Page 48 of Light Leech

He shrugged. “Guess we’ll see.” He pointed at Kalacia. “I’m going to ask you about that other assassin, so start thinking about your answer.“ He then pointed to Ralia. “What makes this Pure Knowledge thing a myth?”

“It’s mind they believe they can tap into–”

“An essence,“ Kalacia corrected.

Boyband eyed me. I shook my head. I doubted it was Neon Essence, yet everything was connected enough for it to not be such an outlandish idea.

“Elaborate,” I said.

“All wisdom, information, knowledge condensed into an accessible core. We might all have neuronet access, but everything you see is manipulated by someone trying to sell you something or make you hate what they hate. Knowledge is preserved. Truth. It’s out there. Once you tap in, you have access to everything that has ever happened and everything that is happening. Complete unrestrained knowledge.”

“And you gain access to it by killing one of us?” Boyband asked.

She shook her head. “That only grants access to testing.”

“Testing?” he asked.

“To see if you are worthy of Pure Knowledge.

“And what is that testing like?”

“No one knows.”

He laughed. “So you follow this mess of a trail for just a chance? Why the zeg would you have to kill someone to gain access?”

“Because the Pure Knowledge administration identified your group as impediments to its perpetuation.”

Boyband scoffed. “Definitely Gongtide.”

Kalacia looked unsure. From what I could surmise, she was just another hopeless self-proclaimed scholar caught up in something larger than she understood.

“Let’s take a step back. Pet. Tell her about the therapist.”

I began to recount the experience, leaving out most of the personal details to highlight my experience with the pseudo-past.

“And there was a black presence around it,” I said, “just like you had.”

“Just like you had,“ she replied. “You’re all using Light Leeches, too. I saw the light emanating from you in our little encounter. I have no idea how you got yours, but–”

“How did you get yours?” If she believed that we had one of her false Gui, we might as well let her. She didn’t need to know anything more about us.

“It was a reward for one of the first steps. You can’t just apply for Pure Knowledge testing with a simple bounty. Each step of this path is an endeavor of its own.”

“You didn’t answer my question. How did you get yours?”

“You pass a chameleon test. Prove that you can blend into society as a reputable person with advantages. You can’t just pass with the look, but you need the knowledge and personality, as well.”

“So you posed as Sanna?”

She scoffed. “No. That was only a way to get to you. I was an insurance broker. I worked for a month to help a client of Pure Knowledge evade taxes and launder lumens without a trace. Help the Knowledge, they help you, but it’s not a one-time ordeal. Once I passed that, they implanted me with a Light Leech and the associated education needed to use one, hoping that I could pass this step.”

“Which you failed,” Boyband said.

She glared at him.

He laughed. “So that mind-molesting therapist used a Light Leech against my dear friend?”

“I supposed so. Every Light Leech is integrated into your body and neurospace via a brainstem implant. That is the same, but the abilities vary.”