Shadow Slave

The interrogation continued for quite a while, producing the same nonsensical responses.

Awakened Yutra was an upstanding man. He might not have been a powerful man, but in the modest degree of talent and opportunity afforded to him, he was outstanding.

He was a loving husband and a father, a reliable friend to his fellow Awakened, and a valiant soldier of the Human Domain. Everything he told them about himself fit the information they had gathered beforehand perfectly, and Kai did not sense any lies in what the man said either.

He was a good and loyal man.

Except, of course, for the fact that in Yutra’s mind, there was now nothing more important than Lord Asterion, his supposed greater good.

His devotion to the Dreamspawn was absolute, trumping all other values and principles. He was not an immoral man — quite the opposite — but his morality made an exception for everything connected to Asterion. He was not an irrational man either, but his reason failed every time Asterion was mentioned, and he was not even capable of realizing that his thoughts and opinions were unreasonable.

It was disturbing... precisely because Yutra was otherwise a perfectly sane and rational person.

When asked more detailed questions, he became momentarily confused, then easily came up with improvised answers that fit his twisted view of the world.

Yutra did not know that much about the subject of his eerie devotion, even if he himself did not realize it.

He seemed to vaguely know that Asterion was a Supreme, but not how the Dreamspawn had attained Supremacy or what powers he wielded. Yutra did not quite remember how he had come to be dedicated to Asterion, or when. Most of all, he had not the slightest idea of what Asterion’s plans were, or what his own role in bringing those plans to fruition was supposed to be.

All he could do was smile creepily and repeat incomprehensible words: “Togetherness... communion... salvation for all!”

He did not know the identities of the other thralls of Asterion, either. Of course, he didn’t — after all, he did not even know that he himself was enthralled. Rather, he seemed to assume that everyone shared his beliefs, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Nothing they said or did managed to shake his devotion even a little bit.

Eventually, they left Yutra alone and retreated from the chamber.

Kai met them outside the cell, wearing a disturbed expression on his handsome face. “He is completely insane.”

They had been disturbed by the bizarre conversation with Yutra, but Kai had to have suffered much more, considering that he sensed that everything the thrall spoke was true — or at least that he sincerely believed it to be true.

Sunny coalesced into a human shape and gave his friend a long look.

”It would have been fine if he was insane. The problem is that he is much too sane, instead.”

Nephis nodded.

“His mental faculties are all there. It is just that... the source data has been replaced.” The complicated machine of Yurta’s mind was functioning the way it was supposed to. However, the foundation it was built upon — his beliefs and principles — had been tampered with. So, the entire output was utterly contaminated.

Nephis remained silent for a while, frowning. Eventually, she only said one word.

”Troublesome.”

Sunny tended to agree.

“He’s completely brainwashed... which is a new kind of problem, at least in my unfortunate experience.”

He sighed.

Mind attacks had always been the most insidious, and enemies who could employ them had always been the most dangerous. However, he had never really encountered quite this level of mental manipulation... usually, thralls were either mindless or directly controlled by their masters.

Yutra, however, was neither mindless nor controlled. Asterion was not pulling his strings... there was no need to, because Yutra was not a puppet. He was a completely free and independent individual — a person who still had his agency, and chose to serve the Dreamspawn simply because that was what he believed to be right.

Even if his beliefs had been tainted by insidious manipulation.

”We’ve encountered such a problem before. You should have, too.”

Cassie’s voice was calm, but somber.

Sunny looked at her in surprise.

“We have?”

She nodded.

“When Nephis and I were Sleepers, we fell under a mind hex of a profane tree. It twisted our beliefs, albeit not in quite as sophisticated a manner as what the Dreamspawn have achieved... the result was just as effective, though. You burned that tree while exploring the Forgotten Shore years later. So, this problem is not entirely new.”

Sunny’s eyes widened a little.

“Oh. You’re right. That tree possessed a similar kind of power, indeed.”

Nephis tilted her head slightly.

”The Soul Devourer had to have been a corrupted sapling of Heart God’s sacred tree. The Dreamspawn inherited the lineage of Heart God, as well. What a curious connection.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

‘Heart God. The god of souls, emotions, growth, memories... and hunger.’

Kai looked at Nephis, then asked in a contemplative tone:

”How did the two of you escape the mind hex, all those years ago?”

Nephis looked at Cassie, remained silent for a while, then looked down.

”...I don’t quite remember.”

Nephis and Cassie might not have remembered, but Sunny did.

How had they escaped the Soul Devourer? Through a fated combination of Cassie’s prophetic warning, Neph’s stubbornness, Sunny’s relentless spitefulness, and a drop of Weaver’s blood.

He did not think that fate would save them again, though. Both because Asterion was incalculably more powerful than the Soul Devourer had ever been, and because he was not Fated anymore.

”Don’t quite remember...”

Sunny looked at Cassie, studied her for a while, and then asked in a casual tone: “Considering that the Dreamspawn put tainted data into Yutra’s head... can’t you just erase it?”

Cassie remained silent for a moment.

“You want me to tamper with his memories?”

Sunny nodded.

”I want you to wash away his brainwashing. It’s not like we haven’t considered that option before. Asterion’s true power spreads through knowledge, and one of us can erase knowledge from people’s heads. Wouldn’t it be foolish not to try using that to our advantage?”

Cassie turned her head to face him and frowned slightly.

”The only problem is that I will be exposed to the same knowledge while trying to erase it”

She lingered for a short while, then shrugged.

”What I mean to say is... it’s worth a try.”