Pain.... All she felt was pain coursing throughout her skin and bones, as her broken body couldn't help but writhe in both the physical and mental agony she had constantly been put under for so many years already.
While the magick spells engraved onto her skin kept the hunger and thirst at bay and made her terrible life a bit easier to endure, a life of slavery would quickly prove to be a more terrible fate than being executed through hanging or being burned alive: after the 1st prince had been done with torturing and rendering her into nothing more than a defenseless, broken plaything, Altair was given away as mentioned to one of the prince's important affiliates- an imperial high mage who mostly conducted his works in one of the several bases that the Empire built in the Holy Kingdom's lands.
As expected though, Altair would be treated as nothing more than a lab-rat for the sick mage's experiments: her bruised and battered body was constantly experimented on by the sadistic imperial mage who methodically sought to improve his self-enhancements spells, and whether or not his poor test subject was able to endure it all and keep a steady state of mind really didn't matter to such a crazed madman.
After being brought to that very place, Altair quickly began regretting everything she had ever lived through, and was, by now, practically begging for a death, or perhaps, a saving grace that she ultimately knew would never come.
Her entire life... Ever since she was a child, the only things she had been taught to do were to fight and remain loyal to the very clan she once served with a zealous devotion- she fulfilled her duties well and without question, and she'd even managed to perform several notable accomplishments that she did for the glory of those she once served...
In the end however, Altair had been thrown away and set up in a suicide mission by the very people she worked for: amidst her mission of assassinating the leader of the Neugomian forces that were invading their very lands, the poor assassin was secretly poisoned by the comrades she trusted and worked with for years.
TAP... TAP... TAP... TAP...
From outside the cold, filthy cell that kept her contained, the pitiful assassin could hear footsteps whose sounds gradually became louder as the figure that was making these noises slowly walked towards her prison. Almost immediately, her body began shivering in fear and dread, as the memories of the painful experiments came back to haunt her mind and instill a deep sense of despair in her heart.
It had been weeks since that sadistic mage last visited and tortured her in this very cell with his vicious, experimental magick spells, and within those days of peace, Altair was constantly in a state of mind-numbing panic due to the tormenting manners of 'research' that were often conducted on her broken body.
"... N-No more... P-please... Have mercy..."
Those were the words that escaped her stuttering mouth, as she simply remained there on the floor while the chains attached to her remaining limbs firmly held her in place. Alas, she knew that begging would be pointless, and no matter what she did, the outcome of that bastard's visits would always be the same no matter what she did: she would always be tortured to the brink of death, only to be left barely alive so that the sadistic mage could conduct more of his twisted trials.
CREAAKKKK....
As the iron door's hinges gave way and allowed the approaching figure to enter, what would arrive in her cell wasn't the same old torment that would come to bring agony unto her existence once more, but rather, it was a saving miracle that would give her the chance to live the life she wanted again...
Before Altair could fully see just who exactly had entered her cell however, the mental stress of anticipating the assumed great torture she was about to undergo once more, had quickly made her faint and lose consciousness...
...
...
"Hey... Hey~ wake up~ I took the time to heal you, so you should pay me back by waking up at least, right?"
As Altair's weary eyes slowly opened themselves, she immediately found herself in the same old cell where she'd always been for so many months already: this time though, a strange, unfamiliar voice had woken her up after she fainted from the terrible stress that made her shiver in panic earlier.
"Ah, there you are~" the figure in front of her stated. "Your body was so broken by the way... It took me 30 or so minutes to heal every single one of your injuries, so you better be thankful for what I just did~"
"... W-what... Why am I..."
As she looked at the strange woman in front of her, Altair couldn't help but feel confused as to who the new individual truly was before her: it definitely wasn't the old mage who had been tormenting her for countless months, as the figure before her was a pink-haired lady adorned in what seemed to be an odd, white outfit, as her pink-iris eyes stared back at her with a strangely gentle gaze.
Most importantly, however, Altair quickly discovered that the aching, nerve-wracking bodily injuries that once gnawed away at her to no end were no longer present and constantly plaguing her skin- she looked at her arms as well as the rest of her body, and to the assassin's surprise, all of her the terrible injuries had disappeared without a trace.
"... Were you the one who did this...? What do you want from... Me?" Altair stuttered, still thinking that this was some sort of prelude to a sick experiment that was about to occur. "... A-are you here to... Do those experiments he usually does..."
The woman stared at her with a look of sympathy. "... Ah... The one who kept you here... He really did hurt you to that extent, hm?" she spoke quite softly. "Well, don't worry, he's in another place right now you see, and he'll never be able to torment you again~ I promise~"
He was... Gone? What did she mean when she said that? Did this mysterious woman in front of her deal with him perhaps? No... That couldn't be... That man was an imperial high mage, and even if she did manage to eliminate such a powerful figure, she'd then quickly get pulled into greater trouble by the imperial soldiers that were stationed here.
"You find it hard to believe...? Well, it's perfectly understandable of course~ But you see..." the woman spoke. "... Well, basically, we've eliminated all of the imperials in this country, and now this nation technically belongs to us. Fascinatingly enough though, the people gladly let us in when we went to their gates~"
They eliminated all of the imperials here? And what did she mean when she said 'they'? A million questions would rise within her thoughts in an instant, though unfortunately, the limitations of her own body would only allow her to ask one question at a time.
"... Eliminated...?" Altair asked weakly. "... How did you even do such a..."
"Well, you'll find out eventually..." she answered rather quickly . "Although... I think you're curious about the reason as to why I came here and healed you, right?"
Altair immediately gave a silent nod, confirming the woman's question without a single word coming out of her closed mouth. These people, the assassin wondered to herself... If what she said about the annihilation of the imperials was true, then what exactly did she want from him when she came to her cell and practically saved her from her doomed life of slavery?
"... Before that though, I have a question that I'd like you to answer~" she continued briefly. "Am I correct when I say that you're that woman who led that small clan against several, entire Neugomian forces... And won despite being heavily outnumbered?"
Ah, so that was the reason- these people were most likely looking for some strong people to recruit perhaps. Well, refuting her question and lying to her would most likely only get her into trouble, and Altair would respond honestly because of this.
"... Indeed I am..." Altair replied. "... Why are you asking me about this?"
A small, yet noticeable grin would then emerge on the pink-haired woman's face.
"The one who leads us wants to form an army, a vast collection of forces that will allow him to achieve the one goal he's been dreaming of for a long time..."
"... And that dream is?" Altair asked curiously.
"To conquer the world~" the woman responded. "And as for why I've come here and healed you..."
"Our leader wants someone who's a magnificent expert at fielding and leading entire armies. Not only that however, but he also wants an incredibly effective warrior who can lead and train his men to make them as strong as him..." the pink-haired woman began to explain. "And after we dug a bit into your past, you're practically the best candidate for this position that we need to be fulfilled~"
Altair's assumptions were quickly proven to be true: this woman did indeed come here so that they could recruit her into their fold. A cascading, synapse of thoughts began to circulate within her mind, as she was currently beginning to decide whether she was going to consider what this woman was proposing.
"..."
"So, will you join us? Don't worry, we're not going to force you to accept, if that's what you were about to ask~"
It was true that this woman had saved her from the horrible fate of slavery and experimentation that would have most likely led to her death eventually. However, there was still a bit of suspicion within her mind as she carefully considered this woman's proposal: if Altair did accept, would she simply be thrown away again after serving faithfully as a warrior once more? Would they actually make her as this sort of 'general' who would lead their forces into battle, or was this simply a lie... A ruse that would lead to another tragedy for her the moment she accepted.
In the end, however, the once-famed assassin would quickly arrive at a conclusion as she finally made and solidified her choice- she was going to take the risk and accept this woman's proposal. After all, not only had she helped and saved him from this terrible life of torture that she constantly lived through, but also, by accepting the offer she was giving to her, Altair would finally be able to fulfill the simple dream she had ever since she had first formed her own independent thoughts...
To live as a warrior, and to have a master, perhaps even several, to serve and live for, a liege who would genuinely care about her existence and would never try to throw her away... Like those slimy, snake-like bastards she once served before... "... I accept your proposal..." Altair responded firmly, finally making a decision she would ultimately never back down from ever again.
"... Wonderful~ Come with me then, we're going outside~ Let's enjoy your newfound freedom for a moment while I explain a bit further about the plans we've made..."
________________________________________
"... I still don't understand..." a metallic, modulated voice spoke amidst its confusion. "... How am I able to... Speak... And why am I even inside this... Glass, in the first place?"
The moment Aldyth woke up, she quickly discovered herself inside a glass pod that was filled to the brim with an unknown, water-like fluid, as a metallic device attached to a tube that led outside her massive container provided her with the air she needed to breathe. Surprisingly enough though, the strange liquid surrounding her body provided an incredibly soothing, gentle feeling, as the liquid's touch managed to penetrate even through the white, elastic bodysuit that enveloped most of her fair skin.
"Well... In simple terms, it reads the electrical signals in your brain, specifically the ones that process your thoughts and speech, and outputs them through the voice modulator attached to the mask you're wearing." Novus, who was in front of her, standing as he looked at her in the eyes, would begin to explain."Why you're there on the other hand... Well, the knock-out 'poison' I used on you when we fought can practically knock out an entire city's worth of people. The pod you're in is filtering it out so you don't actively poison people wherever you go afterwards."
"Still though... That nano-poison could probably even make Anastasia sleep for a minute. The fact that you could somehow resist it for a moment... You're really terrifying, you know that?"
Alydth quickly gave a simulated sigh through the modulated speech device attached to her mask- she disliked it whenever someone called her with those words... 'monster', 'terrifying'... It made her feel as if she wasn't truly human at all, a feeling that, while she had already somewhat grown used to it, would always give her that sense of sadness whenever she heard these phrases describing her.
Nevertheless though, there was a greater concern that rang through her mind right now: she was still feeling a bit guilty for having nearly killed her own brother that time, even though she had no way of knowing that it was actually him in the first place.
"... Anyway... How's your... Arm?" she spoke again, hesitating a bit as she made her question. "... You said it's healed, but... Does it still feel painful?"
He'd then flex the left arm he had lost earlier, raising it up and showing the new, arm of flesh that had been restored after only a few hours.
"Don't worry, like I said, I have the means to easily patch up things like this."
"... I see..." Aldyth uttered, as her concern would lift a bit in relief, though it would still remain there nonetheless due to her guilt. "... By the way... About that thing you mentioned earlier..."
"... Are you still planning to do that... 'conquer the world' thing?"
They had been talking for a while previously, as Novus explained to her how everything came to be when he was sent into an exile and never managed to see her again until now- he narrated of how he nearly got killed by those knights, how he'd been adopted by that strange, yet loving woman who ultimately cared for him as her son, as well as the other experiences that led him to the present moment he was in right now: of course, Aldyth would listen to them with an unfaltering attention, as she remained ever-curious about how her little brother somehow ended up as one of the enemies she had to fight and nearly even managed to kill.
However, as she listened and took note of the experiences that her little brother underwent after all those years... What she found to be most bizarre and unbelievable was how he had even developed the desire to 'conquer the world' in the first place. To her, it was completely out of character when compared to the little brother she had once known.
"... Yeah, I am. Are you going to try to dissuade me again?"
Aldyth quickly gave a repetitive series of nods. "Yeah, I am... Although, the reason I'm doing this isn't because I think it's impossible or anything.. But rather..."
"... Rather what?"
"... I just don't want to see you getting hurt... Or lost, for good this time... Do you get what I mean?"
She had a point there that Novus couldn't refute- in her point of view, she had finally managed to see her brother again after what seemed to be 10 or so years, and if he would actually choose to continue pursuing the foolish goal he had long sought out to achieve, then he would only end up getting hurt in the process... And perhaps it would end up in a way that she'll never be able to see her again...
"I get what you're saying, but... I've reached the point of no return by this point, so... Sorry..." he replied, knowing that her intentions weren't to refute what he wanted, but to only make sure that he was safe in the end.
"... There's really no way to convince you, is there?" Aldyth asked again with that ever-concerned tone of voice.
"Yep."
"... Even if I were to knock some sense into your head through brute force?"
"... Yep."
"... Even if I decide to come out of here right now and force you to reconsider?" Alydth sighed once more as she placed her index finger on the glass surface, giving it a small, yet powerful tap that instantly made it vibrate with an ample force. "Would you really still continue with that ambition of yours if I did that, hm?"
"... Y-yeah, pretty much."
As a frown formed on Aldyth's face, she couldn't help but feel disappointed with how obstinate her brother was being, as she would then sigh once again, this time even more deeply- she had to admit, he was stubborn, too stubborn in fact, and every attempt she made to discourage that tall, difficult ambition of his was only making it more impossible for her to convince him.
"... Fine, if that's how dedicated you are to this stupid 'dream' of yours..." Aldyth would finally give up, as she'd then propose another idea to him so she could ultimately make sure that he was safe- she didn't want to lose him again, after all. "... However... Just give me one thing I want in return, and I won't bother you about this anymore."
"Hm, go ahead then, what's this 'thing' that you want me to give you?"
Without hesitation, the princess would state her answer in an incredibly quick response.
"Let me join you." Aldyth said in a serious tone. "I don't care what role you give me. If you really want to achieve that dream of yours, then you're going to need my help."
Surprise... Disbelief... Those were the emotions that instantly surfaced within Novus' line of thought. Did he actually hear her correctly when she said that? Was she joking, or was she actually serious with what she just said?
"... Are you actually serious? Aren't you supposed to be the princess of the Empire? By helping me, you'll technically be betraying them."
"You matter more to me than them."
"... Doesn't this bother you at all? What you're doing is practically treason.. And I'm also planning to go against the Empire in the future, just you know."
"I don't care about the empire and its excessive vainglory. Aldyth stated bluntly. "They all see me as a tool whose only purpose is to fight... You're the only one who cared about me ever since we were children, so I'll do you the favour of helping you no matter what... Even if you have an incredibly foolish idea in mind..."
Almost immediately, Novus' eyebrows would raise themselves a bit, while his eyes would widen in response: his supposed sister really did care about him so much... It was almost a luxury to have a sibling who genuinely cared about him in their cold, uncaring, family of royal blood. In fact, it was such a wholesome, and heartwarming display of love, that it even made Novus smile a bit for a bit... This was a kind of moment that he never had in his previous life with his own family after all... Eventually though, his small, yet noticeable grin would gradually fade, as a serious expression then formed on his face.
"... Alright, fine... I'll give you what you want." Novus relented: in any case, the proposal she was making was already quite advantageous to him. "I already have a plan in mind anyway, and I was thinking of bringing you along with it."
"Hmph. What's this new plan you're making then?"
A smile suddenly formed on Novus' face as he replied- the plan he made was exciting, at least for him, and the fact that this monstrosity that was his older sister was fully willing to join him made him quite jovial about the wonderful opportunity that had presented itself before him.
"We're going to end this as quickly as possible." Novus answered. "And by end, I mean the existence of the empire itself..."