Page 135 of Light Leech

“I’ve heard rumors, but looking at you now, I can see that the stories don’t do you justice. You are magnificent–”

“Don’t waste your time flattering me.”

“Then tell me who you are. Why Shou versus Zhou? Who are you?”

“I am Di Xin. I am the great king and emperor who orchestrates this Dynasty. I am also known as King Shou or plainly Shou but have been mocked as ‘Zhou’ by those who do not see as I do.”

“And what is all of this?“ She gestured around the room, but I could tell that her question referred to more.

“The Dynasty?”

She nodded.“It’s not much more than you see. A collective of elites who need to escape from the eyes of the public to live their own lives here, no matter how brief these experiences may be. But my hand stretches beyond these little parties. These narratives I spin are for the benefit of us all. We are all a collection of stories, actors in a grand play, people who guide the citizens of the world through the stories we tell. You have as much of a story as a star athlete. Each of you have a purpose to play in swaying the public through what they call ‘entertainment.’”

“And what do you call it?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“No euphemisms,” she said.

“You want it raw?”

She nodded.

“People are too foolish to live on their own. They consume more than think for themselves. Though there are occasional exceptions, most of the population follows what crawls into their minds though the media they consume. Mindshows. Advertisements. News outlets. Games. Music. You already understand. With the Haven Health advertisements laced into your songs, you were part of this without ever knowing.”

“And you think you have the right to direct the message the public ingests?”

“I’m not so presumptuous. I am a realist. The public will consume. They will shift according to their media. I am merely a man, a public servant, who has taken upon himself the responsibility to make something out of this. I am choosing to make the public more than mere consumers.”

“And what are you making them into?”

“Well, that depends. The world’s needs change from day to day. Your producer changed the purpose of your music according to the best sponsors, did he not?”

She nodded.

“I am the same, but I do not bow to sponsors.”

“You serve a higher power?”

He was reluctant to nod as he stared at her through a pensive squint but did so after a few seconds of silence. “Some might say.”

“What about the larger corporations like Nichley, do you control them, too?”

A second of hesitation sparked something in his inhuman eyes. “We are allied.”

“How so?”

Be careful, Naoma. If I could have messaged her without him noticing, I would have.

“I think you know,” he said. “That is why you are here tonight, isn’t it? To correct the mistakes you have made?”

I fell back as two of Zhou’s servants seized me. I grunted as I fought them with hands already behind my back. I readied my Bite.

“What are you doing?” she shouted.

“Showing you where you are mistaken. You are following a broken narrative, Naoma. I knew why you were coming here. I am not so foolish as to dismiss the assaults against my allies, those who gave you great opportunities only to be betrayed by you.”

Nichley. Zeg. He knew.