亚洲综合中美

“Family are those who’re ready to bleed unconditionally. Igna bled, and bled, nothing ever mattered; in the end, there was nothing left. He accepted the grand truth of survival of the fittest, true to Hidros’s culture. Time was at an end, and he left.”

“...”

“Empress Eira,” gasped éclair against the doorway, “-my apologies,” he ran in-between the disagreement and motioned for breathing space, “-I’m late. You must call before arriving. A woman of thy caliber can’t be allowed in harm’s way,” he flashed at Yui, “-please, let’s move to a more open area.”

“No,” her heels hammered onto the ground, “-I will not move, nor will I speak until I know the truth,” she glanced at Vengeance, “-éclair, is he truly my brother?” she pointed.

“By all means, ye-”

“-and don’t make the mistake of lying,” she narrowed, stunting any rebuttal he might have had.

.....

“My lady,” he moved and spoke in a lowered tone, “-wise not to scream, wall have ears.”

“So?” her arms crossed coldly, a hardcover book of light-blue summoned, the pages flipped by aid of an invisible hand, it drew onto a red bookmark upon which a bubble expanded, “-there,” she said, “-the ears have been cut. I need the truth, speak. Is what Yui said the truth?” her heart raced, ‘-please don’t,’ passed fragmented thoughts, ‘-I won’t accept it. How could I have been blind to my little brother’s disappearance, how could I have been,’ another thought interjected, ‘-Markus...’

“I have no idea what Yui said,” he skid over onto a bench, poured a heavy drink, twirled in their general direction, kicked back against the counter, and drank, “-it’s probably true. Tis a long story, please, take a seat, I’ll start from the beginning,” the tale wasn’t heroic nor was it anything to be proud of. A tale of an unfortunate truth, misplaced kindness, Igna’s failure to see right from wrong, or rather, the conscious blindness. “-You see, majesty, the master was definitely wary of the conglomerates. I advised on many occasions to clear Alphia before signing an alliance. Time was nigh, either the pact was made or the Empire grew stronger – at the time, we had little to know the information of their forces. The climate was rough and we’d just fought off invasions on two fronts, Easel Run Gard and Alphia. There’s no doubt master played a great part in freeing Alphia. The help was done without expectations or favors. He simply did what satisfied his morale. Ask Yui or those in master’s inner circle – we’ve fought out in the open and in the shadows, assassinations, kidnapping, ransom, the list carries on and on. We did what we must. Alas, on the signing of the agreement, the United Kingdoms of Alrosia – became an entity of great power and promise. Emperor Markus would be seated at the top, followed closely by King Igna. Frankly, Emperor Markus at the top was supposed to have been a puppet ruler – Hidros calls the shot and supplies military might whilst Alphia supplies the necessary funds. The more money we have, the greater the stride we’re able to take. All for nothing,” he sipped, “-look at Hidros now, two years later, we’re prosperous, one of the richest kingdoms in the world. People pay taxes happily – businesses, investors, and the monopoly of Maicite, which I remind, was an asset we still hold despite sharing secrets on the method of operation. For the sake of a shaky peace treaty, and not to look bad before the global audience – Markus’s acceptance of land granted by the emperor shoved us down a hole.” Doubt rid Eira’s solemn expression, “-no wonder,” he said, “-the deal was an under-the-table affair. Once firmed, a deal I remind was fixed behind our backs – I was forced by the conglomerate, Cimier, Snow, and PMC’s under Iqeavea’s thumb to stop supporting my master. The expedition king Igna led to Elendor was ousted by a mole, we confided with Alphia so that the operations takes place without incident, around the time of the signing. Backstabbed, Alphia’s damned compromised network of intel exchange blasted our doors wide open. Before I blinked, the conglomerates held all the cards. I received the ultimatum of removing King Igna from political discussions – the Alrosian council would supersede the king’s decree,” he paused and refilled the glass. Yui watched, weary-faced as did Vengeance, albeit slightly calmer, “-nothing I could do or say – we shattered the Empire’s blade, King Juvey, and they fought back in slicing our king’s silver-tongue. Laura’s death was unexpected, Loftha brought the Patek’s into Rosespire. Fighting them on home ground was a simple affair until the big emblem of Alrosia waved. Ziu Patek killed Laura,” he sighed, “-I requested lady Elvira to send her as emissary. It was the only way I could have saved the little dignity we had. Master had no idea and suspected lady Elvira; she also had no idea that I pulled the strings. I did what I had to. In the end, the ploys built on one another until another ultimatum, this time, one in which war was at stake. They hung the line of Hidros violating the international treaty in form of the attack on Old Cray and his faction. World War or the disappearance of a single person – my choice was obvious. Master would have done the same in my shoe, I regret what I did to master on an emotional level. Logically speaking, I’d pick the same option – a quality I acquired from the years spent at his side. They knew about Vengeance, luckily, King Igna was beloved by the people – a sudden disappearance would shatter the unity of our people. Thus, a duplicate king at the expense of the true monarch’s death. Yui gave the greenlight – the explosion was broadcasted live to the true leaders of Alphia,” he paused once more to gather his breath. Eira blinked emptily, a great big mystery unfolded before her crossed arm. éclair’s tone shook at times, alcohol was but a self-inflicted punishment to speak the truth, “-if you fight, we’ll rebound. What the Empire didn’t know was that we sent an affluent noble to study at the Church of Lucifer. Charm and wit and smart networking allowed Carrigan II, now Duke of Kreston, to ascend to the title of Pope, apostle pope for he bore the wings of an angel. Iqeavea wasn’t pleased, therein, sent the man to Kreston. The leadership of the Church’s in the hand of the four cardinal archbishops; the people have recognized Carrigan II as the next religious head, balls in the noble’s court. Once a beast grows big, direct confrontation is but disaster assured. Instead, sent a virus – a malady, infect the beast from within and grin. The council of Alrosia’s under the conglomerate’s influence – a hail Mary gamble worked.”

“I’m confused,” she blinked, “-Iqeavea knows of Igna’s death?”

“No, not death, they simply know the King’s very receptive to innovating ideas. If they push their luck – we can always call favor from Kreston. Allies turned adversaries and vice-versa, the world’s funny, isn’t it?”

“I’m not laughing,” interjected Yui, “-understand, empress.”

“What we say in this room, stays in this room,” a suspicious frown rose at Eira, “-Empress?”

“My lips are sealed,” her knees weakened, “-here I thought everything was peaceful.”

“Peace comes at a heavy price, and sometimes, that price is the life of a loved one.”

“What about Igna, where is he, I presume he went into hiding?”

“No, we don’t know,” he returned, “-as for Loftha, I’m sorry to say, she’s dead.”

“Dead... I thought she was-”

“Staying in Rosespire? Yes, I know. Emperor Markus knows the truth, don’t underestimate the four great’s reach.”

“My little sister’s dead... I never thought.”

“That’s the problem,” fired Yui, “-no one ever thinks,” she sidestepped and glared éclair, “-I’m done serving those fuckers from the council. Enough is enough, my created purpose was to assist the family, not enemy. No more, I quit,” she exhaled, “-I’m going to find master.”

“-And where do you think you’re going?” her body froze, not on the ice, but on a gesture from éclair, “-remember thy place, puppet. You’re nothing without me or my soul, you weren’t even supposed to be alive...”

“-But master whimsically created me?” she laughed, “-I know, I was made for a purpose, whim as is, master created and birthed me, I won’t, I can’t, I’ve had enough. Unfreeze me, éclair, threats are master’s specialty, not you, not me.”

“Sharp tongue of yours,” he sighed jovially, tenseness between them subsided. The storm left – calmness washed the shore after the sand rose alps, Eira growled from up above, “-and she’s off.”

“Off to where?” arms akimbo, “-is Igna alive or dead?” she glared, “-éCLAIR!”

He but simply smiled, “-who am I to say?” he shrugged, “-no one knows what he thinks, really. I don’t doubt his return.”

“What about Yui?”

“She’s going through one of her episodes; It’s the third this year – she’ll be back before long. Her journeys are quite the tale to behold, I wonder where she’ll fly to this time.”

“Cthulhu,” muttered, the words fell on drunk ears. The harsh booze had the innards in relative warmth. By which, most of the innards slumbered as charcoal. Eira’s barrier vanished, a glance at the drunkard prime minister didn’t spawn much confidence. Cries from her babe took the attention.

Time followed into the evening, nothing much changed – all was the same. People returned from work, others headed to work, and mostly, the air felt little more than a casual breeze. The drift settled onto Rotherham’s runway. A slick jet equipped for strong weather toggled its engine. The pilot, a graduate from Sotepios, and a plane made by the geniuses at Midas, her belts strapped, luggage kept to the side.

“Lady Yui, I must ask again,” said a friendly air hostess, “-have you read and understood the risks this flight poses?”

“Yes,” she returned, “-long as I’m there, I’ll be fine.”

“Understood,” she shuffled for the cockpit, where the engine’s thrust. ‘-Please be right,’ her fingers crossed, ‘-master Julius mentioned a continent where magic and beings of old existed. The origin of demi-humans and inhabitants of Arda in general,’ a map drew on her laptop, ‘-an area far to the west, accessible only at certain times throughout the years, a place where questions prevail more than answers. The continent of Marinda,’ said a book to her side. The jet pushed, and off they were, lights blinked and an arduous trip to the famed land began. Months of planning culminated said instant; Yui’s unlimited access to the Arcanum and Phantom’s network allowed for quick information gathering. Her attention was drawn to the mystical continent by a book written in the early X050, a very old piece by a known voyager – Aidn of the Western Wind. The rustic, leather-bound book replaced the laptop, “-by god, our week spent on an island similar to paradise, brought on us, travelers, a hope of land for resupplying. Let it be known, many o’ ships have suffered to the sea’s fury, tentacles large as mountains, waves reaching the sky, fireballs falling from the heavens. We sought in to discover the mystic land, by the many trips, tis understood the seas calm at a certain time and rages on others,” she flicked the page, “-on arrival, the landscape is one straight from a fantasy novel,” beside which laid an illustrated picture, “-flying island, gigantic trees, a rumbling volcano and the presence of beings we know not.”