Thomas Strongarm left the scene.
Vito was about to follow when a voice called out.
“Stop.’
Vito halted his steps. He turned his gaze back at the Lady who sat alongside two of her pupils. Their gazes were terrifying, and even as someone who had seen through the scorched-earth policies that the Holmian government had assumed on the Easternside and the Demikin Domiciles, it was scary.
The Mistress of the Magi, Lady Bellatrix De Ziba.
The Matriarch of the Whitefall Family, Lady Velia Whitefall, and Lady Velna Whitefall.
Lady Bella flicked her finger. The room was surrounded by this barrier of light that coated the wall.
“I thank you for obeying us, Colonel Vito. Oh, don’t kneel. I might look regal, but I did fight for liberty and fraternity once, and do not like servile people. Keep your legs straight, I don’t like bended men.”
Vito remained standing. “Madam, were you the one who?”
“Who made the fool rant? The summit is a waste of time, they won’t bend. The Easternside is enriched with the materials that we need to keep this society of ours that have become hyper-dependent on a single resource alive.”
A hydroelectric crystal drifted into her hand. “One crystal can power an entire unit in a single month. We placed restrictions, since not doing so before had cause the crystals to reach a critical mass. There is a formula that was concocted by the Hounds, but most of the Hounds have disappeared after their Master and Leader disappeared during the civil war.”
She made the hydroelectric crystal spin. “I have control over most of the Magi, but there are those who still follow Minerva and her Collective has grown larger because of the Magiborne that they have created. Rene and Kristine have always been against me, and though they call me a madwoman for supporting the death of the non-human races. The extinction of the demikin, no, the regular culling of the non-human race will be our source of unified anger. How close are we to turning the very weapons that he had given to the world?”
Vito was silent. Lady Bellatrix’s expression remained calm as she manipulated the hydroelectric crystal.
“We need more time to keep our distractor talking in this summit. However, Minerva, and the loose dog will keep on barking until they get their freedom.
“I pity them. The loose dog, and Minerva deserves every right to manifest their destiny, and keep on the wheel of time turning. But they are trying to claim a seat of power in the name of their own. I cannot allow that, not when the world isn’t exactly as stable as it has.”
Lady Bellatrix placed the crystal back where it came from.
“Thomas Strongarm,” Lady Bellatrix muttered. “Is he a native here?”
Vito nodded. He took out the documents that he acquired from the military.
“The records of his career are in his dossier. Here are his recent activities.”
Lady Bella flipped the pages. “Oh, I remember this woman. I see...she has retired from service and started an orphanage.”
Lady Bella gave a satisfied smile. “To think that such a woman from the Commissariat would become caretaker. Good for her. And the rest of the dossiers?”
“Here they are.”
There were two more files on the table.
Lady Bella took the file that has the photo of a woman. “Melia Lazni, huh, a medical nurse that served in the last five years of the war, and is currently living with Mrs. Nana. Oh my, she must have been acquainted with her.”
She moved to the next photo. “Alden...Fals?” On the dossier was the photo of a young adult with short, rough hair. Lady Bella moved her gaze on the words written on his profile. “This one has quite an interesting history. So he is part of a ferry that almost sank, and has become an amnesiac?”
“We had requested additional data on this one. He’s cleaned, and it looked like he had a clerk job before his documents were burnt down during a fire. He seemed to have no practical military training and was employed in the orphanage.”
“I see. So we only have to watch over Melia and Nana. Do you think that Thomas Strongarm will cooperate?”
“Permission to speak freely?”
Lady Bella lifted her lips. “Of course, you are free to speak , Colonel Vito.”
“Thomas Strongarm will protect Miss Wendy with his life I can guarantee that. He might be looking for a way out of his job, but he knows deep inside that if he doesn’t please his sponsor today, then it will be all for naught.”
“Colonel, I like keeping my promises. I hate those who do not fulfill their promises, so if he does well then it shall be done. But if he does too well, then I might have to keep him employed.”
Vito nodded. He took the document from the Lady, and placed it in his leather bag.
Lady Bella fixed her fingers together. “Minerva will be around, I can assure you that. Wendy, she is someone who I cherish as much as my pupils. Colonel Vito, I don’t care if he misses a limb or two, but if harm comes to Wendy, then I shall personally have to intervene. You don’t want that happening with the concord we signed...but I do not take it lightly when someone threatens my family.”
“I understand, Madam.”
“Good,” she leaned back and watched Vito with the same red-eyed stare, “you are one of the few who could be trusted here in Holmia. Also, try to keep safe, Colonel. We still have a lot of work to do in these trying times.”
Vito nodded. “I shall go back for now, Madam. The security should be tightly kept, and with Thomas guarding Ms. Wendy, then you can be less worried.”
“I see. You can go now, Colonel.”
Colonel Vito went out of the room. “The Lady really is too much to handle, I wonder how anyone could even talk to her when she doesn’t hold her aura back.”
His face looked calmer after he got out of that room.
Colonel Vito stopped. His eyes looked at the towering buildings of Knia.
“What a mess,” he said, continuing forward.
***
Lady Bellatrix watched the door for a moment before taking away the coating that was keeping everything quiet. The extra quiet does make them nervous.
“Big Sister, are you tired?”
“Oh my, do I look tired?”
“No, how could Big Sister be tired?”
“Milady, I think you should take it easy.”
Lady Bella shook her head. “It’s not everyday that I can see you, my dearest pupils. Look at you two, so young, despite your age.”
“You shouldn’t one to talk, Big Sister!” Lady Velia said. “Still, I wonder if Wendy will be alright. I do trust Colonel Vito, but it might be a problem if there are more.”
Lady Bella placed her hand on the glass. “It has been years since I had to drag you to this mess. It was unavoidable that you two have gotten involved because of the civil war that the Crown Prince caused. I understand that there was a need to save the Princess, even though she didn’t want to live long as well...but nonetheless, it has been two years since we’ve last met, and I thank you for being with me ever since.”
“Don’t say that, Big Sister,” Lady Velia said. “I...my duty would have been harsher if you weren’t there. I knew nothing of ruling, and with how things went after Big Brother saved Lazon. I was still a child back then, but not anymore.”
“That is right milady,” Lady Velna said calmly, “it is through your guidance that we have managed to survive until now. Where would we be if it wasn’t for your wisdom? We would have been under the rubble, rotting, and would have joined in the next life. When those things came for our home, we could only shake our legs, and it was you who had safely led us away.”
“That’s right,” Lady Velia said. “Dada...Mama...they were proud of you for holding. And even though Big Brother left too early. You still stayed with us! Throughout the years, and even when the legislation for the Unified Lazon came to be, you had tirelessly endured, and even took on the role while I did nothing other than learn!”
“My, my, surely you don’t think that you are not equal?” Lady Bella smiled fondly. “The little girl truly has grown up to become a fine woman, isn’t she wonderful?”
“Indeed, she has grown wonderful. If Lord Derrick and Lady Alma could see her now. They would have been proud of her.”
Lady Velia lifted her head, then looked at the two fondly. “Big Sisters, I am still lacking, but you can rely on this Lady now. I am no longer young.”
“Indeed, you aren’t,” Lady Bella walked to her side. “I am fond of your work, and because of this we are able to garner more support. I don’t know how your Big Brother managed to gather so much in a short time, and even years passed...I still wonder what made him so capable of accomplishing those many things in a hurry. But he had poured everything on creating that he did not care about the foundations. Without him, the organization was displaced, and they did not have a command. As for Aunger, Ike, and Martina...they have not been seen after the attack in the underground cities of the Hounds. Even now, we don’t know the true resources they gathered,” she looked at her pupils in deep pondering. “I barely had realized it, but how he was able to pull through many connections. Even now we could not untangle it, and led everyone by the nose.”
Lady Bella looked at her palm. “Nonetheless, as much as I like to tell you about what I had seen, and even though he had avoided a great disaster at the cost of his life. There is still danger lurking in the future...the civil war...that was something he didn’t know would happen or did he? Perhaps all he thought was defeating that monster in the first place, and what he had prepared was something he thought was enough. But nonetheless, time can be merciless, and that there is no absolute. My pupils, my family, and my dearest ladies of the pact.”
Lady Bellatrix De Ziba raised the back of her hand in front of the three.
There was a mark that looked like a crown with a lighting streak across it.
“It has been fifty-seven years since I had bestowed the pact upon you two. Though the use of the spark had been regained because of our competition who had rediscovered and relearned the use of it. And even if Mildred has been leading the Magi ever since she was crowned Empress, and became a Whitefall in response to my request. You two are still the closest that I have in this world. I thank the two of you for following me as the Mentor of the Whitefall Society. I may not share the Whitefall name in hopes that I could avoid the prying eyes of Minerva, and have risked you two for my safety. But I would like to ask the two of you to do what you can. We must tide through the coming storm, and prevent this land from burning. For this time, there is no longer anyone who could face another calamity like the one that broke the skies back in 1923. But I won’t make the same mistake as my foolish husband.”
Lady Bellatrix, the name that was given to her by the people during the seven-year war of the tripartite alliance against the Empire, and De Ziba, the name of her favored rifle.
It was silly of her, but creating that name gave her the strength to continue on fighting. On the night that she buried the remains of her husband on that hill was the start of her long journey.
Though there was a time where she thought that it was her duty since she had joined the family.
Fifty-seven years was a long time.
But the heart that didn’t want to lose anyone ever again kept on beating fanatically.
I'll protect them in your stead, so don't worry okay?
I'll be good.
"The remains of the Exiled One still lives on and those who try to defile the seal my husband made for me shall be our enemy. Minerva and her Magiborne cannot succeed."
Then the red-eyed stare became that of madness.
"We'll burn them if it means stopping them."
Thomas Strongarm left the scene.
Vito was about to follow when a voice called out.
“Stop.’
Vito halted his steps. He turned his gaze back at the Lady who sat alongside two of her pupils. Their gazes were terrifying, and even as someone who had seen through the scorched-earth policies that the Holmian government had assumed on the Easternside and the Demikin Domiciles, it was scary.
The Mistress of the Magi, Lady Bellatrix De Ziba.
The Matriarch of the Whitefall Family, Lady Velia Whitefall, and Lady Velna Whitefall.
Lady Bella flicked her finger. The room was surrounded by this barrier of light that coated the wall.
“I thank you for obeying us, Colonel Vito. Oh, don’t kneel. I might look regal, but I did fight for liberty and fraternity once, and do not like servile people. Keep your legs straight, I don’t like bended men.”
Vito remained standing. “Madam, were you the one who?”
“Who made the fool rant? The summit is a waste of time, they won’t bend. The Easternside is enriched with the materials that we need to keep this society of ours that have become hyper-dependent on a single resource alive.”
A hydroelectric crystal drifted into her hand. “One crystal can power an entire unit in a single month. We placed restrictions, since not doing so before had cause the crystals to reach a critical mass. There is a formula that was concocted by the Hounds, but most of the Hounds have disappeared after their Master and Leader disappeared during the civil war.”
She made the hydroelectric crystal spin. “I have control over most of the Magi, but there are those who still follow Minerva and her Collective has grown larger because of the Magiborne that they have created. Rene and Kristine have always been against me, and though they call me a madwoman for supporting the death of the non-human races. The extinction of the demikin, no, the regular culling of the non-human race will be our source of unified anger. How close are we to turning the very weapons that he had given to the world?”
Vito was silent. Lady Bellatrix’s expression remained calm as she manipulated the hydroelectric crystal.
“We need more time to keep our distractor talking in this summit. However, Minerva, and the loose dog will keep on barking until they get their freedom.
“I pity them. The loose dog, and Minerva deserves every right to manifest their destiny, and keep on the wheel of time turning. But they are trying to claim a seat of power in the name of their own. I cannot allow that, not when the world isn’t exactly as stable as it has.”
Lady Bellatrix placed the crystal back where it came from.
“Thomas Strongarm,” Lady Bellatrix muttered. “Is he a native here?”
Vito nodded. He took out the documents that he acquired from the military.
“The records of his career are in his dossier. Here are his recent activities.”
Lady Bella flipped the pages. “Oh, I remember this woman. I see...she has retired from service and started an orphanage.”
Lady Bella gave a satisfied smile. “To think that such a woman from the Commissariat would become caretaker. Good for her. And the rest of the dossiers?”
“Here they are.”
There were two more files on the table.
Lady Bella took the file that has the photo of a woman. “Melia Lazni, huh, a medical nurse that served in the last five years of the war, and is currently living with Mrs. Nana. Oh my, she must have been acquainted with her.”
She moved to the next photo. “Alden...Fals?” On the dossier was the photo of a young adult with short, rough hair. Lady Bella moved her gaze on the words written on his profile. “This one has quite an interesting history. So he is part of a ferry that almost sank, and has become an amnesiac?”
“We had requested additional data on this one. He’s cleaned, and it looked like he had a clerk job before his documents were burnt down during a fire. He seemed to have no practical military training and was employed in the orphanage.”
“I see. So we only have to watch over Melia and Nana. Do you think that Thomas Strongarm will cooperate?”
“Permission to speak freely?”
Lady Bella lifted her lips. “Of course, you are free to speak , Colonel Vito.”
“Thomas Strongarm will protect Miss Wendy with his life I can guarantee that. He might be looking for a way out of his job, but he knows deep inside that if he doesn’t please his sponsor today, then it will be all for naught.”
“Colonel, I like keeping my promises. I hate those who do not fulfill their promises, so if he does well then it shall be done. But if he does too well, then I might have to keep him employed.”
Vito nodded. He took the document from the Lady, and placed it in his leather bag.
Lady Bella fixed her fingers together. “Minerva will be around, I can assure you that. Wendy, she is someone who I cherish as much as my pupils. Colonel Vito, I don’t care if he misses a limb or two, but if harm comes to Wendy, then I shall personally have to intervene. You don’t want that happening with the concord we signed...but I do not take it lightly when someone threatens my family.”
“I understand, Madam.”
“Good,” she leaned back and watched Vito with the same red-eyed stare, “you are one of the few who could be trusted here in Holmia. Also, try to keep safe, Colonel. We still have a lot of work to do in these trying times.”
Vito nodded. “I shall go back for now, Madam. The security should be tightly kept, and with Thomas guarding Ms. Wendy, then you can be less worried.”
“I see. You can go now, Colonel.”
Colonel Vito went out of the room. “The Lady really is too much to handle, I wonder how anyone could even talk to her when she doesn’t hold her aura back.”
His face looked calmer after he got out of that room.
Colonel Vito stopped. His eyes looked at the towering buildings of Knia.
“What a mess,” he said, continuing forward.
***
Lady Bellatrix watched the door for a moment before taking away the coating that was keeping everything quiet. The extra quiet does make them nervous.
“Big Sister, are you tired?”
“Oh my, do I look tired?”
“No, how could Big Sister be tired?”
“Milady, I think you should take it easy.”
Lady Bella shook her head. “It’s not everyday that I can see you, my dearest pupils. Look at you two, so young, despite your age.”
“You shouldn’t one to talk, Big Sister!” Lady Velia said. “Still, I wonder if Wendy will be alright. I do trust Colonel Vito, but it might be a problem if there are more.”
Lady Bella placed her hand on the glass. “It has been years since I had to drag you to this mess. It was unavoidable that you two have gotten involved because of the civil war that the Crown Prince caused. I understand that there was a need to save the Princess, even though she didn’t want to live long as well...but nonetheless, it has been two years since we’ve last met, and I thank you for being with me ever since.”
“Don’t say that, Big Sister,” Lady Velia said. “I...my duty would have been harsher if you weren’t there. I knew nothing of ruling, and with how things went after Big Brother saved Lazon. I was still a child back then, but not anymore.”
“That is right milady,” Lady Velna said calmly, “it is through your guidance that we have managed to survive until now. Where would we be if it wasn’t for your wisdom? We would have been under the rubble, rotting, and would have joined in the next life. When those things came for our home, we could only shake our legs, and it was you who had safely led us away.”
“That’s right,” Lady Velia said. “Dada...Mama...they were proud of you for holding. And even though Big Brother left too early. You still stayed with us! Throughout the years, and even when the legislation for the Unified Lazon came to be, you had tirelessly endured, and even took on the role while I did nothing other than learn!”
“My, my, surely you don’t think that you are not equal?” Lady Bella smiled fondly. “The little girl truly has grown up to become a fine woman, isn’t she wonderful?”
“Indeed, she has grown wonderful. If Lord Derrick and Lady Alma could see her now. They would have been proud of her.”
Lady Velia lifted her head, then looked at the two fondly. “Big Sisters, I am still lacking, but you can rely on this Lady now. I am no longer young.”
“Indeed, you aren’t,” Lady Bella walked to her side. “I am fond of your work, and because of this we are able to garner more support. I don’t know how your Big Brother managed to gather so much in a short time, and even years passed...I still wonder what made him so capable of accomplishing those many things in a hurry. But he had poured everything on creating that he did not care about the foundations. Without him, the organization was displaced, and they did not have a command. As for Aunger, Ike, and Martina...they have not been seen after the attack in the underground cities of the Hounds. Even now, we don’t know the true resources they gathered,” she looked at her pupils in deep pondering. “I barely had realized it, but how he was able to pull through many connections. Even now we could not untangle it, and led everyone by the nose.”
Lady Bella looked at her palm. “Nonetheless, as much as I like to tell you about what I had seen, and even though he had avoided a great disaster at the cost of his life. There is still danger lurking in the future...the civil war...that was something he didn’t know would happen or did he? Perhaps all he thought was defeating that monster in the first place, and what he had prepared was something he thought was enough. But nonetheless, time can be merciless, and that there is no absolute. My pupils, my family, and my dearest ladies of the pact.”
Lady Bellatrix De Ziba raised the back of her hand in front of the three.
There was a mark that looked like a crown with a lighting streak across it.
“It has been fifty-seven years since I had bestowed the pact upon you two. Though the use of the spark had been regained because of our competition who had rediscovered and relearned the use of it. And even if Mildred has been leading the Magi ever since she was crowned Empress, and became a Whitefall in response to my request. You two are still the closest that I have in this world. I thank the two of you for following me as the Mentor of the Whitefall Society. I may not share the Whitefall name in hopes that I could avoid the prying eyes of Minerva, and have risked you two for my safety. But I would like to ask the two of you to do what you can. We must tide through the coming storm, and prevent this land from burning. For this time, there is no longer anyone who could face another calamity like the one that broke the skies back in 1923. But I won’t make the same mistake as my foolish husband.”
Lady Bellatrix, the name that was given to her by the people during the seven-year war of the tripartite alliance against the Empire, and De Ziba, the name of her favored rifle.
It was silly of her, but creating that name gave her the strength to continue on fighting. On the night that she buried the remains of her husband on that hill was the start of her long journey.
Though there was a time where she thought that it was her duty since she had joined the family.
Fifty-seven years was a long time.
But the heart that didn’t want to lose anyone ever again kept on beating fanatically.
I'll protect them in your stead, so don't worry okay?
I'll be good.
"The remains of the Exiled One still lives on and those who try to defile the seal my husband made for me shall be our enemy. Minerva and her Magiborne cannot succeed."
Then the red-eyed stare became that of madness.
"We'll burn them if it means stopping them."
