[VERGLAS, THE SNOWCRYST]
Mercurius slept peacefully in the throne room. His leg was slung over the throne's armrest, and his arm drooped over, off the side, and almost touched the floor. His dark green winter overcoat covered his face and most of his head, leaving nothing but a few spiky bangs poking out near the back.
THNK~
The door to the throne room opened. Lieutenant Leznar walked inside, a thin smile on his lips. He came up to Mercurius and waited by the foot of the chair for him to notice. Mercurius remained fast asleep. Instead, Leznar bent over the throne, his figure looming over the green-haired man with a simple, curious expression. He placed his hand on the coat and dragged it away from Mercurius's face.
"Wake up, boy."
Mercurius stirred. Leznar watched him yawn, graceful in even that simple action, and stepped back. Mercurius looked at him, one eye still half-sleep, and stared up into the ceiling where the sun and moon looked down at him. The moon had taken on a more noticeable outline. Here in Verglas, where both could be seen in the sky, whenever one had a stronger outline, it typically signaled what time it was for most of the wider continent.
"Is it night already?" Mercurius stretched his arm.
"Almost day," Leznar revealed. "But the news I have is much more interesting than the time." Mercurius looked up at him and sat up in his chair.
"Has Nauruan arrived in Zenica yet?"
Leznar folded Mercurius's coat in his hand and fondly looked over the emblem on the back. He nodded. "Hours ago, with the cargo."
"I see," Mercurius smiled. "It was a good thing that we had Inizio to escort him. Getting Nauruan aboard a Wyvern Ship would've been impossible without him. Now it's all up to our friend." Leznar threw the coat back onto him.
"Forget the ship," he said devilishly. "I told you I had much more interesting news, didn't I? Listen closely." Mercurius's brows furrowed as he looked at his lieutenant's hand. Inside Leznar's palm sat a dark blue gemstone with carvings in its center.
"A runestone?" Mercurius surmised.
"Precisely," Leznar said. "The same one that went out almost half a year ago somewhere out in the center of the continent."
It was then that Mercurius became fully awake. "The two Scavengers? Dopi and… Hatagi, right?" The lieutenant nodded and crushed the runestone in his hands. Next, he took out an envelope from within his inner robe. Its corners already looked to be open.
"I received this a few moments ago from Upper Xugitz, who reported to me that it had been left out in the open of the glades before the Bridge Of Frozen Echoes."
"I really wish you'd stop referring to the Uppers by their last names," Mercurius muttered. "Just call her Lucielle."
He saw the look in Leznar's eye — the one that said that he didn't care — and gave up with arguments. Instead, he took the envelope from his hands and ripped apart what was left of the shoddy stamp seal. "The only person I know that could evade Lucielle's detection and expect her to find out would be…"
"Yes," Leznar interrupted, his smile growing. "Liutenent Ceasar." Mercurius could sense something impatient in his tone. Was it excitement? Leznar never gave much voice to his feelings; he'd never really cared about anything that wasn't chaos. It had to have been related to that was the case.
"So Nero finally returned," Mercurius said. "I wish that he'd at least stay every now and then instead of running off. He puts himself at great risk working with the enemy."
"That is not what is important!" Leznar smiled. "Read the contents! Quickly!"
Ram,
Two shadows found an Axis not far from Durlin. Though they summoned me some time ago for assistance in splitting the shares, you may remember them. Hatagi and Dopi, they were called. You punished the former quite harshly once for trafficking children, remember! ♥️ It seems he still hadn't learned his lesson… he'd been dealing illegal Sanctum Cores with the Church under your nose through me. Are you mad I didn't tell you until now? ♥️ Well, too bad. I thought I could handle it and didn't think it'd be worth your attention until now, okay? Forgive me! 💔
Mercurius did as he was asked and scanned the briefing. "So he was the one who had found the two Scavengers," he read. "It says that they had come across an Axis before they died. They must have been planning to steal everything of worth that they could get their hands on. Hmph. I never liked traffickers like Hatagi. If I didn't need him to build the world Eclipse was formed to create, then I'd have left him worse off than with just a scar along the neck."
He continued reading the last few sentences:
They died terrible deaths. I wasn't able to survey the scene well, but from what I gathered, it was slow and crushing for them both in different ways. I don't think much of them remains. I'm thankful though! ♥️I got to let loose for the first time in years! I battled the lightning, Ram! The lightning! I learned a name, too: Aleximus. A child, I think, who got away along with one other.
The lightning stopped me from taking them 💔
Mercurius reread one of the lines Nero had sent slowly: "I battled the lightning."
Leznar's smile grew. "You understand, don't you, Mercurius: what Hatagi and Dopi found inside the Axis? Or rather, what they found?"
An image of purple lightning flashed across Mercurius's mind with the sound of thunder, painting it with an image of a man he'd once known long ago. He could still remember the wet blood that dripped from the hair of the Thunder Ninja; the half-mask that revealed only his cold eyes; the dark gauntlet mounted on his right arm with a golden blade capable of smashing obsidian. He even remembered the dark purple kimono — an item that could have easily been mistaken for black if not for all the red spider lilies scattered about the man's chest, back, and torso.
"Matsuda… Onix," Mercurius breathed. "He was alive this whole time?" With the way he spoke, one might have been mistaken in thinking that Mercurius feared the Onix Embassy shinobi, but it was actually the opposite. Leznar watched a relieved smile stretch across Mercurius's face until it could almost be confused with a huge grin. "Well, I'll be!" the green-haired operative boomed. "How interesting! How interesting!"
"Are you pleased?" Leznar mused, "To hear of your old friend?"
Mercurius put down the letter and stared at him. His green eyes shone like a child's with the news. "What do you think, Lieutenant?"
"Hmph," Leznar noised. He crossed his arms and nodded to the letter. "I doubt that Matsuda Onix would have been pitifully living in seclusion in an Axis for no reason."
Mercurius shook his head in agreement and thought back reminiscently. "Twelve years ago, the Church Of Gabriel announced his and Runnulf's deaths shamelessly to the world at large. When Nero began working as a spy, I had him confirm both the Imperial Database and the Mormon records to see if it was true. For Runnulf, his signature had long since disappeared, so there was no arguing whether he'd died or not. As for Matsuda, Nero said that even that information was scarce amongst the Archbishops. The most he could confirm was that Pope didn't want anyone to know what they didn't."
Leznar snorted. "You people and all your deceit."
"Yes, all us humans sure are shameless creatures, aren't we? Violent, fearful, loving, ignorant. It would be best if we were all washed away."
Mercurius ran his hand through his hair and looked back down. "But like you said," he said, "the Matsuda I knew would have never lived in hiding alone had Runnulf died. He'd of sooner died with him. So why? Why did he choose to live in the Axis?"
He stared back at the letter, his eyes falling back to the child's name Nero had marked out: Aleximus.
The name sent a jolt through Mercurius so strong that he shot up to his feet, his eyes burning with bewilderment. Another image played in his mind: a scene from over a decade ago. He'd forgotten where it had taken place, but he recalled a pair of arms reaching out and presenting him with a pair of newborn twins.
Mercurius was barely even eighteen back then; his expressions and face were much different than the current him. The twins cooed, fast asleep with their hands unconsciously linked.
"What are their names?" he remembered asking stiffly. He had still been learning to be expressive with his emotions and not as flat as he always was.
Two voices mixed in his mind and overlapped, but he heard them both say the same thing: "Jacender and Aleximus."
They're alive, too! He beamed. But how?! No… that doesn't matter! The twins survived the ordeals of the Eden Search! Does that mean that Runnulf succeeded in shielding them? When he died, did Matsuda take over raising them in the Axis? It would make sense why we didn't hear of him until now — he'd honor Runnulf's last wishes above revenge if that's what it came down to. But to build an Axis without an Artifact Of Imperium while on the run…
Something clicked immediately. "I see!" Mercurius snickered, his laugh reverberating off the broken ceiling and old castle walls. Leznar's blue eyes glittered as he watched him.
"The Codex," Mercurius mumbled to himself. "With that, it would have been possible." He hung his head in his hands and laughed louder. It was an eerie sound born of an irony only he had any idea of.
"What is it?" Leznar asked. Mercurius grabbed his belly and roared louder. He staggered as he did, his figure bathing in the light emitted by the sun and moon above.
"I-It doesn't matter," he wheezed quietly. He wiped a tear from his face and fell back into the throne. His eyes didn't leave the roof. "Hey Leznar… life sure is interesting, isn't it?"
Something flashed across Leznar's face, almost imperceptible, but there. For a moment, Mercurius wore a face the lieutenant hadn't seen since the man was a child almost over two decades ago. It was one of the few things able to truly make his heart flutter.
"Have your thoughts changed with these revelations?"
Mercurius shook his head, like Leznar was a fool to have even asked the question. His hand reached for the broken sword handle fixed to his overcoat and drew it so quickly, it looked like it had already been in his hand. He pointed it at the ceiling and aimed it between the spot where the sun and moon were separated.
"Since the beginning, my goal has remained the same. Everything that makes this world run as it is will be brought down and rotted out from the inside out like the sickness it is." Mercurius smiled, and as easily as tensing a muscle, a sheen of green Sanctum Energy erupted from his boots and ran up his legs until his midsection, arms, and head were completely covered. It soaked the sword handle too, converging at the point where the blade was meant to be. For a moment, the energy looked as if it would take shape. Within that same moment, the energy receded with a sigh from Mercurius, dying down like it had never been there to begin with.
Leznar looked up. The point Mercurius had pointed to began to crack. The fracture broke through an old pillar connected to the floor and ran along what was left of the ceiling until—
BADOOOOM!!!!!!!
Everything came crashing down in the center of the throne room, but not a single pebble or piece of debris dared to hit Mercurius or Leznar. The overhead lights shone brighter than they had ever done before now that they weren't barred by the wall. Mercurius — his eyes still fixed on the sun and moving above — smiled as he lowered his arm.
"And if there are going to be any obstacles," he said, "then we will do away will all ceilings. No exceptions."
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-----—
[THE ST. ROSEBURY, DRAGON-DOME SPECULUMN]
Aurora looked around to her sides, her cheeks still red. Other than Jacender, who stood next to her, dozens of people were still flooding the observation deck, all in hopes of seeing takeoff. She knew that a lot more people had boarded and chalked the small number up to most passengers having already seen a Wyvern Ship take off into the sky before.
They had both come down the curved dark marble staircase, veined with amber, everyone else had. Jacender's eyes were filled with indescribable glee as they'd passed the miniature sword-shaped lanterns that breathed warm orange light through the long corridor leading to the Speculum. They were amongst the first to arrive at the two massive onyx doors that were four times the height of even the orange-black uniformed guards, so they had gotten the honor of seeing it open. She'd flinched when Leon — Jace's pet lion — let out a half-squeal, half-snap at the glowing constellations etched onto the doors as the guards pushed it open.
Aurora looked up, above the arch, in carved bronze lettering where the name "Dragon-Dome Speculumn" was framed beneath the initials S.R., gilded in gold-copper. "Look," Jace said, as he pointed to the two immense banners flanking the archway by the door. "What is that?"
One had a strange image: a sleeping dragon curled protectively around a longsword that was thrust through a crown. The other he recognized as the Church Of Gabriel's symbol: a white dove clutching two golden keys in its talons.
Aurora turned even redder. "Don't you think you should… uh…"
"Hm?" Jace noised, turning back to her. She gulped hard and looked away. "Your… hand," she mumbled. She raised her hand, incidentally raising his as well. Jacender still hadn't let go of her since they'd come downstairs earlier.
Jace raised his brows, oblivious to it all. "What are you talking ab—"
Before he could even finish, Aurora's red face turned darker, her shyness quickly transforming into anger. "YOUR HAND, YOU WINGNUT!" she boomed. She slapped away his fingers, drawing eyes and whispering to them the second she'd done it.
"W-What was that for?!" Jace yelped. He clutched his hand tenderly and winced.
"It's bad manners to take a lady's hand without permission!" She huffed air out of her nose and fixed her stance, putting her back to him. "Let this be a lesson, weirdo!"
Behind them, Aleximus and Alexander had finally entered the colossal dome, catching the tail end of Aurora's shouting. Aleximus moved forward to say something but was immediately caught by Alexander, who'd read his movements and guessed that he'd go to defend his brother.
"Hold it!" Alex whispered sharply. "What is wrong with you? Can't you act normal for once? Just enjoy takeoff!"
Aleximus gave him a stern look. "Argh," he groaned, "you don't even know me, you idiot. Get off! Who said I wanted to enjoy takeoff?"
He pushed him away and shook his head. Then, Aleximus looked around. That said… this place is beautiful…
The Speculum was a room larger than any he'd ever been in. It spanned most of the fifth floor alone and its sheer height rivaled a cathedral's, with a width of a palace he'd see in a children's book. A glass canopy arced overhead in elegant spacing of dark steel and the same gold-orange color that decorated the rest of the ship. The layout provided a panoramic view of the skies from the front, left, and right of the ship. He could see clear as day the Wyvern that pulled the ship ahead and the great chains attached to its sturdy mouthguard that connected it to the ship.
Even below was a spectacle. The floor itself was a mosaic map of Pendragon, engraved with amber-tinted lines that marked the kingdom's borders and routes. He grew even more fascinated as he read of towns, cities, mountains, grasslands, and states. Names like Danarch, Wrymwood, Branwyld, and Albion stared back at him.
Though this wasn't his first time on a Wyvern Ship, Alexander hadn't yet been on this particular ship before. Because of that, it seemed that he was drawn to a towering marble statue that stood in the center of the deck: a knight standing firm with a sword in his hand and the Archangel Gabriel to his back, his hood on, reading from a thick, dark book.
A raised dais of stone plaques sat by the angel's feet, humming as golden wisps of energy lit up the circular platform he and the knight stood on.
Alexander's brow furrowed with silent frustration. The knight's section of the statue was given less treatment than the archangel's. As someone who claimed to be like the man he stared at, it was as if an insult had been hurled not only to the stone knight, but to Alexander himself.
Aleximus noticed the shift in the boy's demeanor and looked on quietly. After a moment, Alexander took in a breath and turned away. "I'm gonna get something to eat," he said as he made his way towards a small eatery tucked in the corner of the observation deck. Aleximus squinted his eyes and saw the sign: The Emberlight Table.
So that's why there are so many of those tables in here. He glanced around, making note of the ornate circular tables spread about the deck accompanied by cushioned black chairs with orange leather. This place is gigantic.
Jacender echoed the same thought aloud. "It's gigantic," he said to Aurora. The little witch turned to face him.
"Huh?"
"The ship," Jace clarified. "It's gigantic. But everything else is so small."
He stepped towards the left of the observation deck, where fewer people stood and looked out along the town of Zenica. It was getting darker. If it weren't for the streetlights coming on, he wouldn't have been able to make out the figures along the Terminal lines, waiting for the next ships to come in. Leon came by his side and looked out. Only he noticed something in the distance, fast approaching the ship. He turned his head, giving it a long look before purring. It looked like a person, the cub thought. A person riding something extremely fast.
Aurora came forward and stood by Jace. "My master once told me that even though Wyverns and Dragons are related, Wyverns are less intelligent. They roam the skies lazily without a clue as to what's going on and are content with pulling these ships through the gates as long as they're fed and have somewhere else to sleep. Dragons, on the other hand, aren't so easily taken advantage of." She looked at the vermilion-scaled beast and sighed. "Dragons rule the air but are as much a part of it as the thunder and rain. They can't be tamed. They make their own way forward on their own terms, whereas Wyverns are told what to do. Maybe they're the small ones in comparison, right?"
Jace fell silent for a few seconds before smiling. "No, I don't think so," he said. "No matter how dumb they are, the Wyverns choose to accept the humans who take care of them, right? They get fed, are taken care of, and help in return. I don't think that's unfair at all. They're smart enough to know they have a choice, too."
Aurora's lips parted, but no words came out. She stared at Jace for a good moment before her lips curved into a smile. "My master said that too," she admitted. "I didn't think you'd be that wise."
Leon tugged at Jacender's pants. "Hm?" Jace noised with a furrowed brow.
"Grr! Grr!" Leon repeated. He moved closer towards the window and growled loudly. Jace looked at Aurora, who shared a similar expression of confusion, and then approached the window.
The cub let go of his pants and faced the terminal dock where the handlers had finally finished packing away all instruments for takeoff and sealing the ship exits. Beyond it, where the wider town stood, Zenica's laps brightened with a lucid glow of sandstone orange. It was then that Jacender's eyes squinted. Perhaps it was because of the mostly cleared out terminal line for the St.Rosebury, or the streetlights themselves,s which made seeing into the distance easier; or maybe it was a sixth sense — a feeling of importance so specific that the boy just couldn't ignore. At any rate, once he looked on, Jacender's heart nearly skipped a beat.
A familiar flash of red fur blasted down the paved roads, past people and establishments as it ran with someone on its back. Judging by its path, it was headed straight for the St.Rosebury, but that wasn't what froze Jace in his tracks. No, it was the identity of the creature.
Aurora watched a huge grin of disbelief stretch across Jacender's face as he pressed his face and body against the window's surface, drawing the looks of many of the passengers around them. Leon's expression was the same. He couldn't help but let out a great roar at the sight of his fearsome mother.
"Aryeh!" Jace boomed through the glass. The sound caught both Aurora and Aleximus — who had been studying the map below — off guard. Aleximus started for the window, ready to give him an earful.
"What are you—"
"Aleximus!" Jace spun. He grabbed his brother and pulled him toward the terminal docks. "Look, you bastard!"
Aleximus's jaw slackened as his eyes fell upon the lioness barreling for the Wyvern Ship docks. All four of her legs dug into the cobblestone below her, blowing it apart as a shadow of red-fire Aleximus assumed to be Sanctum Energy flickered off her paws. What the… he staggered. What is she doing here?!
"Shouldn't she be at the Weeping Forest?" he asked. "Did Nahasch let her out?"
Aurora came forward and stood next to them. Following their line of sight, her eyes were naturally drawn to the Sanctum beast. And unlike the other two who were familiar with the lioness, she — someone with a big fear of cats — was not all too pleased to see such a large beast running down the streets. "Eep!" She flinched. "You know that thing?!"
Leon barked in response and circled Jace, jumping up and down with joy at the sight of her. It had only been a few weeks and yet…
"Wait." Aleximus started. His eyes narrowed, making out Aryeh the closer she got. He saw a figure wearing on her back a golden-brown hood, crouched low to avoid falling off. Due to that, he wasn't able to make out a face. "There's someone with her," he said curiously.
Jace leaned even closer into the window, his nostrils flaring. He just barely made out the golden dragon on the back of the person's robe, flapping in the wind behind them as the lioness made its way towards the terminals. "N-No way!" he breathed. He jumped away from the windows and searched around for something.
"Aleximus!" he shouted, finally seeing what he wanted. He took off, motioning for his brother to follow. Aleximus chased after without a second thought.
"Yeah!"
Aurora turned, questions in her eyes, but it was clear that neither brother would stop to answer. Aleximus barely knew her and definitely didn't like her, and yet for the first time that evening, Aurora saw a look on his face different from the usual frustration and uncaring expressions he wore with her:
A smile — or at the very least the hint of one — playing on his lips as he followed after his brother.
Leon pursued the two with a pleased snarl. After a few seconds, they had arrived at The Emberlight Table, where Alexander had just gotten a plate of food and prepared to sit down.
"Alex!" Jace yelled, knocking the food out of his hand. "There you are!"
A girly "Aieeee!" escaped Alexander's throat before his small roasted duck and sweet potatoes fell to the floor with a klang! His plate shattered on the flood, tiny pieces of it mixing up with the food so he wouldn't dare to touch it.
"What's wrong with you?!" Alex screamed. His head seemed to inflate like a balloon as he shouted. "That was my favorite, you know!"
"Shut up for a second, you bastard!" Jace yelled. It was the first time he had actively raised his voice at him, so Alex froze for a moment with shock. That gave Aleximus enough time to grab him and pull him close.
"Listen, idiot," he said with a serious look. "We paid for your ticket, so pay attention! Is there a way to get the doors open before takeoff?"
Alex's brows rose. "Now? Ha! Like hell there is!" He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up at them in the same arrogant fashion he always did when he knew more. "Once those doors are locked, they won't open again until we get to Pendragon!"
Aleximus sucked his teeth and let go.
"T-Then is there another entrance?" Jace asked. "Or an exit or something for emergencies? There has to be something!"
Alexander scanned their eyes, realizing that this wasn't some joke or impromptu curiosity. This was a real question with real stakes behind it. They were coming to him genuinely for help.
"I…" he racked his brain. "I've only been on a few Wyvern Ships since I was born. Some for school field trips, but this time was the first time I snuck out and left home by myself. If I remember correctly, every Wyvern Ship has an emergency caboose at the opposite end of the hall behind the staircases! Security should mostly be in here, helping the passengers get settled, or by the first floor, making sure luggage and doors are good to go, so they might not be watching! It's dangerous, but now…now would be our best shot!"
The light in Jacender's eyes grew more intense as he whirled around and made for the door. "Ah! Thanks, Alex!"
THMF!
Alexander grabbed onto Jacender's arm, nearly getting himself pulled along by the boy's insane physical strength. "W-What are you doing?!" Jacender
Alexander let out a sigh and shook his head. "I told you, didn't I?"
Aleximus watched Alex take out his comb and fix his hair with a new air of swag. Alexander pocketed the tool and held his head high with confidence. His orange eyes looked the color of sunset with his determined expression.
"It's dangerous," he declared, taking off in front of Jace. "I don't know what you two are up to, but what kind of knight would I be if I left you to something that reckless without doing my best to help keep you safe?"
He straightened his collar and smirked. "Besides, you two are my benefactors, aren't you? It's only right to repay those who've helped you."
Aleximus stared at his back for a quick moment, a newfound respect for Alexander taking hold in him. He wasn't aware of many of the laws surrounding the Wyvern Ships, but he knew that if it weren't for Alex warning them many times, he and Jacender would have most likely been kicked off by now by the guards and forever banned. You do a lot of posturing for someone so soft-hearted, he thought. He hid a smirk and nodded to his brother.
"Come on, Jace," he said. "The ship will be in the air in a minute or two. We don't have much time."
Jace clenched his fist so strongly that Aurora heard an audible tightening — like leather had been twisted. "Yeah!"
These three… Aurora looked on in wonder. They're… so strange… aren't they? What could possibly be so worth risking your life for?
Before she could answer her own question, she felt something tug at her feet: Leon. The cub nudged her forward so she would follow. Then, Aurora felt her palm get clasped for a second time that evening. "W-Wha—" she blushed, looking from her hand to Jace.
"C'mon!" Jace said, his eyebrows nearly dancing. "I know it's improper, but you have to come, too, Aurora! We need your help!"
He took off, Aurora in tow, with Leon not far behind them. The lion's tail wagged at the prospect of seeing his mother one last time, but there was someone else whose feelings were building so steadily that she felt they'd puncture a hole in the roof.
Someone… said they need me? Aurora's heart fluttered. I… I've never….
Her lips trembled, but she held it in with a strong exhale. It feels good!
Her and Jacender went after Aleximus and Alexander through the Dragon-Dome's double doors, not knowing that someone had their eyes on them the whole time: a man in a bucket hat and round polarized shades — the very same man who had been observing Aleximus and Nauruan when boarding the St.Rosebury.
Like before, he tipped the brim of his hat lower and turned away from the door, back towards the window. He looked on at the approaching lioness and co., his expression and true thoughts concealed behind his shades.
[CONVERGENCE]