In an instant, the guards had dragged their sorry charges out of the dining hall with irritable gusto and vigor.
Naturally I was shaken from the incident. Why was Primo here, of all places? He should've recognized my voice, so why didn't he? How did he meet with his companion?
Those questions rattled throughout my mind for many days, and the request to meet with the two was denied. That contributed quickly to my anxiety and impatience. But even with that, the most important event that happened tonight was yet to come.
The arrival of Alexander.
"So you're positive about him? That he's Primo?" Fang asked again.
We had made our exit from the party shortly after, both Four Eyes and Fang having noticed I was fuming and ready to explode.
Now I was simply on the roof of the manor, looking out over the smaller buildings and the bulk of Rabanastre.
"Yes. That was him." I answered quietly.
It had taken all of my self-control to hold in such a destructive and anger-fueled rage. Most of it had long faded, but I was still cautious. I was extremely dangerous when I was angry the last time, and I didn't intend on losing control again.
"What do you intend to do? Because we're right behind you." She pressed on carefully.
"Do what? Something's wrong with him, Fang, but I'm not sure what. It's possible he's suffering from amnesia or mind-control, but I already think I know. It's just that I can't accept it. This is an alternate reality, and therefore it is extremely likely that the Primo that attempted to assassinate the consul tonight was his counterpart in this world." I explained darkly.
She tried to comfort me with a squeeze on the shoulder, but I showed no reaction. Fang tried again, this time with a hug. I finally had the heart to tell her.
"I'm sorry…it's just…I can't do this, Fang." I began, my own voice breaking.
"Yes, you can. You're the strongest person I've ever met, and I've met some pretty damn strong people." She insisted.
"Everything I've ever touched has fallen into ruin. Coela…the Circle of Umbra…even Primo. I can't do this to you, too." My words were barely discernable.
"That is not true, goddamn it! You are not a bad person, Abraham!" She grasped my shoulders and looked me in the eye as she spoke.
"What have I ever done right? What haven't I destroyed?" I answered softly, my voice breaking.
"You have me." She answered simply, and hugged me tightly. It was then I realized she was crying herself.
At first, the feeling of her body against mine barely registered, but as she stood there in my arms I felt the warmth emanating from her.
Neither of us spoke a single word for that entire time, just the sound of her sobbing.
"How romantic, yet so sickeningly dull" A voice echoed throughout the night, and I let go of Fang to scan the roof.
Moments later I found him. The speaker was standing several feet away from us, and I could see why he had sounded so odd.
To put it loosely, he was overdressed in armor. His main gear consisted of an entirely gold set of body armor that was lavishly designed and decorated, and a giant black cloak to wear over it. The cloak was obviously armor as well, since the inner edges of it were lined with shiny grey scales. On his shoulders were two pauldrons, each with two blackened spikes on them, and he wore long black gauntlets that reached all the way to his elbows and covered the coat already covering his arms. Most intriguing was his helmet.
It was a crown-like piece to be heavily admired, and certainly looked valuable. It was blackened grey metal, the top part of the helm covered with spikes that stretched towards the sky. A single cross-like slit remained in the helmet, each curved slit emanating from a single point to the opposite ends of the face, and the third pointing downwards. I could only see blackness there. A large crack was notable on the left side of the helm where the eye would be.
Anyone wearing such heavy gear would be tremendously slowed down, so it was natural to assume he was extremely strong and had a lot of stamina.
"Who are you!?" I demanded angrily, and he let out a menacing laugh that sent chills down our spines.
"You know me as Emperor Alexander III, the Emperor of Archadia." He answered, his voice heavy and deliberate.
"Alexander III? That was the fifth emperor of Archadia, from centuries ago." Fang whispered cautiously.
I drew my swords menacingly, trying to warn him off.
"So you are Abraham, keeper of the Mask of Hunger. I am also known as Zuuphadt richt alkdnl vanar, Keeper of the Helm of Malice." He was studying me intently, seemingly indifferent to my attempts at intimidation.
"Another Mask keeper? Shit." I was now extremely worried.
The Mask of Hunger was by no means the strongest of the Plagues of Mankind, and certainly was beaten by an artifact like the Helm of Malice.
"I wonder…why have you come to a wretched place such as this? A place soon to die?" He continued, his voice naturally slow and deliberate.
"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.
"This Ivalice is nothing but a shard of reality, twisted and molded into the shape of the original. But as you know, fakes are destined to fade into nothingess." He answered blithely, and held his right hand out in front of him.
The wind picked up around us, and darkness formed around him.
"And now, Abraham…Watcher in the Wings and Seeker of the Abyss, you will show me your strength. Show me the full power of Hunger, before I strike you down!" A black double-bladed sword formed from the darkness, and an axe formed in his left hand. It was made to be used two-handed, but he effortlessly wielded it as if it were a feather. The axe itself was shining silver with a black length with which he held it, and the blade was covered in glowing orange symbols. With a leisurely tap several fang-like serrated teeth extended down the entire edge of the axe, making it even more devastating to use.
He took his stance, and the two glowing red eyes flashed from the eye-slits of his helm. The wind was blowing as if it were a hurricane, but nothing was being destroyed.
"FANG! Get out of here!" Heeding my advice, she took her exit quickly.
I drew my blades and prepared as well. Alexander, I could already tell, was no amateur fighter; he was a deadly and powerful warrior.
Instead of attacking head-on as I expected, he phased in a flash of crimson-tinged shadow and appeared behind me. I barely dodged the axe swing as the ground where I stood a mere second ago was crushed.
"RAGE!" Both his weapons suddenly began glowing crimson, and he launched himself towards me at a speed that one wouldn't expect due to such heavy armor.
"Barrier!" I barely managed to cast the protective spell, which formed an shielding barrier against the attack.
Alexander broke through it easily, and landed a hard blow against me. I went flying halfway across the city, and crashed finally into a small house.
"Guillotine!" He phased again, travelling the immense distance in less than a second, and spoke that word. His axe began glowing, and he lifted it in the air above my crumpled body.
"Ichor Blast!" A blast of golden energy slammed into him, breaking his attack and putting him into the ground this time. A crater half the size of a house formed around Alexander's body as he crashed into the solid stone pathway.
"Not bad. I suppose you're not that pathetic, considering you managed to hit me. But that can't go unpunished, either." As I looked over the edge to check on him, he had his chance. Alexander phased behind me and drove the end of his double-bladed sword right into my back.
"GAHH!" I let out a shocked gasp as I felt the cold and unnatural dark metal of the blade enter my body. He didn't much care for savoring my pain and threw me to the ground, taking the sword out. Both his weapons faded as he studied me.
"Here's some advice for you, Abraham. Leave this plane, and never return. Abandon your search for Primo, or suffer the consequences." He warned shortly and disappeared into the shadows, leaving me in the wake of the ruined buildings.
Apparently, it took Fang and the others several hours to locate me amongst the wreckage and destruction. I was badly wounded, and it would take me weeks to fully recover. Most injuries, even serious ones, I could heal within seconds due to my power, but injury from the other Keepers was much more difficult to regenerate. Naturally, I didn't intend to heed his warning; I was going to find Primo no matter what and get him back home.
Emperor Alexander III
Seventh emperor of the Archadian Empire. He is renowned for turning the nation of Archadia into a militaristic empire that endures to this day. Also known for his possession and use of the Helm of Malice, a powerful magickal artifact that is unimaginably old.
He was killed in battle by a young woman with silver eyes, blonde hair, and a markedly odd silver claymore. Some have compared the appearance of this woman with the legendary Ascended Blades.
Whatever the circumstances of his death, Alexander III was a cruel and psychopathic emperor to both his subjects and his enemies. Feared by his friends and even his family, and even more hated and terrified of by his enemies.
-Excerpt from the novel "Archadian Emperors and their Legacies"
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Well, it's time. Time for what? Time for bios, of course!
As per rules, all bios must be PMed to me. I've thoughtfully provided a premade template for use, so use it well.
A small note: characters do NOT have to be entirely OC. You can use characters that already exist in other media or such things on my bios, but try to make it sound plausible; aliens and other characters wouldn't make sense here.
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