King Me

Full Circle

Yancey exited out of the hut, relieved to be out of Faust's presence, and yet, more so that he was recovering. She sighed, glancing at her sickle for a moment, stuffing it into her new white robe's pocket. The door from her own hut swung open before she was even near, and Aurelia stepped out upon. Despite the healing effects of the stream Aurelia was hobbling on wobbly legs, and Yancey dashed to halt her.

"Where are you going?!" Yancey asked, and Aurelia nodded towards Faust's hut.

"Words must be broke with the Doctor,"

Yancey couldn't comprehend what thoughts churned beneath the fiery hair of the roman woman. "Want me to go over with you?" Yancey asked.

Aurelia thought for a moment, pondering the idea, and nodding. "Yes. Attempt to divulge the endgame that Faust and I dance around with words. If you figure things out, do not speak of them. The gods are intrusive and meddling. If you do not divulge the intent of our conversation, worry not, yet remain ready to play your part when called upon,"

When called upon? Yancey wondered, but knew better than to ask, and simply helped Aurelia towards Faust's hut. Yancey pulled Aurelia towards Faust's door, the mighty white horse watching their approach. The beast stamped and whinnied, playfully stepping towards them and away again. Aurelia hummed to it for a moment before adding, "Not the final dance with death we shall have before this story is told,"

Yancey cocked a quizzical eyebrow to this. Aurelia took notice but only smiled, tightened her grip around Yancey, and shook her head. The two entered Faust's hut. He stood at the far side of the hut, peering through a book he'd selected from the shelf, unbothered to glance towards them as they entered. He clapped the book close, slid it back onto the shelf, and with on mighty leap cleared the entire distance of the hut to stand before them.

Aurelia and Faust stared at each other for a moment, and Yancey felt like an awkward third-party. Finally, Aurelia spoke, "Your wife; what does she represent?"

Faust's face softened for a moment, and yet hardened again, mixing a concoction of rage and depression into the necromancer's face, "Phanes is the god of consciousness. Life as we know it, and the fact that we are able to know it, are attributed to her,"

Yancey recoiled, "Wait, your wife is a god?"

Faust's face went from an unhealthy mixture of anger and depression to something along the lines of... pity? "Has such only just occurred to you?" Before turning to Aurelia, "Has she purpose for being present? This conversation must remain tightly lipped, and woven carefully,"

Aurelia, to Yancey's ecstatic pleasure, retorted, "Yancey is far wiser than you suggest. Had you not remained in possession of pertinent information, I would ask you to leave, Doctor."

Faust scratched at his ear in a vain attempt to appear undisturbed by Aurelia's intricately crafted condescending words, "I meant no offense,"

"Doubtful, and yet to my dismay, we must not linger on your shortcomings," Aurelia gestured for Faust to continue.

"My wife, the propagator of consciousness, remains one of the few pillars separating Mephistopheles from annihilating all life within our universe. They are two sides of the same coin: life and death. As death becomes a prominent factor in the universe, Mephistopheles' power grows. In contrast, while life flourishes, Phanes does. By weakening her, Mephistopheles hopes to cease her existence."

Aurelia was already drawing conclusions that Yancey had missed, "So the point of the tournament was for Mephistopheles to enhance his own power. A typical motive, one that I had consequently predicted from my own time upon the field of war,"