2025-01-21 17:00:23Such a bother. he thought.
Though Voyne had spared no expense in making his plane as comfortable as possible, the flight from Dryne to Osyna was a very long one and he was starting to get bored. Ordinarily, he would have taken the flight in smaller segments, stopping in different nations for tours or to visit his manic followers. But, he just could not delay the United Noble’s summons, not if he wanted everything to go according to plan.
“How are we doing, Viven?” he asked while reclining on a chair, directing his question to a red cloaked figure with a seven pointed star on her chest.
The eyes of the figure went unfocused, as if viewing another image. “We are right on schedule, sir.” She said after a minute. She took one worried look at him. “How are we going to convince them they are real? How do we prove that they are dangerous?” He smirked. Even though she had seen it before, it always chilled her. His smirk seemed like one of an all-knowing god looking down on ignorant, mere mortals. She wasn’t too far off course. He wasn’t a god though. “That is not a problem.” he said, waving his hand dismissively. He settled back in his chair confidently.Nothing could go wrong.
He would finally be reunited with Mother after all this while.
And then all would be one.
*******Luthen was a solitary figure. He thought of himself as peculiar amidst the mundane. The diamond among rocks.
The world would stop for him, he thought. He remained separate, different from the ordinary.
But no, this wasn’t pride. He could not just put a finger on it. But he was convinced nonetheless that others like him existed. A chosen group. Special.
It was deep, the conviction. Coursed through him like his own blood.
Probably, subconsciously, he bore the weight of destiny.
Maybe–
“Good morning. I would like two chocolate ice creams with two scoops each” A girl interrupted his thought train.
He sighed. Destiny would have to wait. He adjusted his apron and cap.
“Coming up!”
“Here’s your order.”
“Thank you.”
The girl left the shop and handed one of the ice creams to a guy and they walked off together, holding hands. They were mostly likely on a date.
Luthen had no close friends. Except Maron.
When anyone except for him had tried to get him to hang out, he always refused. Maron could be considered his best friend.
Well, he had only one friend really.
Speaking of which, Maron and I need to go get those cards soon.*******
He got home from his part-time job at an ice-cream shop and paused.It was ironic that though he considered himself above others, he still was an ordinary ice cream shop attendant.
More like really important part-time worker. He thought again.
He opened his front door and saw his sister poke out her head from a room to check who it was. On seeing him, she ran inside.
Almost immediately, his mum called out from the direction his sister went. “Luthen?” “Evening mum.” He replied. He did not wait for his mum to say anything else and stormed up to his room.So tired. He got on his bed and slept through the evening, missing dinner. ******* Meanwhile, Voyne’s plane touched the tarmac. He got on the plane’s stairs, followed by Renée, his personal assistant and the woman he had called Viven. At the bottom of the stairs waiting were more people with hooded cloaks similar in design to Viven’s. Except Viven’s was red. “Welcome, Archbishop.” said the lady, the leader of the cloaks as she unveiled her head. “Welcome to Osyna.” Renée was startled. To think that the ‘religion’ founded by Voyne – The Church of the Emancipation also known as the Soul Church – could have followers where sentiment against the Church was strong was incredible. She originally thought they were going to check in to a hotel for the night.The city of Osyna had been particularly vocal about their opposition to the church. The United Nobles deciding to hold his trial here was basically condemning him. Yet, Voyne didn’t seem perturbed.
I have been his assistant this long yet there is much I still do not know.Voyne was definitely an enigma. “Your journey was long and you must rest for tomorrow, First Priest.” continued the lady, addressing Voyne. “Come my lord, we have made arrangements.” Renée wasn’t into any of the religious rubbish. She definitely did not feel comfortable staying with Voyne’s overly enthusiastic fan group. “Voyne– ” She began. “You will address the Archbishop properly, woman!!” A cloak raised its hood and addressed her in a manly, brutish voice. Their leader did not say anything but looked at her coldly. Viven emanated an angry aura. Voyne smirked again.That smirk. He is enjoying this.She looked round and realized that she could not win. There was bound to be someone here with an Ability, probably something very unpleasant. Voyne had a knack for gathering those kinds of people to himself. Gathering her composure, she started again.“Your Holiness, May I be excused to a hotel?”
“No, you may not.” Replied the same brutish male “Arrangements have been made– ” he cut off. A look. Voyne looked at him with a smile. However, the cloaked brute did not reciprocate. Instead, the fear written on his face was obvious. Tension rose, so thick you could feel it on your skin. “I believe she did not address you.” “I am sorry, Archbishop. I–”“Renée will stay where she likes tonight. The Church tolerates others.”
Renée decided to just take the win, though she did not like the tone of the word ‘others’.
Kind of sounded like trashThe Soul Church was infamous for its radical beliefs. They emphasized on rooting out an evil they termed ‘Shards’ who were supposed to be a group of humans that were the reincarnations of the Seven Primordial Evils. So their ‘god’ decided to send – of all people – Voyne to root them out.
That’s the ‘reason’ Voyne formed The Church and gathered together those with Abilities.Gathering Ability users was sure to attract some attention. Worse still, he had a preference for Soul Aspect Abilities, the rarest known ability type. The United Nobles, the umbrella organization of the Nobles, the rulers of various nations, were especially suspicious of such activity. So, they summoned him to explain himself. If he hadn’t shown up, they would have labeled The Church a terrorist group and exterminated it. It would be hard for him to go along with his plan
It all sounded like a load of nonsense to Renée – the Shards, gods, Voyne. But she knew Voyne was hiding something sinister.
It is always a different angle with him. I wonder if I have to quit this job.She shook her uneasiness off and left.
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A few days later.Voyne had to travel to Osyna again. These repeated meetings was making him develop a fondness for the city which had once been a stronghold of those who wanted to oppose him.He played with it in his hand. The High Council’s invitation. He knew they would eventually bend. It was all a matter of time. He shredded it.He could not stop a small smile. The last time he was this pleased was when he first saw Sophie at the trial hall of the Circle. She would come too. Eventually.*******At the hall of the Circle, Voyne stood in the middle with the now unlabeled box as he had done before. Except this time only the seats of the Great Nobles were filled. Normally, there were multiple venues they could have used instead like the Archive. Why they chose here was up to them.Renée wasn’t here because she wasn’t important enough to be. Plus, both he and the Nobles would much prefer that the contents of this mee
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Mother?Sophia had to skip the Circle session. She just wasn’t herself since the conversation.When Voyne called her Mother, something woke in her. It was almost like she was used to hearing him say it.It woke some memories that she did not knew she had. Some felt a lot like they were hers while most felt…off. Like she borrowed those memories from someone else.In one of her memories, she was a child, somewhere. On some wide street, playing, holding a paper fan. There were lots of sounds, like a festival or some occasion going on.Some cloaked people approached her. With the exact same cloaks that the Soul Church adherents wore.The one in front of them knelt in front of her. He took off his hood and she looked into his eyes. She knew that face, knew those eyes.Voyne, looking exactly the same as the present day, took her hand and kissed it with a greeting.“Hail, Mother.”*******<
Chapter Eighteen: Tied Hands.
At the Hause NoblesseThe death toll still kept climbing. The Nobles were forced to call Voyne to another Circle hearing.When Renée and Voyne entered the hearing hall, the Nobles, unlike before, were not engaged in mirthful conversation. There were whispers instead. Whispers that betrayed their fear and hatred.Voyne, on the other hand, did not seem to mind the negative disposition of the Nobles. He had eyes for only one of their number. Sophia Augusten. He looked at her. She, holding a wine glass, also looked at him.He picked a glass of wine from a passing waiter and approached Sophia.“My Lady.” He said.She looked at him with a blank face, her enmity and sense of duty fighting inside. She had not told the boys she was going to confront Voyne. It was selfish to do this. But she wanted answers.“Archbishop Voyne.” She finally said.“You look–” Voyne began.“Let&rs
