Manusya, Numa, Evui and Ahmi were in the same room together, the Aksha's room, to be exact. Manusya, Evui and Numa just returned from the innovation presentation when suddenly, General Ahmi had knocked on Manusya's doors and asked for an audience.
"Your family was kidnapped?" Manusya said as he sat down on his bed, he looked at Ahmi concerningly. "Why have you never told me this? Do you all know about this?" he looked around the room at Numa and Evui.
Numa and Evui both grimaced. Evui approached Ahmi and grabbed his arm gently.
"I'm still sorry about Laina and Yuni." She said to Ahmi.
Numa also approached Ahmi, he looked up at the military general. "Yuni was....is my friend. I honestly have...lost all hope in ever seeing her again. But I did not forget her." he said.
Ahmi looked at the two of them softly, breaking his usual hard outer shell. "Thank you. I do not blame anyone but myself for their disappearance." He turned to the Aksha. "I know we will begin the defence preparation in full force soon. I also know that you are currently going to contact the spy. Please, do me this one favour Aksha. I need to find them. I need to know if they are still alive." He kneeled on the floor and lowered his head. Tears could be seen streaming out.
Manusya sighed. "For future reference." Manusya walked towards the kneeling Ahmi and offered a hand. "Never think of requesting something like that officially. I am not going to help you as the Aksha, I am going to help you as a human." He said and smiled.
Ahmi looked up with welled-up tears in his eyes. The figure of the Aksha stretching out a hand for him was burned in his mind, it was an image he was going to remember for a long time.
"Thank you, Aksha. I am forever in your debt and gratitude." Ahmi took Manusya's hand and stood up once more.
Manusya looked around the room. "I will need all of you here anyway, including you Ahmi. I will show you how I have been communicating with Gavrin. For you, Ahmi, as our Seat of Defence and as the military general, you need to know your enemies intimately, according to how they live and act in their homeland."
Manusya said something to the ceiling. "Erectus, four Chrono-VR headsets. Connect all of us to Gavrin's chip," he said.
"AFFIRMATIVE," Erectus said over the home's speakers.
One of the walls of the room opened up and four virtual reality headsets were ejected. Manusya approached the wall and took all of them.
"Let's go. Follow me." Manusya brought them to his living room where the sofas were and had them all sit down comfortably. Everyone began to wear their headsets. A feeling of having one's consciousness pulled out of their body swept over the people in the living room, transporting them into another land far away.
Once they had awoken, they found themselves inside a highly luxurious bedroom. It was a symbol of opulence and wealth, with chandeliers and classical-style beds and furniture littered around the room. The man of the hour, Gavrin was currently in the middle of putting on his clothing when the four Osmanians suddenly appeared.
"W-what!?" Gavrin exclaimed as he tripped over his pants and fell down. He looked up again to see the four properly. Everyone was wearing their usual outfit except Manusya, who was wearing his Aksha outfit, an all-black outfit that hid his face with a hood and helmet. It only took a few seconds before Gavrin noticed Evui in the room with him. He lept from the floor to hug Evui.
"Evui!" He said. He ran to her but when he was near with his arms stretched out, he went past her as if she was a ghostly being. "W-what?"
Manusya sighed. "Did you already forget that we are not really here? I used my magic." Manusya said to him.
Gavrin sighed and seemed dejected. Y-yes, I remember. But...I miss you, darling." He looked at Evui. She also approached him and 'placed' her hand on his cheek.
"I missed you too." She replied.
Manusya and Numa looked at them frowning and groaning. The two love birds were like pests to them. The only composed and collected person in the room, Ahmi, greeted Gavrin.
"It is nice to meet you, Gavrin q'Fazquez," Ahmi said. "I am General Ahmi of the Osma Army. I am sure you have heard of me."
Gavrin turned to him and replied. "Yes...an army. I have heard of you. From the words I heard from the Aksha, your people have been making tremendous progress. Tell me, why have you decided to visit me at such an inopportune time? I am delighted to meet Evui again. But..."
"What happened?" Manusya said. He began looking around the luxurious room again. "As a matter of fact, where are we?"
Gavrin grabbed his pants again and started wearing them. He was already wearing some sort of Hydarian nobleman attire, a gaudy tuxedo-like outfit complemented by bird feathers, a staple of Hydaria. The man's brown hair was swept to the side neatly.
Gavrin sighed. "Tomorrow is the Hydarian Kingdom's 250th anniversary. It's quite a big deal. It's a week-long celebration and before the big events start, every noble in the kingdom is invited to a Grand Ball hosted in the Imperial Palace, where we are right now. The palace is so big that they had personal rooms for each visiting noble to get dressed and used as we see fit. As I am a Baron now....well, you know." He explained.
"A grand ball, you say." Manusya nodded. "Interesting, this might be a good opportunity to see Hydarian high society. And maybe the emperor as well?"
Gavrin nodded. "Well, I suppose so. The imperial family will probably attend. My father never takes me to one of these, I also did not want to go. But now that I am an official Head of the Fazquez family, refusing an invitation is courting death, especially after my family's black image in the kingdom for failing to capture Osma." He said.
Ahmi frowned upon hearing that but kept his composure. While he hated the Hydarians, he knew that this man was useful to the Aksha.
"Mister Fazquez. Forgive me, but I have a favour to ask of you before we start our other discussions." Ahmi said, he turned to Manusya to check if it was alright, and the latter nodded in approval.
"Yes?" Gavrin replied.
"I am wondering if you know the whereabouts of two Osmanians who were captured several years ago, a mother and a child by the name of Laina and Yuni respectively." He asked.
Gavrin went to the mirror and started tidying up himself. "Oh? I have not heard of those names."
"I see..." Ahmi said and trailed off.
Evui was livid hearing that answer. She phased through Gavrin and showed her face in front of him, which spooked Gavrin as he fell to the ground. Thankfully, he was clever enough to get the message, he was just too preoccupied with everything else to notice.
"I-I could look for information about them. Y-yes! I will." He turned to Evui to make sure she was not angry. He stood up again and dusted himself off. "Forgive me, please trust that I will. It is just that...as much as it pains me to say this, but as you know, occasionally, not only Osmanian children were taken, sometimes women as well, or even men. The records are muddled because there are no such records available officially. I will have to do some digging on this." He said empathetically.
"And the other Osmanians?" Manusya asked.
Gavrin nodded. "Yes, I've been searching for traces of where all the children and some other adult Osmanians were taken to. And then I will see what I can do about returning them to you." He said.
"Good," Manusya said. "I trust you with this. Now, the official matter."
Manusya snapped his fingers and an image appeared above everyone's head. It was a map, showing the Osmanian reaches in the west, a vast forest in the middle and the Hydarian kingdom in the east.
"We are ready to start preparing for the defence. But also, I want you to start gathering your most loyal retainers and people to work with you in establishing our secret trading network." Manusya said.
A red dot appeared in the middle of the two nations, where the vast forest was.
"This is where we will establish our base of operation and defence line, our temporary national border, so to speak. The place where we will defend ourselves from the approaching Hydarians away from our capital. This is also the place where I want you to go when we exchange our goods to start our trading network. I will send you the full list of goods you and I should bring to this location. And don't worry, this map will stay inside your head." Manusya explained.
Gavrin looked at the map intently. He was amazed at all the detailed features and colours. "This is more impressive than any map I have ever seen. Your magic sure is mysterious." He turned to Manusya and nodded. "Very well. I probably cannot go myself as I am being watched. I will unfortunately probably going to be sent either to the frontlines of the war or worse, back to Osma as the attacking force. I will send my most loyal retainer to that meeting. And again, trust that I will search for all the missing Osmanians." He replied.
Manusya nodded. Numa was intently staring at the door without paying attention to the discussion. "Can we go see the ball now? I am so curious to see what people here look like!"
Ahmi replied, "It will just be a bunch of arrogant nobles who have taken not only our land but apparently others as well." He said in disgust.
Evui continued, "Indeed, I have heard from the Aksha that there are other lands that are colonized by the Hydarians and other foreign powers."
"Then we should free them as well! Make them join our cause!" Numa said as he turned to Manusya.
Manusya smiled underneath his mask. "We will. Now, let's see the ball."
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Gavrin—and the 'ghosts' of the Osmanians—navigated the labyrinth halls of the Hydarian imperial palace located in the capital city of Insomnai. They passed by numerous royal artefacts and paintings on the wall, depicting past royalties and the kingdom's history. On one of the walls, a giant painting depicting a bird engulfed in flames could be seen.
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"I know that's Hydarian and all, but that looks so cool!" Numa said as he pointed at the painting.
Manusya rubbed his head endearingly. "As a scholar, you must have a critical and unbiased eye. If you think something is fascinating, then it is fascinating. Gavrin, so what is this Hydarian symbol? I see that your armour, outfit, and a lot of things in Hydaria are based on this bird." He asked.
"It's the symbol of our people, The Foinix. Some say it's from a legend from long ago, revealed to us by the goddess Seykpien. It is a bird capable of regenerating itself when it does. Our founding king, as the legend says, heard this himself from the goddess. When he founded the kingdom, he decided to make it our national symbol because of our enduring nature." He replied.
Gavrin smiled for a bit staring at the flag, a sense of pride could be sensed from him. But as he looked around the room, his happiness disappeared and was replaced with a sad look. "I...was raised under this belief that we are a proud nation. In some ways, I still love our nation and the people living in it. I chose to dedicate myself to the blade to naively protect the people against the foreign war we have waged for one century, yet I was sent to subjugate your people. As I talk more with the Aksha, I find myself questioning everything that I have known." He said.
Everyone went silent for a bit, but unexpectedly, it was Ahmi who walked forward to Gavrin.
"I...hated your people. I still do, I will not forgive what your nation did to us and the other subjugated people. But for you as an individual, you have tried, and perhaps you are helping us today. I also still have a hard time simply looking at you as an ally. But by the blessing of the Aksha, I must. Now, lead us to the ballroom so we do not soak in this regrettable affair." Ahmi said to him firmly.
Gavrin nodded, a sense of respect was built inside of him for this Ahmi in front of him.
They continued to walk near the ballroom entrance when suddenly, a group of nobles could be seen crowding over something, or rather, someone. They were noblemen who were surrounding one person. That person was a tall, blonde man with a rather sad look on his face. His hair was medium although a bit unkempt compared to the slicked-back or parted hair of the other noblemen. Oddly enough, that man was wearing much more intricate and posh nobleman attire than the rest of them.
"You're just a bastard child, we don't care you're a prince." One of the noblemen said to him.
A prince? Manusya remarked in his mind.
"A dirty child like you have no place in this imperial palace." Another said.
"I heard you were a beggar before the royals found you!"
The 'prince' in question was too meek and timid to defend against them. He looked down in sadness as he tried to ignore them.
Evui looked at them and frowned. "Darling, who is he?" she asked.
Gavrin whispered back, "From what I've heard, Prince Somnus Vi'Hydaria. A bastard child of King Noctimus and a maid who was only found three years ago. It caused quite an uproar considering the two princes were already fighting for succession and now a third arrived. He has been tormented quite badly by both of the princes factions. We shouldn't watch too long and leave now."
Garin suddenly found himself being stared at by the prince. The prince, while still appearing timid, was staring intently at Gavrin as he walked. Noticing his gaze. the other noblemen looked back to see who it was.
"Huh? Who are you? I've never seen you before." That nobleman said to Gavrin.
"Must be one of those frontier nobles. Scram! Before you regret it." One more said as he was about to approach Gavrin.
Gavrin did not wait long and made his escape towards the ballroom. Manusya looked back as they walked away, the prince was staring at Gavrin as he walked away. Perhaps he was hoping for someone to defend him, only to find another running away. It was a sad sight, although Manusya did not know how much he needed to feel sorry for a prince.
But interesting, a third in the succession race. I will keep a note of it. Manusya said in his mind, noting how it might become useful information.
All of them finally arrived in the ballroom not long after. A grand ballroom the size of an entire open field. Majestic jewels and gold were embedded into each wall and furniture. Luxurious chandeliers made out of the bones of exotic beasts hung from the ceiling. A dance floor was located in the centre of the gigantic room. Tables with chairs were prepared where nobles can socialise amongst themselves.
"WOW! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" Numa said as he looked at everything.
"So they dine and drink as they cut off our hands and force us into indentured servitude," Ahmi said with a face full of rage, he squeezed his fist in anger
"This is...rather too much," Evui remarked as well.
"I am also not fond of this. But I know these socialisation and endless balls are important for the nobility class." Manusya added.
Gavrin nodded. "Indeed, you are quite knowledgeable, Aksha. Your identity is still a mystery to me...but I suspect you have been all over." He said.
"...After a fashion, yes," Manusya replied.
A trumpet suddenly sounded. Everyone stopped their chatter and looked at the main balcony where the throne of the emperor lies. Sitting on it, was a fierce, regal man with long blond hair. As the trumpet was blown, he stood up and faced all the nobles. Everyone in attendance kneeled at the same time.
"Glory to Hydaria and the eternal shine of our King Noctimus!" All the nobles and servants said at the same time.
King Noctimus smiled seeing everyone kneeling.
"My true people of Hydaria! Our honoured noblemen guests. I will not make a long speech, for we should spend more time celebrating the greatness of our kingdom instead. Tomorrow marks the 250th anniversary of our eternal, enduring kingdom. Like the legend of the Foinix, we have risen and struggled multiple times but never fallen. We are currently still in the middle of our long-century war with our wretched neighbours. It was a war started by our forefathers, yet we are here now to continue the struggle. We have had setbacks, like one of our colonies, the Laputans of Osma conducting inhumane terror attacks against our knights who were stationed there, killing many of your sons and fathers. But know this, our colonies in the Southern Islands are still within our protection, and the Osma reaches will soon be retaken as well. On our 250th anniversary, I want you to remember our great nation and your families' deeds in building this kingdom. Know this, we will soon find a way to end the war and show our might against our foes. That is all, enjoy the ball!" King Noctimus announced in his charismatic speech.
Everyone clapped their hands and cheered for the king's speech. The standing ovation lasted an entire fifteen minutes before King Noctimus waved to everyone and left the balcony.
"That was...something," Numa remarked, puzzled at how arrogant the king seemed.
"Foul bastard," Ahmi said.
Gavrin coughed. "It is incredibly weird hearing that here in the imperial palace, I hope you know that. I know only I can see you three, but still..." He said as he shifted uncomfortably.
The live music began, it was a nice melody rather similar to the classical music of Earth. The nobles paired with the opposite sex and went to the dance floor and danced. Suddenly, a young noble lady approached Gavrin. She was wearing an extravagant dress with feather designs as well.
"U-um...I have never seen you around before. M-my partner stood me up, can you please have one dance with me? I don't want to lose face." She said.
Gavrin turned to Evui as he feared what her reaction would look like. Unexpectedly, Evui smiled at him.
"Accept her," Evui said.
"What?" Gavrin whispered at her.
"Dance with her. Go. I have an idea." Evui said.
Gavrin nodded and replied.
"By all means, Lady." Gavrin bowed and kissed her hand as per custom.
They both walked towards the dance floor. As they were about to dance, without warning, Evui phased her body into the noble lady and matched her dancing stance with the lady. They looked as if they had become an amalgamation of the two bodies, constantly shifting in and out of each other in Gavrin's point of view.
"You taught me how to dance. You promised me you would take me to a ball one day. Well, while this is not an official one, let's at least settle this promise." Evui said to Gavin.
Gavrin was not sure if he could reply as the lady was in front of him, but he looked into Evui's eyes and prepared his body. "Let's start, milady." He said.
The two of them began to dance together elegantly. Evui tried to match her movement to the lady. Gavrin performed a manoeuvre that he had practised before with Evui, and thus she was able to follow along according to her muscle memory. It seemed grotesque to an outsider, this ghost taking over the body of a person to dance with her beloved. And yet there was something beautiful about it as well. Manusya stared at them intently, analysing what made these two love each other that much. He was still deciphering such manner of emotions in a human. Numa and Ahmi did not pay much attention to them, but rather studied other nobles and the room itself.
BANG! BANG BANG! Sounds of windows crashing could be heard. People started to scream as they were surprised at the loud sounds they heard. Suddenly, smoke started to fill the room and the shadows of people flew in from the open windows. They all started to stab and massacre the nearest nobles to them. Gavrin let go of the lady and stared at the commotion.
"It's the anti-monarchists!" A noble shouted.
These men were all wearing red clothing and a hood over their heads with a mask that covered the bottom part of their faces. They systematically attempted to assassinate the nearest nobles. From the smoke, a lone figure appeared. This man was wearing a much more intricate but similar fashion to the other intruders. He donned an armour of red with a helmet that looked like the beak of a feonix that covered the upper half of his face with his mouth visible. Red feathers decorated the back of his helmet and some part of his cowl.
"It's Astra!" Someone shouted.
"What are the guards doing!? Apprehend them!"
Hydarian knights started to march on the intruders but the man they called Astra rushed forward with incredible speed. Fire wrapped around his body as he wielded a blade made purely out of the flame. One by one, he felled the knights with unbelievable precision and skills.
He is strong! Manusya remarked in his mind. He was not even sure if he could take him on as he was right now.
"That man is dangerous!" Ahmi exclaimed. "Gavrin, who is he!?"
"It's Astra! the leader of the Solarius, anti-monarchists who are rebelling against the King! They want the monarchy and nobility dismantled and given back to the people! I've heard of them!" Gavrin said as he ran to hide behind a table.
"Foul pests and parasites of Hydaria!" A booming voice dominated the room, it came from Astra. "As you celebrate the anniversary of your foul imperialist regime, the people suffer, their blood sucked dry with your luxurious lifestyle while a war is also being waged at the borders!"
"Silence him!" A Hydarian knight charged forward with a sword.
Without looking, Astra ducked down and swung his flaming sword, decapitating the charging knight. Numerous screams could be heard as the noblemen reacted to that.
"I changed my mind, I quite like him now!" Ahmi said as he smiled hearing those words.
Anti-monarchists...Manusya thought.
"Now, you will taste the hunger of a beggar, the unbearable thirst of the farmers, and the sickness of the homeless child in the orphanage!" Astra raised his arm and the rest of the group charged forward.
"Gavrin!" Evui shouted. "Escape!"
"I have to agree," Manusya said. "We need you alive. Go. Now."
Gavrin nodded and without replying, he dashed towards the door. He was actually one of the first to run as the rest of the nobles were too stunned to think.
"Do you think the nobles will be annihilated?" Manusya asked Gavrin as he ran.
"Not...possible! We have powerful Magus and weavers here. They will fight them as well. This is a huge breach of security, but there is no way they will succeed in an all-out frontal attack like that. Most likely they did it so the news will spread among the populace and they will retreat soon!" Gavrin shouted as he ran away.
Manusya nodded. The three of them did not need to run, their bodies were floating and carried by Gavrin's escape, as they were simply figures inside of the virtual reality that was Gavrin's universal chip at this moment.
"I will end the connection now." Manusya said to Gavrin.
"Now!?" He replied. He was still tirelessly running away in the hallway.
"Just do everything that we told you before. Also, I have one more side task for you. Find more information about those Solarius and that Astra. See if you can find his identity or maybe where and how they operate." Manusya said.
"Are you insane!? They are dangerous!" Gavrin replied.
"On the contrary, they may very well be useful allies," Manusya smiled underneath his helmet as he replied.
The flames of war were on the horizon again. And yet despite the fire that was ignited by the colonized subject, the spirit of rebellion already hatched in the den of the beasts.
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ART
Astra (Leader of the Solarius, Anti-Monarchists):
[https://i.imgur.com/3fLVHhQ.png]
Prince Somnus vi'Hydaria (Third Prince of Hydaria):
[https://i.imgur.com/LtqyCSW.png]
Solarius Outfit (Anti-Monarchists):
[https://i.imgur.com/eNdRiAM.png]
A Typical Hydarian Nobleman Ballroom Outfit:
[https://i.imgur.com/m348NZu.png]
A Typical Hydarian Noblewoman Ballroom Dress:
[https://i.imgur.com/DrNRqHO.png]
The Foinix Banner of Hydaria:
[https://i.imgur.com/eDO5Jk3.png]