Chapter 43

Higher Designs

It was a childish act of defiance--a pointless struggle he could use to comfort himself over the pointlessness of his entire struggle. He fully expected he’d be laughed out of the room, but something wholly strange occurred--Qyne’s face went from that patented sneer into one of shellshock, lips gaping in horror, eyes widening the same. The rest of the hall, too, gasped almost in unison, and the silence turned so deathly that a pin drop would echo out like a grenade.

His eyes darted around, noticing the peculiarity. Something was off; it was as though his condemnation of her was... real. As though she truly would be killed if he chose so.

No, there’s no fuckin’ way, he cried in his heart. It’s a setup. It’s just a setup to give me some hope... and then they’ll start laughing.

But minutes passed and there was no laughter. Qyne’s expression distorted further and further, her eyes glued to him. And, if he didn’t know any better, he could even see a visage of plea within them, something that should not exist within the eyes of someone like her.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!" sudden laughter burst the bubble of silence like thunder as a stream of smoked shadows appeared to Asher's right. The plumes were obsidian black and elusive in shape, strolling in from the seeming nowhere and forming into a vague, humanoid figure. There were no distinct features to it, similar to the figure seated atop the throne.

Qyne’s expression distorted further--though now in a grander combination of disgust, horror, and unwillingness--the very same expression that could be found on her mother’s face, pronounced even further. Something, Asher mused, seemed to be stirring.

“What a joyous thought, is it not?!” the voice was aged and young both at once, belting freely into the open hall as though it were his own. “Kill the princess for the pure, sadistic joy of having someone to accompany you in the afterlife! Boy, you have some balls on you, I’ll say.” the coalesced shadow seemed to ‘turn’ toward Asher, though it might have also just been his imagination.

“... this is highly inappropriate, Duke,” a voice rebuffed the atmosphere, the shine of the golden figure upon the throne growing brighter. It was a beautiful voice, seductive beyond compare, and Asher nearly bowed his head once again before strange energy wove through the sonorous light and dispelled the desire. “What are you doing?”

"Hm? Ah, dear Emperor--I am merely ensuring you do not sully your dignity," the voice spoke, though as for how much respect it contained... it was up to debate. "You were about to use your Divine Providence on a mere human! Ah, it must have been by sheer coincidence, and I simply interfered! Do forgive me if I transgressed!"

“...” Holy shit, who the fuck is this guy?! Asher’s eyes darted between the coalesced shadow and the golden figure on the throne. It was a courtly drama playing out in real life, and though he was wholly blind to the details, it didn’t make it any less exciting in his eyes.

“You are interfering with the Courtly matters, Duke,” the voice spoke once again. “And are interrupting a Holy Rite in progress. Are you--”

“--oh, spare me the wordy tapestry, little Ry,” the entire hall briefly broke into a hubbub of voices, and even Asher--blind though he was to the political systems in place--understood that the shadow just called the Emperor directly by the man’s name, and even interrupted him. “I am here to save this little sharp-tongued Princess. Young friend here, do you truly want to exchange your life for hers?”

“... no,” Asher replied honestly.

“Of course not. She’s whole four feet of hollow pride and wisdom bereft of intelligence--you’d be a fool to desire anything more than a dance performance from her, I’m afraid,” watching Qyne lower her head, biting her lower lip, and remaining silent was... remarkably cathartic. “Do you wish to enslave her?”

“... not really,” Asher replied once more.

“Of course not. Dance performances neither feed nor strengthen. And even a sadistic soul grows bored in due time. So, what you truly desire is the reward--and, perchance, a different fairy to accompany you, no?” Asher frowned temporarily--it was as though the shadowed figure could read his mind, though he couldn’t feel anything in his head. That didn’t mean much, however. “How about this, then. Dear Fairy Mother over there, who adores her kin oh so very much, will rightfully buy the wager from you for, oh, let’s see... I could probably extort--I mean, I could probably seep into her generous heart to offer you around a million Souls, around a thousand Divine Gems, and perhaps even a Bloodline Enhancer.” What the--Asher was truly dumbfounded.

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Of all the ways he thought today would end... this wasn't one of them. Which was precisely why he stepped back out of the cathartic thoughtfulness and into reality. It could all still just be a sham--though he didn't suspect it was also entirely possible that he was just a pawn in a political ploy, chances still erred on the side of him just being a toy of entertainment and nothing more.

“Hmm, suspicion permeates your gaze,” the shadow suddenly morphed and appeared everywhere around Asher, entangling him. The voice approached and became a soft whisper directly into his ear, though it seemed everyone else could hear it just fine as well. “It is fair. If it helps, though I do find you mildly entertaining, I hardly care enough for you to do this. It’s just that our dear Fairy Mother made a transgression against me recently, one she believed I would be unable to uncover, and I am here today to ensure she pays her debt. Look at her,” Asher turned his head to the side and glanced at the seated figure atop the balcony. The winged woman was shaking, her cheeks pale like snow, lips quivering. That wasn’t acting--she was truly mortified to her very core.

“I detest humans as much as her and everyone in this court, likely even more,” the voice said. “Perhaps that irks you--perhaps it makes you angry. But nobody here truly cares. If anything, we find acts of defiance cute--adorable. It’s like mice squirming and squealing. If that is something you find so abhorrent... then there is nothing nobody in this hall, not even the Emperor himself, can do to prevent you from making that choice. If you choose to kill the little princess, she will die. In fact, you will even be able to choose the exact nature of her execution and watch it all unfold in full. Watch her cry and beg and curse you out until her dying breath--and nobody will intervene.

"Naturally, shortly after, you will die too. Though quite a few seated here in the Court would have favorable impressions of you, that would be all--they would not risk a war for a filthy human animal. But, if you can understand that you are our toy--and perhaps even convince yourself that one day you can be like Alice, roaming the world away from us--then choose life, o' little one."

“...” Asher gnashed his teeth--he had pride, of course. Everyone had pride--it was the cornerstone of being a human. He would be lying if he claimed all those insults just bounced off his skin like rubber balls. But despite that pride, he wanted more to live. Though the shadow figure was condescending, Alice was still a proof of concept--there was a life beyond the scope of this prison. Someway, somehow, there was a path for him to break himself free and become his own once more. And it was never too late to return and raze the entire Court to the ground. "Then," he gnashed his teeth. "Souls--"

“--no, no, no, wait a second,” the shadowed figure interrupted with a jovial tone. “I mean, sure, you can snag a million Souls and upgrade yourself directly into the disheveled mediocrity, but if you can continue living, a million Souls is something you will be able to earn in a few, uh, what do you call them? Stages? Right, Stages. No, no, don’t be greedy for the shallows. Besides, I want to hurt her, boy. If I could, I’d simply go to war and annihilate the bitch, but, alas, even someone like me cannot undo the Oath. So, I must find ways to hurt her without, well, hurting her. And this is a perfect chance.

“No, don’t yearn for the Souls and Gems and the rewards that you can get elsewhere--yearn for something that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Something that, even though it would break her heart and soul, she will give up in order to save her flesh and blood. After all, Qyne is her only daughter--faires are notoriously infertile, you know? They do live for tens of thousands of years, so it has never hurt them too much, but the bond of flesh is something that a depraved species such as yours will never truly understand. So, let yourself be my tool, boy, so that I can hurt her. And I promise you, what you shall receive in return will be a reward beyond your wildest dreams. Do you trust me?”

“No,” Asher replied softly. “No offense, but you sound literally like a tempting devil. Hey man, take this thing--I promise you, it's really, really, really good for you. And it doesn't have any side effects, nuh-uh!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!” the shadowed figure burst out into laughter once again, surprising Asher for a moment. “Indeed, well said, ha ha ha ha! Aah, I must say, it has been some time since a human has made me laugh so much, ha ha ha. Very well, I shall first extort--I mean, nicely ask that reward for you. You can make a choice once you’ve seen what it is. Rejoice, o’ ye vile creature, I have never shown this much courtesy to your kin.” the shadow disappeared suddenly, appearing a moment later at the front of the balcony where Qyne’s mother was seated. The shadow floated freely, writhing indistinguishably, temporarily doused in silence.

“Duke, I am sorry--”

“--can it,” the Fairy Queen bit her lip, just like Qyne did, lowering her head. “You know what you must do, Allona. Give it to me.”

“P-please, Duke, I--I will, I will offer ten million Souls! I will--”

“--there is only one who is allowed to make me repeat myself, Allona,” the voice turned dark and deep. “Do you think you are that one?”

“No, Duke, may Light Smite me should I believe so!!” the woman quickly said, almost hysterical.

“Then offer it in grace, and be thankful that I still retain a smidgen of respect for your kind. Otherwise, I would have gleefully enjoyed watching you bury your beloved daughter.”

“...” though clearly unwilling, the fairy reached with her right hand toward her left and took off one of the four rings she was wearing. Asher couldn’t make out the design from this far away, but the ring glowed in a gentle, cyan hue as it floated over to the cloud of shadows. The latter wrapped around it and vanished, whereupon the Fairy Queen winced in pain as though someone had stabbed her directly through her heart.

“Here it is, little toy,” the shadow appeared by Asher’s side and untangled the web of darkness around the ring, tossing it to the ground. It was a beautiful ring, breathtaking even--hand-crafted motifs of wild roses ran around its edges, the centerfold an emerald gem in the shape of a blossoming lotus, opening up toward the world. If it were found on Earth, it would either be a part of some billionaire's personal--and quite illegal--collection, or a prominent item on display in a museum. “Inspect it and make a choice. We all grow tired and weary of the charade.”