"I have good men willing to sacrifice their lives for humanity."
-Brais Bessarion
XIII. Foreigner
There was a muffled shout, not aggressive or ominous in nature; rather, it was distant and sounded rather lively. Soon after, both Gaijin and Maddard could feel their faces being relieved of their blindfolds. Immediately, Gaijin's notions of where he was became verified. They were underground.
The region was drained of light, apart from torches that were posted along the walls, and it felt compact like some kind of tunnel. Gaijin peered around cautiously. The ground was littered with pebbles and dust, unchanged and unpaved. Curious, he turned to Maddard and stared at his face. Maddard too seemed confused and oblivious to just where they were. Gaijin then felt a hand gently press against his back, motioning him forward to where Alastor, who was waving eagerly for them to approach, stood. The group slowly walked farther into the dark tunnel. Gaijin noticed how none of them besides himself and Maddard, appeared worried, their faces actually expressing a heartfelt look, an expression similar to a wanderer who finally returned home.
There was a door which stood just past Alastor. It was the same rocky texture as the walls as if it were meant to be camouflaged. They walked down the tunnel, past the alignment of torches on the walls, and finally to the door. Alastor stood their patiently, waiting for Gaijin, who when finally arrived, was held back by Alastor.
With his hand on Gaijin's shoulder, he spoke heavily and calmly, "Father would like to speak with you soon. I will tell you when."
He soon broke away from Gaijin and walked inside the room past the door. Gaijin felt a thrilling unease, as did Prometheus. They would finally meet with the man whom they recently heard so much of. He took a breath in and followed the group.
There was no light in this room, only the light of the two Rare Men produced a light rich enough for them to use to navigate around. A cluster of scattered books, some opened, were lying on the ground. There were also unlit candles and a white platter with old leftovers on it. He could see just how small the room was and how relatively close the walls were to each other. The walls and ceilings were rocky just like the tunnel which preceded it. Even the odor gave the impression of earth and damp minerals.
They did not stay long inside the room. It was just a small area which would lead them to another destination. There was a make-shift ladder which was etched into the walls. Gaijin, who now stood with Alastor behind the group, watched them as they climbed the ladder. Pontus used his power to lift Baccus upwards.
Watching them leave, Alastor entreated Gaijin to follow along as he stood behind him, illuminating the room. Gaijin did as he said, and Alastor soon followed, abandoning this dingy and dull room. While climbing, Gaijin could perceive a warm light which hovered just above. The light emitted from a wide, circular hole in which the others climbed past. Once he reached the top of the ladder, Gaijin peeked his head halfway into the hole. He now recognized where the warm light emitted from.
He climbed the full way up and worked himself out of the dark tunnel and into a room with warm colors. This room gave a much stronger impression. There was an alignment of beauteously lit candles; some burned with a red fire, some with an orange, and some with a yellow hue, which illumined the luxurious room.
All around the room was furniture and bookcases which were abundant in books of several forms of colors and sizes. Sizeable displays of artworks and images covered much of the walls. The room bolstered a humbling size. The ceiling was stretched wide and high several meters above them. Gaijin quickly noticed how the ceiling of the roof was transparent. He could see the sunlight was no beginning to fade, making way for the night. Every new wandering gaze revealed to him a new and different secret of the room.
Gaijin explored the room further but soon he realized the others were leaving out the room through a sturdy metal door. He followed. He then turned his head around, turning his attention back into the room. He peered down and saw that the floor was a seamless flow of polished, wooden flooring. There was not even an indication that the room possessed a trap door. There was soft, round and thick red carpet lying in the center of the room, which was where they emerged from.
Thoroughly addled, he turned back around and saw the others gathering in another room just down the corridor. Gaijin and Alastor slowly walked towards them who were sitting comfortably on comfortable sofas and waiting silently in the silent room. Windows, unlike the previous rooms, ran along the walls in spacious successions, bringing and pulling in warm sunlight into the room. Hundreds of books rested along the shelves of dozens of sizeable bookcases. A contained fireplace burned calmly nearby them.
Gaijin did not sit along with them; rather, he stood. Standing there, his legs began to jerk to which he could not contain. Noticing his apparent displeasure, Alastor spoke, "Someone, show Gaijin to the privy." He already seemed to know Gaijin's plight.
The room soon lit up with vivid voices. Others soon got up, sharing with Gaijin the need to relieve themselves in privies.
Alastor, who sat stiff like a worn stone, waited alone in the large and warmly lit room. His eyes grimly danced around the room, observing its contents, until it fell upon the tranquil fireplace. His stern face soon grew relaxed, those brilliant hues dancing off his irises.
How could such a destructive force behave so calmly? He contemplated this shallowly and briefly. He wanted to feel more and ponder life more freely, but sadly these temptations and sensations no longer resided within his scruffy and frayed mind and body. Nothing within this world resonated a message to him, no longer did it tell enrapturing stories.
His long-standing presence on the earth disallowed him to feel deeply, slowly desensitizing from things that once meant so much to him. Everything there was to experience, he had experienced several times over until they no longer glimmered as they used to. A flame was simply a flame, water was simply water, and even life and death was simply life and death, no less and certainly no greater. He did not know when he began to feel so empty and desensitized throughout the long journey people called life. Inwardly, he was a lost vessel deprived of sentimentality and meaning. Outwardly, however, he was an adamant and impassioned leader of the Rare Men.
But this was a lie.
Apart from this obscure compulsion to defend and preserve humanity, he felt a bridge between himself and those he sought to protect to which not even he could cross. He was this empty bag, no longer resolved and sturdy enough to carry anything valuable, no longer did he believe there was this universal purpose to life. He just simply did until he could do no more. As he reflected loosely, time seemed to rush intoxicatingly. Before he realized, the room was again flooded with life and voices. He looked around at everyone. They were all here, all except for Gaijin. He wanted to ask the group where he was, but an indescribable feeling barred him from doing so, causing him to make the matter personal. He stole a look at Pontus, examining his physiognomy, before departing from them.
"Stay here! Father will be joining us in some time," he spoke with such fervor and strength.
He soon departed from the newly enlivened room, joining with the quiet of the hallway. He looked around the large domain. The rooms were endless and so were the hallways, an endless flow of manmade construction was all that was visible to him. A quick and unpleasant sensation ripped through his body quite suddenly. He raced for the main entrance of the home and once he finally reached it he was relieved to see the door still locked and closed. He wanted to believe that Gaijin had not left them. He continued to navigate the maze-like domain in search of Gaijin, to no avail.
He was not sure how long he had been away from the group, but he did not want to prolong his departure. He resigned to rejoin them, hoping that Gaijin would be there. He was still not sure if he could trust him, but trust presented itself as a luxury at this time, one he could not so easily afford.
But, then a sudden notion attacked his mind while walking back to the room. He thought of both Gaijin and Father. He thought perhaps he would be there, although he would certainly be unaware of which room he'd reside in. Still, the curiosity was sufficient enough to propel him to the room where Father was staying.
Defying his realistic expectations, there Gaijin was. He did not understand how Gaijin knew where Father was, but there he was, slowly sliding the door open. He could see the nervousness and eagerness on Gaijin's face, his eyelids peeled back and his attention focused solely past what was beyond the small open space between the doors.
Gaijin slowly and quietly pulled apart one door of the double door frame. Before he was able to reach him, Alastor noticed Gaijin jerk his head back in either surprise or fear so much so that his fur stood up all across his body. This astonished Alastor and made him curious as to what he saw. Alastor ambled down the hallway.
Alastor approached slowly as to not startle their guest more. He did not think to ask him what he saw; instead, he did not bring up what he saw at all. He only attempted calm Gaijin down after several seconds. Gaijin did not even speak of what he saw to Alastor. Alastor could tell Gaijin was nervous and distrustful now. But, after several centuries of living, Alastor knew to not feed into an individual's fears and paranoia. He let Gaijin assess what happened for himself.
But, then Alastor, from curiosity and concern for Father, finally conceded, deciding to ask Gaijin what frightened him. Before he was able to receive an answer, the door behind them split apart outwardly from the other in one smooth motion.
And before the door stood Father.