Beyond?

“Nothing I do can redeem my past and many more will perish for my cause, but maybe I can at least offer those who come after me a better life.”

-The Saviour.

***Free City States of Nict, Capital***

***Azir***

I stir slowly in my bed and reach for the good morning treat at my side, but there is only empty space next to me. My eyes snap open and I look for Stella. Normally I am the one who wakes up earlier! Then I can enjoy the privilege of being able to gently wake her up, but there is nobody at my side this morning. What a let down!

Is there something important today? Oh, that's right, Helen ordered us to her office first thing in the morning. Probably Stella woke up earlier because Helen sounded like there was something really important to discuss.

After getting dressed I walk to the kitchen and find Stella there, making fried eggs. She is already dressed in a blue robe and humming a happy song. Isn't my species a little strange for eating eggs, even if they are from animals? Shouldn't such an action create a moral reaction? I try to forget this train of thought and take my place at the table.

Stella shares the food with me and while we eat breakfast she starts asking me weird questions. Like explaining different social situations to me, then I have to explain how I would react if I were in the same situation. It's really weird, but then I remember that she threatened me yesterday to train my social skills.

“So what would you do if one of your students has problems with answering a certain question? You already explained the subject several times to her, but she still doesn't get it.” Stella looks at me questioningly.

I purse my lips and try to remember what I did when something like this happened. Surely there was a similar case during tutoring lessons. “I take a stick and beat her every time she makes a mistake. Some people have problems with remembering stuff on their own. If they have a negative experience upon taking a certain action, they'll try to avoid another negative experience in the future. At some point even the dumbest animal learns to avoid its mistakes, even if it doesn't understand why it uses a certain formula in a given situation.”

Stella's eyes widen. “Whom have you beaten with a stick?”

Halting in devouring a piece of fried egg, I think over Stella's reaction. So beating the student wasn't a socially correct decision? Even though she aced her exam after my training? “It worked!”

“Did you at least not beat her in front of the class?” She asks.

“That was wrong?” Of course I did it during tutoring. I don't waste my time with those people if I don't have to.

“Please tell me that it wasn't your sister!” Stella touches her forehead and her expression says it all. This new project of hers is going to be a long term exercise.

I shake my head. “Of course not, I would never beat Valeria. I want to have a good relationship with my little sister. On top I need her as the head of my clan later on.” I don't want to bother with being a leader. “For that purpose I taught her while faking understanding and coaxing her into trying again and again until she got it. It's a pain in the ass and it takes much longer.”

Stella lets out a sigh. “At least you seem to have a basic understanding of what you are doing. And you are treating me and our clique normally, so what's the problem with other people? What's the difference?”

Isn't the answer obvious? “You are my girlfriend. Karsen, Talia and Louise are my friends. Beating any of you would cause a tense atmosphere. The others are just a bother.”

Stella slams her cute forehead onto the desk. “I am not sure if I should be happy or sad about the fact that you aren't interested in having social relationships besides me and your immediate friends.”

We eat in silence. Afterwards we use the stepper disc to head directly to the palace. In front of Helen's office we unexpectedly meet Sola in company of a guy who seems to be her age. His hair is of a flaming orange and his horns are curving upwards, then backwards, just to curve upwards once again. His horns look a little ridiculous in my opinion, but his body has a good build. It's probably because he is doing some kind of martial art. His edgy and clean face could be attractive to women? I notice that there isn't a single mark on his skin. Normally a wound leaves a small mark, even if you use healing magic. That doesn't match his warrior-like appearance. So either he is a snotty, petted boy or he is an Eddin. They can heal wounds almost perfectly.

Sola notices our approach and hugs Stella and then me to greet us. I stiffen upon the unexpected friendly greeting and resist the urge to shove her away, but that would surely anger Stella. She wanted me to show a little more social competence. Still, the urge is there.

Before I can decide upon an action she lets go of me. “It's so good to see you two, I wanted to introduce you to my fiance.”

Stella's eyes almost pop out of her eyes. “F... Fiance!? How? When? I knew nothing!”

I must admit that I am surprised too. The vixen got herself a guy? What did she do, did she walk up to him and order him to be her boyfriend?

Sola nods. “This is Xander Eddin, we met each other a few times after Louise introduced us. Since I am not getting younger I simply decided that now is the time.”

Xander forces a smile onto his face and his entire body language screams that he would rather like to be somewhere else. “It simply happened. She asked me out and I said yes.” His attention turns to me. “Maybe we can meet sometime. Just as fellow family members.”

I guess he wanted to say as comrades in being sold by our families. Sorry buddy, but I am not a sold spouse like you probably are. At least it doesn't feel like that. Probably she walked up to you and said that you have to marry her or even worse, she went over his head and talked directly to his clan head.

Sola nods, not getting the hidden meaning behind his words. “That would be so nice! A date with two couples is surely interesting.” She hugs Xander from the side. “Oh, that reminds me! I have to introduce you to dad!” So she rushes off, pulling him with her.

I watch them walking down the corridor and wait until they are out of hearing range to consult Stella. She isn't moving either while standing at my side.

“Did you notice his expression?”

“Yes. He looked like the devil is taking him for a walk through hell.”

“You really didn't know?”

“No.”

“What's she planning this time? Did she suddenly give up on her fixation on me?”

“Looks like it. Introducing him to Mom and Dad is like dealing the death blow.”

“So he is a toyboy...”

“That's for sure. Even she can't get out of this once she introduces him to Mom.”

“I am sorry for him.”

“His clan will be very happy to get someone into the palace. There is no way he is going to get out of this.”

“I still don't get it.”

“Sis has been acting strange since... the accident.”

“Oh...”

After they disappeared around the corner of the corridor Stella shrugs her shoulders. “One thing less to worry about.” She turns and pulls me into Helen's office without knocking onto the door.

Inside we are greeted by Helen who has a big metal case on her desk. She is reading an old book. Then she looks up and smiles at us. “Please lock the door and take a seat.” She puts the book down.

We take a seat and Stella eyes the books inside the metal case with suspicion. “Is there something wrong, Mom?”

Helen shakes her head. “No, as of now there is nothing wrong. I just wanted to make sure that you know what we are facing. That involves a lesson in history.”

Please no history. I don't like boring stuff.

“It involves the true history of the Empire of Nict and why it fell. Originally I didn't intend to spread this knowledge, but since the past is catching up to us I feel it's safer if more people know about it. Especially the people who have their hands on one of the artefacts.” Helen glares at us. “If any of this leaves this room I'll have the responsible one executed, do you understand?”

I nod, but Stella raises her hand. “This sounds grave Mom. If you have some kind of dark secret to share, shouldn't you tell Sola first? She is the heir after all.”

“Your sister and your father know everything. I also thought long and hard about involving Azir, but since he already got a look at the helmet he already has a piece of the puzzle. He'll figure it out on his own sooner or later since he is a smart guy.” Helen gestures at me. Then she leans back and starts her history lesson.

“The Empire of Nict wasn't much bigger than the current Nict when it started. The power was handled between a few selected noble families. Whoever proved himself to be strong enough had a word in the Empire's decisions. Then a mage with extraordinary powers was born. He was so strong that nobody could oppose him. He could see the nature of magic itself and understood more about it than anyone else. Many said that he was a mutation of some kind, since he had certain deformations on his body. The books say that he was the only male in history who had a tail and even wings.”

Helen shrugs her shoulders. “There are fossils which imply that your ancient ancestors had wings. So either he was a freak of nature, or he exposed himself to extreme amounts of mana and survived the changes to his body. The books aren't clear on that point.

Either way, he used that power to seize control of Nict and became the first Emperor called Nicodeus Draco. He wasn't a nice ruler and executed everyone who stood up to him. Eventually he took a wife from a noble house and had children with her. His rule lasted for over a thousand years and in that time he waged war on all of Nict's neighbours. He always chose a new wife once the old one grew too old for him. His family spread wide and his blood thinned with time. Did you know that the original citizens of Nict weren't powerful at all when it comes to magic? His blood changed that. The great clans are all his descendants. Each of his children had certain powers, though none of them reached his might.

He kept the ones with more power close to him. They were the ruling family of Nict. They had the power of seeing the true nature of magic.

But as the Empire grew and time went on, it became clear that even the first Emperor would succumb to old age at some point. Though during his time on this world he forged the biggest and magically most advanced Empire ever seen. The southern nations, Dwem and the lands further north. Even the eastern planes were under our control. There were settlements across the western ocean. Everything mere provinces to the Empire.

The only country which stayed out of the Emperor's reach was Quinn. Quinn is big and they abhor magic. Their warrior elite knows certain ways to counter and repel spells. On top it was hard to wage war on them since they were so far away from Nict's centre of power. In addition they recognized the danger by the City Gates and stopped any attempt to put one close to their sphere of influence.

The City Gates were the reason for the Emperor's power, each province had one. The second reason why he could control such a vast empire was because of his enslavement magic. He forced everyone who served in a position of power under his will. There were thousands of mere puppets under his command. That's why he was also called the Master of All.

The third weapon under his command were his generals. He took six members of the greatest bloodlines which originated from him and made them his warlords and assassins. Whenever someone even tried to rebel he sent his generals to deal with the threat. In that time he also created seven artefacts of unbelievable power. Six of them he gave to his generals and the seventh was set up in his palace.”

Stella stirs in her seat. “And our helmet, The Light of the Emperor, is one of them. And I suppose it's no coincidence that Nict looks like a hexagram and the Emperor had six generals at his command?”

Helen stretches and nods. “The Emperor's generals were the forefathers of the great clans of today.

The helmet, The Light of the Emperor, the Zait. A light from the sky that burns your enemies.

The shield, The Will of the Emperor, the Eddin. An impenetrable barrier, warding off all harm.

The sword, The Emperor's Judgement, the Anja. A fire that spreads and flows like water.

The armour, The Emperor's soul, the Veit. Giving the user unlimited mana and strength.

The dagger, The Emperor's Wish, the Tinn. To command the shadows and walk among them.

And an amulet, The Master's Word, the Siorda. To control your enemies and allies alike.

The seventh artefact was the Emperor's Vault, it was thought that it gave him his power and control over all the artefacts, but it's more likely that it's the origin of his power.”

I change my position in my chair. “So this vault is still in the palace? But there are seven great clans. What about the Gejene?” This is all a little bit much to take in at once. So we are all related to the Emperor and he was an evil dictator. He created weapons of mass destruction and our opponents got their hands on them. Great.

Helen shrugs her shoulders. “In one way or the other, but let me continue the story. In the Emperor's final years he found a woman of noble birth and high magical power. They had two sons, twins who looked exactly the same. Their names were Serenzar Draco and Jeremiah Draco. Those brothers rivalled the Emperor in power and maybe even surpassed him. He made them his successors before he died of old age.

They continued in his footsteps and brought the usage of enslavement magic to new levels. Now even normal citizens weren't safe from being used like animals. Together they and their family ruled the Empire for three hundred years with an iron fist.

But then Jeremiah fell in love with his serving slave, which wasn't well looked upon. He even freed her from her enslavement spell and spent more and more time with her. Eventually she sparked a light in his dark soul and he began to see the world with her eyes. He tried to redeem himself and attempted to change the empire.

Serenzar didn't like what his brother tried to do, he ordered the execution of his brother's lover to cure him from his delusions of a free world. Jeremiah saved his love and killed one of the generals while doing so. It was the one who carried the Light. Jeremiah took the Light and used it to destroy most of the City Gates in the provinces. For some reason the Light can't be used to attack the heart of Nict.

Then Jeremiah took his lover and fled with her to Dwem. From there he organized a rebellion and travelled through the Empire to free the people from their existence as slaves. Soon he was known as the Saviour and the people gathered around him. Unfortunately the war for freedom took many years and ravaged the Empire. Jeremiah's lover was of normal birth and had no magic. She died of old age before Jeremiah could show her a world free of slavery.”

Helen stops for a moment to think. “But they had many children and since Jeremiah was an outstanding mage they inherited a part of his power. They founded a new clan and took on the name of their birth mother. From then on they were known by the name Gejene and followed Jeremiah in his cause.

The resulting war changed the face of the world as we know it and the Emperor's artefacts were used by both sides in the most horrifying manner. In the end they defeated Serenzar and brought the old Empire down, though it's not for sure that Serenzar was really killed by his brother. After the last battle most of the great artefacts were lost or thought to be destroyed. Jeremiah rebuilt the destroyed palace and sealed the Emperor's vault beneath it. He reforged the heart of Nict into the Free City States. After doing so he made the Gejene swear a blood oath to protect the Emperor's Vault. Having completed his love's wish he left and took the Emperor's Judgement with him. That's the only great artefact which was in Jeremiah's hands at the end of the war. Since then every clan head of the Gejene forced the oath onto the next one. So we waited and we kept Nict's legacy out of the wrong hands.”

Wow, this world has a crazy history. I tilt my head. “And the wrong hands are?”

Helen smiles. “We don't know what the Emperor's Vault is. I only know that there is a big sealed door down in the palace's catacombs. Everyone who tries to open it dies a horrible death. According to Jeremiah there are no right hands for this power and the Vault can only be opened by the Emperor's worthy descendants if they have all the great artefacts.”

Stella starts chuckling. “Seriously? Why are we even keeping this history a secret? Aren't there any records of it in other countries? And us being the descendants of the Emperor? Are you telling us that our enemy is one of the brothers, trying to reforge the Empire?”

Helen closes her eyes and crosses her hands in front of her chest. “I am not telling you anything. I just updated you on the history behind the helmet in your house. All I see is someone pulling the strings of several countries to gain power. He is calling himself 'Master', a synonym which was used for the emperor and his sons in the later years of the Empire. I am informing you that the Emperor and his sons were outstanding mages, whose huge amount of mana let them live several hundred years. It's not completely out of the question that Jeremiah is still out there, wandering the planet. But most important of all, I am telling you that the artefact in your house played a major part in the downfall of the biggest civilisation of this world.” She snorts. “And we keep this history a secret because Jeremiah told us to. Most of the artefacts are lost. Maybe it's better if the average nobleman with great ambitions doesn't realize that the cute, magical dagger of his grandfather can do more than shadow plays for the kids. Other nations might remember parts of the truth, but it's surely on the level of a myth to them. And most importantly the Vault can't be carried away. We don't want any treasure hunters down in the catacombs.”

So whatever circles above our heads up in the orbit took out a little more than the City Gates. That's interesting. I look Helen in the eyes. “I only ask myself why you let me keep the helmet? Don't you want to give something as dangerous as that to the military to lock it away.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “That was indeed my first impulse, but I meant it when I said that this is a national secret. Not even the military knows anything. My second impulse was to destroy the helmet-”

“No!” Damn! I called out before I knew it. “Ahem. I mean. It's a very interesting piece of technology. It would be a sacrilege to lose it like that.”

Helen raises an eyebrow and grins at me. “Very well, so you understand it at least partly? Can you disable it until we need it?”

I nod. “Sure, I'll thoroughly take it apart to learn its secrets. The helmet isn't the interesting part anyway. It just controls a satellite above our heads, which attacks from high up in the sky.”

She thinks over my words. “You already took it apart?”

Not exactly. “Just took a look. The helmet is fascinating, but nothing completely out of my grasp. Maybe I'll think about a possibility to destroy the satellite.”

Now Helen looks surprised. “I thought you want to preserve this old technology?”

I shift in my seat. “Like I said, the helmet is interesting, but with time it will reveal its secrets. The satellite on the other hand... how should I formulate it...” The satellite in the sky is another matter. I don't like having something above my head that could burn my house any moment... at least not if I didn't build it myself. But how can I get that across without freaking her out? She is afraid of the helmet, I can't act like it's nothing extraordinary. Social skills come on.

Stella grumbles at my side. “Mom, I think Azir wants to say that the helmet is an interesting puzzle to him, but nothing more. And that he doesn't like it to have a weapon of mass destruction floating above his head, so he would rather destroy it and build one himself...”

My head turns slowly to Stella. “Social skills?” Come on, now it was okay to be blunt and throw everything into her face?

Stella shakes her head. “Don't bother training them on mother, you are too obvious.”

I nod and face Helen. “If it's like that, then I'll be blunt. Can I have control over a workforce of about a hundred people? I need twenty people experienced with magical circuits, ten normal workers, forty guys who are good with metal working, a Siorda whom I can train as manager and the rest should consist of people with good results in various scientific degrees.”

Helen looks surprised. “You are still a student. What do you want to build with those people?”

I shrug my shoulders and smile. “Various useful things. Just think about the stepper disc in front of your office. I built that alone, what can I do if I have a little help?”

Helen smiles. “If you tell me beforehand what you are going to make, then I might give you even more people.”

.