Emerion found his younger sister at the exact same spot where he had clashed with Anathema the day before. Arlienne was sipping her usual morning tea, her expression one of such calm composure that any stranger would have mistaken her for a well mannered, gentle young lady. But Emerion was no stranger to his sister; he knew the sharp edge hidden beneath that porcelain mask.
He stood a few paces away, debating how to tell her that he had just handed over every single coin in his purse to a child. Before they had fled the Eastern Dawnveil Estate, Arlienne had secured a significant sum of gold, a portion of which she had shared with him. Now, Emerion began to wonder if he had made a catastrophic mistake.
'I guess I should have only given that kid half... but how was I supposed to know how much money is actually 'much'?' Emerion thought, facepalming as the reality of his financial situation set in.
Arlienne finally looked up, her gaze tracing his frustrated movements before she rolled her eyes.
"You are zooming out again, brother. How was your beauty sleep, hmm?" Arlienne asked in a teasing lilt. The remark annoyed Emerion, but he ignored the barb, walking over to sit across from her at the small, wrought iron table.
"My sleep was just fine..." Emerion said, trailing off. He studied her, wondering how to broach the topic. Arlienne was unpredictable a chaotic force of nature. He remembered the horror of the human bombs she had utilized for "negotiation" when Pristilia occupied their territory, and then her sudden decision to run away with him, despite having mocked his own desire for freedom before. He felt the onset of a headache just trying to reconcile her past actions with her current demeanor.
Arlienne's smirk widened, she could practically see the gears grinding in his head.
"Are you alright, brother? You look as though you could use some tea," she said, watching him over the rim of her cup.
Emerion let out a heavy sigh. "No thanks. I prefer coffee." He huffed slightly, having always viewed tea as a bitter medicine rather than a beverage to be enjoyed.
"Still not fond of tea, I see. You haven't changed a bit," Arlienne remarked. "I suppose your future wife will simply have to bear with your endless list of likes and dislikes."
"Well, by your preference, Pristilia would have just shoved whatever she wished into my mouth" Emerion retorted, his voice tinged with a lingering spark of anger. The memory of how his sister had proposed that political marriage still felt like a betrayal.
"It was not a 'preference,' brother, it was the right choice for the House at that time. I will admit, however, that I was wrong in judging her character. I see you still hold some... hostility toward me for that," Arlienne said, taking another slow, deliberate sip of her tea.
"I think I have plenty of reason to be hostile. You sent human bombs, sacrificing their lives.."
Arlienne cut him off, holding out a hand like a cold stopping signal.
"I believe we had this conversation before we decided to depart. But to remind you: that move won back our territory. It worked as an element of surprise," Arlienne said, her voice rising slightly before she instantly composed herself. In the heat of the argument, Emerion briefly forgot why he had come looking for her in the first place.
"You call it an element of surprise? You know what else is an element of surprise? You" Emerion said, pointing an accusing finger. Arlienne looked at him sharply, her half-lidded eyes suddenly piercing.
"I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment. But judging by your tone, I'm certain it isn't a compliment," she said, her tea now forgotten on the table.
"Stop playing mind games with me. What changed your heart so suddenly, huh? You were always our parents favorite. You had a name for yourself, a position, value, respect everything I didn't have. So why did you decide to come here?" Emerion asked. The questions had been festering in his mind for a long time.
"I told you at the beginning, brother. It is because the outside world is full of knowledge and unexpected things. But to describe it simply it was for the element of surprise itself. Everything out here will catch you off guard. It makes you do things you thought you couldn't, makes you feel things you've never felt, and makes you understand things that seemed impossible before" Arlienne said, her gaze challenging him.
Once again, Emerion found himself at a disadvantage. Seeing her brother hesitate, Arlienne pressed on.
"You still cling to the past, brother, despite the fact that we are on an adventure of our own. Also, you are on this adventure because of me. I could have easily decided to go back home and take you with me. So, in a sense, you could say you received your so called freedom because of me" Arlienne said, her tone perfectly composed.
Emerion wanted to argue, but the truth in her words stung. 'Is my freedom something given to me, rather than something I earned?' he questioned. But then he remembered the blast, Pristilia's humiliation, and Alec's descent into madness. He gritted his teeth.
"The end doesn't justify the means. Perhaps I have what I want and you have what you want, but what about the losses people suffered because of our desires?" Emerion asked, his voice shifting from an argument to a genuine, pained question.
"I have said this before, brother you cannot be 'good' for everyone at the same time. Besides, if I hadn't been there that day if I had been late that psycho would have ended you. You were badly hurt" Arlienne said mockingly.
Emerion took a deep breath to steady himself. "Thank you... I said thank you that day, and I meant it. But Alec went insane, his uncle was injured, and people lost their lives in that blast. That isn't a good thing." He moved his hands through the air, a sweeping gesture meant to emphasize the gravity of the loss.
Arlienne watched the movement and smirked. 'You are learning, brother,' she thought.
"Every Noble House is at war with the others. Casualties will happen no matter how much you try to avoid them" Arlienne said, her tone softening with a masterful touch of manipulation. "Alec is at Miravale Island receiving treatment, his uncle is safe and now holds a strong position in our House Council. They helped you, and the favor was returned. In the end, you don't need to burden yourself."
Emerion felt the psychological weight of her words. He felt like an angry bull that had been expertly tamed by its master. A wave of self hatred washed over him. 'First Pristilia, now her...' Suddenly, a missing piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
"What about Pristilia, then? I used the ZALTREIGN spell against her; she probably knows exactly who I am now. What is your plan for her, anyway?"
Arlienne's eyes lit up. "Well, she has already escaped, I am sure of it."
"Escaped? How? She was in a mana sleep, and her general was bound by your spell!"
"My spell was destined to be broken by her general, I expected nothing less from a Largimor Knight. Once he escaped, he would naturally take Pristilia with him. There is no chance of her revealing our identity or accusing us of being clones now" Arlienne said, her voice brimming with the pride she took in her invasions.
Emerion felt a strange, lingering relief as his anger began to dissipate. Before he could speak again, his stomach let out a thunderous growl. The sound caught Arlienne completely off guard.
"You are hungry... why haven't you eaten? It's almost noon," she said, glancing at the high sun.
"W-well... I gave my money to charity," Emerion admitted, looking away in intense embarrassment.
Arlienne rolled her eyes. "I expected as much during this journey. How much did you donate?"
Emerion's face burned. "All of it."
The world seemed to pause. Then, Arlienne erupted into laughter. Emerion wished the deck would open up and swallow him whole.
"It's so funny! You are so foolishly kind, brother! Haha! But thankfully, I kept the majority of our shared funds with me. Rest assured, you won't starve. Now, let's get you some food," Arlienne said, standing up and dragging her brother by the arm. Emerion simply hung his head, avoiding the gaze of any passing strangers.
Scene Shift
The three boys finally stopped shaking, but their minds continued to wander back to that bloody, unforgettable night. In the silence of the infirmary, they couldn't help but compare the memory of Aurelith's cold slaughter to the overwhelming power Emerion had displayed on the deck.
"What should we do, My Lord?" Ryuuken asked, his voice finally breaking the suffocating tension that filled the small hall.
"I don't know..." Mui replied, his face a mask of hollow stone, showing no expression at all.
"In a direct confrontation, I don't think we can beat him easily," Rui stated flatly. "I felt it yesterday he was holding back a lot during our fight."
Ryuuken's fist connected sharply with Rui's face. "As if his whole family isn't scary enough, you're making him out to be even more of a monster now!" Ryuuken shouted, his voice thick with a mix of frustration and fear. Rui merely rubbed the back of his head, accepting the blow.
"But it's true," Rui insisted with a heavy sigh. "He had already figured out both of our abilities. If we encounter him head-on again, he might find out Mui's abilities as well."
Mui's eyes snapped toward Rui, casting a cold death glare that silenced the room. "I told you not to call me that," Mui said, the warning in his voice sharp as a blade.
Suddenly, the door of the small hall creaked open, the wood groaning as a man with a thick grey mustache entered.
"I have a proposal for you, Anathema," the man said, his eyes locking onto the fourteen year old raven haired boy.
"What makes you think our Lord would accept any proposal from a peasant like you?" Ryuuken barked, stepping forward defensively.
"Even if it were worth listening to, our Lord has been advised to rest by the healer," Rui added, his tone more composed but equally cold. The Captain, however, simply smirked.
"That's a shame. I am the Captain of this ship" he said, looking at Anathema with a calculated, provoking gaze. "I thought Anathema might have wanted to get back at that silver haired boy. It would be a true disgrace if the Anathema of House Corvus were simply defeated by a peasant."
Ryuuken and Rui were about to argue, their tempers flaring, but Anathema stopped them by placing a hand on their shoulders.
"What is your benefit in this?" Anathema asked, his tone guarded and suspicious. The Captain's smirk deepened, in his mind, he had already trapped Anathema exactly where he wanted him.
"I am just an employee, despite my position," the Captain began, his tone growing aggressive, reflecting a hidden well of hatred in his eyes. "A slave is a slave, no matter how much you dignify them with fancy names or titles. This ship was damaged because of that fight. The owner will surely blame me or worse. I want my revenge on that silver haired boy."
"You could have gone about this another way," Anathema countered, his deep hazel eyes boring into the Captain's soul. "You could have approached him instead of coming to me. Either you were rejected by him, or you are playing a double game."
"Well, it's obvious why you would suspect that," the Captain replied, his voice filled with a sudden, feigned passion. "But I have always preferred supporting the underdog."
"Underdog? So you know I am at a disadvantage. I think I should end you first," Anathema declared, his voice cold and lethal.
"My apologies if my words have upset you, Anathema. But I offer you my help. Come in!" The Captain clapped his hands sharply.
Two blonde girls stepped into the room. One carried a mature, steady expression, while the other looked noticeably more rebellious. They were identical, leading Mui to realize they were siblings.
"They are my slaves, Ririyen and Riruka" the Captain said, gesturing toward them. "With their abilities, you will surely defeat the silver haired boy." He paused for effect before continuing. "If you think I have any intention of betraying you, or if you find some scheme, then you are free to end them. You can even take an Oath of Echoes from me."
The Captain's words seemed to strike a chord with Anathema. The man was offering both of his valuable slaves as tools, and the Oath of Echoes was a binding magical contract that couldn't be ignored. Slaves were expensive and difficult to maintain, to offer them up was a show of extreme commitment.
"Explain their abilities to me" Anathema said, a hint of genuine interest finally surfacing. Ryuuken and Rui looked at their Lord in surprise, but they chose not to argue.
"Does this mean you have accepted the deal?" the Captain asked. Anathema looked at him with a gaze of pure disdain.
"Just know that we will both have our revenge" Anathema announced.
The Captain smirked. Convincing Anathema had been even easier than he had anticipated.