April 20th, year 024 Angels Descent
It had been the better part of five days since the dining incident, and Maxwell had refused to come out of his room. He was confused and conflicted by his own actions. A swirling storm of emotions threatened to overtake him.
As he was content to stew on his own emotions, he refused to let anyone else into his room, locking the door to prevent anyone from entering. The rest of the class and a few of his friends from other classes had still made attempts at contact, but he had refused them.
As he sat at the foot of his bed curled up in a ball, he kept going over the event in his head. It had seemed so right in the moment. A primal call to protect Johan. Like a mother who lifts a cart off their child with sheer strength. It was all instinct, and it scared him.
Maxwell typically was the sort that would not flinch at blood but would never seek it out, either. But he had lost all control of something deep inside him, and he didn’t know how to react. As these thoughts began to snowball once more, a knock at his door broke his focus.
“Leave the food at the door; I’m still too ill to greet you,” Maxwell said, putting on what he thought was a convincing croak.
This was all the performance he had put on. With what had happened that night, he couldn’t just admit he had nearly accidentally killed a visiting diplomat. It had been settled to cover up the incident and have Maxwell serve the rest of his time in school under house arrest. Only being permitted to leave school grounds under the supervision of an assigned guardian. The knock wrapped against the door once again.
“I said leave the meal at the door, please,” Maxwell grumbled, forgetting to put on the hoarse tone he had been using. Another knock at the door.
“Please go away!”
“Are you ok, Maxwell?” Alex’s voice asked through the door.
“Sir?”
“Yes, it’s me; I heard you were… that you were feeling unwell. I came to check up on you as is my duty as your teacher and present guardian.”
“I am just feeling unwell and would like to recuperate alone… don’t want it to spread.”
“Oh, Maxy, I don’t think it will spread,” Alex replied as Maxwell heard something sliding against the door as if someone slid down to sit against it.
“You know the guys are all worried about you?”
“I know… they’ve come here a few times,” Maxwell admitted.
“And you want to keep them worried about you?”
“It won’t matter for much longer,” Maxwell replied as he realised what he had just suggested.
“Are you planning a self-treatment then?” Alex asked, concern clear in his voice. “Because doing that for a silly little illness is very foolish.”
“It was an illness I could’ve prevented!!”
“Maxy… I know illnesses. I have experienced my fair share of them. I know from experience that remaining isolated doesn’t help as much as the illness makes you think it will.”
Maxwell had to hold back his hand that he only now realised was reaching out for the door. He would endure his suffering alone; he couldn’t let anyone in. Sitting here and now alone, he couldn’t help but recall what his brother used to say when they were younger.
“You will never be a real Greyback. You have too much failure in you!!!” Celes had always been a right bastard blind to his own faults, but here and now, knowing what he had done, Maxwell couldn’t help but begin to agree.
“Maxy?” Alex asked, worried about the quiet.
“I’m still here,” Maxwell reassured him.
“Can I come in?”
“No,” Maxwell replied.
“You know I can come in anyway, right?” Alex asked.
“Pfft, yeah, I’d like to see that,” Maxwell laughed despite himself, only to realise he had invited his teacher to show off a power. Something Alex was never unwilling to do.
Looking to the door, Maxwell held his breath as a shimmering black smoke began to rise up off of the woodwork. This smoke began to merge and become thicker and thicker till it had a vaguely humanoid form. Only a few seconds had passed, but to Maxwell, it felt like an eternity. With very little time at all, the smoke solidified into Alex, who promptly collapsed to the floor, coughing.
“Gods should’ve practised that before trying it for the first time,” he grumbled between coughs.
“That was your first time using that spell?” Maxwell asked, momentarily losing himself in his teacher's ridiculousness.
“Yes, been preparing to use it for ages, but I never thought the debut would be to get into a troubled student's room.”
“Pfft…” Maxwell couldn’t help but snicker at how ridiculous Alex truly was.
“So what is the spell?” Maxwell asked.
“Smoke form.”
“Isn’t that a vampire racial spell… sir, did you become a vampire?!!”
“What?! No… All vampires have smoke form, but not all people with smoke form are vampires,” Alex explained as he sat down on the floor next to Maxwell.
“Damn lungs were the last things to shift back, so they were full of smoke,” Alex explained with a cheeky grin.
“So you ok?” Alex asked, looking at Maxwell with evident concern.
“I’m ok, sir-” Alex made a ‘zzzzttt’ noise as Maxwell tried to reassure him.
“No lying allowed, now are you ok?”
“I already said I am ok-” again, Alex made a buzzing noise.
“I already said no lying is allowed.”
“What do you want then, sir?!!! For me to say, I feel horrible?!!! For me to say that I will probably have to be put to death if this gets out?!!! Do you want me to drag my friends and family down because I lost myself?!!! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!!!”
“That,” Alex replied, gesturing to Maxwell.
“Keeping it bottled up is never good, Maxy. I know suffering… I know what it looks like… I know that look in your eyes all too well, Maxy, and it breaks my heart to see you like this,” Alex began as the two locked eyes with one another.
“I just…” Maxwell began before pausing as his lower lip began to tremble. “I just don’t know what to feel, sir.”
“That is the evil little trick that illness can pull. It confuses the feelings, it makes what you know and what you feel two entirely different things, and that dissonance is torture. Maxy, I am just going to sit here because being alone with this illness is far worse than having company.”
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Maxwell wanted to protest Alex staying. He wanted to yell at him to get out. He wanted to rage and cry and overcome this maelstrom of emotions swirling inside him. But he couldn’t; now he actually had someone here; the last thing he wanted was for them to go.
“We can just sit here,” Maxwell finally agreed as he leaned against the foot of his bed and sat in silence.
Several hours had passed by the time Alex stepped out of Maxwell’s room. The boy had spent the entire time in silence, but Alex knew having someone there was all that mattered. Turning around to glance one last time at Maxwell, who had fallen asleep, Alex set off towards the walking church. Arriving at the feet of the giant beast, Alex approached the guards, who went to block his way.
“Halt!!!” They both chorused.
“I am Lord Alexander Guntherian; I am here to visit Cardinal Johan Pleidies,” Alex announced.
The two guards shared glances before one of them went up the steps of the folded-down tower to ask for orders. After a few minutes, the guard returned and declared Johan had been expecting Alex to visit him.
Climbing the steps, Alex stepped into the walking church's main building and was left in awe of the structure's interior. He had seen Sithy’s hoard, small as it was due to his youth; it was still a sight to behold. But this church on the back of an earthen drake was more than he could imagine.
What he had first taken to be stained glass windows he now could see were masses of interconnected precious gems. Columns of silver and gold snaked along the walls, and the altar was plated in divinium. He knew that if anyone was able to steal this church, just the materials alone would buy him a kingdom.
“Ah, Alexander, it warms this old heart to see you again,” Johan said as he hobbled out of a back room.
“Likewise,” Alex replied, bowing his head.
“I wondered when you would come here.”
“Well, we still need to settle this situation,” Alex replied.
“Oh, and here I am thinking it was because I sent many invitations,” Johan replied.
“I apologise for that; I have been busy, sadly. But I am here now,” Alex said, giving as best a smile as he could manage.
“Now I am more than happy to forget this whole incident occurred. The boy wasn’t in his right mind, and I would hate for a war to occur just because my power caused a conflict in a young lad's mind,” Johan explained.
“I agree. I think we should sweep this whole ordeal under the rug,” Alex said, nodding.
“With that agreed, lad, I suggest you sit down.” Following Johan’s suggestion, Alex sat down in one of the pews marvelling at how comfortable it was.
“I know you have a sister.”
“Mimi, yes,” Alex replied.
“No, a younger sister…” Johan replied before trailing off.
“She’s dead,” Alex stated flatly.
“Alexander… she yet lives. I took her into my care after that nasty business with your home village-”
“NASTY BUSINESS?!!! You crucified my entire family… you people then set fire to the village to let them suffer!!! And you call that NASTY BUSINESS?!!!!”
“Yes, I’m sorry poor choice of words… Alexander, I am truly sorry for what happened… I know my words will never make up for what we have done…. But I have cared for little Lucy as if she were my own flesh and blood. I have a letter here for you from her; she asked me to deliver it when we met,” Johan reached into the folds of his robe and produced a sealed letter.
Alex took the proffered letter, broke the wax seal, and began reading its contents.
—--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Dearest Brother,
I apologise for, the manner this letter has arrived. Not writing you, was my way of granting your already troubled soul peace. I am writing to you to ensure they stopped all, your schemes. I have thought long and hard about the possible letters I sent you; so many possibilities but this letter is what I chose. I ask you, to see the light of the gods and seek redemption through the Theocracy.
Do not believe, the lies of the Dark Lord and her cohorts. Please believe in the Cardinal carrying this letter Johan he knows, gods… gods Alex!!! You can’t keep going as you have moving He has a, way to grant you salvation. I hope with his help and when we meet you will know blessing as he, has guided many others to the gods’ embrace. My truest hope has convinced people he, can save you as he saved me.
Brother please see that much of the world speaks of you Is a fool, you of all people; should be aware that perceptions can affect your way of life. You should know beware, of the lies of those you call friends as they will betray you. I’m sure to you your friends are like a priest is to me. Sloth is probably more like a priest than anyone else but beware the foolish priest; brother for he leads you to slaughter.
Sincerely and with much love, your youngest sister,
Lucilia Philipsdaughter
—---------------------------------------------------------
Alex read the letter; then he re-read it over and over before looking up at Johan.
“I thank you for delivering this,” Alex said as he embraced Johan in a big hug that lasted a few minutes.
“I…I must go now… I hope your journey home leaves you in good health.”
“And you,” Johan replied as he watched Alex leave the walking church. Alex took the long way home from where the earthen drakes were resting. He reread the letter another time, reading the hidden message within.
When they were little, Alex had been taught to read and write with the intention of taking over his father's medical practice.
Lucy, ever the genius sat in the corner of the room during these lessons and had become literate herself. Alex and Lucy had even devised a way to pass messages with hidden codes. She was using the rule that the three words before every comma and four words before every semicolon would create the message.
They banked on the fact that since they were peasants and children at that, lousy grammar would be less of a noticeable issue. Alex now knew he had to pass on a message to Crozonia to prepare for war because it was now closer than ever before, and Johan’s days were now numbered.
Hello Dearest Brother. I apologise for not writing you they stopped all letters I sent you. I ask you do not believe Johan. He knows he has a blessing he has convinced people he is a fool. You, of all people, should know. Beware the foolish priest.
—--------------------------------------------
June 11th, year 024 Angels Descent
Lucy was enjoying reading a litany of reports from the various sources compiled by the Cardinal of Purities Inquisitors. So much information and so much of it her mind could extrapolate. Her mind was like a devouring void never sated with the information she fed it.
“MY LADY!!!!” A servant cried out as she rushed into the room.
“Rachel, what’s wrong? You look like you've seen a devil?”
“My Lady Lord Johan has died!!!”
“Oh, that?... Anything else of note?”
“My Lady??? For shame… he is your grandfather,” Rachel said, looking disturbed by her mistress’s cold demeanour.
“Adoptive grandfather,” Lucy corrected.
“He took me in after my little backwater home was burnt to the ground and all those backwards idiots were crucified. I have no real blood connection to him,” Lucy coldly replied.
“How did he die, by the way,” Lucy asked, looking up from the reports for the first time since Rachel arrived.
“He was in a meeting with the other Cardinals, and they say his…” Rachel shuddered at just the thought of what had happened.
“Let’s just say, my lady, it will be cheaper to retile the Cardinals Sanctum than it will be to clean it.”
“That bad, eh?”
“Yes, apparently, he suddenly spoke with someone else’s voice, and there are talks of all-out war against the Dark Continent.”
“Ah, perfect,” Lucy replied with a smile so cold that it’d make ice insecure.
“Perfect, my lady?”
“Yes, I can’t wait to see my dearest brother and big sister again. I will be oh so happy to see their faces when I crush all they love to dust beneath my heel,” Lucy passively replied as she gave a wave of her hand to dismiss Rachel.
“Let me know when the Council of Grace gives me the title of Benevolence. Other than that, do not disturb me,” her tone left no room for negotiation. Lucy had gotten what she wanted.
The Council of Grace was originally going to keep Johan around for a long time. The man was eternally kind-hearted, and his blessing granted him great influence far and wide. Even she had to remain cautious around him while playing the dutiful granddaughter. But the thing with his power was it wouldn’t work if the person held no positive feelings for him. Despite his kindness, Lucy had always been devoid of anything nice towards him.
She was now more than ever pleased she had convinced him to make contact with her brother under the idea of convincing him to join the Theocracy. She knew her brother would see through Johan's power which he would no doubt take exception to; she had even planned for him to do something to get Johan out of the way.
Killing him, though, was something even she didn’t think he’d do. It had no logic to it. Perhaps she was missing data on her brother that needed to be filled. She made a mental note to get Ludo to investigate her brother further.
Lucy’s actions would go on to be a feat that even history books would record as magnitude beyond anything seen before or since. A secret mastermind who used the title ‘Lord of Strings’ manipulated all so she could rise to power unopposed.
Lucy herself was especially fond of her pseudonym. It was very fitting; she could tug little threads using gleamed information. Much like the butterfly that causes great storms, Lucy could cause great chaos with the right words in the right ears.