• DIVA: A Break from Tradition #2

    From deucexm@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 25 07:21:24 2020
    I had a terrible headache and forgot I was going to post this after I came home
    from work last night. Well, here it is; at post time, part 3 is done but the epilogue yet remains to be finished. We'll see...

    ========

    A Break from Tradition: A DiVerse Alpha Chronicle
    by Felix

    Part 2 of 3

    =====

    "There is a priceless artifact within this tower," the teacher's voice began with measured softness, slicing through the stagnant, heavy air that remained after the door was closed.  "One that outshines the rest by far; it is not powerful, exactly, but to the Empire it is dangerous.  For it is the essence of
    freedom itself, and the Empire is built on slavery; of body and of mind.  By now
    such an artifact should have been destroyed, so I can only imagine it has been forgotten, or otherwise hidden."

    With a quiet but still startling *kfoomp* two fiery orbs ignited, resting atop the teacher's shoulders, casting their red-orange light through the room and making shadows dance weirdly upon the walls.

    "Then how do /you/ know it is here?"

    "My God has never steered me wrong thus far," he returned, solemnly.

    The Empress-to-be stood there in the wavering light, and for a moment She said nothing.  Then: "You have never spoken of this matter before.  Or of anything like it, or about your past."

    The teacher nodded gravely.  "Indeed I have not."

    "Then let me ask you this, teacher: what else would you tell me, of your own accord, while there are no other ears to hear it?"

    He smiled.  "An excellent question.  Let us descend, and I shall speak."

    Just as before, the teacher led the way, and the Empress-to-be followed him down
    the first flight of stairs.  Though it was difficult to discern details amidst the shifting shadows, She could tell this floor - much like the last - was a patchwork mess of cases and cages of every size.  Each one contained something different: a trophy, an item of power, a fragment of something completely misunderstood - there was no way to tell the difference without further examination.  Regrettably, they had no time to indulge in Her curiosity.  At least not right now, She told Herself, clenching a fist briefly within Her long sleeve.  When I take the throne...

    "I came to the Imperial Palace with the highest possible recommendations," the teacher spoke without preamble, turning the corner at the foot of the stairs and
    heading to the next flight down, moving quickly but cautiously, avoiding the containers.  The Empress-to-be followed his example.  "For I taught the best doctrine, and produced the most successful graduates in the service of the Empire.  Loyal subjects, all; and I, the most loyal, for guiding them."

    "That is what you do, and what you have done with me."

    "Just so.  And - as I now have with you - I taught them even /more/ than doctrine, when no one was around to see or to stop me; I taught them to think, to see, to judge.  And to stay silent, even if it pained them, and to wait for the right moment."

    The Empress-to-be made a quiet 'mm'.   "And what moment is that?"

    The teacher made his way down the second flight of stairs.  "The ascent of an Empress who also thinks and sees and judges, who is no weak-willed, blindered puppet like those who have come before her for so many years.  An Empress who is
    willing to change what must be changed - to /act/.  Personally, if it comes to that; but with wisdom and understanding."

    "That is... no small task," the Empress-to-be murmured.  "And I must admit, I fear I am ill-prepared to undertake it, even with the benefit of all your lessons."

    "That is where the artifact comes in," he returned, slipping between the cases and heading for the far wall.  "In order to provide you with vision and discernment beyond mortal limits, for nothing else will suffice for one who shoulders the weight of an Empire that reaches into the stars."

    The Empress-to-be stopped abruptly between two glass cases, a wave of cold washing over Her - even in the stifling room, underneath a heavy fur cloak. "The s-stars?  How...?"  For a moment, words escaped Her, only images of the night sky in Her mind.

    "It is never spoken of," the teacher murmured with a deep sigh, "for the burden is too heavy.  Not until the ascent to the throne - and then, the truth is revealed; that this is merely the First World of the Empire, what other powers know as the Gray Empire, and that Imperial territory spans... well over one hundred worlds by now; perhaps two.  So many that we no longer call them by name.  And then," he continued, turning to fix the Empress-to-be with a somber gaze, "we tell our terrified ruler not to worry - that we have everything under control - that they need only concern themselves with matters here, and be a symbol of life and hope to their people."

    She said nothing.

    "I have said too much..."

    "No..."  The Empress-to-be continued across the room.  "No, it is... it is much
    to know, but not too much.  Better to be forewarned than blindsided..."  Her voice trailed off, and for a moment She let Her guard down.  "... Teacher, will
    I- can I journey to the stars for myself some day?"

    The teacher dropped to one knee again.  "If you stay alive from now to your coronation, my student," he managed, his voice slightly hoarse with rare emotion, "then you may yet have your chance."

    She closed Her eyes, and when She reopened them, She was Her usual self again - the calm, dispassionate Empress-to-be.  "I will trust your words," She returned
    softly.  "And I will do this - shoulder this weight - of my own will.  For you,
    and for your students, and for all those I have yet to meet."  There was a glint
    in Her eyes now, a steel edge that the teacher had suspected but never seen until now.  "And for /myself/.  I have much to see - and I would not be deprived
    of /what is mine/ by those who would seek to blind me."

    The teacher paused a moment, then nodded.  "I am glad to hear it."  He turned,
    and reached underneath one of the cases - and with a quiet *crack* of splintering wood, pulled a small case from the shadows, where it would have doubtless remained overlooked.  After a brief effort, the lid came open with a sharp whine of protest-

    -revealing a luminous, almost painfully bright blue cube, its surface etched with intricate patterns that shifted endlessly.  "This is a relic from a time before our time, blessed by the Goddess Eris: the Freethought Core," he whispered, reverently.  "I dare not touch it; it is yours alone, milady.  This
    is my duty, now that you have accepted your own."  He lifted his head to look at
    the Empress-to-be again, his face lit by the strange blue light and his cheeks by the fiery orbs on his shoulders.  "But I cannot- I /will/ not make the choice
    for you.  I owe you that much, and more."

    "... And if, at this juncture, I refrained?"

    The teacher moved not a muscle.  "I would ask my God for guidance."

    "Well, at least you have a plan," the Empress-to-be murmured, pressing a fingertip to the top point of the cube.  "Though it comes as no surp-"

    Quick as a hummingbird, blue angular veins crawled up the surface of Her white glove - cold as ice, colder than ice!  Up under the cloak, up Her arm, Her shoulder, Her neck-

    The Empress-to-be's world turned blue and deathly cold.  Then, black.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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