Chapter Text
IV - Return
Somewhere within the desert of Sumeru, the rays of the sun pierced through the clear clouds to touch the sand—
—Olga Marie Animusphere, Director of Chaldea, blinked into existence a meter above the desert dunes of the Narion of Wisdom. Due to the fact that she was not in solid ground, she fell down, with the weight of her body creating a cloud of sand that obscured her vision shortly after. It was soon blown away by a small gust of wind, which had decided to brush against her skin, bringing the feeling of arid air to the skin of the director.
The Director’s eyelids blinked rapidly, shifting her own weight to account of the presence of the Ruler of Space, who was sleeping without struggling against her back. Noticing the lack of reaction from the Shade, Olga Marie felt the tension leave her body.
“Finally back. . .” Olga Marie whispered into the wind. She looked down while closing her eyes, feeling the constant wind brushing her hair. “After who knows how long. . . finally back.”
She opened her eyes once more, still staring down, and blinked.
For a brief moment, her expression remained relaxed, but in two seconds, it had changed into one of pure confusion—bewildered, even. Her eyes looked around in the sand, following a pattern that she had found as she strained her eyes further to look at something in specific—something that was out of place, but she did not understand why.
What happened to the leylines?
The leylines that Olga Marie had briefly observed just before going to do the request of Ronova had asked of her had changed. The director took a certain amount of pride in being able to remember simple things—even if sometimes, some managed to slip—but in her mind, something as beautiful as the leylines of this World would not be something that she forgets easily.
And such, because of that, once she noticed that what was once straight and forward had become a mess of lines tangled up together trying to reassemble themselves into something that made sense, brought discomfort to the daughter of the stargazers.
While staring at the sand, trying to understand what could have possibly happened in the time she had been gone, a shadow fell over Olga Marie.
She blinked, and looked up, expecting to see a cloud covering the sun.
And it was. . . but then her eyes caught sight of something in the distance.
Celestia.
The island of the divine was just above the green side of Sumeru.
The celestial island floated above the Nation of Wisdom with divine splendor. Olga Marie was stunned at the sight, blinking rapidly as though it would dispel what she had thought of as a mirage conjured up by the desert and her time not on the World but travelling between Space.
Even so, something gnawed at her mind as she finally soaked in the sight that never faded away.
A single thought bounced around her brain.
Why. . .?
A question composed of a single word, yet it carried the heaviness of what the answer could mean from her own understanding.
Because Olga Marie remembered.
She remembered what Istaroth had told her. That Celestia had not moved in five centuries since the Cataclysm that had struck the World. Not even when civilizations had harbored thoughts of bringing down the heavens, and not even when there were Fools going around trying to destroy the established order constructed by the Primordial One.
Yet, there it was, the island that had not moved in centuries was currently in the place where the Stargazers would have been exploring in her absence.
There could be many reasons, many that didn’t make a single sense to Olga Marie to some that did—such as the island was attracted or moved by someone by accident—but the mere thought was so ridiculous the more she thought of it that she buried it deep inside herself. The most likely reason—one she dreaded—pointed that someone or something had caused enough trouble for the Shades to get personally involved using their divine bodies.
She did not know if that meant that even the Primordial One had woken up, as well.
Olga Marie hoped not. She would not be able to handle the stress if such situation came to be.
In the end, she simply hoped that her Stargazers were safe and sound.
Olga Marie shifted her body slightly, sliding her eyes to the side to get a good grasp of the stars above the firmament. After a minute, she caught a star and from there mapped the way toward the moon with her eyes. using the pattern she had studied since Mondstadt, she found the current location of the moon without issue.
“I hope that nothing bad happened. . .” Olga Marie wished in her heart, with fervor. Briefly glancing at the Ruler of Space resting in her back, she whispered in a low voice—almost tenderly. “Almost there, Asmodeus. Soon enough, you’ll have to answer to the many questions that the eldest has. . .”
Exhaling the air in her lungs, Olga Marie felt heat rise through her body as her mana circuits lit up beneath her skin—
—and in the next second, she found herself inside of the base.
The sudden shift in temperature felt like wrecking ball in her body. She felt no pain, she could not from something like this, but her mentality as a human had remained the same. Olga Marie said nothing for a few seconds, before looking up as her mind finally caught up onto the fact that the temperature change would not bring harm.
Olga Marie looked around and noticed that she had appeared in the middle of the cafeteria. Empty as it was, with little to no staff on this journey, it looked as though no one had ever gone inside during the day. In fact, the more Olga Marie looked around, she felt a certain amount of somberness and sadness permeating the air around her.
Deep inside of her, Flare(Sadness) ignited slightly but was gently snuffed out.
After a brief second of looking around, the door of the cafeteria opened.
Olga Marie looked toward the door, and watched as one of the staff—Tomarin, whom she remembered well enough—walked inside with a defeated face. The engineer of Chaldea walked forward, eyes closed as she made her way toward the kitchen out of sheer muscle memory.
The director simply observed the actions of the one before her.
She looked at the lines that had sprouted from around Tomarin. There were only blue lines, which had brought a certain amount of comfort to Olga Marie, now that she understood there were no losses. Nevertheless, she would not feel joy—not yet—until she had confirmed the situation of everyone.
Tomarin grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and turned around. Her eyes were open this time, and they landed on the figure of Olga Marie carrying someone she did not know about. The chestnut-haired woman looked at Olga Marie with eyes wide open from shock.
They looked at each other for a moment, until Olga Marie raised her eyebrow in such a familiar way that Tomarin started panicking out of sheer reflex.
“D-D-Director. . .!?” The engineer jumped back while moving her arms in surprise. No water had been spilled out from the bottle, by sheer chance. “You are back!?”
“As you can see.” Olga Marie tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Tomarin.
“Why are you here in the cafeteria?” Asked the engineer, closing the lid of the bottle of water. The curiosity was palpable in her voice, and yet Olga Marie knew that there was something else being suppressed.
After all, she was not blind to the yellow lines that had started to appear all over Tomarin.
In the end, as she was about to answer, Tomarin spoke.
“Did you. . . try to get to the Command Room?” She asked, pressing her fingertips against each other.
Olga Marie simply kept silence, keeping her eyes on the chestnut-haired engineer.
“I’ll take that as a yes as a reply to my question, Director.” Tomarin sighed, reaching out to her pocket.
She took out the communicator without issue and began dialing up to someone.
In the meantime, Olga Marie looked around once more, getting a good read of the base. Her eyes caught wind of Ritsuka and Mash in the infirmary with the two doctors, and in another sweep of the base, she found the Ronova, Istaroth and Rhinedottir surrounding someone she did not know about, what she noticed, however, were the alarming dark-red lines that were covering their bodies.
Columbina was with them, with greyish-blue lines that waved between the two colors.
She also found Indra’s and Siegfried’s presence nearby covered in dark orange.
What is going on over there. . .? The Director wondered, confused. In her mind, she quickly made plans to go find out what that is about.
Her eyes moved toward the Command Center, where she found the rest of the Stargazers. Vanessa and Indarias were behind Da Vinci’s, while the rest of the Stargazers were around them. Sanhaj and Kiongozi were standing with them, too.
Olga Marie frowned, she, too, found someone whom she did not recognize, standing behind someone else she did not know about. Something rose from within her, as she felt the familiar feeling invading her body.
Calm down. . . Olga Marie whispered in her mind, trying to turn down her stress level that threatened to rise.
Thankfully, the stress disappeared as soon as she heard the familiar voice.
“Tomarin?” Da Vinci’s figure came through. The voice of the young inventor brought about comfort to the director, who did not know the real passage of time while moving through Space to grab Asmoday. The genius raised an eyebrow while tilting her head. “Did something happen?”
Tomarin looked over at Olga Marie, before looking back at Da Vinci.
“The Director is back.” was all she said before turning the communicator around, letting anyone from the other side see the white-haired woman carrying another white-haired woman.
“Director Olga Marie!”
“What!?”
“The Director is back?”
“When did she get back!?”
What should be something that brought relief to her, instead bounced back the stress that had quelled, for Olga Marie noticed the sudden shift in the expression of the young inventor.
From serious, to worried to genuine relief and happiness she had not seen before. . . at least not personally.
Something tied a knot in her stomach, as Olga Marie wondered once more.
What happened?
<><><>
“Still no idea?”
Nahida shook her head with disappointment written all over her face.
The atmosphere of the Command Center turned somber at the news, as everyone inside felt the weight of such an answer settle in each one of their minds.
Da Vinci sighed, rubbing her hands together as she tried to work out the events that had happened yesterday.
The sudden appearance of the Dendro Sovereign had been an alarming event that nobody had predicted, and its effects would linger on within the Chaldeans and the citizens of Sumeru.
Nahida had brought up the immediate consequences of the fight that had transpired in the desert, as well as the panic of the people that roamed in verdant nation. It made the Archon feel sadness, to know that her people were filled with anxiety even though she had tried to quell it with her words before.
But alas, she was still recovering from the actions of the Sages, and the people still had to catch up to her presence once more.
In the end, when they had returned when they heard the news of what had happened, Nahida had asked the Traveler and Paimon to keep an eye on everything while she was in the process of interchanging sensitive information in the base of Chaldea, leaving the location aside per the request of the Ruler of Time.
Everyone felt silent, trying to brainstorm any idea of how to proceed with everything they knew in the first place.
—Then, the beep from the communicator came.
Chin quickly grabbed it and passed it along toward Vanessa, who knelt to Da Vinci’s level as she presented the device to her and the Dendro Archon, making sure that only the side of the genius could be seen by the caller.
Tomarin’s figure appeared. She looked between trying to appear serious and trying to hide her overflowing happiness.
Da Vinci raised an eyebrow. Quickly, in her mind, she discarded every theory to the cause of the expression of Tomarin that could not be true. After leaving only two in her mind, she spoke out to collapse the two lines into one.
“Tomarin?” she asked, raising an eyebrow while tiling her head. Her expression into a serious one. “Did something happen?”
Tomarin looked over somewhere, before looking back at Da Vinci. The inventor turned her face into one of worry before she heard the next words of the engineer.
“The Director is back.”
As soon as she spoke those words, which had brought silence to the Command Center, she turned the view around, letting everyone see.
Olga Marie stood there, in pristine condition in the cafeteria. She looked the same as the day she left, except for the part of her carrying around in her back someone Da Vinci had an inkling as to who it was.
Even so, before anyone could say anything before her, Da Vinci spoke.
“Director Olga Marie! When did you get back?”
“What!?” Chin spoke. His voice indicated relief.
“The Director is back?” Octavia tilted her head, but the happiness radiating from her voice was not missed.
“When did she get back!?” Indarias questioned, surprised.
The rest of them who had met Olga Marie expressed their happiness in varying degrees.
King Deshret simply raised an eyebrow, eyeing the reaction of all the people in the Command Center before looking back at the figure on the communicator.
Nahida simply smiled, watching the happiness that radiated from everyone once their superior had come back.
Such a sight was beautiful in her opinion, knowing that everyone that is below responds with joy at one’s return.
The subtle tension in Olga Marie’s shoulder’s visible lessened.
“Da Vinci, I got back like two or three minutes ago, maximum.” Olga Marie informed. “Did something happen? I saw that Celestia is currently above Sumeru.”
There was a moment of silence.
No words were spoken.
Olga Marie blinked and looked at Da Vinci, as the young inventor looked troubled.
The Director looked back, toward Tomarin, Da Vinci guessed.
In the end, Nahida broke the silence.
“Can I speak?” She asked, crossing her small arms over each other.
Olga Marie looked back with quickness at Da Vinci and glared.
“Who is that? Who have you brought to Chaldea while I was away?”
Da Vinci tilted her head to the other side. She knew from experience that the Director was not angry with her, nor was she demanding answers. It was a genuine question hidden beneath a mountain of emotions that wished not to reveal anything toward someone unknown.
Da Vinci nodded at Nahida, before Vanessa turned the device around.
“It is good to finally meet you, Director of Chaldea.” Nahida greeted, bowing her head gracefully.
Olga Marie narrowed her eyes.
The Dendro Archon continued with a smile. “I am the Lord of Dendro of the Nation of Sumeru,” she paused for a second. "I have many names, but you can simply call me Nahida."
Olga Marie raised an eyebrow.
“If you wish, though, you can call me Buer.”
Many emotions flashed through Olga Marie’s eyes at the last name.
Da Vinci giggled internally, knowing exactly what the Director was feeling at the moment.
“I’m going where you are.” Olga Marie informed, and the connection cut off.
Once the figure of the Director disappeared, silence returned for a moment to the Command Center.
“Does she know where we are?” The King of the Desert asked, breaking the silence. Nahida nodded at his question, wishing to know, too.
“She always does,” Da Vinci smiled, revealing grateful eyes. “Even if we are not in the same plane of existence, she will find us no matter what.”
Nahida titled her head, feeling curiosity at the wording.
Deshret did not press further.
After thirty seconds, steps could be heard coming from outside the Command Center, upon which the door opened, revealing Olga Marie walking inside alongside Tomarin, who quickly made her way to her station, leaving her superiors to have a talk without her presence nearby.
Vanessa stood up and bowed her head.
Indarias waved her arm while Sanhaj waved his hand.
Kiongozi nodded his head.
Deshret said nothing, watching from behind Nahida’s figure.
“Welcome back, Director.” Elron voiced out, speaking for every single stargazer present in the room.
The Director nodded, before looking over at Nahida. She stared at the Dendro Archon for a moment, not saying anything. Da Vinci, guessing what the Director was thinking, quickly intervened in the only way she knew.
“Welcome back, director! I fear that a welcoming party will have to wait, as you can see, we are not in the best moment.”
Olga Marie looked back at Da Vinci due to the second—and obvious call for attention—and nodded without saying a word.
The inventor knew that it was best to simply be truthful with the Director, knowing her abilities in detecting lies by looking at the colors covering a person. Besides that, the Director would simply go find the records of the event from Elron soon or later.
“Director, who is that?” Indarias asked, pointing at the one on Olga Marie’s back.
“The missing sister.” Was the reply.
“The Shade of Space?” Nahida muttered, awestruck at seeing the final Shade.
The golden eyed woman quickly glared at Da Vinci, who gently knocked her own head before putting a small portion of her tongue out.
“A lot has happened since you were gone, director.” The brown-haired inventor said.
“Give me a summary. A fast one if you will.” Olga Marie moved her arms slightly, getting more. “I have to get this one with the others.”
Da Vinci pressed her finger against her forehead for a moment before she snapped her fingers.
Vanessa kneeled, bringing the communicator to the level of the genius once more. Da Vinci pressed a few buttons before speaking directly into the device.
“The Director is back. She brought Space with her.”
After the message had been sent, Vanessa stood up, allowing for Da Vinci to get the full undivided attention of Olga Marie.
Da Vinci cleared her throat.
“So, I am going to speak of the most important parts, should you require clarification, everyone here can speak of their account.”
She waved her hand around.
Olga Marie gazed over the Command Center once more.
After a second, she looked back at Da Vinci.
“Explain.”
And so, Da Vinci started.
<><><>
Within the infirmary of Chaldea, Fujimaru Ritsuka felt his body ache.
The soreness that pulsated within his bones with each one of the beats of his heart could be felt without trouble. Such feeling did not cause him any pain, but it was not something that he would like to continue feeling from that day on.
He tried to move his right hand, clenching it into a fist. A bout of soreness moved through his skin, and he winced, yet felt no pain again.
His body was currently resting atop one of the many beds of the infirmary, pressing his head against a soft pillow as he stared at the white ceiling, waiting for something to happen or he was finally discharged to move. Whichever came first, though Ritsuka would prefer the latter.
He did not want anything else to happen at the moment.
Though, even if he tried to move, Ritsuka knew that it would be futile.
His eyes traveled along a line, toward the right side of the bed.
Besides him, Mash was looking down on him without the eyes of a hawk protecting her young. The determination beneath the glasses was easy to see for anyone who knew the pink-haired Shielder but seeing her like that had made him not even dare to move from his position, less he wished to earn a scolding by his trusted partner.
He also did not wish to incur Nightingale’s attention.
The Angel the Crimea proved her nature as Berserker once Ritsuka had appeared in the base, with the burnout of the amount of mana he had spent within a short about of time without notice. Ritsuka had felt the grim reaper at that moment and was relieved when Asclepius had appeared to knock—even if a little—sense into the nurse.
Mash, on the other hand, looked over Ritsuka one more time, ensuring that nothing was out of place. The Shielder of Humanity had made it her personal mission to never let Ritsuka out of her sight again. The dread and anxiety she had felt for the few hours when contact had been lost did not wash away once he had returned. She frowned, biting her lip as the memory played yet again in her mind.
Ritsuka noticed the expression and chuckled softly. “Mash, don’t worry, I’ll be up in no time. This is just burnout, remember?”
He tried to reach out for Mash’s hand that was resting just beside his head on the pillow. In an instant, her hand met his, stopping his movement from progressing any further. Ritsuka frowned for a second, before moving his eyes to meet Mash’s, and he stopped. Freezing in place.
The fierce eyes behind the glasses were not joke, after all.
Silence fell upon the infirmary once more, just as Ritsuka stopped talking. The only noise that could be discerned was the movement of the doctors as they moved without break to update the medical records of anyone who had been involved in the incident regarding the Servant who had been their “Ruler”.
——Then, a beep pierced through the silence.
Mash raised an eyebrow, curious. She reached out to the communicator in the stand beside Ritsuka’s bed before pressing the button in the device. Both Master and Servant had expected it to be a call from Da Vinci, to inform them of something that they may have found.
Yet, all they received was a simple message:
“The Director is back. She brought Space with her.”
Such news jolted both Ritsuka and Mash, the former sitting up in the bed before his brain could catch up to the fact.
“Ow!”
“Ritsuka, stay down!”
“Commander!”
“Are we doing this again, Master?”
With the movement of the patient, the voices of Mash, Nightingale and Asclepius came in quick succession, each one with different levels of severity.
Ritsuka had moved too fast, and for the first time in a while, truly felt pain shooting up through his arms. Yet, he made no movement to stand down. The news of the return of the Director had sparked something in him. His desire to greet her, to meet her once more, was greater than anything at the moment.
Mash, too, felt the same, but she buried it down at the moment. Her hands quickly moved, leaving Ritsuka’s as she pressed down on his shoulders, gently, to avoid incurring another bout of pain on the man she cared for,
Nightingale had made her presence known by the bed, leaning down while spreading her arms. Her eyes did not leave Ritsuka’s figure, but she made sure to have ample view of the entire bed to ensure that not even the Master pressing his foot on the floor would be missed by her. Should he ever think of even doing that, Nightingale knew what she would do.
Asclepius, while not making any attempt to stop the patient, simply shook his head, knowing very well that anything that happens in the moment would depend on the Master’s choice of words.
Though, he hoped that no more harm would befall the young man.
It was always tiring curing someone who kept knowingly hurting themselves, even if Asclepius didn’t have an issue with healing them back up again.
At Mash’s words, Ritsuka shook his head slowly. “I need to welcome her. Besides, we must get the rest.”
At his words, Mash shook her head, too. “I can go alone. You still need to rest.”
The pink-haired young woman understood his feelings better than anyone in the room—in fact, better than anyone in Chaldea. But understanding and allowing are two different things.
She still wished for him to rest.
Nightingale, for her part, agreed with Mash’s decision. With a nod, she commented. “I would not recommend moving beyond this room after the events of yesterday, Commander.” While not moving from her position, she drew the attention of everyone in the room. If still wish to move, I will be forced to strap you down to the bed to ensure you get proper rest.”
It was an inhumane way of treating someone who simply felt soreness in his body, yet, as always, Nightingale’s position as nurse would take precedent over any other feeling she may have. Her words earned a sigh from Asclepius, who wished for the situation to be resolved peacefully.
“It would be for the best, but. . .” The God of Medicine looked at the determination burning behind Ritsuka’s eyes. “I think the Master is not going to stand down from this one.”
He turned toward Mash, ignoring the glare from Nightingale as though it was something that did not exist.
“Since it is simply soreness he feels, he can leave as long as he does not strain his body.” Asclepius told her, before listing off a list of restrictions. “Since it was due to burnout: He cannot use mana, and he cannot do exercise until three days have passed.” With each word, Nightingale eyes narrowed further into her fellow doctor. Making a note of the stare, Asclepius quickly added. “If by some chance he breaks this agreement, he will be strapped down onto the bed until Nightingale clears him.”
Then, he looked at Ritsuka with a resigned look.
The Master simply nodded, silently thanking him for his brave actions.
It was an agreement—a contract, if it could be called one—made on the spot by Asclepius with the intention to resolve the situation as fast as possible. He understood the feelings of Mash, who wished for her loved one to heal well, though he also understood that she shared the same feelings of Ritsuka when it came to the Director.
Both of them were always sensitive to the existence known as Olga Marie Animushpere.
Ritsuka looked at Mash with the same determination he had moments prior. The Shielder of Humanity looked at him, and through a non-verbal conversation between their eyes, she loosened her grip on his shoulders and sighed in resignation.
“Okay, Ritsuka,” She stood up from the chair, gently grabbing his hand.
Mash glanced at Nightingale, who simply glanced back.
Another non-verbal communication.
Ritsuka suppressed a shiver. He recognized the eyes.
“I’ll wait outside.”
With those words, Mash let go of Ritsuka’s hand and walked out of the infirmary. Retrieving the clothes with a quick motion, Asclepius gave Ritsuka his mystic code and while there was some difficulty, the Master had managed to change into them. Briefly glancing around, Asclepius and Nightingale had returned to their previous position, but the latter was staring at him intently.
Ritsuka waved, feeling a bead of sweat running down the back of his neck.
He left the infirmary.
Outside, he met Mash, who was waiting on him with her arms behind her back.
“Let’s go.” Ritsuka said, receiving a nod from his partner.
They made their way toward the location of those who would be most interested in the return of the Director, because as much as Ritsuka and Mash wanted to meet her right away, the fact that “Space” had been brought meant that at least one of the Shades should be present, as per their agreement while overseeing their new. . . guest.
The journey, that normally should have taken no longer than three minutes, took slightly longer due to Mash’s insistence on taking it easy on Ritsuka while she moved in front of him, being the guide. He appreciated the thought, but in his mind, it was unnecessary worry. Yet, he did not speak his thoughts out loud.
While they walked to their destination, Ritsuka thought while glancing at Mash.
The battle is still fresh in her mind. He understood that very well, as the one who had stood by her side for the last couple of years. I have to admit; it must have reminded her of the Remnant Order I had to do before Maris activated. Her inability to take action had left a mark deeper than I thought. After meeting with the Director, I should take her once more to walk around Sumeru.
Making a resolution in his mind to ease the mind of his partner, Ritsuka looked forward to see that they had arrived at the destination.
There, in front of the door, Indra and Siegfried stood as guards, fiercely looking. Each one of them had their respective weapons drawn with alertness enveloping their essence. Normally, it would only be the latter being so serious, but the events that had taken place had left an impression on Indra, too.
Anyone who knew the God could see that.
“Lord Indra. Lord Siegfried.” Mash called out, getting the attention of the Servants.
The Servants relaxed their guards for a moment as they recognized the voice of Mash. They looked toward them and were briefly surprised to see Ritsuka standing beside her. Nevertheless, Indra grinned proudly at the Master.
“It seems you are in good health.”
“Hm.” Siegfried nodded shortly after, agreeing with the words. His eyes glanced back at the door, then at Ritsuka once more. “Are you here for something?”
Ritsuka nodded, looking at the door. “Yes. The Director is back with what Ronova had requested of her. We have come to tell her.”
“The little star girl came back?” Indra raised an eyebrow, the lighting around him intensified slightly. “Would you look at that, right after the mess is already resolved.”
Siegfried glanced at him.
Mash glared at the Lord of Lighting, while Ritsuka simply pursed his lips with a muted expression.
The Lord of Lighting simply laughed, voice booming with electricity. He waved his hand, making his Vajra power down as he addressed the pink-haired young woman. “Don’t worry little, miss. I meant nothing of it. I just thought of it as a coincidence.” Indra looked back at Ritsuka. “Go ahead.”
Ritsuka nodded and knocked on the door.
A second passed. . . another. . . another. . . then—
“Star, Aunt, come on in.”
Without saying a word, Ritsuka opened the door and walked inside, Mash moving right behind him. Indra powered up the Vajra as soon as they entered, and his expression turned serious even as they closed the door once they were inside.
The door had closed without making a single sound, and for the first time, Ritsuka was able to see what was inside the room.
There was no light within the room—no natural light that is. Within the room of darkness, the light that emanated from the bodies of the Shades was the only source of light that could be seen. The three stood in full alert, not daring to stare away from the being that stood in the middle of them as though doing so might invite a great disaster that they wish to avoid at any cost if possible.
Istaroth was the first one that could be seen within the dark.
Wrapping her arms around her legs, her tired—actually tired—eyes reflected the face of someone who had seen too much, without being able to do anything about it.
The Ruler of Life stood, crossing her arms over each other as she glared at the one being that held certain relation with her. Her eyes pondering and calculating, something that brought Ritsuka certain relief, knowing that part hadn’t dissipated from his Caster.
Ronova, on the other hand, looked like someone ready to commit murder at the slightest provocation. It was a sight that Ritsuka had never thought he would see, though he knew that he was not the one who should be speaking about it. Glancing at Mash, who was also looking at him, with a single nod between the two, he understood that both shared the same thought.
From the corner of his eyes, Ritsuka also managed to see Columbina, simply staring.
It must have been a shock to her, He concluded, looking directly at that which everyone was looking at. Seeing someone she was comfortable with turn into. . .
That which was in the middle of the room, was a woman who shared many similitudes to the “Ruler” whom Ritsuka had gotten to know ever since that dream in Sumeru. Long white disheveled hair that ended in green tips, a mature body that exuded elegance, with an aura of wisdom that permeated her essence. Yet, the white fair skin that had once colored her body had darkened into dark-brown, and the eyes that bore the symbol of clover had turned to ashen yellow draconic slits that wished to burn the heavens.
In that moment, Ritsuka understood the truth: the Ruler who had stood beside them was gone.
Greater Lord “Rukkhadevata” was no more.
A sharp pain embedded itself into his heart, and he closed his eyes. taking a deep breath. Soon, he felt Mash’s hand touching his shoulder. He glanced at her and nodded.
With newfound resolve, he looked in the direction of Ronova and told the news.
“Director Olga Marie has returned with Space.”
The mention of “Space” grabbed the attention of everyone in the room except for one.
Ronova snapped her face to face him without a single thought, while the Ruler of Life glanced in his direction, raising an eyebrow. Columbina had perked up, her eyes opened slightly before she quickly looked back at the one on the floor.
Staring at “Greater Lord” Apep, who looked furious at the news.
Ritsuka pursed his lips, as brief flashes inside of his mind came to be. He recalled the story of the Dragons from their stay in Natlan, and internally winced.
He glanced at Istaroth, who among the everyone was the only one who did not look surprised, in fact, she looked as though she expected it. Though Ritsuka knew that his eyes might be playing tricks on him, he believed he saw Istaroth’s shoulders relax at the news.
Ronova spoke, with a voice strained with caution. “I shall get Space. Take my place here. Once everyone has settled, we shall finally now what do with her. . .”
The bitterness and anger in her voice were evident, for the Last Dragon of the Old Era glared with similar feelings toward Ronova, who simply ignored the eyes of the being she considered an enemy.
Istaroth looked over for a second, before staring down at the Dendro Sovereign once more.
The Ruler of Life did not make a single movement, simply looking back over toward their captive.
Soon after, the Ruler of Death disappeared into a flurry of raven feathers, which promptly vanished in a red mist.
Ritsuka inwardly sighed, feeling the situation being more tense than it should be.
The tension in the air was dense, he understood that from the way everything had gone yesterday, and he did not feel like the reaction of everyone who was affected was overblown. After all, two Shades, four servants and himself were in mortal danger due to the conscious actions of the one who had pretended to be their friend.
Although, Ritsuka wondered in his mind, as his eyes slid toward Apep. Due to the nature of the Pretenders. . . should I consider that possibility of her obtaining the sense of morality of the real Rukkhadevata, if even a little? Though. . . He grimaced, trying not to show it in his face. Since the disappearance of the identity of “Rukkhadevata”, would that even be possible?
The mere notion was something Ritsuka had thought about while resting.
Each and every pretender who became so while pretending to be someone who was known, someone whose identity they could pretend to be, if that identity vanished from the world—from even the one pretending, he’d wondered the consequences such effect would have on the Servant themselves.
And they still had no idea why “Rukkhadevata” had disappeared from the World.
“Ritsuka,” Mash’s voice snapped the stargazer out of his thoughts. He turned around to look at her, who held a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay?”
Ritsuka waved his hand and winced from the soreness that had spread. Quickly speaking before Mash could make a comment on it. “Don’t worry, just thinking about . . . identities.” He mumbled the last part.
Mash nodded her head, serious, when she turned around to look at Apep with a neutral expression.
Ritsuka walked closer to Apep, who wiggled further away from him. Mash walked closer to him, gently grabbing his shoulder as he kneeled to look at the Sovereign in the eye.
“So. . .” He started. It came off as slightly awkward, but he quickly covered it up by continuing to talk. “I heard that you have been having a hard time while I was asleep.”
It had been the wrong thing to say, as he had found, for Apep glared at him.
Dendro energy moved alongside her fingertips before—
Apep moaned in pain as she struggled to move. Electricity moved through her body as the Ruler of Life pressed her hands against the floor, activating the alchemical formula that had been laid down all over the room for protection. After a second had passed, not wishing for such action to continue, Ritsuka called out to his Caster.
“Stop!” He yelled out—commanded.
The Sovereign stopped moving, the smell of burnt flesh made its presence known in the room.
Ritsuka sighed, and from the corner of his eyes, he noticed Columbina moving to apply a certain substance to the skin of Apep. The Sovereign moved once more, slightly, as her eyes regained the light they had lost the second before.
“Sorry,” He apologized, moving closer. Columbina gently lifted Apep, making her sit on the ground. The Sovereign looked angry at the sight of him but did not dare to make a move this time. “That was my fault, I did not know that would make you angry. I apologized for that.”
The Sovereign of Dendro glared.
Mash glared back, moving in front of Ritsuka to act as a wall between the two of them.
Once more, he sighed, knowing that nothing would be done at the moment but wait for Ronova to come back.
He hoped she would not take long.
He also wished to see the Director again.