a/n: We now finally know what this Chrome thing is, the origin of this title XD and why it's so important..
HOLY SHET WHEN I CHECKED I FOUND LIKE 30 SOMETHING REVIEWS seriously I don't deserve this...but then again what I am saying because I bet there are a billions others that 30 reviews isn't big deal to...well. Thank you for all being awesome and supportive :3
Gast: Gakupo Kamui
Gumillia: Gumi Megpoid. Queen of the Verdigris Kingdom (Will appear in later chapters)
"I can't believe this! This has to end, you understand?"
Michaela had never seen Prince Kyle in such a frenzied state. He paced his bedroom dramatically, dark circles under his eyes. Every once in a while he stopped to mutter something and grunt.
"I understand." She whispered, not meeting his eyes. She had heard about the "date"...and Kyle's reaction to it was not pretty. But she held in any remarks about it.
"That butler...has gone onto my nerves once too many. The very first time I've laid eyes on him, I knew he was trouble! He's embarrassed me enough! Because of him, what will Riliane think of me? An idiot!" His gaze landed on Michaela, who was standing obediently to the side as he ranted. The Prince sighed, shaming his behaviour. At least someone had the mental capability to listen to him.
The Prince closed his eyes." I apologize you have to see me like this, Michaela."
"It's okay." She gave him a weak smile, hoping that he could see the comfort behind her eyes. He fell on top of his silken sheets, a pale cobalt colour, exasperated.
"Michaela...do you think this is right? That marrying Riliane is the most beneficial for my father's kingdom, and hers? Her blasted servant goes through so much to get her out of my hands, that in the end...what if it isn't worth it? What if Riliane was born purely to be EVIL? And that my love for her was only an aftermath of her tricks? Maybe she isn't worth 'deducing' after all."
"Your Highness...how can you say that? Days ago, meeting the Yellow Queen was all you cared about. Don't you love her in the way you claim to be?" She interjected. Surely, Kyle's proposal isn't a small issue. Was he giving up on it? On Riliane?
"Ah, Michaela." His mouth curled in a smile, one that he always saved for analyzing a situation worth his attention. "One must always think outside the box. The devotion of Allen...can ring up several conclusions. Either Riliane clearly detests me, and forces him to take me off of her hands. Such as cross-dressing, for example. Who would be WILLING to do that? Riliane must have bribed Allen, threatened him, being the dictator she is. Or perhaps Allen has an eye on the Queen herself. He doesn't want Riliane and I to wed because HE loves her. Maybe it's so that he can have her to himself. But then again...what is he going to do with her? Maybe it isn't a factor about love. Maybe he plans on assassinating her."
On the word "assassinating", Michaela froze. Kyle noticed this.
"Are you quite alright?" He asked her, curious.
"Y-yes, I'm fine." Clearly she wasn't.
"Hm...I highly doubt your statement. You're breaking out in cold sweat, Michaela. Is there something you have to tell me?"
Kyle's tone of voice intimidated her, causing her to crack under guilt and pressure. He still doesn't know about the night she tried to assassinate Allen, but nearly killed the Queen instead. And Allen had to dress up as Riliane to retrieve the antidote. In the end, it was all her fault.
"Michaela?"
Before the Prince could get any closer to her, frantic knocking resounded from the door. Then without warning, it flew open. One of the nobles in the Palace flew past the doorway, urgently.
"Prince Kyle! We have a problem. An extremely poisonous species, the "bitis arietans," has been found missing from the reptile research department. Alert the Palace! A venomous snake is loose!"
Kyle was stunned to a silence. Michaela buried her face into her hands.
"Where have I heard that name before...?" He stroked his chin, until it finally dawned upon him. It was the exact same snake that Allen asked the antidote for, on the night of their 'date'. And now it was missing...
"No! How could they watch such a deadly animal so carelessly?! It couldn't have escaped. They can't be that stupid..." It didn't make sense to him, with their high-maintenance and flawless animal department. Last time something escaped was a giraffe that his great-grandfather had to wrestle it down and use five whole shots of anestesia on that thing. Plus, it was his GREAT-grandfather. Which meant this certain event occurred quite a while ago.
The green-haired girl clenched her fists, and yelled out:
"It didn't go missing! It was ME! Allen stole the Canterella you gave me, so I slipped the snake into his room. But it wasn't him, it was Riliane. The snake was killed, and Riliane was bitten. I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was her. I didn't mean to..."
The Verdigris were known for their open honesty, so everything came spilling out of Michaela's mouth. Her voice was shaky with tears. Kyle stared at her, jaw hanging open. He now knew the TRUE reason why Riliane needed the antidote...and why ALLEN had to be the one to get it.
"Michaela...you-"
"-CANTERELLA! THAT DRUG IS ILLEGAL! I SHALL BE REPORTING TO AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY ABOUT THIS CRIME!" The nobleman who stood in the doorway, unwittingly heard everything. Too much.
Swiftly, a soft SHCK was heard as a syringe filled with a sedative was jabbed into the nobleman's back, causing him to suddenly fall unconscious onto the floor. Kyle stood over the body, with the needle in hand. In the dim lighting, he looked like a serial killer. His face, however, was a curious mixture of anger and remorse.
"Michaela, I am very disappointed in you."
The tealette kept her head down, so he couldn't see her crying.
"I'm...sorry..." She whimpered.
"The whole reason for was that Allen didn't die early enough. If you had killed him in the marketplace, this would've NEVER happened! You've unwittingly blurted out the drug's name to this gentleman. Who knows when he'll wake up?"
He walked over to her, placing the needle onto his dresser. His elongating shadow crept over her like a thundercloud. There was a rage she had never seen in his eyes, contrasting against his calm face.
"Worst of all, you've hurt my Riliane. You've wasted the life of a rare species, without granted permission. You didn't even succeed in kissing a boy."
His words hit her one by one, each with increasing impact. However, his voice was steady. As if he was used to suppressing anger all his life.
"Michaela, I'm sorry to say this. But there will be no one to back you up this time. You're banished. And any attempt to return will result in execution. Now, LEAVE."
The Verdigris girl was shattered. Even though she knew it would happen, it didn't fail to hurt her. Mostly because Kyle was angry with her for failing, and she will never see him again. Her reputation, if she had even had one, would drop into the dirt. She will be forever exiled in the Blue Kingdom, and maybe even her own...if Queen Gumillia refuses to take her back.
Her life is ruined.
That second, Kyle realized his mistake too late. As he put his foot forward, she had disappeared.
Michaela's tears were the only thing left behind, as the tealette shamelessly sobbed her way out of the Palace and beyond, sprinting at full speed. She didn't dare linger on Kyle's property, as an outcast. The Blue Kingdom was beautiful in the morning...dawn's light reflecting off of pearly blue tile roads, and in neatly arrayed houses. But she ignored all of this, as she ran into the woodland on the Azure border.
"I'm such a fool!" Michaela wept, collapsing onto the forest floor after hours of blindly running into nowhere. She's been through tougher experiences than this...but right now, Kyle hated her. And that was what pained her the most.
"Why did I have to screw up? Why didn't I think this all through? How could I be so shallow...?"
Finally, all the sprinting and crying had tired her out. Michaela sat curled in the shadowing trees, sulking quietly. All sorts of creatures made noises from all around her. Then, rustling.
"H-hello?" She ventured with a sore throat. However, no response came. Birds flew away. Someone was definitely around. Michaela grabbed a nearby rock, in case she needed to protect herself.
"Miss, do not be afraid." A voice pierced her ears, sharper than the air itself.
But Michaela was afraid. From shadows of the trees, a hooded figure emerged like a flower opening its petals. It was quiet tall, and blended in as a tree trunk perfectly. The mysterious figure removed their hood, revealing a twenty-year old man with long, violet hair and eyes. He wore a black ragged coat that reached his knees, and was holding a cane. From nowhere, he whipped out a black top hat, giving her a smirk as he set it on his head.
She threw the rock.
"Whoa! No need to get violent." The purple haired man dodged the stone easily, brushing himself off. He was inhumanly fast, the way he tore his body away fast enough to avoid a rock in the face. They say everyone had a boiling and a freezing point, and at that point, Michaela was stunned to sub-zero.
"What are you?!" She half-screamed and half-whispered. What she meant was "How are you able to dodge that? What kind of unnatural creature that ascended from hell are you?"
"My name is Gast."
"No, seriously. WHAT are you? You're purple..." Michaela stuttered.
"I know, right? Call me an Amaranthine, if you'd like. But that Colour doesn't exist. Chrome had fun with genetic engineering, so I'm actually a mix of Crimson and Azure. Except, literally."
Michaela had never seen an Amaranthine before. The only other Colour she hasn't seen was a Magentian, who had pink features. But they had been eradicated centuries ago, by a plague. Nobody has seen one ever since. And what was "Chrome"?
"W-what do you want..?" She had no weapon, and was lost alone in a forest. There will be no way for anyone to hear her now. Her legs trembled, almost giving in to collapsing.
"Why, my dear, to help you of course. You see, I work for this top-secret organization entitled 'Chrome'. It's a Xanthine run facility, so you can imagine what we do there. Well, it's not a secret now that I told you."
Michaela didn't answer. However, the man didn't seem THAT dangerous, so she didn't attempt to run.
"But here's to clarify. In Chrome, we have files about everyone in all the Kingdoms. We have spies all around the world, to keep track of all the talented, gifted individuals. And once we locate them, we -ahem- 'recruit' them."
The Verdigris girl became interested. "What do you mean?"
"We take them. We forge death documents to prevent anyone from looking for them, and then reconstruct their faces. Or we have their family and friends hypnotized, so they forget they even existed. Most of all, we brainwash the subjects...so they remember nothing of their past life."
"That's...crazy!" She hollered. "Oh my god I'm getting out of here right now-"
"Not actually. Chrome experiments on them, to see what exactly made them special. Then we take those talents from them, and transfer them to other subjects. These new, improved subjects gain these gifts. Thus, we then use them as agents, spies, and assassins, for the good of the Kingdoms."
"How is that good?!"
"Well, we send our assassins to exterminate the political leaders that cause pain to their inferiors. We have spies keep track of everyone in each Kingdom to watch for terrorists, and others to do various missions that may contribute to the growing of this era."
Michaela was aghast. This was insane! An organization that uses people's abilities to kill and infiltrate? And why did he tell her all this?
"What happens to the ones that you drain the talents from?" She asked.
"That, I cannot reveal."
She tried again. "You kidnap prodigies...possibly children...and then use them for your own good? You did all that?"
"Oh no, not me. Chrome does. I'm actually one of the subjects. I don't remember anything about myself, or what my original Colour was. Just that I was sent here to deliver this information, and offer you a choice. I know who you are, Michaela. There's a record of you, like there is of everyone else."
He strode closer, his cane tapping the the ground lightly. His violet eyes glimmered from whatever chemicals had been injected to turn them that way. The girl tore her eyes away from his, feeling a type of fear and intrigue growing like cracks inside her. With each heavy piece of information to take in, the cracks grew to fit its knowledge.
"Why..." She demanded, a new awareness dawning upon her. "...why are you telling me this? If it's so secret...what do I have to do with it?"
Gast smiled, knowing that question will come. "You have a talent. You are gifted with flawless charisma and beauty. I was there when Allen had fallen under your spell at the marketplace. I also know of your connection to Prince Kyle and Queen Riliane."
"How-?! I never told anyone about that!" She grabbed the truck of a tree, the dewy moss pressing into her back
"Can moss kill people?" She questioned, in case this situation gets heated.
"Oh yeah?" He answered, a smug little grin forming across his visage. One that reminded her of Allen, just as he was about to go in for the kill. "Your family had abandoned you, because they were too poor. Prince Kyle took you in as a maid and assistant, because of your beauty. And long before that, before she was too old to know of evil...you and Riliane were best frien-"
"Okay, OKAY! You win..." She covered her face, trying to prevent a fresh set of tears from spilling over her eyes. "J-just take what you want and leave me alone!"
Gast's voice became gentle, as he sensed her sadness.
"I want you to join Chrome, as a volunteer. You will be part of us, an agent at most, because you are so underestimated. There's a part of you, Michaela, that is special. However, I want you to keep it for yourself. You can build up your talent at Chrome, and there will be others to understand you. And hear this...if you join, you can show others just how powerful you are. Like Riliane, Allen, and Kyle. And get revenge on them."
Choking on her words, Michaela whispered. "Revenge?"
The Amaranthine nodded. "You see, Riliane was supposed to be assassinated long ago. But the person we sent to do it is apparently...distracted. So we're missing an agent, and a good one at that. That's why we need someone to kill her as soon as possible, before she marries the Prince. Evil fused with brilliance...you can only imagine the chaos that might create."
Michaela gulped.
"Here's the deal. Chrome will take care of you, as long as you remain loyal. If you need something forged, let us know. Since you are volunteering, you won't be experimented on. You will feel no pain, I promise. And you will keep your memories. What do you think?"
She had nothing to lose. But there was so much risk in taking that offer. Clearly, it's evil...it's XANTHINE run, for heaven's sakes. And revenge was something Michaela wasn't familiar with.
She had her mind made up. "No. I can't, I'm sorry."
The expression on Gast's face never changed. He just bowed, tipping his hat to cover his eyes. He started walking away, although through the light gleaming down enigmatically through the tree-tops, he could've been floating.
"Very well, then."
But as Michaela watched him go, she remembered everything about her life. Everything Gast had said was true: She was lonely, poor, and misunderstood. Men treated her like a toy, and nobody saw how fragile she was on the inside. She hated Riliane for stealing Kyle's heart, and their past. She hated Allen for causing all this trouble, and for being forced to love him. Her love for Kyle has faded...he thought she was stupid, and that his intelligence was superior. He forced her to go on the stupid mission to kill Allen, with the Canterella. Most of all, he banished her...just like that, after years of loyalty for him.
She realized, with a sudden change in heart, how much pain these people had caused her. And how much she hated them.
"Wait!" She called out.
The Chrome agent stopped, smiling.
And so Michaela gets a more complex role in the story. Not what might you have expected in the original SOE, right? XD Thanks again for all the reviews! :D
The Amaranthines: A man-made race from Chrome. So far, Gast (Gakupo) is the only known person of this Colour