「secret empire」ー 折原 臨也

Ch. 5: Artists craft illusions of reality

note:

I'm terribly sorry for not updating in months. I'm actually still working on the plot, because I found many holes in there and this story frustrates me a little. I still wanted to get something done and I'm desperate to finish this story.

I will provide you with a chronologically correct timeline soon, that guides you through the story and how to read the chapters. Since you probably don't want to read the whole story again, I might just sum up what happened throughout each chapter.

It might still be a little confusing, but bare with me! It's all part of the story, so I beg you to just roll with it.

This is also a very short chapter, especially the second part of it. If you pay close attention, the scene was already written [chapter 3]. This is only a change in perspective, I thought it might be boring for you to read it twice.

04/25:

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! [...]"

"[...] Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, and the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted - nevermore! - Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

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Uniquely enough, there are three words for an equally unique fear: Sophophobia, Gnosiophobia or Epistemophobia describes the fear of knowledge and wisdom.

The mere sound of and meaning behind these terms left Yuzuki in confusion. If people affected with this phobia were aware of the accurate term for it, were they afraid of knowing it? If they asked themselves this exact question, were they filled with anxiety for wondering about it? Did they question it at all, despite not wanting to figure it out? Did they want to figure it out at all?

Is the feeling of dread when getting your mind wrapped around in something, too deep like this, what they feel as well? Would it cause them to become anxious?

Certainly, there were things preferred to remain unknown. Some puzzle pieces form pictures that rather remain unseen.

There was no place for debt in Yuzukis mind though, that a certain someone didn't suffer from this anxiety at all. In fact, she was convinced of him fearing the exact opposite. Perhaps it was even just the philia of said qualities. After all, his hunger for information was close to addiction.

He wanted to know, he needed to.

She liked to believe this might have been the only reason for the informant's curiosity and his behavior. But knowing Orihara Izaya better than that, she knew it was pride driving his actions. There was a certain resemblance of a raven's greed lingering in his mindset. Thinking about the creature's meaning throughout the mythology and their endless hunger, Yuzuki couldn't help but start associating him with Edgar Allan Poe's favorite animal.

Questions lingered in the back of her throat like something you could choke on. She felt like trying to swallow sand which sent burning sensations through her whole body. She gulped them down while he kept feeding her the poison.