3rd adventure: Rebirth

"How long has he been well enough to go home?"

"The Citadel will be content to let him live his life in peace, unmonitored?"

Steve's question makes Sonlake frown for a second. "I couldn't really say. As I said, he is not the same person you have met on your first mission. It's doubtful he would ever be ready to go back home. But he isn't mad anymore, so his place isn't in the asylum."

He then turns to Mihai. "Oh no, he will be monitored by the warden in Waterglass. The people who live there will be told that his case wasn't as bad as the experts initially feared, which is why he has been allowed to live with his sister. There must be no mention of the orb." He eyes everyone. "I'm sure you understand what this discovery means for the world. Do not tell anyone about this."

"Before we go, Director..." - Mihai cautiously asks - "...is it possible to have blueprints for the building?"

"I have a few more questions but it sounds like they are more appropriate for his doctors so I'll save them for then. Otherwise I don't have any other questions. Seems pretty straightforward on our end."

"Blueprints?" He raises an eyebrow at Mihai. "No, not on such short notice."

Fedler glances at Mihai, but says nothing. Sonlake then nods at Steve.

"I may be being paranoid, Director, so feel free to dismiss this as a bad case of worry. But i look at that building full of innocent people gone mad, and think that if i were a psychopathic Endless that delights on breaking people from the inside, that Asylum would be a pretty good trap."

Sonlake stares at Mihai without flinching, and then brings a hand to his chin in an apparent gesture of consideration. A minute pass before he speaks up again. "Breeze?"

"Yes?" replies the fairy, standing to attention.

"Have you felt the presence of an Endless lately?"

"Nope! Not since Zest."

"Hmm." The middle-aged handler frowns. "I will come with you. Not inside the asylum, but just outside the entrance. We've known for quite some time that you would have to fall into his trap sooner or later. I cannot imagine how he would do it in this case, but if there's a problem, I will call for reinforcements. That should cover all of our bases."

"Thank you." - Mihai nods appreciatively.


He's ready to go.

On the way:

"Then let's go," Sonlake declares.

_____________

Before they leave the Coins office, Dermold tells his secretary that she can go home early. This decision pleases Eve, and she swiftly scampers off with her dresses. The 113th adjunct then makes their way towards the asylum, walking through town at a leisurely pace. The plaza is full of festival workers who are hanging up colourful tinsels and spherical magical lanterns on the large tree that stands in the middle of it. There's also many couples and groups of friends who are dancing to the sound of winter music that is being played by a small group of musicians; the snow doesn't seem to bother them. In fact, it adds to the ambience.

"Oh!" Breeze exclaims. "I wish we could party with them."

A snowball narrowly misses her and lands on a child's face. The kids seem to be having their own kind of fun. This makes the fairy laugh, and Fedler smiles.

"We're nearly there," Sonlake says.

He is right. Barely five minutes away from the plaza stands the asylum; all of its windows have been filled with bricks a long time ago, and an eerie silence hangs in the air. Judging by its architecture, this building must have been a three-floor dungeon used by the Empire of old. There is only one entrance: a huge slab of metal that has replaced the portcullis that once closed the way. Two mages covered in armor are standing guard on each side of the door, the same ones who greeted the party eight months ago.

"This is where I leave you," your handler states. He then sighs. "I hope I won't be needed."

Seeing the impregnable build of the Asylum again makes Mihai frown, but he nods at Sonlake - "With any luck, everyone will be dancing in the snow soon enough."

"Let's walk right into it, then." Konrad's boots crunch in the whiteness, and he waves the group over to the guards. "113th Adjunct. We're here for a pickup."

Steve stares at the Asylum, thankful he never ended up there. He steals himself and joins the others.

The guard with the yellow armband inspects Konrad from head to toe while his colleague looks over the rest of the party. He then asks, "Can I see your authorization?"

"Right here." Steve steps forward and holds up the authorization papers for the guard to take if he wants or needs to.

The guard breaks the seal on the letter and starts reading the document. Thirty seconds letter, he gives the document back to Steve and says, "You are cleared to go."

He pulls out a small device from his pocket and presses on one of its buttons. As soon as he releases the button, the metal door begins to grate against the stone as it is slowly being lifted. Soon, the party members see a 18 by 12 feet chamber where another metal door stands. "Go in," says the other guard.

Once the group has stepped into the chamber, the first slab of steel closes behind them, and the only source of light available are the magical lanterns that hang against the walls. Before they lose sight of him, Sonlake nods at the party members, and he soon disappears behind the cold thickness of the gateway. For a few seconds, they can only hear their own breathing as well as the rustling of their clothes. "Man, that's creepy," Breeze comments.

The second gateway soon opens, and the party now steps into a chamber of 20 by 20 feet. Again, the only source of light are magical lanterns, but these have been fixed on the ceiling. A small desk is placed in the middle of the room, and seated behind it is a man in his thirties; his beard, closely shaved, and his blue uniform, ironed out this very morning. The receptionist doesn't lose time and greets the new visitors.

"Welcome to the Bright Falls institute. What can I do for you today?"

His professionalism is well practised, and he almost doesn't seem surprised by Breeze's appearance. The fairy hasn't noticed however, as she is examining the other door that stands behind the receptionist. This additional layer of security is thinner than the previous two, but it is nevertheless made of the same metal; probably steel. A few chairs are disposed against both walls for the visitors to use, of which there are none right now, except for the 113th adjunct.

The receptionist patiently waits for an answer to his question.

"We're here to pick up a patient; Saemon Olyr." - Mihai replies.

"Oh, I see. Your papers?"

"Here you go." Steve produces the papers once more.

"It didn't really sink in the last time I was here, but this place is obviously very old," he comments as they walk into the well-lit chamber. "Those doors were clearly added later."

When they meet the receptionist, he steps forward next to Steve. "This building is pre-Flood, isn't it?"

The man takes the letter from Steve and starts reading it.

In lieu of standing there awkwardly, Steve decides to engage Konrad in small talk. "It's Imperial construction, yes. Pre-Flood if I'm not mistaken."

"It used to have windows, but it's been turned into a vault." - Mihai observes, as he studies the interior.

"The material the doors are made out of are sturdier than the material the building is made from. Wouldn't the Citadel have the kind of wealth needed to reconstruct a structurally superior building for an asylum?" He responds to Steve hoping someone will become more neighborly and informative.