Chapter 16 - The Hidden Rule
Samuel rapidly turned the ancient pages.
Near the middle of the ledger he discovered a folded parchment sealed with dark blue wax.
He broke the seal.
Across the top were handwritten words.
FOUNDATION RULES — NEVER DISCLOSE DURING THE FIRST TRIAL
Claire read over his shoulder.
"There are twelve trials."
Daniel looked toward Victor.
"Twelve?"
Victor nodded.
"The founders believed a single decision reveals emotion."
"A dozen decisions reveal character."
Samuel continued reading.
"The candidate may reject every trial."
Daniel immediately spoke.
"I reject all of them."
Victor remained motionless.
Samuel kept reading.
"...provided another candidate willingly accepts responsibility."
Everyone became silent.
"There was another candidate," Samuel whispered.
Victor's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Claire looked up.
"My father."
Samuel nodded.
"Thomas rejected the trials."
Daniel stared.
"So who accepted them?"
Samuel slowly closed the parchment.
"You already know."
Victor smiled.
"I did."
Daniel felt the room spin.
"You volunteered?"
Victor looked toward the burning ceiling.
"I believed I could reshape the Trust into something capable of surviving the modern world."
"And instead?"
"I became exactly what Thomas feared."
For the first time since appearing in Mercer House, genuine regret crossed Victor's face.
The building shook violently.
Dust rained from above.
Emergency lights flickered.
Samuel glanced toward the hallway.
"The fire has reached the archive."
A distant explosion rolled beneath the foundations.
Pieces of brick crashed onto the dining room floor.
Victor looked toward Daniel.
"There is one thing Thomas never understood."
"What?"
"The greatest danger was never greed."
He pointed toward the ledger.
"It was memory."
Daniel frowned.
"I don't understand."
Victor slowly approached the ancient book.
"If people forget why promises were made..."
He gently touched the cover.
"...they begin believing promises are prisons."
The ledger suddenly began turning pages by itself.
Hundreds of names flashed past.
Thousands.
Then stopped.
One page remained blank except for four names.
Daniel Mercer.
Samuel Mercer.
Claire Mercer.
Victor Lang.
At the bottom appeared a single question.
WHO SHALL REMEMBER?
Before anyone answered, the floor beneath the ledger cracked open.
May you like
The book disappeared into darkness.
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