Three years later, in the new imperial castle of Yerpena
The rain beat down on the plain surrounding the castle. The black veil covering the horizon gave an apocalyptic air to the surrounding countryside. The heavy downpour rippled under the gusting wind, making it impossible to venture outside.
From the top of his immense tower, Zorkiel watched the landscape with a blank stare. The sight did not seem to disturb his train of thought in the slightest. If anything, it amused him. He told himself that this weather was a premonition of things to come, even if the population had no idea. He was about to go back to his dark machinations when two short knocks on his door forced him, against his will, to get out of those.
It's Eviris, Your Grace,' came the voice of Seiran's old friend from the other side of the wooden door.
-Come in,' ordered Zorkiel, who headed for his study.
The demon entered and solemnly bowed before the dark, hooded creature.
-Straighten up and report to me,' Zorkiel ordered.
-The troops are ready for battle,' began Eviris. All your vassals have answered the call, even the sylvan elves. The ships are all docked and full of ammunition, weapons and food for the journey. The departure can be made in two and a half hours.
Zorkiel tapped the table rhythmically with his index finger.
-And the vampires?' he asked in his usual icy tone.
-They asked to see the Gaest Mayer before giving your answer,' replied Eviris, still with the same deference.
Zorkiel twitched. Bloody vampires! Why did they have to be so attached to their traditions?
-Give the order to start boarding. All units must be ready to leave in less than two hours.
-Yes, Your Highness,' obeyed Eviris, bowing again.
-And send for Yousmaïl,' ordered Zorkiel in a snapping tone that made Eviris shudder.
The demon bowed his head again, one hand on his chest before leaving the room. He could hardly contain his excitement. It was finally time! The time had finally come to turn demons into the great people they were! And to put an end to the domination of angels once and for all! He was elated. He had asked Eviris to put an end to Seiran's life himself. The very idea of having his hands around the fallen prince's throat, suffocating to stay alive, made him shudder with anticipation.
-Hey you! Bring the vampire to the spaceport!' he called out to a servant passing in the corridors.
The servant bowed and complied. Eviris walked quickly to the spaceport where he gave the order to board immediately for departure in two hours. The immense port began to buzz like a beehive, and soon a tide of living creatures began to fill the bellies of the flying monsters that would take them to the battlefield.
-What's all this? What's all the fuss about?' came Yousmaïl's voice from behind him.
-His Grandeur has ordered the troops to leave,' replied Eviris with obvious disdain.
Yousmaïl pouted as he heard the demon's reply. Eviris' devotion to Zorkiel disgusted her. This was hardly surprising, since she considered Zorkiel a parasite she couldn't get rid of. But she had to admit that she feared him, even if he was repulsive to her. She, the proud Amadean princess, had had to swallow her pride to survive under Zorkiel's sway.
-By the way, he asked for you and he doesn't seem happy,' announced Eviris, who was taking a malicious pleasure in torturing the princess, whom he knew to be in a very bad position since her failure to obtain the Gaest Mayer.
Yousmaïl pursed his lips, then turned away without even responding to the demon's provocation. She hated him, oh how she hated him! And she would make him pay for it one day!
Once outside the door of the owner's office, she took a deep breath. She knew what to expect, and it wasn't going to be any picnic. She finally pushed open the door.
-You asked for me? she asked as she approached the desk.
The Amadean princess was protecting the remnants of her crumbling pride by refusing to call him great and bow to him like all the other weaklings who had allied themselves with him. His status was higher than hers in intergalactic aristocratic traditions, and he needed her anyway, so she knew she could afford it. But this made their relationship extremely complex and tumultuous.
-I see you still haven't managed to obtain the Gaest Mayer, the heart of the vampires,' he observed coldly.
-I'm working on it,' said the vampire, averting her eyes. My mother is more recalcitrant than I thought...
A thud interrupted her, almost making her jump. In the shadow of his hood, she could make out Zorkiel's hard gaze. She stopped herself from shivering and held his gaze, her face pale.
-I don't understand what's so complicated about extorting an object from its owner whose life depends on you,' he said scathingly.
Yousmaïl didn't reply. She felt nauseous. Zorkiel had announced that the troops would be leaving in two hours' time, and she could see what he was going to say, although she refused to accept the reality of her situation. Zorkiel slowly clasped his hands in front of his face before continuing.
-You have two hours to bring it to me, present it to the vampires and unite them to our cause. It will be very simple to do once you have it, so I'm counting on you. You have two hours to take your mother's place and lead the vampires in this war alongside me.
Yousmaïl shook his hand, refusing to tremble.
-Well, it'll be done,' she finally said with an air of contrite submission.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her and she left. Once out of the room, which was as dark as its owner, she restrained herself from exploding in anger and walked briskly towards the castle's gaols. There, she descended as far as the stairs would take her, and sank deep into the corridors empty of guards. The prisoners in this basement were so powerful that no conscious being was allowed in, and the place was protected by powerful magic.
The vampire finally came to a halt in front of a cell from which came a regular moan. She opened the door and approached the far wall. Against the cold stone, a woman was held in chains. Her crossed arms were rickety and the shreds of clothing covering her did little to hide the bones protruding from her pale skin.
The prisoner raised her emaciated face towards the princess, who shuddered. She could no longer bear her gaze, and the sound of the rattle that came from her mouth with every breath she took made her nauseous. The person who was locked up in this cell like the worst of the damned was none other than Effedrine Namar, her own mother.
-...Yous....maïl...don't...do...that,' Effedrine struggled to say when she saw her daughter's trembling hand approaching her breast.
Yousmaïl stopped in his tracks, fighting against the deep disgust he felt at what he was doing. But she resumed, a hideous grimace on her face.
-I'm sorry, Mother, I've gone too far,' she said, as if to justify the ignominy she was about to commit. I... I can't go back, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!
She repeated these words, trembling as she continued to put her hand to her mother's sparse chest, fighting the guilt and doubt that were assailing her.
-Poor...fool...' said her mother in a burst of life, consuming what little energy she had left. Your...cowardice...will...make...you...lose...everything...
His sentence died with a rasp, but it was like a bolt from the blue for the princess. Suddenly, the anger that had driven her for so long returned like a slap on the back. The rage caused by the memory of the humiliation her mother had inflicted on her throughout her childhood by restraining her, forcing her to give up, to redouble her efforts, all came back to her at once. She let out a scream of rage, and plunged her hand into her mother's chest, who let out a scream so inhuman that it echoed throughout the castle, frightening its occupants.
Then, digging her nails into his flesh, she dug her fingers in and slowly pulled out what was supposed to be a heart but was in fact an enormous flaming red jewel, glowing brilliantly despite the blackness of the blood that still covered most of it.
With a jerky laugh, Yousmaïl smiled greedily at the vampire treasure she held in her bloodied hand. Without waiting for it to tarnish from the outside air, she placed it against her chest and pressed it in. Her face twisted in pain as the living jewel tore open her flesh and came to rest in the same place from which she had extracted it from her own mother. The princess could not hold back a cry of pain. When the experiment was over, she stood up panting and laughed a terrifying laugh. The Gaest Mayer, the vampire heart that allowed her to control and subjugate her own kind, was hers at last.
In front of her, her mother's lifeless body had suddenly withered and begun to decompose, leaving her eyes hanging from her eyeballs. This was the fate that awaited any vampire who lost their anima, the spark that kept them alive. The vampire looked at the remains of the vampire with a cold, hate-filled gaze.
-I wonder which of us is the real madwoman, the one who died in a dungeon and turned to dust, or the one who now possesses the most absolute power of all vampires.
Then, without a glance for the ashes she left behind, the Amadean princess turned around and climbed out of the dungeon with determination. Once outside, she didn't wait a second to rattle the Gaest Mayer and call all the vampires to her service.
Meanwhile, Zorkiel had left his office and made his way into the richly decorated flats. The colourful tapestries and paintings on the walls rivalled each other in luxury. A lady-in-waiting greeted him and he asked her to announce him, after which he was ushered into a drawing room as heavily decorated as the rest of the wing. A few minutes later, Princess Meiran entered the boudoir.
-Zorkiel, what are you doing here at such a late hour?
-I've come to enquire about your health, I've heard that the events of the day have shaken you up a bit,' he said, his tone as cheerful as the princess's. 'I'm sure you'll be fine.
She sat down on the sofa opposite him and put her head in one of his hands.
-Ah, I slept for hours after that,' she said, clearly annoyed.
-Did you manage to do what I asked you to do? insisted Zorkiel, his tone as gentle as ever, which contrasted surprisingly with the darkness of his character.
Meiran glanced away, a little complex, before speaking again.
-You know I'm only doing this because it will help my brother, otherwise I'd never do such a thing...' she began, clearly uncomfortable.
Zorkiel placed a reassuring hand on the hand of the young princess, who looked up at him with pained eyes.
-I've told you, everything you do is for his own good! Thanks to your help in this war, you'll be able to free your brother from the angels and return him to Yerpena. You have my word, so be confident.
The young demoness seemed to probe him for a moment, then sighed, giving in to the man's honeyed words.
-Poor Seiran...if I'd known one day he'd be manipulated by angels to turn against his own people,' she shook her head.
An evil spark flashed in the usurper's eyes, but he extinguished it immediately so as not to be discovered. The princess was easily manipulated, but there was no point in tempting the devil.
-I know this is hard for you, but I have faith in your ability to triumph. It's a great responsibility for you, but remember that you're doing it for your brother and your people.
Meiran closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, determined.
-All right, I'll put all my power into it then,' she said.
She stood up and motioned for Zorkiel to follow her.
-I haven't had much success this afternoon, I must confess, but I'm not far from it,' she explained as she walked through the corridors to a large building isolated from the rest of the castle. I just... almost did. I couldn't find it in my heart to subjugate such a creature. But with a little perseverance, I'll get there. I can feel it, I'm almost there.
They arrived at a huge door, barricaded and protected by armoured guards. Obeying Zorkiel's orders, the guards opened the huge door and Meiran and Zorkiel entered a round room protected by an imposing stone dome. A muffled roar greeted them, and the two visitors stopped in front of the object of their conversation.
A huge dragon, its green scales glowing like emeralds, lay on the floor, its wings and mouth fettered by spikes that kept it pinned to the ground. You could see the anger rumbling in his yellow eyes as he stared at his torturers.
-I'm going to start now, so please don't interfere, whatever happens.
-Meiran closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her. Just then, a symbol lit up her forehead, emitting a soft golden light that grew stronger the more she practised her gift.
The dragon began to growl louder, then his growl turned into a heart-rending wail. His body convulsed and his eyes became bloodshot. In front of him, Meiran, blood began to drip from the corner of the demon princess's lips. But she didn't move. She just stood there, motionless, her hands clasped. A crease marked her forehead and sweat ran down her temples.
The spectacle went on for several minutes, and one of the guards tried to intervene, but Zorkiel raised an authoritative hand. The princess was on the brink of offering him immense power by subjugating this dragon with her power, and he was certainly not going to stop there, no matter what happened to her. He was so close to his goal!
Suddenly, the light from the symbol on the princess's forehead began to shine even brighter. The dragon's complaint was becoming unbearable as it was becoming physically painful. Then suddenly, he calmed down. The convulsions stopped and his eyelids half-slumped, his lips trembling.
Shortly afterwards, Meiran collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood. This time, Zorkiel did not stop the guards who rushed to help their princess who was on the verge of unconsciousness. He barely paid them any attention. He approached the huge winged beast and placed a hand on its head. The beast did not move an inch.
Zorkiel was jubilant. At last, he had succeeded! He had a dragon under his authority! He was one of the most powerful beings in the world! Lou may have rekindled the link between the masters and their spirits, but they would never be as powerful as he was with his dragon and the power of Princess Meiran. He was the most powerful! Victory was now within his grasp! The world he had imagined and aspired to every second of his existence was now a reality.
At the same time, on the artificial planet Yirim
-Your Majesty! I apologise for my familiarity, but we've been waiting for you!
The Emperor of Egea had barely stepped off the imperial aircraft with Jibaru when the President of the Council came running towards him.
-The special council bringing together the organisations of the organisation and the representatives of its members are all in the great amphitheatre,' she hastened to explain to him as she escorted the two angels towards the great reception hall. Your arrival is eagerly awaited, I warn you.
The emperor said nothing. He knew that the President was concerned about the situation. The war had been dragging on for three years, and Zorkiel, along with the demons and the organisation's opponents, had managed to colonise a very large number of resource planets and produce a large number of slaves who he was going to use in the war as cannon fodder under the influence of Princess Meiran. Their secret services had managed to determine that he had perfected a technique enabling conscious beings to be completely subjected to Princess Meiran's gift, regardless of distance, by means of a necklace encrusted with a material that makes this possible.
Since the organisation learned of this information, the attitude of members of the institutions and state representatives has changed drastically, and they felt for the first time that they could lose this war. The latest news that Zorkiel was apparently capable of commanding a dragon, those mythical creatures, and that the vampires could support them as long as Yousmaïl Namar came to be in possession of the Gaest Mayer did not help matters.
It was an exceptionally desperate council that had met in preparation for Zorkiel's attack, which they all knew was imminent, on their energy weapons production base. But Aroslan wasn't really concerned about all that. It was something else that was on his mind at the moment. Something much more serious in his opinion.
They finally arrived at the entrance to the great amphitheatre. Jibaru stayed outside and greeted the Emperor before joining the other diplomats accompanying the representatives in the room reserved for them. Following the President, Emperor Aroslan made his entrance, which had the effect of silencing all ongoing discussions.
Once he was seated in his appointed place, the session opened and Rinna took the floor.
-Members of the council and parliament, representatives of the member planets of the organisation, thank you for responding to the joint call from the institutions of the organisation to hold this exceptional council. The situation is urgent, so I submit to you the agenda.
She paused for a moment before switching on an energy screen, displaying the list of items on the agenda as she said them. The room was dead silent.
-First of all, the discussion on the appointment of the organisation as the official representative of the interests of the organisation and its members in this war, as well as its sole responsibility for directing the fighting. This will be followed by a concrete organisation of the forces and resources made available by each of our members and their total submission to the orders of the organisation. A second discussion will be held on whether or not to lift the ban on ending the life of any conscious species in the exceptional context of the war to come. Finally, there will be a discussion on whether Niris d'Egea should be allowed to appropriate the power of Niyarii, while retaining complete freedom of choice and movement. Does anyone wish to add an item to the agenda?
Without hesitation, Mischien d'Esethea stood up and asked to speak, which Rinna granted him.
-I wish to add a discussion on the leader of this unprecedented union between the organisation and its members,' he announced in his powerful voice.
Voices of approval went up.
-Do you have a name to propose?' asked Rinna, who was adding the item to the agenda on the screen.
-Aroslan Naeg A'Sahel,' said the merchant emperor with equal aplomb.
The announcement was followed by some applause, which the President of the Council immediately calmed by announcing the opening of the exceptional session.
-I'd like to open the discussion on the appointment of the organisation as the sole opponent of the league of protesters led by Zorkiel, which threatens intergalactic peace. Does anyone have an argument against this?
Not a sound was heard during the twenty seconds of protocol before closing the discussion if no one spoke in that time.
-In that case, I declare the provision adopted,' closed Rinna. Consequently, at the end of the meeting, each representative will have to give a list of the forces and resources made available. Second point: the lifting of the ban on taking the life of a conscious being in time of war.
This time, the silence was more subdued. One could sense a muted form of protest clouding the audience. After ten seconds or so, a hand went up and the President gave the floor to Lirum, who stood up.
-It seems clear to me that the assembly is confused by the mixed opinions on this issue, which are not being expressed with the knowledge of the opinion of His Majesty Aroslan Naeg A'Sahel, who is absolutely opposed to this lifting. I can assure you that I share his opinion, but I think that it is nevertheless important to provide an argument for this point of view in order to calm everyone down.
He paused for a moment before resuming, making sure he had the attention of the entire assembly.
-I understand that it seems simpler to lift such a ban given the exceptional circumstances of an intergalactic war. Nonetheless, it seems to me that it would be extremely inappropriate to do such a thing. This provision is part of the fundamental basis of the organisation's constitution, it is its backbone and its raison d'être. The peoples of the intergalaxy have united for peace. By enshrining the fundamental prohibition on taking the life of any person in this union, we have sincerely demonstrated our desire for peace. The fact that we are at war with an enemy does not, in my view, change these aspirations or this sincerity. If this seems to be a necessity in a war from a practical point of view, I believe on the contrary that it is in these extreme and catastrophic situations that we must hold on to our ideals and defend them at all costs. Let's not set aside what makes us who we are and the beauty of our achievement because an enemy comes along and shakes our hard-won peace.
Let us defend our ideals at the risk of our own lives, just as we will defend the lives of others: let us regret the deaths of our opponents, who we will eliminate when we defend ourselves, but let us not cause the death of anyone in dramatic attacks that will cause the death of thousands of innocent people. We know that Zorkiel is manipulating slaves in this war, so let's choose strategy over butchery, and destroy his empire by destroying its resources and bases, rather than killing what he wants to pass off as cannon fodder by diverting his attention from his real objective: to overthrow us by turning our people against us.
He saluted the assembly and then the President before taking his seat. His long tirade was followed by a very long silence, then a hubbub slowly arose. After a speech, there was free time for discussion between members and representatives, which lasted a minimum of one minute and could be extended at the request of the assembly. After the protocol minute, Rinna asked if anyone else wanted to speak, but no one else raised their hand.
-I take it then that the ban has not been lifted and that the assembly wishes a strategic war rather than a murderous one,' she said calmly.
There was a wave of approval, and the President asked that the result of the discussion be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
-Third discussion: authorising the Prince of Niris to take possession of the power of the Niyarii demonic spirit without being hindered in any way in his personal freedom,' continued the President. I would like to point out to our members and representatives that the apprentice master of blades and Prince of Egea, Niris of Egea, will soon be assimilating the fragments harvested from the crystal of the demonic spirit in a few days' time. It has taken us several years, but we have finally managed to lift the seal on the box containing the fragments collected by the team that included the late Meica. His Excellency Jabiru has also found Fin du Jour, the fifth blade of the last Master of Blades, which will allow us to carry out this operation. There is still a risk that he will lose his life in the process, but the Niyarii takeover is now under control as the demonic spirit has agreed to join forces with the prince. Does anyone have anything to say about this?
This time it was the turn of the President of the AEMS to speak.
-I don't think that, in view of recent events and the Prince's status as an apprentice master of blades, anyone would dare oppose his freedom and his participation in this war according to the principles that are now his. The Prince has demonstrated his composure, his strength and his ability to master the demonic spirit if need be, and above all his willingness to give up his life should he fail and be possessed. If anyone has anything to say about this, I challenge them to stand up and speak,' she said simply.
Her brief intervention met with nothing but approval and even some applause. After a minute of protocol, Rinna considered the proposal adopted without opposition. She then opened the final discussion. There was an awkward silence in the room as nobody dared to upset the Aegean emperor, but everyone was clearly thinking and wanting the same thing. Aroslan closed his eyes, then asked to speak.
He stood up and greeted the assembly and the President before speaking, as was protocol.
-I deplore the fact that such a proposal has been made, and I hope you all know that I am absolutely against such a thing. But as I see that you all seem to want me to take the lead in this madness that is the ongoing war. I want you to know that I will never bend to your wishes and that I will always refuse such a request. The organisation is the one that will lead this war, and my presence within it seems to me sufficient to serve as a threat to our enemies. There is nothing I hate more than war, and it is absolutely out of the question for you to make me your front-line saviour for the sole purpose of allaying your fears and putting the blame on me. I believe that this war could have been avoided if everyone had invested significantly in educating their population and launched a process of regime change towards more participatory and less concentrated forms of government. Wars are not won with weapons, but with books. To brandish the ultimate weapon to end a conflict is to have already lost, because violence becomes your only justification.
His tirade cast a chill over the Assembly. The angel's aura had spread moderately, intimidating many of the participants who were not used to being exposed to it. But the Emperor quickly recovered and stopped spreading his aura, something he had done unconsciously while he was speaking.
However, I can see that our fine organisation and its members are not yet ready for shared decision-making and diffused power in times of disaster such as war. So I'd like to submit another name in place of mine: Roeve Yseli.
There was a murmur in the room.
-I can't think of a better strategist than the sister of our President, Rinna Yseli, and Roeve has long experience of conflict. Her academic background is excellent and her genius is not foreign to anyone. If anyone should be leading this war, it's her and no one else.
Aroslan bowed again, then sat back down. A minute passed, and a representative suggested adding to the other business of the day the appointment of Roeve Yseli as General-in-Chief of the Armies.
-Does anyone have anything to add on this subject?' asked Rinna, who let the twenty seconds of protocol elapse. In that case, the provision is adopted and Roeve Yseli will henceforth be the official strategist for this war. There being no further business, the meeting is closed.
The meeting was adjourned amid a lively hubbub. It was an extraordinary situation, and many of the representatives had never experienced real war. Aroslan stood up, and everyone bowed to him in deference. His gaze met Mischien's, who supported him, before bowing deferentially.
Without further ado, Aroslan left the great amphitheatre. Jibaru quickly joined him and he headed for his ship. He was irritated. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop this war, but he couldn't bear the thought of having to get involved voluntarily. And yet he had to. As he boarded his aircraft to return to Egea, he told himself once again that life was proving to him that he was not cut out to be a statesman.