Gun of Ashes

”You’re controlling the pace of technological progress?” Lorenzo asked.

”Yes. For example, this place.”

As the Queen’s voice fell, the beam that had been illuminating them scattered. It spread into the dark corners and lit them up.

Lorenzo looked around. Most of the space was still shrouded in darkness, but from the outlines revealed by the light, he saw the things hidden there—one after another, mechanical devices he had never seen before, all sealed in transparent containers filled with protective oil.

Like corpses soaked in formalin, each container held a steel cadaver. They stood like copper pillars, packed densely together, filling the space below.

”New-model steam engines, Otto internal combustion engines, Turing machines...”

The Queen gazed at the copper pillars below and pronounced one strange term after another.

The light swept past, and Lorenzo was completely stunned. The harsh glare outlined one monstrous machine after another; some were so enormous they were left directly exposed to the air. Lorenzo had never seen such mechanisms before—one of them resembled a bird, with huge wings; there were also heavy war-chariots with giant cannons mounted on top.

”You must understand, human intellect should never be underestimated. Collected here are the Perpetual Motion Pump and the other institutions of the Nation-Builders, as well as the new technologies of the last hundred years. But all of them were judged by the Nation-Builders as potential threats to the stability of human survival, and so they were sealed away here.”

Arthur’s gaze quivered. He knew full well that any random piece of technology here, once taken out, could very likely change the world as it was. Yet now they were like specimens, contained in this place, never to see the light of day.

”This is... the graveyard of technology.”

The Queen looked at it all in sorrow, at this magnificent graveyard.

”This world is an exceedingly perfect cage. Knowledge about Demons cannot be passed down, and technology that advances too far will also bring disaster. Humanity can only find a squalid balance within this, barely clinging to life.”

”You... never thought about using these technologies? Maybe we could actually win this war?”

Arthur asked somewhat naively.

”If humanity truly possessed the power to win this head-on, then why did the Golden Dawn collapse?” the Queen countered. ”All the technology we have now is based on what the Secret Keepers granted us. And the Secret Keepers themselves, even in their most powerful era, were unable to resolve any of this. How could we possibly hope to succeed?”

Arthur fell silent. He was beginning to understand the Queen’s despair. He was one of the only people in this world who knew these truths. Arthur could see the true shape of this world, yet was powerless to change anything; he could only drift on in this way, submitting to a cruel reality.

”So... the war will go on?”

Lorenzo stared at the forest of steel and asked.

”Yes. To preserve the flock. To maintain the balance.”

”But that’s not right... Why does it have to be like this?”

Lorenzo could hardly accept it. He walked to the edge. One more step and he would have plunged into the darkness, yet he did not; instead, he slowly crouched down, curling himself into a ball.

”Whichever way you think about it, it’s not right, is it?”

Lorenzo’s face twisted ferociously; he could not compromise with any of this.

Confronted with brutal reality, some people collapse and never rise again, while others spiral into hysterical madness.

”Yes, it’s not right. It shouldn’t be like this. But I don’t have the ability to do anything more. The only thing I can do is to remember all of this, and tell it to those who come after.”

The Queen walked over with an expressionless face. The torment of the King’s Curse had left her body frail and feeble, yet she stubbornly made her way to Lorenzo’s side.

”Lorenzo Holmes.

I know I no longer have the right to ask you to do anything for me. But just... treat it as a bet. To try to break this repeating cycle, I hope you can do one last thing for me—for everyone.”

Lorenzo slowly raised his head and looked at the Queen. She stood against the light, blackness crawling across her face.

”Go to the end of the world. The Secret Keepers know far more than I do. If it’s you, perhaps you’ll be able to find a way to be freed from all this.”

”Why do you think I can? So many people—so many people throughout history—have tried, but none of them managed to break free. Why do you think I can?”

Lorenzo was in unbearable pain; all he could feel at this moment was an unprecedented powerlessness and despair.

”Probably because... you’re braver than me, braver than anyone.”

The Queen said softly.