At the end of their destined path, they laid at the top of the stairs, where the finale had ended, and all of them had been given a rest. By rest, what do I mean, you ask? Well, what I mean, of course, is that every single one of them had collapsed the second their feet had touched against the floor of the Temple's concrete floor. August with Kristina on his back, both of them panting despite one of them clearly having done the work, the ginger's tongue stuck out to rest against the back of her lover. Azazel, using his sword as leverage, the pointed tip carved out from metal piercing the ground below to embed itself into these ancient grounds, Jason was the same way, however, he didn't have to use the tip of the metal to help him up, it was just the back end of the sheath that aided in his standing. Madi had been flat against the ground, hugging the concrete carved with engravings which likely foretold another time where dragons raged and as did antique imaginary gods, but she didn't care, as she drooled all over it.
The only ones who hadn't gone through with walking up the insane amount of stairs had been none other than Alex with his technical blood brother, but instead, it was his soon to be brother, the Emperor of Time. The Requiem Judge, a nickname he'd admittedly given himself because he thought it sounded cool, had been seated straight ahead. This is how their whereabouts went, to where the stairway ended, there laid the towering Temple, made of red paint and golden lining that shined against the sun, come the daytime. The sliding doors laid shut, for there was no shadow of any Master or this building visible, it was just those white doors, a splitting cross path with the head cut off. One leading to the left, the other to the right, the Temple had a bunch of other branching off houses that likely held quarters and dining rooms for chomping on tasty foods. Alex had been seated right ahead at the wide entrance, legs crossed with a bowl of rice in his lap, chopsticks taking specific pieces then leading the food up to his lips. Ben, had been standing to the right of his soon-to-be nephew, conversing with one of the workers, who bowed in respect before vanishing into the shadows of the night.
In the corner of his eye, he made his son, his siblings, along with the other two whom he had no relation with yet both of them were still important to him. Well, saying Kristina was massively important would be a stretch, but Azazel definitely was, either way, after the former Headmaster had realized their arrival, he'd stepped over to them all,
"Apologies for the misconception, everyone, you could've easily transported right up here without a problem. Since it is the middle of the night, we will start the meeting with the Master of this Mansion in the morning, along with the introduction of the Six Blades. They're… rather excited to meet us, I hear. Now, I bid you all a goodnight and well rest," Stated Ben with his newly acquired calm yet deepened vocals, arms together and finger tips all touching one another. Turning away from them all, he gently showed his left eye, for it to sparkle at its center and glisten right into the center of their souls.
August didn't catch anything mischievous about the way he looked at them all, likely because there wasn't anything to notice, nevertheless, the group had all been engulfed by a golden light. Immediately transporting them to the right building that branched off from the main Temple, they were plopped onto the futons, each in different rooms. Jason with Azazel, Madi alone with Alex being the second, August cuddled up with Kristie now in his arms as contrast to earlier when she was given a piggy back ride on his rear. There only remained Ben with Alex, both of them outside, the elder of the two Requiems stepping closer with his front facing the entrance of the Temple, chewing of Amara audible to Rivera. Cheeks puffing out, eyelids shut over the brightness of his usual orbs' tint, he flicked his wrist, pointing the tip of the sticks at the face of his future uncle,
"You… shouldn't keep things from your siblings, especially not your son, 'Uncle.' Ever since that day, when you came back after fighting the Superior, when Uncle Jason turned those officials into demons, something's been up, hasn't it?" Questioned Alex of his older superior, to which Ben's smile had faded, his head had turned, now staring down at Alexander with a gaze, not filled with hate, but that of something else.
Pupils shaking, the corners of those oculars filling with the saltiness of his tears, the stench of his fear polluted the atmosphere. There was nothing else but the confirmation- that Amara's suspicions held true, yet none of them spoke, it was though a virus had sunken and sickened their throats. As if it verbally hurt to say aloud, neither of them did, instead, the Requiem Emperor of Time, Ben Rivera, had knelt to meet the now-opened gaze of the shorter one. His lips parted, words spewed out as a result from his vocal cords, voice gentle and calm, gifted with a special depth so that… despite what he'd said, Alexander could say without a shadow of a doubt,
"Alright… I'll lock my heart, and keep this promise to you, no matter what. For your mother. She wasn't-"
"I know. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart- my son. You are… a worthy heir, I'm proud of you, no matter what anyone says or whatever else you think. Without a shadow of a doubt, you are my son, and I'll always… be proud of you," Those words, from the bottom of the Judge's very heart, were the things he'd been searching, wanting, ever since his first days at that Academy. Praise, affirmation, recognition, to find out the truth behind his parents, whether he would live up to the legacy after finding out whose blood he'd been injected with. However, right here, right now, in the short time Ben had taken to state those words… he was sure of it. At times, there are important things that you wish you could be good enough to accomplish, dreams you wish you were powerful enough to achieve. For a world such as this, where that reality had seemed like a fantasy, Alexander Amara had reached that dream, acknowledgement… from the one who'd been by his side no matter what. All he could say in return,
"T-thank you… thank you, Father."
An hour later, after a hot bath and a midnight snack, Alex had arrived at his room with his mother.
To his surprise, whilst chewing on a chocolate bar, Madi wasn't asleep, instead, she'd been weeping… crouched with her head in her knees. Her sobs weren't loud, they were silent, careful not to wake her older brother next door or her nephew snuggling with his lover, likely to be his future wife.
"M-Miss Rivera, y-you should be asleep. I thought D... I thought Ben had put you to sleep. What are you-?"
"I'm sorry, Alex, yeah, my baby brother did- b-but there's something that's keeping me awake. I don't know if Jason's doing the same, but… I think there's something wrong with Ben," Madi explained to the confused Alexander, face ridden with tears, sniffling continuously, she attempted to wipe it away, the same with her boogers dripping out from her nostrils. Clawing at her face, the way some of her veins popped out from inside of her skin, he could tell that she was holding back a scream, one so powerful that she would likely sound like a demon roaring from the chilled depths of the damned souls wandering Hell.
{I stood by her, that night, I comforted my mother. Told her that her feelings were just her being paranoid; that everything with the man that I thought was my father, the man that had been there for me, believed in me when I had been reported to be a literal mass murderer, it was just that she'd been worried. But Mom was right. The man that was always with me, the Headmaster of the Academy… there was something wrong with him. He wasn't- himself.}
The following morning, a select few had awoken, it had been 10 AM and sometimes, adults get up early for no reason when they have the privilege to sleep later. It made no sense, but maybe it was just because they slept. One of those adults was the older brother of the Emperor, former Bounty Hunter of Justice, Jason, in a sky blue robe with some white over the softness of the attire. Scratching at the back of his head with his nails then opening his mouth to unleash a yawn, his shoulder had checked into another, leading for them both to spin around after stumbling back, their different pupils gazing… the brothers childishly glaring at one another. It was an intense battle, for not even any of the Gods had known who'd win, until they burst out chortling as if they were old men sharing a drink for the first time in forever. About to wrap his arm around his brother, he channeled all the energy he could muster,
"So, brother, how'd ya sleep, huh? I heard you chatting with Cecilia when I-" But Jason never got to finish his outburst of words, instead, Ben had interrupted him, and though the older brother had wrapped his arm around the Emperor, the way he turned his head, and the mix with the somber tone,
"I had a dream…"
A few minutes passed, to where they were on both sides on the hallway, Jay on the right with Ben on the left. Only one of them had a smile, that being the younger of the two brothers, with the elder of the two with that expression over his face. As if holding back tears, he bit down on his lip, before shaking his head, rubbing his eyes with his fingers, voice broken,
"At least… Ryder will be happy," He mustered out a broken laugh interrupted by sobbing, however, Ben took his brother by the wrist, spotting him covering his face, the Emperor smiled, spotting Jason reveal his face, despite it being drenched in tears,
"It will… be right, at least,"
The brothers embraced that day, for time moved on, the morning faded, Alex saw Ben walk past him without so much as a glance, but he knew why. Instead of following him, the truthfully intended direction where the meeting with the Master of the Mansion would take place, Amara went the opposite way. The Emperor turned his head in confusion, a puzzled look over his features and eyes,
~What a shame, I was looking forward to his reaction when he saw the rest of the Swordsmen and women. Ah well, I suppose the news really got to him, same with Jasonn. Neither of them can really look me in the eye after that. That's actually why… I can't tell her yet~
As he exited, sliding the door to the side so it could submerge into the contents of the Mansion, the shine from the morning sun had blinded his face right then and there. Raising his hand, wincing in pain as the radiation momentarily singed his pupils, the Emperor shook it off then searched for his glasses before putting them right over his eyes. As they locked over the top of his ears, he placed his sleeves together, carefully strolling his feet across the pebble-littered ground, azure optics visible behind the lenses, he stared at the party he'd led, all on their knees. The entrance to the Temple had been opened, for the Master had even revealed to them all… August being the only one of the bunch not to bow his head against the floor. Oddly enough, him being the odd one out was off, usually, it'd be something like Azazel, but even he had given the Master a silent respectable bow to show his appreciation.
Kristina to his left and Azazel to his right couldn't help but glare right in his direction, spotting him still with his head up staring right ahead to the Master to the front of his face. She didn't hold an angry expression over her features in contrast to the irritated look of the Reaper, clearly snarling at the sight of the woman there. Around the right corner, having exited the Mansion's right branch building, Ben listened in to the conversation as the Master inquired,
"What do you seek, Requiem Reaper? You are glaring at me for some reason, and the reason behind it is unclear to me. Inform me, Augustus Rivera," She didn't have any hostility or cruelty audible in the way she spoke, instead, it was gentle and careful. Still with that carefree and ignorant smile as if everything in this world were perfect and wonderful, truth be told, despite being who he was, the way she grinned irritated him.
Using his palms to push up from the ground, Azazel tried to yank him back down by grabbing his wrist before he was then swatted away. Rolling his eyes, he mouthed the words, "Fucking idiot.." as August explained to her the way he saw it, the way she so recklessly sat there against the wooden floorboards.
"I mean no sense of disrespect, but I don't understand the hierarchy system between you and the other Swordsmen. You say that the Six Blades are beneath you, yet I also hear they have extraordinary power, indeed. However, what I do not understand is why you get to be ranked higher than them when I haven't heard tales of those you've slain or the power you hold. I respect strength above all, that is the only power system viable in this chaotic world, so show me the truth behind your seating… Hana," August had addressed the Master by their first name, leading Madisyn to expand her shrunken pupils in surprise, covering her mouth awaiting what came next.
Jason turned to his sister in confusion of why she'd reacted the way she did, but the way she had her eyes closed along with the palm over her lips, it was clear she wasn't intent on explaining. So, someone else did it for him, the Fool Detective who wielded the black blade of Darkness, allowing his voice to reach such a volume that Jay and Kristina would hear, turning their head toward Azazel,
"Japanese culture is different from our own in the aspect that they don't use first names in a casual way unless they're older like a teacher addressing a student or a parent with their children. You'd likely have to be close friends in order to be allowed to call them by their first name. In layman's terms, JASON, August just disrespected the Master of the Mansion in the most blatant and dishonorable way possible. Seriously, for someone as old as you, with the blade you have been named Ketsueki, and you have a sister who'd lived abroad there for a year; I thought you'd know this. That's… truly so pathetic," As usual, Azazel was just as disrespectful and rude as his opposite was, which was rather fitting considering what had just transpired.
Trying to think of a response to that, Jason held up a finger before sighing, shaking his head for a second as he began to rise into the air. Madi with Kristina watched as he stood, scratching at his neck with one of his claws, Azazel widening his eyes at the sight believing he'd upset the man,
"Wait, I didn't mean any-"
"No, it's fine, I'm not upset about that… I have to do something. Madi, come with me," Jason took the hand of his baby sister dragging her along to the corner where Ben was hiding out, causing the Emperor to stare at his siblings in confusion. Tilting his head to the side, he and his Hunter brother shared a glance, noticing the way that they looked at one another, Madi was puzzled, clearly, they were keeping something from her.
Their looks had clued her in, her eardrums enhancing the sounds reverberating through the world so she could listen in- it was like they were telepathically communicating with each other the way their heads moved or their eyebrows furrowed. Madisyn, however, didn't notice any of that, and instead, pressed her ear against the chest of her younger yet taller brother. The thumping and continuous beating of his heart bouncing all throughout the inner workings of his chest to hit against her ears, the Empress… heard something odd. The normal person wouldn't be able to pick up on this but from their psychic and blood-lined connection, she realized that what she was hearing wasn't something she was imagining. It was an irregular heartbeat, usually one that those close to death such as decaying elders would have on their deathbeds. It was all too apparent for her; it was clear enough that she could tell without even being told, as she pulled back, tears in her eyes,
"Y-y… you're dying?"
To Be Continued.
In the next chapter, Ben informs Madi on how he found out he was dying while August battles the Master of the Mansion to find out if she is worthy of ruling over the subjects she has.