"Good evening. Is this your first time attending the Black gala?"
"Yes, I am ashamed to say that I am still a fledgling intiate."
"I see, I and my brother are attending on behalf of our mother."
"Am I allowed to ask if I know her?"
"Aldire Tell."
Ives conversed with one of his hosts, who agreed to accommodate him on their journey to the gala.
For three hours now, the private jet crossed miles and miles of endless blue heading for an unknown location which is presumably the venue of the gala.
Eight people occupied the cabin they were in.
Three were his guards, Zeke, an unidentified featureless mask and the two owners of the jet.
Though their faces were covered with deer masks, their figure, unnaturally pale complexion, sophisticated aura and hair colour revealed the wealth, luxury and dignity beneath.
Ives couldn't doubt for a second that they were Aldire's children.
"I am thankful, Miss Tell agreed to let me commute with you both for the journey." Ives showed his appreciation but remained vigilant, his relationship with Aldire is far from friendly.
This time it was the brother that engaged with Ives,
"There isn't an issue there, it is only understandable since you are now one of her possessions and hence, our brother. Mother said regardless of whether you choose to believe it, she has already marked you as hers. Your outburst only ensured that and now you are more valuable than ever."
Ives remained calm allowing the words to settle before giving his response,
"I find it odd, she thinks that. I thought that with her grand collection of interesting humans, she wouldn't even consider me a viable option. I am literally just a child who acquired an immense fortune, all my achievements are great but compared to other members of the order, I feel quite lacking."
"If mother desires you then the only thing you have to do is submit, all other things will be taken care of."
One of the air hostesses came and announced,
"We'll be landing soon."
The aircraft touched down on an enormous island in the middle of nowhere, the land was large enough to accommodate a landing area and even host countless other aircrafts but what this Land held was still a mystery.
As they disembarked from the plane, one of the twins whispered a cryptic warning from Aldire to Ives.
"Mother said it won't be long till your secret is known and when that happens certain powerful figures will fight to control you or destroy you."
Ives now tense asked, "Why?"
"Because you know more than you are allowed to. You could reveal their sins, they will ruin your life in order to keep you as a guinea pig or they will destroy every trace that you existed. She said that she will always protect her property as long as he knows how to keep his trump card a secret."
Ives didn't need any further explanation, everything had already been laid out.
His ability to recall previous worlds could put the order in danger, the idea that their actions had doomed countless worlds could uproot the sense of control they have and threaten the loyalty of those within who could choose to rebel against the order due to the guilt of the existential horror they have committed.
And this could also mean that he could be ordered to be experimented on to understand the nature of this ability and how they could use it to tighten their control over the time deviation technology.
Not just him but everyone who could be experiencing the memories, their lives could be in danger.
"Knowing the order, it won't be long till they find out whatever you're hiding."
The female of the two commented as they left the jet.
Stepping into the Black gala now felt like stepping into enemy territory, the more Ives learned about the order the more questioned himself.
'Is it right to be working for them?' Ives shook off the thought, 'The order gave me purpose, security and strength on a level most could only dream of, the government and all of humanity aren't anymore better. I can only thread carefully and use the order in the same way they use me.'
He was ready for whatever came next.
"We welcome our most esteemed guests to the Black gala."
Outside the airfield, they were met with a surprising sight, a horse drawn carriage awaited them at the landing.
It's exterior had an artistic decor and it's interior, a warm comfortable embroidery. The coachmen waited, their heads bowed in the most realistic costumes he had ever seen.
Zeke and the others didn't approach, they waited, signalling to the three - Ives and the twins.
'GO AHEAD.'
Ives stared back, unsure if he was ready to approach the gala without Zeke but the strong pull of the female twin's grip dragged him into the carriage.
"You're gonna make us late. I want to see the presentations before the golden masks arrive to give the grand vision."
Ives followed her pull, not knowing what any of those words meant. The ride was oddly smooth and the clatter of horse hooves on the cobble stone road was oddly relaxing.
Ives sat down beside the female twin who admired the world outside with enough awe that Ives had no choice but to push his curtain open to take a peek. What he saw was a dream of a lost era.
Their carriage was approaching a city modelled perfectly after Victorian England.
Stone houses with long chimneys blaring soot and smoke into the night.
Chatter of humans as they engaged in their lives without the presence of advanced technology.
The raw smell of horses, extravagant perfume and the hushed whispers of the curious inhabitants.
A long train of similar artistic carriages all crossing the central bridge to an enormous castle nestled in the center of this ancient vestige that is somehow still living and breathing in this era.
"All this for a costume party?" Ives mused.
"The only ones wearing costumes are us." The female revealed.
"Pardon?" Ives said with growing confusion.
The male twin began, "Aura, let me explain it to him. The inhabitants of this land are genuinely living in the past, all knowledge, technology even memories and identity connecting them to the modern world are removed. Their entire environment is structured so is their identity. They live, eat, breed and die living in a bygone era."
"What is this place really?" Ives asked worriedly.
"An exhibition so you are not allowed to speak with them about anything that doesn't match their era, not allowed to move recklessly, not allowed to eat and drink the same food or water as they do so as to not containment the environment and also not allowed to act contrary to the established role of a haughty noble the order members perform when convening here. Only observe from the distance." The female twin - Aura explained.
"The people here are volunteers from all over the world who came to add to this permanent reenactment, they willingly agreed to everything. To forsake their identity and memories of the past, all they now know is here - New London." The male twin added.
"Like Dawn said, they help the order understand the nature of ancient societies and human behaviour. That is what makes this incredible." Aura fawned.
"All this is really just for art?" Ives made his concerns clear. Only to receive a shocking reply from Aura's brother - Dawn.
"It is an immersive experiment on how to control humanity."