Caiellis felt exceedingly stuffed, and he was sure that his Nanna had made enough of the tasty and homely meal to satiate them if Uncle Tristram, Tybalt and Alexander had been here also. It was the most he had eaten in a long while, though he could picture his older brother scoffing at that and his weak appetite. He wished that he could just stay here forever, away from the pressure of being an heir to the throne and his father – the only thing that could possibly make this better would be if those aforementioned could be here as well. Cai graciously declined one of the proffered buns that his grandmother wafted in his direction, feeling a bit sick at the prospect of further nourishment but not willing to show it and seem ungrateful.
"Oh come on, Caiellis, I baked them specifically for you – honey liquorice is still your favourite, right?" Rosa inquired, and Cai nodded and weakly held his hands up. "Look, you're thin as a stick anyway, so what does it matter that you eat one?"
"Please Nanna, they look delicious, but … I'm full," he mumbled, feeling guilty about not taking one since she seemed insistent on it, and not wanting Rosa to think they were by any means low quality – the cakes were quite the opposite, but he didn't want to be sick or throw up when tomorrow was such an important day. Percival snorted and patted him loving on the back, sat on the comfortable sofa next to his slender grandson, "I swear, if you had been your older brother then you would have eaten all of what Rosa made and these cakes!"
"My brother does have a … monstrous appetite," Cai smiled and said softly, when a sudden though clicked in his head. Speaking of Alexander, he thought, glancing quickly at his watch and inwardly cursing when he saw that an hour had passed since he had arrived in Scientia Mos, and that he had promised to contact his big brother the second he was settled in his grandparents' house. He had forgotten about his agreement after his emotional meltdown, but now that he was fine and had been for a while there was no excuse for not calling the older boy, who could be worried sick not being able to ensure that his little brother was safe.
As his Nanna walked into the kitchen, ready to start her washing up that Cai usually helped her with, the boy pulled out the mana communicator that he had turned off just before the ambush in case someone decided it would be a good time to ring him and compromise the entire plan. The holographic mana panel casually informed him that he had missed seven attempts to get in touch with him, and winced inside, knowing how mad his brother would be.
"What is that?" Percival asked quizzically, and Cai turned the device to his granddad, explaining, "It's a mana communicator. The Yentarians developed it, and it allows you to contact the holder of the other one by using your mana. I was just going to tell Alex I was alright, which I should have done quite a while but I forgot..."
"You kids and your toys," Percival shook his head in mock despair, "Back in my day, the fastest way of sending a message was by delivering a letter, and if the person was cities away the couriers could take weeks. Then that boy Marik ordered the construction of the monorails, which cut the time to at the very least an eighth, and now this. I feel outdated."
"The benefits of your father allying with the Yentarians really are marvellous," Rosa shouted in, evidently able to hear their conversation, and her husband grumbled under his breath, "Damn scientists and their technology. Give me a good old horse and cart instead of fancy automobiles and hover planes any day."
Caiellis grinned at the exemplification of the stereotype of Lucaelians being stuck in their ways, though personally he thought he would actually rather have been born in Yentar than the Kingdom of Light – or perhaps not, as from what he had seen the familial relationships were nowhere near as strong, and the vast majority of the members of their society were indifferent to others, ignoring those less successful in the pursuit of enlightenment. He would have to actually go to the Yentarian Republic to ever be able to find out, and then refocussed on his current objective of assuaging his elder sibling.
"Do you mind if I call him?" he asked innocently, not wanting to be rude or obtrusive, and his grandfather raised his eyebrows in perplexity. "Why would we? It will be good to speak to the kid as well."
Cai grinned, though the facial expression was both happy and apprehensive at the same time, and infused his fingertip with mana, calling the mana communicator that his older brother possessed. It took only a single second to answer, and they were soon all greeted by Alex's voice.
"CAI! WHAT THE FUCK? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME EARLIER?" Alexander shouted, and his little brother visibly rocked back as if his sibling was physically shoving him back against his seat, almost dropping the communication device. "Mind your language, Alexander Ensis Lucerna!" Rosa yelled from the kitchen, though whether the middle Lucerna could hear or not was a mystery.
"I … I'm sorry..." Cai whimpered at how angry his older brother sounded, how furious he was with him, and he felt like shit for not calling him sooner – he had promised to do it as soon as he got there safely, and Alex was probably still recovering from what happened in the morning. Although Caiellis had felt that he had helped his older brother break out of his depression and terror, the fact that the seventeen year old was still in an extremely fragile state meant that he shouldn't have been so selfish by forgetting about his pledge.
"Seven times, Caiellis! I called you seven damn times! What sort of an excuse have you got for me now?!" the harsh voice of the elder prince demanded, the tone a slightly threatening growl, and Cai put his head in his hands, bringing his knees up to his chest as if hiding from the accusations and anger that Alex rightly directed at him would make the situation better. He had failed the older boy again, though at least not as dramatically as last time, and it made him feel awful knowing that. He didn't have an excuse, so just repeated, "I'm sorry..."
"Alexander. I know that you were worried about your brother, but please do try not to shout at him," Percival stated calmly, wrapping an arm around his grandson's shoulders as the boy started snivelling quietly – he was aware that the boys had only just got back from being abducted, and that the eldest had been hurt, but other than that the information had been carefully cloistered, even to the boys' own grandparents, which incensed Percival to no end. The younger boy was shaking, and he had sensed that they had gone through a gigantic amount of emotional turmoil over the last four days. The aged man also knew about their short visit to the Scholaria Magnus academy prior to the Welkalite kidnapping – which Percival was sure had caused his poor wife to almost have a heart attack out of worry for their only grandchildren, as Emili had been an only child – and that young Cai had passed his Summoning.
The man heard a series of shuddering, deep breaths emanating from the other end of the communication, as well as a stifled gasp of pain that made the younger boy wince. Alex was clearly attempting to control himself, knowing how easily set off his little brother was with him, reminding himself that because the younger boy valued him so much the kid always took his brother's anger to heart. "Oh angels Cai, you had me worried little brother."
"I'm sorry..." the littlest Lucerna murmured again, and Percival could picture the boy's brother's smile at that, having seen it before when Caiellis had forgotten about their scheduled mana generation practise and spent all day in the libraries after Alexander had shouted at him and little Caiellis had ran crying to his room upstairs. Alex only had to spend about two minutes coaxing his little brother out with his apologies, grinning widely at the tiny boy when he emerged and hugging him tight. One would be forgiven for thinking that because of the select few times he had seen his youngest family member, Percival would think that Cai was absent minded, but he knew how meticulous the boy usually was, having an attention to detail and intellect that far surpassed most people's even at his young age, and the fact that he had experienced the two extremely rare times Caiellis had failed to remember something was just a coincidence.
"No, no, I should be the one apologising. I'm really sorry for snapping at you," Alex apologised, sighing loudly, "I know that you just went through a battle against Garod Morr, and that you hate killing. I was just worried, that's all. Aww, don't cry little dude," he added when Cai had trouble stifling a particularly large sob.
"I'm not crying," he suddenly uttered after a brief moment of silence, and his brother still in Civitas Sol sniggered. "So, Alex, how are you?"
"I'm good. More importantly, are you alright? Drax contacted dad around an hour ago about your flawless victory. I must say that I'm proud of my little boy genius," Alex teased, and Percival laughed at Caiellis's eyes comically narrowing, the boy recovered from the shock of having his brother explode at him. "I'm fine, Alex. I didn't get hurt."
There was a brief but companionable silence, and after a few seconds Alexander spoke up, and Caiellis picked up on the nonchalant quality of his voice, suggesting that his big brother was going to interject some advice posed as an idle statement – he knew it from the numerous times Alex had tried to get him to make friends, "Dad was really pleased, you know," he said, pointedly.
"Fantastic," Caiellis muttered sarcastically, his own tone coloured darkly – evidently his father wasn't in the room with Alex and was too busy to call his son also. Cai hadn't failed to pick up on the fact that none of the missed communications had been based upon solely White mana, the presence of both the magic of light and Red on each of the calls indicating his brother. Marik could have easily just told him it himself instead of using Alexander as some form of messenger, as it wasn't right to just put his eldest son in between him and his youngest. However, if he had just mentioned it to Alex in passing then dad obviously didn't care enough to directly call his smallest son – that meant that Cai knew two reasons behind his dad not calling. Either Marik had been too busy and unconcerned, or he hadn't wanted to speak to Caiellis because of the fear of arguing, preferring to use his eldest as a go between.
"And you should be proud of yourself as well, short stuff. I know you hate violence and killing, but Morr deserved to die for his crimes against the people and you delivered that," Alex encouraged, wishing he was there to wrap an arm around his kid brother's thin shoulders or punch him playfully – that reminded him, he hadn't wrestled or sparred with the kid in quite a while, at first because of Caiellis's utter focus on completing his Summoning trial and then due to their abduction and his recovery. He doubted Cai would miss it as much as he did, or be as enthusiastic about starting it again, but maybe he could convince the boy that if they trained against each other with their First Sisterhood angels than each would get more powerful. The older boy let a slight bit of resignation into his next words, as well as more brotherly teasing, "How embarrassing. My adorable little brother is the first one out of us two to become a hero in the kingdom."
"Yeah, but you basically defeated Ershun Firefist without my help," Cai shot back, his voice vaguely defensive even though Alex was insulting himself, "And you are more of a hero than me anyway. The fact that you got really hurt whilst I remained relatively unscathed from our abduction proves it."
"You aren't still beating yourself up about that, are you?" Alex inquired, and Caiellis sadly shook his head before remembering that his brother couldn't actually see him, though the gesture was actually false. He hoped that his sibling couldn't detect the lie in his words, as Alexander was a lot worse at reading people when he couldn't actually see them for any visual clues – though Cai was pretty sure the older boy had mastered picking out what his little brother felt like through various different things because of the time spent with him, and the only way he had ever managed to hide things was by creating his shell which he didn't have the heart to ever use against Alex again, not after how angry, reckless and self-blaming Alexander had been after discovering Caiellis self-harming. The boy was pretty sure he had only been able to conceal that for so long because he had isolated himself in his constant attempts of Orzhova's test and the perpetual exhaustion that came afterwards. "No, Alex, I'm not. You told me not to, remember?"
Like that has ever stopped you before when hating yourself for things, Alex thought sourly, but although he was extremely dubious he didn't want to ruin their conversation more than he already had. He hadn't meant to shout at his brother, but had become immensely agitated when the kid didn't answer his calls after he had started them when Drax Gloria, head of Cai's bodyguard had contacted him and his father. At least he had known that his little brother's journey had been "safe" (not that a brutal battle could be deemed so, but Cai had survived), but agents of Johnias or other assassins of some form could have easily infiltrated Scientia Mos and murdered the vulnerable Caiellis, especially since similar incidents had happened in the past. He knew that most of his worry was unfounded, and that his little brother could definitely handle himself, but considering he had Summoned today he would have been more at risk. Alexander just supposed that it was his big brother instinct thrusting itself to the forefront of his mind.
"Ok, little dude," Alexander replied, though he was very doubtful of his younger sibling, "So, how're the wrinkly ones then?"
"Hey!" Percival yelled in mock indignation, "You're never too big for a good whuppin' lad, so watch your words!"
Alex giggled and Cai smirked, as Rosa walked back into the living room, "We're fine, Alex. It would have been nice to see you as well."
"I'll see if I can visit," Alex put in, and Cai frowned, "No, you will stay in bed until you have recovered."
"And you call me the control freak," Alex sniggered, visualising his little brother's scowl that would be forming on his young features, "I meant when I'm able to, Boy Genius. Obviously."
They talked for a little while after, Alexander firing many questions concerning the battle that Cai had just fought until the younger boy honestly told him that he didn't want to talk about it, and it made him feel sick. Alex had accepted that without comment, and after a few more minutes they had said their goodbyes. There was a moment of silence, before Rosa said, "Caiellis, are you and your father getting on alright?"
It's none of your business, his mind spat, but the boy reigned in the caustic tone, knowing it was directed at his father and not his grandmother, replying pleasantly, "No, Nanna, we are fine."
The woman sat on the other side of him, only a slight bit taller than her grandson because of her age, though she had always been a relatively short woman, and smirked, "You know Caiellis, Emili once said the exact same thing when I asked her about another girl that she hadn't been alright with. I just took her word for it, and then the day after me and Percival had to come into the school as your mother had poured some sort of ooze on the girl's locker, ruining the dress she was going to wear for a school dance."
Cai laughed at that, "Really?" he asked disbelievingly, though he had no reason to doubt the words. He just found it hard to imagine the loving, nurturing and kind woman his mother was doing something so vindictive, but then again if he thought hard he vaguely remembered mum having a sarcastic streak. Caiellis had just been too young to understand and fully recall at the time.
"Yes, and we learnt never to trust a teenager's words of being perfectly fine with someone else when the signs are clear to see," Percival put in, jostling his grandson's shoulders lightly in a boisterous manner Cai thought didn't quite fit his age, though then again he had inherited his father's coldness and it was Alex who had gained most of the psychological Noctis traits, ironic in Caiellis's opinion considering he was the one bearing the name. "So, are you and Marik getting on well? You know we won't tell him if you aren't, and that you can trust us with anything," the man added, hoping to put the boy at ease, as because they seemed close he didn't see his grandchildren nearly as much as he would have liked to, firstly because of the war and now their kingly duties – additionally, he couldn't remember Marik, his son in law, speaking to them even once after Emili's death. Then again, the man had always been a bit uncomfortable in the presence of others that he didn't know intimately, which had clearly been passed down to his son.
"I doubt he would send you away just after you got back from your kidnapping in Welkas if there wasn't some animosity between you," Rosa mused, noting how little Caiellis got up from his seat and went to sit in the armchair beside the fire when she and her husband were sat on both sides of him. The boy's eyes flicked to the window, a brief smile working its way onto his features at the huge flakes of snow cascading down, though he hoped it wouldn't cause any delays or inconveniences – a day wasted was just more time for Tradax and the Masters of the Orders of Passion to abuse the populace. He mentally snickered at how adult he sounded – had Alex been here, and it had been only a few months ago, he would have been hugely excited about the amount of snow, just like he had been last year – especially when it snowed on his twelfth birthday. Though he often told himself that it was better this way, sometimes he longed for the days when he was back in the civil war, where the only thing they had to think about was survival and life was a lot more simple. Cai crushed the thoughts, just as his grandma's voice broke him out of the reverie he had drifted into.
"Hierarch Martha and Guardian Weiss are quite capable of running the city and mobilising for war themselves, and although you do ideally need to learn to do it because you are a prince it has only been two days since you battled out of Usnaan," his Nanna continued, as if trying to get Cai to confirm her suspicions.
"If it was up to me a thirteen year old wouldn't be going to war," Percival grumbled under his breath, though everyone in the room heard, "No matter if he is a Lucerna or not. Those living in other cities seem to think they are like gods."
Cai sighed, idly tracing an abstract pattern with his thin finger down the condensation on the window next to the armchair, creating spiralling curls that meandered up and down the glass and could have been said to represent the turmoil in his heart, if he was more romantically minded. According to others, primarily his brother and Tybalt, he was an excellent creative writer as well as a pragmatic one, but he had never really had the time, even in the writing lessons, which were mostly focussed on the method of completion of royal forms and treaties, not expressing oneself.
He pondered that Lucael was probably the worst faction for that, with many suppressing their emotions and simply enacting their duty, though then again many took pleasure in the glory and honour of serving the kingdom, being part of a greater whole that would protect them from the darkness of the world. The boy wondered what it would be like to feel as if he was just a cog in the great machine of the Kingdom of Light, instead of the one possibly going to be controlling it. His green orbs then strayed back to his grandparents, who sat, patiently waiting to see whether or not he would respond. He looked them in the eyes, finding them welcoming and deserving of his trust and confidence, and resolved to at least reveal at bit about the arguments between him and his father.
"We aren't exactly best friends," he began, before snorting quietly, "In fact, I think we've probably passed quite far below mutual dislike. I don't like it, but I can't do anything about it. It seems whenever we talk, unless it is about something extremely important, we end up arguing."
"Parents often argue with their adolescent children," Rosa replied, "I'm sure you will both just get over it."
Caiellis shook his head dejectedly. This is what he had feared – of course they weren't going to understand. And Cai didn't blame them. How could they?
Neither of them had ever felt the pressure he had, neither of them had the weight of the entire nation resting on their shoulders, neither of them were treated as a pariah because of something they were born with, neither of them had been forced to spend nine years of their life on the run, hunted by the agents of their uncle who was the arch-nemesis of the kingdom who had murdered his and his brother's mum and plunged the four year old them into a hell that was only staved off by the presence of his big brother.
Neither of them had looked forward to seeing their father for every single day of that time, had to grow up in the war where each day they could be found and killed, or learn that the kingdom had lost and King Marik slain. And neither of them had been greeted by displeasure and disapproval the first time they spoke to their father, the man who just refused to realise his own mistakes. Despite their warmth, their friendliness, his grandparents couldn't be expected to know that the hostility between him and dad was derived from much more than hormones.
Sensing his grandson's demeanour change, Percival interposed before his wife could say any more, "But it's not just that, is it? I can remember how much you were anticipating seeing him, and while I don't he ever could have been what you were hoping for, particularly because he is a king and the fact that the love of his life died, you shouldn't be this sad."
"All I was hoping for was a father, or was that too much to ask for?" Cai hissed, before restraining the venom in his voice. Rosa looked shocked, but her husband smothered a triumphant expression that threatened to work its way onto his wrinkled features. He had hit the nerve there. The boy's tone was much more dejected and sullen this time around, "Sorry. It's just..." he drifted off, staring back out of the window.
"You can tell us," his Nanna smiled welcomingly, hoping that the openness of her face would convince the kid to talk. The green eyes, so much like Emili's, turned back to her, and Cai said, "He treated me like a failure the second I met him, which was just after me trying to pass the Summoning trial when he finally got back to the palace. I know that I should have done it a few years ago, but Orzhova's test wasn't normal and I only completed it at our first day at the Scholaria Magnus. I think he thought that I wasn't trying hard enough, that I had been coddled by Alex, Uncle Tristram and Uncle Tybalt too much … But I was trying. I was devoted to doing it. I spent every single day attempting it, and subsequently failing and forced to spend the rest of the day resting in bed, though I did that to hide from my brother as well. Eight days ago, when I finally chose not to avoid him and go straight to my sanctum to try Orzhova's trial, we kind of had a playfight … and then he found out."
"Found out what?" Percival inquired, though he knew that he and his wife wouldn't like the answer, considering how melodramatic Caiellis was being about it, though he certainly appreciated the boy's honesty. He was sure that Cai hadn't told anyone else about it, besides of course his brother who was part of the story. The boy lifted up his shirt, giving them a second to look at some of the self-inflicted cuts that were still in the process of healing, staring blankly at the expressions of shock on their faces. "The pain helped with the feeling of failure, but when Alex found out he went and confronted dad over it – something I'd specifically wanted to avoid by not spending time with my brother."
"And then your relationship slowly deteriorated, yes?" Percival asked, and Cai shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "No, actually, he spent time bonding with me, gave me the Sword of Glass, and then when we spoke after I passed the trial he was really proud and loving. When he arrived at the academy, despite not listening to my warnings about going into the negotiations room, dad was still pleasant and friendly, though a bit annoyed. It was just after Alex almost died that we argued for the first time, and instead of just accepting his shouting without comment, as I already blamed myself for it, I challenged him and then it all devolved from there, especially since I brought up mum and then he lifted me off my feet by my collar." Cai wasn't going to mention his arm, as judging by the look on the Noctis's faces they were going to march to Civitas Sol and confront Marik over it themselves, "Don't tell him I said this, though."
"Don't worry, we won't," Rosa assured him with a wink, and both of them got up to embrace him in a hug. Cai yawned after it, and felt immensely tired, though not exhausted, "I think I'd better get to bed now. I did Summon today, and it is going to be a long day tomorrow. Night, granddad. Night, Nanna."
"Goodnight, Caiellis," they replied in unison, sharing a concerned glance when the boy departed up the stairs.
.*.*.*.
Sartorius Gomor, prominent scientist of the League of Uveria, tapped the console in front of him with metallic fingers, the etherium infused with subtle Blue mana allowing him to access the data within. He was in his personal sanctum, one of the many glittering spires in the Sapphire Citadel (Sartorius had always found the name ironic, as the location was actually more like a city, on par in size with many despite being held aloft by powerful magic), the main stronghold of the most technologically orientated League of Thought in Yentar.
Many sketches decorated the crystal walls, some imprinted on paper in the manner of the less advanced whilst others were infused within crystals that could project them holographically, and although new schematics occasionally graced the walls Sartorius knew that his work was just a disguise, a cover up for his true motives.
Inactive thopters hung from the ceiling, a multitude of different designs, and the silver light of the full moon reflected off of them, creating a shimmering display of iridescent light that scattered across the laboratory/sanctum. Several simple constructs whirred elegantly around the room, suspended gracefully on the hover propulsion that had only recently been invented, making their passage almost silent as to not distract their master as they went about their programmed duties, a far cry from their clanking predecessors.
Gomor was a name relatively well known within his League, although he had strived to ensure that he was not too successful he would attract attention, just be consistently good enough despite having a brilliant enough mind to completely revolutionise the production of the ubiquitous automata that perpetuated the territory of Uveria. However, he knew he was a favourite of the Hegemon, the Unbound sphinx that took human form and ruled from the heart of the Sapphire Citadel, which gave him the lease to pursue whatever research he wanted free of observation.
The Hegemon had taken over the League of Uveria a few decades after the Discovery, when the first artifact creatures had been created and the path to enlightenment through the route of the perfect machine was first formed, the third League of Thought after the Isakians and Thrazekis. The sphinx had posed as a human woman, and her inventions swept the League by storm, as she was able to harness the metal of Sancturia – etherium. However, the previous leader, Maestro Ledarae, had objected to the mysterious woman revolutionising the League and completely obsoleting the crude artifacts he and his head scientists had created from material resources, but when the plot to assassinate the woman was enacted she had turned into a sphinx and repelled them, locking them inside of spheres of mana where they presumably remained to this day and declaring herself the leader, and there was no opposition due to the League's fascination with etherium and what could be made out of it.
From inside his bulbous glass mask, Sartorius's unnaturally blue eyes read waves of scrolling data that the terminal was telling him, records of all his activities so far that were terminated when they hit the bottom of the hologram screen. He knew he had been too dangerous, and that he was lucky no rival scientists had yet been able to decipher his encryptions in order to discover his prototype schematics, and inadvertently find out what he had truly been up to. He ensured that everything was truly deleted before accessing the next pieces of data, annihilating them also in quick succession. Just as he finished destroying all records of what he had done, a woman's voice, completely natural and unaugmented by the enhancements undergone by many in the League, and not telepathic either, interrupted Sartorius.
"Sartorius Gomor of the League of Uveria," the clip tones rang out, and the scientist froze, "You have been accused of interfering in the internal conflicts of other nations, as outlawed by the Edicts of the Republic. We have been sent to collect you and bring you to Orchid Eye, and if you surrender peacefully then we will not have to use force."
Sartorius raised his hands, the empty terminal in front of him automatically shutting down as its connection to his mana was severed, and slowly turned around, though he already knew what they looked like due to his augmented metaphysical senses that were far more potent than his still-natural eyes, a rarity in the League.
Two figures, stood perfectly balanced on the metal floor, faced him, clothed in traditional cloths and wearing conical bamboo hats that covered their eyes. They were both wearing plain blue kimonos that reminded Gomor very loosely of someone he "knew", unadorned by iconography that would suggest who they were. Each wielded an elegant weapon that would have been tempered to their specific fighting styles, the woman who had spoken earlier holding a steel katana that reflected the light of the moon that stared down from the circular domed window on top of the spire, whilst the man carried a simple staff of wood topped by a symbol of a lotus that would no doubt blaze with azure light should he activate it.
Sartorius forced his breathing to relax – at first he had wondered how the unaugmented intruders had got into the Sapphire Citadel in the first place, as only members of the League of Thrazek had ever been able to infiltrate it past the untiring sentries and the mathematically perfect security protocols, but now he knew. The two must have been part of the Whisperwind, an elite force of peacekeepers – or assassins – under the direct command of the Elder Sage of the League of Isak, masters of stealth and subtle magic. The Uverian scientist pondered that the only reason the Citadel hadn't yet been sneaked into by them was because – prior to this – there had been no need to, and the Elder Sage was notorious for carefully planning each action to make sure it would not disturb the balance of things – not that the old fool truly knows about the balance of the world.
Sartorius didn't move as the two walked towards him, their movements as perfect as non-enhanced humans could get, though that still wouldn't save them. The man then suddenly tapped the side of his helmet, the glass mask splitting apart down the middle and coming together behind him, and a gargantuan amount of Blue mana pulsed across the room, knocking into the Whisperwind monks and coursing through their minds, massively slowing down their mental functions as Sartorius sprang forward, shrugging off his robes and exposing a body heavily improved by etherium, running at the Isakians at a speed far faster than a non-combative scientist should be able to manage.
When he had been younger, Sartorius and his mentor had been experimenting, going deep underground in search for different materials to construct automatons from, when some form of Unbound elemental had emerged, attacking the research party. Sartorius's mentor had quickly killed it, but the creature had exploded into dissolving aether-plasma that had murdered all of the research party but him and his teacher, who had both been gravely wounded.
Then, as their souls were about to depart, they were dragged out of the path to the afterlife and deposited in another realm, landing on a disc split into five equal sections that spun through an oasis of stars and magic, that he had come to know as the Eternal Realm, though it had been empty at the time. There his mentor, who's face was concealed by a bulbous glass mask, had imparted upon him the truth of the world, and Sartorius had inherited the aged man's membership of the Confederacy, assuming the immortal role of Gamma and wearing the glass mask, gaining the memories that came with it.
When Sartorius had awoken, he had opened his eyes and a wave of Blue mana had washed across the hospital room, reducing the two operating on him to drooling, mindless beings as their minds were obliterated by the magic the death of the elemental had locked within him. However, the enigmatic woman that he would soon realise was a sphinx had been perfectly unharmed, and unperturbed by the death of her aids had reconstructed his body out of etherium, the first person to have that done to them in the material plane. She had asked him if he wanted to replace his eyes, and he had refused, instead asking for a helm to be constructed, the design identical to the one he wore in the Eternal Realm when he assumed the identity of Gamma. That had been over one hundred years ago, a testament to the longevity-inducing properties of etherium.
Now that he was in combat, the magic locked within his eyes exploded out, stunning the Whisperwind fighters but not killing them because of the training their minds had undergone to prevent telepathic interference from the League of Thrazek after they had once done so to cause disruption throughout the Republic, although the motives behind it were still unknown though the perpetrator had been killed by the other Thrazekis.
Sartorius shot forwards, two long identical blades of shining metal sliding out of the slots on his etherium wrists as he thrust his arms at the Isakians. The man was too slow to block, his reaction speed dramatically hindered by seeing Sartorius's magic-infused eyes, and was impaled by the left blade that slammed into his throat, blood spraying out over the metal floor of his sanctum. The woman, however, was faster than her murdered comrade, and managed to deflect the point of the shard blade away from her with her katana, forcing the weapons to scrape together in a shower of sparks as Sartorius pushed with his unnatural strength due to his mechanical improvements, the purity of the machine far more potent than any biological force. He then shifted his grip, the woman's mind still fighting against the force of the magic bleeding out of his eyes, sheathing his other blade and letting the body slump to the ground.
Sartorius reached round, enchanting his left arm with ethereal magic that made its metallic form insubstantial, and pushed it through the grinding blades and through the woman's head. He then deactivated the enchantments, his hand becoming solid once again as he opened it out, his metal fingers smashing through the woman's skull from the inside and splattering the remains of her head over the floor and his arm. The man's face was still blank through all of the killing, and instantly began a teleportation spell that only five individuals, including himself, knew, taking him to the Eternal Realm and away from meddling Isakians.
When Sartorius was on the cusp of departing the material plane, he sensed a strong will, more mentally disciplined than any he had encountered before, including the Hegemon, though the sphinx had more mental power to call upon, intercepting him and dragging him back. The neutrality on his face changed into an expression of shock, as instead of emerging onto the disc of the Eternal Realm Gomor was instead deposited on the central courtyard of the Sapphire Citadel, the Plaza of Enigmas. Sartorius's eyes were immediately drawn to a lone figure in the centre of the plaza, his implants informing him that the man had a huge amount of carefully controlled mana inside of him.
"Sartorius Gomor," the man said, his ancient voice cutting through the cold air, as the Hegemon had designed the Sapphire Citadel to be free of the humidity present throughout the other islands of the Republic, though the League of Uveria was mostly situated on mainland Magnus-Primae. The man's voice was deep, like the personification of natural harmony and balance itself, and though his eyes were milky and blind from age they still had an intensity and Sartorius felt like they could see to the core of his being, as if judging whether he was worthy to hear the truth of the world. "You are meddling with forces far beyond your control."
The Elder Sage Juyan, despite being younger than Sartorius by a few decades, spoke down to the scientist as if he was just an unruly student that had failed to grasp the correct method to passing his training, and it clicked in the Uverian's mind that Juyan was not simply talking about his dealings with the Welkalite revolutionaries. Did Juyan know his true motives behind supplying them with technology? He doubted it, as the Confederacy was extremely secretive, so much so that they would put the League of Thrazek to shame, and each member was immune to mind reading, but maybe something had spurred the Elder Sage to look into it.
"I cannot let you leave. The world's balance is fragile, and I can sense that you are subtly tipping it in one direction, though the motives behind your actions are currently unclear. However, you are a murderer, and as such I will be forced to subdue you," the man spoke, and in spite of the age of his limbs the Elder Sage moved each one in perfect harmony, as fit as a man a third of his age. What a waste, Sartorius thought, musing over how powerful the man would be if he could be augmented by etherium, though he knew the inner circle of Isakian Sages found the mechanical enhancements abhorrent, whilst the newer generations of members of the League were indifferent.
Sartorius slowly prepared himself for a fight, tensing his inorganic limbs in readiness, though he silently calculated that his chance of victory was minuscule, unless he revealed his secret weapon – he ideally wanted to avoid using that against someone so historically learned as the Elder Sage, as it may inadvertently reveal his plans and compromise the hundreds of plots set in motion by the Confederacy.
It was bad enough that Juyan was confronting him, but the darkness would consume them all if the plans were discovered before they were enacted.
He fused Blue mana through his etherium body, feeling it coursing through the few biological veins he had left but rising in power when it touched the Sancturia metal, the magically-attuned substance amplifying his mana and making Summoning Sartorius Gomor's usual creature laughably easy.
Juyan watched impassively as a huge vortex of azure swirled above the Uverian, pieces of etherium tearing off from the ground and nearby buildings and being sucked up into it. Then, a huge sphinx emerged, the cat-like body of the creature covered in sapphire feathers leaving the occasion patch of pink skin bare, though they were uniform and symmetrical.
Deep blue wings extended from her back, framing a golden and azure mask that regarded the Elder Sage with the curiosity one shows to an interesting insect before stamping on it, though Sartorius knew Tethius was nowhere near strong enough to defeat the monk unless he got extremely lucky and the man overextended himself. Juyan stood still, poised to spring into combat, and wielded no weapons, but Sartorius was aware of how the man blended physical and magical techniques in consummate accord, and the symbols tattooed onto the back of the Elder Sage's hand flared with White, Blue and Red mana. Tethius called upon Blue mana, and the shards of etherium hovering around her were formed into a large number of thopters, aerial artifacts that were held aloft by metallic wings and buzzed, the sound like a robotic rendition of a swarm of flies.
Then, just as he sensed that the battle was about to begin, another gigantic tricolour mana presence appeared, eclipsing the Elder Sage in its intensity, and Sartorius swept his gaze to the sky as a large portal opened and another sphinx made her way onto the Plaza of Enigmas. Sharuum the Hegemon was significantly bigger than his own Summoning, and the Unbound master of the League of Uveria's face was twisted in annoyance, echoing the expression that her false human form but distorted by belonging to a being of much greater proportions.
Intricate and dark etherium made up the majority of her lower body, with incredibly rare rubies inlaid into her black forelegs.
A huge etherium headpiece surrounded her imperious biological features, and unusual gemstones orbited it, taking their places each side of her head in flawless symmetry, each pair moving at its own speed and with its own position. A single unique crystal of a material unknown to Sartorius took its place in the centre of her forehead, levitating just above the skin, and majestic white wings with colossal natural feathers that reminded the scientist of the few images he had seen of Lucaelian angels, though they exuded a magisterial aura instead of a divine one.
A few figures swathed by robes teleported onto the ground underneath the sphinx, the fabric of their clothes blown about by the beating of Sharuum's wings, and Sartorius quickly shut his helmet, though the magic infused within his eyes since that fateful day would have little effect on those in front of him.
The Magisters, a council of advisers that served the Hegemon and whose members constantly changed due to her whims and little patience for under-achieving, were supposed to represent the pinnacle of human scientists in the League, and Sartorius had once been offered a place there by Sharuum for the help he had given her in overthrowing the Maestro, but he had respectfully declined knowing that she would probably tire of him and discard him like a broken artifact, and that all his time would be taken up by the great work ahead of him – which it had.
The Magisters sneered haughtily at a "lesser scientist", perhaps not aware of who he was or simply not caring because he wasn't a part of their order, though Sartorius could guarantee that after a few months half of those here would be fresh faces. Then, he stopped paying any attention to them, turning his gaze back up to Sharuum, who glared down at the Elder Sage.
"Juyan of the League of Isak," she spoke, the timbre of her mystical voice quite potent, and she spoke as if he had inherited thousands of different factors from many alternate dialects, both human and Sancturia. The tone was imperious and indignant, though there was a malevolent undercurrent that made Sartorius glad he was not the object of her wrath, and the sphinx continued. "What are you doing in my citadel?"
"Sharuum the Hegemon," the man replied calmly, as a maelstrom of White, Blue and Black gyrated around the addressed, a force that made Sartorius feel like he was just an insignificant animal in the grand scheme of things, like everything was underneath the sphinx and that mortals were nothing more than idle entertainment before she grew bored of them, "I have come to capture Sartorius Gomor and bring him to a trial in Orchid Eye for judgement. He has already murdered the Whisperwind emissaries sent to detain him, but more than that: that man is upsetting the delicate balance between the material realm and Sancturia, though to what end I do not yet know. I hoped this would allow me to find out. Mighty Sharuum, if you would just let me take custody of him, then -"
"Then what, boy?" the Hegemon spat, her face suddenly creasing in anger whereas before it had been set in curiosity, as if she had spontaneously decided she couldn't be bothered listening to the Elder Sage anymore. Juyan didn't react in any way to her insults, though Sartorius supposed that for an almost timeless being like Sharuum, any mortal's life would seem extremely brief, a single grain of sand in the hourglass of time compared to her own sea-bed's worth. "What makes you think that you would just sneak into my domain without my permission, and persecute my scientists? I'm sure poor Sartorius was just acting in self-defence when your assassins assaulted him. You Isakians constantly profess to be wanting to keep the balance, the peace, between the Leagues of Thought in Yentar and the Yentarian Republic with the other factions, yet I see little evidence of this. I will give you one chance. Leave my territory peacefully, or I will personally ensure that your precious "natural wonders" are coated in the purity of metal, and that the remaining members of you League are enhanced by etherium. Waste my time any more and I will have a particularly painful existence in store for you."
"Your threats mean little to me, sphinx," Juyan responded coolly, "But I agree, I shall not waste your time any longer. You are aware that Sartorius is a genius, correct?"
"Of course," Sharuum snorted condescendingly, and Sartorius thought that for a second the Elder Sage was going to reply with an "Evidently not," but the man restrained himself as not to offend the Hegemon. "Do you not think that it is strange that despite his intelligence, Sartorius has only performed at an average rate, quietly succeeding instead of making massive scientific breakthroughs?"
"I wasn't aware you had access to my records," Sartorius cut in, glaring at the Elder Sage despite the fact no one could see, but when Sharuum sent him an irritated and cold glare he backed down.
The situation was slowly spiralling out of control, with the leaders of two Leagues of Thought near him when he needed to teleport to the Eternal Realm, as one of the connections had already begun but could not properly start if he didn't arrive. The thought of being detained filled him with fear, not for himself, but for the failure of a century of planning and the consequences that would bring on the entire world. If it came to it, he would be forced to use his secret weapon, and call upon the aid of his Confederates who would utilise theirs, but even then they might not be able to defeat the Elder Sage and Hegemon if the two worked together without incurring casualties, and there was not enough time to induct new replacement members before the time came for their plans to reach fruition. He desperately hoped that Sharuum's fondness for him would prevent her from giving him away to Juyan, as although he could enact the last resort to prevent him from being interrogated the loss of Gamma could be extremely detrimental.
"Please do continue, Juyan, because although I do like Sartorius I also enjoy watching him squirm," the sphinx laughed, her inscrutable gaze turning to one of amusement and Sartorius was sure he would have paled if he retained that biological function. The Elder Sage cleared his throat, and acquiesced to Hegemon's wishes, "Obviously Sartorius is up to something, and it may come as a shock to you, but he has been breaking the Edicts of the Republic and supplying Welkalite revolutionaries with weaponry, vehicles and teleportation technology."
Sartorius stiffened, but if Juyan had expected Sharuum to react with shock then he would be severely disappointed. The Hegemon idly examined one of her metal nails, and her eyes flicked back to the Isakian intruder. "Oh, I knew that. Do you really think that anything that happens in my Sapphire Citadel gets past me? I let him do it because I find the whole Welkas situation incredibly amusing, and evidently Sartorius does too," the scientist capitalised on the chance to nod in agreement, hoping it didn't reflect the panic he felt, "So what now, Juyan? I'm getting bored now."
"Are you truly that blind to what is happening to the barriers between Sancturia and the material realm?" the Elder Sage demanded, Red mana flaring up inside him, and Sharuum stared back scornfully at the impulsive colour of mana making its presence known in a crimson aura beginning to surround the aged Isakian. "They are weakening, and your Sartorius has something to do with this!"
"Watch your tone with me, mortal whelp," the sphinx growled, raising herself to her full height as she landed in front of Juyan, his robes sent billowing in the force of the displaced air as controlling and dominating mana of Sharuum pulsated around her in intricate patterns that etched unknown symbols around the resident of Sancturia, "And do not presume to think you know more about Sancturia then I do. I have studied it for years, whereas the closest you come to knowing it is through your Summoning. I can detect no problems concerning the barriers between realms, and whatever Sartorius is doing he is not threatening them."
Sartorius suddenly decided then that he needed to leave, despite the Hegemon remaining sceptical of Juyan's beliefs, though the Confederacy was not eroding the fragile walls between worlds, they were responding to it, as something far more sinister was doing that. He primed his teleportation spell, Blue mana surrounding him, and felt the Elder Sage conjuring up his counterspells that would drag him back to the material plane.
"I think not," Sharuum scoffed, the absolute will of her mind smothering the Isakian's generation of mana, who could not begin to challenge her mental might without his own Sancturia creature by his side, allowing Sartorius to dissipate into flecks of sapphire that drifted to the ground, the space he had once been in now empty. Juyan's blind eyes opened wide in shock at the Hegemon preventing him from nullifying Sartorius's escape plan. He turned to the leader of the League of Uveria, his wrinkled feature crinkling in startled surprise and outrage.
"What have you done?" he asked in horror, and the sphinx favoured him with a thin smile. She shrugged her etherium shoulders, the wings beating the air in that motion, and said, "I stopped you from blocking Sartorius's departure. Is there a problem with that?"
"You have no idea what chains of motion he may set in place!" the man cried, as the Magisters surrounded him, though they kept at a safe distance. "Why would you just let him leave?"
"Because," she stated coolly, "I find your indignation incredibly entertaining. I think that you fail to understand that the purity of the machine is eternal, and no matter what Sartorius may be plotting, it will forever remain that way. I have always found you too self-righteous, too convinced that only your view of the balance of the world is correct, and it was about time to put you in your place. Now you will leave, or I will destroy you."
Shaking his head in disgust at what the League of Uveria had become, Juyan left the Plaza of Enigmas in a quiet burst of wind, and Sharuum smiled.
.*.*.*.
Sartorius suppressed his own personality, assuming the role of Gamma as he crashed into the Eternal Realm, instantly assaulted by a barrage of demanding questions from Alpha.
"Gamma! What was the cause of your delay?" the man questioned, leaning forwards out of his section imposingly, his baroque bronze armour seemingly even larger now that he was interrogating Gamma, who replied in the clinical and detached voice he always utilised, "I was delayed by the arrival of Juyan, Elder Sage of the League of Isak, who was aware of my dealings with the Ja'an Guard in Welkas and of the disruption present in Sancturia, though he did not know what it was. He attempted to detain me to ascertain my motives after I had deleted all records of my research in my sanctum, and I was forced to kill two Whisperwind agents when they confronted me before the Elder Sage. However, before he could do so, Sharuum the Hegemon appeared and the two talked." he recounted, ensuring that he did not miss a single detail out.
"She revealed that she knew about the supplying of technology to the revolutionaries, though presume it was because I found the internal conflict in the Empire amusing like her. However, she did not know about the growing threat, and did not believe Juyan's words about it, as he had little evidence past what he felt. I could only depart because she crushed his counterspells, and Sharuum did not seemed concerned at all by Juyan's statements."
"Let us hope it stays that way," Alpha responded tersely, "Apart from that, is the situation in the Yentarian Republic as we planned?"
"Yes. By the time their suspicions grow to the point where they would act, we will have already completed our duties," Gamma answered, "They will not interfere."
"Welkas is also progressing as planned," Alpha stated brusquely, swivelling his gaze to the other members of the Confederacy, all veiled by the masks they all wore, which greatly reduced the amount of trust, and therefore teamwork, they showed to each other. Gamma was fine with that. He preferred to work alone, without others distracting him. "The Resistance has caused enough chaos, and their route will make the Masters of the Orders of Passion feel more confident. The mobilisation of forces is also exactly as we anticipated."
"The Erian Conclave isn't going to cause any problems!" Epsilon squealed enthusiastically, punching the air as if to reaffirm their point, as their gender could not be identified from high pitched voice alone. Gamma scowled behind his helm, but the child had been one of the original Confederates so anyone who undertook the mantle of Epsilon would also be one, despite what they may look like in reality, though if Epsilon was anything like Gamma then they would be very similar to the part they played. "Everything is happy here! Everything is-"
"Excellent," Alpha growled, cutting in and silencing the child's babbling, turning towards Delta, who stared impassively back. "And Lucael? Is the Kingdom of Light in the right position?"
Delta seemed uncertain for a moment, and Gamma sensed that she was feeling guilt over what they would have to do to safeguard the future of the world, but instead of replying nervously she drew herself up straighter and returned with an assured, "Yes. Yes it is."
"I should hope so," Alpha said, "They are arguably the faction we will have to manipulate most, though we all know that."
Beta then sighed sadly, and the armoured man glowered at him, snarling, "Tell me you still do not have doubts, Beta? There is no turning back now: plans have been set in motion, and stopping them now we be even more catastrophic than if we were never to have intervened in the first place."
"It's just … no one should ever have to go through that, especially not a child," he exhaled deeply, the noise immensely melancholic and aptly capturing his doubts, though he had been the one to argue the most about the plan. Personally, Gamma didn't care, knowing that sacrifices would have to be made if the world was to survive.
"We are doing this so that no child will ever have to again. We are doing this so that new children can be born, and live happy lives," Delta put in, her voice infused with a steely conviction, her former hesitation and uncertainty gone.
"Is that what you tell yourself? Is that how you live with the amount of lives we have ruined?" Beta questioned sullenly, though his tone carried anger. Delta glared at him, but it was Epsilon who spoke next, the Confederate's childish voice tinted with a thoughtful sadness far beyond his apparent age. "It is our duty to live with it, for the sake of the world. Once we are done, we can fade into antiquity, and no one will know of the things we, and others, gave up to save the world. No one will know, and the world can continue on. It is sad that we have to destroy lives, and it sometimes makes me cry, but that is what we must do so that everyone can be happy."
Gamma could have snorted derisively at the child's overly optimistic statements – Delta and Epsilon seemed convinced that just because what they were doing would ensure the survival of the world, it would become some sort of paradise bereft of war. How stupid. There would always be war, violence, famine, pestilence and death, and their actions wouldn't change that, but that was the way of the world, and was much preferable to the alternative should the Confederacy not be acting. Gamma briefly wondered who his compatriots were before they ascended, what nation they belonged to, what personal beliefs they had, but soon shoved those meaningless thoughts aside.
"I … suppose," Beta relented, shaking his head, though it was far too late for doubts now. If Beta had wanted to do something else, then he should have never assented to their present course, and now his thoughts were irrelevant.
"So everything is in place for stage two," Alpha proclaimed, "And remember: We do this for the greater good."
"For the greater good," each other member of the Confederacy replied in unison, their all their voices were coloured with different emotions, like a beam of incandescent white light refracted into many different scintillating hues.
.*.*.*.
Day Nine
.*.*.*.
"Mu-" Caiellis stifled the cry as he awoke, his tired eyes cracking open and reality whisking him away from the image of the demon's long claws through his impaled mother's stomach as it cackled maniacally, the woman's green eyes full of sadness at never being able to see her children grow up and live the rest of her life with Marik, that Alexander and Caiellis would life the remainder of their lives without a mother, and current horror at the danger her precious boys were in – four year old Cai had realised that in her selflessness, Emili had not spared a single thought for herself, or the fact that she was dying, her eyes suffused with concern for her young family, and nine years later that still made Cai want to burst into tears.
He registered with a jolt that he had never prayed for his mother's soul, but then again he, nor Alex, the Capitalia Lux Light-bearers, or his father, believed in the angel-worshipping religion, and neither had his mum. However, the youngest prince had quietly talked out loud before, an idea coined by Alex to comfort him, who was certain that Emili would be able to hear their words and passing that belief onto his little brother.
Then again, checking for sunlight was another way to remember his mother's passing, as Emili had come up with the idea, infusing her children with excitement though Alex had experienced it before and was more looking forward to his little brother being able to as well. She had invented the game when he was two and Alex was six, and Cai although the older boy had stopped doing it himself, as one could see through the curtains whether or not it was sunny, he had persisted in doing it for Caiellis after their mother's death. Though he still did it, Cai never felt as excited as he had when he was younger and his brother and mum had given it a sense of mystery about whether the next day would be sunny or not, as he guessed he had just come to terms with Lucael not being graced by sunlight.
He remembered lighting a candle with his brother at the first city they came to after about a month, Civitas Sol, and couldn't stop crying despite the older boy trying extremely hard to soothe him, hugging him close and telling him that mum had gone to a better place.
He already knew that it wasn't sunny, but went through the ritual motions of pulling the curtains in his grandparents' guest room that he and Alexander had often shared open and staring out into the darkness.
It had snowed more overnight, but not to the extent that it was unusual because Lucael was naturally a cold nation and winter brought on freezing temperatures, and Cai extrapolated that if the weather continued on at its current rate the only obstructions would be caused to the city in about a week's time, and according to his dad's plan they should be nearing the Lucael/Welkas border by then. Plus, each city had a team of dedicated community workers that would help clear the streets.
He could smell cooking, and though it was mouth-wateringly good his stomach still protested at the prospect of food, despite having the meal last night and the fact that he hadn't actually eaten that much according to other people. Caiellis pondered having his shower before going downstairs, and checked his new watch – 08:32.
It was still relatively early, but then again his grandparents and mother had always been light sleepers, and Cai had definitely inherited that trait. He was sure that Alex could just activate something inside his mind that made him instantly fall asleep, or alternatively wake up whenever he wanted. His older brother slept deeply but could still enter readiness almost instantaneously, whereas Cai drifted fitfully between consciousness and the dream world, and took far longer to get to sleep.
Though his conversations with Orzhova were preferable to nightmares, the dark seraph had insisted that he stop going there when he went to sleep because it didn't give his mind the rest it needed, and thus would feel even more tired in the mornings then he already did. Despite the fact that it was still early in the morning, getting to the Scia Atria before the day's objectives would truly begin wouldn't hurt, and Cai resolved to get his shower before breakfast – maybe then he would have more of an appetite.
He opened up his suitcase and took out his clothes for the day, as in the evening he would be transferring to the Lucerna suite in the city hall, and opened to door to the corridor, his eyes alighting on the mahogany cabinet in the centre of the upper floor passageway between rooms. There were numerous portraits, some framed above the cabinet and some placed upon it, and most of the people depicted were unknown to him, probably Rosa and Percival's other relatives, which also made them his. The boy wondered how many half-cousins he had on his mother's side, as he knew that he didn't have any on his father's, as Garius II and his late wife were both only children and Johnias obviously hadn't had any offspring of his own.
He smirked when he saw the picture of him, his brother, father and mother together captured by a mana camera, something that had at the time only just been invented by researchers in Lucael but had been around in Yentar for years. The youngest prince had been three at the time, though his brother was eight because of the short one month gap between their birthdays, and this photograph wasn't the official one which his grandparents had downstairs. Cai fondly recalled the time, as just as the camera was about to activate and they all looked smart and ready his big brother had pulled him into a headlock with one hand and made the peace sign that some of his older friends had told him about (or it could have been Tristram) with his other, grinning mischievously. Marik looked furious, turning to reprimand his eldest, and Emili was laughing happily just as the picture was taken.
Caiellis liked this one much more than the official picture, as although it was quite nice and the surprised look on his three year old features as Alex grabbed him was embarrassing, it just seemed more genuine than the smiles they all wore on the proper version, after Alexander had been shouted at by their dad.
Marik had purchased several copies of the official version and left, dragging his eldest with him, but Cai had remained with his mum and watched her buy the first one, who couldn't understand why she wanted the one that dad said was awful, explaining to her tiny youngest with a wide smile that she wanted to cherish the memories.
Cai snapped himself out of his reverie, belatedly realising that he had always stared at that photograph whenever he emerged from his grandparents' guest room, and almost bumped into Percival as the man ascended the stairs.
"Whoa there, little one," the man smirked, narrowly avoiding the collision as his thin grandson slipped past him, with a murmur of, "Good morning, granddad. I was just going to get a shower before breakfast."
"Mornin' Caiellis," Percival replied, going into his own room as Cai went into the bathroom, looking forward to revitalising his limbs with steaming water. When he had finished and got dressed, he descended the stairs and was greeted warmly by his Nanna, who looked tired but still pleasantly contented. They sat down for breakfast at the table in the dining room, though Caiellis was certain the table was just the right size no matter how many people sat around it, remembering the short dinner he had had in the Sola Atria with his father before arguing and leaving – then, with four people around it, the oak table in the very formal hall had seemed far too huge.
Just as he was about to finish his slice of toast, feeling full despite the amount of food his grandmother had cooked, figuring that he would need his winter attire that he had also brought with him, which consisted of mittens, a hat and the ubiquitous scarf that helped conceal his identity and had been knitted the last time he saw his grandparents, though if Alex's teasing about him looking adorable would be anything to go by then Jenna would probably think so too, and Cai wasn't entirely sure cute was the impression he wanted to give off, there was a knock at the door.
"I''ll get it," he told them, springing up out of his chair as his grandparents struggled with their old bones, as Uncle Tybalt often put it when describing himself, and walked the short distance to the kitchen, Rosa following just behind him.
He opened the door, and was greeted by the visage of Jenna, who looked remarkably woken up despite the day's earliness and the fact that he knew the Yentarian was an extremely deep sleeper. Cai could see Ruthia, her red hair stark in the whiteness of the outside, who gave him a respectful nod, smiling eagerly. Next to her was Aymer, the armoured and giant man looking out of place in the Noctis garden, and judging by the look on the man's face he was feeling obtrusive. The littlest Lucerna briefly thought about why they had thought it necessary for three people to come fetch him.
"Good morning, Lord Caiellis," Jenna said brightly, noticing the prince squinting in bemusement at her random decision to use his title, and Rosa appeared at the boy's side. The Yentarian and the praetorians assigned to Caiellis nodded their heads at the woman, who looked vaguely confused at the genuine gestures of respect. "You must be the prince's grandmother. I'm Jenna, his logistical aide, and these two are bodyguards. Hierarch Martha decided she wanted a bit of time before the day's agenda commenced to teach Caiellis about the nuances of taking command of a city, so we've come to fetch him. I hope we aren't intruding on anything."
"No, not at all. Well then, Jenna, uh..." Rosa drifted off, glancing at the praetorians, who smiled at the aged woman and introduced themselves, "Ruthia, Aymer, we were just having breakfast. Would you care to join us?"
"That's very kind of you, but..." Jenna was interrupted by the much older woman, "Oh no, I do insist. You must come in out of the cold. Caiellis's appetite is very small, and I always cook too much just in case we have visitors such as yourselves. Tea?"
Jenna smirked, sharing a glance with Cai, who just shrugged his shoulders, "We don't want to be a bother, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I'll have three sugars please."
"One and a half, please. And thank you for your hospitality," Aymer added nervously, which made Caiellis narrow his eyes. Ruthia then said, "I like mine black, thank you. I'm sweet enough already." she joked, sniggering at the glance Jenna shot the younger woman.
"Caiellis, be a dear and go make the drinks please," Rosa said, and the boy smiled, replying in a manner similar to his older brother, "Will do, Nanna."
He walked back inside the kitchen, preparing the kettle and infusing it with mana so that it would activate – despite not being as technologically advanced as the Yentarian Republic, Lucael was filled with mana-fuelled appliances, although such things were not used in warfare as technology and the Lucaelian fighting style didn't mix, the army much preferring cold steel, righteous fury and the aid of heaven to artifact constructs.
"Do come in, it is freezing cold out there," the aged woman fussed, beckoning them into her household, but Jenna respectfully declined. "Sorry, but we don't want to cause any inconveniences to you. We will drink out here."
"Besides, I don't think Aymer would be able to fit in the doorway," Ruthia quipped, and the giant man shook his head abashedly, looking very self-conscious when the red-head punched him on the arm, the clang of her gauntlets on his metal armour quite loud and making Aymer look even more ashamed. Jenna glared at the two, and Rosa just laughed as Caiellis returned with the steaming mugs, joined by Percival who carried the last one.
"Here you go," announced the boy, passing over Jenna's drink to her and stepping out into the garden to give Aymer his, Cai's feet crunching on the snow, though he had pre-emptively slipped his shoes on. The man took the proffered cup with a reverent bow, carefully handling the delicate china to ensure that he didn't crush it with his prodigious strength, blushing underneath the prince's scrutiny. The six stood in somewhat awkward silence for a few seconds, before Percival noticed Caiellis's shivering and clapped the boy on the back. "You should probably get your winter outfit on, laddie, before you freeze to death. Plus, you will be leaving soon anyway, don't want to be causing delays, do we?"
"That is true," Cai admitted, turning away from intently examining Aymer, who silently breathed a sigh of relief – he had sensed a slightly common soul in the burly man, how he seemed awkward and clumsy in social situations but could fight with superlative skill and grace. "I won't be long."
"He's a good kid," Percival mused when the boy disappeared, and his wife nodded in agreement, "They both are. Him and his older brother are both lovely boys."
Jenna, Ruthia and Aymer stared awkwardly at each other, wondering if they were intruding on something, and to break the silence the Yentarian added, "Yeah. You must be proud to be their grandparents."
"We are certainly. But angels above do they make us worry sometimes," Rosa affirmed, staring wistfully at the floor, and Jenna was briefly filled with a regret that made her want to sit in a dark room and cry until she was drowned by the tears, but then thought back to her family, her loving and supporting parents in Notoshi, and her kid sister at the Scholaria Magnus who she had spoken to last night using her own personal mana communicator that most Yentarians carried around with her. She thought of her best friend, the emotional young woman who had become part of the, for want of a better word, explosive League of Xechun and bawled her eyes out at Jenna's departure to Lucael, and a steely resolve filled her mind.
"Caiellis is a brilliant fighter though, and his usage of magic is some of the best I've ever seen," Aymer blurted out, his cheeks colouring at the outburst, though there was quite a bit of admiration present in the statement. Ruthia just laughed at her comrade's inelegant manner of talking, though she and Lancalo had often tried to teach him social etiquette in the past.
Although she was the newest member of the Lucerna praetorians, she still missed the eight other members of the group who would still be in Civitas Sol, four of which would be seconded to the eldest prince. She had only been in a single battle as part of the king's guard, the final conflict of the civil war outside of Cassida Principia, but it was one of the most bloody the kingdom had ever seen. King Marik had impressed upon her and the other three elite bodyguards the importance of defending his youngest son, and though he seemed like a necessarily cold and aloof man that was completely infallible and invincible, his eyes shone with parental pride and sadness, and Ruthia got the impression that there was some friction between Prince Caiellis and the monarch, though then again he was a teenager.
It was incredibly easy to forget that the Lucerna family was still human, as yesterday in the battle Caiellis had commanded them with flawless skill and fought with god-like power, the enchantments he gifted his soldiers with protecting them from harm, but now he was completing mundane tasks like making cups of tea he seemed much more like a young boy. Ruthia smirked when she thought about how many people had been afforded the honour of having a Lucerna make them a drink.
"Precisely why we worry," Rosa cut in, and Aymer faltered, staring anxiously at the ground, "People forget that he is only thirteen years old, and it is only those who have seen him out of the persona he has constructed for himself realise that he shouldn't be going to war."
Ruthia blinked in surprise at the heartfelt words, thinking that Drax, the leader of the praetorians, would have found them tantamount to treason. If any adolescent at the Scholaria Magnus thought that Alissa Gloria was strict, then they would soon re-evaluate their perception of things if they ever met her elder brother. Then again, it was a testament to how much the king cared about his youngest son that he had sent arguably the most powerful member of the royal bodyguard with Caiellis.
The grandmother soon shut up when Caiellis re-emerged from the house, clothed in cute woolly mittens, a hat and a scarf that he had pulled over his ominous birthmark, and made Ruthia think he looked adorable and wonder how handsome he would be if he was a few years older, possibly matching his older brother who was undeniably gorgeous. At first the eighteen year old had wanted to be matched with him, not quite trusting a pubescent and hormonal teenager to be her master, but after the defeat of Garod Morr she trusted him entirely.
"Aww, you do look cute don't you?" Jenna teased, patting Cai on the head and ignoring his furious and embarrassed glower, thinking that the older sister had a lot in common with his own sibling and therefore giving him more to relate on with Annia should he ever meet her again. Everyone laughed then – even Aymer gave a little snigger – and Caiellis huffed, folding his arms and pouting childishly. "Are you going to get moving then?" Percival inquired, and Cai looked at him, nodding his head sadly, "Thank you for letting me stay."
"You should know by now that it is a pleasure. You are growing up into a fine young man," Rosa added, making the boy blush even more, though it was hidden when he hugged his grandfather. "Be sure to pop in whenever you feel like it, and tell Alex to come visit us when he has recovered, the war is over and he isn't busy."
"Ok," Cai replied, and a sudden depressing thought overcame him. He had never really considered that the war could last years; for some reason his mind had just never thought about that – if the civil war against Johnias was anything to go by, it could last nine years. He would be twenty two when it ended if that happened, no longer a child, and the thought made him feel slightly hollow, despite wanting to grow up. He waved at his grandparents as he left through the garden, leaving the familiar and cosy home and fully prepared to assume his royal duties, as he knew that King Marik wanted the army ready within the week to begin the march on Welkas, and that there would only be a few battles before reaching Usnaan and the final engagement would begin.
He had a long few days ahead of him.
New Summonings and Sancturia creatures in this chapter:
Sartorius Gomor: Sharding Sphinx
Sharuum the Hegemon