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Abel led the small group to the dining room. Right then it was one of the few rooms within the palace with enough seats for all of them. Most of the meetings regarding the empire's state as well as the war took place either in the dining hall, aboard Alexander's ship, or a tent at the front. This time was very different compared to eight hundred years into the future. The empire was still an extremely young nation and most of their money was currently going towards funding the war instead of finishing building the palace and rest of the nation.
Well, the war and keeping his people feed. The one matter Abel had never let slip was food. The colony, before they were the empire, had enough of near starvation for him to ever do such a thing to his people. Besides, Earth was easier to grow crops and maintain live stock on than Mars had ever been. It would be through his neglect as the emperor if he let his people starve.
A servant noticed their approach to the dining room and opened the door, bowing low to Abel. He asked if he could get them anything. Thankfully it was Seth asked for some small, after dinner dishes and blood for both them and the others from the servant so Abel didn't have to speak. He had to admit, he was grateful for this. While his mind was split with events in the now and what had just happened over eight-hundred years from now, having servants was a matter he had never and would never get used to.
"Isn't there a better place to talk than here?" Ion asked as they moved into the dining hall. The servant had turned on the lights. The room was rather barren, showing only a long table which could seat about twenty-two though the most which had ever been seated at this table was about twelve during the brief meetings at the start of the empire.
"Not really," Seth informed Ion. "The only other room with a table people normally met at is Alexander's airship and that's currently at the front, so dining hall it is." Seth took her normal seat at the table. She gestured for those from the future to seat across the table from her.
Baybars and Mirka followed without question. Asthe paused and looked around the hall. All the drapes were drawn right then as the sun had risen beyond, but the room still held some of the light of the imperial night.
Solomon sat down beside Seth, his gaze locked Asthe and Ion, the only two to not sit when Seth had gestured for them to do so.
Abel took his seat beside his sister and not at the head of the table.
Mirka frowned at this. "Majesty, if I may, shouldn't you be sitting at the head of table?"
"I only sit there during a war council or when the people meet to discuss the state of the empire as a whole. Given this is neither, I don't see a reason to sit there."
Mirka nodded.
"Well, we could pretend this was a war council," Seth said.
Both Abel and Solomon looked at her. Solomon's eyebrows were raised a little. While Abel frowned. "Seth, I think Barack would kill us if we held one this late and without the others having knowledge of it."
Seth shrugged. "I was kidding, brother, honestly."
Asthe took a seat, she left the chair between herself and Mirka open for Ion to take. "So, let me get this straight," Asthe started, "this entire time, you were the first and only emperor?" Her eyes were locked on Abel.
Abel gave her a small smile. "Well, in the future, former emperor would work far better than such a grand way for stating it."
"I can't imagine Barack ever letting you join the Vatican," Solomon stated in an even voice. "Neither would I, for that matter." His gaze was serious.
"It's a little more complex than my one day deciding to leave the empire, Solomon," Abel tried to explain without giving away what had happened back then. "Given the device activating and since there is no way to rip one's memories of the future from their mind," – that sounded horrible and very painful – "I doubt such a future will even occur now."
"Not unless you plan every step to happen just as it did," Seth pointed out. "And I most certainly won't let you."
Ion finally took his seat between Asthe and his grandmother. "I don't understand," Ion started, "how can he, a terran, be the emperor?"
Abel sighed.
Solomon tilted his head a little. "I take it 'terran' has changed meaning since this time?" he asked as he turned his gaze on Seth and Abel.
"It's more of an offensive way to refer to normal humans," Abel explained, "than away to refer to those who remained on Earth and those returning from Mars. Like how vampire is an offensive way to refer to the returners."
Solomon let out a small breath. "I do prefer not being compared with creatures of myth like Count Dracula."
"Who's this Count Dracula?" Ion asked.
"Before your time," Abel stated. "Well, actually, before any of our times considering he was inspired by an actual historical figure Vlad Tepes, though then novel wasn't published until eighteen ninety-seven."
All of them were staring at Abel now. Well, all but Solomon and Seth. "Come again?" Asthe asked.
"Oh, it's just my brother showing how much of history nerd he is," Seth stated in bland tones. "Back on topic, Abel's a crusnik like me, not a terran."
Two servants entered carrying the drinks and food. They set the blood before Solomon, Baybars, Asthe, Ion, and Mirka before the other servant gave Seth and Abel different glasses, marked for them so they never gave the two of them or Cain the wrong kind of blood.
Abel waited for the two servants to leave before he spoke, "The way I've learned to explain what crusniks are is by saying we're a vampire's vampire, to put it crudely."
Ion eyed the glass before Abel. "Um, how many crusniks are there?" he asked in a soft voice.
"There have only ever been four crusniks and there will only ever be four of us," Seth replied. "Myself, my two brothers, and Lilith Sahl." She glanced at Solomon. She cleared her throat. "The point being, my brother is the emperor."
Abel took a deep breath. "On the matter of what happened to have us all end up here, Professor Wordsworth found the sister device to the one which was in the empire. He tested it on his own but only by a few minutes."
"Wasn't it really early for humans to be awake even in the Vatican?" Seth asked.
Abel nodded. "William told Caterina about what he'd discovered and she called a meeting of the agents who were in Rome." Abel explained everything which had transpired during the meeting. "So," he started to finish, "those from the AX who ended up in the past would be: Caterina, Professor Wordsworth, Sister Kaya, Esther, Tres, and Leon."
"Esther's here." Ion seemed to brighten a little.
This earned him a sharp look from Baybars, Mirka, and Asthe alike.
Seth was frowning. "Well, I only know Esther and very little about Caterina from the few message the two of us had sent one another. If peace isn't an option and since there is no way the Vatican has the technology to send them back to the future, what would they do to affect the war?"
Abel raised both his eyebrows at this. "Sister, you are aware the AX is force which could take the Inquisition despite being fewer in number, correct?"
Seth nodded. "But I've only heard the legends regarding Caterina's group, brother," she pointed out. "And what Ion and Asthe have told me about them."
Abel sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was for the best he told them. Besides his loyalties right now were to the empire and his people. He took a small sip of the blood and wished he didn't like the taste of it. All of this still felt wrong on some level and like it was a betrayal to Caterina.
"Sister Kaya Syokka was the youngest agent ever accepted into the AX," Abel started. "She's extraordinarily loyal to Caterina," he gave a short laugh at this, "though, in all honestly, there was really only one agent who held no loyalties to Caterina and she's not here. Kaya wields duel silver fans," Abel went on to describe more of her abilities.
Solomon kept his gaze locked on Abel through this. The man was taking in every word Abel uttered and committing it to memory. Next to Abel, Solomon was their best strategist. On many levels, he was a true genius. Before the Bacillus, Solomon had an extremely frail body from battling an auto immune disease. He had already been a good soldier; the bacillus had given him the physical strength and life to excel.
"Doctor William Walter Wordsworth," Abel started next, his heart sinking at the thought of betraying one of his closest friends in the AX like this, "is a brilliant inventor with a knack for learning and understanding 'lost' technology. He's excellent at information gathering, subterfuge, black mail, and is a master swordsman with agility and skill he hides extremely well.
"Though," Abel continued, "it's unlikely William would join a frontline assault. He's more known for being Caterina's council than anything else. And because he maintains a secondary job as an actual professor.
"The next agent is: Tres Iqus."
Ion frowned. "Wasn't he with us during the incident in Carthage? He seemed nice."
Abel stared at the boy. "I suppose that is one way to describe him." He took a deep breath. "Tres is a HC series 'killing doll.' In simple terms, he's a cyborg, with only his brain and brainstem being organic. He is known as Caterina's loyal hound."
Ion blinked. "Well, that explains why he said he was a machine."
"Yes, that would explain it," Abel muttered. "The final full agent who is here," – outside of himself – "is Leon Garcia De Asturias." Abel had to keep in mind he was mainly reporting this to Solomon, someone he also cared about and trusted deeply as broth his head of military affairs and brother-in-law not to Ion and Asthe or Mirka and Baybars, but to Solomon. "He wields silver chakrams. Before he was conscripted by the Vatican, he was decorated professional soldier." Abel didn't go into details related to how Leon tended to act to impress women more times than naught. "Despite being conscripted, it's unlikely he would abandon Caterina or Esther," Abel finished.
Solomon frowned a little. "It's not much to go off, but I will speak with you more later over their abilities."
Abel nodded his agreement. "Until then, I need to draft a few documents." He looked at those across from him. "You may use the guest rooms," he told them. "I'll have a servant show you to them." Abel looked back at his brother-in-law. "Solomon, for now, you're on leave. Enjoy the time you have off."
Solomon bowed his head. Several strands of his curly hair fell into his face. "Very well, Abel."
Abel stood. He left the room with only a brief word to the servants to show their guests to the spare rooms in the palace and fetch them for breakfast the next morning. He headed for his old office. Right then he needed to fins away to contact Lilith and send an encrypted radio to her. Yet, he knew he also had to hold off on contacting her until he had a more solid plan in place.
Abel hoped the war could be ended peacefully this time around. Yet, he needed to end it with both the Vatican and Albion in such away all three nations profited without having any leader step down. It would take time and effort to achieve; yet, hopefully not another eight centuries.
x – Lilith – x
Lilith watched the group from the future from a corner of her room. Thomas had left after the sun had risen to find clothing for the Cardinal in the group. Lilith had also requested he bring intelligence gathered on the inner circle of the empire. It was more a percussion than anything else.
Caterina was seated in one of the few chairs in the room. She looked composed despite the dire situation she and her agents were in. Still, there was something almost frail under her iron façade, something familiar which Lilith had seen in another before her. In Solomon.
Right behind Caterina, Tres stood as a motionless guard dog. Kaya was dozing on the floor beside Caterina's chair. Leon was sprawled out on the floor, eyes locked on the ceiling and looking more than half asleep himself.
Lilith had given her bed to William, telling the man to rest after the sustaining the head injury. He had a slight concussion and needed to take it easy.
Esther stood near the bed, her gaze locked on the two pictures on the nightstand. "Um," the girl started in a small voice, "if you don't mind, who are in these pictures?" She looked at Lilith. "I recognize you, Father Nightroad, and Seth in the one, but who is the man who looks like Father Nighroad." Funny enough the girl was pointing at Abel and not Cain.
Lilith couldn't hold back a soft laugh. "You're pointing at Abel. The other is his twin, Cain."
"O-oh." Esther flushed a little. "Where was it taken?" she stammered over the question.
Lilith moved over to the girl and lifted the picture. It had started to fade a little which wasn't shocking considering how old it was. "This was taken the year the colony landed on Mars," she started. At Esther confused look, Lilith explained, "Earth is the third planet from our sun, Mars is the fourth. In twenty-one eighteen a million colonists were sent to Mars in order to both start a colony there as well as gather resources the planet had to offer.
"Abel, Cain, Seth, and I were the commanders of the project. We were raised for it." Lilith set the picture back on the nightstand. "This was one of several photos taken and sent back to Earth to show the United Nations progress on the colony's development." Lilith smiled a little. "The United Nations, at the time, had taken command of Earth's nations in order to unify and stabilize the planet.
"The Red Mars project was as much about gaining the resources on Mars as it was to save Earth from over population. So, the answer to your question is this was taken on another planet entirely," Lilith finished.
Esther seemed a little confused by this. She nodded, though, and looked at the painting. "Who are they?" she asked.
Sorrow passed through Lilith as she looked at the beautiful painting Abel had given her. It showed an imagining of their daughters if they had made it to seven. Lilith lifted the painting.
"We're sorry," 04 whispered in Lilith's mind.
"Elizabeth and Lilly," Lilith almost whispered the names, remembering the reasons she had picked Elizabeth's in the first place and her amusement about Abel trying to be secretive on naming one of their daughters after Lilith. "My daughters."
Silence followed these words. Esther shifted beside Lilith, looking almost uncomfortable and ashamed about asking.
Lilith set down the painting. "Abel must be very overprotective of you in your time," Lilith voiced, giving the young girl a smile.
The girl blinked and looked up at Lilith. Her dark blue eyes were filled with question. "W-why do you say that?" Esther flushed a little.
"You look a lot like Elizabeth," Lilith explained.
"Your daughter?" Esther asked and looked back the image. Her gaze seemed to linger on the redhead. "But why would Father Nightroad be protective of me for that?" She looked back at Lilith.
"He was their father." Lilith looked at the girl. Yes, she could almost have passed as their daughter. Almost.
Leon choked as he sat up.
Lilith was aware Caterina was also looking in their direction.
"F-Father Nightroad has children?" Esther asked, eyes wide.
"Had," Lilith corrected. Her fingers slid from the painting. "They died during the Mars Civil War as infinites." It was a partial lie. They had never drawn breath; yet, Lilith knew they would have.
"We're sorry," 04 repeated.
Esther stared at her, eyes even wider with shock.
"It was a long time ago," Lilith tried brush off some of the shock and her own sorrow with these words. Still, it echoed in her to this day. The pain which had filled her as her daughters were consumed by 04. She knew it hadn't fully been 04's fault. The sight of Abel's pain and Seth's shock. Then, the devastation of learning as a crusnik she could never again have children.
Abel, he had been so happy the day she had told him they were going to be parents. His joy had only increased upon learning they were to have twin girls.
A soft knock erupted through the silence. Lilith crossed the room and opened the door a sliver so whoever knocked couldn't see inside. There was nothing to worry about. It was just Thomas. Lilith opened the door the rest of the way to let him enter.
Thomas crossed into the room. "Everyone is still in mass," he explained. "Or busy with the war. The empire rotated out who was on the front again."
"So, Alexander and Athina are now on the front with Cain?" Lilith asked.
Thomas nodded.
Which meant the airship fleet was driving back the Vatican now. They had little to counter Alexander especially.
Thomas crossed the room to Caterina. "Here, my lady." He held out a cloak for Caterina. "It was all I could find without drawing attention to myself."
"Did you get what I asked for?" Lilith asked.
Thomas held out a file. It was thin, mainly because those who got close enough to try and learn more about the imperial commanders were quickly killed. Even most of the pictures were from before the war.
Lilith drew the only table in the room so it was more to the center, almost before where Caterina sat. It was for the best she didn't force the woman to move. "If peace isn't possible," Lilith started, "it's for the best you know what the Vatican is currently facing."
Thomas set the file on the table. "I will return later with food," he whispered to her in UN basic which was now being called the imperial language.
Lilith bowed her head to him. "Thank you," she replied.
The door snapped closed behind Thomas.
"There is very little there." Caterina's gaze was locked on the file. She let out a low breath. "Though, our own files on the empire in our time fair little better." She looked at her agents.
Leon grumbled as he stood. Kaya was now fast asleep. The only other one to move up to the table was Esther. William could see the files from where he now sat up on the bed.
"I suspect the empire of the now and the one of the future are run differently," Lilith started. "First off, the empire's entire structure is around the old commanders and the imperial family."
"There's no nobility?" Esther asked.
Lilith shook her head. "Outside of the imperial family, no. Though, I suspected that would change over time." She opened the file and laid out the first few pictures. They showed Abel.
Leon whistled. "Is that really Four-eyes?"
Lilith didn't need to ask about this after seeing the picture of Abel Caterina had.
The first image of Abel was from the reconstruction of Rome right after he had become the emperor. It had been clipped from the original to remove the pope from the image entirely. The others of him were on the battlefield. There were only two extremely blurred images of him. One faintly showing him in crusnik form, the other wielding the sword Arthur had given him which had been made by Solomon.
"Abel Nightlord," Lilith started, "the current emperor of the empire and their top strategist."
"Say what?" Leon exclaimed. "Four-eyes, an emperor? Is that some sort of joke?"
Lilith looked at the man. "Do I look like I am joking?" she asked, keeping her voice level.
Kaya mumbled in her sleep.
"It's the truth, Leon," Caterina stated, her sharp gaze locked on Leon. "Abel was originally the emperor of the empire before Augusta Vladika. He sold his freedom to the Vatican in order to force a peace between us and the empire."
Lilith's heart twisted. Had her death really made it so this was the only way to end the war? Freedom meant everything to her and her family. They had been created and raised as lab experiments. Being on Mars after and even during the civil war had liberating. They had finally been free.
Lilith cleared her throat to shove these thoughts down. "Abel is one of the three crusniks in the empire," she started. "As such he is the most powerful soldier at any given time. As emperor, he is also constantly surrounded by his personal guard and near impossible to get close to." She pointed to the picture taken during the day which was when the worst of the fighting took place. "He wields a sword called 'Only One' which taps into his abilities as a crusnik and has no counter."
"Shit, why doesn't he just use that weapon in our time?" Leon demanded.
Caterina gave him an even look. She didn't reply to this question though.
"Hmm." William looked thoughtful. "I know there is little to counter a crusnik, but his blood at higher activation levels can't withstand sunlight, much like normal vampires. He has always been regarded as the most dangerous and powerful agent." He looked at Caterina.
"Four-eyes?" Leon demanded. "The man's an airheaded idiot who trips over his feet all the time."
Lilith laughed. "The tripping might be because of the glasses. My kind don't need them." She pointed to the picture on the nightstand. "Cain only did for reading before we 'awakened.'" For lack of a better word to be used for them being fused with the crusnik.
"How is he countered then?" Leon demanded.
Lilith looked at the man. "Me," she replied simply. "I am also a crusnik and have always been able to best him and Cain in combat, even when they fight together."
Lilith took out the few pictures of Cain or, rather, 01 completely controlling Cain. He had lost the battle for control of his body back on Mars.
"Cain is the one to really worry about. He takes his time on the battlefield and his troops do move more slowly; however, he never leaves the frontlines. He takes pleasure in raw destruction and the chaos it brings.
"The last Nightlord is Abel and Cain's younger sister, Seth." Lilith placed a few just as blurred images of Seth on the table. "She is the one who created the protective gear the empire uses along with the aid of her husband. She is a good tactician, though, among the empire, she was ranked as their third best," Lilith confessed. "She spends most of her time behind the lines and only rotates to the front when the situation demands it."
"She looks like 'Fairy,'" Leon spoke up with a scowl. By his tone, Lilith assumed this was more than a statement on the mythical creature.
"You said there were more than just them to worry about?" William asked.
Lilith nodded. The next picture she pulled out was of Seth's husband, Solomon. It had been taken at their wedding and was really the only good picture of the man they had. He was dressed in his formal military uniform. The next picture of him was of him leading his forces on the front.
"Suleyman?" Esther breathed with a shiver.
"Who?" Lilith asked with a frown.
"He was a noble in the empire," the girl explained.
"Then, no." Lilith laughed a little. "This is Solomon, the leader of military affairs within the empire. He is their best strategist next to Abel. Coupled with his almost cold demeanor, he's the one which is the most worrisome. If Abel and myself are removed from the war, Solomon alone would be able to take human territory with little difficulties.
"Not only is he a brilliant military commander, but a scientist as well. He designed and built all but one of the genetic weapons used by the others. He also is responsible for the designs of the airships the empire uses.
"He has earned the reputation of being the 'Machine Admiral,'" Lilith continued, "because of his lack of emotion both on and off the battlefield. He is a member of the imperial family through marriage."
"Is he a bloody genius or something?" Leon demanded while William and Caterina both regarded Solomon's picture with silent interest.
"Solomon was considered the brightest mind pre-Armageddon," Lilith told the man. "To call him a genius, would be understatement. Before he was fused with bacillus," she started, "he was diagnosed with an auto immune disease and was dying." A part of her knew, even after he had hacked his way into joining the project, the UN would never have let his father take him off it. Even with just a year to live, Solomon was a resource they couldn't afford to lose. "Despite this, by the time he was twenty, he had successfully created his first genetic weapon as well as climbed the ranks within the military to tie as third in command of the security force."
"So, he's like a mixture of the Professor and Tres?" Leon scowled. "Shit."
"He sounds like an interesting man," William spoke up. "If he wasn't an enemy, I would have loved to speak with him."
Lilith smiled at William. "Perhaps you might one day be able to."
"Who else is there?" Caterina asked.
Lilith pulled out the next picture which showed Abel once more within Rome but was more focused on the tall man behind him. "Barack," Lilith named the man, "the head of Abel's personal guard.
"He's well trained in both the broadsword as well as fire arms and hand-to-hand combat. Most who attempt to get close to Abel on the battlefield are killed by Barack long before they reach Abel. His broadsword is a genetic weapon—"
"It can tear apart the ground," Esther spoke up. "Baybars, the head of the yeniçeri, had that sword in our time. It threw back his Excellency Ion as if he were made of paper."
"Yes, his sword is deadly, but a weapon is only good as the person who wields it. Barack has spent the better part of his life training in the sword under Abel."
Lilith pulled out the next picture which showed the flag airship of the empire. It was followed by one of the few pictures of Alexander when he had been in Rome before the war.
William whistled. "The empire has always had the most exquisite airships."
"This is Alexander Barvon, head of the imperial air force and pilot of their flagship. Back in the United Nations he was ranked as the third best pilot; however, that was vast understatement of his abilities. Give him any air or space craft and a few hours to go over the controls and he could pilot it with ease.
"Alongside his piloting skill, he was trained as a security officer, diverse in tracking and risk assessment. He was skilled with long ranged fire arms and later picked up the sword, training alongside Barack. His sword is another genetic weapon made by Solomon. However, he spends most of his time piloting and commanding the fleet than on the ground."
The final image was of a young woman with short, auburn hair and brown eyes. Lilith laid the picture over the ones of Alexander. "The last commander and member of Abel's team replaced her father after he was killed at the start of the war. She is a far greater threat than her father." Which was saying something, because Arthur had been a skilled fighter. "Athina Sonya Asran, Abel's goddaughter and Solomon's second in command.
"She wields the only genetic weapon in the empire which wasn't crafted by Solomon but rather the head of genetic research and development pre-Armageddon. As such, her range is longer than even Solomon's ring can manage. She is also highly skilled in close quarters combat."
"I wonder who would win in an air fight," Leon mused, "that Alexander fellow or Kate. My money is on Kate."
Caterina gave a small sigh and shook her head. She looked at Lilith. "You were able to turn the war around for the Vatican," she voiced. "How?"
"It's not been easy," Lilith confessed. "Part of it has to do with the fact I know all of them extremely well, having spent the better part of eighty years with the four under Abel and knowing Cain, Abel, and Seth since they were born." She shifted back through the pictures. "As I said though, Solomon is the most worrisome." She moved his picture back to the top.
"The AX operates more as a behind the scenes group," Caterina explained. "My agents are used to taking out small pockets of vampires, nothing on this scale."
Leon cracked his knuckles and gave a wolfish grin. "Let me at them, see how long any of those blood suckers last." His grin widened and eyes sparkled. "Besides, I've taken out Four-eyes more times than I can count."
Caterina's eyebrows rose at this. "That would be because Abel's never attempted to really fight you, Leon." She turned her gaze back to the pictures on the table. "I take it Solomon is married to Abel's sister then?"
Lilith bowed her head. "He is."
"So, he aided in designing the armor the imperial army wears in the day," William mused. He lifted the picture which showed the army. "I must admit, it's harder to counter armor than it is to counter the UV protection gel used by most vampires in our day."
"Yeah, but the armor would stand out," Leon pointed out.
Lilith looked at Tres. He had been silent through this.
Her gaze slid to Esther. The girl had picked up the picture of Abel in mist of battle. There was an almost pained expression on her face. It looked as if her world had shattered before her very eyes, everything she had known about Abel was gone in the blink of an eye. Then there was another emotion Lilith knew all too well. The girl had a crush on Abel.
It was something Lilith had grown used to seeing when other women and even a few men looked at Abel. Abel was extremely attractive. Many women in the colony had tried to catch his eye especially after she had broken up with him after the loss of their daughters. Still, it wasn't an emotion she had ever expected to see on a nun let alone a girl who knew what Abel was.
Just how much had Lilith's love changed in the future? Lilith closed her eyes. Perhaps she would soon discover this, assuming his memory had come back in time like William and Thomas speculated.
(Author's Note: Writing this chapter was strange, I was returning a Solomon who didn't know Seth was near immortal and I had to be walking egg shells while writing this so as not to have Seth bluntly say it. Also, how the heck does one described the AX agent's powers? There is no good source just summarizing them.
Also, yes, Solomon made Abel's sword: Only One. He also made Barack's broadsword which is later passed to Baybars, Alexander's or the Barvon family sword, and Fortuna family sword mentioned in chapter 1. If you've read Dreams of a Generation you will know he made his ring as well and dabbled in genetic science.)