The Café, several days later, afternoon:
This was the first time Acaranne had seen Vendetta so awake. Her back was straight, leaning against the chair, and she concentrated on the empty seat facing her.
Soon a waitress would silently destroy a teacup, the emperor would come telling them to observe, and the old man would stumble splattering his livelihood on the ground.
It had become Acaranne's daily routine. She couldn't bear it anymore, but the emperor's words were equivalent to the law.
-Step-
-Step-
-Step-
She heard the emperor approaching. He sat down and regarded the side of the road, where the water seller was bound to appear.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor.", Vendetta spoke in a respectful tone, which didn't quite suit her.
"I see no merit in these meetings." Her eyes were fixed, on the Emperor. He didn't react.
"I shall take my leave.", Vendetta gracefully pushed back her chair, but the moment she was about to stand up, the emperor's brown eyes locked with hers.
She stopped.
"Vendetta, do you know, there are many people like this man out there."
"Always following a certain routine."
"What do you think is going to happen, if I remove that pebble?", he continued.
"Vendetta, especially you, who has lived the longest, should know what I am trying to show you."
******
Th Embers, at the same time:
Over the past week, Var had drown a total of 1465 lines and 230 curves. Now his work was almost complete.
Just a few more circles and he was done.
Var coughed up blood again, now there wasn't much left for him in this world. He closed his eyes for a second.
He thought of the Emperor.
-I wonder what kind of face that bastard will make, once I'm finished.-
A faint smile crossed his lips. But it soon faded, he didn't even have enough strength to muster facial expressions.
With the last bit of energy he had left he carved a line and injected all his mana.
20,000 units were consumed in an instant.
"It's not enough."
Every breath he took was heavy.
With trembling hands Var pulled, out all the mana crystals he had brought with him.
If he died right now, everything would have been in vain.
His life's work, would forever remain unfinished, remaining as mere scribbles in the sand.
Var clenched his teeth and activated the magic circle for a second time.
The lines were one by one starting to shine, as Var's purple manner flowed through them.
"Beautiful."
The glowing magic circle was reflected in his ember eyes, as his body fell.
******
The Café, at the same time:
"Vendetta, especially you should know what I'm trying to show you. It's-"
The emperor's words were interrupted, by the sound of two backets crashing to the ground.
- - - [Character Sheet] - - -
Background:
Name: Cyrim
Affiliation: The Imperial Palace
Family: The Imperial Family
Personality: fearless, calculating, cumbersome
Likes: Different cultures, diversity, intellectual activities
Dislikes: Dirt
Title: [The Emperor]
Character Traits:
Skills: [Military Genius], [Tactical Brilliance], [Endurance], [Leadership], [Diplomacy]
Talents: None
Penalties: Frequent Nausea
Aura: [Blind Dominance]
Basic Condition:
Strength: 80
Mental Strength: 80
Agility: 70
Stamina: 93 (+10 [Endurance])
Health: 1,567
Mana: 30,000
Mana Quality: Level 4
Mana Recovery: 50 / s
Appearance:
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Eye Colour: brown
Hair Colour: colourless
Age: 35
Birthday: 1 January 1745