Claus Afflerbach loved his job. Being a security guard didn't sound like a great gig, but the money was decent, and he was basically paid to sit and watch TV. The monitors displayed all the entrances and the bigger corridors, but it was rare to see any movement at night. Most people clocked out before nine, so aside from diligent janitors or some scatterbrains, usually nothing happened during his shifts.
Thanks to his clever predecessor, the central monitor was hooked to the cable, allowing him to watch his favorite soap opera on the comfortable armchair. Without it there was a higher risk of dozing off or dying of boredom, so his superiors graciously turned a blind eye to this amenity.
Today's episode was a highly anticipated mid-season finale, making Claus thrilled to be on the job. His wife didn't approve of his hobby, forcing Claus to wait until the reruns appeared during his work hours. He glanced at the other monitors just in case, and to his surprise, one of them showed a woman holding a child's hand.
"Shit… I've got less than fifteen minutes… Why the hell drag a child here at this hour…" He grumbled, taking a flashlight and his key card just in case.
The doors should have been closed an hour ago, but sometimes his day counterpart slacked off, skipping the desolate places. Claus sighed, knowing he had to hurry, and rushed towards the hallway they were seen in. It didn't take long to locate the two, and to his contentment, the intruders were frail and non-threatening.
"Ma'am, I don't know how you ended up in here, but you need to leave. This is a military area, off limits to civilians." Claus waved his badge and pointed to the military logo. The silver-haired woman didn't respond and put her hand on the little girl's arm.
"ǤƗV Μ ŦĦ ΜΔŞŦŘҜ¥" It wasn't a voice yet it was, it didn't belong to the girl yet it did. Claus couldn't understand what it was, but his body trembled and broke out in a cold sweat. He kept telling himself it was just a small child, but Claus felt it was submit or perish. His hand moved on its own, pulling out the card hidden behind his badge, and obediently handed it to the little girl. "ǤØ βΔĆҜ ŦØ ¥ØỮŘ ƤØŞŦ ΔŇĐ ØŘǤŦ ỮŞ"
Claus woke up on his beloved armchair and rubbed his eyes with confusion. He was just about to watch the mid-season finale, but he apparently fell asleep before it started. Claus looked at the clock, showing two hours after the episode had aired. The man spat out a mixture of curses, blaming the chair, his wife, and everything in between, calming down only after he ran out of swear words. Annoyed Claus glanced at the monitors just in case, but as always, the hallways were perfectly empty.
The sound that woke him up in the middle of the night didn't come from his surroundings. Shin knew it well, wailing drilling into his brain, thousands of screams all at once. They were coming. He felt it instinctively. The last time it had happened, the world got engulfed by flames. What would it do to them now?
He looked at the girl soundly asleep by his side and felt his heart getting crushed. So this was the time they were given. Not months, weeks, or even days. Fate was a vicious son of a bitch. The man delicately kissed her head, not wanting to wake her up. Lena groggily mumbled something in response but fell asleep shortly after. Shin smiled tenderly at this new side of her, but his mind was filled with despair. He won't be able to discover any more of them.
Leaving the woman before morning was rude even in the Eighty-Six Sector, but he couldn't bring himself to rob her of this peaceful dream. When Lena wakes up, the hellish reality will do that job. Shin carefully covered her with the blanket and whispered his love instead of a goodbye. He had enough decency to write a card thanking her for everything, and explaining his leave by urgent military business. It sounded like a pitiful excuse, but he knew showering Lena with affection would ultimately hurt her more.
The hallways were empty, but to Shin, they couldn't get any louder. Each step pained him more than if the path was made of thorns, with the walls composed of scorching fire. He rarely regretted being a Processor, but yesterday's confession made him waver. Shin had a hard time accepting this realization. He finally found something he wanted. Outside of the battlefield, fighting or saving the world. Shinei Nouzen just wished to stay with the woman he loved.
A simple, mundane desire, yet it took him ages to figure it out. Lena was like the Sun in his murky life, a sweet salvation craved by a famished man. He wanted nothing more than to be with her. Go for walks, hold her hand, talk about the most trivial stuff. Live. Knocking on Ernst's door meant having to bid farewell to this idyllic fantasy.
"Shin? What are you doing here?" Ernst was drowsy, but he tried to look awake in front of his adoptive son.
"There is no time to waste. The Legion is coming."
Morning rays of sunshine shined on Vladilena Milizé's face, waking her with an annoyed groan. Her muscles were sore and she wanted to get back to sleep, but a flash of yesterday's memory awakened her in an instant. Everything felt unreal, as if a mysterious creature possessed her body, and did all those inconceivable things. It was hard to believe last night had truly happened, but the markings on her skin confirmed it wasn't a dream.
Then it hit her. He wasn't here. One didn't have to be an experienced lover to know it was never a good sign. The clock showed it was still early, so his disappearance couldn't be explained by the usual duties. Lena hoped he would show up any moment, entering the room with a delicious breakfast, or returning from a refreshing jog, but nothing of that sort happened.
It felt awful. A mixture of shame, disappointment, and sorrow filled her to the brim, not leaving any room for yesterday's bliss to remain. Was it that bad? Did he hate it? Was she lacking in some way? Tears came unexpectedly, like water flowing out of a broken vessel. How could he leave her like that? Did the passionate declarations from the night before vanish without a trace with the sunrise?
The girl wept uncontrollably, having her heart broken for the first time. She didn't notice the hastily made note, blown by the wind onto a pile of papers. Dreams and fantasies were getting shattered with every tear shed, leaving Lena in a pitiful state of misery. If she knew it would end up that way, she'd have never opened that damned door.
Taking a long, hot bath was the only remedy she came up with. She did her best to get her act together, but even the most thorough skincare couldn't hide her puffy eyes. The girl sighed, accepting she'd spend the day holed up in her room, relieved she at least wouldn't have to face him yet.
Looking like hell personified, Lena headed to the kitchen annex, wanting to make herself a strong cup of coffee. She decided the quadruple espresso would do, bringing her back to the land of living. The coffee machine didn't offer such an abomination, so she added them manually, one by one, until her mug was full of black fluid.
Caffeine could work wonders if someone felt dead inside. She knew from experience the power it yielded, and she needed it to restart her body. Burying herself in work was her specialty, but the lack of motivation and general lethargy were formidable opponents. The coffee she was holding was an antidote aimed to fight them off.
Lena took a hefty sip, waiting for the bitterness to match the one in her heart, but nothing happened. She examined the cup with disbelief, but the fluid was unmistakably black. No matter how hard she sniffed or how many gulps she had taken, the result stayed the same. It was as plain as tap water.
She tried every single drink the machine had in stock, but the result didn't change. Food from the fridge was equally tasteless, and no spice could stimulate her nose. In desperation, she turned towards inedible goods, but to no avail. Lena was in shambles.
From the moment she woke up, reality seemed like a never-ending nightmare.
It was clear where she needed to go. Annette might have been elusive since the tower, but she was the only one who could help her find the answers. Lena ran towards the neighboring room, banging on a door like a lunatic.
"Annette, please, open! I know you're in there. I'll do anything you ask for, just help me. I'm scared…" She begged on her knees, no dignity left to spare. It took a while, but eventually, her pleas made Annette open the door with a grim expression.
"Sorry, I don't feel well, can we talk later?" Annette didn't have the mental strength to break the news, fearing her best friend's reaction. Choosing for her was selfish, but the longer Lena was in the dark, the more joyful time she had left. Henrietta didn't want to take it away, but putting on a happy face would be equally ruthless.
"P-please, don't go... I d-don't know what's happening. Everything is f-falling apart. I need you, Annette. More than ever." Lena thought she didn't have any tears left in her, but she was quickly proven wrong. The girl sobbed, falling apart at her best friend's doorstep.
"Honey, look at me. Breathe in, hold it, breathe out. Repeat after me. Good. Now, tell me, what had happened?" Annette automatically abandoned her hesitations, putting Lena's needs first. She was her friend before being her doctor, and Annette's moral dilemmas would become laughable if she didn't help her now.
"A-Annette, something's wrong. My taste and smell are gone."
August 14th Republic Year 357 (Stellar Year 2138)
18 days until the Start of the Legion War
"Elizabeth, listen to me, we don't have time for this now. I admit I've come here with ulterior motives, but that was in the past. The only lie was how I met you, everything we had was real. Dammit Liz, you can curse me as much as you want, but please, do it in the car." William was increasingly panic-stricken as sounds of commotion started coming from the mansion.
"Why should I trust you? You had weeks to come clean, but you didn't. Was this fucking ruse your idea? To approach a vulnerable teen who'll spill her bad aunt's secrets? Was it fun seeing how easily I gave in? God, I'm so fucking stupid. No one becomes fast friends with one cigarette." Elizabeth shouted, not caring about getting found out.
She wanted to tell him how much she hated him, what son of a bitch he was, and that one life wouldn't be enough to atone, but the words were stuck in her throat. He was still her Will. The one who kept her company when the world was falling apart, her partner in crime when no one had her back, and the only guy she had ever fallen for.
"Lizzie, please. She might kill you, or worse. Even if she cares for you, you could become a valuable hostage for the Imperials. Either way, you can't stay here, Elizabeth. I'll give you all the answers in the world, just bet on me this once." People shouting Liz's name could be heard in the distance, announcing the time for deciding was up.
"I'm staying. Aunt Zelene is cold, ruthless, and probably a felon, but at least she told me the truth. I won't tell anyone you're here, but this is the last favour you'll ever get from me." Liz felt her cheeks getting wet, but she fought hard to keep her voice from breaking. Love and hate were the opposite sides of the same coin, but she couldn't bring herself to flip it and check the result.
"FUCK. I didn't mean for it to happen that way, I swear. I have to go, but I'll send instructions to our usual spot. If you change your mind, my arms always will be open." He tried to smile, but tears showed up instead.
No one could say another word, but the servants' yells brought them back to reality. Elizabeth nodded toward the forest, urging him to go, and immediately turned into the opposite direction. She heard his wheels squeaking away, but instead of relief, there was only emptiness.
"BOLLOCKS!" Duke Leiner couldn't hold his frustration when Marquess Lorenz presented his solution.
"Do you have a better idea? The public is about to start the riots!" Viscountess Sommer sided with the Marquess, despite their ongoing territorial feud.
"Gentlemen, Madam, I think both sides have decent points, why don't we focus on finding a middle path?" Earl Brandt interjected, trying to stop the pointless bickering.
"It's easy for you to say, Brandt, your money is in the East. For us, real businessmen, what happens in the capital reflects on our pockets." Marquess Lorenz was outraged by his interference since it was obvious the compromise would favor the other side.
"You and your pockets! If your son wasn't such a gambler, maybe the family fortune wouldn't change with every gust of wind." Leiner shouted for everyone to hear, but it was practically an open secret.
"What if we turn the commoners to our side? They cheer because it hit the nobles, but those peasants wouldn't be so eager if the casualties appeared on their side next." Earl Sauer suggested daringly, and a few council members nodded in agreement.
Ernst Zimmerman couldn't believe the direction this heated discussion was heading in, but he was too exhausted to take an active part. Hildegard had trouble sleeping at night, and Ernst was on dad duty for the past three days. His angel was a delight to be with, but unluckily for them, their daughter hadn't heard about sleep standards for newborns.
"Now we're speaking. Those pesky worms don't know their place, but their numbers far exceed ours. It would be much easier to turn them against the rebels than persuade them to our side. The Emperor is half-dead, we can frame him if things go sour." Marquess Lorenz backed up his distant cousin, and his friends quickly joined him.
"If we play our cards right, they'll thank us for purging those bastards. Planting a few bombs and putting on a show is a piece of cake in comparison to combing through each house." Viscount Graf showed his support, but Ernst couldn't listen silently any longer.
"Are you insane? Do you want to bomb innocent civilians just to avoid doing your job? They are the Empire's subjects too. We have to try to resolve it peacefully." He was outraged by the inhumane proposition, and a few nobles seemed to share his position.
"General, your benevolent mindset towards commoners is admirable, but we have to take facts into account. Who knows where the next bombs will go off? Aren't you scared for your wife and daughter?" Sauer appeared to be speaking out of concern, but the message carried a threat within.
"I'm not fond of this solution, but it seems like the quickest way to end this fiasco. The Earl is right, any of us could be next!" Duke Leiner shuddered at the thought, invoking a sense of fear in others.
"I also wish for a peaceful solution, but General Zimmerman, you have to face the truth. If we don't strike first, more innocent people are going to die. It's not the time to play idealist." Viscount Poehler taking the opposite side was an unexpected blow, turning the odds against him.
"We cannot forget our noble duty! I'm tired of children dying by my orders." Ernst pleaded, but no voice came to his support.
"Alright, alright, I think that's enough. Can we vote for Earl Sauer's proposition? Raise your hand if you agree, the required majority is as always three quarters." Earl Brandt stated, and everyone in the room voted as they saw fit.
Ernst looked around with horror, counting the hands in the air. It was an easy win, with him and Baroness Keller being the sole opposition. A dreadful feeling squeezed his stomach, practically turning it outside out. If this was what power was about, he hated every bit of it.
"You are soulless monsters! I refuse to participate in this barbarity. Shun me or curse me for all I care, from this point onward, I'm done with being a member of this council." Ernst slammed the door on the way out, and none of the nobles tried to stop him.