Chapter Text
"I don't know what all of the fuss is about," Wolfram said, stretching out on the picnic blanket and resting his head in Yuuri's lap. "I feel perfectly fine." A gentle breeze stirred his hair and Yuuri brushed it out of his eyes, looking up to watch Greta picking flowers a few yards away. She scampered down the hill to where Miko and Gunter were seated in the grass, a wide array of freshly picked flowers already piled around them.
"Gisela's just worried you might have a relapse." Yuuri reminded gently, giving the healer a smile that she returned with a knowing look.
"Try to think of Yuuri," Lady Cecilie added, taking the last of the dishes from Conrart and packing them away in one of the hampers. "If anything happened while you were alone he'd have a terrible time getting you to help."
"Great," Wolfram sighed resignedly. "We're married and now we need chaperones."
"We could take Greta down to the river to play for a bit and give you some privacy." Murata suggested.
"That's all right," Yuuri answered, smiling as Greta laughingly stuck a flower crown in Gunter's hair. "She's having a good time." He bit his tongue as Gwendal climbed the hill, several dozen flowers braided into his ponytail. He flopped on the blanket in silence beside Anissina as the others struggled not to laugh.
“Greta, come look," Shoma called. "I've found a bird's nest!" Gunter handed Greta the grass doll he had just finished making for her and she grasped hold of Miko’s hand, dragging her along. Gunter dusted himself off and climbed the hill to settle on the blanket between his daughter and Shori.
"Murata, I wanted to ask you something," Yuuri said tentatively, maintaining eye contact with Wolfram rather than looking up at the Sage. "I don't want you to feel like you have to answer me though."
Murata shrugged. "I'll do my best, Shibuya.”
"When Shinou was inside my mind, trying to control me he told me something," Yuuri began, running his fingers absently through Wolfram's hair. "He said that he'd spent thousands of years cultivating my soul, carefully choosing each host in order to make the perfect vessel for himself."
"Shibuya, that's not true," Murata shook his head insistently. "It was never his true intention, nor mine, for you to be used in that manner. He'd been corrupted by the Originators and he was no longer thinking clearly."
"I realize that," Yuuri nodded, finally looking up. "But part of what he said was true. I want to know that part of the story. I want to know who I was when we first met."
"Yuuri," Wolfram said gently. "I don't think he wants to talk about that. Those were his friends. I..." he glanced up at Gwendal with a sick expression. His eldest brother placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"I wouldn't want to talk about it either," Conrart offered resolutely.
"It's all right," Murata said. "I always knew there would be a day when I would have to own to all that I'd done, to the choices I made. I've had plenty of time to come to terms with it."
"It really is okay if you don't want to talk about it," Yuuri said.
"In a way I suppose you deserve to hear it," Murata shrugged. "What you must understand is that while this story affects each of you in some respect I don't want any of you to take it too much to heart."
"What do you mean?" Wolfram asked.
"You'll understand when I come to the end," Murata said. "This story truly begins on the day before the second greatest battle I ever fought. The first battle to destroy the Originators. We were vastly outnumbered and most of us expected it to be the last day we would ever see. I'd devised a plan, one that was admittedly risky but the only one we felt would bring us victory. Of all those who fought with us there were twelve, apart from myself, that Shinou trusted beyond all others; Sigrid Voltare, Rufus Bielefeld, Ilsa Spitzweg, Dieter Crist, Johanes Grantz, Liesl Karbelnikoff, Ludwig Rochefort, Franz Radfort, Zila Gyllenhaal, Earhart Wincott, his young brother Christol and Laurence Weller. They were more than just comrades, they were brothers, sisters. I would have rather lost every last man in our army than even one of them."
"It was already late when I called them to council in Shinou's tent," Murata said, picking absently at the leaves of a daisy. "I felt it would be better if none but those present knew what we planned. Shinou announced that we would need four volunteers, I would change them, making them usable as keys. There was much discussion and finally Liesl pointed out that we could not be certain that the four volunteers would survive the initial charge. The Twelve decided amongst themselves that the most logical solution would be to change all of them, to be better assured that at least four of them would survive to act as keys. Shinou and I both were against this plan, largely because I couldn’t completely predict the long term consequences of our actions. The Twelve would not be dissuaded however. In the end I relented. Of course you know, It was Earhart, Laurence, Rufus and Sigrid who reached the designated position first and the keys were set."
"Mercifully my fears were unfounded and the other potential keys suffered no ill effects," Murata continued, his voice slightly unsteady. "I'm not sure I could have lived with it otherwise. It would turn out to be fortuitous for all of us. When it became clear that our plan had not worked as we'd hoped, Shinou and I formed a solution. The very same magic that had allowed me to make the keys would allow me to choose a soul, a single soul who, with the proper training, would be able to surpass Shinou and succeed where we had failed. It was a precarious proposition at best, to meddle so with souls and Shinou and I argued at length over whom we should choose. Our champion would need both phenomenal power and unwavering purity of spirit to defeat the Originators, no small feat to be certain. In the end we decided to cultivate all of them in the hopes that, when the time came, one of them would be prepared to serve as the champion we needed.
"We would need an elemental magic wielder with unparalleled power, so obviously we wouldn't be able to use Laurence,” Murata closed his eyes letting out a shaky breath as he turned away, gazing out across the hillside. "I took it upon myself to cultivate the first reincarnation for each of the others, I attended them at their deaths and carefully selected the person who would next carry their soul. We told none of them what we planned but of course Earhart was far too clever for us to deceive. The three of us were closest of all, there was no one, apart from Shinou himself, that I had ever cared for more. He was unwilling to risk Cristol in such a manner so when Earhart sent him to Earth with the Bottom of the Mirror I was resigned that it was for the best. I was down by two and we had not even reached the first reincarnation."
"Over the years there were many things that happened," Murata sighed. "It would take too long to relate it all. Johanes’s soul proved to be ill suited to wielding greater magic, Ilsa's soul, while immensely powerful, was too... whimsical for a warrior. For one reason or another we were forced to abandon the others until we were left with only the souls that had belonged to Liesl, Earhart, Rufus, Sigrid and Dieter. It was at this point that I had reincarnated into the Karbelnikoff household. I was the brother of Liesl's heir, who was then Demon Queen. Unrest in Cimaron led us to the aid of Laurence's heir. This part of the story you know. Cimaron's king cut off his own arm rather than allow the key to fall into the hands of dangerous men. We came too late to save him and I was forced to forfeit my own life as well in defense of my sister and Queen."
"That's how you ended up reincarnated as a human, isn't it?" Yuuri asked. Murata nodded.
"I was truly horrified," Murata admitted. "I had, to that point, spent all my lives in The Great Demon Kingdom. I was determined to continue my work, no matter what."
"As Jeneus?" Gwendal asked curiously.
"Yes," Murata looked extremely unsettled. "I simply could not let go, with each human incarnation it became easier to face. Finally I accepted that I would have to bide my time. I did not return to The Great Demon Kingdom until I was lucky enough to reincarnate into the Weller family itself. My name granted me audience despite the long conflict with humans."
"I lived the remainder of that life here as strategist to Rufus's heir," there was a fond smile on Murata's face. "He was, perhaps, one of the finest King's I ever served and for a while I believed we had found our champion. He was wise, powerful, compassionate, fearless. Truly, I have never known anyone more deserving of the title of Demon King. He was everything that we had hoped for and we adored each other as only brothers can. We so often underestimate the influence we have on the lives of others. He was still young by our standards when I died, a very, very old man. I was reborn a von Grantz and when I next appeared before my king he was far different from the friend I had known so well. Cold, aloof, quietly angry. My death had illuminated a... vulnerability in his heart. The loss of those dear to him seemed to affect him more than most and as commendable as I found that devotion to be personally, I knew it would only open him to greater risk as our champion. Either we would abandon him as a champion or we would have to strip him of the chink in his armor. I convinced Shinou to abandon him, perhaps one of the most self serving things I have ever done but I couldn't bear the thought of forcibly changing my friend."
"All four of our remaining champions showed extraordinary magical power, however. There was just one problem, in my absence Shinou had become convinced that we could not use Earhart. Shinou was certain that Earhart's soul would be unable to destroy him because of our deep friendship. I don’t think I’ve ever know anyone as selfless and loyal as Earhart, and he was never afraid to love his friends with his whole heart. Cristol, Laurence, Shinou, myself, he would have done simply anything to protect any one of us.
I was forced to agree with Shinou’s assessment after meeting Earhart's new heir. He was uncommonly devoted to Shinou, and me as well. I was not at all certain that I could endanger him any more than I could alter Rufus. It was a hard blow, and I blamed my long absence, had I been here things might have turned out quite differently. In the end Shinou and I determined that we would no longer hide my identity. I would declare myself to the King each time I came of age, serving in his court under my true title as insurance."
"My next life saw me as the daughter of the 19th King," Murata chuckled. “With my return to the Great Demon kingdom the temple priestesses could once more oversee my reincarnations and Shinou has a terrible sense of humor. It did allow me to become very close to our remaining champions and I soon became convinced that we were on the right track. Both Sigrid and Liesl's heirs showed particular potential. Their magical power was unrivaled by any before them other than Shinou himself." Yuuri glanced up at Gwendal but his Chief of State was looking out across the field to where Greta was playing with Miko as if he weren't listening. Anissina let her head rest on his shoulder, rubbing his arm comfortingly.
"One would think that I would have learned humility after so many lifetimes," Murata sighed. "I convinced Shinou to instill their souls in the warriors who would serve as the two greatest generals of their generation, Aslyn von Voltaire and Kurt von Karbelnikoff.”
Gunter let out a soft gasp as Wolfram’s eyes widened.
Yuuri frowned pensively. “I think I remember reading about them.” he said.
“And so you should,” Murata nodded. “It was my intention to focus their power but it was the height of hubris, a great warrior alone would not be enough to defeat the Originators. They both lacked an empathic quality that I knew would be essential. Their immense power and their tactical genius plunged The Great Demon Kingdom into war. In the end I had to admit that I had lost us two more keys. There wasn't enough time to correct their course."
"At least I saw the error of my ways," Murata said, "I refocused anew and I determined that I would not fail with Dieter's heir, I would not force Earhart's soul to destroy Shinou. We began to instill his soul in those whose power would be better tempered by compassion and wisdom. It was working, but for all our effort we could not completely focus his power. He was the greatest magic wielder who had ever lived and a true genius as a warrior but he had no heart to raise his blade. At his core he was a lover, not a fighter and no amount of effort on our part would truly be enough to change that. We had run out of time."
"We resigned ourselves to the truth," Murata said, staring directly at Yuuri. "We would be forced to use the one soul we had most hoped to spare. I would betray one of the dearest friends I had ever known and Shinou would die at the hands of his closest brother. The only consolation was that potentially the latent emotional connection would be weak enough that Earhart's soul would not realize who he was being asked to kill. I was not sure I could live with what I would do, I was certain that knowledge would be too much for Earhart. I personally instilled the soul in the body of a girl infant who was destined to be the greatest healer of the age. She possessed both a tender heart and an indomitable spirit and we hung all our hopes on her. I departed for earth, with my task finished I would now secure the Bottom of the Mirror and aid our Champion when she came to retrieve it."
"This part of the story I didn't experience first hand," Murata said softly. "The child, Julia, was born blind and in frail health. It was clear that her physical weakness would make her unable to serve as our champion, but more troubling than that, the power we had cultivated in her should have been more than enough to restore both her body and her sight from an act of sheer will. Something was terribly wrong. While she was more powerful than any Demon before her, she seemed only partially able to control that power. Shinou determined that it was the nature of the power itself, what we had created was a hybrid of elemental and esoteric magic. A full blooded Demon would never be able to fully manifest the power we had cultivated. We would need someone more... common."
"Me," Yuuri said, Murata nodded.
"We had one choice remaining," Murata said with a smile. "You see, the night I made the keys it was necessary for me to bind those souls to a bloodline. Each time those souls reincarnated they would need to be carried by the same family for all time. In this way we would be able to find the keys. But it also meant that we would have to do something extraordinary. Our Champion would need to be of the Wincott bloodline and they would have to be of mixed parentage. We would have to find a Wincott married to a human."
"Cristol," Yuuri said. "My father's a descendant of Cristol Wincott." Murata smiled.
"But if those souls are each bound to a single bloodline..." Anissina's voice trailed off.
"You can't remember," Murata said, Gwendal turned to face them and Murata looked at each of them in turn. "None of you can, you probably get some impressions sometimes, but that's all. You see, it's okay. I haven't really lost anything. In a way I have you all back. I want you to know that what we did to you... it didn't change who you were. Your personalities, the essence of who you are hasn't changed in four millennia. I recognized you all." He grinned at Cecilie and Gisela before looking directly at Shori.
"Wait... What?" Shori asked, staring back at him in confusion.
"Cristol Wincott," Yuuri let out a laugh. "Shori, Cristol's soul has been on earth all this time."
"None of you ever thought it strange that the younger brother was so protective of the elder?" Murata asked in amusement as both Shori and Yuuri's faces turned red.
"I always wondered why you smile like that," Gunter said with a chuckle.
"You even gave me Shinou back," Murata said, looking at Yuuri, tears stinging his eyes.” He was right about one thing, you couldn't bring yourself to destroy him. We should have never doubted you." Yuuri glanced away. He smiled as he watched his father spinning Greta in circles as she giggled wildly.
"I knew there was a reason I trusted all of you so much," Yuuri declared softly.
"Don't be ridiculous," Wolfram scoffed. "It has nothing to do with that, you trust everyone because you're a soft hearted wimp."
"Brat," Yuuri growled.
"Some things," Murata said happily. "Just never change."