The Darklight Project — Roleplayer Guild

The Arena of Gurata

Though the fights going on around him were all very loud, something about the beam that erupted into existence from the fight between the Paladin's student and his opponent was much louder than the rest of it, especially to the Prince. Unable to help himself, even as he lowered his hand from the wound on his chin Cyril looked to the side, just in time to see the young man to get his throat slit by the woman. Cyril's eyes widened even as Mizra turned and Christopher fell from the wall, collapsing against the ground heavily.

"CHRISTOPHER-!" The Prince took a single step, clearly set on running towards the green-haired woman and his fallen ally, but suddenly Badain dashed into view in front of him, cutting him off. The speed, though not quite inhumanly fast like that which the Prince had seen the night before, was still enough to make the Prince's eyes widened in shock slightly, skidding to a stop as he was forced to bring his blade up instead.

"Eyes on me, Prince Serio. I'd hate for to win just because you get distracted." The stab towards the Prince's face was blocked just in time by the royal, and though he attempted to deflect the blow fully Badain had pulled his weapon away, preventing any sort of true disarming or creation of an opening. A sudden glare spread across the Prince's face as he took his stance with his blade, holding it with both hands with the hilt down and the blade upwards at an angle.

"Get out of the way, Badain."

"If I did that, I'd just have to stab you in the back. Let's settle this fight as properly as we can."

With a noise akin to a snarl, the Prince moved forwards to once more engage with Badain. The light, fast blade was flicked back and forth, blocking the attacks from the Prince deftly when Badain didn't deflect and counter attack. More and more slashes began to appear on the Prince, from all over his arms and torso to even his cheeks. Despite all the wounds, though, the Prince just kept attacking, only giving Badain the option to block and give these light counters.

Meanwhile, Mizra's eyes scanned the Arena, darting around quickly. Across her face the tentacles made of her own flesh waved and squirmed erratically, cheek bones and even the roots of her teeth on that side of her face completely exposed. As the seconds passed, it seemed that slowly but surely more of her face was shredding itself, extending from that left cheek; even her left eye didn't last for very long, popping and shredding to join the twisting mass.

Her remaining eye eventually fell upon the flurry of movement that was the fight between Cyril and Badain. A wicked sort of grin spread across her face, before she swung her staff around to direct it in their direction. She held it forwards with her left arm, and suddenly the tendrils explosively tore into existence all the way down her neck to her finger tips. In a way, she was gripping more with the tendrils than her hands or fingers. Once more, a high pitched whine filled the air as light began to spread over the staff.

Meanwhile, Badain suddenly blocked with his blade and knocked Cyril's hand to the side, forcing his blade out of the way. Even as he drew his hand back for a full thrust, he tilted his head to the side as an irritated look came over his face. "Divinesdammit, Mizra..." Rather than thrusting forwards he leapt upwards, high into the air. Briefly, the Prince's eyes followed him up, but he then saw the bright staff of the woman who had been hidden behind Badain's form. The Prince's eyes widened as he brought both arms up to block his face, yelling.

However, when the blast came it didn't hit the Prince. The moment just before it exploded forwards a gauntleted hand fastened down on the staff from the side, grip tight as electricity crackled from the gauntlets into the staff. Her eye widened as she was yanked by the staff, suddenly forced to turn around even as the beam began to fire. Rather than through the middle of the Arena, with Cyril and so many others in danger, the blast instead crashed into the wall of the Arena once again. With how close she was to the wall, Mizra was blown back by the force of the collision, tumbling once she hit the ground before she twisted around to slide to a stop on one knee, head snapping up.

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, seeing just who it was that had thrown her off. Standing in front of her, blown away from the wall at a different angle than her, was Christopher. Blood was soaked into the front of his shirt and jacket, a fair amount of it spread all over the skin of his throat. Even as he stood there, the deep wound that had been slashed into his throat was rapidly healing, skin stitching itself back together closed in layers. His teeth were bared, grit together tightly as he brought both of his gauntlets together, electricity sparking outwards to his left and right.

"Divines you look disgusting. By the time I'm done with you, there's going to be nothing left to squirm!" Throwing his arms out and away from each other, he started rushing forwards even as Mizra stood back up, continuing to shriek.

"JUST CHOKE AND DIE ALREADY!" As she screamed out she swung with her staff from one side to another. With the motion light passed from the ball at the end all the way down to the crescent, where it suddenly shot outwards and split into multiple thin, curving, ribbon-like beams that spiraled towards Christopher from different angles on his approach. He dodged back and forth, leaping back and forth while keeping his forward momentum or even stepping to the side with deft steps that turned him in a quick circle before he continued dashing forwards. Others he ducked under or leapt over, before he was suddenly closing the distance with Mizra entirely. Her way to attack was to spin her staff around, trying to bring the ball down on his head to crush it as he rushed forwards, but she missed as he suddenly dropped into a slide. His hands came up as he went down, catching the ball as it came down and keeping a hold on it as he went past, forcing her to turn.

As she tried to wrench him away from the weapon he kept a hold, using it to yank himself to his feet once again. Whirling, he threw a punch that she barely managed to block in time, though electricity crackled up the length of staff to her arms, which caused the tendrils to seize erratically. His other hand snapped forwards, grabbing the staff before she could attempt to wrench away once again. With the staff gripped, he drew back with his other hand, before he brought it smashing against the staff at the middle, snapping it in half.

Mizra snarled in range, electing to let go of the half he was still gripping which was the one with the ball. She swung with the bladed crescent, an attack he blocked with his half before he tossed it to the side to free both of his hands. As he had before, he once again caught the weapon on the inside of the crescent. Unlike before, though, he easily wrenched it away from her hands, throwing it to the side as well. With the movement she used the time to get her hands around his throat, the tendrils wrapping around the back of his neck briefly.

Her grip didn't last for long though as he brought both of his fists into her stomach in a heavy attack. The double hit was enough to take her off her feet as electricity bounded through her body, her mouth agape in pain and surprise. Backwards she fell, hitting the ground hard. Christopher was right on top of her, right fist drawn back...

The next several moments consisted of hit after hit. Time after time his fist crashed into her face and torso, in brutal hits as the cracking of bone sounded out and the crackle of electricity with it. Right, left, right, left, he hit her again and again, crushing tendrils beneath his fists along with her normal flesh and bone. He didn't stop even as she went still, grabbing her by the hair with one hand to continue delivering hits.

"THAT'S FOR GETTING MY BLOOD EVERYWHERE YOU SICK PIECE OF DRAGON SHIT."

Even before the beat down had begun though, Badain had come back down to land on the ground. Briefly he seemed confused, turning his face in the direction of Mizra and the returned Christopher before turning it back towards Cyril, nodding his head slightly. "I'm honestly surprised she missed. Not sure what's happening over there... But I'm certainly glad she didn't ruin our fight. Sounds like things are coming to a close... Shall we finish this?"

"I'm fine with getting this over with." Cyril's eyes narrowed before he rushed forwards, directly towards his opponent. He had in mind a way to finish the fight, though it wasn't going to be pleasant... Especially as Badain suddenly stepped forwards, stabbing up high. Cyril didn't dodge, only turning his shoulder slightly as he held his hand out, teeth pre-emptively grinding together as the blow came.

The thin blade pierced through his left hand, flesh briefly stretching before it punctured out through the back of his hand. Unable to hold it back, Cyril yelled out in pain, even as his grip tightened on his blade and the hand that was pierced closed down.

Badain, meanwhile, said quietly, "Ooooh, I see..."

The blade was stuck in the Prince's hand, and as Cyril turned once more the blade was forced from Badain's hand as it twisted painfully. Yelling again Cyril swung with his own blade, slashing upwards. Even as Badain attempted to leap away from the blow it raked across his chest, making his landing painful and difficult. He staggered back, before falling down to one knee, both of his arms being held across his torso before he held one hand out to the side.

"I concede."

With that, the fights came to an end. One final explosive cheer went up from the Guratans, even as up above the Chiefs quickly turned to their private way down to the Arena. While Cyril slowly stepped back from Badain, Christopher finally stopped beating Mizra to a mush before he stood, staggering a few steps away. Meanwhile, in their row the Sentinels jumped to their feet, Diane moving the most quickly as she held her staff in her hands, exclaiming, "Gortul!"

"Of course, Ms. Laues!" With that, he picked Diane up easily, before jumping over the wall and down into the Arena. He landed heavily, but quickly set down Diane onto her feet so that she could rush forward. Her first priority, for obvious reasons, was Cyril, and as he saw her approach he waited a brief moment for her to get close before reaching up to rip Badain's blade out. As she got closer, she immediately got to work, her staff gently glowing as she began closing the wound.

"You idiot, you could have been killed with such a reckless move!"

"Only way I could get his blade long enough to land the hit. How's everyone else doing?"

"Surprisingly enough, our side is fine." As Diane spoke, she nodded off to the side, using her head to gesture towards those she spoke about. "All things considered the Paladin's student should be dead right now, but I guess I'm not really surprised that the Paladin would keep someone like him around. Otherwise, there's nothing too serious. The other side, though... Shadar alone has given me enough work to do, never mind all the rest. Pretty sure Nocte decided to get rid of one job, as well..."

"I see..." Cyril briefly closed his eyes, before nodding slightly as he opened them again. "He did what he had to. Work on Shadar's opponent first, and then everyone else in order of severity."

"Hmph, of course." Diane pulled away then, turning and briskly walking towards the crumpled form of Thuraya now that the Prince's wound was closed. Briefly he held his hand up, flexing it a couple of times before he turned as he saw one set of doors to the arena begin to open once again. Along with several other Guratans that would already get started on cleaning, repairing, and addressing minor wounds while Diane focused on the major ones, were the three Chiefs. All three made their way towards Cyril, though Seryosa moved past him while barely giving him a second glance.

"Looks like you got what you wanted." She continued on her way in the same direction that Diane had gone, and Cyril briefly watched her while blinking a few times before looking back to Yihira and Kisarin, a concerned look on her face. While Kisarin just gave him a grin while shrugging, Yihira just smirked slightly and gave a single shake of her head.

"I wouldn't be too concerned about it. She'll keep her word, Prince, don't you worry. Congratulations. We'll get things moving today, and when you return to Barcea tomorrow you'll have a full report for the Queen."

While the Prince gave his thanks to the two Chiefs, Diane was hard at work with a very, very difficult case. Thuraya was, in a word, broken; with the breaks in her tail, burns all over her, and Divines knew how many fractures or broken bones as well, even ignoring the smaller bruises, scrapes, and gashes the healer had a fair bit of work to do. She had started by turning the nonhuman so that her head was toward the ground, simply so the healer could focus on the tail to begin with, and from the beginning Diane's staff glowed much brighter than it had when she had healed the Prince's (in comparison) much smaller wound.

Even as she healed, Seryosa approached. While the look on her face wasn't irritated, it wasn't exactly pleased as well. The Chief came to a stop next to Diane and Thuraya, looking down to the wounded warrior before looking back up. "You cried." She continued on without waiting for an answer, saying, "You'll be heading south with the Prince and his 'Sentinels.' I want to have eyes down there so we know how bad the situation is well in advance."

As others continued to gather in the Arena floor, the Paladin stepped from the doorway. Glasses glinting, he easily made his way through the crowd to Christopher, and then passed him without saying a word, much to the indignation of the young man who made it well known very quickly: "So I guess there's no congratulations to be had, huh? Fucking typical." The Paladin, however, had something more important to investigate as he came to a heavily bloodstained spot in the floor. There he crouched, running two of his gloved fingers over the stain briefly, examining the dark marks on the tips of his fingers afterwards. His head turned as he looked to the Prince and the two Chiefs he was still conversing with, having no qualm with interrupting.

He was crouching in the spot that the pulverized Mizra had been lying upon, but now she was gone without a trace save for the bloodstain she left behind.

"Who was the woman my pupil fought, ye two?"

The conversation between the leaders came to a stop as they looked over. While Cyril paled slightly when he realized that the supposedly dead woman had disappeared, Yihira swore loudly as she took a step forwards. Kisarin was the one to reply though, brow furrowing as he crossed his arms. "Mizra. She had been around here for a while, and was usually hired as a last resort simply because she was so... messy, Paladin. We have no real idea where she came from before she arrived here, and she didn't condone people asking."

"I see." With that, the Paladin rose, slowly wiping the tips of his fingers on his robes. "It seems as if my pupil has exposed a sickness for you, and expelled it as well. A happy coincidence."

Christopher did not buy this, throwing his hands angrily out to the side. "You knew about this didn't you, you son of a bitch?!"

The Paladin replied calmly as he pushed his glasses up his nose with a single finger. "Perhaps."

The Renata Household - Dining Hall

Richard stepped through the open doors and to the right, turning to bow towards them once again as they entered. The doors led to a massive dining hall, one with a long and wide table that stretched from one end to the other. Ornate chairs with soft red cushions lined the table, perfectly and evenly placed side by side. Candelabra's were also spaced evenly from one another on the table itself, though the soft light provided by them was drowned out by the true source of light at the other end of the hall.

The wall at the opposite end was made entirely of massive windows with minimal framing. Beyond came the next impossibility of the Renata manor, and the most shocking and disorienting one: what could only be described as a red space was beyond the windows. There was no ground beyond the windows, never mind a floor or a ceiling; instead, lights like red stars seemed to float freely in a faint red haze, slowly spinning in a large and lazy vortex. Once again, seeing the mansion from the outside drove home the impossible nature of this sight; it was much too massive to exist within the mansion even if borders could have been seen, and even the hall itself seemed much too high for the mansion.

The table was for the most part empty, save for one space at the far end. There, a larger chair was set at the end, almost like a throne. It was made of a balanced mixture of deep red wood, silver, and red cushioning. Only in there did a single figure sit. She was small, somewhere between the size of a young teenager or an older child. Her skin was pale and perfectly smooth, having a sort of glow about it. Dressed in reds, blacks, whites, and the faintest of pinks here and there, her dress was elegant. Her hair was a bluish sort of silver, not quite long enough to reach her shoulders. Her eyes glowed a very deep but very bright red, seeming to be even brighter than the space beyond the windows behind her.

This figure slowly brought both of her hands up, though she didn't stand. When she spoke her voice was soft yet loud enough to be heard at the same time, and seemed like that of a young woman rather than how her physical form appeared.

"Welcome, Ms. Tanaka and Ms. Calypso. Please, come, have a seat with me."

As the doors opened and as Richard stepped aside, the Divinator allowed herself to be taken aback by the beautiful furniture. She hadn’t even noticed the mass of red that shone through the windows as she found the back wall of windows itself rather fascinating.

Though it took a moment, her teal eyes came to focus on the childlike woman that sat in front of them. Something within her told her that it was probably best that she listen to what she said. Quietly, she led herself and Calypso closer to the Lady of Demons. Even if the young woman had told them to sit, the Diviner simply gulped and gave a small curtsy. She found it rather difficult to find her voice, but eventually, something that sounded closer to a squeak than a sentence managed to leave Etsuko's lips.

"U-Um, thank you for inviting us, Lady Renata. E-Er, i-it's quite the honor."

Calypso had followed along with Etsuko almost dutifully, and seeing that the Divinator wasn't sitting she remained standing as well. The head butler had followed in the process, though he ended up going past the two young women. The Lady of the Demons, however, continued to watch the two of them without blinking. Getting closer allowed them to see more details about the woman, such as the frills in her dress, the tea set in front of her, and the slits of her pupils. The tea set was beautiful, decorated with paintings of red roses and thorns, and there were plenty of small bowls and saucers. Each one was filled with a different substance; one of milk, one with sugar, and one with a thick red substance that gave off a faint metallic smell.

Even as she watched, Karin Renata's hand went forward to pick up a spoon and dip it into the red substance. Her nails were long, pointed, and sharp, and with perfect grace she spooned some of the liquid into her tea, beginning to slowly stir as she spoke. She had a consistent air of grace, but there was a strange sort of lethargy to her movements that had just a hint of deliberation. "You are clearly very nervous, and that won't do at all. Please, relax, sit down, and help yourself to tea and treats. If we are to talk, you need to be in the mood to after all. I have no reason to harm you at the moment, so you do not need to worry about that, Ms. Tanaka. Richard."

"Of course, milady." Richard stepped forwards from where he had taken his place near the wall made of windows. In his hands he held two saucers with a cup on top of them each. Where he had gotten them from wasn't apparent, and it was as if they had just appeared, but he calmly set them down in front of the two seats closest to Karin, and on her left side. He then quickly and calmly poured tea into both cups without spilling a drop, before putting the pot back down and taking a step back once again.

No reason to harm her at the moment? If that was supposed to put her ease, it did, but not by much. Seeing as her curiosity wouldn’t be satiated unless she relaxed and decided that she was in the mood to, Etsuko cleared her throat and began to reach for the tea set in front of Lady Renata. She was sure hoping she wasn’t stepping over any boundaries.

“I-If you’ll excuse me, then.”

She stared at her hands, trying to get them to stop shaking as she reached for a teacup for herself. She could hardly keep her hands from shaking as she took another one and handed it to Calypso. She was biting her lip the entire time, willing herself to stop shaking. Etsuko wasn’t sure why she was so nervous and it was starting to bother her. Was it because of the forest or the fact that the Lady of Demons had summoned her? Whatever it was, she kept telling herself to get over it.

Somehow, that seemed to do the trick and she managed to pour some milk into the two teacups and half a spoonful of sugar. Once she finally sat down, she stirred her tea before taking a delicate sip of it. Etsuko tried not to make a huge deal out of the fact that it probably wasn’t wine that Lady Renata poured into her tea and that she smelled.

“This tea has a very fine aroma, Lady Renata. Er, the tea set is quite beautiful too.”

While it wasn’t nearly as big a deal as her tarot cards, occasionally, Etsuko would use tea to tell fortunes. However, the tea they had before them wasn’t suitable for such a job, as she’d need the remaining tea leaves. Even so, Etsuko knew good tea when she smelled—and tasted it.

“I…apologize for my nervousness. A-A lot has happened over the last couple days.”

Throughout all of this, Calypso remained very still and quiet, having taken her seat when Etsuko did. Though she smiled, she certainly didn't want to get in the way and draw attention to herself, so the most she moved was allowing her gaze to wander. It went from the Lady of the Demons before it stuck on Richard for a while, but then eventually drifted to the swirling mass of stars, where they would remain for a fair while as she became somewhat mesmerized by the sight.

The Lady of the Demons continued to wait, simply watching Etsuko as she went through the motions of preparing tea for herself and her friend. She was patient, after all she had all the time she could ever want to wait if one thought to it, while the time of the other three was limited in a rather decisive way. She only said one thing while Etsuko prepared:

"You picked a fine tea, Richard."

"Thank you, milady. Imported from the West, from Renduit." A bow, and that was all the old servant had to say on the matter. She didn't look at him as he said it, and he didn't look at her, her expression not shifting from a mixture of curiosity and amusement towards Etsuko while his remained relaxed and not-quite-smiling... And yet despite the formality to the point of coldness, one couldn't help but think there was some sort of understanding between the two, something developed from long years of service.

Only when Etsuko was more relaxed did the Lady Renata speak again, and only then did she direct her speech to her. "Indeed, Ms. Etsuko. You've witnessed a slaughtered village and met multiple members of a royal family." No explanation was given to how such personal information was known by the Lady, and she continued along as if it weren't anything of surprise at all, simple bringing up one hand and extending her fingers slightly in the motion. "Any young woman would be somewhat overwhelmed from that sudden flood, though it seems your friend Calypso is doing just fine... But that is neither here nor there."

Calypso blinked slightly at the mention of her name, but they didn't pull from the mass of stars behind the window, and seeing as the Lady Renata didn't even look at Calypso while mentioning her (eyes only on Etsuko, never seeming to blink), she didn't expect her to. She just continued on with her words, each one delivered quietly but with a distinct sense of authority and knowledge:

"No, what matters is your response now, and your commitment to your answer. Tell me, how do you feel about the inevitable war approaching?"

Calypso and Richard seemed to fade out of her vision as she took in every single word that the Lady of the Demons was saying. Etsuko gulped slightly as Lady Renata recounted all of the events that she had gone through in the last few days. Her gaze fixed upon the tea inside her teacup, which rested softly in the saucer on her lap. Her nervousness was coming back and she was beginning to wonder just how much the lady knew.

She took a moment to recollect herself before taking a sip of the tea. It was quickly becoming lukewarm, however she needed something to do. Slowly she inhaled then exhaled as she thought of her response to Lady Renata.

"I...don't like that we have to go to war once more. However, I understand that peace comes in waves, and I suppose this wave of peace has come to its end. I hope Calypso and I can be of use to the Prince and his warriors, though perhaps Calypso would contribute more than I..."

"I suppose that's an interesting way to look at it. Certainly a very... human way of doing so, at least. In the long term, though, it doesn't matter, as is the case with most human styles."

She brought one hand up then, lazily flicking a finger upwards, and up flowed the tea from her cup in a sphere of liquid, with the red concentrated towards the bottom. Her eyes remained concentrated on the two women still, even as the sphere slowly spun and circled around her finger. "Despite good intentions, despite hard work, the world is sick, Ms. Tanaka. Perhaps it always has been, and has just gotten worse. That is neither here nor there."

Suddenly, she flicked her finger towards herself, and the orb traveled to her mouth so that she could drink from it, the shape distorting and shrinking before fully disappearing-

"One must look beyond the immediate in order to create any real change."

Etsuko watched as Lady Renata made her tea levitate, trying not to let her gaze linger too long at the red that was concentrated near the bottom. It was a bit difficult, since the color managed to fit so well with the aesthetic of the room. She took a sip of her own tea--no red substances to be found anywhere in it--looking down at it for a moment before looking back up at Lady Renata.

"So then...how does real change occur?"

The Lady of Demons smiled slightly, her hand going down once more as she gently pushed the saucers in front of her to the side, from the one that the now empty tea cup stood on to ones with various snacks such as little cakes.

"One must stop thinking about just the here and now and think instead towards the future, something that you have a peculiar advantage at Ms. Tanaka. Though your companion might be better equipped to serve the Prince on the battlefield, you have a talent that could very well be a much greater help."

She blinked a little, glancing over at Calypso, who still seemed lost in the view from the giant window. She blinked again as the full magnitude of what Lady Renata was saying finally began to sink in.

"W-What? I'm not even sure the Prince knows what I can do...Besides, my ability isn't that powerful...not like some other fortune tellers, by any means..."

Slowly, the Lady gave a shake of her head. "When it comes to that, you are completely wrong. I am aware you have no real idea why I've called you here today, Ms. Tanaka. Would you like to know more absolutely why?"

Curiosity would probably kill her in the end, but she didn't know that now. So, Etsuko slowly nodded her head.

"Yes, please."

The Lady of the Demons nodded slightly. As she began to speak her hand went out to the side, curling upwards some.

"Very well then. It does have a great amount to do with your talent, Etsuko, though you may not realize why. Though there are some others who have a talent at foresight and the like, many of them, without realizing it, can easily be disrupted due to forces within the world. They still receive visions, premonitions, or are able to use their tools, but the results they received are altered, skewed."

As she spoke, from all around strips of darkness curled around her arm, into her hand. They began to take shape and solidify before they turned completely into a black book she set down on the table in front of her, keeping her hand on it. "Not you, I believe. For whatever reason, you seem to pierce the veil of influence to some degree. Perhaps you could do so even more, with some practice and work."

Etsuko listened quietly, her peripheral vision eventually noticing the strips of darkness curling around Lady Renata’s arms as she spoke. She was certainly surprised to hear that her ability seemed to stretch as far as overcoming corruption; at least, that’s how she understood it to be.

She tilted her head, not to condescend because really, Etsuko probably wasn’t capable of that, but out of curiosity.

“What is this veil of influence? And are you saying that you could give me that practice and work?”

"There are a few sources that can influence in such a way, and... Possibly." She tapped the book lightly then, eyes only slightly narrowed as she watched Etsuko. "But the latter will come later, Ms. Tanaka. First, I'm going to educate you about the former." Suddenly, the Lady of the Demons opened the book, beginning to flip through the pages slowly. From the angle she was at, Etsuko would be able to see how the language within it certainly wasn't the common tongue, and there were strange images sketched in here and there.

"Very few have the power to distort the perception of others and related abilities, especially not without actively trying. It requires a great amount of power leaking just to disrupt with one's mere presence. If you know your history, the God Kings were one set of individuals who had that amount of power, but they're gone for the most part now. But there are others out there who are actively trying to distort that which you may see."

"I may see?"

"From your visions, your readings, whatever tactic you choose to employ."

She blushed a little out of embarrassment, though it was probably difficult to tell with the way the room was bathed in red light.

"O-Oh right, I apologize."

The Lady of the Demons just gave a slight nod. "Those who interfere really have one reason why they do so, at any time: to remain unknown and unnoticed, working from the shadows. They have done so countless times in history when they have manipulated events for their greater goal." For a moment Lady Renata was silent, before tilting her head slightly. "Tell me, Ms. Etsuko... What are your views on religion, and your beliefs?"

She blinked at the question. No one had ever really asked her and she’s never given that much thought either.

“My views on religion…”

She repeated the phrase quietly as she looked back down at the tea before looking back up at Lady Renata.

“I was raised to always respect the Divines--Ambrosia especially, because we live in Barcea--and I’ve done so my entire life. They were kind enough to give me this ability of foresight and gracious enough to let me enjoy the life I live now. To use my gift to bring peace and happiness and to do acts of kindness whenever I can is the least I can do for all that they have done for me.”

Lady Renata slowly straightened her head once again after Etsuko had finished speaking. "Then I suppose it won't come with any shock when I tell you that the Divines exist. Well, perhaps there will be a shock, but relief afterwards? You humans are fickle sometimes..."

The amount of shock that went through Etsuko was enough to widen her eyes and make her jaw drop. She quickly recomposed herself, though her eyes remained wide with amazement and, well, shock.

“T-They are?! Oh, oh dear. I-I really hope I haven’t upset them or anything…It would explain the rumors I've heard about the Lady of the Abyss appearing wherever she pleases, though...”

"You are a mere human, and they have no reason to care. Yet. Yes, the Divines truly do exist. I've met them all already, but that isn't the issue at hand. That would be the fact that the Divines have, in fact, mated with mortals... And while this in itself isn't an issue, their offspring are some of those more powerful types. Divineborn, in a word." Once more she tilted her head slightly. "Do you know about the Divineborn already?"

Her eyes began to recede back to their normal size as Lady Renata began speaking again.

“Divineborn? Beings who are part mortal, part Divine, right?”

"Exactly. And, depending on which Divine they come from, they are either Lightborn or Darkborn... As the Divines are naturally split. There are varying numbers, some aren't even aware of it... But then there are those who do. And, for some reasons, many of them have banded together."

By that point, Karin had settled upon a page, but she had yet to reveal it to Etsuko, keeping the book closed against her hand. "They call themselves the Manu Propria, and they are responsible for far more than many will ever realize."

Her gaze went back to the tea in her teacup—which was almost gone—and she took a tentative sip. 

“What…what are they responsible for?”

With one simple statement, the Lady of Demons revealed just what kind of scale she was talking about, and what this organization had done: "Remember the God Kings, from when I mentioned them earlier? They made them."

For the second time during this conversation, Etsuko's jaw dropped.

“T-They made the God Kings?!”

"Found them from before they were the God Kings, offered them power, and gave them direction and limitations. They were the source of half the world being taken over and suppressed... Impressive, in a way. But then the Gifted rose, and the God Kings were finally broken; probably because the Manu Propria had already filled whatever purpose they needed them to accomplish."

She was silent for a few moments, her fingers delicately traced the shape of the handle of the teacup.

"I...I see..."

Lady Renata tilted her head back some then, as she watched Etsuko carefully. "They are the ones who are currently the biggest threat to any sort of clarity, Ms. Tanaka. They are the ones who you would be working to circumvent with training, and they are the ones who might come after you if you gave information to those who are not able to properly protect you. Am I being clear?"

She nodded her lip, biting the inside of her cheek for a moment, feeling like a child being scolded.

“Yes, Lady Renata.”

Slowly, Lady Renata's free hand came up, forefinger pointed forward some while upside down while the other fingers were curled in on her palm some. "In front of you, you have a choice. You can give up your business of fortune telling now. Your life will most likely be much more peaceful that way, but you will never be able to help people with your talents again... Or you can take that step, and endure the risk of learning more."

It was certainly a choice Etsuko never thought she would face in her life. She didn’t want to become a liability and have to question who could protect her and who couldn’t. She glanced at Calypso, who seemed content with just listening to the conversation at hand. Etsuko knew that her companion was very capable of protecting her, but what of the off chance that Calypso wasn’t there? The thought of people putting their lives on the line for the sake of the information she may have to carry the burden weighed greatly on her shoulders. But compared to the idea of being unable to help people with the gift that the Divines had blessed her with…

Well, there was really no choice, now was there.

She looked up at Lady Renata, her eyes unsure yet determined. Even her abilities with foresight wouldn’t be able to tell what would happen to her.

“I will take the risk, Lady Renata.”

“I expected as much." Slowly, Karin's eyes then went to Etsuko's companion. "And you...?"

Finally, Calypso blinked, eyes pulling away from the glow behind the windows as she looked to the Lady of Demons. "I'm with Etsuko until she tells me to leave...~" And, with that, her eyes drifted back to the windows while Lady Renata nodded.

"Of course." With that statement, Karin turned the book around to face the two of them, opened to that page she had stopped at earlier. On it was a sketch of two individuals. Despite only being sketches, something about them had the following details, and it was as if they moved ever slightly.

The female wore black robes with white accents. Her gaze seemed to blaze, with bright white eyes that matched her long white hair. At her side was a blade in a black sheath, which she held behind her slightly. Besides the clothes, there were pieces of armor over her, covering most of where her skin would have been seen (because, in places, the outfit was open), the armor looking rather sharp. The right side of her face was covered in a black mask, curved in shape.

The male wore white robes with black accents, and he had dark black hair that went to his shoulders. His gaze, with his dark eyes (so deeply green they were almost black), was level and completely calm, to the point of being almost extreme. At his side was a blade with a white sheath, and the left half of his face was covered in a white mask, which was also curved.

"Two members of the Manu Propria. The robes they wear let them easily be identified by those who know them, and whether they are Darkborn or Lightborn. These two, specifically, were ones that I have fought with before, with the Lady of the Abyss as my ally."

Etsuko leaned forward to get a better look at the sketches on the pages. After a moment of inspecting the images, she looked back up at Lady Renata.

“You’ve fought them before?”

The Lady of the Demons gave a single nod. "Plenty of times, for a time beyond your true comprehension. Perhaps later I will tell you how it began, but for now that doesn't matter as much. Clearly, at least one Divine is their source. One may have found a way to simulate a proper conception of the other type, but we do not know for certain, so perhaps there is more than one Divine behind them. What that means, though, is that for a very long time at least one Divine has been quietly disagreeing with the others..."

“What could they be disagreeing about?”

"How deeply do you know your own religion, Ms. Tanaka?"

She looked away, somewhat sheepishly.

“I suppose not as much as I should.”

Lady Renata gave a slight dismissive wave. "It does not matter. Where the disagreement is based has to do with knowledge that has long died from lore. It is on the matter of True Creation, and of what made the Divines themselves. The Original."

She blinked. It was certainly the first time she was hearing of it.

“They disagreed over where they originally came from?”

"No, but what should be done about it." Karin closed her eyes briefly, before reopening them as she continued. "The Original is the only simple name for that which created the Divines, and then disappeared. It used to be, long ago, that everyone knew about It... But, thanks to a mixture of disasters, wars, and more than a small amount of influence by the Manu Propria, knowledge of It slowly began to fade. However, to those who know of It, there is a prophecy foretelling the return of the Original, and what might happen during this time." Her eyes narrowed just a little. "It seems that this Divine, or these Divines, believe they might be able to replace the Original, and achieve control and power over the others."

“But they haven’t done so, right?"

"They do not have access to the Original because It has not returned yet. According to the prophecy, it will."

"It hasn't returned? Er...where did It go?"

"That is a question many once debated about long ago, and its answer is probably something that cannot be expressed in words."

She nodded slowly.

"Er...then how can it be explained?"

"The prophecy resorted to vague language, but it doesn't really matter to this world. It is a long prophecy, Ms. Tanaka, with many aspects that do not matter with what we're talking about now. What I can tell you, though, is that in summary it states how the Original will return at the end of the world, to Recreate it once more. What exactly that means is anyone's guess, but it seems that whoever leads the Manu Propria would like to replace the Original with themselves before that Recreation."

Etsuko inhaled and exhaled, as if taking in all of this information and letting out the overwhelming feelings that she felt.

"The end of the world..."

It sounded like a very grim prophecy, but she rarely ever heard of one that wasn't gloom and doom.

"Do you...know who leads the Manu Propria?"

"The Divine or Divines? No true idea, though I know of at least one who it isn't. Of the Divineborn within though, I have some knowledge of their stronger members."

"Who? Who do you know of?"

"These two, for example, though the woman is now dead, and has been for almost twenty years. The male has been missing for the same amount of time. They were mates, after all." Lady Renata slowly tapped the book as she continued to speak. "They are two of the Aspects, a group of the ten strongest Divineborn under the leadership of the Crux, who is the Divineborn at the head of them all."

She nodded slowly as more information came her way. 

"And...the group, the Aspects, are still alive? Or is their status unknown as well?"

"Save for the one who I know to be dead, I have no doubts that they are all still alive."

"And...will they be among those who go after me for this information?"

“Depending on how you use it. What allies you pick will determine which enemies you make."

A nervous laugh.

“Well, I better choose wisely.”

Lady Renata's eyebrow rose slightly. "With your life on the line? I certainly hope so." With that she closed the book, and when she pulled her hand away from it the book immediately dissolved into strips of shadow that darted to underneath the table. "That, I feel, is enough of an introduction. You will be learning from Resalia for the most part in the coming days, though every once in a while it will be with me. Resalia is one of the few I trust, and also lives here in my home. For the time being, focus upon that."

She blinked and then nodded.

“Oh, I see. Alright, if you think that is for the best. We thank you for your hospitality.”

"Of course. Clothing will be provided for you, and I will have someone sent to pick up your things. You will not be leaving here until I say so. Which will be in a few days, when the time comes."

A nervous laugh and a smile followed from the Diviner.

“Yes Lady Renata, thank you.”

For a moment, there was silence... And then the double doors all the way on the other end of the room both smashed open at once as a golden blur shot through them. The blur was extremely fast, almost certainly impossible for the human eye to follow, going down the length of the room while jumping over tables and sliding over them with ease in a matter of seconds, the furniture rattling as it shot past.

"KAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIN!"

Going over the table before suddenly dropping to side and sliding under as it reached where they were at, it disappeared underneath it. For a moment there was silence once again, save for Karin sighing slightly and glancing to Richard, who only shrugged. Suddenly, a head of golden hair popped up from under the table next to Karin, looking up to her. Like Karin, the individual had almost childlike features and was very, very pale. She had big red eyes on a happily smiling face underneath those gold locks. "Found you!"

"Helle, didn't I tell you that I was expecting company today...?"

"Oh... you did... Wait, company?! I like company!" A sharp, excited glint passed through her eyes as she suddenly shot up into standing next to her sister. She was dressed in a simple dress that was completely red, very bright and vibrant. In her hand she had two stuffed animals, one an extremely fluffy snow white dog and the other a golden teddy bear. She dropped the dog into Karin's lap. With light ease, she jumped up onto the table without shaking it in the slightest, taking quick but careful steps to avoid all the plates and cups and food to peer down at the two young women, bending over and waving.

"Hello!"

"Ms. Tanaka, Ms. Calypso, this is Helle Renata, my younger sister."

"Nice to meet you! Which one is which?"

Almost as soon as someone new had entered, any sort of tension that Etsuko was feeling faded right away. She watched as the golden blur eventually became a small child and a relaxed smile appeared on her face. It was somewhat hard to believe that the two were related, however she could understand that Lady Renata had to be the more mature one. After all, Etsuko herself was an older sibling.

“A-Ah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ms. Tanaka, but you can call me Etsuko if you like. And this is Ms. Calypso.”

She glanced over at Calypso, finally, and nudged her with her elbow. Etsuko hadn’t really noticed how mesmerized she was with the stars in the background, though as she glanced at them now, she could see that they were certainly something were staring at.

Eventually, she brought her attention back to the Renata sisters. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say to break the ice, so she pointed at Helle’s teddy bear with a smile.

“Your teddy bear is almost as cute as you are.”

Upon getting nudged by Etsuko, Calypso jumped a little in her seat before looking over to smile at the young woman, the spell finally broken. She wasn't quite up to speed with the conversation, so she just looked at the young-looking newcomer, still smiling as she waved, a move that Helle returned albeit in a much faster, more excited manner.

"Oooh, I like your names! They're very nice ones! It's been awhile since we've had visitors." Her big red eyes blinked as Etsuko complimented her toy, her nodding. "Mhm! Her name's Buttercup, and she's sweet." Even as she spoke, her foot began to shift slightly back, as if she were preparing to leap at Etsuko as her smile grew some...

"Helle, off the table, please."

"Fiiiiine." Spinning around silently on her bare feet, the childlike demon lightly made her way back to her sister, to drop off next to her into the chair that Richard had pushed over in one brisk movement. As Helle got settled, Karin reached down to the snowy white stuffed dog, holding it up and out to her sister without even looking. This confused Helle, who blinked slowly.

"Hm...?"

"Why did you bring this here? I don't care for it."

"Oh, come on, Karin! You haven't paid attention to her for a while! I thought we could play with her and Buttercup some."

"I'm busy, can't you see?"

"Then later! I'm patient!"

Karin just sighed once again, dropping the stuffed animal back into her own lap and shaking her head slightly before looking to Etsuko and Calypso once again, though mostly Etsuko. "Please, pardon the interruption."

Etsuko merely giggled at the interaction between the sisters. It reminded her of some of the children in her own village and it amused her greatly. Now that she thought about it, Lady Renata seemed more like Helle’s mother than older sister. She couldn’t help but tilt her head as her attention was still held by Helle. Maybe she’d ask her later how she should be addressed…

She turned her attention back to Lady Renata, a smile settling onto her features.

“It’s alright. We're around children often enough that we’ve gotten used to them. In fact, I think they rather like us.”

"This is very true..." Karin simply shrugged slightly while Helle bounced Buttercup in her lap gently, the younger demon humming lightly to herself as she kicked her legs under the table. In the meantime, Karin began to reach for the tea set, before sighing and sitting back slightly. "Richard."

In that moment, the butler stepped forwards, carefully slipping in the spot between the two demons to reach forwards and pour the tea for his mistress. She, meanwhile, brought her hand up so she could rest her cheek on the back of her lightly closed fist, eyes narrowing some curiously as she continued to look to her guests. "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable. Richard will show you to the rooms the two of you will be staying with, and will guide you to wherever you need to be within the mansion."

Etsuko nodded her head at Lady Renata’s instructions. It was rather difficult to tell what time it was, though she figured that when the Lady got bored of them or saw that she had received all the information she needed, then she’d dismiss them.

“Ah, yes. We’re at your leisure.”
The Darklight Project Member

Them Done Horrid Murder on Bloody Stages

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