Glimmer of Hope

For the rest of the discussion, Olga either sat with her head down, cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, or ramrod straight as she attempted to put on a strong front. This would ultimately fail but, as this quirky nature was one of the things Vahn had come to appreciate of the pale-haired beauty, he had a smile on his face seeing her behavior. Lord Animusphere seemed a little troubled by how she was behaving but, with Vahn, an Emperor, not saying anything, he didn't have much ground to stand on.

All in all, things had become relatively pleasant in the dining hall, at least until Lakshmibai appeared to inform Vahn about the arrival of the children. This put a dampener on his mood but, in order to allay any concerns they undoubtedly felt, he decided it was time for the luncheon to end. He had the staff see Lord Animusphere off, as doing so himself was actually considered improper, while he and a confused Olga made their way to a waiting room attached to a large ballroom where the Edelfelts would sometimes host parties. As it was an 'important' part of Aristocratic culture, most of the main mansions and estates belonging to the most influential families had such a room.

Since Olga would be the Director of Chaldea in the future, he knew she needed to be aware of what had gone on in order to avoid repeat instances. Though she might not have to worry about this, as it was likely Chaldea would just become an extension of Da Vinci's work, meaning it would have almost inviolable security, it was still her family's legacy. To that end, Vahn preempted his meeting with the children and allowed her to view the related documents.

Needless to say, Olga was more than a little shaken by the contents but, with him there to remind her it wasn't really her father's fault, she was able to remain mostly calm. In the end, she even held the documents close with a determined expression on her face as she promised, "I swear...I will never allow something like this to happen again...!"

Vahn offered a sincere smile in response before plopping his hand down on Olga's head, stroking her hair as he answered in a low, almost hypnotic voice, "I know, Olga. I believe in you, after all..." With that said, Vahn moved aside Olga's bangs and moved to give her a kiss on her forehead. This didn't go quite as planned, however, as Olga hopped up on the tips of her toes and stole a kiss from his lips before retreating away with a beet-red face. Vahn was actually a little caught off guard, at least until Olga peeked back at him and mumbled, "W-w-w-we're g-going to b-b-be m-m-married in the fu-future...!"

Though he was tempted to remark that they were technically already married, as the ceremony was only a formality in such situations, he knew Olga's modern mentality meant she was looking forward to her wedding. In this age, many young girls grew up with dreams of having a big wedding, even in the Aristocratic Magus families. Since Olga was 'uniquely' delusional, it was a given she expected a grand celebration of their marriage so Vahn just proferred an affectionate smile in response before they made their way to where the children were waiting.

If not for the fact he had seen them the moment they arrived within the bounds of his domain, Vahn would have been both surprised and annoyed to find the children were all neatly dressed in formal attire. The girls all had on prim little dresses that accented their youthful traits and made them look a little like a group of Princesses while the only boy, Alex, looked like a little Lord in his small, high-end tuxedo. He looked particularly uncomfortable amongst the group but, considering the girls all had practiced smiles and lightless eyes, this wasn't unexpected.

Accompanying the children was a woman with dark purple hair who seemed to be in her forties. She was also dressed formally, wearing attire that wasn't unsuited to a ball, albeit with a relatively tame design. She also had her hair styled up in a neat bun with a pair of half-rimmed golden spectacles that gave her an intelligent appearance with her almond-shaped blue eyes. When she saw Vahn and Olga appear, she gestured toward the children who were already standing in a line. This caused the girls to all curtsy in a practiced manner, one leg in front of the other while lifting the corners of their dresses, while Alex crossed his arm over his chest and bowed at a low angle.

Vahn currently didn't know what he expected of the children in the future but, as the most important thing was to provide them with the opportunity to flourish, he adopted a calm yet deep tone as he stated, "Raise your heads." Then, turning to the Governess, Vahn gave a polite nod, adding, "Lord Animusphere is waiting for your arrival before departing. Please take care on your way out." Though it was clear she was a little surprised by the dismissal, the woman was practiced in etiquette so she dutifully performed a second curtsy, answering, "Your Majesty's words are a blessing." before quickly alighting from the room.

Since he had no intention of taking the woman with him to Avalon, as her presence might just make life more difficult for the children, Vahn waited for the Governess to depart before passing his gaze over each of the children in turn. They were all arranged by height but, with Alex standing on the far left, as he was both the youngest and shortest. As for the eldest amongst them, Mash, she was in the very center of the group as two of the girls were only around a year younger than her. Due to their 'template', however, they were genetically disposed to be a little taller. They were named Zoë Meyer and Astrid Aeland while the youngest girl was named Juliet Byrnes.

Noticing that all five children were quite tense, despite the lack of emotions on the girls' faces, Vahn decided not to keep them in anticipation for too long. Since she was both the oldest, while being in the most convenient position, Vahn gazed into Mash's singular lavender eye as her right was covered by her bangs. She briefly broke eye contact with him before looking back by impulse, causing Vahn's heart to feel as if it had a hand gripping it, despite his calm expression. He then asked, "Mash...if you could wish for anything...what would you choose?"

Vahn wanted to know if these children had any kind of hopes, dreams, or ambitions as, if there was no hope for a natural recovery, he was prepared to either erase their memories or ask for Merlin's assistance in repressing the worst. What he didn't expect was for Mash to stare at him silently for several tense seconds before answering, "I want to protect humanity...if I were given a wish, it would be to eliminate suffering..." This answer caused the 'hand' gripping his heart to tighten as, for a brief moment, there was a small glimmer of hope within Mash's eyes, indicating she wasn't simply just answering in a way she was taught.

After giving a small nod, Vahn turned his attention to her right, making eye contact with Zoë, a girl with platinum-blond hair and grey-blue eyes. She seemed to understand what he was going to ask so she answered in a dull tone not all that dissimilar to Mash's, "I would wish for wings. I want to be able to fly high in the sky...above even the clouds..."

Though he knew this was Zoë's way of saying she wanted to be free, Vahn gave a curt nod before turning his attention to Astrid, Juliet, and then Alex. Astrid wished to be able to eat good food and live in a place surrounded by animals while Juliet had the most heart-breaking wish by saying she just didn't want to be hurt anymore. This wasn't as troublesome as Alex's wish, however, as the red-headed youth unabashedly met Vahn's gaze as he answered, "I would wish for power. Power to kill anyone that wants to hurt me...!"

It could be the result of his age, as he clearly hadn't thought about the situation he was in, but Vahn didn't hold it against the young boy. Having experienced a fate not all that dissimilar to these five children, Vahn could understand the desire for power. If he had been given a different choice in the past, he very likely would have gone to extreme measures to get his revenge. It was only the result of Klyscha's guidance and the multitude of experiences he went through after the fact that changed his perception of the world.

Surprising Alex somewhat, Vahn gave an understanding nod instead of rebuking him like every other adult in his life. His face immediately formed into a frown after the fact, however, believing that Vahn was just another person trying to manipulate and control him.

Vahn didn't particularly mind Alex's behavior, so long as he didn't act out too much. He already had a plan for the young boy but, before that, he looked over the children once again before saying, "My wish is to create a world where other people can achieve their own. I do not tolerate unnecessary violence, but I will do my best to make sure all of your wishes come true. Even then, your happiness is ultimately the result of your choices. If you cannot accept the present and face the future, the past will consume you...it will take time, but I want all of you to be happy."

Since he knew actions spoke louder than words, Vahn didn't expect any of the children to outright believe what he had to say. The only way he could guide them forward was to make good on his promise, helping them to achieve the happiness they deserved. Fortunately, with Avalon being a rather mystical place, their baseline for reality would naturally shift and, with a Companion to keep them company, it shouldn't take too long for them to open up. After that, they would have some freedom in making choices in their own life, be it becoming a member of the castle's staff, a citizen of the Empire, a capable Magus, or even a Knight.

The most difficult part of their adaptation to Avalon would be the fact that, despite his intentions to care for them, none of the children would have any status. He would also be their physician and, due to their trauma, this could result in them distancing themselves from him or, even worse, being too eager to please him as a result of their conditioning. Though this would all be ironed out in time, it was still a little troublesome as Vahn couldn't invest the time they might need from him. He would have to observe them and get a better understanding of their true nature before giving them small pushes toward the path that suited them.

Deciding to make an impact on them as soon as possible, Vahn caused the group to tense up as he made his way right in front of Mash. Though she was only fifteen years old, Mash was already 156cm with her body even eclipsing girls like Rin in many places. Vahn knew from the documents that Mash had gone through some of the most terrible things a woman could experience, especially as a child. Despite this, she didn't shy away from him, doing her best to maintain eye contact as she repressed the trembling of her body. She reminded him a lot of Preasia after he had rescued her from slavery, causing Vahn to adopt the gentlest expression he could manage as he stated, "I will heal your eye..."

Due to the tense state of her body as he extended his hand toward her face, it didn't seem like Mash had processed his words. She just stood there statuesque as he moved aside her bangs, finding a lavender iris that had a very advanced stage of cataracts. There was also a rather vicious scar that passed over her eyelid and cut into her cheek. It had healed over almost perfectly, but the scar tissue itself was a stark contrast to the fair complexion of the young girl.

Under the watchful eyes of the other children, Vahn had Mash close her eyelid as he placed his index finger gingerly against the surface. Since he was using his [Hands of Nirvana] to mask his touch itself, the only thing Mash felt was a bit of warmth flow over her chaotic mind, helping her calm down. Her eye then began to itch slightly but, after only three minutes, Vahn removed his hand and said, "Open your eyes." As she was accustomed to listening to orders, Mash immediately opened her eyes only to find that Vahn was holding a small disc to obstruct the view of her left eye.

It took a little while, but Mash eventually processed what it meant to still be able to see Vahn. At that same moment, he pulled out an oval handmirror, holding it in front of her face, allowing her to see that both her eye and the scar around it had been healed. Seeing her reflection, Mash couldn't resist bringing her hand to her face, touching the somewhat tender skin and confirming that it was indeed her own reflection in the mirror. This caused her eyes to moisten slightly but, as her tears had long since dried up, this was the extent of her emotional response as she adopted a practiced smile and stated, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Though Vahn would have preferred a more honest reaction, he was still satisfied with the results as, slight though it may be, there was a small glimmer in Mash's eyes. Since he was also cheating a bit, using his View Affection to determine their mental state by the color of their aura, he noticed that her value immediately jumped to 51 from 38, making her impression of him slightly better than neutral. This was a good baseline for the future, though the (Trust?} parameter always bothered him a little bit.

Using his treatment of Mash's eye as a segue, Vahn explained, "You will come to learn more about the Empire and myself in the future. For now, know that my official title is Sage Emperor, granted to me as a result of treating the injuries and solving the issues of various races. I will first heal your scars and extend your lifespans so that you have as much time as you need to make your wishes a reality."

As could be expected, the children seemed uncomfortable with the revelation, despite the fact they both feared death and wanted their scars removed. Since one of the methods that had been used to make them more cooperative was making promises that were rarely kept, it was hard to accept his words at face value. If not for him treating Mash's injury with such ease, they wouldn't have believed him for even a moment. The saddest part, however, was that they would still accept treatment as, for their entire lives, they never truly had a choice. If nothing else, Vahn seemed like a nice person, even if, in the back of their minds, they thought he was just another pretender.

Seeing the grey-ish purple auras possessed by the children, the only exceptions being Mash and Alex, Vahn felt a little saddened. Though he didn't let it show on his face, he wanted the children to be able to trust him, despite the fact he understood why they couldn't. Fortunately, Mash actually had a subtle yellow to her aura and, though it was troublesome in its own way, Alex had more red and orange in his aura than anything else. This indicated rage, indignation, and slight envy, causing Vahn to wonder if he might have a bit of a sister complex toward Mash. As the eldest in the group, she was the 'anchor' for the others, something Vahn could make use of in their future treatment.

Since giving them detailed explanations of what to expect would only confuse them, Vahn decided to just return to Avalon so they could be paired with a Companion and begin their recovery. With that in mind, he shepherded the group toward the basement, something that caused Zoë and Juliet to tremble, but they still trudged forward nonetheless. It helped that Kenshin, Lakshmibai, and Olga were present, despite the latter having an expression of guilt as she saw how the children behaved.

After reaching the transfer room, Vahn had Alaya move them to Avalon without delay, disorienting Zoë somewhat, despite the fact there was no actual motion involved. This caught Vahn's attention but, until she was ready to accept his Familia Crest by her own will, he wouldn't try to pry into her secrets. He knew from her file that, like Sakura, she had the Imaginary Numbers element so, in the future, she would be adept at using Space, or potentially even Time, elemental abilities. Since they all had sufficiently complex Magic Circuits, with an abnormal amount of Od, they had a lot of options in the paths they could walk.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bye Felicia','Open your eyes and see...your eyes are open~.','Alex be like, "You, don't you lay a finger on my Onee-chan...!')

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