The Burning Flowers

Chapter XV

What…did it just say? Nigreos Noctis felt as if his brain had ceased to function for a few seconds as he processed The Angel’s bizarre accusation. Luna aligned herself with the cult? She’s fused with Neah? What on earth is this thing going on about?!

Clenching his teeth with frustration as he realized that Abigail truly had been plotting something behind his back, he didn’t give anybody a chance to speak, deciding that the conversation should be taken into his own control, rather than that of some mysterious monster from an ancient realm.

“I don’t have a damn clue what the two of you think you’re doing, but don’t you dare start accusing Luna of such awful things!” he roared, feeling his anger threatening to overwhelm him. “As if she would ever side with the Kosah-Rei after what they did in Noctalus! Our mother was murdered! Our sister was kidnapped! Yet you stand there trying to claim she’s joined their killers?! You’re fucking insane! Abi, don’t tell me you believe this shit?!”

The Angel’s motivations were unclear to him, but knowing Abigail the way he did, he knew without a doubt that if she were buying into this, then she had been manipulated by the creature. His friend looked terrified, as if she wasn’t sure what to do or say as she pressed her back up against the windowed wall behind her, seemingly trying to shrink back from the unfolding confrontation.

“Abi?!” he pressed, more insistently than before, but she only shook her head.

“Nigreos… I’m sorry, but…” Turning her eyes towards the carpet, telling him how unwilling she was to look him in the eyes, Abi went on. “I collapsed earlier because my sense freaked out… Like The Angel said, I received two readings when I looked at Luna…and the contradicting information sent my body into a panic. I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but if The Angel can feel two people inside of her, then I must believe it…”

His heart sank as he realized that Abigail, the woman he loved and respected more than almost anybody else in his life, did not have his back. She was on The Angel’s side, which meant she would be currently regarding Lunara as a traitor. The creature of Cansi, who currently donned Album’s appearance, gave a smugger expression than the real light mage ever had as it once again flared the ball of light in its palm as a warning. In response, Nigreos allowed the shadows of the darkened library to move ever so slightly, silently communicating his willingness to fight The Angel in his sister’s defense. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, before a spell could be cast, Lunara broke the silence.

“What sense are you talking about, Abi?” she asked softly. “I’m not sure I understand your logic here.”

Abigail narrowed her eyes, though it was less a threat to his sister and more of an expression of consideration, as if she were debating whether to confide that information. Nigreos, however, was not about to let Lunara be accused of anything if she didn’t understand the reasoning behind it, so he opted to answer in Abi’s place.

“She has an ability to use what she’s called her sixth sense to reach out and feel for somebody’s trustworthiness,” he told her. “It’s as simple as knowing the purity of a person’s heart, and she’s used it time and time again in our battles against the Kosah-Rei. It was how we identified Vesh and Mallicent so quickly on our mission to Hiriech.”

“Ah…” Luna gave a soft exhale of understanding, though there was an underlying tone in her next words that gave Nigreos a reluctant pause. “So you got two readings off of me then? That’s what’s going on here?”

Abigail nodded meekly, and to Nigreos’s horror, he sensed wind magic surge into the young woman’s hands, as if she, too, were prepared to attack Lunara. “I-it is… And of those two readings, one was pure and one was dark… What have you done, Luna?”

“Abi, put your goddamn magic away!” Nigreos demanded fiercely, growing more and more stunned by the way everything was unfolding.

The Angel stepped to the side, placing itself between Nigreos and Abigail as it regarded him with pity and disappointment, like it was staring at a stupid little child. “Or what, Son of Darkness? Are you going to attack Abigail if she doesn’t?”

“I—!” The dark mage clenched his fists furiously, for he knew he could never raise a finger against Abigail Reiner. Instead, desperate to turn things around, he sputtered out, “There’s just no way Lunara could have a dark reading! You’ve known her for long enough now and you told me months ago that she was pure!”

“Things have changed, Nigreos!” Abigail shouted back, her own desperation finally forcing its way through. “I don’t know how or why, but they have! In all my life, my sense has never once changed its opinion of somebody, but I cannot deny what I felt! Besides, she’s already admitted it! Did you just shut your ears off to the truth?!”

“Damn it all!” Spinning around, Nigreos finally faced his little sister, who looked sad by what she was hearing, and he couldn’t blame her for feeling like she did. He knew that Luna had respected Abi, so to hear her accusing her of such wretched things must have been painful. “Luna, tell them! Tell them the truth! Tell them that they’re mistaken!”

Lunara gently turned her head to gaze into her big brother’s eyes, but where he expected to find fear and uncertainty, what he instead saw in those amber eyes was annoyance, though not at him, rather at the situation.

“I’m sorry, Nigreos, but they’re right,” she stated with a sigh. “Yeah, I took the Kosah-Rei’s deal for nothing more than to save Neah.”

“W-what…?”

“The Angel confirmed that we needed Leiolai Sartella’s magic, and it also told us the only option might be to transform her into a body that could handle dark mana!” Lunara went on, her confidence growing as she continued speaking words that he could not bear to hear. “But Leiolai didn’t think even she could change her body in the proper way, so she instead decided to fuse Neah into a body that could already handle it.”

“Luna, no…”

“Neah is inside of me right now! This isn’t permanent, mind you, rather it is a temporary solution while Leiolai uses the Kosah-Rei’s resources to research a proper cure! Neah isn’t suffering, though. She’s in a trance-like state, somewhere between consciousness and sleep, so she doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s necessary though! It must be done! It’s the only damn solution at our disposal! Yes, I turned to the Kosah-Rei for aid, but only because Father wouldn’t give it first! I’m glad you were trying so hard, Brother, but we ran out of time, so I solved the issue myself!”

As he listened to Lunara rant, it felt like every single word was tearing at him, clawing its way through his skin and stabbing at his heart. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. He knew Luna was as desperate as him, but for her to go as far as to join the Kosah-Rei was unthinkable. If her actions were exposed to the Citadel, she would be arrested for treason and possibly even executed.

“But…the Kosah-Rei killed Mother! They kidnapped Neah!” he managed to say, repeating the same points from before, though without the same fervor. “Luna, I—”

“They kidnapped Neah because I asked them to.” His sister murmured that statement almost too quietly for him to hear, and a part of him truly debated pretending he hadn't heard it. Yet, what she said first was somehow a million times more bearable than what she said next. “We needed to get Neah out of Noctalus and here to Stellareid, where the necessary tools were located for such a procedure. Not even Leiolai could handle such complex magic without the aid of Stellareid’s knowledge and resources. And as for Mother, well, I killed her.”

“Y-you…what?”

No, she’s just saying this. I don’t know what she thinks she’s going to gain by lying, but she must be lying. She killed Mother? She couldn’t have. Why would she? I mean, the combustions killed Mother, so if Luna’s the one who did it, then she knows information as top secret as how they’re caused. She wouldn’t know that. This is Luna. Lunara Noctis, my little sister… She couldn’t have done this. I don’t understand…

“I killed Mother, Nigreos,” Lunara repeated. “And I killed Lady Clara, because that was what the Kosah-Rei needed me to do. The deaths of the Ladies of the NightLight were the payment for saving Neah, just as Leiolai said in Soladnay Park that day. Naturally, I would have loved to get Father, as well, but the man hardly has any interest in ever coming near me. He’s always on his guard. Master Acostav and Lady Clara were somehow easier to make contact with than my own fucking father.”

“But…?” There was so much in that confession for him to react to, but perhaps to avoid having to think on it, his brain instead locked onto a contradiction in her words. “Master Acostav didn’t die? What do you…?”

As Nigreos trailed off, Lunara removed her left hand from her pocket and raised it up so that the red ring on her finger could glitter in the moonlight, visible to all who were gathered there. Lunara’s expression then turned cold and angry, a look he had never seen on his typically cheerful sister. “Not yet he’s not. But if I use this, he’ll pop open like a fiery bubble…as will half the population of the Fifth Ring of Stellareid. So, Angel, put that light away and watch your damn mouth.”

The library went silent, Lunara’s threat hanging over them with a weight so powerful that Nigreos felt on the verge of collapse. She had ceased looking at him, her amber eyes now fixated on The Angel in a thinly-veiled dare. When Nigreos managed a glance over his shoulder, he found the creature of Cansi as composed as before, but Abigail’s eyes were wide and her skin had lost all its blood, turning her as pale as a ghost. Even so, she was the one who reacted first.

“Luna, please, stop!” she begged, rushing forward to put herself between The Angel and Lunara, much to the creature’s obvious dismay. “There’s no need for this! Half the population…? If you activate that, the amount of blood on your hands would be too great to wipe away! You’d be a murderer!”

“She’s already a murderer, Abi,” The Angel growled before turning a sharp look Luna’s way. “I can sense that this ring isn’t a bluff. The fire magic within it is certainly powerful enough to do what I’ve heard it can, but I must know, how do you even have it? Ijiria’s been trying to answer the mystery of the combustions for years, so why would the Kosah-Rei suddenly trust you with such important information?”

Luna shrugged nonchalantly, as if no longer worried since control was now in her hands. “No clue, really. Tali Firrik said the Goddess Rei was on my side, and that was enough to convince Vesh, but I doubt that’s the true reason. Also, this isn’t the only one. All six of the higher-ups have a Teritus, this one just happens to be Leiolai’s.”

“And you would so easily confess all this?” The Angel spat, to which Luna nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yes, I would. Let me tell the three of you something: You are not my enemies nor do I want you to be. Ever since Hiriech, I’ve understood the Kosah-Rei for no reason other than the fact that I am the daughter of Viiro Noctis. The corruption in this Empire is a very real threat to its people. The Lords of the Great Cities are parasites on the lives of the population, and I agree that they must be stopped. Nigreos, Abi, can you really tell me I’m wrong?”

Of course I can! he insisted in the silence of mind, though even with the conviction he felt, there was doubt gnawing at his heart. Right? I mean, Luna’s right about Father. And, if she’s telling the truth about Neah being safe inside of her, then that means Miyon wasn’t lying. The Kosah-Rei really did kidnap her to heal her. Father was ready to abandon her to the cult’s mercy, and the cult is trying to cure her. Is that not backwards?! And when I think about Lord Cartigan’s approach to Keskivaara, and what I heard firsthand from the People’s Mind himself…I can’t deny that Cartigan is ridiculously corrupt. Master Acostav’s treatment of Album was always terrible, and Lord Malloway was a vile man. But—

“Murder is murder!” Abi shrieked. “Maybe you’re right, Luna, but the Kosah-Rei have killed so many people, and if you’re telling the truth, then even more are on the cusp of dying. You would threaten to kill half of the Fifth Ring then request I join you?! You would confess to murdering yours and Album’s mothers and think I would help you?! Who do you think I am?!”

“Remember Piriit, Abigail,” Lunara countered, visibly throwing off Abi’s intensity. “Nigreos told me you were upset about that girl’s death, right? Mikea, he said? I don’t know all the details of that incident, but what I do know from Vesh is that Pastor Saechak was a savior in that town—a beacon of hope for a hopeless populace that you guys murdered. I’ll have you know that the town guard did a thorough investigation after you left to determine who was attending Saechak’s sermons. You know what they did to the people they tracked down?”

“No…” Abi whimpered. “Please…”

“They executed them,” Luna hissed. “Men and women who only sought to live happier lives were hung from the trees naked and bloodied then left there to serve as a warning to anybody who witnessed the grisly sight! It was over a hundred, if I recall. Maybe two? Certainly more victims than Aquesen’s fucking ballroom!”

Abigail’s legs gave out as she fell to the carpet, her shoulders slumping in defeat. From where Nigreos was still silently standing, he watched her eyes slightly glaze over, as if she was mentally shutting down.

“Murder is murder,” Lunara went on, repeating Abi’s earlier statement. “You’re right, Abi, but it seems you’ve averted your eyes to the fact that both sides frequently commit it. Ijiria was killing people first, and the Kosah-Rei merely opted to fight fire with fire.” She then took a few steps forward, standing tall above Abigail as she gazed down at her, though this time, a warmer smile turned her lips, as if hoping to comfort her. “You’re going to be siding with murderers no matter what you do, so why not join me? Help me and Leiolai properly cure Neah, and help us upend the inequities of our Empire. Both of you,” she then added, turning now to Nigreos. “Together, we can make this country a better place.”

“Who—?” Nigreos choked out. “Who else is under that spell? You said you got Master Acostav, but who else is going to die if it’s activated?”

His sister grimaced with reluctance. “Well, to be honest, I don’t know. I was only tasked with marking people the Kosah-Rei couldn’t reach. The one who charmed the denizens of the Fifth Ring was Omorossa.”

“Omorossa?” Nigreos parroted.

“Yeah, he’s used the circus’s popularity to identify our targets and approach them inconspicuously. In fact, he’s responsible for almost every single mark we have.” She then shrugged once more. “But if you're wondering about the royal team, I can promise I avoided them. Tali was insistent that all five of you remain untouched.”

“Wait…?” Abi snapped back to the present, her eyes filled with tears as she raised her head back to Luna. “Omorossa was…? Then did he get Faye and the others?!”

“No, no, I’m sure he didn’t,” Luna quickly assured her. “I don’t see why Faye, Hiro, and Jessi would have been targets of his. Rennigan Glaus, on the other hand, is somebody the Kosah-Rei wants gone as soon as possible, so he might be marked. Can’t say for sure.”

Abigail exhaled softly. “Rennigan? But they’re heading to Omorossa’s now! If he’s with the Kosah-Rei, then they’re in danger!” Jolting to her feet, Abi’s features contorted with rage once more, her body trembling so violently that Nigreos wondered if she was about to fall back to the ground. “Even if they weren’t marked, Omorossa won’t spare them if they fight back! My sense has assured me of this! They could all die! Luna, our friends could die!”

“And your sense has warned you about me,” Luna retorted with a low growl. “But I’m not your enemy, Abigail… Not unless you force me to be. Omorossa…will only go after Rennigan if the others stand down. And you know what, as a token of proof that I am only acting for the greater good, I’ll tell you that the man down in the entertainment district is not Hakelades Omorossa. He is a man by the name of Quill Tyrus, the sixth leader of the Kosah-Rei, who has been transformed to appear like the ringmaster. Omorossa himself was an evil bastard who has been neutralized. I assure you, Quill is a better man than Omorossa ever was.”

But unlike before, where Abi balked at Luna’s words, this time, she vehemently shook her head as she drew her wind mana back to her hands. “No! I don’t believe you! Omorossa was evil, and you are, too! Even if I can’t always rely on my sense, I must do so now before this city is engulfed by those fires! Lunara Noctis, with my authority as a member of the royal team, you are under arrest for treason and the murder of Ladies Nium and Clara!”

Silently displaying its support for Abi’s decision, The Angel stepped forward to stand beside the nature mage, its arm once again extended towards Lunara with a ball of light aimed for her heart.

“Hey…” Luna began cautiously, flashing her ring a second time. “Don’t force me, Abi. I will ignite the people of this Ring if you take so much as another step forward.”

Nigreos could see the truth in his sister’s eyes, telling him that she was perfectly willing to make good on her threat. Abigail and The Angel would have picked up on this as well, turning the library into a tense stalemate. One wrong move and Lunara could die or the ring could be activated. Both results were horrific in Nigreos’s mind, so he knew he had to prevent Abi and Luna from fighting each other.

Even after all she’s said, I don’t want Lunara to die… She’s my little sister…as precious to me as Neah… I understand why Abi can’t bring herself to accept this, and I’m also scared that Glaus and the others could be in danger, but… Slowly moving forward, Nigreos drew the attention of the other three as he placed himself between them. People might call me cold and selfish… They might say I’m evil, but even so, I would sacrifice Glaus and his whole team if it meant Luna and Neah were safe. That’s why…

“Abi, Angel… Stand down…” he warned, regaining his control of the room's shadows as he turned them upon his teammate and the ancient being. “I do not want to hurt anybody, but I cannot allow Luna to be arrested. You either forget everything you’ve heard here, or I will fight in Luna’s defense.”

“But Nigreos!” Abi protested. “If you did that, you would only become a traitor along with her!”

“So be it then.”

His mana was drawn in preparation, and since he knew Abi would never strike out against him, he instead prepared for a fight that was certain to be started by The Angel. He gazed into its replication of Album’s face, wanting it to know how serious he was, and as the two of them refused to back down, a silent understanding was shared between them.

They were now enemies.

“Luminetta!”

Chanting the spell to unleash the light, The Angel pivoted its target, turning its hand directly for Nigreos heart in an effort to end his life in one fell swoop. Knowing the light magic would cut through the shadows like paper, Nigreos shot the tendrils sharpened darkness straight for the creature as he bolted out of the way. Abigail cried out, but as expected, there wasn’t a single person in that room she could bring herself to harm. Shadows and light exploded through the library, but mixed within the pale glow of The Angel’s magic was a flash of orange, and even though Nigreos Noctis knew what it was he had chosen by siding with Lunara, he still couldn’t suppress the dread at what that flicker meant.

Shadows swirled around Nigreos that were not his own, and before he could wonder what Lunara had done, he felt himself ripped off his feet and pulled towards the windowed wall before he smashed straight through the glass and out into the cold night. Abi and The Angel screamed out from somewhere behind him, but his focus was solely on the swirling mass of black dragging him through the air, and Lunara’s face occasionally visible within it. Having used the spell to fuse her body with the shadows, his sister chose flight—a decision he was grateful for but one he didn’t have time to dwell on.

Down below, as the Great City of Stellareid rapidly passed them by, he watched as dozens upon dozens of bright orange lights exploded in a cacophony of destruction. Buildings were ripped open, their rooftops falling to the ground as the bases were destroyed from within. Glass shattered to the snowy street, fires raged into the skies, people shrieked out with pain and terror as the pedestrians’ bodies were engulfed in flames. Nigreos closed his eyes and covered his ears from the consequences of his actions as the Fifth Ring of Stellareid began to burn.

***

Following her pathetic retreat from her confrontation with Lord Cartigan and the Masters, Album sat in reluctant silence and listened irritably as they continued talking about some nonsense or another. She could feel Eko’s hesitant gaze every once in a while, telling her that he wished to speak with her, but since he failed to come to her defense, she wasn’t particularly in the mood to put up with anybody in that room. Eventually, after an uncertain amount of time just tuning them all out, Album decided she would await Ilirianna and Ryokumo’s return in the privacy of her quarters, so she excused herself and got to her feet, making for the door of the lounge. She heard Cartigan and Viiro give pompous snorts behind her back, but once again, Eko remained quiet, and her father just let out a soft cough. However, as Album grasped the handle of the door and made to push it open, a concerned question from her brother stopped her feet.

“Father, are you okay?”

Album spared an apathetic glance over her shoulder, only for her body to freeze as Acostav waved his son’s question aside.

“Yes, Eko, I’m perfectly… Er, I’m… I… Shit…”

“Father?” Album uttered as the Master of Light jumped to his feet, his features strained in agony and his chest rising and falling rapidly with his short breaths. “Father, what’s wrong?!”

“Acostav?” Viiro cut in, but everybody went silent when a dull orange glow became visible within her father’s skin.

At first, Album didn’t want to accept what she was staring at, for while she had never seen this terrible phenomenon with her own eyes, she had heard plenty of stories from Nigreos, Abigail, and Ilirianna. An unnatural glowing of the skin, a heating of the body, followed by violent fires tearing through the person’s front and exploding outwards to destroy anything it could reach. Acostav was gripping his heart, seemingly uncertain of what was happening to him, his black eyes bulging so far out that she was terrified they were about to burst from his head.

Everybody reacted differently, with Cartigan instinctually throwing up a shield of wind to protect himself while Viiro tapped into the shadows outside the windows, pulling them through the glass to grab Acostav’s body, either to toss him outside or to try and contain what was about to happen. Eko rushed to his sister’s side, wind magic pulled to his own hands as he cast Nex between them, but the spell was slightly weakened since he had to use a hand to grab her arm and keep her from rushing to her father’s aid.

“FATHER, NO!” Album screamed out, but right before her eyes, before Viiro’s shadows could properly take him, Acostav Luz was torn apart as flames exploded from his body and engulfed the lounge in an blazing inferno that shattered Eko’s shield and sent the siblings smashing violently into the door.

***

Abigail Reiner weakly raised her head to gaze through the remnants of the library window, her body in agonizing pain due to the shadows that had launched her into a bookshelf to make room for the Noctis’ flight. She was on her stomach, weakly trying to push herself towards the window, but she didn’t have the strength to crawl as she watched the orange lights erupting across Stellareid’s Fifth Ring. The combustions had been activated, half of the Ring’s population was being slaughtered that very moment—Acostav Luz and maybe Rennigan among them—as she was powerless to do anything about it.

“Damn it,” she cursed weakly, slamming her hand against the carpet. “No… Not again…”

The Angel was above her, sending healing magic through her body, and while she knew it was saying something to her, she didn’t know what it was. All of her attention was being demanded by the fires and the smoke, as well as by the sight of Nigreos and Lunara Noctis soaring through the sky in the direction of the Grand Observatory.

Why? she asked herself for the millionth time since the confrontation began. Why couldn’t I stop this? Why…can I never do anything right?