Chapter IX

  Ilirianna Iiji was laying on her large bed, the curtains around her pulled closed and the firelamps unlit as she listened to the rapid pattering of the rain against her window. Even though it was getting late, she wondered if Ryokumo would mind her dropping by for a visit, and perhaps even remaining for the entire night. She had never done that before, mainly because if she didn’t come home then she would have to tolerate her mother’s wrath, but she was so conflicted regarding her possession of the Teritus that she was beginning to need his advice. Typically, it would have been the easiest thing to go to him and ask, as she had done time and time again over the course of their long friendship, but this was the singular instance where she feared what he might say—what he might think—to know that she was holding onto the murder weapon that burnt Stellareid’s Fifth Ring to the ground. She was holding the Tertius of all things, as was she concealing the knowledge of what happened to King Markreas.

  “I ordered Vesh to pit him against Markreas, so if we’re lucky, the People’s Mind may have already marked our dear King. You might be able to get rid of him as we speak.”

  “I marked the King with the Teritus.”

  Tali and Keskivaara were harassing her, making her want to scream and pull her hair from her scalp. In addition, she recalled the cold way in which she murdered Eganno Cartigan that night in the City of Starlight when her inhibitions were down and she was being fueled purely by rage and hatred. She tried to never dwell on it, but she had killed one of the Great Lords, the head of House Cartigan, and then hidden it from everybody, even Ryokumo. Nobody, except now Tali and Leiolai, knew that deep dark secret, and they were trying to coerce her into doing it again. If she used this relic to eliminate Markreas and Toranei, she could personally prevent incidents like Ildara from ever taking place again. Even further, if she got rid of Nyx and Koroha, then Ryokumo and Rennigan would join the Masters. Iris Mackia would be close behind, and with Album already there, then she would have a majority of them subscribing to her ideals.

  It made her sick to imagine it.

  It made her hate herself for wondering if it may be worth it—if she could save more people than she would kill. But if she murdered them, how long until she became desensitized to it? How long until killing no longer felt like a terrible thing? She might turn into a monster, replacing Markreas with herself. There was no way she could be the Queen she wanted to be if she rose to power by walking through blood.

  Kumo would hate me if I told him I was struggling with this… But he’s always such a big help… He and I have gotten each other through so much hardship, and right now, I desperately need him. Maybe, I can just drop by for no reason? Maybe I don’t need to talk to him yet, and I can just spend time with him and pretend like everything’s alright.

  The Princess pushed herself to a sitting position, then tugged her bed hangings aside so she could glance at the window, the rainfall a rather soothing sound that did help a little. It was so dark out, but with such heavy clouds, there was no telling what the hour was. It could be midnight for all she knew, and if it was, then he probably wouldn’t want her disturbing his sleep.

  Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she had yet to eat dinner, so she pondered walking down to the dining hall for food, then recalled that her mother might be downstairs right that moment. Did she really want to pass by Toranei and run the risk of an encounter with her?

  Not even a little, but…

  A second growl told her she lacked an option, but as she swung her legs over the right side of her bed and slid her bare feet into her dark green slippers, she heard a gentle knocking on her door. Frowning, Ilirianna gazed across the wide open space meant for combat training between her bed and the entrance, wondering who would be bothering her and praying it wasn’t Toranei.

  “Igo,” she uttered, sending small balls of fire flying from her palm and into the numerous lamps so that her room would be pitch black, then called out, “Who is it?”

  “Sorry to disturb you, Sister,” Reigious replied. “But Master Nigreos has stopped by, claiming he really needs to speak with you in private. Are you free? Can I send him in?”

  Nigreos? The Princess cocked a suspicious eyebrow, for the Master of Darkness had never come to her like this even when they were closer friends. Then again, we never really did surpass our more official relationship even back then, so what could he possibly want that he would come directly to the royal suite?

  Finding this too strange to dismiss, Ilirianna grabbed a silk robe resting on the chair of her desk and tossed it around her body to conceal her loose leisure clothes before reluctantly saying, “Very well. Send him in.”

  It took a few seconds, indicating that Nigreos may have been waiting down in the living room, but soon enough, Reigious pushed the door open to admit the Master of Darkness, who was garbed in his black suit and tie, his white eyes immediately centering on her as his lips tightened. Ilirianna stood up straighter, sensing his rage as her body instinctively prepared her for battle despite him being an ally. His presence was intense, making him feel more like Viiro than the man she knew as he stalked inside. Ilirianna nodded for Reigious to shut the door, and only once they were alone did she growl,

  “How can I help you, old friend?”

  A twisted smirk turned his face as he let out a sharp scoff. “How can you help me? A curious question, and a mere formality. You have no interest in helping me, and you never have, have you? Tell me, Princess, did you ever respect me?”

  He was instantly confrontational, leaving her baffled as to what might have happened to cause such a shift in his behavior. Up until now, he was more somber and professional, but she truly did think he was on the brink of screaming at her.

  “Excuse me?” she retorted. “And what kind of question is that, Nigreos? Of course I respect you. What would make you think I didn’t?”

  He laughed, though it was mirthless and almost self-deprecating. “You’re such a fucking liar.”

  “Watch your tone,” she snapped, shocked by the blunt disrespect in that single sentence. “Master or not, you will address your Princess with the respect she deserves. How dare you accuse me of being a liar? How dare you march into my room and talk to me like this.”

  The shadows in the room trembled, causing Ilirianna to ignite a ball of orange fire in her hands as a response. Nigreos hesitated, as if having not intended to silently threaten her, then quickly removed his mana from her surroundings. Ilirianna, however, was done messing around and would keep her fire ready should this man force her to burn him alive.

  “Deja vu,” he muttered, the words leaving his mouth in a tone that made it seem he didn’t even understand them. “Have we always been adversaries? Why do you feel like my enemy? You’re my Princess, my future Queen, and yet time and again, I look at you and I see fire.”

  “You listen here—”

  “You’re a liar,” he spat again. “You’ve never seen me as anything but a necessity. You wanted Abi and Ryokumo, and reluctantly had to take me with them. You had me on your team, but you favored them and always did. No matter what, I was a lesser mage in your eyes, so is that why you took me for a fool? Is that why you’ve been lying to me all these fucking years? Was I nothing to you, Ilirianna Iiji?!”

  The Princess clenched her teeth, taking a few steps back as his mana trembled once more. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”

  “I KNOW ABOUT ABIGAIL! I KNOW ABOUT OMARUO!”

  Ilirianna’s eyes went wide, her jaw hanging limp for a few seconds as she gaped at the Master of Darkness with disbelief. She couldn’t accept that she heard him correctly, and as he shouted at her, she prayed the noise suppressing charms in her room would hold enough to keep those downstairs from hearing them. She couldn’t find the words to respond, so Nigreos kept on speaking.

  “All those years…” he breathed, his voice a raspy hiss. “From the second you returned to Erika from Omaruo, you were lying to Album and I. Abi had a boyfriend, a fling in another realm, and you kept that a secret. Then, when she got pregnant, you smuggled her away and left me to believe that a woman I loved was dead. How could you do that to me? After all we went through in Stellareid, you would dump another tragedy into my lap—one that wasn’t even real? What kind of fool…did you take me for?”

  No… No, no, no… This can’t be happening… How did he find out? How does he know all of this?! Who told him, and… Ilirianna clenched her fists, noting the presence of her double swords resting on their stands attached to her wall. Who has he told?

  “Say something!” he snarled. “Don’t just stare at me! SAY SOMETHING!”

  “Correio.”

  Dismissing her ball of fire and extending her hands, Ilirianna summoned the swords and grasped their hilts before directing both points towards a stunned Nigreos. There was no room to deny since he knew more details than he could have deduced by chance, so it now came down to damage control. But, for Abigail Reiner, Ilirianna would do anything necessary, even if it meant turning Nigreos Noctis into her enemy.

  “Who else knows?” she demanded. “Who have you told?”

  His white eyes focusing on her swords, Nigreos clicked his tongue and replied, “Album. I’ve split from her, though, so I don’t know what she’s doing. I’ve not told anybody else yet.”

  Album? Shit… How long ago did they find out? Why didn’t she accompany him to confront me unless…? She swallowed back the sick feeling in her stomach as realization hit her like a brick to the head. Ryokumo…

  “Are you not even going to try and deny it?” Nigreos went on. “You’re just going to admit to your crimes and leave it at that? You’re such a disappointment, Princess. You do know the severity of what you’ve done—the severity of what Abi has done? The magical and the magicless are not allowed to cross over, yet you’ve enabled her to start a family with those people? Did you never once stop and think about it?”

  Ilirianna smirked bitterly, refusing to take such words from a man like him. “I did. I stopped and after thinking, decided that I loved Abi Reiner and wanted her to be happy. If a life in Omaruo was what would do it, then that was my choice. Now, you’ve claimed to love her, too, Nigreos, so prove it. Keep your mouth shut, and we won’t have any problems.”

  “No.” He refused her, causing her heart to feel as if it had stopped as he narrowed his eyes and added, “I’m going to bring her back to Ijiria. Once upon a time, maybe you could have convinced me to accept this bullshit, but that time is long gone. Why should I do you any favors when you’ve been lying to me?”

  Ilirianna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Nigreos, if you expose this, Abi’s going to die! Album will be ordered to erase her family! You’d let that happen?!”

  “I won’t allow her to die, but I won’t allow her to stay there either!” he shouted back. “I’ll convince Markreas to pardon her, and I see no reason to throw her family into danger, but I will bring her back to where she belongs.”

  “Where she belongs? And who the fuck are you to decide that?!” Ilirianna demanded fiercely. “Abigail’s the one who gets to pick, and she chose Omaruo, you pompous prick! If you were supposed to have any say over Abi’s life, then she would have trusted you in the first place!”

  This time, Nigreos flinched as if she’d hit him, his features contorting in with pain as his jaw tightened. “And why didn’t she? What did I ever do to Abi?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “You…”

  The Princess stopped, realizing she didn’t really have an answer for him. The real reason was that Nigreos and Album simply weren’t there in Omaruo to begin with, so Abi feared that their noble upbringing would make them too attached to Ijiran law. By the time they determined that they could probably be trusted, too much time had passed, meaning that telling them may just offend them for being left out at first. As Abi continued that debate, more time passed, and as more time passed, Nigreos and Album’s feelings of betrayal would only become stronger, as she was bearing witness to now.

  “You can’t even tell me that?” Nigreos asked. “What can you tell me, Princess?”

  She ignored his question, instead changing the subject as she muttered, “How did you find out all of this, hmm? Very few people should even know, so—”

  “Edwar Grunly is a bad liar.”

  Dread suddenly overwhelmed her body, a sick feeling so intense that she almost doubled over the second his words processed in her mind.

  No… It can’t be… Grunly? But if Grunly told him, then…

  “If you don’t like the idea, shoot me down and I will never blame you or think less of you. You have a lot to lose if something were to go wrong… Would you be open to the idea of bringing Grunly here to Omaruo—of telling him the truth?”

  She could feel tears forming in her eyes, accompanying the terrible sense of guilt she was now experiencing. What have I done? The risk I took to get Grunly to retire—to increase my standing here in the Citadel, is what’s led to this moment? No… If that’s true, then this is my fault…

  “That’s right,” Nigreos said. “I could sense he was hiding something, so Album and I confronted him barely twenty minutes ago, and he was too old to keep his secrets. You and Ryokumo…really are a disappointment.”

  I have to stop this… I have to protect Abi and her family. If Nigreos goes to the Iijis downstairs or any other Master, then it’ll be too late! He thinks he can convince Markreas to spare her, but he’s not that kind of man! He won’t do it! Nigreos will just drag Abi back here to die, all because of me! God, the guilt poor Grunly must be feeling…

  “Nigreos, I’ll say this once,” she began, trying desperately to keep her voice from shaking. “If you utter even a word about this to anybody, I will kill you.”

  He snorted. “Will you now? I’d like to see you try. What’re you gonna do? Blow me up with your siblings and mother just below? Even if you managed to kill me, what would you tell them to explain it? How would you justify it to Lord Nogara and the rest of Noctalus? And what of Album? Would you kill her too?”

  “To protect Abi…” Ilirianna growled, “I’d do anything.”

  Nigreos took a few steps back, the door to her bedroom right behind him. She could tell he was about to bolt, to throw open the door and call out to Toranei, Piura, and Reigious. Ilirianna’s legs tensed, her magic prepared to rush up the length of her sword, but it was then that her logical centers began to regain control. She was powerful, but Nigreos was a Noctis. She would not be able to kill him fast enough, and he was right in that her going after him would destroy relations with Noctalus.

  And… I don’t want to be a killer again… I don’t want to be like them… But, I…

  The Master of Darkness grinned, clearly sensing her decision to stand down, before he pushed her door open and stalked out onto the loft. “My Queen! If you have a second, may we speak on something important?”

  Ilirianna’s shoulders slumped, her swords falling from her grasp and hitting the ground with a clatter. She hated to admit it, but she probably stood a better chance of protecting the Reiners diplomatically, so she steeled herself and stalked towards the doorway to do everything in her power to win the coming war.

  ***

  Ryokumo’s knuckles hovered mere centimeters away from the surface of Rennigan’s door, his mind both urging him to knock and also advising him to let Rennigan come to him. The problem was that he didn’t want to miss his chance to do something and regret it later, but his friend was also utterly distraught for reasons he couldn’t quite figure out. He feared it was related to Sinna and Nyx, but he also couldn’t be completely certain, and accusing Masters of anything foul was a bold and dangerous thing to do. That was why he needed to confirm things with Rennigan first, but the water mage had been shut away all week, and was hardly talkative on the trip south. He was hesitant to pry and hesitant not to, but making his decision for him, he heard a knock that was not his own coming from the front door downstairs.

  Ryokumo sighed, wondering who was at the door so late at night, then turned and walked away from Rennigan’s room, crossing the hallway to the stairs and heading down into the front room so he could greet his visitor. He hoped with all his heart it was Ilirianna standing on his porch, for he really could use the Princess’s advice on how to approach this dilemma with Rennigan. In fact, even if she wasn’t sure how to get through to the young man, her role as Princess meant she might be able to learn something from Sinna and Nyx that Ryokumo himself could not. He almost went to the Citadel that morning, but he had a nasty paranoia around leaving Rennigan home alone, so he made the choice to stay in their house and wait.

  Unfortunately, when he glanced through the little glass peephole, he found it was not Ilirianna, rather Album was standing there with a large raincoat draped over her body, the hood pulled up to conceal most of her features. If not for her distinctly white skin, he wouldn’t have known it was her.

  Well, maybe Album can help me out, though I do wonder what would bring her to visit now of all times. Dinner’s long over, so she can’t possibly be accepting my invitation. He smiled to himself. That being said, I could use the company, so if she is here for dinner, I’ll gladly make her something.

  “Good evening, Album!” he greeted cheerfully, not wanting her to know he was in such a bad mood. “This is a pleasant surprise! Come in, let’s get you out of this awful rain.”

  Ushering her inside, Ryokumo pulled the door closed behind her and motioned for her to hang her coat on the rack beside her. Album silently gazed at it as he headed further into the room, calling back,

  “Shall I make some tea? Or some hot chocolate perhaps? Something to warm you up?” He was grinning, but it was beginning to waver the longer she just stood there without answering. “Al’? Are you alright, my friend?”

  “I don’t know.” Her voice shook, as if she were on the verge of crying. “I don’t know if I’m alright, Kumo. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want tea or hot chocolate or anything… I just want to understand…”

  With her head lowered, he couldn’t see her face beneath the hood, but she sounded so broken inside that he was terribly worried that something had happened to her. “Album, please… You can talk to me about anything. I’m here for you, always have been, always will be. Come now, look at me.”

  “If you’re always here for me…then why did you lie to me?” she asked weakly.

  Ryokumo frowned. “Lie to you? I’ve never lied to you.”

  “I’m giving you a chance…” Album pressed, a small flicker of anger entering her tone. “One chance…”

  “T-to do what? I don’t get what you’re talking about? Who said I lied to you?”

  His old friend slowly shook her head, her disappointment so obvious but the reason for it anything but. “How could you? After all we’ve been through, all we’ve done, I honestly thought you cared about me, at least a little bit. But was it all fake? Did I misunderstand who you were? Am I the idiot here? I don’t get it…”

  “Hey,” he began cautiously, taking a few steps back towards where she still stood before the door. “Don’t talk like that. You’re one of my best friends, and I care about you immensely. Please, just tell me what’s made you feel this way. I have to understand…”

  Finally raising her head, Album gazed up at him with hollow eyes that seemed devoid of emotion, like she was starting to shut her feelings out. “Master Grunly told me everything about Abi, Omaruo, her family, and you knowing about it for all this time.”

  He had been trying to smile at her for comfort, but as she spoke, that smile slowly faded away. He was a fool, and as it dawned on him why she was there and what was bothering her, he understood just how terrible of a person he sounded. Everything he had just said in an attempt to comfort and reassure her was hollow, and she knew it was hollow. He told her he never lied to her, and she knew he was lying as he said that. Why Grunly told her was something he needed to address, but in that moment, he was more desperate to retain his relationship with Album than he was to find out how it began to shatter in the first place.

  “Why?” she uttered. “I thought you liked me. I thought Abi liked me, too, but you were all just lying. If my suspicions are correct, I think Faye and Jessi knew. I think when Abi went to their dorm for extended periods of time, you guys were smuggling her to Omaruo. You trusted Faye and Jessi over me? Really?”

  Oh, fuck me… How do I even begin to recover from this… It’d be hard enough to handle this if she only knew about Liri and I, but Rio and Yuahl, too?

  In a rare moment for him, Ryokumo Caeli was speechless.

  He didn’t have even a slight clue what he was supposed to say to her. He was in the wrong, even if none of his choices ever felt wrong at the moment. He told the truth when he said he cared for Album, that he’d be there for her when she needed him, but how was he supposed to convince her of that now? He was in a corner, facing down one of his closest friends, who was obviously there for him to assure her that what Grunly said was false, but he couldn’t do that, and his elongated silence proved that fact.

  “I’m sorry, Ryokumo,” she continued, her usage of his full name causing a horrific knot to twist his stomach. “I guess I was overestimating our relationship, but it seems I was just a single rung above, Nigreos, huh?” Her body shook as she began to cry, tears streaming down her face as she attempted a smile. “I must have been so damn annoying to you, wasn’t I? You must have hated having this awkward stupid girl always causing problems for you. Is that why you left me in the dark?”

  “N-no, Album!” Ryokumo frantically shook his head, panic setting in as her mind spiraled to places that it shouldn’t go. “Look, yes, I hid this from you! Yes, I lied about Abi’s death, but it was never out of a place of malice!”

  “Then where did it come from?! Tell me!” she begged. “Did you not trust me?”

  “I trusted you!”

  “Then why?”

  Album waited for his explanation, but he didn’t have one that would be satisfactory. The simple fact of the matter was that Abi didn’t fully trust Album at the start, and her role as the Luz eraser meant she would have been directly responsible for administering the punishment on Scott and Eric should they ever be caught. They thought Album’s loyalty to Acostav and her determination to make him proud would lead her to go through with erasing the magicless if she was put in the position to.

  So they lied.

  They lied because they didn’t trust her.

  And I feel now that not trusting Album will be one of the greatest regrets of my life… I just know it… I fucked up, and I fear this is the end of one of my most treasured relationships…

  Album nodded her understanding as he fell silent again. “You have nothing to say. Fine then… I came here to hear it from your mouth, and I guess I’ve done that. I’ll get out of your hair now…and I won’t bother you again, so don’t worry about me. Just forget about me.”

  “I don’t want to do that!” he desperately exclaimed. “Album, I still want you in my life! Look, I’m deeply sorry for lying about Abi, but you have to realize that our relationship wasn’t fake! You’re one of my best friends! I don’t want to lose you! I can’t lose you!”

  “Wow…” she muttered. “I’m one of your best friends? Well, if this is how you treat your best friends then I fear for your enemies. Don’t waste your breath. See you around, Caeli.”

  “Album, stop!” he pleaded. “Where are you going?!”

  The Master of Light laughed coldly. “The Citadel. My quarters. I gotta rest… Who knows what jobs I’m gonna have in the coming days now that everything’s getting exposed.”

  “What? D-don’t tell me… You’re not going to tell anybody about this? If Markreas finds out, Abi’s going to be executed! Is that what you want?!”

  She shrugged, turning her back to him as she reached for the door, not even bothering to reply to his question. His panic began to explode through his body, now not only at the prospect of losing Album’s friendship, but also at the realization that she may very well toss Abi to the Masters. He couldn’t allow that, especially because of his role in Grunly’s Omauo trip. He had to protect Abigail Reiner and her family at all costs, but as his mind spiraled into an uncontrollable, impulsive state, he said something in his desperation that he should have never said.

  “If you tell the Masters about Abi, I’ll reveal what you did to Lunara!”

  He regretted it the second the words left his mouth, for Album’s body seized up and her head snapped back so she could look at him. Her eyes were wide with betrayal, as if she truly didn’t think he could turn on her any more than he had.

  The bridge was burnt.

  There was no way to turn back time, to take back what he said, but as he opened his mouth to say sorry, Album uttered two words.

  “Erasurei Memoria.”

  Ryokumo’s vision spun, his legs becoming unstable as he suddenly felt like his brain was being searched by sharp claws. Yet he felt no pain, and the sensation lasted but a few seconds. He was breathing heavily when his sight returned, but he could no longer recall what had happened just seconds ago. He had no clue what was wrong, but the strange phenomenon was all but forgotten when he realized Album Luz was no longer standing in his entryway.

  “No…”

  Bottling forward, he threw open the door and sprinted through the rain, across his front lawn, but he caught only a glimpse of the bright light off in the distance, putting him behind her without another look.

  “No…” he repeated with defeat. “Album… Please, come back…”

  ***

  “Ilumine. Ilumine. Ilumine. Ilumine.”

  No matter how many times Abum whispered the spell under her breath, she could not reach the Citadel any faster. Ryokumo had betrayed her, had lied to her for years, and when put under pressure, immediately used her darkest secret to blackmail her. Her dearest friend was a traitor, so even if it was impulsive, she knew she made the right decision by removing his memories of Lunara’s erasure.

  That way, he had nothing to use against her.

  She was protected from his sweet words and his kind smile.

  She would not allow herself to fall under his spell again. Instead, he could join the others under hers.

  “Ilumi—”

  Having wavered in her direction, the next casting of her spell was cut off as her light faded and she tripped on the roof of some random house in the residential districts. The Citadel loomed above her, just barely within her reach, but Album’s body felt weak as she collapsed to her hands and knees, allowing the rain to pour over her. She was freezing cold, but she just couldn’t bring herself to move as she finally broke out into intense sobs. She wailed more than she had since she was a child, mourning the loss of Ryokumo, Ilirianna, and Abigail.

  On that night, Album Luz was left with nothing but the thunderous rain to drown out her cries.