A young man awoke from his slumber. A pair of blue eyes stared up at the grey ceiling of the room he was sleeping in, and slowly the owner sat up. The view changed from the ceiling to the grey walls of the room, the young man simply stared forward for a period of time.
After that quiet moment he got up from the bed he was sleeping in and went through his morning ritual.
The young man then found himself standing in front of a small mirror. Blonde hair that was once lustrous was matted with dirt and stringy from the months of rough treatment. Heavy bags hung under his eyes, with dark circles only serving to make him look more tired.
Then for a moment the young man allowed himself to look as miserable as he could. His face nearly melted as he let out a deep and tired sigh. His mouth hung open and his shoulders slumped forward.
For just a moment, the young man looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
Then as fast as it appeared, it vanished. A steely look replaced the miserable one that was on his face just before, and he straightened his shoulders. He then walked out of the room.
Standing guard by the door was a man covered head to toe in armour. He turned his head towards him as the young man left the room and nodded "Good morning, your highness."
Prince Wales of Albion returned his nod "Good morning Nelson."
The two of walked, the castle halls were quiet as they usually were. And soon the two found their way to the main hall.
Other armoured men were walking about, as were some of the maids. In the middle was a long table where maps and letters and plans were strewn about.
Sitting at the throne was the king, watching over the group with a narrowed gaze.
Wales couldn't help but turn to the king, his eyes then turn to the black metal torch that stood tall beside the throne. Even in the morning light, an ever so slight red glow could be seen.
The prince turned away and looked around. A scowl found its way on his face. He turned to the armoured man beside him "The search party didn't return did they?" He asked.
"No your highness," the man replied with a shake of his head.
"Damn it," he muttered, he walked towards the table with Nelson following him. He paused and looked around "Did they send a ransom letter or anything of the sort?"
One of them grimaced and shook his head. He reached for one of the rolled up scrolls and handed it towards the prince.
Wales unfurled it. His eyes looked it over and he resisted the urge to crumple it in his hands. "Bastards," he growled and tossed it back onto the table.
He turned away from the letter, and looked at the men talking around a map.
As if sensing his gaze being sent their way, both of them shook their heads.
"If you're going to ask if we have any kind of good news, then you're going to be disappointed your highness." One of them told him preemptively. He looked up from the map and his mouth pulled into a straight line "We're losing ground as you'd expect."
"And that's not all," the other one added as he leaned back into his chair "Because unless I'm reading this wrong, we might've gotten our supply line cut off."
"Of course we have," Wale pinched the bridge of his nose and walked over. He leaned over their shoulder to look at the map itself. His scowl deepened as the number of 'X's that covered the path around the church they were in. And true to their words, it appears that the one place that they could get food and weapons had been taken.
"Silver lining?" The first one spoke "It seems likes the boys fought back hard enough that it'll be a while before they can use it against us."
Wales sighed "That also means that if they can fix it, they'd have a direct path towards us." The prince pointed at the few paths around the church that didn't have any 'X's and spoke "We either need to establish a new supply line, or we need to find a way to survive on what we have."
"Aye Aye your highness," both of the men saluted.
Wale looked away from the map and once more his eyes landed on the king.
A smile slowly grew on the elderly man's face, softly he jerked his head towards the torch that stood erect beside his throne "If you're wondering about the torch, you don't have to worry." He turned his head towards it and flicked it with one of his fingers "Albion isn't falling to ruin today."
Wales couldn't help but laugh "At least something here has good news."
A few more others laughed at his words, and eventually the laughter died down.
The prince's smile dropped and he reached for one of the other letters on the table. Hoping that this one had a better message than the others.
[Scene]
Vittorio Serevare looked at the envelope in his hand. He turned it around a couple of times, before he settled on looking on the wax seal on the front, the symbol of Tristain stamped on it.
He looked up from the envelope and turned his gaze to the one that had brought the letter. The messenger was on one knee as he bowed towards him, a hand placed over his chest.
Vittorio looked at the letter once more, recalling that the messenger had told him that it was from Princess Henrietta herself.
He placed a kind smile on his face and lowered the letter in his hands "Please raise your head, Count Mott."
The man before him lifted his head from the bow, but remained on one knee. Like many others he had a look of awe in his eyes as he knelt before him.
"Thank you for the letter," he nodded his way "Such a journey must've been tiring."
The messenger's eyes widened "Not at all your holy eminence!" He quickly bowed his head once more, "It is my honour to deliver a message towards you."
The young pope could smile back and nod his head. He looked down at the envelope and peeled open the wax seal and took out the letter within.
As he did, his smile slowly dropped into a neutral line while his eyes widened. When he finished however, he readopted the smile and lowered the letter "I see."
"Count Mott," he called out to the messenger "Taking such a journey must've taken a toll on you, please allow yourself rest in one of the rooms here."
The messenger raised his head, and looked more than a little shocked. Quickly he threw his head down "I am honoured, but I cannot your holy eminence." There was a pause as he explained "It would be far too kind to have a messenger to stay within such a holy place."
Vittorio's smile dropped ever so slightly, and he sighed "If you insist, however I wish to make use of your services as well." He informed him.
The messenger's head shot up and his eyes couldn't have widened any further.
"If you are willing of course."
The young pope's smile widened as the messenger excitedly accepted the request.
Later that day, the young pope still had the letter in his hands as he entered his room. When he did, three pairs of eyes turned towards him.
The Void Vessels were silent as usual. Only following the young pope with their silent gaze.
One of them, a Void Vessel with three horns, had been standing on a table when he entered. It dropped from the table and approached him.
It stopped in front of him and stared. Vittorio looked at it for a moment but paid it no mind and walked towards the writing desk by the window. The Void Vessel followed him with its eyes for a moment, and then turned around back towards the table.
The other Void Vessels didn't move from their spots. Their heads following him as he walked to his destination.
Vittorio took a seat, and then placed the princess' letter on the desk. He reached for a quill, readied an inkwell, and then began to write.
Halfway through writing, a presence suddenly appeared in his room. The young pope stopped writing for a moment, and looked over his shoulder.
A large Void Vessel stood in the middle of the room, the horns that grew from its head nearly touching the ceiling.
Once it appeared the other Void Vessels turned their heads towards it, and then moved. They surrounded their larger sibling, and stared up at it.
The large Void Vessel knelt on one knee and reached out to one of them.
Vittorio stared for a moment, before looking away.
Vittorio was almost finished writing his letter when a pair of heavy footsteps approached him from behind.
This time he stopped writing completely "You're back," he more or less stated. He turned his head over his shoulder and gave a small smile "I hope that you weren't harmed."
The empty eyes of the large Void Vessel meet his own. It shook its head, earning a nod from the pope.
"That's good," he turned back to the letter he was writing "It would be a shame for you severely injured."
A large hand placed itself on the back of his chair, and the Void Vessel leaned its head forward to look at the letter he was writing.
Vittorio had to lean away from the gigantic horns that grew from the white skull, lest it poke his eyes out. He gave the Void Vessel an annoyed look "You don't have to peek," he informed it, and gently pushed the skull away "You can stand behind me and read, you're tall enough aren't you?" He questioned.
It released its grip on his chair and stood up straight behind him.
Vittorio nodded and then finished writing the final line in the letter. He placed the quill down and waited.
There was silence for a few moments as he waited for the ink to dry, the Void Vessel behind him simply staring at the letter that he had written.
Then a large hand reached for the princess' letter. It then stopped as it was about to grab it.
"Yes you can read that one," Vittorio sighed. It snatched it from his table, and not a moment later the sound of paper crinkling reached his ears.
The paper was placed back on his desk, and Vittorio felt a hand touch his shoulder.
He reached for it and held it "You don't have to worry, according to the princess whatever Siblings you have there is safe." He reassured it before it could speak. He released his grip, prompting the Void Vessel to do the same on his shoulder, and Vittorio looked at the letter in front of him.
"And besides, from what she's told me there's more to the situation than just your Siblings being in Tristain."
[Scene]
Osmond looked up from the document he was signing as the door to his office opened. "Ah Jean," with a wave of his wand he shifted the papers to the side and smile "What brings you here?"
The fire mage opened his mouth, but took notice of the large stacks of paper on the desk. He gave a sheepish smile "Am I disturbing your work?"
Osmond's eyes glanced at the documents and waved his hand dismissively "I can take a break for a while," he stretched his arms above his head and let out a groan "Though I've almost forgotten that I used to sign these many documents in a day." He lowered his hands and gave the document a rueful look "I miss having a secretary."
Jean looked down "Yeah, a shame what happened with Longueville."
Osmond shook his head "To think that Fouquet was under our noses the entire time." He picked up the pipe on the table and took a deep drag from it. "Well she's being taken to the palace tomorrow, so I might have to start looking for another one soon."
"Well in any case," Jean approached the principal's table and placed another stack of papers on it.
Osmond glanced at it and gave the fire mage a tired look "I assumed you wanted to talk Jean, not hand me more work to do."
"Uh, no this isn't paperwork," Jean explained. He spread the papers out and pointed at one in particular "I've been looking more into the Void Vessels."
"Still?" Osmond raised a questioning eyebrow "I thought you lost interest after finding out what it was."
Jean pulled his mouth into a straight line "Let's just say that it's performance at the Familiar Exhibition re-ignited my curiosity."
"Hmm…" Osmond couldn't help but glance at the middle of his office where the massive hole had been. He nodded his head "Proceed then, what else have you found out about Miss Valliere's Familiar?"
Jean shifted through the papers, until he settled on the one he needed "Well first things first, Louise's Familiar appears to be some kind of Golem made by two Spirits or Firstborns joining together to make them," he turned it so that it could face the principal "The reason the elves called them Void Vessels is that their skull, or shell, is an empty vessel that is used to contain the Void and shape it into a body."
"Hence born of God and Void," Osmond said, his hand stroking his chin.
"Excuse me?" Jean looked up, confused.
"Born of God and Void," Osmond repeated "According to Miss Valliere, that is how her Familiar described itself." The elderly mage paused, and then looked up "Hold on, did you say that it is an empty vessel to contain the Void?"
Jean nodded "Apparently, it wasn't born with the Void. These Void Vessels, I called them a sort of Golems because they were made to hold it within them and use it as their own."
"But that's… not right." Osmond looked down at the papers, grabbing one and reading it through "You said that two Spirits joined together to make these Void Vessels correct?" At the fire mage's nod, Osmond continued "Then what kind of Spirits could be able to contain the Fifth element within them?"
"Do you know of any spirits called the White Root or the Pale Wyrm?"
"I can't say I have," Osmond shook his head "I assume that the former is an Earth-like Spirit, but I've never heard of a Dragon being a Spirit. The smarter ones being able to commune with the Spirits I've heard of, but not being one themselves."
"Darn it," Jean clicked his tongue "I thought you would know, the books don't talk much about these two." He shook his head "Well nevermind that, according to the elves these Void Vessels are made to be able to carry the Fifth element within them, to take on its properties and abilities.
"Furthermore, the creation of these Void Vessels also result in another creation. Albeit one done accidentally." Jean shifted through the papers, and pulled out one that Osmond remembered.
It was like a Void Vessel, but it was coloured completely black and had white eyes. Jean pointed at it "When a Void Vessel is broken the Void within them emerges and take their former shape, and they act completely different from before along with different abilities. Without the shells that to keep them in place-"
"All that's left is a spirit made of the Void," Osmond finished. "Ready to be made a pact with, or seal within something that may grant the one that sealed it power."
"Or commune with it to gain their abilities," Jean said "Like any other Nature Spirit."
There was silence as the two processed the information.
"A physical body strong enough to take down even Dragons, and an aftermath that allows one to utilise powers that would be dangerous from direct contact." Osmond smirked "These two Spirits, I have to admit they are crafty to be able to harness the Void in such a way."
"But I don't understand something," Osmond looked up at the fire mage "What would drive these Spirits to create offsprings such as these?"
"The elves don't say," Jean stated "Apparently, these two vanished 6000 years ago and they're only finding them again 100 years ago." After that however a proud smile grew on his face "Despite that, there are some records that Brimir worked together with these Spirits to tame the Void itself to fight an unknown enemy."
"The elves?" Osmond guessed.
Jean shook his head "Something else." He then sighed "That we don't know, as it was speculations of this ancient enemy that Brimir fought."
The wind mage chuckled "It seems that the little creature that Louise summoned becomes more and more interesting each day."
"Yes, speaking of Miss Valliere." Jean's tone became more serious "There is something else that I was worried about."
The papers shifted and Jean reached a certain page "These Void Vessels, they are completely loyal to either who created them or," He paused and looked down at the paper "Anyone that they trust."
Osmond was quiet.
"I'm unsure of how Miss Valliere's Familiar has been acting, but Void Vessles have no desire of their own and can only act if they have someone commanding them." His fingers clenched into a fist "They question nothing, and will follow orders to the absolute."
"I am worried, Osmond." Jean lifted his head to look him in the eye "From what I've gathered, these Void Vessels aren't just a way for Spirits to use the Void, they seem to be living weapons created for the purpose of fighting. And nothing else."
Osmond leaned back into his seat and let the thought run through his head. A creature that can do nothing but fight, born for the purpose of battle and nothing else. The old man couldn't help but click his tongue "What a sad existence."
"Indeed," Jean quietly replied "To simply follow the words of those that they think to be their superior without question." He lifted his head "That's why, I feel it is important that we take care with Miss Valliere's Familiar. Maybe, with enough effort we can prevent such a thing from happening to not only her Familiar, but the other Void Vessel that joined her."
"Do we have to?"
"I'm sorry?" Colbert furrowed his eyebrows.
Osmond shook his head "You must be more confident in the students Jean. Miss Valliere wouldn't use her Familiar in such a manner, at least as far as I can tell." He then smirked "And besides, from the reports I've gotten, it appears that her Familiar is already able to act on its own, so maybe we don't have to worry for such an event."
CRACK
The sound of glass cracking behind him stopped his words. Jean's eyes had widened while his mouth fell open. Osmond turned around in his chair.
[Scene]
Bug stared into the room past the window.
Inside was the elderly man that it and its Master had met after it had captured Longueville. Behind him was another man, one that it had recalled being there when it had been first summoned.
Both of them were looking at it in shock.
Bug ignored the look and instead looked up. It shifted the grip on the Mantis Hook that the merchant had sold it, the glass that it had punctured with it cracked in response as the Vessel used it to proper itself higher.
It cleared the window's height with a single bound, and swung the claw into the stone walls.
Its Sibling was just below it, finally caught up and swung its own hook into the wall beside it.
The two Vessels continued their ascent, the Mantis Claw letting them climb higher and higher.
And eventually, they managed to reached the top spire.
They walked around the rounded roof for a while, making sure that both of their footing could be kept.
When they were certain that they could move without any problems, both of the Vessels turned and looked up.
Sib reached for its back and drew its Nail. The spiral patterns etched on it glinted in the light.
Bug held out both of its arms outward, both of them extended. They grew, longer and longer until they reached the edge of the rounded roof of the spire that they were on.
Sib lowered its stance, holding the Nail behind it.
Bug whipped both of its arms.
The two Vessels stared into the bright form of their ancient enemy, staring up at the Sun above them, and challenged it to a fight.
.
.
.
There was no response. Bug titled its head, it pulled back one of its arms and swung it upwards. The tip of it cracked in the air, towards its enemy.
But it gave no response.
Sib relaxed its stance. Bug's arm slowly retracted back into their original length.
The two Vessels stared at the Sun, their enemy not even coming out to fight.
No, it wasn't that they weren't showing up to fight.
It just wasn't there.
Neither of them could feel the presence of an enemy.
Bug stared at the Sun once more.
The Higher Being that governed over the realm of dreams was no more.
The two Vessels looked at each other.
Sib returned its Nail to its back, before it simply sat down on the tower.
Bug did the same.
The two of them stared at each other. Their ancient enemy wasn't here anymore, the sole reason of their creation no longer existed.
Then they heard the cries of the one that held the Void within her. Both of the Vessels stood up, and stared down at the sight of a pink head of hair.
Even at their height, both of the Vessels could hear her cries.
Well, if one of the reason for their existence was gone, they might as well pick another one.
Both of the Vessels leapt from the roof, and fell towards their Master.