[birds tweeting]
[bird squawks]
[soft metallic chiming]
[birds tweeting]
[river ripples]
[birds screeching]
[baby burbling]
[river ripples]
[rope bridge creaks]
[man] Chet-chet!
[birds squawking]
- [wings flutter] - [horse nickers]
[man chants in foreign language]
[crowd] Chet-chet-chet!
[rhythmic chanting]
[snarls]
[silence]
[water rushing]
[thunder rumbling]
Haniwa, Kofun, I'm very happy to see you.
Are you...
I'm Jerlamarel. Your father.
[gasps]
[murmurs]
When I heard the queen and her Witchfinders found the Alkenny,
I feared the worst.
Let me look at you.
[thunder rumbling]
Well, you must be exhausted from your journey.
Come. I'll get you settled.
The House of Enlightenment.
[Kofun] I've never seen anything like it.
[Jerlamarel] I found the building mostly intact.
It was once a prison, so it was built to last.
Took me years of scavenging for parts to build a generator,
but because of that we have electricity for light, hot water, heat.
[animal bleating]
Everyone's so excited to meet you.
Everyone?
[birds screeching]
It's me.
Meet your brothers and sisters.
Haniwa, Kofun, you made it.
I am Oloman, your brother.
This is Sheva.
- That's Nonni, Sammy. - Welcome.
This is Sheena.
Welcome.
Nice to meet you.
And these two little monsters over here are Hayah and Hoveh.
Ah, you must be hungry. Let's get some food.
For the food we eat and the family we eat it with,
including our newest brother and sister,
we give thanks.
You may begin.
[slurping]
Mm.
[Jerlamarel] Now you need to get some rest.
Haniwa, this is your room.
Kofun's will be right next door.
Here are your things. This is your bed.
Oh.
This is a painting by Claude Monet.
Well, it's not an actual painting. It's a reproduction.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
And I've saved the best for last.
These are your showers.
And this bottle here, your soap.
The water even gets heated.
Yes. We... We read about it in the books.
I think you'll find this a bit more satisfying than reading about it.
- Hmm. - [shower turns off]
Come, Kofun. I'll show you your room.
They expect us to sleep in these things?
I guess so.
If we're all one big family, why don't we sleep together?
I was thinking the same thing.
[chuckles]
Here. Get in.
So warm, without any fire.
I miss Dad.
I miss him too.
Do you think we're ever gonna be with him again?
I don't know.
We just left him on his own...
after everything that happened with Mom.
I don't know why we came here.
- [horse whinnies] - [chattering]
[chattering]
[wind whistling]
[groans]
No one talks to her.
No one comes near her. Watch her like your life depends on it.
Does it?
Yes.
[dog barking]
[sighs]
You were right.
You warned me that sooner or later
I would regret supporting your sister's continued reign.
But I doubt even you could have predicted just how right you'd be.
Each one of these soldiers lost a parent, child, a sibling, a spouse.
Every one of them could become the leader of the mutiny against her... or us.
If they find out about what she's done...
I fear there'll be no stopping it.
If?
How can it be prevented?
The only people here who know the story are you, me, your witch
and the queen's accomplice, who is currently under guard.
And the queen herself.
Sooner or later, your men are gonna want to hear from their queen.
And how do we prevent the story from coming out then?
She cannot be allowed to emerge from that building as queen again.
What exactly does that mean?
It means there are two outcomes available to us.
Either she emerges having abdicated the throne willingly,
blessed her sister as her successor and agreed to be ruled by her...
or she does not emerge at all.
She will never give up the throne no matter what you say to her.
Nothing I can say would persuade her to do it.
So you will have to try.
You're with Princess Maghra, yes?
The Witchfinder trusts you to guard me.
I presume that means you're sworn either to him or to her.
And I have to assume it's to her,
given the contempt that he clearly holds for you.
You should be quiet now.
Just yesterday I was property to the most brutal of men.
I acquiesced because it was better than the alternative...
right up to the moment when it wasn't.
What is it exactly that you owe her?
Huh? Your loyalty perhaps.
But your obedience,
your future, your life?
How can that be?
The queen has made it clear what I stand to gain if I solve this problem.
Let me make it clear to you
what you stand to gain if you help me solve it.
It's good to be lieutenant to a princess,
but it's so much better to be lieutenant to a queen.
[bells jingling]
What's this?
Read it.
There was a time, before all this,
where you could still be counted on to see reason.
I remember that version of my sister.
And I'm here in the hopes that she still exists within you.
And that she'll accept the reality of her situation
and do the sensible thing.
[gasps]
"Abdicate the throne."
Affix your seal. Endorse it.
Read it to the men, today, right now.
And accept its result that you will live under my rule as queen.
What a fantasy this must have been.
Walking in here, thinking I might actually do this for you.
For me?
Do it. Don't do it.
I offer this to you out of mercy and for the sake of our father's memory.
Whether you choose to accept it or not is your choice.
But it isn't my choice, Maghra.
You know that.
It's just not something that can be bargained away.
Negotiated under duress to save my life
or to impart some longed-for meaning to yours.
Only the gods decide who's king or queen.
And when they do, Death must be a witness,
or there is no succession, no majesty, no legitimacy.
Just a petty lie agreed upon by petty people.
If you want my divinity...
one of you must have the courage to pick up a knife and come take it.
God's law, God's voice, God's words.
It's amazing how they all just align
with whatever it is that you want at any given moment.
It is fitting then that you'll meet your end in a place like this,
declaring God's will to be on your side
as misfortune strips you of everything and anything
that you once laid claim to bit by bit.
The offer to abdicate stands.
Do it, don't do it.
It's entirely up to you.
[children shouting]
[children giggling]
Get any sleep?
Not really.
I can imagine.
You've left behind everything you've ever known.
It's natural to feel a bit lost.
But I promise you, the opposite is true.
[children laughing]
You're with your family now.
Come on. I'll show you around.
This is where we study every day.
A pencil?
We all have so much to learn.
Right?
And here we are, the librarium.
[chuckles]
Took me almost ten years to get all these books in here.
Science, mathematics, medicine,
history, geography, engineering, literature.
Our ancestors were very meticulous when it came to documenting
their knowledge and accomplishments for posterity.
It's almost as if they knew we would one day need them.
There is so much I'd like to share with you, this blessing that we have.
This blessing can often feel like a curse, can't it?
Because every day, we see all the wasted potential
in this world and in ourselves.
And you feel alone.
Really?
Kofun, you know what I mean.
We've had to hide all of these things that we can do from everyone.
Exactly.
I've spent most of my life traveling, searching for others like me.
And I've crossed the Trivantes all the way to the Western Badlands.
And west of the Payan all the way to the Atlantic.
I have never found a sighted person.
You've seen the ocean?
I've swum in it.
So, why did you come back?
To build this place.
A citadel of knowledge
and a sanctuary where we could safely gather and learn.
Educating ourselves and eventually others of the sciences of our forefathers.
But you said you never found another person with sight.
I didn't. So, I made you.
Are we all your children?
Yes. You, Kofun,
Oloman, Sheva.
Everyone except the two little ones.
They are Oloman's.
And their mothers?
They love their mothers dearly as you love yours.
And there is always a place for her here.
Our mother is dead.
- What? - She was killed by the Witchfinders.
Oh.
I am very sorry to hear that.
I was quite fond of her.
Can't have been that fond of her. You left her alone.
- Kofun. - Pregnant with your children.
You left us alone our entire lives.
Did you not want to know us?
Who we were, what we were like?
You have every right to be upset.
You know, I would be lying if I said I didn't regret
the way I handled some of these matters.
I was young. Often unwise.
Being chosen doesn't make me perfect.
No, far from it.
But I was chosen, Kofun. You must see that.
A sighted baby born to blind parents.
I was born to be a bridge between this dark world
and a better one to come.
We've been given a divine mission. And we will be remembered.
Our names will be spoken for the rest of human history.
Come on. I'll show you the generator.
[Kofun sighs]
What are you doing?
He doesn't even care that Mom is dead.
Of course he cared.
He was clearly upset about it, but she wasn't his wife.
No, she was just there to carry his babies.
To carry us, Kofun. I don't think you're being very fair.
What, so he believed that we were chosen to bring light into the world?
Chosen.
Born.
Call it what you like. All I know is that we've lived our lives in fear until now.
Hunted by people who should really be afraid of us.
Wait, you want to be feared?
I'd rather be feared than burned as a witch.
[Jerlamarel] Ready?
[fire roaring]
Is that all coal?
Yes, we have our own mine just beyond the fence line.
- [Oloman coughing] - The Payan lands are rich in coal.
That's how you power the lights?
Yeah. I'll show you.
Oloman.
Morning.
The burning of the coal in the boiler creates steam under pressure.
Blows into the turbines which spins the generator to create electricity.
You built this alone?
Yes. I rebuilt it.
But Oloman, he's the one that learned how to really make it sing.
[Oloman] Ah.
I just added this. Pressure release valve.
See, you've got to control the pressure,
or you either end up with none or way too much.
Either way, no power.
Imagine what we can accomplish together once we grow in numbers.
We'll be able to light entire cities.
What are cities for the blind people gonna do with all that light?
These cities will be for the sighted.
There's about ten of us. What about everyone else?
Is your plan just to leave them behind?
No. No, of course not, Kofun.
But make no mistake, in the natural order of things,
the blind are the aberration, not us.
And soon enough, they will come to us,
asking us to father sighted children.
Children that will need to be educated in a place like this.
And in the future, other places like this.
God, nature, whatever you wish to call it,
has elected to restore vision to humanity.
And that responsibility has been given to us.
- Thank you, Oloman. - Yes, sir.
Kofun.
I know Jerlamarel can take some getting used to.
Does he think he's some kind of god? That we're all gods?
No, not gods, but the first of a new breed.
A returning race of humans that can help realize our true potential
after living like frightened animals in the darkness for 500 years.
Frightened animals?
I hope that you meet my real father one day.
Look, I get it, Kofun.
It wasn't any easier for me when I first got here.
But what you don't realize is that even though you can see,
you've been living out there in the darkness your whole life.
Just give it some time.
Jerlamarel may not have raised us, but he made us with purpose.
- To bring light back into the world. - That's right.
You can start by taking this shovel.
[woman] The Witchfinders murdered your people.
We grieve for them.
Here, too, the Valeyas have known the pain of their souls.
But my people worry that you may lead Tamacti Jun back to us.
Our child is badly hurt and in need of healers.
She won't last a day in the wild.
Would you turn her away?
You may leave the girl.
[grunts]
But you two must agree to make tracks leading away from here.
You have my word.
Brave, Bow Lion. [sniffles]
Where will you go?
God Flame knows.
But the Valeya will be good to you.
You must make a life for yourself here.
There's nothing for you out there, Bow Lion.
Your mother is in your spirit.
[sobs]
I dream a long life for you, dear girl.
With many journeys yet to come.
- Chet-chet. - Chet-chet-chet.
My brave lion.
I stand with Baba.
[Baba Voss] We'll never forget you, Bow.
[Paris] It's just you and me now, you big lump.
What gods did you anger to deserve this?
My mother taught me very sad days last no longer than very happy days.
She a presage too?
- No. She liked to get drunk. - Oh.
Which makes the lesson no less valuable on that account.
It's starting to get cold.
We should start a fire. I'll find something to kill.
[gate door closes]
Colonel. This is a surprise.
Is it?
I would think you would've been expecting me
with the arrival of Baba Voss' children.
In fact, I was a little concerned you didn't contact me
as you promised the general.
Did you think my archers wouldn't send word?
[Jerlamarel] I was getting around to it. It's been a little hectic around here.
[colonel] Well, we're here now. Where are my prisoners?
[Jerlamarel] Tell me, why is the general so fixated on these children specifically?
[colonel] It's my job to follow the general's orders,
not to question them, not to understand them.
You might wanna consider that.
Well, unlike you, I do not work for the general. We're partners.
[scoffs]
Tell yourself that if it helps.
Are you absolutely certain these are Baba Voss' children we're getting?
It's a long way to Trivantes and we wouldn't want any mistakes.
You are getting his daughter, Haniwa.
- [colonel] And the son? - No.
[staff clinking]
[colonel] Are we going to have a problem here?
No problem at all. As long as the boy stays here.
Might I remind you, my family and I are armed and you are outnumbered.
[chuckles]
Well, then, I guess the girl will have to do.
Kofun?
You don't have to sneak around.
They're talking about us. Why are they talking about us?
What?
[gasps]
Haniwa!
[whimpers]
Kofun!
Baba!
[gasping]
[coughs]
[coughing]
Open the door!
Help!
Open the door!
Let me out!
Haniwa! Haniwa, Haniwa! No!
Open the door! Open the door!
Go.
Giddyap.
You all right?
She was my daughter. Your sister.
I just... I didn't see another way.
It's a shame. She had such great potential.
What about Kofun?
What did he see?
Enough.
I waited so long for these two.
It's very upsetting.
[Tamacti Jun] You did what you could.
Not enough.
More than she would've done for you if the roles were reversed.
Are you certain about that?
Yes. Very.
And, though maybe not at this moment,
on some level, so are you.
You are not to blame.
And if your father was here, he'd agree.
I'll make sure to be quick.
[staff tapping]
Witchfinder?
You have been a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember.
It'll be nearly unthinkable not having your counsel
in whatever future life I'm about to step into.
I've made some additional remarks.
Assuming they have my sister's blessing,
I'll read them to the troops to begin the transition.
My abdication.
- [footsteps] - [gasps]
[grunts]
[Maghra] Stop! Stop! What are you doing?
Get away from him!
Tamacti Jun.
[Queen Kane whimpering]
[Maghra] What did you do?
What did you do?
[groaning]
Thank you for your service.
[Maghra] Sibeth, no.
What have you done?
Maghra, once a dog bites,
no matter how loyal you remember him once being,
no matter your fondness for him, he must be put down.
- You've killed us both. - [scoffs] Hardly.
His army waits outside, and when they find out...
No, no, no, no, no, no. Not his.
He just borrowed it.
And they will hear the truth,
that his guilt over the injuries I sustained was simply too great to go on.
He took his own life according to the Old Way.
A loyal servant to the end.
Obviously, if you and I were to tell conflicting stories,
it would only cloud that truth.
Confusion would set in, chaos, and then, yes, we probably both lose our heads.
Or we walk out of here together
and deliver the message, in which I'll explain
that in this time of crisis, I will lead my soldiers with my sister at my side.
The first time in my reign that I'll rule with her counsel.
Don't be frightened.
I'm here.
I am right here.
[breathes shakily]
So much is about to change.
[lock rattling]
[yells]
Get off! Let go! Go!
Calm down, Kofun.
What did you do with my sister?
Your sister is fine.
You gave her to the Trivantians.
The Trivantians are not the monsters you were raised to fear.
If it was not for my partnership with them,
this place, my family, would all have been killed long ago by the queen.
With our vision and the Trivantian army,
we can conquer the queen once and for all.
That will take years,
but soon we will control the most powerful military on the continent.
We will no longer be hunted like dogs, but seen as gods.
But it will take a sacrifice.
Huh?
Kofun, my son. I...
I'm not your son, you crazy fuck!
Shut your mouth.
You do not deserve the blessings you've been given.
Take him out the back way. I do not want the children to see him.
I'm very sorry.
You'll be taken to the outskirts of the facility, then you're free to go.
What about my sister?
[door slams]
Take everyone downstairs and organize the larder.
Await my call.
I do not want the children to hear him.
[inhales deeply]
[muffled thud]
- Hey! - Hey! Hey!
Dad. On your right. On your right. On your right.
On your left!
Wall! Wall!
- We here? - Yeah, we're here.
Ah.
[blade scrapes]
Jerlamarel!
Where are you?
[door creaks, closes]
You're not hiding from me, are you?
Do you see me?
'Cause I smell you.
Hiding in your filth like a fucking rat.
Is this your House of Enlightenment?
There's no trees.
No air.
Just the putrid stench of things rotting.
Your vision and all your knowledge is a disease that wiped out your kind.
But you feel nothing.
You fools know nothing.
Come on out and fight me like a fucking man, you coward.
[Jerlamarel] Baba Voss. It doesn't need to be this way.
You gave my baby girl to the Trivantians.
It's not my fault. It's yours.
The general only wanted her because he thinks she's your daughter.
[books clatter]
What general?
[books clatter]
Edo Voss.
Edo.
Your brother.
And you just gave her to him?
I had no choice.
What kind of man waits 17 years to meet his children only to betray them?
I am fighting for the entire human race! Sacrifices must be made!
They're my children. You hurt them!
They are not your children.
They were made to fulfill a destiny you couldn't possibly understand.
Is that right?
Oh!
I'm gonna tear your fucking head off!
No, you won't.
Ow!
[groaning]
You fuck. You fuck.
[yells]
Ow! [yells]
You can't possibly think you can defeat me.
Oh. I'm stupid like that.
[clattering]
Where are you? Fucking coward.
[gunshot]
It's a weapon of the ancients.
Much more efficient than your arrows and swords.
I know what a gun is.
It's a weapon of choice for men with no balls.
[steam hissing]
You can't win, Baba Voss.
You live in a world of perpetual darkness.
I belong to a future where you and your kind must be left behind forever.
[rattling]
[rattling stops]
[Baba Voss] Oh, no. Now, you're in my world.
[Baba Voss laughing]
[footsteps running]
Where are you?
[flesh squishes]
[Baba Voss] Everywhere.
[clinking]
[gunshot]
[gunshots]
No one leaves until I get back.
I smell your blood, Jerlamarel.
Yeah?
And your fear.
- [flesh squishes] - [yelps]
[gunshot]
[Jerlamarel] Do you smell yours?
[Baba Voss] I'm going to bleed you out, little by little.
So you can feel the life draining from you.
A coward's death.
Slow and wet.
[yells, groans]
[bone cracks]
[Baba Voss laughs]
[yells, groans]
Chet-chet.
Look at me. Look at me.
You did this.
Wait, wait, wait.
Please, please! Please don't!
[Jerlamarel cries]
[screams]
[groaning]
[Jerlamarel gasping]
Kofun?
Yes.
[gasping continues]
Are you okay?
No, I'm not.
The Witchfinder is dead!
He was the last of his kind.
A soldier with the honor to recognize...
that having failed his queen, his kingdom,
his gods, and himself...
he had no choice but to take a soldier's death,
which demands a release in the traditional manner.
A hero to the end.
Who leaves us with the responsibility
to live up to his noble sacrifice.
So we forge ahead.
We will build a new world for ourselves.
A world without hardship.
A world without want.
- A world without... - A world without fear.
A world without hate.
A world without superstition.
A new path unlike any we've ever traveled before.
And in this new world that Tamacti Jun's sacrifice made possible...
there may be no need for Witchfinders at all.
Sergeant, we go to the Lavender Road.
[shouts in foreign language]
[shouting in foreign language]
That was interesting.
A world with no Witchfinders would mean a world with no witches.
We're gonna find my family.
That's not up for discussion.
And when we do, I will not have them labeled as fugitives by our army.
"Our" army?
Isn't it?
So, the road ahead leads to a sighted kingdom.
I suppose I shall need a sighted king
in such a world to give me sighted children.
Having been rejected by Jerlamarel once,
you can understand why I'd not make the overture again.
What are you suggesting?
Tell me more about your son.
Chet-chet.
What do you see, my boy?
Towers of God bone.
More than I've ever seen in my life.
There's smoke.
Paris.
She's here.
[Baba Voss] Let's go get your sister.