Kismet’s Tale

      I had a dream of a cruel woman who stood before others with her head lifted in pride. I saw a dream of a woman who looked at the world with dispassion. Of a woman who armed herself in the best steel and had looked at the world as if it was nothing more than her to conquer.

I stood to that woman as if air. She looked at the world with such dispassion. There was this thought inside of her that if she could just rule, one day she will find what she wanted. But the woman had conquered, and through the Mark she had done what anyone wouldn’t have done, even if called a Great Conqueror, she would eclipse their legend.

All hail the Imperator of the Realm of Magnar-Azia.

All hail the Queen of the Magi.

All hail the Undefeated Liberator.

She was sickened of these cries.

But she couldn’t forgive them.

Not after what they had done.

I stood in the dream with this haughty woman. She took a long look at her Empire, and yet there was a feeling of loneliness that stood her.

“Milady,” said a servant. “The forces of Arno will be coming. It would be best if—”

“I run?” she interrupted rudely. “I cannot run from them.”

“B-but,” the servant tried to reason. She wouldn’t hear it.

“Go, and prepare all troops to gather and give them all what we have. Underestimating them is foolish, but I will not run from them.”

The servant couldn’t say anything. The servant left the throne and vanished from her eyes. I saw the woman sighed heavily, and then she walked out of her throne room, climbed up the stairs, and entered her chambers where she got off her steel-suit.

There was a man whose limbs were tied with chains. He sat on the round table while reading a book. He noticed her and he placed his book down.

“Continue reading.”

“I don’t want to now.”

She sat across him. The man was similar but at the time there was a difference to her husband. This man was calmer, and older than my husband. He didn’t have what made my husband young. I gave him a long look. The man calmly placed the book and place his hands on the table. The woman had a poisonous gaze to her, she bit her lip and pulled on the chains, instructing him to come.

“Any man would have their neck snap by that,” she said what she always said when she pulls him close. She stood up, and sat on his lap as if she was comforting herself. If any servant or rebel would have seen her like this, they would have gone mad. The man that was in front of her was supposed to have died, but she kept because of his strong blood. The Strongarm had a quality of blood that surpassed any noble blood. Not to mention that the son of the Tomas was good enough to make her cause legitimate. On paper, and on the news it was said that they have been wedded.

She wrapped her body on him. She breathed on his neck as if she was craving. The man stood still without complaint and seeing it the lust in her eyes turned into a bitter rage. She pushed him down and then cornered him with her hands.

“Am I beautiful?”

“You are.”

“Then why? She’s dead.”

“She is. And no one will change her.”

“I could erase your mind. Make you my obedient slave. You know that.”

“And why haven’t you done that?”

She pulled his collar, the metal rang. “I don’t want an obedient slave. I want you to choose. Choose to be my partner, and rule this continent. If you choose, we will rule. I am a step away from it all.”

Her face became strange. There was a pleading look on her poisonous gaze. She was like a child who wanted someone to accompany her while she goes somewhere dark.

“You can still—”

“It’s impossible. The world is against me. The magi and the nullers will not stop. The known continent will come for me. There is no escape.”

“I see.”

She slapped him hard. “Don’t look at me like that.”

But the man didn’t stopped. His gaze remained constant. And yet as he let that gaze stay, her heart burned with envy and jealousy towards the woman this man was so devoted for even in death. She hated her. She hated how this man couldn’t. Was she not beautiful? She didn’t understand. Not at all. She didn’t understand at all.

She pulled on his collar and stole his lips, teeth clashing with a loud clack. She bit on his lips and then wiped the blood on his lips. She rested herself on his chest and placed her right ear near his heart. “Embrace me,” she commanded.

The man obeyed. He wrapped his robust arms on her and held her. She stayed still without moving, basking on his warmth. She closed her eyes, but her guard remained. But even if this man moves, she was confident that without her steel suit that she could beat him. He was not magically enhance like her and pressing him down with his strength was easy.

Wind entered through the barred windows. The chair that rolled over made a sound. Her breathing became quieter. The woman raised her head and pulled him up into a seating position. They were still on the floor and her legs still locked around his waist.

“I’ll give you a choice, Mavin Tomas. If you run away with me right, and live away from all of this. I’m willing to throw it away. I can change my face to look like her. I can act like her. I can be her if you wish to.”

“No.”

The man’s expression twisted into disgust. The look on his face made her laugh as if she was losing her mind completely. An empty and sorrowful laugh. The poisonous gaze that she had returned to him was empty. It was a hollow laugh. So hollow that if a servant could hear it. They’d think that the devil was laughing sorrowfully.

“Even if you refuse, Tomas, I will have you father my children. You will give me the blood that will keep my reign everlasting, you shall be the father of sons and daughters. And they shall lead this world, and make this mine.”

“…”

The desperation in the woman’s voice shook me.

I stood still, unable to understand what I was seeing. I’d seen visions in that hill, but this one was like another reflection, and yet inability of this woman to even come close to being loved was familiar. It was so familiar that it shook her to her core.

The place faded. She saw a burning castle. A burning city and streets of riddled corpses. The banners of the woman’s and her standards burned. People who held their weapons shouted “Liberty!” and “the tyrant is dead!” with tears coming out of their eyes. I looked around and I saw none of her presence.

It was then that I saw a woman limping away. Her face full of fear and one eye streaming with tears. She was dragging her broken arm, and half of body  was burn. She staggered, looked around suspiciously, and then continued on while trying to gather the sparks.

“W-why it isn’t working?” she felt herself tired. Very tired and alarmed that her power was gone. She tripped, and then smacked her head on dirt. She pressed her broken arm and then stood up painfully. Her appearance was awful. Shrapnel all over her body, and the injuries was grotesque. She hurried over this upward path and then forcibly place one leg after another. It was then that she heard footsteps, she pulled one of the shrapnel from her thigh and pointed it at the direction of the sound.

“You’re alive?”

She laughed at the sight of him. He was wounded all over, and his wounds was as terrible as his. She raised her lead to laugh, but found herself unable to. She didn’t have the strength. And looking at the crude blade he was holding. What was her chances?

“Well, get over it. Don’t think that you’d be capturing me.”

“I don’t think you will come easily.”

He walked to her and then grabbed her by the waist. “There’s a hill over there overlooking the sea. A good place to die.”

“What? You suddenly care?”

“Have you taken a look at me, woman?”

He smiled with that pale face of his. “Not that it will have meaning. I’m one step away and it’ll be good to have someone close… no matter how much I despise said person. You’ll be embraced by death soon. It doesn’t matter what you do.”

She didn’t answer. He took her to the edge of the hill where one could see the sea. How these two were alive was a testament to how strong they were. They sat on the edge of the cliff without minding their terrible appearance.

“I thought you died when I fired that.”

“I’m strong and they gave me quite a protection it seems,” he smiled lightly.

“I should have…done more. But they really did convince others to lock the airspace…not even the underground caverns are usable…that’s impressive to me.”

“And all you have are your subordinates… they died for you know. How you won them over is beyond me. Did you use that magic of yours?”

“Don’t insult me, I didn’t. It was only a threat… and even if there was something like that. I would have made you my husband or my stallion. You should have agreed to it. I was pretty… and I wasn’t that..”

“Could have chosen someone else.”

“I’m proud of my body and if I am to mate with a man then his blood must be strong. You have ideas on how Magi children should be made… you did spend time with a Magi woman.”

“Your eye not working?”

“What about yours?”

“It isn’t.”

“Still, you got clumsy…but did you really just want to?”

“They’ll see that the Magi are evil soon,” she said with strength. “Well, they did give me a throne, a role in all of this all because of this stupid mark that I have. Take my parents, and force me into this monster… not that I didn’t enjoy ripping them apart.”

“A clumsy excuse.”

“It is. Who’d make herself be so evil? It’s… a path I started and I would end it. Well, the world doesn’t have much time anyway, the Exiled One will come and that will their end.”

“Oh.”

She leaned on him. “Your tolerating a woman who had locked you and made a toy out of you.  You are strange, and your patience makes me angry. I should have just done it. Maybe being a father would force you to be this nice.”

“How terrible,” he laughed.

“It is, shameless, but it has to be done… well, it doesn’t matter. None of it matters now.”

She lowered her head. “You know I only had dreams of flying a plane once. Don’t even know why I ended up like this… I had been flying… and the world’s still vast. Too bad… I would love to see it.”

“I hope you have a nicer life, if there is a next time.”

“I hope so too,” she smiled her, head leaned on him. “I hope that if it does happen, I’d meet you first before someone. Would be nice. Hey?”

She looked at him and saw that his eyes were closed. She pulled his body closer and then placed her bloodied head on him and then cried. Her cry lasted for a minute before it slowly weakened to a halt. She lay on the ground still clinging to the man with eyes staring on the skies.

I stood looking at the corpse.

I didn’t understand.

I didn’t want to understand.

What was this place?

What was this horrible world?

 

I kept on thinking that before I found myself staring at the ceiling.

“What was that?” I asked myself. I looked at the ceiling and then to my side. I saw him carefully packing his things and belongings. That familiar face and that half-tired and half-stone like look. I ran out of my bed and clung to my man.

“Please don’t hug me like that out of nowhere. Your arm is made of metal, or have you forgotten that?”

"I..."

"I'll fish for now."

He left and went out of the door.

What is with these nightmares?

---

      Mavin sat on the stone near a lake. He was watching the cast go up and down. Not far from him was Natalya wearing a bomber jacket. She was adjusting the sensitivity of her left arm. Her mastery of it was not surprising when she had fifty-seven years to learn new skills. If the people of the known continents could see what she was doing. They would wonder how their famed goddess was doing. Mavin had spent the last weeks catching up to the world.

“The place’s buried.”

“I had to bury it. I didn’t want anyone to get an idea,” she said.

“Natalya, do you know what fish I can get from here?”

“I haven’t fished here for a long time.”

She stabbed her silver hand on her missing left arm.

Mavin thought of something, “You know, I could give you some of my blood to regenerate that hand.”

“I’d prefer if you give me seed instead.”

“Degenerate.”

“Not my fault someone had to be asleep for years,” she smirked. “But seriously, the thing is that I rather not have an arm. I thought it was a hassle at first, but considering how much I am carrying in this arm. It’s amazing.”

Her arm transformed into a blade. It was quite similar to the black iron that Mavin was keeping. She activated another function and she was carrying what seems to be a gatling gun.

“A gatling gun… really?”

She smiled. She changed the shape of her arm this time to a dangerous shape. She pressed something on the side and a finger-sized bullet came out. It was an anti-material rifle’s bullet. From the looks of it, it was also explosive.

“For someone who uses the sparks… that’s going too far.”

“Too far? I don’t think so. The thing is that there are many ways to break the sparks. My silver arm has been made with the same technology that our friends have been using. If anything, you don’t look like you’re going to keep anything other than a sword of yours.”

“It’s Aunger’s gift for me.”

“Oh, speaking of him, the two will be working with us including that man called Edwards. Hmm, you should know this already, but do you really want to give Lazon the eye of the world?”

“I do,” I replied. “It was meant to protect Lazon after all. Considering that there are other forces who are eager to get back on Lazon. It’ll be helpful. Really, do you not have allies?”

“Holmia will always be our allies, I assure you that,” she returned her left arm to normal. The ‘skin’ cosmetics that were on her left arm returned to normal. She opened her hand slowly and then wiped it with her tower.

“That’s good to hear… if our rivals aren’t the Old Magis.”

“You’re worried about the old skeletons?”

“I would be lying if I said no.”

She stood next to the stone Mavin was sitting on. She looked at the lake and asked, “I could just pull one.”

“That’s missing the point of fishing.”

“Not that they’d be able to challenge your arm strength. These aren’t those giant ones so I doubt they’d make an issue.”

Mavin nodded stiffly. “But it’s fun this way. It makes me relax.”

Natalya didn’t reply. She remained her eyes on the lake’s waters. Mavin continued fishing while she stood silently.

“Hey, I always wondered why you chose to stay.”

“I told you that already.”

“You did. And I can’t understand it no matter what.”

Natalya squinted at him. Mavin thought that he had seen her so bothered. So far, he hasn't found something that pissed her off. He has been trying to find one, and so far it has barely worked against her. She crossed her arms.

“Do you know?” She started with a heavy tone. “Ive many admirers. Most of my admirers are what you call handsome and beautiful. I have money. I have the beauty and body that would make men and even women envious. I was a widow that was forcibly wedded to gain benefits. I had every right to cancel my marriage and even under my new name. I can marry however I want. I was the acting Matriarch of the Tomas Family. I was a widow wedded to a scheme of a previous Emperor. I control most of the income coming from south of Lazon. I have enough wealth to build a ship that could float above the sea of clouds. I have control of the most powerful weapons of mass destruction on the face of the planet. I have birds made of metal that would rain down hellfire on the lands. Do you know how lucky you are? How many would like to be in your place?”

Mavin found the words in his throat locked. Natalya stepped forward with a frown. “Mavin, goodness gracious, I can understand that to you only a few days have passed. To you it was nothing more than a nap. But for me it has been long enough that I have lost a few friends because of old age. Some died because they have complications and diseases. Do you know how broken my heart was? How I had wished to find something more? I was addicted to the idea that I would help the little girl that lost her parents. I wanted to be in this position. I chose to be in the Tomas Family because I wanted to. Yes, the Emperor did tell me to wed you, but among the many you were one who had humbled me.”

Mavin tilted his head. He thought about why she was saying this. She turned her squinted gaze at Mavin as if she just ate something awful. “But the only person that Natalya Wilde married is Mavin Tomas. The only person that Bellatrix De Ziba married is Alden De Ziba. I’ve my own reasons. Why would I be so patient enough to wait for so many years.”

Her tone made it hard for Mavin to speak up. He thought that if he said something now she would glare at him, unkindly for once. She has been patient. Her devotion would make a man happy. She had the right to be angry and it felt awful to Mavin knowing that she had to.

“I can see that you feel guilty. Guilty of leaving behind a mess. Guilty of what a mess has happened during your absence. I understand that. Really, you make me feel frustrated, despite all of that we’ve done.  So when you go down this pattern, I hate it. Mavin Tomas,” she said, behaving as if offended. “I have the freedom to choose who to love and to devote myself. No one can take that from me. Not even you.”

Mavin raised his lips, trying to explain, but he went against his thought. She saw Mavin trying to reply, but she looked away and then sighed.

“It’s okay. I understand that it has been only days for you. For me it has been years,” she aggressively ran her hands through hair. “And there are various reasons why you would keep asking such a question.”

She shoved her hands into her jacket’s pocket. Her lips pressed together. Her eyes narrowed. Mavin thought to himself that he shouldn’t speak about this again. He felt that there was something biting his cast, but he just reeled it in slowly while avoiding Natalya’s squinted gaze.

“Sorry.”

“Are you?”

She punched his shoulder softly. Mavin took the fish and placed it on the side. “I am. If anything, I have no right to say anything else.”

“It’s alright. I want a partner not a an obedient slave. It’s frustrating though.”

Mavin felt like he ruined the peaceful atmosphere between them. It was their last day here in the lake before they choose to do something about the Old Magis that are being a pain in the ass. At least this time he has to watch out for what to say.

“Hey,” said Natalya. She grabbed hold of his face. She stared at him with deep and lightless eyes. Mavin shivered for a moment. “We have time now, but even so please don’t leave me so easily.”

“I am not. I wouldn’t be so shameless again. What you’ve done is more than enough to make me believe in you. I, no, we are partners, so I should not have said that recklessly.”

She smiled. “I guess you still understand that we need to communicate better. I did lash out, acting all high and mighty, but in my age, well our age, we shouldn’t be so juvenile, though I must admit that being close to you again made me think of the days where we were younger than this.” she ran her hand on Mavin’s hair.

“You’ve not changed at all, don’t worry.”

She flicked his nose. “Liar. I, do you really want to know why I choose to stay devoted?”

“If you want to.”

Mavin thought that this was odd. How she was willing to bare her heart out. It was uncomfortable, but at the same time he wanted to hear.

“Because they will grow old and wither. There are a few who are capable, but they are such...bastards that I’d rather wait.”

“I see.”

She lifted his chin. “And I was born with such old noble standards. Wilde has traditions and I had followed it thoroughly. Anyway, enough about this, it would make me foolish if we stay here. Let’s cook up that fish, okay?”

She took her hands off his face and walked to the grill just outside of the cabin. She poured the coal on the grill and a snap of her finger lit up. She placed the fish on the log counter and prepped the fish. It was good enough for two.

Mavin took a look at the lake. He had been here with Natalya for a couple of days in Karbid. Silica had cleaned up the place and there was no one who bothered them. They made a point of taking this to relax by the lake. They did have one hell of a long honeymoon and indulged in the peace while the rest of the factions had their eyes on the events that happened in Holmia. Mavin was less worried because they had someone watching the situation.

But after this day they’d have to work on convincing others. Although he had dealt with Kismet’s Tale, his artifact, who knows what are the effects of destroying the item?

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