Author's Note: Well, it was bound to happen…I screwed up. Last chapter, Schatten's description was all wrong, as I keep records and idea journals, and I made a wrong edit. However, instead of correcting it and messing with the reveal, I've decided to incorporate it into the plot. This chapter is all about Schatten and his past, and after that we will get back to the fun side of things. You have to laugh before you cry, as they say. Also, for those wondering what else besides Akame Ga Kill's botched anime ending has inspired this series, this chapter's title is as blatant as it gets in that regard. We all get ideas and inspirations from what we like, don't we?
Chapter Eleven: Still in the Dark
The Northern Nation´s ice wastelands...
Schatten walked among the long, tall corridors of the fortress. It had stood there for almost a thousand years, one of the first great marvels of the Empire, built as the first and last line of defense and conquest against the Northern Nation...but what war and politics couldn't conquer had been reclaimed by nature centuries ago. The Civil War was raging on, and the Empire had little time or resources to waste on a fortress build against a cliff's face, always prey to the unrelenting ice and snow.
So it was abandoned and forgotten, as the Empire retreated south and established a new border, were the Northern Tribes and the various clans of the snow lived their harsh but free lives…and like all lost history, the fortress, its location and name had became legend and myth now, five hundred years after it had been left to the ice.
When Ardere melted away the whole glacier that had covered, the fortress opened its doors to her and Schatten like no time had passed. The cold had preserved its defenses, resources and, most important of all, its secrets hidden and safe from humanity for centuries…until now.
"So, the Northern Nation has finally made its move, after all these years. I was expecting them to actually listen to reason and delight on the peace they had made with Empire in the last months, instead of finally succumbing to greed and lust for power and come here"-Schatten said, as Ardere walked by his side.
"They cannot help themselves. Even after all the horror, death and suffering, the promise of the power and value of this fortress calls to them like carrion calls to scavenging vermin. Honest's death and the Empire becoming quiet and peaceful was exactly what they were waiting for. They had avoided our base for years, out of fear and more pressing concerns, but now they dream of what they will find here…and how to use it to conquer their fellow man"-Ardere replied.
"They will be here in a few hours. Make it clear to the others that they are to ignore their advance. Alert me when they are at our very door."-Schatten replied as they stopped next to a massive metal door.
The door was not decorated at all. In fact it's size, thickness and rows upon rows of bolts, locking mechanisms and spiked barricades made it clear that the dozen tons of metal that made it had been crafted for one purpose only: To keep it shut, either from the inside or outside.
Harukore was leaning against it, rubbing her face and body against the flat, featureless steel and iron, as she moaned and panted with every motion.
"I take it Syura is undergoing his…procedure?"-Schatten asked, allowing himself a smile. Harukore's oddness always managed to humor him.
"Yes…I can hear the echo of his screams. I can feel his pain vibrating through the steel; I can smell his blood and sweat in the air…and I know that his blood must be spilled all over inside, just waiting to be tasted…"-Harukore hugged herself as she dropped to her knees and let a gasp of pleasure, sticking her tongue out in an obscene manner.
"Have some decency, or at least some self respect, child."-Ardere said as she looked at Harukore collapse on the ground, emitting small, intermittent moans of pleasure.
The massive doors opened, as a small, petite figure made its way out, the doors closing on its own as soon as the figure was outside.
"Well, that was...satisfying."-Dorothea smiled as she walked over to Schatten and Ardere, stepping over Harukore as she did; much to the latter's pleasure.
"I take it Syura's body did not reject the process?"-Ardere asked.
"Not at all. Shamballa's core and he are a perfect fit. He should be up and about in a few hours."-Dorothea smiled as she tossed her bloody apron aside, leaving her wearing just her immaculate turquoise dress and her ribbon. Her fans were briefly seen as she spoke.
"Good. I expect him to be up to my standards. I need not remind you again what will be your fate if what happened with the clown and the pirate repeats again. They will still be useful for our purpose, but once our master returns, he will not tolerate any more waste of potential candidates or Teigus."-Schatten said, glaring at the small alchemist.
"There will be no more errors, Lord Schatten. The facilities in this place no longer hold any secrets for me, and the knowledge you provided me managed to let me finally develop a conversion process with a high success and survival rate. Cosmina, Izou and I are proof of that"-Dorothea replied, as she backed away a bit. Schatten's voice alone was enough to unnerve even her.
"Where is the brainless Siren, speaking of her?"-Ardere asked.
"She is practicing her songs on her new pets…music soothes the beasts, as they say"-Dorothea answered.
"You are fortunate she is able to keep them chained with her songs, child. Schatten does not tolerate failure, either from his subordinates or the products of their work. Enshin and Champ might not had any value whatsoever as individuals to our master, but had the power of their Teigus done to waste…"-Ardere said as her eyes glowed like red hot embers-
"I assure you and Lord Schatten that it will not happen again! Once his lordship shared his knowledge with me, I was able to perfect the process. Stylish's notes and ideas were sounds, but he was simply…misguided in his focus. Once I saw that death and not life was key to the bonding process…"-Dorothea explained as she backed away, when she suddenly stopped dead on her tracks as Harukore jumped from behind and wrapped her arms around here, slowly starting to grope her.
"Do not try to hide away your fear, my little one. I can smell it in your hair. Even this twisted yet irresistible little body you have made for yourself can't help betray you. Even your sweat tastes like a little girl's, trying her hardest to be brave…"-Harukore whispered as she licked a bead of sweat from Dorothea's cheek.
"GET THE HELL OFF ME, YOU MASOCHIST FREAK!"-Dorothea yelled, as long, leathery wings emerged from her back, launching Harukore backwards against a wall, leaving a dented impression of her body on it as she fell down, only to land gracefully on her feet and made a seductive pose.
"Oh? Did I strike a nerve? Or are you really as childish as you attempt to look through your alchemy and science? I don't mind how you truly are inside, as long as you can still bleed and feel my embrace"-Harukore mocked as she extended her arms to her.
Dorothea hissed as her eyes glowed red, baring a mouth with long fangs and hand with clawed fingers.
"Or perhaps its blood you want? Have your reserves run low already after so many days locked inside your lab playing doctor? You know you can always have some of mine…as long as you give me a taste of yours."-Harukore said as he laughed, making Dorothea hiss even lauder.
"ENOUGH!"-Ardere yelled as she raised her hand, and the ground between Harukore and Dorothea burst open as fire and flame exploded from out of thin air, sending them both to the floor, several meters from each other.
"You will not waste any more of Schatten's time with your petty games! Dorothea, go continue your research on the remaining candidates among the Jaegers and Night Raid! Harukore, go find Izou and stand guard with him outside! I want to be alerted personally the moment the Northern Army is on your sights! And no one is to engage in battle unless I or Schatten order so, is that clear!"-Ardere roared as the air around the hall boiled, forming long clouds of steam.
Both Harukore and Dorothea nodded, only to run way as fast as they could.
"They are just children with new toys, Ardere. You do not need lose your patience or temper with them"-Schatten chuckled as he walked away, Ardere following him.
"They have no appreciation for the gift they have been given. Even as humans they didn't see beyond the power they had then, nor do they do so now. How can the Master expect us to accomplish our mission like this?"-Ardere asked as they reached their destination.
"Is that what you truly think? Or is the longing for being reunited with your daughter clouding your mind, Ardere?"-Relam said as she revealed herself. She had been waiting for them all along, as she stood there guarding the large wood and metal door that was at the end of the Fortress's depths.
"Mind your words, Relam. You might have experience on your side, but your power is nothing compared to mine. Mention my daughter to me again and I will make sure your newfound free life is short lived."-Ardere answered as she narrowed her eyes.
"Enough of you both. I have more pressing matters to attend to. I will retire to my chambers. Do not interrupt me unless it's absolutely necessary or the Northern Army has arrived. I do not need to explain the consequences to both of you if my orders are not followed."-Schatten said, making both women go quiet.-"Ardere, you are in charge of the…children in my absence. Relam will continue to stand guard here. That is all"-Schatten added as he looked at them.
Ardere and Relam continue to glare at each other. They seemed unlikely to budge.
Schatten sighed.
"Ardere"-Schatten said as he caressed her cheek.-"You will be reunited with your daughter again, as I have promised you ever since we meet. No one will stand between you and her, and no matter what happens…her fate is yours to decide. You have my word. And no matter what is required, you will have every power, every resource and every tool at my disposal to make sure the damage she's suffered is undone. Your precious girl will be returned to you, and you will have once again what was taken from you"-Schatten said as she looked into his eyes.
"You promised. She is mine and mine alone."-Ardere said as she gently caressed the side of his hand, and then left without a word.
"What about your promise to me, my lord?"-Relam asked as soon as Ardere was gone.
"I freed you from the chains of servitude and made you whole once again, Relam. What was done to you and your brother was monstrous and will not go unpunished. I will offer your brother the same salvation I offered you. But it is his to take. If he chooses to stand by the humans as a tool and servant, rather than become whole once again…then he is lost"-Schatten replied.
"If he chooses them over me, his own flesh and blood, after I make him remember who he as, what was taken from us centuries ago…I will tear his core from his body and crush it with my own hands, my lord."-Relam replied a she bend her knee to him.
Schatten smiled as he caressed the top of her head, taking care to avoid touching the small golden horns on it.
"Sweet Relam. This world has been so unkind to you and your kind. Never again it will. Even if your brother is lost to you, I will see that it is not in vain. You will never suffer being humanity's tool ever again. So do not kneel. Not even to me. You are better than the lot of them, Relam. You do not need kneel to anyone ever again"-Schatten said as he gently made her stand up by pressing his hand against her chin.
"I go to my chambers now…please, see that I am not interrupted."-Schatten said softly as he opened the great double doors.
"My lord? May I ask one question?"-Relam said, staring at his back.
"Of course."-Schatten replied.
"What do you do on your chambers alone every day, as I stand guard? For endless hours, I watch you are not disturbed. Yet you do not need sleep, nor food or drink. You do not indulge into any pleasures of the flesh; neither do you seek companionship of any kind besides that of your followers. If your lordship has any need of love or pleasure, I offer myself to you. Ardere would as well, if you asked. I just cannot stand the thought of you alone in that room for so long, with no purpose that I can see! I beg you, my lord. Please assure my fears that your heart and soul do not suffer under the weight of your mission! Please let your loyal servant be able to stand guard on your door proudly and calm, knowing her lord is well!-Relam said as tears streamed down her eyes.
Schatten turned to her, and smiled.
"Your…concerns are appreciated, sweet Relam. Do not worry about me so anymore, for your guarding over my chambers is akin to trusting you with my very existence. As for your question…in the solitude of my chambers, I do the one thing that I allow myself to do outside of the mission that has become my purpose for existing"-Schatten said as he turned around.
"And what would that be, my lord?"-Relam asked as she wiped her tears away.
"Remembering."-Schatten said as he closed the door behind him.
The room was beyond measure in its size and extension, as the door leaded straight into a long hallway that seemed more like a cathedral's interior than a fortress room. There were no features or decorations whatsoever on the walls, nor there were any windows. A few candles burned with feeble lights on holes carved into the walls.
It was just a long, wide hall carved into the stone to perfect smoothness, with its only feature at the very end of the corridor.
As if carved from the very mountain's entrails, a stone throne emerged from the featureless wall at the end. It had no features or adornments whatsoever, only its size and presence hinting at it having being the seat of a king or emperor of a distant, long gone past.
Schatten sat on the throne, and let his body go, slumping on the ageless seat. His face changed as his body relaxed, making him look like a vagrant or a rogue who mocked the seat of power he occupied with his very use of it.
"Time to remember."-Schatten said in a tired voice as the darkness snuffed the candles at his command, and he let himself be washed away by memory….
…
A few years ago…
The boy had no name, for he was born weak and feeble, and thus he was not worthy of one. In the cold north, he would had been left to die as the price for his weakness, but the south of the Empire was warm, and even in a tribe as proud and wild as the Ban tribe, the weak had their purpose.
Just not in the battlefield or the hunt.
So the boy grew with no name but Boy, wandering alone through the tribe's dwellings, never having any friendship or companionship from his peers. Only his mother allowed herself an occasional smile, and his elder sister, whose beauty and kindness was without equal in the tribe, showed him kindness and love, secretly teaching about the nature of herbs and roots, of healing and helping the warriors and hunters who had been scarred in battle, as that was the place of women among the Ban.
The boy was content with such a meager existence. His sister's kindness was enough for him to keep resisting the natural death he should had succumbed to years ago. So anytime not spend with his sister he spend wandering the forests, discovering new herbs and roots, watching the wildlife, and his skill at being unnoticed and silent became such, he soon could spy and listen to the warriors, the elders, the shamans and the weapon smiths from the cover of darkness or the even more protective mantle of a lifetime of being ignored and unnoticed.
But it all changed when the tribe rebelled against the Empire. The warriors and elders stood proud, knowing their mastery of the terrain ensured they would never be defeated, and the ever wild river that separated them from the Empire's troops prevented any form of direct attack on their homeland.
But one day, the river froze. And the Empire followed.
The boy was unnoticed by the soldiers, the butchers and the rapists.
His lone thought was of his mother and sister, and he went to them, knowing that they were the only ones worth saving in the face of the horror and death around him.
But he was too late. The soldiers beat him bloody until they thought him dead.
But he was alive and aware, and he watched as his mother and sister were used for their pleasure again and again.
When morning came, little survived of the village. His mother had died during the night, her corpse thrown in the river as countless other ones. Those who survived had been apparently spared only as a cruel joke, to ensure the memory of the carnage would make them rebel in the future again, providing the Empire's mightiest with more entertainment.
The boy's sister wasn't as lucky. Her body endured, but her mind and heart had been shattered beyond the help of herb and root…or brotherly love.
She took her life in front of him, slicing open her throat as she just stared, empty and without any more pain to show or suffer.
She was thrown into the river as well, as suicide was the mark of the weak, and after all that had befallen the Ban, the weak were even more unworthy now.
The boy decided to leave that very night, grabbing what little possessions he had, and making his escape under the cover of darkness, his skill at stealth unmatched.
But he did not leave empty handed.
As he was about to leave the village, a few shadows caught his eyes. The surviving elders, weak and feeble, were on their way somewhere, in secrecy under the veil of night.
So he followed them, all the way to a hidden cave, were a temple the likes he had never seen before was hidden by the forest and the earth. The boy was smart enough to realize it was not made by the Ban's hands.
At the bottom of the cave, the elders conferred in front of a strange shrine…were a single object lay.
A small, barely noticeable vial of black, with a chain wrapped around it
"We should have used it. Long have we watched over it without daring find out its power"-An elder spoke in the darkness
"It would had meant the doom of our people and our enemies as well…and perhaps the whole world"-Another elder said.
"We must bury it deeply. The knowledge of its existence dies with us. No man has ever been able to wield it. Its unlike the others of its kind. It doesn't obey any master, nor have a purpose. No man has been born nor ever will there be one that is so beyond humanity to dare attempt to tame it. It is decided. It is to be lost forever."-The last elder spoke.
The boy felt his rage and anger build inside him as he listened. They had a chance to prevent all of this…and they had refused to use it. They had cowardly hidden under their so called way of the strong, under which his very existence had been condemned as useless and unworthy.
And that had cost him what little he loved and cared for in this world.
He stared at the knife in his hand. His sister's blood had remained on it, no matter how many times he had washed it.
Without questioning himself, he stepped out of the darkness and into the light.
"Wait, I beg of you...leave it alone. Leave this place, take what remains of my life if you want, boy. But do not take it with you. It's not made for any man to wield. It will take everything from you. It will devour you and all you held dear. Please…"-The remaining elder pleaded as life finally escaped him
The boy stared at the small, black vial. It seemed empty yet full at the same time. Whatever was inside it was nor liquid nor solid. It almost seemed empty, yet as he stared at it, he could see the dark move inside it.
The boy glanced at the elder's corpse, and then took the small vial, placing its chain around his neck.
"The world has already taken everything from me…so what else remains for this to take from me as well?"-The boy said as he walked out of the darkness and into the light.
Years later…the outskirts of the Imperial Capital
The boy was now a man. He had wandered from years, scouring himself from his tribal heritage, wandering, learning and investigating, the vial always hanging around his neck.
He even had became a citizen of the Empire, hiding his tribal roots, in order to keep searching for knowledge and answers
He was currently searching them in a hospital of the Imperial Army, a few miles outside the capital, were he had entered service as a guard.
No one questioned his credentials or wild looks. The war against the Rebel Army was raging, and the lack of soldiers made mercenaries and men willing to be guards needed, especially with the rumors of assassins running amok among the capital.
He did not care for them or for the sick and wounded who entered the hospital, never to be seen again.
He just waited for his chance to learn and then disappear, to continue his search for answers.
That night, he thought it was time. Breaking into the Hospital's library and taking the books and texts that he would find useful would be easy, as the night was dark and silent.
Too silent, he realized just in time, as a gust of wind made him react just in time to block the sword that nearly took his head.
He jumped back, staring at his opponent that had appeared out of the very night.
It was a young girl in a black dress, her long black hair lightly caressed by the wind. There was no doubt to her intention or skill as she gripped her sword and charged at him again.
He managed to parry the blow again, but he had not been as lucky as the first time. The girl had twirled her sword around upwards, slashing him across the chest. It was barely a scratch, but he could also hear the sound of glass breaking. His thought was of the vial.
The girl stared at him and then sheathed her sword, staring at him.
He didn't understand…but then again, neither would he have been able to in time.
The pain hit him instantly, as his whole body screamed in agony…through his dying eyes, he saw his arms covered in dark red and black markings…he collapsed as life abandoned him, his last sight being the girl walking away from what she knew was just a corpse.
When he opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised by the pain being gone. He was smart enough to know he was dead.
However, he did not remember any books or religious texts saying the afterlife was like this.
He was alone, everything just bright, blinding whiteness surrounding him.
Except for the sword
It was sticking from what would had been the ground, right in front of him, long and black and feature less. It had no decorations, no signs or marks that showed its origin or maker.
The more he looked at it, the more it looked like what a sword was supposed to be, not what they ended up being like.
WHAT IS YOUR WISH?
The voice had no sound or tone. There was no sound in this place. It was coming from his own mind. But it was not his voice. It was old and ancient, and yet showed no emotion or intention. It simply was.
DO YOU WISH TO RISE AGAIN?
He looked at the sword.
"No"-he thought
WHAT?
"No. I do not want to rise again"
WHY? YOU HAVE DIED. YOUR LIFE HAS ENDED.
"Yes it has. But for what purpose would I even rise again?"
FOR REVENGE. FOR POWER. FOR LUST. FOR GREED. ALL HUMANS HAVE A REASON TO WISH FOR DEATH TO BE CHEATED.
"Not me. Revenge will not give me back what has been taken from me. Power is nothing if I have no purpose. I have no desires that lust can satisfy. And I yearn for nothing material. You have nothing to offer to me"
THEN WAS IT THAT YOU WANT? MANY MEN HAVE KILLED AND DIED LIKE YOU FOR THIS CHANCE. YOU ARE THE FIRST TO REJECT IT. I MUST KNOW WHY? WHAT DO YOU WANT THAT I CANNOT GIVE?
He stared at the sword, thinking. And then he smiled.
"I want revenge on the world that took everything for me. I want the power to end injustice. I long for a world where no one will suffer as I did. I crave the purpose and direction of fixing this broken world that has rejected me and so many others."
THAT I CANNOT GIVE. YOUR WORDS ARE TRUE AND NOBLE. YOUR COMMITMENT IS STRONGER THAN I HAVE EVER WITNESSED. BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO RID THE WORLD OF INJUSTICE. THERE IS NO FIXING THIS BROKEN WORLD. I CAN ONLY GRANT YOU REVENGE. AND THERE IS NO REVENGE IN YOUR WORDS.
"Yes there is."
I AM AS OLD AS THE EMPIRE ITSELF. NO ONE BUT MY CREATOR HAS EVER EXPRESSED THE BELIEFS YOU HAVE UTTERED. AND ONLY HE KNEW HOW TO MAKE THEM TRUE.
"But I do. I know"
YOU DARE? YOU DARE THINK YOURSELF MY CREATOR´S EQUAL? THEN SPEAK YOUR WORDS, CHILD! PROVE YOURSELF TO ME! AND IF YOU ARE TRULY WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE…THEN I WILL GRANT YOU THE POWER, THE PURPOSE AND THE DIRECTION TO MAKE YOUR WISH REALITY. SPEAK THE NAME OF THE ONE YOU WANT REVENGE ON!
He stood there for and instant that seemed like an eternity…and then he grasped the sword, ignoring the pain and the darkness that enveloped it all, wiping away all light and white from existence.
"I wish for the power to fix this broken world, this injustice that has befallen it! I wish for the strength, the conviction and the will to do the unthinkable, to make the impossible! I wish for evil to finally be vanquished, to be chained back from where it should never been allowed to roam free! I wish for my enemy to be vanquished forever, no matter the cost or the price! There is no pain I won't endure, no sacrifice I will not make, no sin I wont commit!"-He screamed as he pulled on the sword, ignoring the increasing pain that tore his insides, or the darkness that clawed at his mind.
SPEAK THE NAME!
"The name of my enemy is Humanity!"-He yelled as the sword came lose. And then it was over.
There was no more pain. The sword had vanished. All that there was just him and the darkness
The voice laughed. Not in mockery or pride, but in joy.
AFTER ALL THIS CENTURIES OF WAITING. AFTER ALL THOSE USELESS AND CORRUPT, THE GREEDY AND THE DECEITFUL. FINALLY YOU HAVE COME TO ME. THE ONE WITH NOTHING TO LOSE, AND NOTHING TO GAIN. THE ONE WHO WILL SACRIFICE ALL HE IS FOR THE NOBLEST OF PURPOSES…FINALLY, MY POWER HAS FOUND ITS BEARER…AND MY MASTER THE ONE WHO HE CAN TRUST WITH HIS RETURN, WITH HEARING HIS VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A THOUSAND YEARS, AND FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS. RETURN TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING, ENEMY OF HUMANITY. YOU ARE FINALLY FREE TO PURSUE YOUR VENGEANCE. YOU WILL SUFFER MORE THAN ANYONE. YOU WILL FEEL PAIN BEYOND WHAT HUMANS WERE MEANT TO UNDERSTAND. YOU WILL BECOME MONSTER, TRAITOR AND ABOMINATION. BUT SHALL YOU TRIUMPH…SHALL YOU CONQUER YOUR ENEMY AND MAKE YOUR VENGEANCE A REALITY…YOU WILL BECOME WHAT GODS CANT EVEN DREAM OF BECOMING. FOLLOW THE VOICE. PREPARE AND ENGINEER MY MASTER'S RETURN…AND YOU WILL CONQUER YOU ENEMY.
"I will. I must."
WAIT. A FINAL GIFT. FOR GRANTING ME THE PURPOSE OF MY EXISTANCE.
"What is it?"
A NAME. THE NAME OF YOUR POWER. THE NAME OF HUMANITY'S ENEMY. THE NAME THEY WILL FEAR, THE NAME THEY WILL CURSE AND RUE…BUT IF YOU SUCEED…THE NAME THEY WILL PRAY AND BE THANKFUL TO FOR AS LONG AS THEY LIVE
"A name….I accept your gift"
SO BE IT…NOW RISE…SCHATTEN.
"What the hell happened here?"-The officer asked as he watched the hospital burn.
"Night Raid. Somehow they knew the hospital was just a front for the interrogation of rebels and traitors. The director is dead, along with everyone else."-a soldier replied.
"Just as good, the orders from up high were no survivors."-The officer replied, when he froze on the spot.
"What is…."-His underling managed to say as he stared in awe as well.
A corpse had rising in front of them. He had been dead and cold seconds earlier, even if all he had was long gash on his chest.
The risen man stared at them, and then looked at his hands. He looked at his feet, were a broken chain along with the shattered remains of a vial could be seen.
"Wait. What the hell are you?"-The officer said as he drew his sword, his companion doing the same.
The man stared at them both, completely ignoring their weapons, or the other dozen soldiers that had joined them.
"I am the enemy of Humanity. And one day, you will thank me for it"-Schatten said as the darkness exploded from within him, taking a myriad of shapes no man had ever seen. Fans, talons and jaws snapped as they became as solid as steel and as sharp as diamond, gaping maws of pure black writhing and twitching as they came down on their prey.
The soldiers didn't have time to scream. In one instant, all that was left of them were a few stains of blood on the grass.
Schatten looked at the burning hospital, then at the Empire's Capital in the distance.
He seemed to concentrate, as if he was listening to something only he could hear.
"Not yet. I know. First I must go north. To awaken the fire. Then it will be time to gather the children. Just you wait, Master. I will give you the world…and you will give me my wish"-Schatten said as he got lost in the darkness.
Schatten was awakened by the knocking on the massive doors.
The darkness retreated back inside him; the candles once again alight as he got up and walked to the door, opening it.
Relam was there, along with Ardere, Harukore, Dorothea and a grinning Syura. The purple markings that glowed along his arms and chest made clear what the result of his conversion was.
"They are here, my lord."-Relam said.
Schatten walked out, closing the door behind him. The others followed him outside, to the fortress's main balcony. Fire rained as countless arrow set ablaze struck against the fortress sides to no avail, just as the heavy rocks thrown by catapults barely made a dent against the frozen rock.
"Where are Cosmina and Izou?"-Schatten asked.
"They are entertaining themselves along with her pets. It seems some of the northern forces tried to invade from the sewers. They did not expect it to lead to the…holding pens"-Ardere said.
"Four thousand soldiers. Siege engines and battering rams. I think I even saw some domesticated danger beasts in the back. You do not disappoint when it comes to welcoming a new member."-Syura grinned as he looked down at the invading army.
"This is not your welcoming party, boy. This is your first and last warning"-Schatten said as he looked directly at him.
Syura gulped in fear. Even with his new power he had been plotting already, but now he could see what this was all about.
"Schatten!"-Ardere said.
"Yes?"-He answered as he turned to face her.
"That disguise of yours is no longer needed. Show them your true form. None of them will survive anyway. And the new child needs to see with his own eyes"-Ardere said.
Schatten smiled at her.
Syura stared in awe as Schatten's armor and cape withdrew inside it selves, contorting and twisting. A wave of dark tendrils and shapes wrapped around Schatten's body, covering him completely, only to wither and uncoil themselves…
Schatten stood there, his face uncovered and clean shaven. His skin was almost white as the snow, and he wore just a long ragged black coat that fell to his ankles. He had no protection or clothing anywhere on his chest, which was just as white as his face. He wore dark grey pants with a large metal and leather belt, and ornate boots, but the whole outfit seemed ancient…not in origin but in time endured. Syura could swear he was wearing the same basic clothing the guards and soldiers of the Empire wore, only his was black as night and withered as if he had endured countless battles.
"Show him who you truly are. Show him why he must obey, He will understand then."-Ardere said, relishing the words.
Syura stared in disbelief as Schatten's eyes turned black, and his pupils red as blood…along his white skin, on his chest, his face and his hands, crimson and black markings appeared, glowing intensely.
"It's impossible…no one can survive being slashed with that sword. It's poison has no cure and kills in seconds…then how?-Syura managed to utter as Schatten stared at him.
"Who said I survived it? That sword and its wielder didn't kill me. I was dead before that. I was dead when I was born, unwanted and rejected; I was dead when everything was taken from me. All that sword and its poison did was bringing me back to life, child. And one day, I will repay its wielder that gift a thousand fold. Now watch me, and remember this night. Remember what I truly am, so you remember your place and purpose…Teigu"-Schatten said as he jumped down the balcony.
Syura watched in awe as he landed with a shockwave that turned a hundred soldiers into a thin red mist. A whole squad charged at Schatten, their heads rolling off their should with a simple swipe of his hand….and then the darkness came, unleashed in tendrils, spikes, gaping maws and jaws that tore through man, beast, and machine alike.
"What is he?"-Syura asked as he watched, a smile suddenly coming to his lips. He had just become aware that he had never seen something so beautiful in his life. All his crimes and atrocities were just children games compared to this. He was so absorbed he didn't even noticed Harukore clingin to him as she watched in glee at the carnage below.
"He is the enemy of Humanity. They will hate him. They will fear him…and in time, they will love him and revere him"-Ardere said as she and the others watched four thousand men die, knowing that a nation will follow.
Next Chapter: Back to fun at Tatsumi's and Lubbock's expense, as its dinner with General Budou and his daughter…former Rebel Army general, former Imperial Academy roommate of Esdeath and Najenda, and current Teigu wielder, Kaskade! Is she friend or foe? Or is she yet another torn in our two forced lovers' backs?
