Memento

When the Codex leadership announced that they were all moving into the same Chapterhouse, Cuan was fine with it. Despite having developed an appreciation for autonomy over the past few years, at the end of the day, being told what to do is still easier. He even managed to find a roommate with relatively little effort — the conversation he had with Lex about it lasted roughly as long as their first one, when he’d asked if she wanted to join the Codex.
 
But it’s been a while since Cuan has been to a new place. He forgot the part where the sheer amount of everything nearly drives him fucking insane.
 
(At least he doesn’t have to smile through it anymore.)
 
It takes him a week to count all of the stairs and library books; he’s still working on the stones in the walls. Thankfully, they moved during the break, so it’s not like he really has anything else to do. Just explore, and count, and try not to run into Hilde too often in the chaos of everyone trying to get settled into their respective spaces.
 
Easy.
 
So he’s not sure when or why he starts miscounting things. He notices it first when the number of moves on his spell focus is off. A facet out of position by two rotations. No one has touched it but him, he’s sure — hell, no one besides Lex has even spoken to him at length since they arrived at the Ring.
 
He fixes it. Forgets about it.
 
It’s off again a few days later, this time by four.
 
To be fair, he hasn’t been sleeping much. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe he just made a mistake.
 
(And maybe, maybe there’s been a handful of nights he hasn’t been able to remember. Nights where he’s found himself in a classroom, or at the entrance of the catacombs, or on the rooftop garden, with no recollection of how he got there. Nights where his̴̟͓͂ ̴̢̺̭̯̬̟̿̀̂̽̈́ẗ̸̢͇̅͐͌̈́͘͠h̸̨̯̭̭̗͕͛͌͆̓͝r̵͕̳̙̊̾͘o̷̘͔̩̩̱̝̬̿̋͠ä̷̧̦̼̫̥̲͇́̈́͘͝t̴͚̻̭̝̠̬̄̑́̆̏ ̷͇̆̽̓̎̈́ḩ̶̭̄̎̽͘a̸̢̤̘̝͕̥̋ͅș̶̨̡̀̽̀ ̷̡̧̛̫̞̑̌͑b̸̙̪̳͖̈̂̆̀́́ē̴̲e̴͎̫̱̻͉͉̚͜ñ̸̦̝͚̳̜̌̉͑̀ ̵̛̩͉̣̍͂̏̾ȧ̶͙͕̀̾̚͝c̶̪̪̿͜ͅh̴̬͖̆ͅi̷̛̪͊̽̈́̅͂́ń̵̛̮̀̊͋ģ̴̨̢̲̞́ͅ ̶̢̨̧̛̠̥͖̄â̴̝̳͐̈́̏̓█̸͇͎̒̓d̸͍̠͌̌̚̚͝ ̸͉̠̟̟̌̽̆̑͛̾͝█̴̢̜͎̹̣̝͓̌̊̅̆e̸̯͚̞͑̓̈́̏̉ ̴̛͖͈̹̜͓͂͗͆̀͜c̶̗̝̈́̽͊́̄͝ă̷̘█̸͕͖̼̟͇́́̃͊̇̉̌ ̵̗͈͊͛̈̆̿█̷̙́̅̍̐̓͐ë̸̡̥̖̮̥̟́̇́͌ͅa̸̛̘͚̳̣r̸͍̤̹͇̥͂͝ ̷̫͒͊̾̿́h̷̼̖͆̈́͠█̵̨̗̮̬̙͌͑̈́͑█̶̱̘̑͘ ̵͓̩̖̭̠͛█̵̟͕̺̭̘̒̄̈̉͊̕█̸̯͖̙̳̟̇̍͛̈́́█̷͇͑̈̄͊͑̑͝c̷͓͐͂͂̽e̵̪̐̆͒̌̇̀ ̴̢̞͔̮̮͚̰̈…
 
 
█̷̦̩̭̊̒̈́̓̚█̷̢̛̳̻̩̞̻͋̒̌̈́͋█̷̧̗̞͎̿̾͒̿ ̸̘͉̜͕͕̾̉́█̷͍͒̉͝█̴̭̰̙͑̉̿█̸̢̞̯͉͊͆̚█̵̙͖̪̐̐̚█̶͕̜̺̝̯̄̾̈́̃̍̋█̴̥̘́̿̊̀ ̴̛̹̍̊͌█̶̘̓̔̽̋█̵̧͇̠̿̑͒ͅ ̴̛̼͔̬̂ͅ█̷̢̨͉̯͌̋̂ͅ█̸̮͖̔͛█̶̨̜̣̻̑̿̃͊̽█̷̙̹̬͚͂͘█̸͓͖͎͇̦͙̊̈̓̋̐́█̷̦͊̂͑█̷͚͐̂̐́͌͜͜█̴̩̤̠̯͂̿͗͋̚ͅ█̷̺̞̣̩̉̔̾͘͜█̶̨̰̟͆̑͑
 
 
█̷̛̙̓̏̾̆█̷̞͔̯̅̔̂̄͠█̸̭͔̫͙̦̗̩͒̅͌̀ ̵̡͓̙͚̌͂̄█̷̠͎̲̮̩̀͂̌͗█̸̨̻̰͍͛̉̄̎█̶̬̓█̴̰̗͉̺̆̈̔̚█̴̼̔̿͆̂͝█̸̩̦͕̄̎̈́͛͑ ̵̨̹̫̫̭͑̓̆̐͌̏̚█̴̧͚̲̼̖̔̓͝█̶̬̌̑̈́̕͝ͅ ̸̢̙̺̔́̋̉͋̾̾█̷͈͍̬͕̿̑͘█̷͚̞̉̎̉̆█̸͕͖͚̬͔͚̃̆̀͘͝█̸̪̱͒̾̎͒̚█̶̢̣͂̽̕█̷̫̪̭̿̊̈́̈́̽̑̕█̸̛̺͚̥͚͑͒̎̐̚̚█̵̙̘͒̈́̔͒̃͐█̷͓͆͊̄͌̚█̴̰̞͎̰̠̏̿́͊̈́͘͝ͅ
 
 
█̷͔̤͙̤̖̣͓̭̩͓͆̐͑̂͛̉█̴̫̻͓̞̯̺͙̹̭͚̆́͌͆͋͘͝█̷͎̑͑̈́̀̔̿̄̎̾ ̴̻̺̺̣͎͒͋̃̈́̅̑̂̄͠͝█̴̟̤̫͉͕̓̔̄́̔█̵̜̯͈̭̟͖̘̠̺̒͜█̵͖̥̼͓̥̗̘̺͎͔̭̈́̓̌̂̊̕█̷̡̹̙͑͂̅█̵̛͉̺̳͓͓͂̃͂͑̍͆̈̂͝█̷̨̧̡̥̹̪̦̋͂́̏̅͜͝ ̸̤̭̘͗͠█̷̰̣͆̾͗͝ͅ█̵̟̙̮͈͛̓͋̽̏̆̚͜͝ ̸̺̮̺͖͎̣̌͝█̷̡̨͔̫͎̣̯̲̗̫̀̃͆█̵̡̳͎͇̿̀̓͛̄͐̑͛͘͝█̷̱̦̙̞͖̆̈́̋̄̈̀█̵̪̟͔̻͓̼̜̦͓̱͇̓█̵̨͖̳̞͎͓̝̳̠̼͑̐̍͐̾̂̂͂͊̒ͅ█̷̡̮̃́̊̄̆͑͛͝█̶̨̲̟̥̦̗̎̔̑̉̽͐█̶̛̙̿̚█̸͖̮̻̤̯̖̹͔̿͒̓█̵̡̤̺͓̳̻̤̺̭̔͋
 
 
█̵̛̛̤̻̤̟̜̟̪̯̹͈̙͔̥͕̖̪̳̄͐̍̽́͊̔͊̎̍̅̎̀̆̓͐̆͜ͅͅ█̸̧̢̛̘͔̌͆̂̅͑͆̓͆̇̚͝͝█̴̡̭͓̗͓̦̼͉͔̤̺̗̗̝͓͖̣͍̃͌̔͌̆̈́̓͐̇̏͘͘̕͠͠͠ ̵̛̼̬̗̂̿̅͆̑̾̔͐̈͒̆͋̑̓̕̚͜͝█̸̧̹̟̗̤̰͖̼̯͖̖̭͇͍̐̉̿͒█̷̖̘̯̼̭̻̤͍̥̎͗͌̾͜ͅͅ█̶̜̱̈͆́̅̍̇͌̂̽͠͝█̸̙̖̜̱͖̺̞̱̗͔͚̣̳͍̓̃̈́̆̇̓̂̓̽̽͘̚͠█̵̡͇̜̘͔̆͊̒͘█̵̰̈͂̒́̎͋͘ ̴̡̖̮̞̤̭̙̝͎̗̝̭̣̗̗̂̓͊̒̉͌̈́̾̑̓͌́̓̄̓̽͘͘͝͝█̸̥͚̫̬͚̞̱̗͕̖͓͌̓͂̏́̀̎̈̀█̸̧̳̜̞͎̰̘̞̬̱̎̄̌͂͂̿͘͠͝ ̴̡̤͔͙͕͈̹̲̲͓̺͇̟̍̍̌͊͗̿̆̅̌̎̄́̃̈́́͋̚̕̕͝█̷̛̛̳̖͔̼̓̄̿̄͂̊̐̋͜͠͠͝͝█̵̹̖͖͎͈͉̥͖̭̱̣̮̦͚̭̺̀͊͂̎̋̕͜͝█̸̤͌́̏̈́̅̍̃̀̈͘█̶͚͖͖̙̑̐͊̈́̂̅̄́̏͑͊͊͗̀̔̋█̷͇̤͈̬̥̹͆̃͊͊͜͝█̴̧̡̨̜̫̥̥̯̝͉̹̹̹̞̖͋̓̇̇̈́͗͋█̵̨̨̧̖̥̲͍̫̱̠̱̩͖̱̟͊̐̎̇̂̀̐̿̄́́͂̉͌̃̉͝͝ͅ█̵̡̛̻̹͖͊͂̐̇̊̐̽͛͛̿͂͐̃͗͛̓͘͝͝█̸̡͍̫̤͉̖̞̙̰͍̤͓̂̑̌̉̆█̷̰̩̤̹̭̰͚͖̗̍́̇̏̒̇̊͋͗́̇̋͜
 
 
█̸̛̣͇̽̇̎͊͗̍̌͒̑̆̀̇█̸̧̧̨̟͇̝̖̪̠̘̩̟̦̗̬̳̙͔̝̼̠̬͉͙̻̫͕̅́̎̃̾̽̀͑͋̃̈́̇̂͑̐̀̓̐̇̽̚̕͝ͅ█̴̧̧̧̛̳̗̲̝͕̮̹̮̘͋̊̿̽͛̃̌̑͘̕̚ͅ ̶̢̨̙̺͕͕̦̞̖̺̥̮͈͍͚͓͍̖̜̙̮͍͈̮̍̈́̽̒͒͜͝͠͠█̶̬̿̄̇̐̉̌͘█̴̧̧̧̨̩̳͉̮̻̼̥̰̫̤͙̝͎̻͕̲̬̗̺͉̤̲̯͍͇̖̫̔̎̓̃̀̇̊͌̽̎̽̊́̾̂̆͊̅̓͝͝ͅ█̷̢̨̢̡̧̡̲̫̝̠͖͚̮͎̭͓̹͇͙̭̹̭̯͎͙̭͔̗̘̬̙͇͉̿̿̉̈́͘͠█̵̥̘̯̫̟͓̯͕͕̦̺͙͉̙̜̦̖̰̘͖͇̱͈͕͙̀́̆̍̔̌̒̐̓̒͆͊͒͂̉̾̏̀̃̚͝͝͠͝͝ͅ█̴̰̫͕̩̜̉̐̂͆̆̊̋͆͗̅̆̚͠ͅ█̷̨̨̡̧̨̤̖͎͙̺͕̬͖̫̮͍̖̺̤͍͖͈̩̮̙̟̖͍͖̥̝̌͋ ̸̨͚̩̳̖̫̳͚͔̟̪̀̉̈̇̔͒̆̽́̀̀͌̈́̓͑̑͆̓̀͂̑̍̓̔͐͛̾̕͝͝█̷̢̛̝̹͍͈͚̩̙̗͍̦͍̫̗̭̗̤͉̲͓̯̟̘̜̫̥͌͊́͌̅͐̀̋̔̋̈́̃̈́͒̆̈́̓̑͗͘̕͝█̶̡̺̱̻̯͈̻͓̼͚͙̱͍̘̀͐͐̂̓̉͒̌̂̏̈́̄̊̄̐̏̃̽̍͒͑̕̚͝͝͝ͅ ̷̦̍̐̓̅̐█̴̛͍̭̥̟͖̓͑́̋̏̀͊͐͌̀̽͊̋̇̚̚█̵͔̱̾̂̓̑̒̿̀͘█̷̟͓̣̤͙̫̫̝̟̠̞̮̣͗̒̎̀̑̀͂̀̕̚█̵̹̎̌̀̚͝█̸̨̨̛̫͍̜̎͗́͛̓͊͊̔̑̍̓̑͒͗͂̏̇͌̒͑̓͆̐̾̋̌̕̚͝͠͝█̷̤̰̳̯̥͓͉̺̦̇̉̾̐̆̓̓̿̔̀͘̕͜█̵̢̨̨̩͕̤͎̼̺̲̳̲̪͉̰̤̲͖̦̫̻̲̩͚͍̤͕͇̖̫͍̲̋̽̌́́̍̊̏̈́̏█̷̡̢̡̖̰̗̯̰͉̗̫̺͔̜̰͍͍̰̖͚̼͖͕̍̿͂́̈́̉̎̓̑̀̔̂͐̈́̂̽̈̚͘͝█̷̧̢̪͇̺͔͕͇̼̙̲̥̩̭͖͓̟̻̞̠̀͊̉̊͗͛̄̇́̒͋̇̓̓͜͜͠͝█̷̢̨̛̺̟̮̈͗̓̔̃̀͊̔́̾́͐̏̕͜ͅ…………)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
…But no one has to know about that.