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...

The death of Queen Aulea was a massive rippled impact all along the country of Lucis and even beyond. Everyone who knew her and neighbouring countries mourned her loss, catastrophic and unexpected. King Regis took it the hardest and oddly enough, it was Athenacia that seemed to be next in line. As expected, the royal took a bit of time to spend with his son which left Clarus, Cor and Weskham to maintain things during the mourning period. The funeral was solemn at best but everyone in the Crown City was present. That was initially what had the Marshal notice that the child was hurting about this turn of events in the first place. While he was busy with the arrangements, he did manage to find time to be near her and she slipped her tiny hand into his own. When Cor looked down at her he noted the detached sort of look on her face as she intently watched everything around her. He wished to know how she was processing all of this and hated that he wasn't able to be there for her while he was performing his own duties. Athenacia hadn't spoken much since she was able to see the poison in the Queen and Cor worried that she might retreat into herself.

It was a while before he was able to even get to the bottom of it. Noctis and his father needed to be taken care of and Cor had his obligations. The man barely took care of himself during this time but after nearly a month, things were going to start to go back to normal. Fall was approaching them and that meant Athenacia was going to start another fresh year in school. Cor made it a point to take her, knowing that she was starting a year above the rest of her classmates. Her academics only improved as time wore on and he was happy about that. He was ashamed that this was the first time he had been able to see her since the funeral and he noted that she was still particularly quiet and solemn the entire ride. Ordinarily she had plenty of things to tell him about the latest medical journal she had read, or surgeries she witnessed on video. Today she didn't say a word, hazel eyes on the window and still detached like before.

"Cia," he called for her, hoping for a reaction.

"Yes?"

Even he voice sounded defeated. Cor suppressed a sigh, glancing over quick and noting she hadn't even moved. The school came into view and he pulled over but didn't let her out just yet, hoping that she would react to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, having no idea what else to say to her.

"I don't know what I am," she replied, sighing heavily before getting out of the car.

The Marshal watched her, a frown on his face. There was a sort of uneasiness forming in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of dread as he saw her disappear in the door with the other students. As the day progressed he was unable to shake it, having it loom in the back of his mind while he worked. King Regis was mostly back to himself but it was easy to tell that the passing of his wife took its toll on him. It just seemed that a piece of him died with her and would never be restored no matter how much time went on. Noctis, though perceptive enough to know that something bad had happened, would not remember much of his mother. The Prince wouldn't feel the pain of loss which had its advantages at least. Cor would give anything to hear one of the woman's teasing lines regarding Athenacia or anything to do with his life that wasn't his work here at the Citadel. There was no time for him to mourn, he had a duty.

Currently, one of his obligations seemed to be having a huge problem. As soon as he was getting ready to go pick up Athenacia from school, he got a call on his phone. It seemed that the girl in question was being detained thanks to an issue that she seemed to be directly involved in. Cor sighed as he made his way to the car, wondering what sorts of trouble kids were causing her. Athenacia was spirited, but this wasn't the first time that she was picked on by other kids and this year she was in a whole new element, just like the year before. It didn't take him long to reach the school and he saw her with that same indifference on her features as she kicked her feet that hung off the chair she was sitting on. She didn't even bother to look up at him as he walked into the office, having a brief word about the incident and coming out with eyebrows raised.

"Let's go kid," he said, his voice a little hard.

Athenacia didn't speak, just pushed herself off of her seat, swung her bag on her back and marched toward the exit with the Marshal right behind her. The car ride was again quiet and instead of going back to the orphanage, he brought her to the cafe they usually went to in order to talk. That same look was still on her face the entire time, not even bothering to order something while sitting down and watching the flames. Cor kept his eye on her, not sure where he was supposed to begin or how this all happened.

"If you're going to punish me then just get it over with," said Athenacia finally, sighing.

"You don't think you deserve any punishment for what you did?" asked Cor, a brow raised.

"I don't care."

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't. This isn't about how you're feeling, this is about the girl you beat up for no reason."

"She wouldn't leave me alone."

"You've been bullied before Cia."

"And look how well that turned out."

"Better than this. You could have seriously hurt her."

"You're the one that keeps telling me to fight."

"Don't twist my words."

She scoffed, crossing her arms and glaring into the dancing flames before her. Cor kept his eyes on her, trying to figure out what was going through her head right now. In a few months she would be seven and currently, she was operating at a level older than that. There was no way she didn't understand the severity of her actions. The real question was, why was she doing this in the first place?

"If someone lays a hand on you then you can defend yourself. There's no reason to jump to violence right away. It's irrational and stupid," said Cor in an even tone.

"Then I guess I'm irrational and stupid," she muttered darkly, her eyes darkening.

"No, you're better than that, which is why I'm upset about this."

"I'm not better, no one is. This world is stupid."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing we do matters Cor!" she shouted, drawing a bit of attention toward them.

It was clear that she didn't care, her hazel eyes glossy as she tried to hold back her tears while looking at him. The Marshal didn't leave her stare, studying it since she was too young to keep her emotions from shining on the outside. Athenacia was very upset about something and he had finally provoked her to the point that she was going to tell him exactly what was on her mind. The longer she looked at him the more her will crumbled, her bottom lip quivering as she finally allowed herself to sob in front of him. It wasn't often that she cried about much of anything, Cor able to count on one hand every time he had seen it since she was a baby. Her gaze dropped to her hands that tightened the hold of the skirt she was wearing.

"We're born and then we die, and the world just goes on like it's nothing. Like tiny specks of dust in an unforgiving place, completely indifferent to our very existence. It doesn't matter what we do while we're here because in the end, we all just die. I get that death gives life meaning but what sort of meaning is there when nothing we do makes a difference anyway? Why do we build knowing destruction is inevitable? Why yearn for life when everything must die? An ongoing war outside these walls that's lasted hundreds of years, it's disgusting," she looked up at him, "Humans are cruel and unfair and I wish that they would just disappear!"

Cor didn't react, especially when he saw her eyes flash orange momentarily after she spoke that last sentence. There was no way to know if it was even real or just a trick of the light. His eyes darted to the fire beside her, noting it was starting to grow brighter as her knuckles were white. Athenacia's nostrils flared in anger, still never leaving the gaze of the Marshal.

"All of them?" he kept his tone even, studying her.

"Yes!"

"Even Kelly?"

"Especially Kelly," she muttered, turning away.

"Why?"

"Because all she cares about is her new husband. They moved to somewhere near Lestallum she said."

So that was that issue. Kelly was gone and Athenacia was experiencing her first real loss since coming here to Insomnia. Cor didn't leave her face, seeing the turmoil she was desperately trying to hide from him. Truth be told, he had no idea that Kelly had even left, nor how long Athenacia had been living with this. Somewhere between the death of the Queen and now there was a lot going on with her that he should have been here for. It was times like these his duty to her weighed heavy because he wasn't doing it properly and that meant she was suffering. There was no one to blame but himself for this strange behaviour and it was on him to fix this. Leaning forward, he let his arms rest on his knees while trying to approach the subject.

"Even me?"

Athenacia looked at him, startled at what he was suggesting. While he still had to figure out how exactly to help her with the pain of loss he first had to make sure the supposed God inside of her wasn't starting to dominate her way of thinking. Cor didn't want to believe that she was the Infernian but couldn't take the chance either, it was his sworn duty to protect the Crown and her as well. The question he asked hung in the air and he could see that she was starting to second guess herself now.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm as human as any of them. If they all disappear, I go with them," he replied.

"But that's not what I meant-"

"It's what you said," he cut her off, "Do you want to rephrase that?"

She stared at him helplessly and he began to feel relieved. This wasn't her giving into the lurking daemons that may or may not surround her, just a normal, emotional outburst. Athenacia sighed, dropping her shoulders in defeat. Finally, she was ready to listen.

"Look kid, not all humans are bad. Some just get put in a crappy situation and are forced to make the best of their situation. There's lot's of good in the world and it all depends on your attitude," his voice was gentle, "You should know better than anyone that people aren't always going to be there in your life. Kelly chose to live in the way that made her happy. Maybe one day she'll come back."

"They don't always come back," her voice was hard, "The Queen won't, and neither will that baby. Nothing we do matters."

Cor kept his gaze on her, his mind racing to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do right now. Seven years ago he felt the exact way that she did and the way he handled it was not exactly the best course of action. He knew from experience that this sort of thinking would only spiral downward and out of control.

"Cia, I'm not gonna tell you that you're wrong," began Cor.

"But?"

"However, whether we're specks of dust or the Six themselves, we're responsible for our actions. In the long run, nothing matters but here right now, everything matters. You're so stuck on medicine, maybe one day you can find a cure to the poison. Only you control how you live and whether or not you're happy."

"So you're telling me to somehow make the best of being stuck in an orphanage for the rest of my life and having other kids pick on me because of my size and the fact that I'm an outsider?"

"Yes."

"Impossible."

"Oh?"

"There's absolutely nothing I can do to change my situation. No one wants to adopt me, I'm getting too old and I didn't ask to be born outside of the Crown City."

"Why don't you start by using your words before you let your fists fly?"

She sighed, "I can try. Still doesn't change that I'm stuck in the orphanage for the rest of my life."

Cor smiled at her sadly, "You won't be," he told her seriously, "You'll get out of there sooner than you know."

"I won't hold my breath."

The conversation didn't go very far after that. No matter how much the Marshal tried to engage her mind to go back to the way he remembered it, her sullen attitude only continued to prevail. Cor was at a loss for what to do, deciding to feed her dinner and then send her back home for the night. He would have stuck around to read to her but she made it very clear that she didn't want to bother with it tonight. The man's heart was still heavy, finding that he was unable to sleep through the night as their time together swirled through his head.

...

Athenacia did make an actual effort to stay out of trouble despite all the unwanted attention she was gaining. When asked about school she would just change the subject and instead tell him about her side projects - learning as much about medicine as she could on her own. That aspect of her life was back to normal and Cor nearly forgot about all the uneasiness surrounding her at the beginning of the year. The Crown Prince and his father had further adjusted to life without the central part of it there. Although Noctis was still moody at times it seemed to get easier every day. The main thing was, life was getting back to normal and they enjoyed a momentary peace.

Not much longer after Cor had spoken to Athenacia about her misbehaviour in school, he was called up to the study by Weskham. The Marshal wasn't alone, Clarus and the King joining him while they met the man in question. It was abnormal for anyone besides Regis himself to send for them, especially to the place where they were able to speak freely about matters the rest of the council didn't need to know. They didn't stay long in the room, Weskham beckoning them to follow him out and down a few floors. Cor wasn't exactly sure what to expect but the mood seemed to be tense compared to usual. Weskham was clearly uneasy about something and it made the elevator ride almost grim. As the four men gathered in the nursery, Cor was shocked to see a baby there that definitely did not belong to any citizen. The most obvious indication was the code print that was dark as can be against the fair skin of the child's right wrist. Cor looked over at his King with a brow raised, wondering what exactly was going on here.

"Well?" asked King Regis, looking at his friend.

"This child is a clone," began Weskham, "My informant absconded with him and millions are being made, the fuel of the MagiTek infantry units."

That was certainly a shock. It wasn't too long ago that the units were being mass produced and now it appeared they had an answer as to how that was happening. The Empire was not sacrificing their own citizens in order to win this war, desperately trying to attain feats that only the lost civilization of Solheim mastered. It was dangerous and one of the biggest reasons that the war of the Gods even happened. If Niflheim could simply clone thousands and infuse them into MagiTek units then there was a big problem on their hands.

"So that's how they're doing it," said Clarus.

"The child is healthy in every sense of the way, no indication that he's even a clone," Weskham continued, but then looked directly at Cor, "I was hoping that you could bring Athenacia around."

"You want Cia?" Cor frowned at the suggestion.

"Indeed. The girl appears to have talents that no one else in the city could hope to achieve."

"You want her to see if there's anything the doctors can't see," replied the Marshal in complete understanding.

"Precisely."

Cor frowned again, almost taking a defensive stance.

"I'd rather not."

"Oh?"

The man tightened a fist, looking over at the child. He was sleeping, a bit pudgy but still just another innocent caught in a war that he didn't belong in. Images of that fateful day in Lestallum flashed through the older man's head, the calm hazel stare meeting his for the first time. Life had changed so much in nearly seven years and this child looked to be about the same age as the Prince. Athenacia had seen ailments that no one else could on more than one occasion and Cor couldn't help but wonder if there was anything special about the child in front of him. What sort of life would he have if he managed to pass the test? What if there was an illness in there that couldn't be cured? Cor recalled not too long ago when the Queen had died and how hard Athenacia took it. She was just coming back to normalcy, why was there another obstacle being thrown in her path?

"After Aulea... I can't let that happen to her again. She's just starting to recover."

"The situation is hardly the same," said Regis gently.

"Still..." the man was wary.

"We can't take any chances. Is there any way that your informant was made?" asked Clarus.

"Certainly, but only after he was long gone. It took him nearly a year to return to us," replied Weskham.

"And you trust him?"

"With my life."

"I would still like Athenacia's confirmation."

"You trust her opinion?" asked Cor with a brow raised, looking over at the Shield.

Clarus had always been wary of the girl since the second she was brought to his attention. Despite offering his own son as a companion, it was easy to see that no matter how extraordinary she proved to be, he was tense about her very existence. Cor surmised that it was just a natural instinct of being in a war since birth and having a direct descendant of the enemy often made it hard to drop prejudices. It was the only way that the Marshal could accept the fact that she wasn't held in a high regard when it came to the Shield.

"I've no reason not to," replied Clarus though keeping his eyes on the child, "Her... talents have shown themselves to be true on more than one occasion."

"She's a six-year-old girl with enough problems she can barely handle," said Cor, "If she is the Infernian, how is she supposed to side with life when all she experiences is pain?"

"Cor's right," interjected Regis, "This young boy, however, changes a great many things. I'm sorry but I will need her to have that final look at him," he held up his hand in order to stop the Marshal from interrupting him, "He will be in the orphanage and she might happen upon him. It won't be necessary to repeat our previous actions."

It was clear to anyone that Cor was not happy with what he was being told. Nevertheless, he nodded stiffly before deciding that he was done here, turning and walking out of the room briskly. There was a scowl on his face while he thought about how exactly he was supposed to trick Athenacia into looking at the child and communicating whether or not it was sick with that same sort of incurable poison. While waiting for the lift to take him away from the building, he was joined by the King who shrewdly kept his mouth shut until they were alone on the elevator.

"Weskham will be retiring to Altissia by the end of the year," said the King calmly.

"That's a bit early isn't it?" Cor raised a brow.

"With the revelation of the infantry units, I need an extra set of eyes and ears in the closest form of allies we can get. Niflheim annexed Tenebrae and Accordo has the most freedom in all the Empire. The First Secretary is slippery but reasonable."

"Which means likely she'll see through the pretense."

The King smiled, "Perhaps."

The room went silent again as others came in to get to where they needed to be. Cor still had a scowl on his face, everything he learned here tonight racing through his mind. So far, things weren't looking good for them, Niflheim spreading like locusts. It was a wonder when they would be just outside the barrier and demanding entry. Should that happen the Marshal was ready to take out as many of them as he could on his way out.

"I'm sorry," said Regis, interrupting his thoughts, "I know how protective you are of her."

"It's not just that."

"There's more?"

"I wasn't there for her when she was going through her own mourning period," replied Cor, "She wanted all people to disappear from Eos. I know that I can't always be there for her when I should be and that I can't protect her from everything. The least I can do is try to keep her life as positive as possible."

"Wouldn't that be easier if she lived with you?"

"Maybe," Cor sighed, "But I don't have any space for her in my home and I'm not always there."

"You choose to stay here longer than you need to be. Athenacia is more than capable of being by herself for a few hours in the day."

The elevator stopped on their desired floor and both men stepped out of it. The hour was growing late so there weren't as many people surrounding them as usual. Both of them walked toward the exit, knowing that Cor was getting ready to leave for the night.

"This will be the last time I ask you to put her in an impossible situation," said Regis once they rounded the corner to the door, "The child upstairs is a bit different than any of the other refugees."

Cor sighed, "I understand."

"I truly believe that there will be nothing to worry about."

"For her sake, I hope so."

Regis nodded just as Cor's phone was ringing. The Marshal frowned as soon as he looked at the screen, answering it quickly. Regis waited, sensing a sort of uneasy aura around his friend that wasn't normal. Cor's phone call was brief, his face grim as he hung up and clutched the device in his hand.

"Is everything alright?" asked Regis cautiously.

Cor shook his head, looking down at his feet. There wasn't much that could make this man seem so defeated, calm and collected since his return. It was curious to see him react to anything that wasn't Athenacia. Currently it was far too late for her to be getting into trouble, which meant there could be only one other person close enough to make him look this way.

"It's my mother," he said finally, voice thick with emotion.

...

thanks guys! I'll edit tomorrow.