Executives' Ruminations (3)
(General POV)
Loki was sat in Finn's office, perched up on her usual place on Finn's desk swinging her legs back and forth as she waited to begin the discussion she wished to have with certain members of her children.
Finn was sat at the desk chair while Riveria was gracefully sat upon one of the guest chairs. Even afters spending nearly twenty years in the Loki Familia, her habits as a princess were still not just gone yet. As for Gareth, he waited by the window with his eyes on the figure of a certain small boy leaving the Twilight Manor grounds.
As soon as Lyze disappeared down the street, the dwarf turned to his friends and nodded, signalling them that they could talk now. Immediately they all looked towards their patron. Loki was acting quite out of character, donning a serious and grave expression on her face as her lips were pressed tightly.
The redhead felt that it would be better somehow if Lyze was far away enough to be unable to hear them talk. She had the feeling that he wouldn't appreciate anymore fussing over him than had already been done. It had been shown in the past that excessive worrying over him tended to upset him and though he appeared to have gotten through whatever that phase of his was, she didn't want to risk putting him back into that state again.
Of course, the matter still had to be addressed with her three executives. They were after all the ones to hear that dangerous word, one which could never be spoken aloud near anyone else. This meeting would affirm it.
"Well he's left now. Mind telling us what this is about?" Gareth asked.
"Judging by how you've been acting ever since Lyze woke up, I'm assuming this topic has something to do with him." Finn said.
"Yes, that is true." Loki nodded.
"Why did you send us out Loki?" Riveria asked. "All he did was say a word and suddenly you just shoved us all out. What was it again? Transcendent or something."
"Transcendental." Loki said. "And it would be wise if all three of you forgot that word completely."
"Why?" asked Finn. "If I remember correctly, he used that word to describe his master did he not? I have to say I'm kind of disappointed that you turned us out when you did. I was finally looking forward to hearing something about the man who trained our monstrous little prodigy."
"Yes Loki. What was so bad about that word that we couldn't stay around to hear more?" Gareth asked.
Loki sat up at an angle where she could look all of them in they eye.
"Lyze told me all about himself during our conversation. He revealed to me his life in Daedalus and how he escaped. Where he went to train under his master who happened to be the one to rescue him. Some serious kind of things." Loki sighed and looked down. "I honestly can't describe it much better than that. Even now I'm just so overwhelmed by it all that's it's honestly been very hard to process it all."
"Was it seriously that bad? A little lad like that was able to shock you to a point where you can't even talk as much as you normally do." Gareth then put a finger on his chin in wonder as he muttered to himself. "I wonder if this kind of aftermath is really a bad thing."
"I can hear you." Loki said dryly before sighing again. "Look, we have no time to dwell upon this much further as we have a more pressing matter. Let me just make it clear as you three were the ones who heard that word. DO NOT say it aloud ever again, even when you think you're alone. Do not mention it to anybody and especially do not say it to other gods. Understood?"
"Sure." Finn said. "Although could you at least explain what it is about this description of Lyze's master that makes him unspeakable of?"
"All you need to know Finn is that Lyze's master is a very dangerous man." Loki lifted a finger to emphasise the seriousness of the situation. "Not necessarily so much in a bad way. But he is someone so dangerous, if it ever got out that Lyze is affiliated with him in any way..." Loki paused before carrying on. "...Ouranos himself would take this situation into his own hands."
The two that were sitting suddenly shot up out of their streets in shock. And this was no overreaction either. Everybody knew of Ouranos as the governor of Orario, the only member of the guild higher in authority than the Royman Mardeel. Everyone also knew that he was one of the first, if not THE first deity to descend from Heaven and grant a Falna. Because of how much time he'd spent down here, he'd come to be known as a Chief of the gods of a sort. In the hierarchy of power in Orario, there was nobody above him.
But what he was most famous for was how illusive he was. Very few adventurers had ever even seen him and it was also known that he was hidden away somewhere within Babel most likely that only the gods and certain members of the guild knew. And it went unsaid how feared he was because of his authority.
When Ouranos stepped in, not even the Freya Familia could defy him alone. And there had been instances where he'd decided to take situations into his own hands, mostly to punish certain groups of people that misbehaved to say the very least of the centuries.
It never ended well.
And the possibility that Ouranos would come out of his hiding place over a single adventurer just because of his affiliations with another person that Loki seemed scared of as well just communicated the true gravity of the situation. The executives began to realise that even now, the enigma that was Lyzof Keele seemed to be deeper and more complex than they'd thought.
But more than that...
"If it is that serious, would it not be illegal to conceal such information from the Guild and Lord Ouranos?" Finn asked.
"Of course it would be!" Loki said. "And considering that the Denatus is tomorrow, that would be the perfect opportunity to bring this information to light if I wanted to."
"So why don't you?" Riveria asked.
"Because I care for Lyze. Don't all of you?" They nodded, confused at why she would even ask that. "And I care for the wellbeing of my Familia above all else. And it is not Ouranos I fear either."
"Then what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I 'know' Ouranos. That old fart ultimately seeks the betterment of Orario but he likes to achieve so by moving around Familias like chess pieces. And if there's one thing he despises, it's unstable and unpredictable elements, of which Lyze is probably the greatest yet. I suspect Lyze's fame may have already made Ouranos aware of him but if he finds out anything that he's not supposed to, he is going to do something rash to keep his power unthreatened. And I don't know the limits of Lyze's master, but if that man is angered in any way because of something any of us have done...the consequences would be unimaginable."
"I still don't understand why we can't get any details though." Gareth said.
"Because these are things mortals aren't supposed to know! And that should be enough for you. For Lyze's safety, don't speak about this subject ever again, even among yourselves." Loki paused before looking at them again. "I'll tell you one thing though. Thanks to everything I now know about his past, there is something I know about Lyze that could be as much of a curse as it is a blessing."
"And that would be?" They all questioned.
"Every adventurer is only ever destined to grow to a certain level before they stagnate and eventually die. There is usually a point where they just can't grow stronger anymore due the simple fact that no longer have the ability to progress." Loki looked at them. "I like to believe that you three are destined for even greater power than you have right now. But even you all have a limit to your potential and you will encounter it someday."
"And how would Lyze be any different?" Finn asked.
"...Lyze's potential is infinite. There is no limit to how powerful he will become. Fate DEMANDS it that he reaches unprecedented levels of power the likes of which none of you will ever know. Thanks to certain circumstances, the limit that mortals usually have placed on them...has been removed in Lyze."
Everyone's eyes widened as that sunk into them. Now they were beginning to understand Lyze's freakish growth. It went unsaid how impressive, confusing and terrifying Lyze's progress was. To be able to even contend with Ottar as a level 2, and seriously injure Bara (the woman did well to hide her real pain in front of Lyze) definitely spoke of strength that was quite special and unique.
But they had just chalked it up to exceptional talent on his part. Lyze did appear to work hard for his power. If anything was to be used as proof, his body was evidence enough. The boy was only 9 years old yet he had the physique of a veteran soldier that had seen many hard times on the battle field.
They had never considered though that it was because Lyze's power had no bottom to it.
"You understand now why he is so valuable." Loki said. "The good thing is that his heart is in the right place and he does not intend to ever use his power maliciously. No, his objectives as I have seen have nothing to do with hurting innocents even if they do seem to not intend on helping anyone. But it is that fact that brings us to the topic I really wanted to discuss."
"Somehow I feel that it is related to his fight with Ottar." Riveria said.
"That's exactly what it is." Loki replied. "I believe that Freya has seen some of the secrets Lyze was trying to hide. And knowing her, she probably aims to poach him from us like she does with many other people from different Familias." Loki sighed as she found her next words hard to say. "But while I would fight tooth and nail to keep my children, I fear that Lyze is the one child I will have to let go."
Finn slammed his palms on his desk in shock while Riveria tightened her grip on her Magna Alfs to the point it was audible enough to hear. Gareth had a calmer reaction, only narrowing his eyes but it was evident even he was very displeased with what he just heard. Loki spoke before they could say anything.
"Before you start shouting kids, remember how persistent Freya really is. Lyze is immune to her charms so she can't brainwash him into her Familia. So she will try other means of getting him to join. It may come to a point where Ouranos may get curious and investigate as we know he keeps close tabs on her." Loki's face hardened again. "And remember what I said if Ouranos finds out any of Lyze's secrets. The results will be bad, and the one who will suffer worst is Lyze himself."
"Didn't you just say that you cared for him?" Riveria's quiet voice trembled with anger. The elfess had been having strange feelings about the boy ever since he came into the Familia.
There was a frustrating sense of familiarity about him which she just could not decipher, and then there were the strange urges in her heart to protect him. Even now she kicked herself a little for allowing the fight between him and Goliath happen. The consequences of that seemed to be more bad than good. It was strange, because out of all the newbies that had joined over the years, Lyze seemed to be the one she cared most about for reasons even she could not tell.
"I do care for him." Loki said. "But his situation is so complex, I am literally powerless. Any resistance on my part risks him being exposed. I doubt Freya would go and oust him. You have to remember that as dislikeable as her habits are, her sphere is Love. She treasures every member of her Familia dearly and she goes to extreme lengths to protect them. Her obsessiveness is my guarantee that she will guard his secrets from the ruling powers too."
"It does not change the fact that you're giving him up to the lions, Loki!" Finn said. "That Familia will ruin him. As much as Freya represents love, there exists only hate among her children. They all compete in disastrous ways to gain her attention, to the point they shed each other's blood without hesitation to prove themselves. Every inch of the grounds of Folkvangr is sullied by the blood of her children, spilt by the very people that should protect them. There is no camaraderie there, which is the one thing that Lyze needs above all else."
"But he'll be alive." Loki said. "I hate it just as much as you do, but my hands are tied. I can't do ANYTHING and neither can you. If Freya comes for him which I have no doubt she will, the only path that will keep Lyze alive is her taking him. I would much rather that he be alive and thriving in another Familia than dead because I wanted him to myself." Loki looked them all in the eye. "That's the reality of having children and being responsible for them. As a parent, you have to do whatever it takes, make any sacrifice to ensure that your child survives above all else. Personal feelings don't matter when your child's life is on the line. And Lyze has not had any parental concern and love in his life for a VERY long time."
"Is it really that bad that Ouranos would seek to kill him? A child that while exceptionally powerful is not responsible for the way he was born and how life has treated him?" Riveria asked.
"Anything that goes against the natural order of things is something that the gods will seek to eliminate before it becomes too much of a threat no mater its intentions. I would have been exactly the same if this came to light while Lyze was in another Familia. It's only because of what I know about him that I'm willing to bare my back like this."
Finn clenched his fists tightly and grit his teeth. The feeling of helplessness that radiated off of Loki affected him most of all. Finn hated being unable to help people he cared about, a feeling instilled in him the day his family and his people were slaughtered. He'd been too weak then to help them, and Loki was insinuating that when another member of his family was in danger again, he was still powerless to help regardless of how far he'd come.
"Is there truly nothing we can do?" Finn asked.
"Like I said, there would have been plenty we could have done if not for Lyze's unique circumstances. I know it is extra frustrating that you can't know them, but I understand now why he was so tight-lipped about it all. No person should ever carry such burdens and yet it lies upon the shoulders of a child that has gone through so much pain. It's a wonder he hasn't broken."
"What about you Gareth?" Riveria asked as they turned to the dwarf. "Is there nothing for you to say?"
Gareth kissed his teeth and held his head in annoyance, trying to sort out his thoughts. He hadn't said anything because of how serous the situation seemed and he honestly never did well with these kind of things. It's why Finn and Riveria were the ones to help Ais through her troubles more than he did.
"I care a lot about the lad too." He said. "He has his bad moments but he has a good heart. I can tell he means well with people and even if he seems to deny it, he cares about his Familia members more than he likes to admit. He's unknowingly helped a lot with Ais. Her fascination with him has taken her mind off her trauma for the longest time yet and he seems to treat her well. But I too see the logic behind Loki's word. If his life is in danger and Freya taking him from us is the only way he stays alive, which is really concerning that things could potentially be that bad, then that's the only way to go." He looked at his gaping comrades. "Stop thinking about your personal feelings and think about what's good for him."
They paused to do just that, their feelings in complete turmoil.
"If it's any consolation..." Loki said. "...he will still be with us for 11 more months. If Freya wants to avoid Ouranos becoming suspicious, she will go through with it the legal way and have him transfer once a year of service in my Familia is over. Perhaps by then, an alternative may present itself although given these specific circumstances, I'm not so optimistic. Reality is reality no matter how much you wish it otherwise."
Loki found a sense of irony in saying that as the very latent power that dwelt within Lyze was the ability to change reality. Finn steeled his resolve and placed a palm on his desk.
"Then that's what we'll do. We'll use the time we have to find an alternate route. I will not have Freya take him away, not when he's only just beginning to find himself."
"Speaking of which, you haven't told him about your little investigation into his back ground yet Finn." Riveria said.
"I haven't exactly found a chance to tell him with everything that's been happening." Finn muttered. "But it makes no difference. We WILL find a different way. We can't let Freya have him!"
Loki stared at her children and sighed. She'd had a feeling that this was how it was going to be. She would have to leave tonight for the Denatus as well, and that made the oncoming headache even worse.
Not to mention how much ridicule she would have to endure upon deciding a suitable alias for Lyze when that point of the Denatus finally arrived.
Lyze truly was the perfect host for an entity like Chaos. He brought as much stress to them as he did bring blessings.
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