Note from Author: As always, these characters do not belong to me, they belong to Namco Bandai. Of course as always if Namco Bandai is willing to give Asch to me, I would be happy to take him. But until then, all I can do is play around with them in my writings. This is a creation of my own overactive imagination and serious boredom, nothing more and nothing less.
As always, many thanks to my wonderful beta, darkangel, who helps inspire me with wonderful evil and angsty ideas and edits for me when some of what I write doesn't always make sense and helps me make sure things make sense. I also want to thank everyone who helped me out with ideas or gave me feedback on ideas or even dropped me a line either here or on the Tales forum about how much they loved this fic.
Also, of note since some concerns were raised about the last scene in 28, I don't know if this was due to my own fault in the descriptions of Tear's feelings, or something else, but what I intended to show was just a slight level of attraction towards Jade, which Tear had appeared to be showing towards Luke in the game from the beginning. Basically that bit of nervousness where a girl realizes she's interested in someone and would be interested in a relationship with him (basically, if he asked her on a date, she would say yes, to put very simply), not the level she felt for Luke at the end of the game when she said, well, you know if you beat the game. I hope this clears things up if it was my fault, and really wish I had room for the first scene here in the last chapter, since it helps clarify some matters.
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon while Jade and Tear were making their way back to the inn to go wake the others.
"We still have some time before we have to wake the others, correct?"
"An hour at most. Why do you ask?"
"Could we watch the sun rise?"
He smirked a bit. Oddly, it didn't surprise him in the least that she would be fascinated with the beauty of the sunrise. She had grown up in a place that never saw natural light. It was interesting that she would express this now, when she hadn't shown any special interest in the past, just as it was interesting how well she had hidden the fact that she wasn't raised in the Outer Lands.
"I suppose we can." He answered with an appearance of reluctance. Honestly, he didn't mind spending a bit more time alone with the melodist. It was doubtful they would have the chance later.
They walked over to an area that would allow for a more unobstructed view of the horizon. If he were being fully honest, he had to admit that it was a nice diversion to watch natural wonders such as a sunrise. Most of the time he was too busy to enjoy just watching something of this nature, much less with a woman as like the one he was with now.
"How is it that you were able to hide so well that you had been raised in the Qliphoth?"
"Any resident of Yulia City who is going to be sent to the Outer Lands has to undergo special training so that they don't accidentally reveal the fact that the Qliphoth exists. We are familiarized with things that are normal for the Outer Lands and considered common knowledge."
"That sounds quite sensible of the Order."
"But still, there is a difference between seeing a picture of a sunrise and actually seeing it like this. No picture can capture this beauty. Some things you can only truly understand by experiencing them firsthand."
"Wise words from one so young. Are all those raised in the Qliphoth like this?"
"I can only speak for myself, but I am sure others share the opinion that nothing compares to firsthand experience; especially something as beautiful as a sunrise. And especially seeing it..." Her hand flew to her mouth all of a sudden to stop her words. Her face was a slight pinkish hue that it had not been before.
"And especially seeing it how?"
"It's nothing."
"Then shall we change the subject to something else? Perhaps you could tell me more of the fonic hymns you use."
"What about them? They aren't anything overly special."
"Actually, they are. Your fonic hymns have as much power to them as my own fonic artes. I have never known a Melodist with such ability before. Was it something special you learned from those in Yulia City perhaps?"
She shook her head, not at all surprised that he had noticed. She may as well tell him this much, since he shared his secrets with her, "No, most Melodists in Yulia City are exactly as you described. The hymns I use were used by Yulia herself from what I was told. They have been passed down over the years."
"Yulia's fonic hymns? And to think, you said they weren't special at all. But weren't those lost?"
"No, she passed them along. They are more difficult to use, because they require knowledge of the symbolism behind them. That is why I only can use two of them. I know more, but haven't been able to understand their symbolism. Normally it's something that would be passed along with the hymns, but my parents died not long after I was born."
"Then Teodoro did not have that knowledge to pass along?"
She shook her head again, "He's not my grandfather, at least by blood. He took my family in and when my parents died, he adopted Van and I and raised us."
"He took you in? Why would you say that?"
"My family is originally from Hod. When it fell, my pregnant mother and my brother were the only two survivors. My mother didn't live long after having me."
"That explains a great deal. Could your brother be mad at what happened to Hod?"
"He was at one time, but Grandfather says he has learned to accept the Score and has become an admirable watcher."
"But do you believe that?" he asked as he looked over at her so he could see her face while she answered.
"No, I don't believe it. If he was, then why is St. Binah falling? That wasn't in the Score, but it had to have been caused by him. Who else could have done this?"
Interesting, he hadn't expected such a look from her. It appeared to be a mix of concern, anger and fear from what he could tell. Anger he understood, even fear. She obviously still held some feelings for her brother, even though she did try to kill him already. "What are your plans then once we finish this up?"
"My brother must be stopped, even if I have to do it by myself."
"Do you truly think you will be alone in this?"
"Does that mean you will be helping us?"
He shrugged, "Well, someone has to make sure you kids don't get yourselves killed."
She looked over to him and saw that he had been looking at her. She found herself looking right into those crimson eyes of his. As always, his expression was unreadable. She couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, and she knew that she wouldn't get a straight answer even if she asked, unless he wanted to give it.
If anything bothered her when it came to him that was it. There was so much that he kept hidden from everyone else. He revealed some of what he was hiding in the depths of his soul, but she doubted that was all.
But she may as well try to get an answer, she got one earlier from him, "Would you truly be upset if one of us were to die?"
"Of course. If something were to happen to Luke or Natalia, that would cause quite a problem. The same goes for Ion."
"But what about myself? And Anise? Neither of us is as important as the Fon Master, Luke or Natalia."
"Don't underestimate your importance to others. I won't let anything happen to you if I can help it."
She was surprised by the seriousness of his tone that time compared to his previous statements. There were few times when she could tell for sure if he was indeed being serious or not. This time she knew, except for one thing, was he implying that she was important to him?
She hadn't even realized how nervous she had gotten under the close scrutiny she was being given by him. Not until she felt his hand touch her shoulder in a gesture that would normally be reassuring. From him, she had no idea what to make of it.
"Are you cold, Tear? You're shaking as if you are."
"No, not at all. The sun feels good and warm."
He smiled a bit, it wasn't like his normal sarcastic smirk. It appeared almost like genuine pleasure at seeing the effect he had on her, "You don't need to be so nervous around me. I assure you, I don't bite, well, not without reason."
She felt her face get warm over his accurate opinion of her current state. She was nervous around him. This night she had come to realize just how important he had become to her, how reassuring his presence truly was. But at the same time, that knowledge made her more nervous around him. What made it worse was that she didn't understand well enough how she felt. Was he merely a close friend or did she want something more from him? She had to admit, if he were to admit he cared for her and wanted a relationship with her, she wouldn't refuse, but would he do that? She had to admit he had bared his soul to some degree by telling her what he did in the past. He risked that she would hate him, but yet she couldn't bring herself to look down on him for a mistake, especially one he felt such obvious remorse over. No one did that for just anyone, and now he was promising to protect her. That thought made her smile, because she felt very reassured knowing that he would be there to look out for her and the others.
"I know you wouldn't. You just said you wouldn't let anything happen to me, right?"
He removed his hand from her shoulder, "But I make you nervous. We will definitely have to work on correcting that matter. But for now, we have other things to do."
"Yes, we have to wake the others before Ginji arrives."
"Yes, unfortunately our time together is up for now. Shall we head for the inn then?" He said as he turned away to start walking towards the inn where the others slept.
She turned in the same direction as he did and followed him, "Before I forget, thank you."
He stopped all of a sudden, "For what?"
"The pleasure of your company and the chance to get to know you a bit better. I feel that I understand you better now, and I know how hard that must have been."
"It was best you find out now rather than later. Before it's too late."
He started walking again and she had to walk quickly to catch up with him, "Too late for what?"
"I think you know exactly what I mean."
She thought about his words as they continued to make their way to the inn in a comfortable silence. As they reached the building, the answer came to her.
He knew exactly how she felt, possibly better than she did. But the question was, when she figured out what she truly felt for him, would he return her feelings?
She knew he had to. He wouldn't have let it come this far. He wouldn't have insisted that she use his given name to refer to him, told her what he did this night, and promised nothing would happen to her. He wanted her to know what she was getting into. Truly, once she thought about it, he was a lot easier to figure out, at least when he used this more serious tone rather than his normal sarcasm.
And that made her smile. For all his denial, deep down, he did have a heart and care for other's feelings. He just showed it differently than most did.
Now only time would tell what would come from this…
-----
Jade and Tear entered the inn after their talk and found Ion already awake and dressed. He was sitting in the lobby area eating breakfast already with a tray full of food next to him, most likely for Anise. When he heard the door open, he looked up and saw Jade and Tear.
"How did it go for you two?" he asked them, while taking note that Tear's cheeks looked a bit flushed. Was she running a fever? Or did something else happen?
"We captured the men responsible for the sabotage." Jade answered for them.
"And?" Ion asked, wanting an answer for why Tear looked the way she did.
"They were turned in to the Kimlascan guard." Tear answered.
"Oh? How was that done? Jade couldn't have done it, since they would arrest him on sight."
"We met up with a resident of the city who had gotten hurt by the attackers. Her brother helped us with the more legal aspects of the matter." Jade explained. "Ion, are the others awake yet? We are to speak with those in charge of the project in about an hour."
It seemed he would not get an answer out of them about Tear, at least that meant that she probably wasn't sick, Jade would have already strongly advised she get some rest if that were the case. "Anise and Natalia are still asleep, they seemed exhausted. Luke hadn't woken yet and I didn't want to bother him."
"Should we let them sleep and just take the Fon Master with us to speak with those people then?" Tear asked.
"That would be for the best. No matter what Luke may think, he can't be completely up to all of this. Anise and Natalia would be of more help if well rested. We still have a rescue to accomplish."
"What about the both of you? Jade, you've gotten the least rest of all of us." Ion pointed out. "Maybe I should go with Tear so you can rest before this."
"I'll be fine, Ion."
"Jade, he's right. I'll go with him." Tear told him. Ion's eyebrow raised when she heard how Tear was now referring to him, and how protective she was being. Perhaps Anise's wild accusation hadn't been so wrong after all. It would be interesting to see what unfolded from that, especially knowing Jade as he did. Yes, it would be interesting indeed to see Jade finally fall for a woman, if that was what was happening here.
The Malkuth Colonel sighed. As much as he might want to admit that he was tired, he was still needed for this, "Tear, you remember what I said to them? Only I have any authorization to give up the Tartarus for this."
"What do you mean by that, Jade?" Ion asked.
"From what we heard, they are lacking in parts to fix the results of sabotage due to the parts being used for landships. If we want to rescue the remaining residents of St. Binah, then we may very well have to sacrifice the Tartarus to do so."
"You can do that without permission?" Tear asked.
"You heard what Peony said. He doesn't want anything to happen to the residents. If we took the time to ask, he would approve."
Anise walked into the room looking rather tired from the previous night, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Jade was just explaining what happened, that's all," Ion told the tired girl.
"So did you catch those guys, Colonel? Were they Oracle Knights like we suspected?" she asked showing more evidence of her normal cheerful self.
"Tear and I did catch them. However, we did not have a chance to question them. I'm sure the Kimlascan soldiers of this city are more than capable of doing so."
"Before we leave, we should find out if it was someone from the Order. If so, when I return to Daath to remove Kiran's Curse Slot, I can also look into that and see that whoever masterminded this is punished for it."
"I'm sure we can find that out when we ask about the Albiore. If they were indeed Oracle Knights, they will be glad you are going to handle the matter, Ion."
Anise walked closer to Tear and said to the melodist in a quiet voice, "So how did you enjoy spending time alone with the Colonel?"
That single statement caused Tear's face to turn even more red than it had been before due to her earlier conversation with him. Just that alone was enough to cause Anise to erupt into a fit of giggles.
"You know that's not nice, Anise," Jade told the girl, which made Tear look at him surprised. No, he couldn't have heard that comment of hers, but she was appreciative of his assistance.
"Boo!" The Fon Master Guardian said sticking her tongue out at him.
He smiled in his usual sarcastic manner, "What exists or does not exist between Tear and myself is not the business of a child."
"I'm not a child!"
"Of course you aren't, Anise," he replied with that sarcastic grin of his.
That made Anise even more upset that she had been with the original comment, but amazingly enough, she didn't even respond to his contradictory comment. She sat down next to Ion and ate the food that he had ordered for her earlier.
"Anyway, to change the subject, Anise, is the Princess awake?" Ion asked.
"Nah, she was out like a light. I doubt anyone could wake her if all the noise I made while dressing didn't do the trick."
"It seems the Princess and her husband hold that trait in common. Perhaps it is something that runs in royal blood. Though it isn't a bad trait unless someone were to attack her." Jade told them. "It seems it shall be just the four of us then."
"I'll leave a message with the innkeeper for them then. We don't need them to get worried about us all being gone." Ion suggested, standing up to go and do so.
"Good idea. The last thing we need is Luke out looking for us right now by himself." Jade said.
Ion walked off to go leave the message with the innkeeper. Anise ate her breakfast in silence which left Tear and Jade rather uncomfortable for the time being.
Ion came back as they were both wondering what to do. He was also carrying a tray with some food obviously meant for Jade and Tear. "I left a message with the innkeeper. He had made breakfast and there was still some left, so I brought you both something to eat if you hadn't already eaten."
Tear took a seat near the young Fon Master, "Thank you Fon Master for thinking of us. No, we didn't have time to eat."
Tear's statement caused Anise to snicker. Ion looked over at the girl and she stopped as quickly as she had started. "I promise Anise will behave."
"Oh, I know she will. Because each time she does not, I would be happy to bring up such things when she gets a boyfriend." Jade remarked as he sat down next to Anise.
Anise had been taking a bite of her food and nearly choked on her food. "Fine, I won't bother you anymore."
"That's good to hear, so I won't have to bring up how much you appear to like Ion."
Anise's face flushed as pink as her uniform at that statement. Ion looked confused and looked over at Anise, "You do, Anise?"
"Not like he's saying! I just like you as a friend, ok?" She exclaimed.
"Odd, that's not the impression I got, Anise. You really should stop leading him on like that." Jade mentioned.
Tear couldn't help but smile at his wonderful way of making sure that Anise never badgered them again, a simple little taste of her own medicine seemed to work wonders. Though she couldn't help but feel sorry for Anise who was glaring daggers at Jade. Interestingly she found the whole exchange very funny once she wasn't on the receiving end of the embarrassment.
"I'm not leading him on at all! He's just a friend!" she insisted quite loudly.
The Malkuth Colonel pushed his glasses up before commenting, "If you say so, Anise."
"Please, both of you stop this. I think Anise has learned her lesson now and won't bother the two of you ever again." Ion said to try and stop this line of discussion.
They continued to eat in silence. Anise was especially keeping quiet, most likely out of fear for what Jade would say next in response. Jade merely continued eating, though Tear could see a very smug grin on his face. She had to admit to being curious about what exactly made him smile like that, whether it was his comment to Anise, or something else?
It didn't matter what it was, she was just grateful that she would have little to worry about when it came to Anise in the future, at least if he was around. But now she could always bring up the matter of Ion. Hmm, was Jade's statement at all true, or was it indeed a true denial? It could be interesting to see what would develop there as time passed. Anise's spunkiness with the Fon Master's innocence was indeed an interesting combination.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Ginji entered the lobby for them. He saw Jade and Tear right away and greeted both of them. They quickly handled the polite introductions of Ion and Anise, along with more complete introductions that hadn't been done the previous night. The young boy was understandably in shock upon meeting the Fon Master face to face.
Then he showed them over to the aircraft bay where they others working on the Albiore were going to begin working. He took them to see three elderly people that they had recalled from the previous day.
"Grandpa Iemon, Aston, Tamara, I want you to meet some people."
The woman looked at them, "Oh? Who are these folks, Ginji?"
"Let me introduce Fon Master Ion of the Order of Lorelei, his Guardian Anise, Locrian Sergeant Tear Grants of the Oracle Knights and Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Malkuth military. Last night the Colonel and Locrian Sergeant caught the guys responsible for the sabotage."
"Did they now? Splendid! Now we can get this thing off the ground at last!" The older man with the long eyebrows they knew to be Iemon said.
The woman hit him over the head with the tool she had been holding, "It can't fly yet, it's not fixed yet!" She turned to the group, "Fon Master, and the rest of you, you have our gratitude for what you have done. If there is anything we can do in return, let us know."
"Actually, we did have a request, if you would consider it?" Ion told them.
"Of course."
"We would like to humbly request the assistance of this city in a rescue mission. Many residents in St. Binah are in grave danger as we speak. The only way we can save them is if we could borrow the Albiore. Once repairs are made and it is able to fly, of course."
The elderly group considered it for a moment before the woman spoke again, "We only have one problem, it appears as if more damage was done before the saboteurs were caught. We don't have the parts to fix that damage it seems."
"If I may make an offer?" Jade commented. "We happened to overhear about how many of your parts were being used for landships. We traveled here on a landship ourselves and if we can borrow the Albiore afterwards, the Tartarus is yours to make use of for the parts."
The woman brightened at the thought of that, "Really? Iemon, Aston, do you agree to this offer then?"
"We know Iemon does, he just wants it to fly. I have no problems. No better first flight for it than to save many lives in a rescue mission, right Ginji?"
"I agree. I would be happy to be of help."
"Could the repairs be finished today?" Jade asked.
The woman mulled over that a moment before she answered, "I think so. It depends on if your landship has what we need."
"We'll work as if our lives depended on it to get this done today." Aston declared. "So where is this landship docked?"
"In the bay for this town. We'll take you there."
-----
Kiran opened his eyes and once his vision cleared up, he noticed he was in a room he had not seen before. The last thing he remembered to some degree was seeing Luke again and then he had lost control of everything.
He knew from when Luke spoke with him later that his original had seen things that would have been better left unsaid, but at least Luke wasn't mad at him for those stupid thoughts of his.
However, everything was getting all that much more complicated now. As long as he had the Curse Slot and Luke was alive, they would be forced to fight each other every time they met face to face.
Though Luke had told him the Fon Master could remove the Curse Slot, the problem there was that the Fon Master was currently with Luke. They wouldn't let the Fon Master go back to Daath that easily, so it could very well be that a trap will be set up later to capture Luke along with take back the Fon Master just as they had been trying to do.
But the question was, where was he now? Last he recalled he was in St. Binah, and he doubted this was it. Though the room appeared different, it appeared like a completely empty version of his own room in Oracle Headquarters.
His attempts to figure out what was going on was interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked and then the door opening. He sat up in the bed he had been laying down in and looked over to the door to see who was there.
He was somewhat surprised to see Cantabile step in and close the door behind herself. She locked it behind her before turning towards him. She must have returned from whatever mission she had been sent on recently.
He remembered that pose from her many times in the past when he was about to be scolded by her. Hands on her hips, annoyed look on her face, yep, he was going to get it. The only good thing about being scolded by her was that while she was the type to be loud and yell at him, she otherwise never hurt him. It was being punished by others that would be much worse, and it was bound that that would happen. This time he wouldn't get off lightly at all.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Cantabile yelled at him causing him to cringe a bit inwardly. "I come back to find that you screwed up again. I taught you better than that!"
"I couldn't exactly think once Sync activated that damn Curse Slot."
She frowned. She had disagreed vehemently when it was discussed that it would be done, "It was agreed that wouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary, are you saying that Sync broke that promise?"
"Would you follow an order to kill someone you cared about? If you were ordered to kill your husband could you honestly say you would do that?"
"This isn't the same at all and you know it!"
"Of course not, but the order I received was very similar to your being ordered to kill your husband, could you do it?"
"That has no bearing on what I have to say to you. Stop this nonsense already. Van won't let you go, and he won't hesitate to do whatever it will takes to force your compliance. Then once everything is over, he will dispose of you. Do you truly want that?"
He shook his head, but then, what Van wanted him to do was even less tolerable, "I don't. But I also won't follow that order. Isn't there anything that can be done? Why do I have to be the one to do it?"
"You aren't supposed to ask why, just follow orders."
"I won't follow that one. I never liked killing, and I won't kill Luke or his friends."
"If I were you, I'd learn how to fake compliance somehow. Think about it, Sync doesn't object to failure, if you try to follow orders."
His eyebrow raised all of a sudden. Was Cantabile really telling him to pretend like he was loyal but not to be? No, she couldn't be, there wasn't anyone more loyal than her and her husband, except perhaps Legretta or Sync. But yet, that is what her words sounded like, "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Ask your original about politics, he should understand that well being nobility. Nobles are good at talking and saying nothing. That skill would help you greatly."
He was still confused, "Are you saying to pretend to be something I am not?"
She nodded in just the slightest, "You wouldn't be the only one doing so. I'll leave you to think that over before Van comes to you."
"Wait, there are people who fake loyalty? Isn't that lying?"
"Kid, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Have you not ever done anything bad on a mission then? If so, you're a lucky kid then. I've done lots of things I would rather not have done, all in the name of the Order. If you can't stand that, then you might want to consider a new profession."
"But you said..."
"I know what I said. When there's a will there's a way. Use that brain of yours and consider how to best deal with this. If you want out that bad, you could get help if you know where to look. But that won't happen if they are watching you closely, so get your act together already."
"I'll consider what you said, Cantabile. Thanks for looking after me."
"Just get your act together and remember what I said. Van will be coming up soon, you better have the right words to say to him, even if they aren't true, make them appear to be."
She left the room and it was locked again after she left. That must have been what she meant by them watching him closely. So he would have to prove his loyalty somehow, even if it meant lying.
The problem was, what if he and Luke met up again? It was bound to happen someday, and that was something he couldn't pretend on, other than pretending that he lost to Luke's superior abilities.
Hmm, that could work. Even with the fact that he wasn't fully recovered, Luke was still better at swordplay than he was. With their connection, they could easily stage something where he got defeated. He wouldn't have to refuse that order, he would just have to learn how to act well at failure. That was what Cantabile meant.
But since when did she give advice on how to feign loyalty? Was she doing so herself? If so, she was a very good actress.
He didn't get much time to think over Cantabile's words, a few minutes at the very most, before he heard the sound of the lock rattling and then the door clicking open. This time the visitor was more auspicious, it was Sync, and standing behind him was Van.
Both of them walked in to the room. Kiran wasn't in the least bit surprised to see them, he knew this would be coming since he saw Luke in St. Binah.
What surprised Kiran the most was that another was with them, Cantabile's husband. Well, actually it wasn't a huge surprise, at times he was known to handle cases of serious punishments. Kiran hadn't realized that he would be considered such a special case. If nothing else had convinced him of the seriousness of the situation, the presence of Nepenthes definitely did so.
Van rather enjoyed making use of the man's love for torture to deal with those who consistently caused problems. Kiran had to admit, he was amazed that a woman like Cantabile would marry a man like him, but she had to know a side that wasn't shown to others. Among the Oracle Knights, that side definitely didn't come out at all.
Van stepped forward from his two God-Generals to get a closer look at the former God-General, "And yet again, it appears that you have disappointed me. Sync is telling me that you failed to obey a direct order to attack your original. Is this indeed true?"
Afraid to speak, he merely nodded in response.
"I told you, Commandant. He's a traitor and should be punished like any other traitor would be," Sync told the Oracle Knight leader.
"Sync, you know this is a special case. I assure you, he won't get off as lightly as he did the last time."
Sync muttered something that couldn't be heard by anyone else in the room, but said nothing further in response.
"Well, it seems we have a situation here. We can't exactly get a hold of his original anymore, even if he would cooperate. And the replica won't cooperate much more."
"Van, give him over to me and I'll make sure he cooperates. Sync can have him back afterwards, but once I'm done with him, he will be appreciative to have a commander like Sync." the blonde God-General suggested. "That should be enough of a compromise here. He still is punished for his actions that way.
Van smirked, he must know exactly what Nepenthes meant, "Can you promise not to break him too badly, Nepenthes?"
"He'll bear some scars most likely, but otherwise, he should be able to do whatever Sync asks of him."
Kiran knew this was coming, the Special Ops commander always had a special hatred towards Luke which to some degree extended to his replica. Nepenthes must have been looking for this chance for the replica to misbehave so he could take out that hatred on someone without being punished.
"Sync, do you accept this compromise?" Van asked the masked God-General.
"As long as he keeps his word that my assistant will be willing and able to perform his duties later."
"He'll be willing, Sync. I personally guarantee it." the blonde told Sync.
"Chances are, whatever Nepenthes has planned is worse than a quick death that he would get as a traitor. There is one condition to my agreeing to take him on again, if I may, Commandant?"
"Go ahead, I will consider this condition Sync."
"If he disobeys one more order, no matter how minor, when the Score is no more, I get the pleasure of removing his head."
The Oracle Knight Commandant didn't even need to think this over before speaking again, "Agreed, Sync. You are deserving of that right. Nepenthes, you have 48 hours to turn him into a willing member of the Oracle Knights before he's sent back to his commander, starting right now."
"As you wish. That should be plenty of time."
"Good, then I expect to hear of no more disobedience from this one. Both of you are dismissed." Van said and then walked out of the room. Sync looked satisfied for now at the results of this and also left the room leaving Kiran alone with the blonde haired God-General.
"Well, Kiran, it looks like we got two days to teach you proper behavior befitting a loyal Oracle Knight." he said, smiling in that twisted grin of his. "I really hope that I won't be wasting my time on you. Come, I have a much better suited place than this for our 'lessons'."
He walked over to the door and motioned for Kiran to go ahead of him. Once in the hallway, he closed the door and then led the redhead down to his office in the Special Ops department. During the entire walk, Kiran's dread over what was going to come for the next few days increased. He had heard many stories about those who had personally been punished by the Special Ops commander. He also was considered to be an expert at getting information out of even the most unwilling of subjects, especially if they were Kimlascan.
Sync was indeed right, it would be worse than death. At least that would be quick, he knew that by the end of these two days, he would be wishing that he wasn't special enough to be spared by the Commandant.
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