire memory away would be like bringing a hammer down on his psyche. Hed be unable to function, his intelligence would be hamstrung if not outright obliterated, and even if he survived with minimal damage, hed never be able to escape the feeling that hed lost something integral. So Azure removed my name from his memories of Sunny, otherwise doing nothing more than blunting the harder-to-stomach aspects.

Hed already lost enough.

Suppressed memories are the minds way of protecting a person from trauma. I told him. It may come back to you. But if it doesnt, thats probably for the best. Some things are better left forgotten.

He shook his head. Why would I remember everything else other than that?

It doesnt always make sense.

For that matter, he didnt remember everything. Azure was pretty sure hed overheard the beating. Listened to it happen. Yet when my summon had poked around looking for the memory, hed found it as neatly packed away as if hed suppressed it himself.

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The mind was an unknowable thing.

David didnt accept the explanation, but didnt seem to know what to make of it otherwise. I sat quietly as he cycled between rage and depression, and back again, the cycle of grief alternating frames in a film wheel.

Its okay if you want to scream. Tell me to go fuck myself.

Whatever you need for closure.

David shook his head. He wasnt a good dad. I was always getting in his way, you know? Always inconveniencing him. We hated each other. Some days less than others.

He hit you?

No. Just screamed at me sometimes. But I gave as good as I got.

I hesitated, torn on whether to reveal more. He tried to protect you, in the end.

Davids head snapped around. What?

Claimed he didnt know you. That you were some street kid he picked up for the runes. Didnt want us to take the sins of the father out on his son.

Why would you tell me that?

Because in your place I would want to know. Even if he wasnt the best father. He tried to do something selfless in the end.

Whatwhat the fuck even is this? David snapped, leaning in, all but spitting poison. You coddle the families of everyone you murder?

Damn.

Gently I put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. Easy.

His face screwed up, and I felt the beginning of a tirade.

I cut him off before he got there. You have the right to be livid. This was not the result of anything youve done. This should not have happened to you.

So tell me why? Why?! What the hell did he do?!

I paused, deciding whether or not to address the thought Azure found in his head. There was nothing wrong with the rune. It was cleverly placed, and the central tile was objectively the best spot you could have anchored it to. Just like the only reason you missed me in the store was because I flinched. Sunny didnt need one mage running his defenses, he needed twenty. It wasnt your fault

The kid let out a cry and threw himself at me, bashing his forehead into my chin, nearly unseating the mask.

Okay, fair. I grunted, sitting him back down with a little more force than necessary hoping hed stay there. He did. That was your free shot.

I expected him to bite back. But he just sat there seething, taking big heaving breaths. Most peopleespecially kids his agewould have been completely irrational. Hed handled himself exceptionally well up to this point, even with whatever brain chemical cocktail Azure had served up to keep him calm. I stood up, leaving him alone in the trunk of the SUV, standing directly in front of him while still giving him distance.

Probably time to make my exit.

Now Im going to say some things. And its important that you listen.

He glared, but held his silence.

I continued. First. If you go back to the grind, Sol Mages have a branching path at level fifteen. I know this because Im friends with one. The branching path essentially forces you to choose between a significant boost in power and passive regeneration. Itll be tempting to take the power boost, but youll want to take the regeneration path, because the passive regeneration scales. Theres an entire laundry list of upper level spells youll be unable to utilize properly if you forgo the regen for a short-term power boost. Were talking magnitudes of difference in the endgame, depending on which path you take. Verify what Im telling you with someone. Dont ignore it out of spite.

What

I held up two fingers. Second. You dont have to believe me. You can hate me for saying it, but I need to be clear here. Sunny had it coming. He got a lot of people killed, both directly and indirectly. The kids face screwed up in obvious pain, and I softened my voice. If thats not good enough and you decide you can't live without hearing all the gory details, come find me.

How am I supposed to find you when I dont even know your name? The kid snapped.

I ignored him and approached with the key. David flinched, but didnt do more as I freed his arms and stowed the manacles in my inventory. Last thing, then were done. Im letting you go. No conditions. Youll find your things as well as Sunnys in the bag beside you. He glanced at the bag. When he looked back, I tossed him his wand.

He stared down at it as if Id just handed him a loaded gun.

I basically had.

My recommendation is to bunker down, protect yourself and anyone left in the city you care about, focus on leveling, and try to forget this ever happened. But Im aware my recommendation doesnt mean jack shit right now. So if instead, you somehow manage to track me down? Great. Youll have another choice. Come to me in good faith and Ill answer every question you have about what your father did. I owe you that. But dont mistake my mercy for weakness, I stepped away. The shot in the trunk was free. The next one will cost you.

With that, I turned and walked towards the rear stairwell, fighting every instinct I had to look back. The SUVs suspension squeaked behind me.

Hes aiming at you. Azure warned.

I know.

Youre just gonna stroll away at wand point?

He has to make a choice.

Why? Azure sounded mystified.

If he doesnt do something now, every time he reconsiders, hell remember that he chose to let me go.

And if he fires?

Shouldnt have enough mana for the bullshit beams from before. Anything elsewell cross that bridge when we come to it.

Youre just gonna leave your car here? David called after me, a slight warble of tension betraying him. I smiled, despite myself. It was clever. If I stopped in place, itd make me an easier target for an inexperienced mage. He was using the car as an excuse to get me to stand still and turn around. Give him more time to work the nerve up.

I didnt stop. Key FOBs in the passenger seat. Take it.

Hey! Asshole! David yelled after me. I kept an unhurried pace, waiting for hell to break loose. But he didnt fire off a spell. Didnt give chase.

Good. He was smarter than Sunny.

Smarter than me.

I walked past the door and hopped up on the concrete median then plunged downward, activating the flight charm halfway to the ground, and flew into the night.