Shackled Exalted

Emil

Emil pulled himself out of the wreckage of the broken table. The protests of his body had been suppressed to a light buzz thanks to the painkillers coursing through his veins. His subconscious latched onto the drugs with glee, indulging in the strange chemicals and their nefarious effects. He could feel his control wavering, drawn to the addictive effects of the concoction. The rational side of his mind was disgusted with himself. It had been a year since he fully weaned off his dependence and yet all it took was a single dose for him to begin craving more.

He dragged himself onto the bed. The drugs only suppressed his symptoms and shut off his body's natural responses. He was still very much injured.

Damn you, Rohan. Emil thought as he rubbed the side of his neck where the syringe had been jabbed. This unpleasant reunion left a bitter taste in his mouth. His relationship with Rohan was never amicable—it could never be, not after everything the merciless man had subjected him through during his training.

If the witch was a conniving snake that drove you into a corner with tough choices, Rohan was a violent beast that beat you into submission.

It was perhaps a fitting tendency for the head of the Lionheart family and a man who stood at the apex as one of the kingdom's strongest. Rohan was not only gifted with the blood of a warrior, but also with exceptional mana control as an Exalted. The Goddess seemed to have blessed him with the abilities of a hero, but apparently forgot to imbue him with heroic qualities.

"Hello, Emil. Sorry about that unpleasant reunion. That being said, you kind of dug your own grave. Acting rebellious with Rohan is always going to end with violence, you know."

"Whatever. I wasn't going to let myself be blamed while he was sitting on his ass indulging in politics."

Emil turned to his senior. Van stood at the end of the bed with a sheepish, apologetic look. The grave expression on his face softened at Rohan's departure.

"…Also, what are you even doing here?" Emil asked, "For a city that supposedly forbids Steiger presence, there's quite a number of us here."

Petra and himself were undercover. Rohan was the exception since his title as the head of the Lionheart superseded his role as Steiger's second-in-command. The position was more ceremonial than one with actual organization duties. With his obligations to the royal family, the Council of Mana would be foolish to turn him away.

"Remember our mission to retrieve the missing Azurite cache? In hindsight, don't you think it was strange how a syndicate could have stolen the cache themselves? Especially when it was guarded tightly by Steiger agents. With that discrepancy in mind, Hortensia had asked me to investigate if there were culprits supporting Aois Nua from the shadows. That led me down a long rabbit hole, until I suddenly found myself here."

Emil narrowed his eyes, piecing together the implications. Van's follow-up confirmed his suspicions.

"Vigil, the terrorist organization behind tonight's raid, was likely also responsible for orchestrating that Azurite raid," Van declared, "They're quite elusive. I'm still not sure what their exact goals are, but after tonight, I think it's clear that their members got brass balls of steel. I can't think anyone with the audacity to raid the Academy under the Council's noses."

"Audacity or not, they succeeded. Kidnapped the princess, stole some secrets from the Consortium, and killed a bunch of people in the process—Exalted no less. What the hell is the Council doing exactly?"

Van shrugged as he handed him equipment and gear for the upcoming rescue mission. There was a set of knives, rope, bandages, and other light miscellaneous items that might be helpful in a pinch. Emil quickly stashed them onto his body.

"Fiddling with their thumbs and doing damage control. Figuring out how to deflect blame and save face. Petra told me that the Sentinels were relocated prior to the Clash of Dawn thanks to a certain rising star's intrusion. I think they're probably trying to find a reason to justify why security was more lax than normal."

"Don't you dare blame me for this," Emil hissed.

"It's an unfortunate coincidence is all I'm saying. If the Council was a morally righteous institution that didn't have skeletons to hide, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation."

Van suddenly tossed Emil a wrapped package.

As if all institutions in Ardair aren't corrupt in some way. Emil thought as he unravelled the package. Steiger was included in that statement.

"What's this?" he asked, staring at a black trench coat. The material was surprisingly loose and light as he tugged on the sleeves. It was clearly designed to moved around in.

"A fire-resistant coat for night missions. Petra put in a request after she found you all burnt and ragged. This should stay intact even when you invoke Blaze"

How considerate of her. She didn't have to.

"It's being partially deducted from your salary by the way. She said you needed to make better use of your money to keep yourself alive instead of hoarding it like a dragon."

…That damn wrench. The light feelings in his heart immediately turned foul.

***

"By the way, I never got the chance to ask," Van suddenly said as Emil was finishing up his preparations, "Why call it Blaze? Why not something cooler like…Hellfire?"

"It was the witch's decision. Not like it particularly matters, does it? It's just a name."

"Names are important, you know. They might seem trivial, but they form the basis of our identity. They can drive our actions. They're more powerful than you think."

"Uh huh, and when exactly did my joke of a senior become a philosopher?"

Van scoffed, "Hey, even I can be a bit serious if I want to."

Their conversation came to an end. Van led Emil to the rendezvous spot where rescue mission was taking place. Already in their disguises, they rushed down the corridors of the Nautilus with urgency. The hallways were frenetic as medical staff from the Academy and members of the guests' retinues floundered about. Emil winced beneath the mask covering the bottom half of his face. The number of wounded and dead being transported around was disturbing to see.

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Despairing cries and screams of grief echoed from some of the rooms they passed.

"Van—" Emil began before pausing. The question he wanted to ask lingered on the tip of his tongue. He was scared of the answer.

"I'm going to take a wild guess at what you wanted to ask," Van said, shooting him a wink, "No, there were no casualties amongst the Academy students. Just a couple with minor injuries. Apparently, some of them attempted to break free of the hostage situation right before the Songstress worked her magic."

Emil breathed a sigh of relief. So, Anna and the rest are okay. His shoulders relaxed as if an enormous weight had been removed.

Van sent him an annoying smile. "Looks like you made some important friends here in this short month. I'm glad. You finally found some other people to care about other than your two little buddies."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Stop trying to pretend to be my older brother or something."

"Ouch. Harsh, aren't we?"

Rohan was waiting at the rear of the Nautilus. He wasn't alone. A young lady stood behind him along with a bloodhound who was obediently seated by Rohan's feet. Emil focused his eyes, finding a tether of mana around the dog's collars.

A monster.

The sight of the large canine brought back a bunch of unpleasant memories.

"You're late," Rohan declared, "The rest have already gone ahead."

He beckoned towards the young lady who then approached Emil. Mana poured out of her outstretched hands in gentle waves. The ethereal energy wrapped around Emil's torso in a soft caress. Like a soothing, watery veil, mana seeped into his weary body. Emil could feel the dull buzz of pain fade as his wounds began to restore itself.

"This is Diana. She's an affiliate of the Lionheart family. She's trained in combat, but her Gift is healing based." Rohan made the introductions. "Diana, this is Miles and Van. They're members of a Lionheart branch family. That's all you need to know about them. Listen to their orders for the duration of this rescue mission."

"Yes, sir," Diana responded without question.

"How many people are helping to rescue the princess?" Van asked.

"Far less than I wanted. I've sent out four squadrons of three from the Lionhearts. The Academy and the Council are pre-occupied dealing with the attendees and their own casualties. They're trying to rally the Sentinels back from their positions, but that will take time."

"What about enlisting the Songstress's help?" Emil proposed.

Rohan shook his head. "There are political complications. These extraordinary circumstances forced the Council to bring her back, but I doubt they want to involve her any further."

Cecilia, the Songstress, was a commoner who was infamous for her powerful Gift. By imbuing mana into her songs, she was able to induce special effects to anyone who could hear her voice. Whether it was strengthening her ally's abilities, boosting morale, or afflict listeners with deep sleep, her voice could do anything as she wished. Unless a person possessed the ability to block out sound, they would be powerless once she began her songs.

The disruptive potential of her Gift was so outrageous that a war nearly broke out between the elite factions over securing her affiliation. In the end, a compromise was made to maintain the status quo—Cecilia would relinquish her Gift and live out her life as an Ordinary. Allegedly, she was monitored at all times by a group of specially trained Sentinels to make sure she never reneged on this promise.

The Council's impromptu decision to bring her back was definitely made out of desperation.

"I'm done," Diana announced as she completed her treatment. Emil moved his limbs around, testing the efficacy of the young lady's prowess. Indeed, his body felt much lighter than before.

"Good. There's an amulet on the princess's body that emits a distinct scent only detectable by canines. All royal family members possess one. This bloodhound will hopefully lead you towards her," Rohan said, beckoning the dog to move, "Based on Petra's scouting, the group who kidnapped the princess was last seen in the Third Sector to the north. Expect opposition. Eliminate them with prejudice. But prioritize the princess's rescue. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Then make haste. Go!"

The three of them saluted in response.

"Yes, sir!"

Without another word, Emil, Van, and Diana rushed towards the Third Sector.

Kleine

Kleine leaned back against the cold stone pillars, basking in the tranquility of the frigid midnight air. The moon was out in full bloom; its pale glow irradiated upon the ruins of a decrepit mausoleum. After years of being abandoned, it now served as Vigil's temporary hideout for their endeavors within Azure City.

It's going to be noisy again soon.

Kleine smiled at the indulgent thought as he closed his eyes. The faint chirps of cicadas and bugs echoed from the darkness of the undergrowth. There was a small shuffle of leaves from a nearby tree—presumably an owl or some sort of nocturnal beast crawling through the dark canopies. The wilderness of the Third Sector was largely uninhabited and unblemished by man, but soon, it would become a hotbed of activity.

His ears suddenly perked up, catching the sound of unnatural ruffling to his right. Kleine opened his eyes, brushing aside the long white hair that had been blown onto his face. He turned until he found myself face-to-face with a young lady.

Scratches from traversing through the dense woods blemished her plain, unadorned face. Messy gray hair draped to her shoulders. In her arms was another young lady, limp and unconscious. Despite what was likely a tiresome journey, she shot him a brilliant smile.

"Hello, boss. Long time no see."

"Melody, welcome back. How was your time as a student?"

"Like a dream. A fleeting experience that I won't ever forget," she said. Her smile suddenly dropped. "I had to leave the rest of Vigil behind. The Songstress apparently made an appearance."

"It's fine. They knew what they were signing up for. If they're lucky, we might meet them again at Thanatos."

Kleine walked forward to receive the unconscious young lady into his arms. He cradled her gently, taking in the visage of the person that they had kidnapped. He immediately noticed the strange, alien emotions swelling in his chest. It felt invasive, as if a foreign entity had stolen a portion of his mind. It didn't make sense. This was the first time meeting this person.

"So this is Princess Aoife."

"Mhmm."

"Would it be strange to say that I find her face nostalgic?"

"Yes, considering that we never met the King nor her mother."

Kleine nodded. "Even so, I can't deny this painful longing in my heart when I see her. It seems the parts of this body that aren't me are reacting to her presence. Did you also feel the same thing?"

"I did. It made the journey here all the more exhausting."

"It really is disgusting, isn't it? To feel such pain and love towards a person who I've never met before." Kleine let out a mad cackle. "Even years later, the effects of the Bestowed Project are still showing me new surprises."

Melody clapped her hands as if reminded of something.

"Speaking of the Bestowed Project, I found someone interesting."

Kleine listened as Melody explained her encounter with a male student named Emil Milligan at the Academy.

"Two Gifts? Are you certain?" he asked.

"Undoubtedly. The mana resonance was distinctively different. For a moment, I almost thought another Exalted had joined the fight."

"Well, there's two possibilities then," Kleine said, frowning, "Either the Council has restarted those experiments or he's a byproduct of Steiger."

Four years ago, Kleine had leaked a copy of the stolen research documents detailing the Bestowed Project to Steiger. He had hoped that its newly enshrined director at the time would investigate the source of this forbidden knowledge. Never did he consider that Steiger might have used the knowledge for their own nefarious goals.

I should have known. These institutions are all the same.

The foliage behind him shuffled once more. Melody was immediately alert. Mana bloomed at the palms of her hand, ready to fight.

"Relax, Melody." Kleine waved her down.

A pair of familiar faces emerged from the woods. It was Karni and Nagi.

"I see you've secured the princess," Karni said, eyeing the unconscious person in his arms.

"How about your end?" Kleine asked.

"We retrieved everything that was on Melody's list," she said while tossing the key to Consortium back to Melody, "Whatever you're planning to do, you should hurry. The Lionhearts are already moving through the Third Sector. I doubt our contingency plans can keep them occupied for long."

Kleine glanced down at the unconscious princess.

"Then let us begin."