The One Law to Rule Them All

...

Fire. Fire blazed everywhere, scorching the trees and scorched the stone walls black. Embers crackled maniacally like a chorus of hellspawn. Smoke obscured the sky and poisoned the air. Everything blurred red. It was hot— too hot. The flames were roasting her alive.

It's your fault…

"No… it isn't— "

How could she still deny it? Everything was her fault.

Her fault all of her friends died.

They laid on the ground as charred, faceless corpses of their once lively selves. Unrecognizable save for their weapons littered beside them. Some still clutched theirs in their hands while others gored through their bodies.

They were all dead. Because of her.

"No…"

A crippling pain assaulted her legs. She fell atop of one of the bodies. Only when she had her face up against it did she realize that it was Rean's. Hollow. Brittle. Like spent firewood. He smelled of ash, like his moniker. She tried to scream, but an ear-splitting noise shocked her into silence. A flashbang.

Guns roared above her.

"Kill the monster!" a soldier shouted.

What monster? There were two. One played dead among the dead. The other a red-haired ogre that wailed horribly.

The ogre laughed. Tears strained its eyes bloody red. It held it's blade rifle up, and in a flash, the charging army was obliterated. Blood splashed everywhere.

"Come on…! Bring me more!" the ogre yelled. "More… MORE…! I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"

It jumped to the next group. The soldiers shot at it, rifles aimed at the ogre's vitals to put it down once and for all.

But it was too late. The soldiers died the same— sawed in half, never laying a scratch on the ogre. They screamed in panic and fear.

Sanguine dyed the ogre's limbs. It laughed again. "HAHAHA! WEAK! SLOW! COME HERE SO I CAN KILL ALL OF YOU!"

She laid on the ground, watching as the ogre massacred anyone who approached. It met her eyes, and it smiled.

"When I'm done killing everyone," the ogre said, its demonic sword pointed at her, ready to fulfill its duty to reap death among the living. "You're. Next."

The ogre smiled, broader, baring its blood-fed fangs for all to see.

She trembled. "No, no, no, no, no..."

"Hehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

...

Why.

She forced herself to run, like so many times before. Why was there no escape?

Why did it hurt so much to be the only one left alive?

"Why…?"

Why her? She just wanted a family; to live peacefully with them. To be cared for forever.

Why can't she be loved? Was it because she was a jaeger? Was it because of her sin of living a life amongst the strong? Or was it because she was too weak to defend it?

Why then…?

"...WHY WON'T YOU KILL ME INSTEAD?!"

Thud!

Fie fell off the bed. "...Ow."

She stared at the carpet— green. It felt fuzzy on her cheek. "Whoever said cats always land on their feet was a liar," she declared. That, or she wasn't really catty enough yet.

Sighing, she carefully unknotted the blanket binding her legs. Just another nightmare; they were becoming quite common now. One reason she couldn't nap no matter how much she tried. At least she slept until morning— a bit too early for her, but she'd take it over a restless night.

Might as well walk around. Stretch her legs a bit and exercise. Taking a left at all intersections, Fie delved deeper into parts of the mansion she hadn't been in yet.

"..."

...Annnnd she's lost.

She's never been this deep into the mansion before. She'd retrace her steps, but she lost count how many lefts she took. Didn't that mean she went in a spiral? Was that even architecturally plausible? Normally, she'd just hop out the window and reorient herself outside, but…

There were absolutely no windows. At all. Underground dungeon it is.

The hallway looked different from the others too. Rustic red— not verdant green or royal yellow. Dim sconces and candelabras constituted as the only available light sources, flickering in the non-existent wind and casting shadows on the big-ass paintings that reached the ceiling.

There was a door at the other end of the hallway. Fie rapped a fist on it. It sounded like old wood.

No answer. She knocked again, louder. "Knock, knock."

Still nothing.

"..." Experience, instincts, and everything really, dictated her she shouldn't be here— that she should turn tail and forget about it. Leave it be, pretty much what she should have done back in Ymir.

But she was oh so curious.

Fortunately for Jusis, she didn't bring her explosives. She could pick her way in though— assuming it's not barred on the other side.

The pick clattered tightly. "Just a bit more…"

"What are you doing, Instructor?"

"Finding out what's inside," Fie answered absentmindedly. She heard the distinct chink of the mechanism giving way. "Bingo."

Humming in excitement, she cautiously turned the knob and pushed the door inward. For a seemingly abandoned dungeon, the hinges looked oiled enough to not creak as the door opened without much resistance.

"Nice work. Can you teach me how to do that sometime?"

"Sure," Fie said. "The lock was an old model type, too, so it was pretty easy."

She stared at the white-haired white-hoodied girl innocently blinking behind her. "That aside, what are you doing here, Altina?"

Altina tilted her head. "I was following you."

Plain and simple. Not even a 'why.' Fie sweatdropped.

"Are you not going inside?" Altina asked.

"I would if you promise to keep it a secret from Jusis."

"Can I tell Millium?"

"Definitely… not."

"Fine, I promise not to tell," Altina said with a nod. Her glimmering eyes reminded Fie of her own exploratory curiosity.

Anyway. "Alright…" Fie sharpened her senses as the two of them slowly walked in.

Just as expected, the room was barren. Dusty as hell, too. Giant cobwebs decorated various corners of the dark, bland room. A bedroom, as the overall structure looked familiar to the others in the mansion. The walls were also a rustic red and, bizarrely, had a single boarded-up window. A window underground. The chair oddly stacked atop another chair was the icing on the cake for the whole abandoned room vibe.

Still, nothing out of the creepy ordinary. No ghosts popping out of the walls, no lost family treasures tucked behind beds. Honestly speaking, she didn't expect to find a lot; it was just a room. Some priceless artifact would have been nice, but it's hardly worth getting into trouble with Jusis for.

A dry crunch came from underfoot. Looking down, Fie saw large, black, oval dots strewn all over the floor.

...

Come to think of it, those cobwebs were a bit too big to be from any 'normal' spider. Fie retracted her foot. Something slimy clung to the sole. Altina grimaced.

"...Want to keep going?" Fie asked.

"Nah."

"I was in attendance, and I deem it a resounding success, Denver." Jusis Albarea nodded at the most recent addition to the merchants of his city. "I'm looking forward to your next showing, whenever that may be."

Denver was a stout man, with an equally robust mustache. It ruffled vigorously as the merchant guffawed. "Hahaha, t' was my pleasure, Sir. I just wanted to help spread the word about the Reinford's amazing, new orbal bikes."

"And the word has indeed spread. Congratulations." The merriment from Denver's enthusiasm was contagious, as Jusis found himself smiling too. "I believe you said you were a former employee of Alisa's?"

"That I did. Couldn't have asked for a better boss than her, if I may say so."

"You are your own boss now; Bareahard needs more people with fire like you," Jusis said, encouraging the aspiring entrepreneur. "If there is anything you need of me to assist, feel free to ask."

Denver scratched his cheek. It had a bit of black oil stuck on it, so he wiped it clean. "Must be pretty tough without the Bracer Guild again. Heard they got shut down HARD."

"That's… classified information, I'm afraid."

Hard doesn't even begin to describe it, considering the guild house was blown to smithereens by jaegers all those months ago.

"I do realize, however, the importance of such an iconic presence like the bracers for citizens such as yourself," Jusis said. "So as acting duke, I fully intend on reestablishing the branch, however long it may take. You have my word."

"Great to hear. You got a pretty decent head on your shoulders, sir, for someone so young. Don't mean to offend in any way."

"No offense taken. Shall I have Arnauld escort you out?"

"No need." Denver shook his head and gathered up his bulging backpack. He always carried around his tools, for some reason or another. Must have come with working as a mechanic for so long. "Pleasure doing business, sir! I still have plenty of ideas left to try if you'll let me."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Jusis watched as the burly man jogged out the door. He barely got to sigh before it slammed open again, revealing his most liked, yet least welcome (at the moment) person bouncing while carrying a tray.

"Time for breakfast~!" Millium shouted. Needlessly loud, if Jusis may add. His office wasn't that big. An assortment of forks, knives, and a plate clattered atop the desk as Millium dropped them into it with her standard levels of energy. Something resembling food glowed atop it.

"What's this?" Jusis asked.

"It's omelette du fromage~."

Wasn't it 'au'? More importantly, "Why is it green?"

And glowing, though he dreaded to ask.

"I put in a BUNCH of basil for you, along with some random ones I found in the fridge, cuz I know you like your herbs," Millium answered, wide-eyed smile in place. "It started looking green-ish, so I added in green food coloring to make it look more consistent."

It certainly smelled herbaceous, but Jusis started to doubt it was just food coloring.

"...It needs work." He would applaud the effort— if it didn't taste as disgusting as it looked. Thankfully, Millium went with plain green tea for drinks. Aidios knows how many times he got drunk sampling her 'concoctions.'

Millium pouted. "Boo. I even woke up super early to cook, too."

"You just have to cook better, then. Keep trying."

"That's not what you're supposed to say here, idiot," Millium mumbled.

"Hm? All I said was to keep trying. I wouldn't mind if you cooked for me every day, to be honest."

"Bwuh?!"

Jusis nonchalantly brought another spoonful of the green egg to his mouth and a sip from his tea before staring at a jaw-dropped Millium. Her face flushed red. "What is it this time?"

"D-Did you just…?!" she exclaimed. "Cook for you every day?!"

"You can refuse. I imagine it will be troublesome, taking into account your schedule and your job."

Millium waved her arms frantically back and forth. A mosquito? "No! I-I mean, I'll be happy to! But…"

She looked away and fiddled with her hair. It reached her shoulders now, making her look more feminine. Millium then whispered slowly. "Are you sure? You're happy with little ol' me?"

?

"Of course I'm happy." Jusis smiled as sincerely as his lips could. "Having a friend cook for you is a rarity as it is. I would prefer having you cook for me every day than having none at all."

"…"

"What?"

Millium's stare dug into him— like giant yellow orbs carving through the bone. She sighed. "I see Rean's lady-killer ways have rubbed off on you, too. Typical."

"Why is this about Rean all of a sudden?"

"Don't worry about it," Millium said, playfulness back in her tone. She poked a finger to Jusis' nose. "No take-backs, though. I'm gonna keep cookin' for ya till you die!"

"Please don't send me to the hospital."

"That's fine." MIllium nodded and turned around to hide her face. Jusis could tell she was still blushing and smiling. He ate what's left of the 'food' in relative silence until his plate was clean, just like how his mother and uncle always taught him to.

Millium waited for him to finish while munching on her bag of cookies. "Oh yeah," she piped up, mouth full of dough, "Fie asked if you wanted to go to the airport with us."

"I do... after I conclude the rest of my morning tasks," Jusis said as he emptied his cup. Breakfast complete. "I'll have her the list of requests to do by then."

"KK."

"Do you have anything in mind? Anything you want to add to it?"

"Hmmm…" Millium stroked her chin in a display of rare concentration. "Not… especially."

Definitely something then, Jusis thought. 'Not especially' meant the mischievous girl was planning something but still only in its early stages. "Regardless," he stated, "if you do have something we can for our little problematic bracer friend, then I'm all ears. Don't hesitate to ask."

"Mhmm. Thanks, Jusis." Stacking the dining ware to the tray, Millium frolicked out the room before stopping at the door and turning back around. "Actually…. there is one thing..."

"Hm?"

"You're gonna love it."

Which probably meant he was going to hate and/or regret it. Most likely both. Still, Jusis failed to hide the amusement dawning on his face as he listened to her scheme.

Bareahard Airport. Next to the Noble's District, the airport was where you would find the largest clusters of nobles all in one place, either arriving into the city or in a hurry to board the next luxury cruise liner. Finely-dressed men and women carried themselves with a manner and dignity Fie would call pompous.

Not that she'd actually describe them that; she just copied it off of Machias' standard ramblings. She drank her fruit juice— err, 'commoner juice,' as one noble respectfully commented before she chased them off with a glare. Altina sipped hers right beside, more bored than peeved.

Her bracer notebook should be arriving this morning, plus whoever it was delivering it. To her knowledge, the person shouldn't be anyone too prolific. Sara was in Jurai. Agate at home in Liberl. Scherazard out parading in the Sutherland Province, while Arios and Zin would be too busy.

...Was that everyone or did she forget someone? Whatever.

"I'm BORED!" Millium yelled to the annoyance of every noble nearby, though in their defense, it only took them a second to realize who it was sitting next to the loud and obnoxious child. They went about their ways after one wordless glower from Jusis.

He sighed. "It's the holidays. Delayed flights are a common occurrence this time of year. Be patient."

"But I'm booooreeed."

"Would you care for a round of Vantage Masters, dear sister?" Altina asked, no doubt experienced in handling a Millium. "There's a table right here."

"Oohhhh, you're on!" Millium said as she eagerly slammed her deck on the table. "Time to settle yesterday's score, Tilly."

"Standard wage?"

"Standard wage."

"Accepted." Smirk teetering the edge on cunning, Altina placed her Master Card onto the middle tile. "Since I'm feeling generous, you may have the first turn."

Not much else to do, Fie observed their match from the sidelines.

...Wait a minute. That Master Card is—

"HEY, no fair!" Millium recognized as well. "That's REAN'S deck!"

"He let me borrow it. My turn."

...Utter curb stomp. Millium's defensive strategy melted like paper before Rean's nigh-unstoppable, min-maxed, blazing fire deck. Rean filled it with uber-rarity cards, too. The stupid addict.

"Arggghhh!"

"Don't worry," Altina said. She was already shuffling her cards for round two. "This shall be the best two-out-of-three."

It didn't matter; they dubbed Rean the 'VM King' for a reason. He had an uncharacteristically heated enthusiasm for the children's card game— something he annoyingly took after from Crow.

Fie yawned.

"Bed not comfortable enough for you?" Jusis asked. Despite his duke status, he seemed perfectly content officiating Millium and Altina's duel. "I can book you a place in the hotel if you feel it imposing."

She shook her head and buried her face into her scarf. "No, it's not that."

"Nightmares?"

"...Yeah."

"I see…"

Fie didn't feel like sharing it, and she thanked Jusis for letting it slide. She hardly cared for it even; most of it lost in the dregs of her mind. She let her thoughts wander around a bit more.

Altina won again, unsurprisingly. Millium being Millium, refused to submit to the loss. Despite the hostility, the two girls looked to be enjoying themselves— or at least weren't bored. Millium wasn't, and Altina was having the time of her life beating her sister over and over again if her smug grin was anything to go by.

At around their sixth duel (they didn't last very long), the intercom announced that an airship from Leman had docked. Fie stood up and stretched her sleepiness away. Her companions weren't budging, so Jusis nodded for her to go on along.

She eyed the vessel. "Visuals acquired. Who is it this time, Miles?"

One by one, Fie scanned the passengers as they got off into the landing bay. Half tourists, half academics carrying with them suitcases bulging with documents and research papers. No bracers, though. No one she was acquainted with, anyway.

"...Hm?"

Weird. All of the passengers had gotten off, but she didn't see anyone remotely resembling a bracer. No weapons, no armor. Not even a guild-issued orbment belt and pouch. Did the person get on the wrong flight?

She had almost given up on her search when a voice, lively and spirited, shouted from inside the ship.

"Wait! I still need to get off!"

Fie recognized the voice… along with the yellow ribbon bobbing atop a head of bright brown hair. Her eyes widened. Nope.

Blending in with the crowd as much as she humanly can, Fie turned on her heel and walked away briskly. Very, very briskly.

"FIEEEEEEEEE!"

NOPE.

She was just about to bolt when a pair of slender yet finely trained and extremely strong A-rank bracer arms seized her into an unwanted cuddle. Face smothered and oxygen scarce, Fie struggled to speak through the awkward womanhandling.

"Awawawa~ So cute so cute so cuuuuuuute! You're still so so cuuuute!"

"Anelace…! Not in public!"

Beaming ecstatically, Anelace Elfead ruffled Fie's hair like she would an adorable kitten. "I missed you suuuuuuper much!"

"ImissedyoutoonowLETGO!"

Fie tried. Tried, but again, 'extremely strong A-rank bracer arms.'

"Ah!" Anelace looked up. "Altina too!"

"Woah—!"

Fie head still locked in one arm, Anelace shot towards the doe-eyed Black Rabbit.

Altina gulped dryly. She attempted to flee, but she, too, got caught in the cute lover's embrace. "Guh…!"

"Oh, you two are so adorable I can't help myself!" Anelace exclaimed while rubbing cheeks with both her captives. Captives she was slowly asphyxiating by the neck.

"Millium… help…" Fie pleaded out of desperation.

Bad call. Millium's eyes lit up as well. "Okay, group hug!" she shouted as she pulled Jusis in by the hand into the ever-growing ball of hugs and cuddles. He tried to stop her, of course, but his poor dignity died in vain.

"Ahh… so much cute…" Anelace said. "I'm in heaven… Someone slap me."

Slap!

"Thanks!"

Fie, who had gotten out and immediately obliged with the slapping, wheezed for air. She glared at the chortling crowd as hard as she could pass her ruined bangs, her image of being a calm and collected woman crushed to death by cuteness. Literally.

She'll take back what she said about being bored now. Legram had it bad, but this was much worse.

"Ahhh~. So cute…"

With an intoxicated Anelace, an overbearingly frisky Millium, an exasperated and defeated Jusis, and a whimpering Altina smushed between the three of them… no amount of preparation can stop the disaster waiting to unfold.

And Fie would be front and center for it. "I'm gonna kill Miles."

Really, couldn't he have AT LEAST warned her?

Cuteness is justice, after all. It's the law.

Reaaaaallly long delay. Sorry about that. Was busy between schooling and binging my gaming backlog before my copy of CS3 arrives. -also mild writers block-

Reviews, pms, favs and follows are welcome and appreciated.

See ya.