A nun explains to him his new responsibility here

They walked a few doors down before the nun let him into another room.

“She’ll answer your questions.” The nun said, before leaving once again.

He walked into this new room, which looked a lot like a clerical office, and closed the door quietly behind him.

“Please, have a seat.” He sat down in front of this nun and what appeared to be her working table. There were a lot of papers and other documents scattered around everywhere.

“Audrey Ancus, correct?” The nun read from one of the papers on her desk.

“Oh, uh, yes, that’s me.” Audrey said, surprised.

“Left your home at around midday, entered the forest shortly thereafter, encountered a spider but did not kill it, and entered our convent yesterday before dark. All started with an inexplicable urge to leave suddenly. Is this information all correct?” The nun asked.

“Uhh… yes.” Audrey replied, nodding slowly.

“Excellent. Now, are you familiar with the penal system in your town? The laws, buildings, dungeons, etcetera.”

“Well, sort of?” He said, honestly.

“Good enough. You’ve heard the stories of where the most heinous sinners and lawbreakers go, no?”

This was one of his favorite stories from his childhood. The kind that parents used to scare their kids into behaving – but he always founds this one fascinating more than anything else.

“Yes, I know that one! They’re hauled off to a prison managed by monsters.” Audrey replied, much more confidently.

The nun smiled at his enthusiasm. “Good. Well you see, those stories are... mostly true.”

Audrey’s eyes widened in disbelief as the nun continued.

“You remember the guard warning you to return before dark, or not at all?” The nun asked, seeming to change the topic suddenly.

“Yes, I remember.” Audrey replied.

“That’s just an archaism they never changed. Many ages ago, a very peculiar type of human emerged – part-monster, part-human. A demihuman if you will. They went around…” The nun broke off, smirking.

“Well let’s just say they went around “terrorizing” the town folk. Namely the men. Until one of them found a solution. Amans Ancus.”

“The founder of my clan…” Audrey said.

“That’s the one. It was pretty simple actually, yet genius that he saw a solution where nobody else did. The dungeons and prisons wanted to punish, and these monsters wanted to “terrorize.” And as far as the town people were concerned – especially the women – they really didn’t like having these monsters around. So working with the Mages Guild, the architects, the town guard – everything and everybody in the town – he made a prison-cum-dungeon ran by monsters.”

“You mean this is that dungeon?” Audrey asked.

“Yes.” The nun replied.

“But then, where are the monsters?”

The nun grinned again and said, “I can show you a few of them in a moment, but I’m sure you have some questions you’d like to ask.”

Audrey nodded and sat in silence for a few moments, then he remembered that familiar symbol from earlier. Perhaps a stupid question, but he had to make sure.

“If I may ask, does this place also serve as a convent?”

“Yes, although… our monastic vows are not exactly the same as the ones from your town. We worship the One just as the others do, but we’ve sworn it as our holy mission to mete out the appropriate punishments and disciplinary measures against those who would defy the Will of the One.”

Audrey nodded thoughtfully. Now he really wanted to know:

“Why have I been led here today?”

“Amans had one of the most powerful warlocks at that time – Erit – to create a posterity spell: it implanted an innate self-selecting intelligence into your family’s bloodline – part of his own original mind – which would automatically call the most suitable relative, no matter how distant, to be the next Witness of this sacred place.”

“And so do I have to stay here now?”

“Well, we haven’t had any chosen ones who decided to leave after they saw what happens in here.” The nun said with a slight grin. “But no, you’re not actually under any obligations to stay here. Amans made sure of that.”

“So is everybody back home in on this? What do my mother and father think about this?”

“Well to be honest, yes. It’s a bit ridiculous because they still tell it like a fairy tale, but every single person knows that at any moment, a member of the Ancus family may suddenly disappear to never be seen again. But I assure you, to be chosen as the Witness is one of the most prestigious honors that can be bestowed upon an Ancus. Your parents will be celebrated as heroes back home, if not right now.”

Audrey nodded again. He still wanted to be thorough about what was going on here, however. “What does the Witness do, and why does there need to be one in the first place?”

“They are the connecting agent to the outside world – and the act of bearing witness to the suffering that happens here serves as a tangible manifestation of the will of the people. That seeing is what gives meaning to all of it.”

“Why haven’t I heard about there being a missing Ancus before?”

“Every Ancus that becomes a Witness has a tendency to live much longer than average. Probably part of the original spell.”

Audrey nodded a final time. “I think I’m ready.”

“Very well. Your duties now are very simple. In each one of these doors that you’ve seen, as well on the other floors, there is a prisoner. Our monsters periodically go around to pay a visit to each of them. Up until now we’ve withdrawn all of them so as not to scare you away, but when you exit from this room now, they’ll all be on their regular schedules again – chores, duties, other things like that. Do not be alarmed, for they know who you are. Things may be a bit confusing at first, but there really isn’t quite any wrong way to do things. There’s a lot more material here that we haven’t covered, but you’ll learn along the way. If you need any help or ever have any more questions, you can ask any of the monsters for help.” The nun stands up and motions towards the door, inviting Audrey to finally see things for himself. Audrey thanked the nun before walking over to the door.