Curse

November 15, 1349.

Plans....Plans....Plans....that was all Lucien was doing these days, but not alone, since his angels were with him, pulling all-nighters together for days on end. It wasn't all that bad—with cups of coffee and his mystical creature nature, he easily got through it—but he still liked to sleep; after all, who doesn't? It's essentially a biological recharge mechanism, and it comes with the dreams. Oh, dreams, don't let him start on that.

Anyway, what are they planning all these nights?

Simply put, it was a massacre.

He wasn't joking, as much as he wished, but it was a stark reality that he wanted to come true one way or another.

To be honest, his past self would never have considered murdering someone, much less plotting a slaughter.

Yet here he was, planning a full-fledged assault on the military forces of Intis and Loen stationed in the southern continent, with the aim of pushing them all into the embrace of Death.

Those were people, each with their own sentiments, dreams, and desires; each with their own families back home, praying and hoping for their well-being.

Nevertheless, he desired to stain his hands with all of their blood.

When he thought about it, he didn't feel anything—maybe a little uncertainty, but that was all.

He was changing.

Lucien recognised it, and it scared him.

He understood that change was inevitable, but—but it was just that one day in the distant future, he would look at himself in the mirror and find a complete stranger, an ember of what he once was, tarnished and broken.

That prospect terrified him.

Lucien didn't want to lose himself.

But the path he chose denied him that luxury. It was essential for him to carry on despite the sacrifices and losses within himself until the end, if there was one, he assumed.

Lucien remembered the vow he made to himself on his first day in Kolain: "You must survive, Lucien, survive long enough to live your life fully."

Surviving would become even more difficult after the new year, when the world war would break out and the seven gods would come blaring for his neck. After all, he wasn't just going to fight the northern continent but also the gods that stood behind them.

He realised how precarious his situation was, as he would ultimately go up against the orthodox gods themselves. Even with Adam by his side and his own power, there was a good chance he'd wind up dying under the dark scythe of the Evernight Goddess or the twilight sword of the God of Combat.

This, however, would not discourage him from his path, just as his fear of losing himself had not.

This was the path he chose. Lucien reminded himself. And it's for sure was going to get excruciating, nevertheless, he would see it to the end.

"You are adaptive." Adam had stated on their first meeting. That sounded like a compliment at the time, but now those words were nothing but a curse to him.

A curse he did not reject but bore within himself.

After all, without it, everything would come crashing down on him.

—————

Lucien took a last sip of coffee and put an end to his depressing thoughts as he took the last drink of his coffee, gathering himself, and returned to his seat within his office, which was located in the uppermost room of the headquarters of the Numinous Episcopate.

His office was simple—nothing too fancy, just enough to suit his tastes. There were wall-to-wall books, decked out on bookshelves with white rose emblems carved on top, and a few completed sketches scattered on a table facing an expansive window. There were all of the drawings that he drew in his spare time.

In the centre of the room, there was a long silver table filled with stacks and stacks of reports, filling his office with that magical smell of paper. Since his office was finished, he and his angels have held their daily meetings here.

Lucien, on the other hand, sat at his personal and short table, which was also silver—he really likes silver, doesn't he?—It was in front of a horizontally stained window with an unrestricted view of the outside world. He would simply stand by it at sunset and witness the world illuminated by twilight; once, he even drew the scene onto a canvas, thus capturing it for all time.

He gradually sat up straight and took the documents pertaining to the assault plan on the colonial troops of Intis and Loen that he and his angels were finalising; even though it triggered heavy thoughts in him, he wanted to go through it again due to its importance. They even extended their usual meeting times just for this, as there was a lot to debate and consider before they could move forward with their assault plan.

You see, Intis and Loen ruled the Eastern and Western Balam in the same way that the British did in most of their colonies. It was a system of indirect rule in which a colonial state entirely controlled the sectors of foreign policy and the military, but the local people handled most parts of the national administration, though the core of it still fell on the crown of the colonial power.

This system had both advantages and disadvantages, with the advantages being that it allowed a colonial power to easily colonise and exploit a country without having to worry about insurgencies, and the disadvantages being that their control over the colony was always destined to be unstable and vulnerable.

And, in the case of the southern continent, they meant to take advantage of this—he and his angels hoped to bring the local governments that ruled the Eastern Balam and Western Balam under their rudimentary control before launching an assault on the military forces of Loen and Intis.

Yes, the Numinous Episcopate intended to unleash all of their might on Loen and Intis. And if the assault was successful, which it would be given the date he set, it should completely destroy the hold the Northern Continent had on the Southern Continent, liberating it in his name.

And they named their plan "Liberty."

Toady, Lucien had finally given his approval to begin the first part of their plan—establishing rudimentary authority over local administrations as well as the rebel forces of the southern continent. This wasn't going to be too difficult because the Numinous Episcopate's influence extended there as well, but his angels warned that keeping their deeds hidden from the Loen and Intis would be a real challenge.

However, Lucien assuaged their fears by saying that the Angel of Imagination "Himself" would cover their tracks (you should have seen Sia's face when he informed Adam that he would also be involved in their plan of liberty, though not directly).

With that, Haiter volunteered to lead the control operation, and he agreed; as for Sia, she assumed command of the ongoing conflict between the Numinous Episcopate and the Rose School of Thought (on that note, despite passing the proposal of alliance to Reinette last Friday, she had yet to respond).

As for the date he had set for the assault, it would happen on December 28, 1349. It was the time when the Great Smog of Backlund would occur under the corporations of the Augustus family, Demoness sect, and Ince Zangwill.

And it was still going to happen, despite the changes he created, because George Augustus III effectively required that to cover up disappearances from the East Borough and push ahead reforms that were against common standards, paving the way for him to become the Black Emperor.

There was also the crucial fact that the True Creator and Primordial Demoness were attempting to descend on that particular day.

All in all, there was no better date for their assault than December 28, since most involved parties would be focused on Backlund, not Southern Continent.

However, it was still going to be a hurdle to pass. And, given the variable of the Rose School of Thought, he may even enter the assault personally on that day.

Ultimately, the end of this year was going to see pandemonium unlike anything seen in the Fifth Epoch, and if all goes as planned, he will ascend to the throne of Bayam under the witness of the southern continent and become the Pale Emperor by the dawn of the new year.

That was his first step on his path to truly becoming Death, the Ultimate End of All Things.

Lucien sighed deeply, putting down the document and rising from his seat, strolling towards the window and gazing at the vast mountain range and the lush fields that opened around it under the splendour of twilight. Something about them soothed his turbulent heart, and his silver eyes gradually cleared.

But his serenity was soon interrupted: a knock was heard from the door to his office. "Come in." He said, turning towards the door, assuming an impassive countenance.

Sia opened the door and entered. "My lord, she is finally here." She informed him, her nose curled in distaste.

"Send her in." Lucien merely said.

Sia nodded, though her steps towards the door were hesitant, as if she still wanted to say something but eventually decided not to.

Lucien didn't dwell on what it was—it should probably just be that she had noticed his heavy mood in recent days—rather, he hurled all the sensitive documents and reports into the drawer of his personal table and then waited for Bernadette Gustav, the woman in question.

The Queen Mystic had already arrived in the Southern Continent a week before, but she didn't immediately come to meet him; instead, she looked like she was brooding on her decision all week while roaming around the Southern Continent in disguise, but now, it seemed that she had gathered enough courage to finally face him.

The door creaked open, and as he looked up, a beautiful woman emerged. Her chestnut hair was long and straight, and it fell to her hips. Her purple eyes gave off a dim, faint look. Her figure was proportionate; she was neither overweight nor slender.

And her outfit was strange; it was a hybrid of traditional clothing from this age and clothing of modern era. Such a combination would have looked terrible on anyone else, but it appeared to suit her strangely, even emphasising her beauty and grace.

Bernadette met his silver eyes as soon as she stepped inside; although her face remained stoic and passive, her soul spoke to him in a completely different way. Her emotions were a chaotic tangle, almost identical to his emotions when he brooded on his path. It seemed that his message affected her more than he initially thought.

"Sit, Bernadette Gustav." Lucien motioned to the chair in front of his table, and she complied, but her anxiety was evident to him no matter how hard she tried to hide it. After all, the body may lie, but the soul does not.

So, in order to calm her down, he introduced himself. "I am Lucien Eggers, or, as you may know, the Reaper."