Chapter 124: Madoc: Space Fragment Bearer No, Finn thought firmly. It felt too real. That was definitely something that happened at some point in history... But he couldn’t prove that. Not without accessing more memories to establish context. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. This was his chance to table his original request. The whole reason he’d revealed he glimpsed into a memory. "Then let me confirm it," Finn said boldly. "If I go through the Mind-Cephalon dream state again, I can verify whether these are real memories or just fantasies." Osmund’s eyebrow raised slightly. "And instead of bothering you every time I need to access them," Finn continued, trying to make it sound like a practical solution rather than a desperate request, "I could just get my own Mind-Cephalon. Kill one, turn it into a soul mass I control. Then I can delve into these memories whenever necessary to understand my fragment better." Osmund paused, that blank expression cracking slightly as his eyes went distant for a moment. His lips moved soundlessly, and Finn caught another fragment of muttered words: "...no wonder he didn’t react, he truly saw this coming..." What the hell is that supposed to mean? But before Finn could ask, Osmund refocused on him with a shake of his head. "First," the short man said, "memories don’t work like that. The Mind-Cephalon doesn’t cause these fragment memories, it just influences your mental barriers enough that they can surface. What happened yesterday was a fluke, a confluence of circumstances." "The next time you use a Mind-Cephalon soul mass, you’ll almost certainly experience what you were supposed to experience in the first place: A normal, emotionally charged scenario designed to train your mental discipline. The fragment memory surfacing was a one-time occurrence triggered by... something. I’m not sure what. But I am sure it won’t reliably repeat." Finn’s hope began to deflate, but Osmund wasn’t finished. "And second," the short man continued, "While Mind-Cephalons should still exist somewhere in this lost world, they are essentially extinct on this island. They’re swamp-dwelling creatures, and the island’s swampy regions have been shrinking rapidly for decades. Their population was already meager, and..." He sighed. "We haven’t seen a living Mind-Cephalon in over twenty years. The one I have is the last I managed to kill and assimilate before they disappeared entirely." The disappointment must have shown clearly on Finn’s face, because Osmund’s expression softened slightly — though the underlying grimness from before still remained, like his mind lingered on Finn’s earlier revelation. "However," Osmund said after a pause, looking distinctly reluctant, "if it’s the memories you’re after, there is someone better equipped to help you with that..." The ominous tone with which he said it made Finn immediately wary. "Who?" Osmund took a slow breath, as if steeling himself. "One of the other fragment bearers on the island." Finn stared at him blankly, but held his tongue, waiting for a proper explanation. Because there was no way Osmund was suggesting he walk into another fragment bearer’s territory after everything he’d emphasized about the danger. Especially not after the contract specifically included protection from hostile fragment bearers. Seeing Finn’s expectant silence, Osmund continued with visible conflict in his expression. "Of the remaining two Space fragment bearers here, one is absolutely antagonistic toward your existence as the Pioneer." His voice took on a harder edge. "That one wants you dead for reasons I’ve never fully understood. Ideological differences about what the prophecy means, perhaps. Or maybe it is simply a fear of change..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "But the other... I know him. To an extent, at least. We’re not friends or allies by any standard, but we’ve had dealings over the years. Exchanges of information, occasional cooperation when threats arise that endanger the island itself..." Osmund met Finn’s eyes directly. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎 "He’s also antagonistic toward the Pioneer’s existence. Don’t mistake that. He doesn’t want you here any more than the first one does. But unlike the first, he’s... honorable. He’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. See and observe you for himself before making final judgments." "And you think he’ll help me access fragment memories?" Finn asked skeptically with a frown. "For what reason? Out of the goodness of his heart?" "No," Osmund admitted. "But he might help you because he’s curious. Because understanding your fragment and its memories could give him insight into the prophecy, into what your presence here actually means." The short man’s expression grew more serious. "And more relevantly for your immediate purposes, he’s the most knowledgeable of all three of us... By far. He has access to texts and resources that didn’t make it to my territory when we were initially divided. His understanding of fragments, consciousness-transfer, memories, and even magic itself, exceeds both mine and the third bearer’s," Osmund admitted reluctantly. "If anyone on this island can help you distinguish between real memories and dream-memories, help you access more of them reliably... it’s him." He glanced at Finn. "But understand that going to his territory means leaving my protection. The contract’s terms about your safety only extend to my domain. Once you cross that boundary, you’re on your own." Finn processed this, weighing options. It was a risk. A significant one. But the alternative was continuing blind, trying to develop his fragment abilities through pure trial-and-error with no guidance from the original bearer’s experiences. "What’s his name?" Finn asked. "Madoc," Osmund replied. "Sage Madoc, though he dislikes the title. And before you ask — the other one, the one that won’t hesitate to kill you, would be Sage Hagen, who controls the northern territory." He turned fully to face Finn again. "Madoc’s domain is to the east. You’d need to travel through the forest for about half a day, then you’d reach the boundary markers. From there..." Osmund shrugged slightly. "From there, you’d be announcing your presence and hoping he decides to meet with you rather than attack on sight." "You said he’s honorable," Finn pointed out. "I said he’d give you the benefit of the doubt," Osmund corrected. "That doesn’t mean he won’t test you first. Evaluate whether you’re worthy of his time." Finn nodded slowly as his mind turned over the implications, weighing risks against potential rewards. "I’ll think about it," he said finally. "You don’t need to. I’ll directly follow you to the border. He’ll sense you the moment you cross into his territory and show up immediately. From his demeanor I’ll know how he’s going to proceed," Osmund explained with a shake of his head, causing Finn to frown slightly. Is he actually pushing me towards this Madoc fellow right now...? Finn hesitantly thought, trying to analyze the motive behind Osmund’s new direction. And his mind couldn’t help but move to the man’s earlier mutterings after he spoke of the Husk leader. Was there any correlation between this and that? Was this Madoc person the one he was referring to while muttering to himself? The one that had seen this coming—? Seen Finn coming? "Alright." Finn said decisively, making Osmund’s brow shoot up in surprise. "Are you ready to go now?" He asked Osmund. What else was his option? Stay here and do what? Create little spells that would take him so long to keep refining? Beating around the bush blindly when an opportunity to learn directly from the original source — to live through Arros and gain insight directly into core Error spells — had presented itself in front of him? Nah... I’m tired of being cautious. It’s time I take bold steps.