The White Roses descended from the rooftop, waltzing out of the front entrance with exhaustion plastered on their faces. Lumière stood, waiting for them in the street. After conversing with members of the audience, he had stood by the wayside, entering his meditative state while standing, sending illusory murmurs to each member of the Mythos Garden, telling them to scatter.
“Lumière, that was fantastic! How did you manage to survive that fall?” Ramses laughed, patting him on the back.
Lumière shrugged. “A magician never reveals the secrets of his tricks.”
“Still, that was great.” Ainsworth smiled. “I really thought you had died.” He lurched forward, embracing his friend.
“I won’t die before you.” Lumière hugged Ainsworth back. “I wouldn’t trust anyone but me with your funeral.”
Ainsworth looked up at Lumière, his eyes widening, serious. “You better not bury me, Lumière. I refuse to be eaten by worms. Burn my body and eat the ashes.”
Lumière grimaced. “Eat the ashes? You would ask that much of me?”
Ainsworth shrugged. “You said not to trust anyone but you, after all. Can’t you do this much for a friend?”
“You’re messing with me.”
Ainsworth winked in response. Suddenly, they heard clamoring coming from the audience. In the street, several men dressed in white robes appeared. They had ornate decorations of blue roses on the back and shoulder of their cloaks. Between them, a familiar man had appeared. He had gold decorum lining his cloak, which had the pattern of two gold wings on it. It was Selaphiel, the Archangel in charge of Leiden.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve last seen him. I wonder how strong he is in comparison to Thomas… he gives off the same terrifyingly inhuman aura.’
“Lumière Croft, come with me. I have some questions for you.” Selaphiel spoke as soon as he had approached, gesturing to the building that the White Roses had appeared from.
Lumière looked towards the White Roses, who also seemed surprised by the sudden event, shrugging.
The two walked through the door together, entering an office behind the desk where the attendant had previously fled from.
“What questions must you ask me, Sir?”
Selaphiel turned to him, his gaze fierce underneath the dim orange lamplight. “You revealed the existence of the Nameless to the people of the middle borough. Soon, word will spread to the lower and high boroughs. Do you know the fear that will sow?”
“I thought it necessary that they know of such a danger.”
“We were keeping it secret for a reason. Where did you gain the idea that it was your right to tell them?” His usually-calm and serene deep voice had an underlying tone of fury.
“Should we continue to leave them in the dark, to operate without the knowledge that their lives may be in danger?”
“Not knowing was a crucial element in keeping them safe. How do you think they will look at their loved ones now? Now, they can’t help but feel an odd suspicion towards every strange thing that they do. How long until others are vilified, until they face the injustice of others who suspect them, hung up in the streets like criminals?”
“Like wretches who belong far below the rest?” Lumière grinned.
Selaphiel’s shock was apparent. He shut his mouth, turning his gaze away. “You allude to the lower borough. I won’t lie and say that this city’s system operates in a horrid manner, but that shouldn’t pervade the work we do, Mr. Croft. We should protect as many people as we can, no matter who they are.”
‘Your true personality has begun to show, Mr. Archangel. Who knew you were actually such a kind-hearted individual. However, I’m not remotely interested in protecting everyone. I only wish to protect the people I truly care for.’
“And yet, the middle borough shall flourish. Have you forgotten that the Nameless aren’t the only force that has increased in the past few years? I speak of a particular group obsessed with order, with the weight of the Emperor and Justiciar’s will backing them.”
“The Peacekeepers, you mean.”
“The very same.”
“So you mean to say that you operated under the assumption that the middle and high boroughs would remain in order simply because we have the presence of the Peacekeepers? That’s quite a gamble, but I suppose its plausible. Then, what about the lower borough?”
“Don’t pretend to care for us wretches from the waters. Even if you had a heart that beats for those below, you obviously lack the knowledge that surrounds them. When has life ever been anything but dangerous? Do you think that those wretches live a life that is anything but filled with suspicion for others? In that stacked city of slums, where crime runs rampant, everyone is a Nameless to each other. The news of monsters will change nothing at all.”
“So in your eyes, this plan was always flawless in its outcome?” Selaphiel questioned.
“No plan is flawless in its outcome. But I am no man who leaves things to stagnant. I tie off the loose ends. If any problem arose, I would have fixed it.”
The Archangel sat down in the chair across from Lumière, prompting him to do the same. He relaxed slightly, gaining back his usual serene calmness.
“During that performance of yours, you were seen with a woman.“ Selaphiel spoke, leaning on his hand. “An assistant of yours? Something to do with your magic trick, perhaps?”
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Lumière’s eyes widened. ‘Did he always know that? Why has he been talking of pointless things with me when he’s already made that connection? Fuck. I’ve never used an assistant in the history of my act. He could easily corroborate that fact by speaking with any one of my repeat audience members.’
“No. She’s a Nameless.” Lumière suddenly revealed a key incriminating detail.
Selaphiel’s eyes widened. ‘Did I hear that correctly?’
“Sorry, can you repeat that?”
“I said she was a Nameless.”
‘He’s been surveilling me... Does Thomas know of this? Has he made any attempts to mask my identity? If my being the ‘Beacon’ of Lord Sinner is so important, he should be doing everything he can to keep that a secret. I’ll have to ask him next time I see him…’
Selaphiel’s eyebrows furrowed. “What were you doing associating with a Nameless?”
“I didn’t know that at the time. Of course, observing me as you do, you should know I have a penchant for women.” Lumière shrugged.
Of course, that was an easy thing for Lumière to determine. After all, he had been atop the rooftop, away from the view of the street when he had parted ways with Cecilia. After she had retrieved the rest of the Nameless and brought them over to the Show Hall, she had hidden herself away. There was no way he could have known that they had been seen together if he had not been watching them.
‘Still, how can I find out if he saw her reappear when she brought the remaining Nameless to the Show Hall? As it stands, can I say that I killed her after I found out she was a Nameless? If Selaphiel or whoever he had spying on me at that time saw her once more, that lie will fall apart. And who’s to say that was the only time that I was being watched? Is it possible that they’ve seen me use my Heretic abilities when we were on the Eighteenth floor of Etten-leur? No, this would have been impossible. The staircase is the only way up that far. We would have spotted anyone following us, I’m sure of it. I don’t yet know of any powers that conceal the presence of another person, apart from a Heretic’s illusion. However, something tells me that this Archangel wouldn’t associate with someone who uses the power of Heresy…’
“Did you enjoy the show?” Lumière questioned him, a pleasant smile crossing his face. There was a point in switching the subject. It related to prop up his obvious ability to defeat such creatures.
“I did. It was wonderful to see someone of your stature defeat a beast twice your size, even if it was just a newborn.”
“I did the same to her. I killed that woman after I discovered she was Nameless.” Lumière shrugged.
“Really? If she was able to hold such a perfect human form, then she was matured, at the very least. How did you manage to kill a beast that it would take at least two trained Red Roses to kill?”
‘Is that really the case? I wonder what the maturity stage of that one that me and Ainsworth killed was? It seems feasible that I could kill it using Lord Sinner’s abilities, like when I fought my first beast, but at that time, I was concealing my abilities from Ainsworth’s view. Is it possible that as a Blue Rose, he is as strong as at least three Fledgling magic users? When did he grow so strong out of my sight? That Labyrinth that non card-holding magic users must face, did he really go through it so quickly? Was this the drive that Elise’s death gave him?’
‘Moreover, it was once mentioned that it would take three red Roses to kill a Named, a creature like Asmodeus. Has the criteria change so suddenly? Has something happened to the internal structure of Heaven’s Roses? Is it due to the increase of Nameless?’
“I got lucky.”
“I doubt that very much. An unfortunate person like you doesn’t strike me as the type to come out of such a stringent situation intact. What really happened, Mr. Croft?”
‘Is Selaphiel the type to care about such things? Perhaps this can be my way out. I doubt the punishment for this is much in comparison to being discovered as the associate of a Nameless or the servant of an Evil Deity.’ Lumière reached into his jacket, procuring Cerces from his underarm holster before holding it up to show Selaphiel. The Archangel reached out his hand, accepting the firearm, eyeing the ornate etchings and runes on its surface.
“An enchanted weapon? Do you have a license for such a thing, Mr. Croft?”
Lumière shrugged. “It seemed I found myself embroiled in such a dangerous life. I’m not a user of magic. I thought it necessary.”
“Perhaps.” The Archangel handed the weapon back to him.
“Father Benedict said it well himself. We White Roses- we were never meant to find ourselves fighting these things.”
Selaphiel nodded his head. “In recent times, the rise of the number of Nameless that populate Leiden has led to a number of unfortunate casualties. We’ve found ourselves shorthanded. It was necessary to make use of you. However, I can admit that we of a higher echelon were shortsighted as to what you could handle. I won’t punish you for going to your own lengths to protect yourself and your comrades. I just hope you’ll seek a proper license for it as soon as possible. We have no sway over the laws of this city.”
‘So that’s what happened. Because there’s less Heaven’s Roses, that means that the general skill level has decreased. So, the terms of killing certain maturities of Nameless has also become increasingly dangerous.’
‘Will you not ask me where I got it?”
“I know of your affiliations with a certain… illegal organisation. It’s not a stretch to imagine where you procured such an item.”
Selaphiel suddenly switched his line of questioning.
“How did you come to know of the Phantom Syndicate?”
“I believe they were responsible for the death of my… friend.” Lumière responded casually. “As well as the death of many Dwindlers- no, needy.”
“We believe that event was something they were responsible for as well.”
“I first encountered their name when speaking with an associate of mine.” He was sure to be vague, but there was no reason to completely withhold the truth.
“Right, another of your associates. Likely of the type that people like I should be wary of.” Selaphiel grinned.
However, he didn’t chastise or berate Lumière for such a thing. In fact, his next proposition left Lumière shocked.
“Do you want to investigate into this matter?” Selaphiel had two reasons for asking this. Despite his suspicion of Lumière Croft, he knew that the man was capable, able to think on his feet. He thought that if he were to send the man to investigate into the secret organisation, there was some semblance of a chance that he would turn something up. Secondly, it was a fact that he had been embroiled in their meddling on two occurrences now. It was clear that Lumière Croft was under their sights for some odd reason, likely pertaining to the secret that he was hiding. If he were to send in Lumière Croft, even if he wasn’t able to find anything, there was a high chance that the Phantom Syndicate would appear again.
Selaphiel wanted to use Lumière as bait to draw out the dangerous individuals.
This was partly what he was able to determine during the game he had played with the magician and the nobleman previously.
“I was already planning on doing such a thing. Do you mean to say that you will sponsor my investigation?”
“The Peacekeepers are aware of our organisation and the work that we do. You’ll be given official identification. The Red Roses are currently busy tracking down the Named in Leiden. We can only afford to hand it to you. I trust you won’t disappoint us.”
Lumière nodded. ‘Damn, that trickster bastard. I thought that my plan would force the Church to cooperate in the investigation into the Phantom Syndicate, but all he’s done is hand that responsibility right back to me, veiled as a reward for my actions. What a cunning man.’
‘Still, it changes nothing. I’ll find out who they are, what they want, and how I can best tear them down.’
Selaphiel stood up from his seat, buttoning his coat up. “That’s enough questions, Mr. Croft. You’ve satisfied me for now.”
“Good day.” Lumière bid his goodbyes, exiting the building.
As soon as he exited, he felt a slight change within himself. He immediately knew the reason. One of the last pillars of ‘Lumière Croft’ had died that night- a performer. With his new prospects of looking into the Phantom Syndicate, having finished his final performance, his old life had left him completely.
‘Onto greater things…’