Aftermath!

(Mordred Blois)

"You may enter."

There was a firm knocking originating on the other side of my office door. The person was no doubt impatient at my initial attempts to ignore them. Tonight had proven to be more intriguing than I would have ever imagined. As my eyes laid upon my now barren desk, it allowed me to recall the paperwork that had previously been there.

There has been little to no progress into the investigation of the missing Angeas despite my father and elder brother seeing to the investigation personally. Weeks had gone by before the woman named Clarice popped onto the scene, and a while after that, Clarice presented us with a cast of unique characters.

The door to my office flew open, and with it showcased the slim figure of my younger brother. As the host of tonight's events, Percival could take credit for presenting me with such a rush. Although his emotions had gotten the better of him earlier, he seemed to have calmed down in the past hour since its conclusion. The source of his erratic behavior was the men that Miss Clarice had recently enlisted as subordinates.

The shadow elf referred to as Bonner, the human called Q, and the fox demi-human named Mark. A trio that shined as a rarity within our region, but one that Clarice seemed confident in. At first, I shared a similar opinion as Percival does.

The group possessed no notable members other than the shadow elf and Miss Clarice herself. Yet, tonight, I had relearned an old lesson. Things are not as what they seem on the surface. During our initial meeting, I noticed that something was a bit off. Rather than blowing most of the information off like his comrades, the demi-human listened intently to my words.

The fox demi-humans from this region do not possess the knowledge required to process the complexities of our situation. It is not a flaw in their race initially, but it was ingrained into them by the barbarism that runs rampant within the Church.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?", I asked Percival. I would speak once he closed the door behind him.

"It-It was truly a humiliating night for my men. Those individuals should be held accountable for what they did. Not only did they disrespect us, but our family and our associates as well! I can't understand why you allowed them to walk away so freely!"

I could hear the passion in his tone, but Percival's passion was misguided. After circling my desk, the soft cushion of my chair was my next destination. My dominant hand reached inside one of the drawers of my desk, and there it found a small glass.

"You are allowing your emotions to get the better of you again. Tonight, you also disrespected both Arch Captain Dawn and a member of the Angea family. Should I have not allowed you to go freely?"

A frown appeared onto the pristine brow of my younger brother. A slam occurred as the man threw his fist onto the surface of my desk. The vibration alone caused my glass to move slightly to the right.

"And what about the destruction to the venue?! Should they not be held accountable for that?!", Percival shouts.

"Open your eyes, brother. You saw what happened tonight. You witnessed the power that Clarice Von Angea possesses.", I said.

I stood up and began to move towards a cabinet located on my left. Opening it revealed the various brands of elixir that I had collected up to this point. I took one and closed the cabinet behind me.

"The power? Surely, you are joking? Those men are nothing special. There are guards within our ranks that will destroy them four times over!", Percival declares. His arm slammed against the table once more.

"Then tell me. Which one of them is their commander?", I asked him. I poured myself a half glass of elixir and savored the strawberry aroma.

My question seemed to have confused Percival at first. He hesitated in responding. Knowing him, he likely hesitated in fear that he might answer incorrectly.

"It is the…". Percival seemed conflicted in his answer. He pressed his hands against his golden hair before resorting to his usual outcry of rejection. "It is obvious that Clarice is the commander. They are her subordinates, so it is only natural that a woman of her status leads their ragtag vagabond!"

"I am the baddest fox demi-human in this world…I'm nothing short of a foxkin god."

The moment I repeated those words to him, Percival's mood took a turn for the worse. He scoffed at the notion immediately. I would see it fit to take a gulp of the strong liquid in my glass.

"Don't tell me that you buy into the nonsense of that foxkin, bother!", Percival says. His voice barely contained the hate that he now held for the man referenced. "He is nothing more than a fool that does not know his place. To even insinuate that he is above Clarice in their group is absurd. Perhaps your judgment has been clouded by the elixir that you consumed tonight."

"It is not my judgment that is clouded. Haven't I told you to see beyond the surface? It is clear that those three are not from our region. I don't believe that they come from the Great Kingdom either. It takes incredible arrogance to declare oneself as a God, Percival. Yet, as he talked to you and manipulated you tonight, it confirmed my suspicion."

"I-I wasn't manipulated! My men would have had him by his throat before me at this very moment if you hadn't interfered.", Percival responds in an erratic voice.

"Perhaps with the assistance of Arch Captains Fallworth and Dawn.". The strong liquid once again slipped down my throat. This time, I drinked until I finished the entire glass. "It was my doing that allowed you to be granted an opportunity to prove that statement true. Clashing with a member of the Angea at a public event would cause too much backlash. With Lady Ana and Claire missing, that would draw too much unneeded attention towards the family. There was only one way to circumvent that."

"Is that why you chose to challenge them? I could have done that myself! I didn't need-"

"If you could have, then you should have. Truth be told, you were too complicit with the mind games of the demi-human, Percival. Your accomplishment at Theoscyran is impressive, but you have lost sight of the bigger picture. I am certain that what we saw tonight is the true version of the foxel. He pretended to be weak and speechless earlier, but he flexed his muscles when needed. In that moment, he knew how to verbally dissect and push your buttons. It was just as Arch Captain Silvers reported."

With my words sinking in, Percival began calming himself. I could still sense his burning frustrations, but his actions became more refined. Perhaps he was going to see these adversaries as a challenge. I am glad that he would heed my warning.

"I'll crush them."

Perhaps I celebrated far too early. In my attempts to aid my brother with assistance, the opposite outcome had transpired. I could see it. The burning conviction that's threatening to take Percival's irises whole.

"I can't believe you, Mordred. You think that demi-human has more talent than me?! Listen to yourself. I don't know what Silvers told you, but if it were me, then I wouldn't have trusted a single word coming from her mouth. The people from the House of Silvers have proven to be incompetent. If the elder brother is a failure, then it surely runs in the blood to the rest of the siblings!"

My brother's voice raised in righteous fervor and absolute confidence. Had I been one of his subordinates, then I would have likely relied on that confidence to motivate me. It was one of Percival's greatest strengths, but still something didn't sit well with me. Percival stomped towards the doorway of my office.

"You should listen to me, Percival. Perhaps you didn't notice from your position, but even Clarice -"

"-I don't need your help with gathering our squad, Mordred!", Percival says in a harsh tone.

His words surprised me. I narrowed my eyes at him, but now he had his back towards me. He wouldn't even look me in my eyes

The soft twisting of metal was all that could be heard.

"Percival, you should- no…very well. Do as you see fit, but any failures will be on your head.", I say to him, and soon after, the door slammed closed behind him.

My dear younger brother, you still have much to learn. His men are experienced warriors, so I know that they could handle themselves in a battle. Yet, there is a sense of unpredictability laced with the inclusion of Miss Clarice's men. We know absolutely nothing about them, but my gut tells me that they will be more formidable than he anticipates.

If one dances to the tune of his opponents, then he flirts with danger itself. You are too proud to realize that yourself, Percival. I'll pray for your success, but if you are unable to win this challenge, then you can count on your elder brother to be prepared to accommodate.

Perhaps I should call in a favor from Rommel and Acelina and request some talented men from them for this duel. That manpower alongside Percival's men should be the best route for victory. There are only three of them, but only one of them held off both Catalan and Dante and gave them trouble.

On the other hand, Arch Captain Silvers and her squad were bested by the other one. As I stared into the empty glass, I felt compelled to lift it up into the air. The moonlight peeked through the window and lit up the glass like a star.

"High Commander."

A voice called from the other side of my door, and a firm knock followed suit. It was evident that I was due another visitor tonight, but I hadn't expected who it was.

"You may enter.", I responded to them while filling my glass with elixir once more.

The glint of silver hair was the first thing that I saw when this individual entered my office. She wore an elegant dress with a light coat covering her torso. Her eyes were filled with conviction, but that is what one comes to expect from Arch Captain Vanya Silvers.

"Arch Captain, what brings you here tonight?"