It was the morning of the lord announcement, and the whole palace was alive with activity in preparation for it. Evie had arrived at work early to liaise with the various departments to make sure everything was running on schedule. Flitting from one end of the palace to the other, she met with other senior members of staff to check off the many tasks on her list, then briefly returned to her own department to speak to her boss.
Mr Abakhan and the team had performed miracles once again, as Evie admired the work they had done while she was away performing her equerry duties. While she was examining the completed formal outfits with much veneration, an unexpected guest soon appeared.
"Good morning, Lord Kai!" Evie smiled, as she and the other textile staff bowed to him.
"Good morning," Kai waved. "how is everyone?"
"Bright eyed and bushy tailed, My Lord, thank you for asking," Mr Abakhan bowed deeply, before turning to address his team. "come along everyone, time for your 15-minute break!"
The many staff members enthusiastically made their way to the break room for a well-earned breather, while Evie quickly scrolled through the checklist on her tablet, ready for the questions that Kai inevitably had for her.
"So, Evie, how are the arrangements for this evening going?"
"Very well, My Lord – I have instructed the kitchen porters to obtain more alcohol for the celebration, the special attire for yourself and other members of Her Highness' council have been completed," She replied, as she gestured to Mr Abakhan who proudly showed off his work. "in addition, transport has been verified for all important guests, and the photographers have agreed to arrive early to document turnout."
"Excellent," Kai grinned. "do you know if the ninja will be attending?"
"Yes, sir, we received confirmation this morning," Evie nodded. "I dare say you are probably looking forward to seeing your compatriots."
"Yeah, I am, we've been divided for years but I still miss being in the temple with them," He paused as he recalled being kept awake by Cole's snoring. "well, most of the time."
"Pardon my saying, but I'm so excited! A new member of Lady Borg's court!" Evie gasped. "I cannot wait to see who it is!"
"No one of great significance in society, but he proved himself worthy regardless." Kai admitted.
"We shall wait with bated breath to find out who Lady Borg has seen fit to add to her inner circle." Mr Abakhan smiled.
"Well, keep up the good work." Kai said as he exited the room.
"This is so thrilling!" Evie squealed. "I wonder who it is… I mean, I caught a glimpse of him yesterday, but I didn't recognise him at all."
"I also saw him yesterday, I had to take his measurements." Mr Abakhan replied, as a peculiar look crossed him.
"Sir, you're making quite a face there, is there something we should know?" Evie pried.
"Hedges informed me that he's a droid, and that two days ago he was caught in the crossfire of an attack by Master Lloyd," He explained, as Evie gasped in shock. "he shielded Her Imperial Highness and sacrificed himself in the process; when I saw him earlier, he was completely rebuilt, as if the attack never happened."
"A droid…? You don't think that-"
"I dare not speculate," He sighed. "and if you wish to keep your situation, you will not speculate either."
"Don't worry, I have other things to do besides fan the flames of the rumour mill." Evie rolled her eyes.
She strolled toward the staircase and began her descent to the gemmology department. It's not that she was averse to using elevators to get around, but ever since the incident where she got trapped in one for several hours, she resolved to only use them when she absolutely had to. Besides, gemmology wasn't far from textiles – just two flights of stairs – so off she went.
Evie was expecting to see the employees carefully cutting and cleaning the latest batch of mined gemstones, she was not expecting to see Lady Rose assisting them.
"My Lady!" Evie excitedly said as she approached the brunette woman. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"My little Evie-pops!" Lady Rose happily squeaked. "How lovely to see you! What brings you into my territory?"
"I've come to see how the sapphire amulet is going," Evie smiled and bowed. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Ah ha! I'm here for the exact same reason! Great minds really do think alike." She announced, pulling Evie into a side hug.
"You flatter me, My Lady." Evie giggled.
Lady Rose was easily the most relaxed and fun of all the court ladies. Admittedly, all the shogun's female council members were known to be laid back in more casual settings; Master Lloyd and Lord Kai were usually more formal, even when they had the opportunity to cut loose a little.
"I imagine Lord Kai has been checking on you every hour for an update." Lady Rose blushed behind her folding fan.
"Actually, he's only approached me once so far," Evie corrected. "he's busier than usual since tonight's event is a Lord announcement."
"Oh yes, such an important event," Lady Rose beamed. "it has been a few years since the last Lord was added to Her Imperial Highness' council."
"Indeed – and how strange the rumours are, that the newest Lord is in fact a droid like Her Imperial Highness!" Evie laughed.
"Who told you such things?" Lady Rose asked, with a shocked expression on her face.
"No one!" Evie backpedalled. "Just the usual verbal shenanigans that float around whenever something important is happening…"
Lady Rose giggled nervously as she leaned in close to Evie.
"You didn't hear it from me, but yes," Lady Rose quietly confirmed, waving her folding fan with speed. "the newest Lord is a droid who squared off against the Master of Energy – he willingly put himself between Her Imperial Highness and a high-strength attack from Master Lloyd!"
"And he survived?" She gasped, pretending this was new information.
"Mentally yes, but his body shut down from the impact," Lady Rose nodded. "he was successfully rebuilt yesterday… but you didn't hear it from me."
"Hear what, My Lady?" Evie winked.
"That's my little Evie," Lady Rose beamed and patted her on the head. "you're such a good girl."
"Well, now that I know the sapphire amulet is in your expert hands, I shall move onto my next task," Evie smiled as she walked away. "hopefully, I will see you this evening!"
"You will, dear."
Evie grinned to herself as she once again headed toward the staircase at the back of the room. She trotted down three flights of stairs before she paused to check off something on her list.
Outfits, check. Amulet, check.
She still needed to check that the porters had completed their errands, and she also needed to confirm the entertainment for the evening. As she continued down the stairs, heading toward the back of house, she took a deep breath and happily sighed – how she enjoyed being the front runner of these events!
It was a refreshing change of pace to be traversing the other floors, divvying out jobs to people: it also meant that she got to run Lady Borg's personal errands, and get a sneak peek at the special ceremonial dress designed by her boss, which no one else got to see before the event!
"Hi guys!" Evie chirped as she entered the back kitchen.
"Hey there Shorthouse," joked one of the chefs. "playing errand girl again?"
"Oh, ha, ha," Evie chuckled. "I just came to see if the porters have gone out on the petty cash run."
"Petty cash run?" the chef loudly laughed. "I'd hardly call 20 cases of red, 20 cases of white, 40 cases of champagne and a case of assorted spirits a 'petty cash run'! The off licence is making a delivery in the next hour, don't you worry."
"Can you at least text me when it gets here?"
"Will do, little 'un." He heartily guffawed and carried on with what he was doing.
Evie left the kitchen and cantered toward the reception desk. She was so busy looking at her list that as she turned a corner, she crashed into someone, the impact of which caused her to fall backwards. She closed her eyes, awaiting the hard landing. But there wasn't one, at least, not the one she expected. Instead of falling back onto the tough, cold granite floor, she opened her eyes to see someone had pulled her forward.
Hedges, the heavily tattooed security guard, held her to his chest.
"Evie," He purred. "fancy bumping into you here."
"Mr Hedges!" She blushed furiously. "I am so sorry! I should've been watching where I was going!"
"Nah, it was my fault, I was looking at my phone," He apologised. "how about you start using my first name and we'll call it even?"
"Thank you, Harry, for catching me," She breathed, secretly wishing she had Lady Rose's fan to hide her bright red face. "um, you can let me go now."
"Of course, sorry," He gently let go of her and she stood nervously before him. "hey, I heard about your promotion; congratulations!"
"Thanks," She smiled. "it came as a total surprise; I didn't even know I was being considered for the senior machinist position until it was announced."
"I'm not surprised, you sew circles around all the other seamstresses; even Ruby can't match your eye for design."
"You flatter me too much, Harry, you really do!" She turned away, embarrassed and waving her hand dismissively. "I really must go but thank you again for catching me."
"Anytime," He flashed a deeply demure smile and gave her a small white card. "maybe we can bump into each other after work sometime?"
"Sounds good," She bowed politely, soon realising that the card had his phone number on it. "I'll uh, call you later."
"I look forward to it," He grinned. "see you 'round Evie."
"Bye Harry."
Evie continued walking through the back of house towards the reception desk, her mind floating away on a sweet, fluffy cloud. Harry Hedges had always come across as stoic and immoveable in the past, but the last six months he'd appeared to loosen up a little – well, around her at least.
She hadn't thought much of it at first, but every now and then, something like that would happen. As if fate was intervening, she always ended up in his arms whenever they were together; and it all started with that elevator incident. Not that she was complaining, he was after all a rather handsome man. Evie strolled into the office behind the reception area and approached one of the women at the main desk.
"Evie, what brings you here?" The lady asked.
"Hey hun, I need to know if the entertainment has been booked for this evening." Evie replied.
"Let's see…" She said, flicking through a stack of papers in her 'out' box. "Ah yes, we've secured a traditional string orchestra, a live performer and four miko from the Kura-okami shrine will be coming to perform the opening ritual dance."
"Live Performer?" Evie tilted her head and glanced at her tablet. "Theres nothing on my checklist about that."
"It was a last minute addition, Cherry's girlfriend has a brother in the entertainment industry," the lady shrugged. "apparently, he's a singer and an acrobatic artiste; should be interesting!"
"Well, thanks for confirming, I better go tell the Shogun that everything is on track." Evie ticked off the last thing on her list and left the reception area via the lobby.
She dashed over to the elevator, looked at the steel doors and hesitated.
Even as she slowly stretched out her hand to press the call button, she began to have flashbacks of her last encounter with this moving metal box. Evie really didn't want to use this thing, but her options were limited; Her Highness' chambers were way, way up on the 42nd floor, and for all her enthusiasm for going down the stairs earlier, she did not have the energy for going up 42 flights of stairs right now.
Her fears were quickly assuaged however, when the doors opened, and she saw Mr Benson smiling at her.
"Oh, what a relief to know I will not be traveling alone!" Evie squeaked as she joyfully entered.
"Hey Evie," Benson grinned. "I was supposed to be getting off here, but after last time, I think I'll escort you to wherever you're going."
"Thank you so much," Evie sighed, letting go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I'm heading up to the 42nd floor."
Benson pressed the button marked 42 and watched Evie tense up a little as the doors closed. He recalled with great vividness the incident in which Evie became trapped in an elevator a while back, as it was him and Hedges who rescued her.
He remembered her tear-stained, panicked face when Hedges pried the doors open, and how she leapt into Hedges' arms, shaking and frightened. Benson was most surprised when Hedges did not attempt to remove himself from the situation – as he often did when someone hugged him without warning – but instead began to comfort her, stroking her hair and making soothing noises.
Benson had not seen Hedges that compassionate and caring since… well…
"Thanks again, for staying with me." Evie said as she exited onto the 42nd floor.
"Anytime." Benson smiled as the doors closed and the elevator headed back down the building.
Evie walked along a long stretch of corridor, before coming to an intricately gilded door guarded by two of Lady Borg's finest. One of them immediately recognised her and opened the door, bowing politely. She entered the room, admiring the purple velvet surroundings and gold trimmed furniture that decorated the vast open space.
On turning toward where Her Highness' main dressing area was, she found herself overwhelmed by the vision of Lady Borg being fitted with a dazzling haute couture kimono. Layer upon layer of hand painted, gold embroidered silk decorated the shogun's delicate frame, tied together with the shimmering silver obi sash that Evie herself designed.
She bowed deeply.
"Your Imperial Highness," She gasped. "just when I think you could not get more beautiful than you already were."
"You flatter me too much, Miss Evie," Lady Borg giggled. "all the praise for my appearance goes to Mr Abakhan for his amazing tailoring work."
"I merely assemble the fabric, Your Majesty," Mr Abakhan insisted. "it is your radiance that makes my work come to life."
"I have come to inform you that all the necessary preparations have been made, Your Highness," Evie explained, as a text came through to her phone. "additional beverages have been obtained, the entertainment has been confirmed for this evening, and Lady Rose is supervising completion of the sapphire amulet you requested."
"Perfect," Lady Borg purred. "perhaps you would be so kind as to see how Lord Zander is doing?"
"Lord Zander?" Evie wondered, tilting her head. "You mean the new Lord whose announcement is tonight?"
"Correct."
"Forgive me, Your Highness," Evie bowed again. "but I am far too menial to be checking in on a Lord..."
"Do not argue with Her Majesty!" Mr Abakhan snapped at Evie. "Check on Lord Zander at once!"
"Yes sir!" Evie replied as she hurried out of the room.
"Please forgive her insolence, Your Majesty," Mr Abakhan begged. "I know she is your equerry, but she has much to learn about her place within the hierarchy."
"I fear you are too hard on her sometimes," Lady Borg responded, as she admired the gorgeous obi in the mirror. "but if these are the results of her hard work, then she is worth a gentle nudge or two."
"I must admit she's made some utterly beautiful pieces; it's why I made her the senior machinist."
Suddenly, Miru burst into the room. She ran over to Pixal and fell to the ground in her haste.
"She who Watches, what is so dire that you come here in such a tremendous panic?" She asked.
"Your Highness!" Miru gasped for breath. "Kura-okami has granted me a vision!"
"WHAT?" Pixal spun around, accidently whipping Mr Abakhan with the long, graceful sleeves of her kimono. "This has not happened since the first anniversary! What did you see?!"
"I saw the memorial statue, encased in a spiky, shining glacier; the shrine adorned with twisting, winding ice shards that wrapped around the torii gate at the entrance," Miru described, gesturing with her hands. "then Kura-okami himself came to me, but I was not myself, I was you…"
Pixal leaned in, enthralled by what she was being told. Sure, it was winter, and perhaps the statue and the shrine would become icy, but to be covered – almost deliberately – in formed ice was ridiculously unlikely.
"He held my hands, and said: 'we are all different, but I don't feel so different around you'… he was smiling, his voice was soft and kind, and I was not afraid," Miru recalled, before a frown came upon her face. "but for some reason, my response to him was stiff and unfeeling, as I replied to him: 'I am not different, I am a Primary Interactive eXternal Assistant Lifeform and-"
"-And your repairs are complete'…" Pixal gasped, her eye as wide as could be and tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
That was their exchange when she had fixed him up after the first wave of the Overlord's minions attacked. It was just her and Zane in that place, no one else heard them speak, and she had never spoken of it to anyone. She collapsed to her knees and looked up at the ceiling, still crying copious amounts of tears. Miru and Mr Abakhan approached to make sure she was alright, fretting as she didn't respond to any of their frantic questions.
Pixal grabbed Miru and pulled her into a tight, warm hug. Miru was completely startled; she had never seen Lady Borg in such a joyous emotional state before.
"Your Highness, are you quite alright?" Miru whispered.
"He's coming back! He's finally coming back!" She wept excitedly. "It is the sign I have waited for!"
"Your Majesty." Mr Abakhan spoke gently, offering her some tissue.
Pixal accepted his help, and as she let go of a still stunned Miru, she stood up and wiped away the wetness on her face.
"Guards!" Pixal shouted.
The two men outside her door came running at her call.
"I wish for the shrine and the statue to be watched at all times until further notice!" She ordered. "I need eyes on them 24/7; the slightest sign of anything unusual must be reported to me immediately!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" They bowed and swiftly exited the room.
"Miru, Mr Abakhan, not a word of this to anyone, do you understand?" She warned them sternly.
"Yes, Your Highness." They replied.
"Miru, return to Lord Zander, and remember – not a word."
"Of course, Your Highness." She bowed and left the room.
"He's coming back…" Pixal whimpered as a wide smile crossed her lips.
"Perhaps we should postpone the announcement ceremony…?"
"No!" Pixal barked. "It is likely that Miru's vision was brought on by this event, and we shall continue as if we did not hear of it."
"Hear of what, Your Majesty?" He smiled.
Miru slowly strolled down the corridor towards Zane's room. She was still reeling from Lady Borg's reaction. This whole thing was Zane's idea and it all started when Mr Abakhan stopped by with Zane's new outfit for the announcement celebration…
30 minutes earlier…
"My Lord," Mr Abakhan bowed, presenting a large brocade gift box from a wheeled garment rail. "if you would be so kind as to try this on while I am fitting Lady Borg with her attire."
"Allow me," Miru said as she took the box from the aging tailor. "you must not keep Her Highness waiting."
"Indeed," He smiled. "and do inform me as soon as possible if there are any adjustments required."
"We will." Zane smiled back.
Mr Abakhan nodded and took his leave. Miru removed the lid from the box and let out an impressed whistle.
"Truly spectacular work," She admired as she put on some white cotton gloves. "you will definitely impress Lady Borg in these."
"That's the idea," Zane added. "hopefully, my powers will return soon, and I can prove who I am to her."
"Hopefully, yes," Miru agreed, opting to say nothing of the ice she saw earlier. "frankly, I too look forward to seeing proof of your heritage; so far all I have is your biometrics to go off of."
"You still do not believe me?"
"It's not that," She shook her head. "I am merely saying how interesting it will be to see your powers for myself."
"This custom body is so much like my original one, with a little practice, I may be able to produce my element for all to see," He removed his shirt so Miru could assist with the silver hitotare. "I may need to practice moving in these formal clothes first."
Miru giggled.
"We need to put the idea of your return into Her Highness' mind." She stated factually.
"Well, you are She Who Watches, could you not claim to have some kind of vision?" He suggested.
"Despite my title I have only ever had one vision, and even then, I do not know if it was actually a vision or if you were inadvertently interfering with my system update at the time."
Zane went silent, as he recalled the endless battle in his digital form. Just as he broke through one more firewall, or one more virus protocol, a stronger one would replace it.
"What was it like?" Miru wondered. "You know, in the digital space?"
"Difficult," Zane replied. "I was lost for so long, and even when I found a port for Borg Industries it was an unending struggle with one security block after another."
"As I understand it, the Overlord incident led Lady Borg to want to prevent anything from ever getting in again," She held up the platinum hakama and gestured for him to step into it. "Mr Borg was happy for her to do it; it kept her occupied and stopped her from isolating herself in her room."
"That explains why I could never break through." He sighed, placing his hand on Miru's shoulder to steady himself as he moved forward.
"She swiftly developed a program that would continue to update and strengthen the defences in her absence."
"Absence?"
"Lord Kai was taking a sabbatical and invited Lady Borg to join him." She explained.
She began to tie the hakama at the front when she sensed a change in Zane's demeanour. Miru gazed at him and saw a melancholy expression on his face.
"I know, the irony of it is positively palpable," She sighed. "if she had not begun to fortify the system, you would have broken through sooner – if you had broken through sooner, she might not have become so hardened."
"A lot of pain could have been spared…" Zane murmured.
"So," Miru began, as she tied the hakama at the back. "how did you break through in the end?"
"In the digital space, there is no concept of time – no day or night, no sun or moon, just a never-ending kaleidoscope of colour and lights," He elaborated. "I did not know how long it had been, foolishly I assumed that it had been perhaps a few months, but with no sign of time passage, you quickly lose track of where you are chronologically."
"That makes sense." Miru nodded.
"Eventually, I became so discouraged, so exhausted from the constant fight, that I summoned one last reserve of energy and gave it absolutely everything I had; if I had not gotten through that time, I would have given up, content to let my subconscious fade away into the data stream."
"You really are an amazing droid," Miru admitted, wiping an errant tear from her cheek. "all that time you had been fighting, year after year, just to get back to Her Imperial Highness."
"…I thought you were her."
"Pardon?" She asked, doing a double take.
"When I broke through the firewall, I found myself looking through one of the cameras in the console room," He explained. "I saw you, and I mistook you for Pixal."
"Me? You thought I was the shogun?!" Miru began laughing a full, heaving guffaw at the very idea. "Do not misunderstand me, I'm flattered, but that's ridiculous! Fancy thinking that I was Her Imperial Highness…"
"My dear, sweet Pixal: she was just an assistant back then," He bit his lip and cast his eyes downward. "but to me, she may as well have been an Empress – beautiful, graceful, elegant."
Miru retrieved the kataginu from the box and draped it over Zane's shoulders, brushing it straight with her gloved hands while he tucked the bottom of the regal attire beneath the sash of the hakama.
"And here you are, becoming a Lord in her court, it's like something out of a pillow book!" Miru grinned whimsically. "So… about this vision idea; what did you have in mind?"
"It would need to be something ominous, and something only she and I would know about," Zane posited, tapping his hand on his chin thoughtfully before his face lit up. "I've got it!"
"Well?"
"There were a couple of times when we were alone; no one else would have heard the things we said to each other," He mused excitedly. "and I had not said a word to anyone about our private interactions – even if I wanted to, there was never a chance to say anything – hopefully, she too remembers our exchange."
"Very well," Miru nodded. "just tell me what I need to say, and I'll handle the rest."
Perhaps he felt he needed to prove himself to her once and for all, perhaps he was desperate for some sign that Pixal would welcome his return. Either way, it was finally crystal clear to Miru; Zane really was the Master of Ice. He had been honest from the start – she knew that – but there was still a nagging doubt deep within her that he was somehow able to manipulate her readings, that he was yet another charlatan looking to deceive the Shogun.
With that one interaction, all her doubts had been swept away. She opened the door and saw Evie bowing to Zane.
"Oh, hello Miru, I was merely checking in with Lord Zander, as requested by Her Imperial Highness," Evie chirped as she turned to Zane. "if you require anything, My Lord, please do not hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you." He smiled.
Evie politely bowed and exited the room.
"So, how did it go? Did she remember?" He asked enthusiastically.
Miru said nothing. For a moment, she simply stood and looked at him. She saw his face turn down slightly in disappointment; her lack of reaction was clearly worrying him. Taking a deep breath, she approached him and – just as Lady Borg had with her – pulled him into a strong hug. Miru promptly burst into tears. Zane patted her shoulder, trying to alleviate her sadness however he could.
"Miru? What's wrong?"
"It's you!" She squeaked, crying wildly. "It's really you!"
"Of course, it is me," He grinned. "I take it she remembered."
"Remembered? She finished my sentence as though it happened yesterday! I wish you could have seen her face," Miru held onto Zane even tighter. "she was so happy!"
"Thank goodness," Zane sighed. "she does want me to come back."
"You could change her life, Zane! She might finally calm down and find peace."
"Calm down?" He repeated.
Miru quickly realised that her words had opened a door she had intended to keep closed. She pulled away from him and hesitated, wanting to choose her words cautiously.
"On your first night here, you expressed some confusion of how Lady Borg came to power when Ninjago already had official rulers," Miru reminded him. "perhaps now would be a good time for a history lesson but take heed – you may not like what you hear."
"Pixal is good at heart, I find it difficult to believe that her rise to power was anything less than noble."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you…" Miru ominously noted. "on returning from her sabbatical with Lord Kai, Her Highness took over the running of New Ninjago city, and her father retired; she was, of course, still grieving the loss of her fallen love, and about a year later, she repatriated the island off the coast of the city."
"That was mentioned during the council meeting, something about a siege?" Zane said, noticing how Miru bristled at the mention of it.
"Correct," Miru reluctantly confirmed. "the siege was the result of a slight against Kura-okami, perpetrated by a lower ranking peon of the island's caretaker, Master Chen, and Lady Borg was furious."
Zane was startled by Miru, as she suddenly leapt into a stark theatrical pose and began to mimic Pixal's initial reaction.
"This is outrageous! We cannot stand for this disrespect when it was Kura-okami who saved all of Ninjago!" Miru quoted, stomping her foot angrily and waving her hand outward dramatically. "We will take back the island by force and show these fools that there are consequences for their blasphemy!"
"That doesn't sound so bad," Zane noted. "many of the victories the ninja had over their enemies came down to teaching villains that they would not go unchallenged."
Miru's heart winced at his naively innocent view of the situation.
"I suppose so, but Lady Borg's actions also had consequences, and they came from the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago," She said as she looked away from him. "the Emperor was only too happy for Lady Borg to run New Ninjago City, but when she reached out to take back control of that island from the unruly inhabitants, he wasn't happy; he felt she was overstepping her bounds."
Zane remained quiet, taking in Miru's words.
"The Emperor saw Lady Borg as someone who was – if you'll pardon the expression – getting too big for her boots, and thus began the Jinkou-Ningen War."
"War?!" Zane stammered; his mind spinning. "Do not tell me that the scar on Her Highness's face was the fault of the Emperor?!"
"Oh no, she received the scar during the siege, but the siege taught her the importance of having an army ready for any eventuality," Miru explained. "by the time the Emperor had mustered his own army, Lady Borg's android troops already outnumbered them by ten to one – in fact, that's why it was called the 'Jinkou-Ningen' war; it means 'android' war."
"No, this cannot be true! Pixal would never start a war!" Zane irately shook his head, the very idea made him dizzy.
"You are correct, she did not start the war – it was the Emperor who started the war, the Shogun merely finished it," Miru agreed. "but the Jinkou-Ningen War was an easy win for Lady Borg; she was able to ambush most of the Emperor's militaries, easily defeated those who avoided capture, then ended the war at a stroke by holding the Emperor hostage."
His jaw dropped and he stared at her in disbelief.
"Hostage?! This is madness! Pixal is not a military droid! Her origins are that of a personal assistant!" Zane insisted as his voice cracked. "There's no way she would instigate a siege or take part in any war!"
"Please understand, she thought you were dead; she has been twisted by her bereavement, and she hasn't always made the wisest decisions…" Miru stated plainly. "Imagine for a moment that you were not able to give half of your heart to Lady Borg, and she died that night, never to return – how do you think you would react?"
Zane paused.
He'd never considered an alternative outcome before, and he soon realized that there was a reason for that. As he pondered in all seriousness, the idea of her dying in his arms that night – their final interaction being one of understanding, acknowledging their true compatibility – it was too much for him to bear.
The idea of permanently losing Pixal was so excruciating, that he began to breakdown in front of Miru. It started small: a pained expression, a furrowed brow, a handful of errant tears. He was struck by an aching pain in his chest so bad, that he staggered for a moment. The sadness, however, swiftly gave way to anger as he recalled seeing her scarred face for the first time. His entire body tensed up and his eyes glowed with a white-hot rage.
So intense was his fury, that Miru noticed a frost pattern building beneath his feet.
"If I had lost my beloved Pixal that night," He fumed. "there would be a blizzard so fierce that even the mountains would bow to it."
"Woah now, it's alright Zane, just relax," Miru purred softly, gently stroking his hand and finding it blisteringly cold. "Lady Borg is still with us; she is alive, and she is safe."
The sensation of her soothing touch appeared to slowly reverse the swelling wrath, and her calming voice encouraged the storm in him to wind down, taking with it a chunk of his energy as he stumbled and fell like a gradually deflating balloon.
"There we go, it's okay, just take it easy," She whispered, petting his hair. "the rage that you just felt also manifested in her, but it had been building for over a year before she finally unleashed it – it was... frightening to see her so angry."
"Is that when she laid siege to Master Chen's island?" He quietly asked.
"The first time, yes," Miru nodded. "the Emperor's reprisal triggered it a second time, though to a lesser degree."
"Pixal was such a calm, contained individual; to hear that she was so hurt by my sacrifice is deeply concerning," Zane said. "to know that she was teetering on the edge – ready to retaliate at a moment's notice – is disturbing."
"Grief affects everyone differently, and although she held onto the idea that you would come back, subconsciously a maelstrom was accumulating," Miru explained. "when it eventually came out, it was completely devastating; I have never seen such destruction in all my life."
"Why can I not just tell her now?" Zane sighed in frustration. "I want to go up to her, tell her the truth, hold her and never let go, it is all I have wanted to do since I first came back."
"Patience is a virtue, My Lord, we must not act in haste if your return is to be taken seriously," Miru said sympathetically. "perhaps tomorrow we could find somewhere secluded to practice your ice powers; after all, being able to fulfil the vision that I claimed to have would be most advantageous."