In a world made up of faint blue energy, life stood out like a beacon. He was in that world, but he also wasn't, just an observer who wandered unnoticed around things and beings alike, passing walls and obstacles like a ghost.
Yugo knew it was just a different way to see his own world, but still it felt like he was somewhere else entirely.
"You're getting there?" Adamaï's voice asked from afar. Yugo knew his brother was right in front of him, but his voice felt like a whisper in the distance. Yugo nodded for all answer. He felt in control, confident.
Part of the exercise required him to feel like he was missing someone. That was easy, because he actually did miss someone.
Amalia.
They lived in the same place, yet between the Princess' duties and Yugo's training they barely talked in days. The young Eliatrope had been wanting to spend some time with her, and that exercise was a perfect occasion to let her know.
As Yugo concentrated on that feeling of loss he hated, Amalia appeared brighter than anything else in the middle of hundreds of other presences in the palace. Yugo moved closer quickly.
And his breath caught abruptly as he felt like he was falling, away from his body, into the blue void.
"Adamaï!" Yugo yelled in panic, his own voice nearly drowned in the distance. He felt strong little arms grab his chest and hold him firmly.
"I'm here," the Dragon said gently. "Don't freak out. Feel my arms on your body, feel the grass you're sitting on, feel the breeze on your skin. You're here with me bro. You're not getting lost. Not on my watch."
It was the real danger of this particular training. Yugo was trying to project his conscience and 'see' things at a great distance from where he actually was. They were deep into the Sadida forest, miles away from the palace. And letting his mind wander that far away from his body was a good way to get lost. If he didn't keep part of his attention to where his body really was, his mind would never find its way back.
As Yugo concentrated on the sensations from the real world, the disorientating feeling subsided. He let his breathing slow down and found his calm centre again.
"You're good?" Adamaï asked, and his voice felt much closer than before.
"Yeah, thank you."
"No worries. Take it nice and easy, don't rush it. If you think the palace is too far and you can't do it, we'll just move closer and try again."
"I can do it", Yugo answered firmly.
The little Dragon sighed. "Look, there's nothing to win here. That's a pretty stupid way to die if you ask me. Make sure it doesn't happen, or I'll make you regret it somehow."
Yugo cracked a smile at this. Adamaï let go of him, but Yugo knew his brother wouldn't be more than a few inches away if something went wrong. The young Eliatrope started propelling his mind towards the palace again, towards the bright blue dot that had to be Amalia, carefully, making sure he kept the link with his body.
This time he managed it perfectly. His mind was now in the room with Amalia. He could see her sitting at a desk covered with papers, obviously doing boring Princess work. Gathering all his concentration and might while also making sure he didn't let go of his body, Yugo commanded a small portal to open right next to Amalia.
To his own surprise, it succeeded.
"It works! Quick, give me the flower bro."
"That's really cheesy you know."
"Ad! Just do it," Yugo insisted, extending his hand. He felt Adamaï put the flower into his palm, the one Yugo had carefully chosen before they got started, large and colourful just the way Amalia liked them.
Yugo quickly reached through to pin the flower into Amalia's hair. She looked around just as the portal closed. Yugo grinned gleefully as the young Sadida grabbed the flower and stared at it, obviously clueless as to where it came from. He couldn't see the details of her face, but he imagined the confusion he just caused.
"Cool! That worked out perfectly," Yugo said gleefully.
"You got to be kidding me," Adamaï said with exasperation. "On the first try, really? I don't know, you could pretend you're struggling a bit, so I don't feel that lame."
Yugo chuckled at this. "That's Eliatrope stuff bro. Ask me to breathe out fire if you want to see me struggle."
"Fair enough. Now you just have to come back―"
"No, let me do something else."
"That's not a good idea Yugo," Adamaï warned. "You're pushing yourself too far again."
Yugo shushed at his brother. He felt he knew perfectly well what he was doing, and Adamaï was being a killjoy again. With his mind still with Amalia, the young Eliatrope opened a new portal, this time aiming for the door, and knocked. Again he managed to disappear before Amalia could notice anything.
As she got up and went to open the door, Yugo summoned another portal over the desk, trying to grab a pencil and write a few words before the girl could spot him. That was especially strange to see his own hand appear into the room. He couldn't see exactly what he was writing so he hoped it would be somewhat readable. 'If you can, see you at dinner―'
Yugo's blood froze as he felt something strong and snake-like grab his wrist beyond the portal. Adamaï must have felt his sudden surprise as Yugo didn't even have time to yelp before his brother clang onto him. Next thing he knew, they were both abruptly dragged through the portal.
Yugo had a momentarily lapse of reason as he tried to adjust to the way he could see himself without actually being himself. More of those cold, snake-like things grabbed him, holding him off the ground. The slightly painful way they constricted his body made it easier for him to get back to his senses.
He opened his eyes to face Amalia, who was upside-down ―no, he was upside down― and he realised the things holding him were Amalia's magical vines. He glanced sideways to see Adamaï trapped in the same way.
"Err..." Yugo started awkwardly.
"Ha! I knew it was you two," Amalia said triumphantly. "Nobody else designs pranks that are so elaborate yet stupid at the same time. Anyway, you're charged with interference in the Princess' royal duties. What do you have to say for your defence?"
"I told him it was a stupid idea?" Adamaï proposed.
"That's not going to work, you're accomplices by default," Amalia observed. Yugo knew very well how she liked to make the most out of any situation where she had the upper hand, so he just stared flatly at her, having no choice but to hang and sway helplessly like a ripe fruit until she decided to release them.
"So?" Amalia insisted.
Yugo sighed with exasperation. She couldn't just let go, couldn't she? "I wanted to invite you for dinner tonight, but I'm changing my mind now," he retorted flatly.
"Oh come on. You wanted to make fun of me, and it backfired. Just admit it, and I might consider sparing you the galleys."
"This was actually part of a very important training," Yugo insisted.
"Technically, no," Adamaï cut in. "It was just about you not knowing when to stop again."
Yugo glared silently at his brother, then back at Amalia, who was still smirking at them. "Are you going to let us hang like that until we dry?"
"Oh, that's right."
Without warning, the magical jungle plants disappeared and released the twins, letting them crash loudly onto the ground. As Yugo got back on his feet and wiped the dust off his clothes, Amalia was already holding the door open for them.
"That's a yes by the way. For dinner tonight."
"I told you, I've changed my mind."
"Don't make me regret I didn't strangle you," Amalia jeered as she pushed them out and closed the door behind them.
From the years he had spent alone on the streets as a child, Lucien had come to know everything about Brakmar. Every dark passageway, every secluded corner, every derelict project of grand architecture that met a premature end had provided him with places he could sleep in, away from the all the bad encounters he could have made, somewhat soothing his fear of never waking up.
He didn't have use for that knowledge in years, but it came in handy now he needed a place to discuss plans for worldwide chaos, away from every prying eyes and eavesdroppers around. The Guild would have been a terrible place for that. Sure he had privacy in his own quarters, but that was definitely not secure enough.
As he tried to squeeze his way through the crumbling walls of an abandoned building site, he remembered he was much smaller the last time he had come here. But after treading carefully through the ruins for a while, he managed to reach the place he was looking for.
Lucien stood on a little secluded terrace overlooking the city and the large lava lake below. He was pretty sure no one had come here in decades beside himself. He took the furry Shushu-cloak off his shoulders and put it down on a flat rock, then he sat on the opposite side of the terrace. They hadn't exchanged a single word since they had left the shop. The Shushu was looking at him with his single eye, calm and confident. It felt like he had all the time in the world, and no doubt that Lucien was going to make up his own mind.
"May I say something?" Akula suddenly interjected to break the silence, startling both Lucien and the Shushu-cloak.
"Um, sure," Lucien mumbled warily. He entirely expected Akula to start another rant.
"It's not too late Lucien. Just throw that foul thing into the lava below and let's get back to our regular routine of killing stuff all day long."
The cloak emitted a growling, beast-like laugh. "Looks like you haven't changed Akula. Still so snide and ungrateful."
"On the other hand, you've changed a lot my dear Anathar," Akula retorted. "Last time you where a bit less... cloaky. And defenceless. Sorry to destroy your illusions, but I'm not going to let my Lulu fall into your dirty tricks, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Hold on," Lucien cut in before the Shushu-cloak had the chance to snarl back. "You know each other already?"
"Yes," the cloak said. "Ages ago, when humans first managed to create a portal to the Shukrute, that little pest here found it smart to sneak through and have some fun on her own in the humans' world, instead of fighting for her people."
"You were never my people," Akula snapped. "You're only a bunch of retards, who can't understand that the only thing you'll gain after you destroy everything is the privilege to bore yourselves to death for the eternity. Except you can't actually die, which makes it only worse."
"The plan was never to destroy everything, only to enslave all humans and make them venerate King Rushu so he becomes the one true god. But I don't expect someone who has so little sense of honour and duty to understand that. You're only an egoistical, whiny little bi―"
"Okay, we got the message," Lucien interrupted. "You hate each other, all right. But Akula's correct. If I'm not happy with what you have to say, all I have to do is ditch you into the river below and see how fireproof you are."
"Because you think I'd let you do that without possessing you immediately?" Anathar growled menacingly.
"I could lift you with a stick or something," Lucien observed. "I guess you can't possess a stick right?"
The cloak stayed silent, frowning at Lucien in a somewhat offended way. The Sram assumed it was because he was technically right, and the Shushu was proud enough that he couldn't cope with the idea of such a shameful demise.
"Anyway," Lucien continued, "you didn't tell me exactly what you were offering me."
"A nudge into the right direction."
"... Care to elaborate?" Lucien asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I saw your memories of the meeting you had with your Master earlier today," Anathar explained. "The world is already on the brink of war. All you need is a catalysing event."
"For example, an attack we could blame on the Eliatropes."
"Exactly."
"I've been thinking about that," Lucien admitted. "But I can't do it on my own, this plan is just too ambitious. To do it properly and take care of all the loose ends, you'll need several agents, spies, assassins, everything. I'm not sure I can convince anyone to follow that kind of plan, and even if I do, the Master will hear about it and skin me alive for treason."
"That's where you need me. I'll do the convincing."
"Well... let's admit you can do that. You can only possess one person at a time right? Even if it's two of us, there's not much we can do, especially when the rest of the Guild is still there to stop us."
"Unless I take control of the one person everyone answers to. Yes, I can possess your Master the same way I've possessed you, and no one will ever notice anything. No one will ever know I'm in charge in his place."
Lucien raised an eyebrow. At first he intended to say it was impossible, but if all he needed to do was to put Anathar in contact with the Master, in fact it would be quite easy. Then he remembered what it had felt to be possessed by the Shushu for even a few moments.
"No way," he said adamantly. "I owe him my life. I can't let you do that to him."
"He'll be dead in a few weeks anyway," Anathar retorted dismissively. "Are you ready to forsake the meaning of your life over some stupid point of honour?"
The Sram didn't answer. That proposition put two of his strongest motives in direct conflict with each other, and he couldn't decide.
"Can't you make it... less terrible?" he asked hopefully.
Anathar chuckled viciously. "I'm not obliged to make him relive his own shitty childhood, if that's what you mean. But I can't make the possession a pleasant experience. It's not like I wouldn't want to be nice. If people were consenting to it, it would be painless. But it's when people they to resist that it becomes rather... displeasing. And they all do."
Lucien's jaw set. Of course the Master would try to resist, he was a stubborn man. On the other hand, they didn't have much time to act before either the Kingdoms found a peaceful solution to their diplomatic issues by themselves, or the Guild forced them to do so. And if the Master died too quickly, Lucien had good chances to be kicked out of the Guild, or worse, and he would be unable to approach the new one.
If they planned to do anything, they had no other choice than to do it very quickly.
"Anyway, what's in for you?" Lucien asked to switch subjects. "Why would you want to help me? Because unless you've misunderstood my intentions, it's not about enslaving everyone and forcing them to pray Rushu. Quite the opposite actually."
Anathar's gaze turned into a vicious stare, and if Lucien ever saw a way to express pure hatred with a single eye, that was it.
"Vengeance. That's what I want. The Eliatropes have betrayed my people, betrayed my Master, and betrayed me. Their little schemes are the reason why I ended up buried into a cave, forced to summon my prison-object just to survive."
"That's pretty humiliating, especially for a Shushu," Akula explained casually.
"Exactly. I'll give you a war, if you give me my revenge in return. What's left of the Eliatropes' people are waiting to be rescued in some extra-dimensional sanctuary, out of reach. But there's a few of them in the world already. Just bring me a living Eliatrope, and I'll use him to destroy his own people, right where they're hiding. That would be a fitting vengeance. And as far as I'm concerned, that would make for an acceptable deal."
"Not for me," Akula sneered. "I've still my word to say about this, and you didn't exactly plead your case when you called me a whiny bi―"
"Time out guys," Lucien interrupted again. He sighed, feeling suddenly tired. The responsibility resting on his shoulders had become that much heavier, as he now had to decide if his own Master and an entire people of innocent children were acceptable sacrifices for his cause, on top of the war casualties he had already considered.
"From what I've heard, Eliatropes are rather tough," Lucien observed.
"I've never said it would be easy," Anathar retorted. "What you're asking me is difficult too. Being only a mere human, if you engage an Eliatrope in direct combat, I'd say you're toast. But you're a Sram. Isn't the whole point of your kind to kill without actually fighting?"
"You want him alive."
"Fair point, but you can still use stealth and cunning instead of brute force. Anyway, that's your problem. Deliver an Eliatrope, and I'll deliver a war."
Lucien nodded slowly. "I'll need more time to think it over," he concluded. "I'll give you an answer after I've talked with Akula. Privately."
"I'll be waiting," the Shushu-cloak said casually. "Not like I can do much more in the meantime."
"You could learn to be nice," Akula proposed.
"You could learn to shut up," Anathar retorted.
Lucien sighed tiredly. "You could both learn to get along," he concluded. "Because if that deal works out, we're going to spend a lot of time together."
Yugo sighed sadly, for the tenth time over an hour, as he waited alone on a couch in the comfortable lounge adjacent to their quarters at the Sadida palace. Without surprise, but much to the boy's disappointment, Amalia had been too busy to turn up for dinner. Instead she sent a messenger to tell Yugo to wait if he could. A good thing Tristepin, Evangelyne and Ruel had been there to cheer him up.
Adamaï was already off to bed, and Az had passed out, neatly snuggled in the crook of the boy's arm. But despite the exhausting day he had gone through, Yugo was determined to try his best to keep his eyes open, for the promise of a moment to spend with Amalia, the only one in weeks.
To kill time, Yugo had fetched Grufon. He asked the Shushu-map to show him random places around the planet. At first the boy thought they had already seen a lot during their adventures, but then he was amazed to realise how much of the world was left to explore. Grufon randomly picked a bit of everything, from barren landscapes to lush jungles and icy mountains. A lot of those places were uninhabited, making Yugo wonder if one of them could be the future homeland of his own people.
The place Phaeris had left to seek on his own, the boy thought bitterly.
"The land of Desimorpe," Grufon announced flatly, as a huge expanse of verdant meadows appeared on the map.
"Looks rather nice," Yugo said brightly. "How many people live there?"
"If by 'people' you mean 'humans', none."
"How come it already has a name then?"
"How would I know?" Grufon grumbled. "I'm not a possessed history book."
Yugo chuckled as he stroked the map's soft tassels absent-mindedly.
"Don't do that," Grufon snapped abruptly.
"What?"
"That. With your fingers. Don't do it."
"Why not?" Yugo asked with a raised eyebrow, confused by the Shushu's heated reaction. "I like it. Not my fault if you have those fluffy things. Does it hurt?"
"No, it feels nice, and I don't want you to make me feel nice."
"But what if I do want you to feel nice?"
"Why... Why would you want to do such a thing?" Grufon asked, and Yugo could perfectly see just how afraid the Shushu was.
"Cause I like you," the boy answered playfully with a large grin.
"NO!" Grufon yelled in horror, starling Az. Yugo petted the soft feathers ball who dozed off quickly.
"You can't say things like that, kiddo!" Grufon went on, terrified. "I'm always doing everything I can so you don't get anywhere, end up into traps, risk your life even. How can you still like me after that?"
"Whatever you say, without you we would never have found Oma," Yugo insisted kindly. "I wouldn't have met Adamaï, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. What's the big deal anyway? Does it mean you fail as a Shushu if I like you?"
"Of course it does! I'm supposed to torment you every way I can, and you're supposed to hate me in return!"
"All those nasty things you do, that's in your nature," Yugo explained patiently. "I do portals because I'm an Eliatrope, you betray us ten times a day because you're a Shushu. I can't hate you just because of what you are, especially after everything you did for us. But just out of curiosity... if I say I love you, is it worse?"
Grufon stared at the boy with wide open, terrified eyes. "You―You wouldn't dare!" he squawked pitifully. Then when he saw the mischievous grin on Yugo's face, he suddenly curled up into a tight roll and didn't move.
Yugo chuckled as he edged closer to the Shushu. "I love you Grufon," he whispered softly.
"No! Leave me alone!" came a muffled scream from inside the map.
At that moment Yugo's vision went dark. Two soft hands came over his eyes from behind him, then someone kissed the top of his hat.
"You shouldn't torment the poor thing like that," Amalia chastised him.
"I wouldn't do that if I wasn't bored to death waiting for someone who's a few hours late," Yugo retorted with a smirk. He grabbed Amalia's wrists and turned to see her. She wore her usual princess attire, and he noticed how tired she looked with those dark shadows under her eyes.
"Believe me when I say I'd rather spend that time with you," the Princess said with a sigh. "The sun is setting soon, you want to go see it with me?"
"That would be cool," Yugo answered with a broad grin.
He put a still sleeping Az between the plump cushions to make sure the little Tofu felt cosy enough. Then they made their way to the balcony, discussing their respective reasons for being busy most of the time. Yugo realised how much he had missed his friend as he felt joyful and started grinning sheepishly just because of a little chitchat.
After they had both explained at length what their daily routine was like, the conversation died out. They stood with their hands on the wooden railing, enjoying the view as the last few sun rays of the day warmed their faces.
"You miss our adventures?" Yugo asked softly.
"Of course I do," Amalia answered with nostalgia, smiling back at him. "That was great not knowing what tomorrow would be made of. But we don't have a new adventure waiting for us now. Of course I could find any pretext to turn my back to my duties and my people, but it's not something I could do without feeling guilty."
Her words hit Yugo unexpectedly hard. After all, wasn't it exactly what he was doing? Wasn't he using a mere nightmare as a pretext to disregard his own royal duties for as long as he possibly could? Amalia must have noticed his worried look as she moved closer and put an arm around his shoulders.
"Don't worry about that Yugo," she said softly. "You have years before your people can come back. There's no need to stress over it right now."
Yugo nodded and tried his best to smile. She didn't understand, as she didn't know he was actually King of the Eliatropes, but he couldn't explain either.
"I know about that nightmare you had," Amalia continued, and Yugo met her gaze with surprise. "I know it's the reason why you don't want to leave." He stared at her silently, not knowing what to say.
"Dad told me," she explained. "I think he's right when he says it's just a nightmare and there's nothing to fear."
"So you think I'm crazy because I believe there's more to it?" Yugo asked with bitterness in his voice.
"No, of course not," Amalia said softly. "What happened at the Crimson Claws has taken its toll on you, that's all. It'll get better."
They had never talked much about it, especially not the part where Qilby had wiped the floor with him. With the way Amalia always seemed to overly care about him, Yugo doubted that she really wanted to know just how bad it had been.
"But what if it's not just a dream?" he insisted.
Amalia sighed with her gaze on the horizon. "Then we'll deal the best we can with whatever terrible things fate sends our way again. But honestly, we can't be threatened of extinction all the time. It already happened twice over the last year, but that was exceptional, obviously. If the world found itself on the verge of collapse every few months or so, we'd be long gone."
Yugo could only agree, knowing perfectly well how close they had been of a final and complete disaster. And he felt terrible about both occasions. The first because he nearly killed Nox which would have sealed the fate of the whole Sadida people ―and Yugo had never told anyone about it, another dark secret of his― and then the last time... "Last time had something to do with us. With my people, and me. I kinda... made it happen."
Amalia shook her head at him firmly. "You can't blame yourself for that. No one does, especially not the Sadida. We know who saved us."
"Some of the people who attended the council seemed to think otherwise," he replied bitterly.
"You still have a lot to understand about politics Yugo. It's not only about you and the Eliatropes, it's more like an excuse to have some leverage and influence. Some people are using these events to weaken my father's authority, and it could be any other pretext for that matter. Don't think too much about it. If my father says it's okay, that means it's okay."
Yugo nodded silently as he found nothing relevant to add. Before them, the sun was slowly diving below the horizon, gradually shifting to a glorious red glow. They stared at it in silence for a long while.
"That's beautiful," Yugo whispered.
"Hmm. Days are getting shorter though. What is autumn like at Emelka?"
"A lot of rain, with a high chance of rain," Yugo said with a smirk. "Then in the winter it all turns into snow. I hate the cold."
"It's much better here, just a bit colder than usual, but I've never seen a single snowflake. Are you going to stay? What have you planned for the next months?"
"I... I don't know yet. Dad will have to move back to Emelka soon, he can't leave the inn unattended for that long."
"You know my father is delighted to welcome you here, as long as Alibert keeps bringing him those piles of unhealthy food."
Yugo laughed heartily at that. King Sheran Sharm sure was a good client for Alibert's cooking. "I know, but Dad won't like doing nothing for too long. He likes to deserve what he earns, you see."
"So you're moving back with him?"
The boy kept his stare on the horizon, his expression darkening again as the true reason of his extended stay crept back into his mind. The expanse of lush vegetation under the glorious sunset was so beautiful, he found it difficult to believe it could be destroyed one day. Yet Nox had almost managed to do so...
Amalia was looking at him closely, and he avoided her gaze. She sighed. "Your nightmare again, right?"
Yugo nodded with his jaw set.
"You really shouldn't worry about it that much, it's unhealthy for you. Even if you move back to Emelka with your Dad, I'm sure we can use something like those magical Tofu feathers to keep in touch. And if anything happens, you'll know."
"The worst part will be to miss you," Yugo said softly. "And all my friends, and not knowing when we'll see each other again."
Amalia gave him a warm, sympathetic smile as she moved closer to kiss him on the cheek.
"Wouldn't you say that we are... more than friends?" she asked somewhat playfully.
Yugo thought he knew Amalia pretty well, but for once he found it impossible to decipher the look on her face. It didn't look like she was making fun of him, but she wasn't entirely serious either.
"I... What do you mean?" Yugo asked confusedly.
"Well, with all the time we spend together already... and we care about each other, right?"
"Er, yeah?" the boy said slowly, trying to catch up. It felt like he had missed an important episode.
"So?" She asked with that sly smile again, eliciting nothing but a blank stare from Yugo.
Then it struck him. "Of course!" he exclaimed with a large grin. "Yeah, I feel the same towards you. You mean we're best friends, right?"
The disappointed look on Amalia's face took him aback.
"Right?" he insisted hopefully.
"Yeah yeah, we're the best friends in the world," Amalia said dismissively. "It's getting late, and we both need to rest. Good night Yugo."
She turned her back on him and headed back inside, leaving the boy frozen on the spot as he tried to understand what the hell had just happened. He replayed the conversation in his mind, trying to understand what he could have missed, what was that stupid thing he said that had obviously hurt Amalia, but he couldn't come up with anything.
She wasn't happy that they were best friends? It didn't make any sense.
At that moment Ruel emerged from the palace and stepped forward on the balcony, stirring Yugo out of his reverie.
"You're still up that late, lad? Your father wouldn't like it," he said joyfully. "I just crossed Amalia, she seemed upset. More than usual I mean."
"I was just... chatting with her, a moment ago," Yugo answered awkwardly.
"Oh. I hope I'm not disturbing anything," the old man said with a wink and a knowing smirk. Again Yugo found himself staring sheepishly at him. Why did they all seem to know something he didn't all of a sudden?
Then Yugo remembered Ruel telling about how knowledgeable he was on the topic of women, so maybe he'd have some useful advice on the subject.
"Ruel, can I ask you something?"
"As long as it's not expensive, anything you want Yugo."
The boy quickly recounted how the conversation went, and Ruel listened with attention. "Apparently she's upset because I told her we're best friends," Yugo concluded.
At first Ruel stared at him silently. Then he burst out laughing. It took a long moment until Ruel managed to breathe again, wiping tears out of his eyes, while Yugo glared at him with his arms crossed.
"When you're done making fun of me, maybe you can help me understand what's going on," the Eliatrope said flatly.
"Sorry Yugo, but you're so naïve sometimes, it's hard to keep a straight face. Anyway, what Amalia meant when she said you're 'more than friends', is that she wants you two to be... together. You see?"
Yugo didn't see. "But... We're already together. I mean, not these days, but otherwise we spend most of our time together."
Ruel shook his head. "No no, I mean she wants you to go out together."
"Go out together? On an adventure? You can't be right, she just told me she preferred to take care of her Princess duties for the time being."
Ruel sighed with exasperation. "Damn you're really hopeless lad. She wants to be your girlfriend. There, you get it?"
This time Yugo got it all right for sure. He didn't think he could actually blush that hard. It felt like his cheeks were on fire.
"And if you ask me," Ruel continued, "you're the last one around who wasn't already aware of it, including her Dad and your Dad, and even Pinpin who never understands anything usually. This time you're the biggest Iop around. That's quite something. But if you want my advice, you shouldn't change anything, 'cause I'm sure Amalia likes the way you act natural around her. Even if it's because you never understood a damn of what was going on in her head."
And now he understood, Yugo wasn't sure he could meet Amalia's gaze without turning tomato red, let alone speak to her without stuttering.
"So... what do I do now?" he asked confusedly.
"Now you go to bed, cause it's much too late for you already. But whatever you do, if it gets more serious between you two, don't be like Pinpin, you see. Think it through properly, with your brain, and not... other parts of yourself."
"Err... What are you talking about?"
"Serious business, you know?" Ruel said while doing strange gestures with his hands that didn't evoke anything tangible to Yugo. When he noticed the boy's blank expression, Ruel slapped his palm against his face and whined like he had just witnessed the most deplorable thing in his whole life.
"By Enutrof, I'm not going to have this particular conversation with you Yugo. If you want to know what it's all about, ask your father," Ruel concluded hurriedly as he turned his back on the confused Eliatrope and moved back inside.
"But... Ruel, wait!"
"Good night!"
And Ruel was gone, leaving Yugo even more bewildered than he was to begin with. But at least two things were clear in his mind. First, girls were the most complicated thing in the world. And second, if Amalia got any closer than he deemed reasonable, he'd have his portals at the ready.
Anathar was now tucked away safely into the dresser of Lucien's quarters. With Akula they looked for a better place to discuss, away from the Guild and all the people who could overhear their little conspiracy.
They settled for a little tavern that was crowed and noisy enough to cover their discussion. And moreover, Lucien needed a drink. As he made his way through the crowd, the Sram mused on the fact that none of the patrons had the slightest idea of what was coming to them. They'd find out soon enough. Lucien had always felt like a stranger everywhere he went, but that impression had just become stronger than ever.
"He's using you," Akula started the second they were safely settled at the most isolated table they could find.
"I know," Lucien said tiredly.
"No no, you don't know," she insisted. "You don't know Anathar as well as I do. There's no win-win arrangement with him. He wins, and you lose."
"I know," Lucien repeated.
"Then if you know, why did you accept?"
Lucien took a sip of his ale. It was tepid and tasted terrible.
"That's only words and promises," he said. "As long as we don't act. In his cloak, and without his Eliatrope, he can't do anything. And in case you didn't notice, I'm using him too, for my own purposes."
Akula squinted her single eye, like a one-eyed bow meow ready to pounce. "That's a dangerous game. Outsmarting Anathar isn't a small feat."
"We have our two superior minds working against his, right?" Lucien said lightly to try and cheer up Akula. "Anyway, it's worth the risk. I need your help to understand a few things though. For example, Anathar is supposed to be cunning and powerful by Shushu standards. Just how well can we trust him to be controlled solely by vengeance?"
Akula paused thoughtfully. "That's a good point. You can trust most Shushus to carry grudges if nothing else, but Anathar... his mind is full of knots Lucien, and only some of them are nooses."
"Then what else? If it's not for vengeance, then why is he so keen to lay his hands on a living Eliatrope? Do you have any idea?"
Akula was silent for a moment, her lone eye frowning in concentration, as she thought about it. Then she lit up with understanding. "Oh, I know! Anathar can absorb the magical abilities of any living being upon contact. That's why he needs an Eliatrope. He has plans that require Eliatrope powers."
"You mean if he touches me, he can turn invisible and summon illusions?"
"Exactly."
"And... what kind of powers do the Eliatropes have?"
"Not a clue."
"Great," Lucien said with a sigh. "Anyway, that's a good lead. We just need to learn what an Eliatrope can do, and more precisely what Anathar could do with one, before we deliver anything. And also we need to figure out what to do if we discover it would mean the end of the world or something."
"You're not afraid Anathar will find out?" Akula asked worriedly. "Like, what if he tries to read your mind again? There's no way you could hide anything from him, you know."
"I know, but I don't think he will," Lucien retorted with the most confident smile he could muster. "He can't possess two persons at once right? Then he can only do it just before I bring him to the Master, and if he does that, he knows he gets no Master and no Eliatrope in the end. He has no choice but to trust me."
"You're assuming a lot here," Akula observed. "But let's say you're right, that doesn't change anything. He could find out for any other reason. In the event where Anathar, now Master of the Guild, discovers you want to double cross him, do you realise there will be nowhere in the world to hide?"
She suddenly paused for a second, frowning thoughtfully. "Wait wait, there's something wrong here. If you're allowing Anathar to become the Master, then why doesn't he send anyone else to do your job of Eliatrope hunting? He might as well kill you immediately, since you know what's up. And me, well..." Lucien felt Akula shuddering in fear on his wrist, something that he couldn't remember had ever happened before. "Let's just say he'll have a worse fate in mind for me," she concluded quickly.
Lucien shook his head dismissively as he cautiously surveyed the room over his pint of ale. "I've already figured this one out, don't worry. Not that I like it... Remember what we learnt from the Master this morning? About the Eliatropes?"
"They're ancient, powerful, mysterious, and supposed to be extinct," Akula recited. "What else?"
"They're only children, all of them. From the memories he took, Anathar knows everything I know about the Guild. I guess he realised he can't send anyone true to the Guild after children without arousing suspicions. That's why he needs an outsider. That's why he needs me..."
"Oh wow," Akula exclaimed, staring at him with her eye wide open. "You'd be ready to have some kid's blood on your hands to make your dream come true?"
Lucien chuckled awkwardly. "That's what I'm trying to decide right now."
Akula was spot on. It was the only one thing he really felt insecure about with that wacky plan. Lucien had thought the cheap ale would help, but it didn't.
"Oh wow indeed," the Shushu continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting soft or anything, and after we've killed pretty much anything else available at least once, murdering a child is the kind of new experience I'd welcome. But we're talking about delivering the kid to Anathar, which would be a lot, lot worse than just killing him. I mean, you've had a sneak peek at what possession feels like for the victim."
Lucien shuddered at the memory, the unbearable pain and the way he wished he could just die instead. "You sure aren't making it any easier."
"I'm trying to make sure you don't regret it Lucien. Maybe that's stupid but I kinda liked the little quiet life we had together. Now you're willing to sacrifice everything for plans that may end up in disaster. I understand you're unhappy about the way the world is and all, but... do you really think it's worth it?"
Lucien took his time thinking it over as he looked at the people around him, drinking and laughing noisily, unaware of how little they mattered into the grand scheme they were trapped in.
Sure he could still turn back. He could throw Anathar away and get back to his quiet life, and no one would ever know. But at the same time, he'd have to cope with the idea that he turned away the one chance he had of making a true difference, of achieving what he always wanted, of making the sacrifice of his mother worth something.
The Guild wanted justice, but the only thing they did was making sure the biggest injustice went on. Lucien could bring a better justice to everyone. It was within his reach.
And as he felt uncomfortable again thinking about the price of it, the words of his Master came back to his mind. If you can kill one child to save a thousand and you don't do it, you're killing one thousand children. It was going to be really unfair to the poor Eliatrope kid who would cross his way, but at the same time, countless other children went through all kinds of terrible ordeals just like he had.
He had to do it, if only for them.
"Yes," he concluded firmly. "It's all worth it for me. So, to sum up. We bring Anathar to the Master, he does whatever it takes to make allies and enemies of the Eliatropes fight each other, we honour our part of the bargain by delivering the Eliatrope he wants, unless we find out it's too dangerous for whatever reason. The war goes on for a while, then hopefully without any armies left to keep order, people will understand they don't need their corrupted 'elites' any more and take full control of their own lives. Sounds good to me, but I can't do anything without you. Are you with me?"
Akula stared at him intently before speaking. "If that's really what you want, then I'm with you through and through. I may be a snide Shushu, but I won't let you down just when you need me the most."
Lucien smiled back at her fondly. "Perfect then," he said, rising from his seat. "Let's get it all started."
A/N
And that's it ! All the setting is set, all the foreshadowing is foreshadowed, all the original characters are originally characterized. Time for action now !
I'm dearly sorry to all the people who'd like to see a proper Amalia/Yugo shipping, but making them the second couple in the story doesn't work for me, at least according to what is in the show. I find it much more amusing to do that kind of asymmetric awkward relation rather than jump straight to the smooch smooching – something that never happened and was never hinted at in the show.
As for the original characters, I hope they work for you all. Giving the villain a plausible motive for his terrible deeds, out of his own suffering and his will to actually make things better, that's not easy. I have a great respect for those writers who were able to make Nox and Qilby that kind of awfully evil yet likeable characters. Lucien isn't half as good, but I'm trying !
Thanks again for the comments/reviews/messages and stuff, they always mean a lot.