Gina quickly took her place by Asellus's side, snatching her hand possessively, her attention completely on her Lady. The new Charm Lord gazed all around her, noting the various mystics who had answered her summons. From all the regions, in places hidden from humans, often right under their noses, from everywhere they came. She saw water mystics and woodland mystics, tiny sprites and fairies, mountain trolls and goblins, mystics high and low and in all their exotic forms were gathered here. She didn't believe that the mystics gathered here represented all the mystics that existed, but it was enough for now. She'd deal with those who ignored her invitation in the future. For now, she only needed enough to spread the word that there was a new Charm Lord on the throne and things were going to be a lot different from now on.
Asellus looked to her precious Gina and saw that for once she wasn't staring intently at her. Instead, her gaze was off to the side, a faint smile on her face. She even took a hand away from her Lady to wave. This was definitely a surprise. Asellus followed her gaze to see what could possibly distract her Gina away from her.
She smiled and suddenly the business at hand didn't seem that important.
-----
Ildon watched as Asellus strode over, Gina in tow, to the only humans in the room, a warm smile on her face. Not the cold, calculating smile that she typically wore nowadays, but a real one that betrayed actual happiness and good feeling. A rare sight.
"Hey, Asellus!"
"What's up?"
"It's good to see you again."
"Hey, how you doin'?"
The humans greeted the Charm Lord loudly and crudely by mystic standards. The drunkard, Gen, Ildon thought he heard, actually slapped Asellus on the shoulder heartily. All through it, the Charm Lord kept that rarely seen smile. Even though Ildon would never admit it to anyone, especially Lord Asellus herself, it was good to see the Charm Lord act a little less lordly.
The various mystics around the room, especially the sycophantic court mystics, bristled at what they considered to be utterly unforgivable behavior. He didn't have to hear the various whispers around the room to know what they were saying. Oh, the insolence. Why, those *humans* don't even address her by her proper title! Why aren't those humans dead yet? How dare they!
As if any of those mystics had ever traveled side by side with Asellus, as if they had shared what those humans had shared with her, as if they somehow had more rights to their Lord simply by being mystics. Not so long ago, many of these critics looked down and sneered upon the half-breed newcomer to Chateau Aiguille, suggesting that it might have been a favor to Asellus if she'd been put to sleep like a dog. Now they were rushing to defend her stained honor. Though the mystic throne had changed hands, the petty, groveling court had not changed at all. Anything to win the Lord's grace.
Asellus turned a sharp eye away from her friends, casting a brief, but withering glare at the assembled. The outbursts quickly died down. She turned back to her human company as if nothing had happened. Indeed, it seemed like the humans hadn't seen the warning glare at all. For all her faults, Lord Asellus at least knew who her friends were.
He didn't know much about the humans who had joined with Asellus in the earlier legs of her adventures. He'd met Emelia for a short time and he'd met the pilot when he transported them back to Facinaturu for their final confrontation with Orlouge, but Gen and that musician had left before he arrived into Asellus's party. Ildon only knew of those two men through stories he had heard from his Lord.
And the truth was that he knew little about Emelia, too. She left shortly after helping to defeat Ciato and she revealed little about herself. He always wondered just what sort of effect these human companions had on Asellus and just what the Charm Lord would have been like today if they had stayed with her instead of going their separate ways. Perhaps she wouldn't be steering all of mystickind to ruin.
There was something symbolic in the way Asellus's allies changed. It mirrored her slow acceptance of mystichood. At first she vehemently defended her humanity, surrounding herself with human allies. But as they dropped out and were replaced by mystic allies, so did the human side of the future Charm Lord slowly slide away to be dominated by her mystic side. Ildon would have thought that that was a good thing, but clearly he had underestimated just how important a component it was to who Asellus was. Without it, she had become something much different than what she used to be. And she wasn't necessarily better. And to think he had encouraged her to act more like a mystic.
He remembered earlier training sessions with her, pitting her against various phantom beasts to train her in the mystic arts. At first she faltered, losing to even the simplest beasts. But as she improved her skills, he remembered seeing her rage unleashed in those battles. There was a raw fury that, when properly honed, made for a deadly weapon. He'd seen the same sort of fury in the former Charm Lord on the rare occasion when his will was denied. He remembered thinking that she was indeed Orlouge's daughter. They were definitely made of the same stuff.
"My, our Lord hung with quite the crowd in her early days," Rastaban said, eyeing the humans with amusement. "That blonde one is quite the looker."
As always, Rastaban had no problems with spouting off insane proclamations. Admitting attraction for a human was enough to kick most mystics from high standing, but Rastaban had a way with getting away with being loopy. Yes, Ildon had to admit that Emelia had certain appealing qualities, but he certainly wasn't going to shout it out to everyone.
"I almost don't recognize her," Ildon said, staring at Asellus as she mingled happily with her old allies. "She almost doesn't look like the person who'll bring ruin to us."
Rastaban rolled his eyes and smirked. "Here we go again, eh, Ildon? 'The end of Facinaturu as we know it'."
"I can see where this is headed," Ildon said, referring to Asellus.
"If it's the end of Facinaturu as we know it, fine by me. The Facinaturu I remembered was a stagnant excuse of a kingdom run by a stagnant, doddering old man more in love with his playthings than the rest of his subjects. Or -"
Ildon widened his eyes and shot his friend an alarmed look. If anyone was watching, they would have been treated to a rare display of strong emotion from the Black Wing. What could he do? Sometimes his friend's words and actions went beyond mad. It was unwise to speak the former Charm Lord's name, especially in Asellus's presence. He would hate to lose his friend over a mere slip of the tongue.
Among mystics, true friendship was the rarest of relations. A mystic had "fellow mystics" that knew and cared nothing for one another and probably spread nasty rumors about each other behind closed doors. A mystic had "allies" who'd stab each other in the back at the slightest incentive. A mystic had "companions" and "partners" who were only stuck together because a higher mystic ordered it so. A mystic had "lovers" who were much more interested in lust.
But a friend? A real, true to life friend? Practically unheard of. A prize beyond prizes. Ildon had to watch out for such a rare being as Rastaban.
"Our former Lord," Rastaban amended, "thought of nothing except himself. Now we finally have a leader who will take the mystics to new heights, to our rightful place."
"I think you're wrong," Ildon said. "And I don't think our new Lord cares much about us, either. We're just tools to further her aims."
"At least we'll get something out of it," Rastaban countered. "Besides, I was right that Lord Asellus would be the one to reset our clocks, wasn't I?"
Ildon stood silent and turned to watch his Lord among her friends. They'd had this discussion many times before. Their opinions were clearly set. Only time would tell.
-----
"Man, look at you, girl," Gen said, leaning back, his eyes appraising the green haired girl he had once traveled with. She was clearly a woman now. There was something about her that had become much more impressive. "All high and mighty."
"I am," Asellus smiled. "You look like you've been making yourself home."
"As long as there's a bottle for me, I'm home," Gen smiled proudly. "Which reminds me, got another?"
"I'll get someone to fetch more for you."
"So, you still keep in practice with the blade?" Gen asked, a bit more serious. When it came to swordplay, the Wakatu samurai was all business.
"I still flash my sword around every so often," Asellus smiled. "But I've grown beyond the need for a sword."
Gen crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow. "That must be nice."
"It is, believe me."
"So what have you been doing all this time?" Lute asked.
Asellus waved a hand through the air. "Royal stuff."
"You mean like sittin' on a throne, barking out orders at a bunch of folks scared of the sight of ya?"
"Something like that." Asellus swept her arms to the mystics gathered in the room. "It can be tiresome. But being Charm Lord has its moments."
"I'll bet," Gen smirked, looking at Gina with knowing eyes.
"So, um, what's the occasion?" Lute asked.
"Occasion?" Asellus asked.
"Yeah, what's with the party?"
"This is where I announce to the rest of mystickind that they had a new Lord. I don't just rule over this region, you know. I'm Lord of all Mystics."
"Wait a minute," Gen said, crossing his arms. "You're saying that all the mystics in existence have to bow down before you?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that is sweet."
Asellus's lips drew into a sly, coy smile. "It'll only get sweeter. I wanted you all here to see where a new age starts." She took a step away from her old friends. "Pardon me, but I've got to make my announcement." She glided towards the great thorn framed throne, Gina riding along by the hand.
Emelia nudged Gen in the ribs. "So?"
"So what?"
The blonde's eyes betrayed her annoyance. "Is she different?"
Gen crossed his arms, staring at the back of Asellus's blooming dress as she went towards her throne. "Oh yeah. I'm impressed." Strong, confident, a sense of purpose, Asellus had come a long way from the frightened, hunted girl who clung to her White Rose like a helpless child clung to her mother.
She was grown up now and he was proud of the difference. Before, she used to walk around as if she was going to see the end of the world, on the verge of tears at every moment. The slightest thing could set her off into a sobbing fit with White Rose having to cradle and console her. At the very least, her mood would be spoiled for the rest of the day. Anything could have sparked off a fit of depression: a dog wandering alone, a picture of a missing girl, the look on a stranger's face. Half the time, Gen didn't even know what had set her off. It made for depressing company.
Once, they had come across a kid in the Manhattan Mall who claimed to have been abandoned by his mother. Asellus got even more upset than the child. She got so worked up, she started to scare the kid. Some onlookers actually called on security because of how hysterical Asellus had gotten. As it turned out, the dumb kid had wandered off from his mother told him to wait and lost his way.
It was good to see that she'd gotten beyond whatever had troubled her before.
"I don't know," Lute said. "She's like a completely different person. It's like the Asellus I remembered just disappeared."
"You like this version?"
"I don't know, yet."
-----
"Welcome to Chateau Aiguille, my darling mystics!" Asellus hadn't raised her voice, but it carried all across the room just the same. "I am Asellus and I am your new Lord."
She was standing in front of her great throne, Gina standing just off to the side, standing patiently, her eyes always on her Lady. The Charm Lord's voice was cordial, but assertive. Asellus would brook no challenge to her claim on being Lord of all mystics.
Rastaban smiled. His Lord's tone of voice was just right. The crowd's attention was completely on the speaker standing next to the throne. There were slight murmurs scattered around, but no one dared ignore Asellus's words.
"The one you know as Orlouge is no more. All that remains of him is the blood that runs through my veins. But make no mistake. I am no mere imitator, no shadow of the old. My will makes me more than Orlouge could ever hope to be. I am the new Charm Lord and I expect your loyalty and much more."
Rastaban could sense the irritation among the crowd. Who did this upstart girl think she was? He didn't think that the assembled mystics had quite accepted the fact that Orlouge was gone, even though the evidence was right in front of their eyes. Surely they didn't think this girl could mouth off about Orlouge this much without being struck dead on the spot, unless everything she was saying was true?
Asellus began to spin around to look upon the other mystics that surrounded her. "I am aware that not everyone answered my summons. That disappoints me, but that can be forgiven this time. For now, you will listen and you will take these words to those who refused me.
"For too long, Orlouge had commanded your loyalty without question, without giving anything in return. All his attention was focused on his own pleasures and nothing else. He allowed all of mystickind to weaken and shrink away to almost nothing. You all gave your wills to him for absolutely nothing in return. Because of this, you've been driven from your old homes, forced to hide, become little more than myth and stories."
Asellus cut her hand through the air as neatly as a knife blade. "That time is over!" she spat with emotion. "Mystics once ruled over the regions and it is time we be recognized once again! Obey me and I shall bring you an existence where you do not need to fear, do not have to hide, do not have to feel apart from most of existence! You will know joy, you will know freedom, and you will know power!"
Her voice calmed back to the even tone she started with. "All I want in return is your loyalty." She strode from the throne and Gina quickly moved to her side. "A new age is upon us," Asellus called out. "Let us celebrate its beginnings here."
The assembled mystics stood in silence, stood in disbelief. For as long as mystics had existed, Orlouge had been their Lord. Mystics didn't easily accept change of any kind, even if it was for the better. It was a flaw that was deeply ingrained in the mystic race as a whole, Rastaban mused. Mystics were given a role and they stuck with it, no matter what. Only the most monumental events could sway a mystic from his zombie-like devotion to tradition. They lacked. . .he supposed it was called "drive", "ambition". They never looked forward, only looked to the past.
But Asellus had that unknown quality. She was most definitely the one who would take the mystics to new places. He knew it almost from the moment he saw her approach Orlouge in this throne room for the very first time.
"Quite the speech, eh?" Rastaban commented.
"Don't you see where this is going to take us?" Ildon said. "She'll bring us to war against the humans."
"Well, I'd say it's about time they realized that there are others who have a claim on existence. Our Lord is right. The humans had edged us out of our homes time and again. If it keeps up, there won't be any place for us to retreat to."
"You do remember the last time we warred against the humans, Princess Lion was still among them? They almost won. And they didn't even have the technology and machines they do now."
"But they aren't as united as they used to be, either. As long as they are kept fractured, there won't be any problems. Don't worry, Ildon. Our Lord knows what she is doing."
Ildon crossed his arms and stared off at Asellus. He could not understand the will to move forward, to improve. He didn't have ambition.
But Asellus wasn't the only one who had ambition. Long before she came, Rastaban knew he was different from the others. He had seen how far mystics had fallen in the grand scheme of things and he had dreamed of becoming Charm Lord, of leading the mystics to their former glory. The only thing that had been in the way was Orlouge himself.
Honestly, he had never thought that Asellus would be able to dispatch the old Charm Lord. He had planned on coming in after the battle between father and daughter was over and take out the battered victor, whom he was positive was going to be Orlouge. Imagine his surprise when he saw that it was Asellus who stood in the aftermath.
He supposed he still could have easily done away with her, but Ildon had also survived. Rastaban knew that Ildon would have launched himself to her defense and he didn't want to kill his friend. Poor fool, he thought. He shared the same flaw that plagued all mystics. He couldn't see beyond his role as Asellus's protector.
True, it was he who had sent Ildon to Asellus, thus setting him on a path against the Charm Lord, thus sending him to his doom, but there was a huge difference between sending a friend off to be sacrificed for the greater good and actually dealing the death by your own hand. Rastaban knew he couldn't steel himself to do that. Ildon surviving was a gift, not one to be wasted.
In any case, the way things turned out might have even been better. Rastaban knew his limits. He knew Asellus would make the better leader, at least for now. She would take the mystics far beyond what he could have done in the same position. Once she'd taken the mystics to their limits, then it might be time for a change in leadership.
And he wasn't completely powerless. He had one minor puppet string to pull Asellus into directions he wanted: her beloved Gina. Willful as she was, the Charm Lord at least listened to the words of her first Princess.
It had worked out so well, so elegantly. He brought the Charm Lord's beloved girl when she needed her the most, casting him in a good light with Asellus. Then a quickly thought up lie that put the responsibility for Gina's kidnapping on Orlouge, with himself as the unwilling servant, made his standing with Gina all the better. In the time that followed, Rastaban made sure to gain Gina's trust. She confided in him many of her worries, most of which had to do with her darling Lady Asellus. It gave him insight into what his Lord was thinking.
Naturally, in return, he would give advice to Gina on how to deal with her troubles. And with luck, some of that advice would reach the Charm Lord's ears. In this way, he could somewhat steer the course of events to come, the decisions to be made. It was limited control, but in some ways it was better than if he were on the throne. All the attention would be focused on Lord Asellus, not him. He could direct events without worrying about the consequences.
Really, it was more his style. While Asellus was out in the world, having violent, bloody adventures, fighting for her life, he was back in Chateau Aiguille placing poisonous whispers in important ears. Everyone had played their parts so well and he hadn't even had to direct them all. Many of them simply acted within their own natures. Ciato's greed, Gina's innocence, White Rose's devotion, Orlouge's anger, Ildon's view of mystichood, Asellus's sense of loneliness and vengeance, all of them had played so well into Rastaban's plans.
While he was a powerful and capable warrior, he knew that a mystic fared better away from direct combat. Cunning, illusion, deceit, these were the true strengths, the proper tools of a mystic. And he would continue to use these tools to his advantage.
Rastaban smirked as he watched his Lord rejoin with her human companions. He would have his turn on the throne in time. There was one quality he had that she lacked: patience.
Asellus looked to her precious Gina and saw that for once she wasn't staring intently at her. Instead, her gaze was off to the side, a faint smile on her face. She even took a hand away from her Lady to wave. This was definitely a surprise. Asellus followed her gaze to see what could possibly distract her Gina away from her.
She smiled and suddenly the business at hand didn't seem that important.
-----
Ildon watched as Asellus strode over, Gina in tow, to the only humans in the room, a warm smile on her face. Not the cold, calculating smile that she typically wore nowadays, but a real one that betrayed actual happiness and good feeling. A rare sight.
"Hey, Asellus!"
"What's up?"
"It's good to see you again."
"Hey, how you doin'?"
The humans greeted the Charm Lord loudly and crudely by mystic standards. The drunkard, Gen, Ildon thought he heard, actually slapped Asellus on the shoulder heartily. All through it, the Charm Lord kept that rarely seen smile. Even though Ildon would never admit it to anyone, especially Lord Asellus herself, it was good to see the Charm Lord act a little less lordly.
The various mystics around the room, especially the sycophantic court mystics, bristled at what they considered to be utterly unforgivable behavior. He didn't have to hear the various whispers around the room to know what they were saying. Oh, the insolence. Why, those *humans* don't even address her by her proper title! Why aren't those humans dead yet? How dare they!
As if any of those mystics had ever traveled side by side with Asellus, as if they had shared what those humans had shared with her, as if they somehow had more rights to their Lord simply by being mystics. Not so long ago, many of these critics looked down and sneered upon the half-breed newcomer to Chateau Aiguille, suggesting that it might have been a favor to Asellus if she'd been put to sleep like a dog. Now they were rushing to defend her stained honor. Though the mystic throne had changed hands, the petty, groveling court had not changed at all. Anything to win the Lord's grace.
Asellus turned a sharp eye away from her friends, casting a brief, but withering glare at the assembled. The outbursts quickly died down. She turned back to her human company as if nothing had happened. Indeed, it seemed like the humans hadn't seen the warning glare at all. For all her faults, Lord Asellus at least knew who her friends were.
He didn't know much about the humans who had joined with Asellus in the earlier legs of her adventures. He'd met Emelia for a short time and he'd met the pilot when he transported them back to Facinaturu for their final confrontation with Orlouge, but Gen and that musician had left before he arrived into Asellus's party. Ildon only knew of those two men through stories he had heard from his Lord.
And the truth was that he knew little about Emelia, too. She left shortly after helping to defeat Ciato and she revealed little about herself. He always wondered just what sort of effect these human companions had on Asellus and just what the Charm Lord would have been like today if they had stayed with her instead of going their separate ways. Perhaps she wouldn't be steering all of mystickind to ruin.
There was something symbolic in the way Asellus's allies changed. It mirrored her slow acceptance of mystichood. At first she vehemently defended her humanity, surrounding herself with human allies. But as they dropped out and were replaced by mystic allies, so did the human side of the future Charm Lord slowly slide away to be dominated by her mystic side. Ildon would have thought that that was a good thing, but clearly he had underestimated just how important a component it was to who Asellus was. Without it, she had become something much different than what she used to be. And she wasn't necessarily better. And to think he had encouraged her to act more like a mystic.
He remembered earlier training sessions with her, pitting her against various phantom beasts to train her in the mystic arts. At first she faltered, losing to even the simplest beasts. But as she improved her skills, he remembered seeing her rage unleashed in those battles. There was a raw fury that, when properly honed, made for a deadly weapon. He'd seen the same sort of fury in the former Charm Lord on the rare occasion when his will was denied. He remembered thinking that she was indeed Orlouge's daughter. They were definitely made of the same stuff.
"My, our Lord hung with quite the crowd in her early days," Rastaban said, eyeing the humans with amusement. "That blonde one is quite the looker."
As always, Rastaban had no problems with spouting off insane proclamations. Admitting attraction for a human was enough to kick most mystics from high standing, but Rastaban had a way with getting away with being loopy. Yes, Ildon had to admit that Emelia had certain appealing qualities, but he certainly wasn't going to shout it out to everyone.
"I almost don't recognize her," Ildon said, staring at Asellus as she mingled happily with her old allies. "She almost doesn't look like the person who'll bring ruin to us."
Rastaban rolled his eyes and smirked. "Here we go again, eh, Ildon? 'The end of Facinaturu as we know it'."
"I can see where this is headed," Ildon said, referring to Asellus.
"If it's the end of Facinaturu as we know it, fine by me. The Facinaturu I remembered was a stagnant excuse of a kingdom run by a stagnant, doddering old man more in love with his playthings than the rest of his subjects. Or -"
Ildon widened his eyes and shot his friend an alarmed look. If anyone was watching, they would have been treated to a rare display of strong emotion from the Black Wing. What could he do? Sometimes his friend's words and actions went beyond mad. It was unwise to speak the former Charm Lord's name, especially in Asellus's presence. He would hate to lose his friend over a mere slip of the tongue.
Among mystics, true friendship was the rarest of relations. A mystic had "fellow mystics" that knew and cared nothing for one another and probably spread nasty rumors about each other behind closed doors. A mystic had "allies" who'd stab each other in the back at the slightest incentive. A mystic had "companions" and "partners" who were only stuck together because a higher mystic ordered it so. A mystic had "lovers" who were much more interested in lust.
But a friend? A real, true to life friend? Practically unheard of. A prize beyond prizes. Ildon had to watch out for such a rare being as Rastaban.
"Our former Lord," Rastaban amended, "thought of nothing except himself. Now we finally have a leader who will take the mystics to new heights, to our rightful place."
"I think you're wrong," Ildon said. "And I don't think our new Lord cares much about us, either. We're just tools to further her aims."
"At least we'll get something out of it," Rastaban countered. "Besides, I was right that Lord Asellus would be the one to reset our clocks, wasn't I?"
Ildon stood silent and turned to watch his Lord among her friends. They'd had this discussion many times before. Their opinions were clearly set. Only time would tell.
-----
"Man, look at you, girl," Gen said, leaning back, his eyes appraising the green haired girl he had once traveled with. She was clearly a woman now. There was something about her that had become much more impressive. "All high and mighty."
"I am," Asellus smiled. "You look like you've been making yourself home."
"As long as there's a bottle for me, I'm home," Gen smiled proudly. "Which reminds me, got another?"
"I'll get someone to fetch more for you."
"So, you still keep in practice with the blade?" Gen asked, a bit more serious. When it came to swordplay, the Wakatu samurai was all business.
"I still flash my sword around every so often," Asellus smiled. "But I've grown beyond the need for a sword."
Gen crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow. "That must be nice."
"It is, believe me."
"So what have you been doing all this time?" Lute asked.
Asellus waved a hand through the air. "Royal stuff."
"You mean like sittin' on a throne, barking out orders at a bunch of folks scared of the sight of ya?"
"Something like that." Asellus swept her arms to the mystics gathered in the room. "It can be tiresome. But being Charm Lord has its moments."
"I'll bet," Gen smirked, looking at Gina with knowing eyes.
"So, um, what's the occasion?" Lute asked.
"Occasion?" Asellus asked.
"Yeah, what's with the party?"
"This is where I announce to the rest of mystickind that they had a new Lord. I don't just rule over this region, you know. I'm Lord of all Mystics."
"Wait a minute," Gen said, crossing his arms. "You're saying that all the mystics in existence have to bow down before you?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that is sweet."
Asellus's lips drew into a sly, coy smile. "It'll only get sweeter. I wanted you all here to see where a new age starts." She took a step away from her old friends. "Pardon me, but I've got to make my announcement." She glided towards the great thorn framed throne, Gina riding along by the hand.
Emelia nudged Gen in the ribs. "So?"
"So what?"
The blonde's eyes betrayed her annoyance. "Is she different?"
Gen crossed his arms, staring at the back of Asellus's blooming dress as she went towards her throne. "Oh yeah. I'm impressed." Strong, confident, a sense of purpose, Asellus had come a long way from the frightened, hunted girl who clung to her White Rose like a helpless child clung to her mother.
She was grown up now and he was proud of the difference. Before, she used to walk around as if she was going to see the end of the world, on the verge of tears at every moment. The slightest thing could set her off into a sobbing fit with White Rose having to cradle and console her. At the very least, her mood would be spoiled for the rest of the day. Anything could have sparked off a fit of depression: a dog wandering alone, a picture of a missing girl, the look on a stranger's face. Half the time, Gen didn't even know what had set her off. It made for depressing company.
Once, they had come across a kid in the Manhattan Mall who claimed to have been abandoned by his mother. Asellus got even more upset than the child. She got so worked up, she started to scare the kid. Some onlookers actually called on security because of how hysterical Asellus had gotten. As it turned out, the dumb kid had wandered off from his mother told him to wait and lost his way.
It was good to see that she'd gotten beyond whatever had troubled her before.
"I don't know," Lute said. "She's like a completely different person. It's like the Asellus I remembered just disappeared."
"You like this version?"
"I don't know, yet."
-----
"Welcome to Chateau Aiguille, my darling mystics!" Asellus hadn't raised her voice, but it carried all across the room just the same. "I am Asellus and I am your new Lord."
She was standing in front of her great throne, Gina standing just off to the side, standing patiently, her eyes always on her Lady. The Charm Lord's voice was cordial, but assertive. Asellus would brook no challenge to her claim on being Lord of all mystics.
Rastaban smiled. His Lord's tone of voice was just right. The crowd's attention was completely on the speaker standing next to the throne. There were slight murmurs scattered around, but no one dared ignore Asellus's words.
"The one you know as Orlouge is no more. All that remains of him is the blood that runs through my veins. But make no mistake. I am no mere imitator, no shadow of the old. My will makes me more than Orlouge could ever hope to be. I am the new Charm Lord and I expect your loyalty and much more."
Rastaban could sense the irritation among the crowd. Who did this upstart girl think she was? He didn't think that the assembled mystics had quite accepted the fact that Orlouge was gone, even though the evidence was right in front of their eyes. Surely they didn't think this girl could mouth off about Orlouge this much without being struck dead on the spot, unless everything she was saying was true?
Asellus began to spin around to look upon the other mystics that surrounded her. "I am aware that not everyone answered my summons. That disappoints me, but that can be forgiven this time. For now, you will listen and you will take these words to those who refused me.
"For too long, Orlouge had commanded your loyalty without question, without giving anything in return. All his attention was focused on his own pleasures and nothing else. He allowed all of mystickind to weaken and shrink away to almost nothing. You all gave your wills to him for absolutely nothing in return. Because of this, you've been driven from your old homes, forced to hide, become little more than myth and stories."
Asellus cut her hand through the air as neatly as a knife blade. "That time is over!" she spat with emotion. "Mystics once ruled over the regions and it is time we be recognized once again! Obey me and I shall bring you an existence where you do not need to fear, do not have to hide, do not have to feel apart from most of existence! You will know joy, you will know freedom, and you will know power!"
Her voice calmed back to the even tone she started with. "All I want in return is your loyalty." She strode from the throne and Gina quickly moved to her side. "A new age is upon us," Asellus called out. "Let us celebrate its beginnings here."
The assembled mystics stood in silence, stood in disbelief. For as long as mystics had existed, Orlouge had been their Lord. Mystics didn't easily accept change of any kind, even if it was for the better. It was a flaw that was deeply ingrained in the mystic race as a whole, Rastaban mused. Mystics were given a role and they stuck with it, no matter what. Only the most monumental events could sway a mystic from his zombie-like devotion to tradition. They lacked. . .he supposed it was called "drive", "ambition". They never looked forward, only looked to the past.
But Asellus had that unknown quality. She was most definitely the one who would take the mystics to new places. He knew it almost from the moment he saw her approach Orlouge in this throne room for the very first time.
"Quite the speech, eh?" Rastaban commented.
"Don't you see where this is going to take us?" Ildon said. "She'll bring us to war against the humans."
"Well, I'd say it's about time they realized that there are others who have a claim on existence. Our Lord is right. The humans had edged us out of our homes time and again. If it keeps up, there won't be any place for us to retreat to."
"You do remember the last time we warred against the humans, Princess Lion was still among them? They almost won. And they didn't even have the technology and machines they do now."
"But they aren't as united as they used to be, either. As long as they are kept fractured, there won't be any problems. Don't worry, Ildon. Our Lord knows what she is doing."
Ildon crossed his arms and stared off at Asellus. He could not understand the will to move forward, to improve. He didn't have ambition.
But Asellus wasn't the only one who had ambition. Long before she came, Rastaban knew he was different from the others. He had seen how far mystics had fallen in the grand scheme of things and he had dreamed of becoming Charm Lord, of leading the mystics to their former glory. The only thing that had been in the way was Orlouge himself.
Honestly, he had never thought that Asellus would be able to dispatch the old Charm Lord. He had planned on coming in after the battle between father and daughter was over and take out the battered victor, whom he was positive was going to be Orlouge. Imagine his surprise when he saw that it was Asellus who stood in the aftermath.
He supposed he still could have easily done away with her, but Ildon had also survived. Rastaban knew that Ildon would have launched himself to her defense and he didn't want to kill his friend. Poor fool, he thought. He shared the same flaw that plagued all mystics. He couldn't see beyond his role as Asellus's protector.
True, it was he who had sent Ildon to Asellus, thus setting him on a path against the Charm Lord, thus sending him to his doom, but there was a huge difference between sending a friend off to be sacrificed for the greater good and actually dealing the death by your own hand. Rastaban knew he couldn't steel himself to do that. Ildon surviving was a gift, not one to be wasted.
In any case, the way things turned out might have even been better. Rastaban knew his limits. He knew Asellus would make the better leader, at least for now. She would take the mystics far beyond what he could have done in the same position. Once she'd taken the mystics to their limits, then it might be time for a change in leadership.
And he wasn't completely powerless. He had one minor puppet string to pull Asellus into directions he wanted: her beloved Gina. Willful as she was, the Charm Lord at least listened to the words of her first Princess.
It had worked out so well, so elegantly. He brought the Charm Lord's beloved girl when she needed her the most, casting him in a good light with Asellus. Then a quickly thought up lie that put the responsibility for Gina's kidnapping on Orlouge, with himself as the unwilling servant, made his standing with Gina all the better. In the time that followed, Rastaban made sure to gain Gina's trust. She confided in him many of her worries, most of which had to do with her darling Lady Asellus. It gave him insight into what his Lord was thinking.
Naturally, in return, he would give advice to Gina on how to deal with her troubles. And with luck, some of that advice would reach the Charm Lord's ears. In this way, he could somewhat steer the course of events to come, the decisions to be made. It was limited control, but in some ways it was better than if he were on the throne. All the attention would be focused on Lord Asellus, not him. He could direct events without worrying about the consequences.
Really, it was more his style. While Asellus was out in the world, having violent, bloody adventures, fighting for her life, he was back in Chateau Aiguille placing poisonous whispers in important ears. Everyone had played their parts so well and he hadn't even had to direct them all. Many of them simply acted within their own natures. Ciato's greed, Gina's innocence, White Rose's devotion, Orlouge's anger, Ildon's view of mystichood, Asellus's sense of loneliness and vengeance, all of them had played so well into Rastaban's plans.
While he was a powerful and capable warrior, he knew that a mystic fared better away from direct combat. Cunning, illusion, deceit, these were the true strengths, the proper tools of a mystic. And he would continue to use these tools to his advantage.
Rastaban smirked as he watched his Lord rejoin with her human companions. He would have his turn on the throne in time. There was one quality he had that she lacked: patience.