"One! Two! Three!"
Volcatia spectated as the cars started to drive around the track.
Boring.
"It's different seeing this from here," Aquila called through the screaming of the assembled crowd and the yelling of the commentator.
"What?"
"I still watch the races sometimes, but they aren't worth the indignity of hiding my face for," Aquila replied. "The Char hero brought me one of his screens so I could see his handiwork without leaving the palace. Not that he knew of my dilemma. Perhaps he thought I was lazy." She chuckled.
"Can't imagine you being lazy," Volcatia said.
Aquila turned and frowned at her. "Scipio, are you alright? I don't think I've heard a single curse out of your mouth in at least thirty minutes now."
"I'm fine."
Aquila was Smart, but that only mattered to a certain point.
Being Smart was confining in its own way.
So confident and sure that all in the world was known or could be figured out.
It wasn't.
It couldn't be.
The cars continued to drive.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
They drove around the track once.
Weapons appeared.
Weak.
Pitifully weak.
"So that's your skeleton friend," Aquila said as her eyes tracked the silver car. "She's doing well. I expected more after hearing Salonina's story, but—"
"She'll win."
"It's no fun if you spoil it for me."
"I don't know that she'll win."
Volcatia wanted her to win though.
She just didn't know why.
Or did she?
She turned her gaze to the left, watching a distant figure hop up and down.
Mm.
The race continued.
The Char hero's white car flashed brightly, and a group of cars in front of it spun out of the way and off the track.
Weird.
The white car gained speed and advanced.
Another flash of light occurred, and another car veered off the track.
She thought about going to look, but…
Eh.
"Scipio, what type of weapon is the Char using?" Aquila asked, shielding her eyes with her hand as she followed the race.
Fine.
Volcatia was a little interested.
She sat next to Aquila while she moved to the center of the track. From there, she hopped onto the back of the Char's car and attached herself to it.
She waited.
The car was slow.
It took ages for the wheels to spin even a single turn.
Mm.
Had she…
Maybe she could be a little slower.
She decided to be slower, and then she was.
The car she was standing on rolled forward.
People shouted, but they didn't matter.
Finally something happened.
She saw it.
Volcatia stopped watching.
"There's small guns on the front of his car," she said, now only sitting next to Aquila. "They're shooting at the tires of the cars ahead, and the light's from passing a strong electrical charge through a metal filum on the front of the car like the lamps in D-one."
Aquila had turned her head halfway through the explanation and was now staring at her with both eyebrows raised.
Ideas simple enough that even Volcatia could understand them.
Cars can't drive without tires.
Shoot the tires so they can't drive.
People can't drive if they can't see.
Metal glows when heated.
Make the metal hot so it glows blindingly bright.
"You've changed more than I thought," Aquila muttered almost too quietly to be heard.
There was another flash, and the Char pressed forward.
Another flash.
Another.
It was amazing that nobody could stop him.
"I don't like guns," Aquila said as she spectated the race. "I don't allow them in the arena, so why should they be allowed here? What do you think, Scipio?"
Volcatia sparked slightly—absently—while she thought about it.
Guns…
Did she care?
She didn't.
Guns weren't something she'd ever care about.
They couldn't harm her.
That wasn't a very human thought for her to have.
She'd gone too far this time.
She could feel it.
She was a single step away from being so far that she could never return.
A word.
A thought.
"Scipio. You're too quiet. When you're quiet, it worries me."
Volcatia looked at the young old woman who was looking back at her.
Scipio this.
Scipio that.
"Why did you really want me with you today?" she asked.
Even if the Char hero tried something, Mellitus and Salonina would be able to carry Aquila away with ease, assuming they couldn't kill him outright.
Aquila rubbed her fingers over her white cloth at the place where the scar on her jaw was as her gaze pierced through the younger woman. "In a way," she said slowly, ignoring the excited screams of the people standing all around her, "you're the only family I have. We're alike in that way."
What…
"The others guard, protect, and obey me, but it's duty for them," she continued. "My advisors are the same, though they seek victories in their politicking and squabbling as well. My friends… Friends, not family. Which leaves you."
Aquila turned to spectate again, leaning a little closer to be heard through the noise. "You've never felt duty once, have you, Scipio? I'm not sure you'd know what to do with it if you did."
That was true.
Volcatia had felt awed to be in the presence of the Imperatrix at first because of who the old woman was.
She'd never felt the need to serve.
If she obeyed, it was because she felt like it.
"You were the strongest when you left, and you never showed your true abilities, did you," Aquila said. "Six years is a long time. Three years passed after the System came before your first battle in the arena, and by then you were already strong enough to climb to the top of the rankings over the next three years without a single loss. I've often wondered whether you could have beaten Mellitus on that first day. I know he has. But how much stronger would the following years have made you?" She glanced over. "If it's loneliness that comes from strength, Scipio, then we're alike in that way too. The two of us, each too powerful for another to stand as an equal, each having none we can fully relax our guard with."
The Char hero drove directly behind Mina now.
Another flash of light exploded, and they continued to drive without change.
Aquila was Smart.
Maybe she knew.
"How do you stay human?" Volcatia asked.
The question she'd wanted an answer to for years.
Aquila cackled. "Scipio, I've missed you. Nobody else asks me questions like this. I am who I am, whether it's human or otherwise."
A very Aquila thing to say.
It was so easy for her.
She made the law.
She decided what being human meant.
Volcatia frowned.
What if…
Couldn't she do the same?
Why didn't she think of this sooner?
If she wanted to be human, wasn't that enough?
She'd thought she was losing her humanity.
Wasn't she just confining herself into the idea of what she'd thought humans were?
Why couldn't there be a human like her?
She didn't have any of her direct family alive, but she still sort of maybe had an aunt, and there were humans who only knew of relatives they weren't actually related to, weren't there?
She didn't have blood, bones, muscles, organs, or even a real body anymore, but there were humans who were missing parts of their bodies, weren't there?
She could move and be anywhere she'd ever been, but weren't humans always everywhere they'd ever been, at least in their own minds?
She could watch the future, but weren't there lots of humans who claimed they could do that?
She might be immortal, but didn't all humans have some effect on the world that would last forever?
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Yeah.
Yeah!
Volcatia grinned.
She was human.
She was really fucking human!
She took a deep breath and let it out, even though she didn't need to breathe.
A human could hold its breath for a period of time, so maybe she was just really good at that!
Aquila had already returned to spectating again.
"Thanks, Aquila," Volcatia said.
She said it because she wanted to, not because she had to.
If she hadn't said it, she'd still be just as human.
Aquila glanced at her and nodded slightly after a moment. "If something troubles you, I'll listen sometimes, but don't think I'll ever be the type of aunt who hugs you and gives you gifts."
Volcatia's grin widened.
She turned her torso to the side and hugged the old woman.
"Scipio, I said I'd forgive a single offense. Are you sure you want this to be it?"
Volcatia leaned back and laughed.
She could be annoying—or not—and she'd still be human.
Aquila shook her head. "Don't overstep your bounds."
"Don't overstep yours," Volcatia bantered.
She sat on the bench while reaching over to pull away the cloth from the old woman's face.
Aquila was smiling.
Just a little.
Volcatia stopped watching.
She'd needed to check just this once.
"Your skeleton friend is losing," Aquila said.
"What?!"
"Aren't you paying attention?"
"What the fuck? Mina, drive faster!"
"No, if she drives faster, she'll be unable to stay on the track. See? She nearly left it there."
"Urgh, how's… This guy must be cheating."
"You seem confident she'll win."
"Yeah, he's definitely cheating. This fucking guy's not even driving his car! This is a scam!"
"You've picked up some odd words, Scipio. What's this you say about not driving?"
"His car's driving itself! He's just sitting there! Gave me a really funny look when I checked though."
"How… That's a very powerful ability, Scipio."
"Can't you just call me by my name?"
"No. You're certain he won't remember?"
"Yeah, it never happened. But this Char's fucking cheating! In his own race!"
"Now you know why I never trusted him."
"She might lose though!"
"You won't aid her?"
"I… Nah, I can't."
"Surprising. I never imagined you'd learn self-restraint."
"Winning this is part of being human to her. I think."
"How philosophical. Only a couple laps remain. What will you do if she loses?"
"I don't know."
"And if she wins?"
"No idea."
"This is more like the Scipio I know. For a time, it was like I was talking to someone else."
Volcatia spectated.
The race had been more interesting than she'd expected.
Maybe it wasn't entirely the race.
She wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for the race though.
Mina's car trailed the cheating Char's for the entirety of the lap. She didn't try to pass, instead continuing to drive just behind, though she was falling slightly farther behind after each turn in the road.
One lap remained.
Volcatia tapped her thumb on her leg.
Was the girl really going to lose?
After all that talk?
Nah, couldn't be.
She was Smart, so this was probably some Smart idea.
The cars were coming back around towards the end.
Volcatia tapped her foot.
Was Mina really not going to do anything?
She glanced to the side, spotting Carl's distant shape leaping up and down and flailing his arms.
"This is exciting to watch from so close," Aquila said.
A little too fucking exciting.
Volcatia didn't even know why she wanted the girl to win so much.
She just did.
Fine, she also wanted the cheating Char to lose.
That was secondary though.
Probably.
As they left the final turn, Mina's silver car jerked and began to accelerate.
It shifted to the side of the cheater's car.
It continued to accelerate.
It continued to accelerate.
It continued to accelerate.
Volcatia was impressed.
It was a little fast.
The car passed the cheater and continued to accelerate.
It slipped to the side and took up a position in front of the cheater, remaining there until it passed the line of finish and continuing to accelerate.
The noise of the cheers was way too loud, so Volcatia stopped listening.
Instead she decided to be faster, then she moved onto the track, grasping the back end of Mina's car for an instant to slow it down.
A win like this needed dignity.
She'd already returned to her seat in less time than it would take to blink.
Aquila began to applaud, the same as she did any time she saw a battle in the arena that pleased her.
Volcatia joined her in politely clapping.
It had been a good race.
Fine, she was standing on her feet shouting "FUCK YOU, CHEATING CHAR!" as loud as she could, provoking the crowd surrounding her to take up the chant.
Mina beat the fucking Char.
What a great race.
The girl drove another lap, basking in her win.
Volcatia sat down, and Aquila gave an approving nod. "Your confidence was well-founded," she called over the continuing noise.
Obviously it was.
No friend of Volcatia's was going to lose.
Friend…
Yeah, Mina was fun and interesting enough to have as a friend.
Probably.
She was mostly sure.
The fun part was sort of conditional on being drunk.
As much as she could really be drunk.
It was time for the victory speech, so she started listening again.
"Mina Tempestates!" shouted a weakling.
Mina was standing next to her car just to the right of Volcatia's seat.
"After a late entry by way of imperial decree, you just found your victory in the Hero's Cup, Tempestates. Do you have anything you want to say at this moment?"
Mina looked around, her gaze eventually fixing in the direction Carl was standing. "Y-yes," she said. "I… I'd like to thank Carl Tempestates. Without his constant reassurance, his caring, his belief in my abilities… He's been as a father to me, and I'd not be standing here without his efforts. Thank you so much, Carl."
Sharing victory with family.
A great speech.
Volcatia had heard speeches like this before too.
Tears streamed down Mina's face.
Volcatia saw a flicker of something weird.
She didn't bother to watch it again.
She'd been expecting it.
"Also, naturally I'd like to thank Her Imperial Majesty, Imperatrix Aquila," Mina continued, "for granting me entry to this race. And, though I'd prefer not to, I've a need to thank Vol—"
Huh.
That was new.
Volcatia had never been thanked before.
What she'd seen began to happen.
"No!" the cheating Char shouted. "No, no, no! I didn't fucking lose! Couldn't… No! You cheated!"
A tall statue of metal walked towards the girl, destroying the road as it went.
A machine.
A bug.
How intimidating.
Volcatia continued to spectate.
Mina looked confused.
Weird.
Wasn't she supposed to be Smart?
She'd had that big machine she was playing with last night.
Didn't she recognize another one now?
She was afraid, which was…
Mm.
Maybe that was a normal reaction.
It was a really fucking big machine, after all.
The cheating Char advanced. "Yeah, you fucking cheated, didn't you, bitch?" He laughed, and it was a cheater's laugh. His machine's leg kicked Mina's car.
Volcatia was already faster.
Her head turned as she followed the vehicle's trajectory.
How fast was it…
Yeah, that felt about right.
She slowed herself again and looked back to the cheating Char.
A person being unable to accept defeat was embarrassing to see.
And he'd fucking cheated!
Fucking Chars.
"This was supposed to be my time! I was supposed to be the hero! I was trying to help people!" he screamed.
The Empire was silent as its citizens watched in extreme discomfort.
Aquila was resting her face on her hand, showing a powerful grimace that couldn't be concealed by a simple piece of cloth.
The machine's arm pointed at Mina. "I'll just kill—"
A deep, heroic battle cry sounded out.
Volcatia started to giggle.
She hadn't known this would happen.
At the same time, it was the most Carl thing to do.
Her friend flew through the air at a speed that was only a little fast, slamming into the machine with his shoulder and knocking it back a short distance.
A solid strike.
Maybe he wasn't so bad at fighting after all?
Or maybe it was because his daughter was in trouble.
Yeah, probably.
He lunged forward with the confidence of a high-ranked gladiator, each step shattering the road beneath his boots.
Was he…
Carl grabbed the machine's leg and strained.
Was he really strong enough to do that?
Volcatia wasn't sure he…
Huh.
The machine rose up off the ground.
Not very much.
Just a little.
But he did manage to lift it.
That was her friend!
"What?!" shrieked the cheating Char. "Carl? Let go!"
She grinned.
Carl was always fun.
With a massive grunt that echoed in the silence, he heaved the machine off the road into the center of the track, and it landed on its arm on top of the short metal tower she'd zapped earlier when she'd decided that subtle wasn't who she was.
Carl wasn't done though!
He leapt after it with another battle cry, raising his fist in the air.
Volcatia frowned.
That wasn't how she'd taught him to punch.
"I was gonna do this anyway after taking your hasta, but now's a good time for it too!" yelled the cheating Char as his machine tried to right itself.
Carl landed on its shoulder and punched at its head.
Nah, that definitely wasn't…
Did he forget everything she'd taught him?
Fucking Carl.
She'd have to talk to him about that later.
The machine grabbed him in its hand and threw him to the ground, proceeding to stomp on him repeatedly.
Volcatia wasn't worried.
If he could take a punch from her without being dazed, even a weak one like she'd used that time, she imagined he wouldn't even feel something like this that was so much weaker.
When she looked back to Mina, she groaned.
The girl was shaking, obviously terrified, and her sister was standing just in front of Volcatia herself along with Belenus.
She hadn't expected this.
"A great day for entertainment," Aquila remarked.
Abruptly, Mina's expression changed, and her face turned red with fury. She started screaming something or other in the Char language, though Volcatia only understood—
"Ah, so they're sisters," Aquila said. "The resemblance is obvious, isn't it."
The sister shouted something back.
Huh.
Mina had stopped being afraid.
Fine, fine, they could be friends.
Volcatia could give her that much.
She'd probably have to rescue her first though.
If Belenus was a bug, Mina was even less.
The girl had no chance on her own.
"Probably gonna kill more than just one person," Volcatia decided.
"Make it a spectacle for me, Scipio," Aquila said. "Don't let the Char idiot be what the Empire remembers of today."
A spectacle.
Mm.
Volcatia hadn't made one of those in a while.
She'd need to think about it a little.
Eh.
She had an idea already.
It wasn't a Smart idea.
Probably not even smart.
It was just what she felt like doing.
She moved to stand just in front of Mina, intentionally showing her back to Belenus as he walked forward with his hasta.
"Okay, okay, I'm here," she said as she patted Mina's shoulder.
They might be friends, or at least they would be once Volcatia told her they were, but she still felt the need to needle the girl.
Not seriously.
Just the tiniest amount.
Besides, Mina already knew who she was.
Or at least she thought she did.
"I'll admit it, you're interesting, Mina." Volcatia sparked in anticipation.
There was no way he'd be able to resist, was there?
Nah, she couldn't imagine.
"Sorry I—"
She felt metal pierce through her neck and tipped backwards, making sure to roll her eyes back like humans did when this sort of thing happened.
It was a joke.
Obviously she wouldn't die.
Nobody as Smart as Mina would really believe she'd die from something so stupid.
"I've been wanting to do that for years," Belenus said as he jerked his weapon back.
She fell to the ground.
It would be funnier that way.
She was sure of it.
They'd be laughing about this soon enough.
But how should she…
"You thought a stupid pannus would be enough to disguise you?" Belenus jeered. "We've grown far more powerful since you left. You're no longer the strongest of us. Now—"
Aquila said to make it a spectacle.
Volcatia felt like doing exactly that.
She moved to stand on the road again.
Fulmen exploded and towered high into the sky.
She crackled without restraint.
Corona discharge.
Her mask burned away.
Her vision brightened.
Mina stepped back, squinting from the sudden light.
Volcatia exerted her aura fully, and the weight of her victories smashed down upon Belenus.
He fell to one knee, fighting to prevent himself from being crushed against the ground.
"Surprise!" she shouted over the crackling of her own sparks attempting to jump back to herself.
A wave of noise went up through the crowd, but they didn't matter.
Belenus looked surprised.
That was good.
Maybe waiting all these years to kill him was stupid.
It felt stupid now.
Like she'd been forcing herself to remember that time.
Like part of her had been stranded there.
Like she'd been confining herself.
Volcatia hated being confined.
She hated it more than anything.
Belenus lost his battle and fell forward, laying flat against the road with his head turned to the side. His fingers twitched. "What are you?" he tried shouting.
Well.
Aquila wanted a spectacle.
"Status," Volcatia called out. "System command: x, six, j, r, I, nine, nine, e, n, y, h, b."
A blue Status Window appeared.
It was so large that it rose up higher than the walls surrounding the stadium.