The land of Xenon stands upon the pinnacle of technological advancement in the world. The click of clockwork gears and creaking of coal powered steam generators fill the polluted, stagnant air. Clouds of charcoal smoke reach upwards, grasping the side of the towering royal palace. The palace’s ornamental gold and marble contrast the soot-blackened iron and wood of the city below, a symbol of how this supposedly democratic nation still clings to the royalty of the past. Monarchy that should be little more than a figurehead still controls the majority of politics while what little is actually controlled by the senate openly takes bribes from the corporations.

On the fifty-third floor of the palace, princess Octavia trained her swordsmanship. The straight blade of her weapon was covered in fine engravings, its hilt adorned with jewels.

With practiced skill the blade found the vital portions of a wooden dummy time and time again, elegant grace combined with practical movement characterized a style that held its true strength behind royal display. As the clock tower loudly struck three, her sword slammed into the dummy’s side, shattering it into pieces.

A cylindrical robot built from gears and steam chambers stomped into the room. Mounted upon each side of its central steam tank was a copper gatling gun, a new invention of unparalleled destructive power. A copper plaque upon the machine's steel body declared it the "Royal Guard Machine MkII".

A speaker within the automaton spoke in the smooth, crackly tone of a record player.

"Princess, if you continue this for much longer you'll strain yourself far too much. You'll shame the family appearing like this to the Holy Church's diplomatic meeting tonight"

Octavia chuckled slightly and patted the robot's top.

"There's a reason I've had half my muscles strung up with pulleys and gears. It would take far more than this to begin tiring me."

"So you would show up before the church covered in sweat and splinters? There's a part of the training mannequin in your hair."

Octavia patted her pink haired head, loosening a small chip of wood. The chip bounced across the floor into a pile of shavings from other ruthlessly assaulted training equipment that Octavia lacked the care to try and clean up. She set down her sword on a nearby table, grabbing a screwdriver. Sitting down in one of the many battered chairs that scattered the room, she popped open a small hatch in the side of her arm.

"Speaking of my enhancements, one of the gears in my left leg got a bit stripped yesterday. Can you order a replacement?"

The hatch was filled with an intricate system of clockwork and crude motors, quietly clicking away inside Octavia's body. She began using the screwdriver to wind up a series of gears, pushing the screwdriver to full resistance before snapping the hatch shut. Guard looked on with his single, unblinking lens.

"Did you damage the enhancement for speed or strength?"

"Strength. I tried to kick over that box of parts over there at a bad angle. A couple of gears seized up and started to scrape."

"Understood, I shall order it now."

Octavia nodded in thanks, grabbing the sword and slipping it into the sheath at her side.

A red contact lens in her right eye engraved with magical circles faded into clear glass as her targeting deactivated. She blinked a couple times to fight the strain to her retina, using a dropper to splash thin healing potion onto the lens.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this thing shooting so much mana straight in my eye."

Octavia rubbed her eyelid, leaning back in her chair to reach a cup of water. She turned to face the window, overlooking a sprawling city of soot and iron. Crime and degeneracy teemed in the alleyways behind shops and factories, all open to view from above.

"The people look so small from up here. Do you think this view is what made father so careless about our citizens?"

"Your father is doing his best, princess. You of all people should know how hard it is to rule a nation."

Octavia stared down into her drink, scowling. An awkward silence fell over the two as they blankly watched over the bustle of the city so far below. Guard quietly clicked, processing a request for the damaged gear.

The silence was broken by three sharp knocks on the door. Guard flashed his lights, moving beside Octavia as she moved to open the door.

What awaited them was a tall young man with jet black hair. He wore a gray military officer uniform with a single arm clad in full plate metal. A daikatana was slung across his back, the signature weapon of Kureta warriors from the far east.

"Greetings princess Octavia. My name is Zeran Tau, I am honored to make your acquaintance."

Octavia bowed curtly, straightening the crimson tie of her old royal guard uniform.

"Nice to meet you as well. So, do you need something from me?”

"Of course, my lady. Her highness the imperial queen has sent summons for you tomorrow in the garden on the forty eighth floor."

Zeran presented Octavia a battered paper note. Running her eyes down the letter, she could barely read the scrawled ink declaring the time and place of their meeting.

"Is her condition growing worse? They wouldn't let her out of her room unless she was getting better, or…"

Zeran nodded grimly. Octavia's hand closed, crushing the letter into a ball.

"Her highness is strong, princess. However, nobody lives forever, no matter how strong they are."

Octavia nodded slowly, trying to smother an emotional outburst that rose up within her. She held her clenched hand with the letter close to her chest.

Guard beeped loudly, stepping between Octavia and Zeran.

"Excuse me Sir Tau, but the princess must be going now. We have to begin preparing for the diplomatic meeting. We shall be taking our leave now."

Zeran bowed and stepped to the side of the hallway, a small smile crossing his face. He ushered the pair off, never taking his eyes off Octavia.

"Of course princess, don't let me keep you. Have a good day."

Octavia entered her dressing room as Guard stood outside the door. Ever since her childhood she had despised dresses, choosing instead to wear the uniform of the old royal guard that machines like Guard had replaced. Creased black pants, a collared shirt with a tie, and a crimson waistcoat emblazoned with the royal crest. They embodied elegance in strength and loyalty. She slipped off the uniform, staring at the contents of her closet. She chose a well tailored white suit, likely to the future chagrin of her father who constantly replaced the dresses she threw out.

She tightened on a short blue tie and pulled on the suit's jacket. Turning to the back of the room, she popped open a finely crafted wooden box. Inside sat a pocket watch cased in pure silver inlaid with flowing golden designs. She slipped the watch into her waistcoat pocket, pausing to stare at the piece for a moment.

"At least these meetings mean you'll be coming here today, Keith."

She smiled and clipped the leather sheath of her sword onto the suit's belt. Outside the door, Guard was ready to escort her to the meeting hall on floor ninety nine. Octavia steadied herself, preparing for the arduous hours to come.

The elevator screeched as it shot upwards, the glass wall showing the city grow ever smaller. Octavia stood awkwardly near a rather important looking church member in bright red robes. He seemed to regard Guard with contempt, making a concerted effort to distance himself from the machine. Realizing her obligation to interact with the visitor, Octavia hesitantly turned to face him.

"How are you enjoying the city, Sir Cardinal?"

"The stars were hidden last night behind the clouds of smoke and bright lights. It disgusts me."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two until the elevator reached its destination at the building's peak. The doors opened to a crowd of diplomats socializing outside the grand hall's entrance. From inside the crowd a hand shot up and started waving to her.

She walked over the hand, skillfully dodging through the sea of bodies. The smiling face of a blonde young boy met her in a relatively empty corner.

"Keith! It's been too long!"

"You're telling me, I haven't been beaten in a fight for nearly a year, it's been getting old."

The pair smiled, leaning against the back wall.

"You beat me once, you can do it again. You just have to train harder."

"That was back when you were a sweet little child, Via, who could have known you'd turn into a monster in human clothing?"

Octavia scoffed as he teased her, rubbing his head.

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"Don't worry, the monster will go easy on you next time. I'm sure if you train for another ten years you can try again."

"My fiance would never let me train for that long. I can't go five minutes without being reminded of my royal duties. You don’t know how lucky you are to not have an arranged marriage. "

"Father certainly tried. Thankfully, I'm quite stubborn. Well, is there anything you like about her?"

"Her brother is cute at least. Maybe once I'm king of Blackhall I can just choose to marry him instead. What about you Via, anyone besides a sharp metal stick manage to catch your eye?"

Octavia laughed, gently holding the grip of her sword.

"Of course not, I'm too busy training to be gawking at everyone attractive who passes by like you do."

Their conversation was cut short when the towering doors of the great hall swung open by the hand of Octavia's father, King Julius. The crowd began siphoning in through the entryway, forming a clog of crammed bodies. Octavia and Keith stood back, letting the crowds pass through first. Seeing the archbishop enter the dining hall, Keith's expression grew dark.

"Hey Via, I don't really know how to say it, but something is really bugging me about this meeting. Just… be careful."

Keith walked forward, meeting up with his father to accompany them into the hall. Octavia watched him leave, curious, before she made her own way into the dining hall.

For the next few hours Octavia sat at the head table of the room in a daze, her mind filled with anything besides the sleep-inducing talks of trade agreements and tax negotiations. All she could gather was that the church was pushing for more power within the city despite the treaty of religious freedom signed twenty years ago. The constant bickering of politicians and priests assaulted her mind as she sipped on overpriced wines.

"The Church would like to request an increase in reserve military troops to be held within Xenon? Who do they think they're fooling, that's a setup for invasion if I've ever seen one."

The royal military coordinator Lex whispered over to Octavia, causing her to drunkenly stare in his general direction.

"Uh, yeah sure. Can't believe they would do that. Mmhmm."

"Exactly. They've had it out for us ever since we got freedom of religion. I can't believe the king still acts as if we're on positive terms…"

Octavia excused herself into the hallway, leaning her head against the window overlooking the glowing city in the night. The top floor was too high to see the people in the city below, completely disconnected from the world.

"I want to go to bed…"

Octavia started back in the direction of the hall, passing by a shut door echoing with arguing voices.

“Is that Lex?”

She gave into curiosity, quietly walking over to the door and pressing her ear to the hardwood.

“The church can’t be allowed to continue this nonsense! If they succeed in their push for more power here, who knows what effects this could have on System’s plans, letting them off free with more authority is simply unthinkable!”

A second, more authoritative voice snapped back, causing Octavia’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“System has said nothing on the matter of limiting the church’s power. If anything they likely planned on it. Building tension with the church is the last thing this nation needs as System is building strength and support. If we bend to their requests we stand to do nothing but gain.”

Octavia held her ear more tightly to the wood, attempting to confirm her suspicions.

“Is father in there… What’s going on?”

“You’re clearly blind, sire! The church has viewed our inventions as heresy since the very beginning, it’s only a matter of time before they invade us. Do you think we’re the first nation on Terra to advance like this in over two millennia? The church will suppress us like they’ve suppressed our predecessors!”

Lex was on the verge of shouting at the king, the sound of him slamming his fist into a table ringing through the keyhole. Hearing one of the men get up to leave the room, Octavia slipped away from the door. She hid in the folds of a window curtain as the door opened to her father shouting a final word towards Lex.

“There is a thin line between prudence and paranoia, Lex. The church has done nothing but support us for two decades, I won’t let you destroy our relationship due to your wild fantasies. If System simulated a danger in them we would be contacted. Our only purpose is to hold this nation together until the completion of the Nemesis Engine ushers in the final invasion. Up until that point, all we have to do is follow System's commands.”

Lex chased after him as he left, leaving Octavia alone amidst the curtains. She stood for a couple minutes, wondering what they had meant when they mentioned the System. It was certainly nothing she had ever heard of, despite her status.

Suddenly the curtains around her were pulled away, revealing Keith holding a small glass of champagne, grinning ear to ear.

“I haven’t seen you hide in these curtains since we played hide and seek as children! So, what were you hiding from this time? Was your father really that mad you didn’t wear a dress?”

Octavia walked away from the window, brushing off a light layer of dust on her jacket from the curtain. “If you must know, I was eavesdropping on a conversation that father was having. What about you, why are you out here?”

Keith sipped his champagne, casually leaning against the wall.

“Eavesdropping? You? Now that’s unexpected. I was, in your words, chasing any attractive person I saw, but I got a bit distracted when I saw a familiar bump in the curtain. So, hear any juicy details?”

“No, just more of the same from inside the dining hall. I swear if I have to hear about the church stationing troops one more time tonight I’m going to jump out of the window.”

The sounds of King Julius boomed through the halls as he returned, immediately rising to begin a speech. Octavia reluctantly turned around, walking back towards the hall with Keith in tow.

“I guess father has another grand speech to put us to sleep with. See you soon, window.”

The hall was roaring with overlapping voices as she entered. Hundreds of people were shouting towards the king as Octavia pushed her way back to the front table.

“We have decided to accept the Holy Church’s request to house reserve troops. We will also elect to grant the church a seat in the senate. It is my sincere belief that together we can build a strong alliance of religion and politics!”

Politicians and priests erupted with cheers and complaints so loud it drowned out the ability to think. Octavia held her hands over her ears, sitting back down at the table. At the next table down she could see Zeran halfway into a cup of ale, cheering and clapping.

Leaning back in her seat, she chugged a glass of champagne, gazing up at the ceiling.

“Just when will this nightmare be over already…”

Octavia woke up the next day near midday with a raging headache. She poured a healing potion down her throat while rolling out of her bed, still fully clothed from the day before.

“Guard! Can you throw coffee at me?”

“Unfortunately, princess, I do not have hands to carry the coffee with.”

Guard walked into the room as Octavia rolled on the floor, struggling to pull herself up against the side of the bed. She stood upright, heading towards the bathroom.

“When is my meeting with mother scheduled for?”

“In less than two hours. I would suggest haste if you intend to make the meeting on time.”

Octavia tossed off her suit piece by piece, blasting her face with cold shower water. The chill made her recoil as her mind was shocked fully awake. She rushed to finish her shower and get dressed, grabbing a chunk of bread for breakfast as she left her room. Before she entered the elevator to the forty eighth floor she patted Guard on the head, motioning for him to stop.

“I feel like this conversation should really just be mother and me. Can you wait here a bit? I promise I’ll defend both of us in your place.”

Octavia flashed the hilt of her sword with a wink, causing the robot to hesitantly beep in agreement.

“Do be careful princess, and have a nice time with her majesty.”

The elevator groaned to life and descended downwards, opening up to a single room which covered the entire floor. Windows spanning whole walls cast light into a garden teeming with life and color. Rustic stone paths connected the masterfully kept plants, converging together into the rose bushes in the center.

Octavia was stopped by the queen's personal guard. He gave her a small nod, ushering her forward.

"I’ve been told to not let anyone but you inside. Queen's orders."

"Thanks Nevia." She lightly patted Nevia's shoulder as the gaurd looked down in distress. "I'm sure mother will be fine. She's too strong to just die here."

Nevia nodded, comforted by Octavia’s word.

In the rose bushes sat a thin woman on a bench, staring blankly into the distance as if entranced by empty space. Octavia sat down beside her mother with a smile. She gently tapped her mother’s shoulder, causing the trance to break. The queen looked into Octavia’s eyes while gently cupping her daughter's face.

“Darling Via… It has really been too long.”

“It really has, mother. If only you would come by to visit, I’d cook you something nice.”

Octavia struggled to smile as tears began to form in her eyes, looking at the woman who sat before her. The strong queen she had grown up admiring looked ready to blow away to a light breeze. She held her mother’s head tight, as though if she let go she could never hold on again.

“Via, I have to tell you something, something important. Have you heard of System before?”

“What do you mean?”

The queen pulled herself away, looking at the royal crest on Octavia’s uniform.

“Something is creeping in the shadows of this nation. Your father… it's like he's been brainwashed.”

Her weak arms shook at Octavia’s sleeves in desperation as the daughter looked on in surprise.

The elevator doors at the end of the hall slid open, revealing Zeran. The light washing through the glass back wall of the elevator gave him an almost heavenly glow as he slowly walked forward to the pair in the garden’s center.

Octavia stood up, pulling her mother to her feet. She grabbed the hilt of her sword, facing the approaching man.

“Zeran? How did you get past Nevia?”

Zeran sneered as he walked to the queen's side. Octavia saw Nevia lying still against the floor in front of the elevator, causing her to draw her sword, slowly backing away from Zeran. With a single swift motion he pierced the queen’s chest with his sword, coating the shining steel in blood. Octavia cried out, reaching out to her mother’s body as it fell towards the ground with a sickening thump.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. System's orders are absolute."

Zeran laughed, wiping the splattered blood off his face. The dark red blade in his hand swung to face Octavia’s heart. Octavia stumbled backwards as she brought her sword in front of her, tears streaming down her face.

“I’ll fucking kill you, bastard!”

A lightning quick series of attacks flashed at Zeran as Octavia’s right eye flashed red with a burst of Cursed Light, revealing his heart beating inside his ribcage. She thrust the tip of her blade to the right of Zeran’s sword, attempting to avoid the reach of his daikatana.

Zeran flipped backwards onto the bench, twirling the sword’s grip in the palm of his hand to deflect the incoming attack. He thrust forward, pushing Octavia back outside the rose patch. Zeran feinted an downward attack while aiming a slashing strike to the right. Octavia swung her sword to face backwards in her outstretched hand, deflecting both the real strike and covering the location of the feint.

Octavia flipped over Zeran’s head, approaching his back with a series of light jabs. Zeran spun his sword across his back to cover a roll towards his opponent. Octavia pushed forwards in the direction of the window as the two clashed blades clashed, splintering her blade into razor sharp pieces.

“Not bad for a pampered little princess, a mix of many styles. However your swordplay lacks purpose, cohesion, and real experience.”

Zeran swung his sword forward into Octavia’s side, the edge of her broken blade barely deflecting it, yet pushing her back onto the ground. She thrust leg towards Zeran’s knee, the gears within clicking frantically to boost her strength. Zeran punched down his armored arm to block the kick.

Octavia’s foot rang against the metal plating, accompanied by a metallic pop. The stripped gear in her leg fractured, causing the entire limb to fall limp in excruciating pain. Octavia clutched her leg with her off hand, screaming and wildly waving her sword.

Zeran approached her, taking his time to move as Octavia writhed in agony. With a sweep of his blade, her right forearm went flying off into a patch of bushes.

"In the end, you're just a little girl playing knight."

Zeran's blade approached Octavia’s heart, her back pressed against the glass wall overlooking the city below. With a bloody grin she pushed herself backwards, smashing through the pane in a cascade of shards. Her body plummeted down for half a mile through the smoke filled air.

The roof of a factory caved in under the impact of Octavia in a cloud of dust. She struggled to raise herself off the floor, gritting her teeth as she wrapped her arm's bloody stump in a scrap of cloth. She attempted to pull herself forward across the ground before falling unconscious onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Forty eight floors above her, Zeran looked down at the ruined building. Glancing at the broken glass and blood scattered around him, he stroked his chin with a concerned chuckle.

"Now how am I going to explain all of this? Oh well, System will cover it up."

He turned around, walking back into the depths of the palace.