Author's Note: Remember to review :D Constructive criticism welcomed.


Phantom

Phantom played with his fingers nervously. With the destruction caused by the Black Mage and the catastrophic disaster that had befallen Ellinia, he knew things were going to get bad. However, despite his gut-wrenching feeling that was slowly eating him from the inside (an omen of bad things to come), it still could not overshadow the fact that he had been force to stay in an emergency room reserved for things like what-is-currently-happening-right-now with none other than his extremely moody tactician who apparently cannot get any sleep since the attack on Ellinia two days ago; leaving the Emperor no choice but to attend to his tactician at his worst possible mood.

Still jittery from the fifth cup of coffee that he held in his unmistakably shaking hand, and with bloodshot eyes, the tactician groaned in frustration.

"How on Rhine's hands did an army of skeleton suddenly pop out of know where, destroy a city, and then leave?" Neinheart bellowed, pushing his chair back a little as he massaged his temples. "I mean it's really just not that possible if you put it on scientific terms. But then again, even I don't know everything so maybe I'm the one that's wrong here. We're just that powerless against an enemy of this threat. I knew there was going to be something like this, I just knew it. So let's say I can't solve this mystery. Then what good am I as a tactician! We might as well pin all the deaths in Ellinia on me. I'm at fault here. I'm responsible for this. No! That can't be right. It was the Black Mage's doings. But who helped him? That mysterious woman who nearly killed Mihile? Maybe there is a spy amongst our ranks-"

"We've already talked about this Neinheart," Phantoms eyes glazed over as he interrupted the tactician. "There's no spy or anything and even if there was one, the knights are already investigating."

Phantom sighed. He didn't really get it either but the enemy, or more appropriately the Black Mage, had apparently used some sort of advance magic to suddenly instantly make an army. Blinking his eyes, the Emperor subconsciously tapped his chin as he looked at the reports sprawled across the fine marble table of the Tactician's Quarters; a room only accessible to the tactician (Neinheart) and the Emperor. Although the room was used only when a calamity has happened, Phantom really regretted the fact that he did not pay the builders enough to have air-conditioners installed. With beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, Phantom had to constantly pull at his clothes in order to keep them from sticking to his skin like honey. In fact, the heat was so bad, that it clouded Phantom's train of thought, making him wonder how such a plain square room with cupboards, drawers and one measly torch could increase the surrounding temperature to that of the Sun's.

Neinheart started taking deeper, controlled and - most of all - annoyingly loud breaths. "Yes. Yes, perhaps you're right Emperor Phantom. Maybe. Or maybe not. Shouldn't we take all necessary precautions? On a "what if" scale - just saying - let's say there really is-"

Phantom slammed his palms onto the table, causing the tactician to recoil back in shock. "Ah Neinheart, I can't- I can't do this anymore. Not with this heat. And not if we're going to be stuck here for another two more days wondering how some stupid army could have gotten into a city," Phantom cried out.

Neinheart only looked slightly amused. "I don't quite understand Your Highness, I don't feel a thing at all."

"Okay, that's it!" Phantom expressed as he stood up, scraping the floor with the backwards motion of his chair. "You may have built some sort of immunity to this- this madness but I haven't. I'm leaving!"

"No, wait! Emperor Phantom, there's still some papers for you to sign and legislations that need your approval. You can't just leave. Not to mention the media outside that all want answers from you. Do you know what they had done to Hawkeye when he tried entertaining them with his "jokes"? Staying here isn't just so that you can concentrate on your work; it's also for your own protection!" Neinheart protested.

Phantom stood quietly for a moment, giving it a second thought, before he finally came to the conclusion that he'd rather take a face full of watermelons from an angry crowd of reporters than stay any longer in the Tactician's Quarters. "Yeah I'm definitely leaving. Have the papers sent directly to my chambers!"

Sprinting towards the wall behind Neinheart, Phantom gently touched it, causing the wall to glow brightly and - seemingly - breathe. In a flash, Phantom was transported from the hot, frustrating hell hole of a room to the fresh, cool outside pavilion where birds flew freely and the sky was bright blue.

"Much better," Phantom muttered to himself as he took baby steps on the gravel pavement, trying his hardest to focus his gaze onto one of the highest castle towers that reflected the full might of the afternoon Sun's brightness. It was, and has always been, his royal chambers. Unfortunately, it really didn't help that the distance between him and his chamber was so far away that even getting there was considered hard labor. Being in an enclosed room for two days with Neinheart had really taken a lot out of the young Emperor.

"Emperor Phantom!"

Phantom jumped up, startled. He spun around and saw two violet eyes staring into his own amethyst ones. The girl smiled softly as she walked towards him, waving her blonde hair tied in pigtails. Her gown had a low-cut bodice of blue silk and an equally blue long smooth skirt with white scalloped lace. Under the sun, her fair skin seemed to turn bright red.

Phantom immediately smiled back. "Orchid! You would not believe what I went through."

"I can imagine. Anyways, I'm glad to see you," Orchid greeted. "Everyone's so busy that it's been dull lately."

"Dull huh?" Phantom raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. "You do know that they are busy because a war is slowly escalating, right?"

"A war?" Orchid yawned. "You mean when bloodshed and violence becomes inevitable? Then there's really only one thing I'd do during moments like these."

"And that is?"

"Why, I was just about to have tea. Come join me for awhile!"


When it comes to tea, Phantom was pretty sure that Orchid was an expert.

He was led into the central pavilion in the gardens – a white-pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, teacups and several steaming pots of fresh tea, where Phantom caught a waft of multiple fragrances – sometimes mint, jasmine or cinnamon. There were plates of freshly baked cookies, muffins, biscuits and cakes arranged neatly all across the table.

"I'm impressed. I didn't know you bake," Phantom complimented Orchid as he took a cookie and munched on it.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Orchid replied, pouring tea into a cup and handing it to Phantom. "But then again, I don't even know myself."

Phantom chuckled. "How's your memory?"

"Same old same old."

Some could say it was a miracle how Phantom had managed to find a girl during a skirmish out in the woods one day. She was injured and had obviously suffered a blow to the head. It wasn't rocket science to know that she needed help. After first aid was administered and she came to, lo and behold, she had amnesia. Knowing only her name from a locket that she carried with her, everything else about her was a complete mystery. Of course, initially, Neinheart wouldn't have let her stay in the castle, but Phantom thought it was nice to have someone different for a change. Or at least until she got her memory back. Eventually, it was decided that Orchid could stay under the condition that she works as Phantom's personal maid.

"Where have you been anyway?" Orchid asked. "I haven't seen you around for two days."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Phantom shuddered. "Just out of curiosity, there aren't any journalists around this vicinity, are there?"

"Oh don't worry about that," Orchid winked. "The media are all probably chasing Hawkeye with pitchforks or something."

Phantom laughed. The media really had a thing for Hawkeye.

"You know, sitting here having tea is nice," Phantom said, gulping the tea down.

"Well, a war is about to break out and we're just sitting here having tea," Orchid deadpanned.

Phantom grinned. "Don't put it that way; I realize that I really needed this break. It was smart of you to do tea here in the pavilion, I'm happy."

Orchid twinkled at first, but then her face grew red. "Don't say something that weird, geez."

"What did I say?"

Orchid ignored Phantom's question. "Actually," Orchid's face grew sullen, "on second thought, I think inviting you to tea during the advent of a war is one of the most counter-productive thing I've ever done to you."

Phantom beamed audaciously. "But you've picked a great day for tea, my dear. The sun's going down, the air is cool. I feel like I could stay here for about another hour or more."

Orchid winced. "Okay. Okay. I think you've stayed here long enough. Emperor, you need to be somewhere else doing something worthwhile…"

"Look, firstly, you invited me," Phantom started, "and I am a man of principles. Thus, it is obligatory for me to have tea here."

Orchid snorted. "Just wait until Neinheart catches you here."

"I'd get an earful for that," Phantom leaned over, reaching out for more of the cakes. "I'd appreciate it a little more if my personal maid could help pass me the strawberry tart on her left."

"I'd be happy to comply if you'd just say 'please'."

Phantom stared blankly at Orchid. "Please?"

"Here you go," she passed the tart. Then - again - Orchid pursed her lips. "Emperor Phantom, I think you have to go now. Like seriously now. The sun's almost setting. If you start now you'll reach there by dusk-"

"Just a little while more Orchid," Phantom intervened. "I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to have tea again."

Orchid stared for a moment. "Is there something keeping you from going back?"

"Just your super sweet cookies and biscuits and this superb tea," Phantom broke into a nervous laugh.

Orchid stared completely poker faced at Phantom.

"And also, I don't know if I can handle war."

Then Orchid smiled. "You've always been handling war, Emperor Phantom. That's how you found me."

"This is different, Orchid. This war includes large scale invasions. This one includes armies. This one includes deaths. I mean, Mihile nearly got killed because I sent him. I don't know if I can trust myself enough for this task," Phantom cupped his mouth with his hands. Sometimes, I wonder what it's like to not be Emperor - Phantom had wanted to say. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. It was fine if Phantom couldn't trust himself but he would be crossing the line if he said that he didn't want to be Emperor. He would just cause nothing but trouble.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. It was getting chilly but Phantom was sweating profusely. He felt the full impact of what he had just said and what he had nearly said. What would Orchid say? What if she tells Neinheart or something. Words like those would definitely reach his knights. And then what would become of their relationship with him? He couldn't let go of them. Before Phantom had the time to think up of something to change the topic, Orchid spoke up.

"Emperor Phantom," Orchid started. "I don't know how it's like to be Emperor or anything but just know that I trust you a lot more than I trust myself, so isn't it good enough for you to know that people put their trust in you to that extent?"

"It's just different Orchid," Phantom replied. "Just forget what I said, okay?"

"How different do you think it is?"

"This time, things are just too different."

Orchid obviously looked disappointed. She took a sip of tea before answering, "It has always been different, hasn't it? Or if you look more closely, you could even say that it's actually just the same, but with different variations. The war hasn't started yet."

Phantom paused for a moment as he realized something. Orchid was right. He couldn't just give up because things were going rough. He only focused on what he had to do if the war had started but the fact is, it hasn't. At least, not yet. It was so obvious now to Phantom that he should prevent it from ever happening. Slowly, Phantom stood up.

"You're right," Phantom smiled. "Nothing has changed. Thanks Orchid. I've got to go now. I have to stop a war."

"W-Wait, Emperor Phantom," Orchid stopped him. Phantom spun around to face her and immediately, he noticed how badly she was shivering - probably due to the cold sunset air - but Phantom couldn't help but think that it was also due to something more. It was almost as if she was terrified.

"Stop the Black Mage."

Phantom smiled confidently. "I'll personally show him just how strong Ereve really is."


Before Phantom headed for his royal chambers, he wanted to stop by and visit his injured Chief Knight. He could have gotten there more quickly but running at full speed on a stomach filled with tea and various bite size biscuits was not one of his brightest ideas. As he pressed on at walking speed, the empty hallways were filled by the echos of his footsteps - where his pace increased with each step. Taking the corridor to his right, he flew passed by the storage room and went straight into the infirmary.

There, he saw about a dozen injured knights, resting on their soft beds. He felt guilty for them too but they were not who he wanted to see. Only one person. Just one who nearly died. Further into the room, he finally found him. Looks like he wasn't alone.

"Your Highness," both Eckhart and Oz greeted simultaneously.

"Both of you are... here?" Phantom asked.

"I couldn't just leave him." Oz answered. She looked as if she was mourning a dead person.

Eckhart stayed quiet. Phantom smiled knowing that Eckhart had sincerely missed Mihile.

The young Emperor took a nearby chair and promptly sat on it, edging closer towards Mihile's pale unconscious face. Phantom averted his gaze. "So he got shot by lightning?"

"Pierced actually," Oz told him. "It wasn't... pretty."

"It was a good thing Grendel was there," Eckhart added in. "I've got to remember to thank him. And make sure to assassinate that lady who did this."

Phantom smiled. "Yeah. When this is all over, we should thank Grendel. And kill that lady."

Eckhart snickered. But Oz looked disturbed.

"There was this other person," Oz mumbled quietly.

"What?"

Oz played with her hair nervously. "No, nothing."

"So if the both of you are here, then where are Irena and Hawkeye?" Phantom asked.

"Irena's taking over both our shifts," Eckhart replied. "And Hawkeye, well he's-"

Eckhart and Oz both stared at each other before answering, "being chased by reporters and journalists."

"Of course," Phantom said.

"He's really doing a good job actually," Oz started. "I mean, I haven't seen one reporter all day today."

Eckhart chuckled. "You know what they say - idiots always get the job done."

Phantom laughed. He just loved his Knights. And Neinheart too. They were definitely family to him and he wasn't sure what he would do without them.

"I guess I should get going now. Take care, you both."


By the time he had reached his royal chambers, it was already nightfall. He didn't expect to arrive so early but then again, he thought he'd at least make it before dark. Once Phantom's inside, he slammed the door shut and took a deep breath before getting started on finding a way to stop the war. However, before he could reach for his pen and quill, he was immediately overcome by the same gut-wrenching feeling he had felt when he was with Neinheart back at the Tactician's Quarters although this time, it was severely magnified. It was so strong that Phantom had to balance himself by placing a hand on the wall. He knew something was going to go wrong. Phantom looked around, scanning every detail of the chamber carefully. Everything was basically the same. The arrangement of his bed, the desk and chair next to it and even the balcony right at the rear end of the room. The portraits still hung neatly across the walls and the red velvet curtains were still intact. But something was different. It was as if Phantom could feel someone watching him.

He paced closer towards his desk where a big bunch of paperwork were messily scattered all across it – the fine handiwork of his tactician. Everything seemed calm. All was fine. And for a second, Phantom actually thought he was just imagining things. How wrong he was.

Smoke had suddenly filled the room, stinging the Emperor's eyes and choking him. He tried covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief on his table but to no avail. The smoke was suffocating him. Immediately, he felt a sharp painful blow to his head that made him fall over. Phantom was slowly losing consciousness. Just when he thought his attacker was going to do the finishing blow, soft gentle hands had suddenly wrapped itself around his neck, slowly relieving Phantom of his most treasured possession. Phantom realized that this was no murderer. This was a thief trying to steal the Skaia.

"I'll just take this," the feminine voice called out. "It's been an honor to have stolen from you, Your Highness."

Those words alone stung harder than the smoke. The thief was going to get away with the Skaia while the Emperor laid there defeated by smoke and one blow to the head. In a last fit of rage, Phantom jumped up and grabbed the silhouette of the thief, hugging the thief as hard as possible, making sure their bodies locked. His hands felt the soft texture of what he initially thought was a small cushion placed in front of the thief's chest. It didn't take Phantom more than two seconds to realize that 1) He grabbed the thief from the back, 2) The thief was female and 3) He was really grabbing her breasts.

"You fucking pervert!" She screamed.

"I am so sorr-"

Before Phantom could finish his apology, a cloud of golden glittery cards had mysteriously enshrouded the both of them, making them vanish instantly, leaving no trace of the struggle whatsoever behind.