209: From a seed to a tree

From a seed to a tree

Sam Ford was in no way a good or a bad person, just a guy with more brawls than brains.  0

Since the beginning, he had been indoctrinated, manipulated, taken advantage of by someone much smarter than him with the actual skills to twist his brain around.

Even more so when his weak point was so glaringly obvious. He had kept talking about his daughter and his fool's hope to see her again. 

How couldn't he, when he had been resurrected, hope his daughter went through the same event? It was a father's blindness and despair who would do anything to see his child again. 

Kai's words had been so sweet. So attractive, charming, full of beautiful promises, and charisma.

The worst part of manipulation through brainwashing was the continuous exposition to the bullshit, making it near impossible to get out of once indoctrinated.

Something that could be seen on every Chosen sect member remaining on the lower floors. 

It's been almost a month since Sam had left the lower floors and Kai Tsubame's influence. Away from his venom, the baldie was given more freedom, more time to think for himself and by himself. 

Exposed to different people, creatures, thoughts, deadly situations, Sam had, at some point, questioned his own mission thanks to those various new encounters.

Even more when his assassination target had saved his life twice.

Kai Tsubame might have given him purpose. But was it truly a real one? Wasn't it just an illusion? Such questions have plagued him from the 6th floor onward. 

Previously locked in a cell with a man he was supposed to kill, yet could not, have been frustrating. So frustrating, he finally asked himself why was he trying to kill such a strong person in the first place?

Wasn't it pointless since he was much stronger and always came out on top no matter how perfect their plan was?

That's when the stubborn man, who had rotted in a dark cell for days, started questioning his orders, purposes, motives. At some point, he had finally realized there had been no reason at all for killing that man apart from Kai Tsubame's wishes. 

Yes, Sam disliked him because Aito had damaged his pride. Who wouldn't hold a grudge against someone after being face slapped not once but four times in a row? 

His dislike also stemmed from envy, jealousy. He wanted what the black challenger had. Strength beyond that of anyone in the Tower, apart from moderators. Soaring fame that had yet to reach a ceiling, even if it did, Sam had no doubt his fame would pierce through it at some point. 

And more importantly, Aito had trustworthy companions. A team he could count on no matter what happened. 

Sam had seen their loyalty on some occasions. On the 6th floor when, despite their unwillingness to abandon him, they left simply because they trusted him or when they had wanted to wait for the black challenger on the 7th floor.

The concern in their eyes at that moment had been real, genuine, unlike Sam's comrades and fellow sect members. Certainly, they cared about each other but not for the good reasons, nor was it real "care."

There was something fabricated, dictated, fake about it. 

For instance, even when those who had accompanied him died, Sam had felt no sadness at losing them. No regret for not doing his best to save them. He had felt nothing, only emptiness. 

That's when it had hit him that, just like his feelings towards his own comrades, everything concerning the sect might be fake.

All of that was further pushed by his meeting with Lucius, an ex sect member who had quit because he hadn't been able to bear Kai Tsubame's rule and probably because he had known all along this was all fake—also because Lucius had his own future plans.

Lucius had been quite blatant about the sect's brainwashing during the journey to the 9th floor, further increasing Sam's doubts.

The seed of doubt had grown to become a tiny plant that today was starting to transform, driven by a desire.

The desire for something genuine in this new world where everything looked so fake, so blurry now. Something he thought only one person who already had it could teach it to him.

Aito Walker.

An uncomfortable silence, even berserkers dared not disturb, loomed in the corridor where seven challengers—even the paralyzed Lucius—stared at one bald man with a "genuine" incomprehension.

Roisin's face went from unpleased, to surprised, shifted to suspicious, and finally reached sky-high anger.

"What did you dare say!? Repeat what you said this instant, you daughter fucker!" She shouted, unable to contain her rage. Her eyes gleamed with indoctrinated obedience, madness but also intelligence. Roisin knew where to press in order to provoke him. Playing with Sam's love for his daughter, deforming it into an insult. 

"Roisin, calm yourself and let's talk this out, okay?" Sam said, trying to calm the situation instead of feeding the flames despite his ears bleeding from that degenerate's insult.

"Calm? You want ME to remain calm when YOU are spitting at the sect master's face!?" Her eyes were shining with fury. "He invested a lot of time, will, and resources into your petty grudge against the black bastard and now you want to join hands with him? What the fuck is this nonsense!?" 

Lucius, who had more or less seen that coming, was smirking internally. Going so long without exposure to that bastard Kai Tsubame's skill, there were bound to be doubts. 

By regularly brainwashing his sect members using his skill, Incitation, and various other means, starting from the most useful people like Sam, Kai had kept a firm grip on them.

Like many others, Lucius had only escaped that thanks to the Tower trial opening before the brainwashing could be completed and also because he hated Kai's guts to the bones.

He was actually surprised that, after almost a month, Roisin still had such faith in that cunning old fox.

"Wait, Roisin, listen to me." Not as impressed by her, Sam's tone gained poise when talking to the mage who wasn't as impressive to look at as the black challenger. "Everything we've been through until now gave me food for thoughts. I hate this idea and still have doubts about it, but… the sect master might not be who you think he is. Give it some thoughts instead of—"

"Shut the fuck up, you traitor!" Roisin took a more aggressive position, flames and ice slowly manifesting in her palms. "The sect master was right. You are not only stupid, but you are also a coward! Do not pretend its something else. You've come to the conclusion this guy is beyond you, so you want to change sides like the coward you are!" 

The sudden shift in situation alarmed the other challengers who stood ready for conflict. Ogoro leaned closer to Aito, whispering for only him to hear. "Should we stop them before anything goes to shit?"

Aito did not reply and remained silent while observing the situation closely. 

Ogoro sighed. By now, he started to know him. If he was correct, that silence meant "Let them deal with their own shit."

Both sect members were too engrossed in their quarrel they did not even see nor cared about the other challengers surrounding them.

"Stop calling me coward, you moron, and start giving it some thoughts!" Sam rebuked, annoyed. "Don't you find it weird how attractive the sect master seems to us? How charismatic he looks. How every word he says influence us in a mysterious way? I am his right-hand man, so I know what I'm talking abo—" 

"Haha!" Roisin laughed hysterically. "His right-hand man? What a fool. Truly a fool. I am his favorite and his true right-hand woman. I see now why the sect master started having doubts about you. Before we left, he gave me the authority to lead the team if I judged you unable to! The others had only followed your orders because I asked them to. Were you to even err from your original mission like you usually do, I would have killed you on the spot.

"You see... he knew you were nothing but a cowardly idiot who clings to a pipe dream HE fabricated for you! How pitiful you are, Sam Ford. You know deep down your daughter has long been dead! Dead! He knew it and used it so you would do his bidding. It was so glaringly obvious! How could you be so stupid you'd realize it only now?" 

Sam instinctively gripped his sword handle. Trembling, his hands wouldn't move. The sword remained sheathed because her words struck him so deeply it shook the fragile foundations of his recently acquired second life. 

There, at that moment, the seed of doubt took its final form, transforming into a giant tree that toppled his beliefs to their very core. Crushing them under its roots, strong and firm, yet so painfully real.

"So it is true. Everything was a lie. An utter… lie. How could someone be so cruel… as to play with another's beliefs? Why…," Sam's shoulders trembled while tears physically manifested his distress. "Why did he do this to me?" 

The red flame in Rosin's hand shone brighter, her eyes reflecting murderous intents. "Why? Because he could. As simple as that. If you had just followed blindly, you would have been happier. But instead, you choose to open your eyes. Foolish coward. Unfortunately for you, the sect never forgives traitors."

However, before she could launch it, a gust of wind passed by her. The fireball in her hand vanished as the dual mage's head dropped to the floor, her crazed face still distorted by a malicious rictus.

"Why did you do that?" Ogoro asked. "I thought you wanted them to deal with their own issue. I get that she was using force but was it truly necessary to kill her?" 

"Talking is fine. But I warned them before that," Aito said, settling Soulcleaver ax on his shoulder, "if they did anything suspicious, they would have to deal with the consequences of their own actions." 

*****

Lore:

"Sam Ford. A pitiful man in search of an identity, a goal, and his lost daughter. What would a man do in this situation where he realized everything he had known until now was fake? He is but a lost soul in search of meaning. And so he turned towards the only person he had failed to kill that, in his ignorance, Sam thought had everything he hadn't; seeking refuge from the storm of his own chaotic thoughts, febrile principles, and stubbornness. While his eyes opened to a new truth, they closed on another deeper one."

Extract from, "Yggdrasil Chronicles, The Woodcutter of Iris," by Roan the Merchant.

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