Stage 1: A Demon's Stir
April 2008 atb
It was a warm spring day. The wind blew its gentle breeze, carrying the aroma of the flowers in the Aries villa's garden. In said garden were playing three children, as they cheerfully ran around after each other, enjoying their childhood. These kids were watched over by their mother, a woman with long dark hair and violet eyes, her figure tall and well endowed, despite her giving birth to three children. She was dressed in a deep blue dress. This woman was Marianne vi Britannia, fifth empress of the holy Britannian empire.
The woman's children were twin boys and a little girl. The two boys had black hair and violet eyes, just like their mother's, and were dressed in fancy clothing. Their sister was a small girl with sandy brown hair and the same violet eyes, wearing a small dress. The girl was running ahead of the two boys with a happy smile on her face, while her brothers trailed behind her.
"You can't catch me!" The little girl giggled, as true enough one of the twins was tiring out and was slowing his pace, while the other steadily kept running after her.
"W-Wait…!" panted the tiring sibling, while the other sped up and ran in front of their sister.
"Got you!" declared proudly the second twin, as he came to a sudden halt in front of his younger sister, catching her in an embrace, but the unexpected stop sent the boy down on his back, with his little sister in his arms.
"Are you alright?!" the other twin managed to catch up and was with a worried expression.
The two on the ground began to laugh cheerfully at their sibling's concern. "We're fine, Lelouch." Said the other boy, as he stood up along with his sister.
"Let's do it again." Said cheerfully the little girl.
"Nunnally, you could have really hurt yourselves back there." Lelouch scolded his sister, concerned for hers and his brother's safety.
"Lelouch is right, you know."
The three children turned around to see their mother standing next to them, looking at them with her affectionate smile.
"Julius, I want you to be more careful next time. It's ok to have fun, but it isn't good to get yourself hurt while doing so. The same goes for you too, Nunnally." The woman said to her children with a calm and gentle voice.
"Yes, mother." Replied Julius, slightly tilting his head down.
"I'm sorry." Nunnally apologized.
"I'm happy that you understand. Now come along, lunch will be ready soon and we wouldn't want to eat it cold, now would we?" said Marriane, as she beckoned her kids to go with her.
"Yes, mother!" the three children replied cheerfully and went along with the empress, whilst, unknown to them, they were being watched over by a young woman with light green hair and golden eyes.
Present, 2017 atb
The Holy Britannian Empire. A nation born from the defeated remnants of the British Empire. With the introduction of the humanoid autonomous armored knight, known as the Knightmare Frame, Britannia secured its place as the world's dominant military superpower that ruled over one-third of the world and one of the large Empire-unions that controlled Earth initially in the early 21st Century.
In the capital, Pendragon, the royal palace was brimming with guests. Nobles, businessmen, knights, generals, all of the aristocracy of the empire had gathered. Still, the emperor wasn't present, as well as not every member of the royal family. Everyone was gathered for an upcoming speech. Cameramen had lined up their equipment and were ready to broadcast the event throughout the whole country. Only one thing was left for this event to kick off, the person giving the speech.
The person in question was walking down a hallway to arrive at the grand hall, where everyone had gathered. The corridors were fancy, which was to be expected, since this was the royal palace after all. The person's footsteps echoed throughout the hall, as he made his way towards the podium. The fancy chandeliers lit up the place very nicely, adding to its regal look.
As the young man continued to walk towards his destination, servants and nobles bowed to him to show their respect. Knights and soldiers saluted his passing by them. Of course, the display of loyalty and respect was lost on the young man, as he continued walking, ignoring those around him, a cold but yet majestic aura accompanying his presence.
He was dressed in a black and gold outfit, which had the military crest of the Britannian military in gold on the chest. His black and gold jacket, it's fabric being white on the inside, split into two pieces of cloth at the waist, while it had an extension of a semi-hood at the neck area. It had a golden chain across the chest to keep the outfit together. His shoulders had golden frills and along his back span a long black cape, the silk fabric of which was red on the inside, with the golden crest of Britannia engraved on the back of it. He also wore black gloves with golden designs on the wrists. His outfit had gold rectangles on his stomach area, knees and boots, as well as a loosely fitted black belt.
With each step, the amethyst crystal hanging from the black and gold eye-patch on his left eye swayed back and forth, accompanied by the slight swaying of his dark hair, while his right eye's violet color glittered along with the other two crystals, that were attached by strings to the eye-patch, which lay down from behind his left ear and onto the side of his neck. His posture radiated the confidence with which he carried himself.
The young man stood atop the podium and turned to face the crowd. In it were present prominent figures such as the Knights of the Round, the prime minister, Schneizel el Britannia, the chief executive, Odysseus eu Britannia and the chief general of the Britannian military, Cornelia li Britannia. All were seated and were waiting for the event to get underway.
"Now, his royal highness, The twelfth Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Julius vi Britannia." Came the announcement.
Julius vi Britannia smirked as the spotlight became his. "Greetings. I, Julius vi Britannia, have summoned all of you here today to hear this announcement. For a couple of years now, Britannia has been at war with the EU. The battlefront occasionally being overseen by our prime minister." Julius began his speech, with his charismatic performance grabbing the attention of everyone present.
"However, I am pleased to declare that control over the war has been handed over to me." Julius continued with a confident smile on his face. Many watching believed the young man's boasting to be more a symbol of his arrogance.
"With my taking command of the eastern front, the glory of victory and the blood of our enemies shall rain upon our proud military! Those fools believe they can stand against our glorious empire? They deserve nothing less than to be put down and stomped on!" He sneered. "Their cities will fall! All their people will wither before my feet and cower at the mention of my name!" Julius raised his voice, as he threw his right hand across his body.
"When the shadow of war settles there will be only one truth. I, Julius vi Britannia, will have obliterated Britannia's enemies! Death to all of our fatherland's enemies! All hail Britannia!" Julius finished his speech, raising his right arm up in the air with a clenched fist.
"All hail Britannia!" Everyone present and watching stood up and placed their hands on their hearts as they chanted for their empire, all while the prince's twisted smirk of self-satisfaction and anticipation for the battle to come sat on his face.
Ball Room
After his speech, Julius vi Britannia was attending a ball held for the change in authority for the war. Still, even though he was the guest of honor, he despised mundane affairs such as this. What he saw were just a bunch of dressed up trash with no purpose to their existence than just to waste resources and flaunt their ego. An ego which he always enjoyed crushing.
The Ball Room was almost as spacious as the Grand hall, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their light accenting the white and gold walls. The guests were conversing with each other while having something to drink. All was well, except for…
"Look, it's the homicide prince." Whispers could be heard, directed towards Julius, as he made his way towards one of the waitresses to get something to drink.
The prince knew very well of the public opinion of him. An arrogant man who's only driven by his blood-thirst and his violent attitude. The masses were afraid of him, for he was dangerous, not only because of how he acted, but because of the fact that he was royalty. No one could lift a finger against him and not pay the price. That was a fact that Julius was well aware of and he was going to milk his status dry to get what he wanted. That was how Britannia worked, after all.
He also enjoyed the fear in the people's faces when they spoke the moniker given to him by the masses, the homicide prince. A nickname he made for himself because of all the public cold blooded murders he had committed. Most of the deceased were either assassins, who attempted to take down the prince, or nobles, who didn't know any better than to get in his way.
The sweat on the waitress' face could be seen as the dark haired prince approached her. When he got next to her, she was just about to start shivering with fear, before he silently took a glass from her tray. She noticed that he didn't even look at her, his eye ignoring her very existence. To the poor woman, the young prince before her seemed like death incarnate, as she could feel her heart throbbing with fear. Julius paid the woman no mind, as he was about to walk away from her, when he was addressed by a familiar voice.
"A moment of your time, Julius." Came the womanly voice.
Julius recognized it and turned his head towards the woman that had called out to him. She was slightly taller than Julius. Her magenta hair was long and she wore it loose, coupled with her lavender purple eyes and the magenta lipstick that she wore. The woman before him was a true beauty with her curvy body, dressed in a wine red military uniform with gold accents, long white cape and heeled boots. This woman was his older half-sister, Cornelia li Britannia, second princess of the Britannian empire.
She was accompanied by her loyal knight, Sir Gilford, a man with long black hair styled in a ponytail and glasses, alongside trusted general, Andreas Darlton, a man with light brown hair and a scar running across his face.
"Oh? With what could I be of help, chief general?" Julius raised an eyebrow to his sister, referring to her in rank, as if to mock her.
Cornelia frowned upon hearing her younger brother's voice. He was an ample description of what Britannia had amounted to in all these years. Cold, merciless and selfish, that's what was now in place of the small kid that she remembered back at the Aries Villa. The kid, who the world attempted to devour and in a way, it did. Still, she couldn't allow herself to act out of regulation, as much as she wanted to beat some sense into him, as an older sister should, since the young man before her was an accomplished military academy graduate. Not only was he an ace Knightmare pilot, but his tactical skills were also among the best in the military. For that she respected him.
"I just wanted to have a talk with you, concerning your new position, military advisor." Cornelia bit her lip, she knew that small talk was lost on him and as much as she hated it, if she was to get anything she had to say through his skull, it would have to be as a higher ranking officer, not as family, for her younger brother held no respect in that word. The princess' escorts too were aware of who they were dealing with, so they remained silent.
"Oh? You have some thoughts to give?" Julius asked with his usual arrogant tone, as he drank some of the contents of his glass. He knew very well what this was about. Cornelia didn't want him on the front lines, caring older sister that she was. Still, something like that meant nothing to the prince, however, he was willing to allow her to speak her mind.
"I do. Quite honestly, I do not believe you to be ready for such an important position." Said Cornelia, who knew that whatever she said right now wouldn't change the end result in any way, but still it was something she had to get out of her system.
"Ah, I was thinking you might say that. Your concerns are misplaced. Instead of worrying about me, you should be worrying about the terrorists in Area ten and thirteen. I believe they are far more deserving of your attention than I am." Julius replied with a crafty smile and narrowed gaze, as he finished his drink, even though he was seventeen years of age and wasn't supposed to be drinking alcoholic beverages, and began to walk away from his sister.
Cornelia was not about to take his attitude any longer. She would get through to him, no matter how many times she had to try. "Julius, stop! I am your older sister and you will listen to me!" Cornelia demanded of him, as he came to a halt.
The nobles around them were scared beyond belief, since the two most feared figures in the royal family were having a dispute, and made sure to back away and not get killed.
Julius slightly turned his head towards Cornelia, only making out the corner of his right eye. He looked at her with a stern and cold gaze, which was met by Cornelia's unfaltering one, as he began to speak.
"Cornelia, I believe we've been over this. I respect you for everything that you've accomplished, but that's it. Don't go pushing your nose where it doesn't belong." Julius said, with a voice that almost sounded threatening. He turned around and spoke with a closed eye and smile on his face, as he walked away. "Send Euphie my regards."
Cornelia clenched her fists in irritation. There was nothing she could do for the only surviving child of her hero, Lady Marianne, and that just ground her gears. Oh, Julius. Cornelia thought, saddened to see the despicable person that the prince had become.
Unknown to anyone present, Schneizel was actually very interested in the conversation between his brother and sister. When it finished a small satisfied smile crossed his usually stoic lips. He saw a worthy rival in Julius. If not for that, he would've never relinquished control of the war with the EU to him.
Just as Cornelia let out a heavy sigh, she was treated to the sound of a familiar voice, accompanied with the presence of the owner of said voice.
"Hey, Nellie! How's it going?" Nonette Enneargram greeted her childhood friend with a smile and wave, walking next to her.
Upon seeing her, Gilford and Darlton saluted to the Knight of Nine.
"Nonette." Cornelia noticed her friend.
"Yep, that's me." Replied cheerfully the woman.
Nonette Enneargram was a tall woman with light green hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in the uniform of the Knights of the round, a white and gold suit with black gloves and boots, coupled with a light purple and gold cloak over her shoulders. Strapped around her waist, she had a pistol holster with a gun inside it. She was the Knight of Nine and was said to be the most feared Knightmare pilot, a reputation contradicted by her carefree and frank personality.
"So, what's bothering you?" Asked Nonette, her beaming smile not leaving her, wanting in on her friend's troubles.
"It's Julius. That kid has changed so much from eight years ago. It's just that I feel bad for not being able to do anything to help him, you know?" Cornelia explained, glad to have a conversation with someone who she respected and liked as a person.
"Oh, so little Jule's giving you trouble, huh?" Replied Nonette, using a nickname she gave to the prince to address him. No one was surprised by her calling him that, since she too was feared for her capabilities as a pilot and it wasn't new under the sun that she had been teaching a good part of his Knightmare Frame piloting classes back at the academy. "Want me to speak with him?"
Cornelia sighed upon hearing her friend refer to her brother in such a way. "No, don't bother. I doubt that he'll listen to you anyway." Said Cornelia.
"Yeah, that does sound like him. Even back at the academy, he had a really bad vibe to him that screamed 'I'm gonna kill you if you get close to me!'. Still, the kid's got talent, I can't argue that." Nonette laughed, folding her arms over her chest.
"You're making it sound so lighthearted, but that's just like you anyway." Cornelia sighed once more, at which Nonette laughed again.
Julius was making his way out of the event, but was seemingly stopped, as another person called out to him.
"Hey, your highness!" Came the energetic voice.
Upon hearing it, Julius sighed mentally. For god's sake, this guy. His right eye twitched in irritation, as he turned around to greet the person wanting to converse with him.
"What do you want, Gino?" Julius grumbled, looking at the man in question with an annoyed expression.
"Hey now, is that a way to treat an old friend?" Replied the young man, acting as if he was offended.
Gino Weinberg was the Knight of Three. He was a tall young man standing a head taller than Julius and had a muscular build, despite the fact that he was a year younger than the prince. He had blond hair with three braids that typically draped over his shoulder, and blue eyes. As a Knight of the Round, he wore the same uniform as Nonette, though his cloak was dark green and gold.
Gino hailed from a very rich and sheltered upbringing, and as such didn't quite understand how the real world worked. However, his cheerfulness and friendly demeanor earned him many friends. One of which, though unwillingly, became the twelfth prince of Britannia.
The two had graduated together from the Military academy and were both regarded as very talented pilots, though unlike the Prince, Gino didn't partake in the military, but got himself accepted into the Knights of the Round.
"I'm not in the mood to be chatting with you." Julius said, irritated that he had to run into Gino of all people.
"C'mon, spare me a minute, will ya?" Gino asked with his friendly attitude and smile, putting his left arm around Julius' shoulders. He then pointed to a small girl next to him and waved her over. "Anya, come over here and meet his majesty, prince Julius!" The blond said cheerfully.
Anya Alstreim was a short girl with light pink hair tied up in a ponytail that had thick strands of hair that fell next to her face, also creating bangs on her forehead, her eyes being rouge-red. She was dressed in a semi-revealing version of the uniform of the Knights of the Round, also sporting a red crest of Britannia tattoo on her left arm. Her look was completed by the long pink and gold cloak she wore, accenting her hair. However, there was something out of place on the girl, ah yes, her bland expression.
Julius couldn't recall if he had ever seen a more stoic looking person. Still, if what he had heard was anything to go by, the girl was the Knight of Six and had earned her place with sheer piloting ability. She struck him as rather odd, as he could recall seeing her somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where.
Before Julius could speak, he heard the sound of a camera taking a picture and looked down towards the hands of the girl. She was holding her phone and had taken a picture of Julius with Gino armed around him. The girl silently turned around the camera and showed them the picture. It wasn't anything special, really, just Gino being his usual happy self, though the prince looked like he would throw up at any moment.
"Hahaha! You look hilarious!" Gino began to laugh, as he got a look at the picture, while the one eyed prince gave him the most resentful glare Anya had ever seen.
"Would you be so kind to delete that?" Julius turned his attention to Anya, who clicked a few times on her phone.
"Negative, I've added it to my archive of memories." Anya replied blandly, putting her phone away in one of the pockets of her uniform, at which Julius' right eye twitched with irritation. Anya then realized that she had forgotten to greet the prince and bowed her head. "Greetings, your highness."
Julius felt like he was in some type of bad comedy routine which he did not want to partake in. Yeah, she's definitely an odd one. Julius thought, as he shrugged Gino off himself and sent him a glare to which the blond replied with a goofy smile. Not surprised, considering who she's hanging around with. Julius rolled his eye.
"Salutations to you as well, Miss Alstreim." Replied the prince, as he then noticed that the girl was staring oddly at him, which was quite strange, even for what the prince was used to. He then watched her scramble back for her phone and began to click on it. There was strange and then there was rude. Julius had a right mind to take the small girl's phone from her, but she then turned it around and showed him another picture.
"Is that you?" Anya asked, as the prince's eye widened upon recognizing the picture.
It was a picture of him and his twin brother and younger sister when they were children back at the Aries Villa, with the two boys having hugged their little sister, who was smiling happily. It all seemed so distant now, those happy times, the time he spent with his siblings. Lelouch and Nunnally were little more than memories now for the twelfth prince.
Julius let out a sigh and regained his usual cold demeanor. "I'm the one on the left." He replied, pointing at the picture, as Anya then took her phone to look at it curiously.
"Hey, let me see." Gino moved next to Anya to look at the picture. When he got a look at the picture he smiled, thinking that it was heartwarming, and turned to Julius. "Never knew that you could smile like that or look so happy." Gino said to his 'friend'.
Julius frowned. "That was in the past." Gino and Anya looked at the prince oddly. "A past long dead and gone." Julius said, not noticing that he had clenched his fists.
"If you say so, I'm not one to butt into other people's business." Gino shrugged.
"Yes, you are." Julius growled under his breath so he couldn't be heard and rolled his eye.
In truth, Julius acted semi-friendly with the Knights of the Round, because he saw them as powerful allies to have and would rather have them on his side. Nothing in the world could scare the prince, not anymore, but it was always nice to have connections in the right places. Besides, should things escalate out of hand, he always had his last resort.
"Hmm, so this is where you were." Said a man, who walked over to the trio.
Julius instantly recognized the man. Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One. The giant of a man, towered over the prince and the other two knights. The man had very dark blue long hair and beard. His right eye was blue, while his left was kept closed by green ring pieces. Like the rest, he wore the uniform of the Knights of the Round, his cloak being white and gold. The mere sight of the 'Strongest Knight' radiated his authority.
"Oh, hey, Bismarck!" Gino waved at him cheerfully, while Anya just stood like a tree next to him. The Knight of One ignored the blonde's casual greeting and instead focused more on the person making them company.
"Lord Waldstein, what a pleasant surprise." Julius smirked, as he greeted the man.
"The pleasure's all mine, your highness." Bismarck nodded, as he then turned to the other two. "I trust my subordinates haven't given you much trouble?" Asked the man.
"Nothing out of the ordinary that I've come to expect." Julius shrugged, while Anya continued to stare at him from the side. It was very unnerving to say the least. He figured that there was something strange with the girl, but this was becoming a little too strange for comfort.
Bismarck had seen Anya stare at the prince, but he thought nothing of it. Gino, on the other hand, did not help the situation at all. He glanced towards Anya and then towards Julius, then back at Anya and back at Julius. He repeated the process for a few seconds until a light-bulb lit in his head, as if to signal that he had figured out something.
A huge grin appeared on the blonde's face, as he walked behind Anya and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Me and Anya are gonna go and check out what's prepped for food." Gino said with a goofy grin, as he carried off to somewhere with the small pink haired knight, his statement not leaving much impact on the other two men, since they had come to expect such behavior from the Knight of Three.
Going over to a corner of the huge room, Gino and Anya were now standing next to the wall, with Anya leaned on it, clicking something on her phone, while Gino had got off to get them something to drink. He returned with two glasses of orange juice and handed one over to Anya, who took the beverage and began to drink it.
Gino downed his juice in one gulp, while Anya was drinking hers slowly.
"Say." Gino started the conversation, gaining Anya's attention, as a goofy grin appeared on his face. "Anya, do you, like, have a crush on prince Julius?" He asked, hoping to get something out of his small framed companion.
Of course, he was answered with complete silence and a deadpan look from Anya, as she stared at him emptily for a few seconds and then returned her attention to her phone.
"C'mon, don't give me the silent treatment!" Gino dramatized. "You and I are buds, aren't we?" He continued, hoping to get the girl to talk, whilst knowing how difficult of a task that was. Still, if there was something he was exceedingly good at, it was socializing with people.
"Yes." Anya nodded in response, while looking at her phone.
"You know, you don't sound very convincing when you don't even look at me when you say that." Gino grumbled, somewhat disheartened, but then returned his positive aura in an instant, as he continued trying to make small talk. "You act like you don't care, but I saw you staring at the prince. Feel free to lay all the juicy thoughts out on your best bud!" He continued with his optimistic attitude.
"You're wrong." Anya told him with her usual stoic tone of voice, scrolling through some pictures on her phone, which caused Gino to pause for a second.
"I am?" He asked, confused.
"I was just assessing something." Replied the girl.
"Sure you were. You were assessing your love for him." Gino started all over again.
"No, I was thinking that he seemed… familiar, somehow… but, the more I think about it, the more confused I get." Replied Anya, somewhat confused in trying to explain.
"Sooo, by that you mean?" The blond asked, lost from his friend's train of thought.
"He is strange." Anya replied outright, at which Gino burst out laughing.
"Strange, huh? Yeah, that's a word to describe the guy." He continued to laugh, while unknown to him, Anya was checking a certain picture on her phone. The picture had been taken a few weeks prior to the murder of Empress Marianne vi Britannia.
It featured the empress, her children and, strangely enough, Anya in it. The pink haired girl did not know what to make of this, confused, as she had no memory of such an event. Her expression turned from her usual stoic into a saddened one, while Gino was rambling things to himself, not paying attention to her. A single thought crossed her mind, as she continued to stare at the picture. Why can't I remember?
After Gino and Anya had headed off elsewhere, Julius had spent some time conversing with the Knight of One.
"So, you have been appointed to lead the war against the EU, your highness?" Bismarck asked.
"Yes and soon the E.U. is going to feel the change in the winds." Julius replied with a confident smirk. "I plan to deliver a complete and utter victory to Britannia. There will be nothing short of total desolation of the enemy!" He chuckled sinisterly.
"We shall see." Replied Bismarck, who inwardly sighed. Good lord, this kid is too arrogant for his own good. Your majesty, I do not see how this child has any potential to for your plan. Well, orders are orders. Bismarck finished his train of thought and resumed his conversation with the prince. "I am actually surprised. For someone with your track record and tactical prowess, why did you settle for the position of military advisor?"
"Hmm? Oh, that ordeal. It is quite simple really. Schneizel is regarded as the epitome of our political system, while Cornelia is considered to be the symbol of the military." Julius said, as then a huge grin settled on his face. "Becoming military advisor has placed me in the middle of my siblings' standings, so that way I have more freedom in choosing my course of action, though I'd really like to get my hands on experimental Knightmare frame technology." The prince chuckled. "Perhaps I will ask father to appoint me as a member of the Knights of the Round when I return, carrying the spoils of victory from Europa, or maybe I could pull some more strings with Schneizel."
"Is that so? Then I would actually like to test your strength for myself if the time comes." Bismarck smirked.
"Oh, believe me, it will. That will be a duel I will be eagerly anticipating." Julius grinned, as he began to walk away from the Knight of One. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Waldstein." He said with his back turned to the knight, a mocking smile placed on his face.
After the prince left, Bismarck let out a sigh and took a glass of champagne from a waitress walking by him. He looked on in the direction Julius had left, as he drank some of the contents of his drink. Lady Marianne… No, it is not my place to judge what has become of your child. Bismarck closed his eyes and finished his drink. The prince should exercise more restraint. Senseless bloodshed is only a waste of resources.
C's world
Emperor Charles zi Britannia was standing at the top of a monument surrounded by a sandy sky and light. This was the fabled Ragnarok connection, his plan for the fate of the world. His tranquility was interrupted by the appearance of one of the members of the Geass Order.
"Report." The emperor's deep voice resounded throughout the place.
"Yes, your majesty." The man dressed in the garbs of the order bowed and proceeded with his report. "Prince Julius vi Britannia has overtaken leadership over the war with the EU from Prince Schneizel el Britannia."
"Hmm, this was most likely Schneizel's doing. He intentionally allowed Julius to have control over the war, so he could gauge him by his own standards. How utterly mundane." The emperor responded.
"Sir Waldstein is also proceeding with your orders of keeping an eye out for the twelfth prince, though he will not be able to continue doing so when the prince leaves for Euro-Britannia." Said the man.
"There is no need. This whole affair is but merely a test. A test which Julius will have to pass if he wishes to prove himself." Charles said with his stern voice and back turned to the member of the order.
Right now he had to proceed with caution. The Ragnarok connection was far from complete and he didn't need anything to distract him from its success. That said, he was strangely anxious regarding his son, Julius. Unlike Schneizel, who was clearly interested in the world as it was, Julius was more of an times, he found himself wondering what was it that his arrogant son sought. The emperor didn't know on which side the young prince was and he hated the unknown.
"See to it that we have tabs on my sons' whereabouts." The emperor ordered.
"Yes, your majesty!" The man behind him saluted and was on his way out.
After he had left, a voice called out to Charles. A voice he was all too familiar with.
"Marianne's child is giving you trouble?" A childish voice could be heard as its owner approached the emperor.
"Nothing of the sort. I just want to be well informed." Replied Charles, turning to look towards his companion.
"My, how unlike you, to be concerned for your children." Responded the child with a mischievous smirk.
"I have no care for those that live in a world full of lies. My only concern is the Ragnarok connection, brother." The emperor said, turning his back to his companion, whose' smirk became a grin.
Royal Palace, Ball Room
Schneizel was having a good time, keeping up appearance before the nobles and other aristocracy of Britannia. The second prince was a very handsome man, with fair skin, corn-silk blonde hair that fell across the back of his neck, and cold, violet eyes. He was very tall, standing at roughly more than two meters of height. He wore a long, royal purple tunic that was bordered with black and gold accents, and across his mid-section was a loosely fitting white belt, ending right at his kneecaps, and covering a portion of white slacks. Over this he wore a white over-coat that had a stiff, black, high-backed collar that showed a crimson silk inside, and golden epaulettes at the shoulders.
The man was content with his decision of allowing his younger brother to play commander in his stead. He wanted to gauge just how far Julius had come in all these years, so he figured that a worthy challenge had presented itself to be given. That said, he did not expect his younger brother to actually have anything to discuss with him.
"Prime minister, I would like to have a word with you." Julius said, as he approached his older brother.
"Oh, now isn't this a surprise." Schneizel turned to his brother and gave him a warm smile, while the nobles around him backed away. "It is rare of you to socialize like this. What could the homicide prince of Britannia want to discuss with me?" He said, raising an eyebrow.
For the years in which he had observed Julius grow, he found out that the boy was really good at using masks to hide his real ambitions. In fact, he believed that the crude manner in which he portrayed himself to be nothing more than a facade to keep attention off him. That was one of the things that made his younger brother so interesting to Schneizel.
Julius smirked at his brother's inquiry, while the nobles, hearing the younger prince's moniker scrambled away even further. "I am aware that you are the founder of the Britannian Special Research Division. I was wondering if you could spare some of your time to arrange a meeting for me with them." Stated Julius, playing with one of the crystals that hanged over his shoulder.
This request peeked Schneizel's interest. "I'm pretty sure that I can arrange for you to meet with Earl Asplund before his flight to Area 11." Schneizel replied with a warm smile.
"You're stationing them there? Hmph, Clovis will most likely waste their potential." Julius frowned at his brother's decision.
"You shouldn't be so spiteful towards family. I feel it is safe to say that Clovis will be able to manage properly." Schneizel replied to Julius' mockery of Clovis. "That said, I need to ask, for what would you need 'Camelot's help?" The second prince asked.
"I want to make a commission to the Earl, which I'm sure he wouldn't turn down." Julius grinned, which prompted Schneizel to raise his eyebrows at him. Before Schneizel could continue the conversation, Julius spoke. "My request is directed for him, because none are as adept in bringing in new Knightmare Frame technology to the table as Earl Asplund and his team, unless I have to go out of my way and scavenger hunt for Rakshata Chawla."
Schneizel had a clear idea of what his younger brother wanted out of his meeting with the 'Camelot' executive, so he shrugged and smiled at him. "I understand. You've certainly turned to the right place for the creation of new weapons."
"Indeed." Julius nodded. "I think I will be bidding you goodbye for now, brother." He said, speaking the last words venomously, and proceed to walk away, before Schneizel called out to him.
"Julius, before you go, there was actually something I wanted to ask you." Schneizel said.
"Oh? What might that be?" Julius turned around to face his brother, now standing a few feet away from him.
"What do you think of this?" Schneizel asked, gesturing to the party.
Julius frowned and shrugged, as he answered the older prince. "Just another publicity stunt made to favor the nobility. A waste of resources, if you ask me." Julius narrowed his gaze towards his brother. "I can't imagine why you would ask me something that I'm pretty sure you already knew the answer of."
"Oh, think nothing of it. I just wanted to converse with you some more." Schneizel smiled, which started to irritate Julius, who hated how calm and friendly his brother always remained, no matter the situation presented to him. "Well then, please don't allow me to keep you. Have a nice day." Schneizel said, as he bid goodbye to Julius.
Julius turned around sharply, making his cape float briefly behind him, briskly walking away from Schneizel, as the older prince watched him leave.
Having had enough of the foolhardy gathering of nobles and finished speaking with the people of interest, Julius decided that it was high time he vacated the premises. Night had already fallen, for which Julius wasn't quite pleased that he wasted so much time. When he walked outside the Royal Palace, a squadron of guards saluted him, as he went past them. He arrived at the parking where a limousine awaited him, with the driver waiting for his arrival.
A servant opened the door for the prince, as he entered the back of the car and sat inside. It was very spacious and fancy, which was to be taken as a granted, considering it was a limousine used by a member of the royal family. The driver was already at the wheel, awaiting his orders.
"Good evening, your highness. Where to?" Asked the driver, as he started the engine.
"Drive home. I'm sick and tired of this place." Julius ordered, leaning back on the seat and resting his arm on the door next to him.
"Understood, my lord." The driver nodded and drove off.
The drive home wasn't anything special. Julius was being silent throughout the whole way, which was nothing new and to the driver, it would've been strange if the prince actually felt like talking. The driver was used to his master's way of doing things and never felt like questioning him.
After a while they arrived at their destination, Aries Villa. The driver entered through the main gate and drove along the pathway leading to the mansion. To the sides of the road the beautiful gardens could be seen under the moonlight, as the car traveled along them. The mansion soon came into view, with its windows emanating the light from inside the building. The driver pulled over the limo in front of the main entrance and exited out of the vehicle. He went over and opened the door to his master's seat, who stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath.
"You're free of duty, once you park the car." Julius told the driver.
"Yes, your highness." The driver saluted and went to do as he was told.
The mansion was quite large for a single prince to be living in it, which thankfully wasn't the case. It was home for all of the servants loyal to the prince. Of course, most of them were part of the old staff, which worked there back when Empress Marianne lived there with her children. Julius, being the only surviving child of the empress, had inherited the mansion along with the servants living in it, who, actually, stayed loyal to him even after his mother's and sibling's deaths.
Julius took a slight breath and walked towards the door. There, he saw one of the butlers waiting to open it for him.
"Welcome back, my lord." The butler bowed to the prince.
"At ease." Julius replied.
The butler then proceeded to open the door, making way for Julius to enter. Once inside, Julius was greeted by the rest of the staff, who had assembled for his return.
"Welcome back, your highness." All of them bowed to him.
The moment he entered the mansion, Julius' cold gaze softened and his tone of voice changed from harsh and arrogant to calm and serene.
"I'm home." He muttered the words to no one in particular, as he then turned to his servants. "Good evening, everyone." He said to them, almost smiling.
Home, a place where one feels safe from the dangers of the world. Of course, this was hardly the case for the big mansion, which had been attacked by terrorists or hired mercenaries, but to the prince, it was the only place where he felt comfort, his home.
As he walked further inside, two maids got next to him and took his black and gold jacket with its cape, as he undressed from it, leaving himself in the black top, pants, gloves and shoes, and, of course, his eye patch. "How did your day go, your majesty?" The two maids asked, as they carefully folded the prince's clothing.
"One huge headache, that's what it was, though I managed to get some work done." Julius replied, as he then walked further inside. "All of you are free to go." He told his servants, who bowed and one by one returned to their usual routines.
Each respected the prince, who treated them like family, despite everything that was known about him and how he acted. Every servant in the mansion knew that their master was a completely different person when inside his home. To them it seemed natural, for who would stay the same when his mother and siblings were taken away, not even to mention the many attempts of hired hands to dispose of the prince. Yet, their master always came out alive, no matter what was thrown at him.
As all the servants left, Julius found himself gazing at the staircase, imagining that he was seeing Nunnally and Lelouch, as children, run down from the steps along with their mother slowly walking behind them to greet him. He knew that it was just his scarred mind playing tricks on his vision, but it was something that he had gotten used to. After all, he didn't have much left of his family, so these imaginations were soothing to the lone prince's heart, which he had shut off to the rest of the world.
With a slight shake of his head, Julius got out of the trance and proceeded to walk towards his room, while the servants returned to their jobs. He arrived in his room, closing and locking the door behind him. It was spacious and luxurious, just like one would expect from the home of royalty. Julius sat silently on his bed, as he took a moment to collect himself. His left eye itched like hell, begging to be released from the eye-patch to gaze upon the world which the right one saw.
Julius walked over in front of a large mirror that was placed on the wall of one of the closets in the room. He looked at his reflection, as if he was expecting to see someone else than the seventeen-year-old dark haired young man that he was. He proceeded to remove his eye-patch, which he then put off to the side on one of the drawers. Even with the eye-patch removed, he kept his left eye shut, and upon gazing again at his reflection he put his hand over his face to cover it. A small smile crept upon his face as he stared at himself.
Soon. He thought to himself as he chuckled. Soon the game will begin and we will see who will be the last one standing when the dust settles, father.
He then walked over to the drawer on which he had placed his eye-patch and put it back on. He exited his room, heading towards the baths. Inside, like always, were already prepared towels and bathrobes for use and a tray in which to discard used clothing. Julius proceeded to take off his clothes and shoes, placing them in the tray for cleaning, revealing his toned lean body, after which he walked inside. Taking off his eye-patch and placing it to the side, he proceeded to take a shower, which helped him relax his mind.
After he was done, he put on his eye-patch and walked out of the shower, his hair and body dripping drops of water. He took one of the towels and proceeded to dry his hair with it, after which he put a bathrobe on and tied it around his waist so it wouldn't be loose.
He went back to his room where he changed into black formal pants and shoes and white shirt with long sleeves. After that, Julius moved over to a chess set he had placed on one of the drawers next to his bed. Chess didn't use to be his forte when he was young, it was always his twin brother's strong side, since he was praised as the genius of the family, while he was always the more physically fit. After his siblings' passing away, chess became one of the things Julius took up, to honor his brother. Needless to say, he became very good at it Sitting on the mattress, he moved the black king forward and let the board be.
"Now then, from here on it is a simple game of waiting." Julius thought out loud, referring to the chessboard, which he used as a way to sort out events that were happening in the world.
A few seconds after that he heard knocking on his door.
"Dinner is ready my lord. Everyone awaits your presence." A maid called out from outside the room.
Julius stood up from his bed and walked over to the door, opening it and stepping outside, the maid in question standing before him to escort him to dinner. "Well then, let us make haste." He said, as both of them walked towards the dining room.
Said room was huge. It had a ton of space, as it had enough tables and chairs to accommodate every person living in the mansion. One of the walls of the room was made entirely of ornamented glass, which gave view to the garden outside. The chandeliers lit the room perfectly, as their warm light showcased the intricate designing of the walls. The room was filled with the smell of delicious food prepared for everyone by the chefs.
Upon arriving, everyone stood up from their seat and bowed to the prince, as he made his way to his seat, which the maid accompanying him pulled back, so he could sit in it, after which she bowed to her master and left for her own seat.
Julius had set household rules that everybody should have lunch and dinner together, breakfast being excused, because most of the servants had their jobs to do early in the morning. The staff were really moved by the prince's wish back when he was ten-years-of age, when he first inherited the place, and since then it had become a standard for everybody to share lunch and dinner together like family. To them, it didn't matter what the prince did or what the world thought of him.
To Julius, however, it only mattered that he wasn't alone at the table, as otherwise he would feel suffocated by the emptiness his home had. Even as a kid, he always treated his mother's servants nicely, but now he showed them kindness he showed only an exceptional few people, kindness that was almost completely gone from his heart. To him, it was enough to know that he wouldn't wake up to the realization that he was all alone in the world. Childish, sure. Naïve, absolutely. His home was the only place where he would allow such things to influence him, but that was the way he had decided to go about in his home and no one was going to take that away from him.
"A toast to the splendid dinner that awaits us." Julius said, as he raised his glass, which was full of water.
"Cheers." Everyone said, clacking their glasses and beginning to indulge themselves with the food before them.
While everyone was eating, one of the butlers spoke up after he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "So, your highness, you really are leaving for the battlefront in Europa?"
Julius took a sip from his water to help swallow the piece of steak he was eating and answered. "Yes, I will be departing for St. Petersburg in three days." He said and then returned his attention to his steak.
"Anything we can do to be of help, your majesty?" One of the maids asked.
"I want this place to be like I was never gone when I come back victorious." Julius placed his hands on the table and smirked. "That is a manageable feat, yes?"
The faces of every member of the staff of the Aries villa lightened, hearing their lord assured of his victory and safe return. "Yes, my lord!" All of them exclaimed happily.
"Good, now enough talk of war. Let us resume dinner." Julius said, everyone doing as they were told, as he began to eat the exquisitely prepared stewed chicken.
Like that, the day ended peacefully for the twelfth prince of Britannia.
On the next day, Julius woke up feeling excited about his upcoming challenge in the face of the Europia United. He would relish crushing them, but right now, he was busy having breakfast.
The sun's morning light shined brightly over him, as the wind blew in the aroma of the flowers in the garden. Julius was currently having his breakfast outside in the garden, like he used to with his family when he was younger. He was dressed in a similar fashion to the way he was at dinner last night, though his pants were dark blue. The prince was enjoying his morning tea, when one of the butlers came up to him.
"Good morning, sire." The butler bowed.
"Morning." Julius replied, taking another sip from his tea.
"I came to inform your highness that we have a guest." Said the butler.
"A guest?" Julius raised an eyebrow. He hardly ever had guests and when he did, most of the time it was…
"Julius!" Rang a girl's voice, as she ran towards the prince.
Julius recognized the voice all too well. He turned his head in the direction from which a girl was running towards him. She had long pink hair that was styled downwards with two buns on each side of her head. She had bluish violet eyes and was dressed in a long white and pink dress with rose ornaments. His face went from curious to calm, as he greeted the girl.
"Good morning, Euphemia." He said, as the girl arrived before him.
"Oh, where are my manners, good morning." Euphemia greeted him, as she pulled up her dress from the side and bowed gracefully.
Euphemia li Britannia was the third princess of the Britannian royal family. She was a cheerful well-mannered girl, who was still yet to make her public debut as royalty, since she was still attending school.
"Please, take a seat." Julius gestured to his sister, who did just that, as he then turned to his butler. "Bring us some more tea and snacks, would you?" He said.
"Yes, your highness." The butler nodded and was on his way, leaving the two siblings by themselves in the garden.
"So, how's school going, little sister?" Julius asked Euphemia, as he took a sip from his tea.
"Oh, it's fine. Nothing interesting really happens." Euphemia trailed off with a smile, until she remembered why she had come on such short notice. "Ah, that's right! You're leaving for the war with the EU! When were you going to tell me?" Euphemia asked energetically, puffing up her cheeks to look imposing.
To Julius she looked hilarious as she pouted. He chuckled lightly at the sight of his sister. "Well, I thought Cornelia would've given you the news, plus I made that public speech, so I believe that counts." He said with a small smile.
"Sister did tell me!" Euphemia exasperated. "She told me you were being mean and unreasonable again." She said with a pout, as if to make him regret his actions. "And did you have to be so ruthless when giving your speech?" She asked.
"I'm afraid so." Julius replied with a smirk, to which Euphemia wasn't overly satisfied.
"When will you be leaving?" The princess asked her half-brother.
"In two days not counting today, when the Leviathan is ready and prepared for takeoff." Julius responded, but he saw the troubled look in his sister's eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I… I don't want you to go, Julius." Euphemia said with a worried expression. "It's dangerous and you might not return…" She was cut off by Julius who raised his hand signaling her to stop.
"Euphie, did you not hear my speech yesterday?" He asked with a warm smile on his face. "Don't you worry, I am going to come back home safe and sound, bringing victory with me." He told the younger girl. "I think I've made it clear by now, after every single fool that tried to threaten my life. I'm not going to die, not even if the whole world is against me."
Euphie was silent for a moment, but then smiled back at her brother across the table. "Ok, but I want you to promise me that you'll come visit when you have the chance." She said with a surprisingly demanding tone.
"I promise." Julius raised his hands to indicate his surrender to her point, snickering at Euphemia's stubbornness.
Then, right on time, the butler from before returned and served the freshly made tea and baked biscuits and croissants. He stood off to the side, awaiting further instructions, as the two siblings enjoyed their shared breakfast.
After they were done, Euphemia spend some time walking around the gardens with Julius and then came the time for her to leave for home. Both she and Julius were now standing before the entrance of the mansion, as they bid each other goodbye.
"I'll have to be going. Cornelia will be really mad with me if I don't get back on time." Euphemia said with a sad expression.
Julius walked over to her and placed his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. "Hey, this isn't a farewell, we'll see each other again, so cheer up, okay?" He said.
Hearing him say that made Euphemia smile, as she gave her brother a huge bear hug. "Thank you, Julius." She said and let go of him, waving him goodbye, as she entered the car that had driven her to the villa. "Goodbye, take care!" She waved at him cheerfully.
"Goodbye." Julius sent his sister off with a slight wave of his hand. The sister that still saw him as an older brother and the only member of the royal family who was pure of heart. The twelfth prince enjoyed his sister's company, as it always reminded him of the past, but he knew that those times were long gone.
Later that day, Julius had returned to the capital, dressed in his black and gold garbs, to meet with the head of the special research division. He had just arrived before his brother's little 'toy box' that Camelot was. The whole research team was packing for their trip to Area Eleven. The sight before him was quite peculiar indeed. The whole room was one big lab, with blueprints and drafts all over the place. The personnel were packing up some of the drafts and blueprints, probably the ones they intended to continue working on.
Before Julius could state his presence in the vicinity, a woman as tall as Julius, dressed in the uniform of the team, a white shirt with a green tie, over which she wore an orange suit with black linings and buttons that ended in a knee length skirt, came up to him. The woman had indigo colored short hair with light blue eyes.
"Welcome, your majesty." The woman bowed to the prince. "Prince Schneizel said that you would be arriving sometime today, but we didn't expect you so soon. Please forgive our humble welcome." She said with a soft voice.
"There's no problem, Miss…" Julius raised an eyebrow, indicating that he wasn't aware of the woman's identity.
"Ah, where are my manners, before a member of the royal family, too?!" She panicked shortly, but then cleared her throat and saluted. "Cecile Croomy, member of the special research division and assistant to Lloyd Asplund, reporting for duty, your majesty!"
"A pleasure meeting you, Miss Croomy." Julius nodded and then returned to the subject he was interested in. "Could you be so kind to get Earl Asplund for me? I have something that I'm sure will intrigue him." He said, taking out a document folder with lots of papers inside.
"Speak of the devil and he shall arrive, as they say!" Came a goofy voice.
The man standing before Julius was rather tall and had a friendly smile on his face. He had lavender hair and grey-blue eyes, over which he wore a pair of very large glasses that covered most of his face. He wore a green turtleneck with a lab coat over his shirt and black pants and shoes.
"Earl Asplund, a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Julius grinned, as he greeted the earl. "I'm a big admirer of your work." He said with a confident smile, as he continued. "Knightmares are one of my favorite instruments of destruction."
"Oooh, you're quite different up close and personal, aren't you?" Lloyd's smile grew, as he scaled the prince from head to toe. "Seeing the 'homicide prince' in the flesh is a totally different experience than watching you on TV." Lloyd said with his usual overjoyed tone.
"Lloyd! You are speaking to a prince, behave yourself!" Cecile scolded him, but the man paid her no attention.
Julius raised his hand to indicate to Cecile that she should calm down. "Miss Cecile, please, there is no need for anyone to raise their voice." Julius said, as he then returned his gaze to the earl, whose reputation of abolishing the code of respect was well known throughout Britannia. "Anyway, I would appreciate it if I could get to talk to you in private, about certain matters. Of course, Miss Croomy is free to join us if she chooses." He said with a crafty smile, which did not go unnoticed by Lloyd.
"Business as per usual, I see." Lloyd nodded to himself and then grinned widely. "Please, follow me." He issued the prince to walk after him towards his office along with Cecile.
The office wasn't anything special, just your typical room with a desk, couches and table in between them. Julius noticed that on the desk were more discarded drafts, which spoke volumes about his hosts' lack of organization.
"Please, have a seat." Lloyd said, as he sat down on one of the couches, with Cecile sitting next to him and Julius sitting opposite them. Immediately when the prince seated himself, Lloyd broke out into a goofy smile. "Sooo, what can I do for you, Julie-boy?"
Julius' right eye twitched upon hearing the fashion in which the scientist referred to him, Cecile even got a little nervous, but he pretended like nothing was wrong. "Well, how about I let all of these do the talking for me?" Julius smirked, as he placed the document folder and pushed it towards Lloyd.
Intrigued, Lloyd picked up the folder and began to go through its contents, with Cecile looming over his shoulder to get a look at them as well. Words weren't necessary to describe Lloyd's interest, as he began to grin widely and shuffled quickly through the papers, while Cecile was just awe struck by what she saw in the documents.
When he finished, Lloyd broke out into a cheerful laughter, which prompted Julius to raise an eyebrow at him in confusion. "Oh, these are just splendid pieces of work!" The scientists exclaimed happily, as he put the papers back on the table. "The ideas are theoretically sound, though it will take quite a lot of time and effort to develop and implement. You have quite the design over here." Lloyd added with a friendly smile.
"So? Would you consider taking up my request?" Julius asked, entangling his fingers, wanting to hear the researcher's verdict.
"S-Sir, with all due respect, those are designs featuring every experimental system still in the testing and others who are yet to be perfected." Cecile said, wanting to confirm the prince's objective.
"Indeed, we're talking probably about an eighth, no, ninth generation Knightmare Frame!" Lloyd exclaimed with so much enthusiasm, that he shot up from his seat and spun around on one leg.
"Yes, my request to you is a Knightmare Frame unlike any other seen before it, fitted for my own personal use." Julius nodded, confirming his intentions.
"Hmm, I must say, this commission sounds very tempting." Lloyd said as he adjusted his glasses with a smile on his face. "What exactly are you giving us to work with?"
Julius smiled confidently, as he leaned back on the couch and crossed his legs. "You have full freedom to go about this project as you wish. I will be providing the necessary funding, so there is no need to worry about cost expenses, although I suggest you do not waste valuable resources." The prince shot them a quick glare before he continued. "Let's see, for the time I'll be giving you to complete this project… One year and a half, that's the time you're going to get from me."
"That's quite the big time margin you've given us to work with, your highness." Cecile noted, surprised.
"I do not want to deter you from your main line of work." Julius smirked. "You can think of this as a side project, if you will."
"Well then, consider your deal accepted, your majesty." Lloyd grinned and spun around into a small bow.
"Excellent, I'm leaving these with you. I have no further use for them." Julius said, pointing to the documents, but then he remembered a certain piece of information about Camelot. "I hoped to actually see the world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame, since I'm here anyway." The prince said to his companions, who immediately cheered up upon the mention of their work.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Lloyd exclaimed, overjoyed to showcase his work. "Cecile, would you be so kind, as to go and unlock the hangar?" He asked his assistant, who nodded and was on her way.
Cecile exited out of the office, followed by Lloyd and the prince. She went over to a sealed entrance to a hangar and began to input the codes for opening it. Julius watched with peculiar curiosity, as the big metal door opened and revealed a white and gold humanoid Knightmare Frame.
A smirk crossed the prince's face, as he laid his eyes on the glorious machine. "It's astonishing. The world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame…"
"The Lancelot, your majesty! My life's pride and joy!" Lloyd exclaimed overly enthusiastic, as he basked in the presence of his creation. "It features the one of its kind Core Luminous, comprised of liquid sakuradite. It is also equipped with the experimental Blaze Luminous shielding system and MVS sword system." The scientist began to explain his prided creation's features. "Mind you, this is just a prototype." He added at the end.
"Hoo? It would seem Schneizel isn't paying you for nothing." Julius said, as he folded his arms. "Well, seeing this has only made me sure that I've left my project in the most dependable hands." The prince grinned at the earl.
"Oh, please, you praise me too much." Lloyd laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
Cecile looked solemnly to the prince from the side. "No, really, avoid praising him at all." She said with a disappointed expression. "He always acts like a child." She added with a sigh.
Julius could see where she was coming from and felt sorry for the poor woman that had to spend most of her time around the man. His train of thought was quickly interrupted, however, by Lloyd loudly clearing his throat to change the topic of the conversation.
Julius let out a mental sigh, thinking that he should've expected something along these lines. Figuring that his work with the Special research division was done, he prepared to leave. "My work here is done. I must leave to prepare for my flight aboard the Leviathan. Earl Asplund, Miss Croomy, it was a pleasure doing business with you. My credit account is along the files that I've left you, so feel free to use it as a resource, if you find the need to."
"Ah, yes, you're the new head of the war with the EU. Well then, don't allow little old us to be keeping you, your highness." Lloyd waved at the prince with a smile, sending him off. "Buh-bye!"
"Farewell, your majesty." Cecile bowed to the prince as he left.
When Julius exited the facility, Lloyd turned to his assistant with a beaming smile.
"This is just wonderful! More sponsorship means more equipment to work with!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.
"Yes, with this increase in budget we'll surely not have to starve to death thanks to your wasted spending." Cecile replied equally satisfied, but then her tone changed into a more serious one. "Lloyd, how are we going to handle the prince's request?"
At her question, Llyod chuckled and smiled deviously. "Like we always do, my dear! We'll use the Lancelot for data gathering to complete the necessary systems and when we have everything we need," He paused for dramatic effect, flailing his arms around. "we'll get wild with those designs!" Lloyd exclaimed, having already planned everything out in his head, though then a thought hit him. "I sure hope we are able to find a suitable devicer for the Lancelot." He said with a semi-conflicted expression.
"I'm sure we will." Cecile said to cheer him up. "Now come on, we have more things to pack." She said, as everybody returned to packing up for their trip.
Julius was rather pleased with himself. He had managed to accomplish everything necessary for the currently needed preparation work and was sitting in the back of his limousine with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. He was being driven back to his villa and was eagerly anticipating his return home for a relaxing game of chess.
Of course, not all things always went according to plan and the twelfth prince was reminded of that when he saw a couple of Sutherlands to be blocking his path. He hated how whenever things were proceeding as they should, something always managed to get in his way. This something, however, was going to learn that it was a grave mistake to cross the twelfth prince of the royal Britannian family. It would be their last mistake, as the driver stopped the car before the Sutherlands.
Blocking the prince's path were three Sutherlands, most likely piloted and a group of six nobles behind the Knightmares. Ugh, great. The prince groaned inwardly, as he massaged his forehead with his fingers. These money-addicted bacteria just don't learn their place, do they?
"Julius vi Britannia! Step outside of the vehicle and we won't have to make things ugly!" Demanded one of the nobles with a smug grin.
"Your highness…!" The driver was concerned for his lord's safety and turned around to him to protest against this course of action, but found the prince raising his hand, gesturing for him to calm down.
A devilish grin was placed on the prince's face, as he spoke to the driver. "Please, there is no need to worry, nor call the police. You seem to forget." He said as he opened the door next to him. "That they refer to me as the 'homicide prince'." He finished with a smirk, as he exited out of the car and walked towards the Knightmares, his cape gently flapping behind him due to the blowing wind.
"Hands where we can see them!" Demanded one of the pilots, aiming the rifle of the Sutherland at the prince, to which Julius simply raised his hands next to his face, as if to indicate his surrender, continuing to walk towards the nobles.
The perpetrators of the ambush were laughing at the state that the prince was in. "Hahaha! Look at the feared 'homicide prince'! Nothing more than a scared brat!" They all gloated with laughter. "You will pay for all the atrocities and offenses you've committed against nobility!"
A small smile placed itself on Julius' face, as he could already figure out how things were going to play out. "Well, gentlemen, it would seem you got me." He said with a cocky tone of voice and shrug of his shoulders. "Still, if you wanted to make an example of my death, wouldn't it be better if you actually killed me off in the middle of nowhere?" He said, knowing that trash like that always responded to taunts like this.
"Heh, that is actually not a bad idea." One of the nobles said with a satisfied smirk, as he stroked his chin. "You will receive the most humiliating death possible for being so arrogant towards nobility."
"Yes, everyone…" Another one of the nobles gestured to the three Sutherlands. "Let's escort his 'highness' to his gravesite."
"Yes, my lord!" The pilots responded, as they issued Julius to walk in front of the group with his hands still in the air.
They all began heading off into the side-path, which led to deep inside the forest surrounding the main road. The nobles were cracking with laughter and anticipation of the prince's death, the Sutherlands moving in front of them, while Julius walked with his back turned to them, the smile on his face widening with each step he took. Eventually they reached a point at which the nobles decided it would be suitable to kill the prince. They issued him to turn around and as he did so, they found him with a sinister grin on his face.
"Laughing in the face of your own death? How hopeless." One of the nobles mocked the prince.
"Well, since you are going to kill me and all, would you like to know a dangerous secret of mine?" Julius asked, his smile widening and his eyebrow raised to form a mocking attitude towards the nobles.
Of course, insufferable fleas that they were, they immediately jumped at the chance of gossip. "And what might that be?" They asked.
"You should feel honored. I only show this secret of mine to a special group of people." Julius said with a crafty smile, as he reached for his eye-patch and removed it from his head.
The nobles were all surprised and confused, as were the pilots, who in their confusion did not figure to open fire at the prince, not that it would've helped them much anyway.
"The people to whom I show this are special, do you know why?" Julius asked, as his face broke out into a twisted grin, his left eye opening, revealing it to have a more vibrant and deep violet color and a glowing red sigil of a flying bird in it, coupled with the offsetting fact that the sclera of his left eye was black instead of the natural white. "Because they all die."
And just as he said that, the red sigil in his left eye glowed, creating an unseen field which encompassed all of his surroundings, including the nobles and the three Knightmares. In the next instant, the nobles fell on their knees clutching their heads, their expressions twisted into mad fear, as they screamed horrified. The Sutherlands did not open fire, for the pilots inside were too clutching their heads and screaming at the top of their lungs, something of which Julius was fully aware.
The prince walked over to one of the nobles, who was on the ground clutching his head and screaming. The dark haired prince chuckled maniacally, as he then planted his foot on top of the noble's head, slamming it into the ground. "It seems that I must once again teach you just how far beneath me all of you are."He said, as he raised his foot and stomped on the head of the noble once more. "To think that mongrels like you could lay a hand on me, such insolence." He said and removed his foot from the skull of the terrified man, who continued to scream, like the others, who were under the effect of the prince's mysterious power.
The prince took a step back and grinned. "Now then, everyone," He said and spread his arms out to the side. "Please enjoy your hell." The screaming intensified, as the eyes of the nobles rolled into the back of their heads, the power affecting them completely breaking their mind. All of them reached for their throats and choked themselves to death, their lifeless bodies slumping to the ground. The pilots too lay dead inside their cockpits.
Julius stared at the ground with closed eyes. "Heh." His whole body began to shiver, as light chuckling could be heard from his lips. "Heheh-Ahahahaha!" He leaned his head back, as he broke out into mad laughter, standing amidst the dead bodies of the nobles that had attempted to attack him and the motionless Sutherlands behind him.
It all made for one twisted picture, as the prince's laughter soon died down. He leveled his head and stared off into nowhere in particular. "Nothing can stop me." He said with a twisted grin, as his left eye glowed its sinister red light.
Well, this it. A re-imagining of Code Geass with an OC brother of Lelouch's as one of the main characters, and yes this character is based on Julius Kingsley from Akito the Exiled, though I've given him a lot more detailed personality. It's just a one-shot for now. Anyway, I'd be really happy to hear you guys' thoughts and opinions on this idea and the style of writing. I'd really like it if anyone has any tips to share on how I can improve it further, or if it is okay as it is. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Also, for copyright purposes, the cover art is not mine.