"My lord, Chaos," Garland said softly, falling to one knee.
The Emperor almost snorted in disgust over Garland's affectionate tone. It made his skin crawl, the way Garland spoke to Chaos like a doting parent to a child. He long thought Garland incapable of such emotions, but either way, the Emperor swallowed down his nausea and begrudgingly knelt with the rest of them. He cast discreet, side-long glances all around him, checking the others' faces for any shreds of respect for Chaos, or even deference. He barely found tolerance. Hardly any of them lowered their eyes. He certainly did not.
It was pathetic. And mildly amusing, he thought, but he suppressed the grin, unwilling to draw attention to himself while mocking Chaos. The only one kneeling in true servitude of their 'master' was Garland. He clung to the monster's every word as though his very being depended upon Chaos' advice. The rest knelt in bored compulsion. Even Kefka, who had a comment for everything, remained silent in Chaos' presence, hoping for a quick end to the meeting.
"I have gathered the others as you commanded. You wished to speak with us?"
Chaos didn't immediately answer, slouched sideways in his throne. His top set of arms rested heavily on the arm rests of his throne, right fist jammed into his cheek to support his head, pulling his lip up into a sneer, left hand draped daintily over the front edge. The lower set of arms were crossed loosely over his stomach. Displaying a hilarious combination of 'bored out of his mind' and 'mildly interested'.
The uncomfortable silence seemed to thicken with each second they waited, clouding in the air like humidity. "Chaos?" Garland asked.
A distant grunt and a dismissive wave of one of his hands, and they all rose.
"A new cycle dawns in this world," Chaos rumbled. "Cosmos's pawns scrabble for a foothold in this conflict, still under the impression that they can somehow win these battles. Cosmos is weak, she is desperate, and she is acting foolishly. Just today, in fact," he said, moving his arms. He clasped the upper set over his mouth and leaned forward, as though sharing some dark secret. "She expended almost all of her energy in the summoning of a warrior. Just one."
Chaos' lips curled away from his teeth in a grotesque version of a smile, as though Cosmos' weakness was some running joke. In his silence, the Emperor checked his periphery again. Garland's eyes were fixed on Chaos, the Cloud of Darkness looked as disinterested as he felt, slowly stroking her snakes. Golbez's shoulders were tense - they weren't normally so close to his helmet. He couldn't possibly guess what Exdeath was thinking, hidden behind his armor. Kefka looked like he was bursting to say something, anything, and was practically quivering trying to hold it in, while Sephiroth kept his thoughts perfectly concealed, unreadable as per usual. Ultimecia had a playful glint to her eyes, obviously calculating for some plan of hers, while Kuja checked his nails and Jecht idly fiddled with the straps hanging from his uniform. They couldn't have cared less.
"We are on the brink of absolute victory. Your task remains unchanged: extinguish the light. Only then can you claim this world to Discord."
The Emperor choked down his scoff to a mild huff.
Garland's head immediately snapped in his direction. "Problem, Emperor?" he challenged.
The Emperor sighed loudly, reclining back in his place. He called his magic to catch him, his invisible throne floating just slightly higher than Chaos's elevation."These cycles already drain my patience, and this is what you've wasted my time to say?" he asked. "Truly, Chaos? We must extinguish the light?" He let the sarcasm drip from his voice. "My sincerest apologies, I had mistaken our goal all this time. I believed it to be more amiable than that!"
A soft growl grumbled in Chaos's throat, and he slowly slid back to his slouched position, lower than the Emperor. His eyes narrowed and his head tilted to the side, calculating the Emperor's audacity. Next to the throne, Garland shifted, tightening his grip on the huge greatsword he rested on the ground behind him.
"You will mind your tongue," Garland threatened.
"You strike no fear in me, subservient dog," the Emperor retaliated. "How ridiculous, bringing us here for that speech when he has not even called new warriors. For all the cycles we have seen, we have heard it enough. This was nothing more than a waste of my valuable time-"
"A waste, is it?" Garland snapped. "Any time taken away from your scheming and conniving and plotting of Chaos's downfall is time well spent! Don't think we don't know of your constant dissent."
"That 'scheming and conniving' has done more for Chaos and for you than he has done for himself!" The Emperor pointed down at Chaos, his lip curling. "Pitiful god, barely peeling himself from the throne. Remember well whose actions bought you enough time to rebuild yourselves in the second cycle!"
Garland stepped down from the dais next to the throne, dragging his sword behind him, and Chaos did not stop him. The Emperor lifted his head, staring down his nose at Garland to show how beneath him he was. Golbez quickly stomped forward, placing himself between Garland and the Emperor, stopping his advance. "I have no wish to see comrades cut each other down before this new cycle has even begun," Golbez said quickly. He spread his hands, palms down towards the floor in a gesture of peace. He turned towards the Emperor and whispered down at him, "You have a death wish, I presume."
"Chaos and I have already discussed your future in this war, Emperor," Garland said, speaking over Golbez's shoulder. "We cannot deny that you are a brilliant strategist, but your constant machinations against us are burdens we can no longer justify bearing. Antagonize us further, and you only make our decision easier. It will be Sephiroth or Exdeath we send to hunt you down!" he said, gesturing to them in their place in the ranks.
"Baseless threats!" the Emperor shouted back. He called his staff to his hands and swept it to the side, sliding Golbez across the floor and out of the way with his magic. "I've yet to hear one worthwhile bit of information from either of you, and I severely doubt one is coming. If you are finished wasting my time-"
Chaos raised a hand.
An electric shock jolted right through the center of the Emperor's mind and spread furiously through his body in an instant. His limbs went dead, his sight went black, and no sound reached his ears. Nothing reached him, except for the screaming of the individual fibers of his nerve endings. He tensed from the mental attack, collapsing to one knee, and sucked in painful breaths as his sight re-colored. The deafening sound that returned was filled with the chuckles and snickers of the others.
Chaos heaved himself to his feet and lifted a new hand, then swept it to the side. The Emperor was pulled up from the ground and thrown flat against the hexagonal wall of the realm. His diaphragm collapsed, his breath rushed out of him, and with an ear-piercing clang, his staff fell to the grey slate. Chaos kept his hand raised, suspending the Emperor. He stomped over to him, bent down, and peered face-to-face with him.
"I dislike when my warriors trade blows," Chaos hissed calmly, as though he hadn't just felt enraged enough to attack the Emperor. "You lack . . . restraint. Any battles between you would quickly descend into bloodshed. I also will not abide another civil war. Not when we are so close to victory. You will not engage him further, Garland," he said, and Garland backed away with a bow of his head, relaxing his grip on his greatsword. "As for you, Emperor," Chaos growled. "Challenge me as you see fit! Fight me to your heart's content!" His hot, rancid breath hissed in the Emperor's face as he leaned closer, his fangs inches from the Emperor's nose. "In the end . . . " Chaos clenched his fist. An electric charge rocketed through the Emperor. His muscles clenched uncontrollably, he struggled and jerked in his frozen prison, unable to move as the shocks tore through him.
Finally, Chaos released him. He plummeted to the floor and landed on a knee before him.
" . . . you will always lose." He spun around to face the others, his voice booming. "You will do as I command without question! Or the consequences will be . . . " He turned back to the Emperor as he fought to catch his breath, " . . . severe. Let this be a lesson to all of you."
He peered into the face of the Emperor.
The Emperor stared back in defiance.
"Is that clear?"
" . . . P-perfectly, Chaos," the Emperor choked, still fighting for air. He picked up his staff, dropping his gaze to the floor. Chaos' hand shot out and gripped his chin, forcing him to look into the face of the wretched creature.
"Lord Chaos," the god sneered.
"Lord Chaos."
Satisfied, Chaos backed away from the Emperor. "Begone, mortals. Haven't you tasks to complete?" He lowered his massive frame into the chair.
The Emperor stood and dusted himself off, feeling the heat of humiliation rise in his cheeks. It was quiet, and he could feel everyone's eyes on his back. He refused to move. He didn't want them to see his face. And yet, he felt obligated to walk away with every shred of his pride he could find. As soon as he felt ready, he turned around. And met a gloved finger in his face.
The clown attached to the finger let loose the earsplitting fit of cackles he'd been restraining during the whole meeting. "WAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Emperor fought another wave of mortification but it won, coloring his cheeks again. Slapping Kefka's hand away, he pushed past him, and forced his way through the other warriors and their laughs. Ultimecia's tinkling chuckle was the worst to him. The most assaulting to his ears and the most stirring of his embarrassment. Out of all of them, he hated looking weak in from of her most. He hated looking weak in front the only other strong warrior who could potentially contend with him. He didn't want her to think she was at all above him.
The Emperor reached the back of the group only to have his path to the exit blocked by Golbez. He strode up to the huge man expecting him to move, but Golbez merely crossed his arms in front of him, shoulders heaving with repressed laughter. The Emperor maneuvered around him. As soon as he passed, Golbez teleported away and vanished.
"Let them laugh," he thought bitterly, "When I rule this world, and all their pitiful lives, there will be no place for their laughter!"
He only needed to start planning.
A/N: Leave a review if you have the time!