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The first time Geshtar saw the sorcerer, he had been but a Captain of the Guard - young but tried, his loyalty to the throne and his people unwavering. By contrast, the sorcerer was a new face to the Empire and not yet fully trusted.
He put on a fantastic display of his power, though, all for the benefit of the crown. He offered new research on Mana - and even recovered records from before the War of the Gods..
The Emperor had been pleased.
But something was unsettling about the sorcerer. Geshtar couldn't quite place what, and by all counts Thanatos was exactly what the struggling empire needed to expand its borders and its wealth. He offered wisdom, guidance. Prosperity. Power.
Hope.
A growing nation, the Empire was desperately grasping at anything to compete with much more expansive and established kingdoms like Pandora or Tasnica. Thanatos' arrival was well-timed. It was almost too well-timed.
Only a Captain, Geshtar kept his mouth shut, his eyes focused forward on nothing, and his thoughts to himself. Only a Captain, he remembered his oath to defend crown and citizens from the threats without - and held fast to it. Only a Captain, he cheered when his Emperor appointed Thanatos to a position of moderate power within the Magistrate.
---
The Empire was flourishing. Along the streets of its capitol city, banners hung from the buildings and pennants swayed in the breeze as throngs of travelers patroned the many shops. Prosperity lined the pockets of the merchants and tradesmen, and the farmers' yield was high year after year. In turn, the grandeur of the nobility reached greater heights - with mansions to match as new turrets were added to the roofline of Northtown almost daily. Although further from the heart of the Empire, Southtown prospered, too.
Even the new island City of Gold, under purview of the self-styled 'King' Mammon, grew exponentially in wealth - and further added to the Emperor's coffers.
The Empire was flourishing, and it was all thanks to the new control that it had acquired over Mana.
The Empire was flourishing, and as one of its greatest knights, Geshtar should have been proud. Yet he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong - that the people he had grown up with and sworn to defend with his dying breath were taking advantage of something forbidden. Or, perhaps, that they were being taken advantage of by something even worse.
He looked out from the ramparts of the imperial castle at the vibrant city below, brow furrowed in concentration. There was nothing but industry and prosperity to be seen. There were no dark shadows, no cloud of ill omen hovering over the landscape.
It still troubled him.
---
The Imperial Guard stood assembled in the throne room, armor gilded and gleaming. Their presence was purely ceremonial. They were visible enough to give the Emperor's guests pause, but far enough from the throne that none could overhear conversation held between him and his advisors.
As Knight-Commander, Geshtar was the only one visibly standing behind the Emperor with armor donned. He kept his face impassive as he watched the massive chamber, gaze traveling over his Guard and Vandole's guests alike. He tried not to listen too carefully to the low conversation before him, but that proved to be an impossible task - even more so because he was now among the Emporer's most trusted.
"..and with the success exhibited by Lord Midas, we are ready to proceed with the next step in using the Mana Seeds to expand the Empire's reaches." Thanatos' voice was low, soothing - exactly what the Emperor listened to most carefully at times like this.
The sorcerer had only begun his service to the Empire less than a decade prior, but already he was among the Emperor's personal advisors, serving as the newly-appointed Head Magister. His knowledge of Mana was unparalleled and almost uncanny in its accuracy of complex theoretical applications.
"Hmm.." The Emperor paused, considering Thanatos' words. When the sorcerer started to speak again, he was halted by a raised hand. Instead, Vandole turned to regard Geshtar and surprised the Knight-Commander when he asked, "What are your thoughts on this?"
Geshtar's expression must have betrayed him. He caught the sorcerer's faint smirk before regaining composure.
"I have my doubts as to how long we can rely on Mana alone," he began. Thanatos' face hardened, the corners of his lips turning down. Geshtar focused on his liege whose own expression was far more impassive. "However.." and he paused, doubt filling his veins as he considered his next words. "However, I believe that the Lord High Magister presents a solid argument - and a plethora of facts in support. It is true that we have prospered greatly-" Almost too much. "-from harnessing Mana's power. Our borders have expanded. Our citizenship has swelled. Our coffers are so full as to run over season after season. Our people are happy and hopeful - far from what they were ten years ago."
He took a breath to steady himself. With each statement, he felt that he was slipping further and further away from .. something. What he didn't know. Perhaps he was slipping away from himself. "I support the Lord High Magister's suggestion. We should seek out the other Seeds before they are lost - or fall into the hands of our enemies."
With that last proclamation, Geshtar couldn't help but glance toward Thanatos again. The sorcerer seemed nearly as surprise by his support as the knight had been by the Emperor's question. But the way that Thanatos smiled ever-so-graciously at him afterward made his blood run cold.
"Very well," Vandole murmured, his attention already turned away from Geshtar again. "I give you free reign to research and seek out the remaining Seeds. Coordinate with the others when you locate them so that we can take them swiftly."
Geshtar couldn't bring himself to watch much longer. His stomach was twisted in knots, and his breathing felt heavy. With a murmured excuse, he withdrew himself from the throne room and left his Second in charge of the Guard.
Although the sun shone brightly outside and the breeze was gentle, he suddenly felt that the entire Empire was terribly horribly wrong. The brightness and the cheer exhibited within the imperial palace were too severe. The laughter of children seemed off key. The dark shadow of a horse being led to the stables looked angular and twisted, and for a brief moment the guard leading the mare seemed a soulless shell trapped in enchanted armor - and the horse itself was naught but rotting skin stretched over a metal skeleton, flies buzzing after it as they chased the walking corpse.
Surely it was just him. Surely his doubts were ill-founded. Geshtar reached his chambers before any could see his shaken state.
---
When Thanatos approached him, it was the dead of winter and they were alone in the palace's most western watch tower. Geshtar's breath was visible in the chill night air, but he never could quite see the sorcerer's own.
He'd long ago stopped wondering how different Thanatos was - or why.
"Why should I agree to this?" the Knight-General asked. It'd been less than a year since the Emperor's decree that the Mana Seeds were of paramount interest. It'd been less than a month since Thanatos had been appointed Head Chancellor, his own protégé Fanha taking his place as High Magister.
"Just think of how much better you could serve the throne," Thanatos said, his voice somewhere between a soothing purr and the knife's edge of a threat. "Think of how the Empire's people--"
"No," Geshtar interrupted him, his gaze hardened as he regarded Thanatos. "I know the practical reasons. I know the apparent reasons. Why should I help you? What goal have you in all of this?"
For once, the Chancellor paused as if uncertain how best to phrase his words. The wind seemed to pick up as if on cue, and Geshtar squinted as his hair whipped across his face unchecked. He expected more of the same from Thanatos. He didn't expect the truth. He didn't expect himself to dispute whatever the other man had to say, either.
He had already slipped too far.
"Power," Thanatos finally said. "I want more knowledge. I want more power. Only with the rest of the kingdoms under the Empire's control will I have access to everything I desire to expand what I know of Mana. What I can do to control it. Only through the Empire's success can both Vandole and I get what we desire. Using the Seeds is key. Using the Fortress, no one will be able to stop us. Using Mana, we can usher in a new age to surpass that of the ancients."
He'd long ago stopped listening to that inner voice crying out against Thanatos' machinations, just as he had long ago stopped correcting the Chancellor for speaking of their Emperor so .. commonly. "Fine," Geshtar said, his words clipped. "You'll have my support. For the glory of the Empire and Her people."
Swallowing dryly, Geshtar looked away. Those had been the final words of the oath he swore when inducted into the Knights. It felt like that had been so many years ago, and now those words seemed hollow. Forced. Insincere. He bit back the urge to say anything more to the sorcerer, knowing that whatever he offered would be used against him some other day. Instead, he stared outward into the night as the first flakes of a new snow began to fall, carried in a chaotic dance on the vicious wind.
Thanatos probably smiled, but he did not see it. He only nodded once as the Chancellor excused himself, apparently satisfied with his victory.
Fanha always sided with Thanatos. Sheex's support was variable at best. But with Geshtar to back his argument, the Chancellor was guaranteed to sway Vandole to his cause.
The Mana Fortress.
A new world order.
Mana to fuel the lifeblood of its rulers, blasting away any dissent.
Gesthar's heart was heavy as he considered just how far he'd fallen.
---
The fervor with which the mismatched trio challenged Geshtar surprised him. The strength they displayed in killing one of his trained Jabberwokkies almost gave him pause. The fact that they seemed guided by the strength of Mana itself was what finally made him question his actions again - question whether it had been truly wise to break the seal surrounding the Water Seed.
But he remained silent, his doubts hidden even from his Second.
Only Thanatos seemed to sense his inner turmoil and found him afterward. They'd already moved on to the next temple, hidden in the mountains to the west. Shadows crept as if alive at every turn within the cavernous halls and seemed poised to trap them within their grasp.
"Having doubts?" the sorcerer murmured low enough that only Geshtar caught his words. His eyes glinted from behind the skull-shaped mask that always covered his face.
Geshtar kept his attention focused ahead as they pushed forward through the temple. A full squadron moved with them, a token display of four before them and the rest to their rear. They gave both Knight-General and Chancellor a wide girth.
"No." Geshtar said. His words were cold, his tone distant, and his face impassive. He almost didn't say anything further. "My resolve is unwavering in support of the Empire and the throne's decree. You, of all people, should have realized this by now."
"That's right," Thanatos murmured, and the same chill crept into his own voice. "The Empire and Her people demand their rightful glory, and they will have what is deserved by them. It is our duty to ensure it."
This time, Geshtar let the silence following be his only answer. It echoed loudly in the caverns - much louder than their combined footfalls, or the chink of mail against armor, of weapons held in gauntleted hands. The silence was just as alive as the shadows themselves, and it felt just as malicious.
How far was he willing to go? The Knight-General entertained his thoughts in a passing fancy, focusing on them one moment and then away the next as if they were ever-changing clouds floating above on an errant breeze, sometimes tangible and almost with weighted meaning and other times as ephemeral as the whispered hush of the darkness slinking around them. Had he already gone too far?
The Empire continued to prosper. Next, they would visit Tasnica to ensure that plans long ago begun were finally taking root. And in the meantime, they tracked down the Mana Seeds, one by one.. and broke their seals.
One step - one Seed - at a time, they came closer and closer to a new world order.
The Mana Fortress was rising even more quickly than the Resistance ever had. Was it truly more important than the pathetic state of the Empire before Thanatos' arrival? Was it truly their beacon of hope, the one promise of true splendor and power that everyone in the once-forgotten Empire desired so desperately? Would it be the means for the Empire and Her people to once again surpass the Kingdoms of Pandora and Kakara, or the expansive domain of the Old Republic?
Could they not do it with their own hands, and with their own power? Did they really need to sell themselves into slavery to a demon?
Ahead, one of the fore-guardsmen's life ended with a sick, muffled gurgle as living shadows engulfed him from above. Geshtar only peripherally registered the ambush, his weapon already in hand and his body leaping to strike in return.
Perhaps, he thought ruefully as enchanted steel sliced through the darkness, it was already too late for himself. Hadn't he already sold his soul to the devil?
Thanatos barely moved one finger and the living shadow erupted in oil and smoke. Dead.
---
"For the glory of the Empire and Her people," hissed the wind, both seductive and malevolent as it whirled around Geshtar. He pulled taught the leather cords holding his vambraces in place, adjusting the fit and weight of the plated armor.
"The Empire and Her people," it echoed, and this time it may have been a purr. Or a growl. Or something much worse. The Knight-General slid the visor of his helmet down over his face, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare of the noon sun. In turn, it shielded the world from his eyes and their leaden, corpse-like stare.
"For glory, for power," came the words, no longer borne by the wind but instead creeping from the dark corners of his mind. Except it sounded more like, "For me. Mine." His unloving mount stood ready nearby, its sharp angles and smooth curves gleaming like chrome beneath the sun and its engine's growl sounding more alive than Geshtar had ever felt since he'd started down this path.
The heat was stifling. The smoke stung his eyes.
The city was burning. The capitol of the Empire was burning. The people of Northtown fled - those that were still alive.
A sudden wind picked up, hot and dry, and it carried with it the horrible scent of burning flesh. For a brief moment, Geshtar's eyes regained their clarity, their focus, and he saw the destruction in front of him. The skyline stretched out before him, only instead of a vibrant city full of happiness and commerce, full of bright banners and brighter hopes, he saw carnage and blood. He saw twisted corpses and grotesque monsters. He saw fire and rubble, fear and despair.
His city. His people. His Empire.
The Knight-General stood, transfixed by the scene. His hand shook. How had it come to this? How had he bended so easily to the desires of a madman? How had he stood passive when Fanha had slit the Emperor's throat - and then imploded the skull of a dead man in spite?
The augmented steel plates on his gauntlet clinked together. His hand shook.
"You--!"
The abrupt cry broke the spell - or perhaps recast it, a dark corner of his mind whispered - and Geshtar turned to face the three chosen by Mana as they ran at him from across the ramparts, weapons at the ready and magic sparking from curled fingertips. Only his corpse eyes saw them. His hand was once again steady, and he slid onto his mech-rider with preternatural grace in spite of his heavy, plated armor.
He didn't say anything as he attacked them before they had reached the halfway mark. He'd faced them twice already. Wasn't the third time supposed to be the charm?
Flames leapt higher, and the inferno engulfing the palace roared louder than the engine of his fabricated steed. Geshtar didn't hear either of them. There was just the dry, raspy voice of Thanatos reverberating through his mind with its broken litany. "The Empire. Her people. For glory, for power. For me. It's mine."
---
When the battle was over, Geshtar was a dead man walking.
He'd sold his soul to the devil. He'd lived the sorcerer's lies. He'd paid every price a thousand fold, and now he'd die again and again as the Paladin Corpse charging before the New World Order, heralding the arrival of the Mana Fortress.
The Emperor was dead. The Empire was no more. Her people were broken, twisted, cast off. Forgotten. It was all by his hand.
Only enough of the dead man survived the flames to realize just how despicable he'd become. Only a shade remained conscious as the Tree was reduced to ash and the sky stained red with blood. Only a shade was left, serving the lich to whom he was now sworn, bowing at a whisper and killing at a thought. Only a shade was left to sit upon his accursed mount and mow down the last among the Resistance - any resistance - with the conscience of a corpse and the hesitation of death itself. As but a shade.. the once-knight Geshtar rode on.