Guardian(Part IV): Revelation

Chapter 31: Connor

Doctor Ekhart had to be treated for the pain his injuries brought him, but he was still able to talk to us. He was very, very old, but looked at Morgan as though he recognized her. That was because Chloe Faye, Morgan's mother, and the woman who raised me with Dad, was his daughter! He was Morgan's grandfather! The only ones he would talk to were myself and her, since we both knew Chloe, and both called her our mother, even though my own mother was a different woman. I had so many questions for him, especially since he's helped design every single War Machine that was used during the Third Great War. When Doctor Ekhart began to speak, I listened as closely as I could.

"Like many drastic measures, Project: War Machine was meant as a peaceful endeavor," Ekhart began. "Only to be used against monsters. Even Turned were never a target. They were quite effective against monsters of truly enormous sizes, but there was always the fear that once the war ended, they would be used by nations to wage war against each other."

"And you still built them regardless?" asked Morgan.

"They were necessary," said Ekhart. "At that moment, I knew that the only way we would survive a war against the Dark One would be to overcome the fear of what would inevitably follow. The survival of Zenartha's people was the top priority. The new one, the LWM-1000, is capable of fighting monsters, but that is not the intention for its development. The Shadow, Sierra, had to force me to design a War Machine that is just as effective against people as it would be against monsters, to fool those who would use it. If it is unleashed onto a battlefield, men and women will die by the thousands. Morgan, your mother foresaw the Desolation, and tried her damndest to convince me not to develop the War Machines, but I did not listen. She turned out to be right."

"Why was she killed?" Morgan hissed.

"She was not the woman you thought she was, child," Ekhart sighed.

"She was a hairdresser, wasn't she?" asked Morgan.

"That was her cover, yes," said Ekhart.

"Her cover," Morgan whispered.

"She was the primary target of Grimeus," Ekhart continued. "The Archdemon of Gluttony. Your mother discovered things that she never should have, and paid the price. For you see, long ago, during the War of Light and Dark, there was an idea. An idea that a remarkable person could be trained to harness his own power, and fight the battles that we never could. A true defender of the innocent. A true warrior of light. A true Guardian of Zenartha. Aaron. He vanquished the Dark One, but not before he was able to leave something behind for the world. Vessels of incomprehensible truths, forbidden knowledge, maddening words. Necronomicons. The Books of Darkness, with pages made from skin, bound with hair, and inked in blood. Chloe had a scholar's mind, and the persistence to go along with it. She sought the forbidden words in the pages of each Necronomicon, no matter the cost, so their knowledge may be used against the Dark one. Grimeus was charged with finding the Necronomicons, and still searches for them to this day. Your mother found a few, but was only able to keep one. It was the one. The one that contained the knowledge needed to permanently vanquish the Dark One. With the knowledge shared with the entire world, the Ilentia warrior, Eris, was able to defeat the Dark One in battle, and make sure he would never return. We are safe from his influence, but the influence of the Seven remains, because the darkness from their father revived them once his remains dispersed. Still, the knowledge kept in the Necronomicons is not meant for mortal minds, even for those as sharp as your mother's, Morgan. She was hunted by Grimeus ever since the end of the war, because he knew she had kept one of the books, and in hopes that she would somehow throw Grimeus off of her trail, your trail, she opened it. She read the words on its pages, and her mind was twisted, corrupted, changed. She was driven mad by the dark truths in the book, to the point where she saw servants of darkness in every corner, every shadow, and everything around her. She could not discern reality from imagination, anymore, and with her mind finally degraded, she took her own life."

A gasp of horror came from Morgan, as tears filled her eyes.

"It was... suicide?" she shuddered.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, with a hand on her shoulder.

"I never thought...," Morgan wept. "I didn't know she... I didn't know what was wrong with her."

"She had no way of knowing what effects such exposure would have on her," Doctor Ekhart assured. "It is no fault of yours. I loved your mother, and I know she loved you. I choose to remember her as the intelligent, persistent woman who fought for those who could not fight for themselves. She was a warrior as much as she was a scholar, and a loving mother. I am sorry you lost her."

Morgan was holding back tears as best she could, but she quickly stood up and rushed outside. I stood up to walk outside, too, but I stayed behind for a second.

"Hey," I said, with a hand on Doctor Ekhart's shoulder. "You lost her, too, and so did I."

"Morgan is lucky to have you for a brother," Ekhart complimented. "And Chloe was lucky to have raised you as her own son."

"Well, we were lucky to have her," I corrected.

I began to walk away, but felt Doctor Ekhart's hand grabbing my arm.

"There was a place where she would hide her things of value," he informed. "In Cordinshire. That's all I know. You will likely find the Necronomicon she found there. Be careful."

"Thank you," I whispered. "We'll find it before Grimeus does."

He let go of my arm, and I found Morgan, Maddy, and Ruth outside. Morgan was sobbing as loud as possible in Maddy's arms, while her head was pressed against her chest. I could hardly blame her. I had no idea what happened to Chloe until Doctor Ekhart told us, because Dad refused to tell us exactly what happened. I understood why, now. At our age at the time, we wouldn't have been able to handle the idea of our mother actually taking her own life. Now, though, I'd seen worse happen to a lot of people. Chloe Faye may not have given birth to me, but she was my mother as much as she was Morgan's. I let Maddy console Morgan, while I stood next to Ruth, and we both stood leaning on the railing of Safe Haven's medical platform, staring into the distance of the Between Ocean.

"So, what did you learn from him?" Ruth wondered.

"Well, he designed all of the War Machines," I enlightened. "He's Morgan's grandfather, and her mother found a book made from skin, bound with hair, and inked with blood that drove her insane, until she killed herself."

"Gods," Ruth whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," I sighed. "I never thought something like that could happen to her."

"Because of a book?" asked Ruth, with confusion.

"Well, it was a Necronomicon," I enlightened, but Ruth shook her head. She still didn't know what I was talking about. The Necronomicons must have been of uncommon knowledge.

"They're books written by the Dark One," I informed. "And Ekhart says they have knowledge not meant for mortals. He also said that the one Chloe found held the secret to permanently killing the Dark One, and Eris made sure he would stay dead. Another one's in Cordinshire, but we don't know exactly where. We have to find it."

"Connor?" Morgan suddenly blurted. "Can I talk to you alone?"

"Sure," I answered.

"I'll get ready," Ruth declared, and she walked off with Maddy.

"Can I just ask you, were there any signs that Mom... I mean, was actually going to do what she did?" asked Morgan.

"Honestly, Morgan, I wasn't able to tell," I admitted. "And neither were you."

"We both knew that something changed," Morgan denied.

"Maybe, but suicide?" I emphasized. "How could we have known? Are you asking if we could have stopped it? If we could have saved her?"

"I guess I am," said Morgan.

"Well, if you ask me," I admitted. "When she opened that book for the first time, I think she was already gone."