Everyone waited with bated breaths, and soon, the tense expression on the priest's face flattened, only to turn into a blissful one in the next moment. It flitted through many phases, and dozens of seconds passed by in this silence.
Just when people began to turn uneasy, the priest snapped his eyes open. "MARVELLOUS!"
"ESE-NASHII! I have seen the path! It is real! IT IS REAL!"
Before he could finish, a couple others who'd been exclusively speaking in Rupert's favor jumped in and plucked the flowers.
"Oh, the Omniscient one! This is the most beautiful construct in existence!"
Illeana felt disgust rise within her chest, and even the vault refused to stash it away as if her perception was just as revulsed by this whole rigged ordeal.
In no time, people who were otherwise unaffiliated with Rupert joined in, too. Not outside her expectations, things went exactly as she'd envisioned they would.
No one changed their minds. Instead, their fervor reached a new height.
It is inevitable, she repeated. Her eyes darted side to side, and a sense of panic broke past the vault. She repeatedly glanced at the author of the glyphs.
Yet, he did nothing.
He sat there, his face in his palm, lazily watching the happenings as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
She bit her lip. Did I really judge him wrong? It was a late realization, but at this point, she was even willing to fight if it meant they could somehow stop this consensus. She didn't care if it was the lord of Primordial Blood or the author of glyphs who started it. Someone just do it!
The vault was clearly losing its grip on her, and she didn't care.
She tapped her legs faster and faster, but her unsung pleas fell on deaf ears. Nobody moved to stop this horrendous business. Instead, they reveled in it as more of them reached out to the essence strands and joined into the collective, coming out of it more convinced than ever.
Her heart beat rapidly, and she opened her palm to gaze at the pocket watch chained to her bracelet. Its second hand ticked with that same gentle rhythm, anchoring her back in reality.
As her facade of indifference crumbled, a suicidal plan instead took its place. Her vaulted emotions had stopped her from going down this destructive line of thought previously, but this was the only option available to her now.
What was left of her rationality told her that it was a stupid idea, but these psychos wanted to ruin the world her Father had brought back from the jaws of death and decay with his own life. It just didn't sit well with her that they got to pour oil all over it and watch it burn. She'd thought she could hold herself back, but it just wasn't working.
A part of her knew that she desperately needed the reenact the Emotional Vault right now, but that part was small. Too small.
Soon, more than a dozen observers had reveled in the essence strands.
Then twenty.
Fifty.
Before she knew it, other than the ones voted out by the council, only three people were left. Herself, the lord of primordial blood, and that nonchalant man at the bottom row with his useless glyphs.
However, that's when the Eterna sitting next to her sighed, a bitter look on his face, "I can't really stop this, can I?" he commented and plucked the flower with a snap.
Illeana's hand moved to stop this irreversible action, but it was too late.
Rupert flashed a creepily encouraging smile and gazed at her, completely ignoring the author of glyphs in the bottom row. Even if no one had mentioned it, this made it clear that an 'Eterna' played a far more significant role in this consensus than a ‘first shade observer’ who was ‘foolish enough to show them attitude.’
A chilling realization took hold of Illeana, and a tremor rippled through her body. This is it. No one else will do anything. These lowly scums were hell-bent on plunging the whole world into a nightmare where even one's thoughts weren't their own.
The thought sickened her, and the fact that she'd been willing to go along with it up until a while ago only made it worse.
She gritted her teeth and eyed the source of all problems. Rupert! Her gaze shifted between her dagger, the pocket watch, and the man's neck.
She didn't know if the vault had really stopped working or if it was the backlash—releasing all the bottled emotions with double the intensity, but she couldn't ignore this crazy idea anymore.
No. It can really work, she hissed. Rupert's singularity is all but suppressed up here while I still have access to my second shade's physical enhancements. If I activate Father's Epoch Keeper within his vicinity, he'd be frozen in time—helpless. Then, a single slash from my dagger should be more than enough to end him for good.
Her mouth went dry at the absurdity yet genius of this plan. The very peculiar circumstances of her being not pressured by the nexus and her decision to sit up here next to Rupert, made this mad idea an almost practical one.
The more she mulled it over in her head, the firm her resolve became. Sweat ran down her neck, and the audacity of her plan settled in. I am trying to assassinate the most powerful man on the whole planet. She gulped, And I actually have a shot!
That's when the hated voice of that narcissist grated on her ears once again, "Milady Eterna, I have duly noted your disapproval for my mandate, but it would be unwise to dally any longer."
With a faux politeness, he added, "The nexus has its limits, and we still have much to accomplish. I can understand the ignorant new observer, but I am sure you know better than to waste everyone's time. This is a chance of a lifetime. Surely, you wouldn't want to sit this one out."
Her eye twitched. He's pressuring me to make a choice. This, however, only made her actual decision easier. Fuck if it was just the emotional backlash speaking, she had a genuine shot at saving the world.
She thought, Mhm, ending him here would be like chopping a pianist's fingers right before a performance. If there was no one who could wield the Essence Strands, a consensus where these paranoid leeches could implement something so radical would become nigh impossible.
It was perfect.
Closing her eyes, she first entirely blanketed her perception, stopping all the visions. Then, with a deep breath and calm mind, she thought once again, Emotional Vault.
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She funneled all her representation into that single thought. The vault had just shown its seams, but her next moves would really benefit from a cold, purely rational headspace. She couldn't afford any mistakes in the heat of the moment due to simple emotions.
The backlash of emotions that had just begun to burst out of the vault was pushed back in, but its resistance was fierce, and it grew in size while at it, promising a worse rebound next it burst. Her stomach churned, and her mouth went dry, but she held on.
Soon, a calm melody emanated from her very being, and her trembling fingers turned perfectly still—steady enough to play the most complex of the vibratos on her violin.
When she snapped her eyes back open, a dozen oscillating strings emerged out of her pupils, and her whole iris radiated a green haze. Not that anyone could see the beautiful pattern, for her impassive gaze was focused on the icy flower by her knees.
With each moment, every inch of her body shifted oh so subtly, streamlining for action. All the while, her right palm moved towards the flower at a steady pace.
The whole crowd held their breath, knowing this would seal the deal for good and symbolize the beginning of something far more treacherous.
Her gaze flitted towards that man in the bottom row one final time.
He remained unbothered, facing her general direction with a calm aura. Illeana sighed, I really misunderstood it, huh?
.
.
.
"It's really up to me, I guess," she hummed with a sweet smile. Her index and middle fingers rested on the stem of the flower.
Snap!
She burst into action, her whole body acting in conjunction to flow into the smoothest transition from sitting to spearheading towards Rupert as possible.
The icy flower and vines shattered beneath her heels as she crossed the blood lord's seat before the crowd even had a chance to exclaim.
Rupert narrowed his eyes and jumped back, holding his cane from its center like some staff.
However, Illeana was too quick. She covered the rest of the distance by the time Rupert landed.
Good. she affirmed emotionlessly as her free hand reached into her thigh belt through the opening in the sides of her dress, pulling out the sheathed dagger in an upward slash.
With a schwing, it hit Rupert's cane, failing to wedge even a nick in the damned thing. Not that it mattered. This wasn't her end game.
She ducked and invaded the man's personal space, all the while avoiding the knee aimed to incapacitate her.
The veins around Rupert's eyes bulged, and a terrifying premonition gripped her. Alas, it was too late for Rupert. She was already mere inches away from him.
Her left thumb resting on Epoch Keeper's dial applied force, and with a click, the world rippled.
A hum of victory permeated her very being as she reverse-gripped the dagger and thrust it towards Rupert's throat, roaring, "Rot in hell, you psycho."
The slow crowd exploded in cries, but Illeana waited for the feeling of her dagger ripping through flesh before coming out the other end through his nape.
She'd never reveled in physical violence, but something within her wished for this man to meet the most gruesome of deaths.
.
.
.
Except,
Chink—
The sound echoed in her ears, and her mind failed to register the implications. Instead of the expected resistance of the flesh, a solid metal deflected her attack, and before she knew it, the world flipped upside down.
"Aghh!" she gasped as a terrifying smack of the cane on her chest knocked the wind out of her lungs.
However, her mind, mostly devoid of emotions, ignored the pain and latched onto her only hope. She didn't know what went wrong, but Father's Epoch Keeper was the only thing that could save her now.
"You vile woman! How dare you!?" Rupert thundered as he slammed his cane down once again like some barbarian.
Holding the dagger above herself in her right hand like some shield, her left palm repeatedly tapped the dial to activate the pocket watch. Reality rippled, and—
Nothing happened.
.
.
.
Thump.
The cane broke through her block, rending her tendons from the sheer force of it, but the time wasn't on her side. Literally.
Yet, she took this brief window of respite to internalize her error calmly, Seems like the Epoch keeper isn't working. And it only took her a moment to realize where things had gone wrong.
It was stupid, really
In a tone that one would use to speak of matters unrelated to themselves, she thought, The nexus' pressure may not restrict me, but it's still restricting my perceptual artifacts with full strength.
.
.
.
It's over.
I failed.
Her mind wavered, and she debated turning off Emotional Vault but decided against it in the very next instant. She didn't want to give this bastard even one ounce of satisfaction now that things had come to this.
Rupert finally managed to crack open his middle eye, and a maniacal expression covered his face. Dusting his coat, he barked, "I respect your choice, woman. However, I expected more from an Eterna. Did you really think you could kill me with nothing but surprise factor? Hah. You aren't just selfish, but stupid, too."
Did he not notice Father's pocket watch? It seemed even though he could exhibit so much power up here, there were still some tight restrictions.
Illeana stared back with a defiant, sharp gaze, resisting the push of his cane.
However, suddenly, a red light blinded her perception, and a wave of terror coursed through her. Her limbs refused to obey her commands, and her mind fogged. Her pulse raced, and the facade of the vault began to crumble. The icy vines shackled both her wrists and pulled her up in the air.
Rupert turned his head towards the crowd and bellowed, "This despicable woman, an Eterna, a supposed leader of the realm, is hell-bent on cutting the dreams of our Council short."
"This vile creature couldn't bear the shame of her own selfish existence and wished to deny us the sacrifice that would usher our civilization into a new era."
Rupert shook his cane, and a red aura materialized around it. Simply staring at it was like being sucked into a void. A shudder went down her spine, but she pushed past it and chuckled, "Remember. All of you are nothing but power-hungry psychopaths and deranged lunatics. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Rupert ignored her remarks and smiled, "Now, tell me, fellow overseers. Should such a creature not be punished?"
"Should such a dissident not be put in her place?"
Those cronies of his yelled back with too much excitement, "YES! She tried to assassinate our lord. It's only fair she's killed to compensate for her sins."
"We'd be doomed if such a deviant Eterna roamed the lands. We should punish her right now!"
"Cull her!"
"Punish her!"
"Indeed." Rupert nodded, "A self-seeking observer has no place in a world envisioned by us Overseers. We shall mark the beginning of a new era and restructuring of our realm with her sacrifice. So let us arrive at the first consensus as the council of overseers."
The cane's length turned a deeper shade of red, and he manifested an icy flower in his hands—an essence strand. With his eyes closed, he whispered, "Overseers, let the voting begin!"
Illeana eyed them with mirth, "Haha. Posturing and roleplay won't lighten the burden of your sins, you sick fucks."
After just a couple seconds of silence, he shouted, "A two-thirds majority consensus has been achieved. As per the will of the overseers, this witch shall be burned on this proverbial stake for the sin of attempting to overthrow the council."
Illeana narrowed her eyes. Exiting the nexus and running away were out of the question. They would just hunt her down once they'd finished their little game here. And down in the material world, all they'd need to kill her was to steal her thoughts to eat, or worse, steal her thoughts of remorse—forcing her to kill and then get killed.
There were a thousand other ways in which they could end her, and she would be none the wiser.
Her eyes grew dangerous and she traced the edge of her pocket watch with her perception. It may have failed to activate fully under this much pressure, but she was more than certain that exploding it would injure even a god, much less this piece of shit in front of her.
With a terrifying grin of her own, she declared, "I will remember this. I'll remember all of you!" That gave Rupert a short pause, but he steeled himself, and the red aura around his cane warped the air further, vibrating violently.
Illeana sneered internally. He still thinks I'm an Eterna. The amount of energy stored in that thing was enough to kill her a thousand times over.
"Opposing the council mustn't go unpunished."
"End this contrarian!"
"Off with her head!"
"Kill the witch!!"
"Burn her!"
"Cull her!"
"End her!"
In this charged atmosphere, Rupert's grin stretched from end to end, and he pulled back his cane one final time. He shouted, "FOR HUMANITY!" and hurled the glowing cane towards her chest like some meteor.
Illeana's heart beat in defiance and desperation as she sharpened her intent, ready to pierce her pocket watch with her perception.
.
.
.
However, in that instant, the myriads of colorful lights—blue from Nexus, green from her own eyes, and red from Rupert's, all just…disappeared.
In this realm of utter darkness, a sigh echoed in the hall, "Disappointing."