Kingdom of Heildin, Knights Castle: 938, April 7th, Monday, 11:00 AM.
A year after the defeat of King at the hands of Bloodhound, the world began a period of healing from the horrific crimes committed by the residents of Paradise. The kingdom of Heildin, once commanded by the daemon himself, saw his eldest daughter rise to the challenge in an attempt to return its lands to their previous glory. Many of its residents escaped towards the empire after the Deadlands’ expansion, the youngest princess Euthemia’s horrific experiments, and those who escaped Paradise thanks to the fortunate interference from Cerberus’ ace, Claire Lionheart.
Many chose not to return, while others were forcefully sent back to the western continent by the empire. However, as new monarch of a new kingdom, Eutychia worked day and night to offer a home and safety to those who needed her most, and over the course of a single year, the capital of Heildin saw a surge of residents in a long time. While the threat of the Deadlands still lingered in her people’s minds, the young queen’s policies to reinforce their borders with the hellish zone, as well as her deals with Cerberus to protect the kingdom, alleviated the worries of many Heildin’s residents.
“A beautiful morning, lass.” A man dressed in a long trench coat and a hat suddenly strode into Eutychia’s throne room. He blew a few bubbles from a toy smoking pipe—all while being chased by a couple of guards dressed in black armor.
“Detective Patterson…” said the queen, seated in the enormous throne that once belonged to her father. She signaled the pair of black armored knights to withdraw, issuing her command with a simple motion of one hand. “Did you find anything?”
“Not as much as I would’ve liked, I’m afraid.” He replied. “And just call me Tormod, all my clients do the same.”
“Did ‘he’ call you that?”
Tormod blew more bubbles from his pipe, taking the object out of his mouth to offer a chuckle. “Haha! I knew it was him who told you about me!” he jokingly claimed, taking the pipe back into his mouth. “Going back to your first question… It does not seem like the empire has any intentions of invading the west, at least not for now.”
“Can you be sure of that…”
“Totally, the young lad is too occupied with the specters to be worrying about starting a war with your kingdom. Kid’s younger than me, yet he rules an entire nation.”
“…”
Covering her mouth with one hand, Eutychia lowered her brows in contemplation to the detective’s words. Though the threat of the demons suddenly vanished after her father’s demise, their short disappearance would last no more than a single year, as reports of gaunt looking creatures haunting the Deadlands were made know to the queen. News about the creature’s emergence within the empire’s lands reached her ears as well, increasing people’s concerns about the demons, as no place was deemed safe any longer. The young queen led her troops in an expedition to test the might of the beasts, and while their power had considerably diminished compared to the year of 936, history’s repeating cycle seemed to continue its course. The specters power steadily grew over time, and not a single trace of their god could be spotted in any corner of the Deadlands—leading her expeditions from one dead end to another.
“Not surprising…” she whispered in response to the detective’s claims about the empire.
“So…” Tormod concealed the toy pipe inside his coat, tipping his hat with a smile before speaking. “You want me to head back? I could do some negotiations with them for you. That, of course… will cost you. My services ain’t free, lass.”
“I will not send a private eye to negotiate with the emperor in my behalf, but I do have something else for you. If you are interested.”
“Hah! Knightly investigations at your service, my queen.”
Gladean Empire, Capital City of Ksatria: 938, April 7th, Monday, 2:00 PM.
“Will she be here soon, uncle?” A young man asked, dressed in the fanciest black and gold robe in the continent, crafted by the most meticulous hands of the most experienced and talented tailors of the empire. Though despite his position as monarch, the man still enjoyed his youthful days with a juvenile and innocent appearance—as he had just recently turned twenty years of age. “I can’t believe it’s only been a year…”
“Nervous, young nephew?” An older man said with a smile, dressed in the black suit of a butler, and concealing his hands under fancy white gloves. Gaspard Blondeau, once the butler of the Albury’s—a trusted noble family within the empire, assisted the emperor during his reign to take some weight of his shoulders, and allow him the free time any man his age should enjoy.
They stood next to each other at the massive gates of an impressively built palace, home of the young man that reign over the vast lands of the Gladean empire. A pair of royal soldiers guarded the entrance with unbreakable focus, securing the pair’s view of the capital city in the distance. A long bridge, surrounded by a lake on each side, separated the palace from the city itself—protected by constant patrols walking from one side to the other.
The clear blue sky above showered Gaspard and the emperor with the gentle rays of the sun, revealing the perfect weather for a quick stroll across the capital—an opportunity they did not wish to waste. They visited different shops, and engaged in pleasant conversation about personal matters—with some of them involving a young woman of name Lionheart.
However, as they walked side by side through the streets of the capital, their conversation was quickly interrupted by the loud and annoying horn of a bus that parked on the other side of the road. Though abrupt and intrusive, Gaspard smiled widely with closed eyes at its arrival, while the emperor’s sparkly eyes beamed at the red vehicle that had stopped right in front of them.
“Could it be…”
“It is me!” A woman of light brown hair emerged from inside the vehicle, wearing a jacket as blue as the ocean, a black pirate hat with the drawing of a lobster at the front, and a fake parrot on her shoulder. “Jean Bonheur!” she shouted to the skies, followed by a large group of men dressed in the same blue stripped shirts.
“And the blue… Lobsters!” the group sang while forming the shape of a lobster with their own bodies.
Their entrance, while dramatic and somewhat impressive, was quickly noticed by a few officers patrolling the streets—as their show only served to block nearby traffic. The group was quickly dispatched by the authorities, whom apologized to the emperor for the inconvenience before leaving. Right after the blue lobsters’ incarceration however—bringing great joy to the emperor’s soul, the striking black color of a young woman’s hair confidently emerged from inside the bus.
Her smile, just as radiant as he remembered it, greeted him with the same precious ambers that caused his heart to grow twice its size as their eyes met. She crossed the street to greet him with a bow, the sweet scent of her hair intoxicating his mind like an alcoholic beverage. The emperor was left high and speechless, though a sharp elbow to his ribs quickly snapped him back into reality.
“Urk!”
“It is rude to stare at our guests for so long, young nephew.” Gaspard told him.
“Ah… a-ah, I’m sorry!” he apologized to Claire, unaware that the rest of Bloodhound stood behind her to greet him as well. “I’m glad you came to visit again!”
The lieutenant crossed her arms with furrowed brows and a smile, but just before she could speak, Scott decided to offer his own thoughts to the team. “It’s…”
“Well… somethings never change I guess.” He whispered to Tori, who giggled quietly as to not be heard by the emperor. “Everyone was talking about how confident he’s become, yet here he is… stumbling on h—blrugh!”
Claire elbowed the man in the stomach, putting an end to his gossip before turning her attention back towards the emperor. “You’ve grown a lot since last time," she casually stated. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, emper—"
“E-elias! Please, remember to call me Elias.”
“…Of course,” the lieutenant replied with the same worried expression, as if speaking to a high school student with a massive crush. “I heard you’ve been putting some work here on the empire, Gaspard.” She turned to the butler next.
“That I have, young miss.” He bowed slightly with a smile. “I’m afraid taking care of my nephew and master Eric at the same time is no easy task.”
“Is he doing alright, Gaspard?” Tori joined the conversation, eager to hear news about the young noble that once belonged with them.
It was during their last vacation at the empire when the heir of house Albury decided to part ways with Bloodhound. The news, as abrupt as they were, did not come as a surprise to the group once received, as the noble’s life at headquarters became extremely difficult under Arwen’s command. Instead of returning to HQ after their short holidays, Eric said his goodbyes to Bloodhound at the airport, and saw them off while he stayed behind—returning to the manor to continue his duty as heir of the house.
“Psh!” Scott reacted while pushing the bridge of his glasses, an aloof expression that failed to fool anyone around him. “We’ve been doing just fine without him! I even found some else to play Cards O’s with.”
“But you cried at the airport wh—” Tori replied, only to be interrupted immediately.
“I-I didn’t…”
“I’m delighted to see you all worry about the young master so much,” Gaspard said with a smile. “I assure you that he’s been doing quite well at the manor these past few months. Master Eric has even increased the intensity of his own training. He is looking forward to impress you with his new strength, I am sure.”
“Lionheart!” the emperor lunged suddenly at the lieutenant, interrupting the conversation about Eric as he stepped in closer to her. “I’ve been training with Gaspard myself!” he claimed, his determined eyes gleaming with both excitement and anxiety. “I’m not just a kid that needs saving anymore! When you have the time… please, come watch some our training sessions!”
“Uh… sure, but we are not here to—” Claire tried to respond, but a ringing sound in her ear piece announced the arrival of an incoming message—sent by a familiar voice she received with glee.
“Lieutenant,” Eric’s voice spoke trough the comms. “I heard from the lobsters about your arrival. They seem to be fighting the authorities at the moment…”
“Eric,” Claire said with a smirk—bringing smiles to Gaspard and to Bloodhound’s faces, but drawing a worried frown in young Elias. “We just arrived at the capital, and the lobsters… let’s just forget about them for now…”
“Great, I’m on my way to the meeting point. Any strange reactions from your ring?”
Lowering her gaze to look at the azure jewel wrapped around her finger, Claire set her gaze on the faint glow that her ring emitted with slow blinking flashes. Although still broken after her battle with King, somehow, the lieutenant’s ring began to fix its own fissures over time, returning to its original state for the most part—displaying only a few cracks around it, as it patiently healed its wounds under her care.
“Nothing critical just yet, but we shouldn’t waste precious time.” she reported through the earpiece. “Wait for us at the meeting point, we’ll be there soon, and… it’s nice to hear from you. You should’ve given us a few calls, you know?”
“Sorry for not staying in contact,” Eric responded. “Things have gotten quite busy around here. Have you encountered any… challenges under that man’s leadership. I know he got his hands on Hydra after the death of its previous owner.”
“It’s alright, Eric. The company is operating normally, and we haven’t had any issues recently. We’ll see you soon.”
“Got it.”
Ending the call, Claire reported to her team about the young noble, lifting Bloodhound’s spirits before the start of their operation. “If you’ll excuse us, Elias.” She bowed to the emperor, informing hers and her group’s leave to join Eric somewhere outside of the capital. “We’ll be heading off to carry our task,” She concluded.
Though the young man protested against their early leave—begging the lieutenant to allow him to join their mission, Gaspard was quick to remind the youth about his status as ruler of the Gladean Empire, while reaffirming his own as Elia’s uncle, dragging the man by the neck of his robe from behind. Bloodhound waved goodbye as they walked away, which the emperor could do nothing about but reciprocate.
“Let’s meet at the palace later today, lieutenant!” Elias shouted from the distance. “I-I’ll show you how strong I’ve become thanks to uncle!”
“Hm…” Claire smiled, one of her brows twitching as the young man’s persistence impressed even her.
“Guess we don’t exist then…” Scott muttered through gritted teeth.
“L-let him be, Scott.” Tori scolded him with a worried smile.
The lieutenant continued to wave until both Gaspard and Elias became lost in the distance, though as her mind drifted away with mindless thoughts, a soft and sudden sensation between her fingers startled her into a quiet gasp. She lowered her hand at the feeling, and with a shocking sight that stopped her steps in an instant, Claire settled her gaze in a frail and pretty flower of white petals. It swayed gently in her hand with a fresh breeze, its fragility taking her attention completely, as if the flower itself desperately tried to speak with a firm stare.
“…” Her brows furrowed, and the small flower vanished quickly into a tiny cloud of crimson particles—leaving not a trail behind.
END OF CHAPTER
