Manifest War: The Weapons Within

In the throne room of Castle de Belouis, Azhane sat there with a worried and anxious expression. Another night had come as she waited for any kind of news to come detailing the whereabouts of Carmen, but nothing had cropped up. Nadine retrieved Azhane’s empty tea cup and tried to reassure the Queen.

“Do not worry, my Lady. I am sure the young miss is alright. Lady Zalthia will find her and bring her back safely. Just in time for your birthday tomorrow.” Azhane cautiously nodded as she appreciated the kind words, giving her a gentle smile in return.

In that same moment, the throne room vigorously shifted and grew dimmer as a projection started to materialize before their eyes. The image completed and there stood an irritated Briddle with Karris off to the side.

“Azhane Belouis… Been a long time, hasn’t it?” He said with a fairly calm voice. Azhane looked at him with a confused expression, having not expected his sudden appearance.

“Briddle? Why are you appearing before me?” She sharply asked, wondering what this was all about.

“I think you know full well why I’m contacting you... Your actions have greatly affected my operation and I now find it necessary to correct your insolence.” Briddle replied with an annoyed gaze.

“My actions? I’ve done nothing to interfere with your activities. You aren’t making any sense…” Azhane grew even more bewildered by his statement, not piecing anything together.

He gave a dark smirk as he stepped aside to reveal Carmen laying on the floor, chained up and unconscious. Azhane’s heart dropped as she saw Carmen for the first time in two weeks. She glared at Briddle with her fiery red eyes, anxiety and irritation increasing by what he was showing her.

“You see, two of my generals have fallen today and I believe it was your doing. Their power was unmatched in this world and yet somehow, not long after we captured your dear little sister, they died?? That is no mere coincidence. I know that and you know that, so stop pretending to play dumb...” Briddle said with cold delivery as anger filled his voice once more.

Surprisingly, Azhane gave him no reaction at all, only deep stares of irritation.

“I think you know what this means, right? Your filthy humans took my people from me and so, it's only right that I take one of yours...” Briddle took hold of Carmen’s hair as he lifted her head up, showing her face more closely to Azhane. He turned his attention back to Azhane and patiently waited for a reaction, desperately wanting to see her plead for Carmen’s life.

This moment was what he wanted to see more than anything. From the first day he locked eyes with Azhane, Briddle clamored for the opportunity to have someone as powerful as her cower underneath his feet. He arrogantly dreamed of this day and finally it was all coming together.

However, Azhane remained still as she continued to menacingly glare at him, not showing an ounce of emotion to his actions. Her lack of reaction dumbfounded Briddle while he gripped Carmen’s hair tighter, wanting to egg the Volaire Queen on.

“Is that all?? You’re going to give me nothing?? No pleas or cries?? No negotiations?? Anything?? HELLO!?” Briddle yelled out, growing increasingly more annoyed by her silence.

“Is this not your dear baby sister? Someone you cherish oh so much? Yet you sit there without a single care? I could kill her right now without a second thought, you do realize that?” He added, now pressing his Manifest up to Carmen’s neck.

Azhane’s eyes glistened with a terrifying blaze as her glare intensified, as though she were daring him to try something. Like a leopard stalking its prey, she didn’t break eye contact for even a second.

“Hmph... I had hoped you would beg for your sister’s life and pray to me for mercy. It would’ve been such a beautiful sight to behold... You really disappoint me...” Briddle let go of Carmen’s hair and her head smacked against the floor, leaving a sizable bruise upon her forehead.

“Azhane Belouis, you’re a lot more boring than I originally anticipated. Maybe I put too much stock into your love for this girl. Hmmm… Oh well, I guess you won’t mind us taking her for ourselves, since you clearly don’t care.” Briddle gave her a cheeky grin as he paced back and forth.

“Think of this as your payment for having two of my generals killed. Seems like a fair enough trade to me. Interfere in my affairs again and I swear I will crush that kingdom of yours. You’ve been warned…” He sent Azhane one last dark grin and the room suddenly shifted back to normal, ending the projection.

All the guards present in the room looked around with great confusion, wondering how the room moved like that.

“Are you okay, M-My Lady??” Nadine asked with a concerned cadence, stepping closer to her throne. However, to her surprise, Azhane exploded with sinister power and the pressure from her Core Energy ignited terror in everyone at the castle.

Nadine gripped her chest and feared for her life as she witnessed Azhane’s immense resonance levels first hand, completely unable to fathom that much power. Azhane looked down at the ground, her face now completely shrouded in shadows and then suddenly the flood of energy ceased.

Everyone turned their attention towards the Queen with wide eyes as she sat there in an eerie fashion. As Nadine waited with bated breath, the silence of the throne room was erased by Azhane’s sudden laughter.

The chuckle started off soft and increased in volume as the seconds went by, bouncing off the walls in every direction. Nadine glanced at the guards with a bewildered expression and they responded with scared shrugs of their own, not understanding what was wrong with Her Majesty. The laugh sounded both playful and dark at the same time, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.

Azhane stopped laughing as she looked up at the ceiling, brushing her silver bangs back. She showed off both of her smoldering red eyes for the first time in a very long time and she deviously smiled, still slightly snickering.

“What a stupid, stupid man…” She softly muttered to herself, no longer sounding like the kind and warm Queen they were so accustomed to.

Then, in an absolute instant, Azhane vanished from the room. Everyone was confused by her disappearance and quiet panic started to take over.

Briddle looked over at Carmen’s unconscious body and frowned, still seething with anger as Karris ended his projection ability.

“I’ll deal with you later..” He said with a disgusted tone as he walked out of the room with Karris, slamming the door shut.

“Where is Homura now? I must apologize to her.” He asked as they went down the long winding steps.

“I believe she’s being tended to in the infirmary. Shall I go retrieve her, Lord Briddle?” Karris replied from the darkness of his hood.

“No, just have her come to the throne room when she feels up to it. I don’t want to force her after that unfortunate situation.” Karris agreed, changing his course and walking away in the opposite direction. As Briddle got to the throne room, he was approached by a few guards holding large boxes filled with Vesta Strands.

“Lord Briddle, we have come with the next shipment. Would you like to examine them for quality?” One of the soldiers asked with a respectful bow.

“Splendid! Yes, bring them inside and I will make sure they are fit for the ritual.” His voice was brimming with excitement, his poor mood now quickly lifted by their arrival.

They entered the room and followed Briddle to his throne, carrying the boxes close to their chests. Briddle glanced over to his right and saw Priscilla resting up against one of the pillars off to the side, still clearly unable to stand after the beating he gave her.

“Tsk, so unsightly..” He ignored the injured girl and let her sit there in pain, showing no concern for Priscilla’s well being. Briddle then took his seat upon the throne as the soldiers sat the boxes down in front of him. He rummaged through the silver Strands and examined them with child-like glee, admiring the Core Energy that coursed through them.

“This might be the best batch yet. Outstanding work!” He applauded his subordinates on a job well done and continued to inspect the spoils before him.

The Fall evening was hauntingly chilly as Azhane appeared above Ariana city, wearing her all black battle uniform. She closed her eyes as she elegantly floated in the sky, focusing her senses together. A few silent moments went by and she finally noticed a very faint trace of her power, way off in the distance.

“Hmmm, I can feel those pendants slightly, but the energy pattern is almost gone. No matter, it should be enough to get me to the general area.” She quietly thought to herself as she turned her attention to the east, the direction of Olun territory.

Azhane swiftly teleported and found herself above a wooded area in an instant, hundreds of miles away from Ariana city. Once she floated down to the ground, a glint of light curiously caught her eye. Azhane reached down and picked up one of the pendants imbued with her power, brushing the dirt off of it. The gold colored Belouis crest shone in the moonlight as she examined it, but to her surprise, she barely felt any power coming from it.

“Hmm... Seems as though they dropped it, but why is it so weak now?” Azhane thought with a confused expression. It was as though the pendant had all of its Core Energy sapped out by a foreign source.

She flew back into the sky and looked around, hoping to see if she could find any clues from a higher vantage point. With careful inspection and a few minutes of flying around, It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for.

Far in the distance, she spotted a tall spire-looking building that was a brown, sandy color. It appeared to be the top of a large castle or palace of some sort, peaking through the wispy clouds. Azhane menacingly glared at the sight and she immediately teleported over to that area.

She blinked high above the Boundless city, looking down at the massive establishment with her dangerous red eyes. The light from the moon draped itself over the buildings and homes, revealing various Boundless citizens winding down for the day. Azhane’s split cape flapped in the wind as her rage towards these people increased with each passing second.

In her mind were no thoughts, no reasoning, no remorse, and no emotions. Her typical motherly charm and kindness was replaced with harsh bitterness and cold despair. Nothing could prepare the world of Alaira for what was about to take place.