Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

Given recent changes, Elder Claudius was the least busy of all the presiding elders. He was, therefore, quite happy to help Sorin procure a variety of historical texts about Delphi, the Kepler Clan, and Pandora in general.

"Please note that many of the Kepler Clan's historical texts are redacted," said Elder Claudius, pointing at a passage that was blurred beyond recondition. "Even us presiding elders aren't privy to all the details. Some things are better if only known to the Clan Leader and any demigods the family is lucky enough to produce.

"You mean we've had more than one?" asked Sorin, flipping through the family tree and taking note of individuals bordered in a golden light.

"Six in total, but only three at any single time," answered Elder Claudius. "And currently, we have only one, making our clan's situation quite precarious."

"How did they die?" asked Sorin. It was in his understanding that demigods could live centuries at the very least.

Elder Claudius simply pushed up his spectacles and smiled. "That's redacted, unfortunately. I have special clearance as the family archivist but wouldn't dare reveal the details to anyone."

Having briefed Sorin, the elder returned to his office and left Sorin with piles of old books. They were clean, albeit worn, as only centuries could accomplish.

Having nothing better to do as he awaited his friends to be cleared, Sorin read, dosed off, then re-read, and repeated the process multiple times. History was interesting, to be sure, but unlike medical literature, it was dry as a three-day-old turkey sandwich with not enough mayonnaise and far too much bread.

It was three days later that Sorin realized a curious thing; he still didn't remember much of what he'd read. Confused at why this might be since he did have an eidetic memory, he tried to jot down what he'd learned so far and organize it without much success.

Strange, thought Sorin as he attempted to list the important clans in Delphi at various eras and came up short by quite a few names. It was the same when he tried to recall critical periods in Delphi's history, including the details behind the three disasters that had produced Delphi's catacombs, to begin with.

Things only got stranger from then on. When Sorin tried recalling Pandora's history, he discovered that it was much like Delphi's—he had trouble remembering the bulk of it and only seemed to recall the simplified version he heard during the Wish Fire Festival every year.

What was the hero's name? What enemies had they fought? And why were God Seeds never mentioned, or anything specific about the Seven Evils and their powers.

Sorin's first thought was that Madness was eroding at his faculties again, but upon further inspection, he saw that it was well under control, and most was urging him to break the library's cardinal rules.

Fortunately, his friends came to the rescue on the fourth day. "They've all been cleared, at least as far as helping you with the trial is concerned," said Elder Marik. "As for other activities, we'll need to talk. And the escort stays."

"Wonderful," said Sorin as the elder left the four of them in the library. "My apologies for the lack of refreshments, but as you can see, I'm up to my knees in books."

Astley frowned when she saw the books sprawled all over the room. "I hate to ask, but how productive has youyour reading been?"

"What do you mean, how has his reading been?" mocked Daphne. "He's got half a medical library in his head. How hard could a few history books be?"

"Then, by all means," said Astley, gesturing to the piles of books. "Would you mind introducing me to your archivist?"

Elder Claudius was only too happy to meet with Astley, and they shared an extended discussion on a topic Sorin would rather forget about. Fortunately, the exchange lasted only an hour, after which Claudius sped off to secure additional books Astley had requested, including a detailed copy of the city's census and the Kepler Clan's genealogical reference book—not to be confused with their ow clan genealogy.

"What was that about?" asked Sorin as they returned to where a frustrated Daphne was scratching her head and flipping through pages. "Why would we need the city's census data?"

"Historical reconciliation, mostly," said Astley. "Most clans wouldn't keep a copy, but the Kepler Clan, being a medical clan, would surely want to keep abreast of such information. Let me tell you, there's a lot of elders in the Order of Phantasia that would kill for access to this place."

Sorin, however, was more focused on her previous words. "Are you saying my clan's history books might be inaccurate?"

Astley chuckled. "My dear Sorin, all history books are inaccurate. Every historian has a lens through which they see things. Studying history is, therefore, less about reading specific facts and more about taking in a large amount of information and reconstructing those facts based on one's knowledge of the author and their situation. Speaking of which, how did your reading go? Remember much?"

"All right, something is going on here," said Daphne, tossing her book down. "Gareth, why aren't you reading?"

"I've been fine all my life without reading history books," said Gareth, looking up from his persona notebook. "If it's facts and figures and current information, I'm interested. Otherwise, count me out."

"I'm curious about something, actually," said Astley. "Do most Nighthawks avoid reading history books?"

Gareth shrugged. "Now that you mention it, you might be right. I think it has less to do with literacy and interest and more to do with the Nighthawk practices. Overly focusing on the past and future instead of the present is dangerous and makes one more susceptible to the influence of Madness."

Once again, Sorin tried to recall what he'd read. And once again, he was rebuffed by some sort of barrier, jumbling or distortion. "Are history texts corrupt?" he muttered. "I swear, no matter how hard I try, I can't remember a damn thing."

Daphne's eyes snapped up. "Wait, you too?"

A clapping sound rang through the room. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a phenomenon called Historical Amnesia," said Astley, walking between them and picking up the book Daphne had been reading. "It's not something most people notice because a part of historical amnesia is a subconscious desire to avoid learning about history and to simplify it. Everything is reduced to its barest elements.

"There are exceptions, of course. Heroes will be able to remember more than most; at the very least, they'll be able to notice that something is amiss. The same applies to God Seeds, I would imagine, though the Order of Phantasia lacks adequate data on the topic.

"The effect is also strongest on weaker cultivators. The stronger the cultivator, the more they'll be able to remember. Think of it as a weak seal on historical knowledge that you'll eventually be able to get past."

"Wait, are you saying that learning history is magically difficult?" asked Daphne.

"What? Are you having trouble believing it?" asked Astley.

"No, actually," said Daphne. "I think it makes perfect sense. I'm actually keen on reading stories and magical texts, but I've always shied away from history books for some reason."

"Also, is this why we've forgotten so much about the gods? Wait, is this all part of your theory on cultural homogeneity? You were pranking much just now, weren't you? Testing me."

"Historical Amnesia is the highest interest of the Order of Phantasia," said Astley. "And no, I wasn't testing you. And you're quite right to suspect that this is connected to my cultural homogeneity hypothesis. In fact, the cultural homogeneity hypothesis is just one of many pieces of research aiming to document historical amnesia as a whole."

"You don't seem affected by this amnesia," said Gareth, crossing his arms. "Something to do with your class?"

"Correct," said Astley. "Myth Binders, Forbidden Ritualists, and Scholars of Yore are all resistant to historical amnesia, which is why the Order of Phantasia largely consists of cultivators with these classes."

Sorin sighed. "That's good and all, but if I can't remember any of this information, what's the use in studying up before the trial?"

"Normally, not much," said Astley. "As a God Seed, you'd likely be able to scrape together some information, but likely nothing of consequence. Of course, with me here, things are different."

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you can help us remember the details we've forgotten?"

Astley grinned. "That is one of the primary functions of the Order of Phantasia and also the reason why we have excellent diplomatic relations with just about every major organization despite their skepticism. But don't take my word for it—let me show you."

Astley proceeded to set up a ritual circle around their group. The candles smelled of mixed chamomiles and cinnamon, and the altar at the center was a strange amalgamation of glass, candle wax, and inky letters.

"I!

"Call upon!

"The Lord of Humanity,

"The Bringer of Salvation

"The Light of the Lost

A white fog gushed out of the altar and filled the room, and Sorin suddenly had the distinct impression he was being watched.

"I beseech thee, Lord Hope, for truth in memory and temporary deliverance from the curse of forgetfulness."

As if to answer her request, a white fire appeared atop the altar. Astley tossed a pile of demon cores onto the fire, ten two-star cores for each of them, and waited until each of the forty cores was burnt to ash.

"The offering is accepted," came a familiar voice from the altar. "Let the fog disperse. Let the truth be known."

Sorin's eyes widened as suddenly, a flood of knowledge entered his mind. No, it's not new knowledge, but knowledge that was already there but I was unable to organize.

As was his practice with medical textbooks, Sorin stored away the historical information he'd gleaned onto its mental shelf that he kept separate from everything else.

"Well?" asked Astley. "You spent three days reading all this? What do you remember?"

Sorin whistled between his teeth. "This is going to take me a while to go through. Also, didn't you just get a bunch of new books from Elder Claudius? It might be best to read those before coming to any conclusion. Daphne? Are you alright?" The mage was flipping madly through books and reading as though her life depended on it.

"Innocence," said Astley, shaking her head. "I, too, was new to the topic and read as much as I could. Alas, it's a good way to get a headache. The Ritual of Truth and Remembrance I cast is helpful but not perfect."

"I see no reason to interrupt her," said Sorin. "Who knows? Maybe she'll come up with some good ideas. How about you, Gareth? You up for some light reading?"

Gareth shook his head. "I'm fine doing my own thing. Going over my notes and monitoring your three guards. You did know there were three, didn't you? And that there are also three spies trying their best to get past that hidden guard?"

"The story of my life," muttered Sorin. "Though if they do manage to sneak through, would you mind doing me a favor and shoot them?"