"As the beholder, who became the beheld and in his awakened state, he would hold true never to adhere to those of the ones who've ravaged among the giants and streams of ever fading glory that which would only be written and sung by those in despair." A female voice recited.
Aware that I wasn't alone in the room, "Who's there?" I said weakly.
Finally, as if mocking my lack of self-awareness, she stood up from behind the head of the statue of Edenia. She wore a dark cloak shrouded by a puff of smoke, almost icy-like, as if the fog was wrapping around her lower thigh to hide her steps. An Oni mask concealed her entire face; tied in a ponytail, her hair was the only distinctive feature I could see.
"You don't need to be frightened," she stated, hopping off the statue onto the floor where I had been imprisoned.
"Stop...don't come any closer. I don't want any more people to die," I said remorsefully.
Instead of my threat scaring her off, she smiled and accepted my challenge to the corruption. "Death doesn't frighten me," she said as she continued to close the distance between us.
"Who are you?" I hastily asked.
"In due time, you'll know..." she said as she touched the icicle prison. The dripping sound of water could be heard as it melted, and she seemed to have no trouble melting it.
Before I could say anything, she stared at my corrupted iris, and then the world became dark, pitch darkness as if she had blindfolded me or, worse, bagged me up.
The ship's alarm sounded as multiple Imperial Ravenian soldiers collapsed at the Cathedral's doors. They signaled one another and busted open the doors. Still, to their amazement, there was a large hole in the altar before the Edenia Statue, which you can see clouds underneath now. Upon observing the hole, the guard's leader reported the situation to the device he had on him.
William and Shinta had secured Julie to the safer quarters where Jenma was present with her damage control group. William and Shinta heard the alarm and headed toward the Cathedral where I had been imprisoned. Still, upon hearing the report, William demanded Shinta tell him about the fastest way off the ship, to which Shinta shook her head.
"They're after Specialist, WE GOT TO FIND A FASTER WAY TO GET OFF THIS SHIP! Tell me, where's the nearest exit, Shinta!" William barked as he shook Shinta.
Shinta shook her head with tears in her eyes. To her, the Specialist had been lost already; they were nowhere near any exits, and to damage more of the ship would only create more chaos. There was no need for both to try and pursue. Upon realization, William could only drop to his knees and punch the floor.
"DAMN IT!" William shouted in frustration.
Although someone did pursue that someone being Sventia of all people. Sventia happened to be at the loading docks restocking her ammunition when she and several others spotted the explosion that made the hole in the ship, and a suspicious figure hovered in the night sky with neon-like trails.
Sventia dropped her current task and followed in pursuit without waiting for reinforcements. She scanned the luggage and said the suspicious person was carrying personnel who seemed like "the idiot." Upon her pursuit, she followed the hovering personnel closely without getting detected.
However, her efforts were in vain, as the suspicious person had already detected her and planned to make her an example. As Sventia followed the suspicious lady, she stood over my stasis body. She didn't need anywhere to hide and knew who was following her. She had purposefully laid out this confrontation on the side of a valley cliff while taunting Sventia from a higher cliff.
"You're either brave or stupid for coming after me alone without any help or reinforcement from your Ravenian troops." She stated in a bold tone.
Sventia maintained her distance and studied the terrain as she gauged her combat capability while ignoring the lady.
"That's too bad, Titania model drone; nothing you do will save this human." She taunted Sventia once more.
Sventia knew that stalling for help was out of the question. As she readied for combat, she drew her minigun and mounted her railgun onto the ground next to her for standby. Her wings morphed all six feathers into barrels.
"As long as I can last until the 6th shot is ready..." Sventia told herself.
Suddenly, as Sventia readied herself, the lady armed herself with a halo on her head, like William's. Her form was much more different as arrows of plasma popped out from her back to form a tail like that of a peacock's tail instead of a sun. Once the battle began, as both fired their first shots, it exploded in the middle of the valley.
The battle was difficult for Sventia as she had already been hit multiple times with the arrows, which did not have any traceability or trajectory for her to dodge. Most of Sventia's shots grazed the lady's cloak and even burned a bit of pieces off. As the night glowed with the sun rays kissing the sky, creating this blood red hue sunrise, it had become morning. The lady scowled as she saw she'd been toying too long with Sventia. She then readied her halo to become a crosshair to end Sventia.
Sventia's 6th shot was ready and fully charged with her railgun. She did not use it just yet as her objective was to secure something from the lady to get information should she be destroyed in this battle. The unthinkable thing happened: the lady fired off the arrow, but this time, the arrow was giant, possibly as large as a human. Sventia dodged the first and the second one as she returned fire; however, the third shot hit her booster, which had been damaged, and Gary had repaired it not long ago.
Sventia fell from the sky onto the ground below, causing significant damage to her left arm and making it dysfunctional. As the lady descended onto Sventia, Sventia crawled helplessly to get into her railgun's priority command range. The lady smiled cruelly. She stalked toward Sventia as if she were her prey, gloating and relishing that the end was near and in her favor; the fight was as good as hers.
Sventia stopped crawling; now, she was in range and needed to designate the target. Therefore, with the last of her energy, she turned onto her back and faced the lady with determination.
The lady smiled, knowing what Sventia was up to. "You plan to kill me here? It won't work, Titania."
From Sventia's view, her visor, all you can see is the cursor crosshair marking "Locked on." Sventia immediately commenced fire command when she was notified of the Locked-on target. She fired all 5 of her remaining feather barrels, with the lady deflecting and dodging all five shots.
"Ho ho, just 5? Where's the 6th one?" She taunted as she stepped closer. She wanted to step onto Sventia's pride and crush her like the insignificant drone she was, not knowing her place.
Sventia smiled. She's going to miss Gary, she thought. No humans had ever treated her like a person, not a war machine. Then she fired the sixth shot. Its shot sound was as if it rang around the entire world. Sventia had placed the rail gun that fired the shot at the beginning of the fight; it recoiled so much that it left a crater in the terrain where it was placed.
The lady heard the noise, and her eyes widened because she couldn't sense where the attack originated. Apparently, Gary modified Sventia's original rail cannon to help Sventia when she deemed it necessary. The lady had been surprised; this wasn't what she was told about the T-06's capabilities. This cannon was something else that she wasn't expecting. The lady studied the nuclear warhead flying brightly into the sky like a meteor.
"Hmm, it's just a big missile..." the lady scoffed, thinking it was not a threat to her. Her surprise went to worry, and she returned to relief as she stared into the sky.
The giant missile would then somehow disperse into more and more as it flew up higher and higher. While the lady was distracted by the shot's effects, Sventia suddenly launched herself at the lady.
"ARGH!! LET ME GO!! You crazy hag!!" The lady said as she struggled to get Sventia off her.
In the middle of the struggle, Sventia grabbed the mask and a piece of the cloak and tore it off the lady.
"That's it. I was thinking about letting you live, but you've pushed yourself to your own demise!" the lady yelled as she fired the arrow at Sventia. She had fun toying with Sventia, but it was time to end it. Her eyes were wild with rage, as if she had gone crazy, wanting to end Sventia here and now.
Sventia closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate and the times she'd miss with Gary. As the lady shot the arrow, a shard of Earth rose and covered Sventia like a cocoon. This caused the arrow to bounce off the shards of Earth. As the Earth shards shielded Sventia, the Railguns' 6th shots now had locked onto the lady.
The lady could dodge and block most of the 666 rounds of shells aimed at her, but Gary specially made the last 66 shells. As she deflected and parried one shell, another propelled itself from the shell the lady contacted, causing it to hit her directly.
The lady would then fall and slouch to somewhat of a puppet's figure sitting lifeless. Maka appeared underneath the Earth after a few seconds, and several Ravenian forces followed Maka.
"Master Maka, should we continue the pursuit?" one of the Ravenian soldiers asked Maka.
"No, we have what we need to search for the kidnapper's whereabouts. We must retreat to the fleet. Make sure to pack up the T-06's Railgun as well." Maka replied.
"Understood Master Maka." The soldier said as he and a group camouflaged into the Earth towards the direction of Sventia's Railgun.
Maka calmly caressed the cocoon that protected Sventia, "You fought well. Please get some rest and leave the rest to me and the claws..."
Just as Maka was about to turn to leave, he heard a beeping hum as the lifeless puppet of the lady suddenly began wiggling uncontrollably. It got up and self-destructed itself close to Maka. Maka, however, reacted fast by containing the explosion using multiple rocks and earth slabs to shield himself in front of the cocoon holding Sventia. His earth slabs would prove insufficient as the explosion was too close, and Maka would be in danger.
As the explosion was going to reach Maka, it was suddenly absorbed into something of a dark hole. Maka smirked as a sigh of relief came upon him. Sitting next to him, he noticed Vinja already touching the cocoon.
"I was right. You are too slow, Maka." Vinja said as she touched the cocoons' earth slab.
"You're one to talk, Vinja; you already missed the entire fight." Maka reclaimed himself.
"Why didn't you interfere then? Why let the Titania drone fight alone?" Vinja stated.
"We didn't know what we were up against. I didn't want to expose myself. At least there might be another one nearby. From the looks of it, though, it seems there were two." Maka said as he pointed out the faint tracks across the terrain. "The kidnapper was the distraction, while the true retriever is possibly someone of a higher caliber."
"And you didn't continue the pursuit?" Vinja asked.
"Lord Aitian only permitted actions to assist pursuers in recalling back to the fleet. Aitian didn't allow me to engage," Maka replied.
"You still participated by saving the drone..." Vinja said, pouting her lower lip, claiming her victory.
"I didn't want to see another life wasted..." Maka stated.
"And that's why you'll remain as you always are, Maka. The last of the Earth Dragoons..." Vinja answered as she jumped into the cocoon and opened a portal.
Maka used a device to communicate with his group of soldiers, "Have we retrieved everything?"
"Affirmative, the entire gun has been claimed and is ready to transport to the fleet upon your orders, Master Maka." The soldier replied to Maka.
"Good, let us return to the fleet," Maka ordered.
As he commanded the soldiers through the device, it broke. Maka rolled the cocoon into the portal Vinja had opened. Vinja was about to enter the portal when she took another look around. Something bothered her, but she thought better and proceeded through the portal.
Back on the Ravenian ship, all the soldiers had been recalled safely. Sventia had been safely transported back along with her parts and railgun, thanks to Maka's and Vinja's efforts. William and Shinta were next to the group of soldiers returning when they noticed Sventia on the stretcher, completely weakened and damaged. They ran to Sventia without thinking as they studied the damage and wondered what had happened to her.
"S-Sventia!" Shinta cried as she tried hard not to break into tears.
"Who did this to you!?" William demanded.
Sventia smiled weakly and ignored William's question. "I'm sorry everyone...I did my best, but I couldn't retrieve the idiot..."
"No," Maka replied. "You did more than your best. You did what nobody else on this ship attempted to do."
Sventia reached out to William with her right arm, holding the mask and the cloak. "If you seek to find him, take these to Lady Jenma...her dagger will reveal where these enchantments were placed and when. I'm a bit...tired...forgive me, Gary..." Sventia said as her system powered down.
"S-Sventia!!" William yelled.
"She's alright," Vinja clarified. She's just low on battery, and her system forced her to use power saving."
"I promise. I'll get revenge for you, Sventia..." William said as he clenched the items in his mechanical-like hand.
As the rest of the soldiers moved along to clear the walkway and clean things, William and Shinta couldn't help but notice Sventia's Railgun.
"Sventia's railgun!" Shinta said as she pointed it out.
William understood the message as he quickly went and picked it up. It was like you'd seen a kid pick up a wonderful toy at a toy store. William stared at it in wonder as he held it in both hands.
"What are you planning to do with the T-06's Railgun?" Maka asked.
"It will be a long while before Sventia will be repaired." William clarified.
With that being his last statement, William mounted the railgun onto his back. Shinta followed suit by taking the parts of Sventia's wings with feathers of barrels and climbing them onto her back.
"Shinta, no-" William yelled.
"I'm coming too! Sventia was like a sister to me. If anything, I deserve more than to avenge my sister." Shinta said.
As they both continued to scramble the weapons and other items together, suddenly, someone put their hand onto one of the parts William tried to grab to halt him and Shinta. Both looked up to see who had stopped them.
"We must not force an engagement until we can determine the location and precise information of the enemy's equipment and abilities."
Everyone who wasn't aware of her presence then bowed hurriedly, including Maka and Vinja, who were present. She didn't have any personal guards with her, and even more confusing, you'd mistake her for Jenma.
"Jenma?" William questioned.
Shinta gasped as she knew who it was, and she followed the rest by bowing hurriedly. "William, you bow too!"
William was about to bow before the woman held her hand in response. She didn't want any formalities from the soldiers or the others.
"Oh geez, it seems I've been found..." the woman said in embarrassment as Deeka and others entered the room.
"My lady, you can't just WALTZ wherever you please! The ship was just attacked!" Deeka demanded as the guards surrounded the woman and the other 4 individuals with Jeanne.
"So... who the heck is this? Is she not Jenma?" William questioned.
"Oh my, I'm so honored you'd compare me to Jenma. I'm sure I'm way prettier than Jenma. Not to mention, my chest is more prominent than Jenma's as well." The woman bluffed proudly, avoiding William's question.
"Uh, is she delusional?" William asked.
"Apologies, William. This is Lady Riaz (Reaz)," Maka clarified as he stood kneeling. She was the leader of Ravenian's eight claws.
The room was now completely silent. Deeka and the others around Riaz quickly appropriated themselves as they cleaned up the mess in the loading decks. Riaz quickly hand-signaled to the rest, making them continue their daily duties and routines. Once the signal was given, everyone resumed helping clean the loading dock areas. Riaz stepped forward, unfazed by William.
As she approached William, she grabbed him by his metallic face. "Another one..." She sighed as she then stared at the ravaged Sventia, who lay lifeless on the floor with her wrecked parts.
Shinta quickly stepped in between Riaz and Sventia. "She's not for you. I'll kill you if you dare touch her!"
"And just how are you going to stop me?" Riaz said as she smiled wickedly.
Riaz summoned a claymore in front of her from thin air. It came crashing down and gently fell right in front of her as she held a dominant stance of both her hands on the hilt of the claymore. The claymore drew in William's curiosity as it didn't look like an ordinary claymore. The claymore had no blade; it looked like a metal sheet ripped off an airplane's wing and still had metallic surfaces that had sparks lined within the crevices. What bothered William even more was that the claymore had a dark, corrupt-looking hole where the hilt would meet the blade. Shinta responded by making numerous clones of herself as she prepared for the inevitable.
"More food..." Riaz's smile widened.
Suddenly, a vast demonic claw reached out from within the ship and decimated all the clones. It snatched Shinta as it gripped her. Shinta struggled to free herself, but it was useless; the demonic claw had a firm grip on her.
"You must remember, my dear Shinta, who controls the empire's military and is on top of the food chain." Riaz confidently smiled.
"Hehe, you're right... and it's not you," Shinta said.
Shinta decimated herself to reveal herself, only to be a clone. Shinta was already holding Riaz at gunpoint. Riaz, unfortunately, found herself outfoxed and outdone this time.
"Oh my..." Riaz embarrassingly exclaimed.
"Lady Riaz, please let my sister rest with all due respect. I IMPLORE you to reconsider your decision to scrap her with your Armageddon," Shinta said as she held the weapon firmly.
Riaz smiled; it seemed she had other intentions. Then their clash was halted by the opening of a war fan; it was Jenma. As she opened it, all the weapons dropped instantly, and those summoned were dismissed immediately.
"Lady Jenma!" Everyone shifted their attention and bowed to Jenma instead.
Jenma didn't address anyone. Instead, she let them kneel in their own remorse as she stomped past them. Jenma eventually confronted Shinta and Riaz. Deeka Maka, Vinja, and the other claws could only watch.
"L-lady Jenma..." Riaz said in embarrassment.
"Don't," Jenma said in anger. Jenma picked up Sventia's body and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, Shinta; I had ordered her to stand down when pursuing. However, you and I know she still retains her humanity and wouldn't want others hurt."
Shinta nodded. She understood what Sventia was trying to accomplish as she stared at the cloth and mask in William's hand.
Jenma turned her attention to Riaz. "As for you...I know it's a bad habit, but if I wasn't around..."
"Jenma, I didn't mean any harm; I've just returned from the very far front, and Armageddon was just hungry," Riaz explained in a sassy tone.
Jenna held up her hand; enough was enough. Sventia was like a daughter or even a dear friend to her. "I'll let Aitian deal with you. I can't believe he would recall you war machines to here, of all places."
As Jenma said so, all the 8 claws lowered their heads even more. William then suddenly stepped up to Jenma. Everyone seemed astonished; nobody dared to step up against Jenma.
"You can call them names and berate them all you want, Jenma. But do know this..." William said as the 8 claws raised their heads to look at him, "These are your protectors; they are your guardians of you and your husband's empire. They all swore an oath of loyalty to both you and your husband. You can call them names and hate them all you want...BUT NEVER ever begrudge their existence to why and who they are!"
Shinta stared at William in confidence. Everyone else stared at William in acknowledgment; to them, he reminded them of Thunder before his corruption. A leader who'd much put his people before himself, a war machine that didn't want war, and a person who lost his sanity for those he cherished so that they may bathe in peace. As William spoke to Jenma, she saw Thunder's image.
Jenma had a slight sigh of relief when she saw Thunder's image, the loyal servant who gave his life for hers. Then she thought about the time when William had blocked the bullet for her in Eagle's territory, to which she shed a tear. Someway, and somehow, these drones have always seemed to find their way to protecting Jenma.
Jenma, guilty of her convictions, slowly raised each of the claws of Ravenian while apologizing for her misdemeanor talks. To which each of them refused Jenma being right; instead, they stood together in acknowledgment.
As they all laughed and conversed with one another, William couldn't help but somehow have a flashback of the Eagles' military and how they laughed and conversed. Then there was the Specialist and how he had just been promoted, the idiot. William then realized someone was missing, forgotten, perhaps if just a little, the idiot had been lost. Before William could move, a messenger entered the area and relayed his orders to Jenma.
"Lady Jenma, Lord Aitian commands you to lead the Imperial Ravenian forces along with all 8 claws to the Eagles nation, to the last known location of said perpetrator and inventor of Titania. His orders are as follows: Exterminate the Eagles Nation."
------
I remember it like a dream. That was an awful dream, but it was a dream that you couldn't wake up from. You know, like when a person who's very special to you passed away or something or your parents that you've lost. Then you'd wake up, they'd be doing whatever they usually do every day, and you'd joke about how you dreamed of them. Yeah, that's the feeling; I recall waking up in a room filled with scraps of metal, and the floor was entirely like a broken-down kitchen with the checkered plates all damaged and thrown all over the place.
I was still alive but in chains, and my shirt was missing. Still have my pants, though; my honest thought was where I was and why I was there. I studied my surroundings and discovered a rusted metal frame, and I scraped away the rust to find the outline on the chest reading T-189. I gasped in horror as I finally made out the rest of the frame. It was a drone, a dead one at the very least.
"Took you long enough to get up." A female grumbled.
"Who's there!?" I questioned.
One of the scraps on top of the pile finally got up, and its figure could be seen. This place was troublesome; it was too dark to see anything. However, I saw the figure was female as she approached me. She grabbed me by my chain and began dragging me away.
"Hey! Ouch, where are you taking me!? I asked.
"Don't worry. Soon, you'll get answers." She replied angrily in a low tone.
I was taken into what seemed to be a messy library with no windows and a bright chandelier in the middle that lit up the place. It looked like the shelves were stacked with folders and etched hieroglyphs on a glass of records. The female threw me onto the floor with books on the floor as cushions for me to land on.
"Dear, be gentle with him. I wouldn't want him to be harmed." A man in a lab coat said.
"I'm sorry..." the female said in a very polite and apologetic tone.
The light from the chandelier made it easy to identify the two. The man in the lab coat was an old geezer you'd seen in a science movie. He's got the glasses and the wrinkles; to my surprise, he's not bald. It's just a bad hair day like he'd woken up. You can see the burnt marks all over his lab coat and face, covered in soot and gunpowder.
The female, on the other hand, was a completely different character. Her cloak had kept her concealed, and her face was that of a baby face, a female that never aged past her teenage years with a bob cut perfectly trimmed all the way around her. She showed no emotions and seemed lifeless. Her figure, if anything, gave it away that she was not a human but a drone due to the multiple bits and pieces of her body having various repairs and dents.
"Let me see him," the man in the lab coat said as he examined me closer, his lens full of gadgets hanging from his headgear. "Hmmm, interesting. It hasn't thoroughly corrupted you, yes, I see."
"What are you talking about?" I questioned him as I tried to get him off me to no avail as the female drone held me in place.
With precise disappointment, the man pressed a button on his headgear to dismiss all the head gadgets and gizmos. He turned away and stared at the enormous bookshelf in the room. "Do you know who I am?"
"Am I supposed to?" I questioned.
"They haven't told you; I see..." the man confirmed, nodding his head and stroking his chin with his hand.
"Who are they?" I asked once again.
"You'll get your answers to your questions, human." The female drone replied in an annoyed, angry tone.
"Elizabeth dear, please. Let me educate the young lad." The man reassured the drone as his dark eyes softened, and the bags around his eyes made him look exhausted.
"As you wish, master..." Elizabeth bowed her head as she followed close by.
"I do apologize that nobody has had any time to explain any matter or problematic situation that has happened to you lately. But maybe with me here, you can get the answer you've sought, lad." The man reassured me as he unchained me.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The man smiled as he stood up. "I am Albert King. You can call me King or Albert, whichever you prefer."
"And why did you kidnap me?" I asked.
"It is simple. I am the creator of Titania, the drones of the future—the TRUE PURE RACE of the entire galaxy!" Albert said in confidence as he lifted his head and held it high.
"That doesn't-" I began.
"In due time, lad, you'll get your answers." He interrupted me.
"You're the one the Ravenians are after..." I spoke.
"That I am." He grinned, looking into my eyes, giving off a prideful aura.
"They've searched about everywhere for you..." I threatened.
"And still, they haven't found me yet, have they!?" Albert rebuttals, his voice full of ego as high as the sky.
"You made these drones for war..." my voice cracked with a tone of anger yet had a hint of sadness.
"I didn't make them..." Albert's voice saddened. "I just gave the deceased a second chance, but never did I make them."
I was surprised. If he didn't make Titania when he was the creator, then who did?
"All my life, I perfected the ability to capture a person, a living being's memory, store it into a core, and transfer it to another lifeless object, a puppet, a machine, an armor, a statue. And I give it life again to memorize its true purpose and to fulfill it. Titania was the name of the project."
"Why did you name it that?" I looked at him in confusion, as so many questions were piling up in my head with no answers.
"Not me, no..." Albert answered.
------
The Ravenian Armada was not too far from the Eagles' border. Its massive cannons and turrets pointed all their cannons toward the Eagles' defenses. Everyone on the main ship was ready for combat. Their units were divided up into multiple parts. All 8 claws would lead the Vanguard into the Capital of the Eagle's territory and lay waste to any Eagles.
Lady Riaz, leader of the 8 claws, would lead her division to the front as her division had laid waste to other planets before. Her troops are the most formidable among the other claws, and they make up the pillar of the Ravenian nation's military might.
Deeka and Maka's division would protect Jeanne's medical division from harm and other threats. Vinja and her scouts would prioritize scouting enemy whereabouts and the location of defenses in Eagle territory.
Then came the 3 other claws that would destroy the Eagles' nation:
The first would be Koojou (Cojoe); his division is mainly the bulk of the Ravenian Air space warfare and controls more than half the aircraft carriers that make up the armada of the Ravenian empire.
The second would be Lee Lue; his division is the Ravens, which prioritizes stealth bombings and aerial combat. Most of his divisions are split among the many aircraft carriers of the armada.
The final is Fang; his division is the infantrymen and women who protect the armada and man the cannons of the main capital ship. Fang's military is composed of diver drones and human divers alike.
With those elements in place, the Ravenian Empire would triumph over what little affordable defenses Eagles could muster to defend. This invasion would occur during the same time Albert and I were conversing. It would be the last stand for Eagles and the first trigger to start another Runic War.
* Author's Note: This part will be confusing for some. The following cuts back and forth between the invasion and the explanation with the narrator. I will be separating the dialogues, so bear with me a little here *
"I didn't name the drones nor their models Titania..." Albert said.
------
"William, are you okay?" Shinta asked William.
------
"War wasn't your intention, but how come the drones come combat-ready?" I asked.
------
"I'm fine. My head was spinning just now, but I'm fine. Thank you, Shinta." William reconfirmed.
------
"The drones, the puppets, the mechas, whatever you want to call them...they weren't my creations, but they were a part of my family, my clan..." Albert answered. I can hear in his tone the familiarity I once had with the Eagles, my battle buddy, my friends, and Julie. Oddly, his words struck a core in my heart, pleading for understanding. I can feel it in his words.
------
The Ravenian military has announced they've broken through the Eagles border after the first 20 minutes of engagement. There is chaos within, and the Capital musters what spare troops it must defend its Capital.
------
"If you didn't make Titania, then who did?" I asked once again. I felt frustrated at this point, as if the answers were not enough information, but they only made me go in circles, leading me to an unknown place.
------
The weather begins storming, and the invasion becomes a massacre. Nobody is spared in the Eagles nation, not women or children. Not even the elderly.
William and Shinta are being monitored and are unaware of it. Still, the two are standing before a gravestone in the cemetery.
The tombstone reads WILLIAM YOUNG, BIRTH:3007; DIED:3047, BELOVED HUSBAND AND FATHER WHO IN OUR GREAT FAITH FOR EAGLES WILL BE REMEMBERED.
William begins digging the grave. As he reaches the casket, it is decorated with numerous medals; with Shinta's help, he can get his casket out and open to finding no dead body but only the personal belongings he had with him, including his wedding ring and a handkerchief made by his wife.
------
"It wasn't just me who made it. Many people and their deceased loved ones made Titania what it is. Titania, if anything, is just an army, or if you propose them as such, you might as well call them the dead," Albert explained. "Who are the biggest three nations right now, lad?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
------
William shakingly grabbed his handkerchief, and he smashed his wedding ring into bits as he smashed into his empty casket multiple times. Sounds of Ravenian soldiers shooting can be heard in the distance.
------
My eyes widened—the 3 nations.
"They are all contributors... every single one of them, even Ravenian," Albert said.
------
The Ravenian soldiers were executing civilians, unarmed, elderly, and children with women. All Eagles soldiers in the area who tried surrendering were immediately shot and killed, no matter the surrendering conditions. Melissa stared at the pile of corpses in front of her, then turned back to face the barrel of the gun as she closed her eyes and whimpered at her fate.
------
"You understand now? Their true selves will always be those memory cores of theirs. Without them, they become corrupted in due time when too much killing takes away their sanity. Let me ask you, lad, why do we kill in war?" Albert asked me.
------
A gunshot was fired. Melissa wasn't harmed; someone had protected her, and it was William. Shinta backed him up by pointing her weapons at the other Ravenian soldiers and forcing them to drop their weapons.
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"They are just reliant on us as we are on them. If we don't take care of them, who will lad?" Albert objected.
------
Instead of dropping their weapons, they announced the decree by Aitian: the annihilation of the Eagles: NO EXCEPTION, NO PRISONERS. END REPORT.
William and Shinta tried to shield Melissa but to no avail, as the soldiers commenced fire. In the chaos, Melissa protected William as they were trying to escape, and she took a bullet.
------
"So, what you're saying is, each of us created Titanian's version of ourselves that would replicate as a drone or a puppet as our second life?" I asked Albert for clarification. My body and voice shook in disbelief as anger overwhelmed me. My heart was racing as I pieced everything together. All the pieces were falling into place.
------
The blood from Melissa splattered onto William's frame as she fell onto the ground, still being held by William.
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"Precisely as one would dictate their purpose in life, I find no better way to put it..." Albert answered with great grief in his tone.
------
As William held Melissa's body, she shuddered and struggled to breathe as he blocked the bullets from hitting Melissa anymore. At the same time, Shinta returned fire at the soldiers.
"I-I'm so sorry, William." Melissa stuttered.
"N-No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm here for you, Melissa," William said.
"Y-you don't k-know h-how m-much I-I miss you," Melissa said as blood poured through her shirt where she had been shot.
William would cover the blood with the handkerchief, trying to cover up the wound.
"Y-you s-still, have it?" Melissa stuttered.
William nodded.
"I didn't do anything shameful; you don't know how much I missed you. They told me they took you to become a t-titania, and I'd never see you again..." Melissa breathed uncontrollably as she spoke faster, afraid she couldn't convey her actions and words toward William.
"Stay still, Melissa..." William tried to console Melissa.
"O-our daughter Elizabeth, they to-took her too, T—T-193...William...I love... you..." Melissa said as her gaze became still, and her face became lifeless as she took and breathed her last breath.
"Melissa?!" William shook Melissa's body, hoping she'd wake up. Now, the handkerchief became drenched with Melissa's blood. William clenched the blood-soaked handkerchief.
Barrels of multiple guns can be seen pointed at William and Shinta. William and Shinta were arrested for treason against King Aitian's military and executive orders.