/Time: Chapter 5, during Ouroboros's Imprisonment in Agnus Castle/

xxxx

After Ouroboros had freed Colony 11, they had spent a brief bit of time helping Ashera get her affairs in order with the Three Ravens before heading out to take care of the Annihilator; their line of thinking had been that it would have been irresponsible to leave a newly freed Colony on the Castle's doorstep with anything less than its full strength.

Not that it had mattered much; with Consul R's less than cordial departure, Fort O'Virbus had locked its western gate, preventing Colony 11 from accessing the fortress town sitting at the main entryway into Keves Castle. The message sent from the Castle Guard had been less than subtle: any attempts to cross the boundary by foot or by Levnis — either towards the fort or towards the Castle itself — would be shot down with extreme prejudice. Only their sterling service in defense of Keves Castle up to that point prevented them from being massacred outright, or so the message had been.

(Personally, Ashera thought that Sigrún — the current Captain of the Guard — didn't quite have it in her to order the termination of Zoren, Hexen, Branden, and Rattlejack. But that wasn't her story to tell.)

Fortunately, Colony 11 had been left relatively unmolested, supply cutoffs notwithstanding. They still maintained their defensive patrols amidst their new slate of missions related to gathering supplies and forging contacts with the other freed Colonies...because their location was precarious enough as it was.

Alas, with the destruction of the Annihilator, and the subsequent hit-and-run by bizarre Levnises of an unknown type, there was a distinct feeling that the Castle was too preoccupied with other matters to focus on them.

Then came the month leading up to the Eclipse...and the unexpected visit by Consul N.

xxxx

/Colony 11, Keves Castle Region/

The presence of the Lord High Consul was odd enough, Ashera mused; the fact that he was sparring with her entire Colony was what made it even more bizarre. And that was no joke, either; the Golden Consul of Keves was fighting all of Colony 11 at once within the Training Pit.

And he made it look so sparking easy. Whatever Blade he possessed was of a material that forcefully repelled any weapon that crashed against its sheath; it turned his casual parries into staggering blows. Anything he actually drew his sword against — usually a Levnis, occasionally a Blade that got too close — was sliced apart.

Normally, Ashera would have been having a blast against such an imposing opponent; so much so that she was even fighting alongside Clad, Zoren, and Easel without hesitation and without flaw.

And yet...his eyes: behind his mask, they were so cold and detached, as though this battle was a chore. He wasn't even amused at how easily he was thrashing them!

It soured the whole experience. (There was also something about his appearance that seemed familiar...but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Too many things were just a shade or two off for her to grasp the truth of his identity.)

Even so, she sure wasn't going to lie down and take the fall without giving it her all.

"Colony 11's reputation is well-deserved," coolly remarked Consul N, sidestepping Zoren's fists before tapping him in the back with his Blade's pommell; the light touch launched Zoren into Easel, allowing N to slice Clad's weapon in two before knocking him down with a smashing strike to the back of the head. "A shame about the recent unpleasantness between you and Consul R." With her Lieutenants dealt with, N turned towards her. "But that can be corrected, with time."

Ashera, despite her irritation at his demeanor, nonetheless grinned. "Unpleasantness is an interesting way of putting it," she remarked, spinning her Twinsaber rapidly as she approached-

SLASH.

A precise strike to the handle split her Blade in two; her weapon dispelled on impact, leaving her vulnerable to the tip of his sword, aimed right at her throat.

(Oh, this felt so very familiar.)

(You just can't escape your last moments, can you?)

"Is it not the case?" N said, uncaring for the other soldiers as they pulled themselves out of the Training Pit. "Extended contact with those Ouroboros rabble is dangerous; especially since you're no longer under the Flame Clock's protection. That will be attended to, once this matter has been resolved once and for all."

Ashera, despite the sickly sensation of her neck yielding to imaginary steel (it's not real, you foolish maniac; it's just a memory, it's not real, it's NOT REAL), still managed to chuckle. "Is that so? With our current restrictions from the Guard, we wouldn't be able to defend the Castle even if we wanted to."

"A mere bit of sophistry, in the grand scheme of things. But your words do confirm that you haven't heard the news." At her palpable confusion, he continued, "Ouroboros was captured by the forces of Agnus Castle; we've received word that they will all be executed during the upcoming Eclipse."

Ashera knew that panicking was a sign of weakness; keeping calm (mostly) and collected (by and large) was key to remaining in command of a Colony full of rambunctious lunatics like hers. Yet the sheer surge of emotion — They got captured? Eunie, Noah, Lanz, those Agnian kids...they're going to be executed? They're going to die? — was difficult to keep off of her face.

Finally, there was a hint of amusement in those cold eyes of his: he was enjoying her turmoil. "I will be present to represent Our Majesty the Queen, to confirm the execution of those rebels."

"Y-You'll...be there? To watch?"

"But of course. Despite the great war between Keves and Agnus, Ouroboros is a threat to the world itself; it is only natural that such a foe would merit some manner of cooperation between our nations, if only until they're dealt with." N quietly stepped in, turning his sword so that its edge hovered horizontally near her neck. "You should be grateful, that their taint will be expunged; that your Colony will soon be free from their pitiful machinations."

Ashera wanted to snark back at him, but the phantom pain in her throat had suddenly spiked; she couldn't breathe without a neck (of course you're breathing, it's all in your snuffing HEAD), she couldn't be alive (you're not dead yet), so all she could do was wait for the inevitable-

"Does it hurt?" Ashera blinked at the sudden question, staring into the Consul's eyes. There was a certain hatred there, directed...not at her, but at someone else. (But who?) "That scar of yours. It looks strangely...old, yet fresh."

"...I'm not sure," she managed to mutter.

The Consul peered intently at her, as though taking her measure. (But for what?) "I don't know what strange ideas Ouroboros may have stirred, but confronting your pain as though it were a mere wall to surpass is a recipe for failure. You can only crash into it so many times before you go insane." Calmly, he said his next words as though they were his personal oath. "All you have to do, is resign yourself to the flow...and all will be well."

He sounded so sure, so confident. (For a moment, she may have even believed him.) "The...flow...?"

N briefly quirked his lips: a small smirk, there and gone like dust in the wind. "Perhaps a conversation for another time, when you're more amenable." He stepped away, sheathing his Blade. (Just like that, she could breathe again.) Raising his voice, he spoke to the Colony as a whole. "Until the Eclipse has passed, Colony 11's operations will be restricted to the Keves Castle Region; any that break this quarantine will be treated as irredeemably corrupted by Ouroboros, and treated accordingly. Consider this a test of...loyalty." Turning his back to her, the Golden Consul added, "After all, to unilaterally excise the entire Colony for the sins of Ouroboros...just wouldn't be fair." Without another word, he teleported away.

"...arsehole," grumbled the notoriously taciturn Clad.

Ashera couldn't help but agree, even as she willed her hands not to reach for her neck. There's no wound. It's not real. It's just...a memory. "...well, that was certainly an interesting visit," she jauntily said.

"Are we going to comply with his orders?" asked Zoren, his brow set into a hard line.

"But of course; our hands are tied," she nonchalantly remarked. Waving a hand through her hair, she then added, "However, we weren't forbidden from sending messages to those who may be less...restricted, than we are." The Three Ravens all seemed to understand her meaning without another word. "At any rate, let's get the Training Pit cleaned up; those Levnises aren't going to repair themselves."

As her subordinates set about to their duties, Ashera gazed up at the remnant of their Ferronis's Flame Clock: a sign of Ouroboros's influence, and a mark of condemnation in the eyes of the Castle. More importantly, though, were the memories it evoked of those delightfully naive brats: Eunie especially, who — in spite of her entertainingly vociferous complaints to the contrary — was so very much like her. Warriors born in a world of strife, we are...no matter how much it carves away at us, the way our lives end will still be a testimony of who we are...

In the end, going out by execution at Agnus's hands...it just didn't sit right. Such an ignominious death did not suit the likes of Ouroboros.

(If such a demise galls a bloodthirsty beast like you, imagine how much it must be eating away at them.)

At this point, Ashera could only live on (and oh, what a tall task that was, as the literal pain in her neck kept growing bit by bit...!), in the hopes that she would see them again.

xxxx

Author's Note: Because there had to be some reason Keves's High Consul could be present during the Eclipse Homecoming without drawing the ire of every single Agnian soldier that was present, right? (Also, I doubt N and M were just waiting during that entire month our party languished in prison.)

I could very easily see an alternate timeline occur (or perhaps a bad future where our Ouroboros failed) where Ashera became Consul A as a means of escaping her pain. (The rush of memories upon becoming Moebius would

suck, but then it would be over...and she'd never have to indulge in feeling so helpless ever again.)

But that's not what happened, so 'Ashera becoming a Consul' will have to be for someone else to write.