Manifest War: The Weapons Within

Before Carmen could ask a question, Homura quickly interjected.

“Come on, let me show you around our city.” Homura said as she motioned for the guards to step aside and open the main gate. They did so and the two stepped forth onto the sandstone colored streets.

Pale colored beings littered the streets from every angle, imitating that of a large bustling and frantic city. Carmen couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The number of people outside had increased considerably since the day of her capture and she couldn’t understand how that was possible.

Not only were the amount of people peculiar, but the surrounding buildings were also quite interesting. They stood at a variety of heights and widths, however the aesthetic was similar across the board. Sandstone and tan in color while having intricately detailed domed roofs.

The extensive levels of symmetry was quite impressive as well, causing the city to spread out into a near perfect circle. It was clearly planned out by someone with incredible amounts of foresight and planning.

Carmen had never seen architecture like this in Alaira before and she couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of it all. They continued to walk for a while longer as Homura pointed out various landmarks, giving thorough explanations behind some of the massive statues that towered in the distance.

“That gentleman right there was our chief advisor, Dariore. He was instrumental in spreading Briddle’s word and getting the citizens fully on our side. We owe a great deal of our success to him.” She said with an appreciative tone.

“I see… But wait, were people not originally on Briddle’s side?” Carmen questioned, finding that statement to be rather strange for someone with so much undeniable power.

“Huh? Oh, what I meant is that he reinforced their beliefs in us. We always had the support of the people.” Homura quickly shifted her attention to another landmark and made comments about it, clearly wanting to change the subject. Carmen found this change in focus quite strange, but she didn’t press the issue.

Once the tour was finished, the duo found themselves in front of a fairly large building that was fenced off in the front. As soon as the elderly woman outside saw Homura, she immediately bowed her head and urged them to come inside. They stepped through the small gate and into the building where they were quickly welcomed by a large group of children. There had to have been at least seventy kids standing in the foyer, ranging from ages one to five.

“It’s Homura!!!” They all yelled out with glee, feeling beyond excited to see her. She gave them a motherly smile as she knelt down to their level, patting some of them on the head.

“Hello! Hello! Have you all been well?” She said with a soft tone, so incredibly tender and nurturing. They accepted Homura’s greeting graciously while giving her sharp toothed smiles and grins. As Carmen stared at all the children, Homura quickly stood and got behind her. She placed her hands on her shoulders and peaked around Carmen’s head, sending another smile to the kids below.

“Alright guys, I have someone I want you all to meet. Someone very special! Say Hello to my friend Carmen.” She said with a playful cadence, urging the little ones to come closer. They stepped forward and yelled in unison, “HI CARMEN!"

“Uhh, ahem, hello!” Carmen was quite anxious in this situation, feeling rather awkward with all these adorable gray-eyed and sharp toothed children staring at her. As they looked on with great interest, idle chatter amongst the older ones filled the airwaves.

“Silver hair? So pretty! - Wooah, I’ve never seen anyone with red eyes! - How come she doesn’t have lines on her face?” These lines and many more were spouted out back to back by the curious younglings. Carmen awkwardly chuckled as they continued to ask innocent questions about her appearance. Once their curiosity was sated, they scattered across the room and began playing again.

“Why are there so many kids here? Do they not have parents?” Carmen asked as she turned her attention towards Homura. Her once motherly smile quickly shifted to that of sadness as she let go of Carmen’s shoulders to stand next to her.

“Well, with the way our revival ritual works, we can’t choose who is brought back at any given time. It’s completely random and because of that, we unfortunately get a bunch of kids coming back without their parents. So we have them staying here in the meantime until their guardians are revived.” Homura said with a rather somber tone, feeling awful for all the kids that don’t have a true home to live in.

“Oh, I see… That’s terrible..” Carmen replied with an equally as sad tone, shaking her head in disbelief at what these kids had to deal with.

“Terrible indeed… And so, I’d love it if you could help guide and comfort them through these tough times. Won’t you help preserve these smiles?” Homura looked over at Carmen and their eyes quickly met. Carmen could see the desperate pain in her urging and alluring gray eyes. Despite her hesitation, there was no way she’d refuse a request like this. Before Carmen could give a reply, she felt something warm grip her hand. She looked down and saw a little boy holding her hand tightly as he grinned big.

“Come on Carmie, let’s play!” He said with a childishly broken speech pattern. At that moment, she turned her head towards Homura and gave a hearty nod, fully agreeing to keep an eye on these children for as long as she was with them. As the little boy pulled Carmen along to his other friends, she looked back towards Homura over her shoulder.

Homura silently mouthed the words, “Thank you” and smiled, admiring the adorable display of kids accepting Carmen into their group. Carmen nodded and shifted her focus back to the children, now giving them her full attention.

They happily showed her their toys and within moments were fully engrossed in various games. Carmen played with them for hours, laughing and enjoying her time greatly before heading back to the Boundless palace.

Once she was back in her room, Carmen rushed to her bed and laid down. A multitude of thoughts flooded her mind as she stared at the ceiling, running through the day's events over and over again.

“This is so weird. I really thought that the Boundless would be some evil and terrifying group of people, but that’s just not the case. No matter how many times I think about it, there’s just no way they’re like that. Why are we even so against them? Everyone here has been so accepting and kind, surely we can set aside our differences and live together peacefully.” She thought to herself, trying her damnedest to unpack her feelings.

“Hmph… Who am I kidding, that will probably never happen. Besides, I won’t be on the surface for much longer, so what does it even matter?” She shifted in her bed and began to lay on her side, rubbing her hand gently across the soft sheets. As her thoughts continued to torment her, Carmen slowly drifted off, falling deeply asleep.

The following day arrived and during the late afternoon hours in Ariana City, Azhane Belouis was in a heated discussion with the Volaire council and a few high ranking nobles that oversaw different regions of the nation.

“All I’m proposing is that we send some forces to back up Zalthia of One and Asiah of Three on their search for Carmen. It’s been ten days since they left and she still hasn’t been found. Bringing more men could allow us to search a wider area quicker.” Azhane stated with a concerned expression.

“We understand your concern, Your Majesty. But, it simply cannot be done at this time. Thanks to your grand plan of spreading out our soldiers across the nation to combat the Boundless, we unfortunately don’t have the manpower to assist in such an operation.” Councilman Brodrick replied with a condescending tone, pressing his glasses further up.

“Yes, and not to mention the potential backlash we could face from such a move. If we take men from the wrong area and that area falls under siege by the Boundless, it would be a disaster!” Councilwoman Carolla mentioned with a fearful cadence.

“And, Your Majesty, if what you said is true about this Briddle character. Wouldn’t sending a sizable force in that region be seen as a potential interference to his plans? Doing this could be suicide for Volaire and all of those that have positions of power in this nation. If he does have the wealth of knowledge that he claims to have, there is information that we absolutely can’t let see the light of day. Surely you realize that, Your Majesty? Please, think about our people.” Countess Lorelie added, trying to sway the Queen’s mind.

“I’m well aware of our current situation, so please spare me the reminders. However, we can’t just sit around and do nothing while a member of the royal family is missing. I will not stand for it and if no one here will assist me, I'll do something about it myself.” Azhane’s loud voice echoed along the halls as everyone gazed upon her now highly irritated facial expression. The silence was broken by another Councilman speaking up.

“I’m sorry Your Majesty, but you will do nothing of the sort. As your council, it is our duty to guide you and provide realistic solutions to whatever issues present themselves. Ever since you took the throne, we’ve been assisting you with this nation every step of the way and I’m sorry, but we simply cannot allow you to act on your own as of yet.” He said with an almost demeaning tone.

“And need we remind you of your previous blunder with the High Priest, Leo Vaux’Hallah? Relations with the Lumen Theocracy have greatly soured because of your prior actions and we cannot afford to lose any more ground with such reckless behavior.” Councilman Omar’s face was filled with annoyance as he shed more light onto their reasonings.

Azhane sat there with stunned disbelief as she was lectured by these people, as though she were some kind of child. Before she could respond, the Queen was interrupted by yet another Council member.

“While this is indeed an unfortunate situation, it is hardly anything that affects our nation as a whole. Since the young miss isn’t an immediate heir to the throne, her loss would not shift our focus in the slightest. I know you realize that, Your Majesty.” Councilwoman Carolla added in her two cents, agreeing with the rest of the council.

“With that being said, you just continue to be the face of this nation and we will handle the rest. There is still much for you to learn before decisions like these can be made without our input. I’m sure you understand, Your Majesty. Besides, you should have some faith in The Six’s commander. Zalthia of One is more than capable of bringing the young miss home.” Once Councilman Brodrick finished speaking, everyone stood from the table and exited the room, signaling that the meeting was adjourned.

Azhane continued to sit at the table as the room emptied and she sighed heavily, feeling slightly defeated by the political onslaught. Graymoor of Two then entered the room and patiently waited for the Queen, ready to escort her out.

After a brief moment, Azhane slowly got up with an irritated expression and walked past Graymoor, making no eye contact with him at all. He swiftly followed after her and they walked back to her quarters in silence, only hearing the click of her heels with each angry step.

They arrived at her office and Azhane approached the front of her desk, glaring at the piles of documents and paperwork that she had been tending to prior to the meeting. With one swift motion, the Queen brushed all the contents off of her desk in extravagant fashion.

Papers, pens, books, and folders flew off in every direction as Azhane vented her pent up frustrations. Graymoor looked on with surprise as papers floated down in the air and settled across the floor.

Azhane slammed her hands down onto the barren desk and after a short pause, she slowly lifted up her right fist. The Queen punched her desk incredibly hard with her bare fist, still clearly upset by the current events. The impact was loud and visceral, rippling across the airways with each punch.

“I am so sick of this!!! What is the point of being Queen if I have no say in anything!? I’m tired of being their pawn! I’m tired of not doing anything!” She screamed while continuing to punch the desk and showing a side of herself that many had never seen. Her bloodlust began to seep out and Graymoor immediately felt her power surging. He rushed over and just before she was about to punch the desk again, he grabbed Azhane’s arm to stop her.

“That’s enough, Your Majesty… That’s enough.” He calmly said while standing behind her and holding up her bloodied fist. Azhane was panting heavily as her bloodlust continued to surge, filling the room with incredible amounts of pressure. She clenched her fist tightly, causing blood to drip onto the table and moments later, she began speaking softly.

“Can't I just make them disappear? It would be so easy.. So, so easy..” Azhane’s demeanor had completely shifted and her voice turned severely dark, causing Graymoor’s eyes to grow wide with concern. He didn’t recognize her at all in that moment and grew more fearful with each passing second.

“I could just kill them… Right?” She said with a soft, deadpan cadence. As her power continued to spike, Graymoor gripped her arm tightly as he spun the Queen around so that she was facing him. In one quick motion, he brought her in close and Graymoor embraced Azhane.

His arms wrapped around her slender body and he squeezed the Queen tightly, filling her with great warmth. Azhane’s eyes went wide by the sudden hug and her bloodlust ceased completely, calming her down almost immediately.

“I said that’s enough. You’re doing an excellent job as Queen and no one can take that away from you. Don’t let the Council’s words tear you down. You’re stronger than that. You know that and I know that. You can’t let your emotions get the best of you, Your Majesty. Okay?” Graymoor said softly with his gentle, yet deep voice.

Azhane slowly nodded and slightly smiled, agreeing with his calming words. Graymoor started to let go of her, but to his surprise, she tightly hugged him back.

“Don’t let go yet… Please..” She gently replied as she buried her face into his chest. Graymoor glanced down at her as was slightly taken aback by her actions, however he didn’t make an issue out of it.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” The two stood there in a sea of loose papers, embracing each other for an extended period of time. A loyal subordinate following orders and a Queen desperately in need of a shoulder to lean on.