What is a Man?

I Copycat

Summary: A series of somewhat disconnected oneshots that explore the alternate universe life of Hans, formerly known as The White Star of ancient legends. Ancient White Star Hans, Dark!Hans AU.

Copycat

Arm was a name Hans often heard of—not in the Henituse Estate—but whispered by those with dead gazes, worn hands, and a trembling countenance. He took little note of the organization. There were always people playing such games, growing and spreading their empires until their demise; few people who played had happy lives and even fewer had happy ends.

Hans had given up on playing such games a long time ago.

He had won the game. . .then promptly lost. Not that winning the game felt like winning, it had brought him no happiness.

To hold the world in the palm of one's hand and tell it what to do sounded thrilling. To be able to do whatever one wanted; buy whatever one liked; eat the most delicious foods; drink the most expensive wine; laze around in the sunlight; have everyone attentive to one's needs, likes, and dislikes.

He thought he would have been happy to have everything, but all it made him feel like was that he had nothing. The illusion broke and he realized the farce he had believed in. Unfortunately, because of that distraction, he quickly lost everything he had gained through years of wars, planning, and sacrifices.

It really was a miracle he survived.

Hans enjoyed the job he had now. It was. . .entertaining? Fulfilling?

He struggled like he never had before. He was able to laugh alongside and at the other servants.

The oldest son did not appreciate his mocking, but also tolerated him to some extent. It seemed Cale was lacking someone who would truly argue with him, instead of refusing to argue, obeying immediately, or silently leaving.

—

Hans stocked up on vacation time for a bit—he appreciated how generously the Henituses treated their employees—then went to the East Continent.

It had been a long time since he had been able to explore this place. Many things had changed. Old countries had crumbled and new ones formed. Villages became towns and towns became cities. Cities stagnated, regressed, or grew. Volcanoes had erupted and formed rich soil. Seas had risen or fallen. Earthquakes broke mountains and lifted up valleys.

Taverns were the best places to hear news without the danger of being caught eavesdropping. No one would bother you if you chose the right seat, kept your head down, and ate your meal quietly. Staying silent had the bonus of making it a lot easier to hear other people talking.

He searched for those wearing the uniform of Arm in taverns and was not disappointed in what he gleaned.

"-only dead mana."

". . .we're not supposed to-"

The most important piece of information he discovered in the early morning before his ship was set to sail back to the West Continent.

"-but The White Star. . ."

That title, that name, made Hans dig his nails into the table. It was being used in the present tense, to refer to someone's order.

This investigation was personal now, not just some curiosity about a growing behemoth. He had built that reputation himself and he did not appreciate identity fraud despite abandoning it.

Unfortunately, the ship leaving tomorrow was his only chance at getting back to the Roan Kingdom before his vacation time was over.

Hans sighed and stood up. He left money on the table for the server to collect along with his dishes and walked out the door.

—

He thought about everything he knew.

Arm destroyed Harris Village. They attacked the Capital of the Roan Kingdom. They poisoned a swamp in the Forest of Darkness and supplied the dead mana to the mermaids. There was the corruption of the rotting Mogoru Empire and the surprise coup d'etat of the Whipper Kingdom. The Northern Alliance headed by Paerun had been long planned, but overturned with the efforts of Cale Henituse and the noble's friends.

Everything Arm was doing or tried to do pointed towards someone desperately attempting to control the West Continent.

The dragons were also slowly disappearing, something far more concerning than the wars of humans, elves, and beastmen. That reeked of foul play more than anything, it took a lot to kill an adult dragon. None of them would just drop dead.

Perhaps there truly was a new White Star, a warped image of him. No, Hans reconsidered, this fake copy was maybe more true to what his aspirations had been than what Hans currently wanted. However, certainly less skilled. Hans had never suffered losses like this, even to that guardian fellow. It was said that mimicry was the sincerest form of flattery, but it was extremely annoying when the mimicry was so much worse than the original.

But, this war did not concern him. He would need time to see if that previous statement needed to be modified with a, 'yet'.

—

Hans listed the ancient powers The White Star had displayed. Although he had not fought with him or seen him yet, Hans was acquainted with most who had.

He looked at the list and felt like cursing. Hans could feel the outrage building up in his throat at the knowledge that The White Star now possessed his stolen powers, with the sole exception of the Bloodstained Pebble.

He allowed himself to fume silently before connecting the information with what he already knew before. This led Hans to a new conclusion: considering the new White Star had the Sky ancient power, was using it, and was producing massive amounts of dead mana, he must have forged a deal with them.

—

Hans stared at the white crown. The jewel in it was slightly broken, but the circlet still hummed with untapped energy.

He had noticed the Dominating Aura Cale brought back, with how well acquainted he was with the ancient power. He heard about the halved Sword of Disasters. But this was the first time he saw the crown. . .in maybe a thousand and a half years? Perhaps longer, he had lost count after he was betrayed.

The idea of splitting up the things associated with being the Dragon Catcher was ridiculous. Of everything Hans had heard, that was probably the thing that enraged him the most.

Had the fake White Star gotten so bored and stupid that he wanted to create an opposition?

Hans suspected something else was going on after meeting the Dragon Half-Blood, but he wasn't sure. He didn't have enough information, and the chimera was so abused that it would be hard to pry much out of him. Hans would have to find another way to gather information, or have others gather information for him; such was the privilege of being employed by Cale Henituse.

He wondered how long it would take for the young master to find out about the demons?

A/N

I don't know what I'm doing with this alternate universe, and you can't stop me.

Go blame auroracode for this au, she came up with it.

Shout out to auroracode and o0phylyra0o (tumblr) for betaing.

—TheSilverHunt3r