Natalya believed that the enemy was careless. They believed in the technology that was marked on the back of their left hands that made them feel superior than they think they are. In truth they are nothing more than people with an advantage. The Magus she had met and the Nullers shared this glaring weakness. Does this mean that they are weaker? No, she could not find anyone who could easily match them other than the few who had superior training and better equipped.
Though lately they have been aware of their weakness. There was still something in them that made them stubbornly believe that their ways were superior. She had personally seen what the mark and the bloom could do. If it wasn’t for that day when the Holmians arrived in Academia. She would have not known that she possessed the Imperator’s mark. The mark that was craved for by many. A mark that belonged to the House of Whitefall.
She didn’t care about the mark. Natalya didn’t place all of her trust in the mark. She had placed more trust on her ‘Ziba’ than the mark on the back of her left hand. Truthfully, she wasn’t used to the ‘tingling’ that was bothering the back of her hand. It was an itch that she wanted gone, but was unable to get rid of.
Her personal rifle was delivered personally by courier. She had called Rosa to hand it over to one of the Magus who were in Flost and had it delivered. She carried the rifle inside her coat. She had let Crocker handle her rifle, and he was a man who appreciated a good rifle.
This time she didn’t bring Nano.
The enemy was not idiotic enough not to believe that there was no threat to their life this time. If the two Nuller didn’t return overnight, they would have expected that they had died. Though they had crushed them inside a mountain forest, there was no telling what other methods that they have in those gauntlets of themselves.
The leaders are not as strong as they should, She drove her car through a busy street. The Enforcers of Null were dangerous individuals tasked with protecting their members. A Nuller alone is dangerous in a way that they could stop a bullet if they know that there was someone targeting them one. I have to find the weak spot in their defense, and penetrate it.
Natalya had been relying on ricochet and misdirection to kill them. Her right eye’s being able to see sharp lines and a clearer view of the world made it easy for her to find them. As she entered a crossing, there was a traffic officer raising a hand to stop the vehicles. Natalya pulled the handbrake of her car, and watched as Holmian-mad vehicles carried a group of exoskeleton-wearing soldiers of Holmia.
They already look imposing without the suit. Armed with that, they can probably carry more gear. Is Holmia preparing for a war? Even the three are rather hesitant when it comes to dealing with Holmia.
Holmia was a nation of reason and progress. They were driven by desire and craving for knowledge. That knowledge also brought them the power to defend against the invaders east of their home. The Turian Continent was not a place filled with greenery and life. The vegetation was bare and there were only a few Oasis that kept them safe from the harsh winds of Turian.
The environment caused them to fight in open fields. Holmia was one of the few regimes who was able to remain, and some said that it was a Nation that was only as half as old as the Empire. Natalya had not met combatants from Holmia, but she did encounter free mercenaries during the war. Most of them were mad dogs that kept on charging enemy fortifications. Natalya didn’t want to face them if possible, knowing that their mercenaries are fearsome, she expected more from the Holmian soldiers.
The traffic officer gestured for the vehicles to cross the street. The heat of the sun seems to bounce against the stone roads of the city. The bustle outside of the car. The banners flapping about and the constant hubbub of propaganda and imperial songs of victory. Some of these songs were good enough to listen, and yet one simply could have too much of it. The ones in charge of playing the speakers at least understood that it was only played during start and the end of the week.
These songs mocking foreigners who fought against the Empire. The Emperor at least knows how to invigorate their people’s will. Makes it harder to live in this kind of place. Good thing that as long as they don’t know you are foreign, they wouldn’t give a shit.
Natalya found that though the Empire was peaceful on the exterior. There were many interior problems in regards to policies, lands, and reparations that they had to deal with. The Imperial Capital was safe from the fires of war because of the extreme defense of the Grand Dukes. Throwing their men against the three alliances, with the constant hammering of the artillery produced many casualties, however, it meant that the heart of the Empire was untouched. Outside of the Imperial City, there was a need for repair and rehabilitation. The three alliances were being squeezed dry by the Empire.
I’d understand why my brother thinks that I want to take his wealth, Natalya recalled the letter of her brother. It was quite the stern lecture on her ‘shameful’ behavior of going to the Empire, disregarding the graces of the Grand Duchy and the Republic of Frans. She didn’t want to bother with her brother dearest so she wrote a reply and told him politely that she was here to learn.
The next reply, she was told that she was going to be disowned. Her brother had too much pride in him that he felt emasculated at the idea and thought that a woman of the family was a fiercer warrior than him. Her brother was not a coward, and had defended and earned the seat of the head. Nonetheless, he couldn’t allow her to upstage her and ‘disowned’ her with the reason of protecting the family. It may sound petty, but Natalya understood how the minds of the Fransians worked. The Grand Duchy had little do with the war, and if they knew that the daughter of Wilde was running around the Empire.
They would have a chance to take some of their properties. Letting them choose whether they are ‘loyal’ or ‘traitors’ to the cause that the three alliances were trying to uphold. If she was the head of the family, and her brother was doing what she was doing. She’d throw him away without hesitation. The Grand Duchy was not a place for hesitation, and considering that the side they backed lost against the Empire. She could understand. Not that his brother would ever stop her from entering the Duchy. The soldiers of the Duchy won’t have the guts and the balls to stop her.
Even the war was simpler than this, Natalya thought. She pressed her foot on the pedal and pulled up to the side of the road where there was a spot where she could park her car. It was an area that didn’t take too much attention from any pedestrian going their way.
That building looks good enough, Natalya thought. She slung her Ziba across her shoulder, and made a running leap before hooking her fingers on the edge. She positioned her legs to a foothold, and started climbing the crack on the side of the building. Pulling her upper torso, she looked at a possible handhold, and leapt like a cat, one side of her body tilted.
She swung her body like a pendulum and used her upper body strength to clutch her hand on another. Could use the stairs, but no, you gotta be stealthy and tire yourself. As if everyone would be fine if someone carried a rifle to just enter a goddamn building.
Natalya stopped to take a breath. If he was doing this, I bet he’d be able to climb faster than a monkey. Silly girl, why do you keep him inside your head. No good coming from him. She grasped the length of the gap she could climb on, she pressed her feet on the side of the wall and took a cat leap. She climbed the loose bricks silently, keeping her body pressed in the shadows. She reached the top of a building, barely exhausted. I guess all that time escaping the manor and running around helped as always. I could have been faster, but gotta stay quiet.
She pulled herself up and rolled on the ground. She unslung her Ziba and scanned the top of the roof. She walked to the hatch leading to the roof. There’s a box I can use, she spotted the box and moved it on top of the hatch to prevent any entry.
Natalya checked her watch, and nodded. She picked up a suppressor from her bag and attached it to the barrel of her rifle. She didn’t know what metal it was made, but Nano was sure that it would allow her to suppress her shots. It doesn’t mean that it would be undetectable, but at least she could mask it using the sounds of her environment.
Natalya observed her surroundings. The shade of the sun was coloring the stone buildings and shingles of the Imperial Capital’s buildings. The heat was unbearable, but she was glad that there was no artillery or bullets whizzing around. She took a sip of her canteen, loosed the buttons of her shirt, and wiped the sweat on her cleavage. If Nano’s information about the target was true, then he should appear in this area. It was one of the busiest districts in the Capital. He was using this area to hide from the Magus’s pursuing them. She wasn’t the only one who was after their heads, and she among the many fledglings wanted them dead for the sake of the Empire.
I just wanted to fly. I want my own plane and be free from this, Natalya stared at the back of her left hand. Why do I have to get this? I know that they want to keep an eye on me, but even if I get my own plane, learn how to fly it, I’d still be a bird with a leash on its leg.
There was a desire on the Magi when they saw the Imperator’s mark on the back of her left hand. Not only that she possessed both the ‘mark’ and the ‘bloom’ on her left hand. It was also the sign that she was worthy to become this ‘Imperator’ that they seems to fond about.
They’d make me an Empress if they could help it, she thought. Give me a crown, and all the riches. A worthy ruler chosen by the Spark, has the right blood coursing through one’s veins. The Magi and the Null working together to serve under one…they could have made a better lie than that.
Natalya adjusted the magnification of her scope. She pointed the barrel of the scope to one of the bell towers and made sure to calculate the drop of the bullet and the distance she needs for the bullet to reach its mark. There were many factors that could affect a bullet’s trajectory, but she had been able to correctly do it innately and by instinct all the time since the war. She wasn’t the type to miss nowadays. Should I just remove the scope? Last time I relied on a scope, he almost got me in the head. I think he used iron sights and scope alternately. No point adjusting this other than I need to, out of habit.
Her face crumpled. She saw images flashed and became silent. She turned her eyes back to the area where the target should appear. Stop thinking about that for now. Focus on what’s in front of you. You need this if you want to get that plane they are offering, and the protection from those who’d want to cut your hand the moment they know that you have the mark.
Hiding the mark would have been the best thing, but she didn’t want to risk anyone other than the Magi’s to know that she held the Mark of the Imperator. It was her ‘divine right’ to rule and if any ambitious groups that didn’t belong to Nano’s faction decided they wanted her in a throne. She would have to suffer a headache. She knew how to hide her mark, but nonetheless she needed the extra layer of protection.
Two hours of waiting under the sun sharpened her head. She forgot about the other thoughts and focused her mind on the surroundings area. Not far from the building she was targeting was the Webman Company. There were a lot of Imperial Soldiers guarding the area. She suspected that ever since the ‘spark’ happened. There were many flies that were gathering around the Company.
The piece of equipment that they stole from the Null started to gather readings. Though it only notified her of any Nuller that was in the vicinity. It was enough for Natalya to determine where the target was. Her target was using the crowd to blend in. He wore a bowler hat and a business coat. He stood out in a way that his broad-shouldered physique made it clear that he was not out of shape. Natalya followed the man’s figure, her reticle following where he was walking to. The middle-aged man stopped. Natalya furrowed her brows. The man behind the scope was smiling.
Natalya immediately ducked her head. The flooring beside her exploded. She rolled out of the way, went prone, and aimed at the location where the fire was coming from. It was a strange weaponry that flung projectiles at high-speed.
On the top right of the building, Natalya peeked out of cover, and shot her rifle. Her bullet traveled to where it was expected, and yet it was flung by an invisible force. Looks like they are using misdirection as well. She scanned the area. Multiple figures traversing the alleys, using their gauntlets. Looks like they are covered in that cloak of haze.
Natalya knew she was being flanked. She took a head start and leaped out of the building, running across the rooftop, avoiding the projectiles that were coming at her. From the amount of readings she could get from the equipment attached to her forearm. She deduced that there were four of them hunting her down. If her old instructor could see her, he’d screamed at this foolishness. But she was fighting Nullers who had their own way of fighting. She could take on two if possible, but it was impossible to fight four of them at once.
Natalya needed to get to cover. The streets were off-limits. She could only sprint on the shingles of the building, avoid their fire, and return fire. Her bullets hit the mark. But all of them were deflected by that magnetic force that was parrying away her bullets.
Need to load my rifle, Natalya took a five-round stripper clip, loaded it into her rifle, and pulled the bolt. Most of the misdirection happens when you fire them directly. Going to need to ricochet the bullet, use the redirection against them.
She exhaled loudly, went out of cover, and fired her rifle near the enemy. She fired it in a way that it grazed the wall, and because their equipment didn’t register the bullet, there was little resistance as it slowly crawled into that barrier. There was not enough force to kill the Nuller as the bullet merely entered the body as if being pushed by a thumb. Natalya confirmed that pained reaction and fired again. This time the bullet passed through the skull of the Nuller, brain juices painting the roof.
The bullet casing flew from her Ziba. One of the Nullers charged in with extreme speed. She crouched, inserted the bayonet on her rifle, dodged the Nuller’s initial attack, and charged with a bayonet thrusted in the abdomen of the Nuller. She fired her rifle, picked the Nuller’s sidearm, and engaged the rest. She heard something piercing the air, she squatted curtly, pushed her forearm on the Nuller she just killed and used the bastard as a shield. She continued using the man as a shield until she found the right timing and leapt up out of the building, and into another. This time, she didn’t run away, she waited in a prone position, and then shot one of them who were in the process of grappling to another building. Nano did say that Nullers need two of their gauntlets if they want to operate two arrays. This confirms it.
Another casing flew out of the chamber of her rifle. She pulled the bolt of her rifle quickly and shot the other one who barely could activate the defense array of his gauntlet. The last one ran to Natalya with his fist bared, and started throwing punches.
Her enemy was keeping it clear that he had no intention of making her use her rifle. Natalya attempted to make a distance, but the enemy was fast and furious. Each jab and strikes were enhanced by this man’s gauntlet. Natalya tried to draw her sidearm, but he was able to land a hit on her forearm. Slinging aside her Ziba, she loosened her shoulders, raised her arms and entered a dance. Natalya evaded his strikes, parried with her forearm, strike with her elbow, and then threw a kick at the bastard’s abdomen. The thin smile on her face appeared, her footing confident and playful, as she made feints, and threw quick punches only for her to use the momentum of said punch into a kick to the side of the neck.
The moment the enemy was down. Natalya didn’t hesitate to play any longer. This wasn’t a martial arts tournament, and with the enemy down. She equipped her rifle again, and pulled the trigger before the enemy could stand back.
She heard another sound coming at her. She barely avoided the projectile as she ducked, rolled forward, and dragged the body of the man she was fighting to cover. She pried the gauntlet off her enemy and wore it on her forearm.
Gotta run, Natalya dived into the alley, swung her grappler, and headed to where the enemy was. Her mind focused and adrenaline pumped her body. She didn’t even notice that she was in the same place as the enemy. She activated the gauntlet, and used her equipment to counter the field around the shooter. Thrusting her rifle’s bayonet on the enemy, she gritted her teeth at the injuries she sustained coming to the vantage point. Her right eye ached and it was then that she saw something in the corner of her eye.
No words. No warnings. The target she was trying to kill unleashed a storm. She felt electricity crackling and there was something more dangerous. I knew Enforcers aren’t easy to kill, but this man, he’s harnessing the electricity here.
The middle-aged man threw a bolt of lightning. She hastily dodged, using the stolen gauntlet to fend off the enemy attack. Shit! Natalya cursed as she was flung. She hastily rolled to break her fall, she retreated, took potshots and cursed at how dense the field around him. The middle-aged man was burning his body, and he was a living storm. There was chaos that surrounded the area. She threw the prepared arrays on the crystals and yet she couldn’t see any dent on the middle-aged man’s defense.
Natalya only knew of the man’s face. She wasn’t interested in knowing his name or understanding any reasoning. She didn’t have time to engage this man in a conversation. She was here to put a bullet on this man’s head and it was going to be done. All of this, for the price of flight and protection from people like you. This better be worth it, Nano. I better get that damn plane.
She reached out to the bag on the back of her waist. She pulled the safety pin of her grenade, let it cook, and then threw it like a four-seam fastball at the enemy. The enemy could barely react as the grenade exploded and was followed by a quick shot with her rifle. The man was able to defend from the shrapnel, but the bleeding nose and the bleeding ears made it clear that he just suffered a concussion.
I went loud, Nano’s going to bite my ass for this, Natalya cursed as she fired another shot. The middle-aged man panicked and as if he had lost control of the power he was wielding. The gauntlet that he was keeping control with his mark created a shockwave.
The man followed him in blind rage as the pulse-like shockwave kept on trying to push her. She entered one of the buildings and shot her rifle twice as the people inside panicked at the sound of gunfire and the storm that followed with it. How in the fuck am I going to explain this?
Natalya barely landed on the ground, staring at her target.
The Nuller’s strength exceeded her expectations. Time to end this, she thought. She clenched her left hand, the Imperator’s Mark brimming with energy. “You are done!” she declared. She struck her hand out and the gauntlet the Nuller had exploded into tiny bits of pieces.
With the Nuller stunned.
She drew her pistol and shot the man in the forehead. The Nuller widened his eyes, before he fell back-first on the ground. The building that they were fighting on became unstable. Nonetheless, the damage that the Nuller had done was a mess. The Hounds will be after her.
As she slowly out of the building. She saw the chaos that was caused by the Nuller. The building that they were fighting on was close to the business district, and seeing the building starting to fall. She hurried out of the area, only for her to spot a lone figure carrying three people on his back and throwing them to safety. The person threw the people he carried and sagged. What the fuck are you doing here?
Their eyes met.
“Natalya?” his voice echoed
“What are you!?—”
He stopped and sprinted to where she was. Natalya panicked, she couldn’t stop him as she was grabbed by the waist and thrown outside of the window. The building slowly fell on him. However, she saw him running back foolishly, eyes pointed at something.
Dust covered the whole street. The Imperial Soldiers began to rush as sirens and fire engines gathered on the same location. Natalya entered through one of the gaps and navigated through the rubble. She didn’t know why she was inside this fallen building. Her mind blank and lost. As she searched through the debris and dust. She heard the cry of a little child. Following the little child’s voice, she saw a familiar dark hair with a reddish tint lying face-first on the ground.
His body skewered with metal rebar, his head tainted with blood as debris and shard fell on him, exposing a part of his skull.
“Big brother, I’m sorry, hick, I am sorry,” the child not far from him cried. Natalya took a step and blew the dust away with her bloom. She noticed that his knees were caved in, and there were fractures all over his body. The way he laid on the floor suggested that he had prevented a part of the building from hitting the child.
“B-big brother, he threw me away, and I-I—”
“Go now, child. Leave before the whole building collapses.”
“B-but—”
“I said leave, child!” her voice boomed with fury. The child, still shaking, hurried out of the corner she was hiding and ran to the path where Natalya came from. Natalya threw her rifle, Ziba, on the ground, and carefully rolled him on the ground. One of his eyes was squashed after he fell on the ground.
It was meaningless, but she pulled the rebar that was stuck in his body one by one. She laid his head on her lap and touched his forehead with her left hand. The Imperator’s Mark glowing dimly. She wiped the blood on his face and closed his eyes.
“Why are you here? Ah, this was close to the Webman Company. I did notice that there were Holmian Troops scouring one of the buildings. Were you negotiating again? That’s it then? You saw the danger, rushed in like a goddamn fool and got yourself killed. How awful and heroic. Then again, why is it that? I don’t understand. I don’t understand why.”
The Imperator’s mark created a whirlpool. She saw the ‘spark’ once again. The same spark that gave her the Imperator’s Mark. She watched as the spark separated from the back of her hand and proceeded to attach itself to the palm of his hand. She felt her right eye burn as every detail and lines of the building became clear to her. Her head began to hurt and before she knew it, she saw only a white void and could hear the ringing of her ears and the sound of sparks crackling against the air.
….
..
.
“Are you okay?”
Natalya heard a familiar voice.
She could see nothing and she found herself experiencing a drowning and falling feeling that she could not explain. She saw a light leading to the same direction as the crystal. She closed her right eye and covered it with her eyepatch.
“What’s happening?” Natalya asked. She then saw a familiar back trying to follow that light. She reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist.
“Don’t go,” she pulled on him as he was about to take a step. “There’s something going here. Wait for a bit, I can feel something bad here.”
Mavin stared at her for a moment, nodded, and turned his eyes on General Steelheart, the Prince, and Sir Klaus. He wanted to go, but Natalya held his hand tightly, her iron grip preventing him from following.
Mavin looked back at her again. His eyes told her that he wanted to know. But she couldn’t formulate her thoughts as her head ached madly. “Just stay,” she said.
“I will.”
Mavin waited in the room leading to the ring wing of the mechanical division with anxious and painful strides. It was only until a bit of time passed that they entered the hall leading to the division was covered in burns and soot. Every device, even the tram platform that carried goods to the division was fried. If Mavin had entered this place then he would have to dance in the ‘sparks’.
Mavin shook his head and turned to Natalya.
“Good thing you just stopped me.”
“Isn’t it obvious? Why would you run into something like that, knowing nothing of what that is? Did you go into artillery fire as well?”
She said what was in her head. She found her words irritating.
Mavin didn’t refute her. The two of them jogged to the mechanical division to see what had happened. The doors of the building seem to have been struck by lightning. Inside the building, there was destroyed equipment, and what stood shining was the hydroelectric crystal that caused the spark to happen. The Crown Prince, Lady Shina, and Lady Anastasia were standing not far from the dangerous battery. General Steelheart stood next to the Crown Prince.
“How did this happen? The container was very secured.”
“Was it? This ‘crystal’ has effectively crippled the power grid of the Academy. Do you have anything to say about this?”
“It affected a strange occurrence, which means our vessel has been damaged. We are Holmian, we do not scheme like the Hundred Nobles do.”
Klaus Sommer examined the container that secured the hydroelectric crystals and said loudly, “It looks like this accident was caused by the methods of transportation. We had always transported them using our trains and ships, but it looks like at higher altitude, the hydroelectric crystals are prone to cause something like this. The certainty in Klaus’s Sommer voice was hard to find fault with. Kristine walked to the container with Rene, holding a device that measured the crystal. The multimeter spiked and the pondering looks of Rene and Kristine did not falter.”
“Doctor Rene, how is it?”
“I lack theoretical knowledge, but I can conclude that this is caused by changes. Hmm, this would be hard to make use of inside a plane, it would need a stabilizing mechanism, perhaps something like an internal combustion engine, but with the ability to stabilize it? Sir Sommer, are the materials to stabilize the crystals included in the package?”
“It is. But it seems that we have neglected this matter.”
“I shall allow myself to be hostage if it means to show that we truly didn’t have intention.”
“Indeed, the damage caused by this crystal is something that we cannot overlook, the Webman Company will compensate the Academy for this trouble.”
“As you know, the Tomas Family is a friend of the Holmian and the Webman Company, we shall assist in making sure that the relationship between the three is compensated.”
“Isn’t that strange? To think that you would care about this, considering that you had left the burden of rule to others.”
“Your majesty. I am a courier that was handed the duty to handle this. It would be a dishonor to the family if I am unable to do this right.”
“You two feeling a deja vu?”
“Huh?”
Natalya held her head. She turned her head away, laughing as if maddened.
“If you mean that we have experienced something this odd, well, you can say that our experiments of this technology have led to this similar results.”
“So you studied this then, before this?”
“They wouldn’t have left it to us.”
“That teaches us to never use this without proper containment.I hope the Webman Company can compensate us for this trouble.”
“I really hope so. We need the equipment right. The blame game should be done later when there is a solution to our problems. Thankfully, some of our equipment are protected, but it would take a while to restart the electricity in the Academy. Do you have engineers on your airship?”
“We shall take care of our own repairs.”
“Always forgot how strong you are. You didn’t hurt yourself?”
“It doesn’t hurt, but I shall have it treated later. It isn’t bleeding or stinging so I might as well fix this. Need to return to my research station, make sure that the computers aren’t fried as well.”
“Who’s she?”
Natalya turned towards them, making a dull face.
“Oh, Natalya,” Mavin said.
“Your girl?”
“Not really, just a friend.”
“Is that so?” Kristine nodded.
“It seems that we had caused trouble. I am glad that you put in a word for us, Sir Tomas. I doubt things would have gone differently if you didn’t spare a word.”
“Don’t mind it, Mister Klaus. I doubt I could have done more if the Crown Prince had insisted on making use of this as leverage against the Webman’s.”
“Indeed,” he said worriedly. “This has been a rather troublesome event.”
“I hope that your negotiations with the Arkadian Council goes smoothly. Lazon will welcome the Holmians and Webman as long time friends.”
Natalya dully eyed them. The words they spoke. How they looked as they said those words. It’s still the same, Natalya held her right eye and bit her lower lip. I need to rest. The spark’s acting up.
“Can we go home?”
“Huh?”
Mavin turned towards her with an expression of concern. She hid the back of her hand. His blue-grays eyes trying to piece through her.
“What?” she said, forcing a stiff smile.
“You look tired.”
“I am. You could say that it has been a long bad day for me,” she looked away, unable to find any words to explain. “A very bad day,” she looked at Mavin, and took a step closer. “You really like running to danger, huh…Next time, try not to do that, Mavin.”
She felt her heart drop. She forced her hand to stay still. She turned her back on him and tried to steadily walk. She clutched her chest and tried to compose herself. She stopped and uttered the line again.
“Are you going to stand all day? If you have any business in this Academy, still. Then I’m going first.”
Mavin stood to watch her eyes for a moment before joining her. She continued her walking, looked down, smiled, and turned towards him. Her eyes locked madly into his.
Another round, she thought despairingly before opening her mouth. Why is this happening? Why? Why?
“Five times, Mavin Tomas. Five times,” she felt little strength on her voice. Why is it always you? I don’t understand. I don’t understand you.
She turned away, leaving Mavin confused.
Natalya believed that the enemy was careless. They believed in the technology that was marked on the back of their left hands that made them feel superior than they think they are. In truth they are nothing more than people with an advantage. The Magus she had met and the Nullers shared this glaring weakness. Does this mean that they are weaker? No, she could not find anyone who could easily match them other than the few who had superior training and better equipped.
Though lately they have been aware of their weakness. There was still something in them that made them stubbornly believe that their ways were superior. She had personally seen what the mark and the bloom could do. If it wasn’t for that day when the Holmians arrived in Academia. She would have not known that she possessed the Imperator’s mark. The mark that was craved for by many. A mark that belonged to the House of Whitefall.
She didn’t care about the mark. Natalya didn’t place all of her trust in the mark. She had placed more trust on her ‘Ziba’ than the mark on the back of her left hand. Truthfully, she wasn’t used to the ‘tingling’ that was bothering the back of her hand. It was an itch that she wanted gone, but was unable to get rid of.
Her personal rifle was delivered personally by courier. She had called Rosa to hand it over to one of the Magus who were in Flost and had it delivered. She carried the rifle inside her coat. She had let Crocker handle her rifle, and he was a man who appreciated a good rifle.
This time she didn’t bring Nano.
The enemy was not idiotic enough not to believe that there was no threat to their life this time. If the two Nuller didn’t return overnight, they would have expected that they had died. Though they had crushed them inside a mountain forest, there was no telling what other methods that they have in those gauntlets of themselves.
The leaders are not as strong as they should, She drove her car through a busy street. The Enforcers of Null were dangerous individuals tasked with protecting their members. A Nuller alone is dangerous in a way that they could stop a bullet if they know that there was someone targeting them one. I have to find the weak spot in their defense, and penetrate it.
Natalya had been relying on ricochet and misdirection to kill them. Her right eye’s being able to see sharp lines and a clearer view of the world made it easy for her to find them. As she entered a crossing, there was a traffic officer raising a hand to stop the vehicles. Natalya pulled the handbrake of her car, and watched as Holmian-mad vehicles carried a group of exoskeleton-wearing soldiers of Holmia.
They already look imposing without the suit. Armed with that, they can probably carry more gear. Is Holmia preparing for a war? Even the three are rather hesitant when it comes to dealing with Holmia.
Holmia was a nation of reason and progress. They were driven by desire and craving for knowledge. That knowledge also brought them the power to defend against the invaders east of their home. The Turian Continent was not a place filled with greenery and life. The vegetation was bare and there were only a few Oasis that kept them safe from the harsh winds of Turian.
The environment caused them to fight in open fields. Holmia was one of the few regimes who was able to remain, and some said that it was a Nation that was only as half as old as the Empire. Natalya had not met combatants from Holmia, but she did encounter free mercenaries during the war. Most of them were mad dogs that kept on charging enemy fortifications. Natalya didn’t want to face them if possible, knowing that their mercenaries are fearsome, she expected more from the Holmian soldiers.
The traffic officer gestured for the vehicles to cross the street. The heat of the sun seems to bounce against the stone roads of the city. The bustle outside of the car. The banners flapping about and the constant hubbub of propaganda and imperial songs of victory. Some of these songs were good enough to listen, and yet one simply could have too much of it. The ones in charge of playing the speakers at least understood that it was only played during start and the end of the week.
These songs mocking foreigners who fought against the Empire. The Emperor at least knows how to invigorate their people’s will. Makes it harder to live in this kind of place. Good thing that as long as they don’t know you are foreign, they wouldn’t give a shit.
Natalya found that though the Empire was peaceful on the exterior. There were many interior problems in regards to policies, lands, and reparations that they had to deal with. The Imperial Capital was safe from the fires of war because of the extreme defense of the Grand Dukes. Throwing their men against the three alliances, with the constant hammering of the artillery produced many casualties, however, it meant that the heart of the Empire was untouched. Outside of the Imperial City, there was a need for repair and rehabilitation. The three alliances were being squeezed dry by the Empire.
I’d understand why my brother thinks that I want to take his wealth, Natalya recalled the letter of her brother. It was quite the stern lecture on her ‘shameful’ behavior of going to the Empire, disregarding the graces of the Grand Duchy and the Republic of Frans. She didn’t want to bother with her brother dearest so she wrote a reply and told him politely that she was here to learn.
The next reply, she was told that she was going to be disowned. Her brother had too much pride in him that he felt emasculated at the idea and thought that a woman of the family was a fiercer warrior than him. Her brother was not a coward, and had defended and earned the seat of the head. Nonetheless, he couldn’t allow her to upstage her and ‘disowned’ her with the reason of protecting the family. It may sound petty, but Natalya understood how the minds of the Fransians worked. The Grand Duchy had little do with the war, and if they knew that the daughter of Wilde was running around the Empire.
They would have a chance to take some of their properties. Letting them choose whether they are ‘loyal’ or ‘traitors’ to the cause that the three alliances were trying to uphold. If she was the head of the family, and her brother was doing what she was doing. She’d throw him away without hesitation. The Grand Duchy was not a place for hesitation, and considering that the side they backed lost against the Empire. She could understand. Not that his brother would ever stop her from entering the Duchy. The soldiers of the Duchy won’t have the guts and the balls to stop her.
Even the war was simpler than this, Natalya thought. She pressed her foot on the pedal and pulled up to the side of the road where there was a spot where she could park her car. It was an area that didn’t take too much attention from any pedestrian going their way.
That building looks good enough, Natalya thought. She slung her Ziba across her shoulder, and made a running leap before hooking her fingers on the edge. She positioned her legs to a foothold, and started climbing the crack on the side of the building. Pulling her upper torso, she looked at a possible handhold, and leapt like a cat, one side of her body tilted.
She swung her body like a pendulum and used her upper body strength to clutch her hand on another. Could use the stairs, but no, you gotta be stealthy and tire yourself. As if everyone would be fine if someone carried a rifle to just enter a goddamn building.
Natalya stopped to take a breath. If he was doing this, I bet he’d be able to climb faster than a monkey. Silly girl, why do you keep him inside your head. No good coming from him. She grasped the length of the gap she could climb on, she pressed her feet on the side of the wall and took a cat leap. She climbed the loose bricks silently, keeping her body pressed in the shadows. She reached the top of a building, barely exhausted. I guess all that time escaping the manor and running around helped as always. I could have been faster, but gotta stay quiet.
She pulled herself up and rolled on the ground. She unslung her Ziba and scanned the top of the roof. She walked to the hatch leading to the roof. There’s a box I can use, she spotted the box and moved it on top of the hatch to prevent any entry.
Natalya checked her watch, and nodded. She picked up a suppressor from her bag and attached it to the barrel of her rifle. She didn’t know what metal it was made, but Nano was sure that it would allow her to suppress her shots. It doesn’t mean that it would be undetectable, but at least she could mask it using the sounds of her environment.
Natalya observed her surroundings. The shade of the sun was coloring the stone buildings and shingles of the Imperial Capital’s buildings. The heat was unbearable, but she was glad that there was no artillery or bullets whizzing around. She took a sip of her canteen, loosed the buttons of her shirt, and wiped the sweat on her cleavage. If Nano’s information about the target was true, then he should appear in this area. It was one of the busiest districts in the Capital. He was using this area to hide from the Magus’s pursuing them. She wasn’t the only one who was after their heads, and she among the many fledglings wanted them dead for the sake of the Empire.
I just wanted to fly. I want my own plane and be free from this, Natalya stared at the back of her left hand. Why do I have to get this? I know that they want to keep an eye on me, but even if I get my own plane, learn how to fly it, I’d still be a bird with a leash on its leg.
There was a desire on the Magi when they saw the Imperator’s mark on the back of her left hand. Not only that she possessed both the ‘mark’ and the ‘bloom’ on her left hand. It was also the sign that she was worthy to become this ‘Imperator’ that they seems to fond about.
They’d make me an Empress if they could help it, she thought. Give me a crown, and all the riches. A worthy ruler chosen by the Spark, has the right blood coursing through one’s veins. The Magi and the Null working together to serve under one…they could have made a better lie than that.
Natalya adjusted the magnification of her scope. She pointed the barrel of the scope to one of the bell towers and made sure to calculate the drop of the bullet and the distance she needs for the bullet to reach its mark. There were many factors that could affect a bullet’s trajectory, but she had been able to correctly do it innately and by instinct all the time since the war. She wasn’t the type to miss nowadays. Should I just remove the scope? Last time I relied on a scope, he almost got me in the head. I think he used iron sights and scope alternately. No point adjusting this other than I need to, out of habit.
Her face crumpled. She saw images flashed and became silent. She turned her eyes back to the area where the target should appear. Stop thinking about that for now. Focus on what’s in front of you. You need this if you want to get that plane they are offering, and the protection from those who’d want to cut your hand the moment they know that you have the mark.
Hiding the mark would have been the best thing, but she didn’t want to risk anyone other than the Magi’s to know that she held the Mark of the Imperator. It was her ‘divine right’ to rule and if any ambitious groups that didn’t belong to Nano’s faction decided they wanted her in a throne. She would have to suffer a headache. She knew how to hide her mark, but nonetheless she needed the extra layer of protection.
Two hours of waiting under the sun sharpened her head. She forgot about the other thoughts and focused her mind on the surroundings area. Not far from the building she was targeting was the Webman Company. There were a lot of Imperial Soldiers guarding the area. She suspected that ever since the ‘spark’ happened. There were many flies that were gathering around the Company.
The piece of equipment that they stole from the Null started to gather readings. Though it only notified her of any Nuller that was in the vicinity. It was enough for Natalya to determine where the target was. Her target was using the crowd to blend in. He wore a bowler hat and a business coat. He stood out in a way that his broad-shouldered physique made it clear that he was not out of shape. Natalya followed the man’s figure, her reticle following where he was walking to. The middle-aged man stopped. Natalya furrowed her brows. The man behind the scope was smiling.
Natalya immediately ducked her head. The flooring beside her exploded. She rolled out of the way, went prone, and aimed at the location where the fire was coming from. It was a strange weaponry that flung projectiles at high-speed.
On the top right of the building, Natalya peeked out of cover, and shot her rifle. Her bullet traveled to where it was expected, and yet it was flung by an invisible force. Looks like they are using misdirection as well. She scanned the area. Multiple figures traversing the alleys, using their gauntlets. Looks like they are covered in that cloak of haze.
Natalya knew she was being flanked. She took a head start and leaped out of the building, running across the rooftop, avoiding the projectiles that were coming at her. From the amount of readings she could get from the equipment attached to her forearm. She deduced that there were four of them hunting her down. If her old instructor could see her, he’d screamed at this foolishness. But she was fighting Nullers who had their own way of fighting. She could take on two if possible, but it was impossible to fight four of them at once.
Natalya needed to get to cover. The streets were off-limits. She could only sprint on the shingles of the building, avoid their fire, and return fire. Her bullets hit the mark. But all of them were deflected by that magnetic force that was parrying away her bullets.
Need to load my rifle, Natalya took a five-round stripper clip, loaded it into her rifle, and pulled the bolt. Most of the misdirection happens when you fire them directly. Going to need to ricochet the bullet, use the redirection against them.
She exhaled loudly, went out of cover, and fired her rifle near the enemy. She fired it in a way that it grazed the wall, and because their equipment didn’t register the bullet, there was little resistance as it slowly crawled into that barrier. There was not enough force to kill the Nuller as the bullet merely entered the body as if being pushed by a thumb. Natalya confirmed that pained reaction and fired again. This time the bullet passed through the skull of the Nuller, brain juices painting the roof.
The bullet casing flew from her Ziba. One of the Nullers charged in with extreme speed. She crouched, inserted the bayonet on her rifle, dodged the Nuller’s initial attack, and charged with a bayonet thrusted in the abdomen of the Nuller. She fired her rifle, picked the Nuller’s sidearm, and engaged the rest. She heard something piercing the air, she squatted curtly, pushed her forearm on the Nuller she just killed and used the bastard as a shield. She continued using the man as a shield until she found the right timing and leapt up out of the building, and into another. This time, she didn’t run away, she waited in a prone position, and then shot one of them who were in the process of grappling to another building. Nano did say that Nullers need two of their gauntlets if they want to operate two arrays. This confirms it.
Another casing flew out of the chamber of her rifle. She pulled the bolt of her rifle quickly and shot the other one who barely could activate the defense array of his gauntlet. The last one ran to Natalya with his fist bared, and started throwing punches.
Her enemy was keeping it clear that he had no intention of making her use her rifle. Natalya attempted to make a distance, but the enemy was fast and furious. Each jab and strikes were enhanced by this man’s gauntlet. Natalya tried to draw her sidearm, but he was able to land a hit on her forearm. Slinging aside her Ziba, she loosened her shoulders, raised her arms and entered a dance. Natalya evaded his strikes, parried with her forearm, strike with her elbow, and then threw a kick at the bastard’s abdomen. The thin smile on her face appeared, her footing confident and playful, as she made feints, and threw quick punches only for her to use the momentum of said punch into a kick to the side of the neck.
The moment the enemy was down. Natalya didn’t hesitate to play any longer. This wasn’t a martial arts tournament, and with the enemy down. She equipped her rifle again, and pulled the trigger before the enemy could stand back.
She heard another sound coming at her. She barely avoided the projectile as she ducked, rolled forward, and dragged the body of the man she was fighting to cover. She pried the gauntlet off her enemy and wore it on her forearm.
Gotta run, Natalya dived into the alley, swung her grappler, and headed to where the enemy was. Her mind focused and adrenaline pumped her body. She didn’t even notice that she was in the same place as the enemy. She activated the gauntlet, and used her equipment to counter the field around the shooter. Thrusting her rifle’s bayonet on the enemy, she gritted her teeth at the injuries she sustained coming to the vantage point. Her right eye ached and it was then that she saw something in the corner of her eye.
No words. No warnings. The target she was trying to kill unleashed a storm. She felt electricity crackling and there was something more dangerous. I knew Enforcers aren’t easy to kill, but this man, he’s harnessing the electricity here.
The middle-aged man threw a bolt of lightning. She hastily dodged, using the stolen gauntlet to fend off the enemy attack. Shit! Natalya cursed as she was flung. She hastily rolled to break her fall, she retreated, took potshots and cursed at how dense the field around him. The middle-aged man was burning his body, and he was a living storm. There was chaos that surrounded the area. She threw the prepared arrays on the crystals and yet she couldn’t see any dent on the middle-aged man’s defense.
Natalya only knew of the man’s face. She wasn’t interested in knowing his name or understanding any reasoning. She didn’t have time to engage this man in a conversation. She was here to put a bullet on this man’s head and it was going to be done. All of this, for the price of flight and protection from people like you. This better be worth it, Nano. I better get that damn plane.
She reached out to the bag on the back of her waist. She pulled the safety pin of her grenade, let it cook, and then threw it like a four-seam fastball at the enemy. The enemy could barely react as the grenade exploded and was followed by a quick shot with her rifle. The man was able to defend from the shrapnel, but the bleeding nose and the bleeding ears made it clear that he just suffered a concussion.
I went loud, Nano’s going to bite my ass for this, Natalya cursed as she fired another shot. The middle-aged man panicked and as if he had lost control of the power he was wielding. The gauntlet that he was keeping control with his mark created a shockwave.
The man followed him in blind rage as the pulse-like shockwave kept on trying to push her. She entered one of the buildings and shot her rifle twice as the people inside panicked at the sound of gunfire and the storm that followed with it. How in the fuck am I going to explain this?
Natalya barely landed on the ground, staring at her target.
The Nuller’s strength exceeded her expectations. Time to end this, she thought. She clenched her left hand, the Imperator’s Mark brimming with energy. “You are done!” she declared. She struck her hand out and the gauntlet the Nuller had exploded into tiny bits of pieces.
With the Nuller stunned.
She drew her pistol and shot the man in the forehead. The Nuller widened his eyes, before he fell back-first on the ground. The building that they were fighting on became unstable. Nonetheless, the damage that the Nuller had done was a mess. The Hounds will be after her.
As she slowly out of the building. She saw the chaos that was caused by the Nuller. The building that they were fighting on was close to the business district, and seeing the building starting to fall. She hurried out of the area, only for her to spot a lone figure carrying three people on his back and throwing them to safety. The person threw the people he carried and sagged. What the fuck are you doing here?
Their eyes met.
“Natalya?” his voice echoed
“What are you!?—”
He stopped and sprinted to where she was. Natalya panicked, she couldn’t stop him as she was grabbed by the waist and thrown outside of the window. The building slowly fell on him. However, she saw him running back foolishly, eyes pointed at something.
Dust covered the whole street. The Imperial Soldiers began to rush as sirens and fire engines gathered on the same location. Natalya entered through one of the gaps and navigated through the rubble. She didn’t know why she was inside this fallen building. Her mind blank and lost. As she searched through the debris and dust. She heard the cry of a little child. Following the little child’s voice, she saw a familiar dark hair with a reddish tint lying face-first on the ground.
His body skewered with metal rebar, his head tainted with blood as debris and shard fell on him, exposing a part of his skull.
“Big brother, I’m sorry, hick, I am sorry,” the child not far from him cried. Natalya took a step and blew the dust away with her bloom. She noticed that his knees were caved in, and there were fractures all over his body. The way he laid on the floor suggested that he had prevented a part of the building from hitting the child.
“B-big brother, he threw me away, and I-I—”
“Go now, child. Leave before the whole building collapses.”
“B-but—”
“I said leave, child!” her voice boomed with fury. The child, still shaking, hurried out of the corner she was hiding and ran to the path where Natalya came from. Natalya threw her rifle, Ziba, on the ground, and carefully rolled him on the ground. One of his eyes was squashed after he fell on the ground.
It was meaningless, but she pulled the rebar that was stuck in his body one by one. She laid his head on her lap and touched his forehead with her left hand. The Imperator’s Mark glowing dimly. She wiped the blood on his face and closed his eyes.
“Why are you here? Ah, this was close to the Webman Company. I did notice that there were Holmian Troops scouring one of the buildings. Were you negotiating again? That’s it then? You saw the danger, rushed in like a goddamn fool and got yourself killed. How awful and heroic. Then again, why is it that? I don’t understand. I don’t understand why.”
The Imperator’s mark created a whirlpool. She saw the ‘spark’ once again. The same spark that gave her the Imperator’s Mark. She watched as the spark separated from the back of her hand and proceeded to attach itself to the palm of his hand. She felt her right eye burn as every detail and lines of the building became clear to her. Her head began to hurt and before she knew it, she saw only a white void and could hear the ringing of her ears and the sound of sparks crackling against the air.
….
..
.
“Are you okay?”
Natalya heard a familiar voice.
She could see nothing and she found herself experiencing a drowning and falling feeling that she could not explain. She saw a light leading to the same direction as the crystal. She closed her right eye and covered it with her eyepatch.
“What’s happening?” Natalya asked. She then saw a familiar back trying to follow that light. She reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist.
“Don’t go,” she pulled on him as he was about to take a step. “There’s something going here. Wait for a bit, I can feel something bad here.”
Mavin stared at her for a moment, nodded, and turned his eyes on General Steelheart, the Prince, and Sir Klaus. He wanted to go, but Natalya held his hand tightly, her iron grip preventing him from following.
Mavin looked back at her again. His eyes told her that he wanted to know. But she couldn’t formulate her thoughts as her head ached madly. “Just stay,” she said.
“I will.”
Mavin waited in the room leading to the ring wing of the mechanical division with anxious and painful strides. It was only until a bit of time passed that they entered the hall leading to the division was covered in burns and soot. Every device, even the tram platform that carried goods to the division was fried. If Mavin had entered this place then he would have to dance in the ‘sparks’.
Mavin shook his head and turned to Natalya.
“Good thing you just stopped me.”
“Isn’t it obvious? Why would you run into something like that, knowing nothing of what that is? Did you go into artillery fire as well?”
She said what was in her head. She found her words irritating.
Mavin didn’t refute her. The two of them jogged to the mechanical division to see what had happened. The doors of the building seem to have been struck by lightning. Inside the building, there was destroyed equipment, and what stood shining was the hydroelectric crystal that caused the spark to happen. The Crown Prince, Lady Shina, and Lady Anastasia were standing not far from the dangerous battery. General Steelheart stood next to the Crown Prince.
“How did this happen? The container was very secured.”
“Was it? This ‘crystal’ has effectively crippled the power grid of the Academy. Do you have anything to say about this?”
“It affected a strange occurrence, which means our vessel has been damaged. We are Holmian, we do not scheme like the Hundred Nobles do.”
Klaus Sommer examined the container that secured the hydroelectric crystals and said loudly, “It looks like this accident was caused by the methods of transportation. We had always transported them using our trains and ships, but it looks like at higher altitude, the hydroelectric crystals are prone to cause something like this. The certainty in Klaus’s Sommer voice was hard to find fault with. Kristine walked to the container with Rene, holding a device that measured the crystal. The multimeter spiked and the pondering looks of Rene and Kristine did not falter.”
“Doctor Rene, how is it?”
“I lack theoretical knowledge, but I can conclude that this is caused by changes. Hmm, this would be hard to make use of inside a plane, it would need a stabilizing mechanism, perhaps something like an internal combustion engine, but with the ability to stabilize it? Sir Sommer, are the materials to stabilize the crystals included in the package?”
“It is. But it seems that we have neglected this matter.”
“I shall allow myself to be hostage if it means to show that we truly didn’t have intention.”
“Indeed, the damage caused by this crystal is something that we cannot overlook, the Webman Company will compensate the Academy for this trouble.”
“As you know, the Tomas Family is a friend of the Holmian and the Webman Company, we shall assist in making sure that the relationship between the three is compensated.”
“Isn’t that strange? To think that you would care about this, considering that you had left the burden of rule to others.”
“Your majesty. I am a courier that was handed the duty to handle this. It would be a dishonor to the family if I am unable to do this right.”
“You two feeling a deja vu?”
“Huh?”
Natalya held her head. She turned her head away, laughing as if maddened.
“If you mean that we have experienced something this odd, well, you can say that our experiments of this technology have led to this similar results.”
“So you studied this then, before this?”
“They wouldn’t have left it to us.”
“That teaches us to never use this without proper containment.I hope the Webman Company can compensate us for this trouble.”
“I really hope so. We need the equipment right. The blame game should be done later when there is a solution to our problems. Thankfully, some of our equipment are protected, but it would take a while to restart the electricity in the Academy. Do you have engineers on your airship?”
“We shall take care of our own repairs.”
“Always forgot how strong you are. You didn’t hurt yourself?”
“It doesn’t hurt, but I shall have it treated later. It isn’t bleeding or stinging so I might as well fix this. Need to return to my research station, make sure that the computers aren’t fried as well.”
“Who’s she?”
Natalya turned towards them, making a dull face.
“Oh, Natalya,” Mavin said.
“Your girl?”
“Not really, just a friend.”
“Is that so?” Kristine nodded.
“It seems that we had caused trouble. I am glad that you put in a word for us, Sir Tomas. I doubt things would have gone differently if you didn’t spare a word.”
“Don’t mind it, Mister Klaus. I doubt I could have done more if the Crown Prince had insisted on making use of this as leverage against the Webman’s.”
“Indeed,” he said worriedly. “This has been a rather troublesome event.”
“I hope that your negotiations with the Arkadian Council goes smoothly. Lazon will welcome the Holmians and Webman as long time friends.”
Natalya dully eyed them. The words they spoke. How they looked as they said those words. It’s still the same, Natalya held her right eye and bit her lower lip. I need to rest. The spark’s acting up.
“Can we go home?”
“Huh?”
Mavin turned towards her with an expression of concern. She hid the back of her hand. His blue-grays eyes trying to piece through her.
“What?” she said, forcing a stiff smile.
“You look tired.”
“I am. You could say that it has been a long bad day for me,” she looked away, unable to find any words to explain. “A very bad day,” she looked at Mavin, and took a step closer. “You really like running to danger, huh…Next time, try not to do that, Mavin.”
She felt her heart drop. She forced her hand to stay still. She turned her back on him and tried to steadily walk. She clutched her chest and tried to compose herself. She stopped and uttered the line again.
“Are you going to stand all day? If you have any business in this Academy, still. Then I’m going first.”
Mavin stood to watch her eyes for a moment before joining her. She continued her walking, looked down, smiled, and turned towards him. Her eyes locked madly into his.
Another round, she thought despairingly before opening her mouth. Why is this happening? Why? Why?
“Five times, Mavin Tomas. Five times,” she felt little strength on her voice. Why is it always you? I don’t understand. I don’t understand you.
She turned away, leaving Mavin confused.
