Chapter Six – Aidios & Thanatos
The following morning, Class VII had assembled together for the first time since leaving for their Field Studies on Saturday, and the Third Dormitory was abuzz with everyone sharing their own experiences in their Field Studies.
"So, Fie, how was Celdic?" Emma asked as Fie bit into some toast.
"Meh, it was fine. We found out the Provincial Army there are a bunch of lazy incompetent dicks who like to cause trouble for the people instead of protecting them," Fie shrugged.
"If you're going to insult my family and our Provincial Army, at least do it without shovelling food into your mouth," Jusis snapped, glaring at Fie.
"Well, it wasn't all bad. We got to meet Captain Rieveldt of the RMP. Oh, she was so amazing, and her hair was incredible!" Alisa gushed.
"Hmph, so you met the 'Icy Maiden', did you? Tell me, was she as insufferable as that prick, 'Scarecrow'?" Cyrus muttered.
"What's wrong with him?" Alisa whispered, looking at Rean.
"I heard from Gaius that this 'Scarecrow' guy is an Intelligence Division Captain, and another one of Chancellor Osborne's 'Ironbloods'. Seems like he led Cyrus into some kind of dangerous trap," Rean responded, shrugging slightly.
"Yes, well… 'Dangerous' would be putting it mildly," Cyrus scowled, dropping his spoon with an audible clang.
"Really? From what I heard, you fought off three people whilst visually and audibly impaired, and managed to kill one of them with no effort. That's pretty awesome," Fie spoke, through another mouthful of food.
"Tch, you and Emma been up all night long telling stories, have you?" Cyrus half-laughed.
"Wait, what? You killed someone, Cyrus?" Laura asked, looking at Cyrus with wide eyes.
"Yes? It's not the first time, and it certainly won't be the last, either. Are you seriously trying to tell me you've never killed someone before?" Cyrus looked at the rest of Class VII, who all slowly shook their heads, except for Fie and Rean, the latter of whom looked uneasy. "Oof, tough crowd. Look, it was self-defence, so it wasn't like I killed the guy in cold blood. Besides, he would have died at the hands of his Commander anyway, so what difference does it make?"
"The difference is that you killed someone, Cyrus. Don't you have any remorse about that?" Laura asked.
"No, because remorse means hesitation, and hesitation gets you killed. More's the point, why is this a big deal? Aurelia has killed hundreds of people during her time as a soldier. Literally anyone who's been in the military has had to kill someone at some point, so why is it a problem here?" Cyrus responded.
"You aren't in the military, Cyrus. That's the issue here," Laura stated.
"Tch, if you say so…" Cyrus muttered.
"Ok, subject change; tell us how you're able to fight so well despite being blinded and deafened. I thought for sure you were going to die," Machias began, trying to steer the topic away from murder.
"Not much of a change," Jusis sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Before you both start arguing again, I'm going to need to borrow you, Cyrus," Sara stated as she walked into the dining area.
"Whatever for this time, Sara?" Cyrus asked as he looked up at Sara, though his slightly sarcastic tone did go over her.
"You have a visitor," Sara responded.
"So early in the morning?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
"Hey-hey! Cyrus, buddy!" Crow yelled as he sauntered into the room.
"What do you want, Crow?" Cyrus sighed, knowing Crow was only here because he needed something.
"You wound me, Cyrus. Can't I just come say hello to my favourite underclassman?" Crow gasped; feigning hurt at Cyrus' words.
"C'mon, Crow… You're not a kiss-arse, and I know you well enough by now that you're only like this when you want someone to do something for you," Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Alright, out with it."
"Uhh, not here… Can we go somewhere private and discuss it?" Crow asked, side-eying the rest of Class VII.
"Ok, that's definitely not suspect," Alisa muttered, getting a nod from Laura and Machias.
"Fine, let's go to my room," Cyrus grunted as he stood up and left the room.
"What do you think that was all about?" Elliot asked.
"I have no idea, but if it involves Crow, it can't be good," Rean sighed.
"Right, talk; what is so important you decided to interrupt my breakfast?" Cyrus asked as he sat down on his bed.
Crow said nothing as he opened his jacket and started to rummage around inside the inner breast pocket. What he pulled out and presented to Cyrus was a crumpled piece of paper.
"Ta-da!" Crow beamed as Cyrus read the paper.
"Thors Military Academy presents; the inaugural Thors Gambling Club – Come as a Commoner, leave as a Noble," Cyrus read aloud before looking up at Crow. "What the hell is this?"
"A flyer for my very own Gambling Club! Pretty awesome, I know," Crow grinned.
"Ok, I'll bite; how in Aidios' name did you manage to get Towa to sign off on this?" Cyrus asked, looking at Crow with concern.
"Ah, that's the neat part; I didn't," Crow declared proudly.
"Excuse me?" Cyrus uttered.
"Towa has no idea I'm even doing this," Crow stated, nodding his head.
"By Thanatos, you really are stupid sometimes, aren't you?" Cyrus groaned.
"What? Why? I thought this was awesome. I just gotta make people believe it's legit, and everything will be ok," Crow explained.
"And when Towa catches wind of it? Or are you just going to tell everyone to keep it a secret from the Student Council President?" Cyrus responded, to which Crow laughed sheepishly. "Please tell me that isn't what you had planned to do."
"Ok, 'that isn't what you had planned to do'," Crow parroted.
"Crow!" Cyrus shouted, screwing the flyer up and throwing it at Crow.
"Hey! You told me to say that!" Crow cried.
"You know that isn't what I meant by that!" Cyrus growled.
"What's the big deal anyway?" Crow asked.
"Well, aside from it being questionable from a legal perspective, it's also forbidden in the school's Code of Conduct," Cyrus stated.
"Code of what now?" Crow blinked.
"You're joking, right?" Cyrus looked at Crow with a blank stare.
"Nope. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," Crow grinned.
"Gods, it must be liberating to be as stupid as you are…" Cyrus muttered. "Look, the school rules, or its 'Code of Conduct', are a set of rules that each and every student must abide by whilst enrolled in the academy. One of those rules specifically states that no student will partake in any illicit activities throughout the duration of their enrolment. You trying to open a Gambling Club breaks that rule."
"How though? Gambling isn't illegal," Crow retorted.
"It is if you're not properly registered. I know most Casinos in Heimdallr have a minimum age of twenty to enter them, and while there technically isn't a 'legal age' in Erebonian Law that permits gambling in a casino, it's still a violation of school rules," Cyrus explained, sighing in exasperation.
"Hmph… Fine, so what do I do then? I mean, I kinda need to be here," Crow frowned.
"Maybe just drop the whole thing like I advised you to do weeks ago?" Cyrus suggested.
"C'mon, man! How am I supposed to live like a king if I can't scam people out of their money?" Crow asked.
"And, there it is… We finally get to the reason as to why you wanted to do this stupid idea from the beginning," Cyrus sighed.
"What? C'mon, Cyrus, Nobles have a stupid amount of Mira in their pockets, as do some Commoners; fleecing them out of a couple hundred thousand to help me live it up isn't exactly bad, is it?" Crow responded, trying to reason with Cyrus.
"Yes, actually, it's illegal. Crow, you can very easily be arrested for scamming people," Cyrus pointed out.
"Oh, right… Ohh, so that's why Towa wouldn't let me do it! I gotta go!" Crow exclaimed as he turned and charged out of Cyrus' room. "See ya, buddy!"
"That guy is an idiot…" Cyrus sighed, shaking his head.
As Cyrus made his way downstairs and towards the door, he was stopped again by Sara, who was holding a letter in her hand.
"Hey, Cyrus. This arrived for you just after you left on Saturday for your Field Study. I don't know who it's from, but it must be important; the envelope itself feels like it's made out of silk, the penmanship looks like it's been written by someone with a high education, and it's written in gold ink," Sara began as she showed Cyrus the front of the envelope, which was indeed addressed to him.
"An astute observation, although you've been holding onto it for two days, so you would have had plenty of time to inspect it, Instructor. What makes you think it's important though? For all you know, it could have come from my sister at Juno," Cyrus responded, trying to take the envelope from Sara, who pulled her hand away.
"Ah-ah-ah… I wasn't finished. You're right, it could very well be from a number of people; Aurelia, your mother, your father, Matteus Vander… Yet I know it's not from any of them, but whoever sent it clearly has a romantic interest in you," Sara smirked as she flipped the envelope over.
On the back of an envelope, one would normally use a wax press to seal the contents to make sure it wasn't opened before being delivered to its intended recipient. The letter Sara was holding, however, had no wax stamp, but instead had an imprint of someone's lips, but in black.
"Ah… I see…" Cyrus responded calmly. "What could she possibly need of me at this time?"
"Ooh, so it is from a girl. How scandalous," Sara teased.
"Tch, come off it, Sara. You knew it was from a woman the moment you saw the black lipstick imprinted on the back. And before you say anything, just don't; you'll be barking up the wrong tree," Cyrus snorted, snatching the envelope from Sara's hand.
"Ah…! Hey, I'm not finished teasing you yet!" Sara pouted. "C'mon, tell me, what's her name?"
"Rosaria… Sister Rosaria of the Heimdallr Cathedral," Cyrus stated, tucking the envelope away.
"Wait, what? You're dating a Sister from the Church?" Alisa gasped as she, Rean, Elliot, and Gaius entered the room.
"How much of that conversation did you guys overhear?" Cyrus sighed, looking at his classmates.
"Pretty much everything from the point you mentioned the black lipstick imprint," Elliot chucked nervously.
"Well, given Alisa's response, I guess that was enough to misunderstand the situation…" Cyrus muttered.
"What's this about Cyrus dating a Sister from the Septian Church?" Laura asked as she too entered the room.
"I'm not dating anyone!" Cyrus shouted. "Look, Sister Rosaria and I have known each other for a while. There's no doubt she loves me, but…"
"But what?" Gaius asked.
"Forget that, how are you so sure this woman is in love with you? That's a pretty bold statement to make," Alisa declared.
"Well, perhaps you'd like to meet her, then you'll understand why I say that, considering the fact she sealed this letter with a literal kiss isn't enough for you," Cyrus responded pulling the envelope out and waving it in front of Alisa.
"Actually, I'd like to see this for myself too… My interactions with Sister Rosaria have been, well…" Elliot began, trailing off as he tried to think of the right word.
"Icy?" Cyrus asked.
"Yes, exactly. There's a reason why she's called 'Ice Queen' in Heimdallr. You'd think a Sister of the Septian Church would be warm, welcoming, and kind, but… Sister Rosaria is anything but that," Elliot explained.
"So, what makes Cyrus so special?" Rean asked out of curiosity.
"I've known Rosaria for a couple of years, but heard about her beforehand; she had just joined the Church when I heard of her, and let's just say that first time was pretty memorable," Cyrus laughed.
"That's disgusting!" Alisa cried, her cheeks going bright red.
"Why the fuck do you always jump to conclusions that are sexual in nature?" Cyrus shouted. "No, the Empress took Alfin and Cedric to the Cathedral when they were children, and Rosaria's cold demeanour frightened them both so much they started to cry. It was her first time at the Cathedral, and she managed to make both the Princess and Crown Prince cry because they were so terrified of her. She did nothing wrong, but she managed to scare small children without having to do anything. The Empress, on the other hand, had to try her best not to burst out laughing at the whole thing. Had she done so, I don't think Rosaria would still be working at the Cathedral today."
"How can such a person be a servant of Aidios if she terrifies small children?" Laura asked.
"Oh, she's not an agent of Aidios. She's a part of the Church's 'Black Sect'. Though, I think she's embraced the name a little too literally, if her choice in lipstick is anything to go by," Cyrus muttered.
"She's part of the Black Sect? I thought they only operated in Arteria?" Gaius asked.
"Yes and no. The Black Sect are primarily based in Arteria, considering it's the High Seat of the Septian Church, but members of the Black Sect are stationed in every nation's capital, at their respective places of worship," Cyrus explained. "But everything is controlled by a man in Arteria by the name of Keyes; the 'Black Archbishop'.
"Ok, everyone, you can all have your Bible Discussion at the end of school today, and Cyrus can tell us more about his Sister girlfriend then too," Sara grinned as she put an arm around Cyrus' neck and pulled him down to her chest.
"Sara, as much as I love you, don't ever use the term 'Sister girlfriend' again. If anyone were to misunderstand that, I'd have a lot of explaining to do," Cyrus smiled, despite his aura exuding death.
"I'm sorry, did you just say Cyrus is dating his sister?" Machias asked, a look of horror on his face.
"Oh, no… Don't you fucking start! I'm not explaining everything again!" Cyrus shouted.
"You're dating your sister?! Well, I suppose… I suppose incestuous relationships amongst the Nobility are pretty common. That's how some of them believe they are able to keep the bloodline 'pure'," Emma added as she entered the conversation.
"Fucking hell Sara, look at what you've done!" Cyrus yelled as he watched Sara run off laughing.
"I don't see anything wrong with dating your sister. As long as you love her, then it's ok, isn't it?" Rean asked.
"Allow me to channel my 'inner-Crow' for a second here and say; dude, what the fuck?" Cyrus looked at Rean with a disturbed look on his face.
"What? Emma's right; incest is legal in Erebonia, so who are we to judge if brothers and sisters want to date?" Rean responded.
"Uhh, what?" Alisa mumbled, as everyone turned to look at Rean.
"Don't you have a sister too, Rean?" Elliot asked, shifting uncomfortably.
"Yes, I do, and to me, she's the most important person in the world," Rean said with a smile.
"Right, well, allow me to just take that shovel from you there, Rean… And judging by Alisa's scowl, I'd say your face has an appointment with her hand in three, two, one…" Cyrus counted down as the main foyer of the Third Dormitory was filled with the sound of a loud slap. "Yep, there it is…"
"You're an even bigger pervert than he is!" Alisa screamed, pointing at Cyrus as she turned and stormed off.
"How did she manage to insult me in there too?" Cyrus asked. "Dammit, Alisa, wait!"
Cyrus chased after Alisa, who managed to get as far as the Train Station when he caught up to her.
"What do you want?!" Alisa yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone who was currently out and about in Trista.
"Hey, calm down. Rean is the one you're mad at, so I don't appreciate you throwing mud at me as well," Cyrus snapped, grabbing Alisa by her shoulders.
"Ugh, fine! I'm sorry! Happy now?" Alisa huffed, looking at her feet.
"I'll forget about it if you do me a favour, deal?" Cyrus asked, making Alisa look at him quizzically.
"A favour?" Alisa repeated.
"Yes… I want you to look at something for me and tell me what you think of it," Cyrus responded.
"Look at what?" Alias scowled.
"Not now. After school. You can come to me, or I can come to you, but this needs to be private. Do you understand?" Cyrus whispered, looking serious all of the sudden.
"What? What's going on here?" Alisa responded, starting to feel uneasy.
"I'll explain more tonight. Will you help me?" Cyrus asked.
"I'll hear you out, but until I know what it is you're talking about, I refuse to help you," Alisa stated.
"Alright, fair enough," Cyrus responded with a sigh, knowing that was as good of a response as he was going to get.
"I'll come see you after dinner tonight, ok?" Alisa said with a hard stare.
"Done," Cyrus nodded as he and Alisa went their separate ways.
The first class of the day was a joint class with Class I, and the boys and girls had been split apart for the classes. The boys of Classes I and VII had Orbal Computational Classes with Instructor Makarov, whilst the girls of Classes I and VII had Home Economics Classes with Instructor Mary.
The girls' class was mostly normal, save for a couple of Class I girls, along with Ferris quietly discussing the Class VII girls. Some were disappointed that Laura wasn't a part of their class, whilst others were gushing over how small and adorable Fie was. Ferris, however, had taken to glaring at Alisa and muttering derisive comments about the young girl under her breath whenever Alisa did or said something. Alisa knew it was happening, but decided to ignore it, and made a mental note that she would at least try and see if Cyrus could talk to Ferris again.
The boys' class was far different from the girls' class. Much to the irritation of the Class VII boys – most notably Cyrus, Jusis, and Machias – Patrick Hyarms had finally gotten the metal brace removed from his jaw just before Class VII left for their Field Studies, and they now had to listen to Patrick and his cohorts preening about anything and everything, as they tried to take a dig at Cyrus and the Commoners in Class VII.
For the most part, Cyrus and the rest ignored Patrick, which only spurred the Hyarms boy to keep trying to get a rise out of them. Patrick had thought he was successful when a comment about how 'only poor people didn't have an Orbal Computer in their home' was met with Cyrus standing up, but instead of going over to Patrick, he instead walked over to Elliot, who was having trouble with the lesson.
"Aw, geez, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. How are you finding this, Gaius?" Elliot whispered from his seat at the back of the class.
"Hmm, I think I understand what it is we're supposed to do, but I'm still struggling," Gaius responded; a puzzled look on his face as he tried to input more data into the computer.
"What are you having trouble with, Elliot?" Cyrus asked as he crouched down and watched Elliot struggle.
"Umm, everything?" Elliot responded, laughing sheepishly.
"Oh, I see what you've done… You're treating this like you would if you were writing by hand. Ok, so, this software was developed by the Verne Company in Calvard, and as such, it uses their writing style for everything. Instead of putting the data in across from left to right, like how we write, put it in going down from right to left," Cyrus explained as he watched Elliot follow his instructions.
"Oh, wow! It's actually making sense now. Thanks, Cyrus. How did you know how to do that, anyway?" Elliot asked, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Aurelia made sure I learned how to use an Orbal Computer the moment they were installed at Juno a few years ago, before I left Ordis. When she said 'I'm not going to let you leave until you can operate this terminal with your eyes closed', she meant it. I must have spent a good two weeks at Juno with an Orbal Engineer teaching me how to work the damn thing," Cyrus laughed, scratching the back of his head as he watched Gaius start to follow the same method as Elliot.
"Hmph, how typical of someone like you. Can't afford to have one installed in your home, so you have to sponge off Duke Cayenne's generosity and use one that was meant for his Provincial Army to use," Patrick scoffed, getting a snigger out of his friends.
"Moron…" Cyrus muttered. "How are you fairing, Machias?"
"I don't need help from the likes of you. I'm doing just fine on my own," Machias snapped, furiously typing away at his own terminal.
"Wow, ok then. Sorry for trying to help," Cyrus responded, rolling his eyes. "Hey, Makarov. I'm done; got anything else for me?"
"Just help anyone who needs it. Or don't. I don't care," Makarov said, waving his hand in the air as he continued to read his magazine.
"Does anyone else need actual help?" Cyrus asked, looking at the Class VII boys, whilst completely ignoring the Class I boys.
"Oh, I need help, sir. Please, teach me how a poor person uses one of these things," Eric spoke mockingly, which got more laughs from the Class I boys.
"Rean, Jusis, are you two doing ok?" Cyrus asked through gritted teeth.
"Hmph, please. This is nothing to me," Jusis scoffed as he finished his worksheet.
"Excuse me, Instructor Makarov, I have an issue that I must raise with you," Patrick began.
"What is it?" Makarov asked, not bothering to look up from his magazine.
"My compatriot here clearly just asked for help, but was completely ignored, despite you explicitly telling this dog to help anyone who needed it," Patrick stated, glaring at Cyrus who took a step towards Patrick.
"Tch, don't tell me you're going to take bait as obvious as that?" Jusis snorted, making Cyrus stop.
"Not likely. I was simply going to tell the preening little shitbag that if he wants someone to help his bootlicking 'yes-boy' he should just buy his own tutor to assist whenever… Holy shit, that's it!" Cyrus shouted as he took off out the classroom.
"Now where the hell is he going?" Jusis sighed, shaking his head.
"Ugh, what a disgusting excuse for a Noble. Lord Jusis, how can you stand being around such trash?" Patrick asked, as he turned to Jusis.
"Be silent and leave me out of your petty squabbles, foolish whelp," Jusis snapped as he pulled a book out of his bag and began reading it.
"Uhh… Y-You there, Schwarzer! I know you only come from a lowly Baron's house, but surely even you find that mongrel to be a disgrace to the Nobility?" Patrick stammered as he turned his attention to Rean.
"Huh? Wh-what?" Rean mumbled, looking at Patrick with confusion.
"SPEAK UP, BOY! His Lordship asked you a question. As you are from a Noble House, surely you must find that scoundrel's behaviour to be repugnant and a disgrace to Erebonian Nobility?" Eric shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
"Keep it down…" Makarov muttered, as he continued to flick through the magazine in his hand.
After Cyrus left the classroom, he ran downstairs and into the main foyer of the building, and approached the clerk sat behind the information desk.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me what subject the Class V Second Years are taking right now?" Cyrus asked as the clerk looked up at him.
"Sure, just give me a second…" the clerk muttered as she typed into her own Orbal Computer. "Ah… Military Science with Instructor Neithardt."
"Fuck. Ok, that's fine, that's ok. I'll come up with something… Thank you," Cyrus nodded to the clerk as he made his way towards Instructor Neithardt's classroom.
As Cyrus reached Instructor Neithardt's classroom, he peered inside and saw Crow sat in the middle of the classroom. Unfortunately for him, there was no way to get Crow's attention without bring attention to his own presence, and if Neithardt discovered Cyrus was not in class, then he knew he'd be in trouble.
If Cyrus was to find a way to speak to Crow, then he had to rely on one thing; Crow's ability to be incredibly stupid.
"Now then, that should just about cover the basics… Let's see then… Armbrust; tell us how you'd use an Orbal Radio in the field," Neithardt asked, breaking Crow out of his daydream.
"What now?" Crow asked, blinking at Neithardt.
"You're really trying my patience, Armbrust. I said 'tell us how you'd use an Orbal Radio in the field'," Neithardt repeated, scowling at Crow.
"Oh, right… Well, I guess I'd use it to find cute girls and hit up the clubs in Heimdallr. After all, I have heard there are heaps of hot, single girls in my area, according to the Orbal Net," Crow smirked, which elicited laughs and frustrated sighs from his classmates.
"Get out," Neithardt commanded, pointing to the door of the classroom.
"What for? I answered your question," Crow protested, standing up.
"I don't care for smart arse comments in my lessons. Remove yourself from this room, otherwise I'll have you walk five thousand laps around the Practice Field on your hands!" Neithardt shouted, his voice carrying an authoritative tone that was synonymous with an officer of the Imperial Army.
Crow shrugged and left the classroom, almost crying out when he opened the door and found himself face to face with Cyrus.
"Yo! What are you doing here, man? I almost shit myself…" Crow cried after closing the door.
"Cool, now shut up and listen; I've figured out a way for you to get what you want," Cyrus stated quickly, confusing Crow.
"You've found a way for me to meet hot single girls in my area?" Crow asked, almost excitedly.
"What? No, I'm talking about your Gambling Club," Cyrus responded, raising an eyebrow at Crow's response.
"Huh? Really? How? I thought you said it was illegal to run one," Crow asked, looking at Cyrus with surprise.
"Simple. We circumvent the school's Code of Conduct by making it a legal business venture," Cyrus stated.
"Ok, and how do you expect me to do that? Go to Heimdallr and walk into a casino and say 'Hello, I'd like to purchase one gambling scheme, please'?" Crow frowned.
"No, I buy a building in Heimdallr and turn it into a casino. You help me run it for a share of the profits, and we set the rules on age limits, which will allow us to permit Thors students entry, and Bob's your Uncle, as it were," Cyrus explained.
"My Uncle's name was Baldrick, not Bob," Crow responded with a light smirk.
"You're so stupid… Look, do you want to follow up with my idea, or not?" Cyrus asked.
"Sure, but you really think the Erebonian Ministry of Business and Commerce will just allow you to purchase a casino without some kind of license?" Crow queried.
"I already have a business license, all I'll need is a government approval to operate a gambling venue, which shouldn't be hard to do," Cyrus shrugged.
"Is there anything you don't have?" Crow marveled.
"A stable relationship with a member of the opposite sex?" Cyrus smirked.
"Aha, how the turn tables," Crow nodded sagely, before giving Cyrus a high-five. "We're very strange people."
"Oh, without a doubt… But, we're two strange people with a casino if all goes well," Cyrus responded.
"Aww, fuck yeah! I can practically smell the money now, and it's legit too!" Crow grinned.
"Ok, I gotta get back to class. Luckily for me, Makarov didn't give a shit when I left. What about you?" Cyrus looked back through the window to see Neithardt was now holding a small model armoured tank.
"Eh, don't worry about me. I'll smooth things over with Instructor Neithardt. I got this," Crow assured Cyrus with a thumbs up.
With a nod, both boys went their separate ways. Crow went and found a couch to fall asleep on, and Cyrus returned to his own class, and when he returned, it had become apparent that Makarov hadn't even noticed he'd left, and Machias was pissed about something. That something was the fact that Class I had outed Rean as a Noble, which conflicted with what he told Machias about himself on the first day of school. Rean had lied to Machias, and Machias wasn't someone who took kindly to being deceived, especially when it comes to one's lineage.
Cyrus chose to ignore Machias and Rean and gather his things and make his way to the next lesson; History with Instructor Thomas.
"Ah, good morning, Class VII! Please, take your seats!" Thomas cried out jovially, much to the collective chagrin of Class VII. "Now, we're going to talking about a very interesting topic today; Aidios and Thanatos!"
"Surely you jest, Instructor. We're supposed to be covering the actions that led to the War of the Lions, aren't we?" Laura asked, looking at Thomas with confusion.
"Agreed, why do we need to aimlessly waste time learning about something we learned at the age of four?" Jusis snapped.
"Oh, come now you two; every now and again we need to provide ourselves with a refresher of things that are common knowledge; it's how that knowledge becomes common," Thomas chuckled, which just caused Jusis to scowl. "Now, who can tell me who Aidios and Thanatos are? Miss Millstein?"
"Ah, ahem… Aidios and Thanatos are the sibling Gods of Zemuria. Aidios is the Goddess of the Sky, Heaven, Light, Life, and Love, and the primary deity upon which the Septian Church was founded twelve hundred years ago," Emma explained, standing up to answer the question.
"Oh, simply marvelous! Thank you, Miss Millstein!" Thomas cried, clapping as Emma sat down. "Mr. Le Guin, perhaps you could tell us who Thanatos is?"
"Thanatos is said to be Aidios' older brother, and the inherently 'evil God' of Zemuria. He's the God of War, Death, Magic, Destruction, and Evil…" Cyrus responded.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all… But I find your answer a little bit lacking. Is there anyone who can add to Mr. Le Guin's answer?" Thomas asked, looking around the class.
"He's considered a God by the Septian faith, but is not worshipped as one unlike his sister, due to him being evil, and the one who instigated the Great Collapse that led to the destruction of the early tribes of Zemuria," Alisa added, much to Thomas' joy.
"Thank you very much for that illuminating answer!" Thomas applauded.
"Unfortunately, you're only half right," Cyrus muttered. "Thanatos is worshipped by those within the Church, but by a very small congregation. They are known as the 'Black Sect'."
"Oh, very well done, sir! I didn't think anyone outside of the Church knew about the Black Sect," Thomas beamed.
"Why is he even considered a God, if only a small amount of people worships him? What's the point in that?" Fie asked.
"A fair question indeed, Miss Clausell. To be clear, the Septian Church still acknowledges Thanatos, and he is the foundation upon which the Black Sect was founded, because it was supposedly Aidios' dying wish that her brother, who had merely lost his way, not be shunned by future generations for his misdeeds," Thomas explained.
"How can someone ask for such a thing, when it was Thanatos who murdered her to begin with?" Machias asked.
"Hmph, do you seriously believe that Thanatos murdered his own sister? Don't be a fool," Jusis scoffed.
"Now, now, Mr. Albarea. Don't be so quick to condemn Mr. Regnitz's question; allow me to illuminate the matter. There are many different stories about the cause of the Great Collapse, and while it is true that many of them, if not all, do seem to point the finger solely at Thanatos, and the jealousy he harboured for his sister, not all of them say Aidios was killed by her brother," Thomas interjected, knowing that if he wasn't quick, the two boys would start an argument.
"So, what do you believe, Instructor?" Rean asked.
"Me…? Oh, well… It's hard to say, really," Thomas muttered. "While Aidios' teachings have been the cornerstone of the Septian faith, it's hard to say if the stories about Thanatos are true. If you ask the Septian Church, they'll tell you the reason they acknowledge Thanatos as a God, is only because of the power he held, with the Black Sect being created as a way to respect and venerate that power. They say his power was so absolute, that he was able to cause many of the great calamities in Erebonia's history, such as the Dark Dragon's existence and its eventual conquest of Heimdallr, where it remained for over a hundred years, before Emperor Hector defeated it, and liberated Heimdallr. Some also believe Thanatos had a hand in starting the War of the Lions."
"You expect us to believe this hogwash? How could someone, even a being as powerful as Thanatos allegedly was, live for almost a thousand years?" Jusis scoffed.
"I heard Thanatos had the ability to see through time, and manipulate events when he was alive to have an impact on the future. It's how he supposedly earned the title of 'The Lord of Space and Time'…" Emma muttered.
"Indeed, the moniker itself seems quite facetious when you think about it; with a title like that, one would expect he'd have the ability to travel through space and time, rather than just be able to see into the future," Laura affirmed.
"Some stories point toward Thanatos being considered a 'balance keeper' for the world, that his evil acts were committed only because the nature of all things needed to be kept in harmony. They say with his incredible power, he created four enforcers to act as his 'agents of balance' across the world, and ensure everything was regulated," Gaius stated, getting an excited nod from Thomas.
"Aha, yes! Thank you, Mr. Worzel! That brings me to my next point; his four Balance-Keepers. Now, hold on a second…" Thomas muttered as he dug around in his bag and pulled out a dusty looking black book.
"Hey, Rean, doesn't that look an awful lot like the book your purchased at the market in Celdic?" Elliot whispered.
"A little, but it's probably just coincidence. I can't even read mine," Rean responded.
"What do you mean?" Elliot asked.
"I don't know, it's just full of weird glyphs and symbols, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to figure out anything it says. Can't believe I spent ten thousand Mira on it," Rean muttered.
"You spent how much on it?!" Alisa cried.
"What? The guy said it was his only copy, and it was a rare tome, a part of a collection or something. I thought, if I could find the others, it'd be worth something," Rean said.
"Yeah, and I think you're an idiot!" Alisa snapped.
"Aha, here we go!" Thomas cried with excitement. "Let's see here… 'From the ashes of a corrupt and dying world, four riders were birthed from the destruction of immeasurable souls, all collected to give these demons unrivalled power to carry out the will of their creator. Yet the Harbinger was not satisfied with the destruction he had wrought. In one final act of unspeakable evil, the Harbinger collected the purest of energy given to humanity, and created his most powerful tool; the Fifth Guardian, which he used to shape the new world…' Hmm… The rest of the text appears to have been lost to time, but you get the idea."
"Hmph, what nonsense. Why would a God as powerful as Thanatos need to create these so called 'Balance Keepers' to act as his will? If he was so powerful, why couldn't he just manipulate events to suit his needs?" Jusis scoffed.
"Oh, come now, Mr. Albarea! These are mere stories; they will have been passed down by word of mouth until someone decided to put pen to parchment and scribe it down permanently. By that point, the stories would have been subjected to a little bit of 'Calvardian Whispers' and had things changed. While they are fascinating and have always been a topic of heated discussion amongst scholars, members of the church, and literary artists, no-one can be certain what the real stories are," Thomas explained.
"So why bother mentioning them? Or is this just some roundabout way of avoiding the original question?" Cyrus asked.
"I beg your pardon," Thomas said nervously.
"You were asked what you believe about Thanatos; was he evil or not?" Cyrus responded.
"That is true… You did go off on a tangent there, Instructor," Laura added.
"Hmm… I don't necessarily believe he was always evil. I also don't believe he would murder Aidios out of jealousy, like some of the stories suggest. While I certainly can't deny his power, as every single story, myth, legend, what have you, all stated his immense power, and his ability to predict the future with perfect accuracy… Perhaps he did kill Aidios, but who's to say it wasn't to avoid an even worse fate than the Great Collapse? How do we know that he didn't start the Great Collapse as a way to save the world from total annihilation? Perhaps he saw that, through the Great Collapse, Zemuria would rise from the ashes, and be better than what it was?" Thomas concluded, nodding.
"Hmm, I suppose I can't disagree with that. Throughout history, stories have always had a good person and an evil person; it's the basis of any decent story. But through time, and multiple retellings, perhaps the stories get warped to fit the teller's own agenda or disposition," Machias mused.
"Exactly right, Mr. Regnitz! And thank you for backing up my previous statement as well. For all we know, Aidios and Thanatos might not have been siblings; they could have been mother and son, father and daughter, maybe even enemies from the start. Religion is helped through History, and through History, helps the world," Thomas concluded sagely.
The rest of the class had been spent discussing the various ideas and contexts of some of the stories of the two Gods of Zemuria, and how the Septian Church, and the Black Sect, choose to interpret each side.
Annoyingly for Cyrus, the mention of the Black Sect had dragged up the letter he had received from Sister Rosaria of the Black Sect that morning, in which even Instructor Thomas had stated how he had met Rosaria once and was frightened of her.
Classes had finally come to an end, and it was time for everyone to return to their dorms for a short break before late morning classes took place. It was at this point that Emma decided to approach Cyrus.
"Hey, uhh, Cyrus?" Emma mumbled as she stood next to him.
"What's the matter?" Cyrus asked as he stood up.
"Well, I was wondering if you… Well, you know… I just was thinking that if you're not busy, we could carry on our discussion of Aidios and Thanatos. You made some very interesting points," Emma mumbled, trying to force the words out of her mouth.
"This isn't an excuse to try and interrogate me about my relationship with Rosaria again, is it?" Cyrus sighed.
"No, not at all… I mean, unless you wanted to talk about it?" Emma asked weakly, causing Cyrus to shake his head.
"Tch, I'm fine, thank you. C'mon, you wanna walk back to the dorm with me then?" Cyrus asked as he grabbed his bag.
"Oh… S-Sure," Emma stuttered, smiling at Cyrus, and doing her best to hide the fact the question had taken her by surprise, as she had expected him to turn her down.
"Well, that lesson was certainly… Interesting," Emma commented as she and Cyrus left the campus grounds and began their short walk back to Trista.
"Yeah, that's one word for it…" Cyrus muttered.
"Tell me something; what's your take on Thanatos? Do you really believe he's evil?" Emma asked.
"Why wouldn't he be? All the tales seem to affirm the idea that he was evil, and did a lot of evil stuff. What, you can't seriously say that he's good, can you?" Cyrus snorted.
"Well… I don't really know; if he was the brother of Aidios, he had to have been good at some point, right? Some stories do point to the idea that Thanatos killed his sister out of jealousy. One would reason that he had to have been a good person to start with, but over time, his soul blackened as his sister did more good deeds than he did, perhaps?" Emma suggested.
"Let me ask you the same thing; what do you think of Thanatos, Emma? It seems like you want to believe he was good, and the notion of his evil is an objective falsehood," Cyrus responded.
"I have no reason to believe he wasn't evil, but I can't believe he was pure evil… I suppose you can thank my Grandmother for that. I don't understand why, but she absolutely refuses to listen to anyone who says Thanatos was inherently evil. She even had a few arguments with members of the Church during her earlier years," Emma stated.
"Why does your Grandmother refuse to believe he's evil? Surely, she's heard all the tales by now?" Cyrus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but she always says 'tales can never trump personal experience'. What she means by that, I don't want to even think about…" Emma mumbled.
"Sounds like she's suggesting she's met Thanatos herself. Either she's ancient, or she's senile," Cyrus said flippantly.
"Hey! That's my Grandmother you're talking about!" Emma cried.
"What? I'm just saying… Look, I'm sorry… I'm just a little on edge," Cyrus sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"You mean about the Rosaria thing? What was that about anyway? You said you got a letter from her, but you never bothered to even open it, much less read it," Emma probed, hoping to get Cyrus to open up.
Those plans, however, were dashed when the pair reached the park, and standing before them was a Noble Emma hadn't seen before. He was wearing the white uniform that was accustomed to the Noble students, and he had short purple hair that looked like it had been professionally curled and styled. In his mouth was a rose, which had the thorns removed, and he was striking a bizarre pose.
"What the hell…?" Cyrus groaned, as he immediately knew who was standing in front of him.
"Oh, what's this? My dear Cyrus, how could you go get yourself a girlfriend and not tell your beloved cousin about her?" the boy exclaimed, as he danced his way over to Cyrus and Emma.
"G-Girlfriend?!" Emma cried, burying her face in her hands.
"For the love of… What do you want, Vincent? Aren't you supposed to be in your dorm?" Cyrus muttered, scowling at the boy.
The boy standing before Cyrus and Emma was none other than Vincent Florald, Ferris' older brother, and Cyrus' cousin and junior by a few months. Vincent always thought of himself as some dazzling ladies' man, but has continually struggled to find a woman who finds him even remotely interesting, with the exception of one female he would much prefer acted like he didn't exist.
"Cyrus, my dear cousin, you wound me with your barbed words! Surely, you don't think I wouldn't take notice of such a beautiful lady walking beside you? When I saw the pair of you from my room, I just had to come down here and meet your new partner of love!" Vincent declared, presenting the rose to Emma, who took it awkwardly.
"Th-thank you…" Emma responded, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"You mean to tell me you just happened to see Emma and I walking back to our dorm, and charged down here, somehow managing to beat us to the park, just to see who she was… And she's not my girlfriend either!" Cyrus shouted.
"Hoho, you can play coy all you like, dear cousin, but I know love when I see it!" Vincent declared.
"And I know a moron when I see one…" Cyrus growled.
"Ah, there's that forked tongue again. Is it a wonder that you and sweet Amelia had such a falling out?" Vincent asked.
"Amelia?" Emma asked, looking at Cyrus.
Vincent's words had struck a nerve with Cyrus, who was now glaring daggers at his cousin. He stood there, motionless, with a crushing gaze loaded with anger.
"You are very lucky we are family, Vinnie… You know that what happened between Amelia and I is old news…" Cyrus growled.
"And yet, it stokes such a fiery reaction out of you… Were it truly old news, like you say, you wouldn't be this angry, surely?" Vincent responded, flicking his hair.
"Go fuck yourself, Vinnie…" Cyrus spat as he stormed off, leaving Emma behind with Vincent, who quickly hurried along after Vincent grinned at her.
"Cyrus, my dear cousin, it wouldn't do to use such vile words around a lady. Do I need to tell Auntie Mirellia about your foul mouth?" Vincent jibed as he watched Cyrus reach the Third Dormitory.
"Go ahead, see if I fucking care, dickhead!" Cyrus yelled, slamming the door as he entered the building.
When Emma entered the Third Dormitory, she found Cyrus, sat on the couch, with a pensive look on his face. Gingerly, Emma approached Cyrus and sat down next to him.
"Are you ok, Cyrus?" Emma asked quietly.
"Yes," Cyrus responded firmly, his response immediate.
"Do you mind if I ask about what happened between you and… Vincent, was it?" Emma asked.
"Tch, well, I guess I have to tell you now, since that dickhead doesn't know when to shut his fucking mouth…" Cyrus sighed. "Amelia is… Well, was, a very close friend of mine, ever since we were kids. She is a few months older than me, and because of that, we became the best of friends. In fact, you could say we were inseparable as children. Her pale blue hair and bright azure eyes made it appear that we were siblings, but we weren't. When we were growing up the most common thing we heard was 'when will we be getting married?', and that seemed to have pissed off the wrong people within the Ordisian Nobility."
"What makes you say that?" Emma asked, swallowing hard as Cyrus' face darkened slightly.
"The Dragonia family decided to stick their hooks in and forcibly break us apart," Cyrus muttered. "Marquis Vladimir Dragonia decided that Amelia would be better off marrying his parasite of a son, Oscar, and managed to get Duke Cayenne to agree to the marriage."
"I don't understand; why would someone do something like that?" Emma asked.
"The Dragonia family have hated the Le Guin family for decades. According to my Grandmother, Dahlia, it's got something to do with the fact my mother turned down Vladimir's attempts to court her when they were still in their early teens, probably around the same age Amelia and I were when the Marquis got involved with our lives," Cyrus explained.
"Why would the Duke allow such a thing to happen?" Emma continued to probe.
"The Dragonia family own the largest shipping company in Lamare, and a considerable amount of Ordis' real estate, including the Port of Ordis, and all restaurants on the waterfront, meaning they have an exceptional amount of pull when it comes to asking His Grace for something… I'd hazard a guess that the Marquis had something the Duke wanted smuggled in from Calvard via his shipping company, which doesn't undergo any port authority checks, since it's all his. That, or he would have bribed His Grace with a few million Mira for his Provincial Army to outfit themselves with the latest in cutting-edge weaponry…" Cyrus responded.
"But Duke Cayenne is supposed to be the most powerful Noble in all of Erebonia, after the Royal Family… Why would he want more money?" Emma looked at Cyrus, very confused.
"Think about it; the Duke needed to provide his armies with new arms, and that's something that would cost an Emperor's ransom… Why pay for it yourself, when someone else is willing to foot the bill for you?" Cyrus clarified.
"Fair enough… But I still don't understand why Amelia agreed to it? If you two were inseparable, why would she agree to marry this Oscar person?" Emma continued.
"Suffice it to say, she didn't really have a choice in the matter… Again, Vladimir put pressure on Amelia's father, Viscount Gainsborough to accept the proposal," Cyrus sighed, playing with the little feathered accessory that held the braid of his hair together.
"Did Amelia buy you that?" Emma pointed to the feathered accessory.
"She did, on the day I left Ordis around five years ago… And we haven't spoken since," Cyrus muttered.
"From what you've told us, you haven't been back to Ordis since you left," Emma stated, trying her best to reassure Cyrus, although she didn't know why she felt like it was reassurance he needed.
"That's not entirely true, but the fact remains that even if I did see her again, I doubt she would speak to me," Cyrus responded.
"Why not? Did you guys have a disagreement about the marriage proposal?" Emma asked, shuffling closer to Cyrus.
"Hmph, 'disagreement' is putting it very nicely… We had a full fucking screaming match about it. I told her I was never going to allow her to marry a murderous psychopath like Oscar," Cyrus growled.
"A… A murderer?" Emma asked, swallowing hard.
"Yeah… You see, Oscar had his eye on Amelia for a long time, because of the hatred he has for me and my family. He always wanted to take her from me, and wouldn't allow anyone to get in his way. He was always weaker than me, and is absolutely frightened of Aurelia, so he never did anything to me directly… Huh, he's a lot like Patrick in that regard; all bark and no bite," Cyrus stated. "However, one young boy made the mistake of talking to Amelia one day down at the port… I didn't know the boy personally, but I knew he was a Commoner who'd occasionally help out his father, who worked on a fishing trawler, to unload the fish he had caught. Well, Amelia was down at the port one morning with her mother and I, and she had dropped her purse. This boy saw she had dropped it and rushed off to hand it back to her. Unfortunately for him, Amelia was very grateful, gave him some money as thanks and went about her business, all the while Oscar was watching from afar. The next morning, the boy was found floating in the water, his throat slashed and almost two dozen stab wounds in his chest, focused mainly around the heart."
"By Aidios… That's awful…" Emma whispered. "But… How do you know it was Oscar who killed him?"
"One of Aurelia's officers found the body, and immediately notified her. When she examined the body after it had been dragged out of the harbour, she noticed a small indentation on the boy's face. It was the crest of the Dragonia family, which could have only come from the signet ring that Vladimir gave to Oscar on his tenth birthday…" Cyrus explained.
"So, what happened in the end? By the sounds of it, Oscar somehow got away with it," Emma stated.
"Yeah, the Marquis forced Aurelia to bury the evidence on the matter, and chalk it down to a tragic accident in which the boy fell into the harbour, and was butchered by a freight ship's propellor… Even the Duke signed off on the suggestion," Cyrus growled, clenching his fists.
"That's disgusting… Surely your sister did something about it?" Emma asked, almost pleading that Aurelia had done something.
"What could she do, Emma? She had only just been promoted to General of the Lamare Provincial Army. If she had refused, Duke Cayenne would have demoted her, and put Vladimir's oldest son, Alexios, in charge. Needless to say, Aurelia was furious with both the Duke and the Marquis, but still heeded their orders, and Oscar got away with murder," Cyrus sighed.
"How did Amelia react when she found out?" Emma mumbled, knowing she was now touching a sore spot on the subject.
"Like one would expect. According to her, Oscar 'isn't that sort of person' and 'you only say these things because you don't understand him'. I think the one that got me the most was 'he just can't understand why you hate him so much. He tried so hard to be friends with you for ages'. When I called her a foolish little child for falling for his honeyed words, that's when the screaming match started… I said some pretty nasty things to her, as she did to me… Problem is, I don't know if she regrets what she said, like I did, but…" Cyrus trailed off, sitting in silence as Emma tried to find something to say.
"But…?" Emma encouraged.
"But the longer I thought about what I said, the less I started to regret it. I don't know why, but some part of me feels like she deserved everything I said. Maybe it was because I was mad at Oscar and had no way of unloading that anger on him, so I took it out on her," Cyrus muttered.
"I… I'm sorry, Cyrus…" Emma forced out, not sure what to say.
"Bah, don't be. If Amelia is happy being with that smarmy little cunt, then more power to her," Cyrus growled. "Besides, I fucked his sister years ago, so who's the real winner here?"
"Uhh, ok… Umm… H-how long have they been married for?" Emma asked, shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, they're not married yet. They had to wait for Oscar to turn eighteen, so that the marriage would be recognised as legitimate by the Septian Church. He turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago, but put off being married until September," Cyrus responded.
"Why?" Emma questioned.
"Tch, the little bastard wanted to have the wedding on my birthday, just to piss me off, but that idea got binned quickly on the account of my mother and Auntie Ophelia sharing a birthday with me. They are turning fifty this year, and there was absolutely no way my family were going to allow that sham of a marriage mar the fiftieth birthday of my mother and auntie. Even Duke Cayenne agreed to that," Cyrus smirked, remembering the letter he received from his mother which mentioned how Oscar threw a tantrum in the Duke's mansion when he was told 'no'.
"So, when is the wedding? I would assume they've still set a date?" Emma pondered.
"Yeah, September twenty fifth… A Saturday. I believe they chose that day so they could have the entire week after my birthday to celebrate the damn event; I guess that's their way of one-upping me," Cyrus scoffed.
Emma decided to say nothing and just sit next to Cyrus in silence. She knew talking about this was hurting Cyrus, despite him doing a good job at hiding it. In an attempt to comfort him, Emma gently placed her left hand on top of Cyrus' right hand, all while trembling and having her face go bright red.
"Thank you, Cyrus… For opening up to me… I know it must've been difficult," Emma whispered.
Cyrus said nothing, as only a single thought ran through his head.
'It's the least I can do for you, Emma… After all, there is going to come a time where you will learn I have hurt you more than anyone else ever will… And there's nothing I can do to change that…'