The Distortion

“My poor child…you have been through so much.” Fairouz’s eyes watered.

“That, I have…” Adam said, pushing back his glasses.

The last month had drained him, physically and emotionally. Adam was but a mere Scholar, conducting studies and doing research. All of a sudden, he found himself at the center of a something he had yet to fully comprehend. Dealing with the consequences required him to experience a dangerous world: threats, smuggling, illegal passage…he never would have imagined an exemplary citizen like himself would ever have to go through it all.

“I still don’t understand why baba didn’t tell us about any of this.” Laith asked, still perplexed.

“I told him not to, in case I didn’t make it back.” Adam replied, avoiding eye contact.

“That last-minute delay was a dangerous gamble I suppose.” Laith said.

“Thinking back on it, it could have backfired…tremendously so.”

That woman’s distraction lasted longer than I could have ever hoped for…, Adam was immensely grateful for her interference.

“Whatever happened, it’s in the past. What’s most important is that you’re finally home safe and sound.” Fairouz couldn’t bear to hear another word about her son’s perilous journey. “Now come, you must be really hungry after stressing out for too long.”

She pretended not to be terrorized from the entire story. It was her own attempt to move on from the subject, and food was the answer.

Some things never change indeed.

Adam deliberately omitted all the details concerning the three seals or his little “quest” with his brother. He waited for his father’s arrival to go into those “juicy” details, especially since convincing his mother was nearly impossible. He hoped his father would prove more understanding of the whole situation.

Other than that, Adam was simply glad that he got to enjoy some time with his mother whom he hadn’t seen for forever. He sat down, relaxed, rested, and ate his heart out, which did take his mind off the million worries haunting him. Never underestimate the power of a good meal.

This also gave him the opportunity to learn about his family’s adventures since the Distortion. As expected, they had their fair share of hardships, but listening to them didn’t bring down his mood. On the contrary, it provided Adam with a sense of tranquility. How exactly, he did not know, but he knew that for the first time in ten long years it was peaceful, quiet, simple: it was home.

It wasn’t long before his father came back and he too got to share an emotional reunion with his son. Granted, Ibrahim Kacem couldn’t catch his breath as he was quickly submitted to a similar—albeit shorter and less incriminating—interrogation to that of his son’s.

What followed was a classic family dinner where everyone laughed, talked and argued over silly matters with no care in the world.

That was until Adam decided it was time to confront his parents with the truth.

The upbeat mood was no more and his tone made it very clear that he was discussing a very serious matter. Adam tried to be brief and cut right to the chase by sharing the information about the three seals and how they’re responsible for both the Distortion and the Decay.

Sitting at the table with dumbfounded expressions, both parents were at a loss for words. One could hardly blame them really; it was a hard pill to swallow. Just when people had gotten used to their lives post-Distortion, thinking they were finally past the first catastrophe, another catastrophe was in fact brewing.

“That is… just horrible…” Fairouz ended the awkward silence following the info dump.

“And that is why Adam and I are going to do something about it, we’re collecting the different fragments.” followed Laith.

“You what?!”

They knew it was coming, it was inevitable. The trickiest part was at hand; it was fair to say that the quest had begun right then before even physically setting off for their first destination. Being accustomed to Fairouz’s stubbornness, both brothers realized it would prove quite the challenge to change her mind. A challenge worthy indeed of being included in the upcoming quest.

“Okay mama, don’t freak out, I have thought about this very long and I have considered a lot of alternatives. I know it doesn’t seem that way right now, but this is best option I have come up with.” Adam started.

“And what is that exactly? Take your brother and go on a mission to ‘save the world’? Regardless of how ridiculous it sounds, I find that hard to believe considering there are a million other people who I’m certain are much better qualified than the two of you.” Her reply was instantaneous.

“Considering what happened the first time to someone ‘more qualified’ got involved in the matter, maybe not so much. Because of the nebulous nature of the enemy, I can’t neglect the risk of these qualified people being part of the problem. For all I know, the enemy could already have them on their side.

“Another issue would be limelight. Whether you’re known yourself or are affiliated with known factions, having all the attention in the world on you isn’t a good idea in this situation. I’d say that this is a matter that could probably benefit more from a bunch of no-names gathering up.

“And while we are on opposite sides, I do partially agree with the enemy, whomever that might be. Such information should be kept from the public to prevent a mass panic, so it would be a lot safer to go with a stealthier route for now.” Adam made sure to provide a thorough and well-founded explanation.

“That still doesn’t justify you and your brother going on a suicide mission, on your own.” Mama was hardly fazed by the argument.

“No one said anything about going on our own. As it happens, I plan on recruiting a group of people capable enough to go through this alongside us.”

“And do you happen to know any of those ‘capable’ people?” she retorted provocatively.

“Not as of yet, no.”

“So let’s go through this one more time, shall we? You want to go on a quest to save this world from turning to oblivion and you are counting on the help of your brother and however many other people—whom identities are yet to be determined by the way—to accomplish what it is you want you to accomplish, is that all?” she summarized.

“Pretty much.” Adam shrugged.

“Have you lost your bloody mind?! I think the wild fantasies have gotten into your head. Don’t you go thinking you’re the heroes of some epic tale. As far as I know, you are neither children of prophecies nor descendants from a chosen bloodline. What, you think destiny will magically side you in your darkest moments? Don’t assume I don’t know about the tropes, which is why you will listen to me when I say this: Wake. Up. This is not a fairy tale Adam, and you too Laith!” she turned towards her younger son who’d been silent up until now.

Laith usually let his brother do the talking, he was just better at it. But now his mother was clearly addressing him and wanted his answer. No, she demanded an answer.

“Mama, Adam went through hell and back just to be able to contact me and ask for my help. My own brother desperately needs me to join his cause—a noble one at that. You can’t simply ask me to look the other way.” his voice was much, much lower and calmer than hers.

“Last I checked, brothers shouldn’t encourage each other to commit suicide.”

They both had the feeling that she refused to even consider what they had to offer. They were aware of how outrageous their claims could sound, but they were hoping they could still convince her of the indispensability of their actions. Easier said than done.

“Okay I really didn’t want it to come to this,” Adam mumbled, and then continued. “Mama, you know I love you and I would never disrespect you but right now, I am not asking for your permission to let us go. We’re both grownups and way past the point of needing your approval to do anything.”

He hated having to escalate the conversation in this manner, but he ran out of options.

“Careful now boy, yo—”

“That’s just it, mama, I am no boy!” Adam interrupted his mother, trying his best not to shout at her. “That was probably true the last time you saw me but I am a grown man now. I know you have the best intentions in mind, but you have to stop treating us like children and think this through. A man, a good man, a great man died because of me, he died entrusting me with the truth hoping I would complete the work he never got the chance to start. And you still think I should just stand by and do nothing?”

“It is unfortunate that it happened to him, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to throw your life away. That’s what you’ll be doing in case you haven’t noticed.” Mama said, still not backing down.

“You’re just assuming that because we’re not established characters or maybe because you are too afraid for us. First, I’m not doing this to be called a hero, maybe Laith would like the idea but I couldn’t care less. Second, I appreciate your concern for my well-being mama, I really do, but this is not the right attitude to go about things right now.”

A short moment of silence followed. Laith never saw his brother channel that much intensity and so was the case for his mother who stopped replying, instantly at least.

“You can have all the right reasons in the world, going in blind with barely a semblance of a plan is still madness. I mean for God’s sake am I the only one who sees this? Ibrahim, say something will you?”

Her husband who, up until that point was simply content with listening, joined in on the debate.

“I have to say Adam, this whole thing sounds asinine…”

“I’d be worried if you said otherwise.” Adam said, pushing back his glasses.

Ibrahim scratched his head. “I suspected you’d have an interesting story to tell after your long absence…I didn’t imagine it would be this interesting.”

“Believe me, I never intended for the long-awaited family reunion to be this way.”

“I know, I know…” Ibrahim sighed. “So you’re saying there’s no one else besides us who knows about this?”

“If you don’t count a bunch of scientists scared for their lives, then yes, we’re the only ones.” Adam said, pushing back his glasses.

“Starting off with two people alone…can’t say those are favorable odds.” Ibrahim eyed his oldest son.

“I am well aware of that, but someone has to start somewhere.” Adam said decisively.

“Excuse me? Am I hearing this right? Are you actually agreeing to this insanity, Ibrahim?” Fairouz resumed her outrage.

“Calm down honey. Your son was considerate enough to take the time and let us know of his intentions. Let’s try and do the same.” He addressed his wife.

“I really did listen darling. I simply can’t fathom how any of this can work out.” She replied in a more calmly this time—her husband had that effect on her.

“You do realize your mother makes a good point, no?” Ibrahim faced his sons. “Any mother in her position would probably react the same way so I hope you won’t hold it against her.”

Laith and Adam shook their head. They would never paint their mother as the villain, even if she came off as hostile at times. From an outsider’s perspective, she might seem like an overbearing mother. Not to them, they knew it was a testament to how much she loved them.

“As for you honey, you do realize how much your sons have grown, no? Even if we wanted to stop them, I’m not sure we have the right to. They are at a point where they should walk their own path.”

“But you don’t even want to stop them, do you?” Feyrouz stated.

“You know me too well.” Ibrahim smiled. “Part of me is worried sick for them, but the other part couldn’t be prouder of them. We raised them to be good people and good people should be willing to act upon their good will, no matter the odds.”

“They would be going in blind darling, venturing alone in a dark wide world.”

“More than often honey, the first step in the journey of thousand miles is but one simple leap of faith.” Ibrahim said, resting his hand on her cheek. “Besides, they do complement each other really well. Your oldest son is a brilliant intellect now, while the youngest has fought wars. I reckon they’d make a good pair.”

Feyrouz remained silent for a moment, eying her sons. “I don’t care how many battles he fought, I can’t see Laith other than my baby.”

“I’m sure it’s the face mama.” Adam said, teasing his brother with a sideways look.

“Hilarious…” Laith gave his brother a flat stare. “We’ll see who’s the baby when I end up saving your sorry ass.”

“Language!” Feyrouz exclaimed.

Ibrahim chuckled. “I guess it’s settled then?”

His wife nodded somewhat reluctantly.

If there was a person who could convince Feyrouz quickly and effectively, it was definitely her husband Ibrahim. He knew exactly how she felt. Her eldest, who just came back after what felt like an eternity of absence, was suddenly about to leave her side again so very soon. His brother, soldier or not, would forever be her precious baby boy.

It would never be easy for her to let them go, no matter how old they grew, no matter how big they got. Alas, this was their time to make their own choices so mama had no choice but to overcome her sentimentality. It was time for her to act as a responsible parent towards her independent children. She remained quiet for a while and then spoke.

“Since when did you grow up so much?” a tear streamed down her cheek.

Both her kids stooped to match her height and embraced her, looking in the direction of their father, giving him a look of gratitude. They were finally relieved that they no longer had to argue with her.

“It’s true that I can no longer stand between you and your life choices, but I can still offer my help. Whatever you need from me, all you have to do is ask.” she whispered in their ears.

She was aware she wouldn’t be of much help as a Seamstress, but she still felt compelled to offer her services because that’s what a mother would do for her children.

Ibrahim took advantage of that heartfelt moment to clean up the messy table left by the feast prepared by his wife in honor of this family reunion.

“So, when are you planning on departing?” he asked, washing the dishes.

“I was thinking tomorrow, if that’s possible.” Adam answered.

“That soon, eh…”

Despite already making peace with their children’s decision, both parents could not hide their slight bitterness at the fact that they were leaving much earlier than they had hoped. No room for complaining though.

Laith sat down after hastily grabbing one of the documents that his brother brought back with him. and spread it out on the table. It was a world map marked with the locations of the fragments and a scrappy handwriting next to each marker. The added notes provided further details on the whereabouts of each fragment.

“Alright, I may have been mostly silent all this time, but I too have my own list of questions. I am going with you after all, so I think I should know a bit more.” Laith said.

“Hold on a bloody second, when did you get that?”

“Just now, from my room.”

Adam barely caught a glimpse of a dusty blur between the kitchen and Laith’s room. The latter’s enhanced speed looked borderline cartoonish at this point.

“And where exactly did you find it?”

“Your stuff, I looked into it earlier.”

“I see there are some old rules that need to be reestablished.”

Adam hated it when his brother—or anyone for that matter—messed with his belongings without his permission. It was trespassing over his privacy. Unacceptable.

“Get over yourself.” Laith ignored him. “So, this map clearly shows that the fragments are scattered across the three continents, the Sunken, the Level and the one we’re on right now, the Risen. Why’s that?”

“Considering their desire to keep the fragments from being reformed, it is wiser to have them scattered in case one of them got stolen. In other words, a countermeasure in place for people getting funny ideas like us.”

“Ain’t that reassuring…” Laith sighed. “Moving on, most fragments have the note ‘in country’ attached to them. Care to explain?” he asked.

“Well, the ‘in country’ is pretty self-explanatory; it simply means the fragment is located within the confines of the country. Where exactly? Most likely within the capital city, which is the beating heart of any currently existing nation.

“The scattered villages and towns rounding up the country’s territory are too exposed and vulnerable to risk hiding anything valuable within. Most of them submitted willingly to benefit from protection in the first place—kinda like the town of Barka in relation to the Sultanate.”

“I mean our town is the gateway to half of the world, which makes for a whole lot of key naval operations. No to mention we are the same people after all, it’s only natural that we join sides.”

“I guess that’s true. Just know it’s not always as symbiotic of a relationship.” Adam said, pushing back his glasses.

“I see, I see.” Laith said, rubbing his chin. “And all of the designated countries are affiliated with this unknown enemy? Like Neumund I mean.”

“That is the absolute worst-case scenario…I hope we won’t have to face whole nations on our own.”

The possibility could not be ignored, he had experienced it once. After the president’s assassination, Adam was the public enemy of an entire country basically, government and people alike. It was a nightmare he’d rather not revisit.

For now, he’d like to think that they weren’t running the whole show behind the scenes. The likely scenario was the planting of moles to supervise the situation from a distance without fully controlling the ruling class. Adam decided to give those mighty nations some credit. Such fierce reputation must have been earned.

“Until we’ve assembled our justice league, the part where we have to fend off an army can wait.” However daunting it sounded, part of Laith was thrilled. The “epicness” of a few members forming a super team overcoming large forces numbering hundreds or thousands was unrivalled. Nonetheless, such scenario was ways off, if it came to pass altogether. He’d better not drool too soon.

“And the ones that are not within the confines of a country, I assume they are just out there in the open world?” Laith continued

“Those fragments are located within that respective region but yes, out in the open world.” Adam answered.

“Well, those ones will be a pain in the ass…” Laith was a bit upset, but continued, “At any rate, it’s a good thing there are already two fragments present here on this continent. The Sultanate has one and Neumund is guarding the other so we don’t have to travel very far for our first stops.”

“Reasonable thinking, but that is not where we’re starting.”

Laith frowned.

“The Neumund is clearly not the best place to start with since I just escaped and still have a massive target on my back. Not to mention infiltrating a place with that level of security is no easy task for merely two people. As for the Sultanate, I can’t say it’s necessarily a bad choice, but there’s a better one.”

“Which is?”

“The land of the rising sun, Yamato.”

“How is a country located in the Sunken continent a better starting point than the one we’re currently on?”

Adam raised two fingers, “Reason number one is that Yamato is the only place where we know exactly where the fragment is located. The second one being the country’s poor shape right now, and since we’re just two people, it would be best to start with a place that is more vulnerable than others.”

“What do you mean by ‘poor shape’?”

“Yamato is in the midst of a civil war as we speak.”

“I guess venturing inside a nation caught up in its own inner conflict can make it easier to snatch the fragment.”

“Precisely.” Adam responded, pushing back his glasses.

“You said we only have the exact information about the fragment in Yamato. Why is that? What about the others?”

“My guess is the data provided to me was simply incomplete. I’m not gonna complain though, a man gave his life for it, I’m grateful for what I have as of now.”

“Fair enough.” Laith nodded. “That leaves the question of how to get there.”

“That’s when we will need you, baba.” Adam said, looking at his father.

Ibrahim, who was listening on the side, knew exactly what his son meant.

“I gather you a need a way to cross the Molten Sea, in other words a boat and a sailor, by tomorrow that is.” He paused shortly. “I think I can arrange something for you.”

“Good, and mama,” Adam turned to his mother, “we’ll need, anything that can prove useful for the journey, clothes, food, supplies…whatever you deem necessary.”

His mother responded with a simple thumbs-up, enough to reassure her son.

“Okay did I miss anything?” Adam wanted to wrap up.

“Uh, I’ve been meaning to ask… what about this mark in the center of the map?” Laith asked, pointing to a black spot that had a question mark attached to it. “Is that The Abyss by any chance?”

The spot didn’t look like a defined geographic landscape; it didn’t even have clear borders or limits. Just a vague black patch right in the middle of the map.

“Yep…the infamous Abyss…” said Adam, pushing back his glasses.

It was fairly common for unpopulated and unsettled locations to garner an eldritch reputation. Disturbing rumors and worrying reports surrounding the place would be born as more and more voyagers dared to unravel the place’s secrets. Different people would make up their own different and spooky stories about it and bend them to fit their own agendas.

That was pretty much the case for the Abyss, and as per usual, most tales were creditless. The reason for that was quite simple: no one lived to tell the actual tale.

Many expeditions and voyages were organized by all sorts of parties, be it royal fleets, curious sailors or rogue pirates to explore the Abyss. Except none of them ever succeeded in providing helpful information, or any information for that matter. Ships vanished alongside their crews, lost to the sea forever never to be seen again.

A place shrouded in mysteries and clouded by hearsay, so much so that some folks started questioning the nature of the place. In fact, calling it a “place” to begin with became moot and some began offering some wild hypotheses ranging from black hole to interdimensional breach to gateway to hell. Whichever the case, one fact was known for certain, the Abyss swallowed anyone and anything that dared approach it.

“So, not even Neumund with all its robots and droids has managed to crack the code of the Abyss?” Laith asked.

“Either that, or it’s one more information they are successfully hiding…”

“And we have to go there eventually?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it…”

Adam’s answer did not inspire confidence, but Laith let it slide.

“Well then, let’s each make our own preparations and get a good night of sleep ahead of tomorrow.” Adam glanced at everyone present in the room, a sense of relief coming over him. His mind hadn’t stopped working for a single heartbeat since he uncovered the truth and decided to undertake this quest. To have his family’s support and approval definitely helped still his heart and ease his mind. He never looked for a guarantee to succeed, just a shoulder to lean on. And he finally had it.