"Wait for me, baby girl. This time, it will be me."
The Emperor moved with a violence of purpose he had always known, every step fueled by a terror too sharp to name. This matter was not some political urgency nor imperial duty—this was blood and personal.
The butler's words rang in his ears as he ran: Grand Duchess Aviana and her husband were last seen in one of the cities of Sacremore Empire, a crownless land now held together by King Liorei's temporary rule. Wildfire needed no one other than himself for this moment. This is the time he redeems himself to her. The time he will be needed. The time he proves himself that her brother is dependable and reliable, that he can protect her.
[Wildfire - Emperor Maxism's assassin codename.]
Earlier, he tore a teleportation sheet with bare hands when he was still at their home. Then reality split, and the world folded.
He landed hard in the basement of Sacremorean Palace—the spawn point they built carved deep beneath. He wasted no time and left to go to the specific location he got from their butler: The Crystal City, one of the amazing wonders of Cosmo-Vale---where legend claimed their God once dragged a star from the heavens and ordered the dwarves to build a city from its corpse.
Nobody noticed him as he moved through the shadows. The people went along their lives. He ran for a couple of miles until he finally made it to the Crystal City.
He showed his pass to the knights at the gates.
"Maxism Ford Lee-Vernignac. Is my sister still here?"
The guards were surprised upon his arrival. An Emperor, right in front of them, and dressed to kill at that. They must make haste.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. They are set to leave this afternoon for the Capital."
"Any notable people who went here? That you think mustn't, but we're here?"
The knights looked at each other. The Emperor give them ample time to think---until one sharply huffed.
"Priests! Priests from the Faith to Deities arrived here a few days ago."
'Priests?'
They need no further verification and let the Emperor enter the gates of the city. They were spooked when the Emperor started climbing the gates and walls. And from the top, the little world of Crystal City was beneath his feet. The walls glittered with frozen starlight, cold and ancient, but the Emperor did not slow. He was not here for myth or awe. He was here because his sister was running out of time—and empires, stars, and gods meant nothing if he arrived too late.
He put down the case on his back and opened it. He surveyed the nearby and far surroundings using the binoculars he got inside. Finding nothing suspicious enough, he kept his things and hopped from roofs to roofs and landed before the café of the fairies: Fleurbeam.
Before his fated arrival, the Grand Duchess and Grand Duke were having their breakfast at a cafe ran by fairies who left their kingdom to settle with an Ancient, or for freedom, or for various reasons. Fleaurbeam is the most popular cafe in the city and every grand orders includes simple gifts from the fairies. The line for walk-ins are long even with the appointment system suggested by King Liorei before. The couple were only given priority as Emperor Maxism made settlements in advance and the convenience fees the fairies received from him were---let's just say it's irresistible to not take.
Fairies are all fair and just. But Emperor Maxism...he made them sin to greed. How terrifying!
"Good morning, Aviana~" The fairies greeted when they first arrived.
"Good morning, fairies~"
They beamed sweet, refreshing smiles at each other. The customers thought the Grand Duchess, too, is a fairy like them, because she carry the same light and vibe.
Hands on their knees, the fairies smiled at her growing belly. They were mysteriously drawn to it. To the child growing in her womb.
It's scarily still small despite being already a few months pregnant. They can't wait to go home and ask Grand Duchess Xerene for a checkup just to make sure their baby is... You know, alive.
But when they arrived at the Crystal City, especially here at Fleurbeam, the fairies were kind enough to tell them that the baby she's carrying is fine. Only that it's developing slowly. Like the phrase 'slowly but surely'.
"Hmm, it look lively today~ How cute~"
"Thank you." Grand Duchess Aviana smiled at them. The fairies assured her so much that there's nothing to worry about her pregnancy, and she's so grateful. It relieved all her worries. Her traumas subsided. She felt secured. She trusts the beautiful and nice fairies.
The fairies led them to the VIP room. The moment they stepped inside, the walls dissolved into a living dimension---sunlit woods breathing with quiet magic, a silver path unfurling beneath their feet. They walked toward a lone gazebo at the heart, where tiny balls of spirits hovered like drifting stars, butterflies stitched color into the air, and pixies whispered to roots and leaves, coaxing life into bloom.
"It's so beautiful!" Grand Duchess Aviana squirmed. She's been here a couple of times but she can never get used to it. She's seeing creatures that used to be mythical to them before. But now, they're real. And they're so cute. How humans depicted them as on Earth were almost the same as the ones here in Cosmo-Vale.
"Careful, Hon," the Grand Duke softly said as he help her walk. They are being extra careful and cautious. Their baby is a miracle. They'd be in despair if they were...were to...lose it.
"I will ask Kuya later to make me a replica of this. I will tell him to make the gazebo into a library so I can read books. Then, maybe a bed. I hope I'm not asking for too much!"
She sat down on the chair. Her husband smiled.
"Oh, you. Like you don't know your brother. Ask him simple and he'd do the exaggeration."
She chuckled preciously with rosy cheeks. Talking about her brother like this makes her so happy. Ah, she miss him already.
When they first told the miracle to the Emperor, he made it seem like he was the father for the way he reacted. He cried and almost hosted a shotgun banquet to celebrate the great news, but they stopped him. Prince Maxigaufeas, at the time, was not with them yet because he was at the Academia. They made sure he wouldn't know yet, so that once he's back and get to see it himself... Well, they don't know how he will react.
Emperor Maxism will do anything for her. She's spoiled rotten. Thanks to him, they already visited the famed wonders of Cosmo-Vale. A few of it, but it was such an unforgettable experience. All thanks to Emperor Maxism. He's the best!
Every dish served there was ephemeral, part of an exclusive menu that existed only for a heartbeat of time. For this moment, the fairies crafted meals infused with gentleness and protection, meant solely for the pregnant Grand Duchess Aviana. The dishes were not only for indulgence but blessing, nourishment offered not just to her, but to the first miracle growing quietly beneath her heart.
The Grand Duke noticed her silence and quite worries.
"Hon, what's wrong?" The Grand Duchess stayed the same. He touched her hand.
"Honey?"
She flinched and blinked. "H-Huh? Yes?"
"I asked what's wrong. You're silent. Are you feeling something?"
"Uhhm..." She scratched her cheek.
These past few days, she tried to ignore all the feeling. Maybe she's just assuming things. Maybe it's all in her head. Maybe she's delusional---maybe it's part of her pregnancy, but lately, she feels like they were being watched. They met people who knew them, people who follow their trail with gaze, but there's this kind of gaze that... She couldn't explain.
"Let's leave sooner, honey. I feel restless. I miss Kuya already. I feel like... I feel like something bad is going to happen. I hope it's not just me, but I feel like someone is watching us. And I'm scared because it gives me the chills. Like when... When..."
The Grand Duke pulled her chair closer just to embrace her tight. He thought he was the only one who noticed. He kept it to himself because he didn't want her wife to worry. He didn't want their trips to be spoiled. He spent nights awake to guard them, to secure her safety. The only time he didn't was when they're at Axeore Empire and Warlock Empire. But when they arrived at the monarchless empires...
The Grand Duchess brushed her tearful eyes with her wrists.
"Hon, I want to go home, now. I think they're waiting for us to leave. I want my Kuya. Kuya... I don't like this feeling. I'm scared. Our baby... It's our first baby. Please, let's just go home now."
The tiny creatures approached her. They were curious why a 'fairy' like her is crying. They pressed themselves to her, as if hugging her, comforting her.
"Okay. Okay, we will leave now. I will ask the fairies to box these dishes for take-out, if possible. Hmm? Cheer up. Let's go. We're going home."
"I'm sorry..."
"Shhh, no, Hon." He kissed her forehead, "Don't be, please. I understand. I'm feeling quite the same. I just didn't want to make a deal out of it, but we were definitely being watched. So, let's go home and tell this to your brother so he can look into this. And I came prepared."
The Grand Duke opened his space storage. It is exactly what it is: a pocket in space to store things. Prince Izaac created its concept and after a few trial and errors, he managed to perfect it. The Grand Duke took a bag out from it and opened it.
"Here, disguise potions. Let's inform the fairies, too." And they did.
"Take this," the Manager fairy gave them a glowing orb. It's small and fits perfectly in their hand. "Use this when the time is right. We know. The wind whispered to us about your suspicious followers. It has something to do with the child in your womb. They want the child in your womb. This is a purifying orb. When the time is right, use it. We hope it will be of use. We hope you will make it back home."
'Our child?'
The couple looked at each other and accepted the orb gratefully. The fairies helped them with their disguise and let them take the back exit. They were dressed plainly, carrying baskets and bags as if they ran errands for some shop. Their pace was normal. They were acting normal.
However, they cannot perfect everything. How their hearts race, their sweating hands, the uneasiness on their faces...
Their watchers wanted their miracle baby. Why? What for? It's bad. They must go home. They ran out of teleportation spell sheet. They didn't have enough. They were not given enough. That said, it was already suspicious. Her brother would never give her too little. Teleportation spell sheets costs quite a fortune. But for the Emperor, it's not as priceless as his sister.
Was it intentional? Was it planned since? A traitor in the Palace. Much more the reason they must make it home and tell the Emperor about it.
"Hon, calm down," Colt Forester whispered and stepped closer to her, "Don't cry. I'm here. Don't be afraid. We will make it home. Just...easy, okay?"
They looked at each other. He wish he can wipe her tears away right now, but his hands were carrying props.
"I want... I want my Kuya..."
"You will see him. We will see him."
Or not.
They stopped when their surroundings was cleared out.
The tourists suddenly vanished. The alleys became empty. The sidewalks, too. The Crystal City had gone slightly dull and the sudden silence was deafening.
The basket she was carrying fell. They dropped everything in that instance and glued themselves to each other. The Grand Duke pulled out his weapons from his space storage and prepared himself.
"Do not fret, Aviana Lavender Lee, Colt Forester,"
They stepped back when cloaked figures started appearing one after another in front of them. And there were ones behind, too. Their faces were fully covered in a porcelain mask. Pure white. No holes, not shaped to their faces either. Just a hollow cover.
"Who are you? What do you need from us?" The Grand Duke's eyes moved. He's memorizing what they look like. He's trying to search for anything familiar.
Are they from the Faith to Deities? They look like one because of their get up. Too white. Screams like those fanatics.
"I believe you already heard from those lowly fairies."
The Grand Duchess whimpered, clinging tightly around her husband's arm.
"N-No! No! Leave us alone! My brother---My brother is coming! My brother is Emperor Maxism! He won't let you off the hook if you touch me!"
She sobbed.
"I-I swear, my Kuya will kill you all!"
After screaming her final words, the Grand Duke took advantage of the moment and fired his gun thrice. Then, he dropped a smoke bomb on the floor. He swiftly swept his wife off the ground---beginning the chase. As they run, he kept bombing their surroundings to confuse their pursuers. He avoided going into alleys. If they reach a dead end, it'll also be the end for them.
He only ran around and about, but the destination in his mind was the Palaza. It's like they're in the other side of the city. Where in here, it's the total opposite. No people, no colors, no life. It doesn't look like they were trapped.
"Kuya... Kuya, help me... Kuya. Kuya. Kuya!"
The Grand Duke winced and avoided all the attacks their pursuers were throwing at them. Back on Earth, he was a police officer. He pursued this path to bring justice to injustices. So that no one will experience what they had experience. So that the world will be a better place, but that was impossible.
He can't see it, but he has a feeling.
That if they were caught, they will go down the same path once again.
He will never let that happen. Not to his wife. Not now that they are expecting their little miracle.
"Agile rat!"
He took shelter inside a shop and dropped his wife to the ground.
"Ride on my back, Hon."
The Grand Duchess wasted no second and did. From their bag, he searched for something. He used her dress and tied it around their waists. To make sure his wife won't fall. Or so she won't be taken alone.
"Hold onto me tightly, Hon. And reload my gun while we run."
She wiped her tears and nodded. She pulled the loaded magazine from their shared space storage and kept it in her hand. They were found shortly, so he threw another smoke bomb for cover and a flashbang to blind them.
Is there no other way?
King Liorei is not here. They knew he's at Warlock Empire. They're aware of his recent agendas there. They are aware of Moon, too. If only he was here, then they will certainly run to his protection. Did their pursuers intercept his absence too? Or was Moon's existence a part of their plan to leave them both in the open? Then... Did someone tell the Emperor to send them away? Is that why their teleportation spell sheets were few and not so much?
"Hon, reload!"
The Grand Duchess reload his gun while crying.
"Hon, focus! I'm still here! We will make it out of here!"
She's trying! She's trying to focus, okay? But she's just a girl, soon a mother, fearing for their lives and her baby's life. She's so afraid that all she can do was cry and hope and pray. She hate being emotional rather than being logical and smart at this moment. She don't want to go down the same fate again. Once was already too much. No, she won't allow it. Her brother... The Emperor must've sensed it by now! Her brother won't let her fall into danger!
She gave his gun to him again for him to use after she reloaded the gun.
"Throw them daggers, hon!"
She pulled the daggers from their shared space storage and aimed for their pursuers.
Emperor Maxism is great. So was his sister. She ain't shit. She tried to be like them before. Titania trained her herself. Emperor Maxism taught her as their bonding when they reunited. She's a princess, but she can stab three or more men at the very least.
"Good job, Hon!" The Grand Duke smirked when the first three daggers she threw all hit her targets in the head.
They would rather fight while fleeing than fleeing alone. And they can't truly leave this place, wherever this place is.
The Plaza is right within their sight!
Almost.
When suddenly, they froze.
They looked down and found an activated magic circle.
"Damn rats." Their pursuers landed around them, chasing their breaths.
One of them stood before them. He tightly cupped the Grand Duchess's face.
"D...Don't..."
Fuck. Even talking is hard.
"Too bad for you. Your loser Emperor brother doesn't care. He knows. In fact, he's the reason why you're here."
"---Believe...! Don't!"
The Grand Duke forced himself to look at his wife. The Grand Duchess was shaken by that lie. The more she stare at the person's mask, the more she loses her reason.
The others hummed a chant and opened a huge portal.
"Let's go. You can leave the husband behind and kill him---"
He was cut off from speaking when they heard something shattered.
The Grand Duke smirked.
It was the orb.
Purification.
But the purification isn't the thing that surprised them most---
"OR I WILL."
Emperor Maxism loaded his gun and shot the first bullet. The Grand Duke watched the bullet flew past him---and hit the bastard in front of them just a while ago. It sent him flying before his brains got blown out.
One. Two. Three.
One by one, Emperor Maxism fed each of the cloaked bitches his bullets and their bodies exploded like fireworks.
"WHAT---"
Screams filled the City due to the consecutive gunshots invading them. Emperor Maxism killed the ones who opened the portal so they won't have the means to escape. And those who tried didn't get to go far. Even if they manage to go so far and hide, his bullets will never stop hunting them.
"LEAVE!"
The Emperor slapped the teleportation spell sheet against the Grand Duke's chest and he didn't think twice to tear it apart. When their eyes adjusted to the light, they found Empress Clastigaufeas waiting for them with a wry smile.
Now, there's Crown Prince Claxiord. He just arrived at the city and is watching his father fight from the highest roof using binoculars.
It doesn't even look like the Emperor is fight. He looks like he's out hunting deers. His overwhelming presence scared the shit out of the pursuers. Earlier, they were the ones chasing his sister and her husband. Now, they were the ones fleeing from the place to escape him.
Emperor Maxism kept two for interrogation, attaching Preservation Spell Sheet on their backs after shooting Freezing Bullets to their hearts. For the rest, he's collecting them. And once he got them all, he slaughtered them for everyone to see at the Plaza. Right before the people.
"NO ONE...FUCKS WITH MY FAMILY."
Crown Prince Claxiord found himself clapping. He pauses when he realized what he's doing, and scrunches his nose out of spite. Did he just clap for his father? Hell nah, there were bugs around, that's why.
"Goddamn. He's actually cool?"
He crossed his arms to think deeply.
The Emperor's performance today was his bare minimum. It was not his worst and his best. But that bare minimum is already disturbing enough. He slaughtered a bunch before an audience. What would the people think? He came by surprise. For what, for blood? Even the fairies were shaken. That was not the same generous Emperor. So scary!
Emperor Maxism tied a noose around the necks of the pursuers he caught. Then, he vanished.
"I need to leave---AAAHHH!!!"
Emperor Maxism bit his lips inward when his son almost had a seizure from the fright he gave him. He appeared in front of the Crown Prince since he knew he followed him. He was mad at first, because his son disobeyed his orders to stay with his mother. But seeing his priceless reaction, from his cold, stolid son... He'll take that as the payment instead.
"YOU SCARED ME!"
The Emperor put up a serious act to scare him more. "Oh, really?"
The Crown Prince took a step back. His heart started pounding.
"I told you to stay with your mother, and yet, you're here. Are my words not worthy to obey, Claxiord? Should I have given it to you as your Emperor and not as a father?"
'Hold it in. Hold it in. Hold it in---Pfft. God, you can't laugh yet.'
Emperor Maxism held on the rope tight. He can't break character! No matter how funny his son looks right now, he must not laugh. He have to hold it in.
Actually, he knows that Paris is with his wife. The Crown Prince wouldn't have been here otherwise. He just wanted to tease his stoic son who takes after his cold mother so much. Give him a little scare to demand respect. Or maybe, admiration. Heh. He didn't show off, but he made sure the Crown Prince saw his cool moves earlier. Yes, he saw the Crown Prince clap. Heh. That's recognition, baby.
"I-I... Uncle Paris is with her."
"And? Is that an excuse?"
The Crown Prince noticed how his father tightened his grip on the rope he used to tie a noose around the captured pursuers. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he stuttered. His heart wouldn't stop from racing. The pressure... His father is mad. A first. And he's guilty for disobeying him. His father entrusted his mother to him, and yet...
"Your Uncle don't have all the time in the world. He have his own family to look after. I understand that you don't have a real battle experience yet, but in times like this, you must do what you were told, Claxiord. What if the Paris who went there was a fake? What if there were people watching them, too? Hmm?"
Now, he's real serious.
"I-I'm sorry---"
"I will have a conversation with you later. Let's leave."
Crown Prince Claxiord bit his lower lip. His eyes became blurry from the tears blocking his clear sight. He touched the sleeve of his father who tore the teleportation spell sheet apart.