Greyashe chapter 337 is entitled 'Reveal'.

Previous chapter 336: Progression.

Next chapter 338: Confrontation.

Summary page

-Short summary-

Upon returning to Greyashe, Van begins to understand the nature of the town he grew up in and resolves to save what is dear to him.

-Long summary-

Van oddly feels like he’s been away from Greyashe for years despite it only being a little over two hours, and even taking his long trip away after meeting Claire into consideration he had been gone for maybe a little under one year. Still with the different realities that he had seen within the last two hours the farseer may be entitled to feeling a little displaced. He and Roysé steadily approach Mr. Sikes’s house silently, as if the weariness of their travels –as long and short as they may be had finally caught up with them. Van thinks to himself that he would like a bath and then a nap, but he knows that his worried friends and expectant father would want to hear all about how things had gone. Though to be honest, even if they had no interest he feels like he’ll implode if he doesn’t reveal what he knows to someone soon. The farseer had done some thinking while he and his ‘sister’ had made their trek home, and some ‘truths’ had become evident. Wanting to ascertain for himself if these ‘truths’ are indeed genuine, he decides to forgo his slight fatigue and begin to probe once he has returned. The two are standing before Mr. Sikes’s house, and with no hesitation, the farseer opens the door and walks in.

Nancy leans backward from the kitchen upon the door opening and beams when she sees Van and Roysé. She announces that she was in the middle of making lunch so they’re just in time. After saying this she stops and gives Van a look, commenting that he seems different somehow. Almost as if he’s a different person, but not. The farseer allows himself a small smirk as he strides to the kitchen table and has a seat. He admits that he feels quite different too, so she might be onto something. Nancy gives him a look, but is interrupted by Nick announcing to ‘his liege’ that the serf has returned. Nancy rubs her forehead in annoyance, and Van’s eyebrow rises. ‘Liege’? ‘Serf’? Who is he referring to? Nancy sighs and replies that for one reason or another Lazaro has been able to completely control the normally rebellious Nick to a point that the boy serves as his secretary or vassal. Whichever one he’s in the mood for. Speaking of Lazaro and moods, he’s been sulking around due to Van leaving with Roysé and the incident with his father…

Van begins to ask what incident she’s referring to, but like magic Lazaro is in the room, causing Roysé and Nancy to jump back out of surprise. The farseer remains in his seat unperturbed by his sudden appearance, and asks in a cordial tone how his day is going? He then notices that the young man’s arm is in a sling, and his forehead is wrapped in cloths. Whatever this ‘incident’ was, it had left Lazaro in pretty bad shape. The farseer’s eyes begin to fill him in on the ‘possibilities’, while Lazaro’s eyes furiously give the boy a once-over ---twice. Roysé despite herself asks what happened to him, and if he’s going to be okay, but the young man raises a solitary finger indicating ‘one moment’ as he continues to glare at Van. The group hears sounds in the back and Colin appears in the kitchen doorway, smiling and commenting that he thought he had heard his ‘daughter’s’ voice. Roysé gives him a hug, and he welcomes her back. He sits down at the kitchen table across from his son, and ignoring Lazaro’s glares at them both asks how Van feels. The boy nods and this seems to please his father, who replies simply ‘Good’. Mr. Sikes joins the group, and the ensemble is complete. For a few minutes there is no sound other than the bubbling of Nancy’s stew –lunch. Lazaro finishes his examination and loudly sits down between Roysé and Van, giving them both a last look and then almost snarling his inquiry ---what did they do out there? His ‘honey’ seems to be the same, but it’s obvious that he, Van is different in some way.

Van tilts his head slightly back and forth thinking of an answer to the question. Finally he responds that she showed him a few things and he realized something important. Due to this he was able to dispel some of his tension and think clearly for the first time in quite a while.

The table is silent besides the bubbling again.

Despite being unable to really tell, the sentiment between everyone is the same.

….That’s a really vague answer.

Lazaro fumes and turns to Roysé asking if what Van is insinuating is the truth? The others are amazed and a little bit dismayed that he can get so excited over something that is so very unclear. Sure it sounds like that thing, but who can really tell?

Roysé finds herself fidgeting and smiling sheepishly, nervous tics of hers that even after living so long hadn’t quite faded away. She replies that it is true that she helped him see some things, but she didn’t really know how he’d react upon it happening. After all it’s the first time she had done something so rash. Although she had been afraid that perhaps he might be hurt by it, it looks as if he managed to gain something precious from her. So in the end she’s happy she went through with it.

Silence.

Yup, still vague. However, at least this time Lazaro’s horrified expression is at least somewhat warranted.

Sapped of energy the young man slumps into his seat and lowers his head to the table as he mumbles something about not being able to go on. Roysé at a loss tries to comfort him the best she can as the others look on in pity. Van asks his father what exactly happened between him and Lazaro, and the older farseer states matter of fact that he had to put him in his place. Van eyes them both for a moment, and sighs. Although he gets what he means, couldn’t he have gone easier on him? After all they need to be at full strength if they’re to take on the sentients and win. Colin whistles at this and doesn’t hide his amusement. His son must have found one heck of an inspiration to say something so fool hearty. The boy’s expression doesn’t change as he states that he had always intended to take on the sentinents, as he’s seen too much destruction and tragedy due to their influence first hand. Although back then he lacked the power and knowledge to do anything about them, now he has both on his side.

Mr. Sikes marvels at Van, the quiet boy he once knew is becoming a resolute man. Though from what he understands about the sentients, there really isn’t any way to ‘stop’ them per se since their entire beings are created by magic –which they control. Even with strong agape, there’s no way a magician can defeat a sentient since it’s a literal torrent of magic versus the small amount of agape they can offer. Not to mention the sentinents trump the need of needing to earn agape to control magic due to their very natures. Now he had heard from Colin that Van has somehow surpassed the farseer’s inability to use magic due to their eyes, but what hope could he stand against them?

All eyes are on Van as he closes his eyes and folds his hands. To be honest he’s still working out the inner details of his battle strategy, but he has realized a few things thanks to Roysé. There isn’t a way to win this fight without a sacrifice.

That much is clear. ‘If one cannot be happy, then make someone happy’. At the time of its utterance, the phrase had been said as a pacifier, a means to make an otherwise bitter truth slightly easier to stomach. However in retrospect it may indeed be the key to winning this fight. If there is a willingness to act on someone else’s sake then perhaps victory is attainable. He learned that from his ‘journey’ inside himself. Unfortunately the question after this becomes being able to get to that ‘sacrificial point’. Even with this knowledge the inescapable truth is that Butcher and Baker are the paragon of unassailable strength. If he can’t find that ‘point’, then all of this is for naught.

Colin and Sikes share the same expression despite not voicing their thoughts. ‘He’s thinking of being that sacrifice.’ They know this well because they know the boy is one who has always put his own needs second to others. Although he has become noticeably more mature, his core conviction hasn’t changed. They should speak out, ask him for sure if this is what his intention is, but….

Is there really another choice? Besides watching Butcher and Baker destroy humanity?

Van then turns to them, his eyes piercing into theirs as if he can read their thoughts. Of course the men know he can’t, specifically because of what he is, but it’s unnerving either way.

He asks them if there’s something they’d like to tell him? Or would they rather he reveal the ‘truth’ he had surmised himself? The truth about ‘them’ and ‘this city’.

Colin and Sikes are silent, and Van takes this as permission to continue talking. For some time it had occurred to him that his mother could have taken and left him anywhere. She did not reveal anything about his heritage or his ability, and he could have easily lived as another person. Claire had disrupted this with her revelations, but the base truth does not change. So then why Greyashe?

From the little he had learned about his mother during their brief meeting, he knows Anna Rose is both fiercely clever and incredibly stubborn. It would not have been strange to imagine she left him behind here at Greyashe because he wouldn’t have been discovered. Being unable to defend herself, it’s why she became Desmond Larter’s ‘wife’, and stayed by his side –not revealing that she could not fulfil his mad inclination of having a child who would be able to wield magic and have the benefits of farseeing because giving birth to him had left her unable to conceive. By having him out of his clutches and far away he could live normally….but the fact is Anna Rose isn’t quite as resolute as they might think. She brought him to Greyashe because it was a ‘sure bet’. Something here relaxed her conscious about leaving her child, and that’s why she chose this place. It was mere consequence he hadn’t realized this sooner, as he grew up here not knowing about his heritage, and upon his recent return was far too preoccupied to realize the truth.

He hasn’t been able to get a reading from anyone in town other than Lazaro.

While there are ways around the farseer’s eyes, it’s impossible that everyone in Greyashe would have this workaround.

Which leads him to conclude that Greyashe is a city of farseers.

As in…

The reason why no one can find them is that besides some of the nomadic tribes, most of them are here under the guise of ordinary people.

Silence again, though this time it’s less tense and more thoughtful.

It makes sense really. Who would want to come up north to the cold continents and live there on purpose? Outsiders come and go quickly, and if only farseers know the secret and swore to never speak of it then they’d just be seen as ordinary people. Anna Rose must have heard this, and knowing that her child would be safe among her own people left him here, in hopes that he’d discover who he is eventually. Of course ironically it had been an outsider who revealed the truth to him.

Lazaro raises his head and looks around the room in surprise. So the lot of them are farseers other than he and his honey? Is this true?

Sikes bows his head and quietly admits this is the truth. Of course it hadn’t been his intention to keep it from him. It’s just---

Colin interjects with an apology. He told Sikes to keep it from Van until he was more emotionally stable. He had only figured it out a while earlier, but wanted his son to be less fragile before telling him this. Though to think he had already figured it out himself….

Nick apologizes to his ‘liege’, replying that he didn’t mean to stay quiet, but telling outsiders anything is forbidden. He then addresses Van saying that they wanted to tell him about it sooner, but his situation was unique. Nancy too is like him, only recently discovering who she really is. Van turns in her direction and she nods. Apparently only one of her eyes functions as it should, and it was again an outsider who revealed this to her. She’s been getting used to her abilities since then, but gets tired if she practices with her eye too often.  Colin comments that he’s heard of half farseers…sometimes the nomadic tribes will rest in areas with other people where things tend to happen. The ability is apparently a recessive trait, so most times these children are born with no abilities at all, but there are the rare chances where they’re born with half the ability. He then promises to teach the girl how to get the most out of her gift without stressing herself.

Lazaro’s expression is shades of indigence and annoyance as he points out that they told him everything now too. Are they trying to involve him in their citywide lie? He won’t have any of it! Colin points out that he can’t unhear things, so he’s stuck with it. Besides he knows he won’t say anything or he’s risking another beating. Lazaro snarls at him that they will have a rematch which will correct their last fight’s result, but that will be once he heals up. Roysé gives them both an angry look and demands that there be no more fighting. Lazaro simpers to his ‘honey’ that his honor has been defiled, and she responds flatly that she doesn’t care. He’s important to her as is her ‘father’ and won’t have them fighting.

Lazaro pleads with her as she stubbornly says no, as Van watches and thinks to himself that he won’t let their secret out or anyone else be hurt by Butcher and Baker’s mad plans. He’s also reminded of something he heard while in the company of Aschner’s men…’A place that doesn’t acknowledge death’. For Greyashe to remain a safe haven for farseers there has to be more than a ‘secret’ in place. Could it be…?

Meanwhile on the same cape leading to Greyashe, Delaney and Aicha stand at the ready. The latter comments that the city looks extraordinarily peaceful, as if completely uninterested in the world around it. It almost seems like a shame to come here and shake things up…

Delaney regards the city quietly his expression remote, as a powder keg of emotions swishes violently in his heart.