act46side

'When the winter nights were long and there was no food to be found, She walked into the forests to look for seeds...'

No, not this one either.

The word 'Catastrophe' doesn't even exist in the Old Kjeragi language. Is it possible that we truly have never been struck by a Catastrophe before?

Or, maybe the ancient people couldn't tell Catastrophes from normal disasters, and mixed their records with others...

'The snowmelt flooded field and pasture... the crops fell to an untimely winter tide...'

No, no... none of these sound like Catastrophe.

I remember there's another story that she used to tell...

'When the cold winter night froze the Heart of Karlan, the enemy from afar came across the ice.'

'The warrior stood vigil with weapon in hand. At dusk, he saw a terrifying abomination in the mirror-like ice... Radsorn.'

'The warrior ran back to his clan to warn the others, but...'

No one but the warrior could see the creature. Nobody believed his words. And so the warrior began to live in fear.'

Elder Adso? When did you...?

I came after morning prayers. I did not wish to disturb you, so I remained quiet... but I could not resist the urge to speak when you recited a familiar section of the scriptures.

I apologize for disturbing you.

It's alright... I just thought you were still handling matters of court.

The light is dim. From Enya's vantage point, sitting on a high ladder, the Great Elder's robes seem to blend into the color of the floor.

She cannot see his expression.

You must be very busy after taking over as Great Elder. Is everything going well?

You think too highly of an old man like me, Great Saintess. I have spent most of my life here in the Hall of Writings, and I hardly ever step out of the Vine-Bead Court, not to mention dealing with matters of court...

My only claim to this position is my age, and apart from that, I can only do my best...

You're too modest. I haven't had many chances to speak to you, but I understand that you are a man of great learning.

You flatter me... the more I study the tomes, the more conscious I am of my own ignorance. We all are, compared to Her.

But I heard that you had been studying the scriptures for two days and nights without rest, so I came to see if I could share the burden.

It's good timing. I... also have some questions that I would like to discuss with you.

She closes the scroll and climbs down.

The old wooden ladder creaks as it faithfully connects knowledge in high places and the silent ground.

Enya walks out from amongst the bookshelves with scrolls in her arms, sitting down by the spacious table that is already covered in open scrolls.

This is what I've compiled over the past two days...

I searched for any and all records of unusual disasters in Kjerag, but I have yet to find any evidence of a Catastrophe ever having occurred in our borders.

And I still haven't been able to find an explanation as to why this Catastrophe chose this moment to strike, when there has been nothing particularly unusual about this year's winter.

The girl looks up from the scrolls to the Great Elder.

However, the old man seems uninterested in the scriptures lying before him. He bows his head, squinting with the sagged eyelids that lie below his white hair.

You... do not to seem approve of the studies that I have pursued.

No... I dare not be so impudent...

You are seeking the truth of the Catastrophe, the massive thing that has descended before us, the fear incarnate.

Like digging a path through a mountain, or building a bridge over a river... your actions are undoubtedly logical.

But to search the entirety of Kjerag's history, every little tribulation within the fragments... it is an ordeal akin to searching for a grain of salt in the snow by candlelight.

I'm not afraid of ordeals... I must find an explanation for this Catastrophe... I must.

I understand. You worry for Kjerag, and take pity on those affected by the disaster... and I can feel there is some other anxious emotion driving you.

But perhaps this anxiety has made you short-sighted.

I've never asked you in private, Great Elder Adso...

What do you think of this Catastrophe that has struck Kjerag?

I must admit that my knowledge is shallow, and unable to explain the reason behind this Catastrophe.

But I agree with what you said a few days ago...

Kjeragandr never promised Her people that they would be safe from the threat of Catastrophe.

Indeed, Kjeragandr has never made any promises to Her people. On the contrary, the scriptures often emphasized that we must not validate Her existence through 'miracles'...

We believe in Her because we believe She is good, that She embodies all that is good. We follow Her way such that we can be our better selves.

I agree with you...

But I fear the public will not respond well to such an interpretation.

Indeed. 'Reason and insight are a pair of golden shoes that will take you far, but only if your feet can fit them.'

The day may come when your path of truth is validated. But it is not today.

Then, what do we do?

What do we do... that is a question I do not have an answer for.

But you were reciting the story of Radsorn. Let us continue.

The book on the table records a conflict that occurred over water sources.

It is an old story, a common refrain in many civilizations. The Great Elder reaches out and pulls another book from under it.

Dust intertwines with the scent of charcoal from the fireplace, like a piece of amber hovering in the air.

'The warrior searched far and wide for a way to fight the monster, but even Kjeragandr could not help the warrior kill a monster that could not be seen.'

'And so She led the warrior back to the frozen lake, and She spoke to him, saying, 'The others cannot fight the monster, for they do not see it. Only you may find the way to defeat it.''

'The warrior was enlightened, the Heart of Karlan began to melt, and winter was driven out by spring.'

'Kjeragandr granted Her people the final blessing—Her tears froze the enemy, becoming three eternally frozen peaks.'

The first story of the <i>Book of Home</i> in the <i>Kjeragandr.</i> It has been subject to various interpretations by scholars of generations.

The Heart of Karlan likely refers to Lake Silberneherze, and some believe that this warrior, who heeded the words of Kjeragandr, was the very archetype of the Saintesses.

Opinions differ on the 'enemy that came across the ice'. As for the 'monster that could not be seen'...

—Radsorn.

A word that has long lost its true meaning, and one of Kjerag's most famous bedtime stories.

Parents tell this story to children who refuse to go to sleep, before tucking them back in.

The name is so widespread that most people have forgotten that 'Radsorn' was not an incantation or meaningless babble, but a word with a clear, specific meaning.

Many words lose their meaning over time.

At one point, 'Radsorn' was believed to be a loanword that came to Kjerag a thousand years ago, of the same origin as the word 'Catastrophe'.

If I recall correctly, your work in the Hall of Writings involves decoding and translating imported words that have lost their original meanings...

Research that has, fortunately, borne fruit.

The word 'Radsorn' has two parts: the short, stopped syllable 'Rad', and the stiff, sibilant syllable 'Sorn'.

The fireplace flickers as the Great Elder draws a line across the page with his finger, leaving a crease of shadow that fades away in a second.

Cutting in half a mysterious abomination, the likes of which has never been seen before.

The word 'Sorn' is not hard to understand. It translates roughly to 'something terrifying', or 'unknown monster'.

It comes from Old Ursine dialects spoken in Kjerag, which are still used by some of the older generation. It serves as the anchor for our exploration.

'Rad' comes from Victorian, sharing an etymology with the word 'Radlithe', which means 'blind' or 'short-sighted'.

Five centuries ago, a famous playwright from County Hillock penned a word in his play, <i>The Rose of Shah.</i>

'Radlyth', which means 'unseeable, 'a place of darkness'.

Yes. So you've seen the manuscript, and the comments on it.

Unfortunately, I was young at the time I left those comments, and my knowledge deficient.

I have pored over many pages in the years that followed, which granted me sufficient knowledge to discover and address the errors of my past...

The room is silent except for the sound of pen writing on paper, soft as the sound of a tiny bug crawling across the page.

The word reads 'Radsorn', the two etymologically different roots separated from each other, with a circle around 'Rad'.

It is, indeed, a place that is unseeable, a place of darkness that one cannot discover on one's own. It means 'the heart'.

Then the meaning of 'Radsorn' is...

The terrifying thing in the heart of man.

Exactly.

The warrior saw his inner demons upon the lake...

Others could not see it, because no one else can know your own fears. And Kjeragandr was powerless as well, because the only thing that can defeat one's inner demons is oneself...

What is truly terrifying is not the disaster that we can see and feel, but the monsters in our hearts...

You are wise, Saintess.

The sages realized this a thousand years ago... Now, this Catastrophe that has struck Kjerag, is also a 'Radsorn' which only Kjerag can see.

But now, there is no Kjeragandr to lead the lost warrior...

Why do you say so?

Kjeragandr could not help the people fight their inner demons, for She is absolutely good, without the flaws of man. The darkness that clouds the people's hearts does not exist in Her.

So She chose a Saintess from among the mortals, and bestowed upon her the power to fight 'Radsorn'.

Only she is always at Kjeragandr's side. The snow washes her eyes, her piety judged by ice. She hears the guidance of Kjeragandr, and cherishes the love of the people.

Only she can dig open ice and soil, and make a path for the people of Kjerag out of their heart's maze, such that 'Kjeragandr' will return to us.