Salicacae

"Wiped out!?" A resounding shout awoke everyone in the Luminous, moored away from the island. "What do you mean wiped out!?" Smashing down on his table, Astrian stood up angrily. He stares into the eyes of the messenger. "What did you see there?" He continued.

"S-sir, I've told you all that I know. There were so many of them that went and attacked the camp! We didn't have time to fight back but..." The messenger stared down, "It was like lightning struck the camp and all was gone."

Astrian stood in the back, over a window where he tries to eye the island among the dark sea, but the early morning is not enough for him to see it. He sighed, "Call Lixus, go back home and call Zoroan. We need them both. Oh and," He turns around and faces the messenger, "Check on Lui-eya's condition."

"Y-yes sir!" The messenger saluted and left Astrian's office. He sat back down and observed his spaces to clear his mind. His office in the Luminous, made so that he can actively command near the frontlines. It was a logistical decision suggested by Lui-eya, and no one, apart from the crewmen at the Audacious, and the messengers that come and go, knows of it.

And only he and Lui-eya know of a deeper secret inside the office. A button, underneath the desk he's using. A button which discharges a signal, and, in a flash, the Elite Division of Lui-eya will come in aid.

For a brief moment, he thought about calling the elite division. But he knew better than to use his ace too soon. And thus he waited and waited. And after a while, Lixus came barging in, "What does he mean by wiped out!?" He yelled out.

"Wiped. out. Gone. They said they were ambushed by a lot, yes?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make sense, we attacked the island AND cleared it of any possible deserters, we knew there was no camp big enough there to be of use for any actual ambush. So where did they come from!?"

"I don't know! How should I know!? I wasn't there!" The screaming contest continued in panic. After a while, both parties calmed down with the appearance of Lixus and Lui-eya, who seemed to be better as she was standing up. But her skin was still ragged, burned. And as such, she kept the bandages on her. Despite the appearances, nothing seems to have changed from her.

"Are you okay now?" Astrian asked.

"Yes, I have also offered sacrifices for more power." She said.

"What?" All of them looked at her confused.

"I sacrificed my skin to the Gods for more compatibility with the leylines."

"You.. can do that?" Astrian said, as he sits back down his chair, thinking.

"Yes, but." Pausing as she looks deep into her own self, "It must be one of utmost importance to you."

Astrian looked at her, and looked back down, "I see." He said. "Compatibility would get you were?"

"To peer personally into the Gods plans." She said, slowly approaching him, she grabs a piece of paper and puts her palm above it.

Slowly the paper writes upon itself, over time, bits and pieces of words start to get written on the paper. "G-get more." She said as Astrian went at his desk and dropped more paper into the fray, more and more stuff gets written upon each parchment as a hazy blue glow and heat starts invading the air. The generals, and the Emperor himself find themselves in hotter winds.

The wind starts blowing rampantly, as the papers get written upon even when not in contact with the ground, as if written in the air. Eventually they encircle Lui-eya, the winds inside growing stronger and stronger. The candle-lit candelabra in one corner of the room has its flames snuffed out. And.

The winds stopped. All was silent.

Astrian snapped his fingers as flame appeared upon it, lighting the dark room. As he peered around, he noticed that the room was almost flooded with sheets upon sheets of paper, and in a panic, flicked off his flame so as to not burn them.

"Don't open fire!" He yelled so that the other two would know, "One of you open the door!" As he yelled that, one of the generals, presumably Lixus, went to the door and pushed on it hard. As he pushed, the door opened as he dropped on the ground, followed by the sea of papers that flowed outside the office.

He looks up and finds himself surrounded by crewmates who were awoken by the loud noises.

The crewmen leaned closer, some crouching to read the papers, there they see words upon words upon words upon words of everything. Though they cannot set their mind as to what. As Astrian limped over to the light to check what the words that were written are, he slowly pieces them together. Bit by bit he realizes the significance of the words.

As he reads a half-done piece of paper, he notices that they write themselves upon reading. In fact, as he sees the words that were being written, he realizes that it is in fact talking about him. Lui-eya slowly limps outside from the darkness of the office.

"Lui-eya! What is this!?" He asked her, confused and scared.

"Destiny. Your destiny." She snaps her fingers as the papers, even the one Astrian is holding, gets neatly arranged and bound upon a clipboard. "Read at your own risk, Emperor." She said. "In the back notes, you will see the plan of the Gods. It is up to you if you are to follow your own destiny, or go.. against.. the Gods." She collapses upon the ground.

Her vision slowly gets blurry and the last words she hears in her consciousness were Astrian's. "Take her back to home, quick!"