Tearha: The Number 139

Chapter Forty-Two: Overseer

Travelling through The Tower was almost laughably easy. The elevator that was damaged when Nadier escaped had yet to be repaired, which made the entire shaft free for their movement. Following Nadier's instruction, Adelaide teleported the trio up to the twentieth floor through the elevator line, which lead them to a long corridor that seemingly circled on itself. The ceiling was three times their height and designed in an arc, making The Watcher feel as if the walls were collapsing in on them.

Guards patrolled the level in random intervals and directions, but with a few well timed temporal manipulation from The Watcher, they got through the blockade with literal whistling and hands in their pockets. They passed by multiple doors lining the outside walls of the corridor until they reached the opposite end from the elevator where a double wood door stood mirrored on the inside. Nadier stopped with his hand on the knob, just before entering.

"What's wrong?" The Watcher asked. "You left the oven on or something?"

The dark elf replied solemnly, "I don't really have great emotional attachments about this room."

Adelaide jabbed sarcastically, "Compared to your normal emotional attachments about people."

Without any further explanation, he pushed opened the door and disappeared within. Adelaide and Watcher shrugged at each other and stepped after the dark elf. Immediately, they understood why Nadier detested the particular chamber.

The room was circular and extensively large, made of pale grey concrete that bled boringness into the corner of their eyes. A stark contrast to the otherwise copper and red bricked design of the rest of Everwind. Conical pillars held the five stories high ceiling up at four corners. Ledges lined the walls at intervals, large enough to be rooms of their own with no way up nor walls to keep out intruders. In the middle of everything, tied to a cylindrical pillar, the scene reminded The Watcher of what he had seen at the New York Stock Exchange. Information fed through information, knowledge of the world at the tip for anyone to access and play with at their will, except with less humanity involved.

Half a dozen copper pods were hung around the central pillar. Within them through clear glass were blue liquids that held sleeping bodies of humans, hume, and elves that were scraggy and hairless. Rubber and copper tubes ran from each pod to the main attraction that hung in the middle facing the entrance. A female human, whose body was wrapped within a copper shell up to her neck, dangled from a set of bars that held her up like a punching bag. Her face was wrinkled and bony, with grey hairs falling from the seams of her scalp. Despite the shrivelled look, The Watcher knew she was no older than fifteen.

The girl's eyes flickered open, and with a soft musical voice, smiled and said, "Wanderer. Did you bring me something nice to eat?"

Nadier replied, "I'm sorry, Rena. Not today. I had not expected to come here."

"A shame." The withered girl turned to Adelaide. "Demon Eyes. It's been a long time."

Adelaide asked, "Have we met before?" Her voice shook slightly at the grotesque masquerade of a human before her.

"We are meeting now."

The Watcher walked up to the girl and placed a hand on the shell that encased her, looking up and down the machine, to-and-fro the connecting cables. His left hand balled in a fist and trembled. "Who did this?"

"Watcher," Rena replied gently. "You know very well who. I suspect you have since you got here."

Adelaide bombarded, "What is this room? What's going on? And who are you?"

Nadier began his explanation. "This is Renasque Isvael. She is the Overseer of The Forum. She has the ability to predict the future of individuals by names and a brief description of their power or accomplishment. She's the one who gave us our epitaphs."