The image of the streets of Lanthanor with rivers of blood running through them came back into his mind, making panic and horror appear on his face.
"Yes, the Church thought that I had enough anguish to wish for the destruction of the Kingdom I grew up in. They tried to use this image to entice me in order to join their cause."
Taking a deep breath, Jonah continued talking with an expression of absolute seriousness on his face.
"So far, all I have uncovered is that they come from the sea which surrounds Angaria. The only thing I know about their motive is that they wish to "purge" each and every location on this continent. As colonists, they always try the method of using minimal resources and pent-up grievances in the population to take control of a Kingdom first, like they tried to with Lanthanor. Using this as a base, they begin operations to destabilize all surrounding Kingdoms and forces to result in a war.
"Daneel, I joined them because I knew there was a need for someone to be on their side, who could relay information like this to try to fight for the survival of Angaria as a whole. I cannot explain how I was able to tell you this much without dying from the backlash from the oaths. If you want to find answers to questions like these, do what I told you in the letter: go to the place in Angaria where the Roc pierces the Basilisk"s eye, and call for the white-robed augur when you think you are strong enough. Although what I said about oaths in the letter was true, it does not apply in this case. I made my oath with the full intention to serve my Kingdom. This is too important, thus I had no choice but to lie in the letter. As for the augur, it is an open secret."
Reeling from the flood of information, it was all Daneel could do to look into his former master"s eyes and see the pa.s.sion and love for his homeland that was quite apparent in them.
"Finally, I apologize for breaking in and abducting the n.o.ble like that. I had to do so to prove that I have no connection with you. Even this visit was so that I could give you the offer again. I know your answer, so I will not be asking.
"My time is up. I will contact you through this trinket whenever I can. For now, all I can ask is that you keep this truth in your mind when making decisions. Although I know that the next 5 years are definitely safe, I can say nothing about the time after that.
"Daneel, I know this all sounds farfetched. I can only beg you to trust me. If you want proof, again, grow stronger and go to that location.
"This is all your Master can do, young King. Know that you and Kellor are forever in my thoughts, and I will keep working to gather information that can save us from the calamity. Farewell."
With the last word, Jonah"s body disintegrated into motes of light that glowed for a bit before dissipating.
Along with the disc-shaped trinket that he had been holding in his hand, his clothes crumpled to the ground where they lay in a heap.
With his eyes fixed on the cube which spun for a bit before coming to rest, Daneel tried to take in everything he had just heard.
The past few minutes had been some of the most surreal that Daneel had ever experienced in both of his lives.
Staggering back and taking the support of the wall of the cottage, he slid to the ground while holding his head in hands.
The images still floated in front of his eyes, vivid and striking.
Hundreds of thousands of dead bodies.
Lanthanor, broken and besieged.
His family, dead.
His friends, dead.
His people, dead.
Although there was still a voice in the corner of his mind which urged him to consider that everything he had seen might be fake, he only answered back with one horrific question:
What if it wasn"t?
At the end of the day, that was what it all boiled down to.
If there was even a 1% chance that what he saw might come to be, then it was folly to disregard or ignore it.
Yes, his master had betrayed him.
But the reasoning behind his actions and the gaping question about why he even allied with the Church had finally been answered.
Although Daneel had many more questions, he knew that he could only hold them inside now and look for answers later.
For instance, did no one else on the continent know about this looming threat?
How did his master overcome the limitation of the oath to do everything he had done?
Why did the Church want to invade and "purge" Angaria? What did they get out of it?
What was so special about Jonah that the Church went to such lengths to recruit him? They had given him an offer before too, but they hadn"t shown him the same memory in order to entice him like they had done with Jonah.
And finally, where the h.e.l.l did this Church originate from? What lay beyond Angaria?
So many questions, yet all Daneel had were suspicions and theories.
Collecting his thoughts, Daneel realized that he had been foolish to get so angry because of Jonah"s actions.
This realization was only possible because the truth had completely dispelled his rage, making it so that he could reflect calmly on his emotions before.
Although he was a traitor by law, there was simply no reason for Daneel to feel such fury against the man who had protected him from the shadows for such a long time.
Power had indeed changed him. But he had been lucky to realize this at an early juncture.
For any problem, admittance was the most important step. By admitting that he had changed, Daneel set himself on the path to remediation.
In the eyes of a King, Jonah was a traitor who had to be punished accordingly.
But in the eyes of someone who had known the man for so long, Jonah had only done those things because he had no other option.
The key point was to differentiate the two, instead of mixing them up like he had been doing so far.
Deciding upon this, Daneel got to his feet.
As his master had asked, he would keep the truth about the looming threat in his mind when making any decisions.
And if he wanted more answers, he would have to go to the place his master had mentioned.
Indeed, as a result of all his realizations, Daneel had started to refer to Jonah as "master" instead of "previous master".
As if to encourage him, the system sounded in his mind at this moment, bringing him some good news.
[Achievement: Self-Realization 1 obtained.
Self-Realization 1: By identifying your weaknesses using your own capability, you have embarked on a path to become a better person, and in turn, a more suited candidate to become a World Dominator. Congratulations!
2000 EXP awarded.]
Walking to the pile left behind by his master, Daneel first folded the clothes carefully and set them to the side.
Picking up the trinket, he proceeded to use his blood to bind it to him.
Yet, as he did so, the voice of the man who had awoken him with the stench from his body all those years ago in his dorm room sounded in his mind, making him smile slightly as he realized that he could finally strike one item off the list of the things that he had made before this whole incident had happened.
"Here is one final gift to you, my disciple. The Eldest Prince is located inside the Withering Leaf Sect headquarters, which is in an unnamed valley east of Lanthanor."