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The crystal was cold in her hands, its edges rough against her gloved fingertips. She gently rocked it between her palms, her eyes tracing the tell-tale crack on its face. A sign that a Blade had been forcefully returned to their core… by the untimely death of their Driver. It was an unusual sight for the core crystal of an Imperial Blade. Mor Ardain’s rulers had a long, fortunate history of dying from old age. A natural passing was a far gentler and kind way to dissolve a Blade’s soul back inside the tiny, confining box in her hand. Sudden death… violent death… it was as painful for the Blade as it was for the fallen Driver. It left a permanent mark.
Years ago, she had been shocked to see the marking on Brighid’s core crystal. She had been so young back then, ignorant of many of the details that linked a Driver and their Blade, but she had been curious. Shortly after she had enlisted in the military, the Emperor had brought her to a restricted area in the royal armory. The room was lined with ancient relics of former rulers, weapons that were forged with ages of a proud history. The artifacts were meant to motivate her, to remind her of what she was training to protect. Her people. Her heritage even if she had lost her crown.
But her eyes were only drawn to the pedestal at the center of the room.
A lone core crystal. Dull and lifeless.
She took thoughtless steps forward, not even cognizant of the fact that she was moving. All she could hear was her heart pounding and a voiceless beckoning to keep going. The crystal began to glow and it grew brighter with each step she took. Blue flames licked at the stagnant air, slipping out from the deep gouge that marred the crystal’s face.
A sudden and violent death.
The Jewel of Mor Ardain who had been lost to the Empire for decades.
It was a legend. A fairytale. One that was so very real.
A heavy hand had stilled her, the firm grip on her shoulder drawing her away from the pedestal. The Emperor had forced her from the room, their eyes both lingering on the fading glow of the core crystal. All he had muttered to her was “not yet”. He knew… he had brought her there just to be sure. Lady Brighid was ready for a new Driver. One day, Mὸrag would be ready.
The image of Brighid’s core reaching out for her had fueled her drive for the next few years. Every set back, every defeat - she stood taller, became quicker on her feet, became wiser, because one day, she would be ready. That day came when the Emperor fell ill. A dying wish to see Lady Brighid awakened and his family protected by the pair of Imperial Blades that had been parted for too long.
It was only a year later when he passed and Aegaeon had gently dissolved from view. Though their reunion had been brief, Brighid was devastated by his loss. They were Blades charged with the same purpose: to defend Mor Ardain’s Imperial line. To be brought back to the mortal plane only to watch him fade from existence was a bitter pill to swallow. She had shared her grief with her Driver, who was also stricken by the loss of both her father and the Blade who had helped raise her. They mourned together until Niall was ready.
Aegaeon’s core had been flawless when Niall had gripped it between his small hands. It had immediately glowed with a warming sense of familiarity, reaching out for the young Emperor its buried code remembered. The Blade that had awakened was a cleaned slate, ignorant of the past lives embedded in the walls of his core crystal, but still driven by the instinct to protect the boy, his sister, and the Imperial Blade by her side.
The four of them were an image of strength and stability for the Empire.
Until Torna devised a plot to force war between ailing nations and Bana sought to capitalize on the confusion. A bomb and a selfless heart changed everything. The blast only lasted for a fraction of a second, but when the smoke had dissipated, Niall had fallen and Aegaeon was gone again.
Brighid saw it first… the deep gash that marred the face of his once pristine core crystal.
By some miracle, that Mὸrag still did not understand, Nia had saved the Emperor’s life. He had returned to her unscathed while his Blade remained lost. She wasn’t given much time to revel in her brother’s evasion of death before he had set her free to follow the Aegis. It was a task she longed for, though she had tried desperately to fight the urge, and he had seen right through her. Before they parted ways, he pressed a familiar crystal to the palm of her hand.
“When he’s ready… please… bring him back to us.”
Any other Driver would have been grateful to have received such a precious gift from the Emperor, but not Mὸrag. All she felt was conflicted.
“There you are.”
She startled slightly as a familiar voice echoed around her. With a slight turn, she peered over the high collar of her uniform and smiled at her Blade.
“Hello, Brighid.”
The woman huffed as she approached. “You’re quite difficult to find when you want to stay hidden.”
“My apologies. I wasn’t trying to avoid you… I just needed some space to think.”
“About?”
Mὸrag didn’t respond, she simply looked straight ahead.
Brighid followed suit and gazed at the scenery before them, absorbing the snow-covered view from Theosoir Rear Gate where her Driver had found a small, secluded outlook. Eventually, her hidden gaze made its way back to the Ardainian beside her. Her heart stung at the hesitation and loss that plagued her surprisingly gentle features, but it was the object in the woman’s hands that truly captured her attention.
“Is that… Aegaeon’s?”
“Yes.”
The crystal pulsed with a familiar blue glow. “He’s ready.”
“Indeed. He has been since we first arrived in Tantal.”
The was surprising. Her Driver had been holding on to an active core crystal during their botched diplomatic mission? She had kept it hidden while they raced to retrieve the Omega Fetter? Surely Aegaeon would have been an asset during both of those trials, but now… now that they had lost the Aegis… did she think resonating with him would fill the void they all felt?
“Are you going to awaken him?”
Mὸrag hesitated. “I… I’m not sure.”
Brighid reached out, cupping the back of Mὸrag’s hands with her own, warm palm. She caressed the gloved fingers gently with her thumb and leaned closer to her Driver. They both stared down at the core crystal they were cradling with silent reverence.
“Aegaeon has been a constant in my life.” The Inquisitor choked. “Even before my parents died, he would always find reasons to sneak away from the throne room to see me. When they passed and the Emperor took me in… he helped raise me. He was there for every tear, every scraped knee… and the day I first saw you.”
Mὸrag turned her head and gazed softly at her Blade. “After I saw your core crystal, I thought it was just my youthful foolishness that made me believe you had called out for me. I said as much to Aegaeon. Do you know what he told me?”
Brighid hummed with curiosity.
“He said that, though he had never met you in that lifetime, he chose to believe the historical records. The two of you shared a common purpose, united by a singular duty to defend the Empire. That meant you were both quite picky when it came to who you would resonate with… you especially. He told me that you would not reach out to just anyone and if I had felt your pull, then you must be ready. You deserved to be brought back into the world.”
“And you listened.” A hint of nostalgic longing pulled at Brighid’s lips. “You know I didn’t awaken with any memories, but I instantly felt an instinctive draw to Aegaeon. From my journal, I know he and I have served together for centuries, but I sensed it was more than that. I was often sent away as the more apt Blade for lone combat. He protected the throne and I protected the military. It was a partnership that had served us well even dating back to the Aegis War. We have always been partners… a team…”
“Until you were lost.”
The Blade sighed. “Felled by the inadequacy of an Emperor and the foolishness of a Special Inquisitor too proud to see the path of folly he was walking.”
Mὸrag traced the deep cut in Aegaeon’s core crystal. “A series of mistakes that scarred you permanently.”
“Yes.” Brighid moved her hand to follow along with her Driver’s fingers. “And now Aegaeon bears the same marking.”
“I miss him.” Her fingers pressed against the cold edges of the crystal.
“As do I. When you awakened me, things changed rather drastically for us. For centuries, Aegaeon and I had belonged to leaders of State and the military, but with you and His Majesty… it’s quite different when two Blades resonate with Drivers who share blood. While we don’t actually have familial ties, it can feel as though we share that same relationship.”
“He felt like your brother?”
“Yes… even when he was the former Emperor’s Blade, he still felt like a part of me.”
Mὸrag sighed as she drew her fingers away from the crystal’s defect. Inching closer to her Blade, she wrapped her freed arm around the woman’s back and trailed her fingers gently along the exposed skin that greeted her.
“We’ve lost him twice during your lifetime. Those must have hurt you deeply.”
“They did. I’m comforted to know he’ll always return, but each time he comes back, it will be without a piece of himself. He’ll never be quite the same, but I would rather get to know a new version of him than to continue on without him.”
Mὸrag leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against her Blade’s jaw. “A part of me wants desperately to bring him back.”
“Then why are you hesitating?”
The Inquisitor drew away, returning both hands to the core crystal. “As much as Aegaeon has meant to me, I know he has meant just as much to Niall. In truth, he helped raise both of us and since His Majesty took the throne, Aegaeon has been his loyal advisor… his friend. The three of us have fought alongside each other for years to protect him, but I never imagined we might share the battlefield in this way. It doesn’t seem right.”
“To take him from the Emperor?”
“Niall loves him. He loves him as much as I do, but I have you, Brighid. Niall has no one now.”
The Blade smiled softly and reached forward, cupping her Driver’s cheek with a warm hand. “His Majesty entrusted Aegaeon to you for a reason. Believe me, Lady Mὸrag, if there’s one thing that won’t change about Aegaeon, it’s his deep desire to protect the Imperial family. It’s imbedded in our code – an instinct we both share. Just as he did with you, the Emperor is setting his Blade free to follow that desire. You should honor that. Let him protect you now. Aegaeon deserves to be brought back. Don’t let his final act in this world be a painful end. Let his story continue… like you did with mine.”
Mὸrag’s heart seized painfully in her chest. She moved forward, drawing Brighid toward her and holding her tightly. She sighed as she felt burning fingers dig into the back of her uniform, clinging with equal desperation.
“Don’t think of this as taking Aegaeon away from him. You’re bringing him back to all of us.” She placed a soft kiss against her Driver’s neck. “One day, when we can finally return home, our lives will go back to the way they have always been. Aegaeon will take his place beside the throne. Being your Blade will make no difference.”
With a sigh, Mὸrag pulled back. “I suppose you have a point.”
Brighid reached forward and slowly dragged a single finger down the front of her uniform. “Special Inquisitor Mὸrag Ladair of Mor Ardain. Wielder of both Imperial Blades. The most powerful Driver in Alrest.”
The Ardainain shook her head. “That’s quite the heavy title to bear. Alrest is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“I don’t, actually, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a title you’ll bear, but not alone. We will be at your side and for that, I am actually quite grateful.”
Mὸrag titled her head in confusion. “Oh?”
“This adventure of ours will likely only become more dangerous with time. I think I’ll be glad to have Aegaeon with me. Especially for this new rescue mission… I’m hoping he can keep you from being so reckless.”
Memories of a hand gripping tightly to her neck and a razor-sharp fan pressing against her cheek flashed before Mὸrag’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Brighid, I-“
Warm lips pressed against hers briefly. “No, don’t apologize again. Just… make our family whole.”
With a nod, Mὸrag leaned forward and captured Brighid’s lips once more. She lingered for a moment, relishing in the softness of her lips and the gentle caress of burning fingertips against her cheeks. Moments of quiet intimacy with Brighid were ones she desperately craved. Just the feel of her, the smoothness of her skin, the subtle floral fragrance of her perfume… her senses quickly became overwhelmed with a deep calm that was nearly addictive. It was enough to awaken the confidence she needed.
“Thank you, Brighid.”
Mὸrag took a step back and brought the core crystal up, over her heart. The brilliant blue glow flashed in a blinding explosion of light and icy water that seemed to invade her every vein. It felt like drowning. The air was sucked violently from her lungs as she felt a weight press down against her body. Water. It felt like she was underwater and yet, she somehow managed to keep breathing. Her grip tightened against the crystal until suddenly, it dissolved beneath her fingers and the water receded.
“My name is Aegaeon.” The Blade unsheathed his sword and slashed a violent stream of water through the air. “Let my sword be your safeguard.”
With no words passing between them, Mὸrag and Brighid approached their revived companion and placed their hands atop his on the hilt of his katana. His white eyes shifted between them before finally settling on his Driver.
“Welcome home, Aegaeon.”