The smoke slipped beneath his skin and burned as it spread. Gabriel tried to scream, but only a gasp came out. Panic rose in him, not from the pain, but from the sense that something inside him was changing.
He convulsed against the wall while the chains and swords held him fast. The pain followed the smoke, sharp and constant. Cracks formed across his body, some small and some wide.
Ariya stepped closer, her face calm again. She leaned in and spoke softly. "Please, Gabriel. Tell me what you saw and what you heard."
He writhed, unable to answer.
Tears ran down her cheek as her voice softened. "I hate to see you suffer. I am merciful. Have I not shown you that?"
Gabriel wanted to believe her, but her words felt hollow.
The smoke faded and the pain dulled.
"No more," he said, his head dropping.
He closed his eyes, hoping it would end. When he opened them, the cold basement floor remained.
He lifted his head to look at her. Tears filled his eyes. "Why are you doing this?" he said. "I don't know anything. Whatever you want, I can't give it."
Ariya's tears stopped at once, as if she could control them. She smiled at the young paladin, sweet and calm. "Oh, Gabriel. We know who you are. We know everything about you."
His thoughts drifted. If they knew who he was, why keep him here? He was nobody. Just a paladin student.
Gabriel let his head fall. The woman before him looked gentle, yet her presence felt wrong. He could not understand how someone could hurt others while wearing such an innocent expression.
He lifted his head again and scanned the room, searching for escape or any relief. There was none. He took a slow breath and tried to steady himself.
He looked back at Ariya. His heart raced, pounding hard in his chest.
A memory surfaced as their eyes met.
He was in the church library, seated across from Sister Melissa. She was young, no older than twenty, lecturing him about his poor effort in learning Elvish.
Her eyes were clear as she scolded him. Gabriel, more interested in magic and swordwork, rolled his eyes. Without warning, she tapped him on the head with the book.
It did not hurt. It was enough to make her point.
"Knowledge will save your life, Gabriel," she said.
"You can master the sword or magic, but without knowledge you are no better than a bandit."
"If you face a threat you cannot overpower, what will you do then?"
Gabriel looked at Melissa in silence. "How will Elvish save me, Sister?"
Melissa lifted the book and tapped him on the head again.
"I'm not talking about Elvish alone," she said. "I mean all knowledge. Give your studies the same effort you give your sword and magic."
They stared at each other for a moment, then laughed.
Ariya's light chuckle pulled Gabriel back to the present.
The memory lingered. The library had smelled of old parchment and incense. Melissa's laughter had meant more to him than the clash of steel. He did not know why the memory had surfaced now, only that it felt wrong to think of her in a place like this.
He met Ariya's gaze.
"Who are you?" he asked, more firmly than before.
She smiled and placed a hand on his chest. "I already told you."
Still smiling, she whispered words he could not understand.
The dread returned at once.
A dark red glow spread across his chest. Smoke followed, crawling over his body. He convulsed as the pain tore through him, sharper than before.
This is the end, he thought.
His vision dimmed. He fought to keep his eyes open, but the pain overwhelmed him. Then everything stopped. No pain. No light. Only Ariya's voice echoing in his mind.
…
A deep voice spoke from behind the basement door. "You've killed him. The Commander will not be pleased."
Ariya turned toward the door, her smile unchanged. "No. He's not dead."
She paused. "I'll heal him. Then I'll let him rest."
Ariya turned back to Gabriel. She tilted his head and poured liquid from a small glass bottle into his mouth. She held his face in her hands.
"You don't understand how special you are," she said, pleased. "To see him. To hear him."
She kissed his forehead, then pulled back slightly.
"Righteousness breeds cruelty."
She removed the swords from his hands with care.
"Put him in a room with a bed," she said. "Gabriel will be with us for a long time."
…
"Ouch."
His body ached. His head throbbed. Gabriel felt as if he had trained without rest for days. Worse than that. Like being struck again and again with a practice blade.
He tried to roll over. Pain stopped him. He forced himself to move.
"What happened?" he muttered as his eyes opened.
The room was unfamiliar.
Memory returned all at once.
"I need to escape."
He sprang from the bed into a fighting stance, trained into him over years. His eyes swept the room. There was no one else there. Only a bed and a desk with a single candle.
He breathed out slowly. His thoughts raced. He remembered the cracks in his skin, the wounds. He checked his arms and chest. There was nothing.
It was as if nothing had happened.
"Was it a dream?"
His body still hurt, but there were no marks.
A knock sounded.
Gabriel jumped, nearly striking the ceiling. He steadied himself and stared at the door.
Another knock.
He moved closer and reached for the handle.
The door burst open.
He was thrown back across the room and hit the floor hard. He looked up.
A small woman stood in the doorway. Gentle face. Dark hair. Purple eyes.
Ariya smiled. "Shall we begin?"
…
Gabriel jolted upright in bed. Sweat soaked his clothes. He leaned forward, hands on his knees.
"I'm not there," he whispered. "I'm not there."
He grabbed the pail of water beside him and stared into it.
A stranger stared back. Red eyes. Hair black and silver. Scars cut across his face. One like a star.
The boy from the academy was gone.
Another memory surfaced. He was fifteen, standing before a mirror. Silver hair. Blue eyes. The nuns had called him an angel. He had pretended to hate it.
The memory faded.
Rage took its place.
He hurled the pail at the wall.
"I will find you, Ariya," he shouted. "And I will kill you for what you did to me."