The Truth We Hid

Miss Zayne,

I understand you believe you have more to give me. However, my sources are already being examined. The paper itself has come under scrutiny following the alleged traitorous slander printed after the Ventoria scandal.

I cannot continue receiving these letters. It is only a matter of time before they search my home while I am away.

This is not a matter of trust. Despite his faults, your courier has proven himself reliable. Still, for your own sake as much as mine, I urge that this be our final correspondence.

Sincerely,

Fven Yanour

…

Mr Yanour,

This is no longer a matter open to debate.

My mistakes must be known to the world before they do further harm. I have now established an undeniable link between magi-tech and the arcane sickness, as it is so clinically named. As though the sharp rise in cases perfectly mirroring the expansion of magi-tech were not evidence enough.

I am ready to confess everything to you, Fven. I trust your paper. I will be leaving Eldara soon. The cure is not here, and the Empire will not listen.

I know where to begin, but it will take me far from imperial lands.

If you wish to hear the truth in full, reply accordingly. If not, burn this letter along with all the others. But my confession must be heard by someone, for the sake of all peoples of this world.

Sincerely,

Elara Zayne

…

Miss Zayne,

If what you claim is true, then the magi-tech upon which we rely, to light our cities, to fly our ships, is poisoning us.

Killing us.

This is no mere tabloid allegation. I cannot print such claims without proof.

Sincerely,

Fven Yanour

…

Mr Yanour,

I have proof. Volumes of it.

Upon your agreement to bring this to the public, I will pass everything to you as I depart Eldara. This letter serves as my confession. You have my word, all of it is true.

History records me as a member of a select group during the war. We are praised for unlocking the secrets of magic. For imposing order upon chaos, turning ritual into machinery, and ushering in an age of discovery.

History omits the cost.

In truth, we uncovered the true horrors of magic and attempted to tame them. When we failed, we sought a workaround.

All modern magi-tech operates on the same principle: An arcane energy source grown within a nexus refinement forge, encased in protective metal. That casing does more than shield. It conceals the secret.

The missing piece.

The final skeleton in my closet.

We called it Soulium, morbidly, in retrospect. The public knows it as Lecterium. It is the key to harnessing magic. A metallic alloy forged from the living.

The artificer guild has kept the truth of its creation hidden for nearly five decades. They still use the same method. The same horror.

One soul yields approximately five pounds of Soulium. Enough to create roughly one thousand magi-tech lenses. The lenses are essential. Raw magic requires a psychic anchor, a mind, a will, to shape it. Chaos becomes order. Fire. Light. Motion. Force. Propulsion. Everything.

The foundation of every device people now depend upon.

I do not know where the bodies come from. I do not allow myself to consider it.

We were sworn to secrecy under threat of death. We believed, foolishly, that the consequences would remain contained.

I am the last one left.

I wish I had the courage to take my own life, but I do not. Instead, I live to witness the slow consequences of my work. The sickness spreading through the realm, the quiet rot of arcane radiation. It has reached me at last. I can feel it burning through my veins.

Magi-tech is killing people. Not only in its creation, but in its use. We missed something fundamental. Infusing raw magic in this way causes it to leak into the world, corrupting everything it touches, clinging to the living like a parasite.

This is my fault.

Our fault.

The proof lies within copies of all my research. From the war years to the present. Everything I hid. Everything the Empire forbids.

Fven, the world must know. A solution must be found before this worsens. Arcane pollution already fills the streets. Tancious Innovations expands unchecked. I no longer hold authority within my own company.

I beg of you. The Empire will attempt to stop this, but your paper has always printed what it was never meant to.

Sincerely,

Elara Zayne

…

Miss Zayne,

Forgive the delay.

They are watching me closely now. Your letters, your confession, remain safe. I hope. I have attempted to appear as though I am stepping back from journalism, but I do not believe the ruse has succeeded. I see the same faces when I leave my apartment.

I agree that this truth must reach the public. But I no longer believe I am capable of delivering it safely. If I act, they will know. If Elara Zayne herself arrives bearing proof capable of destabilising not only the Empire, but every kingdom and free state beyond. I doubt either of us will escape the consequences.

This information is dangerous.

I do not trust myself to survive long enough to publish it.

Sincerely,

Fven Yanour

…

Fven,

You said you burned our previous letters.

Had you done so, I would not care that the Empire watches you. Let them waste their time on a journalist.

They do not have the audacity to make me disappear.

Burn the letters. All of them.

Sincerely,

Elara Zayne

…

Elara,

I cannot.

They are evidence. Journalistic history must be preserved. The world must know not only the truth, but who uncovered it.

And do not underestimate them. They will not need to kill you. They will disgrace you, imprison you on fabricated charges, and allow the public to applaud it as justice. They have done so before.

Sincerely,

Fven

…

Fven,

Was it fame you sought after all?

I chose you because I believed you valued truth above recognition. Because I believed you thought the people deserved honesty from their rulers.

Was I wrong?

Sincerely,

Elara Zayne

…

Elara,

You were not wrong.

But this is different. This truth undermines the foundation of modern civilisation itself.

The Empire’s gaze has shifted away from me, for now. If you are serious, bring the proof while there is still time.

Sincerely,

Fven

…

Fven,

My sickness progresses rapidly. I have secured passage out of the city in two days.

The Empire will see me depart by carriage for a holiday. In truth, I will travel in the opposite direction.

If you fear what they will do, you are welcome to join me. The world relies on magi-tech everywhere. It matters little where the truth is spoken.

Reluctantly, I will bring all prior correspondence, along with the remaining notes.

Until then,

Elara

…

…

Letters seized among several other illegal documents recovered from the residence of Fven Yanour, traitor to the Empire, following his death.

All items to be disposed of immediately by fire.

All remaining belongings are to be impounded.

Death will not be considered suspicious under imperial statute.

End of file.