Inside the dusty room, a black-haired beauty's face stood by herself. Her bright green eyes were fixated on the scene before her. She held out her fair arms in front of her, as light-blue particles of light violently flowed out of her hands.
The particles were sucked into the wooden floorboard the moment they appeared. On the dark wooden planks were mysterious, intricate markings, far beyond anything the modern mage could formulate. The markings lead up to a tiny shard in a circular fashion. Veins stuck out from the carvings and latched onto the shard. Inside the translucent veins, the particles of light from before could be seen flowing from inside, rushing to the shard.
Outside of the building the lady was in, there was a massive amount of snow falling down. On the roof of the large luxurious estate laid a miniature mountain of snow, seemingly ready to break the fragile looking roof beneath it. Further away from the home were numerous tablets of stone— a graveyard.
The snow had covered most of the headstones, but one, spared by the angle at which the snow came, revealed bits of words.
'... Clementine, 1983-2027'
Meanwhile, back inside the estate, the black-haired beauty was faint as her hands began trembling incessantly. Her eyes were losing their luster as her face rapidly grew sickengly pale. A single tear flowed down from her right eye as the other became bloodshot.
"Father, mother..." she gnashed her teeth. "I've failed our house. My mana supply isn't going to be able to hold out. I'm sorry..."
The steady stream of light coming from her hands started flickering, evidently turning unstable. Yet, oddly enough, the black-haired beauty persisted in her seemingly fruitlelss endeavor. The paintings on the walls around her were dusty and uncared for. For such a large estate, a team of servants would be necessary to manage everything, yet it seemed like this girl was the only person living there.
As the flow of light began to pause for longer periods of time, she closed her eyes serenely, as if accepting the incoming void of death that would take her shortly.
"Even after three decades, we all still gave our mana, one by one, hoping that our family's dream of rising back up to the top would be achieved," her slender body trembled with regret and she closed her eyes.
Unbeknownst to her, the mysterious shard in the middle had been beating, as if it was no longer made of stone, but was a genuine heart. The markings leading up to it were being fully filled by the light-blue glow of her mana, no longer draining into a bottomless pit.
"But, it ends with me..." she opened her eyelids, revealing her desolate eyes and turned her vision towards the rock. "What-"
Her flow of mana was suddenly cut off, and the markings on the floor suddenly came to life and entered her skin. The sensation was odd, she felt no pain, but rather the chilling feeling of a blade running down her back.
Clouds rushed out of the the shard, filling the spacious room, and obscuring her vision. As she waved at the air, trying to look at what was going on, a golden light shot out and instantaneously materialized at her neck, revealing a large halberd right at her throat. Her pupils constricted in horror.
'The summoned shouldn't be able to hurt me... right?' her thoughts froze as shivers went up her spine. She didn't dare move an inch as she waited for what was about to happen.
When the clouds began dissipating, the full appearance of the halberd revealed itself. The head was made of a pure white material, with various carvings drawn on it. At the end of the head was a long, blood-red layer of thick hair. On the golden oak pole, attatched to the head, was a string of unknown characters running down to the very end. The blade and point of the halberd struck the eyes as unbelievably sharp, as if when one stared at it for too long, their vision would collapse.
"Woman, where am I?!" a voice, thick with accent demanded.
The black-haired woman looked forward, and saw the formidable arm holding the halberd. Golden armor covered the man's appearance, but the heavy armor design denoted the brutal power that laid beneath. A golden helmet covered the man's face, but she could see his cold, heterochromic eyes.
"W-we are in my household's estate, please, don't worry," she spoke softly, hoping that she wouldn't agitate him.
The man in front of her sized her up before the halbred abruptly disappeared. He was at least a foot taller than her, and the intricate design of his armor was something straight out of a fantasy. As she marveled at the marvelous workmanship of the armor, he commented on her statement.
"Your words are true," the man said as he looked around the place.
For some pecuilar reason, the snow outside caught his eye, and he moved towards the window at a brisk pace. His green and orange eyes traced the falling snow quietly. The black-haired beauty moved forward timidly, standing behind him. After a few moments, she built up her courage.
"A-are you my servant?" she asked quietly, hoping to not break his tranquility.
"Servant?" he turned his body to face her with a confused gaze.
His eyes glowed for a split second as he looked at her with intent. In that split second, the black-haired beauty felt the same cold sensation from before come from her back, and an invisible wave of information rushed to the man.
"I see," he nodded. "Then, you are the one who summoned me into this era?"
"Y-yes," she replied nervously, surprised at his awareness.
"If that be the case, then why have you summoned me here?" the man questioned.
They stared at each other for a while, and the black-haired beauty found herself losing her composure in his gaze.
"My family wanted the mana pool to use its powers... right now, I'm the only person left, but I still want to obtain it," she answered with an expression that would make anyone pity her.
"If the mana pool you speak of is the same one I know, then you're an utter fool," his cold snort broke her trance. "It is a trap."
She gulped at his words and stepped back a bit. His presence was imposing on her heart, and the black-haired beauty found it hard to breathe. But the armored man, seeing her stark fragility, felt his cold heart warming up and dispersed his helmet, revealing his head underneath.
Without the helmet, his eyes were fully revealed. They had a mysterious, seductive pull, as if he was a demon, trapping her inside his gaze. His green eye was the color of spring grass, and his orange eye was like a beautiful agate.
"But, if that is what you desire. Then, I have no reason to reject your request," he added nonchalantly with blatant arrogance in his voice.
A silky, but firm, black strand of hair drooped in front of his face. He had a slim nose with a chiseled jawline. His handsome face could make any woman swoon, but his dominating presence was suffocating for anyone who would look upon him.
The black-haired woman gulped, bewildered at his strange charisma.
"T-Thank you, what should I call you?" she lightly bowed unconciously.
"The subjects of my realm addressed me as the Last Emperor. But you, woman, may address me as merely your highness," he waved dismissively.
"Ah.." she nodded. "Your highness, you ruled an empire?"
"Indeed I did. Though, I was never able to see the fruition of my conquests, thanks to that wretch," he lamented angrily.
All of a sudden, she could see his memories flash through his eyes, and suddenly she was displaced into the middle of a desert. The silhouettes of gigantic figures loomed in the distance, and to the side, she saw a great army charge on horseback against the towering giants, like a great pack of wolves on the hunt.
Shaking her head, she broke out of the illusion, and was met with his highness's face.
"But, you standing here before me, has indeed proven to me something," his tone turned somber as his glowing eyes gazed at the black-haired beauty. "That my confidants' spilled blood was not for nothing."
Though she couldn't understand his cryptic words, the rare softness of his eyes filled her heart with a warm feeling, as she felt mana gently pour into her from the atmosphere.
"Those blessed by me, will naturally be favored by Gaia," he laughed vainly, raising his chin with proud eyes. "Where is your library?"
"Huh? We have one, but it isn't much," she shook her head.
"The thing on your back has told me little. I need to still understand this foreign era," his voice suddenly resounded behind her.
"My back?" she startled and jumped.
"The summoning you did established a contract between me and you with the origin to oversee it," his voice resounded behind her once again. "It's quite pecuilar really. Someone who could touch the origin..."
The black-haired lady hurriedly reached behind her back, trying to find the 'little thing' that Emperor mentioned. Unfortunately, even after grasping around all over her back, she couldn't feel anything. The piercing feeling from before was very real, but what was it?
"Hahahahaha! The little thing on your back won't show itself unless needed," he laughed at her frantic action.
Her black hair turned messy from her flustered actions and she looked at him with a bit of incredulity. All of a sudden, her stomach grumbled, and her face turned hot pink.
"Um... your highness, if you don't mind, can we go to a cafe and talk? There isn't any food here, and I'm hungry," she informed Emperor politely, ignoring his teasing.
"Very well. Lead the way," he replied casually.
"Your highness... I don't think your outfit is very appropriate," the girl pointed out timidly.
"What do you mean?" his highness raised his eyebrow.
"Think of it as an outfit your highness would wear outside," she tried to explain.
"This is something I would wear outside," he scoffed at her 'apparent' foolishness.
A silence instilled in the room as the black-haired beauty was at a loss for words. His highness stared at her, not sure why she wasn't moving. Seeing her not do anything, he asked, "Is there a problem?"
"In this era, it's not very common for people to dress like that. You would stand out easily," she tried to explain again, a frightful premonition bubbling at her heart.
"Yes, that's the idea of it. If a commoner wore the armor forged by the great blacksmith Galvan, I would be at a loss for words," his highness furrowed his brows.
The black-haired beauty's lips twitched at his response and she took a deep breath.
"I mean to say that people who dress like that are treated quite poorly. They're known as chunibyos and are considered on the lower end of society," she squinted her eyes worriedly, not sure what his response would be.
"I see, then you are saying that standards have changed?" he stroked his chin.
"Exactly, your highness," she let out a breath of relief.
"Then procure me those garments, fitting of my status!" he raised his hand with authority.
A few minutes later, the Emperor and the black-haired beauty were outside. For the Emperor, instead of his armor from before, he was now wearing a plain jacket with jeans. Next to him was the black-haired beauty who walked alongside him with earmuffs and a fur-coat.
"What is your name, woman?" he asked as they walked.
"My name is April Clementine," she replied.
As they walked on the path out to the streets, Emperor glanced at the overgrown hedges and gardening. The other buildings in the area were in poor condition, and nearly half of them were already overtaken by nature. He turned his head towards April with a questioning look.
"Why is the land so neglected?" he questioned.
April turned her head away when she heard her words. Clearly, the matter of her home had a large influence on her, and her eyes turned a bit melancholic when Emperor mentioned it.
"My family had expended all our resources and time on summoning your highness," she sighed before continuing. "Before I was born, we had already lost 70% of our core members, and the servants no longer wanted to be associated with us, a house of death."
Decades ago, they had been a relatively small, but prosperous house. Their servants consisted of gourmet chefs, gardeners, butlers, maids, and more. When she was born, the swift decline of their house had already begun, she enjoyed the small luxuries offered to her, but also felt the pain of having it all taken away.
His highness looked down at her. He stood a bit over a head taller than her, and hearing her words, he felt a bit of commiseration for the weak girl besides him. Prosperity and ruin were two sides on the same coin, flipped by fate. A duality he could understand.
"Then we shall rebuild it from the ground up when we return! Rejoice, for I will assist you!" he patted her back, causing her to jolt.
"Mhm."
Meanwhile as they spoke on the way to the cafe, a radar was tracking their position. Inside a giant research facility, tens of miles away, three men debated about the scene in front of them. On the giant computer screen was a bird's-eye view of the Clementine Household estate.
"Should we have Jacob take them out?..." one of the men pondered.
He was a short man with a potbelly. His hair a mess, and his eyes, baggy, and an apathetic expression plastered over his face. Next to him were two tall men in lab coats, both of them wearing glasses.
"No," one of the tall men rejected. "The Clementine girl's summoned can be use to us."
"We've been keeping track of her for a long time now, taking her out won't be an issue," the other one added. "Have one of our mages check her out. If her summoned is strong, we can use her."
"Alright then, Lucille will be on it," the short man nodded.
His highness looked up at the sky, and disdain overtook his expression.
"You're impudent."
Far above them, a bird had been observing them. It looked to be a normal bird, but its movements seemed unnatural as it constantly hovered over them, staring down at them precisely. At this moment, it spontaneously busted into flames, and sparks flew as it dived towards the ground. The men at the facility were stunned as the image on the screen suddenly disappeared.
Meanwhile, in a certain courtyard in Japan.
A girl dressed in white and red robes danced out in the open yard. Her movements were graceful and drawed upon invisible spirits for support. Light bursts of wind came from her feet as she danced. In her hand, she wielded a short staff with a circle attached at the end. Inside the circle was a blue crystal, constantly moving around as she danced.
From the side, a crowd watched, dressed in various clothes, but it was evident through their luxurious jewelry that they were no mere commoners, but belonged to high society. On their faces were admiration and expectation as they watched her dance.
The girl danced for a few more minutes, and in the sky above, a star suddenly brightened up for a few moments. The crowd picked up on the disturbance and whispered to one another in murmurs.
"How lovely..."
"What fortune will she pick up this time? That star must be a sign from the heavens."
At the end of her dance, the swirling crystal stopped moving and remained still. The lady wiped off the glistening sweat on her forehead by conjuring a napkin, and moved into a room distant from the crowd.
The crowd watched on with eager eyes to see the results of her divination.
"Was it successful?"
"She is the Maiden of Fortune. Don't question the Imperial House's summoned."
"I agree, she has proven herself through the past divinations of course. A volcano went off just a few months ago, and a new summoned did arrive a few months ago. Though we didn't know until just a few weeks ago, when the Wales family finally revealed them."
"That Suzuki family has it good like the Imperial House, they've summoned three people thus far."
Inside the secret room, the Maiden of Fortune sat idly on the ground across from a table. Her eyes were eerily calm, before two trickle of blood abruptly ran down her eyes. Blood started to flow freely from her five orifices, and her mind reeled back in shock. She tried to mouth something, but something stopped her from saying a word. A horrifying realization started to consume her.
"He is here..." she muttered weakly before suddenly vomiting blood.
If it wasn't for her high mental defense, she would've been killed instantly. In the short time that has just passed, her internal organs had almost turned to mush.
When the information reached her mind from the Star of Prophecies, she was shocked to her core. But quickly, to her dismay, she found out that the message was mysteriously burdening her soul. It was as if the knowledge of such a person was blasphemous to the gods, and they would not allow such knowledge to remain.
The Maiden of Fortune was no pushover, she was ready to expel the knowledge she had just obtained. She put her hands on the sides of her head and green particles flowed out of her hands.
"Memory Erasure!"
Streams of light came out of her temple, like a roll of film, depicting the past few moments. Her green mana instantly shot towards the image of a golden armored man. In a few seconds, the green mana cut of the stream, which promptly distinegrated. The Maiden of Fortune fell forward limply with blank eyes.
10 minutes later, a man walked in front of the secret room with a look of apprehension on his face. She had been gone for too long.
He knocked on the door.
"Maiden, are you there?"
He knocked again, this time a bit more frantic, feeling that something was wrong.
"Maiden?"
He put his hand on the wall with a serious look, hearing no response at all.
"I'm coming in."
The man outside opened the door to the room, and was repulsed by the sight before him. Blood was everywhere, on the table, on the mats, and all over the walls. The source of it all, was the Maiden of Fortune's unconscious body in the middle, which sat in a pool of blood. The man's gloves glowed, outlining a crest, and he surveyed the room carefully and stayed back.
"Presence Reveal!" he yelled.
A burst of mana came from the gloves, sweeping through the area. The guests nearby were disturbed by the sudden magecraft. They hurriedly rushed out of their rooms and headed towards the disturbance.
All the while, April and his highness had just arrived at the cafe. At one of the tables, a shady figure looked up at them momentarily before turning back to their newspaper.
"Establishing contact."