Mavin took a screwdriver and adjusted the sensitivity on her silver arm. On the bicep and the joint area there were gears that could be tinkered. “I don’t think you need to dress up.”
“Why not?” she mused. “I might be a soldier, but I was a noble daughter, you know? I have my lessons in decorum, elegance, manners, and etiquette. Besides, I can’t exactly wear my uniform in the Imperial Palace, no?”
“True,” he plucked the gear from the joint area around her elbow and inserted it. “And I also know that you could do this.”
“Why not let you do it? It’ll be faster, besides, you’re good with your hands.”
Mavin took a cloth and wiped the oil in the gears. He inspected the gear and attached it back, closed the cover, and screwed it. He moved his eyes to the bicep area. He had done the wrist area, the elbow.
“I’m impressed that you can get a prosthetic like this.”
“I had to pull in the word to get this. It’s one of the agile ones that they have. They can add a cosmetic to make it imitate your missing hand.”
“Do you want to? Are you bothered?”
“Not really, but if you want something like that then go ahead and tell me.”
“It’ll be troublesome isn’t it? I assume that there would be a lot of work for it.”
“It’s made of soft plastic, it would cover this silver arm of yours. Unless it gets damaged, then you would have to remove it while taking a back.”
“Sounds troublesome.”
Mavin unscrewed the bicep’s cover and wiped the grease inside the gears. There was a square crystal in the middle of a board. Although her left arm was cut below the elbow, some of the components needed to be attached and connected to the bicep to function.
“Good thing I made a clear cut.”
“Indeed, I am impressed by your ability to wield a blade. If anything, that’s what bothers me, you talked about boons and you never say a single word.”
Mavin stopped his fingers. “I won’t tell you about boons. There is also a chance that you know about it by now.”
“No, I really do not know,” Natalya said. “If I knew that you have that, do you think that I would have thousands of nightmares? Besides, believe me when I say that you do not speak at all. I somehow fail to get something out of you.”
“You will. It wouldn’t be a boon if you can get past the vow of silence.”
“What you did back then, you said that you had sealed all the spark. And if I remember correctly the ‘spark’ happened because of that crystal.”
“It’s not the same. The ‘spark’ that the Holmians have concocted is nothing more than a pale imitation, it requires a structure, composition, and direction to activate. Which would cost money. I made sure that the Nullers would think thrice before they would spend money to develop technology like this. I made the spark into a resource.”
“You didn’t completely seal it?”
“I did seal yours. Even if you do regain your arm, do a ritual, the seal will not allow you to recover that crest back.”
“Do you still have your boons?”
“Boons are traits and perks that one would have embedded directly into the body and soul. It now ‘exists’ as a part of me and therefore a part of me so the world could not take it. It is not sustained or connected by the spark or will it be removed by the loss of it.”
“How many boons did you have?”
“I needed fifty boons to seal the Imperator’s Crest.”
“I see. Do they have side effects since they are permanent?”
“Do you think that I would tell you?”
“Is it that ‘vow of silence’ that prevents you from saying it? I saw through those ‘visions’ how you were able to end your life despite being frozen by a strong magical weave. I don’t even have time to examine or find if there was something in you so I had guessed it must be because of that boon.”
“Like I said, the boons are natural, permanent, they do leave a trace of ‘spark’ no matter what you do. Do you ever wonder why the Imperator in the first place was defeated? Gone? And the Whitefall, who owned the Crest, scattered?”
“Because of the boon, I get it.”
“That’s right,” Mavin lifted her arm for a moment. “Think of my boons as anti-thesis made to combat your Imperator’s Crest.”
“So you are saying that you are my natural enemy?”
“Yes, I am.”
“That doesn’t explain why you know a ritual that should have not existed.”
“You’d be surprised by how many documents there are hidden in the Imperial Palace.”
“I guess you won’t be telling me then?”
“That is if you can enter that place.”
Natalya lowered her head. “The world was so simple back then. All we had to worry about was the war and our livelihood. Now imagine my surprise to be dragged into such things like these, and then you suddenly shutting it down.”
“That’s what weirds you out? Not the metal giants and even that damn bomb?”
“So what happens to those who are reliant on the spark to exist then?”
“They’ll be weakened and they will once again become nothing more than figments of the imagination. They will not cease to exist, but we will see less of them now because of the loss of the spark in the world. The demifiends...think of them as beings that have been naturally improved by the spark of life. Their height, size, and their strength are the result of being nurtured by the spark. The appearance of your Crest is nothing more than a turning point. I merely moved the turning point far into the future.”
“So it is not completely removed?”
“Yes, but by that time I would be long dead to care about the Imperator’s Crest. But there might be problems with the demikins, the Magi, and the Nullers who are just in the corner. The world isn’t so nice that everything has a solution.”
“You said something about the demikins. How did you know?”
“I have connections, Nat. Why do you think that I have destroyed the demifiend nest in the first place? Yes, I hate them, but it is also because I don’t want the demikins entering the Magni-Azia continent through the nest. The Emperor knows this well and if the news is true, then they command dangerous beasts.”
“You are worried about these demikins even though we have bombs and rifles that could take care of them?”
“Yes, because it is an invasion, and if they could organize then they can think. And if they can think they can gather and collect. If they have speech they then can communicate which also means that they have the ability to improve. To underestimate them as savages would be stupidity, and that is something that I advise the Holmians and the Emperor not to do.”
Natalya gave him a look. “So, you have no plans of intervening? Not at all?”
“My priority has always been the safety of Lazon. There are personal reasons for my actions, but it doesn’t mean that I would abandon them. Lazon is autonomous, and the Empire at the moment will not move. My Cousin is competent enough to handle the affairs of Lazon, and if he needs assistance then I will assist. But right now I am just some bastard who forcibly married someone to get her to cooperate about the resources that can be found on their Duchy.”
Natalya laughed. “My brother, and my people wouldn’t be stupid enough to go against the Empire, and that lightshow is a great warning to them. My brother is hardheaded, and a fool, but his heart can be in the right place when it comes to the safety of the Duchy. Besides, I think you got it wrong. And I’m not repeating myself ever again. Even if this was a ploy to make my people comply with the Emperor. You are my husband now, and I have given myself to you, multiple times, and I highly doubt that anyone could understand...or at least try to. I know what I want and that is that, husband.”
It unnerved Mavin how she could easily talk about that. Then again, this relationship was more like two idiots licking their own scars. He could not stand that look of hers, and yet he could only be by her to watch over her and prevent anything that she might try to recover her powers. She might find it amusing, and perhaps there might be a day that she’ll get to him.
“Your arm should be fine by now. There shouldn't be problems regarding the sensitivity of it.”
“Thank you, you were quite rough when you pulled both my arms last night so this can’t be helped.”
Mavin put away the tools and wore his service jacket. He handed her grey gloves and helped her polish that leftover grease on her silver arm. She then wore her formal jacket and hid her silver arm on the sleeves. “I know I should have maintained it while you didn’t wear your damn dress.”
Nataly tapped Mavin’s cheek. “Save it for later, besides, I don’t think you spilled any oil on my dress.”
Mavin reached out for a perfume and sprayed her with it. “This should make any stink less noticeable.”
“I hate this one, but this will do. Here, let me help you with that collar of yours, goodness, you can do your tie well but not your collar? How do you mess up the collar?”
“I was planning to,” Mavin let her fold the collar of his polo shirt under his service jacket. It was best to see if her fingers were working well. “Any comments about your fingers?”
“It’s okay, better than before. See? You did a good job.”
Mavin shrugged and took the keys on the table. He checked the ancestral house, and went out of the door. They didn’t have much to carry back to Lazon so they were going to travel light.
“Let’s go, the Emperor hates truant guests.. ”
Natalya tightened the gloves on her left hand and followed Mavin to the car. Once she entered next to the driving seat, Mavin started to drive to the Imperial Palace. There was minimal traffic with the recent happenings, and with the whole city in state of alert. They were able to drive unimpeded. There were checkpoints, but the symbol that they flew made it easy for them to get past the checkpoints.
Arriving in the palace, they were searched and were then told to wait in front of the throne hall to be announced.
“Announcing the arrival of Mavin Tomas, and Natalya Tomas!”
When the door to the throne hall opened, Mavin led Natalya and stood in front of the Emperor. Mavin found himself barely forcing himself not to stare at Cecilia who watched them with an icy glare.
He looked to his side and saw Natalya meeting Cecilia’s glare with a look of victory. The Emperor, who looked at them, raised his voice. “It is good to see you two, newlyweds. Lady Natalya, I assure you that you will be fine with him. He might be rough...but he has a heart.”
“Thank you, your highness. I shall do my duties as the wife,” she gave a smile to Cecilia and stared at the Emperor. “My family shall not disappoint you, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope they won’t, milady,” the Emperor turned his eyes to Mavin. “As much as I like to keep you here, Mavin. It seems that Lord Derrick had insisted that you come back. You have done me a great service, and that is why you can go with my blessing.”
“Thank you, Emperor.”
With the visit done the two didn’t stay for too long in the throne hall. Mavin hesitated his steps for a moment, before taking a step forward and silently clenching his fists.
He hated this city and had never loved anything of it other than the few who are flowers in the swamp. He couldn’t stomach the idea of staying in this place. He has done what he can in this place, and although he worries about Rene and Kristine.
A part of him wanted to trust them so that he can go back home to Lazon.
Mavin took a screwdriver and adjusted the sensitivity on her silver arm. On the bicep and the joint area there were gears that could be tinkered. “I don’t think you need to dress up.”
“Why not?” she mused. “I might be a soldier, but I was a noble daughter, you know? I have my lessons in decorum, elegance, manners, and etiquette. Besides, I can’t exactly wear my uniform in the Imperial Palace, no?”
“True,” he plucked the gear from the joint area around her elbow and inserted it. “And I also know that you could do this.”
“Why not let you do it? It’ll be faster, besides, you’re good with your hands.”
Mavin took a cloth and wiped the oil in the gears. He inspected the gear and attached it back, closed the cover, and screwed it. He moved his eyes to the bicep area. He had done the wrist area, the elbow.
“I’m impressed that you can get a prosthetic like this.”
“I had to pull in the word to get this. It’s one of the agile ones that they have. They can add a cosmetic to make it imitate your missing hand.”
“Do you want to? Are you bothered?”
“Not really, but if you want something like that then go ahead and tell me.”
“It’ll be troublesome isn’t it? I assume that there would be a lot of work for it.”
“It’s made of soft plastic, it would cover this silver arm of yours. Unless it gets damaged, then you would have to remove it while taking a back.”
“Sounds troublesome.”
Mavin unscrewed the bicep’s cover and wiped the grease inside the gears. There was a square crystal in the middle of a board. Although her left arm was cut below the elbow, some of the components needed to be attached and connected to the bicep to function.
“Good thing I made a clear cut.”
“Indeed, I am impressed by your ability to wield a blade. If anything, that’s what bothers me, you talked about boons and you never say a single word.”
Mavin stopped his fingers. “I won’t tell you about boons. There is also a chance that you know about it by now.”
“No, I really do not know,” Natalya said. “If I knew that you have that, do you think that I would have thousands of nightmares? Besides, believe me when I say that you do not speak at all. I somehow fail to get something out of you.”
“You will. It wouldn’t be a boon if you can get past the vow of silence.”
“What you did back then, you said that you had sealed all the spark. And if I remember correctly the ‘spark’ happened because of that crystal.”
“It’s not the same. The ‘spark’ that the Holmians have concocted is nothing more than a pale imitation, it requires a structure, composition, and direction to activate. Which would cost money. I made sure that the Nullers would think thrice before they would spend money to develop technology like this. I made the spark into a resource.”
“You didn’t completely seal it?”
“I did seal yours. Even if you do regain your arm, do a ritual, the seal will not allow you to recover that crest back.”
“Do you still have your boons?”
“Boons are traits and perks that one would have embedded directly into the body and soul. It now ‘exists’ as a part of me and therefore a part of me so the world could not take it. It is not sustained or connected by the spark or will it be removed by the loss of it.”
“How many boons did you have?”
“I needed fifty boons to seal the Imperator’s Crest.”
“I see. Do they have side effects since they are permanent?”
“Do you think that I would tell you?”
“Is it that ‘vow of silence’ that prevents you from saying it? I saw through those ‘visions’ how you were able to end your life despite being frozen by a strong magical weave. I don’t even have time to examine or find if there was something in you so I had guessed it must be because of that boon.”
“Like I said, the boons are natural, permanent, they do leave a trace of ‘spark’ no matter what you do. Do you ever wonder why the Imperator in the first place was defeated? Gone? And the Whitefall, who owned the Crest, scattered?”
“Because of the boon, I get it.”
“That’s right,” Mavin lifted her arm for a moment. “Think of my boons as anti-thesis made to combat your Imperator’s Crest.”
“So you are saying that you are my natural enemy?”
“Yes, I am.”
“That doesn’t explain why you know a ritual that should have not existed.”
“You’d be surprised by how many documents there are hidden in the Imperial Palace.”
“I guess you won’t be telling me then?”
“That is if you can enter that place.”
Natalya lowered her head. “The world was so simple back then. All we had to worry about was the war and our livelihood. Now imagine my surprise to be dragged into such things like these, and then you suddenly shutting it down.”
“That’s what weirds you out? Not the metal giants and even that damn bomb?”
“So what happens to those who are reliant on the spark to exist then?”
“They’ll be weakened and they will once again become nothing more than figments of the imagination. They will not cease to exist, but we will see less of them now because of the loss of the spark in the world. The demifiends...think of them as beings that have been naturally improved by the spark of life. Their height, size, and their strength are the result of being nurtured by the spark. The appearance of your Crest is nothing more than a turning point. I merely moved the turning point far into the future.”
“So it is not completely removed?”
“Yes, but by that time I would be long dead to care about the Imperator’s Crest. But there might be problems with the demikins, the Magi, and the Nullers who are just in the corner. The world isn’t so nice that everything has a solution.”
“You said something about the demikins. How did you know?”
“I have connections, Nat. Why do you think that I have destroyed the demifiend nest in the first place? Yes, I hate them, but it is also because I don’t want the demikins entering the Magni-Azia continent through the nest. The Emperor knows this well and if the news is true, then they command dangerous beasts.”
“You are worried about these demikins even though we have bombs and rifles that could take care of them?”
“Yes, because it is an invasion, and if they could organize then they can think. And if they can think they can gather and collect. If they have speech they then can communicate which also means that they have the ability to improve. To underestimate them as savages would be stupidity, and that is something that I advise the Holmians and the Emperor not to do.”
Natalya gave him a look. “So, you have no plans of intervening? Not at all?”
“My priority has always been the safety of Lazon. There are personal reasons for my actions, but it doesn’t mean that I would abandon them. Lazon is autonomous, and the Empire at the moment will not move. My Cousin is competent enough to handle the affairs of Lazon, and if he needs assistance then I will assist. But right now I am just some bastard who forcibly married someone to get her to cooperate about the resources that can be found on their Duchy.”
Natalya laughed. “My brother, and my people wouldn’t be stupid enough to go against the Empire, and that lightshow is a great warning to them. My brother is hardheaded, and a fool, but his heart can be in the right place when it comes to the safety of the Duchy. Besides, I think you got it wrong. And I’m not repeating myself ever again. Even if this was a ploy to make my people comply with the Emperor. You are my husband now, and I have given myself to you, multiple times, and I highly doubt that anyone could understand...or at least try to. I know what I want and that is that, husband.”
It unnerved Mavin how she could easily talk about that. Then again, this relationship was more like two idiots licking their own scars. He could not stand that look of hers, and yet he could only be by her to watch over her and prevent anything that she might try to recover her powers. She might find it amusing, and perhaps there might be a day that she’ll get to him.
“Your arm should be fine by now. There shouldn't be problems regarding the sensitivity of it.”
“Thank you, you were quite rough when you pulled both my arms last night so this can’t be helped.”
Mavin put away the tools and wore his service jacket. He handed her grey gloves and helped her polish that leftover grease on her silver arm. She then wore her formal jacket and hid her silver arm on the sleeves. “I know I should have maintained it while you didn’t wear your damn dress.”
Nataly tapped Mavin’s cheek. “Save it for later, besides, I don’t think you spilled any oil on my dress.”
Mavin reached out for a perfume and sprayed her with it. “This should make any stink less noticeable.”
“I hate this one, but this will do. Here, let me help you with that collar of yours, goodness, you can do your tie well but not your collar? How do you mess up the collar?”
“I was planning to,” Mavin let her fold the collar of his polo shirt under his service jacket. It was best to see if her fingers were working well. “Any comments about your fingers?”
“It’s okay, better than before. See? You did a good job.”
Mavin shrugged and took the keys on the table. He checked the ancestral house, and went out of the door. They didn’t have much to carry back to Lazon so they were going to travel light.
“Let’s go, the Emperor hates truant guests.. ”
Natalya tightened the gloves on her left hand and followed Mavin to the car. Once she entered next to the driving seat, Mavin started to drive to the Imperial Palace. There was minimal traffic with the recent happenings, and with the whole city in state of alert. They were able to drive unimpeded. There were checkpoints, but the symbol that they flew made it easy for them to get past the checkpoints.
Arriving in the palace, they were searched and were then told to wait in front of the throne hall to be announced.
“Announcing the arrival of Mavin Tomas, and Natalya Tomas!”
When the door to the throne hall opened, Mavin led Natalya and stood in front of the Emperor. Mavin found himself barely forcing himself not to stare at Cecilia who watched them with an icy glare.
He looked to his side and saw Natalya meeting Cecilia’s glare with a look of victory. The Emperor, who looked at them, raised his voice. “It is good to see you two, newlyweds. Lady Natalya, I assure you that you will be fine with him. He might be rough...but he has a heart.”
“Thank you, your highness. I shall do my duties as the wife,” she gave a smile to Cecilia and stared at the Emperor. “My family shall not disappoint you, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope they won’t, milady,” the Emperor turned his eyes to Mavin. “As much as I like to keep you here, Mavin. It seems that Lord Derrick had insisted that you come back. You have done me a great service, and that is why you can go with my blessing.”
“Thank you, Emperor.”
With the visit done the two didn’t stay for too long in the throne hall. Mavin hesitated his steps for a moment, before taking a step forward and silently clenching his fists.
He hated this city and had never loved anything of it other than the few who are flowers in the swamp. He couldn’t stomach the idea of staying in this place. He has done what he can in this place, and although he worries about Rene and Kristine.
A part of him wanted to trust them so that he can go back home to Lazon.
