Shu renith
After some careful consideration between the grand commanders, Rias and Talia along with convincing from me, I became the one who would talk to Imkli. That’s how I found myself sitting against his door in the hallway alone, with no one allowed in the hallway at least for the moment. I tried to speak up to Imkli who I was informed didn’t talk much to anyone and hid away in his room out of sight.
“Hello Imkli. I’m Shu… not to pry too much but why did you come to Numena.” I asked as calmly and slowly as possible so I wouldn’t spook him. At first, he didn’t answer me only sitting against the door in the room mumbling under his breath. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but we want to help in some capacity.” Trying to be as honest as possible wasn’t hard aside from how I was meant to word it all towards him.
“Help what a funny word. I wish I had that when I was younger hahaha. I'll tell you why I’m here doubt you can relate though… after Rias killed my uncle, my brother began to mess with my head more than usual. He knew I was scared of him. Being scared has made it easy for him to manipulate me and force me to do things I don’t want to. I won’t play the victim I feel as if I can't anyway eventually after some time I got better with the help of my childhood friend who was a maid. Lily was her name.” Imkli paused, hearing sobs I turned my back towards the hallway looking towards the door I listened as he continued through his sobs.
“Eventually we fell in love, keeping our relationship hidden for a long time until Imra found out. That sadistic bastard. I was happy with her but eventually, I found things to become strange. Bruises, scars and fingerprints where they shouldn’t be. I asked around but was told nothing, feeling sick to my stomach I found out that she was being raped by Imra and Harmon. I tried to confront them but instead I was chained to a chair I watched them have their way with her. The only things I could hear were her screams and her constant clawing at them but they didn't stop. I couldn’t take it, they eventually grew bored killing her before my eyes.” I covered my mouth in horror not wanting to know how long this was going on.
“Eventually a maid who was forced to be quiet told me he had been doing it for four months on and off, she said nothing to protect her family. I felt angry and still do that I didn’t do anything. Every day I dreamed of her smiling all not knowing the truth. My happiness to be ripped away by my fucking brother. I was happy, we were and he ripped it all AWAY!” he poured out every word having no sense of the order he was speaking yet I didn’t stop him, just allowed him to continue. “The next morning, I was found by castil, who found me covered Lily’s blood with nothing but hatred in my eyes. He understood quickly.”
I found it strange that castil the infamous insane mage of Riel would do such a thing then again Rias did say that he was someone who has empathy for those he cares about under that mad exterior.
“When I explained what happened, castil allowed me to take the maid’s body to her family while he spoke to the princes. I don’t know what happened, but Imra is now heavily disfigured with Lyron and Harmon scared to even cross castil indirectly. He then told me if I want to new life and become stronger, I should come here.” When Imkli stopped speaking he didn’t open the door but turned towards.
“I am sorry for my actions and will spend my life repenting for them, I want to live a new life without the constant nightmares reliving those events. Every time I see them, I just want to kill myself to be at peace. All the times I’ve tried it all leads to me being too weak to go through with it. I need so much help which I’m not deserving of.”
Sitting in front of the door I began to speak of a similar experience of which I lived when I was younger.
“When I was twelve, I lived in a northern tribe alone with my mother as my father was killed a few years prior. For four weeks for several hours, I hid in a closet having to hear my mother endure the pain of being abused by the village chief in every way even sexually. Just before I turned thirteen, she killed herself at the end of the fourth week of that pain. The people of the tribe knew what he was doing. They didn’t care they even buried my mother like she nothing more than an old man’s vicious dog. Not wanting to be around them in the middle of the night I ran away, towards an old hut my father only showed me.” Recounting the story, I spoke of the vast landscapes of northern Tramon even the old hunter's lodge my father built in secret away from everyone.
“The lodge had everything I'd need to survive like weapons and simple crafting supplies even food, but it would only keep me alive for a while. I was weak, angry that I couldn’t save my mother and wanted help, I went everywhere in Tramon’s cities even Nihon but help didn’t come. Wandering the snow lands once more starving I found myself by a hut simple in design, yet it was homely. There lived a single woman she wore thick clothing to keep herself warm and had mittens for skiing.” Imkli listened carefully as I explained the woman’s appearance from the quiver at her hip to the thick fur boots even her long cream auburn hair.
“She took me in and for eight years she trained in every way she could. I became a hunter and a tracker with animal-like reflexes, senses and instincts. For those eight years, she became a mother to me, I became strong like you can but I wanted to become stronger still. I remember her last words before she ventured into the snow never to return ‘You are plenty strong enough even when you were twelve young wolf.’ Imkli what I’m trying to say is you are strong already but because of your experiences that strength has become lost like I was. Shared experiences indirect or no.” I said back to leaning against the door with my second mother’s tomahawk in my hand the white owl feather still tied hard on its shaft.
‘Please come back home Skadi.’ I spoke in my head caressing the feather.
…
Though Imkli wasn’t keen on sharing what happened in onrath he did seem fine with Rias and Panora keeping an eye on him, seeing his progress and the like. It did show how much he had delved into his life according to Rias he was a shell of a shell of his former self. She said that Imkli was once a charismatic young child who loved to play with swords and paint like he was the world's most famous painter but as he grew, he changed, into what he was when Rias served as a Queen’s Guard.
Now he was an entirely different person who had gone through so much in a short period, the little few hours I’ve spent with me thus far shows that there is more than meets the eye. He is scared of people even saying hello and keeps his head only looking up for a second. He seems to also cower behind me when he hears loud noises that would normally only spook an animal.
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As Imkli didn’t exactly like leaving his room, I had the pleasure of shopping with Rias as this also gave her an excuse to shop as well. My main goal was just to buy Imkli clothes and make him feel welcome, the few times he did leave his room I was careful who we went past. Other than buying Imkli clothes I wanted to find something I could cut his hair with without cutting his skin. His appearance was quite shabby, though he could do everything himself he must have grown fond of his quickly flourished beard and rough shoulder-length hair.
“Here is the catalogue for you rias and here is the one for a friend I assume or lover?”
“He’s just a friend.” I replied simply to the middle-aged tailor who brought over two large binders full of recent outfits and new designs simply made by the designers that we conversed with. “Rias should we bring Imkli to the summit if he’s you know not right currently?” Whispering I asked Rias simply who seemed to nod her head, that mostly meant that I should talk to Imkli about it before asking her if it was okay. Cocking my head back to the catalogue my eyes lingered upon a lot of golden and black suits that to my knowledge were the colour design choice of the summit.
Even though the colour dress code was black and gold Talia who was the head of the organization did say that the grand commanders could wear their legion's colours. For me, those colours were Alice blue, Celeste and midnight blue. Making a conscious choice I inquired for two more catalogues of more extravagant dresses and suits because in my head all I was thinking was ‘Why the fuck not?’. Seeing my enthusiasm, the tailor brought over two more catalogues a lot thicker than the two we had already. Rias’s eyebrows perked up, her face showed bewilderment at what I was planning.
From the conversations I had with Imkli sitting against the door while he hid in the darkness of his current room, he told me that though he had never been to a ball or event he always wanted to. I had the dresses and the like but as a grand commander, I had an obligation to wear certain garb as a way to show off the Numena’s power well that's what Talia said anyway. Flicking through the dress catalogue I happened upon a mermaid gown that came in a celeste tone of blue with midnight blue lace that covered my arms and upper body areas towards the jaw. The midnight blue accents continued into the waist corset that according to the annotations had light Alice blue stitching that was complemented by the beads that were sewn into the chest area of the dress.
Sapphire flowers were stitched into the hemline of the dress to not detract from the main appeal of the midnight blue dress. Without a second thought seeing the way the silhouette was sewn, I pointed at it which Rias knew straight away I wanted it. The tailor in his ecstatic state found a midnight blue suit with Alice blue accents along the lapels even into the corset waistcoat. The cufflinks were designed by a jeweller modelling the flower after a lunar tear which was once the symbol of an old extinct ducal family of Numena. The buttons followed this design choice as well as being completely white in tone. The tie and pocket square were patterned sapphire that took on the shapes of flowers only being able to be seen faintly. The nicest detail was the single epaulet on the left shoulder in a revolver silver.
We continued to order not just for myself or Imkli, Rias bought dresses and clothes for her, Talia and as a surprise, she brought a dress for Samantha while I wasn’t paying full attention, she also ordered one for Alex. For reasons I couldn’t be certain of, my mind kept thinking of Imkli and the warning he gave about his family. The warning he gave me was aimed to give something to fall to if something went awry. ‘They won't treat you as a human just an object. All of them expect lyra will treat you as much’. From what I could gather from what I had heard, this all stemmed from mordid in Rias’s life as Artura.
According to Imkli, mordid was born from the affair of Lancelot and Guinevere also through magic fuckery. He possessed traits of his parents that drained into his bloodline mainly the possessiveness, the dark thoughts most of all and the trait of wanting to turn something into a doll. He didn’t go much further into detail aside from how he as well as Lyra were saved from it because of their mixed blood. The only time he’s been thankful for being a bastard child of a maid.
“Rias… is there a way we can make imkli’s life here easier?”
“Yeah, but not really, not everyone is keen on the idea. The only way to make it easier for him is to become someone else essentially.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well… one you’d have to change his appearance maybe even body type not mention choose a new name. on top of that I'd have to make him a noble. It would all have to be his choice as well, I’m not gonna force him as I don’t want him to feel like I’m controlling him.” Rias explained it all to me so I could understand clearly, even I knew he’d have to become a noble but the parts about him having to change who he is made me feel… Hollow. Slightly overhearing our conversation the tailor, chimed in saying that if we need something to alter appearances, he currently has the items in stock.
He procured six different items. Each of the six items were placed into glass bottles which themselves were shaped like the eternal flower, according to the tailor these adjustment potions were permanent. Two of the six glasses held a liquid which once digested would change your overall appearance in any shape or form you desire. The third of six glasses changes your hair colour along with eye colour, the fourth and fifth did many changes like change height weight or overall build of the body. The sixth however was the one I didn’t need to know about, the tailor just simply said it was an aphrodisiac with a lot more than meets the eye. I could feel my face become red with embarrassment.
“Maybe one day you will lose it.” Rias smirked, teasing that I was still a virgin.
“you’ve become quite bold recently has Talia started to hold back?” I shot back with a smirk of my own. Through the last seven months of being around Rias, I learned a very crucial part of being a grand commander, Rias was pretty unfiltered to what she said. Rias acting as queen she was quite elegant and pretty the picture-perfect view of a queen, when she’s on the battlefield she can only be described as a maniac. As a normal person just going around places, she acts as if the world is her oyster with no regard whatsoever.
Rias also seemed to have quite the temper when it came to certain things, a few nobles of onrath have nearly had the privilege of seeing Rias's unfiltered power. Luckily, we’ve had Nox and artoria to hold her back, these two proved something that was thought unreal, Nox in her berserker state not holding back with her shadow magic could stand one and one with Rias. Artoria could only do the same because of her Abyssal magic being largely not understood by people and the fact she created it through sheer fucking will. Just like Imkli, artoria at her lowest point was so weak and beaten she screamed at the gods but instead of helping her they laughed.
Unfortunately for them, Artoria through her agony of being on the cusp of death had awakened her primal power of the abyss. This power made her on par with eldritch gods, the only god that ever respected her was Orin, he always saw her as unique, calling her the lone star with its own path. Thinking on some of the stories that she told me when she fought Orin he actually held back against her abyss because he didn’t want her to die. When she recounted the story to me, she spoke his final words to her ‘Always shine above the rest my golden comet’. For some reason this got me thinking about another thing that Imkli told me he had a primal power he had partially awakened with help from the mind’s eye.
Like the primal power of artoria’s abyss or Rias’s divinity, his was cold. It was ice mana or an arcana that utilised the cold, he spoke of it being something different, he called it frost wind or black frost. Doing his own research Imkli found that these primal powers came from beings known as the thirteen. Wanting to know more I asked around with the little info I had at the time finding no answers I fell back onto Rias who told me a few things. All the things she told me came from Rold’s notebook.
The thirteen were once called the old gods, the first harbingers or as they were known to the primordials ‘the aeon Hyperions’. Rold’s notebook outlined what they were gods of and where they came from along with what their symbols were. The most interesting thing was their leader who looked different to the rest through the sketches Rold drew himself. For the males of the thirteen, he drew dashing figures with slightly altered appearances adding tails or horns even elven-like ears. For the woman he did similar things with one exception being the leader who he drew on a double page spread. Two drawings across four pages.
One was darker than the other a lot darker. The first image was just of a beautiful female with large horns protruding from her forehead long ears and black hair, crimson eyes of rage. She sat alone on a rocky throne with her nails dug into the very stone. That was the first sketch but the second was something akin to nightmare fuel for some.
A black silhouetted figure covered in red light from the blood moon overhead, to some that was innocent it was what was hanging from the sky. The blood sky had bodies hanging from nooses their bodies distorted and covered in shadow, unlike the other sketch the figure sat on an altar holding the head of a priest. With all that I thought it couldn’t get worse in her free hand however she held a mana core or a gleaming stone that glowed similar to the thorned crown she wore just over her horns.
The page after had one name repeated over and over again a name even Imkli didn’t speak. They called her… Ravenus the goddess of the hanged.