The Burning Flowers

Chapter III

With a surprisingly gentle touch for such vicious magic, Nigreos Noctis was carefully lowered down to the catwalk running around the perimeter of Stellareid’s Grand Observatory. He was breathing heavily from anxiety and adrenaline, sweat pouring from his brow as he crouched on his hands and knees, amber eyes wide while he gazed blankly down at the metal surface beneath him. A cacophony of destruction could be heard far below, but he couldn’t bring himself to watch it, for he now bore some of the responsibility for the deaths taking place in the city.

Everything had been perfectly laid out on the table for him.

Abigail and The Angel had cornered Lunara in that library, they had forced her to confess to her crimes, and she had done so with ease. His little sister admitted to joining the Kosah-Rei and cursing half the Fifth Ring’s population, then made it clear how willing she was to ignite them if Abi and The Angel tried to apprehend her. She told them that Acostav was under that curse, and she admitted the likelihood of Rennigan falling victim to it as well.

Yet, Nigreos stood in her defense. He raised his shadows against The Angel, buying Luna enough time to make good on her threat. What would have happened if he hadn’t done that? Would The Angel have been quick enough to stop Lunara and steal the ring? Would the people of Stellareid have survived? It was quite possible, and if that were the case, then there was no longer any turning back. He planted his flag beside Luna, accepting the blood that now drenched his hands, and did so right in front of Abigail. A woman as moral as her would not cover for him. She would tell his father, Lord Cartigan, the Luz, and everybody else who remained in the castle all about what he had done. Album and Eko would know that his actions indirectly murdered their father, which meant that the love they once directed towards him would be forever gone. He would be an enemy, a traitor, and a killer.

Nigreos Noctis had betrayed the Ijirian Empire, but even more importantly, he had betrayed the royal team—his dearest friends.

Weakly raising his head, the young man watched the swirling mass of Lunara’s shadows gliding above the catwalk’s railing. From within that darkness, the small form of his little sister emerged, her feet landing on the metal ground as she leaned her arms forward and gazed at the sight below. Her features were not full of victorious glee, but neither were they filled with sorrow and regret. It was as if Lunara had accepted that what happened had to be done, regardless of how she felt about it on the inside. Her eyes centered on the destruction created by her hands, and it was as he realized that she refused to turn away from her sins that Nigreos understood his cowardice for not doing the same. Rising to his feet, he stumbled towards the spot just beside her, forcing down the bile in his throat and searing the fiery carnage into his brain.

Buildings were collapsing as their supports were torn apart from within. Pillars of smoke were already beginning to rise into the sky, and from their position at the highest point in the city, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t see. Should he wish to, he could continue walking along that catwalk and take in every mile of the Fifth Ring’s fall. He wondered what became of Ilirianna and Ryokumo, who would have been somewhere within all of that fire. He hoped they were safe and alive, but then berated himself for wishing for such a selfish thing. If they were dead, then he helped to kill them. When forced to choose between his sisters and the rest of the world, he always claimed he would pick Lunara and Neah. He didn’t realize he’d be faced with that decision when he walked into the small library, but a part of him did take comfort in the fact that his convictions were not hollow.

I’ve always said I would walk through hell for them, and if the sight down there is not hell, then I don’t know what is. With how it’s all burning down, it certainly appears the way the old religions depicted the fiery punishment of the afterlife…

“Thank you, Brother,” Lunara muttered, softly but still loud enough for him to barely make out her words. “You don’t know how relieving it is to have you here with me. I was afraid that you’d turn your back on me for this, and I certainly wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. What I’ve just done is awful, and in one night, I have probably killed more people than almost the entirety of the Kosah-Rei leaders combined. Why’d you do it? Abi had some good points, so why did you pick me?”

Nigreos’s lips tightened as he listened to her question, for even though he had a concrete answer, he knew it was based purely on emotion and impulse, lacking any logic or critical thought. Perhaps he would have chosen differently if given more time to think on it, but since he wasn’t permitted that time, he supposed pondering a hypothetical world was a waste of his energy.

“You’re my little sister,” he replied, his voice startlingly calm despite the raging contradictions within his head. “And apparently, Neah’s inside of you. If I stepped aside and allowed The Angel to harm you, then I would be sacrificing both of you at once. I couldn’t allow that.”

“So you instead gave me the chance to destroy this Ring?”

Nigreos nodded. “I did. And now, what’s done is done. So tell me this… Is Neah safe?”

“For the time being.” Lunara let out a sigh, turning her eyes away from the fires and instead up to the cloud-filled sky, the crescent moon having been blocked at some point during their flight from Saientia. “You could say she’s in a timeless state, sleeping peacefully within me.” The young woman then reached out and grasped his wrist, guiding his hand towards her chest and placing it just above her heart. “Do you sense her?”

Nigreos closed his eyes, allowing his magic to extend into Luna’s body, identifying the anomaly almost immediately. There was a dormant presence in the spot where her heart should have been, noticeable only by the mana it was emanating—mana that was identical to Neah’s. Yet, it was not the raging and violent magic that his littlest sister once produced, rather it was tamed by Luna’s compatible body. He could feel it fusing with her own mana through her bloodstream, and as he realized that she controlled both her own magic and Neah’s, it dawned on him that she had a supply double that of himself and their father. She might not have the training they did, but it was clear that because of this procedure, Lunara had become the most innately powerful member of the Noctis House.

“She is unaware of what is happening,” his sister was saying as he processed all of this. “She is not in any pain whatsoever. She will not age, and thus, she will not be torn apart any longer. It’s not a solution, but it buys us more time now that Leiolai knows her magic is indispensable to Neah’s survival. She will continue to research, and soon, she will cure Neah permanently.”

Finally, Nigreos removed his palm from Lunara’s heart as he gazed at her confident features. It was then he felt a sense of overwhelming relief—something he knew he didn’t have the right to experience given what his friends must be going through at that very moment. After years and years of painstaking and failed work, Neah’s death had finally been delayed, and a path to her survival was found. Lunara had done what he couldn’t do because she allowed herself to go where he wouldn’t. Even though he knew Leiolai Sartella was the answer, he had been terrified of trying to use her.

“It was you, wasn’t it,” Nigreos muttered as the mysteries of the recent weeks began to fall into place. “Sartella wasn’t staking out the window nor did she bypass The Angel’s senses. You just made contact with her and told her everything, didn’t you?”

Lunara nodded. “Yes, I did. She and Barron had come to Noctalus by Tali’s orders since the Voice wanted me in Stellareid. The initial plan had been to get rid of Mother and Lady Clara, then take Neah here so that the higher-ups could get a proper look at her condition. The Angel giving us that lead was a happy coincidence, and without it, Neah would have been at risk for much longer.”

“And you honestly…killed Mother?”

He forced himself to ask that question once again even though Lunara had already confessed to doing so. It was still something he couldn’t wrap his head around since Nium Noctis had always been very concerned for Neah’s health.

“I killed Mother,” his sister whispered. “Or more specifically, I marked her so that the cult could kill her. That was my job. I was to use the Teritus to mark those who the Kosah-Rei could not. The problem is that any above-average mage would sense the manipulation of their fire mana when the curse is placed. Mother and Lady Clara weren’t that powerful, so I was able to mark them without arousing any suspicion. Father and Master Acostav were different…” Her expression then became angry and bitter and she spat out her next words. “Like I said in the library, Father wouldn’t come near me before leaving Noctalus, and even when I arrived this afternoon, I never had a chance to try to curse him. But Master Acostav…” She scoffed. “He approached me earlier, wanting to check on me and give condolences for Mother. I got an opportunity to mark him because, somehow, he had more of a heart than my own dad did.”

Nigreos closed his eyes, leaning his own arms on the railing as a soft breeze passed them by. “So he’s dead then? Master Acostav is really gone?”

“Yeah. I think he may have noticed when I placed the curse, but since he trusted me, he must have decided he was imagining things. My original plan had then been to curse father and immediately activate the spell before he could react, but Abi threw all that into disarray.” Lunara sighed. “Her sixth sense explains a lot about how Hiriech went down. No wonder you guys became so suspicious of Vesh and the Malloway kid.”

The young man continued to process everything she was saying, and a sense of dread came over him at the knowledge that Viiro Noctis still lived. The Master of Darkness would not let their actions slide and would almost certainly seek them out. Unless they fled Stellareid right that minute, a confrontation with him seemed inevitable.

“I’ve actually been in Stellareid for much longer than you,” she went on when he didn’t interrupt, and as she talked, she sounded as if she were releasing a weight from her shoulders. “Master Acostav already had an inkling of this, but Barron’s armor is more than just protection. He has four sets—er, well three now, I suppose—that have a magical link, allowing the wearer to shift their physical existence between them. Quill kept one hidden in the circus tent, so once Neah was taken, Leiolai, Tali, and I used a spare set left in Noctalus to essentially teleport here.”

“Ah…so that’s how Kristoff escaped, huh?” Nigreos spoke those words mostly out of an effort to say something rather than to remain listening in silence, though he kept his attention down on the city, noting how the explosions had long-since ceased and left just the wreckage and the dull orange glow of the remaining, and spreading, fires. “But then…you rode in on Nokka…so how’d you teleport your damn horse?”

A wry smile turned Luna’s lips at that question, almost seeming proud of whatever trick she had used. “Cartigan and Father were very careful when checking me for biological magic…but they never even gave the horse a thought.”

Nigreos frowned, momentarily confused by that statement, before another feeling of dread came over him. “Wait…then that was one of the cultists?”

“Leiolai, to be specific,” his sister added. “Slipped her into Saientia quite easily, didn’t I? At the moment, she should be breaking Uma out of that dungeon…”

Hell… So everything’s falling apart… Why did this have to happen? Why was I forced to choose between Luna and everybody else? She told me Barron Kristoff’s secret. She just revealed their plot to break Miyon free. She told me everything about Omorossa’s circus. I have so much information about the people I’ve been fighting for years now! If I just stop her… If I took her down, incapacitated her, and rushed to Saientia, I may be able to turn this tragedy into a victory, but…!

He took another deep breath to calm his heart, knowing that the second he started truly considering what was happening, he would mentally break.

It’s too late… Even if I did all of that, I allowed the combustions to ignite. Even if I personally slaughtered every last Kosah-Rei myself, Father and King Markreas would still execute me for treason. My only hope would be that Abi didn’t tell anybody what I did, but… He shook his head. Why would she do such a thing? She made her intentions to arrest Lunara clear, so there’s no debating where she stands in all this…

He thought of Abigail Reiner at that moment. He thought of her smiles and her laughs. He thought of how her positive attitude and caring personality enraptured him when they first met, and how his feelings of attraction and love had only grown these last few years. For her and Lunara to have turned on one another was like something out of a nightmare for him. He could not have them both, and in the heat of that moment, he chose one. He raised his shadows against Abi—an act of complete and utter betrayal.

“Nigreos…” Feeling Luna’s hand resting on his back, he listened to the clear regret that crept into her words. “I really am sorry it went like this. I planned to tell you eventually, but I wasn’t supposed to be exposed tonight. I was supposed to remain undercover for much longer… What happened back there with Abi must have been hard for you…”

“It was…” He rubbed at his eyes, feeling tears beginning to form that he needed to suppress at all costs. “But at the end of the day, I’ve only known her for a couple of years. Compared to a lifetime with you and Neah, our relationship was nothing. I couldn’t turn my back on the two of you for her. She doesn’t trust me anyway. I know she’s been hiding things from me these last few weeks—things she’s trusted Ryokumo and Princess Ilirianna with. How could I stand by her when she can’t stand by me, right? You’re my sister, Luna. You’re my little sister, and choosing her meant killing you. Abi can live without me. You’ll be executed without me.”

He just talked and talked, allowing his words to spill from his mouth without pondering them first. He didn’t mean any of what he said about Abi—he cared for her so greatly, but he needed to justify what he had done. If he couldn’t justify his actions, then what did everybody die for? What did Album and Eko lose their parents for? What was Stellareid burning for?

“I love you, Nigreos,” Luna whispered with a soft yet sad laugh. “You and Neah were my world. I know things will be different, but the Kosah-Rei will change this empire for the better. I do not believe in a goddess, but I believe in the philosophy behind Rei’s gospel… We’ll tear down this selfish, vile regime and create a country built upon the people—built upon compassion and love and progression. When the dust settles, we’ll be remembered as the heroes and people like Father, Lord Cartigan, Lord Malloway, King Markreas—they’ll have been the greedy tyrants who died like the villains of childhood tales. Vesh and Tali accept anybody who seeks this future, no matter what blood runs through their veins—noble or commoner. Mallicent cast off the name ‘Malloway’ for Rei’s Paradise, and we have cast off the name ‘Noctis’. I hope that when Neah awakens, she’ll get to see a beautiful, loving, accepting place…and I hope she’ll understand what it is you and I had to do to get there. Perhaps…Abi, Caeli, and Album will come to understand it as well…”

Nigreos knew such an ideal future would never come to pass. Even if the Kosah-Rei got what they wanted, his teammates would never again look at him the same, or understand what he did. Ryokumo had still never forgotten the fate of Aeyir’s ball, Abi had already vehemently opposed them, and regardless of Album’s beliefs, she would not look past the deaths of her parents at Lunara’s hands. Even Ilirianna, who already supported the parts of Kosah-Rei’s ideals, could not accept their means.

It was then that he decided to ask Lunara a question that had been hanging in the back of his mind—one that thoughts of Ilirianna and Ryokumo had brought back to him. “Keskivaara… Where does he stand in all this madness? He’s supposed to be down there with Ryokumo and the Princess…”

“Oh, he and his people joined Vesh weeks ago,” Luna told him without hesitation, confirming that Keskivaara’s claims of having not yet taken Vesh’s hand were lies. “If everything went as planned, Vesh and Tali were waiting for Ilirianna at the meeting point. I don’t know what they wanted to speak about, but they would have been down there. I assume they’re alive, but I also activated the Teritus way ahead of schedule, so who knows…? I imagine Vesh had a backup plan though.” His sister then shrugged. “Either way, the Fifth Ring may have been the target of the combustions, but Stellareid as a whole is going to fall tonight. Keskivaara’s forces are marching on the other Rings as we speak with the sole intent to overthrow the Company Lords and their supporters.”

So Cartigan’s actions really did push Keskivaara to the cult…

“What’s the plan from here then?” he asked, deciding he now knew everything he was interested in knowing. “Why are we all the way up here?”

“Tali said to go to the Grand Observatory if I was exposed,” Luna explained. “It’s safer up here than down there, plus I can pretty much see the whole city, so I’m to wait for the signal and, once it’s sent, rush towards whoever shoots it up.”

Nigreos found some comfort in the revelation that they weren’t expected to fight just yet, and since he knew he didn’t want to think any more than he already had, he did his best to close himself off. They needed to be prepared for anything, whether it be the Kosah-Rei’s signal or the approach of an enemy. Viiro Noctis especially needed to be watched for. Nigreos refused to think, but the one thing he did allow to go through his thoughts was a single, ever-present conviction.

No matter what happens here tonight, I will defend Luna and Neah with my life…and I will cut down anybody who tries to harm them…

***

Uma Miyon let out a relieved and happy sigh as Leiolai’s magic surged through his wounded and bloodied body, doing more for him than mere healing magic ever could. Lost limbs were not permanent should the limb itself still be in one piece, for there were spells to reattach the muscles and nerves, but should the limb be destroyed or taken away, one would never be able to return to their full self. There was always the option of sensium, the living metal, that could be molded into a prosthetic—attaching its nerve-compatible cells to that of the person and creating a limb that resembled the original in every way other than color. However, changelings who could alter their species could create something out of nothing, such as how Leiolai had the ability to form wings out of her back, so with the right amount of practice, she could grow new legs from the stumps of his old ones. It was yet another example of the Ijirian elite and their arrogance. They believed he would never walk again when they cut off his legs from the knees down, so Uma was ridiculously satisfied as he watched skin, flesh, bone, and muscle forming into claves, ankles, and finally feet.

“Ah, much better,” he whispered with a smirk, wiggling his new toes and reveling in the sensation he hadn't felt in over a month. “Thank you, Leio.”

The young woman, who still retained Ella Cartigan’s appearance, shrugged, changing her mana from biological to basic nature as she went about healing the less severe wounds. “Don’t mention it. We need you in one piece if we want to get out of this city alive. Just sit still a little longer.”

Every laceration on his skin closed, his aching muscles were given strength, and while she could not completely alleviate his exhaustion from weeks spent in that dungeon, she was able to do enough to make Uma confident in his ability to fight should they be forced to.

“There,” Leiolai grunted. “Now get up, take off your clothes, and turn around. I’m gonna try to wash this wretched stink off of you.”

Wanting to bask in his refreshed body, Uma slowly obeyed as he got to his feet, the touch of his bare skin against the cold stone floor wonderful. He then got about removing the stained white clothes the Ijirians had given him, making sure to toss them on the severed head of the guard laying a few feet away. He was left completely in the nude as he turned his back to Leiolai, who did not hesitate to unload a stream of water that was so intense it felt like he was being pressure-washed. Even so, the doctor did not complain, and since they didn’t have the time to give him a full shower, Leiolai deactivated the spell within ten-to-twenty seconds as she called back to Barron, who was silently guarding the door.

“Barron, hand me the clothes!”

The knight turned his helmed head back towards them and nodded before kneeling down and taking hold of a large briefcase that Uma hadn’t noticed before. His anticipation grew even more as he realized that was far too big to merely contain clothing.

“So you did as I asked and brought it, eh?” he inquired, to which Leiolai nodded.

“Like I said, we need you as strong as we can get you.”

Barron passed the case to the changeling, who then set it down in front of Uma before exiting his half of the cell, clearly wanting to get away from the remaining stench. Knowing how crucial it was to be quick, Uma knelt down, flicked the clasps, and opened the case. As Leiolai had said, there was a change of clothes within, those being a simple brown tunic, trousers, undergarments, and a thin coat to protect him from the chill that he instantly went about donning. However, in addition to the glasses that Tali managed to charm years ago, there was also a pair of thin metal gauntlets and boots that, at a surface glance, may have appeared no different from what Barron was currently wearing. But as Uma looked closer, he could see the pulsating lines running across them like veins. There were five tubes on each item, colored red, light blue, brown, green, and dark blue, that were almost certainly sending off a signature that a magicless like him could not sense.

“My babies, reunited with me at last,” he muttered, licking his lips as he first slid his hands into the gauntlets, then placed his feet into the boots.

Both sets had a little button that, once he pressed, pierced his wrists and ankles with small little needles that were designed to connect with his bloodstream. A foreign sensation spread through him that he could only describe as control, and though he had only tested these twice before, he felt confident in his ability to use them.

“The briefcase is empty so why don’t we leave it here as a little taunt for my hospitable captors,” he suggested with a cackle. “Let us be off! There is plenty of fun to be had!”

Uma stalked back towards the other half of the cell, stepping up to stand beside Barron just before the red knight recast his previous distortion, concealing them both and making it appear as if “Ella Cartigan” were the only one present. From there, they moved as fast as they could without running, knowing it was a decently long walk to the surface—one that would give Uma an ideal chance to get caught up on all that was happening.

“So, has everything gone to plan or have there been bumps in the road?” he asked, keeping his voice low on the off chance someone rounded a corner that they failed to sense. “I was able to gather a modicum of information about Noctalus and Luna’s arrival from the morons who strut about this castle, but that’s about it.”

Leiolai kept her eyes faced forward as they turned a corner and found a pair of guards guarding the staircase. Recognizing the face of their lady, they greeted her with bows of their heads and allowed her to keep moving. Uma had a dull fear that they might sense through the distortion, but neither of the armored soldiers called out to them in protest. Only once they were on the next level of the dungeon did Leiolai answer.

“Hard to say, really. We haven’t all been in contact for the last day. I will say that the combustions were activated early, meaning Vesh and Tali should have still been in discussion with Ilirianna and, from what I could gather, Quill may have still been handling Rennigan Glaus. Either of them could have activated the Tertius prematurely, or for all I know, someone sniffed out Lunara’s treachery. Either way, we had no choice but to hurry.”

“And what was the deal with Glaus?” Uma wondered aloud. “I didn’t know he was supposed to be here, so I was rather surprised when he appeared outside my cell.”

The changeling sighed. “No clue. Tali never saw him in her visions, so for all we know, he might be irrelevant or he could completely turn the tides against us. Barron tried killing him and his team back in Noctalus, but the slippery bastards managed to survive long enough for Acostav to arrive. That turned the tides pretty quickly.”

“Aw, you couldn’t beat Acostav, Barron?” Uma said, fixing the knight with an amused grin. When the man didn’t respond, Uma rolled his eyes with disappointment and added, “Glad we had Luna mark him then.”

“As am I.” Barron grunted.

“So what’s the plan now? Where are we going?”

At Uma’s next question, Leiolai’s features strained with uncertainty as she slowly shook her head. “I do not know. Originally, I was going to sneak you out and slip down to the Fourth Ring to rendezvous with Quill before the combustions began. With the premature activation, there’s no way we can make it through the Fifth Ring safely. If both of the Cartigans aren’t dead, they’ll be deploying their forces throughout Stellareid, so it might just be better for me to turn into a large bird and fly like hell.”

“What about Lady Firrik and Vesh?” Uma pressed.

“Tali says she won’t die in Stellareid and I’ll just hope Vesh can handle himself. Keskivaara should be at his side, so holding Ilirianna off isn’t impossible.” Reaching the staircase that led up to the first floor of Castle Saientia, Leiolai lowered her hand to her shortsword and added, “At the very least, once we get up there, we smash our way through the window and get out of the stupid castle.”

“Very well then.”

Leiolai led the way to the double doors at the top before placing her hands against them and most certainly sensing for anybody on the other side. “Okay, it’s just the same guards from before. When I give the signal, kill them.” Muttering that under her breath, she composed herself and straightened her posture to that of a trained noble lady, then pushed them open and moved into the corridor. Two guards, one man and one woman, stood on either side, bowing their respect to Leiolai.

“Was everything alright, My Lady?” the woman instantly asked, her features pale with fright. “Something’s happening in the city, and we weren’t sure whether to rush down to you or keep watch here at the door. Was the captive still in his cage?”

Leiolai gave her affirmation as she subtly scanned the corridor for anybody else. “Yes, he’s still there and I felt the tremors even in the dungeon. Miyon refused to reveal what the cause was, so I’m on my way upstairs to speak with my father now. Remain vigilant, reactivate the protective charms, and guard this door with your lives.”

“Yes, My Lady!” both soldiers echoed, and pretending to be satisfied, Leiolai subtly moved her hand to signal the distorted men.

Uma and Barron reacted instantly, having been waiting for that sign as the latter drove his glaive straight through the throat of the man and the former extended his gauntleted hand towards the woman. His captured mana obeyed his body’s orders, condensing wind magic in his hand that burst from the palm and opened her neck with a silent spell. Both guards died instantly, their bodies crumbling to the floor in a spray of blood as Leiolai gave a murmur of thanks to her allies.

“Perfect,” she said. “Now, Barron, smash that window and let’s—?!”

Leiolai was in the process of turning away when she cut herself off, her eyes going wide as she made eye contact with a woman standing twenty yards down the hall, who just turned the corner and came to a stop of her own.

Shit… That’s unlucky, now isn’t it?

It was the real Ella Cartigan, accompanied by two more of the Saientia guard, her features turned in utter confusion as she processed the sight of herself standing among the corpses of her soldiers. She was the heir to a Great City and a fully trained warrior, so she recovered from her shock faster than Leiolai as wind magic surged into both her feet and her sword, propelling her down the hallway and towards the stunned changeling, who wasn’t able to get her own weapon up in time. Uma didn’t panic in the slightest since his glasses spoiled what was going to happen.

Barron had not dropped his distortion, which meant Ella did not yet realize Leiolai was not alone. Perhaps she would have sensed it as she got closer, but her attention was focussed solely on the imposter.

That was why she lost.

Taking full advantage of this situation, Barron Kristoff severed the head of Ella Cartigan with one powerful swing of his glaive.