Like a Snow globe in Motion, Shaken (Gear, Sess)

[Hitura Rael]

Well that was a vague descriptor. Maybe he didn't really know either. That was fine. Not everyone knew everything. He was happy just to... kind of get some modern knowledge. He would have so much to learn now, and probably no time to. Well, he at least needed enough to survive out here alone. These people seemed happy to help with that, probably to get rid of him. Who would want to keep someone probably about to be relentlessly hunted like a wounded deer around? Too bad for the Mulian's he was a bear.

His eyebrows crept up at the words 'Not that I don't believe you'. That meant he believed him? That was... Raldon didn't know what to do with that information. Everything he had recounted had been something he wouldn't even believe if he hadn't lived it. His expression sank once more at the question of 'other machines' in Fiji. "I don't know. Rah is the first..." what word should he even use here? "Ever. First ever everything I ever met or encountered." He frowned hard, thinking back. It afforded Lemuel several long moments of silence.

"The night I ran... There were a lot of strange things. It's the night I learned my mother and so called friends were messing with my memories. Someone I thought was a jerk had tried to warn me, but I'm pretty sure that he was just doing it for his own interests. I am still greatful for him for that and regret throwing him in the ocean. "And then these really really weird things came out of no where." His jaw tightened, lips pursed, and fists clenched. He hated remembering this part. He still had nightmares about it, all these months later. "Glowing small creatures that when they touched someone they broke apart into black ash. Before that day though...." He shook his head, "I don't know. My memory is unreliable. I could have seen things and had them erased."

Raldon sighed and shifted his position into a meditative one. He steadied his breathing and calmed himself. Bad memories would need confronted. The lingering emotional wounds would heal and scar, but he would survive. He thought through the events of that night, deciding to omit some details, like the girl... Rah's soul who lead him to the egg, kept him company, and guided him. "I think most of the people in Fiji are innocent and unknowing too. There was this..." His face scrunched up, how would he even describe that? "Woman in white with a mask that turned into a giant woman in white with. It's voice was so..." He shuddered, "It sounded like that time Ellen demonstrated nails on a chalk board. I don't know what happened, I think she did something that knocked me out. When I woke up I was on a sandy island with a broken tin can with an old man inside and then we just... stayed there after the man left. I asked RahXephon where they came from and Rah took me to a giant crab."

 

[MKR]

There was a lot to take in, first the tale of the last night in Fiji with all the implications therein. A woman in a white mask whose voice sounded like nails across a chalk board and being warned by what sounded like a school bully. Or the one being bullied given the ocean remark. But glowing things that turned people to ash? Were the Mulians attacked by Noise? What else could it have been with that descriptor if not the Noise or some other new force.

There was a lot to process some of it more useful than the rest but still, pieces to a puzzle he otherwise would never have known about. The Mulians were suffering within their own protected chamber and he couldn't say that was a bad thing. Yet whatever this masked woman was that could shake up even the Mu when they had things like that monstrous Blimp.

And then there was the tin can that came from Orphan, this he could be a lot more certain on.
The Terrorist that arrived when Louise did so he had survived. There was a moment of contemplation as Lemuel considered whether these terrorists would be more inclined to take revenge on the Baron rather than pursue Britannia. Yet the risk was not worth it.

"And now they are in pursuit of you." Lemuel added solemnly "Those 'friends' and 'family', given the incident earlier that much is clear. What I fail to grasp however, is why go to such lengths?" Lemuel contemplated it aloud, in part searching for an answer in part to gouge the reaction. It felt uncharacteristic for the Mu, who had sheltered themselves from the world to go outside in pursuit of one boy, even if he had escaped their confines.

It wasn't like useful military intelligence could be gathered, he had seen none of their monstrosities until he escaped and this seemed too extreme to be simply a matter of principle. No, Lemuel reasoned the boy or the machine, this RahXephon, were special. A combination of both was also possible given the electric cage being used. A clear attempt to capture both man and machine the latter of which he knew they were certainly unfit to imprison right this moment. Doubly so given that would incur the wrath of the Mulians but, leaving him ripe for the taking was also not appealing.

"Regardless, my dear aunt Louise is very grateful for your help and so am I. At the same time I am ill inclined to leave you at the mercy of those 'friends'... No, those jailors of yours. Nor however, have I the intent to become a new jailor so you may rest assured of that. Instead, as reward I can offer you honorary Britannian citizenship should you want it."

 

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon pondered the offer a moment. His offer seemed sincere enough... But could he risk it? It was an appealing offer. Not so much the citizenship, but the safety that having solid ground to stand on offered. Ready access to food, shelter, medical care... Yes, a great temptation to be out of the elements and safe from the dangers of the wilds. But he was vastly different from the people. He held no knowledge of their culture or history. He was a slow learner and ill equipped to adjust at a reasonable pace. Would the people honestly accept him? Or would they shun him, single him out, or antagonize? Worse... Would they treat him like some kind of saviour or hero?

One thing Lemuel said, however, rang true. The Mulians were in pursuit of him. With the sheer size of the machines, both in quantity and literal size, it did not look like the Britanians could lend much aid against them. He'd have to fight to remain free no matter what. But staying here put others in danger. Raldon shook his head. "I do not need rewarded for doing what is right. I only helped because the fighting was stressing Orphan." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "I do appreciate the offer. I can't accept it. You're right about the Mulians. They're going to keep coming after me. Anywhere I stay too long, I put people at risk. I can't put the lives of Britanians- or anyone- at risk from the people coming after me. Ellen is scary smart... She'd use anything she can against me. It's... better if I just wander off into the wilds again and try to stay hidden and keep moving."

He looked disappointed, even as he said it. He didn't like being alone like this. Yeah, he had RahXephon for company, but there was only so much even Ixtli could provide for comfort. He shifted from sitting in his meditative position to pull his legs to his chest and wrap his arms around them. He was not comfortable, scared, and lonely. Truly, just a kid pulled into something he didn't understand with no hope of getting out of it, just prolonging the inevitable.

 

[MKR]

"That is very noble of you. The choice is of course yours." Lemuel rose from his seat, letting the young man's disappointment rest for a moment "But." He followed up as his gaze rested on Raldon.

"Knowing they will come for you again, to imprison you once more and presumably resume their work on your mind and memories. If they come with another of those electric cages, can you escape it on your own?" Lemuel paused as he began his advance towards the exit. "After all if this Ellen is as smart as you say, she presumably would plan to weaponize that same kindness and nobility you have displayed today. The kind that seeks no reward and to avoid endangering others, to isolate you and ensure no one can save you next time."

Lemuel turned to Raldon, giving the man a look of pity.
"I will be here for the coming days, take some time to recover and consider. One of my men will be spending the night here to guard Louise and yourself, if you change your mind you can approach him and he will notify me otherwise I will simply wish you luck."
There was only one guaranteed way for Raldon to escape this situation, not that it was a particularly appealing notion to kill oneself to escape torment. But there was the nagging feeling the Mu had already followed them here.

Perhaps... No that would be ludicrous.

"Just know, that by tormenting yourself the only victors are those who pursue you."
Once more Lemuel advanced on the door, still he did so slow enough that would Raldon want to interject there was ample time.

 

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon groaned and rubbed at his face. "I am not smart enough to out smart her." Lemuel was right with every single thing. They would come for him again and again. If it hadn't been for the Britanians then they would have had him. He couldn't break out of that cage on his own. RahXephon could move on their own, but would they also be helpless while being electrocuted?

He pulled his hands away from his face, and nodded at Lemuel. "I'll take time to think it over." It was too much all at once. So much to untangle and think on. Perhaps he could go talk to Ixtli and get her opinion. Of course she'd probably say some mystic stuff that was way over his head again. He really needed a friend to talk to though...

The thought of suicide did not cross the boy's mind. It was never an option. He would either be free or caged, as far as he was concerned. He nodded to Lemuel and settled in to think and mope. "Thank you, Lemuel." He let the man leave. Was the guard to keep him safe? Or others safe from him? Perhaps he could take a walk later and talk to some of the crew... learn a little more of Britania before making a decision. His face scrunched again. He got up to poke his head out and find the guard. "Hey... uh... Who is Lemuel?" He had no idea how to word the question. He knew the man now, yes. But... Just what was he within the Britanian kingdom to make the offers he did?

 

[Nemesis]

11 PM
Temporary Residence
Lemuel's Quarters



Prince Lemuel would likely have awoken with a start, the cold air chilling him to the very bone, his breath coming out before him in white puffs no matter how many blankets he'd drawn about himself.

There, in the silent, empty manor, he had plenty of room and space to think. To process the day's events - of Rose, who had returned from her errand, and delivered with it a jarring statement: the traitors had been removed by force. The amount of blood spilled in that wretched cave implied it had been anything but honest work... but they way she had delivered it with a smile was the most unsettling of all.

Somewhere in the distance, the white God slumbered, its wings curled up about its neck lke a muffler, hiding its noble features from the blizzard that raged about it. Books were strewn on the office desk, containing tantalizing clues - stories, legends, about messiahs born from eggs, exiles from ancient civilizations, and songs that would reshape the earth.

One name kept coming up in his search: Methuselah Bahbem.

A man of many talents, it seemed, who had played no small part in the preservation of these records. But, why? Each step left more questions than answers, and even as he worked late into the night, the strange, esoteric texts grew ever more indistinct, more vague in their proclamations, leaving only a pounding headache in their wake.

Even the floor beneath was bitterly cold, numbing his feet with every step. A flick of the light switch - and there was nothing. Only blackness was outside the windows - the power having gone out not merely for the manor, but the entire base as well. There was no sign of anyone else - even his usual guard detail, it seemed, had departed their posts for reasons unknown. His every breath, every step, echoed through the halls, returning to him as eerie, unnatural sounds.

And yet... There was a light in the hallway. Warmth, just down the long stairs, something crackling cheerfully as it offered respite from the gnawing frost.

He had a visitor.

 

[MKR]

The guard posted outside turned to Raldon, seemingly amused by the question from the expression on his features. The question did not seem to have caught the man by surprise. Instead, unknowingly, it had reinforced an unfortunate stereotype the guard held. That those outside Britannia were under educated on the things that mattered.
"Lord Lemuel el Britannia would be the heir to the throne of the empire sir." Came the simple reply, all the same.

The kind of man who could certainly back up those claims of amnesty.

---

The issue with these mixes of myth and record was most certainly where the fiction began and the facts ended, Bahbem likely knew that was for certain. But he presented a new issue altogether, this problem was one to sleep on and consult over a hasty decision would only lead to more woe. Besides the cold was getting to his hands, the seemingly unending, unpredicted, blizzard serving as décor for this terrible day.

Rose had proven unfortunately effective, that result was not what he wanted and now he worried for Louise's mental state after those events. Fortunately he had very expressly told that loyal murderer to defer matters of Louise to him and not apply her own solutions. The hope however was that that would never be required but with yesterday in mind...

Louise it would seem, was not the only one alone. The Prince's eyes moved around the darkness, he had not noticed any of his guards leave and while he could certainly be engorged in a book that was not one of his flaws that he lost touch of all surroundings. Too many strange happenings were happening one after another, as the snow covered the walls like a blanket.

No, not a blanket. This was more akin to a cage wasn't it, isolating him from the rest of the world. Was it the Eleven that appeared earlier in her supernatural swiftness or was it the thing that had enabled one. Regardless, as he looked down the hall to the one source of heat and light here, the obvious trap, if something were capable of isolating him so then nibbling on the bait was only polite.

So the unnatural reverberations carried him forth, as he stepped towards the light with a weary eye.

 

[Nemesis]

As Lemuel gathered his courage and crept through the dark hallways, he could hear a voice. A clear, singsong tone, reciting something. As he stepped out into the warmth, the fireplace had been lit bright. A pair of armchairs, and a small table for books, upon which someone had stacked several of poetry, pulled from the manor's great library.

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies."​

The girl gave a sigh of content, closing the book with a soft thump as she rose from her seat. Her dress was unlike any he'd seen before, like she'd stepped right out of the pages of the books he'd been indulging himself in. The long, white robe. The facial paint, of an eye with three prongs jutting out from under it in pale blue. The sign of a seer. A visionary of a society mankind had only briefly encountered, and warred with.

"Wonderful words. A shame they are so rarely backed up with deeds. Wouldn't you agree?"

Elen tapped her fingers on the staff she carried, and gestured to the adjoining chair.

"Sit." She said, quietly.

"You are the first of your line to be granted audience with the Mulian race, Prince Lemuel of Britannia."

The Mulian emissary gave a wry smile. One that was filled with as much warmth as the frost clinging to the windows.

"This is the sort of thing your people preoccupy yourselves with, yes?"

 

[MKR]

"I'm honored."

The Britannian prince calmly continued, taking a look at the one 'inviting' him as he moved to the chair. The regal cloak moved over the far side of the chair as he seated himself, the words he spoke mirrored hers in more way than one, it was gracious on the surface and wary underneath not that there would be any surprise there and as such there was no need to hide it.

"That depends on the words being chosen and the deeds they entail, as for this tale of a man lusting after his cousin's wife. Perhaps it is best he did not follow through. Otherwise we may not have had his other works." Lord Byron was certainly a flawed individual and in that regard much like his father, poetry in the mind of Lemuel was putting one's hopes and aspirations to the pen and wishing them into a separate reality to imagine that reality. Alternatively putting one's nightmares and fears to the pen to banish them to exist only in the realm of paper.

"It is one of the things we preoccupy ourselves with yes, some more than others. Regardless allow me to welcome you to Britannia, I would offer a tour of the local sights but unfortunately the weather allows me to merely offer the gesture thereof. To what, instead I would ask, do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
He could more than guess why the Mulians were here, and infer why they wanted to talk to him but instead he would hear it directly.

 

[Nemesis]

"Pleasure?"

As Lemuel anxiously offered his commentary about the book, he was interrupted as Ellen spoke, stiffly. Her eyes narrowed, even as her smile remained, growing slightly thinner.

"You misunderstand." She said, lightly.

"There is nothing pleasurable whatsoever about my excursion here."

She leaned a little closer. There was something unusual about the way she held herself, that seemed to indicate she was far older, wiser than her body seemed to suggest. The way her voice dropped, as if she were speaking to a child, those brown eyes not for a moment breaking from his own.

"Your plithy imperialism disgusts us, Britannian. Your oafish brutality, your vain, gaudy aesthetics; your jackbooted oppression in the guise of nationalism... Even those who fled to space abandoned such relics of governance long ago as cruel. Unnecessary. Inefficient.

If it were of my choosing, I would have exterminated you, and all your ilk. The Noise would scour you from the surface of this planet. Not even your memory would remain. Such is our might."

Revulsion curdled in the pit of Ellen's stomach as she spoke. The things she had seen during her travels were beyond appalling. The horrors that these people inflicted upon one another. How could Raldon possibly be allowed to remain in their company? Yes, she would ensure he remembered none of them - that this awful place was purged from his memory.

But first, a lesson needed to be taught to these savages.

"We are a kind and merciful people, Prince Lemuel. We stay our hand, for indiscriminate slaughter is not our way. Our leaders are wise. Kind. Just. But, what I have seen thus far of those outside our realm..."

The staff was flipped horizontally across her lap, balanced over her knees as she gently touched its hideous, misshapen head.

"Would you consider yourself a cold man, Prince Lemuel?"

 

[MKR]

He let this woman, this monster in disguise go off on her tirade. About the superiority of their race. Filthy hypocrite that they are.
"Yet here you are." He responded calmly "You too look upon the 'other' before you, declare them disgusting and different. A plague to amend, in that regard Britannia at least offers integration instead of extermination, I had long ago imagined the Mu above such petty concerns that plague man but thank you for revealing to me you are no better than us."

"Britannia is no perfect nation this is for certain, such is the flaw and boon of humanity that deep down were are cavemen pointing sticks at one another. Except the sticks just got much much bigger. The Empire and its head are a solace for those afraid of its and others sticks even those that would refute it still benefit from it." He spoke not with anger, but simple acceptance of that fact. "But I'll save those speeches for those who would listen. Just know this Mulian, if you cannot accept that you are merely on equal ground with humanity your days are numbered."

His hands rested on his lap as he spoke, eyes on the fire and then on her. The fact he spoke like he was reciting some research helped little, this man spoke like he was stating facts that was for certain.
Because he knew, for all this assumed kindness the events of long ago were fact, and if the Mulians could have killed them all without as much as a final yelp of pain they already would have. That meant she was bluffing, or the means to do so with were unavailable or not yet ready.

"Quite the opposite, I do the things I do because I care. But that does remind me, would you be so kind as to remove the blizzard? I'm sure even those wishing for a white Christmas are revoking their statements now."

 

[Nemesis]

Lemuel flared defiance in the face of the Mulian Alchemist, who blinked slowly at his words. Here was a man who truly believed what he said... or at least, was very good at putting up a brave front.

"How funny." She laughed, softly.

"There's someone here who disagrees."

---

Elsewhere...

A low, pathetic sob rippled through the air. In the depths of the police station, trapped in a dark cell, Yasuko Fukase huddled in a corner, shivering terribly. Her frostbitten fingers gripped the charm so tightly it had frozen to the skin of her palms. Delerium was settling in, she wearily realized. Nobody was coming to the rescue.

She was going to die here. Alone. Unloved. Unmourned. She'd thrown everything away on a whim, and nobody believed her. The thought rattled her to the core, but she coudn't even will herself to stand. All she could do was wait for the end.

And yet... a light began to radiate from between her fingers. A gentle, blue pulsating radiance that somehow still managed to fill her with a solemn, nameless dread.

Crick. Crick-crak-a-lak...

There was a noise like the snapping of bone, or the shattering of glass. Shuddering, she raised her hands, trying to hear the noise better. There was a sudden, sharp pain-

Blood splattered against the walls.

Petty Officer Fukase could only watch in horror as spikes of blue stabbed out of her hands. Growing in size. Growing in number. Drawing her in. Pulling her body in close, blocks of ice enclosing her arms. She didn't even have the energy to scream as it finally enveloped her - and then, there was only darkness, and silence.

---

Whatever fury that burned in Lemuel's breast would have immediately turned to ice. As if his soul had become a reflection of the whirling storm outside. There was a dull, throbbing pain in his abdomen, one distinct from the rather pedestrian food he'd been served earlier. Ellen watched with mild interest, having witnessed such changes many times before, picking up the book of poems as she stood.

"What you did to that girl was heartless. Is it not the role of the prince, to marry the pauper? To bring her joy, and happiness?

What joy, what love have you ever wrought with the life you were given, Britannian?"

A cold, blue-tinted hand snaked across his shoulders, one that rippled and pulsed as though it were underwater, yet grew more and more solid with each passing moment. A slender figure, hideously thin and emaciated wrapped in strips of cloth like a turban, caressing his features like the most tender of lovers. A single trickle of blue dripped from the corner of his mouth, unbidden.

A song not heard for years began to ring in his mind.

Ellen gave him a final, poisonous smirk as she tucked the book under her arm. Perhaps she'd keep her memories of this trip.. after all, now she had a souvenir.

"Be of good cheer, Prince Lemuel. Now, the Ice Prince will have the heart he never had... For I am the Goddess of Love."​

As she turned, there was a horrible crunch - and it was as if the building exploded behind her, centered on the Britannian regent. A grave spire stabbed up in the sky, willing itself into being from the ice that encrusted the base. It whirled together into distinctly familiar silhouette, a mouth with which to sing, to cry, to challenge.



The Dolem Sfozando screamed into the night - its cracking, crystalline body of almost three hundred meters now stretched between the cell and the manor... and began its horrific work.

All across the base, walls of ice slammed up, blocking doors, entombing any unfortunate enough to be caught out in the open. But these were not its primary target. An enormous wave of ice was sent towards the Xephon, aiming to freeze its already frigid form cold, turning it into a pillar of frost to which there could be no entry...

 

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon's eyes widened slightly at the revelation. He had suspected Lemuel to be high in the pecking order, given the offering of honorary citizenship, but he had not expected the heir to a throne. He was quite different than princes he had read about before... then again, nothing he had read about was accurate. The guard's stereotype of him was correct, but of course, broken clocks were wrong twice a day. He pursed his lips, thanked the guard, and retreated back into his room.

This complicated things. He could easily assume Lemuel was not offended by his ignorance of position. He could have corrected or informed Raldon at any time, yet did not. Why? Raldon shifted around the room, changing his sitting position at random intervals through the night. He eventually came to the conclusion that Lemuel didn't WANT Raldon to know the position he held before hand. He couldn't blame him, he would not have spoken so freely or familiarly with Lemuel then. He would have been just as honest, he concluded, but not as equal. Indeed, he would have been quite uncomfortable with Lemuel.

Knowing his position now... He was nice. Cold, but warm at the same time. Contemplation on Lemuel continued as he moved with his escort into a proper hospital room. By the time he settled in with a few extra blankets to watch the snow fall outside his window. Before it picked up too heavy, when it was still calm and beautiful, he decided at least on one ordeal presented. Lemuel had treated him as a guest, he had advised him as if he had Raldon's best interest at heart. He'd continue to treat the prince as they had treated each other earlier. One decision down... and one to go.

The wind outside grew fierce, as if the world itself decided to show Raldon the full experience of the range of winter's moods. Raging fury rapidly replaced the previously gentle snowfall. Curtains of white obscured the darkness. And for a while, he watched. Until everything went black. Raldon went completely still and squeezed his eyes shut. Sudden darkness was not good, never good. The hum of a generator kicked up, and the buzz of the florescent lights resumed. He opened his eyes slowly and waited.

Minutes ticked by, and the power remained on. Okay, no big deal. He slipped off of his bed and poked his head out. "Hey... um... Would you maybe want to... stand guard in here instead of out there? Just in case the power goes out again I mean."

Sure, the guard may find it funny and make fun of him, but Raldon did not care. The darkness was far more intimidating when it was a strange place in strange weather. It amused the guard enough to comply at least. Or maybe he genuinely felt bad for the kid. Tall as Raldon was, he was only seventeen and alone for the first time. He handed the guard one of his blankets and offered a seat on the bed or chair. He tried making small talk, asking the guard questions about Britania, what it was like to live there, what it meant to be a citizen there, and about the guard's life in general. He offered answering questions the guard had as well, of course, being honest with each answer. As honest as he was with Lemuel.

Darkness suddenly engulfed them again, followed by a swift chill in the air and the crackle of ice. Raldon stared at the thick layer of ice. Raldon glanced to the guard, "Please... tell me that's normal." Sfozando's scream echoed through the night and dread gnawed at his stomach. In the darkness beyond the ice, the sound of something collapsing rang into the night over the howling of the storm. "Oh no..."

 

[MKR]

Lemuel grit his teeth as horrible reality set in, furrowing his brow as his gut turned and burnt with cold fury,
"Only in poetry and fantasy. Here that joy and happiness would have been shallow. A mere escape for one." It hurt to talk but there was no way in hell he would let this witch have the final say, "The only thing my Father accidently taught me, was that difference." The song began, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind as escapes and plans were prepared.

"Self proclaimed god that is even beneath humanity, hope, pray, that this kills me. That you will never see me again, otherwise I will be there, standing over your broken form as you realize that without a doubt. Today, here and now. You doomed your species to oblivion."
Lemuel fired his parting shot as he was entombed in the icy visage of the Dolem, highly intent to follow up on his threat but currently that was not exactly on the table. No, now he needed to play the waiting game as he felt the pressure not merely on his mind but rather his being.
This was the stage he would drag out as long as possible, if that Mulian wanted him he would fight tooth and nail and when he saw his own visage in the frozen tomb he was embedded within he knew... There was a way he might just win. For now however, he would have to bide his time try and see if he could exert any control over the monster that they intended him to be encased within and hope.

---

The guard posted outside would accept the young man's company, keeping him company as the ice built up outside. Answering his questions and after some reluctance regaling him with the tale of his life, a man born here shortly after Area 10 was founded he at first was unsure how to feel about the new regents. But life was tough and opportunities were difficult to come by sometimes. He applied for honorary citizenship to make ends meet, after some more up front service in the military he eventually landed this position as a security guard for the military.

There was no denying life improved for him, but still some mixed feelings persisted after all he did struggle before his citizenship.
In return Raldon got questions about how he enjoyed the local food, but further conversation was cut short by the music.

The guard stood up, holding his gun at the ready as beads of sweat formed. Trying and failing to gauge where the sound was coming from exactly.
"No son, it ain't." The guard replied, "You know how to defend yourself?" He asked him as he tried to assess what was going on.

Meanwhile around the base KMFs were stuck inside by the frost those outside trying to break out of the frost holding them as those inside were preparing to take down walls of ice. Those stationed around RahXephon itself were the ones who beheld the spectacle of the frost cage erupting. Sutherlands readying their rifles as orders were issued, the snowfall adding static to the words carried.

 

[Nemesis]

The last of Elen Lemuel would have ever seen was her back as she walked away, his parting shot falling on deaf ears. He was left alone now, in the embrace of the ghoul that sought to replace him. To be him. Its feelings, its memories, who it once was overwriting his own, draining his thoughts, his beliefs away as they gurgled down the drain. It had been like him once. Someone of stature in a world now lost, who had given up everything for a chance of survival.

Trapped as a mere shadow of their former selves between life and death, waiting, waiting for what must have been countless hundreds of years for this very moment.

And it would not let it slip through its fingers.

There was a bright red flash, as Elen brandished something gold, with a glittering sphere atop it - and her form was wreathed in a long, rubicund cloak, complete with hood. Golden armor alloyed her frame, the heat from a simple spell sending warmth through her body, the skintight nature of the bodysuit holding it close to her skin as she sighed.

It was true what they said. Small dogs did indeed bark the loudest.

Meanwhile, sheets of ice encased the dormant Xephon, as the now complete Dolem set about what preparations still needed to be made, waiting for further orders from its Mistress. To die and be born again, it thought to itself in its own alien way, was something it would never get used to - but so the rain became the snow, became the sea, became the clouds. So too did it merely change shape.

And yet.

There was an unexpected tremor in its life-link. Static, so to speak, that was puzzling...

---

It wasn't long before the guard might have heard a curious sound. An almost mechanical revving, like a scooter of some kind in the distance. Sure enough were he to turn in its direction... a strange form motored into view.

Elen, seated atop the enormous kendama like a witch sitting sidelong on a broom, the sides of its hammer-like head spinning away beneath her, leaving twin tracks in the icy floor below. He'd seen that clothing once before - the Faust Robe she'd worn when the Noise had first attacked in what must have felt like so long ago, and yet... her appearance here, among the frozen ruin was still like something of a mirage.

She wheeled to a stop, and daintily stepped to the floor, lifting the enormous hammer over her shoulder as easily as if it were a feather.

"Bula, Raldon." Said the Alchemist, giving him the most brilliant of smiles. It was one he'd seen countless times before, as easily as if they were meeting each other at school, ready for the day ahead.

"I'm so glad to see you're safe. I've come to rescue you."

Eventually, her gaze slid to the guard... and her smile drooped. Her fingers drummed the hammer's handle threateningly, as she instructed him:

"...You. Leave us."

 

[Hitura Rael]

He had expected Ellen to rear her ugly head once he heard the Dolem's scream. He stared at her, none too happy to see her. He stepped forward and rested his hand on the guard's shoulder. "It's okay, go. Keep warm." He shed the remainder of his blankets and set them on the man. He had no idea how cold it was in the room, but it should be cold enough to be a bargaining chip. The dumbest move he could make really.

Once the guard was gone, he focused his attention on the woman before him. He schooled his face to remain neutral. "Hello Ellen. You look particularly back-stabbing today." He shifted his stance, fists balled in front of him at rest. "You seem to have the wrong idea. They're not holding me captive. If I wanted to leave I can at any time. If I wanted to go back to Fiji, I would have at any time in the past few months. I am not going back. I want to stay out in the real world and figure out who I am on my own. Forcing me to go back, messing with my memories, manipulating me more? That will just make me hate you Ellen. I don't want to hate you. I don't want to hate Tasha. I loved you both more than you'll ever understand. Don't ruin that, let me be. Let me learn about the world on my own."

He shook his head at her, sadness filling his expression. "There are things I don't want to forget and things I can't forget. I don't want to be anyone's puppet. I don't want to live my life ignorant and misled." He held his head high, features firm with determination. His voice rang with conviction. "I want to stand on my own, Ellen. I want to live my own life on my own terms, not treated like a child and sheltered forever. I want to see the world for myself, not fed placating false memories. You're not being fair to me. You're supposed to be my friend. Friends no matter what, remember? Friends don't do this to friends. Friends don't hunt friends down and drag them back against their will. Friends don't betray friends. If you're my friend Ellen, you'd stay with me, not try to kidnap me."

 

[MKR]

As the bizarrely dressed woman barged through the door the Guard trained his gun on her, less than eager to follow the orders of the intruder as his finger was on the trigger, ready to shoot. Which he would have if not for the words of Raldon, he gave her one final glare as he moved around Ellen. The gun continuously trained on her as he moved in a half moon motion. Only when he was through the door would he sprint away, Raldon the poor lad needed backup and more than he could provide by himself.

So it was time to grab said backup.

 

[Nemesis]

Elen watched the Guard leave... and listened. She endured every withering word, every accusation, every assumption in staid, stoic silence. She'd heard worse, after all. Many, many times. From those almost as close to her, almost as dear. She'd made it go away. It always did, in the end, and they were none the wiser.

"Do you truly think us that cruel, Raldon?"

The Alchemist gave him a small, sorrowful smile, her words more piercing than any knife.

"Do you think I took pleasure in what I did?"

She lowered her eyes, as memories leapt back unbidden. How many people had she made him forget? Those who misspoke. Who were inconvenient. Who just didn't fit the role they were cast for in the way they needed, to imbue him with the perfect mix of vulnerability and strength. Even before her now, she could see those same traits they had painstakingly cultivated in him, flowering like a rose.

"...We have sacrificed so much for you. Your mother. Your father. Tasha. Me. All of Mu. We have protected you from those who would hurt you. Exploit you. Seek to use you, use Xephon, for their own ends. All we have ever desired was your safety. Your happiness. A future for our kind, where we need not fear persecution from the red-bloods."

Elen sighed... and her hand contracted on the hammer's handle, tightly. As if she was trying to squeeze the life out of some phantom stranger, visible only in her mind.

"All was to be revealed to you that day. Our history. Our culture. Our way of life. Your great destiny. We would take you into our fold, and you would be one of us. I..." - she paused for breath, perhaps realizing emotion was seeping into her tone, before continuing softly:

"...had waited so long. For the time I would no longer need to pretend to be your friend. When we could see one another... for who we really are. When I could call you Lord... and Master of our great people. Not once in my life... did I ever wish to hurt you."

Slowly, she extended a hand to him.

"It's not too late. There's nothing for you here. These people will hate you. Fear you. And eventually? Destroy you. You don't belong with them."

Only then did her face betray the smallest twitch of stress, as her voice cracked, gently.

"You belong... with me."

 

[Hitura Rael]

He waited for her to finish, watching her, judging every movement and intention. He shook his head at her once more. "Yes, Ellen. You are all that cruel. You don't have to take pleasure in it to be cruel. If you truely regret it and didn't take pleasure in it why would you do it again?" He raised his voice at the end, emphasizing the emotion behind it. "If you are really sorry, WHY would you do it again?"

"Whatever you sacrificed, you were wrong. You raised me like a cow for slaughter. YOU are trying to exploit me," He spoke not directly addressing her, but as if he himself were not Mulian. "If you really see me as your lord or master or whatever, then listen to me now, Ellen. Listen carefully." His body tensed, violence promised, a cornered animal ready to fight for it's life. "The Britanians haven't judged me. They did not detain me. They treated me like a friend. They did not cage me in a box of electricity. I may not belong with them, but that doesn't mean I can't try."

His voice cracked, wounded emotionally, but fierce still. "You yourself admit you weren't really my friend. You were just pretending. If you don't want to hurt me, Ellen, then stop this. Let the people here go, stay with me. Choose my side, not my mother's. If you really love me, let me be me."

 

[Nemesis]

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence. Slowly, like the color fading from a picture, the vestiges of emotion that had been present in Elen's features drained away... and she gave him a new expression. A thin, cold smile - the same she had worn in her dealing with the prince earlier.

"...No. You're right." She confessed.

"I'm not sorry. I did what had to be done. I'm not surprised you don't understand. We... No. I shielded you from responsibility, from consequence, for far too long."

As if chiding herself, she looked down and away, clucking her tongue, as if she'd forgotten something as easy as the groceries.

"That was me. That was my fault. The Governor was right. I've been far too soft on you."

Her stance shifted away from the door, stepping back out into the hallway, putting a little distance between the two of them. The massive hammer was slung over her back, and instead she produced an eerie looking staff - the head of which would have reminded Raldon immediately of the terrible Dolems, its face frozen in a golden look of mediation.

"You would choose them, these... people... who celebrate bigotry, whose hands are stained with blood, over your own kind? Over us?"

She gripped the staff tight, and raised it. A sudden chilling wind ripped through the hallways - enough for him to feel the cold in his very bones. It didn't stop either. It kept going and going, veins of frost creeping up the already white windows, the tinkling of grass and the cracking of rock around them becoming a symphony as the temperature began to drop even further.

Elen once more held her hand out to Raldon - but this time, not as an expression of help. Her thumb and midfinger touched gently, forming a small pyramid on her palm as she glared at him. Where there had once been weakness, now there was only resolve.

"All it will take, Raldon... is the smallest snap of my fingers - And all of them will die." She said, over the howling gale.

"Slowly. Painfully. They will feel their organs freezing before the final sleep takes them. And it won't stop. I can grow this storm for miles and miles!"

The churning of the clouds above them, the horrid rumbling, like a great cement mixer from Hell, seemed to indicate this was no idle threat. Elen stared grimly at Raldon from beneath the hood. She'd come prepared, just in case he didn't see reason. She could practically hear Tasha's laughter in the back of her mind already, as she shouted at the young man over the blizzard:

"Will you continue to fight us, knowing their lives are at stake? Or will you return to your rightful place? CHOOSE!"