My eyes felt heavy, and when I managed to open them, I realized I was laying in a hospital bed. My left eye, despite my opening, seemed to be covered, and no one stood around me. I was afraid, was I back in that hospital room again? Was I back in that hell that kept me for so long that I almost considered it normal? My heart rate monitor began to spike as I panicked, I couldn’t be back, I just couldn’t! As I panicked, I remembered everything, each and every ship that smashed into the missiles, the terrorist attacks on the planet, my loss to the man called “Reaper” … and the loss of not only my parent’s lives, but Lily’s as well. Tears streamed from my eyes, I couldn’t take it, I couldn’t understand it, it was all just too much. I watched doctors and nurses, all unafraid of any diseases rush in and began to restrain me, the pain I suddenly felt was unbearable and only made me squirm more, I wanted this to stop. One of them said, “Sir Aurelian! You need to calm down!” For a moment, I did, and I felt something seep into me, my eye grew heavy as I passed out.
When I woke up again, I didn’t feel like I did when I woke up the first time, but I didn’t wake up alone this time. Elen sat at my desk, her eyes were dark under the lids, and I knew she was probably tired. When I spoke, I didn’t even have the will to put emotion behind it, “You don’t need to be here… I already know what happened… they’re gone.” I could barely speak, like my body didn’t even have the willpower to do simple speech. Elen seemed surprised, but I made sure she didn’t try to sugarcoat it, “Dad… Mom… Lily… they’re dead… and there was nothing I could do. I… I failed them all… I couldn’t even keep the people closest to me… safe… It’s all my fault…” As if my emotions dried up, I couldn’t even cry, I didn’t have it in me to even do that. Elen’s eyes closed, but I could see the tears form and begin to slide down her face, “It’s not your fault, please, don’t blame yourself.” I tried to shake my head, but I felt tired just trying to do it, “I gave Lily… the green light… to go out… I green lit… the orbital ring’s… construction… I made my domain… well known… If I didn’t do… all of this… they would still be alive…”
Elen looked to me, her eyes a conflicting sad yet serious, “Don’t say that! You wanted to make life better for everyone, and someone saw it as a threat! If anyone’s at fault, it’s them for attacking you!” I began to finally begin crying, whatever my left eye was covered by began to moisten as tears streamed down my right eye, “Why… did they let me… live?” I struggled to breathe, the will to cry was overpowering my speech as my voice cried out, “Why did he let me live!? They took everything from me, yet they let me live!? Why!? Why me?! What did I do that fate has seen it to ruin everything I do!? Someone, please, tell me…” I felt my emotions begin to die out as my eyes felt heavy, Elen, unable to say anything to comfort me, said, “Just… just rest my lord. You were injured pretty badly, but since you’re fine, we can move you to the recovery pod. We can talk more after you… recovered.” As my mind drifted away from consciousness, one thought kept rippling through my head until I couldn’t think any longer, why me?
~~~
I watched as Aurelian floated in the recovery pod, while I understood his vitals were normal, Lady Elen has informed me he seems mentally out of it, and for good reason. He knows, he knows his parents and Lady Lily are gone, but the worst of all is that he seems to blame himself. I turned to Merlin, who made an entirely separate body, just to watch over Aurelian at all times, “How’s everything going Merlin?” Merlin shook his head, “Not well, the planet’s in pandemonium as people point fingers at potential traitors, the military is no different considering they had the commander betray us, not to mention the repair work that has to be done from the multitude terrorist attacks… that doesn’t even include casualty numbers that only seem to keep going up.” That was the one thing I was glad Aurelian didn’t see, because I was in a remote bunker since I had the day off when everything went down. I didn’t need him to see my arm in a cast, a result of the bombing my bunker went through, and put him into even more distress. When I heard footsteps approaching, I turned and noticed Elen was coming, her eyes looked worse than when I saw her last, “Elen, you should be resting, that or preparing to return home.”
Elen was likely hit just as hard as Aurelian, her sister was in critical condition, and she showed no signs of getting better. Elen was with her at the start, especially when she was brought back from the massacre that was the domain’s valiant defense, but she for some reason returned despite the fact that Lady Liliana was no longer with us. Elen replied, “I can’t rest, we’re understaffed as it is since a bunch of officials turned traitor to providence, not to mention many more died during the terrorist attacks. Besides, all movement outside of one’s current domain is entirely restricted due to uncertainties with Providence’s attacks, I can’t even consider leaving until Emma recovers, I won’t leave her.” After a moment, she said, “I heard from someone in the late Count’s domain, it seemed that the soldiers there gave them a choice. Either Aurelian dies and they live, or they die and he lives, almost as if they understood Aurelian’s talent before they arrived there.” Merlin spoke up for the first time in regard to conversations like this, “That’s because they infiltrated us since the beginning.”
Elen and I looked to Merlin, his eyes not leaving Aurelian, “I took the information of every soul that I believe was apart of the attacks, not to mention the ones that turned traitor, and they were all people who came during the sudden immigration into the domain, back before we could properly install the means to vet everyone properly. They were here for decades, so when Lady Ruby handed me information pointing to new arrivals, it kept my eyes away from the true terrorists that caused this much damage.” His eyes, despite my knowing they were robotic, seemed to look human as he spoke about Aurelian, “He… he was so distraught when he watched each ship smashed into the missiles aimed at the orbital ring. He was doing everything in his power to try and save at least one more life… only to have it be torn away as needless sacrifices had to be made. We were entirely beaten in every realm, including the technological one.” I looked to Aurelian, I could tell he wasn’t going to let this slide, no one in his situation would, “He’s going to fight back, it may not be now, but he certainly will.” Merlin replied, as if he expected this, “He’s going to do it, he’s emotionally uncertain about a lot of things, but this ruined his life, he’ll do anything to get back at them.”
I could tell by those words alone, the Aurelian we knew was gone, and when he awoke, he was likely going to be an entirely different man. Merlin, in his first hint of annoyance, said, “Him again, I can’t tell him enough that Aurelian is unavailable, yet he won’t take no for an answer.” Elen clicked her tongue, “That brat of a first son, the second his father dies, he tries to take over like it was his birthright.” I mentioned, “You seem to know a lot about our domain, despite being a teacher.” I had my hunches on who she was, but I could tell she was sent to instruct Lady Lilana when she was alive, that was true. Merlin spoke, “Stand down Edward, if you wish to know, I’ll explain it, but getting at each other’s throats won’t solve anything anymore.” I could tell he was serious, one of his eyes had turned to ensure we didn’t start anything. The eye returned to Aurelian, “Now, if I can request, please move to a room I have access to, I would prefer Aurelian to rest and recover without us conversing about such a sensitive topic.” After Elen and I looked to each other, we silently agreed and left to a room and sat down, our bodies were as weary as our minds were.
Merlin spoke through the speaker, “For the time being, the three of us are the only remaining high command… though that may be subject to change with a recent discovery, and I believe Elen is able to hear this due to her standing.” I held up my hand, “Hold on, while I may have some government background, I don’t think I nor Elen have any means to hear and discuss something like this.” Merlin spoke, “Edward, I know you were on the fast track to a commanding position of the Empire’s military, but you chose to refrain and work with the late William, considering your meeting in the military academy. You have been next to Aurelian his whole life, not to mention you understand a great deal of his plans, considering you were near him when he developed and explained them. You have the credentials and understanding to be what we need right now.” I sighed, I knew he was an AI, yet he dug up this much about me, “Alright, but what about Elen?” Merlin spoke, “She’s a former member of the Empire’s Special Intelligence Agency, under the Prime Minister and Emperor Augus Nova Pendragon. She turned to teaching to ensure the late Lady Liliana wasn’t influenced by unsavory individuals.”
Looking to her, shocked, she said, “I had no intention of harming Aurelian… but there’s nothing I can do to help him either.” In that moment, I understood her, we each found a place here, be it intentionally or unintentionally, and now we were stuck at a crossroads. Merlin spoke, “I will have to reveal Aurelian’s biggest secret; however, the payoff will likely be better than relying on secrecy.” I thought for a moment, but what Aurelian needed now was time to recover, and we needed people to help us in that regard, “Do it, since Count David trusts her, I shall as well.” After a moment, I slowly processed the information I just heard, “Wait, was Liliana…” Elen nodded, “Yes, she is the daughter of the Emperor… was the daughter of the Emperor.” I knew full well who she was now, but it no longer mattered, “Continue Merlin, I apologize for my outburst.” Merlin went on to explain the fact of Aurelian’s reincarnation, even explaining some facts even I lacked knowledge of. Once the explanation as complete, Merlin went silent for a moment, something I understood as his form of contemplation.
“During the time after the battle, and the unknown ships left, a particular building was discovered. It wasn’t one that I recall being in the existing blueprints, but I knew it was of the old era, so I made sure they hooked it up to my system. Upon reactivating the generators within, I found… this.” I looked at what he projected, Elen seemed confused, but I understood it immediately, “Is this…” Merlin replied, “Yes, and as you can tell, I cannot think of a way forward with this, and it’s why I wish to inform you two.” We were left with a heavy weight, but there was one thing I understood, the knowledge we held was invaluable to our current predicament. Merlin said, “Your first order of business, help me decide what our future will hold, starting with this information before you.” Elen and I eyed each other, the weight of Aurelian’s crippled domain weight on us, but we couldn’t decline the information, we were the only ones we could trust. So, we began to discuss pros, cons, and concerns, despite being rusty since our time out of combat, Aurelian needed us to act now, and I wasn’t going to leave all the weight on his shoulders.
~~~
“My lord, you should be resting, you just got out of the pod three days ago.” Edward told me as I walked through the rubble filled streets, my eyes truly taking in the carnage that occurred due to my inability to consider double agents and spies. I replied, despite feeling under the weather, “If I don’t help out during this crisis, who am I to lead these people when another arises? If something goes wrong, then I’ll return to the mansion.” The first order I gave was to shut down any non-essential locations within the mansion, if they drained money, it was done. Second, I made sure the emergency funds were properly put to use, ensuring recovery and rebuilding operations were kicked up to eleven to save and help everyone we could. Third, locations like hospitals were quickly rebuilt and set up everywhere to ensure we were ready for the sudden influx of injured and those in critical condition. Fourth, locations to ensure food, public order, and other daily necessities were prioritized for rebuilding. Anything beyond that was to ensure everyone was housed, even the mansion was being used due to so much of it being just free space. If anything, I was grateful to past me for even considering making an emergency fund, since it let me get to work rapidly.
The worst part about having to use it is knowing that a crisis occurred and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it, the pain of everything I failed to stop or consider kept increasing the weight I felt on my shoulders. Each step held a place someone called home, each glance saw a destroyed building, occasionally a fallen mech lay damaged beyond repair, not to mention the smell of iron continued to tickle my nose, it was just enough for the smell to never go away. Not to mention the fact that games always glorified war to some extent, made them seem fun as you blasted your enemies and continued on that one long, never ending killstreak. This… this wasn’t that fun, adrenaline filled day you had after a long day of school, work, whatever… it was just misery. We won in terms of not losing our freedom, but we lost in every other area. I turned to a group of people, they seemed to be badgering a soldier to return to their homes, but I knew the place, it was right next to one of the bunkers that was still not cleared from the explosion. I walked over, getting surprised looks from the people and soldiers alike, “Please, that area is still unsecure, not to mention unstable from the explosion. Head to a safe zone for now, and we’ll get right on getting the area safe enough to retrieve your valuables, okay?” I watched as they looked to one another, then began to silently move towards a safe zone.
The soldier bowed to me, “Thank you sir, I wasn’t sure if they’d listen to me or not, things have been tense with the civilians since the attack.” I understood why, but I barely had the energy to reply, my goal now was to check on the bunker before we did anything else in the area. So, against my own better judgement, I went there to examine the damage. Seeing the destruction of a facility that I made to withstand outside threats, I understood I had failed to commit to interior safety. Once again, the carnage was enough for me to understand that I failed to prepare for the worse case scenarios, failures that led to millions of deaths… maybe even more than that. As I identified where the damage was, I felt sick to my stomach as they lifted a large chunk of what was once the ceiling off the main floor, bodies upon bodies turned into nothing but mush under the weight of a bunker ceiling. Why did they have to die for my mistakes? Why… why was I still alive? When I noticed a fairly intact body of a child, one who didn’t seem to be much older than I was after I awoke in this new world, and it all got worse from there.
Without warning, I puked up the little food I could, a ringing in my ears overpowering anything being said to me. I could hear my own voice telling me I failed them, that I provoked Providence by denying them outright… and it was right. I knew how everything in a universe this large was, from information to warfare, and I ignored the fact that both took forever to get workable intel due to the sheer size of the universe. I just thought that if I didn’t bother anyone that I could just live my life in peace, a chance to experience the joys of life that my first life lacked… but I guess that was just not what fate had in store for me. I wanted someone to call my friend, and her life was taken long before her time. I wanted to be doted on by my parents, to run to them whenever times got tough and be told it was ok, and now I can’t even talk to them again. Was I just cursed to not enjoy life? Was I cursed to live a little of it happy and content, only to be forced to suffer until the day I die because of events outside of my control? When I looked back up to the carnage, I saw people of all shapes and sizes standing where the dead lay still, their eyes judgmental as they glared at me with fury in their eyes. A child was the first to speak, “This is all your fault! You did this to us! I can’t be with my mom and dad anymore, all because of you!” The second the child finished, my ears were flooded with shouts of scorn, rage, and fear, from young and old alike.
As they shouted, I struggled to catch my breath, my body just refused to intake any air as I was berated by the dead I had failed to protect. After a moment, the screams stopped, and when I looked up, mom, dad, and Lily were standing before me. I wanted to reach out to them, wishing this was all a nightmare and that I’d wake up in the morning with everything being normal. Instead, I watched as mom and dad were, to my horror, summarily executed by invisible guns. Lily spoke to me, her voice cold and dead, “You did this to us, Aurelian. Your actions caused us to die, this is all your fault.” Once she said that, I watched as her head rolled off her body as she crumpled like a puppet that lost its strings. I struggled to keep myself upright, I was barely able keep myself from going down, but hearing Lily say this was my fault, I didn’t have the willpower to keep standing. I watched my view shift to the ground, as I laid on my side, I could see the people around me rushing to see what was wrong, but it felt so slow as I began to shut my eyes. The last thing I managed to say before I passed out was, “It’s all… my fault.” What could I have done differently? Even now, I couldn’t even figure out what to do anymore, I was aimless…
~~~
A pair of my many eyes remained focused on my creator, my master, as he lay in bed, suffering from what I assumed was a nightmare. I looked to Edward, his gaze as distraught as I felt, “Edward, explain to me why Aurelian is unconscious. You were with him, what happened!?” Edward shouted, “I don’t know Merlin!” He looked to me, his expression showed me his confusion filled distraught, “We went to a bunker to assess the damage, when they removed a large chunk of what was once the ceiling, revealing the bodies within, he just puked and fell over before passing out! I don’t know what you want me to say Merlin, Aurelian just lost everything, and he’s having to keep something of a normal façade going without being able to process what he’s feeling! Reincarnate or not, everyone would feel the same after going through what he has!” For once, I felt regret about pushing him, I spoke as I bowed, “I’m sorry Edward, I forgot how hard this has been on everyone, I should have been more careful with my question.” When I looked back up to him, I could tell even he was conflicted with everything, it was as if we were no longer an AI and a butler, but two people struggling to work out the circumstances we found ourselves in.
I managed to pick up the sound of running coming down the hall, and when the door flew open, Elen shouted, “Aurelian!” As she reached for him, checking him over like a paranoid mother, she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized he was physically unharmed. She looked to both of us, and despite not having a fear response like a human, I felt afraid for my vessel as she glared at us, “You better have a good fucking reason he’s unconscious, or so help me.” Edward explained what he knew to her, but this time, he seemed to remember something, “Well, he did say something, now that I think back on it. He said, and I’m not lying, “It’s all my fault”… Maybe he blames himself for everything that happened, the death, the loss, the suffering…” It didn’t take me long to understand what he was suffering from, “Aurelian has survivors guilt.” I didn’t need to explain much, they knew what it was, “He’s lost nearly everyone he could call family and close friends in one day, not to mention the loss of so much innocent life, it must’ve took a toll on him.” I could see in their expressions that they knew I was right and had no way to rebuke me, but that was when a problem came up.
“I’m not sure how we can help him.” Edward said, his voice, mannerisms, and even his eyes shown no hints of this being a lie. I decided to inquire, “How so?” Edward said, “In the eyes of Aurelian, as of now, we’re only still here by obligation. We just witnessed everything he built up get destroyed in the span of one battle, so we’d be more likely to leave, right?” Elen nodded, “I understand, but what does that have to do with us being unable to help him?” Edward, after a moment, said, “He may think we’re only doing this to keep our jobs, to remain in his good graces, to make it seem like we’re still on his side when we want to leave.” Elen replied, “Even if the Emperor himself calls me back, I want to remain here. I’ve seen what Aurelian did, the light in his eyes as he worked hard for everyone around him, rarely taking any time to himself. More than that, he made Lady Liliana’s life much more enjoyable before her passing, it makes me want to at least alleviate some of the pain he’s feeling.” Edward replied, “That’s where the problem arises, we weren’t here at first based on emotional ties, not to mention the fact he’s mentally unstable right now.”
He put his head into his hands, his voice quivering, “I fear that anything we say or do could make it worse, he no longer has anyone he can speak to like an equal, and that may put him even further into this guilt he’s feeling.” I finally understood what Edward meant, “Even anything I say may seem like an AI trying its best to help him, according to programming and not by its own wishes.” Edward nodded, “You’re exactly right, and the fact he was innocent in a way before Providence came has likely shattered something more within him.” Looking to Aurelian, I understood that we were ill fit to help him, and I doubt even the people would be able to bring him out of his guilt. I made up my mind, I had to speak with the Emperor, “One moment, we need the thoughts of another, maybe they could lend us a view we haven’t considered just yet.” I began to ring them up on the line he gave us when he used his alias. After some time, he picked up, “Aurelian… I heard about everything already, are you alright?” I had to speak, since only I was hearing him, “Aurelian is currently unconscious, while he has recovered physically from the attack, his mental state has only deteriorated significantly. If I may, before we continue, I’m sorry for your loss.”
Agnes was silent for a moment, his tone clearly unprotected from any façade he’d put up, “I see… is there a reason you initiated this call, Merlin?” I replied, “Yes, and I will inform you, Edward and Elen are here with me, and we seek your advice concerning the survivors guilt Aurelian is suffering from.” Agnes was silent for a moment, he then said, “Leave me, I don’t believe he would like this conversation to be overheard.” After a moment, he spoke again, “I apologize, Providence has put a metaphorical gun to our heads, one that has been proven difficult to remove. Would you mind explaining to me what you’ve discussed so far?” After a recap of what we came to terms with, Agnes sighed, “I can understand your viewpoint, and there may be a chance that this may change… but it may also get worse. Merlin, if I may.” As I activated my eye, I analyzed the information coming through as I projected it, Agnes began, “As you know, or maybe forgotten since the attacks, noble children go through several schooling or training areas. This will likely give Aurelian the chance to make friends again… if he’s even open to having one. Luckily, I think he may have a chance for it as long as I pull some strings considering the circumstances.”
After a moment, a person appeared on the projection, “This is well known Duke, Duke Conrad Terra Bartholomew. He shifted to assisting troubled nobles who were ignored by other nobility due to the difficulties of teaching them. While there are normal kids who come to be taught by him, a majority of them are kids like Aurelian, those who suffered before adulthood and require a little bit of a special touch. I’m certain Duke Conrad wouldn’t turn down Aurelian, especially considering the circumstances of Providence.” I understood, however, Elen had a concern, “What about those influenced by Providence?” Agnes asked, “Influenced in what way?” Elen continued, “Those who work with Providence have power backing them like no other, Aurelian’s technology far exceeds what the Empire can create and he still lost. Those who are with Providence are likely to receive special treatment and force people to not speak with those who go against them, not to mention enforce it through demands of their respective nobles.” That was something I neglected to consider, especially since they’re starting to pressure the Emperor himself.
Agnes, however, didn’t seem concerned, “Providence may hold that fear, but the story of Aurelian’s defense has begun to spread rapidly from merchants who managed to survive the attacks, he’s slowly becoming a beacon of resistance from those who reject Providence. It’s enough so I’m being pressured to give him a medal for it, but I’ll have to deny it considering the guilt he’s likely under.” After he cleared his throat, he continued, “Either way, what I mean to say is that there will, hopefully, be people who align with Aurelian and his resistance against Providence. However, I’m getting threatened myself in regard to Aurelian, and I likely won’t have much time to assist him before they force me to stop. They know his worth, they want him isolated, and they want it done as soon as possible. I hate to say it, but within a few years, I’ll have to entirely cut contact with him in any manner, including ship repairs.” Elen clicked her tongue, “Those bastards, if I could get my hands on whoever’s doing this.” Agnes spoke, “Elen, you have new orders, so listen closely.” I watched Elen straighten up; her eyes focused.
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“You are to follow your own path, I understand you’ve grown attached to Aurelian’s domain since you moved there, so I won’t remove you. However, under official documents, you’re deep undercover and reporting to me personally about your findings. What I want you to do is be my eyes, ears, and communications with the domain, hopefully relaying any information in regard to Providence and the wellbeing of Aurelian. This will likely be your most important mission to date, after which, I’ll let you decide what you wish to do once I declare mission completion.” Elen stood and saluted, “I understand sir, I’ll do my best to ensure Aurelian’s domain flourishes once more.” Agnes replied, “That’s what I love to hear, I hope to hear good news Elen.” With that, the call ended, and we were left in silence. After a moment, Elen was back to sitting next to Aurelian, holding his hand. I commented, “You’re treating him like your child, did you come to see him as such during your time here?” Elen looked to me, her eyes seemed relaxed, but it came with a sadness that spoke more than words, “I guess… seeing him with Lady Liliana drew me to him in a more personal way than I expected. I just wish I could do more for him than I am now.”
I understood her pain, but I made sure to calm her, “Don’t worry, with the agreement you gave me on that plan, we’ll have enough to support him soon, just give it a few months.” After a moment, Edward stood up, “I need to head up to the orbital ring to oversee the removal of debris from orbit, Elen, I leave Aurelian in your care, alright.” Elen nodded, “Thank you Edward, it was my job, but I don’t think I could handle it right now.” Edward began to the door, his eyes had a focused determination to them, “Don’t worry about it, just keep him safe.” After he left, Elen looked to my vessel, “Merlin, do you know when people will be allowed to travel between domains again?” I processed for a moment, then said, “From what I can infer, considering the current situation and likely strongarming from Providence, I say we have about a year before the Empire is forced to drop the ban on inter-domain travel. This isn’t confirmed, just speculation based on available data.” Elen’s eyes got stern, “Then we’re going to have to get to work, ensure all craft we have are at least combat ready, because I don’t doubt the pirates are going to wait long once travel is available again.” I replied, “Understood, I’ll see if I can allocate resources for the repairs.” We were going to be busy, but if it was for the sake of my creator, I could push myself to the limit every time.
~~~
A whole year had passed since the initial starting of the battle against Providence, and my forty-eighth year of life had been a silent occasion. No one felt the joys we did last year, instead, it was mourning, and I couldn’t show that I wished to mourn as well, I had to keep my appearance up to keep spirits up, even if I was mourning on the inside. As I worked on the reports, watching as some areas were finally beginning to return to levels pre-Providence battle, Edward had walked into the room, “Sir, there are those I believe you need to meet.” I looked to him, while I couldn’t smile, I wasn’t frowning either, “Edward, I doubt anyone has come yet despite free movement being resumed, most domains are still in a recovery effort.” Edward shook his head, “They don’t come from outside the domain sir, rather, they come from the forge planet, and they wish to speak with you.” I felt a tinge of curiosity, but it soon died, much like my intrigue to do anything beyond what was needed of me for the moment. Though, since Edward was the one stating this, so I guess I should relent, “Bring them in.” I put my pen down and moved my papers over for a moment, and when I looked back up, I saw eyes of familiarity looking back into my own.
I was surprised any feeling emerged when I saw them, but it was a face I recalled from beyond this life, one from my first life when I never expected to live again. For a moment, I couldn’t really think or say anything, I was just surprised that someone from the old era has somehow managed to make it to this one. It was a woman who seemed to be reaching her mid-fifties, but I knew she has a number of centuries under her belt since the anti-aging technology we had back then was stronger, not to mention more into genetics than medication, so I doubt she’d need anything to keep that up. Her hair was bleached white, mostly since her family was genetically off when it came to the anti-aging change, but at least it only affected their hair. Her hair was long, reaching down to her back, and was tied up into a well fashioned ponytail. Her face, despite her occupation, was pretty soft, but it still had a toughness to it that showed her hidden might. She was slightly muscular, but she wasn’t bulging with them, though that didn’t stop her from being the top knight in my armed forces. She took the name Joan, considering one of the players who came to me consistently enjoyed talking about Earth history with someone in real life, she took the name after hearing the story of Joan of Arc.
Her silver eyes shook in what I assumed was shock, but I wasn’t sure what I was feeling right now, almost like my emotions were snipped since the events at the bunker. Though, I knew her, and she seemed to know me. Her voice, one I recalled so well, reached my ears, “It’s… it’s really you, Forge Master.” I was confused, “You recognize me? That shouldn’t be possible, I don’t even look like I did back then.” Joan approached me, “Despite the odds, you look like you did back then, despite reincarnating and returning to this universe again.” She stood at my desk, taking my hand in hers, “Even now, I find it so hard to believe this was possible… but it only lets me know that fate has smiled upon us, each and every one of us who trusted in the plans you left behind.” I was confused, Merlin spoke, albeit briefly, “There are many cryostasis bunkers, and it seems by using a special creation after your passing, they made a bunker that managed to avoid detection of our overall enemy. Though, we’re unsure if there’s more of them, but Joan wasn’t the only one who survived the end of the old era.” I had questions, she lasted for a while, but before I could Merlin spoke, “Pirates incoming, we’re still lacking a proper leader.”
I sighed, “Stay here for a bit, Joan, Merlin will explain the situation and allow you to observe our current forces safely from afar. I… I can’t lose anyone… not again.” As I stood up to leave, Joan said, “Let me come with you, I can’t let you go alone.” I shook my head, “I can’t tell you anything while onboard the ship, everyone… everyone’s still recovering from what happened… even me. I can’t explain it, because I hate that I let it happen with every fiber of my being, and I wish I done something different. So, please, just stay here for the time being, I’ll think of something.” Before she could reach out to me, Edward took her wrist and said, “Please, just do as he asks for now, you’ll understand soon.” I didn’t look back as I moved to the space elevator, “Is my mech in good shape?” Merlin replied, “It looks used, but it should operate properly.” I clenched my fists, “Then let’s get moving, we need to show the pirates that we aren’t so easily taken advantage of.”
~~~
I was enraged, feelings of hatred and rage were bursting from within me as I cut down a pirate, the panicked voice of one of them audible through comms, “This wasn’t what we were told! They’re still have such a powerful fleet, and they don’t even outnumber us!” They came here expecting an easy fight, they expected us to be weak, beaten, but I wasn’t going to let that happen, not again. I replied, on an open channel so each pirate could hear me, “You rats were sent by Providence to keep me down, and don’t bother trying to hide it now, all I needed was that one sentence of confirmation.” My rage couldn’t be contained, these bastards, along with Providence, were willing to try and strike again so soon after they hit us before? No, never again, I wouldn’t let them, “If any of you escape today, you better tell your buddies that my domain isn’t weak, you’ve only made us enraged. So, put up a good fight you rat bastards, because I’m making sure you regret coming here for the rest of your lives!”
As I shot towards the next pirate, one who seemed prone to flee, I had a thought, was this what it all lead towards? Was my birth on Earth, contracting that unknown diseases, dying, being reborn here, loving my second chance, just to have it ripped away in one moment predetermined? Was I fated to lose every time I found something I loved in life? Even as I brought my sword down on the pirate, their screams cutting as their cockpit exploded, I couldn’t come up with anything. Though, I did know one thing for certain, Providence needed to be eliminated. They were evil, and in my eyes, they sought power for the sake of it, likely succumbing to the sudden might of their newly bestowed tech. It’s as a wise man once said, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” They obtained a power beyond their imagination, spread it among likeminded individuals, and struck those who stood against them. I didn’t care what their supposed reason was, I wasn’t going to let them continue to do this, either I was going to wipe out Providence, or I was going to die trying, not like I had a reason to keep on living anymore anyway.
When I refocused, I realized the group of mechs I engaged with were already dead, killed in the haze of my own thoughts as laser rounds crashed into their ships, bringing them down with ease. We were, for the time being, forgoing any physical rounds, considering we were on a limited budget since recovery was still ongoing. In fact, I stopped taxes for the recovery process, because most people on the planet were currently jobless and homeless, which means I was deep in the red as money flew out from my personal and emergency budget like water through a broken dam. Though it wasn’t stopping us, rather, it forced us to get thorough in our work, especially when taking down pirates like this. In fact, looking back to the enemy, most of them were destroyed or no factor, and I didn’t want to waste fuel chasing down the stragglers. I connected to the comms and said, “All forces, this is Aurelian, return home, don’t bother chasing them since we’re on a budget.” As I, and the other mech forces, flew back to our ships, I could tell some felt better crushing these pirates, but others were like myself, still felt lost and without purpose. That likely wouldn’t change, not for quite some time.
~~~
Once I returned home, I was quickly wrapped in Joan’s embrace, tears falling onto my clothes as she wept, “I’m so sorry, I wish I could’ve been here to do something, you shouldn’t have had to suffer like this!” I patted her, not feeling better about it, “Thank you, Joan.” After a moment, I returned to my desk, we needed a plan of action before I became an adult, because if I wait too long, then we risk being on the backfoot yet again. I spoke, “Joan, stay here for a moment, I need Elen and Edward, Merlin, we need to discuss a plan.” Merlin replied, “Understood, I’ll summon them at once.” As Merlin made the call, I made sure there were chairs for the three of them, and once they arrived, I made sure it was just us. Once confirmed, I spoke, “We need to begin planning for the future, Providence won’t wait for us, so we need to establish something now. First, we declare we aren’t going to fold to Providence, it would make the lives we lost be in vain, I’ll make that statement on the day of my fiftieth birthday instead of having a grand coming of age party, it just won’t be right after what happened.” Edward seemed concerned about the lack of a party, but I guess he understood it would be wrong to do so considering the state of everyone.
“Second, we need to get stronger, Joan, how many do we have of what capacities?” I asked, my thoughts finally being caught onto. Joan thought for a moment, then said, “We have plenty of knights, that’s for certain. However, we also have people from the mech departments for research and development, and other associated factory workers.” I asked, curious, “Any non-humans? I ask since there are only humans in the universe as of currently.” Joan thought, then shrugged, “I cannot say, I only know of the humans who were brought with us.” Merlin said, “There are, however, there isn’t anyone of major note like Joan, so we may not be able to convince them at present.” I nodded, “I understand, then we need to get to work with the human hands. How many can we break out of cryostasis and get to recovery?” Joan said, “That process has already begun, out of the ten thousand or so humans, we’ve already gotten around a quarter out and near ready to commit to work again. We should all be out and functional within… five to seven years from now.” I nodded, “Alright, then can you divide them like this.” I showed her a list of people I’d prefer to release each go, which confused her, “Why do this for the knights? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to ensure our military force grows appropriately?”
I slipped her a tablet, one with information on it that I had prepared for candidates like her, “In the Avalon Empire, much like the old era, knights are to go through proper training and schooling to be considered official knights. I want to send knight candidates in groups, that way, we can find those who agree with us in seeking to bring down Providence. If we send a large number of knight candidates through at once, we lose a chance to gain additional forces that wish to serve our cause.” Joan thought, then nodded, “I understand, and I assume I’ll be in the first wave?” I nodded, “Yes, because if you make a good show out of it, show your might, then join me afterwards, you’ll become something of a legend among people, thus giving some the idea to join you.” Elen said, clearly impressed, “Amazing, I never thought of this before, how did you come up with it?” I replied, unsure myself since it had been a while since I recall partaking in where I learned it, “I think I read about it somewhere, but that’s not the point, if this makes sense, chose some individuals you served alongside to be our first knight candidate group. If we can make our first group a stunning show, we can ensure people will flock to our next group.”
After Joan nodded to me, I continued, “Next, we need to up the tier of our fleet again, tier six is a good start.” Merlin, clearly understanding of what I just said, replied, “Sir, that’s preposterous! We don’t even have the facilities to do that, not to mention the need to teach people how to make the ships and mechs!” I looked to him, then said, “We have engineers and craftsmen from the old era, we can most certainly make it work by workplace learning. The thing is, if we don’t push forward now, we risk Providence making a breakthrough before us, because there’s a high possibility other reincarnates are among them, risking that some are also from the old era.” Considering Elen and Edward knew of my reincarnation, Elen being told without my permission, I chose to instill calling those of us from the game as “those from the old era” since it made me understand that everything that happened then was real. I continued, “The risk that someone will continue to push their existing technology forward is high, and that means we need to push even harder in the hopes we can at least meet them on the technological playing field.”
This managed to instill a new concern among them, but one they should’ve expected, Edward asked, “How many of the old era were like you, sir?” I thought back, out of the millions of players, only a few thousand ever attempted to do engineering related work, a few hundred ever got beyond tier two, and only a few dozen were ever notable in the game world to have gone beyond tier five. I stated, “A few dozen, but if even one member is from the old era, they could teach anyone about their methods, but we have one thing that beats them.” I pushed a few buttons, and a small hologram displayed a mana-engine, “We have mana engines, and we know for a fact that, of the same tier type as their bio-engines, they are superior for an unknown reason. So long as we keep the mana-engine a secret for now, especially the creation method, we should be able to eventually gain the upper hand on Providence.” This managed to get nods from them, so I decided to get a plan I considered since the attack. I showed five planets, all within range of my space, “Third, we need to liberate these planets from their pirate threat and integrate them until the Empire decides what to do with them.”
I could tell this surprised them, so I cleared my thought process with them, “From the intel we could consider reliable, it seems some pirates took advantage of Providence’s jamming to take planets, pretending to be with them. Of course, we cannot confirm the allegiances of these pirate forces, and we cannot let their tyranny on the people stand. This also comes with preventing any of the planets becoming a foothold for any future Providence staging grounds, such a prospect would hinder anything we seek to do if they move faster than us.” Joan nodded, “From what I can tell, and the what I learned from the battle, the chances that Providence has a capable knight is incredibly high. However, there’s one issue with their structure, it’s too broad.” Joan, who I left for merely a few months to deal with the pirate issue, used the pad to project a large spreadsheet. From what I could tell, this had attacks by Providence within and outside of Avalon, though only in the intermediate areas, “It seems they attacked hundreds of locations, thousands outside of Avalon, thus spreading a pretty imposing force thin. If they wished, they could’ve forged their own path forward and made their own interstellar nation, yet they didn’t. They have a plan, but it leaves them stretched thin, so we can work from there once we have the capability to do so.”
I nodded, “Good, with this, we can begin investigating Providence for any available leads. Though, we’ll have to stick within Avalon, going beyond it runs the risk of a foreign nation considering us a member of Providence.” Joan, having understood the plan, said, “I’ll organize the spies and assassins, we’re understaffed as it is, so I’ll have to organize temporary leadership and hope we can find the others.” I raised my brow, “Others?” Joan said, “Oh, right, you don’t know. There were other cryostasis bunkers established, however, in the off chance one was found, those of us in other bunkers were not informed about their locations. I… I wasn’t informed of any bunker, I just heard about it from other…” I could tell one thing from what she said, she didn’t want to be put into cryostasis, she was put in there by another, likely to keep the hope of our knights alive. I said, “I’m sorry, I should’ve been there… despite being unable to do anything about it.” Joan shook her head, “No, it’s fine, just knowing I can serve you as your knight again gives me hope beyond all else. Not to mention the fact that we have a second chance to save this universe from our enemy… which I’ve been advised to not speak about to avoid a panic.”
I nodded, “I understand, now, let’s focus on recovery until my birthday. I’ll explain what we’ll do day of, so, until then, nothing leaves us until we’re able to defend ourselves at that point.” Merlin said, “Understood, I’ll begin the process of getting tier six ships ready.” I stated, “Make them trickster units. If we pretend we got no better than tier three ships, it’ll disrupt their plans and keep our shrouded in secrecy.” Merlin replied, “Secrecy, I like it.” I looked to Joan, “Commit to doing a brief stint of training with the forces we have and prepare for knight training, build your group, and make sure to submit the group list for who goes when.” Joan saluted, “Understood, sir.” I looked to Edward, “Focus on recovery, we need as many sectors restored before my fiftieth and we instigate recovery taxes on the functional sectors. If we keep losing money like this, we’re going to end up with loans that will be a pain to pay back.” Edward nodded, “As you wish, sir.” I looked to Elen, I needed her to make this right, “Elen, assist in clearing the debris before the fiftieth, I know people are going to assume it’ll be a party, and I don’t want to risk needless lives once traffic finally resumes.” Elen nodded, “I understand sir, I’ll get right on it.” Two years, that’s the time I have to prepare myself for the moment, so all I can do is hope the people will at least accept the fact we can’t back down now.
~~~
People gathered from all over the Empire, merchants, nobles, and my own citizens were sat before the same stage I unveiled the space elevator on. I felt no fear this time, rather, I felt nothing as I prepared to walk on stage. Joan, who was heading out in a few days, was dressed in the garbs befitting a knight, despite her current inability to call herself one. We had security ramped up to the max as even our anti-ship weapons were prepared to activate at a moment’s notice. Joan patted my shoulder, “Everything will be fine, sir, just keep calm, you’ll do great.” I nodded, then walked out to the podium. Once I tested the mic that it was working, I spoke, “Hello everyone, as my citizens know, I will not be holding a coming of age party, as it doesn’t feel like a ceremonious occasion for me anymore. Instead, I come to make several proclamations, as well as stating what is to come for the future of my domain.” After a moment to let that sink in, I continued, “First, it will be taxes, in sectors that have recovered, we will be installing the recovery level of taxes, this is merely to ensure we can slow the rate at which the domain’s finances are dropping, so I hope you all understand why we cannot risk a continuously draining finance.”
I went into domain functions for a moment, ensuring that was out of the way before I made the big announcement. Once that was done, I spoke with a firm voice, this shocked those who have only heard me speak in my recently gained monotone voice, “This day, three years ago, my domain, along with hundreds of others, suffered attacks from Providence, and we all lost something precious to us when the battles that raged on for months to years died. We lost friends, family, and loved ones, those lives that we’ll never get back because of the actions of those who are currently unknown. Today, I wish to make my stance about them known, I will not bow before Providence in any way, and will instead be the force that seeks to drive them back.” This managed to put everyone present into an uproar, confusion, fear, rage, and guilt flowed in the moment, and it took me a moment to find a way to silence the shouting. Once they were quieted down, I gave a moment of time before resuming.
“Providence seeks for those they beat down to not rise back up, to slip into the fold and become loyal dogs to their cruelty. They won’t stop until everything and everyone is under their foot, forced to bend to their tyranny. We will not let those who gave their lives that day have done so in vain! Look above you!” With a snap of my fingers, faces appeared on holograms all throughout the planet, orbital ring, and all along the space elevator, “The people you see before you all gave their lives for their friends, family, and loved ones to gain the means to see tomorrow, and now, we can say that tomorrow has come, and we are still free!” Cheers erupted from my people, their struggles made apparent, cheering about the fact that they’re still here. I continued, “However, the ones who caused us this pain, forced those you see before you to sacrifice their lives for the sake of those who are here now, they are still out there, and they are not done with us yet! They hide away, biding their time until they can fortify their existing power, all to bring yet another wave of their cruelty upon those who reject their rule! I believe I speak for all who lost people to this tragedy, we will not give in to Providence!”
Cheers erupted once more, far louder than before, and I kept the momentum going, “As we speak, we have strike forces heading to five planets nearby us, all of which are struggling under the pain of pirates who struck while Providence had wreaked communication between the domains, and we will free them from their struggles and ensure they can live free! Once that is done, we will work together and strive to find and bring down Providence, and we can’t do it alone, we need all of you to pitch in and help us bring down these wolves in sheep’s clothing! Don’t let the memory of those we lost die in silence, rather, let their lives encourage you to keep on living, to help and save those who wish to be free from the wrath of Providence! This is my proclamation to Providence, you will not win, and we’re coming for you!” Cheers erupted, and this time, I let them continue, “Stay safe everyone! I’ll return to work, as there is much to do, and I hope we can celebrate the many victories we’ll have against Providence!” As I walked off the stage, I wondered where I found all that emotion, but I understood quickly where it came from, I sought revenge for what they did, and I was quickly returning to my state of emotional blankness.
Joan walked beside me, her hand on my back, “A perfect speech sir, though, I cannot approve of the rage you had during your proclamation.” I shook my head, “I had no intentions to do that, it just happened… and it’s hard to control my emotions.” I could tell Joan was concerned, but she knew I was working through it… at least I thought I was working through it. Either way, what’s done is done, and all I could do now was push on from here. I wasn’t going to wait for anything anymore, I needed to be active, because even if I didn’t deserve it, I was the protector of this domain, no matter how small it is. Knowing everything, I was likely going to be without anyone to tutor me into being a noble, so I have plenty of time working on my next mech, one that can actually handle the future that seem to have the odds stacked against me. My future wasn’t one I envisioned, but it was the one I was delt, and until the end, I was going to reject the future others want to put on me. I may no longer have the will to carve my own, but I wasn’t going to be forced into one against my will. From here on, I was going to find and eliminate Providence, then figure out what to do afterwards. I can’t figure out what to do anymore, but at least this could serve as a stopgap until I can figure out what to do.