Kismet’s Tale

      Nano walked the hallways with only her footsteps heard. She had been carrying missives like she was some courier that she had wondered if they saw her. Then again, who was going to be trusted when she was the only one who could visit?

She entered a study where the smell of books violated her nose. One look at the place would make those who have been reliant on recent technologies wonder how a place like this could exist and feel so archaic.

Nano dragged her right hand on the shelves until she reached the interior of the study. In the interior, she saw the woman who had been pestering her to become a courier. She raised the parcel in her hand.

“I expect to rest after this, milady.”

“Good job, Nano.”

She took the parcel from Nano’s hand. Nano twisted on the chair in front of the desk. While the Lady who took the parcel ran her eyes on the parcel and her face froze.

“Did you verify this?”

“I did. .”

She took her glasses off and massaged her head. “Of all the people that could return from the dead. Why him?”

“Is it a problem?”

The Lady sighed. “A Ghost is haunting us again, but that woman getting help is terrible. I guess I should have expected the Ghost of Dinia to be alive.”

The Lady held a rather odd look. Nano leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

“So, is it that terrible?”

“Nano, do you remember that Great Silence?”

“Ah, that was so many years ago. Why?”

“The day we lost the sparks. No, it’s the day where the sparks became harder to control. Let’s say that there was someone responsible for it.”

“The number one enemy of the practitioners of magic."

“And he is alive and breathing. Do you know they suspected him to be the true masters of the Hounds? The Hounds were Knights. Then most of them had died in the hands of those who didn’t like the idea of soldiers who have extraordinary strength. If the rise of gunpowder had killed the age of heroes, then the technology developed by the Old Empire and Holmia had made people like us wary of arsenals that could pierce our shielding.”

Nano gave a wicked smile. The Lady who saw this snorted before placing the documents she was reading down. One look at the Lady and one who had met the royal family of the Old Empire would recognize this face. The domineering attitude paired with her golden eyes. Cecilia Athesia, the Last Princess of the Old Empire, was a rather elusive figure. One of the last nobles who is still around.

She crossed her arms and lifted her head. “I’ve known him, but it would be best if we didn’t come to blows. There are many reasons to attack them, but with Bellatrix causing mayhem when she could. It would be best if she doesn’t suddenly think of getting involved with the royal selection in Holmia.”

“She does whatever she wants,” Nano shrugged. “To think that she was once working for us back then. How the tide has changed since those days.”

“And now her husband is back,” the princess said as if struggling to get the word ‘husband’ out. Nano didn’t dare to make a curve of her lips, seeing how agitated she was. It was rare for Nano to see the princess take news like this. Even Minerva’s death didn’t make her change her expression this much. Not that she’d love for Minerva or anyone other than her studies as a Magi.

“So what should we do?”

“Nothing for now,” the princess said to Nano. “I don’t know why he only appeared now, but it must have been because of the accident before the civil war. From what we gathered, he’d faced an exiled one, not a half-exiled one, but a full-fledged exiled. I doubt he would leave the hands of his beloved Lazon so easily if he had the chance.”

“He’s not the type to do so. Still, if that man gets interested in the affairs of Holmia. And if he deems it important to squash our Organization… then this is quite a problem.”

Nano nodded. Mavin Tomas was called a prodigy fifty-seven years ago for laying out the foundations that made Lazon strong. What was even fascinating was that despite the heavy loss they made in the civil war that made the Empire into a Confederate. Lazonian Industries were able to carry the back of the Old Empire’s economy and protect its interest by showing off its military capabilities. It also helped that Bellatrix was managing the affairs of Lazon and showed incredible talent in ruling the land while the heiress of Lazon was in her studies.

“She’s rather older now as well.”

“Then you are ancient--”

“Are you done?”

“Not at all. Still, I wonder how the Magi’s will react to this piece of news? Even if they do know who the perpetrator is. Do you think that they’ll have the balls?”

“Maybe they will have,” the princess said. “The only mistake that I’ve made is not telling that man that I was a practitioner of the Magi Arts in the first place. Then again, he had ruthlessly hunted down the Magi and the Nullers during the Great Silence.”

Nano smiled teasingly. The Princess snorted lightly and waved her hand at Nano. “Go and leave me. You still have the time to rest until your next assignment, Nano.”

“Thank you Madam Cassowary,” said Nano. “If you have a need for something, then please don’t hesitate to contact me once more.”

“Begone, Nano. Rest well. You’ve done good by providing me this information.”

“Please don’t stay too much in this clocktower, milady. You’ll smell like books and old tomes if you do.”

“Get your face out of here, Nano.”

“Good day, milady.”

Nano walked out of the study and looked at the door behind her. “What a mess. I wonder if I should give myself  a good meal?”

***

Cecilia watched Nano go. How lovely it is that she’s still so full of energy despite her age. I guess that’s what living so freely does to someone, Cecilia thought. She reached out to her fountain pen and twirled it around. Old faces return as they did. I feel like a teenager again. Hmm, she’s lucky… that Natalya to have a partner who could have a lifespan as well.

Cecilia walked out of the study, headed straight to her room just below the clock tower. It was a large room with shelves and books meticulously catalogued to her liking. Usually she would have walked to get another book, but this time she headed straight to her canvas while carrying a picture. The photograph on her hand was that of a man who looked like he was in his late twenties.

Cold glaring blue eyes and graying hair that someone of that age shouldn’t have. Then again, for someone who was supposed to be old. To retain youth like that means that he must have a trace of the spark or have found a way to do so.

“When was the last time we spoke?” Cecilia thought hard. “Ah, it was when I told him that I was out of time. Hmm, if I had known that he was the one who had sealed the sparks. I might’ve told him of my true intentions. Perhaps, I’d have stolen him from that woman?”

Cecilia stopped herself. But this itself is a problem. Natalya Tomas has long been orthodox, and unlike us who are staying true to the Magi’s path. She’s uninitiated to the Archaic Rules, but she doesn’t need it when she has her own faction, and has a better hold over authorities and governments.

Due to the loss of the sparks that acted as their main source of power. The Magi’s all over the world had been researching  another path. If it wasn’t for Minerva’s discovery then Cecilia was sure that she would have turned into a fossil. While they were suffering the loss of their power. Natalya Tomas acted and had created her own organization backed with her industries and  fame. With Enforcers like the Hounds who were able to hunt down her enemies efficiently. She was a headache that no one other than Cecilia could manage.

She recalled the day where they met again after the civil war. Lady Bellatrix was like an enigma and her attendance made news. One way or another she acted like a true noble-blooded magi and caught the attention of the Archaic Elders.

She was so used to the Convocation that it made her wonder how long she had known the arts of the Magi? Then again, she had the Imperator’s Crest which had made her worthy enough to stand in front of the Old Magi’s who demanded respect from her.

Back in the Convocation she had the strongest power. She had the backing and every Magi that was relying on a country’s power that time couldn’t stomach or even outdo her. She was dangerous enough alone, but having Mavin Tomas around made it harder to deal with her. Not to mention that among the Trueist who didn’t want to rely on the newly developed technology to make artifacts of power.

Natalya was among the biggest supporters of the Orthodox Path that had been made because of Minerva’s discovery and the union of the Magi and Nuller path. The ‘Nuller’ Sect was somewhat baffled by the proposed Union of the Old Magi and the Nuller tech. But even if the Trueist would like to deny it.

Cecilia wouldn’t. She had seen what the Orthodox Path had created. It was infinitely superior and the application of the sparks to the technology of the Nullers made for quite dangerous artifacts. It was also because of these artifacts that there are those who are strong enough to hold ancient weapons such as swords and bows instead of a gun. Their reliance on said system had made news in other countries who had restarted this bold idea of the noble-blooded kind who wielded powers in the open. The power is a sign of their lineage and because of said powers that ancient traditions have started. Not to mention that the appearance of the demikins and their mutant variants made it popular for these people who are now called Exemplars to roam around hunting the ‘monsters’ of the modern world.

Though they are nothing more than an annoyance to the militaries who can contain such monsters in the first place. It was a strange era where technology had developed enough that even the lower-class could have such comfort. 

If one was ignorant enough they would call it magic. The world has become comfortable in recent years, but traces of the old world still remain. Cecilia thought to herself that even if the upper layer was covered in niceties. It couldn’t hide the stink of the lower realm below the earth they stood on.

The Known continents were easily traversable now because of the existence of planes and airships that can cover long distances of flight. But before that there were long tunnels that extended for thousands of miles that allowed the Old Magi’s to cross continents. One of the reasons that the demikin and the demifiend existed in the first place was because they were natives to this upper surface.

“Ah, that reminds me that he appeared just in time to witness the opening of a new world. That should distract the people from the incoming tragedies.” She started to draw on the canvas, making a rough outline of Mavin Tomas’s face.

“This might actually be worth getting out of this clocktower for once. It’s rare to meet old friends. That is, if he attends the opening of the undersurface?”

Cecilia found herself smiling.

But if Nano was around to see the smiling face of a Princess of an Old Empire who had long fallen.

She would have run for her life.