Chapter 56: The Queen's Resolve & Mother's Reaction
"You made all this… just now?" Akeno asked with a tone of total disbelief and sheer amazement. Having just descended the stone steps leading into the training chamber from his backyard.
She couldn't help but wonder how Alduin had created such a large-scale area without them sensing a thing—or feeling a mild disturbance at the very least.
Rock displacement on this level was normally part of an earthquake-labelled package deal.
"Getting everything the way I wanted it and making sure it was as safe as possible took about an hour in total. But more or less… yeah. I started working on it while you were all having breakfast." Alduin smiled, sparing a glance at the proud watery formation he had installed within the chamber.
The ever-present sound of rushing water echoing from the waterfall's base was like music to his ears. It really did make the training area feel like more than an empty, rock-ridden rectangle. It gave the place a desperately needed sense of life and wonder.
From the look on Akeno's face, he was fairly certain the formation was just as impressive as he hoped his students would find it.
"But… how?" She felt obligated to ask, not just out of morbid curiosity, but professional curiosity as well.
She was the sole user of Elemental Manipulation within her peerage after all. Her affinity towards lightning-natured demonic power was by far her strongest attribute, but she was also capable of utilizing fire, water, and surprisingly enough—ice. A mutated, or "evolved" version of Water Magic that very few devils possessed. Serafall being the most notable example.
Seeing a construct like this practically sent her magical curiosity into overdrive.
"I'll spare you the nitty-gritty details since now's not an ideal time for me to give you a lengthy geology lesson." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I used Senjutsu to map out the area. Earth Magic to create the space itself, and a combination of Earth, Water, and Wind Magic to make that beaut over there." He pointed his thumb at the waterfall. "Pretty cool, right?"
"I'll say," her opinion of Alduin was relatively conflicted. However, she knew that this chamber was not only proof of his immense magical reserves, but proof of a superb level of control over his elemental prowess. As a fellow mage, she couldn't help but respect his mastery. "Though I have to ask… why am I the only one here? If this is where we're going to be training from now on, shouldn't the others have a look as well?"
For some reason, Thora informed the group that Alduin only wanted to see Akeno at the moment.
"Don't worry, they'll be here soon enough. I just thought it'd be nice for the two of us to have some privacy, considering the nature of the conversation we're about to have." The hardened, knowing look in Alduin's eyes told her the moment she would love nothing more than to procrastinate had arrived.
This was about the words they had exchanged on that rooftop. It was now time for the Lightning Priestess to decide what exactly those words meant to her, and how they'd shape her from this point onwards.
She pressed her lips together with hesitation. "Does it have to be now?"
He shook his head. "No, it doesn't have to be. I know that forcing you to confront something like this when you're unwilling would only do you more harm than good. So if you truly don't want to talk about this, I'll drop the subject no questions asked."
She exhaled, wearing a self-depreciating smile. "I sense a 'but' coming."
"But," he sucked his teeth. "If you're serious about doing the best you can not just for your King and juniors, but yourself, then you should be well aware that time isn't a luxury you can afford right now."
How shameful would it be if by the time the Rating Game with Riser came around, everyone but Akeno's abilities had progressed by leaps and bounds? Even if they won without her assistance, she'd have to live with the fact that she was the only one among them who didn't give their all into preparing.
A stigma like that would be quite frankly—unbearable.
"It's just… I'm unsure." Akeno bit down on her lower lip, hoping Alduin would deduce her meaning so she wouldn't have to say what she had on her mind aloud.
"Unsure of what?" Alduin tilted his head, his words pushing the Queen even further into her discomfort.
In truth, he knew exactly what Akeno wanted to silently convey to him. Yet, he also knew that allowing her to maintain that silence wouldn't do her any favours. Confronting one's inner turmoil was supposed to be an uncomfortable experience, he would know.
The mental 'training' he was giving her wasn't all that different from physical training—if it didn't hurt, you weren't doing it right.
"I'm…" She shuddered as she felt his piercing, verdant gaze fix on her like a hawk. One way or another, he would make her say the words. "I… don't know how… to separate them."
The brutish, yet truthful words Alduin had offered her on that rooftop resurfaced.
"Do you know what the crux of your problem is? You can't differentiate power from person."
To her, the Holy Lightning she wielded wasn't just Holy Lightning. It was the Holy Lightning she had inherited from her father, Baraqiel. The man who failed to protect his wife, her mother, when she needed him most.
"When you wield your power, you wield it not just for yourself, but for them. And when you choose not to, you're not only denying yourself that power, but you're also denying them your power. You're leaving them void of your strength when they need it most."
She knew. She understood how helpful that power could be to protecting her King and her comrades. There wasn't anything in the world she desired more than to keep the people she held close to her heart safe, but that desire was contaminated by the hatred she held for the Cadre.
Hate.
It held her back, like it had a vice grip around her fists, cramming the heart-crushing memory of her mother being slaughtered before her eyes each time she started to muster up the courage to make those bolts of godly electricity her own.
The hate wouldn't let her move on. No matter how hard she tried, it'd feel like she was trying to walk against a raging upstream current with nothing but brute strength. Only to be pushed back, again, and again, and again.
"'Them'? I'm afraid you're going to need to be a little more specific than that."
But now, another current had made its presence known. One that was trying to push her further upstream. It had given her a brief, but hopeful glimpse of what lay beyond that stream, and maybe, just maybe, it had the power to make that wishful sight a permanent one.
"Listen closely, power itself cannot decide who you are. It's how you use it that determines your character, or in your case, how you don't use it, I suppose."
Only one question remained.
Was she willing to accept his help?
Alduin could guide her towards the right path, yes, but he could not force her to walk it. A teacher's job was to teach. A student's job was to absorb and use what they were taught for themselves.
"I can't…" She choked the words out. "Separate… my f-father…" Referring to him by that word alone made it feel like needles were being jabbed into her throat. "From… his… our Holy Lightning." She followed with a gasp, keeling over and panting as if she had just run a marathon.
"Well done." He congratulated her in a low, soft somber tone, gently caressing her back in an effort to soothe her. "This might sound like some flimsy cliché you'd hear from a shrink, but I'll say it anyway—only by truly acknowledging the root of the problem can you begin to tackle it. And you've done exactly that."
"Do you really think it's possible for me to… stop hating him?" She whispered.
He shook his head. "I can't say for certain, just because I read your file doesn't mean I truly understand what your relationship with him truly is, nor what it will become." As much as Akeno wanted a definite answer, she couldn't deny the logic behind his words. "What I do know is this, you're ready to start treating the power as your own. Not a mere extension of your father's will, but a tool that you can hone for your sake, and to protect the people you care about. For Rias, Isaiah, Shirone, and Gasper."
Her answer was now clear.
Yes, she would accept his help. The path ahead would be a frighteningly rocky one, that was for sure, but after all these years, she finally felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She didn't need to remain shackled by her hate, if she truly gave it her all, she could cleave her way forward.
Hope, would be the most apt description for what she was currently feeling.
Goodness me, don't tell me I'm starting to develop a bit of a crush? Fufu~ How shameful… and thrilling.
"So," she took a deep breath, standing up straight with an optimistic smile. "Where do we begin?"
That's the spirit, he approved inwardly.
"Combat-wise, what do you think is your biggest flaw?" He began.
She tapped her finger against her lip, letting out a thoughtful hum. She recalled the frustrating memory of what had happened during Alduin's welcoming ambush, when he took advantage of her Holy Lightning to pull Kiba into the crossfire.
"Accuracy?"
He pursed his lips. "Yes, like Rias control's most certainly an aspect I'd like to help you develop. But that's not the answer I'm looking for," he admitted. "I'm talking about your overall fighting style. The way you approach a battle itself."
She blinked. "I'm not sure I follow?"
"You strike me as the type to want to end a fight as quickly as possible, wouldn't you agree?" In all fairness, it did fit her nature as a lightning-specialist to adopt a blitz-like doctrine regarding fighting.
"I suppose that's not an… inaccurate observation." She couldn't help but notice an undertone of disapproval in his voice. "Are you saying it's not a good fighting style?"
"Nope. On the contrary, any fighting style can be good—as long as it's being wielded by the right person."
"But I'm not the right person for this one, am I?" She concluded.
He nodded. "No, I'm afraid you aren't. The manner of combat you're trying to use is basically one where you keep fishing for a one-hit K.O. throughout the entirety of the battle. If you want to fight like that efficiently, there are two skills you need to have." He lifted up a finger. "One, your senses need to be pretty damn acute, especially when you're up against an opponent equal to or above you in strength. It's the only way you'll be able to reliably spot the opportunity to deliver the finishing blow when it arises."
Akeno's expression tightened, it was clear that she was genuinely absorbing her teacher's words.
"And the other?"
"Raw defence." He replied bluntly, lifting another. "At its core, fighting like that is reckless, and to be reckless, you need to have the durability to endure the consequences of the inevitable mistakes you'll make in combat every now and then. Unless you want to be the one getting knocked out in one blow."
It was more suited for someone like himself or Koneko. The defensive prowess of Touki, combined with Senjutsu's immense sensory efficiency fit the description he had just given like a glove.
Akeno boasted a considerable amount of offense, but her defense was mediocre at best, mostly carried by the power of the Queen piece. As for her sensory abilities? Alduin would rather not mention the subject at all.
Some people had certain talents, and some people had… other talents.
"I'm guessing you want me to abandon that fighting style?" Akeno had relied on ending her battles as quickly as possible from the get-go, the thought of just abandoning that style was a little… jarring to say the least. Anyone in her position would feel the same.
However, she understood that the desire to improve would require her to be willing to step out of her comfort zone.
"Yeah. You're a mage-type fighter at your core, which is by far one of the most versatile forms of fighting you'll find out there. Not to mention that you possess four types of elemental manipulation. You already have a multitude of attack methods stored inside you—you've just yet to hone and realize them."
"And you're going to teach me how?"
"Not entirely," he chuckled lightly. "Besides teaching you some useful combat theory, I'm only going to focus on your Holy Lightning. Thora's the one who'll help you with your elements."
"Thora? Your maid?" She tilted her head.
"Mhm. She's the one who taught me how to use my four basic elements, and she's far more experienced and knowledgeable than me when it comes to demonic power theory. Her guidance will be invaluable to you, trust me." He wasn't ashamed to admit that Thora's teaching ability on the subject was miles ahead of his.
"I see," she knew virtually nothing about the maid, but chose to trust Alduin's assessment regardless. "I'll take your word for it then."
"Now then, onto your Holy Lightning. While it's true you don't have a whole lot of experience using it, you clearly have a strong understanding of the lightning-element itself." He beamed. "I presume you're aware of the element's greatest strength, yes?"
"Speed," she replied without hesitation.
"Speed and power," he corrected. "Lightning excels in both these things, and when the element's deployed in combat, they should be one in the same, there shouldn't be any need to compromise one over the other."
Akeno knitted her brow, attempting to discern his meaning. "You mean like… a burst attack?"
"Precisely!" He snapped his fingers. "Lightning is the one element that you don't need to waste time charging up before you unleash an insane amount of power on your opponent. You can be quick, unpredictable, and immensely destructive all at the same time. And that's just typical lightning-natured demonic power, your Holy Lightning is far superior to that."
"But how? I've tried charging it up quickly before, only for it to fissure out and fail each time…"
"Show me," he hummed inquisitively.
"Are you sure? There's a pretty good chance it'll misfire if I lose control—I don't want to hurt you by accident."
He gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. Toughness happens to be a forte of mine."
She wasn't going to use her Holy Lightning, merely her regular Lightning Magic. The risks to Alduin's safety were practically non-existent.
"Very well then," she agreed with a hint of reluctance. Akeno opened her palms and held them a few centimetres opposite each other.
Here goes nothing.
She inhaled sharply and focused intently on the flow of demonic power, allowing it to shift from its neutral state to that of lightning. Sparks of bright-yellow electricity erupted out of the space between her hands, coursing with brilliant, thunderous ferocity.
Typically, this is when she'd create a thundercloud above her head, allowing the static charge to slowly, safely build up before unleashing all the stored-up energy in one go.
But not this time. This time, she was going to force it to reach that level of destructive power while it was still right between her hands. No preparation. No Magic Circle. Just a plain, instantaneous increase in output brought about by sheer force of will. Or more accurately, sheer imagination.
Not good!
In the blink of an eye, the lightning's output tripled. The somewhat strong buzzing turned into the chirping of a thousand birds. The sparks now covered the entirety of Akeno's forearms, wildly spasming all over the place as she tried to keep it suppressed under her will—a vein throbbing out of her forehead as she used every ounce of mental energy to prevent the electricity from blowing up in her face.
But it wouldn't listen. It had only absorbed one part of Akeno's will, 'get stronger', beyond that, it wouldn't listen to a damn thing she tried to tell it. It wouldn't shut itself off, let alone weaken in the slightest. It would just continue, and continue increasing its output with abandon.
"Shoot it at me," Alduin's strange command cut through the endless sparking.
"W-what!?"
"It's either that, or you're going to have to deal with a horrific number of third-degree burns all over your arms and face." A cold, hardened glint shimmered in his eyes. Making it abundantly clear that he was being dead serious.
"B-but—!"
"You're going to completely lose control in three seconds. Hurry up and make your decision." He crossed his arms, inwardly preparing himself to use his Dryadic Blessing if his student's hesitation got the best of her. "Three, two—"
In an act of panicky self-preservation, Akeno's instincts decided to place their trust in his words. A bolt of lightning the size of a semi-truck shot out of her palms at a speed most eyes, even supernatural ones, wouldn't be able to follow.
Alduin didn't move an inch, keeping his arms crossed and watching with a blank look on his face as the bolt blitzed towards him.
BOOM!
It struck him right in the middle, where his forearms overlapped. A cloud of dust kicked up around him in response to the impact, preventing Akeno from seeing whether or not she had just blasted a hole through her teacher's torso.
Seconds passed, yet she didn't hear so much as a mildly pained grunt from his position. Merely the sound of his even-tempered, analytical voice continued as if nothing had happened.
"I think I know what the problem is now," he cupped his chin, completely ignoring the lines of burn-scented smoke rising off his skin—his spotless, scratchless, injury-free skin. Albeit, there's a good chance that wouldn't have been the case if he had rashly ordered her to Holy Lightning instead. "Your demonic power theory is incomplete."
Didn't that hurt? She wondered, taking a moment to register his words.
"Care to elaborate?" She asked, simply relieved that she hadn't caused him any harm.
"I'll answer your question with a question. What's the root of demonic power?"
"Imagination," she replied with a hint of confusion. Wasn't that question a little too easy? Even a toddler could answer that much.
"And what's the root of imagination?"
"The mind." Still, she wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"Exactly, the mind." He nodded. "Akeno, using demonic power is like building a house. Imagination is technically the most important since it's the first step—the blueprint, but it isn't the full picture. You need the raw materials, your demonic power, and then you need the tools—as well as the know-how to use those tools effectively."
She furrowed her brow, finding Alduin's explanation to be quite the headscratcher.
"Tools? You mean like calculations? I thought that was reserved for human magic?"
"No, that's something entirely different." He sighed inwardly, realizing that he needed to be a little more detailed with his analogy. "The mind needs three things to function: oxygen, glucose, and blood. But to stay sharp? It needs tempering. Like a muscle, you've got to train it if you want it to function well."
"Are you saying my mind's not tempered?" She pouted, unable to help but feel like he had just indirectly called her an idiot.
"I'm saying it's not tempered enough," he chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "You've got the blueprint, the imagination to make your lightning charge up quicker. You've most certainly got the raw materials, the demonic power to fuel the spell. But your mind doesn't have the tools, the mental strength to endure the output that spell generates. It's the missing piece to your puzzle."
"Then how do I increase my mental strength?" Akeno thought that the plethora of books, magical, historical, political—so on and so forth, that she had read in the Underworld would've sufficed as more than enough mental training.
Normally, all the studying she had done throughout her life would indeed have been sufficient for her to pull off the spell Alduin had asked her to attempt. However, something had gotten in the way of her development.
Her hate for her father, and the trauma of losing her mother that haunted her mind at every corner. It was holding her back, inhibiting her emotional development by keeping it trapped in the past.
But Alduin wasn't going to point that out aloud, putting aside the fact that Akeno would probably figure it out on her own. He saw no reason to twist the knife when she was just starting to pull it out.
Besides, he didn't lack the self-awareness to know that out of everyone in Kuoh, he was the one with the biggest mental issues—by far. It'd be a little hypocritical to call someone else out for them.
The only difference between him and Akeno was that his issues were doing the opposite of hers, they were pushing him forward instead of backward with relentless fervour. Now, whether that kind of development was healthy or not? That was a question for another time.
Alduin's eyes shone with a tinge of wisdom. "Listen, mental tempering isn't a one-and-done deal. It's constant. It doesn't matter if you've only lived for ten years or a thousand. Sooner or later, a mental challenge will present itself. That's just how life is."
She raised a brow and tilted her head. "Are you sure you're the same age as us? You kinda sounded like a grandpa just then."
"Wha—!" His mouth went agape in shock. "Do I need to start carrying my birth certificate with me or something!? I. AM. EIGHTEEN! ONE-EIGHT!" People's habit of calling him an old fogey was seriously starting to piss him off.
Couldn't they see he was practically overflowing with youth? Sure, his hair looked pretty grey, but that was just the fault of his genetics! There were still centuries upon centuries left in the life of Alduin Buné before he became a stubborn old man.
"If you say so," she shrugged, totally not getting a rise out of her teacher's frustrated reaction. "Anyways, how are we going to temper my mental strength? If our timeframe's limited, I'm not sure having me sit down and start hitting the books again is going to be all that time-efficient method."
He took a deep, calming breath. She made a good point, Riser could show up tomorrow for all he knew. The slow, reliable route wasn't going to cut it.
Still, he needed to balance speed and safety. If he tried to employ the same methods Sebastian used to train him to further Akeno's will, it'd probably just cause her more mental damage in the long run.
No, he needed something safer. A method that could push Akeno's mind to its limits, but also give him enough control so he could ensure he didn't push it a step further.
He fell into silent deliberation for a few seconds before speaking. "I think I've got an idea."
"Yeah?"
"In order to hone your mind—"
Akeno gasped, watching as Alduin completely vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
"—we'll do this," to her immense bewilderment, his next words came from behind her.
"How did you—!?"
"I created an illusion," he said, making no mention of the ability's actual name or mechanics. "And I'm going to keep doing so while we spar. I won't give you any warnings, heads-up, or hints. You'll have to use your brain to try to figure out whether what I'm doing is but a mere figment of your imagination, or if it's for real. That way, I can keep your brain as active as possible while simultaneously working on fixing your fighting style."
It didn't matter if Akeno could actually see through the illusions or not. Chances were she couldn't, since she lacked a strong sensory ability in the first place. What mattered was that her mind continued to actively attempt to see through while under the pressure of fighting Alduin.
Of course, such a fight placed an unimaginable amount of stress on the person on the receiving end. You would be placed in a position where you had to doubt your opponent's every movement, micromovement, even the slightest twitch could be called into question. Too much stress would be damaging.
Fortunately, two factors would prevent Akeno's brain from overheating.
One, the fact that she knew this was a spar. Regardless of how scary fighting him became, she'd always be able to take comfort in the fact that this wasn't for real. That her life wasn't in any actual danger, knowing that, alleviated a crucial amount of stress.
And two, Alduin had complete control over what illusions Akeno would be placed under. If he felt he was casting too many of them? He could mitigate them. If he felt the illusions were too impactful? He could create something more mild-tempered. If he realized Akeno was getting too swept up in the confusion to think coherently at all? He could call a break.
"You… can use illusions as well?" Just how many abilities did her freak of a teacher have up his sleeve?
"I can," he 'teleported' again, appearing a meter in front of her. "Now prepare yourself, we're beginning."
===
"Mm. Not bad," Martha let out a pleased hum. Enjoying yet another pleasant morning of tending to the plants in her greenhouse. Or in this case—adding an entirely new species to her endlessly expanding collection.
In front of her was a bed of distinctive, helmet-shaped flowers growing in tall, upright spikes. Varying in coloration from pitch-black to light-blue, dark-red, and even a seldom few that were pure-white. They all grew on a leafy purple-hued stalk, reaching almost 4 feet in height.
If Alduin were here, he'd notice they were similar to the Aconitum flower found in the human world. Also known as the 'Monkshood' or 'Wolfsbane'.
A flower that with a mere touch, could deliver a deadly serving of neurotoxins, aconitine and mesaconitine. Capable of causing severe respiratory and cardiac problems.
Yet another of nature's many examples of beautiful but deadly.
As for what Martha had planted? It was, in essence, the supernatural version of that known by the moniker of 'Hydrasnap.' Potent enough to shut down the respiratory system of even a High-Class Devil in absolute peak condition and health—in a matter of seconds.
So naturally, Martha reached out and brushed her fingers against the bed of flowers, as if she were petting a Golden Retriever. Using her senses to carefully examine their water intake, temperature, and air quality. Proper ventilation was highly important for ensuring efficient photosynthesis and preventing mold and disease.
As she was inspecting her new addition, a set of strange, black characters started to appear on the floorboard beside her in a circular formation—straight lines binding the circle's circumference to a smaller one in the middle.
Ah, so it's that time already? She smiled inwardly, a faint eagerness swelling within her. This ought to be interesting.
A cloud of smoke erupted from the circle, and from the fog—out stepped none other than Martha's vehemently eager servant, Tagitsuhime, who was scheduled to appear before her Lady specifically on this day. One week since Alduin's arrival in Kuoh Town.
It was time for her to deliver her weekly report.
"My Lady," Tagitsuhime gripped the ends of her robe, performing a respectful bow to her master.
"Raise your head. I'm in the mood for information today, not pleasantries." Martha smiled, shifting towards her while sitting on her stool and crossing one leg over the other. "Ordinarily, I'd tell you to get straight to the report, but I guess it would be a little short-sighted of me to ignore the elephant in the room, wouldn't it?"
"My Lady?" She repeated, this time with confusion.
"Don't play coy with me—Tatsu." Tagitsuhime experienced a pleasant shiver, it had been quite some time since her Lady called her by that nickname. "I know that look on your face, something's bothering you, isn't it? What use is there in having you bottle it all up, when you could allow your Lady to try and be of some help instead?"
The serpentine princess swallowed a gulp, pressured by what appeared to be nothing but a light-hearted, intrigued look on her master's face.
My Lady, you're already aware of what's troubling me, aren't you? No, you must've known I'd end up feeling such a way from the start. Now that it had been pointed out, there was no use trying to keep it to herself.
"I'm having doubts, My Lady." She admitted with a note of hesitation. "About the Dhampir's… qualifications to be acting as the Young Lord's aide."
"Dhampir?" Martha questioned. "I don't recall telling you she was a Dhampir. I presume that means her seal's been undone then?" There was no irritation on her face, just plain, morbid curiosity.
"Yes, the Young Lord, with the help of my youngest sibling, decided to break the seal on the same day of his arrival in Kuoh."
"I see," there wasn't an ounce of emotion to be read on her Lady's face. Her inner thoughts remained a complete mystery. "And this ties into your doubts about her competence?"
"Indeed. Upon the Dhampir's reawakening, I was met with the unfortunate discovery that she lacked the force of will to… restrain her lust." Tagitsuhime's fists tightened at the memory, something which Martha most certainly didn't fail to notice. "My Lady… that fiend defiled the Young Lord! I had half a mind not to—!"
"Not to what?" Martha intervened. "Break the no-contact rule I explicitly set before you? Is that it?"
Tagitsuhime's mouth snapped shut like all the air had been snatched out of her lungs. Her eyes widened in horror once she realized that she had just raised her voice in front of Martha.
"Please, My Lady… you know I'd never dare to disobey you." Her tone softened—drastically so. "I merely feel that the Dhampir lacks the self-control to properly serve the Young Lord. What place could such a leech possibly have at the Young Lord's side?"
"I understand why you might believe there's cause for concern, but I assure you it's needless." She folded her hands together. "It's not a bad thing that she 'defiled' him, as you so aptly put it. Understanding how useful a tool sex can be when used correctly will be an important lesson for him. A lesson I have reason to believe he's already made considerable progress in." The corners of her mouth curled up into a knowing smirk.
How else would he have managed to satiate someone as emotionally unstable as Roygun in a day? She didn't need to spy on him to make such a deduction. If he wants to put the same chains on Thora, then what reason do I have to interfere? He's only solidifying her further loyalty towards him, and as a result, further away from Sebastian.
The old Buné's frustration always proved to be great entertainment.
"Then again, this is more than just an evaluation of Thora's suitability to you, isn't it? My dear Tatsu." Martha's verdant, piercing glare seemed capable of staring straight into Tagitsuhime's very soul. "The one you truly have a problem with—is me."
"My Lady—!" Tagitsuhime's immediate instinct was to reject such an outlandish claim, but Martha simply held up a hand in response, gesturing for her to remain quiet.
"Don't worry, I already knew you'd feel this way from the start. I could tell how eager you were to meet with my son, and after I forbade you to engage in any physical contact with him while the maid remained at his side, it was only a matter of time before you started developing feelings of jealousy."
Tagitsuhime blinked repeatedly, surprisingly, her Lady genuinely didn't seem to be bothered by the serpent's discontent.
"Does this mean you plan on… changing your mind?" She asked, hopeful that she'd be the one at her Young Lord's inside instead of that filthy, lascivious Dhampir. Preferably sooner rather than later.
"We'll see," much to Tagitsuhime's response, all she got in return was a non-answer. "For now, I'm more interested in hearing your report on everything that's been going on with my wayward son."
"As you wish," nonetheless, she had a duty to fulfil—and that was precisely what she intended on doing.
Starting from the very beginning, Tagitsuhime described the planned 'ambush' Alduin had launched on the Gremory peerage. Not skipping out on even the slightest of the details, the cloak and mask he wore, the goofy voice he adopted, the words he spoke to each of them—nothing was omitted. From start to finish, her recount was frighteningly accurate.
"Oh? Who would've thought he could code-switch like that? I'm impressed he managed to hide such a skill from me of all people," she said with a warped sense of pride. One Alduin would probably spit in the face of. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Continue."
Then there was the villa Alduin was staying at that Serafall had given him. Tagitsuhime would've liked to eavesdrop on their conversation a little more, but unlike the other inhabitants in Kuoh, a certain level of caution was warranted with the Satan Leviathan.
Hearing aside, Tagitsuhime had spotted something of significance happening between the Satan and her employee.
The handover of a certain vial.
The contents of which were revealed to Tagitsuhime later on when Alduin made use of it in his backyard.
"He's already consumed Tiamat's blood?" Finally, Martha expressed some genuine emotion. The fact that Serafall gave Alduin such a valuable resource in the first place was one thing—but the fact that he chose to consume so quickly was another. "You're certain he succeeded?"
"I am. There were absolutely no signs of deviation, and to this day, his lifeforce remains perfectly intact." She nodded with certainty. "As a matter of fact, I only felt it grow stronger once he exited his state of meditation."
"Huh," she flicked her brow, shocked that her son's reckless gamble ended up paying off. Attempting to covet Tiamat's power should've been his Icarus moment, but somehow, he made it work. "Do you know what kind of power he obtained from her blood, if any at all?"
Even with her intellect, she struggled to understand the true nature of House Buné's Clan Trait. Sebastian most certainly wasn't going to take the time out of his day to sit down and explain it all to her.
And truthfully, most of the Clan Trait could only be understood by the users themselves since their mindscapes were heavily involved.
Well, at least the users who managed to make use of it without perishing in the process.
"I do," Alduin had spoken about his reward from Tiamat's trial during a sparring session with Thora. "He called it Partial Hypnosis, he said it could directly manipulate the five senses of his opponent—but also described it as being somewhat incomplete. Apparently, he can only control two senses at a time, and the area of effect is limited to a three-meter radius."
"Sense manipulation…" Martha's smile widened, rather pleased that her son had obtained such an ability. "Good, the fact that it's incomplete means he'll be pushed in the right direction should he wish to improve it. Continue."
Tagitsuhime went on to talk about the training sessions between Alduin and his students, but Martha's eyes expressed very little interest. To her, everyone in Kuoh besides Alduin, Thora, and Sylvie were nothing but extras on a set, insignificant creatures taking up empty space.
At least, that was her opinion. Until her servant got to the part about the Fallen Angel fiasco that had transpired. Raynare and her groupies, Freed Sellzen, Serafall's reaction, and—
"Azazel?" She didn't know him on a personal level, but like everyone else in the supernatural world, she knew of him. "Can't say I was expecting to see him of all people in Kuoh. What could he want with my son?"
Like with Serafall, Tagitsuhime needed to practice extreme caution around Azazel. Even more than she did with the former. She observed his arrival in Kuoh, and his entrance into the same abandoned church Alduin was residing in—but had the good sense not to follow him inside.
"I'm afraid I don't know, My Lady. To this day, he never once mentioned what happened in there to Serafall, the Dhampir, or anyone else in Kuoh. I've yet to see him engage in any form of further communication with Azazel, let alone detect his presence in Kuoh ever since his initial arrival."
Martha hummed her acknowledgment. "That means Azazel either told him everything he needed to in person, or he's waiting for something." She breathed an amused exhale. "Still, if Alduin hasn't told Serafall anything, then that most likely means he's conspiring with Azazel behind her back. How fun."
It looks like you've developed a talent for attracting faction leaders, haven't you? Should I expect the arrival of a Seraph sometime soon?
"Serafall should be glad she gets to interact with the Young Lord at all, he shouldn't have to divulge his every dealing to her like some submissive lapdog." Tagitsuhime huffed, totally without any jealousy in her voice.
Martha simply rolled her eyes in return, her servant's fangirling behaviour had a habit of quickly becoming tiresome. "What else?"
A flash of discomfort graced Tagitsuhime's face, causing her Lady to raise a questioning brow.
The serpent knew that the final part of her report, a specific part of it in particular, wasn't going to elicit a positive reaction from Martha. Her Lady rarely, rarely ever expressed any outward rage. It just wasn't how cold, calculating types like her operated.
But when she did?
Tagitsuhime didn't have the words to describe how horrifying it was.
"My Lady, do you recall the warning you had me deliver unto the Gremory the Young Lord's responsible for training?" The serpent's breath sharpened.
"Of course I do," her upper eyelids dropped a little as she leaned to one side, resting her cheek against her fist. "What of it?"
Shivers started to creep their way down the princess's spine. "…My Lady, I don't think the Young Lord meant any—"
"Tagitsuhime." She cut her off immediately. Already able to tell she wasn't going to like what she was told. "Tell me exactly what happened, from start to finish."
Fighting every warning instinct that surged through her, Tagitsuhime swallowed her fear and did exactly as her Lady asked. Telling her everything she had observed without sparing any details. Her Lady valued her obedience, even if her rage got the better of her, she was certain Martha wouldn't let it do so to the point of recklessly extinguishing a servant as valuable as herself.
She started from the beginning of it all, when Alduin found Rias keeled over her desk after returning from the abandoned church—finding his student in a state of frightened delirium. Mortified by her first experience of true bloodlust, just as Martha wished.
"Let me guess, I should expect her brother to come knocking soon?" Martha guessed. "Is that it?"
"No…" Tagitsuhime stiffly shook her head. "As a matter of fact… I don't think you should expect anyone to come seeking retaliation… at all. As you've probably guessed, there's a reason none of the Gremorys have attempted to seek you out yet…"
Martha's posture straightened. Her expression tightened as her looming gaze weighed heavily on her servant's shoulders. Her heart was pounding out of her chest to the point where Tagitsuhime felt like she was nearing the verge of collapse.
"Either you'll speak plainly, or you won't speak at all." Her master's glare intensified. "What. Happened?"
But she had to remain firm until she had finished conveying everything to her Lady. Such was her duty, so she continued.
How Alduin lowered his head to the Gremory girl, pleading for her to keep the incident to herself. Tagitsuhime repeated each word her Young Lord spoke back to her Lady, her fear of the reaction she'd soon display reaching an all-time high.
"Please, keep this incident to yourself. My mother has wronged you, and there's no excuse for her actions, nor would I ever be so lacking in self-awareness that I'd try to make any, or ask you to forgive her. Both she and I are completely to blame for this."
The serpent's memory was perfect. The angle at which he bowed, the tone he spoke with, the unimaginable sense of guilt and sorrow plaguing his Ki. She recalled everything.
"However, despite all her faults, of which there are many, I know that letting Lord Lucifer finding out about what happened… would be the equivalent of signing her death warrant."
Tagitsuhime was always curious to know what kind of relationship her Lady and Young Lord had. From the start, she thought it was the kind you expect when peering through a pair of rose-tinted glasses. She presumed all was well between them.
"I'm not going to sit here and pretend like she's a good person, but at the end of the day, she is still family to me. And while I'd be more than happy to see her punished, I don't wish death upon her."
But now? It was clear to her that their relationship was… complicated—for lack of better words. What she had stumbled into wasn't just a mother expressing interest in her child's endeavours, and said child going through a bit of a rebellious phase.
It was something else entirely.
Tagitsuhime didn't fail to recount Venelana Gremory's visit either, focusing more on the fact that Venelana had divulged a portion—a rather small one at that—of Martha's past to Alduin. Or at least what she knew of it. Not to mention that he maintained his cover-up of what had happened to the Matriarch's daughter during her visit, successfully managing to get Rias to keep everything a secret.
Putting aside the fact that Venelana so audaciously spoke of Martha's background, one would imagine that Alduin's efforts to protect his mother would be received well by the woman. He had just saved her from the wrath of a Super Devil after all, what possible reason could she have to be displeased with him?
But Tagitsuhime knew better. Or more accurately, she knew her master better than that. From the start, she knew exactly how she was going to interpret what Alduin had done, what it'd mean to her, and what kind of reaction it'd elicit.
"So, he did all that, did he?" She leaned back, her eyes lingering on the greenhouse's rooftop, and her tone carrying an unreadable sentiment. "I see."
Silence followed. Martha simply allowed her gaze to remain fixated on the rooftop. Leaving Tagitsuhime to wonder what possible, unearthly thoughts could be going through her Lady's head. Allowing apprehension to tighten its coil around her serpent's heart with each passing second.
"My Lady?" She couldn't help but call out to her master.
Martha's silence persisted. Though there was no outward expression of… well… anything from the woman. Her falling mute alone was more than enough to plague Tagitsuhime with unending fear of what was to come. Leaving her palms clammy and her forehead moist. Hoping that only a few more seconds would remain until the woman said something—anything at all to break the painfully tense quiet.
And eventually, a sound was heard… it just wasn't the sound of Martha's voice like Tagitsuhime was hoping for. Instead, her ears picked up on a crunching sound. Like dry leaves were being crushed.
Slowly, Tagitsuhime's attention drifted over to the bed of freshly planted Hydrasnap her Lady had been watching over before her arrival.
Completely out of the blue, they started to lose their bright, wondrous colours. All of them fading from what they once were to a grim, depressing grey—then proceeding to drop and fall right off their stems. Falling onto the soil like the ashes of burnt paper.
They were withering. Moments ago, their condition had been nothing short of perfection, because plants afforded the luxury of belonging to Martha Sallos' collection were awarded nothing less.
But now? They were being stripped of all life by some unknown force, stripped of all their magnificent luster.
And it wasn't just the Hydrasnap—the withering was spreading. Progressing through the greenhouse as if it were an airborne virus. Destroying the plant collection, Martha had dedicated a colossal amount of time and effort to maintaining.
Tagitsuhime let out a single cough. She furrowed her brow and rubbed her throat in confusion, wondering why she was experiencing an abrupt itching sensation throughout her windpipe.
"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Before she knew it, one cough had turned into a flat-out fit. Causing her to collapse onto the floor knee-first and keel over, all of a sudden, it had become much—much harder to breathe. It felt like the air in her lungs had just caught on fire.
She desperately wanted to call out to her master to ask what was wrong. But no words managed to make their way out of her mouth. Instead, all that exited was a torrent of blood, enough to fill one of Sebastian's wine bottles.
"W-what's happening…" Tagitsuhime shuddered with bloodshot eyes, noticing that the veins on her hands were starting to blacken. Her breathing was growing more and more shallow with each second.
Don't tell me… In that moment, she finally realized what was going on. The Ki's being contaminated! It's toxic! To a creature born of Senjutsu like her, that was nothing short of a death sentence.
"That looks painful," finally, Martha broke her silence. Calmly observing the sight of her servant toiling in her own blood with the same stare of sheer apathy Alduin had seen her wear so many times before. "I apologize, it appears that I lost my composure a little." The withering ended just as quickly as it began, allowing Tagitsuhime to breathe once more—though not without great effort and strain. "You can leave. I'll call for you later."
With the wave of her hand, Tagitsuhime was summoned back to Ryuichi Cave, where she'd be able to rest and recuperate from the damage she had just endured.
"Protect? Me?" Martha took a deep breath. "You dared to presume I wasn't prepared for such a situation, Alduin? And here I thought you had wizened up a little… how wrong I was. No, all you've done is needlessly destabilize your position based on a lofty, misplaced sense of 'compassion.'"
She turned to face the now withered collection of plants within her greenhouse. All of which were fixable with her power—but it would require a serious amount of energy, even from her, to repair everything.
"I'm disappointed in you," she snarled. "Once again, you've managed to kill any sense of goodwill I started to develop towards you with your foolishness. Only this time, your folly is far more severe."
Perhaps another scolding was due?
===
Martha try not to want to beat the shit out of her son challenge.
Difficulty: Impossible.
———
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