Survival of the Weakest

Part IV - Distant Worlds

Mr. Goldengates turned out to be a tall, tanned man sitting at a table for two in the middle of the square and reading a newspaper with flying candles that softly illuminated the pages.

"Miss Tkach," Constantin stood up, greeting Sarah with a handshake. "Constantin Goldengates, my dear. Very delighted to meet you." Then he invited her to sit on the other side of the table, not getting down until she took her place.

"Hey, you seem to know me already,-" Sarah didn't sound very excited about this fact. "-Uh, mister Goldengates." 

"Just Constantin." They sat for a while in silence. Again. God, why does this have to happen every single time?

"Come on, don't be shy. I know you're new to our world. Ask right away what bothers you."

"Why was I brought here? In this town, specifically?" 

"Many nocturae from all over the world will come to this town to witness the Equilibrium. So today's celebration is even more impactful than ever before." The man in his 40s started in very aspiring tone. 

"What in the world is-" 

"When the Equilibrium opens, all nocturae will disappear from this world, no matter where they are at this moment. Paradoxical as it may sound, but we do not exist in this world anyway: in the light of the sun, we are just a mirage. It is only by the light of the moon and stars that our true essence emerges, an essence that is not inherent to this planet. And that's,-" a man ostentatiously spread his hands to the sides. "-Why we're not there in the first place." 

"So, for an ordinary passerby..." Sarah looked around, seeing the Nocturian fair. "There's nothing here?" 

"Exactly."

"And the fact that I see all this means that I am..."

"Exactly. A Noctura." Constantin smiled, apparently touched by the reaction of young woman.

"Woah, you are a slow thinker indeed." Balthazar quipped keeping a stoic expression on his face, not moving away from Sarah for a centimeter. 

"Ha ha, the good old Balthazar I know. I'm glad to have your company, but Sarah and I need to talk about something private. You may go." 

"I have been personally appointed by the Venerable Atarrah to escort her. Despite the fact that the Resistance has been eliminated, we should not neglect caution." Balthazar spoke with an impression of an old veteran, without interrupting eye contact with Constantin. 

"I said: you may go." 

"I am aware of your superiority in the Council, Mr. Goldengates, but the Venerable Atarrah has special rights when it comes to the wellbeing of nocturae." 

"You must have forgotten where your place is..." 

Constantin raised his hand, and a gloomy spark lit up in his piercing gaze directed at Balthazar. Whether it was really a spark, or whether it was Sarah's rich imagination, but the next moment Atarrah's subordinate began to twitch; his limbs began to turn painfully, and the man himself squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth in pain, and the only thing that could be heard from him was only a quiet moan full of agony.

"W-what are you doing?" Sarah gasped in confusion. She was already thinking of calling for help to the poor fellow, when the twitching stopped and Balthazar stood up to his full height. 

"I apologize for the inconvenience,-" the man made a bow, speaking even more lifelessly, as if he had become a robot, "-have a good night." And left. 

"Don't mind it," Constantin's voice softened again, casually touching Sarah's hand. "-the last Souvivor."