A moderately important messages at the end of the chapter. Well... moderately important if you like the story at least.
A fear of sparks.
The room was cold and damp when Tatsumi entered it, carrying the box with his belongings. Its stone walls and floor were cold and unwelcoming. It was not well lit up. A single lamp hanging from the ceiling. With the exception of a small bed that was pushed into a corner, the room was empty. Lacking furniture, ornaments, and windows. The door Tatsumi walked through was thick and made of steel.
He took some steps into the room. Carrying his box in front of him with both his hands. He looked around himself in the cabin like chamber.
"Huh.. well. I have certainly lived in worse." he said to himself and looked down at his box.
He had been a bit surprised over how few things he actually owned. The only thing that actually took some space was Incursio. Which he had to strap across his back. But other than that, his clothes and belongings could easily fit into the single cardboard box he had with him.
He stared down at the box as he walked into the middle of the room. Closing the door behind him with his foot. He had come into Esdese's "service" with almost no belongings aside from what he had been carrying on him. But it seemed like he hadn't gained particularly many new ones during his time in the capital. Almost all the things he used in his everyday life belonged to Esdese or the empire.
He had gathered up his meager belongings in just half an hour. Walking around alone in Esdese's large apartments. No longer allowed to live there. Esdese herself absent. Occupied with other things. And when he had collected everything in his box, he had trotted down towards the dungeons. Where his new allocated living space was. Placed really close to the prison cells. He couldn't help but suspect that this room had been one of those until recently.
Not that it was an especially small apartment. It was spartan but few things seemed luxurious when compared with the luxuries and extravagance that the imperial elite enjoyed. After looking around a bit, Tatsumi noticed that he had both a bathtub and a storage room that was large enough to probably fit a horse in it.
"Good." he said and picked up his extra boots from his box. Throwing them down in the middle of the empty and slightly damp room. "If it just comes down to space, I still seem to be having more than I need." he said to himself and closed the door.
He walked over to his bed and put down the box beside it. He sighed and looked out over the room. "From king to a beggar in the blink of an eye." he said silently.
Living together with Esdese had given him a lot of priveledges that he had almost forgotten about. Since he had been with her for so long. He had had everything that one could wish for within an arms reach. At least when it came to luxuries and comfort. Enjoying the same benefits that the leaders of the empire did. But now he had been banished from those circles. No longer allowed to visit the higher levels of the palace.
It struck him just how few things he had left that wasn't connected to Esdese somehow.
Back in the throne room, when things were growing dire, he himself had proposed this expulsion. In order to prevent things from turning into something akin to a civil war. But when it actually came down to the move itself, he realized that he literally had nowhere to go. He didn't own any accommodation or apartments. He had no place to stay.
So he had been forced to go down to the administration of Esdese's legions and ask if they had any room that he could use. Or if he could stay in one of their barracks. After waiting for an hour, he was given a room. Positioned down in the lower parts of the palace. On the same floor as the dungeons. Just above the torture chambers.
So after fetching his stuff he had now arrived in his new home.
He reached out with his arms and fell down into the bed, face first. Something he immediately regretted. As he was met by the strong smell of mold and felt that the bed itself was also slightly damp. He felt convinced that there were other things living in the mattress that he would have to share the bed with. He sighed silently into the damp fabric.
"I can make this work." he mumbled.
It was true that he had lived in much worse circumstances but he couldn't help but miss his old comforts. He wished that the covers had smelled like he was used to. The perfume from detergent mixed with the womanly smell of Esdese.
There was a knock on the door and before Tatsumi had turned around fully, the door opened. An officer of the imperial guard walked into the room. A big man. Well-trained with a rough and weathered appearance. Followed by a couple of soldiers. He stopped and saluted Tatsumi after a couple of steps into the room. As Tatsumi slowly sat up in the bed.
"Head administrator." he said in a slightly loud voice. "My name is Vult. I have been given the mission of overlooking the monitoring of you until the day of your trial."
Tatsumi nodded to him. "Nice of you to at least introduce yourself. May I ask who you received your orders from?"
"The emperor himself has bestowed this task on me." the man said. "I have had the honor of being entrusted with this task and the resources to see it done."
"Yeah. What an honor it must be." Tatsumi said with light sarcasm. Slowly standing up. "But fine, Officer. Let me give you some advice. Try to be as open and transparent with me as possible when it comes to this task. The more you talk to me about it, the easier this will be for the both of us. And I don't know if this needs saying but when Esdese is close, you should try to be as discreet about this as possible. She will be acutely aware of you already, so try to keep a distance. If she addresses you or gives you an order, you better comply as fast as possible. She is not in a forgiving mood when it comes to disobedience right now. So even just some hesitation can cost you a lot. If you have trouble with something that concerns her, you take it with me when she is not around. Understood?"
The man nodded. "I will be posting men outside of this room. They will keep a healthy distance but they will be overlooking this room's only exit. When you leave or move around in the palace and the capital, I will have a team prepared to shadow you. We will do our best to not be too intrusive. But I hope that you understand that this mission will force us to intrude into your life."
"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful. I don't want this situation to get worse than it is."
The officer nodded and saluted. "I will return shortly with more details about how we will handle this, head administrator." he exclaimed and turned around. Walking out of the room. His men following him.
Tatsumi stared at the door after they had left. Being monitored by the imperial guard would probably not be too much of a hinder for him. He didn't keep many secrets from Esdese anymore. And he had to guess that the evidence that would be presented towards him in the trial probably contained most of the things he had done together with the new imperial guard. So he didn't really have anything to be secretive about just now.
His biggest problem was that he no longer could interact with the leadership of the empire. Ever since he had killed the prime minister, his entire goal had been to remake the empire into something much better. But now he was completely excluded from that process. He could no longer affect the direction the empire moved in. Not that he had ever been in full control. But now he had lost what little influence he had.
He slowly fell down with his back against the bed. Looking up at the stone ceiling. Thinking about his situation. Should he really be here? Could he really justify being a part of the empire now that his chances to affect it had been so diminished?
For all he knew, he might soon be forbidden from even leaving this room. He wouldn't be too surprised if that soon came to pass. He sighed.
Not that he couldn't just activate Incursio and move around freely if he so desired. It had just become so much harder for him to control the situation through manipulation. He had lost control. And he didn't think he could regain it through force without things turning into hell.
He heard the door open again.
"You know, officer." Tatsumi said without looking away from the ceiling. "If you want to keep a healthy distance, it might be good to start knocking before you enter."
"And why would I want to keep a healthy distance?" Esdese questioned. Causing Tatsumi to quickly rise up in the bed again. Surprised eyes staring at her as she walked into the middle of the room.
"What is such a lady doing in a beautiful room such as yourself?" Tatsumi said. Intentionally stumbling on his words. Trying to be witty while still recovering from the surprise that he had been unable to sense her approach.
Esdese gave him a ridiculing smile. "Quite a silver tongue you got there." she said and then looked around the room. Measuring it with her eyes. "Hmph. Well, it could be worse." she said to herself.
"No but seriously, though." Tatsumi said as Esdese walked towards the door that lead to his new bathroom. Exploring his new living quarters. "What owes me this pleasure?"
"People seems to be quite attentive about your actions right now, Tatsumi." Esdese said and opened the door to his bathroom. Peeking her head in and looking around. "One of my couriers came running to me to tell that you had been placed down here. I had not even ordered them to inform me about your whereabouts yet they did it anyway. And I honestly don't know if I should be annoyed or thankful." she said and closed the door to his bathroom.
"I thought you were busy." Tatsumi said and looked at her from the bed.
"I was." she said and started to walk towards the second and last room in his living quarters. "I intend to restructure the military leadership a bit. So that what happened during our campaign against the western incursion can never be repeated."
"I want to say that that sounds good but I have a feeling that what you call "restructuring" entails some rather hard and traumatizing lessons for some poor unsuspecting people." Tatsumi said. He couldn't help but feel a little happiness as he looked at Esdese. Curiously exploring his rooms. At times she could seem like such a little girl. Just wanting to learn and explore new things. Trying to discover some new entertainment. He could see how the same nature manifested itself when she was fighting as well. Even if the consequences were often horrible.
"Sometimes you need to make an example or two." Esdese said nonchalantly. She opened the door to the last of the two rooms in his now rather sparse living quarters. "As I have told you many times before. Are those your boots, by the way?" she asked.
"Yeah. Thought I might use the room for something at least."
Esdese looked around a bit in the small storage room. "This is big enough. This room will be my office."
That made Tatsumi stand up from the bed again. "What?"
"I will need a place where I can do my paperwork and hold my meetings. This room isn't really big enough but it will serve." she said and closed the door. Turning around towards him. "Besides, it will be a sweet little insult to force all the leaders of the empire to come down and squeeze into this small room whenever they want an audience with me."
Tatsumi slowly scratched his head. "Why don't you do this in your own quarters. You could almost fit a whole regiment in those rooms."
Esdese didn't answer him. She snapped her fingers and suddenly the big iron door opened again. Attendants walking into the room. Most carrying boxes. Some others of them carrying furniture.
"Esdese..." Tatsumi said and looked at her. "Are you going to live here with me? Down in the dungeons?"
Esdese looked at him. A slightly wondering look on her face. Since all of this seemed so obvious to her. "Of course. I would have preferred to go against the emperor and keep you in my own rooms. But since you insist on following his command, I will also move away from those parts of the palace. Not that this bothers me that much."
Tatsumi took a couple of slow steps towards her. The attendants had started to unpack the boxes and put down the furniture all around them. "For the first time in a long while, I actually feel like your love is a genuine blessing. And not partly a curse." he said as he reached her.
Esdese turned towards him. "Took you long enough to realize."
"So you will force the entire military leadership to come down into these unpleasant rooms whenever they want or need your attention. Just so that you can live in the same rooms, or rather, room as me? So that we can still sleep in the same bed?" Tatsumi said with a smile.
"Pretty much, yeah." She said and put her hands on her hips. "We are partners. We should be sharing the same nest. Besides, these rooms aren't that bad. They will be fully serviceable. After some furnishing."
Tatsumi couldn't stop a grin from forming on his face.
"What?" Esdese said and looked at him. "Did you think that I was going to walk all the way down here each time I wanted to see you."
Tatsumi took a step forward and hugged her. Once again, surprising Esdese slightly. Since she had not been able to detect any urgent need for intimacy from him.
"Huh." she said and looked down on him. Her smile partly patronizing. "Did the trial wear on you? Did the tension get to you, my sweet little Tatsumi?" she said and slowly patted his head. "You usually hide away any expressions of love for me behind pathetic excuses about independence. At least when there are others around."
"Independence is a sign of strength. I thought you liked that sort of thing."
"You need to realize when your struggling is pointless and accept your defeat gracefully. And your feeble wish for independence stands no chance against my relentless love for you."
"Woe is me." Tatsumi chuckled lightly. Taking a deep breath before he continued. "I don't think you have realized it, Esdese. But right now, you are quite literally the only friend and ally that I have left in the entire world. Every single faction in this nation has branded me as their enemy. All are intent to see me fall. All except you. You are the only thing that I have left. Literally."
"Ohhh" Esdese said and looked up from him for a moment. Her eyes widening slightly as her cheeks grew slightly flushed. "That is great, Tatsumi!" she said with much more energy. Her arms grabbing him and pressing his body against hers. Forcing him to stand up on his toes.
"Thank you for being so understanding of my sorrow." Tatsumi's muffled voice said. His eyes looking up at her with a slightly exhausted look.
"No, I mean it. This is perfect." she said. Slightly swinging him a bit back and forth. Waggling a bit. "I should be your only true ally. The only one who has your affection and love. There should be nothing left of it for anybody else." she said. Her expression happy and satisfied.
They just stood like that for some moments before Tatsumi spoke. The people around them furnishing out the room.
"Things are probably going to get rather nasty now." he said silently. He took a step back from her. Since he found it hard to have a serious discussion when he was pressed against her breasts. "I have a feeling that things are about to become unstable. And it feels like we might be standing on a cardhouse."
"I feel the same way." Esdese said indifferently. Still looking happy. "This will be a lot of fun."
Tatsumi sighed lightly. "You are so goddam crazy, Esdese. You know that, right?"
She shrugged. "It's all about perspectives."
"Will you at least try to prevent things from turning to hell?"
"I happen to really enjoy the situation that you are referring to with "hell"."
"Ok, will you at least not destroy the fragile stability that we have now yourself?"
"It's nothing strange about something fragile being broken. It is the natural way of things." she calmly stated.
"You are one of the leaders of this nation, Esdese. Isn't it your duty to protect this nation and its stability?" Tatsumi tried.
"This nation has chosen a new leader. I am just the great general now. A warrior. It is up to emperor Kotaro to ensure stability. My job is to destroy the enemies of this nation. Nothing more."
"Esdese." Tatsumi said and moved a little bit closer to her again. Looking her straight in the eyes. A serious expression on his face."I am begging you. Please don't escalate this into another civil war. It would tear the capital and the nation apart if you came at odds with the imperial court or the military."
Esdese looked at him for a little while. Then she raised her arms and pulled him close again. Slowly stroking his back as she looked up at the ceiling.
"I am so tired of this, Tatsumi." she said silently. "Of these charades. All the talking. Everyone trying to justify themselves. Everyone hiding their true motives and intentions. Everyone trying to find bureaucratic loopholes or rules that they can use to further their own agendas."
Tatsumi looked up at her as she continued.
"They are all so weak. No one dares to be honest with what they want. No one dares to come out and say that they want you dead. No one dares to challenge me openly. No one dares to declare that what they really want is power, money or influence. Everyone playing a game of politics, deceit and lies. Simply because they are too weak to openly challenge their enemies." she said and sighed. "And I am just supposed to play along with their charades? When I literally could destroy them and all they love. I could take the throne and declare myself empress today. And just tell them that they are free to challenge me if they object to anything I say. And no one would be able to stop me." she said and looked down at him for the first time since she had started talking. "Do you understand my irritation?"
"It is sometimes hard to relate to your reasoning, Esdese. But I think I can see where you're coming from."
She nodded down at him. "They play their little game and try to insult and oppose me through it. Why should have patience and play along in that game when I can just flip the entire table and shove their board pieces through their eyes."
"That is quite an image for you." Tatsumi said. "But I understand what you mean. Even if I can't relate. But please just play along for the time being."
"Well, I wasn't planning on doing anything too radical for the time being. Though if they sentence you to death, then that will change."
"Ohh that won't happen." Tatsumi said in hollow certainty. Still convinced that he would be found guilty. He still had no solution for that inevitable problem. "Besides, you have already told me that the throne of the royal family is quite uncomfortable."
"Yeah, it is." Esdeese said. "I have no interest in ruling. I enjoy leading large forces into glorious battles and I enjoy dominating those around me. But that is different from ruling over a nation. At least if you want to make it into a successful and growing one. I know the kind of bureaucratic and political work that requires. And it bores me to death. I have absolutely no interest in it. Just by being the great general, I almost have more of that kind of work than I can stomach."
"Yet you kept acting as the leader of this nation for almost half a year. Ever since the prime minister died to a couple of months ago, when the new emperor was appointed."
"I kept doing it because I had promised that I would. I promised that I would keep this nation stable until a new leader could be found."
"Yeah, You promised the old imperial court and the prime minister. All of those are long gone now."
"They are." Esdese simply acknowledged. "But I don't back down from my promises. Even if I am the only one left standing. But now the empire has a new leader. My promise is now fulfilled. The martial law has been lifted. I am no longer pledged to keep stability. Just to destroy the enemies of the empire."
"But the one who plays the political game the best will be the one who decides who the enemies of the empire are."
"True." Esdese said. "So I will play things by ear. We will see what the next move of the emperor and his imperial court will be. But I will say this, I have destroyed almost all of the empire's enemies that I could find. But if the judge and jury of this new imperial court, that I have had no part of creating, will sentence you to death, then it will be clear that I have plenty of people that I need to destroy within the palace."
Tatsumi just sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. "Let's just play it cool and see how things turn out for now."
They had been standing close to each other and talking quietly for some time now and them people around them had already managed to make the bleak room look a little bit better. Still working as the two lovers held each other in the middle of the room.
Tatsumi thought about the situation. If this had been some years ago, he would have jumped for joy if Esdese told him that she felt like destroying the empire. He had begged her to join him on that quest during the first night they had spent together.
But now everything had changed. The prime minister was no more. The revolutionary movement of the people was gone.
The imperial court had been cleansed and purged. What remained of it was struggling to weed out the corruption. Which had grown so entrenched in the system during the prime minister's rule. A corruption that Tatsumi had made himself a part of in order to destroy the old ways. Now the court was struggling to stay in control against the corruption of old and a military whose loyalty seemed to be scattered to many different places.
But then again, in a sense, things were just as they had always been, Tatsumi thought as he took a deep breath of her smell. The problem was right back to where it had always been. The cruelty of the old ways was being rooted out. People like Gallus was still around but in general, the empire had started to cleanse itself. But it would never be able to change fully if the wrong people were in control.
And there was one person who still remained and upheld the old ways. And he loved her so.
Wave kept his head low as he walked through the crowded street. Careful to avoid any contact with those around him.
He was wearing the same brown robes that he had worn when he first arrived in the capital, a couple of days back. A large cowl obscuring most of his face.
He himself only able to see the lower bodies of everyone else on the street. But he still kept a fast pace. Knowing exactly where he was heading. He was in one of the most rundown parts of the capital. Far away from the palace. Close to the humongous wall that encircled all of the city. Yet the streets were lively in the middle of the day. Full of people heading to their different occupations.
He walked for almost twenty minutes when he reached his destination. An old garbage station. A huge brick building with tall chimneys rising up towards the sky from its roof. The building surrounded by tall walls with barbed wires on the top of them. This station had not been in use for a long time but Wave knew the dark history of the place. It had been used by the corrupted elite to dispose of corpses they wanted gone. Back when the imperial government still tried to be discreet about all its injustices. Before the prime minister got as powerful as he did. Wave wondered how many people that had been turned ashes in large ovens of the building.
He walked up to the main gate of the wall surrounding the industrial building. There was a homeless man sitting along the wall. Not too far away from the gate. Sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. Huddled over. As Wave walked up towards the gate, he threw two coins in the empty bowl that the beggar had standing in front of him.
"May good days come to you, sir." the man called out when Wave had passed him.
"We will see to it that it does." Wave answered clearly.
After he had answered with those exact words, he could hear how the locks on the gate he was approaching were unlocked. He didn't knock before he grabbed the handle of the giant iron slide door and opened it up. Having to put some force in his pull, since the door weighed considerably. Afterward, he quickly moved through the gate and closed it behind him.
The yard he opened was empty. Not a soul in sight. Without looking around he moved across the deserted and dusty yard. Walking briskly to the main door into the factory. Entering the already half open door.
The hall he entered was not lit up by any lights or fire. The only light in it coming in through the windows and partly open door. But Wave already knew that the room was an old and abandoned workstation. Full of production lines and containers. He walked up an iron stair in the middle of the room. Entering another hall like the one he had been in on the second level.
He walked through a couple more rooms before he noticed those that now were following him. He couldn't tell when they had started to shadow him but it had been after he had entered the factory. Not that it bothered him. He knew who they were. After a couple more rooms and stair, he arrived at his destination.
Makeias was standing in front of a long row of broken windows. Back turned towards him when he entered the dark room, looking out through the windows. Not that one could see much through the windows. They were far too dirty to offer any clear view of what was outside. Those of the windows that lacked pieces or glass were the only way to see that the window overlooked a little bit of the city outside.
He seemed to be the only one in the large room but Wave knew better. Makeias was almost never alone these days.
"What news from the intelligence, Wave?" Makeias asked without turning around. His voice slow and raspy. As if he hadn't talked for a couple of hours.
"In general good news, with one grave exception." Wave said and walked up to Makeias. "General Faye has created a rift within the imperial leadership by somewhat secretly working to denounce Esdese."
"A foolsih task." Makeais said. "But her heart will not allow her to do anything else. She is too good of a person to just stand by and watch Esdese set the rules. Thankfully, she is smart enough to realize that she can't challenge Esdese openly in any way. Even if she ventured a little bit too close with that whole trial business."
"Do you think she will succeed?"
"I wish she would, but I am confident that she won't. She doesn't have the resolve to remain passive in the face of cruelty. She will lash out in some way and then Esdese will crush her. In a way, Faye reminds me of Najenda. And I think she will meet the same fate."
"You killed Najenda, sir." Wave said in an apologetic tone. "Do you think that Faye is our enemy?"
"Even if she realized that we were the ones that gave her all that information, she still wouldn't join us. Should she, against all ods, manages to outplay Esdese and somehow render the ice queen irrelevant, then she would probably be coming for us next. Our history isn't precisely sugarcoated."
Wave sighed and nodded. Even if Makeias wasn't facing him.
"And what are the other news?"
Wave waited for some moments before he spoke. "They took him alive, sir."
Makeias head tilted down a little bit. Wave didn't need to say the name. They both knew who they were talking about.
"Are we certain now?"
"Yeah. Though it hurts to say. The reports were a bit varied on the subject but Jack confirmed it once Esdese arrived to the palace."
"So, Tom-Tom was captured alive." Makeias said slowly. "Which means that something unseen happened. He would never let himself be taken alive by Esdese."
"What do you think will happen to him?" Wave asked. It was a stupid question, he knew that, but he didn't want to already commit the discussion to what obviously was happening or going to happen, to Tom-Tom. Yet Makeias flared up a bit at the question. Turning his head to the side so that he could look at Wave with an eye.
"You know Esdese better than I do, Wave? What do you think will happen to Tom-Tom?" Makeias said bitterly.
Wave only looked down at his feet. Clenching his fists.
"The question is if Tom-Tom will break or not? Or rather how soon will he break?" Makeias said and returned his gaze forward.
"Tom-Tom is a noble creature. He won't sell us out."
"Not by choice, no. But some would say that one's willpower or solidarity can only get you so far. Sooner or later, the mind breaks. The question is, will Tom-Tom die before his sanity leaves him and he starts to reveal our secrets by mistake."
"I always thought that Tom-Tom seemed strong willed."
"I think so too. But this is the ice queen we are talking about. I don't think she will kill him by mistake. She knows these things. She knows how far she can go before she has to give things some time and let her victims recover. So that the pain can sink in a bit before she starts again."
"Tom-Tom was a warrior." Wave tried. "She often gives those she respects a warrior's death."
"Do you think her preferences will stop her from going for the best solution to the empire's problems?" Makeias said. A bit of irritation creeping into his voice. "You know better."
Wave was silent for a little while after that bbefore he spoke. "So what? Should we try and rescue him?"
"We only had one chance to do that, and that was when they moved him through the capital. But they were smart and didn't parade him around. They kept it a secret that they had him. And now it is too late. We have no chance of getting him out of the dungeons of the palace. If we were capable of just breaking through the palace with all its gathered military might, then we would have done so long ago."
"So Tom-Tom is lost then." Wave said silently.
"Maybe. But we don't know." Makeias said. "He might hold out until we find the right moment to strike. But we don't know for sure."
"And what if he breaks? How will we know when we have lost?"
"The first thing they will do, is silence Jack. So the day when he stops reporting to us as normal, then we know that shit is about to hit the fan."
"And meanwhile, we can do nothing but wait for this "Chance" to come up? Can't we be a bit more proactive than this?" Wave said. Sounding slightly stressed.
"We need to wait." Makeias said in an empty voice. "We can't do this on our own. We have to wait until the conflict within the palace fully evolves before we have a chance. The thing is, I don't think we are the only ones who are waiting for an opportunity."
"What do you mean?" Wave said slowly.
"What I mean is that the situation might explode any minute." he said slowly. Reaching within his ruined robes. Producing a bottle filled with that milky liquid that Tom-Tom had ordered Wave to give him before they marched off towards the capital. "There are four factions at work here. There is Esdese and Tatsumi. They are probably the strongest faction in the empire when it comes to pure military and destructive power. Depending on how much of the military Esdese actually controls. Then there is the new emperor. With Faye and the imperial court behind him. In theory, they should be the most influential power. Since they control the political system. At least in theory."
Makeias took a swig from the bottle before he continued. Hissing after he had swallowed it down. As if it was a strong alcoholic beverage. "Then there is us. Our entire force hidden among the poor and homeless in the capital. Waiting for a chance to strike at the palace. And lastly, it is safe to assume that the remains of Night raid are also within the city's wall. Probably waiting for the right opportunity themselves."
"It is a wonder that we haven't run into any problems yet." Wave said.
"Agreed. All of us are sitting on a barrel full of gun powder. And just such a small thing as you running into Leone on the street by chance, could be enough of a spark to start the explosion, and set this whole city aflame."
"But there are only two factions that are proactive here." Wave said. "Both we and Night Raid are only waiting for a chance to strike. We are passive for the moment. It is the emperor and Esdese and their respective factions that are the active players in this silent conflict."
"Yeah, because the moment we act, Night Raid will strike as well. And vice versa. Then the conflict will go from silent and quiet to roaring and unstoppable." Makeias said and emptied the bottle. "And now we are on the clock. Tom-Tom's capture is a hard blow. Not only because of what will now happen to the gentle old giant, but also because this means that we might be forced to act before we have gotten our chance. If we get any indication that Tom-Tom has started talking, then we need to spring into action immediately."
He threw the empty glass bottle to the side. It flew away into the darkness of one of the corners of the room. Wave couldn't see where it landed but he heard how it shattered. They both stood silent for a while. Makeias staring through the muddy window. Wave staring at his back.
"Should you really be drinking that, general?" Wave said after a while. Trying to divert the discussion to another topic temporarily. "It seems poisonus."
"Yeah. Most flammable liquids are." Makeias said and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "But fire might be the only thing that can slay Morbus at this point."
"Is it really that bad." Wave said with a concerned voice.
"No." Makeias lied. "Not yet. But it is growing more and more powerful. So we need to be prepared, in case the teigu will act out. Setting it aflame will be one possible solution. That or freezing it."
"No matter how we play this, I feel like it will end with that. Ice and fire." Wave said.
"And gods knows that I am tired of that song." Makeias answered with a nod. "But there is one more thing that might stop it. Though currently, it is in the hands of Akame."
Wave looked down at his own hand as he closed it into a fist. "I will kill that woman. If it so is the last thing I do."
"Be well prepared if you plan to go up against her. She is not an easy opponent." Makeias said. "Some would say that the only harder opponent you could pick would be Esdese herself."
"It doesn't matter." Wave said. "I will kill her. For Kurome's sake."
For the first time during their discussion, Makeias turned towards Wave and looked at him properly. "One thing at the time, Wave. I suspect that Night Raid is in the capital as well. But our main target is Esdese and Tatsumi. Don't let vengeance lead you astray from that.
Wave simply nodded in response. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait and we observe. Everyone will have to be at the ready. It will be a strain for us but we will have to be prepared to act on a moments notice. Because now we are on the clock. And if we are revealed, then we will have no choice but to strike instantly. No matter how low our chances are." Makeias said. He turned around fully and walked up to Wave. "And now you will have to be my second-in-command, Wave."
Wave looked neither surprised or happy about it. He simply nodded again. "I will do my best."
Makeias nodded back. "Go and see to it that everyone is in position. Though keep Tom-Tom's situation a secret. His people are a loyal kind. They might be prone to act out of line if they know of his fate."
Wave took a deep breath. "All right. I'll be back later tonight when everyone has been informed."
With those words, Wave turned around and left. Makeias looking at his back as he walked away. When he had left, Makeias looked down at his own hand. His entire arm bandaged up. All the way up to the fingertips. Just as the rest of his body was. Though even through the white cloth he could see the black color under it. He didn't dare to unwrap it to see what his hand actually looked like.
"Just one little spark." he said to himself. "And everything will explode."
Author's note:
And so the Esdeath story of the canon has finally ended.
It wasn't quite as painful as I thought that it would be and I am not quite sure why. Maybe because I knew that it was coming, or that her final moment became so badass, or the fact that Tatsumi survived. I am a bit unsure of which but I thought that it would be much more painful.
But now we have come to a crossroads, my dear readers.
There has always been primarily two things that have compelled me to write this story. The first one was a consolation for watching the ship of TatsumixEsdese sink so spectacularly. The second one, was the response and feedback that I got. Now one of those two has disappeared.
I will not rush the ending of Bent but not Broken. I have a clear idea of how everything in this story will turn out. And while this chapter might make it seem like the final confrontation is just around the corner, we still have quite some chapters to go before then. Heck, even if I started the final battle in the next chapter, there would still take me a couple of chapters and an epilog to properly wrap things up. No, this will either go on for quite a bit longer, or I will stop writing after this chapter.
And I will leave that decision up to you, dear readers.
Because if this story is interchangeable to you, then you might just go and read another story and I can save some time. Because this takes time to write. I enjoy doing it but now half of my motivation to do so is gone. I need to know if this story is in any way special to you. If it is, then please write that a comment. Otherwise, this ends here.
I am not asking for long messages or reviews. Just a simple "Keep writing!" is enough. Just so I know that there are people that enjoy this outside of the inner circle of about 30 lovely people that always writes reviews and comments. If the response to this is big enough, I will finish Bent but not Broken properly. (If you think this is a cheap seeking for validation, then yes. Yes it is.)
If that is the case, then I will do my best to increase my release pace. I was keeping a good pace during the summer but it has slowed down severely during the fall. If this isn't the last chapter of Bent but not Broken, then I will release the next chapter in 10 days or so. I have already written half of it.
If not, then I will write a note at the top of this chapter and as well as on the first chapter. Disclaiming that Bent but not Broken is discontinued.
Either way this turns out, I want to thank you all for reading. This story has gone on for almost 2 years now and has become monstrously large. The singularly largest body of work I have ever created. So I want to thank you all deeply and sincerely for sharing this journey with me.
I have to admit that I hope that this isn't the last time I write one of these messages too.
Hopefully, until next time,
Take care of each other.