I walked through the door and could immediately hear my comrades conversing with each other. I entered the massive lounge room where we’d eaten with Nicole and found the group conversing with a man who looked to be on the verge of screaming.

“Lucan?”

The man whipped his head in my direction, spinning the white hair upon his head. It was similar to Ruby’s hair, with a separate color at the tips. Instead of red, it was a dark blue. His eyes were bloodshot and baggy, a mix of sleep deprivation and stress written all over his distraught expression.

“Are you the one they keep babbling about? South?”

“North.” I blankly responded, feeling a sting of embarrassment at my parent’s poor naming choice.

“I thought you were. Bi- I mean, Lady Nicole told me to wait for you before leaving.” He said.

“Are you okay?”

“Uhh… no. But if the Lady demands it, I must acquiesce.” He groaned, walking to the door. I began to follow him until I heard a gasp from upstairs.

“North! What happened!” Ashley cried out, racing down the steps and right up to me, “Were you hurt?”

“It’s not mine. Sir Glenn decided to test my healing capability.” I explained, wanting to escape as fast as possible.

“This won’t do. You’ll need a better outfit if you’re going to the festival with me.”

“With you?”

“Of course, silly. I wouldn’t dare miss it, and Lucan can be such a boring guide.”

I glanced at my comrades, then back at Lucan.

“Sorry” Lucan silently mouthed.

“Let’s get you dressed in better attire.” She said, grabbing tightly onto my hand and dragging me behind her up the stairs. Maids and servants began to file around me and follow after her, cutting off any avenue of escape from Ashley.

I was led into my room again, and was soon met with a rack of outfits which Ashley was now rapidly searching through. She murmured to herself, although I couldn’t hear the words.

“You’ll get used to it.” A voice whispered next to me. I turned and saw a Urilan girl with bright white eyes in a dress that looked like a slightly different maid outfit.

“I heard that, Nadia.”

“Sorry, Lady Ashley.”

She turned away from the rack of clothes, having unhooked one. It was a similar outfit to what I was wearing, although it was brown instead of black. The inside was blood red, peeking out from the cuffs and the neck. The shirt beneath it was the same white as my current one was.

“The colors of Arlin. Perfect for the occasion.”

“Beautiful choice, Lady Ashley.” said Nadia.

“Thank you Nadia. Now North,” She said, stepping close enough to where I could feel her breath, “Would you please put this on?”

I sighed and grabbed it out of her hand, pulling off the overcoat and unbuttoning my shirt, trying to ignore her presence. She was watching me intently, and as I took off my shirt, I could hear a soft “ooooo”.

This entire family is insane.

After I was dressed, I was immediately met with a different pair of pants shoved directly into my face. They were of a similar color to the jacket, minus the red.

“And now this!”

“Not with you in the room.”

Ashley pouted and grabbed onto Nadia’s arm, dragging both herself and her maid outside.

I put on the new pants and walked out the door to face the hell that was the youngest Allena.

That Urilan girl looked a lot like Cedric. Wonder if they’re related.

“My, you are so cute!” Ashley pinched my cheek. I brushed off her hand.

“I’m not going to let you own me.” I said firmly.

“I know, but since you work for Nicky, I can get to know you and all of your friends. Now come on! I’ve got so many parts of Arlin to show you.”

I thought about Nicole, and whether or not being irreverent to Ashley was worth it. Something about her moral compass was broken, deeply so.

----------------------------------------

Confetti and cheers filled the air as I made my way through the street, following closely behind Lucan and Ashley. Ruby was mumbling to herself scratching things onto a piece of paper. I leaned over to check and saw a remarkably accurate drawing of the Emperor’s face, or at least what had appeared on all of the decorations.

His face was everywhere. So much that it stopped feeling like a face, or even a person. The smiles of those on the streets looking at the man who led this entire empire filled me with dread.

Do they know he’s done? Are they complicit?

They looked normal. Like people, at a celebration. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen those in my time in Marlisle, but this was on an entirely different scale. The sentiment of shared joy and leisure felt the same.

War was easier. At least I knew all of the Tisch were horrid. Everything between them felt muddy.

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I tapped on Elm’s shoulder, hoping he could provide me some ground.

“Is this how all of True Arlin sees him?” I said.

“If you’re talking about the Fourth, I’d say the majority view him positively.”

“And does he really look like that?”

“He does. It’s uncanny how good he looked. The third wasn’t an eyesore, but he wasn’t a fucking masterpiece staring you back in the face like the fourth.” Elm explained, dredging up memories he didn’t seem to enjoy.

“Do they… have a first name? You’ve only called him the fourth.”

Ashley up in front of me laughed boisterously, far louder than necessary at what I thought was an understandable question.

“The Emperor’s name is David. The third was Emperor Horace Foucalt.” She said as though it were the most common knowledge in the world.

“Then why do Arlinians call them the third and fourth?”

Ashley stopped walking ahead of me and slowed down her pace to match mine. Her doting smile sent a shiver down my spine.

“Because they’re not people.”

“What?”

“They’re Emperors. Not people.”

Ashley turned and continued walking before I could ask for more. I looked to Elm for support and saw him simply shaking his head.

I ignored the comment and kept walking behind her. The amount of imagery of Emperor Darvid Arlin loomed over me, and I couldn’t help as though it was mocking me.

We made our way further into town until we got to a specific store. It looked like a quaint bakery named Sea Flour. As we entered, I could see a small little plaque near the door that said ‘Under Allena Protection’.

Upon seeing Ashley, the bakers immediately bowed and pointed her to a staircase in the back. We made our way upwards and found ourself out on the open roof. It was a rooftop patio, one with chairs and tables with umbrellas over them to cover from the rain. I saw Ashley run up to the railing and gaze over it, looking down at the people below with awe.

“Such a beautiful display of subservience.” She said like an adoring mother. It made me want to puke.

Ruby and Mell went beside her to watch below, with Ruby pointing out specific things in the crowd and trying to take quick sketches of them.

Jay walked over the railing, gazed down below, and muttered something before moving back to one of the tables. The rage on his face was palpable, and he looked ready to punch the next person who irritated him.

I moved over to his table and sat down next to him.

“It’s not right.” He muttered.

“I know. They treated the slaughter of Corith the same way. With cheers and alcohol.”

“But you weren’t there.” He coarsely told me, “You weren’t on the fields. You were too young. I was there fighting, and I saw what they did to my people. The non-attuned?”

“We got lucky.” I said solemnly.

I got lucky.

An attunement, especially one as rare as mine, was an in-born advantage. I had hoped that the effort I had put in was enough to earn it in some measure.

“It’s not luck. I got spared. All because we didn’t give into their power. Until we did.”

“They… offered you to submit?”

“They do that for everyone. Including Corith. That’s how they mock you. They say you could have avoided the bloodshed knowing full well that no sane nation would willingly submit to a greater power.” He spat onto the ground.

“We can leave if you want.”

“No, it’d be a waste. The people here are enjoying themselves. Both us and the Arlinians.”

I glanced behind me and saw people on other rooftops cheering and talking in general merriment.

“Do you think they know?” I asked.

“Know what? Know what they’re celebrating? Fuck if I know. Does it matter?” Jay snapped.

I opened my mouth to respond and closed it, not having the words.

“I know what you believe, North. I respect it even, although I’d wished you picked a better first attempt than Matthias. But in my opinion, you can’t ‘redeem’ these people. Doesn’t matter if it’s Pluma or True Arlin, they’re all complicit because they benefit from their government’s colonialism. It’s a broken piece of shit all the way to its rotten core, and it all needs to be burned away.”

“And when did you start believing that?” Ashley interjected, holding a plate of pastries.

“What?”

“It’s a simple question, Hornelian. When did you believe that the only solution to Arlin’s colonialism was, excuse me if I’m misinterpreting this, mass slaughter?”

“You think you’re above this, Plumite?”

“Well it’s not hard to assume that slaughter includes me.”

“And you’d fucking deserve it.” Jay said, standing up from his seat to tower over Ashley.

“Both of you, stop!” I shouted, standing up and getting between the two. “We can discuss ideology and who we want to kill later.”

Jay looked at me, muttered something, and sat back down. I could hear a doting sigh come from Ashley which I ignored.

“Kid, it’s starting.” Elm shouted over to me. I ran towards the railing and saw the loud parade making its way through the street. Horns and percussion blasted through the air so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts.

Confetti was tossed throughout the street as people paraded through in military gear, carrying igniters and burners and marching in step. Along with that was a chaotic group of Plumites following them and cheering them on.

All around was the face of the Emperor, his gaze looming over all.

Ashley placed a pastry in my hand and hugged uncomfortably close to my side.

I don’t understand her obsession.

I watched on, listening to the cheers and joy of Duskarna, yet I couldn’t enjoy it. Jay’s words were too heavy on my mind. Elm’s hand clasped my right shoulder.

“Not everyone is as hopeful as you.” He said wistfully.

“They seem pretty hopeful.” I gestured at the people on the street.

One of their greatest crimes. Turning those with good intentions into accomplices in their sins.

----------------------------------------

When we arrived back at Nicole’s manor, we were all dead tired. We had eaten our fill on the rooftop provided by the baker who was extremely friendly.

I made my way back to my room, opened the door, and collapsed onto the comfortable bed. My head was spinning with thoughts, from Nicole and Jay and Ashley.

‘When did you start believing it?’ hung over my head like an executioner's blade, taunting me with its meaning.

Ashley didn’t make sense to me, carrying all of the terrifying eccentricities of her sister and none of the awareness to make it seem noble. The thought that Nicole was the better option for the Tisch over her made sense.

“Where do I even start looking…”

I’d been saying over and over to myself, and it was becoming more apparent that war really was simple. I was stuck in a foreign land, under the thumb of a corrupt noble, chasing after someone who had completely hidden themselves.

“David…”

The word felt bitter on my tongue, taboo even. I had suffered by that man’s hand, yet it felt wrong knowing his first name. Even in my mind, I kept calling him ‘Emperor Arlin’.

“Wonder if he knows my name…” I said to myself, before quickly passing out.