Fate: Kill

Chapter 28

The Three Beasts were a group of enforcers and bodyguards loyal to General Esdeath of the Imperial Army. They'd sooner turn their backs on the Prime Minster's orders than fail to carry out Esdeath's will. Each owed their life to her whether it was because they were saved, or were unfailingly swayed to her cause.
T

he members of the Three Beasts were known as Liver, Daidara, and Nyau who had once infiltrated the rising power known as Calla from rumours spreading among the poor.
In any case, the Three Beasts hadn't been completely the same ever since Nyau had returned and made his report. Word had spread quick in the army and even to Esdeath herself about the existence of another member of the Imperial family being alive.
Should the revolutionaries use this new Imperial member as a figure head, then there could potentially be a just cause for revolution to depose the ruling child Emperor.
Honestly, Nyau didn't really care for the specifics. As far as he was concerned, Esdeath could make all the decisions, but the look on her face when he described what he'd seen regarding the Lord of Calla's combat prowess was telling.
She was excited, eager even for a challenge. Knowing his general, the only way she'd be swayed to support either legitimate ruler after the late Emperor's death, was if one proved themself capable. The only reason Esdeath followed the orders of Honest was out of respect for the former Emperor, and nothing more. It didn't matter if Honest was abusing his relationship of power with the Child Emperor, so long as it gave Esdeath her fill of battle and a purpose.
The weak deserve to be ruled by the strong in the same way one must kill or be killed.
This was life, and it would one day come full circle. One who kills should be prepared to be killed, but wasn't that also part of the excitement of it all?
Nyau had no qualms nor motives to question his general's mentality, nor orders. The same could be said for Daidara, but perhaps the one most affected by the emergence of new legitimate ruler of the Empire was Liver.
Liver had been a military man once. A general trusted and true to his comrades, but all that got in a society built on espionage, backstabbing, filth, and rampant corruption was a military court marshal and the death of the majority of his troops. Esdeath had been the one to save Liver from all of this, and to her he devoted everything, even stooping to bloody himself in matters he'd never have committed before.
All this was to say, Liver had grown hardened and disillusioned with the current Empire.
He no longer believed that the Empire could change; he no longer believed in the spirit of righteousness or morality; all that matters is seeing an objective through till the end, and for this reason Nyau respected the man.
Liver devoted his all to Esdeath, even if the one Esdeath answered to likely caused the death of his former comrades. He was done with everything, and wished solely to repay the gratitude he felt for Esdeath yet old habits die hard.
Nyau could still recall the way Liver's expression had stiffened when he'd given his report. It wasn't the existence of a new heir to the Empire which startled Liver, it was the details of how said new heir managed his land and people. The ideologies and motivations were strikingly similar to what Liver had once believed in and thought impossible to achieve.
Even now, Nyau could sometimes see Liver deep in thought, reticent and brooding. Experiencing Calla and the people there may give him the shock of his life, but Nyau's respect for Liver remained whole. Despite whatever thoughts plagued him, his devotion to Esdeath remained the same.
[-You three are to intercept the former Prime Minister's carriage back to the Empire and kill him.]
A single order was given, and the Three Beasts didn't hesitate to carry it out.
It was why they found themselves in their current situation.
Daidara, a sturdily built giant in a black uniform was to hold off and slaughter Chouri's guards. In his hands was a giant battle axe Teigu which required immense strength for the user to wield. He'd been the one to cut Chouri's carriage in half and kill a majority of the former prime minister's honour guard.
Liver, a gentlemanly man with grey hair and a wax beard intercepted Chouri once the man was forced out. Liver's main Teigu had the ability to control water, which was a shame since there was so little of it around the ambush point in a forest clearing, but it didn't matter. Liver was skilled with the blade just as well.
As for Nyau himself, he occupied the attention of Chouri's trained daughter, Spear, and just as her namesake implied, she was exceedingly skilled in Spearmanship.
Nyau clicked his tongue while maneuvering around a spear's tip, narrowly dodging it as strands of his hair fell loosely to the ground.
Spear was a young woman with flowing blond hair and deep blue eyes wearing a winter coat and large hat with the motif of a hexagonal rhombus. She was in a spearman's stance with her feet shoulder width apart and arms fastened evenly on the shaft of her weapon.
Despondence bled into her features in her missed attempt to behead Nyau, obviously worried about her father against Liver.
How noble, Nyau sneered before expertly flipping back and gaining distance from spear. Swiftly, he raised an unassuming flute to his lips and began to play a gentle melody.
This was his personal Teigu known as Scream. It allowed him the ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who heard its tune. A quiet murmur grew into a harrowing icy rhapsody that pervaded Spear's ears.
A shudder travelled down Spear's back, unease breaking Spear's façade of calm while her palms grew matted with sweat.
C'mon. There it is.
Nyau continued to play, weaving through Spear's lethal strikes that grew more and more erroneous as the music played. Her complexion was paling, the sound of her heart hammering in her chest nearly audible.
What was the worst enemy anyone would face in battle if not for their own fear?
Nyau's eyes narrowed sharply while steadily coaxing out the terror building in Spear's mind.
Fear dulls the body, freezes it even in times where one knew they had to move, made them sloppy.
The accuracy of Spear's thrusts continued to dwindle to the point, Nyau no longer deemed it necessary to waste energy playing his flute. The rest he could handle from here on his own.
Stepping into Spear's personal space, he batted the side of Spear's weapon on the wooden shaft before gripping it and pulling Spear forward into gut punch which sent her reeling. Not letting her retreat back, he grabbed a handful of her long hair and pulled her for another strike which broke her lips.
Blood trickled into her mouth, and she choked on air, gagging, as red veins popping near her eyes from the pain, but still conscious enough to brandish her spear and force Nyau away from a killing blow.
"You monster…" Spear rasped out.
The look of revulsion and hate she was sending Nyau's way despite how outmatched she was didn't fail to excite Nyau in all the right ways.
You see, he had a particular hobby enacted among those he considered his enemies that even unnerved an unfeeling man such as Daidara.
Nyau scrutinized Spear, body trembling from pain and tense muscles.
She was young and free spirited, just as Nyau enjoyed them.
"I wonder how you'd scream when I peel your face off?" Nyau wet his lips and grinned darkly, his words unsettling in how they didn't fail to terrorize. "You may find that death may be a better choice, so why don't you just accept it?"
Spear was already under the effects of 'Scream,' fear pervading her.
"Y-You're insane," Spear shivered, the jitteriness of her hands causing her once stalwart spear to appear feeble.
Nyau took the insult in stride.
Everyone in this world was twisted in one way or another, even Night Raid: Murder was still murder, and to remain unflinching despite that takes a different breed of madness that Nyau was all too willing to embrace. Better others broke than himself.
It was kill or be killed out here, and he'd rather be alive with the purpose of seeing out his general's will.
Nyau walked forward, uncaring about the danger of Spear's wobbly spear. He could knock it away as easy as disarming a common solider by this point. Horror and dread had dulled whatever edge Spear had had.
Batting Spear's weapon aside, blood splattered as Nyau grazed Spear's side with a knife he now held expertly in his right hand. He blinked innocently at Spear whose new wound forced her to her knees in acute pain.
"You know what comes next, right?" Nyau asked while tilting his head to the side like an ignorant child.
All expression left Spear's features, tears welling up in her eyes. Her hands desperately picked up her spear, but Nyau could see that it was more of a subconscious action than a thought out one.
Spear didn't have any strength left. A shame really. If she had a few more years to grow, perhaps she would have put up more of a challenge.
Now then, onto business.
Light gleamed over the edge of Nyau's knife as he approached Spear who finally began sobbing. If only tears could make everything better, then everyone would cry. Unfortunately, tears were useless.
Nyau's features grew cold, practiced hands sliding the edge of his knife to the base of Spear's neck without warning and cutting in just enough not to rupture any veins. All that was left was to start carefully peeling the skin upwards.
Nyau was sure that the sight of his daughter's peeled face would cause Chouri to despair, and allow Liver to land an easier killing blow. Mentality was just as much a factor in any battle as physical capability.
"P-Please no," Spear begged for mercy, blood staining her winter coat. Her pleas were left on deaf ears.
Nyau only smiled, saying nothing before the situation abruptly derailed.
His senses warned him of danger, and he leapt away from Spear just as Leone smashed down with a fist where he'd been standing.
Leone's features were different. Cat ears twitched over her head, and her hands had transformed into beast claws. A glare was plastered over her face, and relief flooded through her upon seeing that she'd arrived on time.
Leone wasn't the only one relieved.
"Oh, thank God," Spear's arms wilted, spear clattering to the ground as her grip slackened in utter exhaustion. She could tell that Leone wasn't an enemy simply for the fact that she'd moved to save her.
"The Three Beasts," Leone murmured while observing Daidara kill the last of Chouri's escorts, Liver fighting Chouri, and Nyau staring at her stiffly.
Nyau's eyes had widened in recognition of Leone if nothing else. His reconnaissance in Calla hadn't been for nothing, and he'd seen Leone there believing she was a part of the village. Now though, he may have to reconsider. If she was out here deep in the Empire's territory, then it was likely she had a connection with Night Raid or the Revolutionaries.
On the introduction of a new variable in the battle, everything temporarily halted as Liver gathered Daidara and Nyau near him, assessing Leone with a silent gaze.
Chouri was thankful for the reprieve and warily made his way to stand by his daughter and offer her support.
"Judging from your intervention, a member of Night Raid? The Revolutionaries?" Liver broke the silence before shaking his head, brows furrowing in scrutiny. "No matter. There's three of us, one of you, and two liabilities," Liver explained sophisticatedly. "I can further deduce that if you were travelling with any comrades, you should be rather spread out if your intent had been to intercept us."
Liver hadn't been a former Empire military leader for nothing. He possessed a deductive mind and a broad view for any battle.
"You'd assume right," Leone wasn't going for subtility here, and blatantly admitted to it all. An air of confidence exuded from her that made Liver grow perplexed. One should not have such confidence unless they had a trump card of sorts.
Still, Liver couldn't see it, nor did his trained senses and experience scream at him that something was wrong. He even did cursory check of his surroundings and found not a single person within range to attack him or back Leone up.
"Your bravery is admirable if anything." Liver shrugged and got into a battle stance followed by Daidara. Nyau however was hesitating which didn't go unnoticed by his two compatriots and everyone else. As of the moment though, Liver couldn't waste time and give whatever back up Leone had time to arrive. "Now enough words. We're all professionals here."
Chouri and Spear tensed at Liver's actions, but Leone remained aloof. She didn't even take a battle stance, opting to place her hands on her hips and deactivate her Teigu itself.
"Who says I'm alone?" Leone gestured to the far, far, hills distant to the point it was unbelievable that someone could do anything from that far. Nyau just like Leone, knew better.
Leone grinned. "The only reason Shirou isn't attacking is because we're too close to Prime Minister Chouri, and his attacks are too devastating."
Left unsaid was the notion that should Leone, Chouri, and Spear die, there would be nothing stopping this 'Shirou' from attacking from wherever he was.
"Shirou?" Liver sent a discreet glance at Daidara and Nyau for information. He wasn't familiar with the name, nor did he remember anyone with it the subsidiary branches of Night Raid or the Revolutionary Army. Daidara was equally left in the dark, but by this point, Nyau was sweating.
"The Lord of Calla," Nyau's eyes dilated as he whispered to Liver and Daidara, subtly reminding them o f the report he'd debriefed them on days prior.
Nyau faced the direction of the distant hills, recalling the range, power, and ferocity of the Teigu Shirou wielded. Once even a single arrow was released, its speed would make it so that there was no way to reasonably react or escape.
Leone was right. Perhaps the only reason Shirou hadn't attacked was Chouri's proximity.
"Liver," Nyau warned, quietly shaking his head and gesturing to retreat into the safety of the trees to obscure vision, wary of the distant forest and hilltops.
Liver was understandably skeptical of the scale of power Nyau had described the Lord of Calla to possess, but he also knew that not many things could unnerve Nyau to the point of advising a retreat.
Then there were Liver's own thoughts regarding Shirou who possessed the blood of the Imperial family.
Liver's hands balled into fists, his eyes pursing closed as he composed himself.
All for Esdeath.
He'd already made his oath from the moment Esdeath had saved him.
Think. What was the best choice here?
From how at ease Leone was, it revealed her trust in the Lord of Calla's capabilities. Nyau's report shouldn't have been based on fabrication.
Liver came to a decision.
This mission wasn't a priority anyway. It was given on instruction by the Prime Minster Honest to lure out Night Raid's members with Esdeath only nodding in approval. The Three Beasts had been with Esdeath long enough to understand that she wouldn't really care if they succeeded in the task of killing Chouri or not, so long as Night Raid was drawn out.
Leone's presence might as well be considered a success for Esdeath's motives. As for location, the fact that Nyau recognized Leone meant that this branch of Night Raid's location was likely Calla.
This was all key information that wouldn't be delivered to Esdeath if Liver, Nyau, and Daidara risked their lives and died. In which case, their deaths would have no meaning.
"Fall back," Liver decided after a long moment, giving a hard stare into the distance.
Liver didn't have to say things twice, Nyau shot off into the safety of the obscure woods faster than anyone else, then followed by Liver, and a frowning Daidara.
"Cowards," Leone taunted as Liver, Nyau, and Daidara ran off.
It was only after Leone was sure that Liver, Nyau, and Daidara were gone that she rapidly underwent a transformation. The air of confidence that surrounded her deflated until the point it was evident that her hands her trembling, and her complexion was oddly pale.
She had no disillusion. In a one vs three against Esdeath's prided enforcers, she was dead. Deader than dead. Probably even get her face skinned alive like she'd seen nearly happen to Spear.
What she just did took more than just guts to do. It was insane.
Nervous sweat matted her brows which she quietly wiped away before glancing at Chouri and Spear who regarded her as their saviour.
Chouri though blinked in genuine realization. "Y-You bluffed them?" He surmised incredulously.
"Yup," Leone admitted while falling on her ass in relief. "Your informants were rather cautious and told my colleague Sheele of at least three locations you would have used on the way back to the Empire. You'd be a fool to only have one, so my friends and I were forced to split up. In truth, there's no help nowhere near me."
Leone had been treading on a thin wire, and it went to show just how much of an impact Shirou had on Nyau that one look at him had caused Liver's determination to sway.
"Now then," Leone cast imploring looks at Chouri and Spear's way. "Would you both be willing to follow me?"
Broken carriage, slaughtered escorts, and out in the middle of nowhere, what other answer could Chouri and Spear give, especially to their saviour?
Leone beamed at a gambit well done.
Chouri had experienced many things in his life, most of which had served to beat the optimism out of him in his later years, and outright crushed it when he was ousted from his position of Prime Minster by former colleagues. However, stubborn as it was, he still held onto this abysmal sort of hope that things could change.
For all the hate leveled on the Child Emperor and the Empire itself, Chouri knew wholeheartedly that the child in breaches far bigger than he could fulfil was innocent. Chouri was of the opinion that a misguided child purposely manipulated shouldn't be ostracized and killed. Instead, such a young and impressionable mind could be molded and harnessed as a force of good. This was his job and motivation as the former Prime Minister, but the vile and wretched Honest had usurped his position.
Still, there was always that lingering hope that the Child Emperor would grow up, and see Honest for who he really was as a scheming snake. This smidgen of hope was what drove him to attempt a political return to the Empire, and he'd been cautious too. He knew Honest's character and tried to account for assassination, but the Three Beasts were an unexpected hurdle.
Chouri shivered, an arm hugging his only daughter close from what was surely a traumatic exprieince. Even now, Spear was pale, her lips quivering despite trying to put on a composed front for his sake.
It wasn't working.
Bandaged were wrapped near the base of her neck where Nyau had started to cut into it, and the relative demeanor of his daughter was subdued and quiet despite Leone's efforts to dispel the gloom.
Speaking of Leone, she'd informed him that she was a member of a Night Raid branch no longer affiliated with the Revolutionaries. It shocked him at the admission, but it was intriguing if anything else trying to determine which power was behind her.
Curiosity was a fickle thing.
"We're almost there, I promise," Leone encouraged with a sheepish smile.
Chouri and Spear were exhausted from the earlier ambush, and it didn't help that Leone hadn't accounted for how long they'd be trekking through the woods.
Chouri was old. His hair had all fallen off, leaving him only with a grey beard and goatee. Moreover, most of his winter coat and military uniform had been torn into tatters from his confrontation with Liver. All that was really left in tact was a crown of sorts around his head.
As for Spear, well, her confidence and faith had taken a blow in her fight, and she was still reeling from shock.
"See, we're here!" Leone said hastily when a cabin showed up in the middle of the woods. "This is one of Night Raid's subsidy bases built in the case of prolonged missions in the capital. Can't very well stay in a hotel or lodge with a wanted poster up."
Chouri really couldn't meet Leone's level of optimism at the moment, but felt some relief knowing there was a place he and his daughter could rest. His forehead abruptly creased a moment later though.
Whatever was behind Leone, it was likely that he'd been save to serve some sort of purpose.
Still, glancing in concern for the state of his daughter, and then to Leone's inviting gesture to enter the cabin while she sends out a signal to call her allies, he decided to let things play out.
"My thanks," Chouri inclined his head, and hobbled Spear into the cabin with him before Leone took off.
Looking inside the cabin, Chouri found that it was sparsely decorated and furnished only with the necessities consisting of a bed, a fire pit and pot, a study desk, and a dining space.
Without hesitation, Chouri had Spear lay on the bed so as not to aggravate her injuries and let sleep calm her down. Spear had certainty been through a lot, as she passed out ten minutes later with Chouri sitting next to her side.
Left to his own thoughts, Chouri could only wait until a few hours had passed and the creaking of the cabin's door alerted him to Leone's return with friends. There were two of them, one with long purple hair and square-framed glasses which he recalled from an advisor was an informant he'd been in contact with in the capital. The other was not someone Chouri knew even with his information network.
Then again, Shirou and Calla weren't exactly the most well known, and Elaine had been keeping it that way until recently.
"My friends," Leone introduced. "You may already know Sheele, but this here is Shirou."
"A pleasure," Chouri said politically, trying to see where this was all building to before Leone threw him for a loop.
Chouri liked to believe that he didn't lose his composure and nearly stumbled in place, but when Leone suddenly grabbed Shirou's hand and used it to pick up a certain imperial emblem, Chouri's mind had blanked.
"See, doesn't that make things easier to understand?" Leone nudged Shirou who looked put off at her action, wincing while scratching the back of his head.
It didn't help that Leone was right.
Chouri was already sitting straighter and regarding Shirou in a new light despite Shirou not wanting to come off as pompous or whatever using perceived status.
"Y-You're a member of the Imperial family," Chouri stammered, political mind already running through the ramifications of it all.
The late Emperor hadn't declared an official heir, and the Child Emperor only got the position through necessity. Better yet, if Shirou proved himself to be a better ruler than the Child Emperor, than the current decline of the nation itself may very well be averted. Progress could be made, and the rotten flesh of the country could be cut free.
Chouri took a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose and compose himself, but couldn't hide the sense of change welling up from within him. He felt young again, at least a decade younger with ambition.
"I take it this was good news?" Leone probed while Sheele stared at Spear in concern and kindly got to work with treating her wounds better.
Chouri didn't even register anything in this moment. His attention was fully on Shirou, scrutinizing every individual detail, and growing more and more pleased with how humble Shirou appeared. Often times, humility was a sign of a kind leader.
"This, changes everything," Chouri murmured, brows furrowed before his eyes closed in thought. When he opened them again, he glanced sharply to Leone.
"Affiliation?" He inquired.
"Neither Empire or Revolutionary. Third Party," Leone could surmise what Chouri wanted to know from her experience as a spy.
"Good call," Chouri nodded, a hand beneath his chin. "Honest will stop at nothing to kill a new heir, and the radicals in the Revolutionaries are likely the same. Those people do not wish for another monarchy, and likely seek to cull the blood of Emperors such that no loyalists would ever rise in opposition."
Shirou coughed to interrupt. "Then rather than kill those of Imperial blood, why not just concede power? Surely some good people exist in the Empire or Revolutionaries. The citizens could vote on leaders."
"Naïve," Chouri glowered, the way Shirou subsequently frowned causing Chouri to elaborate. "The idea of a ruling party of peoples is sound, but if the elect is driven by their own greed and machinations, then the system is more of a poison than a boon. In this case, there are way too many opportunistic hyenas capable of painting a positive image over themselves while hiding the true face beneath. Worse, the people would be under the illusion that this is what they wanted as they elected the ruling body in."
Leone sucked in a breath, knowing full well that nothing that Chouri said was a lie. In fact, the only one who struggled to fully believe was Shirou who wished to trust in the good of the people. Chouri's continued insistence however, made the outlook bleak.
"It's all grounds for making new Honests." Chouri shook his head resolutely, unwilling to back down on the point. "Presently, the Empire is divided with too many conflicting agendas, and too many corrupt seeking power."
"Then weed out the few able to make the right decisions," Shirou tried to reason until Leone ended up shaking her head.
"It may sound simple to do Shirou, but more often than not, the good people these days don't have the connections nor protective entourage to shield them from political infighting." Leone had a far-off expression on her face. "You'd practically be painting a target on the backs of good people who won't be able to fend for themselves."
Leone shared a meaningful stare with Shirou, their eyes meeting, one solemn, the other equally so.
"The country requires someone strong enough to lead and survive any threats," Leone nodded, leaving Shirou silent as Chouri picked up after her.
"This country needs its King," Chouri surmised. "A rallying figure to suppress all opposition until the time where the era of Kings and Emperors are no longer required. Let the succeeding generations of corrupt die out in the King's rule, and only when new life fostered from an era of peace and justice emerge should the ruler step down."
Shirou could see the way he was being stared at this moment. It was with tentative hope, the light in the dark, and he found something stirring within him. An old dream.
"Exactly, and that's why we need your help Mr. Chouri," Leone reasoned. Inwardly, she found herself impressed at Chouri's insight. It was no wonder the man had been the Empire's former Prime Minister.
Searching Chouri's features for a positive reaction, Leone and even Sheele would be surprised to see the man sigh.
"You wish to use my connections, but I'm afraid that you have all been going about things the wrong way," Chouri sat up straighter, wisdom in his political years shining through. "If you believe that just by recruiting myself, that you have a better chance in obtaining the seat of Emperor, then you'd be correct. However, let me ask you this."
Here Chouri regarded Shirou. "Is your goal to usurp power, or is it to change this world's society of deceit and treachery?"
"…" Shirou didn't need to answer for everyone in the room to know what choice he'd make.
For a moment, Chouri felt content seeing the kind of person Shirou was, but it was precisely because of this that he felt the need to lay down all the facts. "If you wish to change this society, then seeking political backdoors and favour in line with critical analysis theory of the Empire's upper echelons won't do any good. What matters is how you're perceived in the eyes of the Empire's people."
"The people…" Shirou echoed in understanding.
"It's not about whether one becomes Emperor or not to institute a meaningful change in a country. A country is its people more than its sovereign ruler. To lead, one must lead with the confidence and faith of the masses. In such a case, your decision equals the decision of the Empire as a whole."
The words were impactful and on point, but Leone grew incredulous the more she heard.
"What are you getting at Mr. Chouri? Cause from what I can infer, you seem to be insinuating on using upright means to obtain power?" Frowning, Leone crossed her arms and grunted. "In case you didn't know, there's not a lot you can do rightfully in the face of a corrupt system," she reasoned with a grimace.
"That's all the more reason." Chouri remained stubborn. "Ms. Leone. You, like many of our Empire's citizens are disillusioned. Frankly speaking, if you were looking at things from a common standpoint of an Empire citizen, you would care less about a new Emperor suddenly coronated. Bad policies and resentment instigated by 'wronged' nobles afterward may even lead to rebellion and loss of innocent life, getting us nowhere."
Chouri paused to let it all sink in.
"Now hear me out," Chouri implored. "What if a just King, a rightful ruler different from all others appeared? Regal in bearing, compassionate in nature, what sort of effect would such a King have on the citizens who have grown cynical to Imperial rule?"
Leone's eyes widened as she considered the scenario which was even more impactful for her as she grew up in the slums of the capital. The image blew away all world views.
-He'd be someone trustworthy.
Shirou stilled, parallels suddenly being drawn from a standpoint he'd almost forgotten.
"To be King, you must prove that you are without corruption and greed." Chouri balled his hands into fists, gesturing flamboyantly. "Attaining the throne by anything less than a straight forward declaration of your right to rule signifies shrewdness and a scheming mind, neither of which the ordinary citizens of the Empire consider virtues to abide by and trust."
The means of an Assassin could not be used, and neither could the plans of any politician.
One must walk forward a single step at a time and pave the path in which others may only look upon and revere.
It is the path of a King.
Chouri grew more and more heated.
"You must prove that you are righteous!"
No tricks.
"You must prove that you are undefeated in merit and cause!"
No ploys.
"You must prove that you are the only choice for a bright future!"
No ruses.
Each sentence felt like a hammer unfailingly boring a nail into Shirou's inner psyche. The livelihood of others was worth more than a sense of uncomfortableness at being in a position he didn't think he deserved.
"I ask you of royal blood," Chouri stood up and regarded Shirou before him. "Are you capable of this?!"
In the confines of Shirou's own mind, a sword stirred, the root of its legend and path of its wielder urging it forth: The tale of a chosen King, the duties that station held, and the people saved because of that sacrifice. The parallels were the catalyst, the intentions too similar to ignore.
For a moment, Shirou fell into silence, causing Chouri to sigh believing Shirou didn't possess the drive.
"Alas-" Chouri began before his words were suddenly cut short.
Light began to shine, radiance growing insurmountably.
Chouri, Leone, and Sheele were forced to shield their faces, a warmth pervading the area around them like none other. A mother's touch, a father's embrace, the same protective sentiment resounded within the light of glowing stars.
It was a light of selection, of choosing, little motes rising in the air.
In Shirou's hands involuntarily appeared a sword, exquisite in make, mysterious in aura.
It was her sword; the one that had changed her very life; and the one that she'd drawn without hesitation for her country, for her duty. Now, it was his turn to find himself in a similar circumstance, and of royal lineage.
If he would follow in her footsteps, then all the better to provide a beacon in this society of lies and corruption.
The bold and the righteous will shine through and amass the hearts of the people.
The Warrior King stood here.
Shirou's current image was beyond anything able to be described with mere words. As the light bathed him in his entirety and nearly obscured his figure, it was as if a herald had descended from up high proclaiming the coming of a destined prophecy.
An image of a woman in blue with gentle hair of wheat, and emerald eyes smiled softly in almost acknowledgment. She was beautiful, stunningly so.
A-A manifestation of a Goddess?
No one had seen anything like it before, and in this world where magic was said to exist, so too did the supernatural.
A sign. This had to be a sign!
As the image of the woman faded in the light, and Shirou came within view, features solemn, determined, the rest could no longer help themselves.
This was the future of the Empire, blessed by the heavens, a premonition to the stars.
In deference, Chouri got on a knee followed gradually by Leone, then Sheele, even Spear who'd been feigning sleep in her father's tirade forced herself to a kneel. In her eyes which had only contained despondence, a twinkle emerged shared by all present.
The path ahead was clear.
Seize it, and make it your own.
The path to kingship.
The path to change.
The following day, news would spread that would shock all who heard of it.
No more running, no more hiding, no more ploys…
A formal proclamation, upright, noble, and just, far different from anything Elaine or the other members of Calla could have comfortably come up with, resounded throughout the land using Chouri's own connections. Carrying the symbol of the Imperial bloodline for authenticity, it shocked all, even garnering the full attention of the masses.
Let the Empire's armies gather…
Let the Revolutionaries march forth…
A War of Succession had been declared in the opening act of the Empire's Kalance Plains.
Elsewhere, and far off.
"What the hell did he end up doing in the Empire?!" Elaine bit down on the nail of her thumb, her thoughts in disarray and body pacing back and forth in alarm.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go on script!
None of this was. What changed?
"Gather everyone who's able! We march to Kalance Plains!"
Calla would move in support of their Emperor.
A beaker of wine fell, spilling alcohol all over as numerous shards of glass scattered.
Honest's features grew wretched before hurriedly issuing out orders to block information and perform damage control.
The declaration was a ruse!
Kill the imposter!
With the Revolutionaries, the main leaders glanced at each other, and decided on a course of action.
-Good or bad, change was coming for the world as a whole...
Thanks for reading, and thanks to my newest patrons: Necrosis and Pocket Rat!
Next update: TBA
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The Lonely Peak
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