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ARCHIVIST LEGUNDO
I hadn't been planning to read a statement, but this one just… showed up on my desk. Drift hadn't seen it come in either. [clears throat] Statement of Abolish Veylocke regarding his recent relationship with the End. Original statement received September 14th, 2016. Statement begins.
ARCHIVIST LEGUNDO (STATEMENT)
I told myself I would never give a statement. I wouldn't feed the Eye. But this is less of a statement and more of a housekeeping announcement.
I know my family introduced themselves to your predecessor, but we hadn't deemed you ready for contact just yet. Not after that fire. But the Veylockes are responsible for keeping the fears in check in any way we can. And that involves keeping a lot of tabs on people, and having connections in high places. Personally, I was involved with the more… messy side of things.
My job was to find Avatars and deal with them in any way I saw fit. Most of the time, it meant a discreet kill, or an infiltration mission. Generally speaking, I have connections with law enforcement, so they know to stay out of my way. I'm not going to go into any more details, for the sake of privacy. But just know that if any occult group's activity suddenly stopped, I probably had something to do with it.
The Veylockes are less of a family and more of a workplace. My parents raised me on the fears, how to sense them, how to stop them. And after they died, the rest of the Veylockes took over the training.
One problem I had always seen in the organization was that far too often, the Avatars we went against had come from our family. We let someone get too lonely, or they enjoyed the thrill of the chase a little too much, or took pleasure in destruction. Nobody ever talked about the inside threats, though. People would just disappear, and we would be left wondering if they had been killed by a vengeful Avatar, or if they had strayed too far. We didn't do a good job of protecting our own.
I was vigilant. Never letting myself get carried away, drawn to any one thing too much. It was a job. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think my problem was not that I surrendered to fear, but that I created too much fear. Got too famous. Avatars started avoiding me, but that didn't stop me coming. Some of them tried to bargain, but I'm not the best with deals. I got too competent.
I think the tipping point was when I smoked out a forest to find a Hunt avatar. They looked shocked that they could still die. Were still human enough for that.
The next morning, I woke up with a white streak in my hair. I knew a few people who had gone gray early, but this was not anything like that. It was bone white. I tried dyeing it, but whenever I would wash my hair, the dye would wash off too. It never lasted. It took about a month before I had to deal with my first assassination. I knew the assassin, too. It didn't hurt, though. I just didn't bother coming home.
I didn't blame them at all for trying. I would too. Somewhere along the line, killing monsters makes you a monster to some, I guess. I am the reminder that anyone can still die. The End is patient, but it is still there. It does not matter if I actually kill anyone, all I need to do is inspire fear. And that I do. I feel like a monster. Haven't needed to eat or sleep in days. It's not as bad of a feeling as I thought it would be. It's just waking up in the morning to find another hair streak has gone white.
I'm not afraid to die. One day, someone will get the better of me and I will pass on. But right now, there are still other monsters, other Avatars out there. While I'm still here, I'm making sure they know to stay in line.
First on my list is Owen, of course. Then that butcher and her dog. They're the violent ones, the active dangers that need to be put down. After that, maybe try to track down Shelby and Goldsmith. I don't know what he wants with them, but it can't be good.
All this to say, you're on this list. I don't consider the Archives to be an urgent threat. But you still torture people, still feed on fear.
I would steer clear of me. If I see you or any of your assistants, I will deal with them accordingly.
Archivist, to answer your question, I don't know if things will get better. If we can be saved. I think we can be. But we only have so much time to figure it out. Something is happening. Something big.
I would wish you good luck, but on further inspection, that might be insincere. Try to do good. Or at least better.
ARCHIVIST LEGUNDO
Statement ends.
I… I didn't know he knew about my plans. It feels like everyone does. What's the point of being all-knowing when everyone knows everything about you too?
I think I can sense him out there, but I don't want to look any closer. Abolish might take that as a threat.
I'll have to warn Drift, Apo, and P- well, I'll have to warn the assistants not to go near him if possible. Even if Apo won't listen to a word I say. Might warn Cleo, too. They deserve a heads up.
Recording ends.
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