Olive’s Perspective

Emperor Dominus sat at a table overflowing with an assortment of delicious foods. The quality and quantity of Density packed into each delicacy was enough to kill a lesser man.

The room was sparsely decorated with fine tapestries. The images woven upon them showing his wives and children created a homey atmosphere in the otherwise bare room.

The simple chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling sent flickering light reflecting over the artistic portraits and dining table.

A delicate pressure pricked his aura. In response, he loosened his grip on the fabric of reality in that corner of the room.

A short woman with the body and face of a girl teleported into the room. Her slanted hazel eyes regarded Dominus and the plethora of foods in front of him.

She hovered several feet above the floor. In one of her seemingly delicate hands, she gripped the armor behind Oliviala’s neck. Olive hung limply in the air, completely despondent as the woman holding her gently shook her back and forth.

The woman spoke when she saw the smirk on Dominus’s face.

“Dominus, please reprimand your offspring. It is against academy policy to combat outside the arenas. I’ve informed her of the regulations multiple times, however, she remains unresponsive to my guidance,” The small woman’s robotic voice and emotionless face reported the situation to a grinning Dominus.

“I understand, Sophia. I’m sure the situation will work itself out shortly.” With each word he spoke, the air inside the room cracked and splintered. In a fraction of a second, before his echoing voice stilled between each syllable, the fragmented atmosphere was repaired as if nothing had happened.

Another woman appeared in the room, standing beside the huge muscled frame of Dominus. Sophia instantly dropped the dejected Olive and bowed deeply.

“Headmistress,” Sophia’s robotic voice somehow conveyed a respectful inflection without changing its tone.

“Thank you for cleaning up the situation Sophia. You may go,” At her dismissal, the diminutive woman vanished without another word.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Olive showed her first reaction since being brought before her father.

“Mother! This is all your fault. Why did you make me first? We both know I should have been second at best.”

The woman in question looked nothing like Olive. She had long curvy black hair and yellow eyes. Her physical perfection was not one bit less impressive than the man she stood next to.

When Olive spoke, her mother’s face twisted into a light scowl that did nothing to mar her beauty.

“You are a student in my academy as of today, Oliviala. you will address me as headmistress. Especially under the circumstances we find ourselves in. Do you have any idea how much damage your little stunt has done to the reputation of my school?

“Our top student, a royal princess no less, completely disregarded the safety and sanctity of the academy grounds. This is an unheard-of infraction. I should have you thrown into a cell for a moon!”

“Not a bad idea, Lanna,” Dominus followed up on her ranting.

Olive’s face turned to one of horror at her father’s betrayal. The man smiled gently and then turned to regard his fourth wife.

“However, I think it would be more effective to have her clean up the mess she caused instead. Oliviala, you will offer personal reparations to any who have been hurt or offended by your actions. In addition, you will join the disciplinary committee for two moons, on top of your other duties.”

“A perfect judgment as usual, my love,” Lanna’s brilliant smile lit up the room as she gently clapped three times.

“Now, my dear daughter. Tell me how the reunion with your lover went,” His smile returned as bright gray eyes rested upon Olive once more.

“L-l-lover?!” Olive’s face transformed into a ripe tomato as embarrassment colored her cheeks and surprise stole her breath.

Booming laughter shook the entire palace as Dominus lost control of his emotions. Lanna sighed, knowing the mayhem that must surely be consuming every maid in the palace. They would be busy for an hour cleaning up the debris caused by that single slip in his discipline.

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A look of abject horror suffused Olive’s features.

“You knew? You knew all along that he would run from me?” The full weight of his betrayal unfolded before her.

Memories of his encouraging words and her thoughts replayed in her mind;

‘If you want him to notice you, then simply bear all your weapons, daughter. No man could ever misunderstand that.’

I’ll bring my most powerful prototype lance and armor. That should get his attention!

‘When planning a meeting, you must always consider the other party. Let their motivations and desires do the work for you. Present them with exactly what they want most and they will fall at your feet.

In every report from the army, he’s battling the enemies of the empire. He must love to fight more than anything. I’ll challenge him to a duel, he would love that!

‘If you want the boy to take you seriously, you have to go all out, leave nothing off the table, and lay your heart bare.’

I’ll use my strongest attack right away!

“Of course not. How could I possibly predict what either of you would do? Was I watching? Absolutely. Was it the most fun I’ve had in ages? Why yes, I believe it was!”

His laughter rang out once more, shaking the entire palace. His hand smacking his leg released motes of dust that fell from the ceiling as the room groaned in protest.

“Father, please! Tell me what I did wrong. Why did he react that way?” Lanna rolled her eyes at Olive’s dramatic question.

“Oliviala, do you truly believe that a man who has been fighting one battle after another, for seasons on end, would want another fight when he finally decides to take a break?” Seriousness returned to his demeanor as his question rang out through the quaking air.

“Think of how your mothers and I are when we come home from the north,” Olive's mouth morphed into an O and a rosy flush once more began creeping up her neck to cover her cheeks.

“Don’t be discouraged, daughter. Mistakes are a part of every journey. Keep trying your best and eventually, you will pin down your heart’s desires.”

I need to make my next prototype lance smaller and faster so he can’t escape my next attack? Yes, that's exactly what I have to do!

“Thank you, father! You’re the best, I know exactly what must be done.”

As Olive skipped out of the room, her head in the clouds, Lanna turned to her grinning husband in despair.

“Was that last bit necessary? If you explained things to her more clearly, the purity of my academy would not have come under such scrutiny today. My peers are surely drinking and celebrating my embarrassment at this very moment.”

“Is there anything more important than enjoying the little time we have left, my love? Let the children do as they will. It’s the only gift we have left to give.”

Unknown’s Perspective

Deep below the city of Cruex, a man clad in shadows knelt before an opening of pure inky darkness. His face remained passive as the hours passed.

This was not his first shift waiting before the portal that appeared to lead into an abyss of nothingness. Two seasons had passed since he was assigned this great honor. He would wait, patiently, for as long as it took.

His three brothers shared this duty. They took their turns passing along vital information, each changing of the shift. When their lord finally emerged, they would be ready.

The darkness parted in the shape of a man without a whisper of warning. A tall, thin human emerged from the portal. His naked body, once covered in scars, was now as pristine as the second moon’s surface.

“My Grace. It is so good to see you again. Congratulations on your successful evolution!” The feverish zealotry in the kneeling man’s tone reeked of absolute worship.

“Yes, I am nearly prepared to play my part in what is to come,” The shadows of the dark cave reacted to his voice. They leapt off the walls and ceiling to gather at his fingertips. They formed a blackness as thoroughly impenetrable as the portal he had exited.

The tall man was no longer naked. The shadows had swaddled him in a layer of silky smooth ink.

“Fascinating,” He remarked, observing the world bending to his subconscious desires as easily as shifting a curtain.

“Report, my child.”

“There was a disturbance at the academy, My Grace. We are still inspecting all of our assets, but so far we have found no evidence that our plans will be disrupted.

“The third princess attacked the second-ranked student within hours of initiation, an unknown named Jiran of Feylon. Her motives for attacking him are currently unknown. An explosion at the Tier six standard occurred and then the boy fled.”

“That is… Unusual. I trust your efforts to uncover all the details will yield results.”

“My life for failure, My Grace.”

The tall man suddenly looked up and to the side as if he was gazing at something of great importance through hundreds of meters of solid stone.

“What about the other matter?”

“Nothing, My Grace. There have been no further sightings. Whatever that creature is, we have not seen another, nor any signs of outward interference across the empire.”

“Then we may proceed. When your investigations are complete, you are to begin the first stage of the operation”

“Yes, My Grace!” The kneeling man instantly vanished upon being dismissed.

The thin man with sunken cheeks and suddenly weary eyes shifted his gaze to his own hands coated in thick shadows. He appeared deep in thought as he stood for several minutes without moving.

A nearly imperceptible mumble escaped his parched lips.

“Jiran, Jiran, Jiran, Where have I heard that name before?”