The White Darkness

By Helbaworshipper

Lotis Theives Arc: The Commander's Choices

Eric should be ecstatic for his plan to have gone through so well. After all, his plans had been almost ruined by the thieves. He had put everything into getting Master Lotsuan to awaken properly. Certainly he had pushed the awakening up more than intended, but he could tell. He could tell that before Lotsuan could be influenced the war might end if the thieves joined. So why now was he so annoyed?

Approaching the master bedroom was simple enough of his daily task. The guardian simply opened the door, the mask always remaining in place. Sitting in one of the chairs near a simple iru fire, Lotsuan was as usual. Her gaze was calmly staring into the flame for a moment as her head started to move.

"I greet the great master." Eric bowed low and lifted his head when her head simply nodded. He approached the chair set for guests and sat down carefully.

"I gave another one a chance." He looked a bit confused for a moment, but let it go. "Somehow the power to go through the fog, but I have met him a few times."

"Does this one have name?"

"Yes, just like Frei has a name."

"Understood," a part of him wanted to surge, but Lotsuan had met Frei even before Eric was aware of Alice. That someone else was capable of meeting Lotsuan, but not…

"This war is currently at a stalemate," her eyes turned and gazed towards his. "I wish to see if your choice in this promise is correct. I am not limiting you, but do not overuse this blessing."

"Your grace is never taken for granted, Master." He bowed his head and got up slowly from the chair. The guardian remaining where it did and simply opened and closed the door again.

"Casualties on the Lotis side?" Eric sat in the dining room that had been changed into a rather simple, but elegant war room. Various maps and such were all around. For reasons, using the library was against their needs. More so because it held a trap that only certain people knew about. Asking Master Lotsuan to unarm it would be rude.

"King Seno is deceased from the mere force of the ramito and the sharp object in his heart. Queen Seno from what the people around the thieves noticed is in no condition to lead the Seno Kingdom." Kayna's voice spoke calmly, though she was still wearing her maid outfit rather than her robes at the moment. "King Wakamiya is confirmed deceased and no word has come if Kyo will take command or leave it in the hands of a noble for now."

"Kazuki is confirmed deceased and his body was taken by the thieves before we left." Samuel was in his robes as he spoke. "We have confirmed the death of at least ten heads of lotis families in the Wakamiya Kingdom. The Seno Kingdom lost twenty, but only five are without heirs."

"From our side, we did get a few, but not enough to consider a wipe out." Eric continued as he began to look at the map. "We can confirm that the thieves have kept anyone of importance in their camp, which we do have a few in… However, Frei Weilhausen has arrived." The other two were silent for a few moments. "We all know he has a promise and Lotsuan won't approve him being targeted first. However, I have just heard of another who got a promise. If we target to find out who it is, then we may be able to clean up a few of the thieves."

"Will we be leading them ourselves?"

"Not this time," he lifted a hand up with what looked to be a similar crystal to what had been on Alice's neck at the Ball. "Samuel, plant this into the Seno kingdom. Since they haven't heard anything beyond the official, we can start having our people make the right rumors."

"Not the Wakamiya?"

"Too risky," he spoke in a softer voice towards Kayna. "By all means, I want to, but that kingdom is on very high alert. And ideally I want to do this for the Weilhausen, but they are too careful and probably already know about what could happen. We need to be very careful about both of them."

"Then perhaps we could make sure that one of the nobles in Wakamiya kingdom knows the truth." Samuel proposed, a smile growing on his face. "Remember, the Seno's may have a good way of keeping out rumors and it'll take the crystal. However, Wakamiya Kingdom has just lost the one king keeping everything down. How long will they have faith?"

"It is a good start." He looked towards Kayna. "Perhaps we can add in his many indiscretions while you make that happen." She seemed to nod once, a dark spark in her eyes.

It was rare for him to be summoned into this plane. In theory, this plane of darkness was that of a sign of the connection between Lotsuan, Darva, and the person who came in. No one person could see all of them but Lotsuan, of course. He was at this point asleep in the room, so perhaps it was Guardian's decision to appoint him into this void of an area. At the moment he was sitting calmly on the throne above the promised circle.

He summoned a memory lightly into the circle with a smile. It was quite a nice one.

"So, let me get this straight," sitting in Seno castle, looking at his kneeling brother, he was glaring. "You decided that if you put Alice in a library all alone and focused on double tutoring Mayura, she'd get the hint and stop?"

"I was just trying to get on the basics! I swear!" He truly did look quite pathetic. Eric's hand raised, pointing to Alice.

"Normal people would be collapsed against the floor with four hours of what she was doing. Normal people would be half dead and you're lucky I didn't try and execute you or force you home."

"I-I swear!" He nodded once to Samuel, who carefully wiped the exhausted and wiped out royal with a cool Jiva cloth.

"No you don't." He stood up and grasped his brother by the collar of his fancy robes. "You were trying to bully a royal in your position. You will tutor her properly unless I deem Mayura unworthy."

"It seems I was wrong about you." The memory in the circle disappeared as he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in awhile. His hand slowly lifted up as the circle and the throne room returned. Certainly this visitor hadn't seen what he was forming, but still… Best not to allow him such access. "Using your position to force a promise out of Lotsuan."

"What a way to phrase it. Frei." He looked down from the throne at the visitor. "Considering you were the first one who got the promise."

"I made it knowing full well what might happen."

"Yet you chose to destroy your chance to make Lotsuan choose you."

"I don't care about your mess. If it will harm my fiance and Lotsuan..." Frei's glare grew as he drew the glove off of his hand. "I will destroy you with my own hands."