Location: Pinnacle ofSoarele Blestemat, Southern Area
Φ Sitting on a building by himself, looking into the distance of the city, Orb, with the three idiots sleeping beside him, rubs their heads as his hair constantly changes through a large series of colours.
"Is everything okay, my king?"
Raising his head, Orb says, "It's fine, Abbán. And don't call me King."
With his wings out, Abbán hovers right in front of Orb before taking a seat next to him and says, "What are you doing up here with those three?"
"I am listening to Suzuka and Iancu's conversation, very jealous, while the three geniuses here collapsed due to the stress of being rewarded by the Queen. Apparently, they picked their gifts earlier."
"That's all nice and good, but you should be resting in your bed; your regeneration seems to be stunned for a bit."
"I took too many electrical shocks to my body; even now, there are some areas of my flesh that my regeneration cannot reach. It's probably going to be a pin in my plan."
"What plan?"
"You already are aware of it."
"I want you to say it plainly so you can hear how foolish it is."
"I know it's foolish, that's why I am sitting up here and trying to reconfigure it into a brilliant plan."
"It doesn't matter what kind of food you make from poo; it will always still be shit."
"Not a very helpful thing to say to your king."
"I believe I am being very helpful, trying to promote rational thinking. Growth is important for young minds like yours, it can help you learn to overcome all kinds of difficulties."
"I happen to have a very developed mind, that's why, unlike you, I didn't panic when I first entered this country."
"I have enough mental fortitude to handle being thrown into a chaotic situation, but not enough to handle the thoughtless actions of you and Dumnorix. I was fully expecting one of you to jump the Queen."
Giving Abbán a thumbs up, Orb says, "Don't worry, I still plan on doing so."
"Just when I was finally able to recoup my bearings," Abbán says with a tired tone.
Laughing, Orb says, "Thank you for taking my mind off all of this, even if only for a few moments. But as your friend, I also need to ask how are you."
"I am a doctor, Orb. I have seen many die within my arms. You just get used to it."
"Can you, though? Every single person you meet invokes new emotions into your body as you experience time with them. When they die, those emotions turn against you. Is it even possible to experience enough death to capture infinity?"
"You're a romantic like always, but reality isn't a book. The way real people interact and ideas don't overlap the way you think."
With gold hair, Orb says, "Yeah, yeah. But the death wasn't what I was talking about, Abbán."
Orb's hair turned black, causing Abbán to rub his head and say, "I am fine, it's not the first time I have taken a life with my own hand, not even recently. You forget, but I did cut some people down back during my foolish war."
Cradling his own body, Orb says, "Maybe we should've executed you back then, it would've been just, and all the people you've saved would die just deaths as well."
Abbán slams his fist into the top of my head, and says, "You know for a fact that the people who got killed by me were far more directly involved in the situation that brought us to that point than what happened in Blestemate. It was far easier for the grieving families on both sides to forgive each other. False equivalencies only point out the flaws in your argument; they don't strengthen them."
Digging his head deeper into his legs, Orb says, "But as a ruler, shouldn't we always pick the path that saves as many lives as possible, otherwise we will eventually have t-." Orb's mouth closes quickly, causing Abbán to laugh a bit.
"Since you stopped right there, I guess this means you know."
Raising his head a bit, Orb says, "The Fanalis had to give a detailed dataset of all the members within your village, along with their powers, and other medical information. I checked the data to see whether any Fanalis disappeared unfairly. And there I found multiple logs of Fanalis who were both young and healthy being pronounced dead."
"After the war, the entirety of Nialathrú was completely devastated, and as we lost, we were mainly blamed for it. We were completely forced into a tiny little corner of the country, and many who were younger during the events of the war or born after didn't like that arrangement, and some even tried to start conflicts. We were only allowed to live in Nialathrú as a blessing; the rest of the Beastkin were a few bad incidents away from killing us, so each time they tried to spread this nonsensical ideology of going to war with the rest of the Beastkin, I killed them. I found where they gathered and ended many of their young lives for the sake of maintaining peace. Stamping out the little flames in their hearts."
Orb's hair turns red before turning white as he says, "I understand. If they tried anything, you'd have all been killed; you didn't have the power as we have now. It's a tough decision to make."
"Thank you, Orb, but that isn't true. Every time they spoke a grievance, every time they even tried to complain about the real challenges they faced, I denied it all just for the sake of giving them peace. The young have an inherent need to change and evolve what they see around them, and I constantly denied and fought against such a primal instinct. Whenever I saw them, I only ever saw the battlefield filled with bodies, the stench of death infiltrating our noses, the bodies of the children who hung themselves to escape from this nightmare, and the smiles of parents turning into scowls as they forced their children onto the battlefield. I couldn't see the people in front of me anymore; in that way, I had failed as a leader."
"Abbán."
Standing up, Abbán turns to me and says, "I think you should let the Queen do as she must, but you're a child; it is in your very essence to try and alter the world around you. So have this."
Abbán reaches his hand into his mouth and takes out a book covered in wrapping, then places it on top of Orb, making the little wolf boy say, "Cool."
"That's a book that recounts the 2nd Queen's Alucard life. Unlike the other books about him, it's a biography written by the Queen herself."
"How did you get this?"
"I didn't, the 3 idiots you see over there requested it soon after your conversation with her. They thought it could help you get a better understanding of the situation before you engage in stupidity. Though it upset the Queen so much she used all three of their gifts for this."
Turning his head, says, "Why would they do that?"
"The young might have a need to alter the world around them, but the old also have a need to ensure that the young can move forward with more than they could have before. It's their legacy onto you."
Abbán, extending his wings, flies off and says, "Don't get yourself killed, Orb," before soaring away as the young boy stares at him with a smile, yet it quickly vanishes as rain starts to pour down on his head.
"I need to get out of here!"
-Break-
Location: Rooftop ofSoarele Blestemat
Φ With the rain beating down on his dragonic body, Cyrus swings his sword, causing the air pressure to force the droplet of water to scatter away from him. He continues to do this as he moves around, and in front of his eyes, Angra constantly moves to attack him.
He dodges and counters over and over again, running around the rooftop, yet as he moves, his back slams into a thick substance, which forces his head to turn.
In front of his eyes, Orlok stands with Cyrus's back pressed into his chest, causing the Dragon to jump back and say, "S-S-S-Sorry. My prince, why didn't you inform me of his presence?"
The image of Angra transforms into Zahhak, who says, "Keeping track of your surroundings is important as well, Cyrus."
Cyrus quickly takes a bow and says, "I didn't mean to do th-hat."
"No need, it's just a sign you were lost in your training. Be proud of such intense concentration."
Raising his head, Cyrus looks at Orlok and says, "You're not g-going to kill me f-f-for being up here."
"Do you really think that is a good enough reason for me to draw my blade?"
Cyrus's mind flashes back to him about to strangle Orb, and with an angry expression, he holds his lips as he glares right at Orlok.
Laughing, Orlok says, "I guess I don't have a right to say that after what I did earlier. The Queen once told me that I should live my life full of my affections to truly experience what life has left for me. Sorry, but I don't mean to apologise for ever honouring my Queen, and you can keep a scowl on your face for me assaulting your king as much as you want."
"I will do that!"
"That's a good fighting spirit you have there, but you should at least keep one thing in mind."
Orlok draws his blade and swipes it upwards before sheathing it again, and says, "I am still far above you." The clouds in the sky are pouring rain severely in two, dispersing them all, bringing the shower through the city to an end.
Cyrus stares at this sight in awe as his fist tightens.
Orlok turns and says, "That's all the Queen asked me to do; you can continue your training."
With his body trembling, Cyrus shouts, "IS THAT STRENGTH YOU HAVE ACHIEVABLE?" Orlok freezes, and Cyrus continues, "Is the power you wield something that anyone can achieve or is it only locked to you, Blestadrac, and other chosen by the Gods?"
"And what if it is? Why would you ever convert such power to establish dominance over others?"
"No, I need it to protect those I love. They're vulnerable and precious. Many will come for them. And I don't want to see them ever die. I want to be able to best people like you and Angra, but I don't want to lie to myself, so I need to have someone say it. Is that strength you hold achievable by anyone?"
Smiling, Orlok says, "Yes, it is. As it stands, there are multiple humans in their short lifespans who could duel with me, with the outcome undecided. There are around six who could kill me without a doubt, I can name off the top of my head."
"I see, then PLEASE SPAR WITH ME!"
Stopping Orlok says, "You think you'll win?"
"No, but I need to learn the secrets of the strong if I mean to progress forward."
"That's a good mindset you have, Cyrus, so let me join as well," a strong voice says.
Looking past Orlok, Cyrus says, "Dumnorix!"
Holding his sword in his hand, he allows it to drink his blood and says, "I happen to have the same thoughts as Cyrus, so would you humour me with a duel as well?"
"Hey, I was here f-f-f-first!"
Picking his nose, Dumnorix says, "You're used to being second best, so you can wait your turn."
"I would have you know, I am n-no longer second best, I can use Advent!"
"Do you really think I can't as well?"
"Wait, can you?"
"Try and force me to use it, and then you'll see."
Pulling out his sword, Cyrus says, "Then I will take you both on at the same time."
Looking into the sky in annoyance, Orlok says, "I didn't agree to this."
"Fine, squashing a bug along with a giant isn't that much of a problem," Dumnorix says.
"I am the person in question here," Orlok says.
Dumnorix and Cyrus draw their blades and lunge forward, saying, "Let's begin!!"