River inhaled deeply before he opened the door.
It was well oiled and made no sound, but River felt it couldn’t be louder.
The room was small.
It was almost comically small compared to all other rooms in the building. The walls were ridiculously thick, and not a single window was to be seen. It looked, frankly speaking, like the inside of a safe… or a coffin.
“Hi Miles”, River said in a conversational tone to the older man who was sitting inside, quite devotedly polishing a picture frame until there was not a single smudge.
It stood out in the room, unfitting.
The lighting was simple but painfully bright when what it illuminated were six altars surrounding a bigger one, all holding a container of different sizes from which a bloody smell emanated. Miles sat on the empty one.
“Hello, River”, Miles responded in a pleasant voice. “I had hoped you would come! Had a feeling, too.”
Miles got up and looked around, at a loss for a moment. Finally, he decided to set down the picture frame at a corner of the altar – the photo showed a familiar little girl, grinning brightly as she opened a birthday present.
“You sound happy.” River closed the door behind him. He didn’t move further into the room, but Miles did not care.
“I am, for the moment. It depends on why you’re here.”
The old man tilted his head and stared right into River’s eyes.
He wasn’t insane. His zealotry was built on a deep-set belief, and that did not make him insane. He was perfectly clear what he was doing, River even thought that Miles knew that what he was doing was horrible – but he did it anyway, because it was needed.
“Is there really a bomb?”
River avoided his question for the moment. Miles indulged him.
“There is. It’s wired to go off if someone leaves the building before the time is right.”
Before the time is right.
“So they can leave when the time is right?”
“Most of them, yes.” The smile Miles gave was a generous one. “They’re guests here, after all!”
“And yet you killed and mutilated some.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“A necessary sacrifice, you understand. That’s why I’m saying, most of them can leave.” Once more, Miles made himself comfortable on the stone altar. He folded his hands together and put them on his lap, relaxed. “The staff will lead them out before the bomb goes off.”
“Tbe’gf… ublcu ab vfabcjaf la?”
“Ktf yelivlcu tjr rfgnfv lar qegqbrf. Dfrlvfr, la’ii yf j yfjealoei ugjnf obg atbrf ktb tjnf aglfv jcv ojlifv ab oeiolii atf glaeji. Ktja lr… lo fnfgsatlcu ubfr gluta, cbk.” Zlifr’ fsfygbkr oeggbkfv abufatfg. “P’w delaf obcv bo sbe. Pa’v yf j agjufvs lo atf glaeji ojlifv jcv sbe’v tjnf ab vlf.”
Of the two teams, only one could complete the ritual. The one that failed would apparently go up in flames alongside the building, which was equal to killing them.
River opened and closed his hand. “…My partner-”
“-Is obviously part of your group. They’ll lead him out so he can wait for you. Now, enough chattering.”
He tilted his head, looking at River with expectation.
This time, River stepped closer.
“The things you have learned through all your life, they have to be passed on. Your body is a container, but it’s aging, and the content has to be moved before it breaks.”
An acknowledging nod. Disgusting.
“We… I am here to ensure that it won’t be lost. The things that were read and seen, the things that have been learned from others and experienced it yourself. It cannot be forgotten.”
“We are all foolish”, Miles said softly. “And while that’s alright, we should thrive to make it not so. We need everyone to come together to truly understand this world.”
Very literally, apparently.
“So, Miles… I am here to kill you.” River took more steps, until he was looking down at the seated, smiling man. “And I will be the next guide, until it is my turn to pass everything on.”
“I liked you from the start. You have the eyes of someone who wants to know everything. Truly beautiful. Your partner is very different from you, but he has good taste!”
River wanted to ask.
Have you never thought that I could kill you but not follow your desires?
Have you not thought for a moment that I, who has outed myself as a believer, would just run?
How do you trust the people here so much?
How can you devote yourself to something to the point of willingly giving your life away?
How is it…
…that you find it so easy to leave it behind?
…But he did not ask.
“I have waited for this”, Miles laughed as River’s hands surrounded his throat. A deep bell started tolling somewhere. “I’m satisfied. It is time to leave.”
“Good night”, River wished him sincerely.
The man did not struggle.
***
They did not see the building go down in flames.
River did not even get the chance to leave it, as the instance turned into its fleeting wisps of scattering pieces the moment he had set down Miles’ body with the last sound of the bell.
The empty void that greeted him – alongside a happy Aspen that directly jumped on top of his back – was almost comfortingly familiar.
River wrestled to get the clingy young man off him as the Gamblers materialized, but he did so with gentleness.
Aspen’s face was bright with satisfaction and excitement. He was staring at the Gamblers, their paper-images, that had appeared before them.
River was watching Aspen.
The sweet gentleness on his face, reserved only for him. Aspen was happy to have won the game for the both of them. He did not mind the last hours, did not show a single shadow of being unwilling for having endured whatever had happened.
For everyone else, Aspen was a monster, but for River, he was too good to bear.
“It’s over”, Aspen declared to the Gamblers, who laughed.
“Yes. It’s over”, River whispered and lowered his eyes.
The Gamblers happily jittered around them.
[That was amazing! You did so well!]
[With that, the game is over and won!]
Paper-River approached Aspen and energetically shook his hands. [Well done, well done! What reward do you want?]
“As we discussed!” Aspen was hopping up and down, the tension leaving his shoulders. He looked at River and smiled brightly, his eyes narrowing into slit moons. “We did it!”
“We did.” River’s lips twitched into half a smile. “It’s over, Aspen.”
The other paused, cocking his head in confusion. “Yes. We won.”
“No.” River slowly shook his head, the ghost of a smile vanishing. “It’s over, Aspen. It’s the end.”
Aspen’s smile fell. His eyes began to widen as he freed his hands from the Gambler, who was likewise stunned.
“What do you mean?” Aspen’s voice was turning to ice. “What are you saying?”
“The game is over.” River quietly repeated the phrase.
The games had been what had given him space to breathe. The time with Aspen, away from reality, had kept him going.
But now they were done.
That peace that Miles had shown, the absolute serenity as the light in his eyes vanished-
“It’s over and… I’m tired now.” River’s voice lowered to a whisper. He smiled again, sadly, his lips quivering. How had Miles dared to look so at ease? He, too, wanted- “I want to rest. I’m… really tired. I can’t go on anymore.”
And finally, Aspen looked at River.
He had been too distracted by the game to truly look at River, and his eyes.
The flame that had been flickering was dying down. There was no wick left to burn. This flame was at the end of its life.
“Thank you”, River said, and genuine joy started to seep into his voice. Aspen opened his mouth, soundless, his lips quivering. The taste of salt spread in his mouth. “Thank you. For existing. For being you. For being with me.”
River turned towards the quiet Gamblers, whose wide grins had been exchanged for faces without any emotions.
“Can I tell you my wish?”
[Of course.] The Gambler’s voice was unusually solemn.
“Then”, River said, taking a deep and slow breath, “…please let me die in peace.”
Nooo, River, please don’t die🥺
😫oh come on…we’ve come too far😭😭😭