Fioro, Aston Tower, Morning

Liam Aston stares through his window in anticipation, the sound of his slow heartbeat his only companion in the well-lit, large office.

As Fioro’s aerial traffic moves before his eyes in an intricate pattern of colors, no less busy now than it’ll be throughout the day, and most of the night, he considers what the city has become in recent years… Since he last shared this view with Aiko.

So much has changed in a single decade… And yet, it is almost as if nothing has. The last five years, especially, he felt as though each day was no different than the last… Colorless and tasteless.

He shouldn’t be thinking about her, of course… Not when it seldom brings something other than bitterness and regret. Alas, he finds his thoughts wandering through flashes of memories regardless; Her smile, while watching Seijuro take her first steps; Her laughter, and the glow of her dark eyes during their first meeting; Her tears, after learning of her parent’s passing; The feeling of her hair against his hand, and of her body against his…

Liam smiles bitterly. Still, he makes no effort to stop the memories from flowing. From experience, he knows it’d be fruitless. Instead, he simply closes his eyes as he allows himself to remember, losing himself in the bright colors of a past life…

‘Mister Liam, the conference is about to begin. A minute remains.’

Liam opens his eyes, releasing a sigh. It occurs to him his morning coffee has yet to arrive, most likely due to an oversight… On a part of a machine or one of his employees, he’ll probably never uncover.

Having no time left to send down a memo, however, Liam resigns himself to a long morning as he walks toward his table and pulls his chair, waving his hand in a silent command.

Once he sits down, Liam already finds himself surrounded by a large, infinite extent of blue, rather than his office.

Seven chairs surround his own, forming a circle, upon which six individuals of varying sex and age await, all of whom turn their eyes in his direction at once.

“I see I’m not the last to arrive, for once,” Liam comments.

“You’re punctual, my King. Never early, never late,” an old woman, sitting to his left, comments, “I’ve long since admired that. Your father would never think to show us such respect, and neither did his mother…”

They’d most likely not have shown up at all if given the choice. Of course, neither would he.

“Being punctual is a courtesy my wife valued almost above all others,” Liam explains.

The old woman laughs. “A custom of her homeland, no doubt. Still, she was a great woman, fit to help this country…”

A young man rather casually dressed, seated across Liam, stretches his arms above his head as he releases a yawn. “Weren’t we supposed to visit someplace less boring this year? An empty field, for instance?”

“Mason?” a middle-aged man asks, releasing an exasperated sigh as he glances toward an older, well-dressed man.

“…Very well.”

The well-dressed old man taps his cane against the blue ground softly, causing it to morph as it changes their background to that of a station near the moon, showcasing a breathtaking view of Earth… If one ignores the many scars scattered across the planet, caused by humanity’s actions in recent centuries.

“…Does this satisfy your overactive mind, Mister Watts?”

The young man shrugs. “An improvement, for certain. At least now I’ll have a view...”

At this moment, a woman materializes into existence, taking the eighth, empty chair as her own while giving those present a quick sweep of her green eyes from behind her glasses. A lab coat still covers her otherwise casual clothes, and it is clear by the bags under her eyes she hasn’t slept in a while.

“…Am I the last one?” she asks.

The well-dressed man nods. “It seems we’re ready to start.”

“On with it, then,” the middle-aged man incites.

Releasing a sigh, the well-dressed old man begins speaking, “I hereby declare the hundredth and ninetieth-seven Elysium Conference open… As per custom, I wish to remind the members of this table of what we stand for, and why we still reunite every year. With your permission, Mr. Aston?”

Liam nods. “Go on.”

“Long ago, having foretold the inevitable decline of our civilization, our predecessors came together in order to build this country, hiding its existence from the world at large until the moment was right. Aston, having invested the most, requested they were granted the right to rule… While the rest of us were each granted a role to fulfill, and the duty to depose them, was the need to arrive. While our initial roles might have changed over the decades, we still work to better Elysium, and to protect it from facing a similar decay.”

The middle-aged man snorts.

“…As such, in order to preserve the paradise we have created, we reunited once more, to share ideas, concerns, and opinions. Furthermore, I’d like to remind those present that a unanimous vote is necessary in order to override Aston’s decision, in the case they decide to participate. Such was the will of our predecessor, and such is our legacy to carry,” the old man finishes as he taps his cane against the ground once more, “You may now commence.”

As Liam expected, despite the apparent lack of enthusiasm from those present, it doesn’t take long for the discussion to grow heated. It is the same every year, after all. Alas, as the king, he is forced to pay attention, even as he finds his gaze drifting from person to person absently…

Mason Wade, the grizzly, well-dressed old man to give their opening speech, sits with his back straight against his chair as his sharp gaze sweeps through the others, rarely participating, yet still often guiding the conversation, seemingly effortlessly.

His represented company, BankInternational, has been the one responsible for most money-related matters in the country for the past two centuries, having been the one to develop their Credit system, as well as handle any international investments, borrowing, and lending…

To Mason’s right, a middle-aged man with haunted brown eyes taps his foot impatiently, constantly interjecting in the conversation, either with a sarcastic comment, or in order to have his opinion heard; Cohen Acosta, and the one to currently represent BullsInc, the company responsible for overseeing most of Elysium’s manual labor, including their Excavation Sites.

Sitting in between the two, and as a clear contrast, the current representative for Ouroboros, Finley Watts - a bored-looking young man rather casually dressed for the occasion - rarely speaks, though his near hyperactive and fidget eyes are far from lacking in intelligence. It is no wonder Ouroboros itself, despite having recently rebranded themselves as a mere gaming company, has handled most entertainment matters in the country since its creation, often adopting different names and fronts...

Madam Burke, the old woman who complimented Liam on his punctuality earlier, also rarely interjects in the conversation, simply smiling as she observes the others, though Liam understands better than most what her mellow eyes and expression hide: a shrewd businesswoman who survived on top of the food chain for the better part of a century and the worse type of enemy one could acquire. Her represented company, Burke, has handled Elysium’s transport department since its creation, and it remained unchallenged for a reason.

Beyond Madam Burke, and often butting heads with Cohen, a middle-aged woman of large build and thick eyebrows sits, brazenly displaying a strong personality that reminds Liam of her father, who recently stepped down from the business. Kiera Hahn, representing Orange, the company responsible for Elysium’s more than stellar agronomy, has grown quite well into her role, and Liam would be lying by not acknowledging a spark of envy, and shame, flashing through his thoughts every time he lays eyes on the woman and is reminded of his current relationship with Seijuro.

It won’t be long now. One way or another, it’ll all be over soon...

Releasing a sigh, Liam sifts his gaze toward the next person, Roman Huff, GlobeEntertainment’s representative, and the third most active member of their discussion.

Despite his rather advanced age, Roman has no calms about matching his adversaries in a screaming match, gray eyes flaring to life for brief moments at a time, only to regain their usual coldness soon after. The man’s obsession with the truth, and revealing said truth, has been a torn in Liam’s side on more occasions than he cares to count, though he has to admit GlobeEntertainment, responsible for Elysium’s news network (despite its name), has performed its role beyond scrutiny for these past centuries, and Huff’s family is in no small part responsible for that.

A necessary evil… Though, ironically, it is likely he thinks similarly of Aston. Well, they do say brilliant minds think alike…

Liam contains a small smile as he allows his gaze to meet that of their meeting’s last member, a fairly young woman of green eyes and brown hair, seeming to have connected straight from her lab if her lab coat and reddened eyes are anything to go by.

Differently from the others, Emma Harvey seems to have no intention of participating, often glancing at Liam since having arrived, without saying anything.

Her anger is palpable, even if on a surface level her expression showcases only disinterest.

Her represented company, Irwin, is the first on a long list of problems to be dealt with, and something Liam hasn’t been able to put aside as easily as he’d have liked. Initially a software company, and Aston’s rival, Irwin has been by far the one to advance the fastest these past century, at least in technology. Now, they’re responsible for a good part of Elysium’s robotics… And therefore, its future.

“Enough! We’ll be walking in circles for the rest of the century at this rate! Pick a topic! Stick to it!” Roman screams, making himself heard over an argument regarding international embassies in between the others, which, moments prior, was an argument regarding the possible necessity of international intervention, and before that… Well, the room, if it can be called as such, does fall silent under Roman’s incensed gray eyes.

“I agree with Mr. Huff. We must stick to a topic if we wish to extract anything other than chaos from this discussion,” Kiera says, crossing her arms as she furrows her thick eyebrows toward Cohen.

“Resources, then,” Cohen suggests immediately, waving his hand sarcastically, “Or rather, their annoying finite quality, which our planet has been kind enough to remind us of, time and time again.”

Kiera sighs. “You mean our reserves of Ether? I thought we addressed this at length last year. Even if we ignore renewables, we have enough to power the country for the next century, and then some. There’s no need to worry… Or rather, we have much more pressing issues on our hands than something to pass a hundred years from now, if that.”

Cohen clenches his jaw. “The fact we haven’t found any new sources of Ether in the past two centuries hasn’t changed! If our current theory is correct, and it is indeed something to have come from space, we have no hopes of replicating it… In which case finding a substitute sooner rather than later is-”

“Mr. Acosta, please,” Madam Burke interrupts, softly yet firmly, “I believe I have something which will calm your worries, at least partially.”

Cohen pauses. “…Well, let us hear it then.”

Madam Burke smiles in his direction, seemingly unaffected by the man’s attitude. “In fact, I have pondered on this since our last meeting, thanks to Mr. Acosta’s insistence, and I do agree we should find a solution before the problem becomes something worthy of our worry. As you all know, with oil and wood as mere commodities of an age begone, and our climate being far from ideal for the amount of energy we necessitate, nuclear power is our only real option for a replacement, in spite of its obvious risks.”

“You have a proposal?” Roman Huff asks, raising an eyebrow, “Or rather, a solution which doesn’t require rebuilding the entirety of our current power infrastructure?”

Madam Burke shakes her head slowly. “Unfortunately, I do not. But I propose that we start planning, and implementing, a fortified structure capable of utilizing nuclear energy safely while we still possess the means to do so. The sooner, the better. After all, we’d like to know in advance how difficult it’ll be… And how much of a risk we’d be taking. Once the project is underway, we may start to replace existing structures, and by doing so under the course of an entire century, rather than all at once, reduce the strain to a rather manageable level.”

Roman nods. “A reasonable approach.”

Cohan rolls his eyes. “And I suppose my company would be the one undertaking such a task?”

Kiera shrugs. “You were the one most concerned, and a construction project is what BullsInc does best. Who else?”

For the way Cohan narrows his eyes in her direction, one would think she cursed his entire family line. It does occur to Liam, once more, that the man seems rather unsatisfied by his legacy if his usual bitter demeanor is anything to go by.

“In this case, am I to expect this council’s full cooperation in this matter?” Cohan finally relents, releasing a sigh.

Murmurs of agreement circle throughout the room, Liam’s included, followed by halfheartedly promises of investment and cooperation… After all, this council exists to discuss, and perform, projects such as this, projects that surpass the capacity of a single city or state to implement… Projects requiring more than Aston’s power and influence on their own.

Although, had they not reached a solution sooner or later on this particular matter, Liam might’ve had to step in and propose something himself… Considering their reserves of Ether have suffered considerable losses in recent years, unbeknownst to most, thanks to Eden’s creation.

“I have a topic proposal,” Emma Harvey says, speaking for the first time since her arrival as her green eyes rest against Liam’s for a moment, before sliding in Madam Burke’s direction, “More specifically, I wish for an update concerning our space program, and your lack of progress on the matter, Madam, despite having our full resources at your disposal.”

Cohan nods, expressing his support. “I second Harvey’s inquiry. How come there has been no progress, after all these years?”

“There has been progress,” Madam Burke corrects, shifting in her seat slightly as she throws Liam a glance, then returns Cohen’s gaze with a sigh, “Though I understand some of us might’ve expected Elysium to occupy multiple planets by now, sending more than a few chosen into space, especially some sort of colonization program, has proven much harder than we anticipated… As I find myself forced to remind this council time and time again.”

“How long?” Emma asks, pulling her glasses up her nose absently.

Madam Burke shakes her head. “It’s hard to say. It could happen in a century, or five, or never.”

“Wonderful,” Cohen murmurs, while some of the others raise their voices in an attempt to speak over one another, and the discussion quickly threatens to delve into chaos once more.

Liam releases a small sigh. A long morning indeed...

 

***

Earth In Words Institute, Principal’s Office

“Come on in.”

Having received an answer to her knocking, Seijuro retracts her hand as the double doors she stands by open soundlessly, revealing a spacious office at the back of which sits a tall, toned woman of long white hair and unidentifiable age.

“Ah, Seijuro! There you are!”

Principal Adela Woods beams a perfectly white smile while Seijuro sets to walking the small distance toward her table, dismissing several holographic screens with a wave of her hand as she focuses intense silver-colored eyes upon the princess.

“You wanted to see me?”

Seijuro doesn’t bother to muster a smile, simply allowing her eyes to wander through the well-decorated office as she takes a seat before Adela’s large table. Despite having frequented the Institute for most of her life, this is still her first time having a reason to come here.

“Of course I wanted to see you! You had us all worried sick… And before anything else, how are you, darling? Better now, I hope?”

Seijuro slides her gaze in the woman’s direction, meeting her eyes and smile for a brief second in an attempt at judging how serious she is… But no, Adela is either being genuine, or a master at concealing her intentions.

“I’m better, yes. Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Wood.”

“Now, we’ve known each other for so long, there’s no need for so much formality, is there?” Adela says while rising from her seat and heading toward some sort of machine nearby. “Would you like some coffee, perchance?”

A coffee machine, then.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Seijuro watches as the principal pours herself a cup of steaming dark liquid, humming softly all the while, then flashes her a smile and heads back to her seat, sighing in satisfaction as she sips from her cup.

Then, Adela sets aside her coffee, crossing her hands over her table as she locks her gaze against Seijuro’s and smiles.

Several seconds go by without either of them speaking.

“…Seijuro, we all break under the pressure sometimes,” Adela starts, breaking the silence at last. “In fact, I’m surprised you lasted so long… In your position, I’m sure many others would’ve-”

“I’m not sure I’d call a cold ‘breaking under the pressure’,” Seijuro interrupts coldly, “Mrs. Woods.”

If the woman is taken aback by Seijuro coldness, she doesn’t show it, though her smile does become somewhat exasperated as she leans back and releases a sigh.

“Please, I remember a certain student who passed out during class a year ago because she refused to miss a single day. Her fever didn’t stop her then… But you want me to believe a cold kept her from showing up for an entire week now?”

Seijuro grimaces. “It was… A really strong cold.”

Adela raises an eyebrow. “Right. And this cold… Did it also make you disrupt a school event in order to satisfy your own agenda?”

Seijuro averts her gaze. “…Maybe.”

Surprising the princess, Adela chuckles. “As much as I’d like to continue our charade, I’d rather have you being honest with me, Seijuro. I believe it’ll make this much easier for the both of us. In spite of what you might think, I’m not your enemy; Far from it, I’m here to make sure your school life is everything it can be and more… But I can’t help you if you-”

Seijuro rises from her seat. “May I head to class now?”

Adela sighs, though her smile is still in place even as she waves her hand, commanding her office’s doors to close.

Seijuro blinks, then clenches her teeth. “Have you lost- I have classes to show up to! And you have a job to do!”

Adela meets Seijuro’s gaze as she reaches for her cup, brings it toward her lips, and takes a slow sip.

“…You may stand if it makes you feel better.”

Groaning in exasperation, Seijuro sits back down, though she refuses to meet Adela’s gaze again… Instead, she stares through the office’s large window, and the many paths below filled by students heading to class.

Adela shakes her head. “We both know your father gave me permission to do as I see fit when it comes to handling you. That being said, you’ve been a stellar student so far, and I never had reason to interfere.” Adela shrugs. “So stellar, in fact, I’m almost glad to finally have a chance to help you.”

Seijuro grimaces.

“I see that you don’t trust me… But well, we have the whole day to get to know each other, and in case that proves insufficient, there’s always tomorrow, and the day after…”

Seijuro snaps her gaze in the woman’s direction. “You can’t be serious?”

“Oh, I’m dead serious. Do you have any idea what your father would do if he found out you missed a week of classes and I did nothing? Because I’d live my life rather happily without uncovering that particular piece of mystery.”

And there it is… But of course, she should’ve known.

“Would you still care if I was just another student?” Seijuro asks bitterly.

Adela sips from her coffee once more, leisurely, before speaking, “I couldn’t help but notice your usual cheerful personality is gone. I can’t say I hated it, honestly.”

Seijuro simply stares at her for a moment, while Adela chuckles.

“If you must know, I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon speaking with students of varying backgrounds, none of them nearly as accomplished or important as you… But perhaps I’ve neglected to give our student body the attention it deserves if your opinion of me is so low.”

Seijuro averts her gaze. In truth, she has nothing against Adela… After all, the Institute has been well cared for so far.

A moment of silence goes by before Adela releases another sigh. “I see this might take a while.”

Incredulously, Seijuro watches as the woman, by making a pulling motion, materializes a holographic keyboard atop her desk, immediately typing at it as she stares toward a holographic screen to also appear before her.

“You don’t mind if I occupy myself meanwhile, do you?” Adela says while flashing Seijuro a smile.

“What do you want?” Seijuro forces through clenched teeth.

Adela pauses in order to throw Seijuro a confused glance. “Oh my, and I thought I had made that abundantly clear; I want nothing more than your trust, darling. I can’t help you otherwise… Perhaps if I speak a little about myself, you’ll feel more inclined to share?”

By all the Gods, she’s serious.

Seijuro releases a sigh. “No, there’s no need.”

Adela smiles. “Not interested in the ramblings of an old woman?”

“As I’m sure you remember,” Seijuro starts, ignoring her, “My mother suffered an accident I was p-partially responsible for, entering a coma she has yet to awaken from…”

As Adela focuses her full attention upon her once more, Seijuro clears her throat, averting her gaze.

“Although it happened more than half a decade ago, recently I was given the chance to work on a project which might be able to help her.”

“…Am I to assume you spent this past week working on said project?” Adela murmurs.

Seijuro nods, for the truth is far too shameful to admit.

Adela leans against her chair, before releasing a sigh. “I see. And I take it attempting to convince you to focus on your studies rather than this ‘project’ would have no results whatsoever?”

Seijuro stares into her eyes. “You could try, though I wouldn’t keep my hopes up.”

Another sighs. “I thought as much. Well, since that is the case, may I know how much time this project will take? And how often will it take it from your school hours?”

It doesn’t escape Seijuro’s attention Adela made no attempts at determining what sort of project she speaks of… Perhaps Liam and her have already spoken, or she felt as though Seijuro would dodge the question… Regardless, Seijuro is glad to avoid the word “game” as much as she can, even in her own thoughts, if at all possible.

“It shouldn’t take more than a couple of months. As for how often I’ll miss class during this period… I don’t know.”

Adela frowns. “You’re not giving me much to work with, darling. Even if we assume it’ll be over in a month or two, the damage would already be done by then… As it is, you already have much to catch up on.”

“It’ll be hard, I know,” Seijuro admits, “But I don’t have much of a choice, myself. For this, I’d be willing to redo a couple of classes, even if I must forsake my vacation in order to do it.”

Adela smiles bitterly. “You’d not be the only one forsaking your vacation if your teachers are also forced to show up to teach you… But I’m sure they’d be willing to arrange something for you, especially given the nature of your predicament.”

“…Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

Adela shakes her head. “As you’ve put it, you’ve had little choice in the matter yourself... And don’t thank me yet, for I have conditions, young lady.”

Seijuro nods. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with the project, I’ll do it.”

Adela raises an eyebrow. “I see you’re very serious about this… Though, I suppose, you’ve always been serious about everything you do, as it befits your name. Very well. First, I need you to choose which classes you wish to forgo, and I need you to promise me you will show up for those you didn’t. Second, you’ll be seeing one of the school’s counselors from now on, twice a week, and that is non-negotiable.”

Though Seijuro wishes to protest, a look into Adela's silver-colored eyes detains her from doing so; It is clear the woman is serious about the non-negotiable part.

“Third, in the case something about your mother changes, or a similar situation happens in the future, I want you to visit me before committing to anything, or missing a whole week of classes. Can you promise me that?”

Although somewhat reluctantly, Seijuro nods.

“Great! I knew we’d be able to understand each other… And I hope you won’t resent me for this?”

“I won’t,” Seijuro promises while releasing a sigh, “You’re helping me, if anything, and I’m not clueless enough to think otherwise.”

Adela claps once, smiling brightly as she waves toward her office’s doors, willing them to open. “It is solved, then. And now, your classes await you… Just make sure to choose which ones you’ll take during vacation as soon as possible, so I can arrange things for you, okay?”

Seijuro nods, rising from her chair as she gives the cheerful woman one last glance before heading toward the exit.

Although she was nervous about meeting Adela, being able to focus more on – and she can’t believe she is about to say this – gaming will make things much easier for her going forward.

Hurray for small blessings...