Chapter Text
Prologue;
There is Seraph and there is the Golden Mind. The two are symbiotic - one cannot exist without the other. Seraph flourishes, her magic flowing through the people and creating all life. The Golden Mind controls it, works as a conduit for Seraph’s magic. A faucet, a controlling force to keep chaos from reigning supreme. Life only exists on Seraph as long as a Golden Mind is there to keep her sane. Without it the magic flows without restraint, destroying everything it can. For as long as there has been Seraph, there has been a Golden Mind. The Golden Mind answers only to Seraph. One chosen from every generation there has never been a gap in all of recorded history. The prior teaches the new until the time comes for the next to take control. That is how it is. That is how it has always been.
Until now. The Golden Mind has passed on, younger than any before her. Barely five years into her reign and she’s gone. Seraph is dying and she’s going to take everything with her.
Chapter 1;
Council Building, Annex of the Golden Mind, Capitol City, Seraph - 5 Ekaitz, Year 3104 - Morning
The rain fell steadily, giving everything a grey hue. It hadn’t stopped raining for a week and the drainage systems were straining to keep up. Nino trudged through it huddled under his umbrella and wanting to curse at every drop that managed to sneak past to smack him in the face. His shoes were soaked through and his socks cold and clingy. His feet were damned near frozen at this point and he was anything but happy.
A week. A long, miserable week. Capitol City was in chaos with the reports on the vid increasingly dire - the last Golden Mind gone. Nino supposed they were lucky it was only rain. In Dornesse, to the west, volcanic activity had picked up. He knew of at least three towns turned to rubble in the last few days alone. Seraph was revolting; her magic, forever tied to the Golden Mind, ran wild. The planet was dying slowly and taking them all with her.
In the entire history of Seraph there had always been a Golden Mind. One born with unparalleled power, the Golden Mind ruled over Seraph and controlled her magic. The sudden passing of Golden Mind Mai had left council reeling, trying to find a replacement. No one had expected Mai to pass as suddenly as she had, least of all Nino.
His frown deepened as he walked through the rain toward the council building. His number had come up; testing would begin at 0800. He cursed for probably the hundredth time that day alone. Why now? Couldn’t they let him grieve even a fortnight before they put him through the trials? Deep down, he knew that wasn’t an option; the planet wouldn’t last a fortnight at this rate.
The steps were slippery as he made his way up them. Their polished marble, usually gleaming in the sunlight, was dull. Around him people moved throughout their day. A heavy air hung about everyone, the uncertainty of it all hard to grasp. Nothing like this had ever happened. How were they supposed to take it?
Dropping his umbrella in the receptacle at the reception desk, Nino held out his wrist for scanning. The security guard barely paid him mind. Scanning the barcode tattooed there was more of a formality than anything.
“They’re waiting for you in room 5.”
Nino slipped past the guard without even a word, his head low as he walked through the grand lobby to the lifts. Room 5 was just off of the main entry, down a narrow hall and completely inconspicuous. Nino steeled himself and made his way to the testing chamber.
The council sat at a long table with their white robes pristine and their faces stoic. Nino knew them well; he’d been with Mai during her trials as support. Just as he had most of their lives. But now Nino stood before the council alone. He kept his chin held high. Nino didn’t dare let them know they’d gotten to him with this.
He knew that the council would make their decision quickly. He’d been Mai’s companion. Seraph knew him well, if not directly. She would take and he would be the new Golden Mind. All of this was a matter of formality and Nino hated it.
Bowing, Nino regarded the council with the respect he didn’t truly feel and turned to the Healer seated at the end of the room. Sakurai Sho sat there, a soft and sad smile on his face. Nino knew he wanted to be there even less than Nino himself. Nino may have lost a lover, but Sho had lost a sister.
“Please have a seat, Candidate Ninomiya,” Sho instructed. A chair sat in the middle before the Healer. Wires hung from the ceiling waiting for him. The council sat along the side poised to watch and judge. Sho would be the one to hook him up and open the connection to Seraph. It was merely a matter of convenience. Sho was only really needed if Seraph rejected a candidate.
Nino set his bag down beside the chair and sat, his back as straight as he could manage. He stared ahead as Sho worked. A wire here, an electrode there. Most were connected around his face with some on placed on his chest. He felt like some sort of science project. Nino closed his eyes as Sho affixed the last electrode to his chest right over his heart.
“The test will commence in 5,4,3,2...” Sho’s voice was soft as he opened the conduit to Seraph.
All at once, Nino’s world went black.
Golden Chamber, Annex of the Golden Mind, Capitol City, 10 Ekaitz 3104 - Evening
Nino groaned. His head felt like it had been stepped on by at least fifteen elephants and then sat on by them. His mouth was dry and cottony. Nino wanted to curse the alcohol that caused this feeling, but he knew better.
The distinct hum of Seraph in his mind was enough of a clue.
He tried to stretch, finding every muscle and joint stiff and resistant. Mai had been out three days after her joining and he’d kept a constant vigil at her side. Nino wondered if anyone but Sho had paid him any mind.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It’s been five days.” The voice wasn’t familiar and Nino frowned. Had they assigned him an Apostle already without his input? Someone he didn’t even know for that matter? Mai had made her choice before the joining, allowing her to have a friendly face when she woke. Nino hadn’t been afforded that luxury it seemed.
“How about you be a good little servant and get me something for this fucking headache, hmm?” Nino snapped. He hadn’t dared open his eyes yet. The bed beneath him was downy and soft - he was exceedingly familiar with it; The Golden Chamber. It had been his home for the past five years and where he’d found Mai lifelessly hanging from the rafters. It was an image he knew would never be erased from his mind.
I could erase it for you.
Nino shook his head to clear it. He knew the voice instinctively, but it wasn’t something he was prepared to deal with just yet. Seraph had her outlet and that was all Nino was willing to give. At least until his damned headache was gone.
There was a shuffle of noise accompanied by a mumbled statement that Nino couldn’t quite make out. Great, he had a smart ass for an Apostle. An obviously male one at that. He cursed the council yet again in his mind.
They didn’t want to force a female companion on you so soon.
“Shut up,” he grumbled and smacked the side of his head. It didn’t do anything but intensify his headache. He growled.
“Here, sit up and drink this.”
“Better not be poison,” Nino still didn’t open his eyes as he took the glass and downed its contents in one gulp. It tasted foul but the relief was almost immediate. Nino sighed.
“Yeah, because I really want to go through Seraph revolting again,” his Apostle said, annoyance clearly evident in his voice.
Nino chose to ignore it and slowly opened his eyes one at a time. The room was dim. The last light of the day faded as the sun set. Through the balcony door Nino could feel the cool breeze that was ever-present in the Annex and see the distinct lack of rain clouds in the sky. Seraph had calmed.
I wish you’d stop talking about me like I’m not here.
“Five days, you said?” Nino regarded his Apostle now, taking in the man’s appearance. He was tall, at least taller than Nino, and lean. His black hair lay in waves on his head, appearing expertly coiffed. He regarded Nino with an obvious smirk and a crook of his eyebrow. It was enough to make Nino want to smack it straight off of his face.
“Five days. Sho damned near thought you were dead on day three,” the Apostle shrugged, looking nonplused.
Nino ran a hand over his face to scrub the last bits of sleep from it. “Your name?”
“Matsumoto Jun.”
Nino nodded in acknowledgement, his face still set with a frown. “Well, Jun-pon, how about you make yourself useful and go grab me something to eat, hmm?” Nino didn’t have time or the desire to treat Jun like an actual companion right now.
Something changed on Jun’s face that Nino couldn’t read, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. “Yes, your grace.” He swept out without another word, his robes flowing around him.
Slowly inching his way to the edge of the bed Nino experimented with putting weight on his feet. He was weak but able to stand. He regarded the room, frown deepening; exactly the same as he’d left it. Couldn’t even be bothered to rearrange the furniture for him.
The floor-length mirror sat in the corner it always had. The ornate gold trim around it gleamed in the last bits of light that streamed through the windows. Nino steeled himself and took a step forward.
Aside from his reflection, a figure stood beside him. He looked nothing like Nino had been expecting.
Sorry. Want me to change?
The voice resonated in his mind, but the figure’s lips moved in accordance. Nino shook his head, his voice weak. “No, it’s fine. Just... not...” The figure, Seraph, smiled.
Usually the response I get. It’s actually Satoshi, by the way. Only you may know and call me by that name.
Nino frowned and turned away from the mirror. He moved to one of the floor to ceiling windows that ran along two entire walls of the chamber. It was too much; too sudden. His mind was spinning, trying to process everything all at once. The hum was still there, pounding against his temples and making it hard to separate his own thoughts. Had this been what had pushed Mai to the edge. Had it been why she’d thought there was no outlet but death? Had his companionship not been enough? The room had joined in on the spinning and Nino grabbed a curtain for support. He didn’t even hear the fabric tearing as he fell to the ground, world black once more.