[Lucius POV]

I had lost all concept of time.  My life had become never-ending darkness and horror.  My home burned to such an extent that not even ashes remained, my family line ended, my reputation in shambles.  All while that disgrace born from me and my wife laughed at and mocked us.  Those were the good nightmares.  Other times I saw me, my wife, and all those connected to the Fafnir name being puppeted around like marionettes, constantly doing their mundane tasks while mumbling apologies and laments to an unknown recipient.  This was the mental anguish.

 

When I wasn’t being tortured by these images, I was wracked with an indescribable pain I felt all throughout my body and even to my soul.  It coursed through the darkness as a blindingly bright orange-gold flame, melting my skin, bleaching my bones, burning my soul.  It was horrid, and what made it worse was that, once the flames were gone, I found that I was uninjured.   This was the physical anguish.

 

The words of that healer played repeatedly in my mind.

 

‘Divine Retribution.’

 

A punishment delt to me and my house by the Divine as a cruel, undeserved joke.  As I lamented my situation while I attempted to once again prepare for another wave of nightmares, nothing happened.  Gradually the darkness started to fade and I slowly opened my eyes.

 

The light of everything blinded me and I yelled out in a hoarse voice due to the pain.  It took time, but I continued to try and open my eyes until I could adjust to the light.  I looked around to find myself at my desk, papers scattered all over.  I couldn’t process what was happening and if this was just another layer of nightmare.  I stood from the seat and immediately fell to the ground, my limbs screaming in pain, like I had moved for the first time after not moving for an extended period of time.

 

“Ho-*cough cough cough cough*”

 

I couldn’t speak very well, but my mind was certainly clearing up from all the shocks I was experiencing.

 

‘How did I get to my office.  I was clearly in Leticia’s room.’

 

I ever so slowly crawled my way over to a chair and, painfully, pulled myself into the seat.  While doing this I kicked up the thick layer of dust that was coating most of the other parts of my office, sending me into a fit of coughing.  I continued to try and figure out exactly what was going on when I heard the sounds of something coming this way.  The door to the office burst open and someone I vaguely recognized entered the room.

 

“Lord Fafnir!”

 

This man, who wore dark plated light armor, came close to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

 

“Wh-*cough cough cough*”

 

“I see, so you are still weak.  I have already sent for healers to come here the moment I was notified the canals around your manor were no longer boiling.”

 

I continued to cough as I tilted my head at this unknown person speaking to me like we were equals.

 

“That look…do you not recognize me?  Hmm.  It would make sense, no one has been able to come or go from here for the past 13 years.  I’m Ivaldi, I was the second in command to the royal knights, though now I’ve taken that traitors place as commander.” (Ivaldi)

 

“Trai…tor?” (Lucius)

 

This much older Ivaldi’s face morphed into one of pure disgust and disdain.

 

“Yes.  Previous commander Freyr along with the former third prince and several other previous members of the royal knights joined the rebels, bolstering their forces.  But that isn’t important at the moment.  Rest here until the healers arrive, let them do what they are best at, then we can properly talk.  I’m going to make a round around the manor along with some of my men to check if anyone else is fine.” (Ivaldi)

 

Ivaldi walked back to the door before looking over his shoulder back at me.

 

“Lucius Fafnir, recover soon, we will be in need of your house’s famed arms in the coming battles with the rebels.  We’ve lost ground, it’s high time to take it back.” (Ivaldi)

 

He finally left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  Thinking back over the information he gave me, I weakly made a fist and pounded on the armrest of the chair.

 

“Th-is is…all that thing’s fault…I will…hunt you down…a-and*cough cough* cut your head from…your shoulders.” (Lucius)

 

As I vowed this to the depths of my soul, another part of the earlier conversation hit me.

 

“13…years*cough cough cough*” (Lucius)

 

Dark thoughts started filling my mind.  How had the rebels still not been eradicated?  Where is that disgrace?  Has it somehow joined the rebels?  What was it that decided the Divine would strike my House?  Did that thing somehow…no, it was impossible to leave Falheim.

 

Shortly after those thoughts left my mind, several healers came into the room and started to check and heal me.  All the while they did this, they were absolutely astounded at how I was still alive, seeing as I had apparently not eaten or drank anything for 13 years.  It was almost like I’d become an undead, which was not the case seeing as I was very much alive.  I also learned that it was only me and Leticia that were back to normal, the rest of my House was still in a state of Divine Retribution.  I again swore to myself to hunt down that blight upon my family as well as to search for a way to curse the very gods who put us in this situation.

 

With the fires of hate burning inside me, I allowed the healers to finish their work before I went to find Ivaldi and discuss what our next moves needed to be, as well as to catch up on the state of the country.  It was time to end this rebellion, for the sake of our glorious country.

 

Chaos Realm:

Order: Payto, this is disgusting.

I agree.  I’ve seen my fair share of despicable mortals, but this one is bordering delusions that remind me of two others.

Luna: …

Tamamo: Luna.

Luna: I’m fine.  In fact, I can’t wait to see that thing’s reaction to Keeno.  Actually, can I defluffify it and Keeno’s incubator?

Sadly no, buuuuuut, I’m planning on taking Order out on a date soon, so whose to stop a certain Abyss of Fluff from defluffifying someone while we’re away?

Order: Exactly, though it could only happen once, in this very hypothetical scenario.

Yes.  Though the date IS a real event soon.  I have such a good plan for it.

Order: All the more reason for me to look forward to it as well.